Page 15 of Boston (Coral Canyon: Cowboys #12)

CHAPTER

TEN

“ D ear Lord,” Boston said, and all of Cora’s qualms about saying grace disappeared.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d prayed aloud, and she determined that she would test out those two words tonight before she went to bed.

Dear Lord.

Boston said them so easily, and he seemed to know exactly what to follow them with as well.

“We’re really grateful to be gathered here tonight for this dinner date,” he said.

“I’m so thankful that Cora spent her time, money, and energy to make this food.

Please bless that it will be delicious and keep us both healthy and strong and able to continue working around the lodge and resort.

Bless Cora with anything that she needs as she continues to settle in to her fresh start here in Coral Canyon, and bless my family—wherever they are—that they will have the things that they stand in need of that Thou seest fit to give them. ”

He hesitated for just a beat and added, “I’m a little worried about this cookie salad, Lord, so if you can make sure I don’t get sick from it, that would be all I ask for today.”

Cora grinned, completely caught off guard by such a small, intimate detail in the prayer. She was used to bigger things like bless my family, bless this food, help us to stay safe, and the like.

Perhaps this was how people prayed all the time, and she’d just never heard it. Perhaps she’d simply gotten too far away from talking to God to know.

“Are you okay?” Boston asked.

Cora’s eyes flew open, and she looked up. “Yes,” she said. “I didn’t—I guess?—”

“You weren’t even listening.” He grinned at her. “I said amen, like an hour ago.”

She burst out laughing as pure amusement danced through her.

He picked up his bowl of Cookie Monster salad and sniffed it. “Are there oranges in this?”

“Mandarin oranges,” she said. “It’s literally just whipped cream and fruit and cookies. It’s not going to poison you.”

He looked at her with those dancing eyes that followed her in her dreams and took his first bite. A moan came out of his mouth too, but Cora didn’t think that it was faked the way hers had been.

“This is really good,” he said.

“Here’s a tip.” She shredded off a bite of her pork. “When a woman cooks for you, don’t sound surprised when it’s good.”

Boston chuckled and shook his head. “No, ma’am. I didn’t mean to.”

And she knew he hadn’t, and that he understood she was also flirting with him.

“So tell me about the hunting expedition,” she said.

Boston waved his spoon and then scooped up another bite—this one with just a mandarin orange and a blob of whipped cream.

“It was fine,” he said. “The dad got a deer, which he really enjoyed telling his sons about, and everyone made it back alive.”

“I heard there was an extra person,” Cora said, watching him for his reaction.

“Yep.” Boston dimmed a little bit but said nothing more.

She wasn’t sure what would ruffle him, but she’d like to know. No one can simply be even all the time. “Did that irritate you?”

“Sure did,” Boston said. “But I had enough food ready, and the biggest problem was where I had to sleep.” He rotated his right shoulder as if it bothered him. “Let’s just say I’m really glad to be sleeping in my own bed tonight.”

Cora smiled at him. “Does that happen a lot here at the lodge?”

“No,” Boston said.

“Do they allow it?”

A sigh came out, but Boston ended it after only a moment, as if he hadn’t meant for it to be audible.

“I’ve only been here a few months,” he said.

“So it hasn’t happened to me until now. I don’t think Ernie would have allowed it if they were local, but since they’d come from another state, he wanted to accommodate them. ”

Cora nodded, because her whole life was about accommodating others. And it sure seemed like Boston’s was too.

“What’d you do the past couple days?” he asked.

“Well, I went to town,” she said, indicating the napkins. “And I got a few things to brighten up my place. These napkins, those pillows, the curtains….”

Boston’s eyes moved to them as she waved her fork in the general direction of the windows to his right.

“Oh, I hadn’t even seen those,” he said.

“Jeremy came and helped me put the rod up only a couple of hours ago,” she said.

“They’re nice.”

Cora ducked her head. “Yeah. He wanted to know who dinner was for.”

Boston’s eyes flew back to hers. “Oh. What did you tell him?”

Cora met his eyes. “I—I mean, I don’t really know….” She trailed off as Boston started to nod.

“You don’t know what this is?”

She shook her head. “Do you?”

“I think it’s two people getting to know each other,” he said. “Just like we talked about.”

“So I shouldn’t have called you my boyfriend?” She grinned at him, glad the question mark she tacked into her voice made him smile.

“I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed,” he said. “But are we telling people? Your family? Your momma?” He sobered. “What about the other employees here? I’ve never dated anyone from here, so I’m not sure if there’s a policy or not.”

Cora finished her bite of potatoes and shook her head. “There’s no policy.”

“So if Cotton asks me who I’m dating, I can say it’s you?”

Her mouth tightened, and oh, Boston saw it. “I mean, theoretically,” she said.

“Are we keeping it a secret?” he asked. “Because Julie tries to set me up every other minute, and if I say no, she’ll want to know why.”

The thought of Boston going out with another woman made Cora’s blood sear through her veins like hot lava. “I mean, I guess you could go out with someone else,” she said. “If we’re not official or whatever.”

“I don’t even know what that means,” Boston said.

“Yes, you do,” she fired back. “There are stages of a relationship. First, we’re just getting to know each other. Then we’re dating. Then you’re my boyfriend.”

“There’s three stages?” he asked. “Is this a Miami thing?”

A scoff exploded out of her mouth, even as she smiled. “No,” she said. “This is a people-our-age thing.”

Boston finished his Cookie Monster salad and leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms across his chest. “I think this is totally a thing that’s different about Wyoming and Florida, because when I go out with a woman here, I’m just going out with her.”

“So do you call that dating?”

“Yeah,” Boston said.

“And is she your girlfriend?”

“Yes,” Boston said.

“And how many dates does that take?” Cora asked.

Boston’s gaze turned a little bit murderous, and Cora at least now knew something that irritated him.

“I don’t know,” he said. “There’s not a set number, but I know I don’t really want to go out with anyone else.” He reached over and took her hand in his. “I only want to go out with you. So if Julie wants to set me up with someone, I’ll just tell her that I met someone on my own.”

“What if she asks who it is?” Cora asked.

“Oh, she’ll ask,” Boston said. “But that doesn’t mean I have to tell her.” He raised his eyebrows. “Unless we’re gonna tell people.”

He released her hand and forked off a bite of pork that he paired with a cheesy morsel of potato. “So you tell me, Cora. Are you ready to tell people that we’re seeing each other?”

Cora’s heart squeezed inside her chest, suddenly feeling too big for the small space. “I think….” She trailed off, trying to get her thoughts to line up. “Maybe I should talk to my momma and sister before we say anything.”

“So you didn’t tell Jeremy?”

She shook her head. “I told him I was just testing out some of the new things, and that I wanted a homemade meal that didn’t come from a restaurant or kitchen here on the property.”

Boston nodded, and he didn’t seem upset that she hadn’t told her brother-in-law that they were dating. “All right,” he said. “What are they gonna think when they see my truck in your driveway?”

“I don’t know,” Cora said. “And it doesn’t really matter.”

“So it’s not really a secret.”

Cora shook her head. “No. But I want to handle it right. So let me talk to my momma and sister.”

She gave him a pointed look, and Boston waved one hand and said, “All right.”

He took another bite of food and then breathed out. “So, you went to town and bought a few things. Did you lay by the pool on Thursday? How was your massage?”

Cora rolled her head side to side. “It was amazing.”

Boston grinned. “I’m glad, Cora-Cat.”

“Why do you call me that?” she asked.

Boston raised one shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t know. You seem like a cat to me. Someone who wants to be comfortable and well taken care of.” He ducked his head, using the brim of his cowboy hat to hide his face. “And I want to do that. I want to make you comfortable and take care of you.”

Sweeter words had never been said to Cora. Not even from her boyfriend of three years.

“If you hate it, I don’t have to do it,” he said. “But I’m not using sweetheart or baby . Those are totally overused in Wyoming.”

“Okay,” Cora said, giggling. “You don’t have to use those.”

Boston’s jaw jumped, and then he relaxed. “You’re actually a really good cook,” he said. “This is really delicious.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“Now tell me about this car you ordered.” He always seemed to know exactly what to ask her that made her feel good and happy.

She dug into her layered salad, mixing it around so that the thicker dressing would get on every piece. “You’ll love it when you see it.”

“Is it a sedan?” he asked, the last word painted with tar he said it so darkly.

Cora peeled out another round of laughter. “No,” she said. “But a sedan would be a perfectly acceptable vehicle for me.” She pointed her fork at him and then put the lettuce, tomato, and peas in her mouth.

Boston grinned at her. “I know what it is. It’s one of those small crossover SUVs, right?”

Cora chewed and swallowed. “They’re called CUVs. And yes. It’s so cute. It’s bright red, and I can’t wait to take you to my favorite place in it.”

The interest in Boston’s eyes grew. “I can’t wait for that either. Where is it?”

“It’s a surprise,” she said.

“When are we going to go?” he asked.

“I have to check the road conditions,” she said.