Page 61 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love

“My mom doesn’t know anything,” Hallie replied, “I liked waffles when I was five, and that’s all she seems to remember.”

“Dammit!What about pie?Is it pie?”

“Don’t like pie,” she said, smiling fiendishly.

“Cinnamon rolls?”he asked.

“No.”

“Strudel?”

“No.”

“Cookies?”

“No.”

“Xuixo?”

“What on earth is xuixo?”

Luke released a weary sigh.“It’s a Spanish pastry filled with custard cream and sprinkled with sugar.I guess it’s not your favorite since you’ve never heard of it.”

“Okay, don’t get so worked up about it,” Hallie said.“Why don’t we go for a drive at lunch, and I’ll show you something.”

There wasn’t too much work to do that day, and at noon they headed out in Hallie’s truck.

She wouldn’t tell him where they were going, but he could see that it was a longish trip since they passed the little village that was home to the Lonesome Cactus bar and kept heading east.

Luke suspected they were going all the way to Austin.

“You’re not trying to take me back to where you found me?”he asked.“It would be just like you to deliver me back into Miss Santer’s clutches.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Hallie said, giving him an evil half-smile.“Not when you’re still useful to me.”

“Where are we going then?”

“You’ll see.”

He decided to trust her.After all, they had been much more friendly in recent days.

Just as he thought, the city skyscrapers appeared on the horizon, swathed in lush greenery.They were back in Austin.Luke was kind of excited to be here since he didn’t realize how much he had missed the comforts of the city.

They turned down a picturesque street filled with cafes and boutique stores.

“Here we are,” Hallie said, parallel parking the truck.“There’s one pastry you forgot about, Romeo.”

They had stopped right outside Vanilla Crème, a small but fancy donut shop.

“Why couldn’t I see it before?”Luke exclaimed.“It was donuts all along!A simple American food for a rugged yet feminine cowgirl.”

“The way you describe them would make a nice ad,” Hallie said.

“May I buy you a dozen?”

“Go for it.”

They feasted on donuts and coffee in the quiet space of the café, not talking much, other than to praise the deliciousness of the pastries.