The Wish List by Fay Robinson

Author:Fay Robinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

“IF YOU WIN, you shouldn’t have to pay,” Susannah argued, picking up the bill from the table.

“Because I won, I get the right to choose.” Ryan reached across and snatched the slip of paper from her hand. “I choose to pay.”

“I’ve never played the game like that.”

“Then you haven’t been doing it right.”

Next to Susannah in the booth, Nia giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Susannah asked. She tickled the child’s side. “You sure do have a bad case of the sillies tonight.”

“You and Daddy are funny. You fuss all the time.”

“He’s the funny one. Look how his head is all lopsided. And his nose sticks out so far we might have to put a flag on the end so cars won’t run into it.”

Nia giggled again. “Nah-ah. My daddy is beautiful.”

“Beautiful? You think so?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, let’s see.” She studied Ryan’s face. His eyebrows lifted in question, waiting for her response. “You know, I think you’re right. He is beautiful in a weird, lopsided, long-nosed kind of way.”

“Thanks a lot,” he said.

Nia yanked on her sleeve.

“I know a secret about Daddy’s quarter.”

“What kind of secret?”

Nia looked at him. He shook his head.

“I can’t tell.”

“Oh, I get it. He tricked me somehow, didn’t he?”

“Uh-huh, it’s got a man on both—” Nia slapped her hands over her mouth, realizing she’d almost given away what she knew.

Susannah pretended to be mad at him. She held out her palm. “Okay, buster, show me the quarter.”

“Not on your life.”

“You don’t play fair.”

“As fair as you.”

“You flipped the coin and you called first.”

“So?”

“So that’s not how you do it.”

“Next time we’ll use your quarter and I’ll call first.”

“Okay,” she said, then realized he’d tricked her again and sputtered, “Wait a minute, that’s not right.”

“You already agreed. Too late.”

They argued again at the grocery store when Ryan tried to pay for a pair of rubber gloves she bought for work. The man had a streak of hardheadedness in him. This time, he gave in because she threatened to slug him.

Her hands were a little dry and itchy from the exposure to the grout. She didn’t tell Ryan, only added a bottle of moisturizing cream to her basket.

They checked out, and he loaded her groceries into the truck’s back seat with Nia. “Do you need anything else while we’re in town?” he asked, getting in.

“I got everything.”

“Anyplace you want to stop?”

“Can’t think of one.”

Robbinsville was a sweet place, nestled in a valley among the mountains, but Susannah couldn’t see much to do after dark. During the quick tour Ryan gave her, she admired the courthouse made of native stone. Ryan showed her the sheriff’s office where Bass worked.

The surrounding “downtown” of a handful of streets was quaint and had some interesting antique and period-clothing shops, but all were closed now. Tomorrow she’d drive back and have a better look around in daylight, maybe see if she could find another pair of jeans.

The only road with any traffic was a one-street “bypass” with a few fast-food restaurants, a couple of motels and a convenience store.

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