Right Where He Belongs by Rebecca Russell

Author:Rebecca Russell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Tanner double-checked the address. Perfectly tended flower beds provided splashes of color against the small house painted a soft yellow. A swing on the porch invited him to take a load off.

Very cozy. Must be the right place.

He grabbed the bottle of wine, left the pickup and headed for the front door. What if Cassie’s mom didn’t drink? He certainly had no desire to offend her. He’d been taught to never show up empty-handed when invited somewhere; he knew wine was an appropriate hostess gift, so why was he second-guessing himself?

Cassie’s smiling face suddenly appeared in his mind. He recalled the amusement in her voice as she read the note from her mom. The two were obviously close.

He raised his hand to knock. The door opened to reveal the real Cassie who was even more beautiful than the one pictured in his mind. No hat this time, but a wide, bright-yellow scarf that held back her riot of long, beautiful curls.

Dressed in a white blouse with yellow flower buttons, white jeans and sandals, she looked comfortable and, well, great. He was glad he had swapped his usual T-shirt for a shirt with a collar, even though Cassie had assured him dinner was casual.

She smiled, but her gaze was tinged with sadness and he swallowed the urge to ask her what was wrong so he could try to make it better. He must have sunstroke or something. Her mood wasn’t his problem.

Without thinking, he reached out to touch a soft curl. “Do you ever let it go?”

She blinked. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Your hair. It’s beautiful. But it’s always hidden under some hat or pulled back.”

“I—I started out wearing hats because my dad always had one on. Mom gave up the fight and bought me girl hats. Besides, I’m always doing something where I need to keep my hair out of the way. I should probably cut it, but I don’t have the nerve.”

“I’m glad.” Oh, man. Why had he said that? It was none of his business. He let go of the silky lock and quickly put his hand in a pocket. “I mean, you should do whatever you want.”

“Thanks, I think I will. I’m glad you could make it, tonight, Tanner. This means a lot to my mom.”

Tanner was relieved to see at least a little of the sparkle in her eyes had returned. “You made it sound like I didn’t have much choice,” he teased.

“You got that right.” Cassie leaned toward him. “I need to warn you, though,” she whispered.

“Mom is in a strange mood. She gets melancholy when she thinks too much about the past.”

“Cassie, where are your manners?” a soft, feminine voice called out from somewhere to his left. “Invite our guest in.”

“Coming, Mom.” Cassie gestured for Tanner to step inside then closed the door. Tanner could’ve sworn he had entered an Italian restaurant. The unmistakable smell of garlic, onion, tomatoes and bread filled the air. His stomach growled. “Something smells great.”

“Dinner will be ready soon, but Mom thought you might like to visit a little first.

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