The Cowgirl's Secret (The Diamondback Ranch Series #) (5 page)

Tori smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

The waiter returned with a bowl of steamed edamame and took their orders. Tori delicately forked a green pod and bit into it. She made a face and bravely swallowed it, then reached for her drink. "Ugh! What
is
that?"

Sam chuckled. "It's edamame. Soybeans. You're not supposed to eat the pod. Here, watch me." He took a pea pod and squeezed the bottom, popping a bean into his mouth. "See? Now, you try. I'll start one for you. You have to pinch just right or it doesn't work." He handed her another green pod and squeezed one end before relinquishing it.

Tori looked at it skeptically before popping the bean into her mouth. She chewed slowly, thoughtfully, then nodded. "Not bad." She grabbed another pod. "I can't believe I bit into it like that. You see what I mean when I say I'm not an adventurous eater?"

"Don't feel bad. Lots of people make that mistake. The important thing is: Do you like it?" Sam couldn't resist and leaned toward her to gently touch the tip of her nose just as he'd done the night he'd met her. When her eyes flared, he brushed his finger down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. Her lips trembled, and she blushed. After a moment, he finally released her from his hold.

"Do you like it, Tori?"

Was he asking about the beans or his touch? Tori definitely liked his touch. Their gazes locked, and she lost herself in his dark brown eyes. Damn, he had gorgeous eyes. Her heart beat out of sync when she registered the level of heat in them.

She knew her face must be flushed, and she tried desperately to suck air into her lungs. After a moment, she broke eye contact and reached for another bean pod. "Let me try it again," she said, "and I'll give you my verdict."

Pinching the bottom like Sam had shown her, she successfully popped three beans into her mouth, all the while extremely conscious of the man's full attention on her. He was more handsome than she'd remembered. So big. So sexy. So
male
.

"Well?" he asked, searching her face as if he were delving into her soul.

Tori swallowed the beans, hoping they wouldn't stick in her throat. She didn't know why, but Sam Garza had a devastating effect on her system. She'd never been reduced to a quivering mass of nerves like this. "They're delicious."

"See? That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Sam sat back as the waiter set their plates on the table. "
Bon appétit
!" He unwrapped his chopsticks and dug in.

Could she feel any more awkward or out of place? She'd never gotten the hang of chopsticks. She didn't want to appear clumsy or gauche in front of Sam. She'd already embarrassed herself once this evening. She didn't need to do it again.

Thankfully, the waiter had left a fork and knife beside her plate. Tori picked up the fork and speared a nice plump shrimp fried to perfection. She closed her eyes and almost moaned with delight.
Oh yeah. That was more like it.

"Good, huh?" Sam said, a hint of amusement evident in his voice.

Tori's eyes popped open, and she felt her cheeks go red again.
Damn it
. She really needed to get her act together here. She speared another shrimp. "Very good. I love shrimp."

"Great. And in keeping with your adventurous spirit tonight, why don't you try the sushi?" Sam offered her a piece of raw fish with his chopsticks. "Come on. You might like it."

Tori eyed the sample with trepidation. "I don't know, Sam."

"One bite, babe. Just one bite." He waved the chopstick closer to her mouth and lowered his voice. "Come on, sweetheart. Give it a chance. You won't know if you don't try."

Tori looked at the sushi, then at Sam. His gaze was intense and his words seemed to hold a deeper hidden message. Or was she just imagining that? The heat radiating in his eyes ignited a fire in her blood. The way he called her sweetheart and babe made her heart pound painfully in her chest. One thing she knew for sure, she was fast succumbing to his formidable charm.

"Okay. Let me have it." Tori leaned forward and opened her mouth.

Sam hesitated a fraction of a second, holding the chopsticks halfway between them. "I'll let you have it, all right. And I won't make you beg . . .
this time
," he said softly, intimately.

Tori groaned inwardly. When would she ever learn to think before she spoke? And how was she supposed to eat with her stomach fluttering like crazy?

Sam fed her the sushi and held her gaze as she slowly, determinedly chewed. She'd eat the damned stuff if it killed her.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Tori swallowed and grabbed her drink to wash the fishy taste out of her mouth. "I think I'll stick with the shrimp."

Sam nodded and returned his attention to his own plate. "Fair enough. At least you tried."

"I'm on an adventure, remember?" She picked up her fork and speared another delectable shrimp.

Sam smiled that lethal smile of his. "I'm glad you're sharing it with me."

"I'm glad too," she managed to say. Sam's smile shot a burst of adrenalin through Tori's system. She felt as if she were indeed on an adventure, exploring new territory, going to a place she'd never gone before.

***

Sam took a sip of his favorite after-dinner drink. The orange-flavored liqueur slid smooth and warm down his throat. He looked across the table at Tori McCade who was staring at him all wide-eyed, focusing all of her attention on him. The neckline of the red dress was cut low and every now and then, a glimpse of satiny cleavage played havoc with his libido.

He adjusted his butt on the hard restaurant chair, wishing he could adjust another part of his anatomy that had been in a painful state of arousal ever since she'd walked into the restaurant.

"So tell me more." Tori dipped her spoon into the chocolate brownie concoction she'd ordered for dessert and lifted it to her lips. Lips that Sam was dying to taste.

He set his brandy snifter down, keeping a tight grip on it. "There's not that much to tell really. After grad school, I packed up my stuff and headed to New York."

Tori sighed. "I've never been to the East Coast. The biggest cities I've seen are Dallas
obviously
, and Houston where I used to enter calves in the Junior Live Stock Show when I was a kid. That's how I decided on veterinary medicine. The vets at the show were amazing. The clinic back home is owned by Doc Pritchard, and he's actually become my mentor. He's my greatest supporter and wants me to take over his practice after I get my degree."

Tori held his eyes as she smiled at him. Sam loved the way she talked. The energy radiating from her was intoxicating,
addictive
. Her voice came alive when she spoke about the things she loved . . . and he decided he wanted to be one of the things she was so impassioned about.

"Tell me about New York," she said, taking a bite of her dessert. "How did you like it?"

"It was great at first." Sam tapped his glass with an index finger. "You know, the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple and all that. So many people jam-packed in such a small area. You can almost feel all the hearts beating and the churning mass of humanity. I can't describe it. It's very different from the wide-open spaces of Texas. I was in culture shock for the first two or three months I was there."

Tori smiled. "I'll bet. I can't even imagine. The hustle and bustle of Dallas sometimes weighs me down. I get so homesick for the Double Mountains and the Diamondback Ranch. That's my family's land where I grew up. It's midway between Abilene and Lubbock. When I'm here in Dallas, I miss being able to see for miles and miles all the way to the horizon with nothing but cotton fields and pastures as far as the eye can see." She ate another spoonful of her chocolate brownie, leaving a few small crumbs at the corner of her mouth. Her tongue shot out to lick it away, but she didn't get it all.

Sam watched her mouth and couldn't resist. "Here, let me help." He reached over and took her chin in his hand and wiped the smudge clean with his napkin. Tori stared at him out of those big baby-blues, and he felt it like a sucker-punch to the groin. He rubbed his thumb on the smooth skin of that firm little chin, not wanting to let go.

"Sam?" Her voice sounded breathless. He could certainly understand; he felt like he couldn't breathe at all.

"Yes?" he asked slowly, intent on the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers. Wondering if the rest of her body would feel as smooth and creamy.

"Did you get it all?"

"All of what?"

"The crumbs." Tori pulled back and patted her lips with her own napkin to finish Sam's handiwork. "Thanks."

"No problem." Only it was. He was
too
attracted to her. He couldn't start something with a girl as young as Tori McCade . . . She was too innocent when it came to men. There were too many blushes and no feminine wiles. Maybe Joe was right. Maybe he was too used to the more sophisticated women in New York.

Except how the hell was he supposed to resist?

"So you miss the ranch and the wide-open spaces." Sam sat back quickly and took hold of the brandy snifter again, anchoring himself on his side of the table. "You're a real cowgirl at heart, aren't you?"

Tori nodded and picked up her spoon again. "Pretty much. I can't see myself living anywhere but Salt Fork. It's home, you know? There's just something about Texas."

"I sure missed it while I was living up north. You can take the man out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the man."

"That's what they say." Tori smiled and pointed her spoon at Sam. "Anyway, I have another year at UTD, then four more at Texas A&M.
If
I get accepted into their vet school."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"It's pretty competitive. Tell me more about New York. You said you suffered culture shock?"

"Yeah, but it didn't take long to acclimate myself. There's a magnetism, a charm to New York that draws you in. I was lucky enough to land a challenging job that kept me on my toes. I found a nice little apartment at a reasonable price, although it was still expensive by Texas standards."

"What exactly did you do?"

"I worked on the computer end for one of the big financial companies. I wrote code and helped revamp some of their systems."

"And the money?" Tori slapped her hand across her mouth and groaned. "I can't believe I said that. I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

Sam chuckled. "No problem. The money was great. It was even better when I moved to a trading desk. I made good money and managed to save quite a bit, despite the high cost of living."

"Didn't you miss your folks?"

"Yes, but I've always been independent. I flew home for the holidays just like I did during grad school. That didn't change when I moved to the East Coast. A couple of times, I flew my parents to New York for a visit. They really enjoyed the trips. For five years, life was good. Life was very good."

Sam swirled the liqueur in the brandy snifter, watching the light play on the orange liquid. He didn't like to think about the clunker life had thrown him back then. He really didn't like to think about the latest clunker, either. It was better not to think at all. Safer. Easier. That's why he kept so busy. So he wouldn't have to think.

Tori reached out and touched his hand. Her dainty white fingers looked incongruous against his darker skin. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Sam kept his gaze on her fingers. "Two years ago, my dad died of a sudden heart-attack. I was twenty-nine years old."

Tori's fingers closed over his, and she gave him a comforting squeeze. "I'm sorry, Sam. That must have been very tough. I never knew my dad. He died when I was a baby. My mom says all of my brothers are the spitting image of him, so she has a constant reminder of the love she shared with him." She laughed a little self-consciously. "I'm sorry. We were talking about you, and I hijacked the conversation. Please, go on."

"That's okay. You're allowed. I want to know more about you, too."

"Yes, well . . . " She tried to pull her hand away, but Sam grabbed hold, not wanting to break contact. Something about Tori was stirring strange feelings in him. Desire of course, that was a given. But he felt a connection with her that he'd never felt for another woman.

Which was ridiculous. They were barely acquainted. This was their first date. He couldn't feel anything for her this fast. Could he?

"Is that why you moved back to Texas? To be near your mom?" Her voice held sincere interest and concern; her eyes glimmered with sympathy and understanding.

"Yes and no." He finally let go of her hand and took a sip of his drink. "After Dad's funeral, I thought about moving back to Dallas. But Mom insisted she would be okay, that I had my own life to live. That my father would have wanted me to continue as before."

Even now, it hurt too much to think about.

"I felt guilty returning to New York. I felt like I was abandoning my mom. I threw myself into my work. That's when I moved to the trading desk. Working a trading desk on Wall Street is extremely profitable, like I said. But the stress level is exceptionally high. Burnout is definitely a job hazard. And I was burning the candle at both ends. Working twelve-hour days. Work, work, work."