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She found a man with a polished pair of boots and raised her head She immediately dismissed him as a possibility He was far too old Her survey continued Scuffed boots--too young Snakeskin boots--nope Too urban

"Linnette?"

She abruptly looked up and nearly collided with a lean, wiry man of about thirty-five He wore a cowboy hat and western-style jacket with leather patches on the sleeves and--yes, indeed--cowboy boots Linnette’s expectations hadn’t been high, but if this was Cal Washburn, he far exceeded her hopes He was a pleasant-looking ood shape Brown hair and eyes, prominent cheekbones, a solid jaw and surprise of surprises, a warm smile

"Cal?"

He nodded "I h-have a reservation" With his hand at the small of her back, he directed her to the desk

The woman behind the counter looked at them expectantly

"W-Washburn," Cal said

She scanned the list and scratched out his na for two menus, she said, "Your table is ready"

Linnette had no idea The Lighthouse restaurant did such a rousing business It hadn’t occurred to her to rateful Cal had

Once they were seated, Linnette opened her menu, studied the selections and chose the seafood fettuccini with cla--and was affordably priced She’d stick to the free rolls for her appetizer

The waiter came for their drink order and Linnette decided on iced tea Cal asked for a whiskey sour Re that her funds were liain to see if there was a price list for mixed drinks Yes--to her horror, it was made with premium whiskey and cost almost ten dollars

After their drinks arrived, they , just as she’d assumed she would Cal seemed interested in her work as a Physician’s Assistant and was impressed that she could prescribe medications and treat minor injuries She described the first times she’d sutured a wound and put on a cast and how nervous she’d been

The waiter returned for their meal order and it was as if Cal had only recently discovered food He ordered a crab-and-artichoke dip for an appetizer, plus a dinner salad with shri cost extra For his entrée, he chose a T-bone steak

Linnette casually looked at the menu a second ti to her calculations, his tab alone would add up to all the cash she carried

"Is s-so?" Cal inquired

She leaned closer and tried to figure out a way to explain that she was on a li "N-nothing," she assured hih he’d met his soul an to explain that they ht need to split the bill, but just then the waiter delivered the rolls and the appetizer

Despite her predictions, Linnette actually had an enjoyable ti Cal insisted she have a glass of ith her meal; the expense was more than she could afford, but she let hilad she’d succu way toward cal her nerves

She shouldn’t have been surprised that Cal ordered dessert--New York-style cheesecake, no less He also requested two forks

"I couldn’t," she insisted, placing both hands on her stomach

"One taste," Cal said

"We bake it here at the restaurant," the waiter told her "It’s our ht," she acquiesced, "one taste"

Linnette ended up eating most of it She didn’t normally like heavy desserts, but this was exceptional--the best she’d ever tasted

They lingered over coffee, and then the waiter brought the bill, tucked inside a leather sleeve It stood in the nore By her esti total in her head until the wine, at which point she’d lost count--the tab far exceeded her cash Granted, she had her VISA, but she was already close to her li moment, Linnette stared at the bill, still concealed in its folder, and prayed this on would reach for it

He didn’t

Linnette was beginning to worry "Shall we split this?" she suggested

Cal picked up the bill and looked it over He didn’t say what her half would be "I’ll t-t-take care of it on the way out," he said

Linnette nodded

"I had a nice time" He seemed as astonished as she was

"I did, too"

"You aren’t l-l-like I ex-x-x-pected"

"Neither are you"

He glanced at his watch "Can I alk you to your v-v-vehi--car?"