Come Home To Me (Wild Creek Ranch Book 1)

Chapter Four - Almost Kissed

The whole day Rhett was busy at work, but the prospect of meeting Adelaide again in the evening distracted him and he erred in everything he did. Finally giving up, he drove twenty minutes before time and parked his truck outside her hospital, eagerly waiting like a love-struck teenager. He had never experienced this strange excitement in his entire twenty-four years of existence.

Time stood still for him as he impatiently waited for her to emerge. After half an hour of waiting, when he was about to go inside and inquire, he finally saw her coming out of the hospital, busy chatting with a fellow nurse.

The moment Adelaide's eyes fell upon him, she felt a strange excitement course through her body. This was the moment she had been waiting for the whole day. She smiled at him, a shy and excited smile that Rhett reciprocated. It made her heart skip a beat, and she waved at her colleague and walked towards Rhett's truck.

"Hi, I thought you would forget," she said shyly, climbing onto his truck, conscious of his unwavering gaze upon her.

"How can I? I promised you. I don't forget promises."

"Neither do I." Rhett smiled and nodded, immensely pleased to have found someone just like himself.

To her surprise, he drove in the direction opposite to their home. "Are we not going home?" she asked with surprise. Rhett smiled instead of replying and met her gaze, his eyes speaking volumes instead, urging her to trust him. She did! He was a perfect gentleman and although he was the hottest creature she had ever seen, she knew she could trust him blindly, even with her eyes closed. In the close confines of the car with him, it was strange that she didn't at all feel uncomfortable, although they had met only a few times.

"Why are you smiling, Rhett?" she asked, a deep flush creeping up her neck, but his smile widened further instead of replying.

"Where exactly are you planning to whisk me away tonight?" Rhett glanced at her eager expression and shook his head, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"You're putting ideas in my head!" He smiled at her wide-eyed look.

"I didn't mean it that way! So, are you telling me or not?"

"We're going to a small diner a few miles away which serves delicious food. It's my favorite place to eat in the whole of Fordsville. You should taste their food. Why don't you call Granny Emma and inform her? We'll pack up something for her afterward," said Rhett, as he drove on. In twenty minutes, they reached a quaint, homely, and cozy-looking little diner with a bell on top of the door. It chimed when they went inside and an apron-clad, plump, middle-aged woman with twinkling blue eyes came hustling out of the kitchen door. Her eyes sparkled more at seeing Rhett, and it looked like she knew Rhett very well.

"What a pleasant surprise! Hello, Rhett, my boy. I thought you had forgotten me. Aren't you coming after a year?" asked the woman, enveloping him in a bear hug.

"Yes, I got busy at the ranch. How have you been, Aunt Mary?" he asked, returning the hug.

"I'm good as always, dear," she said, and then her eyes fell upon a shy Adelaide beside him, and her eyes sparkled with interest.

"Oh, hello dear! You look so good together. When is your wedding, Rhett?" asked Aunt Mary, coming forward to embrace her. Adelaide blushed at the roots of her hair, while Rhett seemed to like the question too much.

"This is Adelaide..," he started, but Aunt Mary chimed in.

"What a pretty name for a pretty bride! Come and sit down. Choose what you want to eat. I'll be with you in a minute," she said when another customer needed her attention.