Texas Magic

Being the editor-in-chief of the newspaper meant he had to be disciplined and had to keep everyone else on track. He shifted in his chair, squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as he took a long drink of water. He opened his eyes again.

The Journal may have been a small operation, but Drew ran a tight ship and expected nothing less of everyone else.

Yet, even as he resumed editing the credit union article, his thoughts drifted to the events of the past weekend.

It had been a long time since he’d been distracted like this, and all he could think was, Damn, she was worth the wait. Even though he had no idea he’d been waiting. Or that he’d been waiting for her.

This thought helped him power through the article. He finished it, saved the changes and exited out. Pushing back from his desk, he acknowledged that it was time to take a break more substantial than getting a glass of water. He’d worked through dinner. So maybe a break would leave him better off in the long run.

He picked up the phone and dialed Caroline’s number. It rang four times. He thought it was going to voice mail when she picked up.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded like heaven to his ears.

“Hi, I have this tuxedo hanging in my closet. And I have this really hideous pumpkin-colored tie hanging there with it. I understand that you might know of someone who has an outfit—preferably a dress—that might complement it or at least make it look good.”

Her laugh was low and sexy.

“I think I know just the person you have in mind.”

The sound of her voice made him smile. He leaned back in his chair, and for the first time since he’d left her at her front door last night, he felt the tension melt out of his shoulders.

“So, where besides a wedding does one wear such unsightly pumpkin getups?” he asked.

“That depends on the pumpkins involved,” she said. “Pumpkins are always welcome at the farmers’ markets. This time of year, they’re frequently spotted in the produce aisle of the grocery store. Or for the really adventurous, they’ve been known to frequent ravioli and various pies and pastries. But that’s not for the everyday pumpkin; definitely not for the faint of heart.”

“That’s very good to know,” he said. “So, you’re not faint of heart, are you?”

“Me? No. Not me. Not at all.”

“Did not think so. I didn’t take you for that sort of girl.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her voice wavered a little bit.

So she wasn’t as tough as she was pretending to be. Quick-witted, yes. But not tough.

“That’s my lame way of asking you if you’d like to go to the farmers’ market with me Thursday night. We can put on our hideous pumpkin outfits and have a scandalous night on the town.”

“The farmers’ market is only open on Saturday mornings. I don’t think we can have a night on the town there.”

“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”

“No. I’m definitely not easy, if that’s what you were thinking.”

He smiled. She wasn’t exactly what he would call bristly, but he could tell he’d struck a nerve. Of course she wasn’t easy; she was damn irresistible.

“Then how about simply going out to dinner with me Thursday night?”

After a few beats of silence, she said, “I’d like that very much.” Her voice was soft again.

He heard muffled background voices over the line.

“Is someone there with you?”

“Yes. Did you meet my friend Pepper Merriweather? She was at the wedding.”

Of course he remembered Pepper. Everyone in the Southeast knew Pepper Merriweather. “Right. Yes, I did meet her. Her dad is Texas Star Energy, right?”

Caroline laughed. “Yes, though I’d never really thought of him that way. But yes, I guess in a sense he is Texas Star Energy.”

“I’ve interviewed her father before for the paper.”

He paused, waiting for her to react. It was an interesting dynamic. With a certain set of Dallas’s business elite, the Journal had a reputation for being reckless and socially impudent, which, in common man’s terms, meant Drew published the cold, hard truth. He’d butted heads with Harris Merriweather and some of the higher-ups at Texas Star when Drew had asked questions that, for some reason, they did not want to answer.

It was his duty to inform the public. It was also his job to ensure the stories he published were true and unbiased. The only way he could achieve that goal was to talk to people in the know. People who were willing to talk and tell him the truth. When sources stonewalled, it sent up red flags. Those red flags only encouraged Drew to push harder. Still, with Texas Star, he got nowhere.

While Caroline and her friend Pepper moved in those elite Dallas society circles, Caroline seemed no more one of them than Drew was. Maybe that’s why they’d had such a strong connection. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d connected with a woman on so many levels.

“So Thursday, then. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

It was going to be a long three days.

Chapter Three

Drew’s distraction at work was a testament to how much Caroline had gotten to him. Apparently, his attention deficit was also obvious to his coworkers.

On Thursday morning, Bia knocked on his door and stuck her head inside his office. “What’s up, Drew?”

“Business as usual,” he said, not looking up from his computer.

“Got a minute?”

“Umm...” He finished what he was doing on the computer before he glanced up. “Sure. Come on in.”

Bia shut the office door. Tucking one leg underneath her, she settled herself on a chair across from his desk.

“How late were you here last night?” she asked.

“I left around two.” He continued typing as he talked so not to waste time.

She gasped. “Two in the morning?”

“No, I left at two yesterday afternoon.” He looked up at her and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Of course two in the morning.”

“All right, grouchy. Obviously someone needs a nap.”

He had not meant to bite her head off. It was already four-thirty. He’d hoped to put this week’s edition to bed by five, but thanks to some glitches, he was running behind. “Sorry, B, I’m just trying to finish up here. Didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Bia nodded. “Something else besides this week’s edition is on your mind. I can tell. Want to talk about it?”