Zaire settled down Thunder and walked China to her car. Her ride with him had built some confidence and made her less intimidated by horses.
Zaire stopped in front of her car. “Well, it looks like this is it for now. Think you’ll make it to the club this evening? A different band is featured tonight.”
China nodded. “I’d already decided to drop in. I also plan to eat dinner in the main dining room. I hear you all cook up the fish caught on the trip. I can’t wait to taste the fruits of my labor.” She laughed. “And your labor, too, of course. I couldn’t have landed those beauties if you hadn’t helped.”
While trying to decide if he should let a perfect opportunity like this pass him by, Zaire’s heart hammered away. A desire to share a table with her over dinner was strong. “I’d like us to have dinner together. That is, if you don’t have other plans.”
China’s smile was effervescent. “What’s so wonderful about this moment was my desire to ask you the same thing. Is seven-thirty good?”
Glad he’d taken the risk, Zaire felt relieved. “The time is fine. I’ll reserve us a table. Mom and Morgan do the cooking.
Rest assured you’ll be served a fish dinner from the babies you nabbed.”
“How can anyone know what fish belongs to whom?” China inquired.
“We give out colored clips to guests before the trip. I didn’t give you any because it looked as if you’d be with Zane’s group. I had a few extra ones in my pocket so I used them on yours after we hauled them aboard. I later told Mom you had orange. We try to make sure everyone gets some of what they reeled in, but it’s not always possible. Lots of folks don’t catch a thing, but there’s always enough fish to go around.”
“That is really special.” Standing on tiptoes, China kissed Zaire on the cheek. “Thanks for a beautiful day! I enjoyed it. See you at dinner.”
Zaire started to offer to pick up China at her cabin, but then thought it might be too much. One step at a time, he told himself. Slow and easy beats fast and hard.
While stepping out of the shower, China suddenly felt light-headed. Slowly she made her way to the bed. Pulling back the comforter, she climbed in, propping her feet on two pillows. Reaching over to retrieve the nightstand clock, she set the alarm, giving herself plenty of time to dress and make it to the dining room.
After tossing and turning for nearly a half hour, China feared sleep would elude her. It hadn’t been too long ago that she and Zaire had awakened under the oak tree. With her thoughts turning to the man who caused her heart to flip-flop, dance, sing and turn somersaults, she smiled.
China’s age-old fears about love quickly gripped her heart.
Her previous romantic relationships hadn’t worked because she hadn’t been able to stop comparing herself to her mother. Thoughts of one day running off and leaving her family behind haunted her constantly. The possibility of repeating such a destructive offense made her cringe every time she dared to think about her mother leaving her dad.
Brody had tried to tell China she wasn’t her mother and that she had to stop believing she’d do the same type of things. Desertion wasn’t hereditary. Brody didn’t blame Camille for leaving them. He actually thought it took a lot of guts to take responsibility for one’s own happiness. According to his wife, she hadn’t been happy for years.
The letter her mother had left behind said it hadn’t taken her long to learn she wasn’t cut out to be a wife or mother, citing selfishness for the reason she’d left her family. Brody wasn’t to blame for anything Camille had felt or had written in the letter. Camille suffered from clinical depression. He’d gone to his death never knowing that, at 16, his daughter had read the letter Camille had written to her husband.
Camille had loved both her husband and daughter. She had simply yearned for freedom.
China had only recently stopped blaming her mother for her painful childhood. Brody had constantly instilled in her that she was solely responsible for her own happiness. It would’ve broken his heart to know his only child had learned that her birth had made her mother’s life even more unbearable.
The yearly birthday and Christmas cards China received from Camille were as close as she’d ever been to her mother since her departure. China had often wished Camille would one day drop back into her life but refused to set herself up for another major letdown.
China had learned to accept things for what they were. She wasn’t bitter or angry anymore. She truly loved her mother, regardless of why she’d left. The last thing she wanted was to have her mother go away like Brody had. His departure was final.
Stepping into the dimly lit dining room, China looked around for Zaire. She’d hoped he would’ve been waiting outside for her. Standing at the front entry for several minutes proved futile. Appearing cool and collected, she wore a cute capped-sleeve sheath in bright red, perfectly paired with fashionable red-and-white sandals.
Coming up behind China, Bernice gently tapped her on the shoulder.
A bright smile already in place, China turned. “Hi, Ms. Bernice, how are you?”
“I’m well, young lady. How has your day been?”
China sensed an underlying meaning in Bernice’s remark by the way she’d voiced it. “I loved every moment of it. Zaire is a perfect instructor and tour guide.”
Bernice beamed with pride. “That boy of mine is wonderful. He called me to tell you he’s running a little late.” She pointed at a cozy corner spot. “That’s the table he reserved. Want to come into the kitchen with me before you get settled?”
“I’d like that.” China smiled brightly. “How was frying up all that fish?”
“Cooking is second nature to me, child. Some of our guests like fish broiled or mesquite grilled so we do our best to prepare it to order. Most folks enjoy it fried. You had quite a catch. More fish than I’ve seen one person catch in a while.”
Heading toward the double doors in the rear, China walked alongside Bernice. “I’m proud of my haul. Zaire helped out big-time. My dad would’ve been thrilled.”
“Zaire mentioned your dad to me. Our family is very familiar with Mr. B. He was a special man. He and Morgan loved to play poker. Both men had an insatiable desire to master our mechanical bull.” Bernice laughed. “Morgan and Brody called it Mr. Red. Let’s just say they had fun being thrown off and then scrambling to get right back on.”
“I’ve heard so much about the bull from Dad. He talked about Mr. Red a lot.”
“Think you’ll try riding old Red, China?”
China nodded. “With Dad looking down on me, I know he’d be disappointed if I didn’t give it a whirl. Is Mr. Red really so tough to ride?”
“For some folks he is.” Opening the double doors by hitting a metal button, Bernice let China precede her. “It depends a lot on the bull’s settings. Most men try riding it on the highest one. It’s a macho thing. Many guys fail for that reason alone.”
China chuckled. “I hear you and your sisters are pretty good at riding it.”
“Practice makes perfect in some instances, but we’re far from it. We’ve earned quite a bit of envy around here. After mastering each setting, we keep breaking our own timing records. Josephine is the best. She stays on longer than anyone.”
China cracked up. “I can’t wait to try it out. You make it sound exciting.”
“It is exciting, but the kitchen is my favorite hangout. We purchased all brand-new appliances for this one last year.”