.

      She raised an eyebrow. “See something you like after all?”

      Bryce broke into a reluctant grin. “I’ll stick to coffee.”

      “Suit yourself.”

      He picked up their drinks from the counter, followed her past a leather couch to their table against the wall.

      Sitting across from him, she took a sip of her white mocha and licked foam off her upper lip. “Just what I needed.”

      A strand of blond hair had fallen out of her braid and threatened to slip into her drink. Without thinking, he reached forward and tucked it behind her ear. Her hair was smooth, her cheek warm.

      She narrowed her eyes at him.

      Bryce sat back, feeling foolish. “Your hair…it was about to fall into your whipped cream.”

      “Oh.” She flushed. “The curse of long hair, I guess.”

      “Is that why you wear the bandana?” he asked.

      She touched the cloth, as if to remind herself she was still wearing it. The simple gesture reminded him of Caitlin, when she was little and wore a tiara every day.

      “I thought you might be some kind of cowgirl or something.”

      “Ha-ha. Actually…” she leaned her elbows on the table, cradling her drink in both hands “…I used to work in a stable.”

      Bryce studied her oval nails with their pretty pink polish. She didn’t work in a stable now. “Tell me about it.”

      “It’s not that exciting.” She smiled and took another sip from her mug. “My mother works on a farm in central California. I mucked stables there and at a couple of ranches to earn money. I used bandanas to keep my hair out of the way. They also work well as sweat rags and, if you wet them, neck coolers when it’s hot outside.”

      His family had horses—Caitlin wanted to start riding competitively again. He knew what the work involved and was impressed. “That’s a hard way to earn money.”

      “Yes, but it was worth it. Not only did I get stronger cleaning stalls, but I got to exercise the horses when their owners couldn’t.” The words almost tumbled from her mouth with excitement. Her face became animated, but she seemed to catch herself and calm down. She raised her cup. “So now you know where my attachment to bandanas comes from.”

      “A worthy attachment, I’d say.” His respect for her grew. He recalled her picture. The shadows. Her red face. Something clicked for him. “The photograph in your profile. Was it taken while you worked at one of the stables?”

      She nodded. “I still help out at the farm when I visit my mom. One of my sisters took the picture with her cell phone as a joke.”

      Definitely a horse-lover. No one else would offer to help out with that job. But that didn’t explain her using the unflattering picture.

      “Why did you use that photo on your profile?” he asked.

      She hesitated. “I wanted to make sure men were more interested in who I was as a person rather than my appearance.”

      “That makes sense.” So maybe she was on the up-and-up. Caitlin had done the same with her profile picture. “Have you found any guys who passed the test?”

      “You’re here.”

      In spite of his suspicions, he liked her. “I am.”

      A café employee placed a plate and syrup in front of her. “One lemon-poppy waffle.”

      Bryce liked that she wasn’t one of those women who lived off salads, rice cakes, nuts and seeds in order to stay a size zero. He also liked her self-confidence. “I’m glad I’m here.”

      She spread butter on the waffle. “The bandana didn’t scare you off.”

      “It would take more than a bandana to scare me,” he admitted. “Do you wear it every day?”

      “No.” She poured syrup on her waffle. “But bandanas come in real handy on those days I’m rushing out the door.”

      “Were you rushing this morning?”

      She stared down her nose at him. “What do you think?”

      That no woman would go to such lengths to look less attractive than she really was. “You were either in a rush or prefer comfort over…”

      “Style,” she offered.

      He smiled. “You said it, not me.”

      The tension seemed to evaporate from around her mouth. “I do like to be comfortable, but I may have taken being comfy to the extreme this morning. Next time I’ll take a little more time getting ready.”

      “Next time, huh?” He watched her take a bite of the waffle. A drop of syrup hung on the corner of her lips. Damn, she had a sexy mouth. “So do you do this a lot?”

      She wiped the syrup off with a napkin. “Go out for coffee and have breakfast?”

      “Online dating.”

      “Oh, no.” She stared at her plate, then raised her gaze to his. “You’re my… This is my first time.”

      Bryce looked for a sign she might be lying. But she was making eye contact. Her voice pitch hadn’t changed. She wasn’t fidgeting or blinking. Then again, she might just be a good actress.

      He picked up his coffee. “What do you think?”

      “Well, so far so good,” she said. “The mocha is delicious, the food tasty. Ask me again when we’re finished, and I’ll tell you how the company was.”

      Bryce might not trust her, but she was bright and had a sense of humor. He was enjoying this. Her. He sure hoped Sanfrandani wasn’t guilty of anything. “I will.”

      “What about you?” she asked. “Do you rush getting ready in the morning or take your time?”

      He sipped his drink. Strong and hot, the way he liked his coffee. “I’m a guy. Once we’re out of high school, it’s pretty much shower and go.”

      “Mm.” She looked him over, taking her time but keeping her opinion to herself. “Well, at least no one could accuse you of being metro.”

      “Thank you.” The amusement in her eyes brought a smile to his face. “I think.”

      “So I’m a newbie at this online dating thing. What about you?” she asked. “Have you gone on a lot of dates with people you met through Blinddatebrides.com?”

      “Not a lot, much to the chagrin of my mother and sister.”

      “Why is that?” she asked.

      “Both of them think it’s time I settle down.”

      Dani raised her mug. “Do you think it’s time to settle down?”

      “No.” Bryce found her easy to talk to. Strange, considering his reasons for wanting to meet her. “But my opinion doesn’t matter much where my mother is concerned. She has been lecturing me about being over thirty and single. She wants grandchildren to spoil. My sister, who is a member of the site, has jumped on my mother’s bandwagon and sends me links to the profiles of women she thinks I should contact.”

      “Your younger sister, right?”

      “Yeah. How did you know?”

      “Your user name is Bigbrother.”

      He nodded. “Caitlin picked the name for me.”

      “That’s so sweet.”

      “She’s a sweet girl. Woman,” he corrected. “Sometimes I forget she’s all grown up.”

      “And how does she feel about that?”

      “She