When she got done waving goodbye to Dakota, Rachel yawned and stretched her arms. She briefly considered heading upstairs and climbing back under her covers. But Rachel knew she would never get back to sleep. No matter how tired she was, once she was up for the day she was up. She headed for the kitchen instead, intent on helping to make some of the food for the big party that was planned when everyone got back from their overnight trip.
Rachel was in complete awe of the giant, fully stocked pantry. The kitchen in the Dutton house was really a commercial one that was done up to look like a home kitchen. And Rachel wasted no time, dragging out everything she needed to start baking. Monica came down to join her after a quick shower. And while the other woman wasn't much of a baker herself, Rachel was grateful for the company and a second pair of hands.
"With all the guys gone, we should make popcorn and watch a corny movie tonight," Monica suggested. It only took her one look at Rachel's face to realize the woman already made other plans. "You have plans already don't you? What are you doing? Do you have a date?" Rachel laughed at the barrage of questions. She admitted she had a date, but refused to give Monica any more details than that. It was technically her first date with the man. And she didn't want to jinx it.
"What time are you meeting him?," Monica asked.
"I'm not sure," Rachel admitted, "...maybe I better check my phone." Monica laughed as Rachel hunted around the kitchen for her phone before finally remembering that it was still upstairs on her charger. Rachel hurried up the steps to retrieve the device, knowing she had it bad when just seeing the text notification from Jamie got her excited.
Pick you up at 4?
Rachel smiled, the heat already rising in her cheeks as she messaged back.
Isn't 4 a little early for dinner?
What are we, she thought with a grin, senior citizens already? Rachel was about to tuck her phone away in her pocket but it was already buzzing to indicate another message had come through. She shook her head and laughed. Either Jamie had his phone permanently attached to his face like her daughter usually did. Or he had been impatiently waiting on her response. Rachel hoped it was the latter.
I have something planned before dinner. A surprise.
Rachel thought about telling Jamie that she hated surprises. Because she did. But she didn't want to spoil whatever he had planned. And found herself more excited than she usually would be to find out where he was going to take her. But that didn't mean she was going to let him pick her up at the house. She was more comfortable driving herself or meeting him somewhere. Especially on a first date.
I'll meet you at your place at 4?
Rachel felt like that was a fair compromise. Jamie could still feel like he was taking her out in his car. But her car was there at his place. Just in case she needed it. And he must have agreed, because the next message she got was his address. Rachel clicked on it, checking to see how far away it was. His place looked to be somewhere between the ranch and Bozeman, about a half an hour drive away. Rachel decided she would leave around quarter to four. That way, she would get there just a little late. She didn't want to seem overeager, even though if she was being honest with herself, she totally was.
After cleaning up her baking mess in the kitchen and putting all her goodies on racks to cool down, Rachel headed back upstairs to get ready. She poked around in her messy suitcase. There wasn't much in it. And certainly nothing date worthy. So Rachel padded down the hall to search through Beth's closet. The woman hadn't exactly given her free reign to raid her wardrobe. But Beth did let her borrow a few dresses already. So Rachel figured the rest of the woman's closet was fair game. Rachel never had a sister before. But she imagined if she did have one, they'd borrow each other's clothes without asking. The thought of it made her smile as she stepped inside the massive walk in closet.
There were so many clothes inside that any worry Rachel had about Beth getting mad at her for borrowing something immediately dissipated. There was no way Beth would even notice she'd borrowed one dress, let alone be worried about it. Rachel had never seen so many clothes in her life. One area looked to be filled with more casual dresses, so Rachel started there, avoiding the side of the closet that was filled with business suits and designer office wear. After rifling through a few options, Rachel found what she was looking for. A black dress was midlength and made of a soft jersey material. It was strappy and lower cut in the front than what she would usually choose for herself. But she reminded herself that she wanted to look sexy. She was going on a date, not to Dakota's homeschooler parent meeting. Rachel shut off the light and closed the closet door, leaving everything in the room the same as she found it except for the dress she was borrowing.
After a long steamy shower, Rachel wrapped her hair in a towel while she left her body to air dry. She put on the skimpiest pair of panties she owned and a black lace bra that still looked more functional than cute. If I'm actually going to start dating again, she thought with a giggle, then I really need to go shopping for new underwear. Rachel diffused her hair, bringing out her natural waves. Once her hair was dry, she touched it up with a curling iron. A little mascara and some chapstick was all she put on her face. Since she was hopeful there might be more kissing, Rachel didn't want to wear a lot of makeup. Not that she wore much anyway. She slipped her sandals on and checked out her reflection in the mirror, feeling a little self conscious about how much cleavage her borrowed dress was revealing. Rachel headed into Dakota's room, grabbing the little cropped jean jacket she knew was hanging on the back of the door. Slipping that on, Rachel took another look at her reflection. She felt much better about it, now that her titties weren't hanging out all over the place.
Rachel was ready by just a little after three o'clock. But she paced around her room, forcing herself to try and wait until at least three-forty before she left. By three-thirty five she was already in her car, telling herself that she would just drive really slow on the way over. She didn't want to stink herself up with cigarette smoke so she was unable to calm her jittery nerves on the drive. Her phone navigation directed her to turn down a long gravel drive. When she passed by a small field of cows, Rachel smiled, knowing that she must be in the right place. Jamie's house wasn't as grand or as large as his father's home. But it had the same rustic style, making the wooded hills behind it look like the perfect backdrop.
Rachel didn't see him when she pulled up. But the speed with which Jamie got down his front steps and into the small parking area led her to believe that he'd been on the porch waiting for her. He opened her car door for her, pulling her into his arms the moment she climbed from her shabby little Ford. She hugged him back, lifting up onto her tiptoes so she could plant a kiss on his cheek.
"You look great," she exclaimed. It was the first time Rachel saw the man in anything other than his work attire. He was handsome in a suit. But she much preferred him as he was, in jeans and a plaid button down shirt with broken-in cowboy boots on his feet. "I was worried I'd be underdressed," she admitted. Jamie gave her a warm smile.
"You look perfect," he assured her, pulling Rachel against him for one more quick hug before he took her by the hand and led her up the stairs and into his house. No one in his family had been out to see his new place yet. And he was excited to show it off, especially to Rachel. He enjoyed her honesty and the way she stopped and commented on the things she liked. She complimented his large stone fireplace and the amount of counter space in his kitchen.
"So where's the surprise?," Rachel teased, rubbing her thumb back and forth across his hand.
"Oh yeah," Jamie said, chuckling a little to himself. He was having such a good time giving Rachel a tour of his house that he almost forgot about his plans. It felt natural, having her in his space. He felt more relaxed than he expected he would. Like he could just be himself for once, instead of pretending to be someone else. He led her over to his car, opening the door for her. Rachel's dress hiked up slightly when she climbed inside his SUV. And Jamie used the walk over to the driver's side to adjust his pants.
"Do I get to know where we're going?," Rachel asked. Jamie shook his head as he backed his car up, pointing it towards the road. They made small talk on the drive, sticking to surface topics like where they went to school and what they liked or didn't like about their jobs. Rachel told him her father thought baking was more of a hobby than a job and insisted she go to college. Much to his displeasure, she majored in food science and business. Then she opened a bakery. Jamie could understand familial pressure not only to succeed, but to appear to be considered successful by the rest of the world. He admired Rachel, for doing what made her happy and not letting her father pressure her into a more lucrative career field. Jamie loved horses from the time he was little. He once had the idea that he'd like to be a large animal vet. But his father had other plans for him.
"We're here," Jamie announced, pulling up outside a nondescript brick building. He retrieved a bag from the backseat of his car, tossing the strap over his shoulder as he opened the door of the building for Rachel. The moment she stepped inside, Rachel could hear a chorus of muffled popping noises coming from the other side of a thick wooden door. Jamie stepped up to a small window, checking himself in and paying the man for an hour of practice time. Unzipping his bag, he pulled out two pairs of large plastic ear muffs. They were the kind that would protect your ears from loud noises. He handed one pair to Rachel and she reluctantly pulled them down onto her head, hoping they didn't leave weird dents in her carefully tousled hair.
Rachel followed closely behind Jamie as he walked them towards the booth he rented. They walked by several on their way, each one filled with someone that was shooting bullets into a target with the silhouette of a man on it. Jamie ushered Rachel into one of the small booths with him, unzipping his bag and pulling out a semi automatic pistol. He set a few loaded clips on the counter before tossing the bag on the floor near his feet. Sliding the clip into the gun, he aimed it at the target and began to shoot, hitting the target where the center of the chest would be if it was a real man and not a piece of paper. After he emptied the clip, Jamie reloaded it and gestured for Rachel to step forward. He could tell from her hesitancy that this was probably her first time firing a gun. She seemed scared to even hold the weapon in her hands. Jamie put his hands on Rachel's waist, moving her into the center of the booth. He adjusted the gun in her hands, showing her how to grip it properly. Lifting her ear cover slightly, Jamie moved closer so she could hear him when he spoke.
"After what happened yesterday, I'm not having you running around unarmed," he said. Rachel's only response was to twist in place, taking a quick look at Jamie's face before she turned back towards the target. She got a better grip on the gun, finally holding it properly instead of like it was a disease.
The recently fired gun was warm in her hands. And Rachel could feel Jamie's body pressing in against her back. He had his arms stretched, his hands wrapped lightly around hers as he guided her aim and made sure the gun wouldn't kick back into her face. Rachel wriggled her shoulders slightly, staring down the barrel. Instead of the target, she pictured Daniel there. Standing in her doorway the last time he figured out where she lived and kicked her door in. Rachel squeezed the trigger, letting out a frightened little yip when the gun fired. She didn't manage to hit the target but at least she didn't suffer any ill effects from firing the weapon. Emboldened by her first try, Rachel fired the gun a few more times. She wasn't doing as well as Jamie. But she did manage to hit the paper target a few times. Jamie got a few different guns out of his bag, showing her how to load them and letting her see which one she felt the most comfortable handling. By the time their hour was up Rachel was enjoying herself despite her reservations.
"Thanks for the shooting lesson," Rachel said, sliding into the chair Jamie pulled out for her. She looked around the fancy restaurant, suddenly feeling very underdressed. A waiter in a suit and tie appeared at their table, asking them for their drink orders.
"I'll take some water for now," Rachel said.
"Would you like bottled, sparkling, or tap water?," the man asked. Rachel bit her lip, trying not to burst into laughter. As long as he wasn't getting it from the dog's bowl she didn't care where her water came from.
"Tap water is fine," she said, her body shaking with silent laughter. When the waiter scurried off to fetch her tap water and Jamie's beer she turned to him. "Come here often?," she teased. Jamie shifted nervously in his chair. He'd actually never been to this particular restaurant before. He wanted to impress Rachel so he just picked the most expensive place in the area. The other women he took out always seemed to enjoy being treated to an overpriced meal. But Rachel seemed more amused than impressed with his selection. And now Jamie was rethinking his decision to bring her here. Rachel opened the menu, looking over the selections with the same amused smile playing at the corners of her lips. Suddenly she paused, pulling her phone out of her purse and tapping at the screen.
"Is something wrong?," Jamie asked, gesturing towards her phone. "...your daughter?" Since he hadn't seen Rachel even look at her phone since she arrived at his house, and she was now staring at it with an intense look of concentration on her face, his first thought was that something was wrong. Rachel shook her head and giggled again.
"No, she's off on that overnight horse riding thing," Rachel said. "I'm just trying to figure out what a burrata is." Jamie paused for a moment. Then he started to laugh.
"What is it?," he asked.
"Google says it's mozzarella cheese," Rachel announced, tucking her phone back into her purse.
"It sounds more like the name of a fish," Jamie said. The way Rachel kept laughing at the fancy place was making him laugh.
"Right?," Rachel confirmed, "...that's why I googled it." She glanced back at the menu, wondering aloud why they needed such fancy words to describe what was basically nothing more than a fried mozzarella cheese stick.
"I've got an idea," Jamie said. Rachel's head popped up from the menu, a look of interest on her face. "How'd you like to get the hell out of here?," he asked. Rachel tossed her menu down on the table and grabbed her purse. She got up so quickly her overstuffed chair nearly toppled over behind her. Jamie tossed some cash down on the table to cover the beer that he ordered but didn't drink. And then they laughed themselves all the way out to his car. Jamie drove them to a spot he knew that was about fifteen minutes away. It was the type of place where you stayed in your car and the waitresses brought your food out to you on a big red plastic tray. They had the best burgers in town. Jamie rolled the windows down and switched the engine off.
"This is where you actually like to come to eat, isn't it?," Rachel asked, unbuckling her seat belt.
"It is when I'm not watching what I'm eating," he admitted. She smiled as she leaned across the seat. She was aiming for his cheek but caught the side of his lips instead, lingering there longer than she intended. Jamie smelled just as good as she remembered, woodsy and masculine but this time with a hint of smoke from the gun range added into the mix.
Rachel slid back into her seat and Jamie ordered them a red plastic tray full of junk food. They nibbled at it, dipping their fries into the chocolate shake and talking. Given Rachel's recent appearance in the Dutton's lives, the conversation naturally shifted towards her parents and how she found out she was adopted and searched out her biological family. Being adopted as an infant and not finding out about it until adulthood was a unique thing to have in common. And certainly something Jamie didn't usually tell people about. Especially not women. And certainly not on a first date. But when Rachel explained that her real father was a bad man that tried to murder his wife and kids, Jamie found himself telling her the truth. His real father beat his mother to death and ended up in prison for it. When the man finally got released, they reconnected for a short time. Until he tried to have Jamie's entire adopted family killed. Rachel held onto his hand as he talked. There was no pity in her eyes. Just kindness and understanding. Jamie felt like he could keep talking to her for hours. It was like a sort of intimacy, but more intense than the physical kind. And he realized he'd like to continue their conversation somewhere other than in his car at a fast food restaurant.
"Back to my place?," he asked. Jamie expected Rachel to give him some pushback. Or maybe to punch him again like she did when he grabbed her leg the other day. But instead she leaned across the seat and kissed him again.
