Meadowlarks Read Free Page A

her. I actually blush.
                  Finally her eyes meet mine, a moment that I wish had happened a few days ago, but I didn't have the guts make it occur. She’s perfect; I can't put it any other way. And this time, she seems to be without the texting friend.
                  I hope he's just her friend.
                  Her large dog starts sniffing Rex, but he doesn't seem to mind or even notice him.
                  “Luca! Mind your manners.” She blushes and pulls on his leash.
                  “Ugh...” I stammer. “No worries, ma'am. Rex doesn't mind.”
                  I collect myself and give her my big white smile. When I see her reaction, I start to feel like a man again. Her beautiful cheeks turn pink, and she looks down at the leash coiled in her hands.
                  There you go, Blackstock. Welcome back.
                  “Hi, I'm Addison. I called earlier about my dog, Luca.” She peeks around me and speaks to the young girl behind the desk.
                  “Hi, Miss Cole. Dr. Jenkins will see you and Luca in a few minutes. If you'd like to take a seat, she will be right out!” The all-too cheery girl motions for the seating area and chews noisily on her gum.
                  Addison smiles at me and walks Luca over to a row of empty seats and tells him to sit, which he does promptly.
                  I decide that I need to talk to her now, or I probably never will. I tap my leg and tell Rex to come. He hobbles behind me, and I slowly walk over to the chairs.
                  “Miss Cole?” I stand a few feet away and put my hands on my belt buckle. She looks at my hands, then at my face, smiles, but doesn't say anything.
                  “May I?” I motion to the seat beside her.
                  She nods and slowly blinks her beautiful long lashes at me.
                  “I'm Blaine.” I extend my hand to her and she shakes it. Tingles shoot up my fingers and down my forearm.
                  Oh, damn...
                  “Addison.” She smiles, her blue eyes alight and sparkling. “Are you from around here?”
                  I reach out and pet the top of Luca's head.               “Yep, I am. Born and raised. I live on a ranch on Porter Road. What about you?”
                  “Just moved into town. I'm from the east coast, actually.”
                  Her smile leaves me breathless, and when the receptionist tells her it's her turn, I figure it's now or never. “Would you like to get coffee sometime?”
                  Maybe it is the adrenaline from our early morning fox chase, or maybe I just haven't seen such a beauty before and I can't let her get away. I need to chase my own fox, so to speak.
                  “I would love to, Blaine,” she says completely taking me by surprise. “How about after Luca has his shots?”
                  She reaches to scratch her dog's head. He’s panting.
                  I feel ya, buddy…
                  My cell phone rings, but I completely ignore it.               “That sounds great. I can meet you down the street at Bean There in about half an hour?”
                  Bean There, a comical name for a coffee shop, is locally owned by a friendly couple from New York who had enough of the city life and wanted to lay some country roots.
                  “Okay. I’ll see you then.”
                  She is gorgeous when she smiles. Her perfect teeth, the small dimples in her cheeks, and the way her hair falls around her face when she looks down to blush.
                  I almost trip over the coffee table when Rex and I make our way to the exit. I shrug my shoulders, and