He found a parking place and raised the passenger window slightly so Domino could still poke his head through the opening for fresh air but wouldn’t be encouraged to jump out. Working dogs leaped out of trucks all the time on a ranch, and Domino wouldn’t understand the rules were different here in a public place. Kennedy studied the menu. Then he pressed the button to order a cheeseburger and fries for himself and a corn dog for Domino.

While waiting for his food, Kennedy observed other customers through their windshields, breathed deeply of all the delicious smells, and watched the teenage waitresses zoom back and forth on skates. Wow. Now that he was twenty-two, he shouldn’t think girls under eighteen were sexy, but short, pleated skirts blowing in the wind around slender thighs had a way of snagging a guy’s attention whether he intended to look or not. A couple of the teens were totally hot, but the little blonde eclipsed them even though she’d made no attempt to glam up with cosmetics. Her shoulder-length hair was overall golden with darker streaks the same color as the honey he drizzled over his flapjacks. Yum. She looked good enough to gobble up and still be hungry for seconds.

He was jazzed when he saw the petite blonde roll to a stop in front of his truck. He admired her skill on roller skates as she stepped off the curb and zoomed around to the driver’s-side window. As she hooked the tray over the lowered pane, she parroted, “One cheeseburger with bacon, a large order of fries, a corn dog, and a Coke. Right?”

Kennedy hadn’t asked for bacon, but the place was super busy, and he didn’t want to quibble over a little mistake. He placed his credit card on the tray to cover his tab. She pulled a cell phone from her tiny apron pocket and ran his card through a fob attached to it. Then she handed her phone to Kennedy and chirped, “Signature, please.”

He signed with his fingertip and returned her phone. “Thanks. Tell the owner I like the drive-in.”

A dimple flashed in her cheek as she smiled. “Isn’t it amazing? My grandparents say it’s just like the olden days! Back in the sixties, drive-in hamburger joints were in almost every town.”

“It’s pretty awesome.”

As she skated back toward the building to pick up another food order, Kennedy removed Domino’s corn dog from the paper sheath and fed the dog first. He waited for Domino to bite down on the end and then pulled out the stick. “Bon appétit,” he told the canine.

Kennedy’s mouth watered as he unwrapped his burger, and he was glad they’d made a mistake on the bacon. After forcing down bites of Tex’s awful supper, he was hungry enough to eat twice what he’d ordered. He settled back against the seat to eat, but Domino polished off his treat in three gulps and whined for some of Kennedy’s.

“You always do this,” Kennedy grumped. He heard cars starting up all around them and glanced out to see several vehicles backing out. By the time he’d given the dog one of his bacon strips, there were only two cars left under the overhang besides his truck. “Next time, we’ll come earlier. Right?”