“I’m getting lunch for Dad and me.”
“Your dad want the usual?”
I give her theWhat else would he order?look. He’s been ordering the meatloaf and mashed potatoes ever since Violet added it to the menu. It’s definitely his favorite.
“What about you, Millie? Hamburger today?”
Just the thought of eating one of the diner hamburgers makes my mouth water. But I started a diet this morning. Another one. I shake my head. “No, I’ll take the Cobb salad with grilled chicken. Lite ranch dressing on the side.”
“Millie...”
“It’s what I want, Violet. I don’t need the speech today.” She’s my best friend, and she knows how sensitive I am about my weight, but I still shut her down. No doubt she’s going to tell me how pretty I am, and I don’t need to lose weight. It’s the same thing she’s always saying to me. But obviously if what she says was true, I wouldn’t have the nickname “Millie Moo” from Mike.
Violet shrugs her shoulders and then points to the dessert case next to her. “Okay, you want to eat rabbit food for lunch. Have at it. But are you sure you don’t want a slice of your favorite apple cinnamon Blaze cake?”
She’s pointing at the spongy goodness with the cream cheese frosting, and if it was any other day, I would give in. The apple cinnamon Blaze cake is my favorite. Its key ingredient is the cinnamon whiskey that is made at the distillery at the edge of town. It’s what our town, Whiskey Run, is named after. But I take a deep breath and blow it out, telling myself to be strong. “No, no cake for me today.”
Violet puts both hands on the counter and leans toward me. “You don’t need to be on a diet, Millie.”
I point toward Eddie, who’s standing at the cooktop. “You going to put my order in? I have to get back to work.”
Violet flings her hands up in the air, shaking her head. Honestly, if I let her loose, she’d give Mike a piece of her mind. I have no doubt about it. She’s the one that was there for me when I found out that Mike was sleeping with another woman and was only dating me to get the manager’s job. Probably the worst of it was hearing him tell someone on the phone that there’s no way he would ever sleep with me because he’s afraid I’d smother him while we were in bed. I can’t stop the grimace on my face, and I look around the restaurant as if the people here could hear the thoughts in my head.
Luckily, no one seems to even notice me. At least no one seems to. That is until I look to my left, at the far end of the counter away from everyone, where a lone man is sitting. He’s rugged looking with at least a couple days of stubble on his chin. He has longer hair and the most piercing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. He’s staring at me, and instantly I can feel my whole body heat. A million things cross my mind. Did he hear me say I was on a diet? I look up at the ceiling, deep in thought – did I say anything about Mike and what happened with him? Geez, I hope not. I definitely don’t need someone else speculating on what they think happened. I have enough of that going around already.
Because I can’t stop myself, I chance another look at the stranger. At closer look, I notice that he’s older. Considerably older than my twenty-four years of age. He has to be in his late thirties. The corner of his lips raise in a smile, and he nods his head in acknowledgement. Normally, I’m a nice person. I’ll say hi to anyone. But I guess not today, because I barely stop my mouth from dropping open. The hot guy smiles at me. I turn my back to him. It’s rude and uncalled for, but I don’t know what else to do. I’m not good at small talk, and there’s nothing good that can come from me talking to the hot cowboy. It’s obvious he’s way out of my league. And he’s obviously not from around here. I definitely would have remembered him. I gaze out at the restaurant, but no matter how much I focus on the locals, waving and calling hello across the restaurant, I can still feel the hot, penetrating gaze of the man behind me. I look through the big window that shows Eddie, the cook, and I can see that Violet is bagging up my order. Thank goodness. I need to get out of here. It definitely feels like the temperature has gone up a notch – or thirty.
“All right, here you go. A meatloaf and a Cobb salad with grilled chicken, blah, blah, blah.”
I can’t help but laugh out loud as I hand over the money. “Vi, I’m sure that’s not how you’re supposed to describe your food to customers.”
She rings up the order in the register and makes change with the money I gave her. She hands over the change. “I’m only saying that because I hate the way that stupid Mike has made you feel about yourself. He’s an idiot.”
I nod my head quickly and don’t dare look over at the stranger. No doubt he’s hanging on our every word. “I know, Vi. I’ve got to go. Thank you for lunch.” And because she’s my best friend and means well, I tell her, “And thanks for the pep talk. I love you, friend.”
Now, Violet is the one that’s trying to get away. She hates any kind of affection and does anything to avoid it. She pulls the towel from the belt at her waist and flicks it at me. “Go. Get outta here. Enjoy your salad. Talk to you later.”
I give her one last wave and walk out the door. I tell myself I’m not going to look inside but of course, I don’t listen. I look. I about have to strain my eyes to look through the reflection on the glass to see inside. But there he sits. Completely turned around in his stool, watching me as I walk down the sidewalk. And all I can think is,Don’t trip, Millie. Don’t you dare fall on your face. I lift my shoulders back and keep walking. The guy may be hot, but I definitely don’t need a man in my life. Not now.
Chapter2
Austin
Imagine my luck. I never come into Whiskey Run. My ranch is right on the border of Whiskey Run and Jasper. The farmers co-op in Jasper is closer, and that is my main reason for ever going into the town. So the fact that not only did I have the best lunch I’d had in a long time, I saw the prettiest, curviest, brown haired woman I’d ever seen. Already, the day is looking up.
I watch as she walks down the sidewalk until she’s out of eyesight. I hated to let her go without even asking her name, but the way she turned her back to me, she definitely didn’t seem interested. And then hearing her and the waitress talk about some guy named Mike breaking her heart pretty much sealed the deal for me. She doesn’t need or want a man hitting on her. So I let her go. But I’m a big believer in fate. If it’s meant to be, our paths will cross again.
Even knowing all that, I still can’t resist asking the waitress about her. “So, uh Millie... the woman you were talking to...” I start, hoping that she’ll get to talking without me having to actually ask the question.
But instead the waitress with the nametag that says Violet crosses her arms over her chest. She seems like she’s ready to defend her friend, and already I can tell I’m going to like this woman just for the fact that she seems like a good friend to Millie. “What about her?”
“Is she seeing anyone?”
She looks me up and down and then puts her hand on her hip. “Who wants to know? I don’t know you, and I know everyone in this town.”
“I’m Austin Yates. I own the Yates ranch at the edge of town.”
“You mean the big one as soon as you get into Jasper?”