Page 15 of Cowboy Stolen Kiss for Christmas

A wrinkle formed in the middle of Brex’s forehead. It was the first sign of irritation he’d shown since walking into the restaurant. “Of course, we’re eating! That’s the whole reason we agreed to a breakfast date.” He rattled off a request for a double order of biscuits with sausage gravy. “And a side of fresh fruit,” he finished with a sly wink at Laura. “Her favorite.”

Her eyes widened in dismay at him. Did he honestly consider this to be a date? That he could simply march back into her life after being gone for over a year and simply pick up where they’d left off?

Brex waited until the waitress walked away before grumbling, “Quit looking at me like that. You know how much I’ve always hated making scenes in public.” He glanced furtively around them at the quickly filling dining room. The Peppermint Palace was a popular breakfast venue in Pinetop. The locals and tourists alike were avid patrons of their art-like culinary creations, as well as the handful of peppermints they piled on every ticket at the end.

Her anger sparked at his tone. He was acting like she was a small child in need of a reprimand. She’d all but forgotten about this side of him — his condescending streak that coiled like a cobra in the shadows and struck without warning. No, he hadn’t changed. Growing a short beard and tossing a few carefully rehearsed apologies into her lap didn’t qualify as meaningful change.

“What I think,” she said slowly, fighting to keep her temper under control, “is that you and I came into this meeting with very different goals in mind.” She reached for the wristlet lying on the table beside her. Unzipping the pocket where she kept her cash, she withdrew a few dollar bills and laid them on the table. It was more than enough to cover her cup of coffee. “I was looking for closure about a marriage that almost happened, but didn’t. Not…” She waved a hand vaguely in his direction, “whatever you seem to think this is.”

“Reconciliation,” he supplied in a mildly sarcastic voice. His veneer of humble remorse was quickly slipping. “Couples do it all the time. They work out their differences and come out stronger on the other side.”

She shot to her feet so quickly that she nearly knocked over her chair. It scooted back with a noisy scraping sound. “Number one, we are not a couple. Number two, this is not a breakfast date.” Her voice crescendoed as she met Ames’ bemused gaze, well aware that the rising volume of her voice was making heads turn in their direction. “Number three, I’m walking out of here before you get schooled on what an actual scene looks like.”

He shook his head in disappointment at her. “I still enjoyed seeing you again, Laura. Maybe we can visit again before I leave town?” He glanced around them again, his mouth twisting in distaste at the growing crowd. “Maybe somewhere a little more private?” His condescending tone was back.

A huff of disbelief escaped her. “I don’t see the point since I have nothing more to say to you. This was a mistake. Goodbye, Brex.” She yanked her jacket off the back of her chair and spun blindly away from him.

And nearly smacked into Ames.

“Whoa there!” He gently caught her elbows. “Oh, hey, Laura!” He pretended like he was just then recognizing her. “What’s going on? Are you alright?” The look he gave Brex was drenched in frost.

“Yes. I, er…” she slid from his grasp and stumbled past him, “just remembered I need to take care of something important at work.”

He stalked after her. “You need a ride?”

She didn’t answer until they were standing outside the restaurant. She fumbled with her jacket, shivering uncontrollably. “Th-that was a very bad idea!” She scowled back at the restaurant.

Ames quickly moved behind her to hold up her jacket so she could slide her arms into it. “Come on.” While she zipped up her jacket, he slung an arm around her shoulders. “You’re freezing. Let’s get you out of here.”

She twisted her head around, trying to see if his brothers were following them. “What about Nash and Flint?”

“Don’t worry about them.” He tugged her tighter against his side. “Flint will be more than happy to eat the pancakes I ordered. I’ll text him and Nash to let them know I’ll come back for them in a bit.” He led her to his gorgeous old Chevy, unlocked the driver’s door, and gave her a boost into his seat.

“Aren’t you hungry?” She had to grit her teeth to stop them from chattering as she shimmied over to make room for him.

“Yep, but I can eat later. Right now, I’m more interested in getting you out of here.” He leaped into the seat beside her, scowling in concern down at her. “Because that’s what pickup riders are for.”

His raw sincerity was so refreshing that she burst into tears. Until this very moment, it hadn’t dawned on her that everything he’d ever said to her could be taken at face value. With him, there was no guessing. Nothing but pure, unadulterated honesty and kindness.

“Hey, that wasn’t supposed to make you cry!” He sounded agonized as he slammed his door shut and started the motor. Reaching toward the dashboard, he turned on the heater and aimed the central vent at her.

“I know.” She fumbled with her seatbelt and was relieved when he took over and snapped it into place. “Sorry. I’m just…overwhelmed right now.”

“That’s understandable.” He tightened the strap a little to make it more secure. “Listen, if you want to talk about what happened back there, I’m a good listener. If you don’t wanna talk, I’m also good at cranky silence. Just ask Flint.” He glanced over his shoulder before pulling out of his parking spot. He paused at the parking lot exit, popping on his right blinker.

Too many emotions to name bubbled inside her. “I should’ve n-never suggested meeting for b-breakfast,” she confessed through chattering teeth. “From the m-moment we sat down, he acted like it was a d-date.”

With a grunt that she couldn’t quite interpret, Ames slung an arm across the seat behind her. “Yeah, that’s a little strange, considering how long it’s been since you last saw each other.”

She tipped her head against his well-corded arm. “I still don’t understand why he bothered coming into town. I may never understand it.”

“Did you ask him?” Ames sounded puzzled as he turned onto Main Street and cruised slowly toward Santa’s Toy Factory.

“I did.” She frowned at his strong jawline. “He gave me some cock and bull story about wanting to get back together.”

“Not surprised about that.” Ames’ voice was dry.

“Well, I am,” she exploded. “He dodged the question both times I tried to drill down into why he broke up with me in the first place. If he’s not willing to even discuss where we went wrong, I don’t see any path forward for us.” Quite frankly, she’d lost interest in even hunting for a path forward.

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