Page 6 of In This Moment

“Fit to be tied,” Forest mumbled under his breath.

Her eyes narrowed to slits, ignoring everyone else. “Rebecca Moore. What are you doing out in our hillbilly backwater? Aren’t you worried stupidity is contagious?”

The redhead’s brows shot to her hairline as she gazed heavenward, shaking her head.

“I deserve that, too.” He nodded. “I apologize for what I said when angry.”

That seemed to stump her. She straightened, expression dialed to contemplative.

“You said what, now?” Forest darted his gaze between them.

“I insulted Vallantine and its residents.” Before his buddy could lay into him, Graham held up his hand, gaze still on Rebecca. “And I apologized. It was wrong of me.” If he wanted to make it here and truly start over, he needed to acclimate.

“I do declare. A man who can admit when he’s wrong. I thought they were a dyin’ breed.” The brunette held out her hand. “I’m Scarlett.”

“Pleasure,” he returned, shaking her hand. It took effort, but he glanced away from Rebecca to her friend. She was a looker, but didn’t do it for him. High-maintenance radiated from her in waves.

“Dorothy.” The redhead nodded politely, not offering a handshake. “Welcome to Vallantine.”

“Thank you.” She was pretty, also, but tongue-in-cheek quiet. Not his thing, either.

And why, exactly, that mattered, he hadn’t a clue. He wasn’t hunting for a relationship.

Undeterred, Rebecca pointed a finger at him. “You might look like a tall drink of water, but—”

He quickly glanced at Forest. “Is that a compliment?”

“Yessir.”

Graham grinned at her. “Thank you, then.”

No such luck, however. She wasn’t done.

“But you’re lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut.”

Again, he turned to Forest. “Was that an insult?”

“Yessir.”

“Damn.” Graham swiped his phone off the table and swiftly activated a search engine. “I think you’re fine as frog hair split four ways,” he read from the screen. He lifted his head, frowning. “That doesn’t sound much like a compliment. Alas, Google says it is.”

Forest dropped his head in his hand, laughing.

“Thank you.” Her expression indicated that had been difficult to say, but manners bred deep required the acknowledgement. “We best be getting home before the food gets cold.”

About that. “Didn’t you have an abundance of offerings at your front door?” He’d thought about putting the dishes in his fridge so they wouldn’t go bad until someone claimed them, but she’d shown up minutes after him. There had been enough to feed an army.

“Yes, but when a girl has a day like the one I did, then comfort food is in order. There’s nothing better than Tipsy Turtle’s onion stacks.”

Shredded onion rings. He’d seen ‘em on the menu and thought about getting some. “Enjoy.”

“We will.” She turned back around while her friends continued toward the door. “You should order them. They go well with beer.”

She got two steps before he called her name.

“I really am sorry about Mavis. She talked about you all the time.”

Guilt and grief twisted her expression, similar to how he’d first encountered her outside their homes, and he almost regretted the endearment until a ghost of a smile curved her lips.

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