Page 24 of A Cowboy in the Streets

I wondered if Adam would say the same thing. Probably. An hour ago, he was accusing me of dropping the ball on a job that wasn’t mine to begin with and now look at him. Completely at ease, one arm resting on the console between us, his other hand on the steering wheel, his fingers tapping whatever melody was playing in his head. Hot and unbothered.

Infuriating.

“What?” he asked, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

You owe me an apology.

“Nothing,” I bit out.

He shrugged. “Okay, then.”

We snagged a parking spot half a block from Jo’s. I could see Chloe waiting for me out front of the café. I barely waited for Adam to put the truck in park before I unbuckled and sprang out. I started for Chloe, but Adam was quick. With a gentle hand on my hip, he guided me to the inside of the sidewalk and fell into step beside me.

“You’re coming to Jo’s?” I asked. When he had said “thereabouts,” I had figured he meant the feed store.

“For a minute. Could use some caffeine. Not all of us OD’d on sugar this morning.”

“You didn’t have a cookie?”

“Nope.”

I shook my head. “Figures. It’d be hard to keep that whole grumpy cowboy thing going while eating a cookie. You might have lost your scowl.”

“I’m not scowling now, am I?”

He wasn’t, but I wasn’t ready to let go of my attitude yet. “Well, you’re not smiling, either.”

He smirked a little at that. It did something to me, the way one corner of his mouth tucked in. What would it take to turn that little smirk into a real smile? I wanted to tickle him, share a dirty joke, anything to make it bloom.

“James!” Chloe lifted a hand. “I figured we could sit outside since it’s nice. If people see me inside, they assume I’m working and ask me for stuff.” She glanced at Adam and then back to me. “Do we need three chairs?”

“He’s not staying,” I said firmly.

Adam arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t you both sit down, and I’ll get the food? What are you having?”

“A black iced coffee and a turkey sandwich,” I said, fishing a twenty out of my bag to pay for it.

He ignored it. “Chloe?”

“Sparkling water and a BLT, please. Give them my name. I get a discount.” She reached for her wallet, but he shook his head.

“I’ve got it.”

I frowned. “I’m not comfortable with you buying my lunch. You’re my boss. It feels weird.”

“I’m not your boss off Lodestar property, remember?” The glint in his eyes made the words mean things they shouldn’t. I stared back at him wordlessly, my stomach fluttering. “I’ve got it.”

He disappeared inside before I could protest again.

“Huh,” Chloe said.

“What?” I asked as we grabbed a table for two in the sunshine.

She shrugged. “He’s come in at least once a week for as long as I’ve worked here, but he looks different today. Swear to god, I thought he was his brother, Brax, for a minute there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Adam when he wasn’t frowning.”

I laughed. “Sounds about right. I told him he has Resting Grump Face.”

“My point is that he’s not frowning today. With you.”

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