Page 10 of Second Chance With a Cowboy

“Wow. Impressive. So, what do you actuallydo?”

She shrugged, always a little self-conscious talking about her work. When most people found out what she did, they usually either assumed her job was high-powered and like an episode of Top Gun—it was not—or that she was a super-smart boring math and physics nerd. The second one was closer to the truth. “I do a lot of things, but mainly I design, develop, and help test aircraft, satellites, and spacecraft.”

That was the part that usually had someone’s eyes glaze over with boredom, but Chevy’s eyes widened, and a huge grin broke across his face. “That’s amazing. Just like you always dreamed of.” He reached out like he was going to touch her arm, then must have changed his mind and let his hand drop. His voice was thick with emotion as he told her, “I’m so damn proud of you.”

She stared at him, staggered by the sudden well of tears in his eyes, and once again, blinking back her own.

Turning away, she tried to concentrate on setting out the last of the cinnamon buns. “I assumed you knew all this. My sister acts like she brags me about me all the time. And I know you see her here at church.” This was a small town. She figured everyone knew exactly what she did. Although, she’d been a nerdy nobody when she’d lived here, and no one had cared about what she did back then, so why would anyone care about what she did now.

Chevy picked up the tray. “Everyone knows what I did, so nobody really talks to me about you,” he said before pushing through the door.

“Oh,” she said to the empty room, then followed him out with the tray of baked goods. She set them on the table next to the coffee carafes then couldn’t figure out what to do with her hands.

“This all looks wonderful,” Ruby said, picking up a cheese Danish. “And the coffee smells amazing.”

“I hope you all enjoy it,” Leni said, trying to get back into business mode. “And speaking of coffee, I should probably get back to the shop. I’ll call you tomorrow, Miss Ruby, to follow up on your next order. You all can let me know if there was anything you particularly enjoyed or if there were things you’d rather I leave off next time.”

“Sounds good,” Greta said, perusing the tray of goodies. “But they all look delicious. I’m sure we’re going to enjoy them all.”

“Okay, then,” she said, backing toward the stairs. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Chevy said, untying the apron and leaving it on one of the tables.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I want to.”

In truth, she was glad to have him walk her out to her car. As much as she’d dreaded seeing him, now she didn’t feel quite ready to say goodbye. Her emotions flip-flopped from happy to sad to angry like a fresh trout caught and released onto the bank of a mountain stream.

As she followed him up the stairs and out into the late summer sunshine, memories flooded through her. They had practically grown up together and reminders of time spent with him were everywhere.

He had hurt her so badly. But it also felt good. Talking and even laughing with him—things she’d been sure would never happen again—felt natural, even a little good, like slipping on one of Chevy’s favorite faded flannel shirts again.

He came to an abrupt stop, and she ran into the back of him. Putting her hands up, she couldn’t help but notice the solid muscle of his back. Heat warmed her chest as the scent of him surrounded her—the same woodsy cologne with a hint of citrus he’d always worn.

How could accidentally bumping into him bring up so many feelings? Feelings she’d spent years trying to bury.

“Whoa. Is this your car?” He let out a low whistle as he admired her Tesla Model S. “I mean thismustbe your car. I don’t think we have another Tesla in town and none with Washington plates. Damn. Boeing must be treating you right. This thing is fancy as all get out.”

She pushed back her shoulders, ready to defend the sporty car. They weren’t a novelty around Seattle. And she loved the Deep Blue Metallic color but hadn’t thought about how much it would stand out in the small mountain town that had mainly trucks and SUVs parked along the main street of downtown.

“Yes, it’s mine. Obviously. But I mainly drive it to help the environment,” she told him. Which was true, but she also loved everything else about the car—it’s sleek aerodynamic design, the gorgeous gray leather interior, the way the steering wheel and dash had the feel of a luxury spacecraft. “It’s all electric, so I’m leaving less of a carbon footprint. And I save a ton by not buying gas and just plugging it in.” She didn’t need to mention that she’d spent a small fortune buying the car, but she’d used her first bonus at Boeing for the down payment and hadn’t ever regretted the decision.

“Wait. No gas at all?” He scratched the back of his neck as he walked around the back of the car as if looking for an outlet. “I hate to sound like a country bumpkin, but I honestly don’t know much about these things. You really just plug this car in? To what?”

She tried to hide her smile. Chevy was no country bumpkin. He was just a truck guy. She wondered if he had the same Chevy pickup he’d been driving when she’d last seen him. All the Lassiter brothers drove the brands of truck they were named for. Or at least they had the last time she’d lived here.

“To a charging station,” she explained. “It takes between six and twelve hours to fully charge it when I’m at home, but I can do it in less than thirty minutes if I plug into a Supercharger in the city. Then I can get up to two hundred miles in a fifteen-minute charge.”

“Really?” He ran his hand along the hood, as if you were itching to pop it and check out the engine.

She nodded. “The only problem here is that our old house, I mean Lauren’s place now, isn’t wired for charging it. And the only two places progressive enough in Woodland Hills to even have electric car chargers are the library and the newGas and Goout by the highway—but neither have the Supercharger kind.”

“So, how are you charging this thing?”

“At the library. I talked to the librarians, and they said barely anyone uses their charger, so they let me plug it in and leave it there overnight when I first got to town. Like everything in this town, it’s only a ten-minute walk away, and I just picked it up on my way to work the next morning.”

“Nice. I’ve never ridden in a Tesla before,” he told her, a boyish grin creasing his face. “Maybe I can talk you into giving me a ride in it sometime?”

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