Page 14 of Wine Whiskey & Lipstick

Dillyn glanced up. “Dinner was amazing. Thank you.” She turned to Ben, and her eyes softened. “Thank you for the company.”

Ben hadn’t realized that time had gotten away from them. Dillyn was sweet and easy to talk to. He’d enjoyed spending time with her. If things were different, he would ask her out. But they weren’t, so there was that.

“I should probably get to my room,” Dillyn said.

Like a true gentleman, Ben stood and helped Dillyn up. This time, Dillyn didn’t complain about being a germaphobe. His hands were warm to the touch on her chilled arms. As they stood face-to-face, the energy between them changed from friendly to something else. Seemingly unable to pull away, Dillyn held her breath as her heart raced.Ohmygod. Is he going to kiss me? What the hell should I do?

Ben swallowed as he tucked some loose strands of hair behind Dillyn’s ear. In the process, the tips of his fingers skimmed her face.

Initially, Dillyn hadn’t recognized the signs, but something was simmering between them all evening, and that pull was strong. They’d both ignored it, but this time, with Ben holding her gaze hostage, it was hard to pretend that there wasn’t something in the air.

Amber glanced away, then cleared her throat, reminding them both that they weren’t alone.

Dillyn was grateful for the reminder. Her smile was shaky from nerves. “Again, thank you both. I had a great evening. It was really nice to meet you, Ben.”

“You too.” He refused to say, “I hope we meet again,” because being alone with Dillyn might be dangerous for both of them.

Dillyn nodded, then almost ran-walked to her bedroom.

Ben had been almost certain that he wouldn’t have made a move, but the look in Dillyn’s eyes gave him second thoughts. It was a good thing she had left when she did. Neither of them wanted to find out what would have happened if they had spent a little more time together.

Chapter 6

Present Day

Dillyn opened the door and got out of her car. It had been an exhausting day. She just wanted to crawl into bed and snuggle underneath the covers. Instead, she’d allowed her friends to pressure her into going out. “I can’t believe I let y’all talk me into coming to a bar.”

Palmer grinned. “One of the guys working on the house suggested it. Did you just sayy’all? Look at you. You’re already adapting to our new environment.”

“She is!” Cat laughed. “C’mon, Dillyn. Don’t be a fun sponge. We’ve just bought a vineyard and spent our first week moving into our new home. We need to celebrate that! We shouldn’t feel guilty about wanting to cut loose.”

“Exactly!” Palmer’s dark eyes glittered with excitement. “Look at all these cars. We’ll definitely meet some locals tonight. Hell, we might even find some good trouble to get into. Maybe you’ll run into that cowboy you met a couple of years ago while we’re here.”

“A, he was married, and B, I’ve already told you, I’m not looking for anything or anyone.” Dillyn wasn’t the least bit interested in getting into anytrouble. She’d sworn off men and relationships in general but kept that to herself. There was no need to share her disdain for the opposite sex with Cat and Palmer, who were both single and still looking for Prince Charming. Dillyn didn’t have the heart to tell them that marriage, commitment, loyalty, and Prince Charming didn’t exist. That most men were complete monsters.Yeah, I’m bitter.It was all utter bullshit.I won’t be the one to crush their dreams, though.As Dillyn looked about, she had to admit that Palmer might have a fairly decent shot of at least finding someone to hook up with.Sex. That was always on the table.Then Dillyn remembered who she was thinking about and suppressed a smile. Palmer talked mad trash, but she wasn’t the one-night-stand kind of girl. She was a woman waiting for the fairytale.

There were quite a few cars and pick-up trucks in the parking lot, considering the town's size. As of last week, there were about twenty-five hundred people. When they moved into the property formerly known as Steele’s Orchard Ranch, that number increased by three.

It seemed all of the residents of Summer, Tennessee chose tonight to show up at Frank’s.

Dillyn needed to snap out of her funk. She didn’t want to be afun sponge,as Cat so eloquently put it. While she’d rather have been at home, she’d been convinced to get all glammed up and figured she might as well make the most of it. Palmer made her wear a little black mini dress and a pair of matching strappy heels. Jeans and a t-shirt wouldn’t have captured the energy those two wanted to project. Cat and Palmer took their look a step further.

Palmer was the most confident full-figured woman Dillyn had ever met. She was more than a little comfortable in her own skin and oozed sex appeal. Tonight, her five-foot-nine-inch frame was dressed in a curve-hugging, bright yellow dress. She wore her hair pulled back and away from her face in a bone-straight phony-pony that was so long it touched the back of her knees. That yellow against her smooth mocha-colored skin was hot. But it was her large, almond-shaped eyes that were her most striking feature. Those things were lethal and were Palmer’s superpower. Dillyn wasn’t sure why she hadn’t used them to snag a husband if she really wanted one. Palmer was just gorgeous. Cat was too. Physically, Cat was as different from Palmer as night and day. Aside from height, they were mirror opposites.

Cat had a fairer complexion. She would burn in the sun. Her greenish-gray eyes were diamond-like and could cut you deep. She wore her dark brown hair with honey blonde highlights in a pixie cut. Tonight, she’d gone with a smoky eye and hot pink lipstick for dramatic effect. Cat was society’s standard of beauty. Her friends were not only supermodel gorgeous, but they were also good people. They valued both inner and outer beauty. If men had any sense, both of them would have already been off the market. Neither had a problem attracting a man's attention, but some men couldn’t seem to handle Cat’s and Palmer’s independent natures. At least that was what Dillyn thought about Palmer. Dillyn had another theory when it came to Cat. Dillyn wasn’t one hundred percent sure she wanted to get married. Cat had a restlessness about her that was hard to calm. She was down for a one-night stand. When Cat lasered in on someone, the guy usually didn’t have a chance.

Dillyn got out of her head and tried to be present in the moment. Maybe even try to have some fun. She had been down in the dumps since she discovered Steven’s affair, even more so since they finalized their divorce.

Dillyn shook off the doom and gloom. She straightened her back, pasted on a smile, walked up to the door of the bar, and opened it. After only a few steps into the building, Dillyn stopped dead in her tracks, causing Palmer and Cat to bump into her back.

“Holy shit,” Dillyn whispered.

“What?” Cat looked around Dillyn. Her smile froze. “Oh.”

Palmer pushed her friends farther into the bar. “What’s wrong?”

It was like stepping into a time warp and a western movie. Dillyn didn’t think she had ever seen so many Stetsons, cowboy boots, jeans, and t-shirts all in one place. She glanced down at her outfit. “Um. I think we might be a little overdressed.”

Cat nodded and agreed. She responded sarcastically. “You think?”

---