Page 10 of Barry

“Yes, and I trust her implicitly.” Edna sniffed. “This is real.”

Kathy tipped her head to the side and made a face before rejecting Edna’s claim. “I’m not a believer. Listen, I’ve got access to my old university’s library. Let me pull some research to show you this guy is really just an urban legend.”

Edna made a noise of disagreement. “You can try. Best get yourself to work.”

And like that, Edna dismissed her. Kathy blinked at the comment and then got up. She made her way over to Ciera and handed her a twenty. Ciera motioned for her to cometo the register. While their backs were turned to Edna, Ciera asked, “Did she show you the picture?”

Kathy nodded. “By the end of the day, everyone in town will have seen it.”

Ciera chuckled. “Right now, she’s keeping it to the ladies. She thinks the guys will take it from her like they did last time.”

“It isn’t a Bigfoot. It can’t be. That’s an urban legend.”

“I know, but I don’t know what it is. Maybe if it weren’t blurry or so dark.” Ciera shrugged. “Here’s your change.”

Kathy pocketed it, grabbed the box, and turned just as Barry walked into the café. “Hey.” She smiled and walked up to him.

He stepped to the side to let Ryan in the café and dropped for a quick kiss. “What are you doing here?” he asked when he lifted away.

“Picking up rolls for the teachers’ lounge. We celebrate every day the last week we’re working.” She laughed, and when he smiled, something about him made her stop and look harder. There was an ease about him today, almost a happiness that seemed to be a physical force around him. “You look so good today.”

“I was just about to say the same about you.” Barry winked at her. The lightness in his expression was something she hadn’t seen when he was out in public.

Ryan called to him from the booth he’d claimed. “Don’t get any ideas of leaving with your filly. You’re paying for my breakfast. You lost the bet.”

Kathy smiled at Ryan and then looked back at Barry. “What bet?”

“I’ll tell you about it tonight when I call.” Barry shook his head. “The man makes three times what I do, and he’s milking me for breakfast.”

“Damn straight,” Ryan said as Ciera came out of the kitchen. “He’s buying today, and I want two sausage biscuits and a caramel roll, please.”

Ciera glanced over at Barry. “Is that so?”

“It is. I lost a bet. One ham biscuit for me and one of those caramel rolls, please, ma’am.”

“You got it. Coffee for both of you?”

“You can have my coffee. I just poured it, and we take it the same way.” She glanced around, locating her cup at Edna’s table. She went to reclaim it, took a sip of the hot liquid, and then handed it to him. He took it from her and dropped a kiss on her lips, and she floated out the door.

“Talk to you tonight.”

His words put even more air under her feet and made her heart soar. Finally, things had seemed to turn the corner in his favor. Maybe now everyone would see the man she knew.

CHAPTER 5

Barry watched Kathy leave. The woman went to the Flying H truck and gave Honey some love. It was cool enough she could stay in the truck with the windows down. She waved at him and walked over to her truck. He joined Ryan at the booth and groaned a bit as he sat down, and Ryan laughed at him. “Sore?”

“I wouldn’t be if some cantankerous cuss of a ranch manager had managed to load more than one bag of feed in the back of the truck.” Barry took a sip of Kathy’s coffee and didn’t try to hide the smile the thought of sharing her drink brought to mind.

“You and that filly are getting serious.” Ryan took a sip of his coffee.

Barry’s back went up immediately, and he was in fightmode before he even realized what happened. He leveled a stare at his foreman. “Is that a problem?”

Ryan snorted. “Nah. Know her and her folks. Salt of the earth type people. They always show up to help the neighbors or whenever there’s a need. Like most of Hollister. There are still a couple of pickles sour as hell, but I guess every community has one or two.” Ryan pointed across the street to Sanderson’s grocery. “Those two are the sourest of the lot.”

“Chester?” Barry cocked his head. Ever since he’d been there, people would nod and greet the man. “Never heard him say a word.”

“That’s the problem. If he ain’t talkingtoyou, he’s talkingaboutyou. Old Wallace Lamont kept those two in line. Wallace was a good and kind man through and through. Since he died, those old codgers have gotten bitter.” Ryan shook his head. “Delbert is just an echo machine. He hasn’t had an original thought in ten or twenty years.”

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