Page 27 of The Talk Around Town

“I heard ’bout the little wager the boys have goin’. Must make you feel all warm an’ fuzzy with so many men chasing your hide.”

Emma couldn’t help it—her laughter burst out and echoed around the paint section of the store.

“Oh, I don’t know if warm and fuzzy are the terms I’d use but, yes, I heard about the bet.”

The smile stretching the old man’s lips reached his eyes, brightening them, and made Emma realise that he’d been a very good-looking man.

“Have you picked one of those young bucks yet? From what I saw, that kiss young Gabe laid on you had you both a little flustered.”

Emma’s grin faded and her face warmed, burning ten degrees hotter in moments.

Pete’s old eyes widened and his face lit up. “Ah, I see.” Silence descended, then Pete’s mouth expanded in another grin. “Pity he’s not on that list now, isn’t it?”

Emma looked away, unable to think of a coherent answer to remove the notion from his head. She did not think of Gabe that way. She didn’twantto think of him that way.

Yes, he was gorgeous. Yes, he’d kissed like he was devouring her and yes, she’d liked it. But they were friends. They had agreed, and that’s how it would stay, regardless that she found him unbearably attractive. She hadn’t moved here for men. She didn’t get involved in casual relationships revolving around sex, and she had no intention of becoming serious with a man ever again. They couldn’t be trusted. You let them close, gave your heart and happiness over to them, and they let you down.

So that left her exactly where she was.

“You know,” Pete’s husky voice interrupted her spinning thoughts. “Gabe may not be on that list, but I insisted on bein’ added to it.”

Emma gasped and stared at him, wide-eyed. “You didn’t!”

Pete’s laughter drowned out her shock. “Yes, I did. Don’t worry, young lady. You remind me of my granddaughter livin’ over in Bialga. I just thought… I’m kind of at the bottom of the list, my odds are over one-hundred-to-one. They only stuck me on there out of pity, I think. How do you feel like going out for dinner? On the boys.”

Emma blinked and tried to speak, her mouth refusing to obey her brain. A slow smile wound onto her lips, the inference washing up and over her.

The wily old coot.

“Pete, I believe I would love to have dinner with you. It’s a date!”

Chapter Twelve

Emma plopped herlarge-brimmed hat on her head as she stepped out of Darby’s car. Little Ralph had been fast asleep in his miniature barn when she left, his tummy full of warm, creamy milk.

Man oh man, is it hot.Emma let a grin widen her lips as she scanned the picnic area that sat right beside the jetty. And not the temperature kind of hot, either.

“View’s not so bad over here, Darb,” she called.

A loud chuckle reached her from the other side of the car, Darby’s head peering over the top when she turned to look.

“Well, look at that.” Darby lifted an eyebrow and panned her gaze across the picnic site to the water. Half-naked male bodies littered the area, lazing in the sun despite the lack of serious heat in the early spring day.

Darby grinned at Emma as she came around the side of the car and fanned herself with her hand. “Did it just get warmer out here, or what? This is going to be so much fun.”

Emma grabbed the picnic basket, hooking it over her arm. “Mmm. There are only a few women here. How is one to choose from all this eye candy? You know, overindulgence only makes you sick.”

Darby’s laughter echoed around the site, turning heads in their direction.

“Now you’ve done it! They’re all staring at us.”

Darby raised an eyebrow and stuck her tongue between her teeth. “Not us, Em. You.”

Emma pushed away the flutter of nerves that followed Darby’s statement. She knew there were a few men on that silly list, but other than Ryan, Pete and a couple of others, she was sure Darby was overreacting.

“Don’t be silly. It’s a lovely day. That’s why they’re here. To enjoy the sun and food.”

Darby stared at Emma so long she glanced away, disconcerted. “If you say so. Come on. Let’s get this food sorted. The water will be really cold, but it might be okay to take a quick dip.”

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