Page 34 of Rust and Stardust

I sighed, pushing my empty plate away. “I don't want to push him, Dolly. But sometimes... sometimes I wonder if we'll ever be able to just be ourselves.”

“Give it time, sugar,” Dolly said, her voice gentle. “Love has a way of findin' its path, even in the toughest terrain.”

Just then, the bell above the diner door jingled. I turned to see who it was, hoping it was Beau. However, I was surprised to see my best friend Logan looking a bit disheveled. He was supposed to beout scouting the fair for targets so we could steal recipes from them. From the looks of him, it hadn’t gone well.

“You’re back early,” I said, trying to keep things casual so Dolly didn’t know what we were up to. “You feeling alright?”

Logan slumped onto the stool next to me, running a hand through his sandy hair. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he mumbled, but his tone said otherwise. He glanced at Dolly and forced a smile. “Could I get a coffee, please ma'am?”

Dolly nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Logan. “Coming right up, sugar.” She bustled off to fetch the coffee pot.

I leaned in closer to Logan, keeping my voice low. “What happened out there? Did you get caught?”

He shook his head, his eyes darting around the diner. “No, nothing like that. It's just...” He trailed off as Dolly returned with his coffee.

“Here you go, hon. You want some pie to go with that? Seems like you could use a pick-me-up.”

Logan shook his head. “That’s alright.”

“I insist,” she said, putting a slice down in front of him anyway. “It’s on the house. Least I can do for Logan Baker after he’s been in town for four days and not come to say hello.”

“I’m sorry, Dolly,” he sighed. “It’s not you, I promise. Work’s just got me stressed out and I’m not quite myself right now.”

“It’s alright, darlin’,” she nodded, reaching up and patting his cheek. “Enjoy your pie and we can catch up later.”

As soon as Dolly walked away, I turned to Logan. “You know her?”

“I know everyone in this fuckin’ town,” he hissed. “Every single one! That’s probably why I’m developing an ulcer from doing all this unethical bullshit!”

“If you’re feeling that bad about it… we can stop.”

“No, we can’t,” Logan shot back. “I don’t wanna get trapped in this town for the rest of my life. I’d rather have everyone mad at me than be stuck here with a bunch of family who just wants to say theytold me so, that the big city would never work out.” He shook his head. “No… I’m gonna prove them wrong once and for all.”

I felt a pang of guilt as I watched Logan's shoulders slump. I knew how much this meant to him, but I couldn't help wondering if we were going too far.

“Look, maybe we can find another way,” I suggested softly. “There's gotta be a compromise between stealing recipes and giving up on your dreams.”

Logan shot me a bitter smile. “Yeah? Like what? You gonna magically come up with a killer recipe that'll make us famous overnight? Between the two of us we can barely fucking boil water much less create a prize-winning recipe.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the bell above the door jingled again. This time, it was Beau who walked in, his hat tipped low over his eyes. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, all dusty and rugged from a day's work.

He nodded at us as he approached the counter. “Afternoon, folks,” he drawled, his voice low and gravelly, the sound of it going straight to my cock.

Beau's eyes met mine for a brief moment, a flicker of something passing between us before he quickly looked away. My breath caught in my throat as I remembered our passionate encounter the night before.

“Howdy, Beau,” Dolly called from behind the counter. “The usual?”

He nodded, settling onto a stool a couple spaces down from us. “Yes ma'am, thank you kindly.”

I couldn't help but steal glances at him as Dolly busied herself with his order. The way his strong hands gripped the edge of the counter, the curve of his jawline beneath the stubble, the flex of his muscles beneath his worn flannel shirt. God, I wanted to touch him again so badly.

Logan cleared his throat beside me, jolting me back to reality. “So, uh, you all set for the competition at the end of the week?” he asked Beau, clearly trying to break the awkward silence.

Beau nodded, his eyes still fixed on the counter. “Reckon so. Just gotta get through a few more practice runs. I’m a bit rusty.”

I couldn't help but notice the tension in his shoulders, the way he seemed to be purposefully avoiding looking in our direction. My heart sank a little. Was he regretting what had happened between us?

“Well, I'm sure you'll do great,” Logan said, his tone friendly, but a bit forced. “You always do.”

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