Page 38 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

“There’s a crew at the Lilacs installing a state-of-the-art security system. That was Beau Barrett. He’s the, uh, boyfriend of the new owner. Earlier, when I was helping load their vehicle, I told him our restaurant had great food, and after what he’d tipped me, Isaid I’d be happy to deliver pizza to them sometime, on me, of course.”

“What amIhelping with, Gray?”

“This.” He held out the order he’d jotted on a piece of paper. “Oh, and Beau said he thought Samantha might appreciate having another female to chat with.”

“How many people are you serving?” I asked, reading over the list.

“He said fifteen.”

“I’ll call it in,” my mom offered. I handed her the paper, then went upstairs to change. There was no telling whether Cord was one of the fifteen or if I’d even see him. On the off chance I would, I took a quick shower, stuck my hair in a messy bun, then put on a fresh pair of jeans and a sweater.

“Juni, are you ready?” I heard Grayson shout from downstairs just as I finished putting on mascara and some blush.

“Coming,” I hollered back.

“You’re hoping to see him, aren’t you?” he asked once we were on our way to the restaurant to pick up the food.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

He nodded. “He seems like a good guy, sis.”

Like my mom had to me, I raised a brow in his direction.

“Look, all I’m saying is, when he and I went to get popcorn the day we saw you two at the theater, he said some nice stuff about you.”

I shouldn’t ask. I did anyway. “What?”

“He said he couldn’t explain it, then asked if I’d ever met someone I felt I’d known for years even after only a few hours.”

“Couldn’t explain what?”

“Why he felt that way about you.”

It was the same way I felt about him, not that I’d tell Grayson. Last night, when he’d said he missed me, it was so hard for me not to say I’d missed him too.

“When did they install a gate?”I asked when we pulled up to the estate’s entrance after loading the car with enough food to feed three times as many people as he’d said would be eating.

Grayson shrugged. “I can’t remember the last time I was here.”

“Me either,” I said, turning my head away and wiping my tears.

“I’m not sure what to dohere,” said Gray.

I looked beyond him. “Try pressing the button.”

As soon as he had, we heard rustling through a speaker. “Hello, Grayson. Give me a moment to figure out how to open the gate.”

“It’s opening now,” Gray told him, but I no longer heard any background noise.

“He’s English? Is she?”

Gray shook his head. “I think they’re from California. Oh, and they have a cat named Wanda.”

“That’s a cool name.”

“Right? Better than Buttons.”

“We were still in high school when we named her that.”

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