Page 6 of Rescued Hearts

Someone totally opposite of Sully. Or what Sully had been before the years had begun to change him into a person she didn’t want to know.

She issued a sigh of relief that she no longer had to deal with that part of her life. It was truly over. She was ready to take on this brand-new world armed with that double-pump vanilla almond milk cappuccino.

* * * * *

Gray eyed the woman taking up the entire drink station. She operated at the pace of a snail out for a country stroll as she selected lids for the drinks she bought. Not only did she take far too long to find the right lids to fit the cups but she seemed to be color-coordinating them by choosing between white lids or brown.

Of coursehe got stuck behind this woman. All he wanted was a damn black coffee, and she wanted to chat about the town and the upcoming summer festival that didn’t take place for two more months. Who gave a damn about the festival anyway?

Worse was how he had to drink out of a cheap paper cup. The heat of the coffee was seeping through the thin paper. He should have just sucked down coffee at home, but he couldn’t find a travel mug among his sister’s collection.

Pink flowers. Butterflies. A giant scripted “But First, Coffee.”Yeah, no thanks.

Willow’s mug collection was out of control. Worse, it had taken over the entire shelf. The only mug large enough to hold a man’s cup of coffeeandpossessed a handle that a man could grip was always taken.

He and his brothers had been fighting over that mug all damn winter, and this morning he’d seen Carson walking to the office with it in hand.

Lucky bastard.

His gaze raked over the back of the woman who wore a dress with as many flowers as one of his sister’s mugs. The flowy garment fell almost to her ankles, and under the hem, a pair of brown leather sandals peeked out.

His stare latched on to her toenails, each painted a different shade of pink.

He wasn’t the only person in line behind her who noticed her choice of toenail polish. From off to the side came a, “I love your toenails!”

The woman looked around, a smile stretching her glossy lips. “Thanks. I love to get creative with my appearance.”

He let out a snort.

All he needed was a damn lid for his large coffee, but she wasn’t in any hurry at all.

This was supposed to be a quick in-and-out before he ran errands for the ranch. Instead, the line behind the woman was growing by the minute.

He scanned the drink station for the size lid he needed, ready to leap forward the minute the lady wrapped things up.

Exhaling sharply, he adjusted his stance. The coffee shop wasn’t big, and usually people got out of his way. He didn’t demand it, but most people knew the Malones. If they were in the shop, they weren’t ordering some fancy, fluffy drink with whipped cream and almond milk.

His siblings ribbed him about how he commanded a space. One of Willow’s favorite things to say was, “You walk into a room like you’re still in command, flyboy.”

Frustration mounted by the second while the woman talked to herself about straws—recyclable or plastic?—and generally drove him crazier.

When she stuck the straw into one drink—recyclable—and took a sip, he let his head drop back, staring up at the ceiling and praying to whatever higher power could make her hurry right now.

She set the coffee down and opened a sugar packet.

Gray stared at her in amazement as she opened packets and poured them into the drink and then stirred them at a maddening pace.

Unable to stand it a minute longer, he reached around her for a lid. Just then, she shifted to the side. Her elbow bumped his arm, and his hot coffee sloshed over the rim and down his fingers.

He gritted his teeth.

“Hm. Maybe one more,” she murmured to herself.

Whatever noise he made had her turning to look at him. Then she looked at his coffee. Black. Lidless. Dripping down his fingers.

Her gaze lifted to his, and he realized she was younger than he originally thought. Her eyes, wide and assessing, washed over him like she was picking him apart piece by piece.

Without a word, she plucked a lid off the stack and held it out to him.

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