Page 7 of Claimed By the Cowboys
Even though I didn’t really have the time, I resisted the urge to make a comment about Lucas not being able to work a screwdriver. He wasn’t a bad kid, did his best to help, serving and bussing tables at his grandparents’ diner—but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised by the boy’s inability to do a lick of handiwork.
“Sure, Evelyn, I’ll be by shortly. Can I trouble you to pack me up some fried chicken, greens, and biscuits for dinner? I think I’m gonna have another late night in the office, and I wanna make sure the guys have something decent.”
My home office was practically my second home.
“Of course, Montana, honey. You come on down and I’ll have it ready.”
When I got to the diner, I was surprised to see a sleek black Mercedes in the lot. I couldn’t help but laugh at how out of place the shiny black vehicle looked in the gravel parking lot. I dragged my boots up the wooden stairs, trusty toolbox in hand, to the door dangling off the hinges of the diner car.
It didn’t take long at all to jimmy the slightly rusted screw back into the doorframe. If I hadn’t ordered takeout to bring home, I could have easily hopped down the stairs and back into my trusty old blue Chevy truck, but I tossed my toolbox into the bed and ambled my way back up the stairs.
“Miss Evelyn,” I called into the diner as I stepped inside and pulled my gray Stetson off my head. “That door shouldn’t be givin’ you any more trouble,” I added, the brim of my hat held in my hands—like my mama taught me, gentlemen don’t wear hats indoors.
That’s when I sawher. In a pale blue gingham sundress, her bright eyes the color of the sky, her hair tied in a twist of coppery waves on top of her head, her nose and cheekbones smattered with the same dusty rose freckles that speckled her bare shoulders.
“Oh, I’m sorry…” I trailed off. Her honeysuckle scent mixed with her enchanting appearance, combining to turn me into a wordless fool.
Omega.
I was surprised to see a wide smile light up her face, a look of recognition flashing in her blue eyes.
“Dakota!” The beauty greeted me with surprise and delight. Of course, it did dim the shine of my excitement that she greeted me with mytwin brother’sname.
Unprepared, I almost tripped backward as she stepped in close, her fingers reaching for a small bruise high on my cheekbone. It was the prize for playing a stupid game with one of our young bulls in the barn earlier this week.
“Oh, no—what happened? Did you get roughed up last night?” Her eyes glittered with concern, and for a moment, I contemplated pretending to be Dakota, since he’d apparently already met this beautiful creature and failed to tell the rest of us about it.
“No, ma’am.” I cleared my throat and took a step back. “I have a feeling you met my twin brother, Dakota.” I bowed my head slightly and extended an open hand. “Montana Flint, pleased to meet you.”
A furious blush spread across her face, pretty and pink under her freckles. “Oh my god,there are two of you?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as she scrambled to do damage control.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m Piper Collins.”
Her hand jutted out awkwardly, gripping mine in a half-hearted shake, abandoning a bundle of silverware and napkins in her other hand before she started backing away from me toward the kitchen.
“I bet you’re looking for Evelyn,” she chirped sunnily, as eager to help as she was to escape.
“Yes, ma’am. I just wanted to let her know that her door is all fixed, and to pay for and pick up my order.” I kept my tone as steady as possible, even though I could barely keep my words straight.
“Hold on for just a sec; I’ll go get her!”
I didn’t have a chance to object. She bounded away, disappearing into the kitchen.
A quick glance around the diner for Lucas yielded only a glimpse of Judd through the window into the kitchen, my order of fried chicken bubbling away in a fry basket just behind him as he wiped down the hot griddle after the dinner rush had passed.
“Montana, sweetie.” Evelyn poked her head through the swinging double doors that separated the greasy kitchen from the rest of the diner, her blue-tinted gray hair pinned in curls just above her ears, like always. “Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll fetch you a cup of coffee on the house. I’ll be out with your order in a moment!”
Reluctantly, I placed my hat on the clean countertop and folded my hands on the sparkling laminate as Evelyn appeared from the kitchen with a mug and a steaming pot of fresh coffee.
“You’ve been getting more and more takeout lately.” She pursed her lips and set the mug down in front of me.
“Yeah, I’m not proud of it.” I sighed, scrubbing a hand back through my hair bashfully. “It’s been hard as we get into calving season, on top of the washout in the lower grazing fields. Zeke’s been having to drive fifty head of cattle damn near to the other side of Blackbird Mountain. Not to mention, Clay and I have been putting in long hours in the office, on top of our usual duties. It's been hard to get around to all the things that need to be done and make three squares a day too.” I didn’t like the sound of the excuses as they poured out of my mouth, but my pride demanded it all the same.
“Taking care of little Miss Maisie is its own full-time job, too, I bet,” Evelyn offered sympathetically.
“You’ve raised your own kids, Miss Evelyn, so you know what it’s like,” I laughed. “Poor Dakota was sent on an emergency mission to pick up a very particular brand of fruit snacks for our little miss just yesterday when she ended up in one of her moods.” I shook my head.
