Page 28 of Small Town Frenzy
“I do. Did . . .” Not sure why the words stumble on my tongue. “I’ve been traveling a long time. I might stick around for a bit.”
“Yeah?”
The right side of my grin rises higher just from looking at her. “Yeah. It’s good to spend time with my family and help where I can. It’s nice to be a part of things again.”
“What do you think you’ll do while visiting?” There’s ashyness to her question that has her glancing away before standing behind it and staring up at me for a response.
This moment between us is different. The energy has shifted into something more mellow, as if the deal turned into a truce without requesting it. “Visiting?” I shake my head. “It’s weird to be a visitor in your own hometown, but I suppose I am these days.” Turning my back to the bar, I rest my elbows on the wood top and stare out over the thinning crowd. “Help my brother with some of his projects and,” I say, glancing at her, “my sister and brother-in-law out on the ranch. I’m not really sure other than to go where I’m needed.”
“I know a fabulous winery you can visit if you’re into that kind of thing.” Her smile is so genuine that she makes me wish I were into wine.
Swinging the bill of my hat back to the front, I say, “I heard it’s real nice out there.” Nudging her with my elbow, I laugh. “In Dover County.”
“It is. It’s a beautiful property. The views,” she says, raising her hands in the air in front of her as if she can picture it now, “are stunning.” Her breath catches, and she slowly exhales with her smile softening. “I’m sure you have similar views on the ranch. You own most of the county and some of the next from what I hear.”
“I only own a small share these days, but I still get to claim that it’s the most beautiful place on earth.”
Her elbow taps against mine this time. “Maybe that’s how the feud started. Dueling properties.”
“I have no doubt it involved property somehow.”
“Hey, Cricket?” Blake’s fiancée stands up next to him and waves her over. “You ready to go?”
My gaze slides to the woman next to me, kind of hoping she’ll stay . . . fine, there’s nokind ofabout it. I want her to.
Cricket whispers, “They’re my ride.”
“I can give you a ride,” I say before having time to think twice. Shit. The heat of rejection strikes fast, making me want to take it back. “No press?—”
“That’s quite a detour out of your way.”
“I don’t mind.” I face her, watching her eyes for any reaction she’ll give me. But I see something steady that I can only identify as certainty.
“If you really don’t mind?”
I’m not sure what we’ve just gotten ourselves into, but I don’t want to untangle myself. “I promise I don’t mind.”
Her smile just about knocks me out. “Okay. I’ll go tell my cousin.” She walks off with a bounce to her steps, the ends of her hair swinging back and forth while cutting through the tables to reach her.
While they talk, I turn around. “Hey, Dad?”
My dad comes over with a rag in his hand, wiping the bar on approach. “Cricket Dover, huh?”
I chuckle. “Let’s not make something out of nothing.” I tap the top. “I’ll cover the tab.”
“She was charging everything to her card.”
“I know. I’ll cover it. They spent a lot to make this event happen, so I don’t mind.”
Taking the black card I pulled from my wallet, he heads for the computer, and says, “You’ll get the family discount.”
“As long as it’s a discount and not cutting into profits. You need to get this place on its feet.”
I sign the tab just as Cricket returns. “Soooo.” She rocks back on her heels. “What do you want to do?”
Too many ideas come to mind, none of them appropriate for the current situation between us. Unlike the last time we were alone together, this time is about getting to know one another outside the bedroom. “Do you know how to swim?”
CHAPTER 12
