Page 2 of The Singer and the Silent Type

It was actually more helpful practicing here than I’d realized. My stage fright was almost comical. But years of waitressing had forced me to get over my nerves. Now that I was an outsider, meeting an entire town at once, it was another round of training myself to be outgoing and bright. The whole, ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ philosophy.

Playing in the tavern when the only people around were back in the kitchen was good practice. I was still tingling inside from the day Iris had told me that she thought I had a lovely voice.

A few truck doors slammed in the parking lot, and I looked up to see a few of our regulars arriving at exactly the moment we opened.

Iris laughed, “I love a man on a schedule,” she said. “A steady, predictable man is worth his weight in gold.” I nodded, as if I knew a darn thing about men whatsoever.

Rushing to unlock the front door before they reached it, I flipped the wooden sign around to say “Open”. I went back behind the bar to polish glasses while Chet and Glen got settled at a table in the corner.

As soon as I had them settled with a couple of beers, I headed back to the bar, feeling a strange prickle between my shoulder blades before the front door opened again. Glancing back over my shoulder, I always felt like he was looking away just as I looked toward him.

Cody Travers. The tall, quiet man with shoulders the size of a barn. Everyone seemed to leave him alone, as if his silence was somehow a warning to keep away.

But I felt like I could see below the surface. From the way he moved, slow but almost graceful, I had a feeling he was just a guy who appreciated stillness. Someone who had nothing against other people, but just preferred his own company.

I didn’t see him for the first two weeks I started working here. Then last week he came in for dinner twice. This week he came almost every night, sitting at the end of the bar in front of my station.

Even though I’d always been a bit shy around people, I found it easier to talk with Cody, since he didn’t seem to want to speak very much himself. There was no reason to yatter on to him. It was simple. Even in the din of the busy tavern, it felt like we could be quiet, sharing a little smile now and then.

I’d heard that he used to be a cowboy, with a stable of horses, but now he did construction or something. Whatever he did, it made him incredibly muscular, with a deep tan that was sexy as hell.

It was strange how my stomach tightened whenever he was close. Those dark, piercing eyes, and slightly wavy black hair made him look far more intense than he actually was. He honestly didn’t seem to realize that he was the most handsome man in town.

The thought of having a man in my life was a delightful yet unrealistic thought, like winning the lottery. I never seemed to be in one place for very long, and was rarely in the right place at the right time. Now that I wanted to stay here for years, I had started to think about it a bit more seriously.

I could see through the front window that more cars and trucks were pulling into the lot. With extra people from the rodeo in town, it was certainly going to be a busy night.

“Hello, Lorena,” Cody’s gruff voice said formally as he took his seat, slinging his denim jacket over the back of the high stool. I tried not to stare at how perfectly his black t-shirt stretched across his chest, and around his biceps.

“Hey, Cody. Dark stout?”

“Yes, thank you.” As I poured his beer, a tiny smile played at the corners of his lips. I often wondered how soft they were, surrounded by his rough stubble.

Forcing myself to look straight into his eyes as I placed the glass in front of him, he stared at me for a moment before murmuring, “Thanks, Lorena.”

“You’re welcome. Would you like a menu?”

His gentle smile flashed straight through me, my fingers clenching my apron nervously. “Nah, if you could please put in an order for the special in about half an hour, that would be great.”

“Okay, sure.” He was staying here for the whole night, it seemed.

My heart began to flutter as I grabbed two menus and a water pitcher, heading to a table with two men who were obviously out of towners. As I walked by Cody, I could feel his eyes on me, making my fingers twitch. Pasting on a smile, I’d have to ignore him and focus on the customers. I needed every darned tip I could get, so that I could manage to hire someone to do a bit of work on my house before it completely crumbled around me.

Handing the menus to the two rough-looking men, I tried not to frown at the obvious way they checked me out. I was used to creeps in the city, but not here.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” I began, handing them the menus with one hand, then picking up one of their glasses to pour some water. Iris said we should always be careful to start people off with water so they didn’t hit the liquor harder because they were thirsty.

A loud crash as someone dropped a plate in the kitchen made me jump, sloshing the pitcher of water all over the front of my white t-shirt. Looking down in horror, I realized everyone in the room could now clearly see the outline of my lacy peach bra and rather large breasts.

The men in front of me locked their eyes on my chest. “Wow, darlin’, if you wanted a bigger tip, you could just say so,” one of them chuckled.

The chill of the water was making me start to shiver, but then I felt his hand on my ass. “Baby, for a lap dance, you’ll get an even bigger tip.”

Every pair of eyes in the room fixed on me. Verity’s best friend Esther was already texting her the news. I completely froze, too horrified even to burst into tears.

Chapter Two

~ Cody ~

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