Page 10 of Tattered and Torn

“No. I just thought Maya or—”

“Maya and Travis are booked solid all week. You’re the only one with any free time, so I’d appreciate it if you’d show Gabrielle around. Introduce her to Maggie and the other ladies in town. We need to make a good impression, Burke. We want her to like it here so she’ll stay. Bryce is a far cry from Chicago, if you know what I mean.”

Sighing, I nod. “Fine. I just figured if you wanted to make a good impression on her, you’d ask someone else.”

Grinning, Killian shakes his head. “Thanks for helpin’ out.” He points toward the door. “I’ve got to get back.” He pauses on the threshold. “Oh, she’s ready, by the way. Gabrielle. She’s just waitin’ on you. I left her sitting on one of the benches outside the lodge.”

I shoot to my feet. “Why didn’t you say so before now?” I grab a napkin and wipe my mouth. “I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

I run upstairs to grab a five-minute shower and brush my teeth. When I come back down, Killian is gone.

“I can’t believe he left her waiting out there,” I mutter as I grab my keys, wallet, and phone and head over to the lodge.

I spot Gabrielle right where Killian said she’d be—sittin’ outside the lodge. It’s not hard to spot her from a distance, not with her distinctive red hair. Well, it’s sort of a soft red, almost orange really. She’s got freckles, too, the color of cinnamon. Damn, she’s pretty. She’s probably the prettiest girl I’ve ever met.

When she spots me approaching, she stands and smiles, waving at me. She changed her clothes since I picked her up this morning at the airport, and her hair is pulled back into a single braid. I swear she looks even younger with her hair like that.

Too young for the likes of me.

“Thanks for agreeing to show me around town,” she says. She seems genuinely excited at the prospect.

I tip the brim of my hat. “My pleasure.”

Her smile widens, and the corners of her eyes crinkle. I stare at those crystal-clear green pools, pristine like the water up at Pine Lake. My chest tightens.

I make a mental note to ream Killian’s ass for makin’ me do this.

I point to my truck, which is parked a few feet away. “Ready to go?”

“You bet.” She’s practically bouncing on her toes. “Lead the way.”

Once we’re in the truck and heading toward town, I remember my manners. “Thanks for bringin’ me some lunch. It was really good.”

She grins wryly. “It’ll do in a pinch. I can’t wait to establish a proper menu. You’ll have lots of choices then.”

“Besides cold sandwiches and canned soup?”

She grins. “Yes.”

“Such as?”

“Well, steaks and burgers, meatloaf, fried chicken, pot roast—”

“Pot roast? Really?”

“Yes. Salmon, some pasta dishes—that’s my specialty. You should try my Bolognese sauce. It’s epic. My Alfredo is good, too. And I make an outstanding lasagna.”

“That’s a lot of dishes.”

“That’s only the half of it. It’s doable once the kitchen is upgraded and I have an adequate staffing level. But that’s assuming I can source the ingredients I need.”

It’s just a ten-minute drive to Bryce. I slow down as we approach what passes for a downtown here.

“I’m afraid it’s not much,” I admit as I drive slowly past the shops. “Just these three blocks.”

Her gaze is glued to the businesses we pass.

“There’s Emerson’s Grocery Store. They have good produce and fresh seafood. The butcher’s shop is two blocks that way.”

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