She carried a basin of dishes into the kitchen. Leesa was still in there, of course, because even though the restaurant officially closed at eight-thirty, folks in town knew they could come in and order supper as late as eight-fifteen.
“How’s it looking out there?” Leesa asked. She was going over some of the recipe cards, familiarizing herself with Kelsey’s specialties.
“Good.” Rachel made quick work of putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. “There’ll be at least two more customers before closing, but I don’t know for certain if they plan to eat or not.”
Leesa grinned. “So that’s why you’ve been so tense.” And then the woman raised both eyebrows at the same time, twice in quick succession.
Rachel couldn’t hold back her laughter. Why keep it a secret? She knew the other woman well enough already that she knew she could rely on her discretion. “I admit to the tension.” She shrugged her shoulders. “My divorce has been final for a couple of years now, but…” She didn’t know if she could put what she was feeling into words.
“But he must have been a son of a bitch, which would make you leery,” Leesa said. “If he hadn’t been, he’d be with you and that beautiful child of yours. Divorced a couple of years? What did he do, cut out at the first sign of trouble?”
“Pretty much. He deserted us when Libby was diagnosed, but he’d not been a good husband to me, or father to her, for years. I never would have said that before coming to this town, you know?”
“I do know. I saw a lot of ‘couples’ in the service. Working as a cook, I spent a lot of time in the mess halls, and I saw plenty. Some couples, I knew just the way they behaved that they were temporary. And some, that they were solid and forever—and for the same reason. If you observe folks long enough, you figure out, as I did, there are basically two kinds of people in this world. Narcissists and everybody else.”
“I never really thought about it before coming to Lusty. I’ve never been one to analyze other people. But after Buck left, as I was coping with the stark reality that I was all alone and facing this steep challenge, I wondered what I’d done wrong, what mistake I’d made that had screwed up my marriage. It’s only been in the last while, since I moved here, in fact, that I finally can say with absolute heart knowledge that there was nothing wrong with me. Buck was a self-centered son of a bitch.”
Leesa, huge grin and sparkling eyes, pointed her finger at Rachel. “Yes! Congratulations, my friend. You win the gold prize for having the correct answer in tonight’s quiz.”
Rachel grinned. “Oh yeah? What do I win?
“The right and the duty to do something just for yourself!”
Rachel understood that she did have that right and, yes, that duty. She sighed, recognizing the truth. Brandon and Trace were going to be forging their own relationships with Libby, relationships based on a mutual love of horses and whatever experiences they would share at the ranch. And that really was as it should be.
Since both men were kind, caring, and by their very choice of vocations showed they put others before themselves, she had no problem with that at all.
From all she’d seen, they were both decent men. They’re each, in their own way, heroes, however reluctant they may be to wear that title. Would they suddenly change, the way Buck had changed? Rachel hadn’t realized she’d been thinking about that, but now she knew that was the one little “but” she needed to get over.
It was a strange place and time for an enlightening moment, but that didn’t matter. Buck hadn’t just changed practically on their wedding night. He’d proven himself to be a liar and a cheat. He was, at heart, a dishonest man. That was how he’d fooled her. He’d shown her exactly what he wanted to show her, exactly the kind of man he’d figured out she’d fall for, as he was courting her.
She had no idea why. She hadn’t been rich or special—though she had been an old-fashioned wife and had pretty much catered to the man.
Maybe that was reason enough right there for him to con me. He knew I’d put him first ahead of myself, and that was what he’d wanted.
Rachel had heard talk of both Brandon and Trace all week, as folks in town came to Lusty Appetites to eat and chat about what was new. Everyone was delighted the pair had come home to Lusty to live. She hadn’t heard a single negative report on either of them.
She met Leesa’s gaze. The woman was right. She was entitled to do something for herself, and those two men—those two very alpha men—were definitely worthy of her time and attention.
“Thank you, Leesa. You’ve helped me surmount that last tiny little ‘but’ that was hanging around in my thoughts.”
“You’re welcome. Didn’t you tell me that Libby was sleeping over with Bonnie tonight?”
Rachel felt the heat in her cheeks. Instead of words, she gave her friend a nod.
“Good. Now go see if anyone out there wants dessert.” And she snickered just enough that Rachel had to chuckle.
“You’re bad.” Rachel’s grin belied her words.
“I know. Isn’t it great?” Leesa’s grin matched hers. This conversation had just cemented their friendship, and Rachel took a moment to rejoice in that.
“Yeah, you are great.”
Rachel hit the “out” door with her back, pleased to have made Leesa’s cheeks turn a bit pink in return. Fair was fair, and in her books, that woman was exactly that—great.
And when she turned to face the dining room, it was to encounter the twin stares of two of the most handsome and delectable men she’d ever met in her life.
Emboldened by the chat she’d just had with Leesa and her own pondering thoughts, Rachel smiled and headed over to say hello.
*
