That made her smile, and he couldn’t help but admire her profile, or the way wisps of her hair twirled around her neck and face in the wind. His fingers twitched, wanting to rub the silky-looking strands between them to savor their softness.
“So, how long do you plan to hang around if you find work?” she asked and he heard a more serious note in her tone.
“Depends on the work and the pay,” he said with a shrug and pushed his wayward thoughts about her hair out of his head. “I’d guess through October at least, maybe longer if the weather turns too bad.”
“Hmm,” she hummed, her delicate brows bunching over her nose.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, not really. I was just…thinking.” She smiled again and a fuzzy warmth filled his chest.
“About anything in particular?” His nerves seemed to stretch. Why did he ask that? It felt like they were on the verge of flirting, but if that’s true, it would be the oddest instance of it he’d ever been a part of.
“Do you have trouble taking orders from a woman?” she asked. “Taking orders and remaining professional?”
He frowned and straightened in the seat. Well, that’s direct.
“No,” he replied aloud. “No problems that I know of.”
“Hmm.”
He looked out the window, unsure where this was going. Did she know someone or not?
“You a good worker?”
Irritation buzzed in his head. She seemed to be grilling him, but she still hadn’t given any indication that she knew of an available job.
“I’ve never had any complaints,” he said. “I’ll work from before sunup until after sundown as needed. Those have been my hours for years and it’s not going to change now.”
“I see.” She glanced at him, but this time her smile seemed a little tenuous.
Is she afraid of me now?
Trying to appear as non-threatening as possible, he looked out the side window at the small businesses that lined his side of the road. They seemed to be on a backroad, but they were halfway through town already.
“I’m a decent guy,” he said into the tense quiet of the cab and turned back to her. “I just need a job. I’m not looking to take advantage of or hurt anyone. I’ll do any work needed, I’m not fussy. I just need to make some money.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I wasn’t sure how to ask for that information.”
“Ask whatever you need to know. If it has to do with a job, I’ve got no problem answering.”
She nodded. “So, if I told you about a farm job—with lots of hard, dirty work—you’d take it?”
“What’s it pay?”
“Enough to get your truck fixed and some for your pocket besides.”
He thought about that for a minute. It was a good offer, but he wondered who the offer was coming from. Was it her or someone else? A friend, a husband, a neighbor? He glanced at her left hand—no ring. Something pulsed inside him and he locked it down before it could do anything else. No ring didn’t mean much. Maybe she didn’t wear it when working, or maybe it got lost, or they hadn’t been able to afford one. Why did it matter anyway?
A husband or a neighbor would be great. Those two he could do, but if it was her, this attraction he’d been feeling from the minute he’d heard her voice and then met her eyes through the open window might be a problem.
He shook his head. Hell, no it won’t. He’d worked around pretty women before and never had an issue. Why should this be any different?
Because she makes your stomach twist into knots with just a smile and your hand is still tingling from her touch.
He sighed. All that may be true, but he didn’t have a whole lot of choices here.
“If that’s not enough,” she said, sounding cheery and cajoling at the same time, “since you’re not from around here and you’ve got no money to go anywhere else, there’ll be room and board as well. Homemade meals.”
His empty stomach grumbled at the thought of food, and he found himself nodding. “I’ll take it.”
Chapter 3
The bell above the little coffee shop door jingled as Addie walked in. She had dropped Cade off at the auto shop and asked if he’d like a coffee and some lunch. His sad eyes had brightened a bit as he stood beside her truck’s open passenger door, but when his stomach growled again—loudly—his face had clouded over.
“You don’t have to do that,” he’d said, his cheekbones turning pink.
“I don’t mind,” she said with a smile. “I’m hungry, too. Besides, the ladies who run the place are like family, so I get a discount.” She hadn’t wanted to shame him but was afraid she’d done just that.
He’d lowered his chin, the hat he’d put back on blocking his face, but when he lifted his head, he looked resigned. “Sure, I’d…like that.”
“Great!” She beamed, glad that he’d allowed her to help him a little more. “Why don’t you meet me over there when you’re done here?” She pointed across the street. “It’s a couple stores up.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I know where it is. I’ll be up in a few.”
She wasn’t sure now if he’d been upset or not when he swung the truck door closed and headed into the auto store. She’d shifted gears and started to roll the truck back out of the parking spot, but she couldn’t help watching him stroll inside. Something seemed different, a little stiffer maybe.
I hope I didn’t embarrass him, she thought for the second time as she got in line at the counter inside Sisters Café.
Her two friends were bustling around, one at the counter and the other in the kitchen with Veta’s husband Ivan helping on the grill that weekend. They chatted with their customers as lively as ever, but when Addie stepped up to the counter, Lana’s light blue eyes lit up, her face burst into a wide smile, and her vocal volume went up a notch.
“Addie!” she squealed
