CHAPTER ONE
Madison
I was here for one thing and one thing only, and a big, bearded prick of a man was standing in my way. I’d had a crap morning, one in a long line of crap weeks, months—years—and I craved my jelly beans. The red apple ones, to be exact. And some root beer flavor, just to balance it out.
Butheneeded to move first.
Teller Bailey was carved from stone and moving just as fast. What was he doing in the candy aisle anyway? Did he even know what sugar was with that big, chiseled body of his?
But then he was talking to Cassie Horner, in her short little shorts with her shirt tied at the waist. It was a pleasant June day, but didn’t she get chilly? I was in a black T-shirt with a red plaid flannel over it, worn jeans, and cowboy boots that doubled as work boots for the new line of work I was now in.
Technically, the bar was my second job. Flatlanders Prohibited was also my biggest priority, yet somehow not my biggest stressor.
I tapped my foot.
Teller smiled wider at Cassie.
Ass.
Cassie tore her insipid gaze off Teller. “Oh, hey, Madison.” Sympathy filled her eyes, and I steeled myself for what was coming next. “I’m really sorry about Scooter.”
Scott “Scooter” Townsend wouldn’t be missed by many, but he was missed by me. Grief tore at my heart, but I gave her a quick smile. The months had dulled the pain since my brother’s death, yet I’d rather be run out of town naked than cry in public. “Thanks.”
Teller’s dark gaze bored into me, and I could only imagine what he was thinking. Good riddance to Scott? Did I start a new hobby chopping wood with my attire? How dull my skin was compared to glowing Cassie’s? I didn’t know the man well, but I knew him well enough. I had gotten to see a side to him not many others had, and it wasn’t his nice guy persona. Everyone loved Teller Bailey.
The Baileys were as beloved as the Townsends were disdained. The biggest difference was that there were a ton of Baileys, and they were all charming and gorgeous, Teller included. He didn’t waste his charisma on me though, not after the one real conversation we’d had.
His words reared up in my head.Was this fun for you? You gonna go laugh about it with your brother?
I doggedly ignored his inspection of me.
Awareness filled Cassie’s face. “Oh! Am I in your way?”
“Not you, no.” I finally slid my gaze to Teller’s, wishing away the sizzling of awareness that happened around him. His eyes really were a deep, rich brown, much darker than any of the bourbon produced by his family’s distillery. A girl could get lost in them, but not me.
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move.
I was one of the few women immune to Teller’s charm. More like I was one of the few who had never experienced his charm. I never gave Teller heart eyes, and I wasn’t a customer of his family’s distillery, Copper Summit. Therefore, he usually acted like I didn’t exist.
The longer his attention was on me, the warmer I got. Had the AC quit working in the grocery store?
He took his gaze off me and casually studied the shelves over his shoulder. “Tootsie Rolls?”
I pressed my lips together and gestured for him to move to the side. “No. Excuse me.”
He didn’t move. “The Blow Pops?”
“I don’t blow.”
One of his brows arched. Cassie made a choking sound.
“A no to the Blow Pops,” he drawled, “or all candy that takes sucking?”
Cassie made another strangled noise. “Teller, just move for the poor woman.”
He didn’t.
Nothing I wanted was on the shelves anyway. The stand-alone rack of Jelly Bellys was right behind him. The two packs with the flavors I wanted the most were behind his broad back.
