“Attached?” Beau raised an eyebrow. “Diego, you wouldn’t let me borrow that hat when mine blew away in that windstorm last month. You said it would be like lending out your underwear.”
I winced at the memory. “That’s different.”
“How is it different?” Lucas demanded. “Because this time it’s for a pretty boy with blue eyes?”
The heat that rushed to my face probably gave away more than I wanted it to. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?” Mabel’s voice came from behind me, and I turned to see her bustling in from the pantry with her arms full of supplies. “Because honey, in all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you give that hat to anyone. And I definitely ain’t seen you ride two to a horse with another man before.”
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “Does the whole damn town know about this?”
“Pretty much,” Lucas said with a grin that was way too pleased. “Mabel told us last night. Dolly saw the whole thing too, and she runs the most popular diner in town.”
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “This is a nightmare.”
“No,” Mabel said firmly, setting her supplies on the counter and turning to face me with her hands on her hips. “A nightmare would be letting that sweet boy leave town without telling him how you feel.”
“I don’t feel anything,” I lied, but there was no conviction in it. Even I could hear that. “He’s just passin’ through. Like me. Our roads ain’t goin’ the same way.”
Mabel fixed me with that stern look that could make grown men confess their sins. “Diego Mendez, you listen to me. I’ve watched you for over a year now, and I ain’t never seen you look at anyone the way you look at that boy.”
“Mabel’s right,” Beau said quietly. “And I’ve never seen you give anyone your hat either. That means something, Diego. You can’t just pretend it doesn’t.”
I felt cornered, like a calf being herded into a chute. Three pairs of eyes were staring at me expectantly, waiting for me to admit to something I wasn’t even sure I understood myself.
“Look,” I said, setting my coffee cup down harder than necessary, “maybe I like him. Maybe I think he’s... attractive. But that don’t change the facts. He’s gonna leave after Christmas, and I’ll be movin’ on after the wedding. End of story.”
Lucas leaned back in his chair, studying me with those sharp businessman eyes of his. “Who says you have to move on after the wedding?”
“I do,” I replied automatically. “It’s what I do, Lucas. I don’t stay anywhere long term. You know that.”
“But why?” Beau asked, and there was genuine curiosity in his voice. “You’ve been here over a year. You’re good at your job, everyone likes you... why not stay?”
The question hit me like a punch to the gut. Why not stay? Because staying meant getting attached. It meant caring aboutpeople who might one day decide they didn’t want me around anymore. It meant putting down roots that could be ripped up at a moment’s notice or poisoned by staying too long.
“Because that’s not who I am,” I said finally. “I’m a drifter, Beau. Always have been.”
“Bullshit,” Mabel said bluntly, making all three of us turn to stare at her. “You ain’t no drifter, Diego. You’re a scared little boy who’s convinced himself that runnin’ is easier than stayin’ and fightin’ for what you want.”
Her words stung because they were true. I felt my jaw clench as I looked away from her knowing gaze.
“And what about Hayden?” Lucas pressed. “What if he wanted to stay too?”
“He won’t,” I said with more certainty than I felt. “He’s got a life back in California, doesn’t he? A career, family, friends. What’s he gonna do in Sagebrush? Work at Dolly’s diner for the rest of his life?”
“Maybe he’d find something,” Beau said softly. “If he had a reason to stay.”
The implication hung in the air between us, and I felt my chest tighten with something that might have been hope. But hope was dangerous. Hope got you hurt.
“This is crazy,” I muttered, pushing back from the table. “I have work to do.”
“Hold on there, cowboy,” Lucas said, his voice carrying that no-nonsense tone he used in business meetings. “Sit your ass back down. We’re not done here.”
I paused halfway out of my chair, torn between the urge to flee and the knowledge that Lucas wouldn’t let this drop. The man was like a dog with a bone when he got an idea in his head.
“Five more minutes,” I said, settling back into my seat reluctantly. “Then I reallydohave work to do.”
“Fair enough.” Lucas leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “Here’s what’s going to happen. There’s a cold front moving in this week. Weather service is calling for possible snow by the weekend.”
