Denver decided not to fight it further. It was less exhausting to let Ryder pay for the coffees and allow his disapproval to linger than confront it outright. Either way, the beverages would come with a lecture. “One medium Sitka Sundown, and a medium S’mores Latte.”
“Sadly, I don’t even know which one is for you.” Ryder shook his head, seemingly more annoyed than amused as they moved to the waiting area.
It hadn’t taken Denver long after first meeting Sophie Whitmore to decide he’d someday marry her. He spent four years in the military in three different duty stations searching for the right woman without any luck. He’d been so fed up with the results that when his enlistment was up, he moved home in defeat.
His plan had been to hunker down in a house of his own and write all day and into the night. He didn’t expect to meet the woman he’d been searching for—afterhe called off that search. But the day he confessed all this to his brother, Ryder didn’t show an ounce of support.
Denver didn’t expect him to start now. “When you off next?”
Ryder folded his arms, assessing Denver with far too serious an expression on his face. He’d blame the uniform, as Ryder never seemed to smile while on duty. But the truth was, Ryder didn’t have much to smile about these days. “Depends on what you’re asking.”
“Got a new desk. Need some help putting it together.”
“I’m off Thursday. Want me to swing by in the evening?”
“Can you come by any earlier? Maybe after lunch sometime?” Thursdays Sophie and Caroline came over to cook dinner and play board games. According to Sophie, it gave Caroline an opportunity to show off her developing cooking skills, but he knew she felt the need to give back for all the rides and favors. Though he’d never ask for any sort of repayment, he appreciated how she never took advantage of anyone.
“She’scoming over, isn’t she?”
Denver shrugged. “It’s Thursday.”
“When are you going to give it up?” Ryder asked.
The two of them got along fine as long as Sophie stayed out of the conversation. Ryder maintained he didn’t have anything against her particularly, but he claimed to recognizeemotional unavailability. He believed Denver was wasting his time on a woman who would never have romantic feelings for him, and used words like that to convince him. “I’m not wrong. You’ll see.”
“Officer Grant,” the barista called.
Ryder took his coffee, stopped in front of Denver as if he were going to say something. Instead he shook his head, clapped his brother’s shoulder, and left.
“Denver.”
He turned toward the counter for the two coffees with to-go lids. “Thanks.”
“How’s that next book coming?” The sparkle in her eyes was unmistakable, and he could only pretend not to know what it meant.
“Almost to the halfway point.”
“Save me a signed copy?”
He nodded, certain he’d forget. Though he could create entire worlds and stories from scratch, his organizational skills for the business aspect of being an author left a bit to be desired. Sometimes he ordered too few copies of his books and had to place another order. Other times, he ordered twice as many as he’d ever need and was stuck filling shelves in a spare bedroom with inventory.
“For the record, I knew which coffee was yours.”
His gaze stalled on the edges of her long, light-pink bangs that brushed her thin cheeks. If he thought hard enough, he could probably remember her name. She, like a few of the other single women in town, exhibited extra kindness and suggestive smiles. He could ask any of them on a date and they’d probably say yes. A point Ryder made often.
But none of that mattered.
He raised the Sitka Sundown in cheers as he turned toward the door.
Once he made it to the street corner, he spotted Sophie on a bench a few yards from where they parked, typing something into her phone. She might be emailing a lawyer or texting one of her sisters, but her blank expression suggested it wasn’t a pleasant exchange.
Is she textinghim? Denver shuddered at the thought.
If Sophie never spoke to Blake Kassels another day in her life, it would be too soon. If Denver had it his way, he would marry Sophie and adopt Caroline. He’d take care of them, like a man was supposed to take care of his family. She’d never worry again a day in her life.
Before he could catch her attention, the silver-haired Jolene Davies exited the bank and spotted her, and waved a hello. A glowing smile stretched across Sophie’s face as she greeted the local realtor and invited her to take a seat. From the easy way their conversation flowed, and Sophie’s sweet, steadfast smile, one would never know she had any frustrations at all. She was the gentlest soul he’d ever met.
“Denver, we were just talking about you.” Sophie waved him over when she spotted him approaching. The lightness in her tone almost made him think himself crazy for imagining she was wound up at all. Sophie was a master at hiding her emotions. But the way she gripped the bench was the only clue Denver needed to know he was right.
