Hotter than sin body.
A strong jaw and kissable mouth.
Sapphire blue eyes that are focused right on me.
He’s more mature and has a shirt on, but I’d know him anywhere.
I’m face to face with the Keep Montana Wild guy I kissed and then ran away from twelve years ago.
Chapter Three
No way.
As our eyes lock, I jump. Shock waves shoot through my body.
I push my glasses up on my nose and keep unabashedly looking at him.
His wavy, dirty blond hair is still shaggy and untamed, and he’s still dressed casually but perfectly, this time in worn blue jeans and a t-shirt that says “Ranch Life.” His cowboy boots are…really sexy, and his muscled body is trim and tanned.
He keeps his intense gaze directly on me as June answers him in the affirmative, and I surprise myself when I maintain the eye contact. He looks down my body slowly and then back up to my face where his eyes linger on my red lipstick. By the time he pulls his gaze back up to meet mine, I’m shaking.
He gives me a quick nod and then walks away with his carton. I watch him leave, my gaze trained on his ass. He’s got a nice ass. And nice—okay, fucking amazing—blue eyes that still sparkle.
Did he recognize me?I can’t be sure. He didn’t give any indication that he had. Well, he’s certainly more memorable than I am. And itwastwelve years ago.
Without thinking why I’m doing it, I reach for my tight bun and undo it, letting my hair fall past my shoulders.
I turn back to June, hoping she won’t notice how much I’m shaking. “Who is that?”
She smiles as she counts her drawer. “That’s Brayden Wild. He just started working here. I thought you might notice him.”
Brayden Wild.All these years, and I never knew his name.
“What? Why? Why would I notice him?” I say it in a low voice in case Brayden has super-good hearing. But when I look over toward the squash bins, he’s no longer there.
“Just a hunch.” June’s finished with the ten dollar bills and has moved on to the fives. “He lives on Big River Ranch right behind the store. I met him when I relocated Big Sky Grocer here last month.”
“I was just at Big River collecting a sample. Isn’t that the ranch you’ve decided to get a lot of your meats from?” I ask.
“Right. We’re also going to buy eggs and organic produce from them. And Brayden needs extra cash right now, so he’s going to help me out part-time with extra stocking and other things. I guess he’s saving up to buy the ranch from Phil and Betsy. Now that they’re in Florida most of the year, they want to sell it.”
“Brayden’s going to buy it?”
“That’s his plan. He’s also an assistant football coach for Wilcox High.”
“The state champions one town over?” I nearly gasp like some sort of swooning fan. I wonder if Wilcox is the school he played for.
“Those are the ones. He’s been coaching them for years. His body’s sure built like a football player, huh?”
“Sure is,” I say without thinking.Always was.
She glances up to wink at me teasingly. “Good thing you look so hot today. Did you have another job interview?”
“Yep.” For good luck, I dressed in my best business suit and black heels to match. I even applied mascara and lipstick—a rarity for me. It was all in an attempt to feel professional and grown up. I should feel grown up all the time, I suppose, since I’m twenty-eight years old, but chronological age doesn’t always equate with maturity. “I don’t think the interview went well. No surprise there. Overqualified, blah, blah, blah.”
“Don’t give up hope yet, Lei. You’ll get something.”
“I better.”
