Sadly, he didn’t. They ended up walking—walking? Riley was from LA, for God’s sake. He drove to hismailbox—down Main. It wasn’t unattractive, lined with old brick buildings, one of which still bore a fading painted advert for McIntyre’s Cigarettes at five cents a carton. Cottonwoods offered occasional shelter from the sun, their leaves dancing in the breeze. But the sidewalk had cracks, and there weren’t many stores. The town looked as if its best days were behind it.
Jason offered up oddly staccato information on every business they passed, what it was and who owned it, like he’d swallowed the Chamber of Commerce handbook.
“That’s the gas station, which the Millers have run since forever. And, uh, the feed store. Well, obviously you don’t care about the feed store.” Jason let out a short laugh and stared down at the sidewalk. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling you this stuff.”
“Because you’re overwhelmed by my charm and general hotness?” Riley suggested teasingly, and Jason’s shoulders curved in, as if he were trying to disappear, while the flush on his cheeks darkened.
“Maybe,” he said, and kept studying the sidewalk.
O-kay. Riley wasn’t used to shyness or awkwardness. Back in LA, everyone knew what they wanted and went for it. But what could have been annoying was kind of—endearing? A welcome change for someone not to be grabbing at Riley for what they wanted.
Now, all he had to do was figure out how to break the silence that had descended when Jason had stopped with the minutiae of Elk Ridge’s business community.
“If you were trying to tell someone who wasn’t born here about this town, what would you say?” he asked.
“Good diner?” Jason said, darting a quick glance at Riley.
Oh, and jackpot. That was a positive sense of mischief sparkling in those eyes. Maybe Jason just needed someone to draw him out.
“So after they’ve had lunch at the diner and tipped really well, leaving rave reviews of the food on about fifteen different websites, where else would they want to see?”
Jason frowned, considering. “Well, there’s an old mining camp a few miles away that’s supposed to be haunted.”
“Oh, ghosts are always good for tourism. Although women in white nightdresses usually beat old miners. Don’t suppose you’ve got any of those floating around?”
“I wouldn’t write off the miners,” Jason said, surprising Riley with a sudden grin. “Say that too loud, and you might wake up with a pickaxe buried in your pillow.”
Riley choked on a startled laugh. “Duly noted. Miner-respecting copy only. Where else would visitors want to go?”
“Maybe the museum?” Jason said.
“A town this size has a museum?”
Jason grinned again, clearly enjoying his reaction. “Of course we do. It’s Colorado—every town has amuseum. Ours just happens to be about the silver boom and three guys no one outside Elk Ridge has ever heard of.”
He hesitated, then added with a shrug, “The only real visitors are school trips and the odd retiree who misses the turnoff to Aspen. But people here are proud of it.”
“Well, show me what you’ve got to be proud of,” Riley said, and absolutely did not stare at Jason’s ass as he turned and started back the way they’d come. Not his fault those jeans were working overtime.
Riley shook his head firmly and lengthened his stride to catch up with Jason. He hoped this would go somewhere better than just eyeing Jason’s ass from afar.
He might need to be a little more patient than normal, though, because he had the feeling his usual full-on, wasting-no-time approach might send this one running. Jason was earnest and quiet, blushing over feed stores.
That was fine. He could pace himself. For a while.
Chapter Six
JASON
Jason had wanted to sink into the sidewalk as he heard just how dull he was being. He should be able to fall into casual conversation with Riley, the way any other person in the world would, but his nerves were jangling, every muscle was rigid, and he couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. So he told Riley about how the Gunnersons had bought the hardware store last year and it had gone from nearly going under to doing really well, due to their home delivery service. His cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but this string of drivel coming out of his mouth was better than nothing. Wasn’t it?
He’d closed his eyes in gratitude when Riley had finally put an end to his misery by asking a direct question.
Their next destination established, they headed back to the diner, where Riley unlocked a rental Aveo that looked like it had seen better days and followed Jason’s directions for the short drive to the museum.
As they turned into Lilac Drive—which still confused Jason because he’d never seen a single lilac tree anywhere near it—he remembered Jesse’s suggestion and asked Riley what other places he’d visited.
Conversation was suddenly easy, and before he knew it, he was pushing open the door to the Elk Ridge County Museum. It occupied the converted first floor of a house, with the curators, an elderly gay couple, living on the second floor.
