With his rejected mug in one hand and the glass coffee pot in the other, she returned to the long counter where the pair of men who’d pulled up with the snow-plow had now dropped into a couple of empty stools near the old-fashioned cash register.
She hadn’t been happy to see them when they arrived. Her continued displeasure practically vibrated off her as she strode past them into the swinging door of the kitchen. She came back out with a pair of fresh mugs and poured coffee for each of the men.
“Anything else?”
She directed the question to the larger of the duo. Bulky, round-shouldered under a winter coat and several layers of all-weather fleece, he wore a grey knit cap and had a ruddy face covered in a reddish-brown lumberjack beard.
He took a sip of the hot coffee, eyeing the woman over the rim. “Ain’t you gonna ask me about Travis, Lenora?”
“No. Why should I?”
One of those ham-sized shoulders lifted with his sneer. “He’s coming home this weekend.”
“I’m well aware.” And from the flat tone of her voice, it wasn’t welcome news.
“He’s gonna want to see the boy, Leni.”
She took a step back as if she needed to distance herself from the statement as much as the man who delivered it. Folding her arms in front of her, she shook her head. “Riley doesn’t even know him. He doesn’t know anything yet. And he’s too young to understand.”
“That’s my brother’s decision to make, not yours.”
“His decision? Like hell it is,” she shot back, scowling now. “I’m not going to let Travis anywhere near that child. You can tell him I said so.”
The big man set his mug down. “You can’t keep us away from the kid, not anymore. You know Travis won’t stand for that once he’s home. Maybe he’ll come around the house and say hello when he gets back. Or maybe he’ll want to head over to the elementary school next week instead and surprise his son with a little family reunion.”
An older couple seated a few stools down from the confrontation evidently decided it was time to go. Tossing a few dollars’ tip next to their half-empty plates, they ambled out of the diner, the cheerful bell jingling in their wake.
That left a pair of truckers and a slightly balding, middle-aged man in a camouflage hunting jacket remaining at the counter. The truckers hardly glanced up from their pot roast now. The man in the hunting jacket had polished off the last of his apple pie a few minutes ago and seemed intent on ignoring the drama taking place a few stools away from him.
And then there was Knox in the back booth, his hands flexing and fisting under the table, his battle instincts ratcheting tighter by the second as he stared at the overbearing asshole who seemed to have come inside with the sole purpose of causing upset.
Lenora, or Leni, as the man had called her, now exhaled a sharp breath as she planted her hands on the edge of the countertop and faced off against the overbearing behemoth.
“Dammit, Dwight. Hasn’t your family done enough damage to mine?” She kept her voice tight and low, but Knox’s acute hearing picked up every syllable and nuance of her fury. “Leave Riley out of this. He’s not property.”
“That’s right, Lenora. He’s flesh and blood. Ours.”
Her chin hiked up. “Really? You couldn’t prove that by me.”
He scoffed. “Only because you’ve refused to allow the test.”
She didn’t so much as flinch. “That’ll be two-fifty each for the coffees.”
“Can I get mine in a takeaway cup, Leni?” It was the first thing the asshole’s buddy said since they came in. He dug into his jacket pocket for his wallet, but froze in mid-motion when his companion slanted him a pointed look.
“We want something to eat too,” the big man, Dwight, said. “I’ll take a serving of that pot roast.”
Leni clicked her tongue. “You’re too late. It’s all gone.”
Dwight’s glower narrowed at the lie. “Then gimme the meatloaf instead. With lots of gravy.”
She shrugged and slowly shook her head. “Kitchen’s closed now. On account of the weather.”
“Bullshit.” He uttered a threatening sound, something close to a growl, as he stood up. “Then get out my way, Lenora. I’m coming back there to make my own damn meal.”
Knox wasn’t about to let that happen. “Hey. Paul Bunyan. You heard the lady, kitchen’s closed.”
Every head in the place turned his way. Including Leni’s. Her pretty hazel eyes went wide with surprise—and uncertainty—as she met his gaze from across the length of the diner.
