It did seem to me like the women prolonged their lunch, taking every opportunity to shoot optical daggers in my direction. While they were eating dessert and drinking coffee, Brian walked in. My frustration with the women was soon buried under the memory of the embarrassment I’d felt when I caught Brian reading the messages on my phone this morning. The two he saw were damning, making it all too clear that I’d screwed my life up monumentally.
He stepped to the side and I caught sight of Jake standing behind him. They weren’t identical twins, but they had similar builds, and the same brown hair and green eyes. Jake’s were less open and trusting. I’d never been sure if he liked me or not. From the frown on his face just then, I was pretty sure the answer was “not.”
“Hi,” I greeted them. “Two for lunch?”
“Make that three.” An older version of the twins walked in, and I knew this had to be the half-brother everyone was talking about: Cal.
“Caitlin, this is Cal Pierce, our brother,” Brian said by way of an introduction, and I smiled at them. There was definitely no mistaking the family genes. All three looked like their mom, Laura. Except where both Brian and Jake always came across as serious, Cal had laugh lines and an easy smile.
“Right this way.” I led them to a table by the window, adjacent to the group of five.
“Is this in your section?” Brian asked before sitting.
“It is,” I said, feeling defensive. Was he going to refuse to be waited on by me, too? I could take that once on a shift, but not a second time. And not from him.
“Good.” He gave me an obvious wink and slid into the booth. “Wouldn’t want anyone else to take my lunch order.” He spoke the words a little too loudly, and I heard a gasp come from behind me.
“Look at her flirting with all three of them.” The loud whisper came from behind me. “Slut.” The last was in a hiss, but plenty audible.
“Danger at six o’clock,” Jake muttered under his breath and cast me a sympathetic glance.
“How’s your first day going?” Brian asked, ignoring Jake’s words and the attention they were drawing.
“Fine. We’ve been busy,” I said, trying to keep things brief and professional. No need to add further fuel to the fire of those women and their gossip. “Can I get you three coffee or something cold to drink?”
“Sweet tea for me,” Jake said, his focus behind me on the women. I didn’t have to turn to know they were staring in my direction. I could feel that all up and down my spine. Other people were noticing, too, but their attention was more friendly curiosity. I supposed they liked the sheriff and were watching to see our interaction.
“Coffee would be great,” Cal said. He was also staring at the women with a frown.
“I’ll have a Coke with extra ice,” Brian said, smiling at me. “I’m glad it’s going well for you.”
“Why wouldn’t it?” Jake said, raising his voice slightly. “Poplar Springs is full of kind-hearted, welcoming people.”
“That’s right,” Brian agreed and matched his tone. “They recognize a good, hard-working person when they see one. That’s why I like being sheriff here.”
I appreciated what they were trying to do for me, but inside I still felt like scurrying away from the table and taking refuge in the kitchen. I stopped myself, though, since I’d never been one to run and hide.
“Coming here for lunch was a good idea,” Jake said loud enough for my entire section to hear. “Marc and Aurora serve up great food, and they only employ the best.”
“I can second that,” Cal said, giving me a sympathetic look. As bad as my mother’s friends were treating me, Cal was likelydealing with his own share of gossip and speculation. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him to find out he looked just like the dead brother he never knew about.
“Thanks,” I kept my voice low. “It means a lot to me coming from you guys.”
“Me? I’m just a simple rancher,” Jake said with a grin.
I didn’t think there was anything simple about running a prosperous horse-breeding ranch, but I was happy to play along with them. With the Thornes clearly on my side, hardly anyone would dare to attack me. They carried too much weight in this town and had too much public support behind them. A couple months in town started to look a lot less daunting than it had just thirty minutes ago.
“I’ll be back with your drinks.” I turned away from them, noting the subdued expressions on the faces of my mother’s friends. While I was getting the drinks, the women left, so when I put a Coke down in front of Brian, I touched his hand for a second. “Thanks, again,” I mouthed so only he could see.
He didn’t respond other than with the smile that had always melted my heart.
EIGHT
BRIAN
“Anyone see them?” I spoke into the radio to my deputies.
“Not yet,” Mack said.
