“‘Yeah’? That’s it?” Cliff folded his arms and leaned back, the booth creaking under him. “You need a good woman in your life, Cole. Makes everything complete. I have no idea what I’d do without my wife.”
Cole shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not interested in a relationship. She’s not sticking around. Once her car’s fixed, she’s gone.”
“Well, you could have some fun while she’s here.” Cliff raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t think she’d go for that.” Cole’s voice dropped.
“You never know. She seems attracted to you. Anyway, the horse.”
They bent over the table; Cliff’s neat notes on training routines and timelines. Cliff outlined how he’d get the horse to Cole, the uncertainties of weather and health, the promise of results but no guarantees.
By the time their breakfast arrived, it was Lanie who set the plates down. Cole glanced up to find Aftyn laughing with Hud Anderson at the counter, Hud’s easy grin working its usual magic. Cole’s jaw tightened. Hud never had trouble with women, and he sure as hell wouldn’t hesitate to pursue something casual.
Cole picked up his fork and cut into his Western omelet, steam curling up from the fluffy eggs, green chiles, and melted cheese. He closed his eyes with a quiet moan. He and Cliff carried on about feed schedules and fence repairs until their plates were empty and crumbs dotted the table.
Cliff slid from the booth and pulled out his wallet. “I’ll have one of my guys bring that horse later this week or early next.” He picked up the check, shook Cole’s hand firmly, and moved to the register.
Cole shifted to Cliff’s side of the booth so he could watch the door.
“Yeah, it’s not the door you want to watch,” he murmured to himself, then grinned as his brothers stepped inside. They paused to greet other patrons, the morning sun behind them casting long shadows across the checkered floor. He raised a hand and they wove through the tables toward him.
“You should have let us know you were coming in,” Seth said, dropping into the seat across from Cole.
“I had a meeting with Cliff.” Cole nodded toward the door.
“Does he want another horse trained?” Ethan asked, his youngest brother, hanging his dusty hat on the peg at the side of the booth before sliding in beside Seth.
Cole leaned back, the morning’s tension easing. “Yeah. That and a few other details to hammer out.”
Outside, the sun was already baking the asphalt, promising another punishing day on the farm. Some days it wore him down. But he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Not even for a woman.
****
Aftyn laughed as Hud Anderson flirted with her, his light honey-amber eyes crinkling at the corners. Another gorgeous cowboy. His dark hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck, the silver threading through his sideburns only adding to his rugged appeal.
She remembered the first morning he’d walked in. She’d been instantly struck by his looks, but it was the gun on his hip, the badge on his belt, and the Kevlar vest with Livestock Agent embroidered in white that had really caught her attention. There was something about a man who put himself between danger and the people who needed protecting. Ranchers, farmers, ordinary folks trying to make a living. She knew the job was dangerous, and maybe that was part of the appeal.
The diner hummed around her, thick with the smell of bacon and fresh coffee, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Cole.
She glanced toward the booth by the window where he now sat with two other men, Cliff’s empty mug the only evidence he’d been there. Morning sunlight striped the table in gold through the blinds, and Barney the busboy was already clearing it, grinning at something one of them said.
“Let me know if you need anything else, Hud.”
“Sure will, darlin’.” He touched the brim of his Stetson.
Aftyn lifted a carafe of dark, steaming coffee and navigated between the crowded tables toward Cole. She pulled her pad from her apron pocket; pencil tucked behind her ear. When his eyes met hers, those moss-green eyes that seemed to see right through her, her heart stuttered and she nearly caught her hip on a chair. She steadied herself with a deep breath that filled her lungs with the scent of fresh-baked biscuits.
“Coffee?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Cole said, his voice deep and smooth as whiskey. She bit her lip to keep from telling him she’d bet he was.
“I’ll take a cup,” one of the others said, pushing forward a white ceramic mug.
She studied the newcomers as she poured, the coffee splashing dark against the porcelain. They had to be brothers. Same chiseled jaw, same thick dark hair, same moss-green eyes fringed with lashes any woman would envy. She filled their cups to within an inch of the brim without spilling a drop.
“My brothers, Seth and Ethan,” Cole said. “Guys, this is Aftyn Hutchins.”
“Nice to meet you,” they said, both nodding.
