“Hey, Aria, finally ready to go out on the dinner date you keep evading.” Paul chuckled.
Since her arrival in town, Paul crushed on her. He’d asked her out on a date, twice. She politely declined the request but saw no reason not to be kind to the man. Kelly described him as a soft-spoken gentleman and urged Aria to give him a chance. Up until she met and befriended Kelly, Prisha remained a convenient excuse for unsolicited trysts. Now, her friend practically kidnapped Prisha at the drop of a hat to push Aria into a date—a whole two boring ones not worth mentioning. Aria laughed. “Someday, Paul, I may surprise you and accept.”
He grinned with a nod. “I’ll be waiting patiently.”
“Right now, though, I need your help. My bathroom pipes are on the blink. I’m worried the water might freeze when the temperature drops.”
“No problem. If it’s okay with you, I’ll pop in tomorrow evening. I promised my sister I’d check out the pipes at her home this evening,” he said, then squinted and shook his head. “No, wait—Friday night. I’ve got to check out the pipes in the bar or Beth’s going to kill me,” he referred to the bar owner.
“Great, I’d appreciate it.” Aria waved him off as he walked away. With a soft groan, she dropped into her chair. Mildly uncertain if the pipes would hold up another three nights without flooding the cabin. She’d dabbled in a lot of DIY techniques since moving to Wyoming but had yet to master the intricacies of plumbing. Pity Buck left on a well-deserved holiday with a mystery woman, or he would’ve helped.
“Pipes not going to hold out?” Edith stood and handed a file to Aria.
Aria smothered another moan. “Yep, but I don’t want the man to think I deserved any special attention.”
“It would mean saying yes to his date.” The older woman arched a brow.
Startled at her perceptiveness, Aria nodded. “Something along those lines. You know a favor for a favor and so on.”
“Ask Billy.”
“Then I’d rather wait for Paul.” Aria laughed, and the older woman followed suit. Billy wasn’t the most reliable of people when it came to his job as a pilot. God alone knew what chaos he’d start in Aria’s bathroom.
“What about Reece?”
Aria blushed. She recalled Reece’s words about divulging how they met to Edith. “What about Reece?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” Edith shrugged.
She laughed more out of nervousness than mirth. “He’s a cowboy. I doubt he knows anything about plumbing?”
“Oh, I’m sure the boy’s capable of fixing more than just pipes where you’re concerned.”
“What?” She reddened, but Edith had already moved away. Aria ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.Great.All she needed was the whole of Shadow Valley talking about her and Reece.
Chapter Nine
