“One of us should probably be concerned about that.”
I barked out a laugh before I could stop it.
There it was.
That tiny flicker at the corner of her mouth.
Gone so fast I almost missed it.
But I saw it.
Tessa adjusted the flowers in her arms, fingers tightening slightly around the stems. “Some of us actually have work to do.”
“I’m working.”
Her gaze slid over me slowly. Boots. Jeans. T-shirt. Empty hands.
“Really.”
“Absolutely.”
“And what exactly is your job this morning?”
I looked straight at her.
“You.”
A breeze swept down the street, stirring loose strands of red curls around her face.
For half a second, she forgot to hide her reaction.
Then the wall slammed back into place.
“Tried that line on all the women in town?”
“Just you.”
This time the silence lasted a little longer.
I stepped closer, close enough to catch the scent of lavender drifting off her skin beneath the flowers.
Close enough to notice the faint shadows beneath her eyes like she hadn’t been sleeping well.
“You ever gonna give me a real shot, Tessa?”
The teasing left her expression completely.
Her shoulders stiffened.
Not dramatic.
Not obvious.
But enough.
Her eyes flicked toward the Ranger emblem carved into the tavern wall behind me before settling back on my face.
“No.”
