“His name’s Jäger,” Stevie answered, elbowing Nico in the arm.
“Jäger? As in…?”
“Jägermeister,” she said. This time, there was a taunting gleam in her pretty eyes.
“We haven’t agreed on that yet,” Nico noted. “I thought about callin’ him Trouble. Suits him.”
Stone’s gaze shot to Stevie.We?He was proud of himself for holding that one in, but he couldn’t resist glancing at their hands, expecting to find wedding bands. When he saw there weren’t any, his relief nearly sent him to the floor.
“I remember someone else who used to be trouble,” Stone said, his full attention on Stevie.
“Still is,” Nico added.
Stevie elbowed him.
Nico grunted, then looked at Stone. “Seems I’m attracted to it.”
She giggled, her eyes lowering even as her smile widened. “Yeah?”
The waitress came over, earning a puppy lick on her ankle while she refilled Stone’s coffee.
“What can I get ya?” she asked Nico and Stevie.
“The usual.”
Her gaze shifted to Stevie. “You, too, hon?”
“Yeah.”
“Comin’ right up.” She looked at Stone. “You good?”
“Yep.”
He looked at Nico and Stevie when she walked away.Real good, in fact.
***
Stevie wasn’t sure why she bothered toorder food. There wasn’t a chance in hell she would be able to eat it. Her belly was flip-flopping like a fish out of water and had been from the moment she saw Stone from across the room.
The man she hadn’t seen in fifteen years looked almost the same as he had back then. Same dark hair, same hard body. Only this version of Stone was more rugged, more refined. Definitely older. Bigger. Sexier. He had laugh lines around his eyes, and he’d lost the youthfulness in his face. It was replaced by a harder jawline and a slightly crooked nose.
But his eyes were the same. Not only the green-gold color but the heat and mischief that glittered in them.
“How’ve you been?” Stone asked her.
“Good.” The word came out too quickly and without an ounce of inflection.
“Yeah?”
She nodded, feeling like an idiot. For the past few days, she’d been practicing what she wanted to say to this man when she saw him again after all this time. And she knew she would, despite the over-the-top avoidance plans she’d been trying to come up with.
And since it was inevitable—Coyote Ridge just wasn’t that big—she’d come up with a variety of possible greetings.
Heard you were back. When are you leaving?
Stone who? Can’t say I remember you.
Sorry, don’t have time to talk. I’ve spent fifteen years pining for you, need to figure out how to move on with my life.
