Page 9 of Mountain Dreams

Cody glared at the screen and wondered who Wyatt had plans with. If it were Madison, he likely would have mentioned it. Also, “catch you soon” was rather vague, and he wondered if Wyatt had any intention of following up.

Since there was nothing more he could do tonight, he decided to go to the bar anyway. He considered asking Jax and Avery if they wanted to come too, but then he decided against it. They were probably holed up in Jax’s cabin, doing things he didn’t want to think about his brother doing. Jax’s love life had been sorely lacking until recently when he’d started dating Avery. Now the two were hopelessly in love and inseparable. Cody was happy for them and a bit jealous. It seemed like everybody he knew was pairing off, which was typical of people in his age group. Hell, even Avery’s dad had a girlfriend, and he was in his seventies!

A short time later, he entered his favorite drinking hole in Pigeon Forge, a no-frills establishment more frequented by locals than tourists. The place consisted of an L-shaped wooden bar, worn down from use, a smattering of equally worn-in tables and chairs, a couple of pool tables, and a dartboard. Regardless of its limited amenities, the bar was always busy, and tonight was no exception. Still, Cody managed to snag the spot at the end of the bar, which an older man had just vacated.

No sooner had he settled in than a female bartender approached him. “What can I get ya?”

“I’ll take your draft special, tall.”

“Got it,” she said and walked away.

After she left, he casually glanced around. It wasn’t unusual to run into someone he knew here, but tonight he didn’t recognize anyone. He turned his attention to the big-screen TV that hung over the bar. A football game was playing, but he couldn’t hear much over the noise of the patrons and country music that was being piped in.

A few minutes later, the bartender set down his beer. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks,” he said and returned her smile. She walked away, and he realized he hadn’t flirted with her. What was that about? It was in his nature to flirt. It was his signature trait and one of the few things he excelled at! Tonight he didn’t have it in him, though. He sighed and took a long drink of the cold, foamy beer.

He was too preoccupied with Maddie and Wyatt. Maybe they were together tonight, and she’d been worried for nothing. She wasn’t typically the worrying kind, though. She had a calm, level-headed demeanor that he’d admired from the start, partly because she was the opposite of him. He tended to be impulsive and spontaneous, which sometimes landed him in trouble.

For all he knew, they were wrapped up in each other’s arms right now, and his detective skills weren’t even needed. He took another drink of beer and tried to focus on the game. In the meantime, people came and went, and he occasionally glanced up to see if he recognized anyone.

“Another beer?” the bartender asked on her rounds.

“Sure.” She was attractive in a way, though not nearly as pretty as Madison. Stop thinking about her!

Just then, movement near the door caught his eye, and he froze. Wyatt had just walked in with a guy Cody didn’t recognize. He wondered if it was Mark, the friend Madison had mentioned.

Normally, he would have immediately gone over and greeted his friend, but he lowered his head and hoped he wouldn’t be seen. Luckily, his seat at the bar provided some cover, and Wyatt wasn’t looking around anyway.

Wyatt and his friend sauntered over to a table that had just been vacated and sat down. They picked up menus and began perusing them.

“Here ya go, darlin’,” the bartender said as she set down Cody’s second beer.

Is she flirting with me? Nah. She probably says that to all the guys. “Thanks,” he said.

He took a drink and then ventured a glance at Wyatt again. A waitress had approached the two men’s table, and Cody heard her laughing from across the room. She took their orders, and when it was Wyatt’s turn, she gave him a wide smile. That wasn’t as interesting as his reaction, though.

Wyatt’s gaze roamed over her, taking in her snug black T-shirt, short denim skirt, and high heels. All the waitresses were dressed the same, but he seemed especially enamored by her. She took down his order and moved off, and Wyatt’s gaze followed her. His friend was looking down at his phone and didn’t seem to notice.

Cody clenched his jaw, and his hand tightened around the beer glass. It was natural for a man to notice an attractive woman, but why did Wyatt’s reaction to the pretty waitress rile him so much? He knew the answer even as he thought it—Madison.

“Do you want to order some food?” the bartender asked. This time, she leaned over the bar, giving him a peek down her shirt. In the past, he gladly would have looked, but tonight his head wasn’t in the game.

“I’ll take some potato skins.” He wasn’t that hungry, but he felt like he should order something if he planned on camping out there.

“Loaded?”

“Is there any other way?”

She laughed and wandered off, and he turned his attention back to Wyatt. His friend had gone off somewhere, and the waitress had slipped into his chair. She leaned across the table and said something to Wyatt that made him laugh. They exchanged some more words, and then she got up and walked away. Once again, Wyatt tracked her every move as she stopped at another table and then disappeared through the swinging door to the kitchen.

Cody shook his head. If Wyatt were single, his behavior wouldn’t be in question. However, the man was engaged, and the wedding was less than a year away. Not to mention he was disrespecting Madison.

He was tempted to confront Wyatt and call him out on his behavior then and there. However, at that moment, Wyatt’s friend returned to the table and slid back into his seat. Was the guy really that oblivious to what was going on? Did he simply not care? Was Wyatt using him as a cover to go out and flirt with other women? Or was it this woman in particular?

He was mulling it over, his jaw ticking furiously, when the waitress came out of the kitchen, bearing a tray of food. She brought the food to Wyatt’s table and set down the plates. Then she stood there, nearer to Wyatt than his friend, and chatted like she didn’t have anywhere else to be.

The bartender approached Cody and said, “Your skins should be right out.”