Page 36 of Hard Knock Hero

She rolled her eyes and chewed.

I took a bite of my own burger. It was pretty damn good. Maybe some cheese next time. “I’m glad you like my cooking. But you make better desserts.”

“Don’t flatter me to win points. All you’ve tried is my lemon curd. You can hardly judge based on that.”

“Sure I can. I don’t even like sweets, and your lemon curd was amazing.”

She dropped her burger onto the plate. “You don’t like sweets? What kind of monster are you?”

The frustration she’d shown after Owen and Dale’s visit was fading, but I didn’t think I deserved credit. It had been the customers flooding the diner. Some had been tourists still stuck in Hartley, and they’d seemed happy enough to be spending time with Jessi. Others were locals who’d hugged her on their way in. And Jessi had soaked it all up, radiating joy as she bustled around the dining room, filling waters and delivering food and getting everyone laughing. And I’d been perfectly content in the open kitchen, keeping an eye on her and on my cooking at the same time.

If business continued like this, Jessi was going to need more employees. Another cook, because obviously I wouldn’t be around for long.

While I took another bite of my burger, she went to her freezer and dug around until she pulled out a plastic bag. “I keep some brownies in here in case of emergency. Time to break the glass.” She made a face, glancing at the dining room. “Ouch. Too soon for that joke.”

I realized I was straight-up grinning. Jessi had a way of getting me to do that.

She warmed up a brownie in the microwave, which I thought was sacrilege, but by the time we’d scarfed down our lunches, there were two brownies oozing with chocolate. Jessi held up the plate between us. We each lifted our forks and took a bite. I groaned. Rich dark chocolate spread over my tongue. The brownie had the perfect chewiness despite the microwaving, and the ideal balance of sugar to intensity.

“Still don’t like sweets?” she asked.

I dipped my chin and looked at her. “I like yours.”

Her fork broke off another piece of brownie. “Stop flirting with me,” she muttered.

I don’t flirt, I thought.Except with you.

“What should we do the rest of the day?” Jessi asked.

“Since we won’t be occupied with seeking revenge, you mean?”

She nibbled more of the brownie. “Exactly. My schedule just opened up.” Was I mistaken, or could Jessi be flirting withme? Whatever this was, I wanted it to continue. Preferably without any Rigsbys showing up to ruin Jessi’s mood again.

“Any ideas?” I asked.

“You asked me yesterday why I was so determined to stay in Hartley. I could show you part of the reason.” Her eyes lifted with hope and vulnerability.

It already felt like she was showing me something that she usually kept hidden.Show me more, I thought.Show me everything.

I tamped down those wild thoughts. “Let’s do it.”

CHAPTERELEVEN

Aiden

“These are snowshoes?”I asked. “Are you sure? They don’t look anything like tennis rackets.”

She studied me a moment before she cracked up. “Shut up. I thought you were serious.”

I was decked out in all the winter gear I’d brought to Colorado. Heavy jacket, black snow pants. Gloves. Jessi’s gear was a mixture of pink and purple. She’d brought me over to the shed behind Marco’s saloon, where he kept various sporting equipment and loaned it out first-come, first-served.

Jessi had dug out two pairs of snowshoes to fit our sizes, along with two sets of poles. Now we were carrying everything to her beat-up hatchback, which had balding snow tires and a thick layer of ice encasing it. I’d offered up my truck, but Jessi had wisely reminded me of my California plates. Best not to drive around Hartley displaying those if I was supposed to be Trace. So my truck remained safely covered with snow behind the saloon, my state of origin obscured.

She’d also insisted on driving, arguing that she was the one who knew where we were going.

“We do have snow in California,” I said. “Not in West Oaks, but within driving distance. The Sierras are gorgeous and covered in snow in the winter.”

“Does that mean you know how to ski?”

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