Page 4 of Small Town Sash

"Keep walking, Hadley. Remember what's at stake," her mother chided, tugging at her arm. "The last thing you need is a guy distracting you right before the biggest pageant of your life."

"Right, the pageant," Hadley muttered under her breath, but her mind stayed fixed on the unexpected encounter with the stranger.

"I just want you to focus, Hadley. Is that too much to ask?" her mother whined with frustration.

"I'll do my best," Hadley affirmed, though her thoughts betrayed her, lingering on a pair of warm brown eyes and a chance encounter cut far too short.

Chapter Two

"Well, that was unexpected, Dash," Braden mused out loud, scratching behind his golden retriever's ears, as he glanced over his shoulder at the door where Hadley Wilder had just exited. His K9 partner wagged his tail, clearly unaware of his partner's attraction to the pretty young woman.

He'd always been a sucker for the combination of black hair and blue eyes, and with the curves she had in all the right places, she was exactly the kind of trouble he used to go for. Not now, though. Not when his promotion with the Air Force was on the line.

"Here's your coffee, sir," the woman behind the counter told him with a friendly smile. Then, glancing at Dash, she asked, "Can I get your canine partner a puppuccino?"

"I'm not sure what that is, but if it's safe for Dash's diet and will make him happy, sure. "

"Oh, I give them to the other K9 officers all the time. My boyfriend's German shepherd loves them," the woman told him with a laugh, eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. "Trust me, Dash is going to love it."

Braden turned, leaning against the counter as he surveyed the quaint shop, noting the happy faces and cozy nooks filled with conversation and clinking cups.

Against his will, Braden's mind drifted back to Hadley. He frowned, pondering. His mind in overdrive, spooling images of her—the laugh lines by her eyes, the way she nervously flicked her hair behind her ear, how she blushed when he caught her eye.

"Go for it," a voice startled him. A tall, grizzled man with silver hair grinned at him from the adjacent barstool. "The girl with the dreamy eyes? Just my two cents."

Braden chuckled in response, "Is it that obvious?"

"Only to an old timer like me," the man responded, raising his coffee in a half-salute before departing with a knowing smirk.

"Do I look that pathetic?" Braden asked Dash, who wagged his tail in response. Dash's attention was focused on his puppuccino. Braden sighed and glanced at the door again. Hadley had left an impression, even in the short time she was around him.

"Come on, Dash. We need to get back to the academy. Our break is almost over." Braden nudged his partner as he stood up, who lapped up the last of his special treat with gusto.

"Braden Harding, right?" A man with a clipboard came over and blocked his exit, eyes fixed on him with an unsettling intensity.

"Uh, yes," Braden nodded with a tilt of his head.

"Good. I heard you might be here. We need you." Clipboard man seemed to be all business, the kind of local bigwig who made it his business to know everyone in his town.

"Need me for what?" Braden asked with confusion.

"Pageant judge. Our third one bailed, and we need someone neutral."

"Pageant judge?" Braden echoed incredulously.

"Miss Hero Texas. It's tradition. You're perfect—a hero in uniform with no ties to any of the contestants," the man insisted, a conspiratorial wink underscoring his point. "We couldn't ask for a better third judge."

"Really, I don't think?—"

"Great. It's settled, then. Our first meeting is tonight, at seven o'clock sharp. Make sure to wear your Air Force uniform. It will be a real crowd-pleaser." Clipboard man didn't wait for confirmation, already bustling away, shouting orders into a phone pressed to his ear.

"Settled?" Braden rubbed the bridge of his nose, a mild headache forming, looking down at his Air Force blues. He'd only worn them because the dry cleaners had lost his academy uniform. "How did I get roped into this?"

"Who knows? But you'll make an excellent judge," the owner teased from behind the counter, her chuckle adding to the surreal turn of events.

"Dash, buddy," Braden sighed, looking down at his golden retriever partner, "looks like our evening just got interesting." Then, glancing at his watch, he realized that if they didn't hurry, they would be late. "Come on, we have to go right now."

His boots crunched on the gravel as they made their way into the sprawling complex of the Hero Search and Rescue Academy.

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