Page 10 of Jasper

He nodded at her. He knew a lot of people said that more out of habit than actual thankfulness, but he didn’t get that vibe from this woman. He suspected the people around here meant it since they had a military man among them. Probably more than one.

He noticed the large photo hanging on the wall behind the counter. It looked like the building the bakery was housed in, only it seemed like it used to be a feed store.Huh. Well, this was much better use of the space. Who would want a boring old feed store when you could have baked goods?

She put all the boxes into a large paper bag and the two jars of jam into a smaller bag and handed them to him.

“How much do I owe you?” He pulled out his wallet and looked up.

“Not a thing. Military discount.”

“I appreciate that, ma’am, but…”

“You can pay me back by keeping your word and coming in for your daily dose of sugar.”

Well, damn. “You have my word, beautiful.”

She gave him the bags, and he thanked her before going into the coffee shop. It reminded him a lot of Starbucks, but the prices were cheaper, and the coffee smelled just as good. There were tables and comfortable-looking chairs filled with people drinking coffee and reading the paper. Several sat hunched over laptops thanks to the free Wi-Fi signs on the outside of the shop.

He could see himself driving to town every morning for coffee and donuts. Hell, he might not ever go back to New York if this town grew on him any more than it already had.

After putting the precious bag of goodies into the truck and locking the door, he headed for the General Store. Hopefully, they’d have a prepaid phone he could pick up. His own was not coming back on, even if he really did need to retrieve the message Jarrod left him. He couldn’t call his voicemail either because those fuckers at KSI would be able to trace him.

Okay, this place was da bomb, as Mason Kincaid would say. There was anything and everything a person could ever want. It held clothes, dry goods, a section for tools and repairs, with the promise of lumber and other supplies for plumbing out back. There was a small food section. Only non-perishable items, though, and lots and lots of cookies and candy. If you could think of it, Jasper would bet good money you’d find it here.

Spotting Sloane wasn’t hard. Her blonde hair made her visible among the clothing racks. Had she been short, it might have proved harder. She looked a little lost trying to sort through everything.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

She jumped and almost screamed. He frowned.What the hell?

“Jasper.” Her hand went to her chest, and she let a very loud sigh of relief. What was going on with this girl?

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He handed her a cup of coffee. “Thought you might need this.”

Sloane took the coffee gratefully, hoping it would help to calm her down a little. The entire time she’d been in here, she’d been furtively watching everyone. Fear caused a person to become a little crazy, it seemed.

The coffee flavor burst across her tongue, and she let out a little moan. So good. She needed this like she needed air to breathe.

“Good?” Jasper asked, a smile tilting his lips upward.

“You don’t even know. I didn’t get my cup of morning coffee. I was late getting to the airport, and the one cup I did manage to snag ended up on my shirt.”

He winced. “Sorry about that.”

She waved his apology off. “This right here is all the ‘sorry’ I need.” She took another sip of the hot brew and relished how the cup warmed her hands.

“There was a bakery next to the coffee shop. I got us some donuts for later.”

“Donuts?”

“Please don’t tell me you’re one of those women who looks at sugar and runs screaming to the rabbit food.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. He looked so martyred. “And if I am?”

“Woman, you are going to suffer horribly, because I plan on picking up delicious treats every day from Dorothy over at the bakery.”

“Dorothy?”

“She’s cool. Gave me my goodies for free.”

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