Page 36 of Brooke's Bliss
“Wait.What?”Bay suddenly didn’t sound so sure of himself.“I thought we were running away.”
She sighed because they couldn’t.As upset with them as shewas, they were her brothers, and she had walked right into their trap.
* * * *
Shane wondered if this was a trap of some sort.
He stood in the middle of The Trading Post, the basket inhis hand filled with two pounds of bacon and another dozen eggs because itlooked like the Harper brothers could eat.He was still surprised Brooke hadn’twoken up when they invaded this morning.She’d managed to sleep through Max’sinterrogation as he downed the bacon.Shane had taken it as a good excuse toavoid Paige Harper’s cowboy boots.He hoped Bay’s shins survived theexperience.
Oddly, though, it wasn’t the Harper brothers he thoughtmight be the trap.Nope.It was the twenty-something young lady in barely-therejean shorts, a crop top, and a cowboy hat covering her blonde hair.She waspretty, but he wasn’t interested.
Despite the fact that he was a somewhat attractive youngman, he didn’t actually get hit on often.
Was she hitting on him?Or simply lost in the weirdness thatwas The Trading Post.It wasn’t a regular grocery store.It was an all-purposestore that sold almost everything but feed and heavy equipment.Marie had putthat thought out there and found herself on the receiving end of an aggressiveprayer circle led by Pastor Dennis of the befittingly named Feed Store Church.So The Trading Post only offered everything else and stayed far from what Mariecalled the feed racket.
Maybe Miss Forgot That Shirts Usually Had Bottom Halves wasconfused and looking for direction.
“I’m having such a hard time,” she confessed.“My sistersent me to get bacon, but I don’t cook.Is that a good brand?”
It wasabrand.He wasn’t sure which brand since itwas marked with a generic label that simply said bacon.And one of them had anobviously hand-done sticker that said a pig died for your breakfast.Yeah, Nellwas definitely here.
The blonde had cornered him in the cold section.It wasn’tlike there weren’t other people in the store she could have asked, includingsome incredibly competent-looking women.Laura Kincaid-Briggs was shopping withher daughter following her around with her own tiny cart.He’d noticed GemmaWells talking to Teeny when he walked in, and Nell Flanders was protestingright outside.Though he suspected she wouldn’t help the young woman findbacon.
Nell might protest him if she knew what he was buying.Heshould get some fruit, too.To cover up the bacon.
“Uhm, hello,” she said, sounding the slightest bitaggrieved.
He didn’t usually hear that tone in a woman’s voice untilhe’d done something weird or his brother started talking about the matinghabits of obscure sea creatures.She’d asked about the bacon.“It’s thecheapest they have.”
Honesty.It mostly repelled everyone.Especially womenlooking for a date.
Would it repel Brooke?He was worried he was going to driveback and find Bay walking along the highway because her brothers had kicked himout.Brooke could wake up and realize all the mistakes she’d made the nightbefore.
Her green eyes went wide.“Oh.I suppose that’s good.You’refrugal.”She picked up two pounds and put it in her basket.“I don’t even likemy sister, so why would I get her the good stuff?We’re staying in a cabin downby the river.We’re here for a couple of days while my brother-in-law goesrafting.Do you live here?”
“No.I think only Teeny and Marie live here since Loganmoved out, but that was years ago.And they technically live in the valley.Ithink the only thing that lives here is the lowest prices in the valley, butthey’re also the only store in the valley, so I wouldn’t make too much of it.”
She snorted.“No, silly.I meant here in this town.It’scalled Bliss, right?”
He was such an idiot.He spent too much time with hisway-too-literal brother.“Oh, no.I don’t technically live in town.I work on aranch, and it’s a couple miles outside, though Bliss is the closest town.”
She smiled brightly and moved in closer.“Really?So you’rea cowboy?”
“I’m a ranch hand by profession,” he replied.
“Tell me something, Shane.Have you ever rodeoed?I have areal thing for rodeo cowboys.”Her voice had gone low and husky.
He tried to take a step back but ran into the dairy case.“Uhm, I did some calf roping in my time.Solo and on a couple of teams.I rodebulls until I realized I didn’t want to have arthritis in every bone in mybody.You know that’s rough on a man, and there’s no real need to do it.Likecalf roping is necessary at times.Personally, I say if that bull doesn’t wantto be ridden, we should respect his boundaries.”
She stared at him for a moment like he’d said somethingdumb, but he’d actually thought about this.There was a reason to ride a bronc.It was part of training and eventually helped both rider and horse, as he wassure Brooke’s brother would explain in better detail.No one rode a damn bullinto town or out on the range.So it seemed kind of mean.Huh, he bet Nellwould approve.
He still wasn’t giving up his bacon.
“Hmm, I guess I didn’t think of it that way,” she replied.“So you’re living out on this ranch?There must be a bunch around here.”
“Not really.There are a couple of small ranches, but onlyone big one.It’s called the G.It’s run by some real nice folks.TheGlen-Bennetts and the McNamara-O’Malleys.They treat all their hands likefamily.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard some rumors about why everyone seems tohave hyphenated names out here.”Her smile became seductive.At least hethought those were the vibes she was sending off.“Tell me something, cowboy.Do you have a brother?”
