Page 9 of The Cowboy and His Beauty
"But everyone will hear and they for sure won't keep that news to themselves." I almost pouted.
Jenna laughs. "What do you think the gossip will be if you’re seen walking into the station and disappearing behind a closed door with Ben? The stories will be wild. Everything from you’re secretly dating to you’re working undercover on the same case."
She’s right. It’s worse to let the town wonder. The longer something goes with no answers, the wilder the town rumor-mill becomes. Look at how they’ve handled Dash.
"Okay. I’ll be there for lunch tomorrow," I relent.
"Perfect, see you then!"
I end the call and finally finish the drive home.
"How was dinner with Jenna, dear?" my mom asks when I walk in the door.
I used Jenna as my cover, and she was all too happy to help. My parents like her because her family also owns a house on the lake—only Jenna’s parents don’t care about the divide between the town and love the ranchers as well. They’re sweet and helpful and don't give their kids handouts.
Jenna's brothers have been working their butts off to save up to buy a ranch for the three of them to run together. Jenna's parents could have handed them the ranch, but it wouldn't have meant nearly as much as them earning it.
They’ve started looking around to see if they can find a deal, but it'll probably be a few more years before they get anything.
"Dinner was good. It was good to catch up. I miss Jenna when I'm in Dallas. I wish I could make friends like her and Sarah there," I tell Mom honestly.
I felt isolated in Dallas. I tried to make friends, and I was on good terms with the people I worked with. We went out to dinner or drinks, but I never made any good friends. No one I want to keep in contact with now I won't be going back.
"You need to get out more. Volunteer work is a great way to make friends, dear," Mom says.
I nod, not bothering to tell her I had no time to volunteer when I was working over sixty hours a week. I know I won't win that argument.
I head up to my room and plop down on my bed. I can't believe my life has come down to debating if I can trust a stranger’s job offer and move in with him.
Where did I go wrong?
Chapter 6
Sky
I head into town to have lunch with Jenna. My parents were up early for some event in Amarillo. I honestly wasn't paying attention as they droned on about the need to save some birds.
My short drive into the diner makes me realize this town hasn't changed a bit in the eight years since I went off to college and got a job in Dallas. The houses on the lake are still perfectly manicured. The county park still has young mothers with their kids on the playground, and dog owners who run with their dogs every morning on the jogging trail near the lake.
The faces might have changed, but it's still Walker Lake, a small town with a big divide between those on the lake and those on the ranches. The one thing that seems to bring everyone together is Phantom, who is standing in front of the city hall surrounded by little kids petting him.
The horse is spoiled by the town, and he loves it. He's so good with little kids when they want to pet him or get a picture with him. He keeps looking toward the diner where he’ll get fed by Austin. She’ll give him a few extra treats today for sure.
I park and head into the diner where, sure enough, Austin is watching Phantom out the front window with a huge smile on her face. The bell jingles as I walk in and pull her from the window.
"Sky! Perfect timing. Jenna is due for a break." She gives me a quick hug before disappearing out the back.
A moment later, Jenna appears, removing her apron. "Let's sit here. I already put our food order in, and Austin said she'll bring it out when it's ready." Jenna sets her apron down in a booth and goes to the counter to grab our drinks. "Ben should be here soon. The only time he’s late is when he gets a call."
Chances are, Ben will be here like normal. It's rare for there to be a call during lunch time. Everyone is eating, and with it being a small town, if it isn't urgent, they let the cops like Ben eat before answering a call.
Not a moment later, the bell over the door jingles and Ben enters wearing full uniform. If this had been some fancy movie, the sunlight would have framed the doorway as he removed his sunglasses, women would have swooned, and he would have given all the girls a cocky smile.
But this isn't a movie, and when he walks in, Phantom gives him a hard nudge from behind, causing the diners to laugh as his sunglasses drop to the ground. He picks them up and Jenna flags him over as Austin takes a large bowl of goods out to Phantom.
"Hello, ladies," Ben says, removing his hat and sitting down next to Jenna.
"Hey, Ben. Sky wanted to ask your opinion on something," Jenna starts.
