Wes was Roxanne’s beloved brother who only wanted the best for her, just like he did. If nothing else, they had that in common.
On a Tuesday night with no live music, business was slow. Michael was working alone and sporting his freshly washed logo t-shirt. Good thing he’d done laundry today. Wearing the shirt was a bit like a knight wearing his lady’s colors into battle. Not that this would be a battle. He’d see to it.
All the bar stools were available and several tables, too. If they chose a table, he’d find a moment to go over and introduce himself. He planned to be the nicest guy Wes had ever met.
After setting the G and T on Ellen’s tray, he mixed the rum and Coke. He’d filled a rocks glass with ice and picked up the JD when the telltale squeak of revolving stools told him what the trio had decided. He wouldn’t have to go to the action. They’d brought the party to him. Game on.
He glanced down the bar. “Hey, Roxanne. I’ll be right with you folks.”
“No rush, Michael,” she called back.
For whatever reason, they’d chosen to sit several stools away from where he stood mixing drinks. He’d take it as a promising sign. If Wes had been an aggressive type, the guy would be stationed directly in front of him, ready to get in his face.
He set the last drink on Ellen’s tray and she picked it up with a smile and a wink. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.” Taking a deep breath, he walked toward the group. Roxanne was on the end closest to him, Wes was next, and Ingrid sat to Wes’s right.
He smiled at Roxanne. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself. This is my brother, Wes.”
“Easy to see you two are related.” He extended his hand across the bar. “I’ve looked forward to meeting you. I’ve heard great things.”
Wes’s handshake was firm, his gaze direct. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too, Michael.” His brown eyes were like Roxanne’s, just not as friendly.
Michael turned his attention to Ingrid. “Good to see you, too. What can I get for everybody?”
“I was thinking a Monkey’s Lunch,” Ingrid said. “But it looks like Tansy’s not working tonight.”
“She’s not, but I can look it up on my phone and give it a try. If I botch it, it’s free.”
Ingrid smiled. “Then I can’t lose. Go for it.”
“All righty.” He glanced at Roxanne. “How about you?”
“I’ll take one, too. Now I’m curious how they compare to a Butterscotch Mocha.”
Ingrid looked over at her. “When did you have one of those?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Um…”
“Never mind.” Ingrid waved a hand at her. “I keep forgetting you’re dating a bar owner.”
Michael appreciated the casual way Ingrid handled that. “What can I get for you, Wes?”
“I’ll take a Guzzling Grizzly.”
Michael hesitated. Was the guy taunting him? “I’ve never heard of that.”
“If there’s a shooter called Monkey’s Lunch, why not one called a Guzzling Grizzly?”
“I suppose there might be. Let’s see, shall we?” He grabbed his phone from its spot behind the bar and did a quick search. “Nothing. This bar comes up in a search. No shooter with that name. Or drink of any kind, for that matter.”
“So here’s an idea. What if we made one up?”
“Now?”
He shrugged. “It’s a thought. You have a great place here. Seems a shame not to have a signature drink.”
Michael couldn’t tell if he was bluffing or serious. Didn’t matter. It was an awesome idea. “Let me make a phone call, see if our mixologist is available.”
Wes’s eyebrows lifted. “You have one?”
“We do, now.” He scrolled through his contacts and called Tansy.
“Hey, boss. What’s up?”
“Look, I know it’s your night off, but Roxanne’s brother Wes is here and he made a suggestion that’s right up your alley. He thinks we need a signature drink called the Guzzling Grizzly. I agree. It’s slow right now so it would be the perfect time to—”
“Are there enough customers there to run some taste tests?”
“I think so, yeah.”
“I’m on my way. This will be epic.”
“Oh, and Tansy?”
“Yes, boss?”
“You just got a promotion. You’re the new mixologist.”
Her shout nearly broke his eardrum.
“See you soon.” He disconnected the call. “The cavalry is on the way and I recommend waiting for your Monkeys Lunch shooters until she gets here.”
“I’ve changed my mind about that,” Roxanne said. “A Guzzling Grizzly sounds more interesting.”
“I agree.” Ingrid glanced at Wes. “Looks like you started something.”
“You sure did.” Michael studied Roxanne’s brother. If he’d been blowing smoke, the joke was on him. A signature drink would sell like hotcakes and put money in the GG coffers, benefitting the staff and the owners, of which he was one. “Thank you. I can see this turning into a big deal.”
“I hope it does.” Wes’s expression had undergone a subtle change. His jaw was no longer tight and his shoulders had relaxed. Even his gaze had softened a little. “I’ll be honest. I was pulling your chain.”
Roxanne thumped him on the shoulder. “Not nice.”
“But profitable in the end.” Michael grinned. “I can stand to have my chain pulled now and then if good ideas are the result. And this is a great idea.”
“Not everyone would have reacted the way you did, Murphy.” Wes seemed to be offering him grudging respect. “A person could easily get defensive and reject the concept because it was presented as a challenge instead of a suggestion.”
“But here’s the thing, Wes. I thrive on challenges.”
“So I heard.”
“Then this was a test?”
“Well, I—”
“I sure hope it wasn’t.” Roxanne frowned at her brother. “You promised to keep this first meeting cordial.”
“I was cordial. I didn’t plan any of it ahead of time. But when I saw there was nothing like that on the drinks menu, I couldn’t resist.”
“I’m glad you didn’t, buddy.”
“I’m not your buddy.”
Michael laughed. “Not yet. Oh, and here comes Tansy with her new title of mixologist.”
Tansy threw both hands in the air. “I love having that designation. Is there money attached?”
“Of course.”
“Then I love it even more. Stand back, boss. I’m about to make history.”
Michael gave her space to work while he and Ellen rounded up volunteers from the customers along with a few designated drivers.
Roxanne volunteered to handle that for her crew. As people gathered around the bar, she stepped back to give them room.
Since Michael had stopped serving drinks now that everyone was taste testing the new one, he came out from behind the bar and stood next to her. “How’re you doing?”
She glanced up at him. “Okay. How about you?”
“Hanging in. Missing you.”
“I miss you, too.” She spoke softly. “Look, I’m not going to apologize for my brother, but—”
“Please don’t. It turned into win-win.”
“I’m glad it worked out that way, but he’s determined to test your character. I just didn’t think he’d start in tonight.”
“I can take it.”
“You don’t have to, though. He’s met you. We can leave it at that. You don’t have to subject yourself to…anything else.”
“Like what?”
“He thinks the three of us should go riding. He claims he can tell a lot about a person by the way they react to horses.”
“Then let’s do that. How’s Thursday morning? I can set it up with Kendra.”
Her brow puckered. “You’re not on trial. You don’t have to prove anything to Wes.”
“I won’t try to. He grew up on a ranch. You both
can ride rings around me. No contest, there. But if he thinks he can unmask my true self by observing me with horses, I’m all for it. Doesn’t worry me a bit.”
“I’m sure you have enough to do without adding this to your schedule.”
He brushed his knuckle over her cheek, a light caress that was all he could allow himself in this setting. “I get to be with you. Please tell Wes that I want to go and I’ll arrange it with Kendra. How’s nine?”
She held his gaze. “I’ll tell him. Thank you for being so wonderful about this.”
“I would crawl over broken glass to be with you. A horseback ride is—”
“The votes are in!” Tansy’s voice rose above the hubbub. “We have a winner!”
“Which one is it?” called out one of the customers standing at the bar.
“The drink about to become known as a Guzzling Grizzly is what the majority agrees a bear would lap up—a combo of Kahlua, Chambord and Sambuca.”
Cheers went up from the crowd.
“See?” Michael smiled at Roxanne. “Everything worked out for the best.”
“Because of you.” She kissed her fingertips and touched his cheek. “Because of you, Michael Murphy.”
Chapter Seventeen
Early Thursday morning, Wes offered to go downstairs and buy some pastries while Roxanne scrambled eggs and cooked bacon. She got a kick out of his delight with her apartment’s location right above a bakery. He had more of a sweet tooth than she did.
Bacon sizzled in the skillet while she cracked eggs into a bowl. She’d just picked up the whisk when the opening bars of Born Country filled the small kitchen. She hit the speaker button on her phone. “Hi, Dad!”
“Hi, sweetheart! Sounds like I caught you cooking breakfast.”
“Sure did, but that’s okay.” She picked up the bowl and began whisking the eggs. “I can cook and talk.”
“Your mother was good at that, too. Just thought I’d find out how much fun you and Wes are having without me.”
“Way too much fun. Yesterday I showed him all around this cute little town. He’s especially crazy about the bakery and thinks it’s very cool I live right over it.”
“They sure make good cherry pie. Pete and I had that thing gone in no time. So what’s happening today?”
“This morning we’re going riding.” She dumped the eggs in a frying pan.
“Oh, yeah? Where?”
“Wild Creek Ranch.”
“Isn’t that the stable Kendra McGavin owns?”
“It is.” She stirred the eggs and then turned the bacon.
“Tell her I said hello.”
“I will.” She decided to mention that Michael was going along. It was unfair to expect Wes to keep quiet about it after he got home. “Do you remember meeting Michael Murphy, co-owner of the Guzzling Grizzly?” She kept track of the eggs and bacon, which was a trick now that she was discussing Michael.
“Tall guy? Built like a linebacker?”
“That’s the one.” Handsome. Talented. Kind.
“What about him?”
“He’s going riding with Wes and me this morning.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I’m sure it will be.” She was tempted to leave it at that. But she’d omitted the significant information. Her dad deserved to know that she was involved with someone. “I’ve sort of been dating him.”
“Really? That’s great! He seems like a decent guy.”
“He is. A very decent guy.” She turned off the heat under both the eggs and the bacon.
“Anyway, if he’s not, I’ll hear about it from Wes.”
“Um, yes, I suppose you will.”
“Have they met each other yet?”
“Briefly. We went to the Guzzling Grizzly for drinks Tuesday night.”
“How’d that go?”
“Fine.”
“Must have if you’re all going riding today.”
“It was Wes’s idea, actually.” She took the pans off the stove and covered them.
“I take it your guy—what’s his name again?”
“Michael.”
“I take it Michael rides.”
“Some. He grew up in a suburb of Chicago. He came West about a year ago.”
Her dad chuckled. “A tenderfoot, huh? You and Wes go easy on him, okay?”
“We will.” At least she would. She couldn’t make promises regarding her brother.
“I have a hunch Wes wants to test the guy’s mettle.”
“Probably.” Most definitely.
“Your brother may never wholeheartedly approve of anyone you take up with. You know that, right?”
She sighed. “I do know that.”
“But if he likes Michael even a little, you’ve found yourself a gem.”
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Please do. And don’t forget to say hello to Kendra for me.”
“I won’t.” She glanced up as Wes returned with a box full of sweet-smelling goodies. “I just talked to Dad.”
“Yeah? Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I think he wishes he could be here with us.”
“I wish he could, too. I miss the old days, when everyone was together.”
“Me, too. I loved that. But the way things have grown up around the ranch—”
“It’s not the same. I get that. I think Dad and Pete are starting to feel it, too, but…” He shrugged.
“Right. Not our decision.” She gestured toward the pans on the stove. “Let’s eat.”
“Smells terrific. You’ll be so excited when you see what I brought from downstairs.”
He did make her smile. She’d never met a guy who got as worked up about bakery items as Wes.
After dishing food for themselves and pouring their coffee, they sat at her kitchen table with the bakery box between them.
He opened it with a flourish. “Ta-da!”
“Cool! Is that chocolate croissant for you or me?”
“You. Ingrid said it was your new favorite.”
“Aw. Thank you.”
“I got a cheese Danish for each of us because I remembered you like those and a bear claw for me. I couldn’t decide between the bear claw and an éclair and then I remembered I could buy an éclair tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Living over a bakery appeals to me.”
She laughed. “I can see that.” Watching him enjoy the pastries livened up breakfast considerably. She held off relating the rest of her conversation with their dad until halfway through the meal. “I told Dad about our ride today, and that we were going with Michael.”
He paused with his fork poised over what was left of his scrambled eggs. “And what did you say?”
“That I was dating him.”
“What was his response?”
“That he figured you’d inform him if Michael didn’t meet with your approval.”
“Yeah, I suppose I would. Not gonna lie to Dad.” He gazed at her. “Michael’s a dynamo. I can see why he’s successful and will continue to be successful. He sees an opportunity and grabs it.”
“That’s Michael.”
“Which is why he grabbed you.” His tone was gentle. “I’m so afraid you’re the shiny new toy.”
Her stomach hollowed out. “I’m afraid of that, too. Shiny new toys get discarded eventually, don’t they?”
“Not necessarily.” He heaved a sigh. “But he’s impulsive. He promoted Tansy on the spur of the moment Tuesday night.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Which didn’t affect you in any way, but if he’s used to charging into a situation without thoroughly considering the repercussions…”
“I know. That’s not me.”
“It isn’t, but at least he’s not like Phil, who had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.”
“Hey! Yes, he did. He wanted it to last. It just didn’t.”
Wes grimaced. “Phil was an asshole who only cared about hims
elf. Otherwise he would have ended things like a man instead of sneaking off in the dead of night.”
“He was distraught.”
“He was selfish.”
“I don’t want to think that.”
“I know you don’t. But surely you can tell the difference between Phil and Michael.”
“I guess so. For one thing, Phil never showed any interest in my work, my projects. Michael does. He’s excited for me.”
“He sincerely cares for you. That’s obvious. But it worries me that this came on so fast.”
“It worries me, too. Mistakes are made by rushing things. That’s why I’m not stupid enough to fantasize a future with him.”
Wes was silent for a moment. “I’d love to disagree with you on that because I can see how much you like him. But I think you’re right.”
Her throat ached. “What should I do?”
“I can’t tell you that, sis.”
“I know you can’t. I just—”
“You’re smart, sis. You’ll figure this out.” He used his fork to point to the eggs. “And by the way, these are primo. Thanks for making breakfast.”
“You’re so welcome.” She was grateful for a change in topic. “Thanks for buying the goodies.”
He smiled. “In case you failed to notice, I had fun doing it. I can see why you like living here.”
“I love this crazy little town. It’s a supportive atmosphere, a good base of operations for my design business.”
“That’s good news. I know you researched the heck out of this place.” He winked at her. “Looks like you chose wisely.”
It was an old joke with them. They used to have Indiana Jones marathons and choose wisely had become a catch phrase. “I did, and I’m not letting this thing between Michael and me, whatever it is, mess with that.”
* * *
Michael arrived at the ranch early, hoping to beat Roxanne and Wes there. Talking with Kendra always steadied him and she’d be down at the barn getting things ready. She’d understand that this ride was loaded with subtext.
Sure enough, she’d brought all three horses out and was grooming Jake, the Tennessee Walker he was used to.
He parked his truck and headed toward the barn. “I’ll take over.”
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