Love Me Like I Love You

by Willow Winters

  Fuck. Strike three.

  Lifting the hem of my T-shirt, I wiped the sweat from my brow. I gripped the wire of another bale of hay, tossing it into the bed of my truck. It’d been almost forty-eight hours since I struck out with Hannah, and I still couldn’t scrub the look of hurt she’d had out of my damn mind. I’d done that to her, put that hurt in her eyes. All I wanted to do was haul her close to my chest and hold her for as long as she’d allow me to.

  I loaded the last bale of hay then removed my work gloves, tucking them into the back pocket of my jeans. I slammed the tailgate closed before climbing into the truck. Windows down, radio cranked, I drove down the dirt road toward the horse stables as the wind blew through the cab.

  I slowed the truck to a stop, backing it up into the barn. I went through my daily tasks—restocking the hay in the stables, turning out the horses, making sure they had enough water—before moving on to my latest project: mending fences. Being a hired hand didn’t necessarily take a ton of skill, but it was a job I’d enjoyed over the years.

  The manual labor could be hard on your body, but it also kept me in shape and stress free. I didn’t have deadlines to worry about or a high-pressured boss to answer to. I’d tried that life for a couple years straight out of college and learned quickly it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a man who could sit behind a desk all day. I needed to be outside, working with my hands.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket just as I finished with the horses. I pulled it out, accepting the call as I climbed behind the steering wheel. I closed the truck door, leaning against it with my elbow resting on the window ledge as I pressed the phone to my ear.

  “What’s up, man?”

  “You taking lunch today?” Aaron asked.

  I sighed, lifting the faded Ranger’s ball cap from my head before resituating it. “Hadn’t planned on it.”

  I may not have deadlines, but I tried not to procrastinate on the jobs given to me by my latest boss. It ensured I stayed employed with the same farm for the long haul. And this particular gig wasn’t one I wanted to lose. It paid well, with end-of-year bonuses, something most farms and ranches around here didn’t offer to their hired hands. I needed those bonuses to help speed up the plans I had for my future.

  “Well that just changed. You’re having lunch with me. Meet me at Kathy’s at noon.”

  “How about a raincheck?”

  “No way, man. I’m tired of you moping around like a pansy. You need some bro time.”

  “What makes you think I’m moping around? I haven’t even seen you since the wedding.”

  “Exactly. You’re hiding.”

  “I’m not hiding. I’ve been busy.” I’d been hiding. It’s a damn small town, and I wasn’t ready to face Hannah.

  Aaron snorted a laugh. “Whatever. Quit being a bitch and meet me at Kathy’s.”

  He hung up the phone before I had another chance to argue. I tossed the phone into the seat beside me with a shake of my head, a light chuckle escaping my lips. I turned the keys, cranking the engine alive before steering the truck toward town.

  The bell at Kathy’s Café rung over my head as I stepped inside. The smell of grease and the comforting chatter of the diner filled the air around me. Removing my hat and smoothing down my hair, I nodded at the folks I knew as I walked past, making my way to the booth where we always sat. Aaron was already seated, nose buried in the menu even though we both had it memorized.

  “Hey, man,” I said, sliding into the seat across from him while placing my hat on the bench seat beside me.

  He lifted his head to look at me and even without the guilty look in his eyes, I knew I’d just gotten played. His eyes flicked from me to the door and then back to me.

  “Don’t be pissed,” he whispered, “this wasn’t my idea.”

  “What wasn’t—”

  “Hey, big brother,” Leighton’s voice came from beside me before I could even ask what the hell he’d done.

  I glanced up at my sister’s toothy smile, my body freezing as another thin figure trailed to a stop behind her. Lauren stood anxiously beside her with as big a grin on her face as Leighton.

  I shifted my glare back to Aaron, making sure he got the message that I’d be kicking his ass later. He at least had the decency to look ashamed before standing from his seat and giving Leighton a quick kiss.

  “Hey, babe,” she said, kissing him back before sliding into the booth beside him. “Thanks for inviting us.”

  Retaking his seat, Aaron flinched at her words, his eyes flicking back to mine, silently telling me that wasn’t how our so-called bro time got crashed and turned into a double date.

  He didn’t need to worry. This shit had Leighton written all over it. I just wasn’t sure why. Even though they both taught at the school, she’d never been a fan of Lauren, so inviting her to have lunch with us meant she was up to something. Something I most likely wouldn’t be on board with.

  Leighton cleared her throat, her eyes sliding between me and Lauren, who was still standing beside me. Waiting. I didn’t move from where I was planted on the end of the bench seat. I wasn’t fucking happy with being set up. Especially with Lauren, who was quickly approaching stage-five clinger status. There was no way I was staying.

  Before I could excuse myself and get the hell out of there, Lauren shoved in next to me, forcing me to slide to the inner seat, effectively trapping me. Shit.

  “Hey, Billy.” She smiled, her hand slipping under the table and onto my thigh.

  I gritted my teeth, giving it an awkward pat before removing it from my leg. “Lauren. Good to see you.” I shifted away, scooting and angling my back to the wall so I could keep an eye on her lingering hands.

  I didn’t want to hurt the poor girl’s feelings, but I didn’t want to give her the wrong idea either. Apparently, we weren’t on the same page about our few nights together being only that—strictly sex with no strings. A double lunch date with my family and Lauren was not something I signed up for, nor wanted to be a part of.

  Before I could figure a way out of it, Miss Debbie appeared out of nowhere, setting mine and Aaron’s usual drinks on the table in front of us, her gray hair pulled back in her signature bun with a sharpened pencil tucked behind her ear. “Ladies, didn’t realize you’d be joining the boys this afternoon.”

  That makes two of us.

  “It was last minute,” Leighton responded with a smile, giving no further explanation, which I would’ve liked to hear. “I’ll have a sweet tea also, Miss Debbie. And if you don’t mind, we’d like to go ahead and order so we can get back to the school before the lunch period ends.”

  “No problem, hun. What will it be?” she asked as she pulled her notepad from her apron and the pencil from her ear.

  “Club sandwich on wheat for me, but with a side salad instead of fries.”

  “Same,” Aaron responded without hesitation.

  I arched an eyebrow at his unusual order, and he quickly averted his eyes from me. Pussy. The man was whipped.

  “Make that three!” Lauren added, overly cheerful.

  When all eyes turned to me, I sighed, settling back into the seat, draping my arm across the back of the booth. It looked like I wasn’t getting out of here without shoveling a few bites down.

  “Burger. All the way. With fries. Oh, and Miss Debbie, make sure Pete makes that one extra greasy,” I added with a big grin.

  Leighton rolled her eyes as Miss Debbie gave a smile of approval, sliding her pencil back behind her ear and dropping the order pad back into her apron. Picking up all the menus, she gave me a quick wink. “You got it, sugar.”

  Thankfully, the food came fast, and I was only forced to make small talk with Lauren for a short period of time. The woman was more handsy than I remembered. It was exhausting trying to constantly deflect her unwanted touches. I shoved the burger and fries down my throat like I was in a food-eating contest, hoping to bring the lunch to a quick end and ensure my food wasn’t snatched from my plate. Aaron had been
eyeing my burger and fries the whole time, his mouth watering. I was surprised he hadn’t caved and ordered his own.

  As I popped the last fry in my mouth, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I’d wait thirty more seconds, then excuse myself, using work as my cop-out. The bell rang over the door, the way it had been the whole lunch hour, but something about this particular ring had me on edge. Maybe it was a shift in the air. Or maybe it was the fact that Aaron’s eyes widened seconds before he choked on his bite of salad.

  “Babe, you okay?” Leighton patted his back with one hand while passing him his glass of sweet tea.

  He nodded, guzzling it down, his eyes bouncing from me to the door at my back with a silent warning.

  Leighton’s eyes followed his and then perked up with recognition. Her husband nearly choking to death was long forgotten as she waved a hand in the air. “Hannah! Hey!”

  Shit.

  Chapter 5

  HANNAH

  I walked into Kathy’s, the local diner with a fifties-style vibe, hoping to quickly grab my to-go order and get back to the shop. I’d locked up the store and left a sign on the door that I’d be back in a few, unsure if that’s how Lottie normally handled her lunch break. Knowing her, she probably skipped it altogether. But I was starving and not willing to do the same.

  Kathy’s was a short walk, being across the street and down a few storefronts from Lottie’s clothing boutique. Between the location and the raving reviews of the townsfolk, I figured it was my best bet for a bite to eat.

  I’d been wrong before. And when I heard my name being called by a familiar voice and turned to look in its direction, I realized I’d been wrong this time. Leighton waved frantically from where she sat in a booth surrounded by Aaron, Billy, and of course, the bubbly brunette from the wedding.

  I plastered a smile on my face, giving a light wave of my fingers from the counter. If Leighton thought I’d be strolling over there for a little chat, she’d be sorely disappointed. Just grab and go, I chanted in my head, now with more of a reason than ever.

  “Let me guess. To-go order for Hannah?” a nice elderly woman asked from behind the counter.

  I glanced at the name tag pinned above her full chest that read Miss Debbie, figuring it only fair I knew her name since she already seemed to know mine.

  “That’s right, Miss Debbie.”

  “All right, give me a few, and I’ll bag it up after I drop a few drinks at a table.”

  “Any way I can convince you to bag it first?” I pleaded, ignoring Leighton, who was still calling my name in the distance. “In fact, you don’t even need to bag it. Just give me the box, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

  Miss Debbie looked over my shoulder at the booth I was avoiding, her wrinkles deepening, a knowing smile creeping onto her face. She slid her eyes back to mine. “Which one you running from?”

  “None of them.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” she hummed, her weathered face full of skepticism as she turned her back to me, picking up a white Styrofoam box from the service window that separated the kitchen from the remainder of the restaurant.

  “Just need to get back to work. I’m looking after Lottie’s shop.”

  “I’m aware.”

  Of course she was. I’m sure the whole damn town knew all my business at this point. Or most of it.

  She placed the box in a bag, followed by a handful of ketchup, napkins, and plastic cutlery. I handed the nice lady some cash for my food, plus a little extra for her efficiency as she passed me the bag.

  “I owe you, Deb.”

  She shook her head at me. “A piece of advice?”

  I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it.

  She leaned in close, lowering her voice. “I’ve been around for a while, and I can tell you for a fact they don’t make’em like that one very often”—she subtly nodded her head toward the booth—“and when they do, they don’t stay available for long. I’m all for playing a little hard to get. Don’t want to give the milk away for free, or without making them work for it a bit. But run for too long, and he might give up the chase and catch another instead.”

  I gave nosey Deb a tight smile, thanked her one more time—for the food, not the unwanted advice—then turned to leave, bumping into Leighton on the way out, her lunch companions coming up slowly behind her.

  Just great.

  “What the hell, Hannah? Did you not hear me calling your name?”

  “Yeah. Um…sorry. I’m in a bit of a hurry to get back to the store.”

  “Well, I was trying to call you over to see if you wanted to get drinks this week or have dinner.”

  “Oh. Sure. Sounds great,” I said, my eyes roaming from her to Billy, who was only a few feet away, looking uncomfortable with his hands tucked in his front pockets as the brunette remained glued to his side.

  Was she his girlfriend? Did he seriously hit on me at the wedding when he had a girlfriend? It was bad enough knowing they were there on a date. God. I couldn’t believe how wrong I’d been about him. But at least I could take solace in not being the only one he fooled. Miss Debbie was just as big of a fool, if not more.

  “I’ll call you later then to set up a time and place.”

  “Yep. Looking forward to it,” I smiled through my gritted teeth as Billy, Aaron, and Brownie closed in on us.

  “Hey, Hannah,” Aaron said, giving me an upward nod in greeting. “Watcha up to?”

  “Burger.” I held up the bag as I gave my one-word explanation. I could’ve sworn I saw Aaron pout at my response. Billy brushed a hand over his mouth, hiding a smile. I wasn’t quite sure what was so entertaining about my burger, but I wasn’t sticking around to find out. “Well, I should—”

  “I’m Lauren,” Brownie spoke. “I don’t think we’ve met.” Her head tilted to the side as her eyes did the once-over inspection of me.

  “Hannah. And I hate to be rude,” I lied, “but I have to go.” I took a few steps back toward the door. “I’ll talk to you later, Leighton.”

  I shot out of the entrance all but sprinting back to the store, vowing to pack my lunch for the remainder of my stay. Damn small towns. There was a reason I preferred the city. Before, I would’ve said it was for the conveniences— the shopping, the restaurants, the late-night bars and booze. Now, I knew for certain it was for the anonymity.

  After unlocking the shop door, I tore the sign from the glass and went inside. Setting the bag on the counter, I let out a sigh of relief. I’d made it out of there unscathed. Billy hadn’t even attempted to speak to me.

  Good.

  I didn’t want him to talk to me anyway.

  I mean, not that I would’ve been offended if he’d said hi…or something…

  I glanced over my shoulder, looking back toward Kathy’s, wondering why he hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge me. Frankly, it was rude to not at least say hi after everything that happened between us. The fact that he didn’t was a small hit to the old ego. Tiny. Miniscule. I hardly cared...

  Okay. Shit.

  I cared.

  I freaking cared, dammit.

  Why the hell did I have to care?

  The four of them stood outside on the sidewalk, making small talk. Leighton hugged Billy then took Aaron’s hand as he walked with her to her car, leaving Billy and Brownie alone. By themselves. Just the two of them…

  Somewhere between the hug and the hand holding, I ended up hiding behind a mannequin, all but plastered to the storefront glass like a damn peeping Tom.

  With no shame, I watched as Billy spoke to Lauren. His back was to me, his hands still in his pockets. I had no idea what he was saying to her, but whatever it was, it was obvious she was trying to mask her emotions behind a tight smile and a few head nods.

  Bracing myself on the back of the mannequin, I leaned in closer, as if that would help me hear from hundreds of feet away with a glass wall between us.

  “What are we looking at?”

  Jumping sky high and falling fo
rward, I screamed at the unexpected whisper behind me, landing me and the mannequin in a compromising position—hands to boobs, chin to cleavage.

  The loud, obnoxious laugh above me was none other than Wes Monroe’s. Using the stiff mounds of hard plastic boobs, I pushed myself to my feet.

  Thanks for the help, dick wad.

  “For the love of God. What is wrong with you?” I straightened my clothes, regaining my composure. What little I had left.

  “Come on now, roomie. You have to admit that shit was funny. I don’t care who you are.”

  Pulling the mannequin back to its feet with the help of Wes—because yeah, he was decent enough to help her up but not me—I glared at him. “Where did you even come from?”

  “Back door.”

  “Well in the future, give me some warning before approaching me from behind.”

  “So many interesting things I’m learning about you, city. Never took you for a back-door kind of girl. Can’t wait to find out what other little tidbits you’ll share with me, roomie.”

  “Not just hell no, but fuck no. I don’t do that shit. And why do you keep calling me roomie? We are not and will never be roomies.” I finished straightening the mannequin’s ensemble before marching back to the counter to finally eat my lunch.

  “Damn. There went that fantasy,” he said with a shrug. “And, hate to break it to you, but as of today, we are officially roommates. At least for the next few weeks.”

  “You’re delusional, Monroe.”

  “You know that issue you had with not having any hot water this morning?”

  I nodded, eating a couple of fries. “Yeah. You said you’d fix it,” I mumbled through the food in my mouth. Taking a big bite of the burger, I held back a moan. One thing was for sure, Kathy’s Café made a damn good burger and fries. I wasn’t going to think about how much grease and how many calories were in each bite. I’d earned this little bit of overindulgence.

  “Yeah, well, I can fix it, but it’ll be a few weeks. The water heater is out, and it’ll be awhile before the replacement comes in.”