"Don't know. We didn't talk too much about him, only me. He gave me quite the lecture." Taylor snorted. "Since high school, I've wanted to dance naked around the statue, but been afraid. Maybe there was a reason to fear the Cupid superstition."
"Dancing around naked in the town square was a little too risqué for me. Until last night when the alcohol subdued my fear," Meghan admitted.
"All I needed was a little liquid courage for me to shed my clothes," Kelsey said with a grin.
"It was kind of fun until the sheriff arrived," Taylor admitted with a giggle.
"Now we test the superstition. Who will find love first?"
Taylor waived her hand and gave a disgusted sound. "I'm not looking for love."
Since the breakup with Kevin, she'd given up finding someone to spend the rest of her life with. At this moment, she needed to focus on the diner. Anything besides finding love and marriage.
"Yeah, well you have a funny way of showing you're not searching for a man," Meghan replied.
"Hey, I can cross off dancing naked in the town square from my bucket list," Taylor said.
"You're a little young for a bucket list."
"Never hurts to start early," Taylor retorted, wishing her head would stop pounding.
The bell tinkled above the diner's door and Taylor glanced up to welcome the new customer. Shock froze her feet to the ground as the handsome, hunky sheriff strolled through the door. The memory of how he'd last seen her caused her cheeks to heat and her chest to squeeze.
Oh no, what did he want now.
* * *
Ryan opened the door of the restaurant. He'd thought about Taylor all night long as he tossed and turned. The image of her naked body dancing inside his brain tormenting him. The curves on her were enough to make any man make a wrong turn. As he walked in, he saw all three of the she-cats, their heads together whispering at a table. A trickle of fear scurried along his spine making him reconsider why he'd come here.
Just because he'd seen her nude, just because he'd given her a break last night, didn't mean she would go out with him. This morning he'd come here with the sole intent of asking her on a date. Maybe his timing sucked.
Focused on his career for the last three - four years, the time had come to start thinking about dating again. And last night had proven to him a woman in his life would be nice.
Stepping into the diner, he realized he didn't want to confront that table of she-devils. One he'd dated and the other two were her besties. With her partners in crime here, maybe he should wait before he asked for a date.
Like a soldier on duty, he marched up to their table. "Good morning, ladies. Looks like you all survived last night’s escapade."
"What are you talking about, Sheriff?" Meghan lied flashing her blue eyes at him. "The cat and I were cuddled up at home, watching reruns."
"Well, I found your clothes, your purse, and your cell phone on a bench in the park."
Meghan clammed up, a mutinous expression on her beautiful face as she flicked back her tawny hair.
"I don't see any bullet holes in your head. You toughed out the military," Kelsey said, a sarcastic tone to her voice.
"Made sergeant and earned several medals," he responded. "And you're looking well. Your brothers still looking out for their little princess."
Kelsey stiffened. "Of course."
"Good to know," he said. "Ladies, I will tell you like I told Taylor. You got a pass last night. But if I ever catch any of you strutting around the fountain, naked again, you'll need a lawyer."
"Thanks for that bit of cheery news," Meghan smarted off.
"Hey, you aren't combing the yellow pages this morning looking for someone to bail you out of jail. The day could be worse."
"I talked them into it," Taylor confessed. "The Cupid statue was my idea."
Lifting her chin defiantly, Kelsey gazed at him. "We're testing the superstition. A scientific study will tell us if Cupid will find us true love. I'll let you know the results."
"It doesn't," he replied. "Remember before you go streaking again."
"Streaking?" Meghan said, her voice echoing in the room. "That fad died in the seventies with my mother's generation."
Facing the auburn haired librarian, he smiled his best strict you don't want to mess with me law enforcement expression. "Would you rather I call what you did last night indecent exposure?"
The table grew quiet. Dismissing them, he turned to Taylor. "Are you still cooking me dinner tonight? Do you feel like it?"
Reaching up to her temple, she rubbed the spot. "I'm fine. A small headache. But I'll be all right."
His mind pictured her full breasts, tiny waist, and long legs beneath her white apron and the memory had his heart beating a little faster.
"Be here at seven. I'm going to fix you chicken picante," she said. "It's a new dish I'm trying out."
A grin spread across his face. "So I'm the guinea pig?"
"You'll enjoy the chicken picante. See you later."
Turning, he walked toward the door, feeling like three sets of eyes trained on his back with laser precision. He wished he had one of those new fangled cameras on his vest so he could witness their expressions.
Especially wanting to see Taylor's face.
* * *
Taylor's heart gave a little flutter as she watched him walk out the door, wishing he hadn't said anything in front of her friends. An obligatory thank you dinner for not taking her to jail. Nothing more. Yet, an undercurrent of something more ran between them.
He was in law enforcement. The same career choice of the man she'd found frisking a female officer in their bed. Ryan was everything she didn't want and yet he was exactly the kind of man who made her heart beat like a conga drum, her breathing go haywire, and her imagination run rampant with sexual scenarios.
Therefore, he was a big fat no.
Turning, she noticed Meghan and Kelsey staring at her. "What?"
"You're fixing him dinner," Kelsey asked, a stunned expression on her face. "The man that broke my heart and left me for the military."
"My naked butt is not looking out between bars. What would you have me do? Write a thank you note? Cooking him supper seemed the least I could do."
Shaking her head, Kelsey warned, "He's bad news."
"Hey, I'm the only one last night who said out loud, I'm not searching for love. The rest of you are looking for a man."
"You don't owe him anything," Meghan said while Kelsey just raised her brows.
"After he didn't take me to the pokey, I merely offered to cook for him since he doesn't get many home meals. You guys should appreciate the fact I put my naked butt on the line with the law while the two of you ran off."
Meghan's brows rose. "And who suggested we do the Cupid dance?" Holding up her hand, she said, "But I will say it was good of you to take one for the team. Make sure it's only dinner. Remember your last love interest."
Flipping her straight dark hair away from her face, Kelsey smiled. "A lawman, a cheater, who is on his honeymoon at this moment, celebrating with his cheating spouse."
Taylor sighed. "You're right. Don't worry. I'm not taking Kelsey's seconds. I'm returning a favor and this will be the end of it.”
But would it be the end? Attractive in all the right ways, her heart had done a little extra thump when he walked in the door. And that badge on his chest meant risk. It was a well known fact that law enforcement officers who put their lives in peril often enjoyed the thrill of infidelity.
Kelsey shrugged. "Ryan was my first love and I thought I would die when we ended. He's a risk for women's hearts. He'd break yours as quickly as he shattered mine. Be wary, very wary."
The bell above the door rang and she stood. "The lunch crowd will be coming in soon and I've got work to do. You guys?"
"There is a high school Valentine's dance. I'm one of the chaperones. Ugh."
"Painting is in store for me today. There is still a lot of construction to do before the grand opening. Ya'll will be at t
he opening? Right?"
"Wouldn't miss it. When is it?" Meghan asked.
"Hell if I know. Whenever my brothers are through with the changes I'm making."
Standing, Taylor glanced at her friends. "Ladies, I had a great time last night, even if it didn't end the way we'd envisioned."
Meghan laughed. "It was fun. Though tonight, the coach and I are the school chaperones. Yuck."
"I'm waiting for the phone call from my brother where his head explodes in my ear."
"Mom and Dad are in South Padre until warm weather reappears or they would have learned about our shenanigan. At twenty-five, I can hear the lecture now."
Tonight, Ryan would come to the restaurant to experience one of her meals. A tiny spark of excitement trickled down her spine. Dinner would include a gorgeous hunk of a man who appeared kind. But lawmen cheated.
* * *
Taylor walked through the restaurant filling coffee cups, talking to the customers, and making certain the waitstaff had exceeded her expectations. Before her parents left for Padre Island, her mother had given her tips on the clients who frequented the diner. She'd told Taylor that Jack came in everyday between breakfast and lunch, alone.
In his sixties, his wife passed away suddenly a year ago and his children all lived hours away.
"Afternoon, Jack," she said, stopping at his table. "How's the food?"
"What do you think?" he said, looking down at his empty plate. "I think you're a better cook than your mother and she's not bad."
"Thank you," she said and wondered how the patrons would accept the gradual changes she had planned for the business in the coming year. If her father let her.
"So what did your boyfriend get you for Valentine's Day?" Glancing down at her hand, he looked back up at her. "No big rock sitting on your finger."
"Yesterday, he married someone else," she said and watched Jack's eyes grow large. "And before you start feeling all bad for me, let me say save that sympathy for her. She's the one getting the loser."
A sympathetic smile crossed his face. "Caught them, did you?"
"Yes, I did, in the act, in our bed," she replied.
"Sit down for a minute," he said and she sank into the chair across from him.
"I told my kids when they were dating, if it doesn't come easy, don't continue. Because once you marry them, it gets harder. So good riddance to your fiancé."
Nodding, she asked, "What about your wife. Did it come easy with her?"
He closed his eyes and she questioned if she should have asked. Then he smiled at her. "Oh, my Margaret was the best. Sure, we experienced good times and bad, but that woman knew the right words to end a fight. I miss her."
"I'm sorry," Taylor said not wanting to make Jack feel worse. "I should never have asked about her."
"No," he said, smiling. "I'm glad you did. No one ever asks me about Margaret anymore. It's like she died and now we can't discuss her. I spent thirty-five years with her and now I can't talk about her?"
"That's sad." Her heart clenched, seeing a smile light up his face, his eyes glowing, his facial muscles relaxing.
"Even our own kids don't mention their mother. Oh, they call once a week to check on me to find out how I'm doing and if I'm still kicking."
Taylor's heart ached for Jack. "She was the love of your life?"
His eyes darkened and she knew he was remembering. "Oh, yes. Margaret made me a better man."
Curious, she leaned in closer wondering how they got together. "Tell me how you met her."
Tilting his head, he stared at Taylor. "You want to hear this or are you just being polite?"
"No, I'm not being polite. I enjoy hearing how people came together."
After her broken engagement and the fiasco of last night, she had doubts about walking down the aisle. Even after dancing naked around the Cupid statue. Not that she believed that nonsense. The time had come to put her childhood fantasies and dreams behind her and concentrate on the family business.
A chuckle rumbled from him as he glanced at her. "We met taking disco lessons."
Taylor couldn't stop herself. She started laughing. "No way. I don't know anyone who could disco dance."
"Yes. We were single, in college, and I didn't want to meet someone at a bar. My buddies convinced me to take a disco class. There was Margaret."
"Can you dance?"
He waved his hand at her like she was crazy and smiled. "Oh no. Years ago, I could, but not now."
"Tell me what happened? Did you ask her out right away?"
"No. We would practice in class and afterwards everyone would go to a club to practice the moves we learned. At the end of the course, I asked for her number so we could go dancing together. Years later, she told me she thought we were just going to be friends. From the very first night I laid eyeballs on her, I wanted to go out with her."
"How long did it take before you went out on a date?”
It was hard to imagine Jack being young and chasing after a woman. Sure, he'd lived in town her entire life, but Taylor never thought much about him and Margaret. They were just a couple her parents' age.
"On the night of the last class, we'd gone to the club. When she decided to leave, I offered to walk her to her car. As we said goodnight, I kissed her."
"Oh, you sly devil you, going in for the kill. What did she say?"
"She was stunned," he said with a grin. "Then she said, ‘Wait. Where are you living?’ Graduation was looming and eventually, I would return home to Cupid. But I had a few months, so I gave her the name of my dorm. We began to go out and things progressed from there."
"Wow...I can't believe you're a disco dancer."
"Want to see me do the Bus Stop?"
She laughed and noticed new customers had come in and she needed to inquire on the kitchen. "I would love to see you do the Bus Stop, but now, I better get back to work. Mom and Dad wouldn't appreciate it if they came back to a broke restaurant. Have a great day, Jack."
Laying his hand on hers, he patted the back. "Thanks for talking to me about my wife. I miss her so much. Our anniversary was yesterday. Someday I'll tell you how the Cupid statue brought us together."
Taylor froze in her tracks. The Cupid statue? That damn little man with a bow and arrow caused more trouble. Shaking her head, she couldn't conceive marriage would happen to her. Locating a good man was like finding gold in Texas. Hard to find. Maybe a husband wasn't for her.
Almost being arrested. That was more her cup of tea.
Chapter 3
Ryan took a bite of the chicken and the flavors flooded his mouth. The girl could cook. He took another taste and chewed slowly, savoring the spiciness of the salsa and cilantro. Glancing up, he noticed she watched him with a smile on her face.
"What do you think?"
"Your mother's cooking is good, but this chicken is better than anything I've ever tasted at this restaurant," he said, loving the way the dimmed lighting made her face appear soft, her brown eyes shone.
"Thanks," she said. "It's one of the recipes I want to add to the menu."
Staring at her, he couldn't help but wonder why she was still single after all these years. Sure, he'd dated Kelsey, but with her family situation, he'd quickly realized he would never be her man. Leaving for the military had been the opportunity to start fresh away from the watchful eyes of Kelsey's brothers.
"Tell me what happened with the ex," he said curious.
She gave a little laugh. "Simple. Lawmen cheat. What more do you want to know?"
"Well, I don't think you'd told me he was in law enforcement. I will agree there is a statistically higher rate of infidelity amongst officers, but that doesn't mean we all cheat. How did you learn he was having an affair?" he asked.
Giggling, she looked at him. "Easy. I came home from work early and found him and the girl he's now celebrating his honeymoon with having sex in our bed. We had been living together six months, saving money for our celebration of love. He got the wedding and I went to c
ulinary school."
Ryan stared at her, wondering if she was over her fiancé. "How long ago did you break up?"
"Almost a year. Actually, I'm over him if that's what you're asking. As far as I'm concerned, his new wife is the one who got the raw end of the deal."
"Why?"
Shaking her blonde hair, she sighed. "Now I question if he was cheating on a girl when he met me. I'm better off without him and it did give me the freedom to go back to school."
Taking another morsel of the moist succulent chicken with just a hint of spice, he asked, "Is that where you learned to be a chef?"
"Baking has been a love of mine for many years. So when Kevin and I split up, I took my portion of our ceremony money and used it to attend a cooking school. There, I was given the skills and knowledge I needed." She gazed around the family diner. "Someday I'll change up the menu."
Wistfulness shadowed her face. "Is that what you want to do?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I had been researching opening up my own restaurant in Dallas when my mother called me crying, begging me to come home."
"What was wrong?"
There were a few patrons left in the diner as she leaned in and whispered softly, "My father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. They've been planning on traveling the country for years and now they're running out of time. So I'm here and they aren't scheduled to return until next summer."
"Then why not go ahead and make the changes now? Give it a try while they're gone and if it doesn't work on the townsfolk, then you can go back to the old way."
"I considered it."
"Any woman strong enough to dance naked around a fountain in town should have no qualms about trying something new. Unless she's afraid she'll fail."
That was it. Hesitation crossed her face and he wanted to ease her mind. "Look, I'm no food expert, but this is the best meal I've had in months. If the items on your menu are as delicious as this salsa chicken, then you've got nothing to worry about."
Reaching out, he took her hand. "Hot and spicy cuisine, just what I desire. Would you go to the movies with me next week? We could drive into Fort Worth to see a movie and go to dinner."
Cupid Stupid: Return to Cupid, Texas Page 3