by Arlene James
“I’m about finished here,” she muttered, wringing out the cloth and hanging it on the edge of the sink behind her. She knew that look on Vincent’s face. The sooner they got out of there, the better.
“Take your time,” Zach said cheerfully. It seemed to her that his voice carried excessively well. “Thought I’d catch a plate of dinner before we go.”
Kylie felt her chances of getting out of the diner without the eruption of a major scene plummet. Erin stepped in to offer a quick solution.
“We’ve got some pot roast left. I can side it with potatoes, carrots and peas, but the hot rolls are gone. All I can offer is a couple slices of white bread to go with it.”
“Sounds great. Bring it on.”
She turned to the kitchen pass-through window, calling out, “Dish up those leftovers, boys, and side it with a couple slices of lily white.” Glancing at Kylie, she smiled and walked toward the cash register, saying, “Set him up with a cola, then you’re done for tonight.”
Kylie quickly filled a glass with ice and produced a bottle of Zach’s favorite beverage.
“Thanks,” he said, a relaxed smile on his handsome face. He smelled faintly of aftershave, and the smoothness of his jaw tempted Kylie to run her fingertips across his skin. “Why don’t you come around and take a seat?”
She shot a glance at Vincent’s table, aware of a deepening silence, but Zach’s gaze never wavered. Gerald slid a plate onto the service ledge and slapped the “order up” bell. Kylie took the plate and set it before Zach.
“Come on,” he said softly. “Keep me company while I eat, then we’ll walk over together.”
After a moment, she nodded and moved the length of the counter, slipping past Erin at the cash register. They exchanged loaded looks before Erin went back to organizing the cash drawer. Kylie sent up a silent prayer that Vincent would not start a fight.
Ignoring him as much as possible, Kylie walked around the end of the counter to the stool on the far side of Zach and climbed onto it. He picked up his fork, inhaled loudly and called out, “Most appetizing leftovers I’ve ever been served.”
“Thanks,” came a voice from the kitchen.
Zach dug in, humming his approval. Kylie knew that the dark, rich meat would literally fall apart in his mouth. He shoveled in several quick bites before Vincent suddenly appeared at his elbow. Zach never paused, just kept eating.
“You got a real taste for leftovers, don’t you?” Vincent sneered. He shot a venomous glare at Kylie, adding, “My leftovers especially.”
Zach frowned but did not look at Vincent. “Kylie is no one’s leftovers.”
Vincent ignored that. “You best get in line, lawman,” he prodded loudly. “I hear every single man in the county is sniffing around her.”
Kylie felt her cheeks heat and opened her mouth to say that her social life was none of Vincent’s business, but Zach’s hand landed heavily on her knee. She just barely managed not to jump, her tongue glued to the roof of her mouth.
“Is that so?” Zach asked conversationally.
Smirking at Kylie, Vincent named two men who worked with him at the mine. Each had asked Kylie out since she’d called off the wedding. She’d turned them down, sensing something not quite right about the invitations. Could Vincent have put them up to it? But why?
Zach took a bite of carrots, chewed and swallowed before turning his head to look at Vincent. “I’ve got a pretty good sniffer myself,” he said calmly, “and it tells me that you’ve been drinking.” Vincent backed up a step. “Folks can get arrested for drinking and causing trouble, you know. Am I going to have to arrest you, Vincent?”
“I’m not causing trouble,” Vincent declared.
“No? I sure hope not, but see, I get to be the judge of that. As of yet, I’m undecided, but I have to tell you, I don’t like the way you’re talking about the lady. Now, why don’t you sit down and leave us alone?”
Backing up another step, Vincent laughed. It came out as a harsh, mirthless sound that did not quite cover his nervousness. Though sober enough to realize that he might have made a misstep, Vincent remained too proud not to try to save face. Glancing at his buddies, he fixed his sneer and exclaimed, “She’s not the sweet little thing you think she is.”
Zach laid down his fork with great care and swiveled to the side. The tension instantly ratcheted up several notches. Quickly, Kylie grabbed the wrist of the hand on her knee in a silent plea. His shoulders heaved, but he kept his seat.
“I think you boys are ready to leave.”
He turned his head and stabbed a dark look at the two snickering miscreants with Vincent. They both leapt to their feet.
Vincent reeled toward the door, snarling, “Suits me!” He threw a fulminous challenge at Erin. “Your coffee don’t sit too well in my stomach. And neither does your clientele.”
“What a shame,” she chirped cheerfully. Les Clayton, Vincent’s first cousin, reached into his pocket for money, but Erin waved him away. “On the house.”
A tall, lanky fellow with thin, dark hair that hung in his narrow eyes, Les displayed little intelligence and a tendency to be easily led, like most of Vincent’s running buddies. When not playing the willing stooge for Vincent, whom he hero-worshipped, Les worked at the grocery store for minimum wage. He followed Vincent and the other man toward the door.
“I hope you’re walking,” Zach told Les sternly.
“Yes, sir. I—I mean, no, sir. That is, I’m the designated driver because Vincent says I don’t have a head for alcohol. Puts me right to sleep.”
“You’re wise to keep away from it,” Zach rumbled.
The fellow bobbed his head and rushed out. Only when the door closed behind them did Zach turn back to his plate. Kylie managed to release her grip on him, and he slowly took his hand away from her knee, reaching for his drink.
“Well, that was interesting,” Erin commented before going into the kitchen.
Kylie let out a silent sigh of relief. Beside her, Zach forked up a big bite of mushy, brown potatoes, but then he left it dangling there for a long moment.
“So,” he said, “you’re dating again.”
Kylie’s gaze jerked to the left, landing on his strong profile. “No, but I have been asked out.”
Zach ate the potatoes and reached for a slice of bread. Folding it, he mopped up some of the thick, dark gravy. “You were asked, but you didn’t accept.”
“That’s right.”
Zach stuffed the bread into his mouth, but he couldn’t hide that dimple in his cheek, the one that showed itself whenever he smiled. Was he pleased that she had turned down dates? Her heart speeding up just a little, Kylie decided to test that theory.
Hanging both elbows on the edge of the counter, she said smoothly, “I don’t want to jump into another relationship too quickly.”
His gaze dropped to his plate. Using his fork, he separated a chunk of meat from the mound on his plate. “Probably wise,” he said and went on eating.
Kylie slumped a little. Silly thing, she scolded herself. He’s not interested in you. He’s just ascertaining the facts. It’s part of his job.
Besides, he was right. She would undoubtedly be wise not to jump into another relationship too quickly. Very wise. And very…alone.
No, that was foolish. She was no more alone now than she’d ever been. She still had her family, even if Mariette would be going away to college soon.
Suddenly, life without her baby sister seemed oddly bleak. Who would keep her up half the night talking? Who would borrow her jeans and stain her tops, bounce on her bed in the mornings and confess innocent secrets? Who would compliment her and offer impulsive hugs? At least their parents would have to make fewer trips to town.
Zach pushed his now empty plate away and reached for a clean paper napkin to blot his mouth. “That was excellent. I’m ready to answer phones now. How about you?”
“I was ready ten minutes ago.”
He chuckled, got up and walked around t
o the cash register to pay. Erin came out of the kitchen to take his money while Kylie fetched her handbag from the back room. She met him at the front door, and they set off into the night. They crossed the street to the green then walked a diagonal line toward the church. Halfway there, he spoke.
“Something’s going on at the church tonight. Parking lot’s almost full.”
“Pizza supper for the youth group,” she said. “Mariette’s there. Dad dropped her off earlier.”
“Where’d they get the pizzas?” Zach wondered.
“In the freezer section of the grocery store. They bake them in the fellowship hall kitchen.”
“Ah.”
“They’ll be finished in another hour or so,” she said. “Poor Dad, he’ll have to run back in to get her and then come back after me later.”
“My offer to drive you home after our shift stands.”
“Really? You don’t mind?”
Zach stopped and parked his hands at his waist. Kylie came to a halt a step or two later and turned to look at him inquiringly. “How many times you want me to make this offer, Kylie? Three? Four? Half a dozen?”
“I—I just don’t want to take advantage of you, Zach.”
“If I thought you would be taking advantage, I wouldn’t have made the suggestion. Now, do you want the ride or not?”
“Yes. I do. Thank you.”
He started toward the church again, muttering, “Maybe those two men should have asked more than once. Is that how it goes with you? Never accept the first time?”
“No!” She hurried to catch up with him. “Why would you think that?”
He shrugged. “Vincent apparently asked you out for years before you agreed.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know why that was! Besides, I’d have been better off if I’d never accepted a date with him. But we’re not talking about dates. Are we?”
“Nope,” he said, looking straight ahead.
She tried very hard not to wish that they were. And failed miserably.
Chapter Six
They fielded two calls on the help line in the first hour. One came from an elderly gentleman who needed a ride to the county Social Security office the following week. The other involved a local grade school boy being bullied by another student. Zach took down all pertinent information and promised to take care of it.
When he hung up, Kylie asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to arrange a visit for the pastor and me with that boy who is bullying and his dad. Then I’m going to speak to that mother and show her son a thing or two about sticking up for himself. And then I might just speak to the principal. He has a responsibility to control this sort of stuff.”
Zach’s solution seemed perfect to Kylie. They spent the rest of the time talking. She learned that, as suspected, Zach had little affection for uniforms and that he’d like his better if it came with a cowboy hat.
“A cowboy hat! You surely weren’t wearing a cowboy hat down in Miami.”
“No, I wasn’t, but I’ve been known to wear a cowboy hat in the past. I grew up around here, after all. Been a long time, though. Too long.”
“We’ve got some hats at the Feed & Supply.” She chuckled, remembering the particular incident that had convinced her dad to stock a few hats in the store. “Keeps the local ranch hands from having to drive over the mountain if theirs accidentally winds up beneath the tires of a truck.”
Talk moved from subject to subject. Kylie told Zach about her apprenticeship and how much she enjoyed planning weddings. They talked about their respective childhoods. Hers had been idyllic. His had been fun but stressed with discord. His parents’ marriage hadn’t been particularly happy, and Zach had often been at odds with his father.
“We didn’t do many father-son things,” Zach told her. “Dad was too wrapped up in his brother Vern and answering their father’s beck and call. I guess that’s one reason I was never close to my grandfather. I felt like he kept my dad and uncle on a string, which he yanked often. It interfered with…everything else. After Lucy’s death, it all got worse. I couldn’t be in the same room with my father without an argument erupting. So, I stayed away. Then he died.”
They discussed the accident that had taken the lives of his father and uncle until Zach sighed and rubbed a hand over his face and head.
“I don’t know why I’m telling you these things. I never tell anyone these things.”
Kylie couldn’t help smiling. “Well, I’m glad you’ve told me.”
The happy cacophony of young voices told them that the youth meeting had broken up. Soon teenagers began filing past the office window in small groups.
Mariette came in to say hello. Kylie got up and went around the table to hug her sister. Kylie introduced Mariette to Zach then turned red when Mariette waggled her eyebrows and remarked, “He’s a lot better looking than old Diggers.”
Seeing that she’d embarrassed her sister, Mariette patted Kylie’s shoulder but made matters worse by declaring, “Of course, that’s not saying much.”
Zach snorted with barely suppressed laughter.
“Oh! I mean, well, Diggers is…not fat. Exactly. And you…” She waved a hand at Zach. “You’re absolutely… Okay, I’m shutting up now.”
Just then, Jasmine stuck her head in the door. “Mariette, your dad’s out front. Hi, Zach.”
“Hi, Jasmine.”
“Thanks, Jas,” Mariette said as the other girl disappeared again. Mariette smiled apologetically at Kylie. “Not a moment too soon, huh?”
“More like five minutes too late!” Kylie shot back, laughing.
“I’m sorry. Me and my big mouth.” She grinned at Zach and said, “But he is cute.”
“Just tell Dad that he doesn’t have to come back into town tonight,” Kylie instructed, taking her sister by the shoulders and turning her toward the door.
“How will you get home?” Mariette asked.
“I, uh, have a ride.”
Mariette turned in the doorway and slid a speculative look over Zach, who smiled and said, “She has a ride.”
“O-h-h-h.” She winked. “Thanks.”
“No, thank you,” Zach said.
Mariette giggled, pulled a face at Kylie and bounced away. Kylie groaned.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, no complaints. I’m the cute one. Cuter than Diggers, anyway.”
Kylie laughed. “You certainly are. Cuter than Diggers, that is.”
“Ouch.”
Suddenly Jasmine returned—and not alone. “Zach, can I introduce you to someone?”
Zach slouched back in his chair. “Sure.” He looked the young man with her up and down. “You must be Cade. You were a child last time I saw you.”
Dark-blond hair and soulful brown eyes enhanced Cade’s muscular build. “Yes, sir.” Coming forward, he put out his hand with quiet, polite self-assurance. “Pleased to meet you.”
Zach took his time leaning in and reaching out to clasp palms. Jasmine hurried to cover the awkward silence, saying shyly to Kylie, “I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but I thought your wedding, that is, almost wedding, was just lovely.”
Kylie couldn’t help feeling pleased. “Why, thank you.”
Tall and slender with long, straight, brown hair and vibrant blue eyes, Jasmine was a particularly striking girl. She quickly warmed to the subject of weddings. “The decorations you used were so beautiful. I would never have thought of making garlands from tree leaves and grasses.”
“Well, when you don’t have much money…” Kylie began.
“I know. That’s why I was wondering…” Jasmine stepped closer, her hands twisting together. “Would you mind…” She cast a glance at Cade, who smiled and nodded encouragingly. “Do you think you could help me plan our wedding? It’s scheduled for December, so we have some time. What we don’t have is much money, but Mariette says you’re a genius at figuring out ways to do things inexpensively. We could always elope, but I figure we’re o
nly going to do this once, you know? It ought to be as special as we can make it. I could really use some tips on how to do that.”
“That sounds like fun,” Kylie said, smiling.
“Hold on a minute,” Zach said, rising slowly to his feet. “What does Arabella have to say about this?”
Jasmine faced him with perfect aplomb. “Arabella is very stressed out right now, trying to keep the house going on her own since Grandpa George passed.”
“That’s not what I mean, and I think you know it,” Zach said softly, folding his arms.
Jasmine shook her hands in a gesture of frustration. “She thinks I’m too young to be planning a wedding or anything else. Okay? But I’m not, and I’m going to prove it to her.” Her gaze zipped back to Kylie. “You’ll help me do that. Right?”
Kylie glanced at Zach. He frowned darkly, but planning a wedding didn’t mean it would take place. She was walking proof of that fact. Besides, she didn’t have the heart to turn down Jasmine’s request. “I’ll help you.”
“Great!” Jasmine bounced on her toes and clapped her hands, ecstatic.
Beside her, Cade beamed, too. Kylie had noticed that whatever made Jasmine happy made Cade happy too. She hoped Zach could see that, but if he did, it didn’t seem to matter.
“You two are bright enough to realize that marriage is tough in the best of circumstances,” he lectured sourly.
“Yes, sir,” Cade admitted. “But sometimes marriage is definitely the best option. At least that’s how I read Scripture anyway.”
“We’ve discussed our options,” Jasmine said, reaching blindly for Cade’s hand. His met hers unerringly, like two magnets unable to resist the pull of the other. “And marriage is our only alternative. We can’t live with anything else.”
“And won’t settle for anything less,” Cade added quietly.
Dropping his arms and shaking his head, Zach seemed as frustrated as Jasmine. “How do your father, grandfather and Jack feel about the engagement, Cade? I can’t believe they’re pleased.”