by Keri Ford
And then he’d leave and she wasn’t quite finished with him yet. In her opinion, they were just getting started. “How about something to eat while we get you figured out?”
His lips parted for a moment then he shrugged. “That sounds great actually. You have anything for lunch?”
She could get him anything he wanted. “You bet.” She saw him to a table where she plucked a menu from between the salt and pepper shakers and placed it in front of him on the lunch side. “Where are you from?”
“North Carolina.” He eased on a chair.
“You’re a long way from home.” She rested against the worn table. It was as at least as old as her, but like everything else in the old diner, locals would lose their shit if the owner changed a single thing.
“I’m making a delivery for Trent Iverson. We’re old friends.”
Ooh, maybe the dreams of the single women in Apple Trail were finally coming true. The boys had friends visiting. “You stopped at the right place. Trent’s in the back. Do you need him?”
He blinked at her. “He’s here?”
“Yeah.” The guy practically moved into the diner the moment he set his eye on the owner. Course, Trent would deny it started that way, but he wasn’t fooling Carla. “His wife owns this place. I’ll get him for you. Did you still want to order?”
He handed the menu up. “Just a cheeseburger and fries, please.”
“Everything on the burger?”
“Sure.”
She wrote it down. “And your name?”
“Tom Lange.”
“Mine is Carla. And I’m going to write my phone number on your receipt.”
His brows pulled together. “I’m not sure I’m going to be in long enough for all that.”
That was a shame. She tapped him with the menu. “Then I won’t waste time making room for a toothbrush on my bathroom counter.”
He blinked at her, leaned back on the chair, and hooked an arm over the top of the one next to him. “Well all right then.”
She wasn’t hearing a no and that kept a smile on her face. “I’ll tell Trent you’re here and get started on this.”
Even his name was amazing. Tom Lange. He sounded like something fantastic. Probably didn’t have a single short-coming about him. She headed to the back, passing by the offices first.
Her boss’s door was cracked, the official signal that it was okay to pop in, and Carla leaned in the doorway. Her boss was laughing. Tonya’s cheeks glowed pink and a sparkle lit Trent’s gaze as he stared at his wife. This was the fairy tale Carla wanted. There was something undeniably attractive about watching the pair together. They were just so ridiculously in love that Carla was equally jealous and happy.
“There’s a Tom Lange here.”
Trent brightened. “Tommy’s here? I wasn’t expecting him for another hour.”
She didn’t see the Tom Lange she just met answering to Tommy. It was too child-like and there was nothing about that man that in any way resembled something of a child. Trent was up, passing her at the door at Tonya’s groans. “Boys and their toys.”
“What are they doing?”
“Restoring an old car. Tommy owns a junk yard and had the bones to what they need. Really good bones, is the story I got.”
Carla chuckled. She knew that tone. “So probably a piece of junk?”
“More than likely, but they’re all ridiculously thrilled over it. Flora is in the middle of it too. On the upside, the boys are going to be so wrapped up in this, they’re not going to be paying attention when we bring in goats, a dog, chickens, and a coop.”
Oh gosh. It was about to get interesting, not that Trent would ever deny Tonya a thing she really wanted, but he had been resisting the chickens. And the goats and other livestock suggestions. Carla flashed Tom’s ticket for lunch. “He wanted something to eat. Let me get this on.”
Carla tossed his burger on the grill, dropped the fries in the grease and failed at spying on Tom. The diner just wasn’t arranged so she could discreetly eavesdrop. The kitchens were behind a closed set of double-doors. The dining room was one large open room that was currently, otherwise empty, leaving her no reason to linger around their table.
Seriously, was he dating anyone? Engaged? There hadn’t been a ring, but it wasn’t uncommon for men in certain careers to not wear a ring. She pulled the burger together. Unlikely that he would be talking about women with Trent anyway, but still this was a legit question here.
Was he single?
With a follow up, was he interested in company? She grabbed his plate, glass of tea, and unloaded the items at their table. The boys never stopped talking shop the entire time she was there. It was talk of cars and trucks.
She pushed back through the kitchen doors and found Tonya peeking through the small and foggy round window overlooking the dining room. “What are they talking about?”
“Trucks.” Carla swiped his meal ticket off the strip to take to the register. It also gave her an excuse to go back, but Tonya pointed at it.
“I’ll get that.”
“I can’t give him my number if I don’t give him a receipt.”
Tonya laughed. “Go ahead then.”
“Is he single?” Carla jotted her number down across the bottom.
“No idea.” Tonya peeled herself away from the port-hole sized window.
“How long is he in town for?”
“No idea on that one either.”
Carla collapsed with an exaggerated slump. “You’re not a very good source.”
“Best I can tell you is he’ll be around for the afternoon and Trent will have him at the house most of the evening. On the upside he’ll be mostly surrounded by married women if he stays the night.” Tonya’s grin broadened. “And once me and the girls have him cornered, I’ll get all the details you want.”
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More From Keri Ford
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Fairy Tales in a Small Town Series
Let Down Your Heart (Fairy Tales In A Small Town, 1)
His Little Lanie (Fairy Tales In A Small Town, 2)
Mine ‘Til Midnight (Fairy Tales In A Small Town, 3)
Turtle Pine Series
Cupcakes And Crushes
Tequila And Tingles
Exes And Emotions
The Apple Trail Novellas
Through The Wall
On The Fence
In The Hay
Making Her Nights
Satisfying Her Tastes
Chasing Her Trail
Be sure to check out my spin-off from Apple Trail, The Roughnecks
Rough Ride
Rough Play
Rough Tumble
Rough Trouble
If you’re interested in something a little longer, look into my Chester Farms/Bella Warren series
All I Want Is You (A Chester Farms/Bella Warren Novella, 1)
Never Stopped Loving You (A Chester Farms/Bella Warren Novel, 1)
Just Want Someone To Love (A Chester Farms/Bella Warren Novel, 2)
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About The Author
Keri Ford brings sexy contemporary romance to the American South. With a sprinkling of men in suits and women in high heels, you’ll most likely find four-wheeler riding, ball cap wearing fellas trying to sweet-talk sundress wearing ladies in Keri’s books. Raised in the country in South Arkansas, Keri shares this flavor of life in her books. Glass of sweet tea at your elbow while you read is not required, but strongly recommended.
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His Little Lanie
Copyright May 2017, Keri Ford
Cover Art Design & Cover Art Image by The Killion Group
; Edits by Linda at Victory Editing
www.KeriFord.com
All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work, in whole or part, in any form is illegal without written permission of the author, Keri Ford.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, settings, names, and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination and bear no resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, places or settings, and/or occurrences. Any incidences of resemblance are purely coincidental.