Her startled smile punched awareness through him. It turned her solemn, thoughtful expression into something fresh and sunny. A man could appreciate a smile like that.
But he put thoughts of the new girl out of his mind as he left the café and crossed the street. He knew the route to his ranch like the back of his hand and was eager to see it again.
***
Sheri took a fast drink of her cold coffee to cover the hiccups that shot through her when the rugged stranger stared right at her. Holy hell in a hand basket.
Her gaze tracked him as he left the café and crossed the street. The jeans he wore hadn’t been spray painted on his ass, but they definitely gave her a great visual of hard muscle and male confidence. He walked like he owned the town, but without any hint of pretentious air. That was a man who belonged in Freewill. She didn’t know who he was. She thought after six months she’d met most of the locals, but she would have remembered him.
“A.J. Turner.” Bea poured fresh coffee into her cup, heating it up.
Sheri spent nearly every morning at the café reading before she walked one block down to open the library. Trading her job as a corporate executive at a Fortune 500 company to be a small-town librarian didn’t suggest upward trajectory, but the town of Freewill healed that broken empty place inside left by her ex-husband’s series of affairs.
“The war hero?” She blinked and glanced back at the window, but he’d already disappeared.
“One and the same. Boy hasn’t been home since he left and didn’t tell anyone he was coming back either.” Bea clucked her tongue and wrote out the check. The café preferred the old pen and paper method, and since Sheri ate fruit and drank coffee every morning, the price was always the same.
“What branch did he serve in again?” Curious, she glanced at the waitress. Bea had been born, married, gave birth to her children, and buried her husband in Freewill. The town fixture wasn’t going anywhere. She also took Sheri under her wing from the day she arrived, treating her like an old friend—or a daughter.
“Marines, honey. That young man is definitely one of Freewill’s proudest.” She winked and went back to work.
A Marine. A tremor raced over her and her stomach seemed to bottom out.
The message waiting in her email that morning from Madame Eve made so much more sense. Biting her lip, she strained to look down the street. She wished she’d paid closer attention to him when he walked in, but she only got one good glimpse at his face when he turned and caught her staring.
Her cheeks heated at the memory. He’d caught her attention the moment he entered the café. She hadn’t missed the corded muscle in his arms, tense and well defined even as he drank a cup of coffee. The man was gorgeous and wore his masculinity like a second skin.
But his smile.
Her heart squeezed. The polite smile creasing his rugged face transformed him from handsome to a full-blown heartthrob. Her body hummed in reaction. To a smile.
Wow. He just got home, Sheri. Dial down the hormones. Not even a mental lecture could dilute the man’s effect. She closed her book and counted out a few bills to pay the check. Waving to Bea and Bud, she headed out. An hour until the library opened, but she wanted to use the computer to answer Madame Eve’s email.
Ms. Vaughn,
After careful consideration and research, your request for a 1Night Stand has been approved and a match to your specific requirements identified. Please respond via email if you are still interested.
That was it. No signature, no ‘be well,’ no phone number to call and ask the woman questions. She’d applied to the dating service with an exceptionally specific list of requirements.
Exceptionally.
In fact, so specific Sheri thought no one could fulfill them. Her keys trembled in her hand as she unlocked the door and let herself into the quiet, one floor building. Her office and the front desk sat right next to the door. The stacks were quiet and dark with about twenty-five rows curving around the corner desk. She booted up the computer and set her purse, keys, and book next to it.
“C’mon,” she urged it. The machine connected with the speed of a 300-baud modem. The slower pace didn’t usually aggravate her. Logging in, she opened a webpage and typed in her email info. Three minutes later, she read the note from Madame Eve again.
It still asked her if she was interested. Clicking the mail above it, she reviewed her application.
I am looking for a unique man, one who is both hero and hometown. He must be honorable, courageous, and forthright in his activities. He must be single. It’s okay if he is divorced, but not if the divorce was his fault. No adulterers need apply. He should have served his country as a Marine, but be a cowboy at heart. This is the man I want to spend a one-night stand with.