“That’s correct. Sage just got hired by Gregor.”
“Maxine, who are you talking to?”
She hung up quickly and smiled.
“Martha. I was, uh, just gettin’ an update on Cowboy.”
“On the bear?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m confused again. Is he hurt or something?”
“A little bent, but not broken. He’ll be right as rain once he settles with the right female.”
“Well, is Mia bringing in a female from someplace else?”
“Nope, the one he wants is already here.”
“Then what’s the holdup?”
“Cowboy is stubborn. Like my Max.”
“Must be in the water around here,” I grumbled. Stubborn as a mule was a phrase I’d thought when arguing with Shane.
Maxine got out of her Jeep and turned in a circle, looking up and down the street. “I think we should start with Smith’s.”
“Is that the grocery store?”
“Yeah.”
“Won’t the food spoil while you’re running your other errands?”
Maxine looked puzzled for a moment, then nodded. She turned and looked up the street again, and it was then I was sure she was having memory problems.
“Did you bring your list?”
“List?”
“Of what you needed to pick up.”
Her phone rang before she could reply. She held up a finger, answered, listened for a second, and then mumbled, “Right, thanks.”
“More news on Cowboy?” I asked.
“Not exactly,” she replied. “Let’s start with the lumber yard,” she stated with enthusiasm then turned and headed down the street.
Trails End Lumber was also the local hardware store. When we entered, Maxine said she needed a new ax so we headed off down a narrow aisle. She kept looking up one end and down the other, mumbling, “Not this one,” until she stopped and said, “Here we are.” I rounded the corner and saw a good-looking man stocking screwdrivers just ahead. When we reached him, Maxine stopped.
“Jonah, meet Sage. She just got to town and she’s single,” she stated with no lead-in.
“Is that so?” he asked as a slow grin pulled across his mouth.
“You two talk while I get an ax,” Maxine ordered then disappeared around the corner.
“Um, hi.”
“Hi.”
“You work here I take it?”
“I do.”
“Great . . . “
Stimulating conversation.
“You want to have dinner sometime?”
Oh, dear lord.
“Oh, um, that’s very kind of you, but I—”
I stopped talking when Jonah’s attention shot over my shoulder and the air around us began to hum with energy. I started to turn, but a deep voice filled with anger stopped me.
“When you’re done askin’ out the new girl, can you get me those blades Max ordered?”
I turned slowly and looked up. Shane was glaring, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he stared Jonah down. Jonah must have felt the anger rolling off Shane in waves because he turned quickly and headed toward the back. Then Shane directed his attention to me.
“Hi,” I squeaked out. The last time he’d been this close he’d kissed me.
“Hey,” he answered, still scowling.
“Fancy bumping into you,” I stupidly, stupidly said.
“Small town, it’s gonna happen,” he gruffed out.
I made the mistake of looking at his lips when he spoke and felt the warm burn of blush run up my neck at the memory of what that mouth felt like against mine. When silence passed between us, I looked up and saw the same hungry look on his face I’d seen the night before, and took a step closer.
“Shane,” I whispered, raising my hand to his arm.
He stepped back before I could touch him and muttered, “Excuse me,” walking away without another word.
I followed him with my eyes until he turned the corner and disappeared. Maxine walked up, scowling as well, and grumbled, “Worse.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothin’. They don’t have the ax I wanted, so let’s leave.”
I turned and looked over my shoulder in the direction Shane had gone, hoping for one more glimpse of the man. He was nowhere to be seen. I turned back and nodded. “Where to next?”
“My guess would be the post office.”
“All right, let’s go to the post office.”
“Though, it could be Smith’s,” she muttered, gazing off into the distance. “Give me a second to think.”
“No rush,” I quickly answered. While I waited, I made a mental note to ask Mia if Maxine often lost track of what she was doing.
“Post office,” Maxine finally decided, so I followed her to the door.