then, she did and her gaze came unerringly to his.
She was everything he had expected and nothing like he had imagined. Those blue eyes he recognized. Blue like…he didn’t even know…simply a brilliant, clear blue like an inviting deep lake he’d love to dive into. Her skin was paler than he had envisioned, liberally sprinkled with freckles. Then she smiled, and the regular features of her face became…lovely. The word lingered, surprising him. He’d always liked hot women, gorgeous women, easy women. Lovely had never been part of the picture.
In his old life, he wouldn’t have given Léa’s even, pleasant features a second glance. Back then, he’d had a shallow, beautiful woman who had fit his shallow life. So much had changed since that time, and even though he had the memories, he no longer recognized…or liked…the man he had once been.
Zach knew he was staring, but he couldn’t pull his gaze away from Léa’s.
“Hi,” she said, her voice barely audible through the din of other conversation and the country music playing in the background. “I’m glad you made it.”
Before he could answer, the waitress pinned more orders on the rack above the opening. Léa waved, her attention returning to her work. The country music moved into a tune about a guy falling in love as soon as she said hello, the melody winding its way into Zach’s chest. That thought was not only uncomfortable but, in his experience, unlikely.
He sipped his coffee, dividing his attention between her and the other patrons. The dining room seated maybe twenty-five, including the half-dozen stools at the counter where Zach sat. The blonde, whose name was evidently Kim, seemed to know most everyone by name. A couple people caught his glance as he looked around, their expressions filled with nothing more than minor curiosity. He tipped his head in acknowledgment and returned his attention to his coffee.
Less than five minutes after he sat down, Kim slid a plate in front of him. Beautiful Mornin’ turned out to be baked French toast slathered with hot apples, and on the side, a couple links of sausage and perfectly fried bacon. His mouth immediately watered.
For too long, food had simply been fuel for his body, something to appease hunger and nothing to be enjoyed. His first impulse was to wolf down his breakfast. His second, stronger impulse was simply to savor how the plate looked and to absorb the aroma which reminded him of a more innocent time and of having breakfast with his aunt Sadie. Beautiful Mornin’ was an apt name.
Kim refilled his coffee, then said, “Haven’t seen you in here before. Are you one of the roughnecks working the oil rigs west of here?”
“I’m Sadie Graff’s nephew.” He cut into the toast, releasing a wisp of fragrant steam. “Zach MacKenzie.”
She beamed, calling over her shoulder, “Hey, Léa, your new neighbor is out here,” then adding in a softer voice, “Sadie has been talking about her favorite nephew for weeks—and what a relief it was for her to have you looking after those pet cows of hers so she could take her trip. Nice to meet you. Have you heard from her yet?”
He nodded, taking a moment to savor the flavor of the toast before swallowing it. For a bare second he imagined the lack of censure in Kim’s voice would be permanent—that it wouldn’t change after she found out he was an ex-con. “She called this morning after she landed in Paris.”
“Ooh la la,” Kim said. “Hope she takes lots of pictures.”
“I’m sure she will,” Zach said, not quite comfortable with the way Kim’s interest had caused a couple other people to look at him. Now that he was the focus of attention, he remembered the summers he had spent here as a kid and how everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business.
Kim moved away, and he turned his full attention to his breakfast, each bite delicious. He was nearly finished when the bell above the door jangled, and a couple cops came in.
“Hey, Foley. Merle,” Kim said to them. “You guys are late. Busy busting speeders this morning?”
“No more than the usual,” one of them said, sitting on a stool near Zach.
The other cop, a wiry guy with short sandy hair, came around the end of the counter and went into the kitchen. A second later he appeared through the opening, an arm draped over Léa’s shoulder. “Hey, baby,” he said, his voice easily carrying into the dining room, and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Will you marry me?”
“Same answer as yesterday. No.” She slipped out from under his arm, everything in her body language suggesting she didn’t want the man touching her.
Zach studied him, figuring this might be her ex-husband—he had the right build to be the guy who had been trying to seem sober last night.
“Get out of here so I can work,” she added, a tight smile not quite taking the sting out of her words.
The cop faced the window with a smile and a shrug, his gaze locking with Zach’s. The man gave Léa another squeeze before coming back to the dining room. He stopped next to Zach.
“You Sadie’s nephew?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Zach wiped his hand on his napkin, then offered it. “Zach MacKenzie.”
“Foley Blue,” the cop said, shaking his hand. He nodded toward the kitchen. “That’s my wife.”
“Ex-wife,” Léa called.
He shrugged again. “Say the word, baby, and I’ll even get down on one knee.” His voice was loud enough to be heard by anyone in the dining room.
“And the answer will still be no,” Léa called from the kitchen, which made a couple of the diners laugh.
“You just keep working on her, Foley,” an old guy at a table with a couple other men said. “She’ll come around. Sooner or later, they always do.”
“Never say die,” Foley replied, earning yet another laugh as he sat on the stool next to Zach.
“Even if the lady has already said no?” Zach asked calmly, not liking that the jokes and laughter were at Léa’s expense. The one thing that had been drummed into him from the time he’d started to even notice girls was that when a lady said no she meant no.
Foley’s smile stayed in place when he turned around to meet Zach’s gaze. “Ever been married, MacKenzie?”
Zach shook his head.
“Then you can’t possibly know what it feels like to watch your marriage crumble into ashes.” Foley glanced toward the opening to the kitchen. “The vows said until death do us part.”
The words should not have sounded like a threat, but somehow they did. Tempted as Zach was to add that the vows also said to love, honor and cherish, he didn’t. Instead, he took a sip of his coffee and deliberately let his gaze slide away from Foley’s challenging one.
“Hey, baby,” Foley called to Léa. “Rustle me up a special.”
“We’re out,” she said.
“Zach here got the last one,” Kim said, appearing in front of the two cops with mugs and coffee.
“You don’t
