perfect,” Adam said. “How can I repay Mazie for her generosity?”
“Don’t break her heart, that’s how you can repay me.” Adam jumped. A woman in her late twenties stood in the doorway, rivaling Bridgett in height. “I’m Mazie Lawson and welcome to my Bed & Biscuit.”
Bridgett gave Mazie a meaningful look. “I apologize for my overly cautious friend.”
Adam extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you and thank you for making room for me.” Adam wasn’t sure what he’d expected Mazie to look like, but he’d figured she would’ve been more than twenty or thirty years older.
“Well, I need to finish preparing dinner. We’re eating at six-thirty. Bridgett, would you mind stopping by Bridle Dance to pick up a sack of pecans Kay has for me? You can take my car. I ran short and I’m determined to win the pie contest this weekend. I won’t allow Maggie Dalton to take the blue ribbon fifteen years in a row. And I do wish you’d reconsider not dropping out of the competition. You had your heart set on entering.”
Bridgett shook her head. “I’d never beat you or Maggie, anyway,” Bridgett said, laughing. “Maggie and Mazie...the two pie queens of Ramblewood. Let me guess. You’re going to remain in this house, miss the majority of the festival and bake pies until the contest on Sunday afternoon.” Bridgett turned her attention to Adam. “The Magpie was a bakery before it became a luncheonette. Miss Parisian Le Cordon Bleu here is jealous that she hasn’t been able to beat a woman who made a career out of pies and cakes.”
“The Le Cordon Bleu?” Adam asked. “I’m impressed.”
“As you should be, mon cher,” Mazie said in a horribly Americanized French accent before turning to leave. “I must cook. Au revoir!”
“I’ll head out to the ranch in a bit,” she called after Mazie. Bridgett faced Adam. She shifted from one foot to the other and then scanned the room. An awkward silence filled the air as she flicked her thumb under her index finger repeatedly. Adam wondered if she’d just realized they were alone together. “I need to shower away the luncheonette.” She inched back toward the hallway. “Would you care to join me—I mean drive out to the ranch with me?”
“Sure, I’d love to see more of your town.” Adam’s mind veered off in a whole other direction as he envisioned her showering. “Do you live here, too?”
“Temporarily,” Bridgett said. “It’s a long story. I’ll meet you downstairs in thirty.”
Adam waited until he heard Bridgett’s footsteps fade away before he stuck his head into the hallway. A door closed at the opposite end. Ducking back inside his room, he relaxed against the wall and closed his eyes, amazed how things could change overnight. He had decided to alter his life when he’d left his sister’s earlier. A few hours later, a fresh start had fallen into his lap.
* * *
BRIDGETT SWORE SHE’D never taken a faster shower. She attempted to blow her hair out, cursing its thickness. Getting it to a half-way decent point, she reached for her cosmetics bag. The no-makeup look took more of an effort than simply slapping on blush and lipstick.
Almost mid-October and the weather was still on the warm side during the day. The nights brought about a welcoming chill after the scorching summer they’d had. Jeans, a form-fitting tank with a loose white sleeveless linen shirt over it and her favorite inlaid-heart cowboy boots comprised her first-date outfit.
First date? What a delirious thought! A quick run to Bridle Dance for pecans did not constitute a date. An outing maybe. Bridgett slipped her long silver-and-jade pendant necklace around her neck, took one last glance in the mirror and reminded herself to descend the stairs slowly or else she’d end up riding them on her butt. Mazie still hadn’t replaced the runner they’d torn out due to a pet guest destroying it a week earlier.
After she said a quick goodbye to Mazie and Janie, Bridgett stepped out onto the front porch.
“Did you even try?” Adam stood near the wrought-iron gate leading to the street, his cell phone to his ear. “Okay, I’m sorry, but you need to understand where I’m coming from, too.”
Bridgett knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but curiosity got the best of her. Not wanting to be seen, she slipped back into the house, listening through the screen. She managed to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation as Adam paced the width of the front yard.
“Lizzy, look at it from my side. This wasn’t what I wanted, either.”
Lizzy? Could he be married or involved with someone? She hadn’t thought to ask. And, why had he been on the interstate driving past Ramblewood? Was he heading to or from home?
Bridgett chewed on the inside of her cheek. How could she be so naive? He could be an ax murderer for all she knew. And here she’d invited him to stay a few feet away from her bedroom. Bridgett covered her face with her hands, debating what to do next.
Take a risk. That’s what Abby would do. Her sister had driven all the way to Texas on a hunch, and it had changed her life. Pushing back her shoulders, Bridgett flung open the door just as Adam reached for the handle. Startled, they both laughed.
“Do you want me to drive?”
“Are you married?”
They both spoke at the same time. Adam tilted his head to one side. “Married? No, I’m not married, dating or otherwise attached. You?” Adam asked. “It’s not why you’re living here, is it? Fight with your husband?”
“No, I haven’t been lucky in the love department.” Bridgett’s toes curled in her boots at the mention of his single status. “The last real date I had was—” Bridgett cut her own sentence short before she embarrassed herself. “Sure, you can drive.”
“You look great, by the way,” Adam said from behind her. “I like your hair down.”
“Thank you.” It wasn’t the first time she’d ever been complimented, but coming from him it meant more somehow.
* * *
THE CAB OF his truck quickly filled with an exotic floral scent when Bridgett climbed in beside him. Adam hoped wherever they headed would take a while. He enjoyed having her to himself, although he’d enjoy it more if his tongue would connect with his brain. Known for usually saying too much, Adam struggled to find ways to keep the conversation going. There was so much about his life he had to hide that it was hard to find a safe topic of conversation. He wondered if Bridgett even listened to his music. Her boots screamed country but he detected a slight edginess waiting to break free. Besides, some of his ballads had actually crossed over to the country stations.
Bridgett directed him where to turn, pointing out various places in town. The freedom associated with driving down rural roads, without traffic, smog and constant noise reminded him of his early twenties, before his world had changed. Wanting to enjoy that freedom, he hadn’t turned on the radio since he’d left Lizzy’s and unless he was using his cell phone, he kept it off, as well. His voice mail was probably full and he couldn’t care less. Adam wanted to remove himself from that world and embrace a simpler life.
“Where were you headed to when you stumbled upon Ramblewood?” Bridgett asked.
“Promise
