hard.
She ignored the fact that the moment when she’d put her hand over his fifteen years ago remained one of her most vivid memories. Ignored the fact that that probably meant tonight would be burned into her brain forever.
Because there was no point in dwelling on Jake Caldwell. None at all.
JAKE WAS SO caught up in the hell that had been his day that it wasn’t until he was inside the coffee shop and in front of the counter, that he remembered.
Then, as his eyes connected with Cassie’s, it all came flooding back.
His shower, and exactly what had gone through his mind when he’d jerked off in what had proven to be a futile effort to get sex off his brain. All he’d wanted was a little relief, but inescapably that moment when her fingers had brushed his hand kept playing through his mind, and then he would picture her face. But not looking uneasy, or blank and carefully professional as she usually did. No, he’d imagined her brown eyes clouded with desire, her full lips pink and swollen. Her dark hair out of its usual ponytail, and spread out over his pillow.
Yeah, he’d pictured that. And now he was standing in front of her in The Grind, those images intermingling with reality. It was official, this place regressed him. He needed to get out. If hours up to his elbows in mud and sheep shit hadn’t proven that, his reaction to her certainly did.
He turned his head at the sound of the bell above the door. A man in a uniform whom he recognized from high school as Eli Garrett walked in. Eli was as clean-cut as ever, tall, dark-haired and smiling. Also fully able to beat the ever-loving shit out of someone should the need arise, Jake had no doubt.
Anyone in a law-enforcement field tended to make Jake nervous. Even though he hadn’t been arrested since high school. And even then, no charges had ever been formally filed.
He deserved it, at least in one case. Stealing money out of the register of the farm and garden where he worked had been pretty low. Especially considering how nice the owners had been. But while he’d been cuffed and taken down to the station, in the end the owners had said there must’ve been some mistake. A little scaring him straight combined with some mercy he knew he hadn’t deserved.
Cassie looked past Jake and smiled. That was not a smile he’d ever seen directed at him and he found himself feeling annoyed that the other man was on the receiving end of it. “Hi, Deputy Garrett. The usual?”
“Yes, Cassie, thank you.”
“Of course. Deputy Garrett, do you remember Jake from high school?”
Great. Now he had to be friendly. He took a breath and turned so that he was facing Eli, then held out his hand. “Jake Caldwell. Back in town for a bit.” He didn’t need to be intimidated. And he didn’t need to stand there feeling ashamed of who he’d been.
“Yeah,” Eli said before accepting Jake’s offered hand and shaking it firmly. “I remember you.”
“That might not be a good thing.”
“Do any of us really want to be remembered for who we were in high school?”
That was a bit more kindness then Jake expected. “I don’t guess.”
“So, what brings you back into town? Moving home?”
Jake bristled at the description of Copper Ridge as home. “My dad died. He left me his estate. I’m just back to get the ranch and things into shape before I put it on the market.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It wasn’t unexpected.” Which was sort of an odd response, but he wasn’t going to stand around and pretend to be grieving. Not considering that he hadn’t even seen his father once in the fifteen years since he left. No one was more surprised than he was that the old man had left him the place.
He nearly snorted. The place and all the shit in it. Junk on the front lawn, stacks of paperwork he would need six months to get through.
“Even so,” Eli said, “sorry to hear it.” Cassie handed a cup of coffee back to him and Eli handed her a five dollar bill before nodding once. “See you around.” He turned and walked away.
“You make a practice of serving customers in front of the line last?” Jake asked, directing the question a Cassie.
“No, it’s just that Deputy Garrett is a busy man.”
“You don’t think I’m a busy man?”
Color flooded her cheeks, and he couldn’t deny that he took a small amount of pleasure in having rattled her. “I’m sure you are. Speaking of busy, you must want your muffin.”
“I would. I would like my muffin.” He didn’t really care about the muffin.
“And your coffee?”
“You can’t eat a muffin without a coffee. I’m not a barbarian.”
“No, I daresay you aren’t. In fact, a lot of people would say muffins are quite civilized. Not really a manly food.”
“Muffins aren’t manly?”
“Well, I don’t get a lot of men in here ordering them.”
“Well, screw that. Muffins are delicious.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Fair point. Delicious blueberry or delicious chocolate?”
“Do you even have to ask? If there’s chocolate, the answer is always chocolate.” Other than securing the rental of the apartment this was the most talking they’d done since he’d come back.
“On that we can agree.” This time, she put both the muffin and the coffee on the counter, rather than handing either directly to him. He was weirdly disappointed by that.
“Since you didn’t drop the muffin, I insist on paying for it today.”
“I suppose I won’t argue with you on that either.”
“Still cash only?” he asked, tugging his wallet out of his pocket. She was not the only business in Copper Ridge that didn’t take debit or credit yet.
“Yeah, for now. I’m getting one of those things for your phone that lets you take credit payment, but I haven’t done it yet.”
“How long have you had this place open?”
“Two years.”
Which explained what seemed to be a bare-bones staff and the very late nights she put in. All the hallmarks of a business that was still trying to get on its feet. “Well, good for you. It’s a lot of work running a business.”
“Do you run one?”
“Not really. I manage one. But I don’t own it. The owner is a friend of mine, and he’s semi-retired.” He’d be all retired soon, and Jake was poised to take over. If he could shake off the bonds that held him here.
