so helpful,” she said tartly. “I’m a waitress, not a wife. Pick something from the menu. I promise you’ll like it.”
So he pulled the plastic card from the holder. “You going to Ray’s wake?” he asked casually as he scanned the menu.
“Tomorrow night. I’m surprised so many drivers are going.”
“Yeah. They’ve been gabbing about it on the radio since it happened. It bothers them.”
“I guess I can see that. Did many of them know him?”
“I don’t know. But I do know it doesn’t make any sense.”
“When does it ever?”
He looked up and his eyes seemed to bore into her. “Something wrong?”
She caught herself, wondering why she was being so prickly. “Sorry.” Then a thought occurred to her. “I took an allergy pill. I guess it’s not agreeing with me.”
He nodded, dropped his gaze to the menu and said, “I’ll take the steak, medium rare, side of mashed potatoes and broccoli.”
She scribbled it down then tried for a lighter note. “A man who eats broccoli. I hope Hasty can remember how to cook it.”
“Nuke it for three if it’s frozen,” Buck said and winked. “Otherwise, I’ll take it raw.”
That drew a laugh from her and she felt some inexplicable tension seeping away. Maybe it was just from the unusual burst of traffic. She was used to one level of activity, but tonight had been almost double. Then there was her face burning up and the allergy pill. Enough to make her just a bit irritable.
Hasty remembered how to make the broccoli, of course. She carried the plates to Buck’s table, refilled his coffee and went to take care of the remaining handful of drivers. In another half hour, the place had quieted almost to desolation, and, one by one, trucks started pulling out of the lot. She figured that might be the last of them for a while if they’d hurried to get here for the wake.
“Time for a smoke break,” Hasty announced. “You gals take some time, too.”
“I’m joining you,” Claire said.
“You don’t smoke,” Haley remarked.
“I used to. And right now I want one.”
Hasty eyed Haley. “You going to be okay?”
“Like I can’t hold the fort for ten minutes?”
So the two of them headed out back. Which left her alone in the restaurant with Buck Devlin, who was taking his time with his steak.
“Join me,” he suggested. “It wouldn’t hurt to rest your feet.”
She supposed it wouldn’t. “Are you going to Ray’s wake, too?” She glanced at her watch. If she remembered correctly, wakes ended at nine, and it was already past that.
“Tomorrow night,” he answered.
All of a sudden everything zipped into clear focus. The faint fog left by the allergy pill was gone. Her heart even remembered how to speed up. “You’re staying in town?”
“Over at the La-Z-Rest. I’m on vacation.”
She almost gaped at him.
He caught the expression and his eyes danced a little. “What?”
“Why in the world would someone on vacation stay here?”
“Where would you go?”
“Any place. Denver. New York. Paris. Miami. I don’t know. Some place with things to do.”
“So you want action?”
“I wouldn’t exactly put it like that,” she admitted. “There’s nothing wrong with this place. I like it. It just doesn’t strike me as a vacation spot.”
“That’s because you live here. You can’t see its charm.”
A little laugh escaped her. “We roll up the sidewalks at nine, except for here and the roadhouses. You’re going to get bored.”
“I doubt it. It’s quiet here. I like that. Plenty of nice places to walk. I like that, too, especially when I spend so much time driving.”
She supposed she could see that. Maybe. “Well, if you’re into hiking, there are some nice mountains.”
“They probably look different when you’re not behind the wheel of a heavy rig,” he allowed.
“Well, I’ll be interested to see how long you last. Most people who visit here wonder how we can stand it.”
“What makes this place work for you?”
She thought about it. “People. Great people. There’s something nice about knowing almost everyone. But that’s not going to work for you.”
“Maybe not. We’ll see. It’s sure some pretty countryside.”
She looked down at the table and realized she didn’t believe him. She was right, nobody picked this place for a vacation. Not even someone who was tired of driving. People who vacationed here—and there weren’t a ton of them—came to camp up in the mountains and hike.
“So, looks like you got sunburned.” He pushed his plate to one side.
Suddenly self-conscious, she put her hand to her cheek. “I wish. No, I had a dress rehearsal for a play I’m doing at school, and I discovered I’m allergic to the stage makeup.”
A smile crooked one corner of his mouth. “I bet that’s miserable. And you have to do it again? When’s the play?”
“Friday and Saturday night.”
“I ought to come to see you.”
“I’m on stage for less than five minutes. You won’t see much. But it is good play, a mystery. One of the students wrote it.”
“I’ll definitely come.”
She laughed. “See, you’re already looking for stuff to do around here. If you stay long enough, you’ll go crazy.” She started to get up as she saw another truck pulling in.
But Buck stopped her by reaching out and touching her hand. The contact felt almost like an electric spark, a zap that ran through her entire body. Before she could react, he’d withdrawn his touch. “I need to talk to you,” he said. “About what happened to Ray. Not here, though.”
For the first time, a real shiver of uneasiness ran through her. What was going on? And why should she trust this guy she didn’t know? Was he some kind of stalker?
All of a sudden, she had major doubts about the kind of person Buck Devlin might be. About the danger he could represent.
“I
