she hadn’t even offered them a drink.
She waited for a break in the conversation and asked, “What can I get you guys?”
“Don’t worry about us,” Grace said, at the same time Ben said, “Beer.”
Grace leaned back and gave him a look.
“Hey, I was going to offer to help,” he said. “But it’s too crowded back there. At least Gunner seems to know what he’s doing.”
Mallory hesitated. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was coming.”
“He wanted to surprise you.”
“Ah.” She knew what kind of beer Ben drank and got a bottle from the fridge. “Grace? Beer? Wine? I have both red and white, but they’re just okay.”
“Beer’s fine,” Grace said, and grabbed Ben’s bottle before he could.
He just grinned and stole a kiss.
Mallory couldn’t help smiling. They were the most adorable couple. Ben had changed. She didn’t know whether it was because of Grace or Blackfoot Falls, or maybe it was a combination of the two, but he seemed more relaxed, certainly happier.
Something made her turn her head. Gunner was watching her. She lost the sappy smile and got a second beer from the fridge. Before she twisted off the cap she said, “Grace, maybe you’d like Gunner to make you a mai tai?”
“A what?”
“Or some fancy blended drink.”
Ben laughed and took the bottle from Mallory. “Don’t piss off the help, especially when it’s free labor.”
Grace just smiled and gave her a curious look.
Mallory winced. She’d have to watch her tone. “Well, I’d better get back to work.”
Elaine was garnishing the drinks Gunner had made and grinning at something he said. Mallory spotted two tickets with beer orders and she slid in to man the tap.
“I can deliver these pitchers if you tell me which tables,” she told Elaine, who’d been moving nonstop.
“Nah, I should be back by the time you’re finished.” She hefted the loaded tray and nodded toward the stage. “The mug is for Mike. I’m pretty sure he’d rather you take it to him,” she said with a mischievous smile before heading for the back room.
Mallory sighed. What was it with Elaine and Sadie? Why were they trying to fix her up with him?
“Who’s Mike?”
She looked at Gunner. For a few wonderful, blessed moments, she’d forgotten he was there. “A guy who did some carpentry work for me.” Gunner turned his head and she saw that his hair was touching the collar of his blue polo shirt. He never let it go like that, not even when he was away working for long periods of time. But damn he looked good.
“The guy sitting alone to the left of the stage?” he asked, turning back to stare at her.
“What?”
“Is that Mike?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t looked for him. What do you care, anyway?” She noticed a couple sitting near Ben trying impatiently to get her attention. Damn. Her grand opening and she was going to chase everyone away.
She felt Gunner watching her as she went to get refills. Those mesmerizing gray eyes still got to her every time. When she’d first met him when she was sixteen, she hadn’t been that into boys yet, but she remembered thinking he was the hottest guy she’d ever seen. He’d been twenty-one at the time so of course he’d barely noticed her.
For weeks he’d come to the bar almost every day. Then he’d disappear for a month. She’d known it was partly his job that kept him away. But when a year had gone by without him making a single appearance, she’d figured that was it...she’d never see him again. And then out of the blue Gunner had started showing up, three or four times a week when he wasn’t away on location.
By then she’d turned twenty-one and was working full-time at the Renegade. A year later her dad had died unexpectedly. An aneurism, the doctor had said. No apparent cause. Mallory had figured all the hard living had caught up to him. Bitter that his stunt career had been cut short, he’d drank a lot, smoked anything that was rolled and screwed any woman who’d let him. He wasn’t so different from a lot of the stunt guys who’d helped keep the Renegade in business.
Of course many just had one or two drinks then left to go home to their wives. Gunner fell somewhere in the middle. He’d done some hell-raising in his twenties but not lately. And while he could drink with the best of them, only twice had she seen him truly drunk.
Mallory slipped past him to get to the tap, and thankfully, Elaine returned at the same time. Questions burned in Gunner’s eyes, but no way would Mallory deal with them now. Or ever, if she had her say.
“You didn’t take Mike his beer,” Elaine said, and then briefly eyed Gunner as if she’d just realized he might be the reason. “Never mind. I’ll go.”
Mallory watched her pick up the mug. She should’ve just taken it to Mike and thanked him for coming to the opening. But she couldn’t do it in front of Gunner. It was stupid. But somehow she knew she’d fumble.
She felt those stormy gray eyes on her again. She turned and met them full-on. “What?”
He gave a slight shrug before looking to see if Elaine had left a ticket. She hadn’t. It was the first lull of the night. He picked up a dry bar rag and wiped his hands.
“You need a haircut.”
“I was too busy leaving voice mails.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she avoided his gaze by checking the bowl of lime wedges. They still had a lot. She looked up and saw Mike lifting a hand. She smiled back at him.
Two tables to his left, she noticed a young woman who’d applied for the waitress job. Mallory couldn’t recall her name, but Elaine would know. If the woman was willing, Mallory would hire her on the spot.
Either way, there was no need for Gunner to stay.
She was about to tell him so when she felt pressure around her waist.
It was Gunner.
Behind her. His hands sliding down to cup her hips.
“Excuse me, sweetheart,” he said, trying, though not very hard, to move her to the right. “I need to get more glasses.”
Without making a fuss, she managed to push his hands away. “Touch me again and I’ll—” Okay, that might’ve been too loud. She clamped her lips together.
“What? Hmm, Mallory?” he whispered with a half smile. “What are you going to do? Move to Alaska?”
GUNNER
