gave a rough nod.
“Where are you staying?” She didn’t want to be polite to this man, who’d broken her heart ten years ago when he’d pushed her aside like the boys in high school who called her “trailer trash.” But Nick was Silas’s son, and for the sake of honoring his dad, she’d mind her tongue.
Long as he didn’t kiss her again. Your tongue wouldn’t mind that, huh?
Shelby told her dancing female hormones to get lost and mentally recalled the dead rat. Worked wonders for lowering a libido.
“At the ranch.” Nick stretched an arm along the booth as he watched her.
She managed to conceal her surprise. “I’m sure your cousins will be happy to see you.”
Nick’s gaze turned hard. “Doubt it. Dan and Jake won’t want me around long.”
She blinked in surprise. “You’re always welcome, Nick. You were the one who left.”
Everyone in town knew how Silas and Nick had clashed like two stubborn bulls in an arena, while Dan and Jake got along with the old man just fine. Shelby didn’t understand how Nick could leave home and only return for his father’s funeral.
Her parents had been drunks, and when they left town, Shelby barely noticed. But Nick came from a long line of solid, upstanding Barlow denizens. Andersons had served on the town council for as long as anyone could remember, and the Belle Creek had been an icon in the community for years, sponsoring 4-H competitions and Little League teams.
Something flickered behind his dark gaze. “I’m ready to order. Why don’t you sit a minute, take a load off? You look as if you’ve been running ragged.”
Pride struggled against the need to do exactly as he said. Weariness won. Shelby perched on the edge of the booth and put her pad on the table. Best not to show how much her hands shook, let him know his raw animal heat could still affect her, like a blast furnace. “Thanks.”
“Where are you laying your head at night these days, darling? Apartment in town?”
Nick’s deep, smoky voice made the question sound sinful and inviting. Shelby tapped her pencil against the battered order pad. “Silas converted the space above the garage into an apartment for myself and Timmy.”
The scar on his cheek turned white as his jaw tightened. “Timmy?”
“My nephew. My sister and her husband are living overseas in Iraq. He’s an engineer—got a very lucrative twenty-four-month contract.”
Nick’s mouth thinned, and he shook his head. “You couldn’t pay me enough to live there. Did three tours in Iraq. Managed to survive, despite all the suicide bombers.”
She knew this, knew it every day, and worried one day her sister and brother-in-law might not return home. “It’s why they left Timmy with me.”
“Still the same Shelby, living in the same place, taking care of everyone,” he murmured, his gaze never leaving hers. “Darling, are you ever going to leave the Belle Creek? That old place has been trapping you there for years.”
Shelby bristled at this truth. She’d given up her dream of traveling in order to care for Timmy. It was a reality she’d cheerfully accepted, but hearing it from his sexy mouth made it hurt. “My sister and her husband couldn’t pass up this chance to make good money. They’re moving back here when they return, and they promised I could live with them to save money for travel. Now, are you ready to order?”
“I’ll have sweet tea, salad with raspberry vinaigrette, the chicken, baked potato and carrots.”
“You like breasts or thighs?”
His eyes moved in a slow caress over her body that made all her hormones sing. “Both look good to me.”
Damn that color rising to her cheeks. Nick chuckled. “Breast meat. Grilled.”
After scribbling down the order, she stood. “Be right up.”
He smiled, a genuine smile that added tiny lines to the corners of his chocolate-brown eyes and dimpled his right cheek. A bedroom smile that she suspected had lured many women into his arms. “It’s good to see you again, Shelby. You’re the one person in this town I like seeing again.”
She wished she could say the same. The sooner Nick Anderson left, the better for her. The man had a habit of disarming her, shaking up her world. In a world that was already pretty rattled, she liked the idea of stability.
After she brought his food, Nick didn’t dig in right away, but kept looking at her, as if she was steak and he was starving. “It really is good to see you again, Sweet Pea Shelby.”
The nickname caught her off guard, and coaxed an uncertain smile to her mouth. “No one’s called me that in years.” Not since her parents had become more interested in alcohol than their daughters.
“Too bad,” he said softly.
For a moment she stood looking at him, her heart pounding like a war drum. Nick still had it. And damn her, she still wanted it.
Shelby hurried off to take another order. She stopped by to check on him ten minutes later. As she went to take his salad plate, his fingers brushed against hers. A tingle rushed down her spine and he stared at her.
Shelby became aware of her too-rapid pulse, the knot of desire centered low in her belly.
Vern waved at her and she turned, but Nick laced strong fingers around her wrist. “Wait,” he said softly. “Isn’t that Vern Dickerson?”
“He comes in here every Friday.” Her heart beat triple-time at the hint of steely strength restraining her, and yet his grip was gentle. “I think he’s lonely.”
Nick nodded. Without ceremony, he picked up his meal and glass, and walked over to Vern’s booth, sliding in opposite him. “Hi, there, sir. I’m Nick Anderson. Mind if I sit with you? I hate to eat alone. Don’t want to bother you, so I’ll leave if you wish.”
Vern beamed. As she left to take care of another customer, Vern began regaling Nick with stories of his time in ’Nam, Nick listening intently. Her heart softened.
When Vern excused himself to the restroom, Shelby stopped to refill Nick’s sweet tea.
“Sweet Pea, give me Vern’s check. A man who has served like he has shouldn’t have to worry about his next meal.”
“Already taken care of,” she told him. “And thank you.”
Nick blinked. “For what?”
“For spending time with an old man who is absolutely thrilled to sit with the hometown hero.”
His expression darkened. “He’s the real war hero.”
Vern returned, and Shelby left them alone. A few minutes later, the elderly veteran waved her over and asked for the check. Shelby went into her usual dialogue about the special veterans plan. Vern thanked her, then the two men stood and shook hands.
“Been a real honor
