Good. Either he bought it, or he didn’t and was going to let me think he did. I was fine either way. Just for a week I wanted to be no one.
He polished off the can of seltzer. “You sure you’re okay here?”
“Yeah.” Though I didn’t sound too convincing. Even I wasn’t buying it.
“I should go, then. I’ve got an early job in the morning.”
“What do you do, anyway?” I asked.
“I do pretty well renting out this cabin,” he said. “You know, people like you wanting to escape to a small town. I’m booked almost every week. I’m also the town silversmith.”
Her brows lifted. “Oh?”
“Yup. Though it’s more of a hobby. There’s not a lot of call for fine jewelry here in Sumter Falls. Other than that, construction when it’s available, and the occasional odd job around town. That’s what I’ll be doing tomorrow morning. My friend Lucas and I are helping out an elderly widow in town. She needs her fence repaired.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“We all help each other around here. It’s the small-town way.”
I smiled. I couldn’t help it. The crowds walking the streets of Manhattan didn’t even want to look at each other, let alone help each other. I had a sudden inspiration.
“Do you need any help?”
“Lucas and I have it under control. Besides, it’s hard work, Riley.”
“Maybe I want to experience hard work.”
He laughed. “Most teachers I know say there’s no harder job.”
Nice, Riley. You screwed that up. Truth be told, modeling was hard work as well. I was no stranger to hard work. But I was a stranger to pure manual labor, and for some reason, it sounded compelling to me.
“Teaching is very difficult. I won’t deny it. Very challenging and rewarding, but I think I’d like to get outdoors and pound on things.”
He laughed again. “Pound on things, huh?”
Oh, he had no idea. Pounding on things sounded like nirvana at the moment.
“Yes.”
“You got it, then. I’ll be by to get you at six sharp.”
“Six in the morning?”
“You got it. Or have you changed your mind?”
I could easily get out of it. This was my vacation, after all. But damn, I wanted to spend time with Matt, and I desperately wanted to pound things. Like…desperately.
“I’ll be ready.”
“Perfect. Wear jeans and the toughest shoes you’ve got. Steel-toed would be best.”
Steel-toed? Clearly my flip-flops weren’t going to cut it. I did happen to bring a pair of old cowboy boots, though. They weren’t overly fashionable in New York, but I loved them. I’d bought them on a whim during one of my princess trips with my father in Texas.
Despite the memories they brought to the surface, I never got rid of them. I always thought they might come in handy someday.
And tomorrow, they would.
10
Matteo
How anyone looked so gorgeous at six in the morning was beyond me, but man, Riley Mansfield sure did. Surprisingly, she seemed to be dressed appropriately, except for a tank top, which wouldn’t do. Luckily I had some old flannels in my truck. She could wear one of those over her tank. What surprised me most was her footwear. She was wearing cowboy boots—really broken-in cowboy boots. Surprising.
“Did you get anything to eat this morning?” I asked, once she had seated herself in the passenger side of my truck.
“Are you kidding? I barely rolled out of bed in time.”
“Not a problem. Mrs. Carson always has breakfast burritos for us.”
“I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a breakfast burrito.”
“Then you’re in for a treat. Hers are the best. Her mother came from Mexico. Mrs. Carson makes the best Mexican food you’ll ever eat.”
“Oh? I don’t eat much Mexican food. Too much fat and carbs.”
“You’ll be wanting fat and carbs today, honey. You’re going to be working hard. Pure physical labor.”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” she said.
I laughed. Oh, she was definitely running from something. Running fast and far enough that she wanted to get up at six in the morning to help fix a fence. Her manicured nails sparkled in the early morning sunlight. I’d bet she’d never held a hammer in her life.
She would soon.
Lucas’s truck was already in Mrs. Carson’s driveway when we arrived. I pulled in and hopped out of the driver seat. I began to walk around the truck to help Riley out, but she jumped out on her own. She followed me up the walkway to the door of the house.
Before I could knock, Lucas opened the door, holding a burrito. “Hey, Matt.” Then his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Who’s this?”
He knew damned well who she was. He’d seen me dining with Riley last night. Still, they hadn’t been formally introduced.
“Riley Mansfield, Lucas Connors.”
Lucas swallowed his bite of burrito and held out his hand. “My pleasure.”
Riley took his hand. “Nice to meet you.” When she took her hand away, she rubbed her fingers together.
I couldn’t help a chuckle. Lucas probably had burrito hands.
“Come on in, you two. Mrs. C’s got burritos ready and hot coffee.”
“Just coffee for me,” Riley said. “Very strong and very black.”
I laughed again and then said quietly, “Mrs. Carson’s coffee is more like light brown water. We can go into town and get you a decent cup if you want.”
“Oh. No, that’s okay. I’ll just have some water.”
“And a burrito,” I said.
“Tortillas are pure gluten,” she said.
“Tortillas are pure carbs, which are pure energy,” I said, “and trust me, you’re going to want pure energy this morning.”
She gave me a semi-smile along with a sigh. “All right. I’ll try one. I changed my mind on the water, though. I need some caffeine.”
“Afraid you won’t find that here. Tell you what. Luke, tell Mrs. Carson we’ll be back in a jiffy. I’m going to take Riley into town to get her a decent cup of coffee at the Bean House.”
“I’m not telling her that you can’t stand her coffee.”
“Shit. You’re right. Yeah, don’t tell her that. Just say Riley only drinks decaf or something.”
“Her coffee’s as good as decaf, and you know it.”
“For God’s sake, Luke, make something up. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Riley turned to me. “You don’t need to go to all this trouble on my account.”
“Coffee shop’s a block away, honey. I’m telling you, it’s no trouble at all. JoJo at the Bean House opens up at five for those of us in a small town who need some coffee.”
“Okay, thanks.” She smiled.
And when Riley Mansfield smiled, I felt like I could give her anything in the world. Way more than just a cup of decent coffee. She was that fucking beautiful.
Our quick detour to the coffee shop took no more than fifteen minutes. After we exchanged pleasantries with JoJo and I introduced her to Riley, she poured us each a cup.