“Wait. Meetings of the Female Minds? That sounds dangerous.” That earned him another sweet laugh.
“The meetings are wonderful. We have about thirty members. It’s helpful to talk to women who have been married forever, or are divorced, or dating. We share advice and help each other learn how to navigate romantic relationships. Not that I have any to navigate, but one day I will.”
That she would be part of that sort of group told him how important relationships were to her, and that made him even more attracted to her. “How do you know that relationship shouldn’t be with me?”
She looked at him for a long moment before answering. “Because I like to be in control of my emotions, and I like my quiet life, and you’re exuberant, and you have a magnetic personality that draws people to you. Women, especially, and I don’t need that confusion in my life.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I think I’m exactly what you need.”
“I…” She swallowed hard. “I need to get back to work.”
He wanted to talk more, to prove to her that there was more to him than she thought, but now it was his turn to do some research. He needed to learn how to navigate Amber’s world, to understand the connection between her reactions to him and Reno’s reactions to her.
“I’ll get out of your hair, but we’re not done, sweetheart.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Not by a long shot.”
Chapter Three
THE MORNING SUN beat down on Dash’s shoulders as he ran through the park Monday morning. He’d mapped a six-mile route from Sin’s place through the park and around town, and he’d run it again yesterday before the football clinic. Just as Sin had warned him, the field had been packed with female spectators, and the timing couldn’t have been worse. He’d spotted Amber helping Brindle at the snack table near the field where Brindle’s husband, Trace—a rancher and part-time football coach—was working with his team. Dash had waved, hoping to catch up with Amber when he got a break, but when he’d looked again, she was gone. After the clinic, he’d signed autographs, taken care of a few things with Sin, and then headed back to Sin’s to finish the research on epilepsy that he’d started Saturday night after he and Sin had gone out to dinner. He’d learned that symptoms and seizures can vary greatly, but he’d gotten a much better understanding of what Amber was living with. He’d wanted to talk with her when he’d finished on Sunday, but he’d had that damn podcast, and by the time it was over, her store was closed for the night.
He wouldn’t make the mistake of missing her again tonight.
He stopped to do pull-ups and noticed a group of older women standing outside the Stardust Café watching him, just as they’d done the last two mornings. He finished his pull-ups, cranked out sixty push-ups, and jogged across the street.
The women scurried back into the café, and as he jogged by, he saw them gathered at the window. Chuckling to himself, he jogged backward and waved to them, startling them into giggles as they hurried to a table.
He pulled the door open and peered into the busy retro-style café, taking in the red vinyl stools at the counter, nearly every seat occupied, and the graffiti wall in the back. The older ladies who had been gawking at him, and several other customers were watching him from their seats. He called out, “Good morning, ladies.”
“Good morning,” the five women said in unison, giggling like schoolgirls.
He could see his own grandmother and her friends doing that. He loved his grandmother to the ends of the earth, but when she got together with her lady friends, they turned into whispering, giggling girls. “If you want a better view, meet me at the park tomorrow morning at eight, and wear your walking shoes.”
Two of the women exchanged glances in a way that reminded him of his sisters when they were brewing up trouble. One looked like Helen Mirren, with short, layered, mostly white hair with a little blond mixed in, dressed in a smart pantsuit. Her partner in crime was an exotic-looking older woman with light brown skin, long silver locks, and almond-shaped eyes, dressed in dark pants with a bright yellow blouse and a colorful scarf knotted around her neck.
“We’d love to!” The Helen Mirren lookalike grabbed the exotic woman’s sleeve, tugging her toward him. She must be the leader of the pack.
“Come in here, handsome,” the exotic woman said.
He let the door close behind him, and the ladies took his arms, leading him toward the table where their friends were waiting.
“I’m Nina Bollard, but you’ll call me Nana like everyone else does,” the Helen lookalike said. “And this is Hellie Camden.”
“That’s me,” the exotic woman chimed in.
Nana pointed around the table as she introduced her other friends. “We’re the eyes and ears of Oak Falls, and we have gotten an earful about you, young man.”
“And an eyeful,” Hellie added, and all the ladies laughed.
“Sit down, darlin’.” Nana pushed him into a chair. “We’ve got a few questions for you.”
Oh yeah, they reminded him of his grandmother, all right. “Eyes and ears of Oak Falls, huh?”
“We’ve got the lowdown on everyone,” Hellie said. “Are you looking for a date? We know all the single ladies.”
“I can get my own dates, but thank you.”
The women exchanged another glance, and Nana whispered, “If you swing the other way, Axsel is leaving town soon, but we could hook you up with him now. He’s sweet, sexy, and you know he’s alpha in the bedroom.”
One of the ladies let out a little roar.
Dash laughed. “I didn’t realize I’d come to such a matchmaking town. But it’s not Axsel I’m interested in. What can you tell me about Amber Montgomery?”
“So, the rumors are true. You are shooting for the stars,” Hellie said.
Nana patted his arm. “We don’t give up secrets easily, especially about our Amber. She’s everyone’s sweetheart, and it’s going to take a very special man to earn her heart. What makes you think you’ve got what it takes?”
He cocked a grin. “How much time do you have?”
AMBER BOBBED HER hips to the beat of “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn in her office Monday evening as she grabbed the basket with her stash of greeting cards off a shelf. It was almost closing time, and she had a busy night of writing cards and packing books planned. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
She set the basket on the desk and pulled opened a group text from Brindle to Amber, Lindsay, and Trixie. A picture of Dash holding baby Emma popped up, and Amber’s pulse quickened. Brindle must have taken the picture yesterday at the football field because he was wearing the same gray sweatpants and black T-shirt he’d had on, and Emma was wearing the same leggings and DADDY’S GIRL sweatshirt. Dash looked even better than she’d remembered. Even better than he had in her naughty dreams last night. His deep voice whispered through her mind. We’re not done, sweetheart. Not by a long shot. In her dream, that same deep tenor had whispered about the dirty things they were doing.
Her cheeks heated with the memory, and she clutched the phone to her chest, looking out the glass partition into the store, as if Phoenix Majors, one of her part-time employees, could hear her thoughts.