“Hey, what are you thinking?”
She blurted, “We’re sitting where everyone can see us. It just feels weird, that’s all.” A chuckle erupted from deep in his chest, a sound she wanted to memorize and pull from her memory banks when she was lonely.
“Let ‘em look. They’ll all be envious that I’m here with the prettiest girl around.”
She blushed in spite of her best efforts to not take his words to heart. “Hush, Scott. Don’t tease me like that.” She started to pull her hand back, but he linked his fingers with hers instead.
“Lizzie, I’d never tease you like that. It’s the truth. I’m here with you, the prettiest girl in this place.”
“If you keep holding my hand, they’re going to get the wrong idea,” she whispered, leaning forward.
“I don’t know how they can get the wrong idea. You, me, lunch… I’d call it a date.”
At that, she snapped her mouth shut, knowing that her cheeks were heated but unable to keep her lips from curving. Uncertain what to say to that, she pretended to stare at the menu.
Carrie made her way over, bending to give Lizzie a hug. “Hey, sweetie, it’s nice to see you out again. What can I get you?”
Once orders were given, Carrie hurried toward the back. A moment later she returned and poured tall glasses of sweet tea. The bell over the door rang again, and Carrie called out, “Hey, Sheriff. Detectives. Have a seat, and I’ll be right over.”
Swinging her head around, Lizzie watched as Colt, Hunter, and several others walked to the stools at the end of the counter. Brow furrowed, she looked up at Carrie and asked, “Why do you still call your husband ‘Sheriff’?”
Grinning, Carrie said, “We first met when he’d come into the Diner. I always called him ‘Sheriff’, and even though we’re married now, when I’m working, that’s still what comes out.” Leaning down, she said, “Actually, it drives him a little crazy. So, I just do it to have some fun.” She whirled around and headed off to the counter to take care of him and some of his detectives, leaving Lizzie to smile.
“Do you come here often?” Scott asked, drawing her attention back to him.
Shaking her head, she replied, “No, not really. To be honest, there was very little time or extra money for eating out. Plus, as good as Joe’s cooking is, my grandmother’s was better.” Leaning forward, she whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell Joe that!” Leaning back in her chair, she lifted her shoulders in a little shrug. “But sometimes when we would be out at the feed store or lumberyard, Papa Beau and I would stop in here. That’s actually how I met Carrie.”
Scott held her gaze, and she dropped her eyes to the table, fiddling with her napkin.
“So, what are we going to do this afternoon?”
Jerking her gaze back to his face, her eyes widened. “Uh… this afternoon?”
“Yeah, we haven’t gotten to the alpacas yet. I’m hoping I get to see what you do with them. Plus, don’t we have to milk the goats sometime?”
She unsuccessfully tried to keep from grinning at the thought of Scott trying to milk the goats and nodded. “Yes, there’s lots to do. Are you sure you want to stay for the afternoon?”
“Absolutely. When I said I came to work today, I planned on working the whole day. Anyway, Rufus is asleep in the barn, I need to make sure he keeps learning how to be a farm dog.”
Now laughing aloud, she thought of his dog curled up in the straw, exhausted from playing in the morning. Tilting her head slightly, she asked, “How did he lose his leg?”
“I didn’t own him then,” Scott answered. “I had gone to a shelter to adopt a dog, and he was there. He was only about six months old, and they told me that he had been in an accident. A vet was able to save his life, but he lost his leg. Animals are resilient and have a strong will to survive. As soon as he could, they said he was up and running around, learning how to balance with three legs. But it made it harder for him to be adopted. As soon as I saw him, we just seemed to bond. I didn’t even have to think about it… I wanted him, and he seemed to want me. We’ve been together for a couple of years now.”
“Resilient and a strong will to survive,” Lizzie repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.
Silent for a moment, Scott held her gaze. “What are you thinking?”
She swallowed deeply, then sighed. “At first I was going to say that I wish I had Rufus’ strength. I seem to have let life knock me down, even knock me sideways.” She held his eyes for a few seconds, then dropped them down to the table, her fingers fiddling with the silverware. “Sometimes, I don’t even know who I am anymore. I feel like I was one person growing up. Another person after my grandmother passed. And a different person even now. Every time something happens to me, I change and not always for the best. But when I think about everything that you’ve been through, I can tell that you and Rufus are very alike. So much more than me.”
Reaching across the table, Scott took her hand and turned it over, linking his fingers with hers. She held his gaze, staring into his blue eyes, not sure she could look away if she had to.
“I think you’re very resilient. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, and believe me, I’ve met a lot of people.” Still holding her gaze, he added, “And I know what you mean about Rufus. There was something we shared, and as soon as I met him, I knew we were alike. Resilient, with a strong will to survive.”
A thread of magnetic emotion seemed to move between them, pulling them closer as her fingers linked tighter. The restaurant’s noise swirled around them, but they were cocooned in their own little world.
Not sure why she felt the need to confess, she said, “I know I said this at the fairgrounds, but I feel like I need to say it again. When I met you, I thought you were the type of person who probably had everything handed to you. Family connections. Money. Stepping straight into a good-paying job. I didn’t realize you’d been in the military, so I thank you for your service. And I apologize for my previous assumptions.”
“Don’t you remember, Lizzie? You don’t have to say this. We started over.”
Warmth passed through Scott’s eyes, and before she had a chance to delve deeper, Carrie set their lunch plates in front of them, breaking the connection. She pulled her hand from Scott’s as they began to eat, keeping the conversation lighter as they talked about the afternoon chores.
As they finished, Scott asked, “Would you excuse me for a moment, Lizzie? I see that Colt and Hunter are about to leave, and I need to ask them a question.”
“Not at all.” She stood and tilted her head toward the back. “Actually, I need to run to the ladies’ room.”
Quickly taking care of her business, she washed her hands before stepping out into the hall leading back into the restaurant. Carrie came out of the kitchen and moved close, saying, “Lizzie, I’m glad I saw you before you left. This week is an American Legion Auxiliary meeting. I really want you to come.”
Sighing, she hated that her mind jumped back to high school and the many cliques that existed. She had never been one of the cool kids, the popular ones. Instead, she made her way through high school enjoying learning but never taking the time to make real friends. She said, “It’s not that I don’t want to... In fact, I think I’d like to. It’s just that, well… I hate walking into places where I haven’t been before. It makes me really nervous.”