Chapter Two
Iris
My breath stutters out of me when Mr. Tall, Dark and Gorgeous Mountain Man hands me the worst line in history. Does it tempt me?
The words don’t but the man? Oh hell yeah! I’d like nothing better than to climb him like a tree.
But the scowl on his face says that he’s not the kind of man I need. I don’t do serious. I’m still just looking for a good time not the forever kind.
And that guy has forever written all over him.
I wait at the counter and watch him watching me. Damn, he’s fine. Ice-blue eyes as cool as a mountain stream. Big, wide shoulders and biceps like bowling balls that stretch the worn flannel on his arms until he looks like he’s fixing to rip right out of it. Broad chest that looks perfect for laying my head on.
My eyes drift down and I gulp when I see the tree-trunk thighs half-hidden under the table. The guy is just big! Everywhere. And that’s a delicious thought. I shiver all over when I think about what else he might be packing.
But he also looks grumpy as hell, the scowl on his full lips practically tattooed onto them. There’s no smile in his cool eyes but there’s a lot going on behind those eyes. They’re hot and hungry and locked on me like a heat-seeking missile.
I like it way too much.
But I cannot let myself get distracted by a man. I’m here for a reason and he is not it. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold and I’d have to agree. Now is the time for that revenge.
I’m going to make the man who used my sister pay and pay hard. I know how men are. She didn’t.
So I’m going to be the one who makes him realize that he’s done something wrong. And it’s going to be addressed.
So Mr. Tall, Dark and Grumpy is not going to distract me from that.
I saunter over and smile at Bessie. I like her. I took this job because I know practically everybody in town comes through here at some point. It seemed the easiest way to track down my quarry.
“Hey, Bessie. When do things usually pick up around here?”
She laughs. “We don’t get huge rushes around here but dinner definitely picks up.”
Laughing, I lean back and cross my arms over my chest. “Uh-huh! It’s pretty slow right now. Should I go home and then come back for the dinner rush?”
“Naw, you can do the dinner rush tomorrow. I’ve got another waitress coming in for the dinner rush. We’ll get a bit busier around here for lunch too. Trust me, honey… you’re gonna be plenty busy soon.”
“Well, do you need anything taken care of until then? Something need cleaned?”
Bessie smirks. “You could go take care of that guy over there who hasn’t stopped staring at you this whole time.”
I lift a brow and shake my head. “He’s fine. I already put in his order. I’ve got to wait until it’s done anyway.”
Bessie laughs and hands over the platter of food. “Yeah? Well, now you get to take his food over to him. Make sure and smile! You get bigger tips that way.”
I slew my eyes her way and growl under my breath. “You have a weird sense of humor, Bessie.”
Her smile immediately fades and she pats my hand over the counter. “I’m sorry. But I want you to think about something.” She nods her head towards my grumpy, scowly customer. “That guy over there is the salt of the earth. He’s a good man. But he’s also a stubborn man and he likes you. So if you don’t like him, be very careful. He will chase you until you do. That’s how the men around here work.”
I smirk. “Trying to scare me, Bessie? It doesn’t matter how he feels or what he thinks. I’ve got my own agenda and finding a man isn’t part of it.”
She grins. “Good luck and keep thinking that.”
I sigh and pick up his food, heading for the table. He stares at me like a wolf, predatory and waiting, until I reach the table and drop the food in front of him. “Here you go. Can I get you anything else?”
He doesn’t even blink. “Your phone number.”
“I don’t have one.”
He nods his head towards my apron pocket. “You do realize that I can see it right there.”
“That’s not what you’re seeing.”
“Okay. Well, how about your address. I’ll pick you up for dinner tonight.”
“I don’t eat.”
He eyes my curvy hips and I narrow my eyes at him. “Be very careful about what you say next.”
He grins and my heart seizes in my chest. Damn, he’s beautiful. His icy blue eyes sparkle like London topaz and I can’t help but feel a pull towards him.
“All I was going to say, sweetheart, is that I think you look good enough to eat.”
I pause, letting that sink in. Knowing by the smirk on his lips and the hunger in his eyes that he’s serious.
I shake my head. “I’ve got to go. Do you need anything else?”
He eyes me very seriously for a second. Then his lips tighten. “Not right now. But know this. I’m not giving up, honey. You’re meant to be mine.”
“I’m no man’s.”
And with that I walk away from him and avoid him the rest of the time that he sits there, except for dropping his check on the table as I walk by with coffee for another table.
“You can run but you can’t hide.” I hear him mutter as he walks by me to the door, his lean hips and broad shoulders brushing against my body as he passes by. Electricity sizzles where his skin touches mine and I suck in a sharp breath.
I need to stay away from that man. I think he could easily convince me to change my mind about a lot of things.
Things that I need to get done in order to be able to let my sister’s memory go. I can’t let myself lose sight of what I’m doing in this little town. I have to find closure for both of us.