Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Maybe he was crazy. That seemed to be the only explanation for what he was doing.
Mack leaned against the back of his truck, his ankles crossed as he pulled a piece of straw to his lips. He’d only come to town to pick up a few supplies. Bo needed an errand boy today, so that was what he’d be. He should have been on his way home by now.
Except he’d caught sight of her .
There was no mistaking her. A flash of blonde hair and the sway of her hips. Not only that, but she’d been with Bridger. Every time he saw a small boy with light brown hair, Mack took a second look.
And lately, he was seeing them everywhere. Since when did this town have so many children running around?
The mother-son duo had entered Sweet Everything Bakery.
It was a Saturday and, honestly, surprising that Lacey wasn’t working at the restaurant.
Maybe the fact that she had a kid allowed the business to give her more flexibility.
Then again, he hadn’t been paying too much attention to her work schedule.
How could he when his dad and his uncle were making him try out different positions at the ranch lately?
Mack watched the bakery doors from where he stood across the street. She was still avoiding his calls and refusing to message him back. Normally, he would have given up. There was a definite line between enjoying the chase and feeling like he was wasting his time.
Whatever it was about Lacey that spurred him forward, he couldn’t tell. All he knew was that he enjoyed the back and forth she offered. Was it enough to build a relationship on?
Of course not.
But at this point, he wasn’t sure that was what he wanted.
The door opened, and Lacey called over her shoulder, “Thanks for the brownies, Allison. They’re his favorite.”
The black forest brownies were always sold out by lunchtime on the weekends. They were a town favorite. And apparently, the kid’s favorite, too.
Bridger wasted no time in tearing off the clear cellophane from the treat before taking a bite with a large grin on his face. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, but the same couldn’t be said about his mother.
Lacey’s eyes locked with Mack’s from across the street, and she made a face. It wasn’t angry—more exasperated than anything else. And it brought a smile to his face. As frustrated as she might be with his appearance, he was similarly frustrated at the inability to get her out of his head.
Mack plucked the straw from his lips and tossed it into the road before striding across and meeting her at the sidewalk.
She smirked, but her eyes flashed with warning. “Are you stalking me now? Might as well admit it. I hear liars don’t get nice accommodations in—” Lacey stopped herself and glanced down at her son, who was looking up at her with curiosity.
“Where, Mom?”
Lacey flushed, and Mack bit back a chuckle. He got the feeling she didn’t used to be the picture-perfect mother in the beginning.
He glanced down at the boy. “Jail, kid. Liars get the lumpiest, smelliest mattresses in jail. So you better not lie.” His eyes bounced up to Lacey. “Especially not to your mother.”
The rosy hue to her skin deepened. Then she huffed a sigh, forcing a smile for her kid’s sake. “Come on, Bridger, we need to run a few more errands, then we can go home and watch the Discovery Channel.”
Mack fell into step beside them. “Discovery Channel, huh? What do you like watching?”
Before Lacey could stop him, Bridger launched into the conversation. “I like the lions best. They’re the kings of the jungle. They can eat anything. They’re fast, too.”
“Not as fast as cheetahs,” Mack offered, much to Lacey’s chagrin.
Bridger shook his head. “No, not as fast as cheetahs. But they’re still my favorite.”
“So, you like animals, huh?”
He nodded vigorously. “I want to be a cowboy when I grow up. Just like Uncle Caleb.”
Mack gave Lacey a side-eyed glance. She looked like she was struggling not to jump in and zip her son’s lips closed.
A strange sort of feeling flooded his insides at the kid calling Caleb his uncle.
Sammie and Lacey were close. It made sense.
The kid was growing attached to Caleb, and Lacey was trying her darndest to keep him from anyone else.
“Cowboys are pretty cool. I like to watch them at the rodeo. Have you ever been?”
Bridger shook his head. “No. Mom says I have to be a little bigger.”
Lacey glanced at Mack like she feared he’d argue with that sentiment.
“Your mother’s a smart woman. I’d listen to her. Sometimes the rodeo can get a little too exciting. Kids get lost. People get hurt.”
The boy nodded. “Yeah. That’s what she says.”
Mack chuckled at the look of shock that had replaced the blush Lacey wore. They slowed as they neared a statue in the middle of the square.
“Mom? Can I go see the statue?”
Lacey nodded, her eyes still locked with Mack’s. “But don’t go anywhere else.” The second her son had run off, she faced Mack and placed a hand to her hip. “What are you doing, Mike ?”
He couldn’t wait until she ran out of names to call him and started using his given name.
For now, he wasn’t going to give her any pleasure in knowing how much it bothered him that she hadn’t yet.
“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m having a lovely conversation while I take a walk with a lovely woman. ”
He wasn’t sure, but he thought he caught a glimpse of that blush returning. She shook her head. “I’m not going out with you again. I told you, I have a rule.”
Mack leaned forward. “And some rules are meant to be broken.”
“Keep dreaming,” she muttered, not backing away from him.
His face was inches from her own, and yet she stood her ground. Mack itched to reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear, if only for the excuse to touch her again. His focus dipped to her lush lips, and he pondered how hard it would be to convince her to let him steal a kiss.
With the hardball she was currently playing, he figured it would be near impossible.
“Mack,” she whispered, drawing his gaze to her eyes again.
“Yes,” he murmured, breathily.
“You need to stop following me. People are going to get the wrong idea.”
“And what idea is that?” This time he couldn’t help himself. He brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips linger before he dropped his hand to his side.
“That there’s something going on between us.” Her voice sounded strained this time, but it was her brown eyes that had latched onto him, preventing him from pulling away.
“Maybe there is something going on between us,” he offered.
She blinked rapidly, his words breaking the spell. Much like the night of their first date, she placed a hand to his chest to push him back. “There is nothing going on between us, and there never will be.”
“Why is that? You never really gave me an answer at dinner.”
She sighed, turning away from him so her shoulder brushed against his chest. “You want the truth?”
“We already know what happens to liars…” He teased.
Lacey rolled her eyes but didn’t comment on that. Instead, she turned her attention to her son. “He’s my whole world. I’m not going to risk him getting hurt just because I might want to go on another date with someone.”
“So you admit you want to go on another date.” Mack knew he’d push her buttons with that one. She was already on the edge, but whether she fell on the same side where he stood or on the opposite side of the walls she’d erected, he couldn’t be certain.
She shot him an irritated look. “Just cut your losses. This isn’t going to happen. I’m sure there are several women in this town or the ones surrounding us that would fall all over themselves to go on a date with someone as good-looking as you.”
Mack bit back the retort that clung to his lips. She thought he was good-looking, too. The only thing that stood in his way was the kid.
He glanced toward the child. If he could get the kid on his side, then his mother would have no choice but to accept his request for another date—especially if the kid was invited along.
Or was that pushing his luck too far?
There was no telling at this point.
“Will you stop looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” He flashed her a grin, hoping it covered for his lapse in attention.
“Like…” She groaned. “Never mind.” Lacey waved over to Bridger. “Come on, honey. Time to go.” The boy hurried to her side, but before his mother could cart him off, he waved.
“Bye, Mack.”
There was no denying the way Lacey stiffened.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, and all he could do was shrug.
“We had fun playing catch. He wanted to know my name. What a relief to know he doesn’t have your propensity for forgetting names easily.
” He laughed as she wheeled her son down the street. Today was a good day.
“Mack? Is that you?” A squeal from across the parking lot caught Mack’s attention. He turned just in time to see a brunette woman rushing toward him. Her brown eyes were just as warm as he remembered.
“Angela? It’s been… boy, it has to have been a decade.”
She pulled back. “I know! I can’t believe it! Are you visiting your family? I can’t tell you how sad I was when we moved to the city. I even considered running away for the summer so I could go hang out at Sagebrush with you and your cousins.”
Mack smiled at the memories. “You always did spend most of your summer there, didn’t you?
I’d wondered what had happened to you.” He glanced up at the apartment complex.
In his hand, he had a black forest brownie, and in his back pocket, three day passes to ZooMontana in Billings.
He knew better than to think Lacey would drop everything and go today.
But he’d planned on convincing her to go in the next couple of weeks.
His focus returned to Angela. Shoot, she was talking, and he’d let his thoughts drift again.
Thinking of Lacey seemed to cause that a lot.
“…It’s a lot of work, but it’s going to be so rewarding! Anyway, enough about me. Why are you here? Sorry, I didn’t let you answer.”
“Here?” he stammered. As in this parking lot? Or in Rocky Ridge?
“Are you working in Rocky Ridge, now? You always had a knack for being a cowboy.”
He relaxed. At this point in time, he wasn’t sure he was ready to admit his interest in Lacey to anyone, and Angela might still have friends in town.
Rumors from the women at the salon were one thing.
Confirmed truth was something else entirely.
Mack rubbed his neck and grinned sheepishly at the woman who had once been a friend he’d hang out with when they were children.
“Yeah, my uncle built my folks a house. We moved out here to help with the ranch.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s amazing. I bet you love it. Do you love it?” She placed a hand on his forearm and squeezed, her voice growing soft and almost sultry.
Mack nodded, momentarily distracted by her touch.
It was strange. They’d never been romantically involved.
He’d never had a crush on her. He took a slight step back and folded his arms. “Yeah, it’s been a good change.
I don’t know what I’m going to do long term, but I’m trying out a lot of different stuff. ”
“Sounds amazing. I guess we’re both finding our way.” He didn’t miss the underlying tone of her voice. Angela had also struggled with deciding what she wanted for the future, but as a teenager, she’d had time.
Now he was the only one without a determined path laid out in front of him—and he was an adult.
Angela gasped. “You’ve never met my sister.”
He vaguely recalled that she’d mentioned she had a sister. Back when they were kids, she spent more time with friends than her family during the summers. He hadn’t minded. She was fun enough to be around. Mack offered a smile. “Actually, I’m here visiting?—”
She grabbed ahold of his forearm. “Oh, it will only be a moment.” Angela adjusted her purse on her shoulder and winked. “Then again, it’s important for old friends to catch up. We could all go out for dinner afterward.”
His refusal was on the edge of his tongue until he realized they were headed in an all too familiar direction.
No. It couldn’t be.
A new sense of glee flooded his middle.
By the time they reached the apartment door, it felt like Christmas.
Angela pushed open the door. “Lace! I’m back! Turns out Cliff’s didn’t have what I wanted. I’m going to have to try a different store. Might even have to go all the way to Billings for it.”
“That’s ridicu—” Lacey emerged from the bedroom in the back and froze when her eyes landed on Mack. She looked like she’d been turned to stone after catching sight of Medusa herself.
“This is Mack.”
“Mack?” Lacey mumbled.
“Yeah, you remember those summers when I hung out with my friends over at Sagebrush? Anyway…” She paused for a moment, glancing between the two of them, but it wasn’t until Bridger exited the bedroom and grinned at Mack that something seemed to click. “You guys meet already?”
Lacey cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing deeply. “Yeah, I think so. Sammie’s brother-in-law, right?”
Mack nodded. “That’s right.”
Angela’s grin widened. “Perfect! Everyone knows everyone else. Now, we can go get dinner.” She turned to Mack. “If that’s okay with you. I’m not sure what your plans were.”
“Is that for me?” Bridger tugged at the forgotten brownie in Mack’s hand.
Both women glanced at him with varying degrees of curiosity.
“Sure, kiddo. Have at it. I’ll get another one later.” He turned to Angela. “Dinner sounds fun.”