Chapter 3
At the stroke of midnight, the band closed up shop. A scattering of customers, including Brit, Ella and Faye, polished off their drinks and left. Cecily offered to help put up the chairs and sweep the floor, but Trent told her he’d handle it.
Setting the Buffalo to rights after a busy Saturday night was immensely satisfying. Although he’d enjoyed working in a couple of different bars in Trenton, he loved spending time in this one.
After locking the front door, he flipped off the switch that activated the wooden moose’s greeting and turned on the sound system. He let shuffle play choose the songs as he upended the chairs onto the tables in preparation for sweeping.
Wouldn’t you know, Brit had left her small denim purse hanging on the back of hers. He wasn’t surprised, considering the way she and Faye had been giggling as Ella had shepherded them out the door.
He set it on the bar and keys jingled inside. She’d better have an alternative to getting into her house. He worried about that for a couple of seconds, then dismissed it. Ella would handle any issues.
Grabbing a push broom, he swept dirt and random bits of trash into a pile as Keith Urban sang Somebody Like You. Catchy tune, even if the words laid out a fantasy he didn’t believe in anymore.
He missed being in love, missed the euphoria that had gripped him when he’d been convinced he would spend a lifetime with the woman of his dreams.
Blissful ignorance. Lovely while it lasted, hell when it ended. Never again would he allow himself to….
A persistent tapping broke into his thoughts and he glanced toward the front door. The etched oval of glass revealed a blurry image. Someone was outside. Could be Brit coming back for her purse.
Leaning the broom against the nearest table, he moved quickly past the now-silent buffalo and opened the door.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Coatless, she hugged herself against the chill of a May evening. “I was afraid you couldn’t hear me with the music playing. I think I left my purse.”
“You did.” He stepped away and ushered her in.
“Oh, thank God it’s here and not in Ella’s truck.”
“She’s not out there?” He checked the empty street.
“She’s on the way back to Rowdy Ranch.”
“I don’t get it. Why would she just leave you?—”
“She took me home. But Faye was feeling woozy so I hopped out and told Ella to take off. I didn’t realize I didn’t have my purse until I was standing on my front porch and she was long gone. I’d either left it in her truck or here. I’m glad it was here.” She hurried over to the bar. “Now I can get into my house.”
“You walked?”
“It’s only a few blocks and the fresh air helped sober me up. Anyway, thanks for letting me in.” She headed for the door.
“Give me a few minutes to finish up and I’ll drive you home.”
She turned back. “Aww, that’s sweet of you to offer, but it’s not necessary.”
“It may not be necessary, but it’s the right thing to do.”
“Why?”
“Because… you’re a customer.”
Amusement sparkled in her blue eyes. “Do you usually give customers a ride home?”
“No, but it’s late, and you?—”
“I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re worried about. At least I’m not as drunk as I was when I left here. And Wagon Train’s streets are completely safe. I’ll be fine.”
She was right, of course, but letting her walk back alone violated his deeply ingrained sense of chivalry. “Just have a seat at the bar. Please. I won’t be long.”
“I don’t want you going to the trouble. I—whoops, that’s my phone.” She pulled it out of her purse as it played the Happy Birthday song, which made for an interesting contrast to Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. She tapped the screen and tucked the phone back in her purse.
“You’re not answering? At this hour it could be impor?—”
“It wasn’t a call. It’s my alarm. I set it to play Happy Birthday at 1:12 am, the time I was born.” She flashed him a radiant smile. “I’m officially thirty-one.”
He knew people who complained about getting older after they passed thirty. She clearly wasn’t one of them. “Then let me be the first to wish you happy birthday.”
“Thanks.”
“And you shouldn’t have to walk home by yourself now that your birthday is officially here. That’s just wrong.”
She studied him for a moment, her mouth tilted in a smile. “You make a valid point. I accept your kind offer.”
“Good.” What do you know. He’d finally invited a woman to occupy the passenger seat of his truck. Rance was bound to tease him about it. Well, unless he failed to mention this incident. Maybe he’d keep it to himself.