Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Dex
D unking Meyer had been so worth it. While I didn’t care for the way a couple of the guys—and most of the women—were ogling him in his soaking wet, white T-shirt plastered to his fine body, I’d enjoyed the show. But now I was back to being the Big Butte Salsa King. Not literally. However, Meyer had been referring to me that way in the past week. I was still pondering how to make him pay.
Manning the booth under the red canopy tent put me in the spotlight again. Sure, I’d gone to the fiesta in the past, but I’d always blended. Standing behind the display table covered by Lindy’s festive cloth with red and green dancing chile peppers at least provided a smidgeon of protection.
While I waited for Meyer to drop by after he changed, or had a spare moment, I counted how many of each size and heat level I had left of salsas. I also re-verified who still had preorders to pick up and added more tortilla chips to the bowl for sampling. We’d never made enough of Meyer’s chile pepper lemonade to sell. Instead, we were giving away what we did have in tiny cups. The free samples had taken the place of me having to pitch the salsa like a carnival barker.
Once I’d started approaching the great salsa escapade with open eyes, my ranch manager instincts had taken over. I was actually enjoying the whole process. It wasn’t too far from ordering a sufficient number of hay bales, calculating when to switch to alfalfa, which cows needed their hooves cleaned next, and so on.
I was so lost in my careful assessment of remaining jars versus units sold, I almost jumped out of my skin at the sound of Rosie’s voice.
“Well, well. This booth has certainly been popular today, and with good reason,” said Rosie. “Your family salsa has always been one of my favorites of the food choices here at the fiesta.”
She grabbed a chip and scooped up a big portion of the three-alarm fire variety. She’d been by a few times already. It was a good thing I’d brought plenty of sample jars.
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure I’d make it this year since Kayla wasn’t going to be visiting.”
“That’s right!” Crunch, crunch, crunch . “How is your lovely sister doing? Is she still with that same gentleman…” She snapped the fingers of the hand that wasn’t salsa dipping. “Todd?”
“Yes, ma’am. She is.” I fought valiantly to keep from staring as the contents of all three sample bowls dwindled at a rapid rate. “This was the only time she and her boyfriend could take their vacation, and they’d already planned a resort getaway.”
“Hmmph.” She licked her fingers. “I guess we’re not good enough for her fancy city boyfriend.”
“Oh, I don’t think that?—”
“But at least she has someone.” She glanced around before leaning in. “What about you, Dex? I’m sure the only reason I haven’t seen you dating anyone is because of how busy you’ve been at the ranch. Or is there someone special you’ve been hiding from everyone?” She straightened as if the question had merely been rhetorical. “Because a wife can be a big help, especially when there’s a big ranch to run.” She held up a finger like she’d been struck with an idea. “You know, my daughter?—”
“Oh hey, Destiny!” I called out, thankful that the purveyor of cosmic cookies had chosen that moment to pass by. “I really want to thank you for getting Monica to watch the booth for me.”
She sidled over, and I pretended not to notice Rosie’s sour expression.
“Oh, not at all, Dex.” She smiled and turned to Rosie. “Enjoying the fiesta?”
Rosie recovered from her attempt to plead her daughter’s matrimonial case and gave Destiny a wide smile. “I am! It’s much bigger this year. All the old favorites, plus several new vendors.”
Destiny nodded. “I think the spicy roasted nuts are my favorite addition. Have either of you tried them yet?”
Rosie screwed up her nose. “I’ve never really enjoyed nuts. Especially if they’re too salty.”
Destiny turned to me. “What about you? Have you tried Mr. Gomez’s nuts?”
I couldn’t remember double entendre being such an issue for me before. At least, not until Meyer showed up in town again.
“Not yet.” I smiled, willing myself to keep my composure and not morph into an adolescent. “I’ve been tending to the booth most of the day.”
Destiny brushed her hand through the air. “Oh, you must before the day’s over. You can always get a bag for later.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I sure wished Meyer would appear from wherever he was hiding and bail me out. “Any other booths I should try and visit?”
Destiny grinned. “As long as you asked, I have something new. I’m premiering them here. It’s been a devil trying to keep my new creations a secret.”
“I can only imagine.” Good sense should’ve kept me from asking the inevitable question, yet I ignored my inner emergency alert system and plowed ahead. “What are they?”
Destiny brought both fists to her mouth, almost vibrating with excitement. “Cream hand pies.”
I blinked several times. “Uh, wow. That’s…”
“Amazing, right? I mean, everyone has fruit or nut hand pies, but how many have cream pies?” She rolled her eyes. “Some people think they know everything about baking—even if they don’t. I’d like to see someone pull off a cream pie the way I can.”
I rubbed my forehead, wishing I could disappear, and Rosie seemed positively fiendish. Destiny and Alejandra’s decades-long feud was like catnip to her.
“Oh my.” Rosie glanced down at the now-empty sample bowls. “I suppose I’d better get one before they’re all sold out.”
Destiny nodded sagely. “You wouldn’t want to miss out.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” said Rosie. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a good cream pie.”
Somebody make it stop .
Rosie turned to me. “It was so nice seeing you again. We’ll have to continue our conversation later.”
I almost asked which conversation, but then my brain cells kicked in, and I kept my big trap shut.
I smiled. “Thanks for stopping by.”
Destiny and Rosie said their goodbyes, then right as Rosie left, Alejandra strolled by, waving at me. She made a point of not including Destiny, and as I responded with a wave of my own, Destiny caught Alejandra’s gaze. Now I was in the cringey position of being the innocent bystander as they mad-dogged each other.
As soon as Alejandra was out of sight, Destiny returned her attention to me. “Can you believe her? The nerve!” Destiny huffed. “She’s just jealous of my butts and hand pies, wishing she’d thought of them before me.”
“I love your coffee,” I blurted.
Her forehead wrinkled as she tilted her head. “What made you say that?”
Cowardice? Stupidity? “I dunno. For some reason, all this talk of pastry made me think how well coffee goes with sweets.” I smiled as sincerely as I could. “Obviously, I couldn’t help but think of your coffee.”
Destiny ducked her head, placing her hand on her chest. “Thank you, Dex. How nice of you. You’re such a wonderful man. I just can’t understand why someone hasn’t snagged you yet.”
I wanted to announce to the world that I had been snagged. As far as I was concerned, Meyer and I belonged together. Other than our small circle, no one knew we were an item. Perhaps we should fix that, but I wasn’t sure what the best approach was. I’d have to bring the subject up with Meyer when we got home later.
I grinned before I could stop myself. Home . What an awesome word.
Destiny laughed. “What are you smiling about? You look like the cat who ate the canary.”
I snorted. Actually, I was the rancher who ate the firefighter. However, she didn’t need to hear that—cream pies notwithstanding.
“I promise I didn’t eat anyone’s cute bird.” A change of subject was sorely needed. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in any salsa?” I was about to direct her to try some, then remembered the bowls had gone dry. “I can open a jar if you’d like a sample.”
“Poor Dex,” she tsked. “We need to work on your sales pitch. Don’t worry about the sample. Just give me the hottest one, please.”
“Eight or sixteen ounces?” I got a small brown paper bag ready. The day before, a last-minute trip to the paper craft store in town was necessary. When we were packing up the canopy and folding table in the truck, it hit me that I should have something to put the jars in when people made a purchase. Plain paper and a twine handle were the best I could do on short notice. I could get more creative next year.
She tapped her chin. “I’ll live on the edge. Let’s get the sixteen.”
“If you don’t like it, let me know. I’ll give you your money back.”
With a sigh, Destiny shook her head. “Hon, a serious conversation is in order. Don’t offer people a money-back guarantee on food items. Buyer’s remorse does not apply to something edible.”
I sensed she had experience on this topic. “Okay. I’ll keep that in mind. But I hope you like it.”
“I’ve heard nothing but good things.” She smiled as we exchanged the bag for a ten-dollar bill. I reached into the cash box to give her two dollars in change, and she stayed my hand. “Pro tip. Price items in increments of five. Then you don’t have to hassle with all the ones.”
“Oh.” She had a point. “Kayla told me how much to charge, so that’s what I went with. You don’t think five and ten dollars is too high?”
“Not at all. It’s fresh, a family recipe, and people always pay more at these things.” She shrugged. “Besides, you have the booth fee, supplies, time spent, and so on.”
I wanted to mention that this wasn’t a real business for me, but I also didn’t want to offend her.
“Well, I’ll definitely keep that in mind for next time.”
I thanked her for her purchase, and after wishing me success, she made her way toward the churro cart. I’d already noted the chains tying it down to two cement blocks. I guess they weren’t taking any chances this year.
As I refilled the sample bowls, the most popular local mariachi band took the stage. Jalisco Guitarras played at El Gato on Friday and Saturday nights and was always one of the top attractions. Charming’s historic Mexican restaurant, which dated back to the fifties, was where my parents went on their first date.
“Hello, Dex, I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
I lifted my gaze at the sound of Chief Wally’s voice. But I was also met with the steel gray eyes of a ruggedly handsome man regarding me with a small smile. I straightened, wondering why the police chief wanted me to meet this cowboy who was staring at me like I was his afternoon meal.
“Afternoon, Chief.” I dipped my chin and cleared my throat. “Sure.” I held out my hand to the stranger. “I’m Dex Chase. I own the Charming Chase Cattle Ranch, right on the outskirts of town.”
He accepted my offer with a grin, wrapping my hand in a meaty paw. “Pleasure to meet you, Dex. I’m Cash Lawson.”
After giving my hand a firm shake, he lingered a beat before letting go. Wally interjected, “Cash is a recent arrival in town. He’s been elected Sheriff.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize.” I was surprised Rosie hadn’t said anything. Very surprised. “I guess I haven’t been paying attention to the latest updates.”
I declined to mention why I’d been so distracted.
Wally’s brow furrowed. “Well, surely you know about the new assistant fire chief?”
Boy, did I. He also must’ve missed Meyer’s grand entrance on the back of my horse. “Yes, I was helping his mom out, so I…” Actually, I knew about him before she did. I suddenly felt oddly exposed. But why should I? “Anyway, yes. I know about the new fire chief.”
Chief Wally nodded. “Of course, that was about a month ago. So why wouldn’t you know?” He chuckled and waved his hand around. “So much going on lately. You’re so right about it being hard to keep track of.”
Cash arched his eyebrows. “Hmm. I should make an appointment to meet with him. Since we’re both new to town, it might be a good idea to get a feel for things.”
I frowned. That didn’t sound like a good idea in the slightest. If I didn’t make a claim on Meyer soon, let everyone know where we stood, hot alpha males might decide to move in on my man.
In particular, this hot alpha male.
Chief Wally nodded. “Excellent plan. As a matter of fact, I think you two can really make a difference here. A lot of residents of Charming are pushing back against new ideas, change, and all that. But I think it’s a wonderful change. Part of why I’m stepping down.” He patted Cash’s back. “Meyer Jones is young, and so are you. You can bring a fresh perspective to the town.”
I shifted from foot to foot. What difference did it make if they were both young? What was Wally getting at?
My body went taut at the sight of Meyer approaching the booth. His smile was infectious, and even though he was no longer rocking a transparent wet shirt hugging his pecs, he was sex on a stick exactly as he was. I swallowed hard as I glanced at Cash. Damn. Weren’t he and Wally supposed to be going around meeting people? Why hadn’t they left yet?
“Well, speak of the devil!” Wally clapped his hands. “Here he is, Charming’s new assistant fire chief.”
Meyer had already stepped behind the table to stand next to me. He turned to greet Cash, and his face fell. He recovered quickly, though, and held out his hand. My head was spinning. Cash was new to town. Where had he come from? Why hadn’t I been paying attention? Was this Meyer’s ex-boyfriend coming to reclaim him?
Clearly, I was delusional. My brain had short-circuited, and I could no longer remember if Meyer mentioned he’d been dating a cowboy stud named Cash back in Chicago. It probably didn’t make much sense, but I was irrationally jealous, so my emotions ran with it.
After the perfunctory greetings, the mayor started rambling on about who knew what, and I was startled to find Cash stealing the occasional glance at me instead of Meyer. Perhaps subtlety wasn’t one of Cash’s superpowers, because Meyer seemed to have noticed the appraising stares as well.
Meyer sidled closer to me until our elbows were bumping. Cash’s eyebrows lifted, and Wally was oblivious. The next thing I knew, several others had gathered around, including Lindy, Destiny, Chief Brannigan, some of the guys from the station, Rosie, and the preacher—quite a sizeable crowd.
Everyone seemed to be curious and excited to see who the new sheriff was. Meyer turned and whispered in my ear, “Where did he come from? I didn’t know any decisions had been made yet.”
“Did you go to the last council meeting?” I whispered back.
“No, the chief did. But he didn’t say anything about anyone specific. I thought they were still going over candidates.”
“Huh,” I said. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Why was he staring at you?” asked Meyer.
My jaw went slack. “I don’t know. I thought maybe he was your ex and was checking out the competition.”
Meyer choke-snorted. “Not even close. And anyway, you’re mine, baby.”
I turned to face him fully. “Baby?”
“You don’t like that?”
I broke into a wide smile. “I love it. You know what else? You’re mine, too.” I tugged him close. “And I don’t care who knows.”
Meyer placed his hands on my hips. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
I threw my arms around his neck and captured his mouth in a claiming kiss that left no question about what we were to each other. For a moment, everything fell away, and all that existed was Meyer and me, locked in an embrace, lost in each other.
A loud chorus of cheers and clapping erupted, and I should’ve been embarrassed over making such a display. My formerly shy self would’ve sooner eaten a live rattlesnake than put on such a show.
But that was before Meyer. He’d changed everything, and I couldn’t be happier.