Chapter 50
She’d spent the weekend with the girls and with Cal—but Monday, they had to get back to the routine.
Gil and Sage wanted them to stay at the ranch until this thing with their father was resolved.
Auggie didn’t want to stay there, but she wanted her sisters safe, period.
So she’d just suck it up for as long as she had to.
It did make it convenient for work—considering things were heating up with Gil’s latest merger.
It was his first big project, without Vince Preston orchestrating it.
No wonder her cousin was a nervous wreck.
Staying there meant no driving an hour and twenty minutes twice a week one way.
The girls spent a lot of time at Gil’s already; he’d even painted one larger room with primary colors and put big letter and number decals on the wall for the younger girls.
He’d filled a shelf with books for Jules in another corner.
And created a desk nook just for January’s use.
It was a large room and the girls loved it.
They didn’t have many positive school memories from before—Avril and Jules and January had been bullied pretty badly, mostly for being poor and dirty and small—but they were smart girls.
There were some challenges, but they were finding their way through.
The girls would know the adults in their lives valued what they were learning.
They made it work.
But now…it was back to routine. Somehow.
Which meant, she and Gilbert had to be in town, at the diner, within one hour.
They were meeting with Aaron Masterson again.
That man seemed a bit overly determined to grow his empire lately.
Aaron had been a little touchy at their last meeting.
She had her notes ready, but…Gil was off doing Gil kinds of things.
Sometimes, keeping him on task was definitely a full-time job.
She finally got her cousin to the diner with three minutes to spare.
She hurried Gil inside, but he immediately got distracted by the beautiful pregnant sheriff’s deputy in there enjoying her own lunch.
Like no one could have predicted that happening.
Gil and Sage were like magnets. When in range, they attracted and clung.
They were so beyond adorable, those two.
Auggie followed Meyra, the hostess this time, to the back booth. Gil would find her eventually.
For now, she was going to get set up. It looked like Aaron was running late, as well. She needed the time to breathe.
She had just settled at the table, with her back toward the door, when a hot hand landed on her shoulder. She squeaked. Then turned.
A green-eyed wicked man was staring down at her. “Hello, dear, how was your morning?”
“Cal.” She had not expected to see him for a few days.
Until the engagement party for her cousin Ben and his ever-suffering fiancée on Friday night.
Cal had agreed to go as her date. Well, hers and Tobi’s and Avril’s and Markie’s and Maeya’s.
Tobi had insisted. But since Tobi was mad at Jules and January, he didn’t get to be their dates, apparently.
Jules had told everyone she didn’t care—she was dating Ricky Weatherby, after all. Jules had her own boyfriend now, and didn’t need to go with Auggie’s.
Total news to Auggie. Apparently, Ricky had asked Jules to be his girlfriend at Sunday School. He’d been spending the weekend with his best buddies, Philip and Wesley, and had met Jules at church. Jules had told her all about it.
They were going to have to keep an eye on that girl.
January had declared boys were far too complicated and immature and if she ever married, he’d be at least ten years older than she was and settled down, with a stable career and a plan for his life.
No goofing around. January was very mad at that boy from the dance, Auggie suspected.
Em had recently declared men in Masterson County were all jerks—except for Cal, and Junie said she had no time for a man in her life. Junie had made it clear she’d rather watch Auggie’s love life right now. Because it was far, far more interesting. Well, after Jules’s apparently.
Romance could be so complicated.
Just like that, her man in question leaned down, kissed her quickly on the mouth, then grinned. “Hi.”
She heard someone snicker behind her. She turned. Bright red hair on that waitress hurrying back to the kitchen. Yep. Junie had seen.
Auggie would probably never hear the end of this. “Just what are you up to?”
The innocent look didn’t fool her at all. No. He wanted people to see them together.
The man was challenging her.
If she was going to do this, it was going to have to be now. Auggie wasn’t about to let him get the jump on her. Not him. Just…not him. She wanted to say that she met him on equal footing. Her leg twinged, almost mocking her thoughts.
Maybe it wouldn’t be physical equal footing, but it would be equal footing in everything else. She was going to make it that way.
She had never been a coward. When life threw cow crud at her, Auggie had always made sure to meet it head on, with a handy umbrella. No matter what happened next, she was going to go for life with everything she had.
But...she felt like she was actually breathing again right now. For the first time in months.
She waited through the meeting for the right moment. He had sat down right next to her. His hand was on the back of her chair. Aaron Masterson had shown up with Jack. And that was all it had taken.
Calloway was trying to claim her. Possessive ass.
She had a message to send to that man.
Finally, when he was at the counter, covering the bill, she stood. Looked at Gil, Aaron, and Jack—and Jack’s sister Nora, who had been taking notes for her father. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a point to prove here.”
Nora snickered. “Go for it. I want to watch. I really want to watch.”
Auggie walked up to him, right there in the middle of the diner.
Junie was right there, a contemplative look in her big blue eyes. Just watching. The Talleys in the diner were watching. Sage was turned around, watching. Gil was watching—glowering, though she half-thought he’d accepted Cal after the other night.
Everyone was watching.
“Just what do you think you accomplished today, Calloway?”
“I love how you say my name, Augusta Dawn. I’m sure you know what I am after. Masterson can find his own woman. What are you going to do about it?”
She trailed the fingers of one hand over his almost prissy, staid businessman’s shirt. Her fingers wrapped in his tie. She pursed her lips and looked up at him. As sexily as she could.
Damn it, he was a seriously beautiful man. The humor in his eyes as she challenged him was almost her undoing.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She almost purred the words in his face, gratified when his green eyes widened first and then darkened. “One thing to remember, sweetheart…no one speaks for me but me. I will be…with the man I want to be…when I want to be. Not a moment before. Remember.”
She deliberately flicked the button beneath her nails open. Right in front of everyone.
“And if I forget?” He captured her hand in his.
She hesitated.
Maybe she’d miscalculated. Maybe that had been a mistake.
She knew it was, when the fool man refused to let her go when she tugged.
“You’ll probably end up regretting it.”
“Will I? Just what game are you playing, woman?” He pulled her against his chest quickly.
His free hand had hooked around her waist without her realizing it. And he lifted. Just that quick.
Until she was practically plastered against him. She felt every inch of him. The diner around them hushed. Or…at least…it seemed like that to her.
Or maybe they just didn’t matter? Maybe all that mattered was her. And him. “Calloway…”
He leaned down. “No matter what you think you can dish out, Augusta Dawn, I can take it. You have my word on that. I’m in this for the long haul. I’m thinking forever. Be forewarned. Just something to keep in mind.”
That darned man pressed his mouth to hers in a kiss far too hot for public consumption.
“I’ll meet you and the girls at six on Friday. I’m looking forward to it.” Then he just turned and walked away. Whistling. He was actually whistling. Jerk.
Everything was just...paused…for a moment. While she tried to catch her breath.
Her eyes met her younger sister’s. “That man…he’s going to be trouble. I just know it.”
Junie reached out and patted her on the head. “You’ve always handled trouble just fine. I’m looking forward to watching.”
Hell, Junie was no real help at all.