Chapter Six
When Seth arrived at the Silver Spur Café shortly before noon on Monday, he scanned the diner and located the last free table for two.
He nodded at the young waiter, who was depositing mugs of hot coffee for three older ladies who looked like they’d just come from bingo, and gestured toward the table, holding up two fingers. “I’ll be right over with menus,” the waiter said.
Seth took the seat facing the door, so he’d see Andrea coming through.
The anticipation he’d been feeling all weekend for this moment had almost killed him.
When was the last time he’d felt this excited about a woman?
Never, he reckoned. But Andrea Spence had set up shop in his mind, her image playing on a loop in his mind, and the daydreams he’d had of her all weekend were no substitute for this real thing.
This was confirmed when at exactly twelve o’clock, the door of the café opened, and Andrea passed through, her long red waves cascading down her back.
She wore a white turtleneck sweater under her light parka, and a pair of tight blue jeans with black suede ankle boots, and Seth had a momentary feeling of paralysis when her eyes found his, and she flashed a warm, delicious smile.
He stood up as she approached the table.
“Hi, Seth,” she said. She shrugged off her jacket and Seth noted how her turtleneck clung to her upper body, showcasing her slender but curvy figure. How was he supposed to focus on a lunch meeting?
They sat down, and Andrea waved away the menu their server passed her. “I’ve only been here once, and that was enough for me to decide I will always order the burger,” she said, grinning. “They do something magic with it. I don’t know what it is.”
“It’s Taylor Beef. That’s the magic,” Seth said, and smiled. He looked at the waiter. “Make that two burgers, thanks. And I’ll take a black coffee.”
While it wasn’t a date, it felt like one.
And Seth had been on many dates with many beautiful women, at some of the finest restaurants in the state, but sitting in this little diner, with laminated menus and mismatched mugs and the sounds of an old Kenny Chesney tune coming through the speakers?
It was already the best date he’d ever been on.
“How was your weekend?” Seth asked.
“Not much of a weekend, actually,” Andrea said. “I got the new drywall up. So I’m making progress.”
Seth flashed back to the image of Andrea answering her door, breathing from the exertion of her work. It was incredibly sexy. “Are you planning to do the whole thing yourself?” he asked.
Andrea shook her head. “I’ll have someone in to do the electrical. The fireplace needs cleaning—I don’t think it was used for years before I moved in—and I’m planning to redo the kitchen at some point. Right now, I’m just focusing on the basics, and hoping to open sometime in the early new year.”
“I’m sure my brother knows some people in construction in the area,” said Seth. “I could give him a call.”
Before she could respond, their waiter approached the table, balancing a tray with their coffees. Another server trailed him, surveying his performance with the rapt focus of a figure skating competition judge.
“Much better,” the older woman said, as the young guy deposited the first steaming mug on the table. “It’s all about shifting the tray’s balance. Go take your break. I’ll cover for you.”
The woman, whose nametag read Eileen, grinned at Andrea and Seth as their waiter headed to the kitchen.
“New kid on the block,” she said. “Dropped a full glass of orange juice in a customer’s lap this morning.
We had to comp the meal.” Eileen’s gaze shifted as the diner’s door opened. “Hey, JenniLynn!” she called.
Seth followed her eyeline to see a woman entering the restaurant.
“Is that JenniLynn Garrett?” Andrea asked Eileen. “I’ve heard her name around town.”
“Sure is,” Eileen said, turning to them. “The next mayor of Tenacity, my lips to God’s ears!”
Andrea and Seth watched as the woman opened her large manila envelope and slid out some folded-up papers.
“Mind if I leave these pamphlets here, Eileen?” JenniLynn asked.
Her petite frame, paired with a chin-length blond bob and bright blue eyes, belied the commanding energy she radiated—like an NFL quarterback strategizing on game day.
“No problem,” said Eileen, adjusting the pencil in her bun. “How’s the campaign going? I still can’t believe with all you’ve got going on, you’re able to add this to the mix!”
“You know what they say,” said JenniLynn. “You want something done, ask a busy person to do it.”
“Amen to that,” Eileen said.
JenniLynn smiled and waved, and just as quickly as she’d breezed in, she disappeared back through the door with her armful of pamphlets.
“That woman,” Eileen said, pointing out the door, “is a dynamo.”
“Do you know the other candidates?” Andrea asked.
Eileen nodded. “There’s Graham Callahan and Ellis Corey, who are both ranchers. Then Marty Moore is seeking reelection. And then, of course, JenniLynn, married with three kids and manager of the Coyote Creek Ranch out on High Plains Road.”
“And what do people think of Mayor Moore?” asked Seth.
Eileen leaned in a little and raised an eyebrow. “All I know is the people in Tenacity are ready for a change.” She gave a firm nod. “I’ll send the youngin’ back with your meals when they’re ready.”
Eileen disappeared, and Andrea looked back at Seth.
“I’ll have to do some more research on the candidates before I make up my mind. But if that woman can manage three kids, a husband and a ranch, something tells me she has the chops to manage a town.”
“I wouldn’t disagree,” said Seth.
* * *
The waiter set their burgers on the table, and Andrea watched as Seth thanked him with an easy warmth, then launched into a friendly back-and-forth about an NFL team they both followed.
Seth might be filthy rich, but you’d never guess it.
She imagined bringing Harold to the Silver Spur—how he’d react to the paper place mats and the plastic ketchup bottle in the center of the table.
She could already picture the faint sneer of disapproval tugging at his lips, the subtle air of snobbery he’d try and fail to hide.
“So next week,” said Seth. “The whole town will be out to vote. What do you think about us setting up a booth outside the Town Hall? Talk to people. Take the temperature on what folks might think about this idea of a dino park in town.”
Andrea considered. This would be publicly attaching herself to the project, and risk more people finding out about her past life.
Then again, it wouldn’t really be out of the question that she would be interested in the dino park.
After all, people coming from out of town would need a place to stay.
It would also mean another opportunity to spend time with Seth.
The lunch had been good. He’d listened to her ideas, and any time she asked him a question in return, he took a moment to think about his answer before responding.
She liked how thoughtful he was, and how he seemed to consider all angles.
She had confidence that if he decided to move forward with the park, he’d do it in a measured and purposeful way.
There was also the undeniable and intoxicating electricity between them, which she was still trying to make sense of.
On one hand, the alarm bells were real, and they were there for a reason.
Yet Seth was proving to be everything Harold wasn’t.
He was confident without a trace of arrogance.
Intelligent, but never a know-it-all. And then there was the way his clear blue eyes locked onto hers, as though every word she spoke mattered to him.
It stirred something in her, something she wasn’t ready to let go of just yet.
The waiter came with the bill. Andrea reached for her purse but Seth waved her off. “Please,” he said. “You’ve been so helpful.”
“You tell your family there’s another Taylor Beef fan in town,” she said.
The early afternoon air was crisp and cool as they exited the Silver Spur onto Central Avenue, and the sun was high overhead.
According to Nina Sanchez, soon the downtown would be decorated for the holidays, and what was a fairly ordinary small-town main street would be aglow with lights and Christmas displays in the shop windows.
Thanksgiving and Christmas were generally quiet times for Andrea.
She’d lost both of her parents when she was young, her mother to ovarian cancer when she was only eight, and her father early in her university years to a heart attack.
Her aunt and uncle in Boston always extended an invitation to visit, and every few years she accepted, and there was always a kind colleague who made sure she knew she was welcome to join their family, but for the past few years, Andrea had spent the holidays holed up in comfy clothes, with a stack of books and either a nice meal from a local catering company or else an Uber Eats order of whatever she was feeling like in the moment.
This year would be the same, although she’d have to make sure she had groceries: Most of the businesses would likely be closing down for a few days.
Seth walked Andrea to her car. “Are you in a rush to get home?” he asked.
“That burger was good, but I have a bit of a sweet tooth. How do you feel about a splitting a warm apple fritter from the bakery?” He checked his watch.
“Last time I went in they were pulling out their second batch of the day right about now.”
Andrea hesitated. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Seth, but going for dessert now did really feel like a shift from a business meeting to a date. “I’ve got to get to the hardware store and pick up a few things,” she said. “Rain check?”
She detected a flicker of disappointment on Seth’s face. “Sure thing,” he said. “I’ll call over to Town Hall on my way back to Bronco. Let them know about our plan to set up an information booth.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know,” Andrea said. They reached her car, and Andrea pulled her keys from her pocket.
“As long as you’re there, that’s all I need,” Seth said.
“And I suppose I can manage a whole fritter to myself.” He slid on his sunglasses and Andrea’s knees just about buckled.
Sharing a fresh-baked pastry with this absolutely gorgeous man felt like the most indulgent thing she could have possibly done with her afternoon, and what she needed was to channel the austerity of a nun.
She got in her car, and looked through the rearview mirror after executing a U-turn to see Seth waving from the curb.
Andrea waved as she drove away, then took a deep, steadying breath in. She’d survived the lunch. And now they were going to be spending a few more hours together at an information booth.
Tenacity was an engaged community, as far as Andrea could tell, and there would likely be a steady stream of people coming in and out of the Town Hall on voting day, so hopefully they’d be preoccupied.
But the truth was, the spark of attraction between them was growing, and that was the last thing Andrea needed right now.
She was focused on rebuilding her life, and the last thing she needed was to get distracted by something—or someone—that could complicate everything she was working so hard to rebuild.
* * *
The bells on the door jingled as Andrea let herself into Tenacity Feed and Seed, a one-stop shop in a large industrial building for anything from feed and equipment, farm goods, gardening supplies to plumbing and hardware items. Owner Mel Hastings looked up from the desk as Andrea entered.
“You’re back,” he called. “Second time in two days.”
She smiled and gave him a quick wave. “Just call me Joanna Gaines,” she said, referencing one of her favorite reno show hosts. “I’m learning as I go. Thank goodness for YouTube.” She pulled a small slip of paper from her pocket. “I’m looking for some mesh tape and joint compound.”
“Right this way,” said Mel. She followed him through the store, back past the lawnmowers, the lighting section and the plumbing supplies, and watched as he pulled her items off the shelf. “Anything else you need?” he said.
“That’s everything,” said Andrea. “Until tomorrow, I guess.”
Mel chuckled. “Good for you, teaching yourself these things,” he said.
“Thanks,” said Andrea. “I don’t mind it, actually.
” Plus the fact that although her settlement had been decent, she’d sunk most of it into the property, and needed to budget her money carefully over the coming months before she opened for bookings.
Then, there was no guarantee she was going to be an overnight success.
She wasn’t worried—if necessary, she could do some online consulting or teach a distance learning class through one of the colleges or universities, but the whole point of coming to Tenacity was to take a break from all that. So, avoiding paying for labor was the strategy.
When she was checking out, she noticed a campaign sticker beside the cash register for JenniLynn Garrett, as well as a small pile of the pamphlets like the candidate had dropped at the café earlier.
Mel noticed her looking at them. “You could do worse than vote for JenniLynn, that’s for sure,” he said.
“That woman has a heart of gold, and a will of steel. She loves this town. Born and raised.”
The idea of a rancher and mother helping to shape the community resonated with Andrea. JenniLynn seemed to have genuine support from the people here, and it was reassuring to see. “Good to know,” she replied, accepting the bag of supplies Mel handed over.
“And listen, you run into any problems or need help figuring out how to do something, you just call me,” Mel said.
It was such a simple offer, but it hit Andrea harder than she expected.
A lump formed in her throat as she realized how much those words meant.
She was a stranger here, with no family or friends to lean on, yet the people of Tenacity were already extending a hand.
“Thank you, Mel,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. ”
Mel chuckled, a smile crinkling the corner of his eyes. “See you tomorrow, Andrea.”