Lucas pulled up in front of the building and Cassie parked next to him. Sammy jumped down from the passenger seat as Lucas leaned out the window.
“You want me to wait for you to get the car checked in and then take you to the café?” he asked.
“No, thanks. We’ll just walk back,” Cassie replied. “If you need to head back to the ranch, then I can call Adam to come and get us later.”
“Actually, I’ve got some shopping to do myself. Cookie gave me a huge list of supplies he needs and so I’ll probably still be in town when you all finish up. I’ll park in front of the post office and we can meet up there later.”
He backed away and Sammy, Cassie and Nicolette headed into Gus’s business to return the rental. Gus was a character, with wiry white hair growing everywhere but on the bald dome of his head. Hairs sprouted out of his ears, his eyebrows were forests and a pure white mustache covered his upper lip and drooped down on the sides to his chin.
He flirted with both women, teased Sammy and took care of the business efficiently. Within minutes they were leisurely walking toward the center of town.
“I suppose the first thing we should do is get this little cowboy a hat,” Nicolette said, and was rewarded by the huge smile from her son.
“A black hat just like Lucas’s,” he said.
“I thought all the good guys wore white hats,” Cassie said.
Sammy looked at her with a touch of indignation. “Now, it would be just plain silly to wear a white hat when you’re working outside and doing all kinds of ranch stuff.”
Cassie exchanged an amused glance with Nicolette. “Well, excuse me for not knowing about such cowboy things.”
Sammy giggled and swaggered just ahead of them, as if he already wore a big hat and had spurs on his heels. If nothing else this break from the city was good for him, Nicolette thought. It was good for him to know that there was something different in the world besides concrete sidewalks and throngs of people.
It was just after noon when they entered the Bitterroot Café. They’d had a fun morning walking down the sidewalks and peeking into different stores. They had all laughed as Sammy had tried on a variety of black hats, some sitting low on the tips of his ears and others perched atop his head like a little black bird. They finally found one that fit him perfectly, and his swagger became even more pronounced.
The Bitterroot Café was what Nicolette had assumed any small-town café would be like—worn yellow vinyl booths against the walls, tables in the center and a long counter with stools.
“I can feel the calories finding my hips right now,” Cassie said.
Nicolette smiled, knowing she was talking about the sinful scents of fried food, homemade pies and yeasty breads. “I’m not even going to think about a diet during this meal,” she replied. “I intend to completely indulge myself.”
They were greeted by a brassy redhead who introduced herself as Daisy, the owner of the café. As she led them to a booth toward the back of the establishment, Nicolette was aware of the curious gazes that shot their way from the other diners.
She was grateful to arrive at the booth, where she and Cassie sat on one side and Sammy and his hat sat across from them. Daisy handed them menus with the promise to return.
“I already know what I want,” Sammy said and shoved his menu aside. “I want grilled cheese, French fries and a glass of chocolate milk.”
“Sounds like a hearty cowboy lunch to me,” Nicolette replied. She tried to ignore those gazes and the whispers of the other people in the café, especially the gazes from several rough-looking men who sat at the counter.
They were obviously ranch hands, although she knew they didn’t work at Cassie’s ranch. The glances they slid in Cassie and her direction were both slightly salacious yet filled with a touch of derision.
When Daisy returned to take their orders, she must have seen Nicolette looking at the men, who were now laughing among themselves. “Don’t pay no mind to them. I’m assuming you all are from Cass’s place.” She looked at Cassie. “You have your aunt’s eyes and coloring. Those men at the counter are just knuckleheads who were never big fans of Cass’s or her cowboys. Now, welcome to Bitterroot, and what can I get you?”
Sammy ordered his meal and then Cassie and Nicolette both went for broke and ordered the daily special of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy and a roll.
“Be back in a shake with your drink orders,” Daisy said as she once again swished away from their table.
“She seems nice enough,” Cassie said once she’d left.
“Hopefully we’ll meet a lot of nice people while we’re here,” Nicolette replied. “Although I’m not sure how many of them are in the café right now.”
“All I feel right now is animosity radiating from those men,” Cassie said in a half whisper. “I wonder why they didn’t like my aunt Cass.”
“Who knows?” Nicolette replied. “Maybe before we leave here we’ll have it figured out. In the meantime I’m not going to let them ruin my lunch.”
By the time Daisy delivered their drinks and their meals, Nicolette and Cassie were deep in a discussion about what little Cassie had learned so far about the ranch.
“We have a big herd of black Angus cattle,” Cassie explained. “Adam said they are one hundred percent naturally grown with just grazing and no growth hormones or anything added to their diet. Each fall we sell half the herd to a beef company who then cuts and packages the meat and advertises it as all-natural. It’s a big contract and Adam said the company wants to continue to work with me.”
Nicolette took a bite of her yummy chicken fried steak, wondering how long it would take before her friend would confess to Adam or any of the others that she had no intention of staying.
Would a new owner ensure all the hands a job? If not, then what would happen to Adam...to Lucas? She was disturbed by the fact that just thinking about Lucas created a tension in the pit of her stomach, a tension that wasn’t exactly unpleasant.
Of course, she was set up to think kindly of anyone who took any time at all with Sammy. She knew her son was hungry for a male in his life. Samuel had certainly been a nonpresence from the moment Sammy had been born.
Surely all she felt toward Lucas was gratitude for the way he had taken Sammy under his wing. It couldn’t be anything more than that. She scarcely knew the man.
She knew so little about him, just that his eyes were a deep blue that could easily pull her in and that the touch of his hand on hers had sparked an instant electricity she’d never felt before.
“This is the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had,” Sammy said.
“Hey!” Nicolette gave him a mock look of hurt. “After all the grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve made for you in your life?”
Sammy giggled and shrugged. “What can I tell you, Mom? A cowboy only speaks the truth.”
“Did you get that out of a fortune cookie?” Cassie asked teasingly.
Sammy frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t think they have fortune cookies in the Wild West.”
They had just about finished up their meal when one of the cowboys at the counter began to walk past their table, apparently headed to the restrooms in the back.
As he reached the side of their booth, Sammy accidentally knocked his glass of chocolate milk with an elbow. The glass flew off the table and landed at the cowboy’s feet. Some of the chocolate milk splattered the bottom of his jeans.
“Oh,