What had she been thinking?
At least he’d given her the money to pay for the groceries. She wasn’t sure how she would have been able to afford them if he hadn’t.
“Do you know how to get to the ranch?” he asked.
She tossed him a smile. “I’m sure I can find my way there.”
Ten minutes later, she was walking up and down the aisles of the Superette, grabbing packages and cans in record time.
Julia Tierney, who’d been working the check stand, laughed when Angie started laying items out on the conveyor belt.
“What’s so funny?” Angie asked her friend and boss.
“Girl, I haven’t seen you make such quick decisions on what to buy since that time you came running in here after that chili-pepper-eating contest with Mr. Murdock. You grabbed the first bottle of Mylanta you could find and drained it right in the middle of aisle three.”
Sometimes, when Angie didn’t have time to think about it, she could be rather decisive. And her tummy had been on fire that day.
She shook off Julia’s teasing. “I’m picking up dinner for Toby and his kids this evening. And since I’m sure everyone’s probably hungry, I don’t have time to roam the aisles, stewing about what to cook.”
Julia glanced at the items she rang up. “Pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, mushrooms, ham, peppers, onions, ice cream, strawberries, instant bread mix. Looks like you’ll be having homemade pizza.”
“I figured it would be safe, especially if the kids can make their own.”
“That’s clever,” Julia said. “I couldn’t have come up with a better idea myself.”
That was quite the compliment. Julia had always dreamed of going to culinary school or maybe getting a degree in restaurant management, but when her father suffered a heart attack, she’d decided to stick close to home and help out her parents with the store. So she’d given up her dream.
However, now that her father was better, it looked as though her dreams would finally come true. When Wendy and Marcos Mendoza finally opened up The Hollows Cantina in the next month or so, Julia was going to manage it.
“Yeah, well, I’ve learned that if you can’t choose just one thing, it’s best to have plenty of options available.”
“Good idea,” Julia said, as she totaled Angie’s purchases.
“How are things going with the new restaurant?”
“Great. I love what Marcos and Wendy have envisioned, and it’s really coming together. In fact, I was going over some of the job applications we’ve gotten and saw yours. We won’t be scheduling interviews yet, but I wanted you to know that you’re at the top of the pile.”
“Thanks. That’s nice to know.” Angie helped Julia bag her purchases. “Who’s going to take over for you here?”
“My mother’s sister just retired from a cable-television company in Lubbock. So she’s going to move in with my folks and help out for a while. I think it’s all going to work out nicely.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“So tell me,” Julia said. “This thing with Toby and the kids... That’s a little intriguing.”
Only because Julia was in love with Liam, Toby’s brother. And she had stars in her eyes and thought everyone else should, too.
“We’re just friends,” Angie said.
Of course, she’d caught Toby staring at her legs a few times earlier today. And unlike a lot of other men she’d caught gawking like that, he’d seemed to be interested in more than just her appearance.
“Didn’t I once hear you say that you never liked limiting your options?” Julia asked.
Yes, that was Angie. Her father had always told her that life wasn’t an Etch A Sketch. That she ought to weigh each decision carefully, especially when it came to choosing a career—or a spouse.
Otherwise, she could find herself stuck in a really bad place.
She supposed that was why she’d never been able to settle on a college major or to find a job that interested her for very long—or a man worth making any kind of commitment to.
Angie didn’t respond to Julia’s question. Instead, she thanked Julia, took the two bags of groceries and headed for her car.
No, Toby Fortune Jones wasn’t in the running when it came to considering romantic possibilities.
But if he wasn’t an option, then what was he?
The answer came to her as she placed the pizza fixings into her car and prepared to head for the Double H Ranch.
Toby Fortune was one fine cowboy who was far too attractive for her own good.
After Toby finished overseeing the homework hour, he told the kids they could watch television before dinner. Then he went into the kitchen to check the pantry. It wasn’t as though his cupboards were bare. He could certainly rustle up something to add to whatever Angie planned to cook.
He’d no more than scanned the canned goods in the pantry when he heard a car pull up. Knowing it had to be her, he went outside to greet her.
As she climbed out of the driver’s seat of a black Toyota Celica that had seen better years, let alone days, she reached into the back for the first of two eco-friendly bags. Her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail when she’d been at Redmond-Fortune Air, but it hung loose around her shoulders now—soft, glossy and teased by a light evening breeze.
She wasn’t wearing anything different—just that black skirt and white blouse. Yet tonight, for some crazy reason, he found himself a wee bit... Hell, he didn’t know what to call it—starstruck, stagestruck, dumbstruck...?
“Here. Let me help you with those.” He reached for the bags, and she handed them over.
As they headed for the house, he said, “I’m sorry for not having stuff on hand to cook. When I lived by myself, I could go weeks without grocery shopping. But since the kids have been living here, it seems like I need to restock my fridge every other day.”
She tossed him a carefree smile. “You should probably shop at one of those warehouse stores where you can buy in bulk and use a flatbed cart to haul your purchases to the checkout line.”
“If I didn’t have to drive clear to Lubbock to find one, I would. But then again, the kids wouldn’t get to come into the Superette all the time and see you.”
Toby chanced a glance at the woman walking next to him, wondering if she knew the kids weren’t the only ones who’d miss seeing her.
“The kids are fun,” she said. “I like it when they come in.”
What if he didn’t have children? Would she like it when he came in?
“Nice house,” she said, as they entered the living room, which always managed to stay tidy because there wasn’t a television set or a video game in sight. “I’ve always liked the ranch style.”
Toby slowed his steps long enough to scan the white walls, the open-beamed ceilings, the distressed hardwood floors, the stone fireplace, as well as the leather furniture. “Thanks. I’ve been meaning to add a little color, maybe some Southwestern-style pictures on the wall, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“I’m