Author: Jaci Burton

If she continued that, before long she’d have two dogs and a house full of cats, and she’d park her butt on the sofa watching one too many of those Real Housewives of some city or other.

She refused to let that happen, so she changed into jeans and a sweater, grabbed her keys, and drove to Bert’s, the town’s best diner. A bowl of chili for dinner sounded really good.

The good thing about showing up late was avoiding the normal four to six p.m. dinner crush. Bert’s was a popular place, and Hope was a very small town. Tuesday was meat-loaf night, and she’d had Bert’s meat loaf before. It was awesome. So was his chili.

The place had pretty much emptied out, so she grabbed a table. Anita, one of the waitresses who’d been there “forever” according to her, hustled over.

“How ya doing, honey?” Anita asked, grabbing the pencil from her multicolored hair.

“Great, thank you.”

“You’re in late tonight. I hear the new clinic is keeping you busy.”

The one thing about Hope—and Bert’s diner—was that there were no secrets, and everyone knew your business. Which for Emma’s business could be a very good thing. “It has been busy, which makes me very happy.”

“And hungry, I hope. What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a diet soda and a bowl of chili. Can I get macaroni with that?”

“You bet. I’ll bring your order right out.”

She’d brought a book with her, determined to settle in and enjoy taking herself out to eat.

Who needed a guy? She didn’t.

“Hey, Emma.”

She looked up and smiled as Jane Kline and Chelsea Gardner appeared at her table. She’d gone to high school with both of them, and had recently renewed her acquaintance with Jane because they worked out together at the local gym.

“Hi. Are you two here to eat?”

“Yes,” Jane said. “We had a very long school meeting.”

“Which means we’re starving,” Chelsea added. “Are you eating alone?”

“Yes. Would you like to join me?”

“Love to.” Chelsea pulled out a chair.

“Are you sure we’re not intruding? Maybe you want to be alone,” Jane said, looking unsure.

Emma laughed. “I spend plenty of my nights alone. I’d love some company.”

Jane took a seat, too, and Anita came over.

“A late rush tonight, I see.”

“Meetings,” Chelsea said. “Ugh.”

“Oh. No wonder you two look so miserable. Do they like to torture you poor teachers by making you spend all day long with those kids, then all night with a bunch of bureaucrats?”

“Yes,” Chelsea said while perusing the menu. “All just perks of the job, you know.”

Jane nodded. “But it’s over now and we can finally eat. What are you having, Emma?”

“Chili.”

“Oh, that sounds good. I’ll have that, too.”

Chelsea ordered the soup of the day, and Anita brought their food over within a few minutes. They all dug in.

“It’s a good thing Will took an extra shift today,” Jane said. “At least he’s not fending for himself, alone with the kids.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Chelsea said. “The guy can open a can of SpaghettiOs or make a grilled cheese sandwich, Jane. He doesn’t need you to be there to cook dinner for him.”

“Oh, I know. I just like to cook. I always cooked for the kids and me before Will came along, you know. It’s just nice to have a man in the house again.”

“Women in love. Spare me,” Chelsea said to Emma with a roll of her eyes.

Emma laughed. “Will is rather spectacular-looking. It’s a wonder you don’t have him locked in a closet somewhere, Jane.”

Jane grinned. “He is a hottie, isn’t he? I don’t know what he’s doing with me.”

“Uh, because you’re a rockin’ sexpot?” Chelsea said.

“Oh, sure. A rockin’ sexpot with two kids.”

“That just meant you know what you’re doing. And who says women with children can’t be sexy?” Emma said. “Look at you, Jane. I sometimes can’t believe you’ve had two children. You have an amazing body, you’re a wonderful teacher, and those blue eyes of yours are knockouts. You’re smart and gorgeous. Maybe Will should be the one locking you up in a closet so no other guy gets within five feet of you.”

“Hell, yeah,” Chelsea said, toasting that comment by raising her glass of iced tea.

Jane’s cheeks pinkened. “If I’d known it was going to be Build Jane’s Ego Up Night, I’d have dressed better. Thank you, ladies.”

“Just stating the truth.”

“Will tells me you treated Luke McCormack’s dog, Boomer.”

Emma’s spoon stilled on its way to her mouth. She looked up at Jane. “Will knows Luke?”

Jane smiled innocently at her. “They’re best friends. Is Boomer all right?”

Okay, dog talk she could handle. “He’s doing fine. Luke brought him in for a follow-up tonight, as a matter of fact. He’s healing up nicely and should be able to return to active canine duty within a few days.”

“That’s great news. The kids love Boomer. And I’m weakening in the get-a-dog department. Ryan and Tabby are really giving me the full-court press about one. And Will says he thinks it would teach the kids responsibility. Secretly, I think it’s Will who really wants the dog.”

“Dogs are great companions for kids, providing you get the right breed, one that’s good with children.”

“Maybe you could come over and talk to all of us about that. I don’t want to make the wrong decision.”

She nodded. “I’d love to.”

“I’ll cook for you, too,” Jane said with a wink.

“Sold.”

“See, I have nothing to offer. No dog advice, nothing. No wonder I don’t get invited over for a home-cooked meal,” Chelsea said.

Jane nudged her. “You have an open invitation to come over anytime and you know it, so quit with the false complaints.”

“Fine. I’m coming over when Emma does. Maybe she can talk me into a dog, too.”

“You?” Jane asked. “As fussy and as much of a perfectionist as you are? I can’t see you as a pet owner.”

Chelsea lifted her chin, her hair flawless and still perfect, despite the horrible lighting in the diner and after a long day at work. It was difficult for Emma to be around Chelsea because she was gorgeous, with her red hair and stunning blue-green eyes, and she was built like a centerfold. And to top it off, she had a funny, dry wit and an easygoing personality. She was quite possibly perfect. Emma had loved her from the moment Jane introduced them.

Someone like Chelsea probably went on a lot of dates. Maybe she would be the person to ask for advice about how to handle reintroducing herself back into the world of men. Not that she was looking to do that or anything, but eventually her self-imposed exile would have to end, and she hadn’t exactly dealt with Luke’s invitation all that well.

Then again, she wasn’t sure if that was her fault or his. “So, I sort of got asked on a date tonight. I think, though I’m not really sure.”

“Really? That’s exciting,” Jane said, grinning. “Who’s the guy?”

“Uh . . . Luke McCormack.”

“Real-l-l-ly,” Chelsea said. “Luke asked you out? That’s so interesting.”

“Well, he didn’t ask me out on a date. More as a friend?”

Chelsea frowned. “What do you mean?”

She told them about her exchange with Luke at the vet clinic.

Jane rolled her eyes. “Men can be so dumb sometimes. He thought he was doing you a favor by asking you out? What an idiot.”

“I’m with Jane. He’s an imbecile. I’d like to kick him in the nuts.”

Emma laughed. “Thank you. I thought I was being overly sensitive, or maybe I read the situation wrong.”

“No, you definitely didn’t read it wrong,” Chelsea said. “As if you need a mercy date. You’re hot, Emma. You could walk out this door, and ten guys would fight each other for a chance to go out with you. Luke’s a moron, and you should tell him to shove it. Never mind, I’ll tell him to shove it.”

She laid her hand on Chelsea’s arm. “Oh, please don’t say anything to him about this. You, either, Jane. I just wanted some advice, but I’d like this to stay among the three of us.”

“You’re no fun,” Chelsea said. “I love reading the riot act to Luke. We’ve been sparring for years now. I’m an only child, so I never had brothers and sisters to fight with. He’s like the brother I never had.”

Emma laughed. “Well, no fighting with Luke on my account, though I appreciate it. I think I made my thoughts on the matter clear enough.”

“Okay. Still, I think he’s a dipshit.”

“Me, too,” Jane said. “Why are men so obtuse when it comes to women?”

Emma wished she knew. If she’d understood what made men tick, she likely could have avoided a lot of heartbreak years ago.

But as it was, she had no more understanding about the male mind now than she had then.

Men were just a mystery to her.

Chapter 4

“I DO NOT understand women.”

Luke sat on the front porch of the family ranch house sharing a beer with his older brother, Logan.

Logan tipped up the brim of his cowboy hat and stared at him. “And you’re coming to me of all people with that statement? You know I don’t know shit about women. That’s why I live out here in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. All alone. Just the way I like it.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re the king of solitude. You’re way better at this than I could have ever been.”

“You’re still part owner of the ranch.”

“I told you I’d sell you my portion anytime you wanted it.” Logan looked out over the land. “It belongs to the family, and all that’s left of our ‘family’ is you, me, and Reid since Mom up and left.”

Logan always said that part about their mother so matter-of-factly, as if her remarrying less than a year after Dad died and leaving town—leaving them—was no big deal. It was as if he’d easily wiped her existence out of his life. Luke hadn’t been able to do that so effortlessly.

“You ever think about her?”

Logan frowned and looked at him. “Who?”

“Mom.”

“Nope. And I’m fine with you keeping your ownership of the ranch. Maybe someday one of your kids will want their share.”

Luke snorted. “I’m never getting married again.”

Logan looked over at him. “Is this about Becca? What’s she done now?”

“No, it’s not about Becca. Last I heard she was living in New York. Or maybe it was Miami. Hell if I can keep track. Some big city back east that’s bound to make her happier than life with me ever could.”

Logan tipped the bottle of beer to his lips and took a long swallow. “Wallowing in self-pity again, little brother?”

“Fuck you.”

Logan laughed, dragged his boots off the porch railing, and stood. “You need another beer.”

Logan went inside and Luke propped his feet up on the railing, looking out over the property. Boomer was lying under the shade of a giant blackjack oak, taking a nap next to Whip, one of Logan’s dogs. He spanned his gaze out over the land. They owned as far as he could see. Acre upon acre of grass, trees, and green hills where cattle grazed and wild horses ran free.

Though he couldn’t fathom spending the rest of his life working the ranch, he loved coming here. It gave him a sense of peace and perspective he couldn’t get in town. It was quiet, the only sounds the howling wind and the occasional wails from the cattle out in the pasture. This was home to him, where he’d been raised, where he used to fight with his brothers out in the dirt, where he learned to ride a horse, rope a steer, and shoot a gun.