Stella was a romantic at heart and looked at Lacy thoughtfully. She was very young and pretty. “Stanley has a few single friends I could introduce you to,” she said excitedly, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.
“Let me think about that first. I think I need all my concentration for work right now.” Lacy laughed. She had never had much luck in the romance department and she wasn’t sure she wanted to try again, especially right now. Her life was in a mess and she needed to come up with a solution to fix it soon.
They heard the bell above the door ring and turned to greet the new customer. Lacy’s breath caught in her throat and she almost dropped the glass of water she was drinking. In walked the most handsome man she had ever seen. At least six feet tall and lean but with muscular, wide shoulders, he was dressed in a khaki uniform. He sat down in her section. Oh, lucky me, she thought to herself, getting up.
“Hi, Sheriff.” Stella smiled and waved at him but stayed sitting down. So this is Ally’s son, Lacy thought with interest. She walked behind the counter to grab the coffee pot and went over to where he sat by the window.
She poured him some coffee. Up close he was even more perfect. He had short blond hair, classical features that belonged in a magazine, and beautiful green eyes that reminded her of a forest.
Before she could even speak, he spoke in a deep, sexy voice that sent shivers up her spine. “So you’re the new girl my mom’s hired? What brings you to our little town?” he asked suspiciously, leaning back in his seat to look her up and down.
She shrugged her shoulders, taking out her notepad, not looking at him directly. “Is it against the law to move somewhere new, Sheriff? What can I get for you?”
His stare was making her nervous but she could also feel heat stirring up in her stomach and her heart racing at a fast pace. She had never felt physically attracted to a man this quickly. This wasn’t a good time to be feeling this way. Especially not with the town sheriff. “I’ll have the special, darlin’,” he answered, not bothering to take his eyes off of her or look at the menu.
“My name is Lacy, not darlin’,” she corrected him with a frown and walked away to place his order. She was tempted to fan herself with the menu. He was one sexy man.
Ryan watched her walk away and tried not to laugh out loud. She had fire in her. He liked that in a woman. She had an innocent look about her, too, but he didn’t want to admit that to his mom. Lacy was no hardened criminal. Pretty did not describe her. Gorgeous and sexy were better words to use. She had large breasts, a small waist, and her snug jeans showed off a plump ass that made him want to reach out and grab it. Her reddish-brown hair was up in a ponytail, making her look like a teenager. She had big, sexy brown eyes and soft pouty lips and tan skin that looked smooth and silky. How the hell was he supposed to intimidate her when all he wanted to do was take her upstairs and get naked with her? His body was giving him clear signals on what it wanted. He had never felt so strongly for someone at just one glance. He was definitely attracted to Lacy Martinez, but he had just untangled himself from a pesky relationship and didn’t want to enter another one so soon. He didn’t think Lacy was the one-night-stand type.
She came back a few minutes later with a steaming bowl of his mom’s beef stew and cornbread and placed it down in front of him, glad her hands weren’t shaking. “Anything else, Sheriff?” she asked huskily, not looking at him directly. His eyes were mesmerizing and she didn’t need this right now. More problems were not what she needed.
“Where you from, darlin’?” he asked, staring at her as if trying to figure out all her secrets at once, ignoring the food she placed in front of him.
She lifted her chin up but didn’t correct him on the name. She knew he was doing it on purpose, but she wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of knowing it annoyed her. Since there was no harm in being truthful about where she came from, after all Detroit had millions of people in it, she answered truthfully, “Detroit.”
Ryan could see freckles running across Lacy’s pert little nose and he thought they were so adorable. “That’s a long way from here, darlin’. Staying long?” He folded his hands across his chest, expecting an answer. Being in a position of authority gave him a demanding personality and people usually answered him immediately.
“The interrogation will have to wait, Sheriff. I have other customers to see to besides you,” she told him haughtily. He was affecting her concentration but she didn’t want him to know that. Great, why did her body pick him to be attracted to—a sheriff of all people?
He smiled flirtatiously and winked at her. “You can count on it, darlin’. I’ll be back.” He made it sound like a warning then he turned away from her and started eating his food.
“Hmmm,” she said, and with that she walked away before she melted at his feet in a puddle. Next time she’d let Stella wait on him. It would be better to stay away from temptation, far away.
Ally came out of the kitchen and walked up to her son, smiling at him smugly. “So what did you decide? Is she a criminal on the run or a serial killer maybe?”
Ally watched her son rub his chin thoughtfully as he watched Lacy behind the counter making some coffee. “I haven’t made up my mind yet, Mother. I think I need to keep an eye on her.”
“Oh no. I recognize that look in your eyes, son. You are not dating another one of my waitresses. I will not lose her. I really like Lacy. She’s so sweet to everyone and she gets along with Stella. You know Emma always had a bee in her bonnet about everything and everyone. Besides, Lacy doesn’t need you playing games with her, Ryan. That poor girl has her own troubles to deal with,” she said seriously. Lacy looked sad when she thought no one was looking at her. The poor girl didn’t need Ryan’s games. She doubted her stubborn son would ever settle down.
Ryan threw a twenty dollar tip down on Lacy’s table. “Don’t worry so much, mother bear,” he teased. “I have no intention of playing games with your little cub.”
“Why doesn’t that reassure me?” She shook her head with frustration and watched her son leave. He had his sights set on Lacy, and if she knew her stubborn son, there was nothing she could do about it but hope she didn’t lose another waitress. Maybe next time I should only hire married ones like Stella, she thought to herself and went back in the kitchen.
Chapter Three
Lacy was feeling more confident at work as the days passed by. She hadn’t delivered one wrong order in the last two days and that made her feel like she accomplished something great. She was enjoying not only the work at the diner but also meeting the residents of Appledale. There were a lot of interesting people to talk to and a few grouchy old men that Stella had already told her how to handle.
“He’s all bark and no bite,” Stella said, patting Lacy on the back when a customer complained that the coffee was weak. “He likes to complain about everything, but you just smile, nod your head, and say okay—that’s all it takes.”
She was adjusting to the small town ways slowly. It sure was different than a huge city filled with people, cars, and noise. When she walked down the street here, people smiled and waved and even stopped to chat with her even if it was just about the weather. Nobody ignored her like they did in the city. It took her a while to get used to being stopped when she walked down the street. The first time had been when she was walking down the block to Clyde’s General Store to buy some food with her tip money. She jumped nervously when someone called her name, thinking of Chico. She turned to find a customer from the diner welcom
ing her to the town and felt embarrassed at being scared. She hoped no one noticed her reaction. Now she was starting to like it and stopped to chitchat with the locals when she explored the town after work. Although the town was too small for a bus or cab service, you could walk to most places. She found a beautiful little park a few blocks away, filled with trees and flowers and a small pond filled with fish. She came and sat by the pond often to watch the fish. It was so peaceful and relaxing that she fell in love with the spot at first sight.
She made enough money to buy some clothes and other essentials she desperately needed. Ally had given her a few T-shirts as her work uniform but she needed more clothes. She thought about her apartment back home and knew she had to make some decisions soon. Thank goodness she had just paid the rent a few days before she left. Her stuff would be safe for a little while. She made a mental note to call her neighbor across the hall, Mrs. Anderson, and ask her to collect the mail for her. Stella drove her to Liz’s Boutique across town one day after work. It was the only clothes store in town, but it had a lot of styles to choose from, Stella assured her. She confided in Lacy that she had been trying to set up her friend Liz, the owner of the boutique, with Stanley’s boss, but Liz was hesitant to go on a blind date. She said it sounded too desperate.
“I just want her to find happiness like I did. Gary is a gentlemen and manager of the bank. I think they have a lot in common,” Stella admitted as they made the short drive to the boutique. The storefront window was an elegant creation filled with mannequins modeling clothes and handbags. It was a charming little building with pretty flowers and green plants in huge pots on either side of the doorway. “How cute!” Lacy remarked, loving it.
Liz and Lacy hit it off right away. Liz had moved to Appledale from Chicago a few years ago and started her business here, she explained while Lacy looked around at the clothes, which she loved. Liz had casual clothes and elegant evening wear, too. They compared notes about living in a small town versus a big city. Liz had pretty blue eyes and short platinum-blonde hair angled toward her cheeks, and it made her look like a doll. She was petite and thin. She was also very charming and friendly.