“I’m starving,” Krissy said.
“Me too.” Merry Anna was dying to get her hands on some of those hors d’oeuvres that had been filling the room with a mix of sweet and savory aromas since they got there.
“You two go,” Tara said. “I’m going to see if I can’t get a tour of all the rooms.”
Krissy and Merry Anna went and filled their plates.
“What do you know about Adam?” Merry Anna put her napkin under the plate.
Krissy leaned back, looking surprised by the question. “Adam Locklear. You met him?”
“Yeah. The other day, on my way home. He almost ran into me, then offered me a ride.”
“He’s kind of Antler Creek’s version of a famous sports hero.”
“How so?”
“You mean besides the fact that he’s drop-dead handsome?”
She pictured the dark-haired rugged man with the light scruff of a beard. She wondered if that had been a five-o’clock shadow or if it took him weeks to baby it. “Yeah, besides that,” Merry Anna said. It had been his charming confidence that had first caught her attention.
“Nice guy,” Krissy said. “Used to spend summers here at his grandfather’s ranch. He left Adam the Feed & Seed, but Adam spends most of his time on the road. He’s a rodeo star. He rides bulls for a living, and he’s the most eligible bachelor in this town. Every woman for two counties has dreamed about that guy at some point.”
Krissy may have once been one of those dreamers from the look in her eyes.
Her boss smiled and shrugged. “I guess eligible isn’t reallythe best way to describe him. Maybe more like unattainably eligible.”
They both laughed as they noshed on the finger foods. “He seems nice. Different. I can’t explain it.”
“There’s something about him that women can’t resist.” Krissy raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it’s the whole cowboy thing, or maybe just that he’s not available.”
“I’m not either, so no worries there. But it was nice to meet him.”
“He’s gone a lot. His folks wrote him off over the rodeo thing, but he and his grandfather were really close.” Krissy filled her in on some of the trivia about other people at the party. “See the lady over there next to the fireplace? She runs the candle factory. Smart gal. They say she’s a marketing genius. And over there, the two young guys. They’re George and Dottie Goodwin’s boys. If you ever need something hauled or small jobs done, they are really helpful.” Krissy excused herself to catch Liz to see if they needed help.
Merry Anna hadn’t planned to stay very long, but she’d spotted Tara with Matt and Liz, and it looked like she was getting the tour she wanted. Merry Anna wished she’d tagged along now, as she was getting antsy standing there alone. She tried to relax, reminding herself that her new mantra was “Say yes to new opportunities,” and that meant giving things like this a fair chance.
Tara came over, all smiles. “George says he and Dottie will give us a ride. You ready?”
“Absolutely.”
—
George herded Merry Anna, Tara, Dottie, and their sons to his Suburban. He revved up the engine and drove them backdown the mountain and pulled right into Tara’s driveway. “This place used to be the prettiest house in town. We’re really happy you’ve got big plans for it,” he said.
“I look forward to you helping me along the way,” Tara said. “This truly was a pleasure. Thank you for the ride back.”
“You’re my new best customer. I have to keep you happy, and any friend of Krissy’s is a friend of mine.”
“You can drop me here, too, George. I can walk the rest of the way.” Merry Anna slid out of the back seat. “Thanks. See you soon, Dottie.”
Merry Anna and Tara both waved as he backed out of the driveway.
“What a delightful evening. This really is a neat town.” Tara took a deep breath, a smile playing on her lips. “Thank you so much for inviting me to join you tonight.”
“I enjoyed it too. I’ll see you around.”
“You sure will!” Tara said as she climbed the stairs to her porch. “I think we’re going to be wonderful neighbors.”
