Page 26 of Sunrise & Serenity

“Oh, wow.” I sigh. “You don’t get anything like this in New York. Not where I live, anyway.” I make a mental note to capture the pretty shopfronts another day. They’ll be perfect for Wild Ember’s marketing.

A bell chimes as we enter the diner—an actual bell, not a digital sound effect. Several locals are seated on red vinyl stools at a counter along one side. A glass pie case has a handwritten sign taped to the front that reads Pie is first come, first served. No, I won’t save you a slice. I bite back a smile.

About half of the matching red booths tucked beneath the windows are occupied, but we find a vacant one and slide into it.

I’ve barely picked up the laminated and slightly warped menu when a woman with curly gray hair, a round face, and bright brown eyes materializes beside the table with a pen, a pad, and a smile.

“Hi, girls,” she says. “Who’s your new friend?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, Patty,” Taryn says.

She lets out a chuckle. “Well now, I’m guessing this is the photographer you all hired. Sage, right?”

“Yes,” I say, bemused.

Taryn grins. “Sage, this is Patty. She owns the diner, and she’s the go-to for town gossip.”

Patty swats the back of her head with her order pad, an expression of mock indignation on her face. “News, not gossip.” She tosses me a wink and a grin. “But if you want to know who the most eligible bachelors are around here, I can give you the lowdown.”

I laugh. “Good to know. But if you’re Patty, who’s Mabel?”

“My aunt,” she replies. “She left this place to me twenty years ago, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of changing the name. Now,” she taps her pen on her pad, “have you decided what you want?”

I scan the menu, then order a roast beef sandwich. The girls order quickly too.

After Patty bustles off, Taryn rests her elbows on the table and leans forward eagerly. “So… why did you leave New York to come all the way out here?”

“Oh, okay, um…” I pause to think. Taryn’s only seventeen. I don’t particularly want to get into the nitty-gritty of my breakup with anyone, but especially a teenager. So, generalizations it is. “Let’s just say that I had a bad breakup and wanted a fresh start so I could focus on my career instead of any relationship drama.”

“I get that.” Riley offers me a sympathetic smile.

“Won’t you miss your family?” Taryn asks. “I’d love to experience living in a big city, but I can’t imagine being away from the ranch for long. Despite how annoying my brothers can be.”

A tiny sigh slips from me. “I think maybe I’m not as close to my family as you are to yours.”

“Oh.” She frowns. “That’s a shame.”

How old would she have been when her mom died? Not much more than five or six, surely. I hope being part of such a big family helped buffer the loss. “Do you get along with all your brothers?”

“They all have their moments. It drives me crazy when they treat me like I’m a baby and get all overprotective. But I know how to handle them.” She flips her hair with a confident grin.

“Here you go, girls.” Patty returns, her arms loaded with plates. Once she’s distributed them, she props her hands on her hips, her smile deepening the lines around her eyes. “Are you looking to have some fun while you’re here?” she asks me. “I’m sure a pretty face like yours has all those handsome boys at the ranch in a tizzy.”

Heat creeps over my cheeks. Is she talking about Taryn’s brothers?

If that’s the case, Taryn doesn’t seem bothered, merely rolling her eyes and popping a fry into her mouth. “I don’t doubt it.”

I clear my throat. “I actually just got out of a relationship. So I’m not looking to jump into a new one anytime soon.”

“Pfft.” Patty waves her hand in the air. “Who’s talking about a relationship? If you’re only here for a few months, why not enjoy yourself?”

I look to Taryn and Riley for help, but they’re both stifling grins. This must be another difference between life in New York and life out here. I’ve never had a stranger talk to me so openly about my sex life. I let out a weak laugh. “I’m not sure I’m up for that either. But we’ll see.”

She gives me a wink. “If you decide you are, you should head to the Silver Pony on a Friday night.”

Taryn snorts. “I’m sure Sage is too sophisticated to fall for one of those cocky cowboys who thinks he’s God’s gift to women.”

“Aren’t your brothers all cocky cowboys?” Riley asks.