Page 2 of Jack of Hearts

“I’m Lucy,” she says, stretching a hand out to me.

“Jack,” I tell her.

Her nails are cut to the quick and when I slip my palm into hers, I am met with calluses. This woman works for a living and for some reason I find that incredibly attractive. Granted, so far I’ve found everything about her attractive.

Her nose is pierced, I realize. Just a tiny diamond stud. And while I never would have thought it before, it’s crazy sexy on her.

“I heard you say you’re an Army buddy of Dane. I’ve known him and the whole Whitmore crew my entire life. Went to school for a while with his sister, Daphne. So, you just passing through?”

I rub at the back of my neck. “I might stay awhile. I need to find somewhere to stay though,” I chuckle, “and a job.”

“Ah, so you’re just now out of the service, then?” she asks. “Dane’s been home a few years.”

I nod. “What did you tell me to order?”

“I got you.” She winks at me. “Hey Ruthie, get him a Lucy special.”

Ruthie grins and nods. “You got it, honey.”

“So Jack, I’m a local girl, know all there is to know about Saddle Creek. What kind of skills do you have and I can let you know if we’ve got any jobs around here that fit you.”

“I’m good with my hands.”

That brow of hers arches again and I realize how that sounded.

“I like to build stuff.”

She gives me a knowing smile.

“I’m a decent mechanic, but not great.”

“Let’s focus on the building stuff. Like home repairs? Because people around here can always use a handyman.”

I nod. “Yeah, I can do stuff like that.”

I grew up on a farm where there was always something that needed to be repaired. Even in the years that were profitable, dad was too frugal to hire someone else to do the work when we could do it ourselves.

Ruthie sets a plate filled with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns in front of me. Then she places a white paper bag that’s folded over next to it. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

My stomach growls as the scent of the bacon reaches me.

I nod to the white bag and notice Lucy has one, too. “What’s in the bag?”

“A sliced of chocolate fudge pie. You’ll love it. Provided you have any kind of a sweet tooth.” She laughs. “And judging from the way you’ve poured on that maple syrup, I’m guessing you do.” She tears a strip of paper off her notebook and jots something down and slides it over to me. “I’ve got an old house in town. It was my grandma’s and it’s in desperate need of some work. If you’re interested, the job comes with room and board.” She stands and gathers her stuff. “Nice to meet you, Jack.”

When she stands I notice that she’s short. If I stood too, she’d probably only go to my mid chest.

“Likewise, Lucy.” I turn and glance over my shoulder to watch her walk out the front door.

She speaks to several people on her way out, the conversations are short, but even from where I’m sitting I can see this girl is a kinetic ball of energy, full of spark and sass, who leaves a trail of smiles in her wake.

“That there is the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet. She’s had a rough life.” Ruthie is back and refilling my coffee cup.

“She was very—” I pause, trying to find the words to describe the instant and inexplicable pull I felt, but finding the right words has never been my strong suit, so in the end, I say, “—friendly.”

“You know she went all the way to New York city to some big art school. Got a full scholarship.” Then Ruthie shakes her head. “She came home after one semester. Just couldn’t handle the big city. She’s a hometown girl at heart.”

Hometown girl.