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“A city girl, you say? What city?” Cooper’s curiosity was clearly roused. She remembered what he’d said about having seen her before. Her defenses sprang up.
“Chicago.” She knew better than to lie. It would only get her in trouble. Scrambling for a diversion, she glanced into the packed shopping cart. “I see you bought some candy. You’ll have plenty of little goblins coming around, and they’ll go for those miniature candy bars. Are you going to dress up, Trevor?”
His look told her she’d asked a stupid question. “That’s kid stuff. I’ll probably just stay home and watch TV—if we get our cable hooked up by then.”
“Patience, son,” Cooper said, turning back to Jess. “Say, I hear that the best restaurant in Branding Iron is Buckaroo’s on Main Street.”
Jess chuckled. “Buckaroo’s is theonlyrestaurant in Branding Iron, unless you count Rowdy’s Roost, the bar out by the old railroad tracks.”
“So how’s the food at Buckaroo’s?”
“If you’re in the mood for burgers or pizza, it’s pretty good. And they have great pie. They get it from the local bakery.”
“We were going to stop by there for lunch on the way home. Why don’t you join us? You could tell us about the town and the school.”
Trevor rolled his eyes.
Remembering her resolve not to encourage this compelling man, Jess almost declined his invitation. But helping kids was her job, and Trevor was going to need all the help he could get. “Sure, I’d be glad to join you,” she said.
“Thanks. Maybe you can even help me talk this young man into getting a haircut.”
Trevor’s expression froze into a stubborn scowl. At that moment Jess could have punched Cooper for putting her on the spot. She settled for giving him a disapproving look. If Cooper wanted her to make friends with his son, he was going about it the wrong way. Maybe it was time to step back.
She glanced at his grocery cart. “You’ve got some frozen things in there that’ll thaw if you take time to eat. Maybe another day would be better.”
“No problem. We’ve got a cooler in the back of the Jeep. So, we’ll meet you there?”
“Fine.” The checkout stand was coming up. Jess got her purchases through fast and carried the plastic bags to her car. The thought nagged her that she was getting in too deep with this charming father and his needy son. But barring a sudden emergency, it was too late to back out.
She drove to the restaurant, parked in the side lot next to a battered farm truck, and waited. A few minutes later, Cooper’s SUV, an older model Jeep, pulled in beside her.
She climbed out of her car. “It looks like we got here ahead of the lunch crowd. Let’s go inside.”
Buckaroo’s had been a Main Street fixture for as long as anyone in Branding Iron could remember. Like the red-checked oilcloth table covers and the string of lights above the counter, the menu had changed little over the years. Only pizza had been added in the past decade. But the food was always good, and the little café was a gathering place for everyone from teens to seniors.
They chose an empty booth and gave their orders to the waitress, a plain young woman with a warm smile and a tiny diamond sparkling on her ring finger.
“So when’s the big day, Connie?” Jess asked her.
Connie’s smile glowed, lending beauty to her pale, thin features. “Sometime next spring. Right now Silas has all he can do getting his new garage ready to open. We don’t plan on a fancy wedding, just family and a few friends.”
“Everybody in town is your friend, Connie. And we’re all grateful to have a good mechanic in Branding Iron. Silas’s garage is going to get plenty of business.” Jess turned to Cooper. “Silas learned his trade in the army. He’s one of those mechanics who can listen to an engine for a few seconds and tell you everything that’s going on with it.”
“I’ll remember that next time my Jeep breaks down,” Cooper said.
Connie bustled away and came back with their orders a few minutes later—a deluxe pizza for Cooper and Jess to split, and a jumbo burger with a chocolate shake for Trevor.
An older man with a sad face sat in the booth across from them, finishing his coffee and apple pie. Abner Jenkins, who was in his mid-sixties, owned a small farm south of town. He’d raised his family there, but now that his children were grown and his wife had passed away, he was alone.
As he finished eating and rose to leave, Jess gave him a smile. “Hello, Abner. How’s it going?”
“Fair to middlin’ now that the hay harvest is done. Don’t know what I’ll do with myself till spring, but I’ll figure it out, I guess.” His eyes took in Cooper and Trevor. “Have we got some new folks in town, or are you two just visitin’?”
Jess made a quick introduction before Abner excused himself and left.
“You seem to know everybody here, and their business, Jess,” Cooper said.
“In a town this size, it doesn’t take long. But people look out for each other here. You won’t find that in a big city.”
