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It wasn’t that being single was terrible. It was that I had dreamed of sharing my life with someone. Of coming home to more than a couple of retired barn cats I had fallen in love with at my friend Bristol King’s place.
Bristol had been able to find that special someone, and he was a guy I’d dated and had stayed friends with. Thejust-friendsstage with men was my true curse. Bristol and Dawson were perfect for each other, and I wasn’t interested in him any more than he had been intrigued with me, but witnessing their love catch fire and grow day after day made me wistful.
Taya pulled out a chair at my table and flopped her rag on the top. She crossed one leg over the other while she simultaneously folded her arms. “Something’s wrong?”
“No, I’m fine.” I grimaced and rolled my eyes. “Okay, I’m not fine. I’m having a single-life pity party.”
Her quick grin told me she understood. “Honestly, when I moved here, I worried that being single in a small town would make it seem so much more…” She waved her hand around as if to summon the words. “Just harder, I guess. I can keep myself busy just fine, but I’m also not looking for a relationship.”
And I was. “My sister’s getting married, and my mom asked me if there’s going to be a plus-one.”
“It’s okay if there’s not.”
I wrinkled my nose and rotated the warm cup in my hands. “I know, but for the last ten years, I’ve gone to so many friends’ and relatives’ weddings. They all meet people, move on, start families, and I’ve stayed the same.”
“The same amazing person.” Her grin was understanding. “I get it. Society, and sometimes those we’re closest to, put a lot of pressure on us.”
I was the one putting pressure on myself. I wanted someone who was more than a friend for once. Passion. Fire. A person who dominated my thoughts because I was crazy about him.
The muffled sound of a door slam made me glance out the large windows of the coffee shop. Outside, Dawson and Bristol King’s employee was walking in.
Kiernan Dahl walked like he’d been born on horseback. Dawson had once said Kiernan worked like he was two people in one, and then he’d be goofing around and not taking a thing seriously.
Kiernan had moved to King’s Creek at some point when I was away for college. He’d dated a few of my friends and had gotten out of a long-term relationship a couple years ago. I saw him all the time around town, and he used the same greeting.Why, hello, Miss Emma.
He whipped open the door and strode in, his amber gaze landing on us.
“Kiernan,” Taya greeted. “Having the same as usual?”
“Only if you add an extra shot of cream today.”
She laughed. “Eventually, there’s not going to be any coffee in the cup.”
He grinned and his dimple flashed. I’d teased him about it once.That’s a real lady-killer right there.
Nah, he’d said, flashing the dimple.It only scares ’em away.
I knew for a fact they stuck around for a little while. He wasn’t single because he was a bad guy—or terrible in the bedroom, from what I’d heard—but because ranching was his life.
His gaze landed on me, and his grin widened. “Why, hello, Miss Emma. What a surprise.”
“I told you, if it’s my day off, you’ll find me here.”
Taya went back behind the counter to make his drink, and Kiernan pulled out the chair across from me. “It’s my day off too.”
“What are you going to do with yourself?”
He reclined in the chair, kicking his long legs out and crossing his boots at the ankles. He intertwined his fingers across his abdomen, looking like he could take a nap. My gaze lingered on his hands. I’d heard all the girls talk about his dimple over the years, but none had ever mentioned his big hands. For a guy who worked with his body for a career and handled cattle three times his size, he had elegant hands. Still manly, but like he could sit down and nail out some Beethoven on the piano.
“Apparently, field calls from my mom all day,” he said.
Between his tone and the way the teasing glint in his eyes faded, I could tell the topic of the conversation was stressful. “Everything okay?”
“Didn’t you hear? I’m moving back to Bozeman.”
Surprise filtered through me. “Bristol didn’t mention anything.”
He lifted a heavy shoulder and stared out the window. The sunlight made his eyes shine like brand-new copper pennies. “She wouldn’t. I didn’t want a big deal made out of moving. I’ve lived here for so long I almost forgot it wasn’t supposed to be home.”
