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“Huh?” he asks, as his forehead wrinkles with confusion.
I try to ignore the little laugh lines that deepen around his eyes and how good they look. Instead, I point at the box in his hands. “The chocolate lava cake you're currently holding. You snuck up on me and scared me, making me lose my grip.”
Ryder grimaces. “I wasn't trying to scare you, buttons.”
“Well, you did,” I complain just as Tucker comes outside.
“What's all the racket about?” Tucker asks.
I look down at my feet, wishing—not for the first time—that I should've rethought my entire plan about coming here. “Uh, shouldn't you guys be out working on the ranch?”
“We should, but it's Mom's birthday, so Dad called an early day. We’re taking her out to the steakhouse tonight,” Tucker explains.
“Oh.” I’m not oblivious to how the Monroe men dwarf me. “I wanted to drop these off for your mom and wish her a happy birthday, but I don't want to bother her if she's getting ready to go out. Can you give them to her, Tucker?”
“It depends,” he says, making me look up to see the mischief dancing in his eyes.
“On what?” I ask, already laughing because I know where this is going.
“Did you make my favorite strawberry cake?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow as he stares at the box in Ryder's hands, making me giggle—and blush. That’s it. Monroe men should be marked lethal to painfully shy, overly fluffy girls like me.
I shake my head no. “Afraid not,” I laugh. “This is for your momma. She likes chocolate. You'll have to wait for your birthday for that strawberry shortcake.”
“Ugh, you're killing me, Tillie,” Tucker groans. “If Keith ever screws up, I'm going to sweep you off your feet. Just wait and see. Then all your cakes will be mine.”
My cheeks burn with embarrassment even though I can't help but smile. Tucker is always flirting with me, although I doubt he's serious. He’s almost as good looking as Ryder and he could have any girl in town if he wanted. It still makes me feel good when he flirts, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. I like Tucker. We've been friends for a couple of years even though he's older than me. We always chat when he comes into the store and there are days when he single-handedly wipes out the desserts I keep in the store.
"You better watch what you say," I joke, shaking my head. “Keith and I broke up.”
“Does that mean you're on the market?” Tucker asks, rubbing his hands together.
“On the market?” I ask, laughing. “Why does that sound like a side of beef at the auction in town?”
Tucker laughs. “Trust me, Tillie, the last thing I would compare you to is a side of beef.”
I laugh again. "On that note, I better go. Can you give this to your momma too?" I hand Tucker the bag. I nod at Ryder. “The cake your annoying brother is currently manhandling has probably been smooshed, so can you apologize to her for me too?”
Tucker wraps his arm around me, putting his hand on my back, stopping me from walking away. “Ryder is always causing problems, but if you don't come in and talk to Mom yourself, she's likely to break my plate. And you know how much I like being fed.”
“But I thought you were all going out.”
“We are, but you can go with us. Dinner will taste a lot better when I get to see your beautiful face at our table.”
I gawk at him. “Have you been drinking?” I ask, making him laugh as we head inside.
I do my best to ignore Ryder. He’s being unusually quiet as he walks in behind me. I’m afraid to look and it’s probably my imagination, but it feels like he’s staring a hole through my backside. I’m too chicken to look. Thank God his brother is here to keep any more interactions with him to a minimum. I need to say hello to Mrs. Monroe and get the hell out of here before I make a bigger fool of myself. I can’t be around Ryder. He makes me too nervous.
Ryder
When we get to the Robo’s Steakhouse, I realize I haven't been here in ages. I've been to some excellent restaurants, but there's something about a place I know works with the locals for all their food that makes it special. The rustic decor consists of stained wood polished to a shine and natural slate that adds in touches of gray. There are long horns and paintings of cowboys mounted on the wall, along with saddles and other cowpoke décor. The lighting is wrought iron and it seems to anchor the entire feel of the place. The glossy wood tables, heavy log-style chairs, and a couple massive fireplaces on opposite sides of the dining area make it feel like a log cabin tucked away in the mountains rather than a five-star dining experience. It fits in with the town completely and it gives it a feeling of warmth and relaxation that you don’t get from the fancy restaurants in Dallas. It helps that the lighting is somewhat muted, making it feel less crowded—despite the fact that half of the town seems to be here tonight.
It's also very busy tonight and from what Dakota and Dad are saying, it stays packed every night. Hell, we ended up waiting forty minutes for a table, while everyone but the women grumbled about being able to cook steak at home. Tillie barely looked at me, which is really starting to annoy me. Tucker is doting on her, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that my brother has the hots for her. Shit, any man would, but I don’t like that he is. I’m jealous. I freely admit it. It’s been a long time since I began to have feelings for a girl this strongly. Truthfully, I’m not sure I ever have. I was hung up on Emily pretty bad for way too many years. That said, I was young, and Emily was the first woman I was ever with. I’ve spent the last few years thinking life lost its magic once Emily broke up with me. I mean, it was my first heartbreak, but truthfully, she wreaked havoc on my damn pride. I wasted a lot of time going from woman to woman to get over that pain. Is a woman like Tillie what I've been missing out on? That thought settles inside of me and I can’t ignore it.
When we finally get to a table, I hurry to pull out Tillie’s seat. She looks at me like I might be insane and fuck, I’m starting to think I just might be.
“Are you okay?” she whispers, confirming my suspicions.
“I’m fine,” I lie.
