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“That’s crazy to me,” I murmur with a frown.“They’re justberries.”
Brooks laughs.“Be careful who you say that to.Like I said, they’re Montana gold.”
“What makes them so special?”
“They don’t grow just anywhere, so it’s difficult to transplant the bushes.They only like higher elevations, over thirty-five hundred feet, and they’re picky about humidity and sunshine.”
“It’s a wonder we have any of them at all,” I reply with a laugh.
“Remington has lots of bushes out at his ranch,” Brooks says.“You’ll have to go picking this summer.Just watch for bears.”
“Bears?”I stare at him, stunned.
“They like the berries more than we do, and that’s saying a lot.”Brooks winks and then turns to walk away.“I’d better get back to work.You have a good day.”
“You, too!”
I glance over at Bruiser, who just gives me a nod.I walk over to him and smile.
“What kind of coffee can I make you?”
“Oh, I don’t need anything.”
“It’s on the house, Bruiser.Seriously.Let me do something for you.”
He nods slowly.“I’d take a caramel mocha and one of those slices of huck bread.”
“You got it.”
I glance up through the windows before turning away and feel my heart catch as I squint, trying to get a better look.
Could that be him?
There’s a man across the street, looking this way.Itcouldbe, if he’d grown six inches in five years and dyed his hair red, but that’s unlikely.A woman comes running up to him, and he kisses her, and off they go.
“What’s wrong?”Bruiser asks, following my gaze.
“Nothing, I’m just being paranoid.”
I wander back to the counter and make Bruiser’s order, and once I’ve delivered it to him, I get to work with the mid-day cleanup of the machines and refilling supplies like napkins and cups.The creamer and half-and-half containers need to be refilled, as well.
Mariondidhave a busy morning.
Hearing the bell over the door, I turn to greet my next customer and find the new guy in town, Clay, frowning over at me.
“Erin?”he asks as he approaches.“I thought Millie worked today.”
“She usually does,” I reply.The kid has a crush on Millie.Not that I can blame him; she’s beautiful and the sweetest there is.“But she wasn’t feeling well, so I’m filling in.Are you settling into town well?”
“Yeah, I like it,” he says, that southern twang heavy in his voice.“It’s real nice.”
“I hear you’re renting from Roger.”
His head comes up, and he narrows his eyes.
“I used to rent that apartment,” I explain with a laugh.“And I still see Roger often.He’s the nicest guy in the world.Do you like the apartment?”
“Uh, yeah.”He clears his throat.“It’s a good place.It was nice that it came furnished.”
