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Lyric swung her SUV into a spot and hopped out. Hopefully, the man wouldn’t show up while she was here. Though if the radio silence of the last few days was any indication, it didn’t seem like Thatch was all that keen on seeing her either. Which was just as well.
With one last look around the surrounding streets, she ducked inside the door. About half the tables were full, but there was no sign of Kyra or Tess yet, so she wandered to the long bar counter where Minnie was chatting with Doris and Nelly.
“Well, if it isn’t the fine Ladies Aid Society of Star Valley.” These three women had formed a committee tasked with organizing an effort to take care of anyone and everyone who found themselves in a time of need. They cooked and cleaned and mobilized and donated. And they usually gossiped while they did so.
Minnie, who’d been in the middle of saying something, suddenly clammed up.
Lyric assessed each of their expressions, which were all guilty. “What were you discussing?” She already had a pretty good idea.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” Doris patted her hand and smiled with her teeth. That woman never smiled with her teeth.
“Nice weather out there today.” Nelly stared out the window. “So warm for this time of year, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. It’s the perfect day for a little gossip.” She aimed a knowing look at Minnie. “Don’tyouthink?”
“We weren’t gossiping.” The woman wrinkled her nose. “Thatch was just here. That’s all.”
“Quite a looker, that man. Wouldn’t you say?” Doris peered at Lyric over her mug before she took a sip.
“You’re looking mighty lovely yourself today,” Nelly added. “I mean, it would appear you’re positively glowing with happiness.”
Did these three have to be so obvious? They had a habit of implying something they didn’t want to outright say.They’d obviously heard something about her and Thatch. “I don’t think I’m glowing.”
“But you are.” Minnie stole the mug from the place setting next to Doris and filled it for Lyric. “You’re positively glowing.”
“What’ve you been up to lately, hon?” Nelly peaked her eyebrows into overly innocent arches. “I haven’t seen you around much.”
Oh, sure. Now they wanted her to spill all her secrets to them. “I’ve had a pretty busy schedule at the clinic.”
“Mm-hmm,” Nelly murmured. “And what else have you been so busy with, hmm?”
“I don’t know.” She pretended to think. She could play this game every bit as well as they could. “The usual, I guess.”
“Oh, come on,” Minnie whispered. “We know about you and Thatch, so you might as well fess up.”
“Of course you know.” These three single-handedly powered the gossip mill in Star Valley. “A few days ago, only Kyra knew.”
Minnie picked up the carafe and refilled Nelly’s mug. “Well, Doris was talking to Janie at the market who’d just run into Bessy at the library—which you know is right next to the rec center project Cowboy Construction is working on—and Bessy happened to go in and take a peek at the progress on the rec center.”
Most likely to see if Thatch was working shirtless, but Lyric let her continue.
“And that’s when BessyoverheardKyra and Aiden talking about going on a triple date with you two.”
“So Bessy was basically spying.” Kyra and Aiden probably hadn’t even realized she was there.
“Is it true?” Doris hopped off her stool. “Are you and Thatch finally an item?”
“I don’t know if you could call us an item, per se.” They were more like an… arrangement.
“But you’re dating?” Nelly dumped a sugar packet into her coffee. “Finally? After all this time?”
“That’s the rumor.” The rumor she’d started herself. Faking a relationship had seemed like the best option at the time, but the complications were starting to stack up.
A customer down the bar signaled Minnie for a coffee refill, but she waved him off. “I’m busy right now.” She leaned in closer. “How long has this been going on?”
“It’s still pretty new.” Lyric lowered her voice. “And we’re keeping things pretty low-key. I’m sure you can understand.” She smirked. “You gals know how people talk in this town.”
“Oh, yes. Well, your secret is safe with us.” Doris twisted her fingers in front of her mouth. “Lips are sealed. Don’t you worry. We won’t tell a soul.”
