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“No, ma’am,” the four men chorused, as if practiced.
I smiled and moved to the next table, clearing the glasses away and quickly wiping it down before heading back to the bar. Both Katie and Beth were standing and waiting for Bobby to finish up their orders, but he was distracted, with his cell phone jammed between his ear and chin.
I headed around the bar to help him out, since my tables were all good for the time being, and Bobby nodded his thanks and took off into the back.
“Two beers and two whiskey on the rocks,” Katie said.
“Two pitchers,” Beth said with a smile.
I served the drinks and grabbed a rag from the side to wipe over the bar as they left. Bobby was a great bar owner, keeping both his employees and customers happy, but he was ridiculously untidy. I wrung out the rag and wiped over my hands, looking up as the door to the bar swung open.
It was a warm evening, and the bar wasn’t exactly busy for a Sunday, but it still felt like it fell silent and the customers disappeared when I saw him.
He was all six foot two of pure masculinity. His jeans hung low on his hips, and his cotton tee clung to every muscle as he moved. And unlike every other man around here, his hair was short, almost to the bone, and his face beard free.
I picked my jaw up off the bar and flipped my hair back as he came closer, trying to not look as mesmerized as I felt.
2
Caleb
Throwing my cigarette to the ground, I pushed open the door of the Laughing Moose and headed inside. I had an hour to kill before my final meeting, and it was just what I needed: a cold beer and some time to think. I guess I was going to have a lot of time to think soon—only it wouldn’t be in a bar.
I rubbed a hand across my freshly shaved jaw and headed to the bar. It felt strange with no beard. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my own skin like this, but it felt right somehow. A clean shave and a fresh start. It would be the last time I shaved for at least eighteen months.
“Beer please, darlin’.” I slid onto a stool without looking up. My dark thoughts were preoccupied, and I couldn’t seem to shake the heavy burden I was bearing. “You seen Bobby tonight?” I asked, pulling out my cell to check the time.
“He’s just taking a call out back,” came the softly spoken reply.
I looked up, seeing the pretty face behind the voice. She finished pulling the beer and slid it over to me and I fished some bills out of my pocket and handed them over.
“One for yourself too,” I offered, putting down another bill.
“Maybe later.” She dropped one of the bills into her apron pocket and I nodded, too dumb to reply.
She was pretty, with delicate features and a mass of curly auburn hair. I sipped my beer slowly, watching as she moved around the bar area serving people. I didn’t come to the Laughing Moose often, but I was sure as hell I’d remember her. When she’d finished up with the last customer, I signaled her over.
Hands in the front of her apron pockets, she came over looking shy and coy, but with the confidence of a woman who knew how to handle herself all the same. She was an oxymoron if ever I saw one. How could something be both soft and strong, and shy and confident, all at the same time?
Her gaze dropped to my beer, which was still half full. “What can I get you?”
“A conversation?” I asked with a smile. Honesty was the best policy, and right then I would have loved to have a conversation with this woman more than anything else.
She laughed. “Sure thing.”
“Name’s Caleb,” I said, holding out a hand.
She glanced down at it before finally reaching out and taking it. “Nice to meet you, Caleb. I’m Arla.”
I held her hand in mine for longer than necessary, enjoying the feel of her soft skin against my rough palm.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before, Caleb,” she said quizzically, angling her head to the side as if to get a better look of me.
I chuckled, holding my chin in my hand and showing her my profile. “You sure?”
“I think I’d remember you.” She smirked.
I arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? And why would that be?”
