and scanned the pie case—lemon—and then made his way to one of the chairs at the long table in the middle of the room called the liar's table. Only three liars sat there today, but they all grinned at him and spoke.
"Howdy, Gil."
"Get any rain out at the old man's place last night, Howard?"
"How'y'doin', Gil…"
The metal legs of his chair scraped on checked linoleum, gritty with dirt and manure from many boots. The stooped and white haired day-shift waitress brought a menu he knew by heart.
He grinned at her. "Millie, why don't you go out with me tonight?"
A smile blossomed the soft wrinkles of Millie's face into fussy sweetness. "Gil, when you grin like that, you look so much like your dad, it ain't even funny." She drew an order pad from the pocket of her smock. "Roy was the best lookin' boy I ever saw, but your granddad, now—" she rolled her eyes appreciatively, and giggled like a girl—"he was really somethin' in his day."
The liars hee-hawed.
She patted his cheek. "You're a sweet boy, darlin', to think of old Millie, but I have to stay home tonight and fill my bird feeders." She winked. "Otherwise, I would."
He laughed and handed her his menu. "That's what they all say. I'll just have the double cheeseburger with fries and a Coke. Pie, too."
Millie turned away and disappeared through the batwing doors between the cafe and the bar.
He finished his meal and left a dollar beside his plate then stepped outside into bright sunshine. Pulling the Skoal can from the pocket of his shirt, he took a dip.
A few feet away, the door from the bar opened and Rod Baker, the Lazy H outfit's hired man, stepped out, red hair and freckles gleaming in the sun. He settled a dusty Stetson on his head. "How's it goin', Howard?"
"It's goin', Baker. You decide if you want my horse yet?"
"You all done with him?"
"Gentle as a kitten."
Rod spit a stream of tobacco juice at the curb where a frail lady with blue hair made a shaky attempt to park a Ford Falcon.
He nodded toward the car. "That's Miss Means. She's about a hundred years old. She taught my dad third grade, and then she taught me third grade. Could she ride him?"
He eyed the elderly woman's determined effort to pull into the space then grinned. "Sure."
Rod threw back his head and laughed. "I don't want him, then."
He laughed, too. Then from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Katie coming out of the post office next to the bar. He turned his head to meet her gaze, his laughter abruptly dying.
Vivid color flooded her face. She froze with her hand on the stair railing, her eyes wide…and as blue as he remembered. He flicked his gaze down her slender form in a flowered summer dress to her small feet in leather sandals then back to her face.
With panic in her eyes, she glanced down the street toward the hardware store where he'd left his truck, and then the other way. She hesitated. Then she took a deep breath and started down the steps toward him and Rod.
He snatched off his hat and hurriedly wiped the chew out of his lip to flip it toward the curb. She moved quickly toward them on the sidewalk, head down.
She wouldn't go past without speaking…Would she? He couldn't let her. By the time she approached to arm's distance away, his heart was pounding so he could hardly breathe.
"Hi, Katie."
She hesitated then stopped. Slowly, she raised her gaze to his. Her eyes held none of the animosity he had expected. Instead, they seemed shadowed by unhappiness matching his own.
She rubbed her hand nervously over her flowered skirt. "Hi."
"Doin' okay?"
"Yes." Her gaze flickered over his bare head. "You?"
He nodded.
She looked down, smoothing the fabric of her dress. Her lashes fanned across the soft, tanned skin of her cheek, and a lock of bright hair curled against her neck. She stood near enough for the fragrance of her hair…like lightning…to reach him.
He cleared his throat. "Your leg all right, now?"
She nodded. The breeze lifted a wavy strand of
"Howdy, Gil."
"Get any rain out at the old man's place last night, Howard?"
"How'y'doin', Gil…"
The metal legs of his chair scraped on checked linoleum, gritty with dirt and manure from many boots. The stooped and white haired day-shift waitress brought a menu he knew by heart.
He grinned at her. "Millie, why don't you go out with me tonight?"
A smile blossomed the soft wrinkles of Millie's face into fussy sweetness. "Gil, when you grin like that, you look so much like your dad, it ain't even funny." She drew an order pad from the pocket of her smock. "Roy was the best lookin' boy I ever saw, but your granddad, now—" she rolled her eyes appreciatively, and giggled like a girl—"he was really somethin' in his day."
The liars hee-hawed.
She patted his cheek. "You're a sweet boy, darlin', to think of old Millie, but I have to stay home tonight and fill my bird feeders." She winked. "Otherwise, I would."
He laughed and handed her his menu. "That's what they all say. I'll just have the double cheeseburger with fries and a Coke. Pie, too."
Millie turned away and disappeared through the batwing doors between the cafe and the bar.
He finished his meal and left a dollar beside his plate then stepped outside into bright sunshine. Pulling the Skoal can from the pocket of his shirt, he took a dip.
A few feet away, the door from the bar opened and Rod Baker, the Lazy H outfit's hired man, stepped out, red hair and freckles gleaming in the sun. He settled a dusty Stetson on his head. "How's it goin', Howard?"
"It's goin', Baker. You decide if you want my horse yet?"
"You all done with him?"
"Gentle as a kitten."
Rod spit a stream of tobacco juice at the curb where a frail lady with blue hair made a shaky attempt to park a Ford Falcon.
He nodded toward the car. "That's Miss Means. She's about a hundred years old. She taught my dad third grade, and then she taught me third grade. Could she ride him?"
He eyed the elderly woman's determined effort to pull into the space then grinned. "Sure."
Rod threw back his head and laughed. "I don't want him, then."
He laughed, too. Then from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Katie coming out of the post office next to the bar. He turned his head to meet her gaze, his laughter abruptly dying.
Vivid color flooded her face. She froze with her hand on the stair railing, her eyes wide…and as blue as he remembered. He flicked his gaze down her slender form in a flowered summer dress to her small feet in leather sandals then back to her face.
With panic in her eyes, she glanced down the street toward the hardware store where he'd left his truck, and then the other way. She hesitated. Then she took a deep breath and started down the steps toward him and Rod.
He snatched off his hat and hurriedly wiped the chew out of his lip to flip it toward the curb. She moved quickly toward them on the sidewalk, head down.
She wouldn't go past without speaking…Would she? He couldn't let her. By the time she approached to arm's distance away, his heart was pounding so he could hardly breathe.
"Hi, Katie."
She hesitated then stopped. Slowly, she raised her gaze to his. Her eyes held none of the animosity he had expected. Instead, they seemed shadowed by unhappiness matching his own.
She rubbed her hand nervously over her flowered skirt. "Hi."
"Doin' okay?"
"Yes." Her gaze flickered over his bare head. "You?"
He nodded.
She looked down, smoothing the fabric of her dress. Her lashes fanned across the soft, tanned skin of her cheek, and a lock of bright hair curled against her neck. She stood near enough for the fragrance of her hair…like lightning…to reach him.
He cleared his throat. "Your leg all right, now?"
She nodded. The breeze lifted a wavy strand of
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