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She preferred dark-haired guys who dressed more conservatively than jeans and a striped, button-down shirt.
He picked at the top layer of the remaining quesadilla on the plate. “What’s in this, anyway?”
She turned her grill pan off. “Hot sauce—”
“Obviously.”
“Tomatoes, some lime juice, onion, scallions…” She ticked each item off on her fingers as she spoke. “Cheddar cheese, cream cheese and lobster.”
He jerked his hand back. “Lobster?”
She stirred the big pot of tomato sauce simmering on the back burner. “Sure. Why not?”
He scratched his cheek. “I’ve never heard of a lobster quesadilla before, that’s all.”
“That’s why I made it. I wanted something different.”
“It’s different all right,” he murmured in his sexy drawl.
She tapped the spoon twice on the edge of the saucepan. It didn’t matter what this…cowboy thought about her menu. The Summit belonged to her and if she wanted to liven things up with fancier fare, then she would.
Besides, if she had to cook one more boring cheese-chicken-and-mushroom quesadilla for the next Tex-Mex Monday, she’d stick a fork in her eye.
She slid the band off her heavy ponytail and combed her fingers through her hair. “Well, let’s get on with your interview. Why don’t we sit down?”
He pulled a chair out for her at the small table. She thanked him and took her seat. Studied him as he sat opposite. Okay, so he was polite. She couldn’t help it if she had a weak spot for courteous manners.
She flicked her hair over her shoulder again as she picked up the file containing Dean Garret’s rеsumе, as well as the job application he’d sent in.
“So, I guess we’ll get right to the basics,” she said. “I need someone to tend bar in the evenings from seven to three Tuesday through Saturday. We’re closed Sundays…except during football season.”
“Football’s big here?”
“We have our fair share of fans. Although if I had to guess, I’d say we’re packed Sunday afternoons because people go a little stir-crazy around here in the winter. They need to get out, and since social opportunities are limited to church functions or skiing, they wind up here.”
He leaned forward. “Please tell me there are other things to do in this town beside church dinners and going a hundred twenty miles per hour down a hill on a pair of toothpicks.”
“I take it you’re not into religion or winter sports?”
He glanced around as if checking to make sure they were alone in the room. “If my mama happens to ask, I attend church every Sunday.”
He was afraid of his mama. God, that was sweet. “So it’s just skiing you have a problem with?”
“I prefer warmer activities.”
Her mouth went dry.
Oh, this wasn’t good.
She got to her feet. And about fell back to her seat when he stood, as well. Yeah, those manners were mighty impressive. She went to the refrigerator. “Most guys avoid the ice rink—except for the Tuesday and Thursday night hockey league. And since we’re on Main Street, we don’t get any snowmobilers coming in, either. They all stop at The Pineview on the edge of town.” She opened the fridge door and pulled out a diet soda. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you, ma’am.” He glanced out the window at the falling snow—and she could’ve sworn she saw him shudder. “Is there anything to do here that doesn’t involve the threat of hypothermia?”
She couldn’t help but grin. “Not too much. At least, not between the months of November and February.” She pursed her lips as she opened the can. “And sometimes March.” He winced, but covered it quickly. She sat back down and he did, too. “Since you’re not a fan of cold weather, I have to ask—are you staying in Serenity Springs long?”
He leaned back, the picture of relaxed, confident male. “I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
Talk about a nonanswer. “I need someone I can rely on. I’ve been through too many bartenders to count.” He just nodded—in agreement? Pity? Who knew? “To be honest,” she continued, “it’s getting really annoying to hire someone, only to have them walk away a few weeks—or in one case hours—later. I need someone dependable who’s not going to leave me in the lurch.”
She sipped her soda and waited, but he didn’t say anything. And the intense way he studied her made her squirm.
She cleared her throat. “Now, that’s not to say if I hire you I expect you to stay forever….” The idea of staying at The Summit forever caused a chill to run up her spine. “But,” she continued, shoving aside the uneasiness she always felt when she thought of her future, “I would appreciate at least two weeks’ notice, not to mention a few months worth of work first.”
He remained silent.
She sighed. Why were good-looking men always such a trial? “I’m not sure if you understand how a conversation works, but that would be your cue to speak.”
He hesitated. Her experience as a defense attorney told her he was readying a lie. But when she searched his expression, she saw no hint of deception.
Which just went to show she’d made the right decision to quit practicing law. She obviously wasn’t as good at reading people as she’d thought.
“I’ll be in Serenity Springs for a while,” he said. “But I can’t guarantee how long.”
“If I hire you, I need to know you won’t leave me in a bind.”
Still no response. He didn’t try to persuade her he was best for the job, didn’t promise he’d stick it out as long as possible. He sure didn’t seem all that desperate for work. So why was he here?
She glanced over his rеsumе again. After graduating from Athens high school in Texas, Dean had worked at a Dallas establishment called Benedict’s Bar and Grill for three years before joining the Marine Corps, after which he’d served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. “I see you tended bar before you went into the military, but your recent work record has quite a few gaps. Care to explain those?”
“I was trying to find something that suited.”
“Since you’re here, I take it you didn’t find what you were looking for?”
“No, ma’am.”
She picked up a pen and tapped it against the table. “See, this is where we get back to me being able to rely on you to stick around. And from what I can tell of your work history—or at least, your work history over the last two years—you don’t stay in one place long.”
He clasped his hands together on the table. “After my discharge I did some traveling. For personal reasons.”
“Hmm…” He was hiding something. She could feel it. “So you had a difficult time adjusting back to…what would you call it…civilian life?”
“No more than anyone else who served.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and studied him. Maybe he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. She was far from an expert on PTSD, but knew that a person affected by it could have trouble keeping a job. Or it could be something else. Wanderlust. The inability to get along with his employers or fellow employees.
And then it hit her why he was so secretive. Why he gave such vague answers. Why there were periods of up to three months unaccounted for in his work history.
“Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“The gaps. I’m just wondering…”
“Are you asking if I was in prison? Is that even legal?”
“In New York State, a prospective employer may ask if a prospective employee has been convicted of a criminal offense, just not if they’ve ever been arrested or charged with a crime.”
Something flashed in his eyes, something like respect. But before she could be certain, he said, “That makes no sense.”
“That’s the law for you. Besides, being arrested or charged with a crime in no way means you were convicted of said crime.”
“You could always run a background check on me.”
She sipped her soda. “I could—after I informed you of that fact, of course. But I like to form my own impressions of the people I hire based on what I see and hear from them. Not what the state of New York tells me.”
“Would you refuse to hire me if I had a criminal past?”
“Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law prohibits employers from denying an applicant employment because the applicant was previously convicted of one or more criminal offenses.” She caught herself and shook her head. She wasn’t a lawyer anymore. No need to talk like one. “I just mean that it’s illegal, not to mention unethical, to refuse to hire you because of your past. So no, that wouldn’t be a problem.” She paused. “But you lying about it would be.”
“You make a habit of hiring convicted criminals?” he asked, his accent so sexy it made her want to do whatever it took to keep him talking. She tilted her head in a silent question. “Just wondering what type of people I’ll be working with if I get the job,” he explained.
She took a long drink. “If you get the job, you can be assured that none of your coworkers have a criminal record.”
After all, Kelsey’s juvenile record didn’t count, and while Allie’s kitchen assistant, Richie, had some past troubles with drug use, he’d never been formally charged with possession.
And Allie’s sins hadn’t landed her in jail.
Just her own purgatory.
“But,” she continued when Dean remained silent, “if you have a problem with people who’ve paid their dues to society, reconsider if you want this job.” And really, did she want someone so…judgmental working for her? “One of my good friends spent time in prison and he stops by quite often.”
Dillon Ward, Kelsey’s brother, had served time for manslaughter after killing their stepfather while protecting Kelsey. After his release, Dillon had battled prejudice and his own guilt. Luckily, he’d gotten past all of that and was now able to move forward in a relationship with local bakery owner Nina Carlson.
Allie smiled sweetly. “I wouldn’t want any of his criminal tendencies to rub off on you.”
“You don’t have any problems with his past?”
“No,” she snapped. She inhaled a calming breath. “I don’t have a problem with anyone’s past.” Well, except her own—but that was what she was doing here, right? Her penance. “I have a bigger problem with people in the present. Out of the last three individuals I hired, one stole from me, one walked off the job and one…” Allie squeezed the can she was holding, denting the aluminum. “She was the worst of all. She lied.”
“Lying pissed you off more than desertion and theft?”
“Deserters can come back,” she said coolly. “A thief can return what he or she stole. But a liar? You can never take back a lie.”
He inclined his head and slowly straightened. “I’ve never been imprisoned or convicted of a crime.”
“And the gaps in your rеsumе?”
“As I said, I was traveling.”
All the signs, everything she’d ever learned about being able to tell when someone was lying, said that Dean Garret was just what he appeared to be. Easygoing. Stoic. Confident. A sexy cowboy in need of a job. If he could mix drinks, he’d be an asset behind her bar. Once word got around about him, women would flock to The Summit just to hear his Texas drawl. And he wasn’t so pretty as to put her male patrons on the defensive.
“I guess that’s all the information I need then.” She stood, and couldn’t help but second-guess herself when he got to his feet, as well. Who knew manners could be such a turn-on? Still, she walked around the table and offered him her hand. “Thank you for coming in.”
His large, rough fingers engulfed hers, and damn if a crackle of electricity didn’t seem to shoot up her arm and jump-start her heart.
“When can I expect to hear from you?” he asked, still holding her hand.
She pulled free of his grasp and stepped back. “I’m sorry, but you won’t.”
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“Listen, I have to be honest. I’m going in a different direction.” She met his eyes and told him what her instincts were screaming. “You’re just not what I’m looking for.”
CHAPTER TWO
DEAN DIDN’T SO MUCH AS blink. Hell, he was so stunned, he didn’t even move.
He wasn’t what she was looking for? What did that mean? His blood began a slow simmer. Damn it, he was perfect for this job. He’d worked for three years tending bar before joining up. What more did she want? A note from his mother?
“If anything changes,” she said, the hint of pity in her tone causing him to grind his teeth together, “I’ll be sure to let you know.”
In other words, here’s your hat, get your ass moving.
He forced himself to smile. “I appreciate your time.” He pulled his coat on and set his Stetson on his head. Though his better sense told him not to, he stepped forward until she had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. Until her flowery scent filled his nostrils. “You be sure to let me know if you change your mind,” he said, letting his accent flow as thick as honey.
Heat flashed in her eyes, turning them a deep, denim blue.
He tipped his hat. “I’ll find my own way out.”
He didn’t slow until he’d pushed open the door and stepped out into the blowing snow and mind-numbing cold. He trudged across the parking lot, unlocked his truck and slid inside.
He didn’t get the job? He slapped his hand against the steering wheel. Unreal. He always got the job. Always got the job done.
He started the engine and cranked up the heat. Allison hadn’t believed he’d stay in Serenity Springs.
She didn’t trust him.
He sat there, resting his forearms on the steering wheel, and stared at the swirling white flakes drifting down. His record of success was a direct result of his tenacity. He’d go back to his hotel room and regroup. Come up with a plan to somehow convince her he was the best candidate for the job.
That she could trust him.
Even if she really shouldn’t.
“YOU SENT HIM PACKING?” Kelsey asked. “But I wanted to keep him. I’ve never had a cowboy of my very own before.”
Allie, perched on the top rung of the stepladder, snorted down at her sister-in-law. “You can’t have one now, either.” She climbed down, careful to keep her high heels from hooking on the rungs. Once both feet were safely on the ground, she moved the ladder next to the bar. “I don’t think Jack would appreciate you wanting to keep this—or any—cowboy.”
They were the only people in the bar. Allie hated this time of day—what Kelsey referred to as the dead zone. The two hours in the afternoon after the lunch crowd left and before people got off work.
