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Once she opened the bakery, she’d have a steady stream of customers. So even if he showed up right away, she’d be too busy to talk.
Patty, who worked the front desk, was setting out plates and utensils when Kylie entered the lobby. The strong smell of coffee had her inhaling deeply, as if she hadn’t already downed half a pot.
“Hey,” Patty said, looking over at her. “I figured you’d be late, not twenty minutes early.”
“Why would you—” Kylie sighed and set down the boxes. No telling how many people knew she’d gone out with Kevin last night. Any news was big news in this town. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you work late yesterday?”
“I swapped shifts with Misty so I can go to my son’s ball game this evening.” Patty gave her a little teasing smile. “Did you have fun last night?”
“We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Kalispell. It was nice.”
“And?”
“And what? We didn’t stay out late. I had to get up early to do the baking. Which reminds me...you mentioned you have a friend who’s looking for part-time work?”
Patty nodded. “Celeste. She was hoping you needed kitchen help. She likes to work early shifts so she can be home for her kids after school. Plus, she’s a great baker.”
“Perfect. I’ll get her number from you or she can call me.” Kylie was happy they’d changed the subject, and even happier that she might get someone to take some of the pressure off her in the mornings. She’d never imagined a town the size of Blackfoot Falls would keep her so busy.
“Go grab some coffee in the back,” Patty said as she set out the muffins on doily-covered silver trays.
“Thanks, but I’ve got to get back and open.” She glanced toward the elevator. “What time do the guests start coming down?”
“There’s always one or two who show up at the stroke of seven.” She checked her watch. “We’ve got twenty minutes. You sure you don’t want a cup? I broke out the good stuff.”
Kylie laughed. Patty couldn’t be more obvious. She wanted the skinny on Kylie’s date with her boss. But there was nothing to tell. Kylie had been distracted most of the evening. It wasn’t fair to Kevin. He’d been wonderful and thoughtful, and she’d tried her best to return the attention. But she hadn’t been able to stop thinking of Landon.
What made things worse was that Kevin was exactly the kind of man she should be looking for. He was the sort of steady, reliable man she wanted in her life. Not someone who would live for the adrenaline of bucking broncos and didn’t mind living out of a duffel bag. She wished, though, that he was a little more exciting. But excitement wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Kylie had finally accepted his third dinner invitation. And she planned to accept another date...soon-ish.
She sniffed the air. Macadamia Kona roast. Darn it.
“Come on,” Patty said. “Just one cup. Five minutes. Before Marge brings her cinnamon rolls.”
“You’re evil.”
Patty grinned. “Let me cover these trays and I’ll meet you in the back.”
The room behind the front desk was small and crowded with a full-size fridge, a microwave, two large coffee stations and overstocked shelves. She followed the aroma of the Kona coffee to the small carafe sitting off to the side. Kylie had just poured herself a mug when she heard Marge’s voice. Marge owned the diner and her cinnamon rolls—a local favorite—were insanely good.
Kylie liked her. Marge had been supportive of her opening The Cake Whisperer, even giving her tips on where to get her supplies and ingredients. And best of all, she’d probably just saved Kylie from being cross-examined.
After adding a dollop of cream, Kylie stirred her coffee and yawned so wide she felt her jaw pop. Kevin had dropped her off by ten, but she hadn’t slept well. Too much Landon on the brain. Boy, the next few days were going to be tricky. Or for however long he stuck around. That limp she’d noticed... Was that the reason he wasn’t rushing off to a rodeo? Did he think good ole Kylie would play nursemaid, the way she had in the past? She’d been known to treat and bandage minor wounds for a lot of Gary’s friends. Landon included.
Evidently the two women hadn’t missed her. They were chatting and laughing as if they didn’t see each other every morning. Kylie paused at the slightly open door to take a leisurely sip.
And nearly burned her tongue when she heard Landon’s voice.
She gave the door a slight push. Just wide enough that she could see him, but he couldn’t see her. He was fishing an apple out of the silver bowl sitting next to the muffins. Neither Marge or Patty noticed her because they were too busy checking out Landon. He filled out a pair of worn jeans better than any man Kylie had ever met. The snug white T-shirt showed just how seriously he took his workouts. Though it wasn’t vanity that drove him to keep fit. He loved rodeoing and took the sport seriously.
“Hope you slept well,” Patty said. “We’ve been open less than a year so the mattresses are all new.”
Landon flashed her a smile. “It was lights out before I hit the pillow.” He eyed the plastic-wrapped trays. “Guess I’m too early. I’ll let you finish setting up and come back.”
“Don’t be silly.” Patty gestured to a club chair. “You go on and sit down. I’ll get your coffee and whatever else you need.”
“Nah. I’m good for now. But thanks.” He grabbed a crutch that was resting against the wall and slipped it under his arm.
Kylie hadn’t noticed it because his body had blocked her view. When he swung toward her she saw the second crutch. Their eyes met through the doorway and he lost his footing. He quickly righted himself by balancing on one leg until he stabilized the crutches.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as she moved out into the lobby.
“What happened to your leg?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, okay. I guess crutches are the new fashion trend.”
“That’s right.” His hair hadn’t been combed and stubble darkened his chin and jaw.
“Shut up,” Kylie said, annoyed at the flutter in her chest. “Tell me what happened.”
“I broke my leg. No big deal.”
“It is if you’re using crutches.” She studied the leg he was favoring. “You’re not wearing a cast.”
“Yeah, it came off a few days ago.”
“By you or the doctor?”
Landon’s sigh sounded like guilt.
Kylie gaped at him. “Seriously?”
“The doctor was being overly cautious. She wanted to leave it on a week longer and I convinced her I was ready.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
Patty smothered a laugh. Marge just cut loose a howl that probably woke the other guests.
How could Kylie have forgotten they had an audience? She glanced over at them. “We’re old friends.”
“Ah.” Patty’s grin widened.
“Did you bring me coffee?” Landon asked, staring at the steaming mug warming her palms.
“Oh, right, I ran over to make sure it was all ready for you the second you came down.” Kylie had no problem wiping the hopeful expression from his face now that she’d confirmed her suspicion. Wasn’t he going to be shocked when she told him she was done playing nursemaid?
But first she had to quit worrying about his stupid leg. Convincing his doctor to take off the cast early...what an idiot. Landon was smarter than that.
He stood balanced on his crutches, taking in the loaded trays. “Ah. You brought the pastries,” he said, a self-deprecating smile curving his mouth. “Okay. My bad.” He glanced at the two women avidly watching them, and gave them a polite nod. “I’ll see you all later.”
Before he could swing around on his crutches, Kylie let out a huff and said, “For heaven’s sake, sit down.”
“Nope. Don’t want to be a bother.” He kept moving toward the elevator without so much as a backward glance. “Thanks for the apple.”
“Landon.”
The elevator door opened as soon as he pushed the button, as if it had been waiting for him, and he took the last few steps rather quickly.
Kylie couldn’t see his face as the door slid closed, which was just as well. She wasn’t at all pleased with the soft gooey feeling in her chest. Landon was a big boy, he could fend for himself. His family had a ranch in Wyoming. He should’ve gone there to recuperate.
“Good Lord, girl.”
She turned to Patty. “What?”
“What?” Both women laughed. Patty, who was in her early forties and happily married, said, “Very nice.”
“Why on earth would you chase him away?” Still chuckling, Marge shook her graying head. “I thought you had a date with Kevin last night.”
“Landon’s just an old friend.”
“Uh-huh,” they said in unison, staring at her, curiosity mirrored in both pairs of eyes.
Oh, this wasn’t going to work. Kylie took a final sip of the cooling coffee. “Thanks for this,” she told Patty.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
She slipped into the back room and poured out the rest of her mug and rinsed it. “I have to go get ready to open.”
“Yeah, but you still have—”
She didn’t let Patty finish. Kylie hurried through the small lobby and out the door. Which was the completely wrong move because now she’d just complicated the situation. Made it look much worse than it was. She hadn’t lied. They were only friends. Or used to be.
Dammit.
Chapter Four (#u48cd36b5-1fd4-56d5-b460-9a411150d700)
Landon sat in his truck outside the bakery waiting for the morning rush to ease. Not that anyone seemed to be in any hurry. Eleven minutes was the average time it took a customer to place their order, pay for it and bend Kylie’s ear. He’d kept track out of sheer boredom.
When an elderly woman stopped to peer in through the window, he decided that was it. He could be waiting forever. The small Wyoming town where he’d grown up hadn’t been any different. Some of the older folks were likely to pass the morning talking about nothing. And Kylie, softhearted as she was, would worry they were lonely and let them monopolize her time.
He got out of the truck, dragging the crutches out with him. It wasn’t as if Kylie didn’t know about his injury. And damn, he couldn’t afford to be careless.
After some clumsy maneuvering, he opened the door and managed to cross the threshold without falling on his ass. When he glanced up he met Kylie’s gaze. She was standing behind the counter wearing a pink apron over her T-shirt and jeans and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
Wariness flickered in her hazel eyes before she refocused on the customer asking about a birthday cake for her grandson. Three other women were chatting as they waited their turn.
The space was smaller than he’d thought, with wood laminate floors, pale yellow walls and white clouds painted on the light blue ceiling. But no place to sit. So he settled in the corner where he wouldn’t be in the way, and leaned on his crutches as he waited.
The smell of fresh-brewed coffee drifted over to him. He didn’t see a coffeepot, and couldn’t tell if the aroma was coming from the kitchen or from the counter behind Kylie.
“Yoo-hoo, young man?”
Landon turned to the tiny, white-haired woman trying to get his attention. She waved him over to where she stood near the case. He sighed. Why had he thought the crutches would give him a pass?
He hobbled over to her. “Yes, ma’am, how can I help?” he asked with a polite smile.
“You can park yourself right here,” she said, gesturing to the spot in front of her. “Kylie can take your order next. No need for you to be waiting, you being a cripple and all.”
Cripple.
Landon tried not to cringe. “Well, that’s very kind of you,” he said, “but I’m just waiting for Kylie.”
“Oh, you’re a friend of hers?” she asked, curiosity etched in every line on her face.
The other women all turned and checked him out.
“I have a chair in the back,” Kylie said quickly. “Why don’t you wait there? I’ll even bring you a cup of coffee.”
“Can’t pass up that offer,” he said and nodded at the elderly woman, who looked disappointed. “You have a real nice day, ma’am.”
The place was utterly quiet as everyone watched him hobble around the counter, which made him feel awkward as hell.
“It’s just a folding chair,” Kylie said as he was about to enter the kitchen. “I’ll bring your coffee in a minute.”
“I can get it myself.” He spotted the coffee station directly behind her on the back counter. “Take care of your customers. I’m good.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about us,” said the tall woman ordering the birthday cake. “We have all the time in the world.”
The other three nodded.
Yeah, just what he wanted to hear.
“Well, I’m afraid I don’t,” Kylie said, turning to a pair of solid-looking upper oak cabinets and bringing down a three-ring binder. “Tell you what, Shirley, why don’t you have a look at these pictures of other cakes I’ve done while I box Eunice’s turnovers?”
Landon saw the mugs stacked in the open cabinet and leaned his crutches against the wall.
“What do you mean you don’t have time, dear? Will you be closing early?”
“Oh, for pity’s sake, Mabel. She has plans with the hunk.”
Slanting the eighty-something woman a quick look, Landon realized she meant him.
Kylie laughed. “Actually, I have Joe Hopkins coming at eleven-thirty.”
“What for?” Shirley had stepped aside as she flipped through the pages.
“To give me a quote on raising part of this front counter to accommodate some bar stools.”
