She retraced her steps to the back of the building, went out the door, and leaned against the warm brick as she called everyone she still knew well enough in town who might have a spare room. The list wasn’t long, and she exhausted it quickly. Her acquaintances were sympathetic, but no one had space for her. The only one who did had three cats, and Caitlin was allergic. She couldn’t spend her time in Darby Crossing with chronic hives. Getting a hotel room wasn’t an option. Not only would it cost too much, but she doubted she’d be able to get a room for more than a few days with the rodeo right around the corner and lots of visitors expected. Everything rentable was probably sold out.

  Her parents were the only option she had left. With a sinking heart, she brought their number up on her phone and stared at it. She couldn’t, she simply couldn’t make herself press the “call” button. She gulped in a breath of air and tucked her phone away just as the backdoor opened and Aurora came out followed by Brian.

  “There you are,” Aurora said, smiling. “Brian’s here. Brian, you remember Caitlin, I’m sure.”

  “I do. Howdy.” Brian tipped his hat to her, and Caitlin almost expected the word darlin’ to appear at the end of his greeting. She managed a nod since she was temporarily speechless.

  “I’ll let you two work out the details.” Aurora opened the door to return to the diner. “Can you start tomorrow at six, Caitlin?”

  “Sure.” Caitlin found her voice. “Thanks for everything, Aurora.”

  “You’re helping me out, hon. Bye.”

  Caitlin waited until Aurora was out of earshot, and she was turning to Brian to apologize when he spoke first.

  “I’m sorry about this,” he said. “I agreed to put up Aurora’s best friend before I realized it was you. I thought she was talking about Miranda Andrews, since I know Miranda comes back to town now and then. It never occurred to me that she was talking about you.”

  Caitlin waited for him to follow up that speech by revoking the invitation, but he didn’t.

  “I get it if you want to stay elsewhere,” he continued. “Your parents maybe? Unless that relationship is still…fraught.”

  Fraught would be putting it mildly. Every word and action were landmines waiting to explode in her parents’ house. But Brian had never known the full extent of it and she wasn’t about to clue him in now. Her life was enough of a mess without sorting through all her dirty laundry. “It isn’t sunshine and roses, but I’d stay there if I could.” She hated lying to him but it seemed better than the alternative. “But they downsized last year and no longer have a guestroom.” The part about moving was actually true, though she didn’t know if they had a guestroom or not since she’d never been to their new home. Still, it sounded like a plausible excuse and it would prevent him from pitying her. She didn’t want that from him.

  “My place it is then.” He sounded falsely chipper. “And I’m not charging you rent.”

  “Why would you offer that?” she asked, stung at the idea that she needed charity or was looking for a handout. “Of course I’ll pay. I insist on it. Aurora will take it out of my salary.” She’d already arranged that with Aurora when she thought she’d be renting a place from her.

  “I don’t charge friends,” he insisted.

  “I’ll pay whatever price you and Aurora agreed on. I’m not mooching.” And she needed to feel that there were some boundaries in place between them. She’d be his renter, nothing more.

  He didn’t like it. She could tell by the rigid set of his jaw, but he didn’t argue again. “It’s not far, so you’ll be able to walk to work. I’ll ride with you and show you the way right now, and you can get settled.”

  When they got in her SUV, she saw him glance into the backseat that was piled with her belongings. She didn’t blush easily, but she felt heat rise through her cheeks when she recalled what they almost did on that seat.

  “Take a left on Main,” he said. “My place is on South Chaska Street.”

  She made the appropriate turns and in under two minutes, she pulled into the driveway of a small two-story house. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it appeared to be well-maintained and had flowerbeds with red and white geraniums around the small porch.

  “I’ll help you carry your stuff in.” He grabbed a duffle bag and a laundry basket from the back seat and headed for the door, unlocking it one-handed. “Your room is top of the stairs on the right.”

  The steps were right in front of them, so she started up, but she caught glimpses of a living room on one side, and a combination kitchen and dining room on the other. At the top of the stairs, she saw a closed door on the left and two open ones on the right. The first was a bathroom and the other was a small bedroom.

  The room contained a bed, dresser, and chair that looked like they’d come out of someone’s grandparents’ house. They were antiques, pretty and well cared for.

  “Hope this is okay?” Brian said, entering the room behind her and putting the items down.

  “Brian, are you sure about this? I can see you’re uncomfortable with having me here, and I…” She trailed off because she’d been going to say that she could find some other place, but she couldn’t.

  “It’s fine,” he said after a slight hesitation. “But I warn you that I’ll be a crappy host. I won’t have any time to spend with you because my first priority is my job, especially with the rodeo only two weeks away.”

  “Of course, I didn’t expect anything else,” she said. She didn’t need to be entertained. She was even thinking that she might pick up a second job in the evenings since the diner closed early. More money meant that she got her life back that much sooner.

  “And we can’t…hook up again,” Brian said, his gaze steady on her.

  “I wasn’t thinking we would.” Was that a flicker of surprise on his face? It disappeared in the blink of an eye, so she wasn’t sure. Only a stern cop-face showed now. “I just need a place to live for the next few months. I’ll stay out of your way, I promise. The truth is that I had just gotten out of a lousy relationship when we met up at that bar. The aftermath of it has…complicated things for me. Personally, financially.” She didn’t want to explain any more than that. “I’m trying to put my life back together right now, so that’s where my focus is. I need to keep our relationship simple and separate.”

  “That’ll work for me. I’ll get the rest of your things.” He disappeared from the room before she could say more, which was good, she decided. They’d said enough to establish the ground rules, and she’d do her part in sticking to them.

  4

  Brian stirred a dash of cinnamon into the waffle batter before drizzling in a little vanilla to liven up the flavor. He poured batter into the hot waffle iron and closed the lid. It was an apology breakfast. He felt bad about his rudeness to Caitlin the day before. There was no reason to treat her so coldly, basically establishing a no contact policy.

  He heard the water come on in the shower overhead as he turned the strips of bacon in the frying pan. She’d be down in ten minutes if he knew her. She’d always been quick in the morning. He planned to feed her breakfast before she left for her first day of work. It was the least he could do for her. And while he hadn’t consciously planned it that way, the food he cooked was the same breakfast he always made for her when she’d stayed over at his apartment in college when they’d been…dating.

  Could he really call it dating? He’d never been sure. He’d thought they were headed for something serious until the moment when he’d invited her to his mother’s birthday dinner at the ranch. Caitlin had been to his childhood home plenty of times, but she’d vehemently objected to accompanying him for a family celebration.

  He’d wanted his family to see her as his girlfriend, had thought that that was the next step for them—but she’d seemed so dead-set against it that he’d started second-guessing himself, eventually concluding that she didn’t think they had that kind of relationship. A few weeks later when her brother came home on a thirty-day leave before heading out to an assignment overseas, Brian had broken off their relationship, using the excuse that it would be awkward for Ethan. The truth was, it was easier for him, since he was worried he was getting too attached to someone who didn’t want something real or lasting with him.

  A million times, he’d regretted letting her go so easily, but he’d known a one-sided attachment couldn’t last. And it was all further complicated by geography. She wouldn’t return to Darby Crossing, and it was the only place he wanted to be.

  But she was here now. Upstairs. Singing in his shower. The bacon sizzled in the pan, shooting out grease that burned his wrist.

  “Dammit,” he muttered, going to the sink to run cool water over the burn. He was drying off when his phone rang. Seeing it was his brother, he grabbed for the phone.

  “Mornin’, Jake.” His twin had probably already been up for an hour and in the barn with the horses.

  “What the hell are you thinking?” Jake demanded, skipping any kind of greeting. “You were miserable for a solid year after breaking up with Caitlin before. You settin’ yourself up for another broken heart? Because don’t think you can come crying to me when that happens.”

  “You’ve heard, then?” Brian wasn’t surprised, with the way gossip flowed around their small town.

  “Yeah, Aurora told Amy who told me. Of course, Amy doesn’t know about the history between the two of you.”

  His sister-in-law Amy hadn’t come into their lives until after his relationship with Caitlin had come and gone, so all she probably knew was that someone was staying at his house. Jake knew the full extent of it. But even his twin didn’t know about the night he’d spent with Caitlin a couple weeks back. He’d kept that to himself, thank goodness. He could only imagine how irate Jake would be if he knew. His twin would probably rant on for an hour or so about how Brian clearly wasn’t over her and how he was setting himself up to get hurt. And that just wasn’t true. Brian knew how to protect himself—and he wasn’t in love with Caitlin. Of course not.

  Attracted, yes. Very attracted, just as he had always been. But love? No. That wasn’t an option, for either of them. Caitlin was too committed to leaving as soon as she could. And Brian was too focused on work, which consumed nearly all of his time. He liked it that way, but it made relationships impossible. A year or so ago, he’d tried dating a woman who worked for a local insurance agency. After he’d rescheduled a date multiple times—each time because of a different emergency at the sheriff’s office—she’d told him not to bother calling her again. He’d shelved the idea of dating then. But that shouldn’t be an issue with Caitlin, who didn’t want to date him in the first place.

  “I’m fine. It’s no big deal.” Brian balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear while he removed the first waffle from the iron and poured in more batter.

  “Like hell, it is,” Jake said and hung up. Brian tossed the phone down, irritated with his brother. Jake meant well, but he could be a hothead at times—and lately, he’d been worse than ever. The entire family was feeling some stress since Cal Pierce came into their lives. His newly found half-brother seemed decent enough, but he was getting pretty chummy with Amy as they worked together on rodeo promotions, and the sparks between the pair of them were making the whole family nervous. They all wanted Amy to be happy, of course, but getting her heart tangled up with someone who wasn’t planning to stick around seemed like a recipe for trouble. Brian didn’t want to see her or Henry, her son, get hurt.

  “We’re all just a hell of a mess,” he said to himself while he put plates, butter, and maple syrup on the table.

  “Something wrong?” Caitlin asked from the doorway. He hadn’t heard her come downstairs, which showed how distracted he was. The third step from the bottom squeaked. How had he missed the sound?

  “Nothing,” he said, putting a waffle on a plate for her. “I thought you might want some breakfast before you start your new job. Waffles and bacon.”

  “That’s really nice of you,” her eyes traveled over the table, “but I don’t have time. I’ve got to get to work. I need to learn the menu and—”

  “Take five minutes to eat,” he insisted. “You’re going to be on your feet all day. You’ve got to have something in your stomach.”

  “I don’t need you to take care of me.” Her voice was firm.

  “It’s only breakfast, Caitlin,” he said but she seemed unconvinced.

  “Just some coffee. No time for anything more, but thanks again.” She put her phone down on the table as she picked up a mug he’d just poured and drank quickly.

  He was about to lecture her on her nutrition choices, but he stopped himself. She didn’t want his interference in her life. And hadn’t he insisted the evening before that they live separate existences?

  “See you,” she said and slipped past him out the side door. He caught a glimpse of her walking briskly toward Main Street from the window.

  He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck before plunging the waffle batter bowl into the sink. Guess he was eating breakfast alone. He sat at the table and was about to pour syrup on his waffle when he noticed her phone light up with an incoming message. She’d set it down and forgotten to take it with her. He glanced at the message that appeared on her lock screen.

  It was an alert from a credit card company reminding her that her monthly payment was overdue. He grimaced before reminding himself that it was none of his business. Another message came in while he was still staring at the screen. This one from someone named Maggie. He couldn’t help reading it.

  Sorry, kid, but I can’t be the one you vent to about living with your hottie ex. I’m still so pissed about Seamus stealing OUR money from you. Can’t deal with your guy drama.

  Stealing? He put the syrup down. How bad a spot was Caitlin in? She’d said the day before that she was putting her life back together after a bad breakup, but the guy had stolen from her, too? What kind of jackass did that? And what role did this Maggie play in it? There was no mistaking the anger in her message. Seamus had stolen from her in some way, too?

  The door opened and Caitlin rushed back into his kitchen. Her mouth was open as if to speak, but it clamped shut when she saw him looking down at her phone.

  “Caitlin, if you’re in some kind of trouble…” He wanted to help her, wanted to solve whatever the problem was. That was why he’d become sheriff: so he could help people. And after all Caitlin had been through with her parents—and now, apparently, with her ex—she deserved to know that someone was in her corner.

  “Not your problem, Brian,” she said and held out her hand. He placed her phone in it, and she went back out the door, snagging a piece of bacon on her way.

  She had plenty of spine, he’d give her that, but he was worried about his house guest. Still, he knew there was not much he could do for her without the details, and he didn’t think she’d be forthcoming with those. Which meant the only thing he could do was respect the boundaries they’d established yesterday. He did grin when he realized that the hottie ex Maggie had referred to had to be him. Maybe she wasn’t as impervious to him as she was trying to appear—but he had to respect her clear desire for distance on that point, too.

  The walls she put up didn’t leave him a lot of options to help her. He ate the last of his waffle, considering what he could do. She had money troubles, so she’d be trying to earn as much as she could while in Darby Crossing.

  He suddenly smiled when an idea formed in his head. She might not let him give her cash, but she couldn’t refuse the big, fat tips he planned to leave for her in the diner.

  Yeah, he’d do what he could for her. The tough part was going to be trying to forget what she’d once meant to him.

  5

  Caitlin balanced the tray of dirty dishes on her shoulder and headed through the swinging door into the kitchen.

  “Here you go,” she said to Alex, the dishwasher. “More coming. We’re slammed out there.”

  The morning had been a trial by fire for Caitlin. By seven the breakfast crowd had filled all the tables, which turned over continuously until ten. After the first hour, she’d found her rhythm again as a waitress. It had been several years, but it seemed to be like riding a bicycle. You never forgot the skills.

  “It’s those rodeo people,” Alex said, looking up from his work.

  “Guess so,” Caitlin responded before heading back to the front. Aurora had told her earlier that they were already seeing an uptick in business due to crews coming to town to set up for the rodeo. To Caitlin, more diners meant more tips, so she kept smiling and moving.

  She’d gotten a brief break before folks started coming in for lunch, and then she was dashing around again, taking orders, refilling drinks, and wiping down tables. Caitlin was delivering milkshakes to a table when she saw five women enter the diner. She immediately sucked in a breath when she recognized them as friends of her mother’s.

  It wasn’t long before they all noticed her. “Caitlin,” Mrs. Fecto sneered. “I didn’t know you were back in town and working here.”

  “First day,” Caitlin said, coming up with a fake smile as she went to the hostess stand to seat them.

  “Does your mother know?” Mrs. Fecto arched a painted-on eyebrow at her.

  “Not yet.” But she would in a matter of minutes, Caitlin realized. One of the women would send a text anytime now.

  “Typical. She always was a rotten daughter.” She was partially turned as she reached for menus, so Caitlin wasn’t sure who said it, but her back stiffened just the same.

  “Poor Hailey. So sad to be disappointed in your children,” one of the other women said with a little cluck of her tongue.