Page 22

After spending the weekend with my head in pink clouds of lust, Monday arrived, and with it, the return to reality.

As I got ready for a long day at the coffee shop, I thought about how I could keep my weekend with Colt a secret from Cassie.

She, Molly, and Jace had all witnessed me chase after him Friday night at the bar. They would want answers, and I was a terrible liar.

As I walked to my car, trying to come up with a game plan, Colt pulled up in his truck.

“Howdy, ma’am.” He tipped his cowboy hat, a mischievous glint in his eye.

God, that voice. Swoon .

“Good morning, sir. To what do I owe this honor?” I arched a brow, my curiosity piqued.

Colt tilted his head out the window of his truck, motioning for me to come over.

“I figured I’d drop by and see you off before you go to work. Also, I wanted a kiss. But you better do it quick if you don’t want someone to see. I can’t go twenty-four hours without kissing you,” he admitted, making me laugh.

His southern drawl made everything sound charming, and I couldn’t help but smile. The heat of the morning sun was nothing compared to the fire burning inside me whenever Colt was around.

I grinned, fighting the heat creeping up my neck. “One quick kiss before I head out,” I said.

As our lips connected, I placed a hand on his cheek, holding him in place a few seconds longer. Colt knew what that meant.

“Don’t get me started,” he warned, a playful edge creeping into his voice. “You’ll be late for work, and I won’t feel a bit bad about it.”

His intense gaze made my pulse quicken. He meant every word, and part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to avoid the temptation.

Off in the distance, the rumble of heavy machinery broke through the quiet morning, followed by the sharp bark of men shouting orders to one another.

The sounds snapped me back to reality—we could get caught at any moment. Reluctantly, I pulled away, not letting things go any further.

Colt caught on immediately, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“What’s the matter, darlin’? Afraid someone’s watchin’?” he teased.

I rolled my eyes, but the grin on my face gave me away.

“I need to get to work before I’m late and Cassie gets suspicious,” I said, dreading the idea of leaving him. “Will I see you tonight? ”

“Definitely. I’ll come up with some excuse to head down this way. Expect me around seven,” Colt said, grinning.

“Got it,” I replied, pulling my keys from my purse and heading back to my car.

I glanced over my shoulder with a teasing smile. “If you’re good, maybe I’ll make you some homemade pecan pie tonight.”

Colt let out a low whistle. “I’d do bad things for your homemade pecan pie,” he said, his voice rough as he tilted his head, eyeing me like a predator sizing up its prey.

I laughed, continuing my walk to the car, knowing I’d better leave before he proved it to me.

“Have a good day, Colt,” I said with a wave, and with that, I drove off to start my day.

I pulled into the parking spaces in front of the coffee shop with not a minute to spare, barely throwing my car into park before dashing through the front door. I scrambled to grab my apron, praying I could get it on before the first customers walked in.

“Somebody’s in a hurry this morning,” Cassie said, eyeing me curiously from behind the counter.

“Sorry,” I said, giving her a half smile and tugging my apron over my head, trying to avoid the conversation that was coming.

“You just gonna stand there and stare at my pretty face, or are you going to tell me what the hell happened after you and Colt left the bar together Friday night?”

Poker face, Ellie. You can do it.

“Nothing. He apologized for what happened that night after Maggie’s. I accepted his apology, and we’re good again. Nothing else to report,” I said, attempting to keep my tone light and casual.

She eyed me closely. “I’m not sure if I believe you,” she said, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one hip.

Right on cue, the door chimed as our first customer walked in, forcing us to get to work.

Cassie and I fell into our usual rhythm, working in sync as we handled the steady stream of orders. Standard lattes. Easygoing customers. Routine tasks.

But no matter how busy we got, it was nearly impossible to wipe the silly grin off my face. My mind kept returning to Saturday night at the drive-in theater. The way Colt had touched my body. Where his lips had left their marks on me. A shiver went down my spine—the good kind.

“I’m going to the back to make some Danishes for tomorrow,” Cassie said, wiping her hands on a towel. “If you need anything, just come get me.”

“You got it,” I said, repositioning my apron on my waist.

The shop was quiet with no one in line, and I found myself drifting over to the front window, staring out at the sleepy street beyond, letting my mind wander where it wanted. And of course, it drifted to images of Colt.

Maybe he was riding one of his horses right now, sweat glistening on his skin as the summer sun beat down. His muscles pulling tight against his T-shirt, boots caked in dirt from a hard morning’s work, blue jeans hugging his muscled thighs.

Goodness, what a sight that would be .

I bit back a smile, shaking my head. I was hopeless, but in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. Colt was slowly making me feel like myself again.

“Hey,” Cassie said, her voice cutting into my thoughts, making me jump.

“Jesus, you scared me,” I said, laughing, my heart pounding harder than it should’ve been.

But Cassie didn’t laugh back. She looked at me, her face etched with concern.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.

She hesitated. “Well… some guy just called, asking if you worked here. I didn’t say yes or no. I told him it was none of his business who my employees were. After that, he got agitated. Started yelling. So I hung up.”

She didn’t ask me any direct questions, but it was written all over her face—she wanted answers.

“Did he give you his name?”

“No. Just asked if an Ellie worked here, and when I wouldn’t tell him, it all went south,” Cassie explained, looking thoroughly confused.

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to hold myself together as my mind raced.

Could it have been Jason? How would he have figured out where I worked? There was no way he could know… right?

Cassie must’ve seen the panic flicker across my face, because she stepped closer, resting a hand on my arm.

“Ellie,” she said softly, “please tell me what’s going on. ”

I sank down at one of the tables, grateful we didn’t have any customers at the moment.

“Do you remember that day I said I wasn’t sure if I should start something with Colt? That it might be too soon to jump into another man’s arms?”

Ha. Look at me now , I thought bitterly.

“Yeah,” Cassie said, watching me closely.

“Well, that’s because until about a month ago, I was in a year-long relationship with another man. Back in Dallas.”

Her face twisted in confusion, but she stayed quiet, letting me talk.

“I came back to Silver Creek because I was running from him,” I said, feeling the lump rise in my throat.

Push through, Ellie. You can talk about this.

“I left because he was abusive—very abusive. It kept getting worse, and I knew if I didn’t leave… I wouldn’t survive much longer.”

Cassie’s eyes widened, concern flashing across her face.

“I didn’t tell you,” I continued, my voice trembling slightly, “because you’re so strong and self-confident—something I wish I had more of when Jason was hitting me. That’s his name, by the way.”

Cassie reached across the table, squeezing my hand.

“Ellie, you’re strong too. You left and didn’t look back. Do you know how much courage that takes?”

I looked up, shocked at her honesty.

“Who else knows?” she asked gently .

“Just Colt,” I said quietly. “He saw the bruises when he was helping me after my horse riding accident. There was no hiding it then.”

“Do you think Jason would come to Silver Creek?” Cassie asked cautiously.

“I don’t think so,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “We don’t even know for sure it was him who called. It could’ve been anybody.”

But the uncertainty still hung in the air.

Cassie didn’t look convinced. Her brow furrowed as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“I think you should tell Colt,” she said finally.

“He already has so much on his plate with the ranch,” I argued, shaking my head. “I don’t want to make him worry, especially over something that might not even be what we think it is.”

“I’m not going to tell your business, Ellie,” Cassie said firmly, “but I really think you should tell him.”

“I’ll think about it, I promise.”

The front door chimed, a customer walking in as I moved behind the counter, thankful for an end to the tense moment.