Page 86 of Rocky Mountain Home

3. Fitness Instructor (see what I did there? ;) )

Okay, they’re on the list because this is the only job other than sex worker where you get paid to make others grunt, groan and moan. Suitable occupation for sadists and people with a twisted sense of humour.

2. Waitress at the café

Better hours than working the bar, and you still get all the gossip. And some flirting, but the old timers know to keep their hands off, and the visitors usually tip well. Depending on the café, the food can be a plus.

1. Rancher

Hey, did you expect me to say anything different? Think about it. They’re good with their hands. Can stay in the saddle all day and all night, ahem. They look damn good in their hats—or out of them.

Oh, wait. I just said what I appreciate about a rancher’s job, and not what they get to do. Oops?

Tell me—what job would you like best? Do you do one of these top 5? I’d love to hear your stories.

Dare was beginning to think Jesse’s mom was not human, but a robot.

Ever since Mrs. Coleman had nabbed Dare that morning, Jesse waving them off as he headed to places unknown, Marion hadn’t stopped. She seemed determined to haul Dare to every single store in town so she’d “know her way around in the future”.

There’d been a lot of that as well. Those pointed moments where Marion made it clear she had no objections to Dare and Jesse becoming a permanent fixture in Rocky.

The woman knew everyone in town, which—okay, fine, small-town living and all, Dare understood that one.

But Marion didn’t just know their names, she had something to share about every person they met that made the other person respond with a smile or a grin or a blush.

Unfortunately, the next move in this comedy routine was when they would turn to Dare for an introduction, and the smiles would tighten, or eyes would widen, an instant after Marion uttered those fateful words, “Jesse’s fiancée.”

There’d been a bit of this back in Heart Falls the couple times she and Jesse had gone out to do something together, but the response in Rocky Mountain House was spectacularly over the top. If she was to go by their expressions, she’d either hooked up with a mass murderer or the town’s most eligible ruling elite.

In both cases, she’d been found wanting.

Dare found even her sense of humour being pushed to the limit by the time lunch rolled around and they stopped in at the café for a bite to eat.

Marion ordered the daily special then introduced Dare.

“Oh, really?” Their waitress, a pleasant enough looking young woman with dark raven hair slipped her pen behind her ear and cocked out a hip. “That’s so nice.”

Suddenly Dare understood everyone’s aversion to the word “nice” because it meant a hell of a lot of things, none of them…well, nice.

The group at the table behind them caught Marion’s attention, and she turned to speak with them, leaving Dare to the waitress’s tender mercies.

“You and Jesse moving back to Rocky?” Laura hadn’t yet perfected her casual-yet-digging-for-information tone.

“Just a visit for now,” Dare slipped in with a pointed smile, handing back her menu. “Burger and fries, please. No onions.”

Laura’s gaze skipped over Dare as if assessing her curves. “You can get a salad instead of fries, if you want. No charge.”

Oh, honey, you really don’t want to go there. “Thanks, but fries are fine.”

“Sure. So, you guys need to drop in at Traders while you’re here,” Laura informed her before smirking widely. “Tell Jesse that Heidi’s working there again.”

It wasn’t worth the energy to react. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled,” Dare drawled.

Laura sauntered off as Marion turned back to resume their conversation. Dare had to give it to the woman—Jesse’s mom had perfected the art of small talk, and the entire meal whizzed past without another awkward moment.

But after lunch Dare was happy to be guided over to the Stitching Post, Hope Coleman’s quilting store. The store was closed for the afternoon, and an impromptu gathering of a few Six Pack women had been arranged. Vicki wasn’t there, but Beth and Hope were, as well as Jaxi with the baby, to Dare’s surprise.

“You’re already out of the hospital?” she asked, not sure if she were more shocked or terrified by this turn of events.