I was glad that Lamb had sold a few things to some tourists, but the real relief came when I heard a crash, followed by one of Lamb’s unique curses.

“Fudge and caramel fiddlesticks!”

The first time I’d heard her say that, I’d burst out laughing, and it really hadn’t gotten any less entertaining, but at this moment, I chose to focus on the fact that I might have a legitimate excuse to leave.

“What happened?” I asked, hoping she couldn’t hear how eager I was.

“I bumped into one of the display cases, and it fell.” She sounded near tears. “I’m so sorry, Brea. Everything’s a mess, and it’s all my fault.”

“It’s okay,” I said automatically. “I want you to go ahead and close the shop for a bit. I’ll be there soon, and we’ll see what needs to be done.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she said, an edge of panic creeping into her voice. “I can clean it up myself. I’ll figure out what’s missing and order replacements. You can take it out of my paycheck. Or I’ll pay for the supplies myself if you don’t mind me switching the card–”

“Lamb,” I interrupted. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it all out when I get there. Just flip the sign and lock the door.”

“I’m so sorry, Brea. I know how much you were relying on me to be able to do this.”

“It’ll be all right,” I insisted, keeping my voice nice and calm. “Just hold on. I’ll be right there.”

I told myself that I would send a brief text to my parents rather than speaking to them in person because I didn’t want to interrupt if they were in the middle of conducting a tour, but I couldn’t lie to myself that well. I couldn’t handle seeing Blake again. Not yet. After things were taken care of in town, I’d be settled enough to come back and act professionally.

That lie I believed.

I locked everything down and put out my “Be Back In–” sign. I didn’t bother pulling down the gate though. I doubted I needed to worry about Blake or his brothers stealing my dandelion roots.

As if thinking his name had conjured him, the moment I stepped out of the shop, I saw him. It was only out of the corner of my eye, and only for a few seconds before he disappeared through the doors that led to the back of the property. I didn’t think he’d seen me, but I told myself that it wouldn’t have mattered if he had. The accusation he’d hurled at me wasn’t something I could overlook simply because the sex was great.

And that’s all it’d been between us. Sex. We’d gotten along fine, and I’d read too much into it. What I’d thought had been a real connection had only been physical attraction. I should have known better. After all, he’d shown me his temper and tendency toward assumptions when we first met.

It didn’t matter anymore, I told myself as I headed for the front door. I could’ve handled that if he’d been an adult about it. Casual sex wasn’t really my thing, but the misunderstanding was on me. I refused to take responsibility for how he’d talked to me though. We were done. Sex. Talking. Dinner. Distraction. I wasn’t going there again.

The drive into Rawlins was what I needed to clear my head. Now that I’d made my decision, I would choose not to think about it anymore. I would focus on my business and my time with my parents before they left again.

Lamb was standing in the middle of the store, wringing her hands when I walked inside. I wondered if she’d been doing that since we’d gotten off the phone, but I didn’t ask. The distress on her face told me everything I needed to know about how awful she felt, and I didn’t need to add to that. One of us feeling like shit today was enough.

“I’m so sorry, Brea,” she started apologizing again.

I held up a hand. “Accidents happen. Let’s clean it up, and we’ll see what we need to do after that, okay?”

She nodded. “I didn’t touch anything here, but I did get out the broom and dustpan, and made up some soapy water.”

“Thank you.” I turned my attention to the mess next to her, grateful for a problem I could solve.

The display had been one of the many odds and ends I’d found left here by the previous owner, so I wasn’t out any money for it. Unfortunately, it was old enough that it had been made up of regular glass rather than safety glass, which meant Lamb and I were going to need to be careful when we cleaned up. It also meant that anything not in a tightly sealed container would have to be thrown out.

“We’re going to need gloves,” I said. “We’ll take this slow and careful. I’d rather keep the shop closed the rest of the day than risk someone getting hurt because we rushed and missed something.”

Once she realized that I was serious about not being mad at her, she relaxed and followed my instructions. After a few minutes of working in silence, she started to chatter, and I let her. Usually, I was engaged during a conversation, but now I was glad to have her going from one subject to the next, barely pausing to take a breath. I let her words fill my head, and they crowded out anything that wasn’t already focused on what we were doing.

It took us well into the evening to make sure that things were perfect, so I didn’t bother opening the store back up. The chances of getting another group of tourists was slim, and the only out-of-towners that I knew for certain were nearby were the Hunter brothers, and I sure as hell didn’t want them walking into my store.

Blake’s brothers might not have been the jerk that he was, but I didn’t want them asking about the two of us. Let him explain what was going on. I didn’t even care if he acted like I was the villain. I just wanted him out of my life. Him and anything that reminded me of him.

“Thank you again,” Lamb said as she gathered her coat and purse. “I thought for sure I was fired.”

“Just try to be more aware of your surroundings.” I gave her a tired smile.

She opened the door, then paused and looked back at me. “My nephew from Cheyenne came in this week for a visit. I think the two of you would hit it off; if you want to meet him.”

I wasn’t really the sort of person who liked being set up on dates, but I could tell Lamb felt like she needed to do something nice for me to make up for what had happened. Besides, the best way to get one guy out of my head was to meet someone new. Even if things didn’t work out with her nephew, it’d be a pleasant distraction. One that I hoped would keep Blake out of my head for good.

“Sure,” I said. “That would be great. If you have his number, I’ll give him a call.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Lamb said with a wide smile. “I told Steve about you yesterday, and he said he’d love to take you to dinner.”

For a moment, I wondered what, exactly, she’d told Steve about me, but then I remembered that it didn’t matter. If we were meant to be, we’d click. If we weren’t, then we wouldn’t.

Something simple was exactly what I needed right now.