The diner was just about the only place in town to eat. We’d set it up that way on purpose, to deter visitors and tourist. Except now, there was a tourist and I sure as hell didn’t want to take her to the diner again. We’d already been there for a meal the night before and for breakfast. That was more than I’d been at the dated eating spot in months.

Kallie was up ahead. I could see the soft sway of her hips through my dingy windshield. She had to be doing that on purpose. She must’ve known I was driving up behind her.

“Hey lady, I know a more private place to eat. The owner is a bit of an oaf, but he makes the best omelets this side of the Mississippi.” My voice automatically took on a lower octave when I spoke to her.

Kallie gasped a little when she heard my voice, but she wore a smile on her face that reached her eyes and made them smolder at the same time. “I thought the diner was the only place in town.”

“It is. This place is a little out of town.” Her gaze cut across the street, down the street, in the direction of anyone and anything but me. Shit, I’d moved too soon.

Her body language read “stranger danger.”

“It’s okay. We can just eat at the diner. I was just going to cook for you. I don’t eat out much.”

Her eyebrows bunched and several people had stopped on their way somewhere to gawk. I wished she would either get into the car or tell me to fuck off, anything to make them go away.

“Oh, your house? I thought you were just trying to kidnap me or something. Do people always stare at you like this? How do you stand it?”

I looked around. “You kind of get used to it or you don’t come into town much. I choose the latter. Hop in?” I patted the seat next to me like a teenager ready to take his girl to the drive-in.

While she crossed in front of my truck, looking at the ground the whole time like she was taking the walk of shame, I reached over, across the bench seat, and opened her door.

“Thanks. No wonder you stay away.”

Maybe it was the close proximity of Kallie in the cab of my truck or her permeating scent clogging up my throat in the best way possible, but whatever it was, my dragon was ready to let loose right then and claim her on the spot. She was twirling one of her longer pieces of hair around her finger while she pretended not to look at me every three seconds.

“It’s just up this road. If you want to get back to town, just take this long driveway back here. Then turn right. “

She laughed, almost a giggle. “Are you seriously telling me how to get away from you?”

“No. Yes. I might say something over-the-line-dorky and run you off. If I do, grab these keys and head for town. Some mundane soul will bore you to death in no time.”

“If you don’t like it here, why do you stay?” Her last word was jumbled by my truck rolling over a bump in the driveway. It shook her up a little.

“Sorry, there’s bumps, always have been. I have my brother here, and my businesses. And nothing has ever given me a good enough reason to leave, I suspect.”

I stopped the truck and looked out at my house. My sculptures were everywhere. I made huge ones for my home and my yard. I sold the little ones at stores around the country, but mostly local.

I didn’t think this ahead.

“Oh, wow. That little sculpture—the dragon—that’s yours. I mean it’s mine, but you made it.”

There were a lot of mine and yours in that one sentence.

“That’s me,” I said, pulling a few weeds that had grown into one particular sculpture of a man playing the banjo.

“Why didn’t you tell me? They are amazing. The one I have is like a little baby one compared to these.”

“A guy has to keep some of his dorkiness under wraps for a while. Come on in. I can hear your stomach growling.”

Kallie splayed both hands across her stomach. “You have some good hearing.”

“You have no idea,” I whispered as we walked, not nearly close enough, up the stairs to the front door.

I opened the door and let her in. “You don’t keep it locked? Isn’t that dangerous?”

A chuckle that wouldn’t be contained broke free. “Not around here. These people wouldn’t hurt a fly. And if they need something from me, they can take it and leave a note. I know where to find them if I need whatever it is back. I trust my people.” Shit. That was a slip.

“But they’re boring.”

I smiled and dangled the keys to my truck in front of her face. “Nah, not really. They are just safer for you than me.”

I turned to the refrigerator and changed the subject before she could really think on the fact that I basically just told her to be afraid of me.

“What do you like in your omelet? Please don’t be one of those girls who doesn’t eat anything but green stuff.”

Kallie was on the other side of the room, but I could hear every motion. The swish of her jeans as her thighs barely touched each other with each step, the swipe of her finger over some of my artwork and sculptures made me bared to her.

“I eat anything and everything. You choose. Chef’s choice. Man, I would kill to live out here. There’s so much privacy and quiet. You live here by yourself?” I heard the gentle lift of her voice as she tried like hell to maintain the innocence of the question. She didn’t really think that I would openly flirt and make food for a female if I was involved with another female. Maybe she did. Humans were weird. They treated each other like flavors of the month. If only this gorgeous creature breathing in the same air as me and making herself comfortable in my nest knew what I was and how much I revered this moment.

If only…

“It’s been a long time since I dated anyone, and even then they didn’t come to my home. I really don’t let very many people in here.”

She “hmm”ed to herself. “I don’t either—like people in my space. It’s mostly because I’m always busy, but I hope one day—nevermind, no one cares, Kallie.”

The talking to herself thing was kind of cute.

“One day what? You’d like to have a table-full at Thanksgiving? A big Christmas? Sunday dinners? My mom used to do that. She made every Sunday feel like Thanksgiving. I miss that.”

I glanced up from the egg-beating to see what she was doing then. I didn’t hear her move, though I could hear her graceful breaths in and out. They thrummed like a heartbeat.

“I’d love that stuff. Thing is, I can’t cook for shit and I’ll probably be too busy all the time. My ambition and my wistful thoughts don’t exactly match. My parents weren’t really like that. We ate dinner in different parts of the house. Everyone was so busy doing their own thing. I always felt alone.”

I shrugged, circling the butter around the pan. “There has to be a balance between the man and the beast—or in your case the female and the beauty. It’s hard, but it’s got to be there if you want it bad enough. Ambition and family can meet in the middle if they want to.”

“Female?”

“Woman, girl, estrogen-containing organism?”

“Asshole.”

I chuckled. “Well, at least you know what you’re talking about. I am a little assholey. It’s hard sometimes, knowing who to be and when. It has to be better than not knowing who you are or what you want though. It has to be.”

With her hands on her hips, she looked outside my back door, either admiring the view or figuring out the best way to get to the truck. She longed for something more. She wanted a family and a stable home. Those were all things we had here. Those were all the things I wanted.

But more than anything, I wanted her in my life.

“Smells good. What’s in it?” she asked, still staring out the window of the door.

“Ham, peppers, mushrooms, cheese. Everyone likes ham, right?”

“If they don’t, they have a serious issue. They should seek professional help.” Her voice was far away. There was a sadness coming off her in waves. My dragon and I didn’t know what to do about it. But we wanted to do something about it.

It took everything in me to focus on the task at hand. I flipped the omelet onto a plate and pulled the cinnamon raisin bread from the toaster. “Yours is done. Dig in while it’s hot.”

She jumped a little. “Oh, thanks. I was a little lost in thought there. Sorry.”

Coming over, I noticed the way her hips swayed back and forth like a dance, just for me. I was going to be in trouble if I didn’t stop looking.

“How did things go today? Did you put Liam in his place? That little fucker has been a claw in my ass since high school.”

She smiled and held up her fork. “This is really good. I’m not sure about that guy. He’s shady. Some things he does and says don’t really add up. Plus, he’s a little creepy.”

I tried like hell not to flinch. “What do you mean? He’s pretty good at his job, regardless of how I feel about him personally.”

Whatever I’d said in those two sentences was the end of the ease in our conversation. She clammed up like I’d put duct tape on her mouth and hardly spoke for the rest of the meal.

I watched her eyes. They never met mine again, which was different from what I knew about her so far. Every time I’d talked to her, she’d looked me straight in the eyes. My grandpa always told me that was a sure sign of someone honest and loyal.

“What’s the deal, Kallie?” Between talking about food and Liam, something had changed in her posture. Her shoulders had squared off. If I knew her better, it would tell me she’d remembered her resolve—either that or she realized that maybe the townsfolk were better company after all.

“We’ll see how proficient Liam is at his job. Don’t you worry.”