“Oh, my goodness, Kayleigh,” Lily sighed as she dropped her chin into her upturned palm, “you should have seen it. It was dreamy, sexy.” She leaned in further, drawing out the next word. “Hot.”

“It wasn’t hot,” Maggie corrected.

“What wasn’t hot?” Myrtle Devereaux asked as she plopped down a pitcher of beer on their table. She stepped back, one arm bent on her plump hip as pushed back her short, gray hair. Deep wrinkles lined the edges of her dark brown eyes.

Myrtle had a temper like a wild boar, which served her well working as a waitress at Hank’s Place, the local bar. She’d been employed there since before Maggie was in diapers. Well, maybe not that long, but definitely since Maggie was old enough to drive her father home from the bar at the tender age of twelve. But very few knew that fact. Actually, the list was limited to Myrtle and Hank, come to think of it.

“The kiss,” Lily sighed.

“God, you’re worse than Daphne,” Maggie moaned.

“Wait.” Kayleigh held up her hand. Not only was Kayleigh Montgomery the town’s veterinarian, she was also one of Maggie’s best friends. “I’m still confused about how this kiss happened.”

“If she’s confused, I don’t stand a chance.” Myrtle stared at Maggie. “Start at the beginning, chicken legs.” She called anyone who didn’t wear plus-sized clothing chicken legs.

“The kiss between Ben and Maggie,” Lily said, staring at Maggie with a dreamy look in her eyes.

“What?” Kayleigh squeaked as she spun in her chair to look at Maggie. “You kissed Ben Sumner!”

Maggie pushed her index finger to her lips and scanned the small bar. “Shhh.”

“Why shhh?” Kayleigh asked.

“She doesn’t want anyone to know how hot it was.” Lily winked.

“Whatever.” Maggie rolled her eyes, but Lily was right. She didn’t want anyone to know how she’d responded—no, correction, not she. How her body had responded to that man’s mouth.

“Hello, Earth to Maggie.”

Maggie jumped, eyes focusing on the hand waving in front of her.

Kayleigh.

“Admit it,” Lily said as she poured them each a glass of beer.

Beer wasn’t usually Maggie’s favorite drink. In fact, she rarely indulged in alcohol at all. But Thursday night was ladies’ night at Hank’s Place, which meant half price pitchers. And Ben’s kiss had turned her inside out. A night out with Kayleigh and Lily drinking had seemed like a good idea. Until the inquisition.

“She doesn’t have to admit anything,” Kayleigh said, setting her glass down on the table. “It’s written all over her face.”

Maggie touched her face. “What is?”

“You liked it.” Kayleigh smiled.

“I did not.” She and Ben were friends. Scratch that. They weren’t friends. They were colleagues. Temporarily.

“Did, too.” Lily laughed.

“The kiss was for show. To rent out the barn. We need the business.” Maggie injected the kind of confidence into her voice needed to pull off the lie. The effort was as much for herself as it was for the other women. “Aunt Sally had us play bride and groom to suck in a prospective bride.”

Myrtle let out a groan and walked away, leaving the women to wonder if her humph had meant that story wasn’t worth sticking around for or if she meant she could read Maggie’s lies all over her face. Maggie suspected the latter.

“Uh, huh, sure.” Kayleigh raised a brow, apparently concurring with Myrtle’s likely assessment.

“You know,” Lily leaned in, “Ben could be perfect for you.”

“What?” Maggie’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Puh-lease,” Kayleigh said. “Have you seen that ass? And those eyes? Oh, and those hard, muscled thighs—”

“Stop!” Lily shouted, holding up a hand. “Ben is my cousin. That’s just,” she wrinkled her nose and shook her head, “just…gross.”

Maggie was thankful for Lily’s interruption. She didn’t need anyone cataloguing all the things about Ben she was trying to convince her body to forget.

“But you have to admit,” Kayleigh continued, “he’s hot as—”

Lily slapped her hand across Kayleigh’s mouth.

As much as Maggie didn’t want to admit it, Kayleigh was right, Ben Sumner was most definitely hot as….

Kayleigh pulled Lily’s hand from her mouth. “Look, assets aside—and trust me, he’s got some good assets,” she nodded with a wink, “why is Ben perfect for Maggie? They work together. That should be a no-no, right?”

“It is a no-no.” Maggie nodded. “This is sooo not happening.” She raised a finger and pointed at the women in turn. “Not. Happening.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure he has no intentions of staying for the long term,” Lily said.

Kayleigh stared at Maggie and nodded. “Oh yeah, your type for sure.”

“What does that mean?” Maggie asked.

“Please, Mags.” Lily poured more beer into her glass. “You always choose guys who you know will leave before they get too close.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.” Kayleigh bobbed her head. “It’s like they have to have an expiration date before you’ll put out.”

Lily snorted.

“Name one.” Maggie sat back in her stool, arms crossed over her chest.

Lily held up on index finger. “Jason Pacella.”

Maggie released her arms with a huff and grabbed her mug, swirling her beer. “High school boyfriends don’t count.”

“They do when you hook up with them a week after you find out they’re going out of state for college.”

“I did not,” Maggie protested.

“Did too,” Lily said.

Kayleigh raised a finger. “Oooh, Kenneth Dumont from the resort.”

“Kenneth?” Maggie laughed. “That instructor three years ago? He was only here for the ski season, that doesn’t count either.”

“Exactly.” Lily nodded. “It’s like your boyfriends are seasonal. As soon as you found out Kenneth would be leaving, you were on him like…” Lily looked to Kayleigh for help.

“Like a dog on a jar of peanut butter,” Kayleigh said with a nod.

“What? That’s what you came up with?” Lily laughed.

Kayleigh simply lifted her shoulders. “Dogs love peanut butter. That’s why guys smear it on their...” She nodded to her lap, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Oh, gross, Kayleigh.” Lily swatted her.

“Whatever.” Maggie sipped her beer, ignoring the debate over dogs and peanut butter and guy’s private parts. “That doesn’t explain your comment about Ben.” In some ways, Maggie wished Ben would stay. It was going to break Valerie’s heart to see him leave again. She’d been so happy to have Ben and Emmett back in Canyon Creek.

“He’s got a huge, successful computer company in Seattle,” Lily said. “He’s got a life, a career, and he’s never been a fan of Canyon Creek. If I know my cousin, he won’t be staying long.”

“He’s probably got lots of little playmates in Seattle, too.” Kayleigh smirked.

Maggie felt a stab of jealousy. “God, is that all you ever think about, Kayleigh?”

“What?” Kayleigh asked, chugging the rest of her first glass.

“Sex,” Lily and Maggie said in unison.

“Oh, please,” She waved her hand in dismissal. “The clitoris is God’s gift for punishing us with periods. A peace offering of sorts.”

Lily choked.

Kayleigh only shrugged. She never apologized for her bluntness.

“Uggh! Enough.” Maggie groaned. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.” She slid off her stool and marched toward the bathroom at the back of the bar.

“Bet his muscular thighs could hold you up against the bathroom wall all night long, Maggie!” Kayleigh’s voice echoed behind her.

Maggie didn’t turn around, although the image of Ben’s legs pressing into hers had entered her mind more than once today. Her girls’ night out was not helping. She needed new friends.