Chapter Two

Charlotte

Never in my life had I met anyone more arrogant than the man sitting across from me. And that was really saying something, considering the high-society assholes I’d been surrounded with my entire life.

Didn’t matter one bit to me that his shoulders were broad and he looked like he worked with his hands. I didn’t let the image of him tossing hay bales or shoveling dirt pop into my head, or whatever it was that “not cowboys” did. The perfectly sculpted arms revealed by the short sleeves of his T-shirt didn’t distract me. Not one damn bit.

“Takes one to know one, sweetheart,” he said, narrowing his eyes on mine.

Now that his hat was out of the way, I could see the almost evergreen color of his eyes plain and clear. Or if I really wanted an up-close look, I could glance over at his twin brother sitting next to me. They might have been the most identical twins I’d ever seen—from their green eyes to the slope of their noses, right down to the dimples they both had on each cheek. The two were practically carbon copies. If I weren’t so annoyed by the one sitting across from me, I might have cozied up to the idea of spending a little time with them while I was stuck in this town, because the sexiness factor was definitely doubled too.

“I just came here to eat,” I finally said, wanting to end the pointless argument.

He tugged his hat back around. “Me too.”

Our conversation ended there. The glaring, however, continued for the next several minutes.

I took a deep breath and tried not to let his arrogance get the best of me. The only problem was that he was the sexiest man I’d ever seen in real life. They didn’t make men like him in New York, all rugged and rough around the edges.

“All right, folks,” the waitress said, finally stopping at our table. “Can I get ya some drinks, or just sweet tea all around?”

“I’ll take a water with lemon,” I said as the Wilders all nodded for iced tea.

The waitress nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“And can I get a menu?”

As soon as the question was out of my mouth, the waitress and everyone within earshot snickered.

I was confused. This was a restaurant, right?

“Lunch is up on the board.” The waitress turned to point at a chalkboard on the wall. “What you see is what you get.” She smiled and left to check on another table.

“It’s family-style,” Molly explained.

“What does that mean?”

“One big meal brought out all in big bowls. All served at once.”

“Oh.” I finally realized what she meant. “Like Thanksgiving.”

“Exactly!”

Not that any of my Thanksgiving dinners had been served that way. My family always had a fully catered meal with some fanciful version of turkey and stuffing. I imagined this particular meal was going to be more like what I saw on television. Happy families, one big bowl of mashed potatoes, and smiles all around. Definitely not like the dinners in my memories.

Family-style wasn’t in my vocabulary. And more than that, I was used to my privacy, not having to fight for elbow room and listen to other people’s private conversations.

I flagged down the waitress as she passed by with a tray of biscuits. “Excuse me, but do you have a booth, or maybe just a private table in back? It’s been a hell of a day, and—”

She tucked a loose lock of hair back into her braid. “I’m going to take a wild guess and wager you’re not from around here.”

What does that have to do with anything?

My gaze wandered back to the hottie across from me. He was smirking.

“Does this make you uncomfortable?” he asked. “Sitting close to me?”

I looked back to the waitress for help, but she was already gone.

“I’m not uncomfortable,” I said, straightening my posture.

His eyebrows jumped up as he studied me. “You look uncomfortable.”

Realizing that my spine was ramrod straight and my hands were fisted in my lap, I huffed out a sigh.

A few moments later, platters generously piled with home-cooked food were delivered, and those seated around me wasted no time in loading up their plates.

“You’re not going to eat?” Duke asked, leaning over to inspect my plate.

And this was why I wanted a private table. I didn’t want someone checking on my progress like I was a finicky toddler who needed supervising. I didn’t generally eat carbs, or things that were deep-fried in lard.

“I am eating,” I told him, forking up one of the beans on my plate. “These green beans are delicious.”

“Probably because they’re cooked in bacon,” the hottie said, his first words since the meal had started. “So, I hope you’re into fat,” he added with a smirk.

Not wanting to give him a bit of satisfaction, I bit into the green bean and smiled as I slowly used my lips to pull it from the fork. I didn’t miss the way his eyes widened as I ate. I learned a long time ago via Clueless that drawing attention to your mouth was always a surefire way to garner a man’s attention. Bacon fat be damned.

“I am, actually,” I said. “Makes it slide down easier.”

I watched with delight as he swallowed hard. Serves you right, pal.

I wasn’t sure exactly why I was so happy that he was caught up in my little performance, but it pleased me and stoked the small fire I could feel burning deep in my stomach when I looked at him. It was too bad he was such a jerk and that I’d sworn off men for the time being. We could have had a lot of fun together.

“You know you want some of my chicken,” Luke said, his voice low and teasing.

I hated the shiver that raced along my spine. “I do not want your chicken.”

“It’s okay. You can have some, duchess.”

Duchess? I wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the nickname until I realized he probably had me pegged for a spoiled little rich brat. To anyone who didn’t know the truth, that’s probably what I looked like. But in my heart, it wasn’t who I was.

Which was exactly why I’d fled and left everything behind.

Once I’d picked my plate clean of salad and green beans, I stood up without a word and went to the register to pay, and then hurried out the door. This entire meal had been a disaster, and I wasn’t even close to full.

“Charlotte,” a voice called out as I walked down the sidewalk toward the auto repair shop.

I turned to find Molly chasing after me, leaving her brothers waiting by the front door of the restaurant. I stopped and let her catch up.

“I’m real sorry about Luke,” she said. “He’s usually not so uptight. I’m not sure what got into him.”

In the sunlight, I could see her resemblance to her brothers. The same sun-bleached brown hair and sweet smile. But where the twins’ eyes were green, hers were brown, and she had no dimples. She was a pretty girl with a good disposition, probably the kind of person I could—or at least, should—be friends with if the circumstances were different.

“It’s all right,” I told her. “You don’t have to apologize for him.” Looking over her shoulder, I sneaked a quick glance at the jerk. Our eyes locked for a moment, but I quickly looked back to Molly. “He’s a grown-up. He should be able to handle himself.”

“I just wanted to welcome you to town. Hope you don’t think we’re all assholes,” she said with a chuckle, and I smiled back.

“I don’t.”

“Good.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I hope I see you around,” she added before hurrying back in her brothers’ direction.

As nice as making a new friend would be, I was hoping my time in Shady Grove was close to over.

• • •

I’d been in this little town all of an hour, and already it felt like hell. After my car had coasted into Shady Grove making an awful screeching noise, I’d parked it at the only gas station I saw, which was also an auto repair shop. Unfortunately, a sign posted on the door read Closed for Lunch.

“I’m sorry, what?” I said to the attendant behind the counter. I’d been so happy when I got back from my own lunch and found that the little repair shop had reopened. My relief was quickly dashed by the woman running the register.

“Wayne’s out today,” she said.

I assumed she was referring to the Wayne of Wayne’s Auto Repair, as the sign on the outside of the building stated.

“Could you call him?” I asked as politely as I could.

“It’s Sunday.”

“Okay . . .” I waited for a better explanation, and when it wasn’t forthcoming, asked, “Why does that matter?”

She chuckled. “Wayne doesn’t work on Sunday.”

“I’ll pay him to work on Sunday.”

The one thing I had been sure to pack when I left New York was the black AmEx card my parents had given me. They might not be my favorite people at the moment, but I had no problem spending their money if I had to.

“Honey,” she said, leaning over to rest her forearms on the counter that separated us. Her graying blond hair was set in curls from what I assumed was a perm, and the realization of just how out of place I was started to set in. “Let me put it this way. Wayne doesn’t work on Sunday because he’s probably been drinking since Friday. He’d be useless today. And the Longhorns kick off in about fifteen minutes. There’s a better chance of that pretty little car of yours fixing itself than getting Wayne to come in today.”

“Maggie,” I said after glancing at her name tag. “Are there any other mechanics in this town that work on Sunday?”

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head and offered her sympathy with a half smile. “Wayne’s the only mechanic in town.”

“That’s just great.”

I rubbed my hands over my face, hoping that maybe this was all just a dream. When I opened my eyes and the fluorescent lighting and Maggie’s apathetic face greeted me, I knew my reality was much worse than I’d thought.

“What should I do?” I finally asked.

“There’s a little bed and breakfast—the Willow Inn—a few blocks that way.” She pointed out the window of the station. “Maybe get a hot shower,” she suggested. “Relax.”

I nodded, trying not to cry out of utter frustration. The last hour had been eventful, and not in a good way, and now it looked like I was spending the night in Shady Grove whether I liked it or not.

“Wayne comes in early, so as soon as you get up in the morning, you come on down. He’ll help you out.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, unable to muster up a smile. Not that she’d helped much, anyway.

I started to push through the door and set off for the B&B she’d recommended, and then glanced back in her direction.

“How far of a walk is it to the inn?” I looked down at my cute suede booties with their five-inch heels. “Should I call an Uber?”

“A what?”

“You know, like a driving service? Or maybe a cab?”

Maggie’s laugh came up from deep in her chest. When she recognized that I wasn’t amused, she paused and composed herself. “Oh, bless your heart. We don’t have anything like that here. Besides, it’s only a half mile down to the Willow,” she assured me.

I thanked her with a nod and saved the eye roll for when I was alone in the parking lot and gathering my belongings from my car. No Starbucks, no Uber, and not a mechanic in sight.

What kind of hell did I stumble into?

• • •

“Their names are Luke and Duke,” I told Valentina over the phone. After I’d checked in and gotten settled in my room, I’d wandered downstairs and found a comfy chair in a secluded spot of the living room. The sun was starting to set on this day, and tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

“Seriously?” she said with a chuckle. It was the same thought I’d had when I’d pieced it all together on my walk home. “Twins named Luke and Duke. That’s so country.”

“Isn’t it?” I laughed.

The finish line was in my sights, and the thought of being in this town for any longer than I had to was nauseating. Besides that, I had a new life to start living. When I’d packed up and started off on this adventure, I told myself it was a new beginning. But at the moment, it felt like I was in a purgatory of open cornfields and hot, arrogant assholes with muscles to the moon and back.

“Just breathe for me. You’ll be here in a couple of days, tops.”

“I know,” I said, feigning enthusiasm.

It’s not that I wasn’t excited about getting to Valentina’s—she was the only person who’d ever really understood exactly who I was. No, it was the fifteen hundred miles that stood between here and there that had me down.

I checked my reflection in the antique mirror hanging on the wall. The demands and expectations I’d endured had left a serious mark on me, and had apparently started me down the path of early aging. Twenty-eight was far too young to feel so beat down.

Nothing a little West Coast sunshine won’t clear up.

With my fresh start so close, I hated the idea of any more delays.

“It’s too bad one of them was such a jerk,” I added. “They’re not too bad to look at.”

I hadn’t been able to shake the image of Luke staring at me. As annoying as he was, he’d ignited a spark of attraction that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. It had to be a result of my last relationship, the one where I was underappreciated and often ignored. My libido had apparently taken Luke’s aggression as attention and decided to fire back up.

“You would find the only hot twins in the middle of nowhere.” She chuckled. “I can’t wait for you to get here. It’s been too long.”

“I saw you a week ago,” I said. “You know, right before I walked out on . . .” I searched for the right word, but there were so many that would finish the sentence. Everything. My parents. An entire guest list full of people. My guaranteed future of privilege.

“Don’t even say it,” Valentina said. “You’re moving on, remember? Moving forward.”

“Well, I’m not moving forward at the moment,” I reminded her. “Currently, I’m stuck.”

“Yeah, but you’re stuck in a town with hot twins, so quit complaining.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I rolled my eyes at the smirk I was sure she had on her face. “Fingers crossed my car is fixed tomorrow, and I can get back to moving on.”

“Fingers crossed,” she repeated before we said our good-byes.

I hung up my phone and placed it on the arm of the chair before picking up the magazine I’d started reading before Valentina called.

“Did I hear that you met the Wilders?”

Opal, the front desk clerk who’d checked me in, interrupted me right before I found out exactly what happened between the latest celebrity-couple split. I looked up from the pages and found her standing in the archway that separated the lobby from the living room.

“I did,” I said. “Wasn’t impressed.”

“They’re good people. You must have caught them on a bad day.”

“Maybe. I did like Molly. And Duke wasn’t terrible.”

“It’s a shame what they’ve been through.”

She turned to walk away, but I was intrigued.

“Wait . . . What have they been through?”

Opal stopped and turned back to face me, her eyes full of sadness. “Their momma ran out on them when they were just babies. And their daddy may as well have. He really tried, but the man just couldn’t put down the bottle.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Those boys had to grow up real fast. Taking care of Molly, running the family business. It was a lot to handle, but they’ve done the best they could.”

My heart clenched as I thought about younger versions of Luke and Duke trying to take care of Molly.

Opal gave me a smile. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to bring down your evening. Just thought you might want to give them a fair shake before you wrote them off. And their full names are Lucas and Daniel,” she added. “Luke and Duke are just nicknames they picked up along the way.”