Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Before she turns to leave, Marion pulls me in for a quick hug, then hurries away.
“Marion isn’t a hugger.”
I jump and spin at the voice and then grin at Brooks. “You’re right about that. It surprised me, but in a good way. How are you doing, Brooks?”
“I’m great.” His eyes are serious as he watches me. “I’m also keeping my eyes and ears open. No one will get to you in this town, Erin. It’s too small, and like Marion said, we take care of each other here.”
“I’m learning that,” I reply with a nod. “And I appreciate it more than you know. To be honest, it’s embarrassing.”
“Why?” Brooks frowns over at me. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, I didn’t.” I take a deep breath and let my tense shoulders drop. “You know what? You’re right. I’m no longer allowing myself to be embarrassed about something I didn’t do.”
“Excellent. Now, I’ll take a black coffee and some of that huckleberry-lemon bread.”
“Oh, that sounds good, doesn’t it?” I get to work pouring his coffee and then slide a slice of the bread into a little paper sleeve. “I think I’ll have to snag a piece of this for myself. I had no idea what I was missing before I moved here, never having tried huckleberries.”
“Montana gold,” he says with a wink.
“Is it true that people have been shot over the huckleberries they’ve picked?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Many people carry protection when they go out to pick. The berries are worth so much money, and it takes so long to pick them, that sometimes the pickers are robbed.”
“That’s crazy to me,” I murmur with a frown. “They’re just berries.”
Brooks laughs. “Be careful who you say that to. Like I said, they’re Montana gold.”
“What makes them so special?”
“They don’t grow just anywhere, so it’s difficult to transplant the bushes. They only like higher elevations, over thirty-five hundred feet, and they’re picky about humidity and sunshine.”
“It’s a wonder we have any of them at all,” I reply with a laugh.
“Remington has lots of bushes out at his ranch,” Brooks says. “You’ll have to go picking this summer. Just watch for bears.”
“Bears?” I stare at him, stunned.
“They like the berries more than we do, and that’s saying a lot.” Brooks winks and then turns to walk away. “I’d better get back to work. You have a good day.”
“You, too!”
I glance over at Bruiser, who just gives me a nod. I walk over to him and smile.
“What kind of coffee can I make you?”
“Oh, I don’t need anything.”
“It’s on the house, Bruiser. Seriously. Let me do something for you.”
He nods slowly. “I’d take a caramel mocha and one of those slices of huck bread.”
“You got it.”
I glance up through the windows before turning away and feel my heart catch as I squint, trying to get a better look.
Could that be him?
There’s a man across the street, looking this way. It could be, if he’d grown six inches in five years and dyed his hair red, but that’s unlikely. A woman comes running up to him, and he kisses her, and off they go.
“What’s wrong?” Bruiser asks, following my gaze.
“Nothing, I’m just being paranoid.”
I wander back to the counter and make Bruiser’s order, and once I’ve delivered it to him, I get to work with the mid-day cleanup of the machines and refilling supplies like napkins and cups. The creamer and half-and-half containers need to be refilled, as well.
Marion did have a busy morning.
Hearing the bell over the door, I turn to greet my next customer and find the new guy in town, Clay, frowning over at me.
“Erin?” he asks as he approaches. “I thought Millie worked today.”
“She usually does,” I reply. The kid has a crush on Millie. Not that I can blame him; she’s beautiful and the sweetest there is. “But she wasn’t feeling well, so I’m filling in. Are you settling into town well?”
“Yeah, I like it,” he says, that southern twang heavy in his voice. “It’s real nice.”
“I hear you’re renting from Roger.”
His head comes up, and he narrows his eyes.
“I used to rent that apartment,” I explain with a laugh. “And I still see Roger often. He’s the nicest guy in the world. Do you like the apartment?”
“Uh, yeah.” He clears his throat. “It’s a good place. It was nice that it came furnished.”
“Right? So convenient. Anyway, I’ll stop talking your ear off. What’ll it be today?”
Clay places his order and then moves down to the pickup area, his nose in his phone. A few more customers start to wander in, and the next couple of hours go by fast.
“You’re a rockstar,” Marion says with a smile as she joins me, ready to help. “I got so much accomplished back there. Thanks.”
“It’s no problem; the day is moving fast. Everything good with you?”
“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine.”