Free Rugged Hearts by Amanda McIntyre Page B

socialization department. Wyatt shook his head as he climbed into the truck. Sadie greeted him, wagging her tail. “Stop me now, Sadie. That woman is trouble and I’m heading right toward it.” The trusted canine looked up at him and he swore she smiled back.
    There was a bigger crowd in the café than Wyatt expected for four thirty on a Tuesday afternoon. Every eye in the place had been on them since they’d sat down. To make matters worse, she’d chosen the booth, smack-dab in the front window.
    Wyatt gave Betty a nod and tried to ignore the side look of approval she gave to…hell, he didn’t even know her name yet. “You know, you seem to know more about me, than I do you.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry, I guess I haven’t really properly introduced myself.” She glanced at Betty before she stuck out her hand to him. “Aimee Worth, from Kansas City, Missouri, originally.”
    Betty stood there, coffeepot in hand, a gleeful observer to the awkward introductions.
    “Betty, a little more coffee over here,” a patron called.
    “Just a minute, Charlie. Be right with you.” She looked at Wyatt with an expectant gaze, and waited for him to respond in kind. Betty was a stickler for manners. Had been for as long as he could remember.
    Holding back a sigh, he reached out and clasped her hand, purposely catching Betty’s eye. “Wyatt Kinnison.” The flesh against his was soft. Warm. Small. He might have lingered a second longer had Betty not been watching them like a mother hawk.
    “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Betty whispered, leaning down to turn his coffee cup over. She offered him a quick wink and a smile. Wyatt released his hold.
    After filling both ironstone mugs, Betty left them to wait on other customers.
    “So did you grow up here?” Aimee asked, curling her fingers around the cup.
    He started to answer.
    “You two kids want anything to eat?” Betty was back. Her gaze darted from one to the other. “We’ve got a tasty hot beef sandwich Jerr’s cooked up for the special tonight.”
    Wyatt glanced at Aimee. “I can’t stay, sorry. I’ve got…an appointment.” It wasn’t a falsehood. He did have a class, though not for another three hours or better.
    “Yeah, me, too,” she quickly interjected. “Just coffee. Thanks, Betty.”
    “Sure thing, darlin’.”
    As she turned away, Wyatt caught her raised eyebrow at Aimee. Small towns. Jed used to say they were both a blessing and a curse. He had that right.
    “I’ve been at the ranch since I was about twelve.” He answered Aimee’s question despite his discomfiture with the crowded room.
    “I heard you don’t get into town much.” She sent him a shy smile and raised the cup to her lips. “Where’d you live the first twelve years?”
    Wyatt toyed with the handle of his coffee mug, wondering where she’d heard talk about him. “A lot of places. We moved around a number of times before we came here.”
    “Yeah?” She took a sip. A long stretch of silence followed.
    His hat and coat hung on an iron hook set up between the booths. He now wished he’d left it on. It would have made leaving so much easier. He rubbed his hand over his mouth, curious to know what other gossip she might have heard. “So why don’t you tell me what you’ve heard about me, first, and we’ll go from there.” He crossed his arms and leaned forward on the table, pinning her with a steady gaze. God almighty, she had beautiful eyes. He should probably feel more guilty thinking about a grade-school teacher like this, but he didn’t. He was curious though, to know if she felt the same sizzle. That kiss alone was inspiration enough for his overactive imagination.
    She looked out the window to avoid his question, he guessed, but then she faced him squarely. For having only met her twice, he found her expressions so easy to read. Like now, when she was nervous, a flash of uncertainty grazed her eyes.
    “I heard it’s been hard on you since your dad died. I’m sorry