Free Cowboy in Charge by Barbara White Daille

approaching, carrying one of the L-G’s small baskets. With a sigh of relief, she grabbed at what she hoped would be a good chance to chat. To get a break from thoughts of Jason.
    Maybe not so much, judging by the first words out of Shay’s mouth.
    “Looks like you and Jason are a matched set again.”
    Avoiding Shay’s eyes, Layne tightened her fingers on the shopping cart. “This is not what it looks like.” Aware Jason and Scott might not have left the aisle or another customer might come up from behind her, she kept her voice low. “He just offered to drive me to the store.” And to pay for my groceries.
    The thought of that only increased her uneasiness. She couldn’t let him walk in and take over her life. Especially not when she knew he would soon walk back out again.
    “Jason’s only helping me because I have to pick up such a large order,” she said firmly. Why did she have the feeling she was trying to convince herself as much as Shay? “After all the soup I ate while I was sick, I need to make another big batch for the freezer.” And to buy enough food to refill all the refrigerator and pantry shelves he and Scott had cleared. He hadn’t been kidding about them decimating her groceries. After one glance, she had suddenly felt like Mother Hubbard with her bare cupboards.
    He hadn’t been wrong about her weakness from the flu, either. Though she had wanted to get moving again, it had taken her half the morning to feel strong enough to get dressed and attempt the trip to the store.
    “He’ll be leaving soon anyway, so there’s no point in even talking about him. Thank you for stopping by with the cake,” she added, moving the conversation in a safer direction, though even that made her uncomfortable. She had slept through both Shay’s visit and Sugar’s phone call yesterday. “I’m sorry I missed you. How was the wedding?”
    At the Hitching Post’s first official wedding reception the month before, Shay had helped serve. But at the Garland family wedding on Saturday, she had attended as a guest. Layne would have, too, if not for her bout with the flu.
    “Jane looked elegant, of course,” Shay said. “We knew she would. And Pete was his usual hunky self.” As she rattled off details about the ceremony and reception, Layne smiled and nodded and attempted to keep her thoughts from straying to the paper products aisle. “And through it all,” Shay continued, “you’d have thought Jed was the hero of the hour.”
    “Did somebody say ‘hero’?”
    Layne jumped. She hadn’t heard either Jason or Scott come up behind her. “Shay’s talking about Jed Garland.”
    “He’s so happy about all his granddaughters getting engaged,” Shay said.
    “I hear he had a hand in that,” Jason said. “Or so he tells me.”
    “Well, if he didn’t,” Layne said, “there has to be some wedding magic in the air around the Hitching Post.”
    Abruptly, Shay hefted her small basket. “I’d better get home and drop these off with my grandmother before I head in to work. Grandma Mo wants to see you one day soon, Scott.” She tousled Scott’s hair, gave Layne a smile, and nodded farewell to Jason.
    As Shay walked away, Layne thought about what she had said a few minutes ago.
    Looks like you and Jason are a matched set again.
    She hadn’t liked hearing that. She hadn’t liked knowing how much she wished it were true. How could she have gone from wanting nothing to do with him, to having thoughts like this?
    Jill let out a squawk and began to wriggle in her carrier in the front seat of the grocery cart. Layne popped the pacifier into the baby’s mouth. “I’ve got the cereal. We’re done. But we’d better speed things up at the checkout if we want to make it home in time for me to feed the baby.”
    “Speed them up?” Jason exhaled heavily and plopped the paper towels into the cart. “I’ve been running up and down aisles after Scott. I don’t know how you do it with two of them and only