I was so startled to see him.
Stepping into the room where the bar owner had told me I could leave my stuff, I grabbed my purse and my bag before I looked up at him. “Jesus. I forgot how tall you were.”
Mack arched a brow. “I’ve been this tall since my senior year in high school. Speaking of forgetting, I forgot how good you were.”
“At what?” I countered as I looked at the envelope sitting on top of my purse. I ripped it open to see the check for tonight, a whopping one hundred and fifty bucks, and the cash from my tips.
“Singing and playing,” Mack replied.
I held his eyes for a few beats, feeling heat on my cheeks. “Thanks,” I finally managed.
I quickly counted out the tips, relieved to discover an additional one hundred bucks.
“You ready?” he asked as I stuffed the envelope in my purse.
“Yup. Let’s roll.”
Moments later when we stepped out into the parking lot, his gaze slid to mine as he stopped outside the door. “Do you want to follow me to the diner?”
Aaannnnd, here came the first awkward moment. “If you don’t mind, I’ll hitch a ride with you.”
I saw the questions swirling in his eyes and held my breath. “Of course. Come on.” Mack gestured with his chin in a general direction.
Relieved he didn’t ask anything else yet, I walked beside him as we crossed the parking lot to where he’d parked an all-black SUV in the far corner.
Because he was Mack and a gentleman, even if a bit rough around the edges, he insisted on taking my guitar and bag from me and setting it carefully in the back. He even made sure my guitar case was properly situated so it wouldn’t bounce around too much. He also insisted on getting the door for me and wouldn’t even close it until I buckled my seat belt.
“I forgot how stubborn you were,” I said when he climbed into the driver’s seat beside me.
“Ditto. Why the hell don’t you have a car, Ash?”
Oh, fuck.
I silently groaned. So much for no questions.
“Can we go to the diner first? I’d like to some food in me before we get into all that.”
“Absolutely.”
It might’ve been a few years since I’d actually seen Mack, but I was relieved he had the same steady, easygoing manner. Not much got to Mack, and he wasn’t particularly nosy either. That said, I knew I couldn’t keep the truth from him.
“No. You’re coming with me, Ash,” Mack said firmly as if he expected me to simply do what he said.
Actually, there was no as if here. He fully expected me to do what he said. God, I just freaking loved getting bossed around by a man. Not.
I felt myself beginning to clench my teeth and consciously relaxed them as I glared right back at him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
Mack took a sip of his coffee, never once breaking his gaze from mine. He was used to people doing what he said. For one, he was usually bigger than anyone else, including most men. The other was he carried himself with this authoritative manner, and people generally did his bidding. He also had this whole rescue complex vibe and never did have enough sense to leave well enough alone.
“Mack, I’m not somebody you need to rescue. I’m fine, and I’ll figure it out.”
“You’re not fine. You’re broke, and you have a no car. Apparently, you’re planning to try to get back to Stolen Hearts Valley by hitchhiking with your freaking beloved guitar. Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
A flush raced up my neck and into my cheeks. I tried to beat back the defensiveness choking me. “I made it all the way from Colorado to Wyoming with no trouble.”
“In case you haven’t looked at a map lately, sugar, Wyoming is north of Colorado, so now you’re farther away. Stolen Hearts is east of Colorado, not north. Does Jackson know about this grand plan?”
The moment he said my older brother’s name out loud, I thought the top of my head might fly off.
Mack
Ash Stone stared at me from across the table. She was pissed. Her cheeks were pink, and her blue eyes were flashing. Damn, she was gorgeous when she was mad.
“Ash, I’m not joking. It’s not safe for you.”
“And why’s that? Because I’m a woman?” she retorted, lifting a napkin from the table and spinning it between her fingers until she twisted it into a knot. “I can take