The Rancher's Fake Girlfriend - Leslie North Page 0,30
go talk to those guys who just came in?”
“Uh huh,” she said without looking up, adding some pink to the cow she was working on.
“Great, I’ll be right back. Holler if you need me, okay?” He pointed across the room. “I’ll be right there.”
“Uh huh,” she repeated.
Chad stood up and nearly ran into their waitress, who was carrying a tray with their food and drinks.
“Whoa, good timing!” he exclaimed, stepping out of the way just in time. “Aria, you can start eating while I’m gone.”
Her eyes lit up when she saw the milkshakes. “Okay!”
Chad threaded through the crowded restaurant and tried to formulate which idea to bring up first. He was still halfway across the restaurant when Tyler spotted him and called out his name. The rest of the table looked over and smiled as he approached, except for Tripp.
“Hey, fellas,” Chad said, nodding at the familiar faces gathered around the table. “How’s it going today?”
He watched them closely and it seemed like—except for Tripp—they were all genuinely happy to see him. He took it as a good sign.
“Hey, Chad,” Tyler said, standing to shake his hand. “Nina said your girlfriend is quite the planner. Looks like our festival is going to be first class this year. Nice work.”
He couldn’t help but grin at the mention of Hannah. “Yeah, thanks. She’s pretty incredible. Anyway, fellas, I’ve got a few fundraising ideas I wanted to run by you, plus there’s a sustainable ranching conference coming up in Austin that I want to attend as a rep for our branch.”
The men nodded, but Chad could see one of the more senior members staring behind him.
“Uh oh,” the old man said.
He turned to look just as the conversation-stopping crash happened.
Aria was standing up in their booth holding the now empty milkshake, with the other one knocked over. The contents were half on her and half on the table, turning their meals into a soupy mess and dripping onto the ground. Her pretty white top was stained with pink, and she started to wail as she seemed to realize what she’d done.
“Shit, I need to go deal with that,” Chad said as he started to jog back.
He scanned the men’s faces and saw a few of the younger ones wearing sympathetic “been there” expressions, but the judgement from the more senior members was unmistakable.
Tripp’s laughter echoed around the restaurant. “Looks like you’re out of your league, Radford. Maybe you’re not cut out for being a nanny?”
He shot Tripp a glare before jogging back to Aria.
“Hey, hey,” he said when he reached the table. “You’re okay. It’s fine.”
Aria was still standing, holding her dripping hands in front of her. A waitress came over with napkins and a mop and started swabbing the floor.
“I’m sorry,” Aria wailed even louder. Chad swore that every single person in the place was watching the disaster.
“Let me clean you off.” He wiped her hands and dabbed the front of her shirt, only to realize that there was no saving it.
“It’s … it’s … cold!” She hiccupped and cried.
“I know, honey. It’s okay, we can leave. Get you home and changed into something warm and dry—how’s that sound?” He looked down at the waitress trying to clean the mess. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry. Can we box up whatever isn’t wet?”
She nodded and left to get to-go boxes.
Aria was still sniffling and crying, so Chad picked her up and headed for the cash register by the door. The second she was in his arms she quieted slightly, and the regular hum of the restaurant resumed.
“Sorry,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Chad pushed down his embarrassment over the scene and focused on the little girl. “It’s okay, accidents happen. Now let’s get you home and have some soggy, milkshake-flavored French fries, okay?”
Aria crashed through the front door with Chad not far behind.
“Mommy, I spilled everything,” she shouted.
An apology was on Chad’s lips for returning home earlier than planned—but Hannah didn’t seem to be around to hear it. The house was still, so Chad peeked around the first floor. “Hannah? You home?” He paused. “Guess your mom is out running an errand. Let’s get you a clean shirt.”
Aria took off for her room, peeling the soaked shirt off and dropping it on the ground. Chad sighed, picked it up and put it on the washer in the laundry room. He heard faint tapping sounds.
“Hannah?”
He followed the noise and discovered Hannah in a small office off the kitchen that was actually more of a