one-sided. I’d let my imagination run wild for the first time since college, thinking he reciprocated. I flushed at the thought of how breathy my voice had gone and turned my head to hide my reaction. Of course, he would find Jamie more attractive. They were made for each other when you thought about. He was the male version of her. Sexy. Manly . . . perfect.
I groaned in spite of myself. Now his grin made sense when I thought he was going to kiss me. He probably thought it was cute I had the hots for him and smiled to keep from hurting my feelings.
I’m such an idiot.
“You okay?” Gerry asked.
My attention popped to his, then I scanned the room to avoid eye contact. Every stool was occupied. Half the tables were full. And every occupant’s attention at the bar was focused on me. All of them were former friends of my father.
“Don’t any of you have to work?” My tone was harsher than I meant it to be.
Ed Burk, a rancher, lifted his glass to his mouth and ignored me. Dusty Banks, another rancher, winked. Gordon Andrews, a local artist, grinned. Gerry shrugged and took a deep pull from his draft, and the remaining man, Duke Remington, just chuckled and lifted his beer as well.
“Aren’t you on duty?” I questioned Duke. “You said you had stuff to do and fish to catch.”
He grabbed a peanut from the bowl in front of him and cracked the shell. “I dug around like I needed to, and now I’m waiting for the results. Once I get them, I’ll hit the road.”
Jamie burst out laughing, and I turned to watch her walking away from Logan who was now checking on customers seated at the tables. She waved at me before calling out, “I’m heading home to get more sleep. Call David to come in and help you since it’s busy. I’ll see you tonight.”
A part of me didn’t want to answer her out of petty jealousy, but it wasn’t her fault men found her so appealing. She was the truest of friends and had no way of knowing I’d managed to lust after my new employee. Neither were at fault for their attraction to the other. I knew better than anyone you couldn’t help who you loved and didn’t love. If it were simple, I’d be married to Ty by now instead of spending time with a vibrator named Francesco.
Swallowing back my disappointment and pride, I smiled, waving at her before she disappeared through the door. I started to turn to the backbar to add Duke’s beer to his tab but had to sidestep when Max leaned against my leg. Reaching down, I scratched him behind the ear then knelt and giggled while he licked my nose. Max hadn’t strayed far from me since he’d entered the bar.
I sighed. At least one of the Storm men found me appealing.
“Is that a dog?” Gordon asked, peeking over the edge of the bar.
“Nope. He’s my new boyfriend.”
“Does that mean I can have the other one?” a voice purred from the end of the bar.
I looked up and froze in my squat. Kenzie Cox, Chance’s ex-wife, was watching me with a grin on her face. Like Chance and Jamie, she was part Native American. Also, like Jamie, her genetic lottery was stunning. I was ten years old when Chance married sixteen-year-old Kenzie, but I’m the only one who seemed to age. She could pass for my age if she lost the tight dresses and pulled on a hoodie, but I figured she wanted to keep up appearances. She had a thirteen-year-old son and a hefty bank account after her divorce, so she dressed the part.
Logan immediately strode over to her and crossed his arms. “What do you need, Kenzie?”
The fact he already knew her name almost knocked me on my butt, but the sultry smile she threw at him turned the lead in my stomach into acid. Kenzie was known to pick up male tourists. I’d never seen Logan in town before this morning, but that didn’t mean anything. He could have come in last night after I went home. When we met on the side of the road, he could have . . . Oh, God, Kenzie lived off the same highway.
I closed my eyes and swallowed down the acid. I was such a fool.
“I’m here because I thought about what you said at breakfast.”
My eyes popped open when she verified my fears. He’d