Travis's Gift (Riley's Pride #3)- Sandra R Neeley Page 0,43

rich liquid.

“You see that, Lucas?” Riley asked, forcing Lucas to interact.

Lucas looked up at the sound of his name. “I missed that. What’d you say?”

“I said wake the hell up and get your ass in gear. You moping around feeling sorry for yourself is not going to make you seem attractive to the right female when she happens upon your pitiful ass,” Riley said.

“That is not what you said,” Lucas replied.

“No, but it was what I was going to say next anyway,” Riley countered. “You have to realize that Libby wasn’t ever going to work out.”

“I did. I do. I got used to having somebody there, ya know. Now I’m all alone again. I used to like being alone. Now, not so much,” Lucas rumbled, staring into his coffee again, basically pouting.

“And what did I tell you?” Maia asked.

“That I’m to come here and be with ya’ll. And I listened! I’m here,” Lucas said, defending himself.

“I know it’s hard not to feel dejected, but the image you want to project is one of a strong, self-assured male. If you’re simpering around, no strong female is going to notice you,” Maia said. “You have to make them crave your company. What about this” she said, waving her arms in his direction, “is something you’d want to be around.”

Lucas lifted his head and looked at Maia. “I know. But still, where am I going to meet anyone? I am not the bar type. So unless someone that might happen to find me appealing wanders into the diner, I’m pretty much out of luck, unless I go searching. And I don’t want to leave. This is home now.”

“Lots of opportunity coming up,” Maia said. “You’re off until after the New Year. You can help out in the diner. The Christmas tree farm, village, festival thingy that Travis’s family used to have every year is starting back up, and from what I understand it’s always been very popular in the past. You could help out over there. Lot’s of people going to wander through there.”

“You think?” Lucas asked.

“Travis has no problem with you as you. You’ve gotten along together. His problem was with you and Libby. Now that she’s leaning toward him, if you don’t have a problem, he won’t either,” Riley said. “If you’re not sure, ask for yourself.”

“Here,” Cristie said, holding up half of her last cookie. “You can have half my cookie,” she offered.

Lucas smiled down at the little girl sitting on his lap. He leaned over and clamped his teeth closed around her cookie, leaving only the section that she was holding. When his teeth made a clacking noise and ate almost all of her cookie, Cristie started laughing, which made Sebastian laugh.

Riley caught Maia’s eye and they shared a smile.

“Me and Lazarus are going to start on the diner. We only doing the lights on the outside and at the pumps. The inside stuff is up to Richie and them. When you’re done here, come help,” Riley said to Lucas.

“Alright. I’m right behind you,” Lucas answered.

When Riley left the house, Maia looked over at Lucas. “You know, there’s a reason you haven’t found your mate yet.”

“Yeah, because I pushed them all away after just a night, and I probably discarded her somewhere along the way,” Lucas said.

“No, it’s because you’re meant for that one special female. And if you’d have encountered her before now, you would not have recognized her. So, the gods waited until you were ready. It won’t be long now, you’ll see,” Maia said.

Chapter 14

Libby got back to Travis’s and wasted no time getting to work. She threw together a quick pot of chili and a pan of cornbread for Travis and Roman to eat when they came in hungry. Then she made herself comfortable on the sofa with her laptop, trying different layouts for the fliers she was making before settling on the designs she felt best caught the eye. Just as she saved them, the timer went off for the cornbread.

She was halfway to the kitchen when the front door opened.

“Oh, man. Is that your chili I smell?” Travis asked.

“It is. I thought it would be a good, warm meal for ya’ll since you're working outside in the cold today,” she answered. “And I’m sorry, Roman. I completely forgot to pick up pizza. But, I did make a pot of chili,” she said, smiling and shrugging slightly.

“And cornbread?” Roman asked, face raised in the air, his nostrils twitching, as he tried to sort through