“You guys have dogs?” she asked. She noticed Rye hadn’t said much. He must be the quiet one.
“The ranch dogs aren’t really pets, so they don’t count. But Dad has a pet dog,” Quint said. A look passed between him and Chance. “A basset hound.”
She mock pouted. “And you made fun ofmydog? You should know that Iggy won two of the races he was in.” She held up two fingers to emphasize how impressive that was.
“He came off the track?” Chance asked.
“Yeah.” Cordy’s chest pinched as she remembered when she first got him. “He’d only ever lived in a crate before that. He had no idea how to be a dog. Normal things like the dishwasher and the TV frightened him because he had never seen that stuff before.”
“He seems pretty chill now. You must have done a lot of work with him.”
Cordy’s heart swelled because she had. Iggy had been worth it all. “He’s a great dog. Just one minute.”
She went down the bar, ready to serve the man who’d walked up. But she stiffened when she saw who it was.
Oh no. She made her face hold the smile even as panic lurched inside her.
Brad, Hailey’s husband, stared her down. “We needed something to eat.” He didn’t bother with a hello. “This is the only place open serving food. I couldn’t take her into the Red Dog.”
Wow, he couldn’t have made it any more clear they were here very much against their will.
“Of course you can’t go to the Red Dog,” she said with fake cheer. “What’s your order? I’ll have the kitchen get right on it.”
“Two cheeseburgers with fries. A Coors for me, house red for her.”
Cordy made the mistake of looking up. She locked eyes with Hailey, sitting in a booth across from the dance floor. Hailey looked utterly miserable. Cordy felt the exact same but couldn’t show it because she was working.
“It’ll be right up.” She punched in the order, blinking to clear her vision.
Cordy felt a presence looming over her—a shift in the mood that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. After so many years bartending, she’d developed a sixth sense about how people were feeling. She got that kind of tickle whenever a fight was about to break out.
When she glanced up from the computer, Chance was right there. His expression seemed friendly, but somehow it wasn’t. “Hey,” he said to Brad. “Everything okay?”
It was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask, but every one of Cordy’s nerves went on high alert. She couldn’t explain why because Chance wasn’t a troublemaker. If anything, he was the one who would talk down anyone who wanted to start some shit.
She’d never seen Chance act even slightly tipsy. He was always one hundred percent in control of himself. Whatever he was doing right now, it wasn’t the alcohol talking.
Whatwashe doing?
“Chance?” She tried to get his attention. It didn’t work.
“I’m fine,” Brad said tightly. “My wife is hungry, though. Can I just pay already?” His gaze raked down Cordy, lingering on her belly.
Cordy swallowed hard. She’d done nothing wrong, but still, it hurt to know she was a horrible trigger for their grief. That just by existing and carrying Reed’s baby, she caused them pain.
“The order’s in,” she said. “I’ll bring the check when you’re finished. Or... I'll have Reg from the kitchen bring it. He can get you taken care of.”
That way, Brad and Hailey would be spared from interacting with her.
Chance put a hand on Brad’s shoulder. His smile had somehow gone sharp. “You can go back to your wife now.”
Oh, there was definitely a warning there.
Cordy closed her eyes and wished she were at home—or anywhere but here. Then she forced them open because this was work, and she couldn’t give in to her emotions.
Brad looked between them, his body deflating. “That’s all we wanted,” he finally said. “Just some food.”
The space between them was silent for a long moment.
