Page 5 of Mountain Man's Mail Order Mix-Up
“I can make everything on the menu,” I said. “Well, we don’t have a lot on our menu, and most of it’s bad for you.”
“That’s my kind of food.” She smiled, and the warmth behind that smile went straight to my heart. “You know what? I’d love a big, juicy cheeseburger. Do you have pepper jack cheese?”
“I do. My favorite. I use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches sometimes.”
“You’ll have to make that for me someday.”
She gave me a wink, and I had to push myself to leave her and head to the kitchen to get started cooking. But what really had me smiling like a kid on Christmas morning was something very simple. The words she’d said about making her a grilled pepper jack cheese sandwich sometime. Did that mean she saw a future with me?
I’d just hold onto that a little longer and try to forget the fact that she was marrying someone else. Some lucky bastard who probably didn’t know how amazing this woman was. Not yet, anyway.
If I had anything to do with it, he’d never find out.
Yes, I made the decision as I tossed a basket of fries into the fryer. I definitely needed to keep this woman all to myself. By the time I was done with her, she’d forget all about the guy she was supposed to meet tonight.
3
MACKENZIE
Holy crap. That was good.
The burger sat in a red, wax-paper-covered basket, and I wasn’t lying. It was the most delicious burger I’d ever had in my life. Everything about it, from the bun to the veggies to the condiments to that delicious cheese, was just perfect.
“Thanks,” the guy who’d introduced himself earlier as West said. “Don’t tell my cook. He likes to believe I depend on him.”
I glanced toward the window. The parking lot was still empty. The one across the street was mostly empty too.
“What time does your guy come in?”
If he’d said already, I’d forgotten. To be honest, when he was standing across from me, it was tough to focus on anything he was saying. I just kept imagining what it would be like to kiss him. To feel those strong, muscular arms around me.
Before he said anything, he picked up the phone and set it face down on the table. We were in a corner booth, seated way too far apart from each other. At least, that was how I felt about it.
“Four,” he said. “But we usually don’t get customers until well into the dinner hour. What time are you meeting your Prince Charming?”
Everything in me froze up at that question. I’d told him all about my situation earlier. Even as I’d said the words, I was already having serious doubts about the plan.
The picture I’d seen of my supposed fiancé had been imprinted on my mind until about a half hour ago. Until the second I walked in here and took one look at West. Now I couldn’t see anyone but him.
I leaned in. “Can you keep a secret?”
He stopped, mid-sip from the last of his beer. “Sure can.”
“I just found out that the woman across the street is the one who’s been communicating with me. She’s been pretending to be the guy I was matched with. I don’t even know if my supposed fiancé knows I exist.”
West frowned. “But isn’t he supposed to pick you up at seven?”
I shrugged. “That’s what she said. What I thoughthewas saying, actually. But who knows if he even gets why he’s coming here to pick me up. Apparently, she accidentally set him up with two brides, so two women are coming to town to meet him. Since I’m here first, she said I get dibs.”
He blinked. “Dibs?”
“Like he’s property.”
“Like you’re two kids fighting over the front seat.”
“Exactly.” I shook my head. “It sounded weird to me too.”
“So, you don’t plan to meet him? You’re thinking about standing up your date?”
