CHAPTER THREE

Mateo cut through the parking lot behind Easy Money. Cyndi Lomeli spotted him and met him at the back door, which had been outlined with a multicolored string of lights.

“Oh Mateo, I heard you were injured on the job. And on your ass too.”

He’d given up correcting people. “Ass is fine.”

“I’d say mighty fine.” Cyndi gave him a flirtatious wink.

Some people dismissed Cyndi as a dumb blonde, and she had a reputation for being open and free with her affections. She also had a huge heart and a sweet friendliness that drew men like bees to clover.

Not that Mateo had ever been one of those men. They might flirt, but he thought neither one of them wanted to risk their amicable friendship over a hookup.

He opened the door and the sound of live music spilled out.

“Just listen to that music. It sounds like Owen booked a good band tonight.” Cyndi took Mateo’s arm as they walked the short hall past the restrooms and into the bar area.

“Oh my gosh, look how pretty Owen decorated everything. It’s so festive.” Cyndi sighed happily.

With Thanksgiving behind them, folks around town had gone nuts with the holiday spirit. Main Street was lit up with strings of lights, and shop owners had set up displays along the boardwalk. There were Santas with reindeer, baby Jesus in the manger, menorahs with blinking stars of David, and the red, black, and green of Kwanzaa.

One shop with a Mother Nature vibe displayed decorations made of acorns and pine cones. The people of Sisters had the biggest hearts, and everyone had a place.

Inside Easy Money, holiday lights twinkled and glittery snowflakes and globes hung from the ceiling. Boughs of greenery sparkled behind the bar. Even the windows had been decorated. “I think this is Keeley’s influence. Before they got together, Owen would put up a string of lights and call it good.”

“You’re probably right. Schoolteachers are good at this kind of thing. It makes the holidays special, you know?”

They hung their coats on a rack and when he turned, he spotted Juliette Kirk sitting at the bar. Their gazes locked. Bam. His heart gave a hard lurch.

It was the same every time he saw her. Her gaze shifted to Cyndi and back to his and he could see her adding two plus two and reaching five. Gage Landry sat next to her, his body turned toward hers.

Hell no, that wasn’t happening.

“I love this song, Matty. Dance with me?”

Distracted, he brought his attention back to Cyndi who turned eyes thick with mascara on him.

He shook his head. “The beat is too fast in my current condition. Stitches in the ass, remember?”

In the past couple days, the pain from the injury had diminished greatly, enough that he’d stopped taking pain meds. He thought he could go back to work, but still had another week off duty.

Cyndi pretend-pouted. Carter Benoit, a burly rancher from the next town over, approached. Mateo had an inkling Carter had a thing for Cyndi so he greeted the man with a handshake and gladly stepped aside so he could lead Cyndi to the dance floor.

Behind the bar, Owen filled orders, his attention returning frequently to the woman ensconced in the back corner booth, papers and a laptop spread in front of her.

Keeley Montaigne taught at the local high school and liked to find a spot in her fiancé’s bar to grade papers or whatever else teachers did.

Mateo guessed it was one way to spend time together. He’d already received an invitation to their spring wedding. He wanted Juliette to be his plus one, but was waiting to ask until he had a better idea she’d say yes. Her giving him that kiss at the ER made him hopeful.

Mateo wanted to join her at the bar, but had a stop to make first. He made his way across the room, waving when people called out to him. He approached a booth where the mix of voices and laughter made him smile.

Four women sat with frosty margaritas in front of them and a giant plate of loaded nachos in the middle of the table. Damn those looked good. “You ladies behaving over here?”

“Behaving is for the birds. What we’re doing is having fun.” The woman who spoke rose to her feet and took his cheeks in her hands before giving him a smacking kiss. “How’s your butt, my handsome boy?”

“Butt’s fine, Mom.” Antonia Reynoso wore a long flowing skirt paired with cowgirl boots and dangly earrings. “Thanks for bringing a vat of pozole. As always, it’s the best.”

“It’s your favorite so that’s what I brought.”

He chatted with her friends until Antonia returned to her seat, waving him away. “We can’t talk about you if you’re standing here. Go have fun with people your own age.”

He turned to do just that. His butt wouldn’t tolerate sitting on a barstool, and since Juliette was at the end of the bar, he moved to a spot beside her and leaned against the wall. He gave Gage a steady look that held a hint of warning.

Gage, being the intuitive guy he was, raised a brow and smirked.

Juliette looked at Mateo from under her eyelashes. After much internal debate, he’d finally determined her eyes were gray, a mysterious smoky gray without a hint of blue. They’d caught him the first time he’d seen her.

The other thing that caught him? The mass of curling red hair she was constantly trying to tame into a ponytail or bun. His current sex fantasy involved Juliette naked and lying in his bed, wild springy curls on her head matched by wild springy curls farther down.

Tonight, she’d not only caught her hair in a ponytail, but had it pinned back at the sides. He tugged on a curl that had come loose.

“How you doin’, doc?”

“I’m not a doctor, and I’m doing fine.” There was that tone again. She batted his hand away. “How are you healing?”

“Good. It doesn't hurt anymore.” That was mostly true.

“Is that why you’re not sitting?”

He shrugged. “Stitches pull when I sit too much so I try to stand.” His gaze caught hers. “I want to be by you, so this is where I am.”

“You and Cyndi make a cute couple.”

He grinned, glad he could set her straight. “We’re friends, but not a couple. We ran into each other in the parking lot. I think Carter is finally making his move. He’s had his eye on her for a while.”

The music changed and Owen moved around the end of the bar, and crossed the room. He took Keeley’s hand, drawing her to her feet to lead her to the dance floor. Keeley’s face shone as Owen pulled her into his arms.

Juliette tilted her head as she watched them. “Aw. They’re so good together.”

“Yeah, they are.” Mateo leaned forward so only she could hear him. “The band’s playing a slow song. I can manage slow with my stitches. Dance with me?”

He caught her hesitation, but she pushed her empty glass aside and slid off the stool. He took her hand and felt something dark inside him light up when he pulled her close. With one hand holding hers and the other on her shoulder, her body swaying with his, they danced to the old classic “Stand By Me.”

When the music transitioned to something faster paced, he continued to hold her close, not willing to give up the moment. “You ever had Easy Money’s loaded nachos?”

She shook her head.

He raised his brows in mock amazement, continuing to sway with her despite the faster tempo. “You’ve lived here five months and haven’t had Easy Money’s loaded nachos?”

“I confess, it’s true.”

“Let’s get a booth and we can share an order. After, we can follow it up with the famous cheesecake. Or, if you prefer, we can go to the restaurant side and get something fancier.”

“I told you I won’t date you, Mateo.” She said the words but those smoky eyes of hers were locked on his lips, and suddenly all he could think about was kissing her.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I’d like to know why since I like you a lot. But this isn’t a date. It’s two friends running into each other at a neighborhood bar and deciding to share a meal.”

She smiled up at him and said, “Okay, friend, I’d like that.”

In that moment, he felt like the luckiest guy on the planet.

They left the dance floor as a group came through the hall, the roundly pregnant women the community had started calling the Triad, with their husbands. Delaney and Walker, Emery and Shane, Cam and Sawyer—he was friends with all of them, some since elementary school.

Juliette seemed to know them as well so they were absorbed into the group and when everyone had decided to push tables together, he saw his plan of having Juliette to himself evaporating under the onslaught of friendship.

Gage sat at the opposite end of the table, which was fine with Mateo.

Delaney sank into a chair with a groan. She pushed against the mound in her belly. “For the last month, this kid didn’t let me breathe. Now that she’s dropped, I can breathe, but have zero bladder capacity.”

Mateo draped his arm on the back of Juliette’s chair, leaning slightly toward her. When she narrowed her eyes, he gave her an innocent look. “Sitting this way helps ease my painful stitches.”

She laughed. “Poor baby.”

“Exactly.” He shifted his attention to the group. “You all look ready to pop.”

“I feel ready to pop.” Cameron shifted in her seat. “There is no position I can sit or sleep in that’s comfortable.” She narrowed her eyes at her husband. “But the lieutenant here sleeps like the dead. Not fair.”

Sawyer brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. “I’m banking sleep so I’m ready for when the little guy is up all night.”

“It’s nice you’re all having an evening out before the babies are born,” Keeley said. She sat at the end of the joined tables. Owen stood behind her chair, hands on her shoulders as she leaned back against him.

“Have you seen how much baby stuff we have?” Walker looked shell-shocked. “We’re still unpackaging things from the baby shower. The baby’s room is full. Our room is full. How does a tiny human require so much stuff?”

“That’s one of the mysteries of the modern world,” Shane remarked.

“We had the best triple baby shower ever, but yeah, there’s a lot.”

“I think half the town turned out,” Cam said. “It’s nice to get support from so many people in the community.” She turned to Mateo. “The fire department was awesome to get us all car seats.”

“We’re all invested in the well-being of every one of you. We’re happy to do it.” Despite what he’d told Juliette, the stitches bothered him, and he shifted to ease the pull.

Sawyer tipped his head at Mateo. “Thanks, man.”

Jen, Owen’s assistant manager, arrived with a platter overflowing with the loaded nachos. “Make room, folks, there’s two more of these coming out.” Owen went to the kitchen and brought out the other two platters while Jen returned with baskets of chips.

“This baby better move her butt to give my stomach room. If I can’t have a margarita, I’m having my fill of ooey-gooey loaded nachos.” Delaney passed out the plates, and in minutes conversation quieted as they all chowed down.

Draining his beer, Sawyer set his bottle on the table. He eyed Mateo. “I got your text earlier.”

At the questioning look from the others, Mateo addressed the group. “There’s a long-range model from the National Weather Service that’s showing the potential for a significant rain event late next week. Y’all will be popping out babies about then so we need to keep an eye on how the forecast evolves.”

“What are you worried about? That we’d be driving to the clinic in a storm?” asked Emery, expression worried.

Owen pulled up a chair beside Keeley, who scooped guacamole onto a chip and offered it to him.

Mateo didn’t want to alarm anyone, but being forewarned meant being prepared. “If it’s a significant rainmaker, we’re concerned about flooding, roads being washed out, and power outages. We’ll be monitoring the forecast and sending alerts to those who have the app.” He paused. “You all follow Sisters FD on social media?”

Heads nodded and he went on, “The storm track could move north or south of us, but making a plan is a good idea in case it comes our way.”

“What kind of plan?” Delaney asked.

“The fire department advises anyone with health concerns, and that includes expectant mothers, to have a plan in place for emergency situations, including if they’re stranded and need to deliver at home.”

Nervous looks zipped around the table.

“Like I said, it’s early days and this storm might never materialize. I don’t want to freak anyone out, but we also don’t want to be caught by surprise.”