a
table!”
“So go take his order,” Dawn instructed, finding it hard
to share her friend’s enthusiasm for the situation.
“I can’t!” Courtney said. “Come on, come with me. I
can’t go alone.”
Dawn couldn’t hide the roll of her eyes at that.
Courtney did have a bit of a flare for the dramatic, but this was bordering on
ridiculous. The girl was dancing in place like some kid who had to pee.
“He’s just a guy,” Dawn said, trying to calm her down.
“Just like any other guy who walks in through those doors. Take his order,
bring it back here, and that’s it. Easy.”
“Please,” Courtney begged. “Just come out there with
me. Please, please, please!”
“Fine,” Dawn relented. “But take a breath first and
calm down.”
In truth, helping Courtney wasn’t the only reason that
Dawn let her friend lead her back out to the bar. She also wanted to see what
all the fuss was about. She was curious whether or not Gavin Mosley was as
impressive as Courtney was insisting he was.
The bar was still mostly deserted when Dawn walked
back out. There were a couple regulars sitting at their usual tables, but at a
table in the center of the room sat a man Dawn had never seen before.
It had to be him. Even sitting down, he was taller
than anyone else in at Jim’s and he had broad, square shoulders. His brown hair
fell to his ears in silky waves, and even from across the room, Dawn could make
out his big brown eyes.
There was no denying he was attractive, and Dawn could
finally understand why Courtney was making such a fuss over him. There was an
easy confidence about him as he leaned back in his chair and let his long legs
spill out from under the table. It was obvious he’d taken the time to dress
like he belonged in town, but rather than a Costco jacket and second-hand
jeans, his clothes were well made, high-end versions of the styles seen around
the small town she was calling home.
“Come on,” Courtney whispered to her as she gave
Dawn’s hand a tug.
“No,” Dawn said as she watched Gavin play with the
condiments sitting on the table. “You go, do your thing. Maybe he’s single.”
Courtney’s eyes lit up at that, and she began to strut
for the table where the baseball player sat. He might have been handsome, but
he’d attract more attention than he was worth. Courtney could have him, if he
wanted her, of course. Dawn was better off avoiding someone that recognizable.
From the safety of the bar, she watched Courtney
strike up a conversation with the famous player. She was content to watch as
her friend flashed a winning smile at him, and Dawn was about to make her exit
for the kitchen again when the door swung open once more.
She expected to see another regular, but the man who
walked in wasn’t someone from town. In an instant, Dawn recognized their latest
diner as the FBI agent from before, the one with striking green eyes and an
ill-fitting suit.
And he was looking right at her.
Chapter
Three
It didn’t take long for Courtney to forget that she’d
begged Dawn for backup when it came time to take the former pro-baseball
player’s order. She’d instantly dropped the shy and timid act the moment Gavin
Mosley locked eyes with her. Courtney flipped the switch and now she was acting
like the vivacious redhead that everyone in town knew she was.
Dawn was more than fine with the fact that Courtney
was just about in Gavin Mosley’s lap as she took his order, but that meant that
it was up to her to approach the FBI agent to see what he wanted to drink. She
almost would have preferred to take on Mosley.
Cops had never been Dawn’s forte. Even though the few
in town were more Barney Fife than they were Vic Mackey, they still gave her
cause for concern. One wrong move, and the next thing she knew, someone could
be looking into who Dawn Garrett really was.
Even though the agent had changed out of his
ill-fitting suit, he was still instantly recognizable. That same dirty blond
hair, those
Kristen Middleton, Book Cover By Design, K. L. Middleton
Sister Carol Anne O’Marie