A Word with the Bachelor by Teresa Southwick Page B

his leg.
    â€œI’m not asking for Pulitzer Prize quality,” she said. “Just let me take a quick look. Make sure the story starts off with a bang—”
    â€œNo one gets shot in the first paragraph.”
    â€œDon’t be so literal. That’s not what I meant.”
    â€œI know what you meant.” He moved farther into the kitchen. “But I’d rather talk about you.”
    â€œWhat about me?” she asked warily.
    â€œYour loyalty. It’s admirable.”
    This was about Garret and she didn’t want to discuss anything more about her fiancé. She’d said enough last night. Apparently comfort food loosened her tongue. She’d danced around why there’d been no marriage and the truth was that he’d wanted it very much. Erin was the one who’d found excuses not to take the step. It was inherently dishonest not to have explained to the man she’d agreed to marry why she couldn’t go through with it. And that wasn’t admirable.
    â€œI have a better idea,” she said. “It’s after two. I have no idea what you’ve been doing all day but this is the first time I’ve seen you. That equals hard work as far as I’m concerned. And you need a break. Let’s go into town for groceries.”
    His blue eyes narrowed like lasers on her. “Now who’s employing a flanking maneuver?”
    She decided to take a page from his book, so to speak, and ignore that question. “Do you remember what I said about filling up the creative well?”
    â€œYes, but—”
    â€œKeeping yourself isolated isn’t the best way to cultivate inspiration. Besides, we’re almost out of coffee.”
    â€œUh-oh. Threat level goes to DEFCON five.” But the expression on his face said the diversion hadn’t worked and he wasn’t quite finished with her yet. “I’d like to know more about the kind of man you accepted a proposal from.”
    This guy was mission-oriented and he had his sights set on her. But she just might have the mother of all flanking maneuvers. “Harley. Walk?”
    The animal barked and started dancing around Jack. He ran to the door and back yipping excitedly. Jack met her gaze and saluted. “Well played.”
    It was her turn to grin and she didn’t even care that he had her number.
    A half hour later, after walking the dog, he drove the jeep up Main Street in Blackwater Lake. It was rush hour, if you could call it that here in this small but growing town. Chalk up the traffic to people from businesses along the main drag getting off work. For Erin the slow pace was an opportunity to check out Jack’s stomping grounds a little more thoroughly.
    They passed the Harvest Café with the adjacent ice-cream parlor beside Tanya’s Treasures, the gift shop. Then there was the Grizzly Bear Diner, with its life-size statue of a ferocious-looking bear standing on rear legs with teeth bared and claws primed.
    â€œI want to go to the diner sometime,” she said. “Is the food good?”
    â€œNever been there.”
    She couldn’t believe that. “You’ve lived here how long?”
    â€œA year and a half—give or take.”
    â€œAnd you have not once stepped foot in that restaurant?”
    â€œNo.”
    Erin waited but it seemed there wouldn’t be an explanation coming anytime in the foreseeable future as to why so she took a shot in the dark. “Bar None is the extent of your social networking?”
    â€œDidn’t we already establish that loners tend to be alone?”
    â€œYes, but Jack—”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThat’s just so—” She struggled to come up with a word that wasn’t quite so harsh, then decided what the heck? “It’s so lonely.”
    â€œNot if that’s what I want.” He glanced over then, but the darn aviator sunglasses hid his expression. Apparently he saw