Rescued by the Farmer by Mia Ross Page B

you end up here in Oaks Crossing?”
    Taking a handful of pretzels from the basket in the center of the table, she popped one in her mouth while she studied him closely. Drew had no idea what she might be looking for, but he endured her scrutiny with as much patience as he could muster. Normally, he wasn’t one for playing games, but instinct told him that to Bekah, this was deadly serious. Maybe if he hung in there with her, he’d finally discover why.
    After what felt like forever, she relented. “Let’s just say I have a really bad sense of direction.”
    “Huh. Well, that’s not much of an explanation.”
    “It’s more of one than I’ve given anyone in a long time.”
    She added the kind of sad smile that only women seemed capable of delivering, and he was torn between pressing her for more and letting her be. Fortunately, their food arrived, giving him a chance to pull back far enough to let her breathe while they ate. The way she attacked her cheeseburger, it was as if she expected not to eat again for days.
    “These waffle fries are fantastic,” she said with an approving hum. “I wonder what’s in this seasoning?”
    “You could ask Cam, but knowing him, he’ll probably look you dead in the eyes and say, ‘I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.’”
    That made her laugh, and he sensed her relaxing while they plowed through their meal. Drew suspected she’d never ask for anything else, so he took it upon himself to order more of the waffle fries for them to share.
    When she was up shifting her clothes from washers to dryers, he flagged down their waitress and discreetly handed her his credit card. “This is on me, no matter what the lady says. Okay?”
    “Sure. I’ll run you a tab.”
    “Thanks.”
    “If you’re interested, Wednesday is couples night in here. You get two-for-one if you bring in at least one load of laundry.”
    The concept reminded him of gas stations that offered a discount at the pumps if you washed your car in their bays. “That’s a great idea. I had no clue Cam was such a business-oriented guy.” Then he registered what she’d said, and he hurried to add, “But the lady and I are just friends.”
    “Every couple starts out that way, don’t they?”
    He couldn’t dispute that, so he grinned. “I guess you’re right.”
    Clearly pleased that she’d taught him something, she flounced back to the counter to place his order.
    “Cute,” Bekah commented when she rejoined him. “Flirting for tips.”
    The cynical assessment rubbed him the wrong way, and he frowned. “What makes you say that?”
    “You really don’t see it, do you?”
    “See what?”
    “How the women in this town stare at you when you walk by,” she explained, dipping a fry into the puddle of ketchup she’d made on the plate. “With the way they all drool at the sight of you, you might as well be a piece of steak in the lion’s pen at the zoo.”
    Drew was fairly certain she didn’t realize that she’d just confessed to watching other women’s reactions to him. Resting his elbows on the table, he leaned toward her with a grin. “Yeah? What else do they do?”
    “Well, they—” She caught herself and gave him a scathing glare. “I’m not telling you. Your ego’s big enough as it is.”
    “Really? What makes you say that?”
    “Sierra told me.”
    Wonderful. He and the spunky vet tech student got along like brother and sister, which meant they’d had their share of run-ins and outright arguments. After talking to Sierra for about ten minutes when Erin first hired her, he’d realized that, despite his lady-killer reputation, they’d never be anything other than friends.
    Why didn’t he feel the same about Bekah? he wondered. There hadn’t been an instant attraction on his end, but was that because she didn’t appeal to him that way, or because she was so obviously vulnerable, and he didn’t want her to think he was trying to take advantage of her precarious