Rust Creek Falls Cinderella. Melissa Senate
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Xander repeated.
“I heard your father’s trying to get his sons married off and offered a wedding planner five million bucks to get the job done. A buddy told me that since then, all the places he goes in town to meet women have dried up. Even at Ace in the Hole, our place to play darts and always meet a few ladies, even if we already know them, there was no one there last Saturday night. Just a bunch of guys. Man, it was depressing.”
“One million,” Xander corrected—quite unnecessarily, but still. “And I see the problem.”
“So, I was thinking, if you’re on one of your dates and it doesn’t work out, maybe you could mention that you know a great guy in the police academy and set something up for after six, any night.”
Wait, now Xander was a matchmaker? Good Lord. “Look, Andrew, I—”
“I know, I know. But listen. I’m about to have my act totally together. I’m ready to settle down. And the playing field has been decimated. Your faults, dude.”
Xander had to give him that. “I see your point.”
“I’m just saying, if you want to mention my name and availability to any lovely lady you’re not interested in, I’d appreciate it.”
“I’m not interested in anyone,” Xander said—quickly. “This is my dad’s thing. Not mine.”
“Well, just think of me, leaping over walls at the academy and studying for my procedure quiz, a forty-five minute commute each way, all with the intended goal of serving and protecting our communities one day.”
Xander sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. What’s your type?”
“Nice,” Andrew said. “I like nice. My last girlfriend? Not so nice. Pretty, but ooh boy.”
Xander laughed. “Got it. Nice.” He shook his head at that one. “I’ll keep this between us.”
“Oh, no need,” Andrew said. “I’ve got the family on it, too, but they’re no help. You’d think having a sister a couple years younger would mean lots of introductions and dates, but nope. Lily’s either in the kitchen here or in the kitchen at the Maverick Manor or hunched over her laptop taking her online class. Thanks, Lily.” He smiled.
“Speaking of Lily, I’m actually here to see her.”
Andrew tilted his head. “Really? Why?”
Xander stared at him. “We’re friends.”
“Oh. Yeah, I figured you two couldn’t be dating. I mean, she’s super single, but I can’t even imagine her throwing her name into the hat to land some rich cowboy. No offense.”
“None taken,” Xander said with a smile. He could imagine how Lily had her hands full with this crew if the other three Hunts were anything like Andrew.
“So you’re on board?” Andrew asked. “With the overflow?”
“Sure,” Xander assured him.
“Awesome.” Andrew tipped his Kalispell Police Academy cap at Xander, then threw open the door. “Lily!” he bellowed. “Someone’s here to see you!” He headed past Xander to the driveway. “Later, dude,” he added amiably, jogging down to his car.
Wondering what he’d just gotten himself into, Xander watched Andrew drive off.
“Be right there!” he heard Lily call from somewhere in the house.
It was crazy, but the sound of that voice? His heart skipped a beat.
* * *
How many times had she told Andrew not to scream from one room to another? Lily was in the kitchen, working on a vegan entrée she hoped to introduce as an option at the Manor so that all their guests were covered, and she’d heard Andrew’s loud voice as though he were standing right beside her.
She took off her apron and washed her hands, figuring her visitor was Sarah, whom she’d texted to mention that Xander had come in for lunch earlier and had barged right into the kitchen to see her. She’d asked if that could possibly mean he did like her that way, even when all signs pointed to a friendship only.
Sarah had said men often didn’t know how they felt and figured it out as they went along or sometimes in one fell swoop. If she liked Xander that way, Sarah had texted, then she should go for it.
But it wasn’t Sarah in the hallway. It was Xander.
What on earth was he doing here?
And looking so incredibly gorgeous. She’d never seen him in his cowboy clothes. Dark jeans. Brown boots. A navy T-shirt. And a brown Stetson held against his stomach. Be still, my idiot heart, she thought. His slightly long hair curled a bit at the nape of his neck, and his dark brown eyes were on her. The man was too good-looking.
Dobby and Harry were sitting on either side of him, staring up at him. Dobby was sniffing his cowboy boot. Harry was giving him the once-over.
Xander knelt down and gave each dog a pat, earning wagging cinnamon-colored tails. “Well, you must be the famous Dobby and Harry I’ve heard so much about. And even though you look identical, I bet you’re Dobby and you’re Harry.”
“Name tags give it away every time,” Lily said with a grin. “They can never get away with switching places like most twins.”
He gave them both another pat and stood up. “I stopped by Maverick Manor to pay compliments to the chef from six other appreciative ranchers, and your friend AnnaBeth said you’d finished your shift, so I thought I’d stop by here and tell you.”
Okay, granted, Lily’s house was pretty close to Maverick Manor. She could walk there if her very old car broke down. But still, he went out of his way to go see her at the restaurant. Then out of his way again to “stop by” her house?
He liked her. Whether he knew it or not. Her stomach flipped—in a good way—and she had to stop herself from smiling like a lunatic.
Thank God for friends like Sarah who understood men! Crawford men, in particular.
“Something smells amazing,” he said, sniffing the air.
Okay, she loved when he complimented her cooking skills. “I’m working on a tofu dish for a vegan option at the Manor.”
“In cattle country? Well, if you can make tofu smell that good, I imagine it’ll be a hit. I’d pay a million bucks for a Lily Hunt hamburger.”
She laughed. “You’re going to give me a big head.”
“Hey, maybe you could give me a cooking lesson sometime. I’d pay you well for your time.” He named a crazy figure.
“Seriously? That much for one lesson?”
“Seriously. But I want to learn to make all my favorites. Teach me how to make that French dip. Teach me how to make fettuccini carbonara, which I crave every other day. Teach me how to make a pizza from scratch without burning the crust.”
Teach me how not to fall in love with you, she thought. She was practically a goner.
“Lily, any more of that par-something thingie left?” a male voice shouted from upstairs. Ryan, the brother closest in age to her.
Lily smiled and shook her head. “Parfait!” she called back, even though she’d never stop her brothers from yelling from room to room if she did it, too. “And no, you four attacked it and there was none left for me.”
“Sorry!” Ryan shouted back. “If you make more, make like five extra!”
“I see I’m not the only one who can’t resist your cooking,” Xander said. “Maybe I could observe as you make the tofu dish. Get a handle on the inner workings of a kitchen before we set up a formal lesson.”
Xander