Coffee With You: Small Town Romance

Chapter Two

**Not edited or proofread!**

Kaecee

Friday night came too quickly and not quickly enough. I'd spent most of the week getting settled in at Farrah's office and learning the ropes of how she did things. She also introduced me to every patient that came in. I was a bit taken aback and how warm and friendly everyone was.

Where I was from, this kind of thing didn't happen. Strangers were kept at arms' length. But the people here were so sweet and kind. I didn't think anyone had a bad bone in their body.

I even met Farrah's older brother Chase. He was the town sheriff, and his wife was the local bookstore owner. And his wife was such a stark contrast to him. She was sweet and lovely whereas Chase was very matter-of-fact. But they both put me at ease, and Meredith easily won me over with a cup of free coffee and a donut.

Drew was the only person in this town who set me on edge. Maybe that was because he was interested in me, and he hadn't hidden it. No; Drew had seen what he wanted, and he was going after it.

I wasn't used to being pursued like this. It excited me and messed with my anxiety all at once.

A knock sounded on my door. I drew in a deep breath, checking myself in the mirror one last time. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a cream-colored sweater paired with my favorite pair of flats. My hair hung in loose curls around my shoulders, and I had a light dusting of make-up across my face. I wanted to look nice for him but not like I was trying too hard, and I was hoping I'd accomplished that.

After scratching Bax behind his ears as a way of goodbye, I walked to the door and opened it, smiling at Drew, my breath catching in my throat.

If I thought this man in his fireman gear was good-looking, I didn't know what in the world to call what I was seeing now.

He was wearing a pair of faded, comfortable-looking jeans and a black t-shirt with a red and black checkered flannel open on top. His shirt practically looked painted onto his hard, muscular body. I had to keep myself from reaching up to touch my lips to make sure I wasn't drooling.

This man was sinful.

"Hi," I squeaked.

He grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Hi yourself. You look amazing."

My cheeks flushed, and he moved back so I could step out. I quickly shut the door behind me, not wanting a repeat of Bax running out and trapping himself high up in a tree.

He grabbed my hand in his, and together, we descended the stairs. My cheeks warmed even further when he held my door open for me and helped me up into his massive truck. It was a Chevy Silverado 1500 with a small lift kit and huge tires.

"What's the need for the huge truck?" I asked him once he was settled into the driver's seat.

He backed up so he could turn to go back down the drive. "Sometimes on my days off, I help Grayson or some other farmer or rancher around here. Having a truck that can make it through rough terrain if pretty important. Don't know how many times I've had to help pull someone out."

"We don't really have gigantic vehicles like this where I'm from."

He laughed softly. "I imagine New York City wouldn't," he told me.

I laughed. "Word sure travels fast around here, doesn't it?" But shockingly, it didn't bother me. After always being such a private person, I thought it would. But it was strangely . . . comfortable.

He nodded. "You've been the talk of the town for the past week now, sweetheart."

The term of endearment had my finally cooling cheeks heating right back up again. His grin widened at the sight of it. "You are absolutely stunning when you blush, Kaecee."

Oh, geez, I was in trouble with this man.

~*~*~

Dinner together with Drew was nothing short of amazing. The conversation between us flowed easily, and I felt so comfortable there with him that I truly had no idea what I'd been so nervous about in the first place. Sure, he was older than me, but everything between us just felt so right.

"Okay, wait, so you're telling me that people race tractors around here?"

Drew nodded, my hand encased in his. We'd finished eating a while ago and were now just enjoying each other's company. He'd already found out where I went to school, how I grew up, that I was a recent graduate. Heck, the man even knew my favorite color, and I knew his—blue. It was so typical that I'd laughed until he told me he named his dog blue all because he hadn't known what to name the fur baby when he'd rescued it off the side of the road.

"It's a pretty fun event. No money—nothing like that. Just men and women out having a good time. It's one of the ways the community has started coming together more and more over the years. Even Chase gets involved with it. I'm assuming you know who Chase is?"

I nodded. "The town sheriff and Farrah's older brother, not to mention Grayson's best friend," I recited.

Drew's eyes lit up with a smile. "You're learning fast, sweetheart."

I tucked my hair behind my ear. "It's not such a hard dynamic."

He gently squeezed my hand. "Come on. Let's grab some coffee before Meredith closes up for the night." He released my hand, and we stood. He dropped a few bills on the table that I knew more than covered our tab.

When we stepped foot into the bookstore, I felt like I was in Heaven. There were books everywhere, and the scent of them combined with hot coffee and warm pastries had me mellowing out in a way only a place like this ever could.

"Hi!" Meredith exclaimed, popping out of a door off to the side. "I'm surprised to see you two here. All anyone has been talking about for the past two hours is our new veterinarian getting sweet with one of our town heroes."

I flushed. Drew chuckled. "Not sure I'm much of a hero, Meredith." He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I'm surprised you're here tonight."

"She's not alone," Chase gruffly called. I spun around to see him sitting in a dark corner, a sleeping toddler on his lap. "She needed to catch up on some stuff." He stood and walked over to us. "How was you're date?"

"Great," I said, and I meant that. "Drew was absolutely fantastic."

"You two want some coffee?" Meredith asked us.

"God, yes," Chase groaned, answering for us.

I covered my mouth with my hand at the scowl she shot her husband. "I don't believe I was asking you, Chase."

He shrugged. "I was answering anyway."

I gently squeezed Drew's hand before dropping it. "Do you mind if I peruse your shelves for a few minutes? I've been needing some new reading material."

She waved her hand. "Of course. That's what they're there for. What kind of coffee do you want?"

"Do you have Chamomile tea instead?" I asked her.

She laughed. "Of course, I do."

Drew surprised me by pressing a kiss to my temple before he followed Chase and Meredith over to the coffee area, he and Chase chatting quietly amongst themselves. I headed for the romance section and began to search the aisles for something quick and easy to read.

Feeling eyes on me, I looked up, catching Drew's gaze. He was standing in front of me with a steaming cup of tea. I wrapped my hands around it and was instantly caught off guard by his soft, tender smile.

I felt like I was right in the middle of a romance novel, and I didn't want it to end.