Levi was blond haired, blue eyed, and possessed a scruff of beard on his chin and cheeks that leaned toward red. Biceps bulged under the rolled-up sleeves of a red-checkered shirt and he had the deep tan and work-roughened hands of a man who spent most of his days outdoors. He was a cowboy—no doubt about that. There was something inherently loveable about them, despite the overdose of testosterone the universe had gifted them with.
Hannah loved getting to know her customers and never hesitated to stop and talk, especially when business was slow, as it was this early in the evening. But the way Gloria’s eyes flitted between Levi and her made her wary. Since she’d moved to Grand, a few of the older local women had tried fixing her up with their sons and nephews and she’d learned to recognize the signs. She’d managed to avoid their efforts so far, but no one had brought a man to the taproom before.
A trickle of panic infiltrated her heart. She’d been with Tim for almost half her life and she couldn’t imagine that same level of intimacy with anyone else. A vision of black, shaggy curls and warm, hazel eyes popped into her head. She pushed it away. What happened with Dallas didn’t count.
“Enjoy your drinks,” she said hastily, then almost ran for the safety of the bar.
Stupid.
She was so stupid. Tim hadn’t let fifteen years together stop him from finding somebody else. She had to move on, too. But this wasn’t the night. It had been less than a year, after all. She had plenty of time to get past the damage he’d done to her self-esteem.
More customers entered the taproom. Soon, all of the tables were full and Hannah was too busy to worry about her relationship status.
She loaded another tray and wound her way through the tables, delivering drinks.
“You have a nice place,” a warm voice said from behind her as she set the empty tray on the bar.
Hannah looked up. It was Levi.
“The stout is amazing,” he added, holding up his half-empty glass.
“Thank you.” She lifted the bar flap and ducked through.
He leaned half-across the bar, taking his weight on his forearms. “I’m going to level with you. Gloria is pressuring me to ask you out.” The spark of humor that flashed in his eyes said he realized how that must have sounded. “Don’t get me wrong. I want to ask,” he added quickly. “I don’t want you to say yes just to save me from my sister, though. She’s a bully, by the way. Has been her whole life. For as long as I can remember. But that’s my problem, not yours.”
Hannah couldn’t suppress the twitch of her lips because she wanted so badly to laugh. “Really? She doesn’t seem as if she could take you in a fair fight.”
“Not since I was twelve and hit my first growth spurt,” he said, sagely nodding agreement. “But she fights dirty and she’s got Hayden in her corner now. I’m not as certain I can take him.”
The thought of either Hayden or Gloria involved in a brawl defied even her vivid imagination and she gave in to her laugh. It rolled out of her belly and erupted from her throat, causing a few heads to turn.
Levi, encouraged, continued. “She wants to see me settled with babies so our kids can play together. That’s getting a little ahead of things, though. I’d settle for a cup of coffee, or maybe dinner, for starters.”
Hannah’s laugh died. While flattered that he was asking her out, it would be unfair of her to say yes. On the surface he seemed quiet and friendly, with a great sense of humor, and yet, red flags were waving all over the place. She’d grown up in a small town filled with cowboys and there was no doubt in her mind that someone steady, like Levi, who watched his sister and her husband with a particular look on his face, wanted what they had. She understood. She wanted it too. But, as cute and funny as he was, he didn’t spark the slightest bit of romantic interest in her.
Besides, it would be a long time before she ever trusted another man with her heart. Levi might as well expend his efforts on someone less… burned. She opened her mouth to say no and make her excuses. “I just got out of a long-term relationship and it’s too soon. Maybe some other time.”
But the outer door opened and her lungs shriveled like punctured balloons.
A tall figure, topped with black, shaggy curls and direct hazel eyes, scanned the crowd. His eyes zoomed in on her as if there were no one else in the room, and her knees served notice they were going on strike, because the heat directed at her made her lady bits do a lot more than tingle. She gripped the bar for support. It was the same look that had brought on her reckless behavior at her sister’s wedding, when she’d thrown common sense through the window and hiked her skirt to her waist in a barn. It brought back the feel of the strong, smooth glide of his hands. The taste of his lips. The way he felt when he—
And then she recalled the morning-after sense of self-loathing that she’d never quite shaken. For weeks after learning he’d relocated to Grand, she’d wondered what she’d do if he ever dropped by. When he hadn’t, she’d assumed the taproom setting didn’t suit his new, billionaire style. Neither did she.
Now he was here. What did he want?
Levi half-turned to see what had hijacked her attention. He studied Dallas, who studied him back.
“Oh,” Levi said slowly, as if he understood something he most definitely did not.
“I’d love to have coffee with you,” she blurted out.