Sawyer popped open one of the three metal folding chairs and sat down. “Tell Polly hello for me, and I’ll drop by when she gets home.”

Gladys patted him on the shoulder. “I will do that, but right now, I’m going to the holler to buy a hog and a half.”

Jill wanted to tell her aunt Gladys that she didn’t want any part of this crazy life, to throw her things in the back of her little dark-green truck and head north. She could be in Montana by Wednesday if she didn’t stop for anything but bathroom breaks and to grab a hamburger.

AClearydoesnotrun, she reminded herself sternly.

“How many customers have you had this morning?” Jill asked.

“Not a single solitary one. That means the storm is gathering strength. It will hit with enough power to blow my poor little general store off the map this afternoon. Oh, and, Jill, since y’all are having to work such long hours, I’m doubling your salaries until we hire in some help.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jill said.

“You said you wanted to work all you could to get your mind cleared, and I don’t expect you to work for pennies. Y’all hold it down now, and I’ll call you later.” Gladys picked her coat from the rack. Sawyer stood up and helped her put it on, and then wrapped her scarf loosely around her neck. “Thank you. See y’all after a while. Verdie is going to sit with Polly until I get back from Salt Holler. Y’all need anything special from Salt Holler?”

“Like special what?” Jill asked.

“Oh, like a pint of special brewed blueberry wine, or maybe a jar of moonshine?”

“One of each,” Sawyer answered.

“Consider it done. Hold down the fort and keep the shelves stocked. There’s extra supplies in the storeroom.” Gladys talked as she made her way to the front. “I’ve got my cell phone in my purse, so call me if you run into trouble and can’t find anything. Looks like Hurricane Kinsey has arrived. Duck and dodge, Sawyer. And don’t laugh, Jill. I see Quaid parking right beside her.”

“I’ll flip you for which one of us gets to hide in the storeroom,” Sawyer whispered.

“Strength in numbers,” she answered. “Hello, Kinsey. Can I help you with something?”

“I’m meeting Quaid here to do some shopping for the week.” She unbuttoned a long black coat to reveal a black-and-white sweater hugging every single curve, and an equally snug, short black skirt that showed lots of leg in dark panty hose. She was tall and willowy, and in those spike-heeled boots, she and Sawyer were almost the same height.

Jill felt dowdy in her jeans, work boots, and a Western-cut shirt she hadn’t even bothered to tuck in. She should have taken time to put on makeup and done something with her hair other than pull it up in a ponytail.

“I’m not one to beat around the bush,” Kinsey said. “I like what I’m lookin’ at”—she took a step back and slowly went from Sawyer’s toes all the way up to his dark hair, hesitating a few extra seconds at his belt buckle—“and I’m asking you out, not to a family dinner, Sawyer, but on a date. I understand you work every night at Polly’s, so next Sunday we’ll leave right after church. I know a cute little place in Dallas, and then we’ll see a movie or do something to while away the rest of the evening. Now, Quaid, honey, how much of that sliced ham do we need for the week? And you might call Granny and ask her if she wants us to bring anything for her from the meat counter. We’ve got our own beef, but our pork freezer is empty. We’d planned on butcherin’ next week.”

“A pound should do for us, and I’m not callin’ Granny, because she’s still cussin’ mad,” Quaid said.

He’d closed the space between him and Jill so quietly, she wasn’t aware he was that close until his warm breath brushed her bare neck. She jumped and whirled around to find that he had four eyes and two noses. She blinked and took a step back so she could focus.

He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on your blind side. I wanted to tell you again how much fun I had yesterday, and to apologize once more for the way it turned out. The whole family fell in love with you. Granny Mavis has invited the two of us to dinner next Sunday so she can get to know you better and make it up to you. Then, I thought I’d show you my place in our horse-drawn carriage.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Sawyer. Bless his heart. His face told the story, and it wasn’t pretty.

“Thank you for the invitation.” Jill raised her voice enough that Kinsey could hear what she had to say to Quaid. “But Sawyer and I have made plans for that afternoon.”

Kinsey whipped around so fast that the tail of her coat slapped Sawyer on the leg. “Are you two more than roommates?”

“That’s a very personal question, ma’am,” Sawyer drawled.

“Which requires a personal answer,” she said.

“I’d say that’s our business. Now how much ham did you want, again?” Jill asked.

“A pound of ham and the same amount of white American cheese, and half a pound of bologna. Quaid, honey, you get two loaves of bread and a gallon of milk,” Kinsey said. “And, Sawyer, you might do well to remember I get what I want, and I can make you a very happy man. And I never, ever give up until I have what I want. I will wear you down. Now I’m going to do some shopping, and since I understand you have a sweet tooth, I’ll bring something to the bar tonight that’s especially for you.”

“Hello, Sawyer!” Betsy pushed her way into the store.

Thank God she was dressed in boots, jeans, and a denim duster, and had a dusty felt hat pulled over her red hair. The general store wasn’t big enough for two fancy-smancy divas. Jill would have had to shoot one of them or shove them out the door and hope they killed each other.

“Hey, Kinsey, what are you doing in Burnt Boot on a Monday morning? Aren’t you supposed to be doing important lawyer shit?” Betsy asked.

“I’m asking Sawyer out on a date. What are you doing in the store on Monday? Aren’t you supposed to be shoveling shit?” Kinsey fired right back.

“Did he accept?” Betsy asked coldly.

“Not this time,” Kinsey answered.

“Maybe you ought to shovel some shit. He’s a rancher, not a lawyer who wears three-piece suits and likes to go to Dallas for supper. Oh, excuse me, that would be dinner in your world, wouldn’t it?”

“Ladies, I’m not a piece of beef for sale in the meat counter,” Sawyer said. “I’m not going out with either of you, and that’s final. Now can I help you with something other than dating or catfighting? Remember, this store and the bar are neutral territory.”

Evidently he’d gotten his bearings, and they weren’t going to talk him into anything again. But there wasn’t a man on the face of the earth who wouldn’t be flattered to have two women fighting over him, no matter what the reason.

“Looks like a party going on in here.” Tyrell poked his head in the door. “Betsy, Granny is making dumplings for supper, and she said we’d better be there. Hey, Jill.” He blew a kiss her way. “I’ll see you tonight at Polly’s. I’ll be the one hogging the jukebox, and every song will be for you.”

“I’ll be right back. I’ve got a cake in the oven.” Jill disappeared into the storeroom. She did turn on the oven to preheat, and she did plan to put a cake in the oven, so it wasn’t too much of a lie. Then suddenly she realized that the store was too quiet. Lord, what if they’d kidnapped Sawyer and carried him off to some remote area? She peeked out the door and exhaled loudly. He was over there stocking shelves like he’d been born to do that rather than run a ranch single-handedly.

“Is the coast clear?” she hollered.

“For now. They’ve all gone home. But I see two more vehicles pulling in, so you’d better get on out here and stop hiding in the storeroom. That cake idea was pretty slick,” he said.

“It was the best I could do. If I’d had to put up with those two men another minute, I would have bonked them both on the head with cans of peaches.”