True to You in Good Hope (Good Hope #14) - Cindy Kirk Page 0,3
Piper told her. Comfort food was definitely what she needed tonight.
“Good choice.” Helen gave an approving nod. “Anything to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
Helen lifted a hand in acknowledgment and turned toward the kitchen.
Though it was always colder by the window, Piper liked being able to look out over Main Street. Christmas might still be six weeks away, but festive holiday flags and lights already decorated the ornamental light poles.
As far as Piper was concerned, all that was needed was a fluffy blanket of snow to complete the holiday picture. Piper had lived in Good Hope long enough to know snow was definitely on the horizon. And once the white stuff arrived, it usually stayed until spring.
Which didn’t bother her in the least. Piper enjoyed cross-country skiing, ice skating and all the other outdoor activities Good Hope had to offer.
Colder weather would also—hopefully—result in more women stopping into Swoon, eager for new winter wear. She could use the business. The winter months were notoriously slower, and now that her store was off the beaten track…
Sighing, Piper slipped off her coat. She dropped it onto the smooth cherry-red vinyl before sliding into the booth.
She wasn’t sure why she bothered to pick up the menu. She knew it by heart. Besides, she’d already ordered and firmly believed the daily special remained the best choice.
Setting the menu aside, Piper pulled out her phone and began to scroll. Reading articles kept her occupied until Helen brought the food.
The first savory forkful was on its way to her mouth when the bells over the door jingled.
Voices and laughter filled the relative quiet of the café. Like most of those seated, Piper shifted in her seat to check out the new arrivals.
Beckett Cross, owner of Muddy Boots, held the door open for his wife, Ami. Their youngest child—a boy—was perched on her hip. Though JT had to be close to two, Piper still thought of him as a baby.
The couple’s oldest, Sarah Rose, now nearly four, trailed behind her parents. Her little fingers were nestled in the broad hand of a tall, rangy cowboy wearing a Carhartt jacket and boots.
Sarah Rose gestured wildly with her free hand, her face animated as she talked. The stranger’s face was turned toward the child, preventing Piper from getting a good look at him.
Whoever he was, Sarah Rose was obviously taken with him. Piper ate the bite of meatloaf before lowering her fork. Sarah Rose’s exuberance made Piper smile. The child’s outgoing personality had made her a favorite of the townsfolk.
“Let’s sit over there.” Ami pointed to a round table not far from where Piper sat. She turned to the stranger. “That work for you?”
“It does.” His voice held the faintest hint of a Southern accent.
Pretending to study her phone, Piper stole a glance at the man as he passed her booth. Once again, his head was turned away from her as he continued to listen to Sarah Rose chatter, but even in profile, his face appealed.
She compared his height to Beck’s. This new guy appeared to be close to the same height, which placed him a little over six foot one. Unlike Beck’s silky black strands, this guy’s hair was wiry brown and pulled up into a man bun.
Piper smiled. Not a look popular in Good Hope, though oddly, it suited him.
She was still smiling when the man’s head swiveled, and their eyes met.
Everything in Piper stilled except for her heart. That gave a leap.
Anders Cross.
At Ami and Beck’s wedding, his hair had been cut stylishly short, and he’d worn a suit. But she remembered him—and the feel of his hands on her body.
From the flash of recognition in Anders’s golden eyes, he remembered her, too.
Chapter Two
Anders Cross couldn’t believe he’d been in Good Hope less than two hours and had already run across someone he knew and remembered fondly.
He considered excusing himself to speak to Piper, but a waitress with orange hair as bright as her matching lipstick already stood by the table, notepad in hand.
His niece, with a death grip on his hand, pulled him forward. Anders decided to ask about Piper once they’d ordered.
“Why don’t you sit beside Beck?” While Ami got JT settled in a booster seat, she gestured to an open chair next to her husband.
“I want to sit by Uncle Anders,” Sarah Rose announced loudly.
“I had a feeling you might.” Ami smiled and pointed to another chair. “You can take that one. Your uncle will have Daddy on one side and you on the other.”