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Was he disappointed? Had he secretly hoped for a blonde he could have a fling with? Would it
make you feel better if I told you I was a blonde yesterday?
He tilted his head, studying her closely. I can t imagine you with blonde hair. The brown looks
so natural.
That s because it is. This is the color I was born with. The blonde was just for fun.
Fun? I hear blondes have more fun. Did you?
No, she hadn t. Not really.
She held up her menu, not liking where her thoughts were going about her boss. She changed the
subject. What do you recommend?
I m having the meatloaf. Do you eat meat? If you don t, I wouldn t recommend saying it too
loud. This is Montana.
Presley smiled. I do eat meat, but I m not fond of meatloaf. How are the burgers?
Good. The fries are
Seth broke off as the waitress came to take their order. He ordered the meatloaf special and she
ordered the bacon cheeseburger with home fries. They didn t talk much as they waited for their food,
so it was almost a relief when an attractive young woman with short dark hair came into the diner,
heading straight for Seth.
Seth, I was hoping I d run into you here.
Seth stood up, his chair scraping the floor in his haste. Eliza. I didn t expect to see you today.
I d like you to meet my new secretary, Presley Lawson. Presley, this is Eliza Denton. She s the
librarian in Harper.
Presley shook hands and the woman s smile widened. Do you like to read? It would be
wonderful if you could join our ladies book club. We meet once a week. Six o clock on
Wednesdays at the library. End of the street next to the school. Please say you ll come.
Presley remembered Evan s words about being here awhile and blending in. She smiled back. I
do like to read. What kind of books does your group read?
The woman waved her hand. Oh, this and that. A little of everything.
I d be pleased to join you and see what it s all about then. Thank you.
Eliza turned back to Seth. I saw your mother at the library this morning. She invited me to
dinner tonight and wanted me to remind you to invite your new secretary. Eliza smiled at Presley.
I m so glad I ran in to you. His mother is a fantastic cook. You don t want to miss her fried
chicken.
Seth looked distinctly uncomfortable and Presley wasn t sure if it was because he didn t want her
to come to dinner, or he didn t want her talking to Eliza. She decided she wanted to do both.
I d love to come to dinner. I love fried chicken.
Eliza s eyes lit up. Great. I ll call Marion.
Presley waited for Seth to be polite, but when he didn t Presley nodded toward a chair.
Please join us for lunch. There s plenty of room.
Eliza laughed and sat down next to Seth. I am hungry. Have you ordered yet?
We did, but not that long ago.
Seth still hadn t said anything, which Presley thought was strange. When his phone rang, he
excused himself from the table. Eliza leaned forward, her eyes twinkling.
You lasted the morning. That s more than can be said for his last secretary. Did he tell you
there isn t a woman in town who ll work for him?
He didn t, but I got the gist from the notes that were left in the desk. It appears that someone
started a diary a few years back and each secretary kept notes on him. They made him sound like
Attila the Hun.
Eliza slapped a hand over her mouth. He s actually a very nice man, but he s tough to work for.
He can be difficult.
I can deal with difficult, so we should get along well. How do you know Seth? Are you
family?
Eliza leaned forward even further, her mouth in a wide grin. I m afraid it s worse than that. I m
his girlfriend.
Presley felt a shock run through her body. For some stupid reason, she d thought Seth was single,
which was absurd. He was a very handsome man and probably had many women after him.
Seth seems like a nice man, Presley said awkwardly. You make a cute couple.
Seth came back to the table with a frown. I m needed out at Perry s place. Can you find your
way back to the station?
Presley nodded. Of course. Is everything all right? Isn t that where Deputy Hank is?
Seth s brows came together. It is. Perry is screaming about some of his cattle being missing and
some dead. It s a big mess. He pulled a key off his key ring and handed it to her. Here s the office
key. I ll call in a little while.
The waitress came and put their plates down on the table. Seth sighed. I was hungry, too.
Eliza grinned and picked up a fork. Don t worry, I ll eat it. It won t go to waste.
Seth grumbled as he left the diner and Presley tucked into her cheeseburger. It was really good
and before she knew it, it was gone from her plate. She d been hungrier than she d thought. It felt
good to be pleasantly full again.
Eliza was making similar progress on the meatloaf and soon they had two empty plates.
So have you lived in Harper your whole life?
Eliza nodded. I have, except for when I went away to college. I like small town life, I guess.
Have you been dating Seth a long time? Presley wanted to smack herself upside the head. She
really didn t want the details, but she couldn t stop herself.
Eliza rested her chin on her hand. About six months or so. If you live here long enough, you
eventually date everybody.
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