Chasing the Runaway Bride by Susan Meier Read Free Book Online Page B

been squabbles over greeting cards. Like it or not, solving these nitpicky problems was part of management.
    “Alice, if Myrna picked it up first, it’s hers.”
    “Just like an O’Riley to side with her friends.”
    “This has nothing to do with friends—”
    “Of course it does.” Alice straightened regally. “You know how your family has been, Piper.”
    Myrna harrumphed. “At least O’Riley supporters took care of each other. Hyatt supporters were too busy walking around with their noses in the air—”
    Before she could finish, Cade said, “Did I see a head of lettuce flying over the bread aisle?”
    Not sure if she was grateful or annoyed that he’d felt he had to show up, Piper turned to answer Cade, but the words froze on her tongue. His white shirt might be a sensible grocer’s choice, but it hugged broad shoulders and tapered down, cruising his lean torso to trim hips. After years in the Marines and working on a ranch, his body was probably perfect—
    She shook her head, flabbergasted at her thoughts, especially since they were in the middle of the great Hyatt/O’Riley lettuce war.
    Alice turned to him with grateful eyes. “Cade, thank goodness you’re here. I had this head of lettuce and she”—she angled her thumb at Myrna—“took it from me.”
    “That’s a lie. I already had it when she tried to snatch it out of my hands.”
    Cade stretched around Myrna and looked at the tall stack of lettuce still in the bin. Piper’s gaze fell to his butt, taking in the sweet way the worn denim of his jeans caressed the well-defined muscles.
    God help her, she had to stop looking at him.
    “Alice, there’s lots of lettuce back there. You can’t pick another one?”
    “ This is the best in the bin.”
    “I’m sure there are others—”
    Alice dropped her blue O’Riley’s basket to the washed-out brown tile floor. “Well, Cade, I see your true colors are coming out, too.” She stepped over the basket. “I’d debated whether or not I wanted to support a man who’d walk away from a child. I gave you the benefit of the doubt,” she said, striding down the aisle toward the door. “I can see how wrong that was.” The automatic door opened, then closed after she walked through, her head high, nose in the air, just as Myrna had said.
    For thirty seconds, stunned silence filled the store, then Myrna headed for the checkout with her coveted lettuce, and everyone began shopping again.
    Cade met her gaze. “Are you okay, darlin’?”
    Staring into his brown eyes, Piper couldn’t speak. The way he called her darlin’ in that sexy western drawl of his melted something inside her. He’d also just been insulted, yet he’d barely reacted.
    “Piper?”
    She sucked herself out of her reverie. If she wanted to make herself look sane to the town, she had to stop noticing his voice, his body, and his reactions to the customers.
    Even though it was odd that what Alice said hadn’t insulted him.
    She straightened her shoulders. “Yeah, I’m fine. The day I let a fight between two little old ladies throw me is the day I need to get out of management.”
    Then the miraculous happened. He laughed. The sound was deep, rich, pure, and sent a tingle of delight up her spine. Her chest tightened. Butterflies danced in her tummy.
    Luckily, he picked up Alice’s blue basket, turned, and walked back to the cashier’s cage. “Show’s over,” he said, unlocking the door. “So let’s all get back to work.”
    Stifling the urge to kick her own butt, Piper headed for the bakery. Even Hyatt supporters didn’t like the fact that he’d left Lonnie to raise Hunter alone. Yet there she stood—Lonnie’s best friend—with her body tingling and her heart racing.
    Worse, if anyone ever saw her noticing Cade, it would take about thirty seconds for that to circulate around town, and she’d be an even bigger laughingstock than she already was.
    She’d better figure out a way to control this—soon.
    …
    A little