Page 20 of Cruz

“Hey, yourself.” Tillie sighed. “I have missed this.”

“You missed this?”

“Yeah, you’re my bestie, and don’t get me wrong, going away on vacation is all fun and stuff, but I do miss the normal life working here.” She sighed. “It’s perfection. I’ve already gone home, and Jaxson already has customers calling. There was a power outage?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why I couldn’t call you.”

Kate gave her the complete inside scoop, but left out the fact she was snowed in at Cruz’s place.

Tillie continued to hold Belle, and she moved toward the counter and gave a little laugh. “I have a sneaking suspicion you’re leaving a little something out,” Tillie said.

She tried to play innocent. She tried and she failed.

“You do realize this is a town that doesn’t have a lot of secrets,” Tillie said.

“I know.”

“I’ve already been to the coffee shop and got a hot chocolate as I am not allowed caffeine.” Tillie put a hand on her swollen stomach. “Are you not going to give me the inside scoop? Come on, people are already talking about the fact you were snowed in with Cruz Moore. We all know he is just as grumpy as Jaxson.”

Kate laughed. “Yeah, I, uh, I was snowed in with Cruz.”

“And how was it? Come on, you’ve got to tell me.”

Belle licked Tillie’s face.

“It was ... okay, first of all, Belle absolutely loves Cruz.”

“What?” Tillie asked, looking amazed.

“I know. I was shocked and I was not expecting it. She loved him and went to him for snuggles. He came in to buy some fabric, and I kind of offered to clean up the edges and bind them. Make them into tablecloths.”

“Okay, that seems fair. Then what?”

“I took them to his home on that Monday, and I stayed for dinner. Only ... uh, I got snowed in and stayed until Friday, and now it’s Wednesday, and there is still a little snow on the ground, but it’s not as bad.”

“Kate, you’re blushing,” Tillie said.

She put her hands on her cheeks. “I’m not blushing.”

“Yeah, you are, and it is so cute.” Tillie laughed. “So, you and Cruz ... got it on?”

Kate gasped. “You cannot ask me that.”

“Come on, it’s only fair, and it’s not like I’m going to tell. The whole town already has its suspicions. So, does that mean you and Cruz are like dating and seeing each other?”

She felt completely sucker punched. “I haven’t seen or heard from Cruz since last Friday,” Kate said. She moved away from the counter.

It was a mess.

“Oh,” Tillie said.

“It’s okay. I mean, I know he’s busy. That is the point of owning a ranch, right? I know his car broke down and he ended up having to walk, and then he had to pull out his spare car to go and care for the cattle.” She was rambling and she quickly pressed her lips together in an attempt to shut herself up.

“Honey,” Tillie said.

“It’s fine.”