Read Cart Before The Horse for Free Online

yourself,” she said as she filled the glass with Coke from the tap and added a shot of whiskey.
    “I’m in your way, aren’t I?”
    “Didn’t want to say it right out.” She slid the glass to the end of the bar to the man who gave a wave as he caught it.
    “I’ll find somewhere else to be.” He walked around to the kitchen and watched the door swing back and forth as servers picked up plates and bussers brought them back empty.
    It was what he’d always dreamed of. But as of that morning, all his dreams had changed, and his mind spun with all the new things he wanted to do.
     
    He stepped back as a perky , as Holly had referred to them,
    s tepped in to pick up her order. “You could help me with this,” she barked as she loaded her arms with plates.
    Gabe gathered the rest of the order on a tray and followed her to a large table of diners who drank and laughed. In the center of them all was an infant snuggled into her mother’s arms, sound asleep among the noise.
    Nine months wasn’t so long. Soon that would be him and Holly and their baby resting in their arms. The air whooshed out of his lungs and the plates in his arms teetered.
    “You’re going to drop that. Give it to me.” Penny, the waitress, took the plates from him and distributed them to the table. “Let me know if you all need anything.”
    She turned and walked back to the kitchen, but Gabe stood for a while and watched as the baby stirred. They’d be a family, no matter what Holly thought about him personally. His first step would be convincing her to consider them friends.
    He walked to the end of the bar, managing to get in Cha ndra’s way again. It was almost eight, and the dinner crowd would begin to wind down soon. The door opened and a large party walked through. He stood to help seat them, but behind them he noticed Holly walk through the door. She scanned the room and looked as though she considered turning around and walking out, but he caught her eye and smiled. The room warmed when she walked into it—and her coming to the restaurant was a sign she was accepting him.
    She looked past the patrons at the bar to where he stood at the end. She was dressed casually, but her hair was down, and he liked the way it framed her face and softened her eyes. The
    chill in the night air had obviously forced her into a heavier coat and the responsible side of him was glad to see she was taking care of herself.
    Gabe walked toward her. “I’m glad you came by.”
    She brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “I don’t feel right about coming down here.”
     
    “You’re going to need to get used to it.” He touched her
    cheek again, but she flinched and he removed his hand. “Why don’t you sit here,” he said as he pointed to the empty stool beside him. “Or I can get you a quiet table.” He could see both options made her uncomfortable. “Or we could go up to my place and have a little dinner.”
    “Really? You can get away?”
    “He’s in the way,” Chandra said as she wiped down the bar. “He’s been stepping on my toes all night, and if he’d get out of here for an hour, we’d all relax.”
    He knew how to read Holly’s eyes. Any warm-blooded female would look at Chandra and be jealous. He’d have to work on assuring her that wasn’t going to be a problem.
    “If you’re so anxious to be rid of me…”
    “Why can’t you be like everyone else who runs a place like this and hide in your office?” She poured a beer from the tap and handed it to a man at the end of the bar.
    Gabe laughed. Well, at least they had all noticed that he wasn’t just the guy who held the title to the place. He was a presence, and it wasn’t going to change.
    “Chandra, this is Holly.”
    “Nice to meet you.” She reached her damp hand over the bar and shook Holly’s then quickly pulled it back and poured another drink. “Get this guy out of my bar, would you?”
    He turned back to Holly. “What are you hungry for?”
    “I’m