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staring. At first he appeared real friendly and even had a smile on his face, but now he looked downright annoyed. Was he pissed because she wasn’t batting her eyes and going all gaga over those cute dimples he had? She wondered why she was getting all worked up about him. His brother was just as good looking and big as Max. She was instantly attracted to both of them. That was definitely a problem. Well, not really a problem. She wasn’t looking to get involved with any man. Instantly, she had reservations about the possibility of being sexually attracted to the men. She was scared of intimacy, and although her boss hadn’t succeeded in sexually assaulting her, she still feared being touched by a man. It was crazy but for some reason the whole masculinity and domineering attitude that most men have made her feel intimidated and insecure. With such feelings there was no way she was ready to get involved with a man, never mind two men, and especially not cowboys. She definitely wasn’t going to cause trouble between two brothers. She felt the perspiration reach her brow, and her stomach felt unsettled. Plus, the sheriff had the same last name, from what Marie had told her. Marie said he was a cousin. In a town this small, she assumed a lot of people would be related.
    “So you said you cook. Do you know anything about making chili?” Marie asked Stacy, interrupting her thoughts.
    “Who knows how to make chili?” Francine asked as she delivered drinks to the table. Stacy felt her cheeks blush. She had totally missed the conversation.
    The plump waitress placed her hands on her hips and stared at Stacy.
    “’Fess up, girl. Don’t be teasing Francine that way. The town’s been looking for a good chili cook for years,” Marie added with a grin before she took a bite into her cheeseburger.
    “I just mentioned to Marie that I know how to cook and wouldn’t mind cooking for the two of us when it was necessary.”
    “Do you or don’t you know how to cook chili?” Francine demanded to know with her voice raised.
    “Does this young thang know how to cook chili?” some cowboy asked over Francine’s shoulder. The place seemed to quiet down suddenly. Stacy felt that ache in the center of her gut.
    “I, um…I can cook a lot of things.”
    “How about bake? You know how ta bake, too?” another older gentleman asked as they gathered around the table.
    Stacy nodded her head but was perplexed at their intense interest in her cooking abilities. Stacy looked to Marie for some kind of reassurance, which alone got under Stacy’s skin, but then when the older woman just kept eating and smiling, Stacy got angry.
    “What’s so funny?” Stacy asked.
    “Hey, y’all, we just found our entrant into this year’s chili and pie contest,” one of the older men yelled to the rest of the restaurant. Before Stacy could stop him, the cheers went through the restaurant and more people came by to wish her good luck and welcome her.
    “Man, I can’t wait to see Betsy Whinston’s face when she loses this year,” Francine stated, and others added similar comments.
    Stacy looked to Marie for help.
    “What the hell just happened?”
    “Welcome to Pearl, New York. I just hope you can cook as good as these people hope you can,” Marie replied then got up to walk over to Francine.
    A moment later, the deputy appeared in front of Stacy.
    “Good luck in the contest, Stacy. I’m sure your chili is the hottest,” Deputy Cantrell whispered with a smile as he placed his hand on his hip and one was sitting on his holster. “I’m sure your pies are sweet as can be, too,” he added, and she couldn’t help but think there was more to those statements then he intended. The man was a dream and, in uniform, lethal as they came.
    “I don’t know exactly what I got myself involved in. I was just telling Marie that I could cook so that I can assist her back on the farm.”
    “Well, that’s mighty nice of you. I heard you’re living in