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don’t.”
    â€œIt’s better for you.”
    â€œAnd that matters to you?” she asked.
    He patted his stomach, which was flat and hard thanks to the workouts he did to keep the muscles in his back as strong as possible. He’d always been into fitness. A strong core was essential to keeping your ass on a horse. But he’d had to really work at it since his accident.
    It was the only thing that kept him mobile. If he put on weight and didn’t have the muscle tone to support himself, there would be no getting around at all.
    â€œI’m a total health nut,” he said. “Now bring me a beer, extra french fries and a hamburger.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Are you sure they didn’t hollow out your leg during one of your surgeries?”
    â€œPretty sure all they did was leave a bunch of metal behind.”
    â€œWell, either way, I’ll get your food. Just a second.”
    â€œDo you have a break coming up?”
    The bell above the door sounded and they both turned as a group of people walked in. “Probably not. I’ll just end up eating a sandwich over the counter in the back.”
    â€œThey have to give you a break,” he said.
    â€œI know, but I need the tips. I don’t want to skip a table. And if you stiff me, Mitchell, so help me, I’ll stab your thigh with a butter knife.”
    â€œI’m not going to stiff you,” he said, watching her walk to the door to greet the large party that had just come in. He turned back to the counter, his stomach growling.
    It smelled like griddle grease, bacon and beef in here, and he was starving.
    The bell above the door sounded again, and a man walked in wearing a cowboy hat. A man that Cade knew.
    He slid off the stool and stood. “Jim,” he said, just loud enough to get his former competitor’s attention.
    Jim saw him and his expression shifted from flat to a wide smile. “Cade Mitchell.” He walked over to the counter and extended his hand. “How you been?”
    â€œI lean slightly to the left now, but other than that, pretty good.”
    â€œYou seem to have recovered pretty well.”
    â€œYeah. Pretty well.” In that permanently damaged way. “You eating?”
    â€œHell yeah.” He sat on the stool next to Cade and put his hat on the counter.
    â€œGreat.”
    â€œActually, it’s interesting I ran into you.”
    â€œIs it?” Cade asked.
    â€œYeah. I’m moving to town. Or rather, I’m looking into it.”
    â€œReally?” Cade had never had a lot of thoughts about Jim Davis one way or the other. He was fierce competition, that was for sure. But he was quiet, and he’d always been respectful.
    He didn’t have that brash swagger that Quinn Parker—and in truth that undoubtedly Cade himself—possessed.
    Cade had always liked him in a passive way. As much as you could like the guy you were trying to beat at everything.
    â€œYes, really. Thinking of starting a ranch.”
    â€œIs there any land for sale?” Cade asked.
    â€œNot at the moment. But something’s bound to come up.”
    Amber came back just then with a basket of fries and a bottle of beer. She froze when she saw Jim. “Hi there,” she said, blinking rapidly. Then she turned to Cade and offered him a look that held a thousand words. Not necessarily words that Cade could easily translate, but they were there for sure.
    â€œThis is Jim Davis,” he said. “We used to compete on the circuit.”
    â€œJim . . . oh,” she said. “That’s why I recognized you earlier.”
    â€œEarlier?”
    â€œYeah . . . Jim came by to pay me a visit this morning,” she said.
    â€œI did. And I’m actually here to pay you a visit too.”
    Amber’s dark brows shot upward. “How did you find out where I worked?”
    â€œJust did a little asking around.”
    Everything in Cade