Vicki laughed, then took one of her own to try. Her eyes widened as soon as she started to chew, staring across the table at him.
“I told you.”
He laughed as she didn’t even finish chewing the first one before taking another. He’d come to appreciate how much Vicki just wasn’t like other women he’d been around. Any time he’d been on a date, the women would always put on an act of being proper and demure.
With Vicki, there was no pretending. She was herself, whether she was picking herself up off the ground with blood pouring from her forehead or sitting in the front seat of a minivan working on a crossword puzzle with her hair in a messy bun on top of her head.
She was just Vicki, and tonight, she wasn’t putting on an act at all. You either liked her how she was or moved on.
Mind you, he reminded himself, those other women were on a date with him. This wasn’t a date.
This was nothing more than sharing time with a friend before they had to get back on the road.
Suddenly, a rousing two-step started to play, so he looked at Vicki with a wide grin. “So, do you think you’re up to a dance to get your legs stretched out before we have to be stuck inside a vehicle for the next three days again?”
She finished chewing the mouthful she had and raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? You know how to two-step?”
“I guess you’ll have to dance with me to find out. Unless, of course, you don’t know how?”
Her eyes squinted and she quickly picked up one of the napkins on the table and wiped her mouth. “Try to keep up.”
He laughed as they made their way to the dance floor where other couples were already two-stepping around the wooden floor. He pulled her into his arms and started dancing, and before long, they were moving in perfect time to every beat of the song.
Her hair flew out past her shoulders as he spun her around, and her laughter was all he could hear. She was having so much fun that when the next song came on, as upbeat as the first, he refused to let her go. They kept up with the music, and he pulled out all his best moves.
If he had his way, he would spend the rest of the night with her in his arms like this, staring into her eyes and seeing the pure happiness reflected in them. He knew without a doubt, every man in the room was wishing they were in his place, but there’s no way he’d ever step aside to let anyone cut in, even if they tried.
By the time they’d danced to the next two songs, he was completely exhausted but knew he hadn’t had that much fun in a long time. They collapsed back into their booth, and Vicki quickly grabbed her water and downed it in one swallow.
“Oh man, my legs feel like rubber now.” She laughed as she leaned back in her seat. “So, where did you learn to dance so well? I’m used to dancing with guys like my brothers who step all over your feet until you’re left with bloody stumps by the time the song is over.”
“I don’t know. I just learned by doing it, I guess. You’re not bad at two-stepping yourself. There aren’t many women who can keep up with me like that.”
She took another sip of the water the waitress had just refilled for her. “Well, there have been a lot of weddings this past year, so I’ve had more practice dancing than most people get in a lifetime.”
“You’ve mentioned a few times how everyone in your family has gotten married. How many people are you talking about? From what you’ve said, it sounds like almost everyone in Quinn Valley.”
She laughed and shook her head slightly. “Not everyone. But just about. And the ones’ who haven’t already walked down the aisle, are at least in the planning stages of it. My family comprises a lot of the town’s population. Grandpa and Grandma Quinn had five children, and each of those children had five kids. Just over a year ago, all of us were single and ignoring Grandma Gertie’s attempts at matchmaking. Then, one by one, every single Quinn cousin has found their happy ever after.”
“Except you.”
The air around them seemed to become charged, and the mood changed slightly. He didn’t know why he was prying into her personal life like this, but he had the sudden urge to know everything he could.
Her smile faded, but she shrugged nonchalantly. “Except me. I’ve been busy with work and just haven’t really had much time for dating.” Their eyes met and his breath caught in his throat. How had no one managed to steal her heart? The men around Quinn Valley had to be a bunch of blind fools.
Before he could continue, she looked past him, and her face lit up with a smile again. “Kyle!”
Mitch turned to see the man they’d met earlier walking toward them. He figured they would be distant cousins somehow, but when he saw the way Kyle was looking at Vicki, he wasn’t feeling much family love.
“Vicki, Mitch. I was hoping you guys would follow my recommendation to come here. Did you try the nachos?”
“They were as good as you promised.” Mitch kept his eyes on the other man, hoping he’d keep on walking. He wasn’t ready to give up his time alone with Vicki.
But Kyle sat down beside Vicki as she moved over to the window. “So, have you been enjoying the nightlife in Promise? This is really about the only thing that’s even open past six, so I’m glad you decided to give it a try.”
Just then, Kyle waved at a couple of other guys who had walked in and they all came over. Before Mitch knew what was happening, they were all being introduced and joining them in their booth. He could see that every man sitting with them had noticed how stunning the only woman at the table was, and they were all fighting to get her attention.
“So, are you two married?”
One of the men must have finally decided to find out if it was even worth his time to keep pouring on the charm. Vicki laughed nervously and shook her head.
“No, nothing like that. I’m just the nurse he hired to come on the trip and look after his grandma. We’re just friends.”
Her words hit him like a punch to the stomach. Even though they were true, he realized how much he wished they weren’t.
“Well then, man, you won’t mind if I ask her to dance?” The burly friend, whose name Mitch had already forgotten, slapped him on the shoulder as he stepped out of the booth. Kyle moved aside to let Vicki out, and they headed off to the dance floor. The other guy who’d been with them headed over to the bar to talk to someone he recognized, leaving Mitch at the table alone with his distant cousin.
But he wasn’t interested in making small talk with Kyle. He kept his eyes on Vicki, and every time he saw her being spun around and heard her laughter, he wanted to stand up and punch the man between the eyes.
“You know, considering she’s just a nurse you hired, you sure do have an intense interest in her. I noticed it earlier today too when we were at the homestead. In fact, I asked your grandma if you two were newlyweds because of how obvious it was that both of you couldn’t keep your eyes off each other.”
Mitch turned and scowled at Kyle. “Vicki is a friend, nothing more than that. We’ve spent a lot of time together the past few days, so we’ve just formed a pretty close bond, but it doesn’t mean there’s anything else going on.”
He wasn’t about to sit here discussing his personal life, or his feelings for Vicki, with a man he just met today, even if he was some kind of cousin.
But Kyle just shrugged. “Well, you can say it all you want, but I can tell there’s something else going on. Whether you want to believe it or not, it doesn’t matter to me. I just figured since we’re family, I could offer you a little advice. I’ll admit I don’t know a whole lot about love, but I’m not blind. You’re in love with that girl, and for some reason, I get a feeling you’re just going to throw it away.”
Mitch ignored Kyle, keeping his eyes on Vicki. He clenched his jaw tight as he tried to ignore the words that had just been said.
Hearing them said out loud scared him. He knew he’d been falling for Vicki, but did he love her? Even if he did, what did it matter? Nothing would ever change his feelings about marriage.
All he knew for sure was that it wasn’t fair for her to get caught up in a relationship with him when he could never give her the happy ever after she deserved.
Chapter Eleven
“I can’t remember when I’ve had that much fun. Thank you so much for convincing me to come out tonight. Much better than staying in my room.”
Vicki took a deep breath of the crisp night air as they stepped outside to begin their walk back to their bed-and-breakfast. Her legs were going to be tired from dancing, and her sides sore from laughing, but it had been worth it.
She glanced over at Mitch who was looking ahead as they walked. He’d seemed to be having so much fun too, until Kyle and the others showed up. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she wanted to see him smile again. This week hadn’t been easy on him and when he’d been dancing with her, and enjoying himself, she’d been able to see a side of him she hadn’t before.
From this angle, she could see the shadow already lining his jawline that was peeking out from the jacket he had pulled tight around his neck. The orange glow from the lights made his hair look more red than blond, while the whiteness of his skin was now a pink hue.
“Kyle seems nice. Maybe you can stay in touch with him. I know Margaret will love the chance to catch up and reconnect with Leonard, so if you and Kyle are talking, that would make it a lot easier for them.”
He grunted under his breath. “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be keeping in touch with him. It’s not like he’s a close relation or anything like that. Besides, I’m not too sure what to think of the guy.”
Vicki opened her mouth, unsure what to say. She thought Kyle had been a pretty nice man and had hoped it would be a family connection for Mitch.
“Well, I thought he was nice. And I know Margaret did too. What don’t you like about him?”
He shrugged, keeping his eyes forward. She wished he would look at her, because she couldn’t tell if he was upset with her or if it was something else bothering him
“I just don’t trust him, I guess. Just because you got along great with him, and all his friends who showed up, doesn’t mean we all thought they were great.”
Seriously? Why was he acting like a spoiled child now? Was he really upset because other people had come along and spent the evening with them?
“I don’t think being friendly with people you’ve just met is a bad thing. It’s called being a nice person. You should try it sometime.” Suddenly, she was angry with him too. If he wanted to pout because Kyle and his friends showed up, there was nothing she could say to make him feel better.
She picked up her pace, now just wanting to get back to her room and into the large, comfortable bed. The good feeling she’d had over the evening was now gone and she couldn’t get away from Mitch fast enough.
But as she started to walk ahead, he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “Vicki, wait. I’m sorry for being such a grump. It’s just that…I don’t know. It’s been a weird night.”
She scowled at him, vaguely aware his hands were still holding her arms tightly as he pulled her around to face him. The street was quiet now and it seemed like they were the only two people outside in the entire town. If they hadn’t just walked out of the restaurant full of people having a good time, she’d have believed no one else was even awake in Promise.
“What was so weird about it? I thought we had a good time. At least, I know I did. But then Kyle showed up and you were like a different person.”
He let go of her arms and stepped back, thrusting his fingers through his hair. “I know. I don’t know what my problem was, other than the fact I’d been enjoying being alone with just you. When they came along, I guess I was annoyed at the intrusion.”
She raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Mitch, you’ve literally been spending time alone with me for days on the road, and you know it’s going to be the same now going home. Who cares if we had a few extra people with us for one evening?”
She couldn’t understand why he was acting like this. It was like he was being a jealous boyfriend who hadn’t been given enough attention.
Was he jealous?
The thought hit her hard as she realized that was the only explanation for it. But it was completely absurd.
Just because they’d built a solid friendship in the past few days, and she was willing to admit she had feelings for him she was struggling to understand, it didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t in the market for a relationship.
So why did he care if they hadn’t been able to spend time alone together?
He looked up the street, chewing on the inside of his cheek as she stood waiting for his answer. A part of her was screaming for him to admit he had feelings for her too, and say he wanted something more. She held her breath, hoping he’d realized he cared about her as more than a friend.
“I don’t know.”
The words strangled around her heart, taking away every last shred of hope.
Well, she wasn’t going to stand around and beg him for anything more. He’d ended up acting like a jerk tonight, for no reason whatsoever, because it was obvious he didn’t have enough feelings for her to have been jealous.
She turned to leave again, pulling her sweater closed around her against the chill. This time, she wasn’t going to let him stop her. She could hear him following right behind her, but she didn’t feel like making small talk along the way, so she just kept going.
Thankfully, the bed-and-breakfast was only half a block away now, so she walked as fast as she could until she got to the bottom step of the porch. Just as she was about to go up, his hand reached out for her arm again.
She pulled hard, trying to get free, but he held firm. Finally, she turned to face him, ready to tell him exactly what she thought about him at this moment.
But as soon as their eyes met, he pulled her forward into his arms and his lips lowered to hers. Briefly, she had a moment of thought telling her to push him away, not to let this happen, but her heart had already jumped in with both feet.
Her entire body had a mind of its own and when his arms went around her, pulling her up next to him, while his lips moved slowly over hers, she was lost. His hand came up to caress the skin along her neck, leaving a trail of heat everywhere he touched.
When she was sure her legs were going to give out, he lifted his head and stared into her eyes. He swallowed as his fingers continued their assault on the skin along her jaw and feathered her cheek.
She struggled to breathe and bring her pulse back under control.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
The words sounded strangled as they came from his throat, but he still wasn’t letting her go. His fingers pushed her hair back behind her ear, while his other hand held her firmly against him.
“That’s the second time you’ve said you’re sorry in the past ten minutes. Why am I having trouble believing it? You obviously don’t know what you want, so I think it’s best if you just let me get up to my room.”
“Vicki, I am sorry. I’m just not sure what’s going on. Maybe it’s just the emotion of everything that’s happened the past few days. I don’t know.”
Every word he spoke was like a dagger in her chest. She had to get away from him, so she pulled hard and this time, he let her go. She ignored the pained look in his eyes and spun to make her way into the bed-and-breakfast. When she got into her room, she closed the door firmly behind her and sunk down to the floor.
Right now, she wasn’t sure if she was more upset with him or herself. She had to take some responsibility, because she knew exactly what his position had always been toward a serious relationship. Yet she let herself get swept up in the moment, and now it was too late to stop her heart from completely falling.
She didn’t know how she could spend the next three days pretending she was fine, when the truth was, she knew now she was following in the typical Quinn footsteps of falling hard and fast. She was in love with Mitch and she had no idea how it had happe
ned.
And, even worse, how she was going to move past it.
Chapter Twelve
“Well, I’m pretty sure Grandma will sleep for the next three days straight. Hopefully she doesn’t suffer any ill effects from the trip. She seemed okay, but I know she was tired.”
Mitch glanced over at Vicki who was staring out the window at the passing buildings as they made their way to her place. They’d just dropped Margaret off, and he was taking Vicki home before he headed back to Boise.
He couldn’t believe how fast the past week had gone. And how much had happened in that short time. He’d managed to talk about things from his past that he’d never been able to share before, and he’d healed so many of his old wounds.
And, he’d fallen in love.
He didn’t know how it had happened, because truthfully, he’d dated women for weeks and weeks before without ever feeling what he already felt for Vicki. He hated himself for the pain he was causing her, because he actually thought there was a chance she was feeling something for him too.
But every time he thought maybe he could put his worries about marriage and love aside, and give it a chance, his mind always went back to the fighting of his parents.
He pictured the screaming, the slamming doors, then the divorce, and even more fighting. And the thought of that ever happening between him and Vicki killed him inside.
No matter what he was feeling now, he needed to remember how bad it could end.
“She’ll need a few days to rest, but she’s tough, so I’m sure she’ll be fine. I’m back at work in two days, so I’ll be certain to check on her and make sure.”
She wasn’t even looking at him at all, keeping her eyes focused on the world outside the vehicle. Ever since the night they’d kissed, things had changed between them.
It was clear that she had no intention of ever making that mistake again, and she was keeping herself pulled back from him. She’d still made small talk, laughed, and shared stories with Margaret as they made their way back home, but the distance was there.
Healing Hearts: Quinn Valley Ranch Book 27 Page 7
