Star reached up to close the window and stopped in midstream. Velvet sat up on the lawn chair, loosely holding her bra in front of her naked breasts. Luke reached out and tied it for her. Seeing this made Star feel so jealous that she couldn’t watch anymore.
She slammed down the window and caught Luke’s startled expression as he quickly glanced up and then back down at Velvet. She should have walked away at that moment, but found herself watching as Luke went through with the love scene with Velvet.
He straddled himself atop Velvet’s barely clad body and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss looked convincingly erotic. When she thought of his lips caressing hers, it caused a tingling sensation in her chest. She watched as his mouth moved as they went over their lines. With the window shut she couldn’t hear them. Velvet squirmed beneath him, and Luke’s hand reached out toward her breast.
Star’s eyes opened wide when she realized he meant to touch it. She turned around and flung herself back on the bed rather than stand there and watch as Luke made the same moves on Velvet that he’d made on her. It was just too hard to accept.
She felt as if she had to get out of there. Her head was about to explode. Star wasn’t good with change, and all the change that was happening lately was enough to make her go mad. She made up her mind that she’d leave first thing in the morning and never have to deal with Luke or her mother or Velvet or anyone ever again. Teddy probably owned Bright Star Ranch now anyway if Luke hadn’t killed him. She’d be damned if she’d stay here to watch Teddy drive up and take over her home.
Tomorrow was Luke’s deadline and he’d be too busy trying to save his own ranch to come after her. She didn’t know what he was doing but noticed that his choice of vehicles kept getting bigger and better. She tried to convince herself that Luke was the type of man who only cared about himself and that she had been wrong to love him.
Then, with a deep sigh, she realized how foolish she’d been. She was trying to find excuses to hate him but it was only because she loved him so much that it hurt. Love wasn’t supposed to hurt, was it? She laid on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
Chapter 20
Luke wandered down to the kitchen very early the next morning, hoping to talk to Star. He’d tossed and turned all night, very upset that Star was avoiding him. He’d knocked on her door several times before he went to bed but she didn’t answer. He’d even went so far as trying the doors but they were locked up tight – probably to protect herself from him.
If only he could explain everything that was going on, then maybe she’d understand and come to her senses. But today was Friday. If he was going to do anything about saving the Circle T, he’d have to move quickly.
Luke poured himself a cup of coffee that he’d been brewing and cradled the cup in his hands. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt and only stood there in a pair of cut-offs. He leaned against the counter and took a sip of the hot brew.
Then he almost spit it out when he saw Velvet enter the kitchen. The room was dark with only the light from the moon spilling in the window. Still, it wasn’t hard to see that she wore close to nothing. She padded across the kitchen floor with bare feet and walked right up to him. Her breasts spilled out of her tan negligee, one spaghetti strap falling down her arm. The thing was see-through and he could tell she wasn’t wearing any panties either. Her breasts strained against the thin fabric, her nipples already hardened.
“Go back to bed, Velvet.”
“Not without you, Luke.”
“I told you before and I’ll tell you again that I’m not interested in what you have to offer.”
“You’d rather choose that flat-chested tomboy over me?” She took a step closer and reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her breasts pushed up against his bare chest. Any normal man would have taken her up on the offer, but not him.
“I’m in love with Star, not you Berry-bells,” he told her.
She ran her hands down his chest slowly. Luke ignored her and took another sip of his coffee.
“So, are you going to tell Star?”
Star stopped just outside the kitchen door, surprised to hear voices so early in the morning. She was sure she’d just heard Velvet. When she peeked around the corner and saw Velvet, scantily clad and pressed up against Luke, she almost cried out. Luke’s chest was naked but she couldn’t see anything else in the darkness.
“Don’t worry about what I tell Star,” said Luke.
“You’ve got to tell her sooner or later. If she hears it from someone else first, she will be furious you didn’t say something about it to her.”
“I’ll tell her when I’m damned good and ready,” growled Luke.
“You’re not going to change your mind about us, are you?”
Star ducked back behind the wall not wanting to see what they were doing.
“Never, Velvet. I’ll always feel this way. Actually, I’m sure my feelings will only become stronger with each passing day.”
“Then do something about it,” came her husky whisper. “Make your move now before I lose control and make my own moves on you.”
“I will, Velvet. You’re right. I’m going to do something I should have done long before now. I’m going to take the plunge.”
Star couldn’t listen to any more of their conversation. She wouldn’t stick around and listen to Luke take the plunge with Velvet spread across the kitchen table. They’d both made a fool out of her, and she felt like screaming and crying at the same time.
She had to get out of there and she needed to do it before she bumped into Luke in a corridor. She couldn’t face him again after what she’d just found out. Star didn’t care for him anymore and she didn’t want him. She had to leave before she had time to convince herself she was lying. She ran up to her room to pack her bag.
“You mean you haven’t taken the big plunge with Star yet?” Velvet asked Luke. “I could have sworn by the glow on her face that you’d bedded her by now.”
“That’s none of your damned business, Velvet.” Luke pushed her hands off his chest. “For your information, I wasn’t talking about sex.”
“You weren’t?” She batted her long eyelashes, not understanding.
“No. By taking the plunge, I meant I’m going to ask Star to marry me.”
“You’re joking, right?” Velvet grabbed the mug from Luke and took a sip of coffee.
“Wrong.”
“But you’re an actor. She’s only a ranch girl.”
“That’s where you’re wrong again, Velvet. I’m not an actor though I’ve been pretending to be. I’m a ranch boy and I intend to start living like one again.”
Luke left her on that note, hurrying out the screen door toward his truck.
Star didn’t take much in her saddlebag, because she was in such a rush to leave. She’d thrown in a few extra clothes, some personal belongings, and her daddy’s gun with bullets this time. She had her hand on the doorknob but turned back and made her way to the bathroom instead. Pushing open the door, her heart skipped a beat as she noticed the wilted flowers sitting in the empty bottle of Dom Perignon.
The flowers were dead, just like her relationship with Luke. The bottle was empty and so was her heart. She reached out to grab the bottle, planning on smashing it to pieces, but decided against it. Instead, she emptied the flowers into the trash and crammed the bottle in the saddlebag next to her extra pair of shoes.
Then she threw open the shower door and scooped up the bar of herbal soap. It was the soap she’d never used until she smelled it on Luke’s body. Wrapping it in the small, green hand towel – the same one that had covered Luke’s private parts that day in the shower – she shoved it into the bag next to the empty bottle and headed on out.
With any luck, she’d be able to sneak into the barn and ride away on Licorice before anyone even knew she was gone. She had no idea where she’d go, nor did she care at the moment. Just as long as it was far away from Luke Tyler, it no longer mattered. She sneaked down the ste
ps and out the kitchen door. After scanning the grounds and seeing no one, she took a step off the porch.
The headlights of Luke’s new truck lit up at that moment and Star dove to the ground hoping not to be seen. Luke sped on past without seeing her and she let out a sigh of relief. Where was he going so early in the morning? She made her way to the barn and saddled her horse.
Maxi was asleep in the hay but jumped up when Star walked in. Baby, too, seemed to get excited, clucking and cooing from her nest on the shelf.
“You can’t come with me,” she told Maxi and Baby. She continued to load her bag on the horse as she talked. “You stay with Mother and the hired hands. I’ll come back for you when I find out where I’ll be living. Actually, everyone around here will probably be gone by then. Teddy must have bought the ranch yesterday. I’m sure he’ll be kicking everyone out of here before I return. That is, if Luke didn’t kill him.”
She finished securing everything and bent down and hugged Maxi. Baby waddled over and she picked up the chicken and gave it a quick kiss.
“I’ll never forget you two. Buck will take care of you and I’ll find you wherever you go. I’ll be back for you, I promise.”
With that, she mounted Licorice. Maxi whimpered from behind her and even Baby’s cackles seemed sad. She didn’t look back, just rode away as the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. She passed the food trailer and smelled the smoke before she noticed the glow of a cigarette from the shadows.
“Good mornin’.”
She recognized the voice. It was the cook named Big Jake. She’d only talked to him once or twice but she well remembered the man.
Star nodded but kept on going.
“You can’t run from him, you know.”
She stopped Licorice and turned the horse to face him. “Run from who?” Like she didn’t know who he meant.
“Luke is a good man.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
“He loves you, Ms. Brighton.”
Her heart skipped a beat to hear this. For a moment, she wanted to believe it, but then she remembered the conversation she heard between him and Velvet in the kitchen.
“He loves women in general.”
“Don’t get him wrong.” Big Jake took another drag of his cigarette and threw the butt to the ground. He wore a pair of grease-stained pants and no shirt. His hair was tousled and he had thick stubble on his face. “Luke gave up a lot for you, Star. Don’t punish him by leavin’.”
With that, the trailer door swung open and Velvet strutted out, wrapped in a terry cloth robe. “Jake, are you coming back to bed?” She saw Star and froze in her tracks.
That’s all Star needed to see. Is this what Big Jake meant when he said Luke had given up a lot for her? And had Luke really given up Velvet’s pleasures or just shared them with Jake?
“Tell Luke not to bother. He can have Velvet because I’m not coming back.”
“I think you got this all wrong, Ms. Brighton.”
“The only thing I got wrong was getting involved with Luke Tyler in the first place.”
Star rode away fast before Jake could say another word.
Chapter 21
Luke skidded the truck to a halt just in front of Jake’s trailer. He grabbed the small box that enclosed Star’s engagement ring and shoved it inside his boot. He’d been the first customer of the day at the jeweler’s. Actually, he’d woken the poor man from a deep sleep by banging on the front door. Thank goodness the owner lived above the shop.
He stretched his long legs out of the cab of the truck, figuring he’d go wake Star up and propose to her while she was still in bed. What better place to proclaim his love for her? He was headed toward the house when Brent walked out.
“Tyler, we’ve got to go over that love scene again,” said Brent. “Plus, we’ve got one more stunt before we wrap up the shoot.”
“Brent, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“And I’ve been meaning to talk to you, too. I suppose you’ll want your pay for the film now so you can add it to what you’ve saved and go buy your ranch back from your stepbrother. After all, it is Friday.”
“It won’t do any good, so just forget it.”
“Sure it will. I can have your money here by this afternoon.”
“It doesn’t matter unless you can float me the whole sum.”
“The whole sum?” Brent let out a long, low whistle. “Luke, I can’t get my hands on that kind of money that fast and you know it. What in tarnation are you talking about?”
“My savings are all gone, Brent.”
“You can’t be serious! You’ve saved for a long time for this.”
“That’s right, I did. And I spent it all in a day and a half.”
Brent nodded. “That was a noble gesture of you to buy Bright Star Ranch at the auction yesterday, Luke. Have you told Star yet? Daisy and I didn’t say a word to her since you said you wanted to surprise her.”
“No, not yet. I had planned to tell her yesterday but, for some reason, she wasn’t talking to me. Neither have I had the chance yet to tell her that I traded in my Jeep for the truck to replace her old one.”
“Wow, you have been spending a lot of money,” said Brent. “So, are you saying you have nothing left after all this?”
“I did have money left, until this morning.”
“Now what did you buy?”
“I bought this.” Luke pulled the ring box from his boot and flipped it open for Brent to see. The two-carat, pear-shaped diamond glistened up from a sparkling 14-Karat gold band.
“Wow! That’s twice as big as the ring I got Daisy.”
“I’m not surprised.”
Brent reached out to touch it but Luke snapped shut the box and slipped it back into his boot before he had the chance.
“It’s for Star, I suppose?”
“Well, it’s certainly not for Velvet!”
Brent ran a hand over his toupee. “Luke, are you saying you’re giving up your family’s ranch for Star?”
Luke felt a knot in his stomach just thinking about it. But, still, he knew he was doing the right thing.
“Well, there is no way I’m going to give up Star for my ranch. And if it means sacrificing my life’s dream to get her, then I’ll do it.”
“You’re really stuck on the girl, aren’t you?”
Luke pulled his Stetson lower on his head and stared off into the distance. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Brent took a step closer and talked in a hushed tone. “About that little scheme to get more money out of Daisy and Star, maybe don’t mention it, ok?”
“My lips are sealed.” Luke wasn’t at all surprised that Brent canceled the plan now that he was Daisy’s husband. The woman had pulled one over on Brent but he’d be the last to admit it.
“Well, come on, Tyler, we’ve got a love scene to shoot.”
“Brent, there’s something else I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“Well, hurry up, the day’s a wasting.”
“If Star agrees to marry me, I’m going back to ranching.”
Brent was quiet for a minute before answering. “So you’re really serious about this?”
“I am.”
“I see. Of course, you’re not stopping until this film is finished.”
Luke shook his head, waiting for Brent to explode. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be finishing Jimmy the Outlaw. I can’t do the love scene with Velvet when I’m in love with Star.”
Brent crossed his arms over his chest and his face reddened. “You’ve got to, Luke. You’re committed.”
“Am I? Are you talking about that same contract that already expired?”
Daisy walked out of the house just then, spotting Brent and Luke and came running over.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Brent grumbled under his breath.
“Brent. Luke,” called Daisy as she ran up with a frown on her face. A piece of paper fluttered from between her fingertips. “Star’s gone. S
he left this note and said she wasn’t coming back.”
“Let me see that!” Luke snatched the note out of her hand and scanned the hurried writing of Star. It was vague, and only said the information Daisy had already relayed to them.
“Where did she go?” asked Luke, crumpling the note and throwing it to the ground.
“I don’t know,” said Daisy. “I checked with Louise and the hired hands and they haven’t got any idea either.”
“She left early this morning on that horse of hers.” Velvet strolled over from the food trailer dressed in an oversized shirt that looked like Big Jake’s. She was barefoot and didn’t seem to care that everyone knew where she’d spent the better part of the morning. Luke was sure she wanted him to know where she’d been after he turned her down cold in the kitchen earlier.
“Velvet, why didn’t you stop her?” Luke was furious.
“That’s your job, Cowboy. I didn’t feel it was my place to get involved.” Velvet twirled a lock of red hair in her fingers.
“I’m going after her.” Luke sprinted for his truck.
“Tyler, we’ve got to talk,” Brent called after him.
Luke peeled out of Bright Star Ranch with one thought on his mind only. Star was going back to Teddy and he had to stop her before she did something stupid that she’d regret.
Star rode up to Circle T and tethered Licorice to the hitching post. She was determined to do two things before she headed on out of town. One, was to sneak back into Luke’s room and retrieve her bra. She wasn’t going to let him hang it from the flagpole and brag to the world that he’d bedded her like he had so many others. Maybe there wasn’t a notch in his headboard, but there was certainly a notch carved out of her heart.
The second thing she’d do before leaving was tell T.J. exactly what she thought of him. She had decided that Luke hadn’t killed him after all because if he had, he wouldn’t still be hanging around Bright Star Ranch.
Starstruck Cowboy (Working Man Series Book 1) Page 17
