“They tipped me twenty dollars just to remind them to leave in an hour,” Jessie said, holding up the bill with a smile. “Cool, huh?”
Tori agreed. “Very cool.”
She slid across from Allison. “So why did Tobias send me flowers. And more importantly, why didn’t you tell him to shove them up his…”
“Because like anyone else, he is a customer and I do what I’m paid to do. Besides, they are so pretty.” Allison admired her handiwork. “I love yellow, don’t you?”
“They are very pretty. But really, Allison, what the hell did he say? I am not in the mood to deal with him. To make matters worse, he and his dingbat fiancée just left. They had the nerve to come here for lunch. Here!”
Tori got up at hearing Marcos’ call.
“I have some juicy gossip. You’re going to die laughing. That Tobias is a riot,” Allison said as Tori walked away.
How did this turn into a Tobias chat? Tori had no desire to hear about his latest dumb action. It was time to move one. What she needed was a day to herself. There had to be a single, attractive man she could date and give the town no reason to think she was available and waiting for Tobias. Because she absolutely was not waiting on that idiot.
The sooner Laurel Creek accepted the fact she was dating someone and he was about to be the Mr. to Mrs. Bimbo, the better things would be.
Mind made up, she sat back down as Allison looked up. “Do you want to go to Billings with me this weekend?”
“Sure, but let me tell you what happened at Shooters this weekend. Tobias…”
“I don’t want to know what he did. He’s an idiot and he’s engaged and I don’t care.”
Allison waved her words away. “He told Mimi that she was his going to be his next ex-wife. She started screaming and stormed out. Left him there.”
Allison continued the tale. “Taylor took him home after he showed up at our door half-dressed and a bit too tipsy to drive himself home. He kept talking nonsense about how you and him were going to end up together one day.”
“That was the night he…we…”
Allison’s eyes widened. “Oh, well shoot. I didn’t think about that. So you undressed him then?” Her friend giggled.
“It’s not funny. Besides, I told you, I had drunk half a bottle of wine and he was…tipsy.”
“Mmm, hmmm,” Allison lifted lasagna to her mouth. “I’m going to pay for this lunch. It’s too good to be free.”
Tori picked at her plate and then ate a forkful.
The chicken pesto was amazing. She made a mental note to ask Marco to make it a regular item for Tuesdays. She glanced across to the women, who were still engrossed in conversation. “That’s why you have to help me find a boyfriend. I need to stop leaving any possibility of Tobias waltzing through my front door.”
“I thought you hated him,” Allison said. She continued before Tori could reply. “Then again, it’s a thin line between love and hate.”
“There is no love in it.”
“Then why did you sleep with him and why did he say you and him are going to end up together. Honestly, Tori, if you just tell him how you really feel, he won’t make the huge mistake of marrying Mimi.”
Tori let out a long breath and ate more of the delicious food.
“I couldn’t care less about Tobias Hamilton. We slept together because hate sometimes causes chemistry. But like most chemical combinations, we would probably explode if we ended up together.”
Allison motioned to her with the fork she held. “Did you read the note?”
Reluctantly, Tori dragged the crumpled piece of paper from her apron pocket. She scowled at the familiar slanted handwriting.
“Sorry for coming over drunk. Sex was great.”
Tobias.
Tori let out a breath and shook her head. “The sooner he gets married and leaves town, the better.”
Chapter Two
“Hey, there.” Leah plopped down across from Tori at Cuppa Joe, the coffee shop down the street from her restaurant. “I hear you got flowers.”
Sometimes Tori wondered what it would be like to live in a bigger town where everyone didn’t know her business.
“Yep. If it wasn’t for the fact they are pretty, I would behead them and send the stems back to the dumbass.”
The coffee shop owner, Mindy, neared and refilled Tori’s coffee cup. “I love yellow flowers. I haven’t gotten flowers in a long time.” She sighed and went to the next table.
“You do realize nothing will ever happen between Tobias Hamilton and me, don’t you?” Tori tapped her fingernail on the tabletop for emphasis. “He’s engaged to be married and if I’m lucky, that squeaky-voice Mimi will convince him to move to Billings.”
Leah narrowed her eyes, and tossed her always-perfect hair. “I hate to think of it. So I prefer to remain in denial. You two are meant to be. Everyone knows it except for you…and Tobias.”
“Explain to me why? We don’t get along. I broke his heart when I ended things just as he went to a war zone. Everyone should hate me for that.”
“It’s been many years. We’ve forgiven you.”
“Oh. My. God.” Tori stood up and picked up her toasted bagel. She really hated leaving the coffee, but if anyone else brought up the damned flowers, she was going to scream.
“Hey, Sugar. You don’t have to leave because of me.” Of course, the timing as usual was horrible. Tori swung to face Tobias.
“Why the hell are you always in town? Don’t you have a ranch to run? Your cows must be starving and your dumb horses are probably standing knee deep in shit.”
When he opened his mouth to talk, she stuffed the half-eaten bagel into his mouth. With a huff, Tori rounded him and left the coffee shop.
It was too early to go to the restaurant. Since it was Monday, they only opened for dinner. She could always work on accounts or organize the pantry. However, she’d promised herself a day off. The plan was to spend time at the coffee shop and catch up on social media, and then she planned to go to the shelter and see about adopting a small dog. Since her own dog had died, she missed having the companionship of a pet to keep company with in the evenings.
“Shit,” she grunted, realizing she’d left her laptop on the table in the coffee shop. She turned to see Leah and Tobias standing on the sidewalk talking. He held the laptop under his arm and a coffee cup in the other hand.
She neared, making sure to keep her eyes averted. It was best not to look Hamiltons straight in the eyes. They had some strange kind of pull that made stomachs flip and hearts race.
“What?” He turned.
“My laptop,” Tori replied, looking at Leah, who seemed to be fighting the urge to laugh.
Tobias blew out a breath. “Good thing you’re back. Thanks for the bagel. I need to talk to you.”
Her heart stopped and she couldn’t breathe. It was time to get away from him pronto. “About what?”
“Come back inside. Finish your coffee.”
Leah turned to look across the street. “I’m going to see if Allison has a blouse I can borrow.” She practically sprinted away. The Traitor.
Since he still had her laptop hostage, Tori had not choice but to follow him back inside.
Tobias wasn’t sure exactly why he’d not just called instead of speaking to her in person. The subject was probably going to set her off. Hopefully, the fact they were in public would help. Hell, who was he kidding? They always fought in public.
In actuality, he needed to keep away from her. Just looking into her deep brown eyes made him want to drag her to the closest bed, get lost in her and not come up for air until they were both sated. She was the one who’d broken his heart and thanks to Tori Romano, he’d never trust a woman as long as he lived.
“I ah…I need the ring back.” He spoke as soon as she sat down. Her eyes widened and then narrowed.
“What ring?”
He leaned forward so that he could speak in a low tone. “You know what fucking ring. Don’t gi
ve me crap about it, Tori. Just give it back.”
Her lips pressed into a tight light and the little pert nose flattened when her nostrils flared. “I have no flippin’ idea what the hell you’re talking about. Give me my damned computer and get out of my face Hamilton.”
The patrons at a nearby table, an older pair of ladies, looked to them without blinking. The eager expressions almost made him give Tori the computer and leave. “The engagement ring. I need it back.”
Realization dawned and she blinked before opening her mouth to form a perfect “O”. “Oh shit, I forgot about that. I tried to give it back to your mom.”
“I know.”
“She said to keep it.”
A trickle of dread flowed down his spine. “What did you do with it?”
The ring had been in the family since his great-great-grandmother Lucille Hamilton. If Tori had sold it, pawned it or destroyed it, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. If she said it was gone, he’d have to high-tail it out of the coffee shop, otherwise he would strangle her. Prison didn’t sound so bad, however, when considering having to deal with his father’s reaction if he found out.
Tori bit her bottom lip. “I’ll look for it and send it to your mom.”
“No,” he gritted the word out. “You’ll get it now and give it to me.”
She huffed. “Give me my laptop.”
“Not until you give me the ring.”
“What do you want it for?”
Once again, he had to lower his voice so not to cuss in front of the eager beavers who continued to watch with fascination. “You know what I want the damned thing for. Stop screwing with me.”
“I’m not sure I want to do anything for your rude ass.” She yanked the computer from under his hand and marched out the door.
“What the hell!” Tobias yelled and got to his feet.
“Hey, Cuz,” Eric Hamilton, the local cop and Mindy’s new love interest, slid to block him from following Tori. “Calm down. Best not to go after her. Let me talk to her.”
Frustrated to the point of the inability to form words, Tobias raked his fingers through his hair. “That woman will give me an ulcer. She is so damned annoying.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Eric’s gaze moved from his face to Tori who’d crossed the street and half-jogged to her house. “I’ll have to ask her to join my team for the Laurel Creek Memorial Day fun run.”
Tobias snapped his fingers in Eric’s face. “Go talk to her and get her to give you the damned engagement ring before Dad finds out it’s lost and has a coronary.”
“I will, but I’ve got a cup of coffee and a muffin with my name on them.” Eric walked around him and went to the counter. Mindy smiled sweetly at his cousin, her cheeks coloring. Those two were annoying too, Tobias decided and stalked out.
Mimi was leaning on her silver Mustang. She waved at him, her eyes darting in the direction Tori had gone. “Hey, there. I was about to walk into the café, but heard a commotion and decided to wait out here for you.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. She makes me lose my temper.”
“About that.” Mimi gave him a pointed look. “I’m getting a bit tired that every time I turn around you and Victoria are in each other’s faces.”
Tobias decided it was best not to say anything. He was in a sour mood and it wasn’t Mimi’s fault. Instead, he nodded.
“I mean it. This is not how I want to spend our married life together. We have to talk.”
The silent path wasn’t going to work. So he took her arm and directed her to Allison’s flower shop. They were supposed to pick flowers or arrangements or something. He’d come early in hopes of catching Tori and getting the ring back.
“Mimi, I promise to do my best to give her a wide berth. Avoid her at all costs from now on.”
His fiancée wasn’t about to be deterred from the conversation, and pulled her arm from his grasp. “It’s impossible. This town is way too small for the both of you. We have to move to Billings. The sooner, the better. I think it’s for the best. Think of our marriage, our future together, sweetness.” She pressed her generous breasts against him and lifted to her toes to kiss him, her arms snaking around his neck. “Think about it,” she insisted between kisses.
He didn’t want to think. If Mimi knew him, she’d understand he was an overthinker and then ended up making the worst decision. So instead, he decided to make a spur of the moment decision. “Fine, yeah, it may be best for us to move away. My parents will be glad to have us closer. I’ll start working on it.”
“Yay,” she exclaimed. “You can let Luke oversee the ranch, hire people to take care of the cows.” Obviously, she didn’t understand or care how much of a burden it would be on Luke.
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she urged him to walk to the flower shop. They made an awkward entrance through the door as Mimi didn’t release his waist and they had to thread through the door one first and then the other.
Allison narrowed her eyes just for an instant. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Of course, she was firmly settled into the Anti-Mimi camp, but he didn’t give a damn. Mimi was beautiful, sensual and he would never fall in love with her. It was enough that she aroused him and was great in bed. That was all he needed.
Love was for idiots.
That evening, Tobias hoped to relax and not do a damned thing. Other than a couple chores at the ranch, it would be a relaxing evening.
“I want to go to Bora Bora,” Mimi informed him as she flipped through a travel magazine. They were in the kitchen of his ranch home. He studied his beer can, too bored with the conversation to reply. For the last thirty minutes, she’d said she wanted to go to at least fifteen places.
“I better get out and check on the horses. Wanna come?” he asked, knowing she’d say no.
She gave him a bright smile over the lowered magazine. Her blonde curls bounced as she shook her head with enthusiasm. Mimi did not like the outdoors unless it included a pool, beach, or some sort of fancy picnic.
“How about I stay here and wait for you. We can take a shower together and, afterwards, we can have some champagne out back. I love looking at the stars.”
Admittedly, it sounded nice to spend time just relaxing with his future wife.
Why did he not jump at the idea? Instead, he wanted to go out to the stables and take his time with his horses. The weather was nice and the animals spent more time outdoors than inside, but they still had to be checked on.
“Where did the dogs go?” Tobias looked around, realizing he’d not seen the pups in a while.
“They went outside an hour ago,” Mimi pointed to the patio door. “Probably out running or something.”
He stood and stretched. “I’ll be ready for that shower when I get back.”
Chapter Three
“What the hell? We were supposed to leave an hour ago. What happened to you? You look like shit!” His identical brother Luke stalked through the living room toward the kitchen. Tobias didn’t bother answering. He’d forgotten all about their planned trip to Billings to a cattle auction.
He turned the volume down on the television and sat up. “I have a lot of shit on my mind. Spent all night with a cow.”
“Mimi will be pissed if she finds out you called her a cow.” Luke’s tone was flat, but Tobias knew he was kidding.
The aroma of coffee followed the gurgling sound of the coffeemaker. He stood and went to the kitchen. “I’ll be ready to go in a bit. Let me just wash my face.”
“Nah, it’s getting late, we can go next week.” Luke watched the coffeemaker as if it would make the process go faster. “What happened?”
Tobias leaned on the counter and shrugged. “Hard birth. Poor thing was stuck badly. Didn’t think I needed to call a vet and, by the time I realized how bad it was, it was too late.”
“Lost both?”
“Just the calf.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
Luke poured two cups of coffee. �
�I suppose it’ll be a good day to hang out and help you with stuff around here.”
Although his brother was a man of few words, he always seemed to know when Tobias needed a sounding board. And while there were times when Luke wouldn’t say a word, just being able to share things was usually more than enough.
Tobias cleared his throat. “Do you plan to stay here for the rest of your life? Let this be it? Ranching, spending every day and night with horses and cattle?”
Instead of replying right away, Luke took a long sip of his coffee and looked straight out the sliding doors. It was obvious he was considering what to say. Finally, he met Tobias’ gaze.
“There’s nothing out there that’s any better. This is where I belong.” Luke studied him. “What’s got you thinking different? You’ve always wanted to make this ranch successful and raise a family here.”
He wasn’t about to tell Luke about Mimi’s request. It would seal her fate as the most disliked member of the family. “Lately, I’ve been feeling sort of stifled. You know, like I can’t breathe fully and then there’s so much of my past here.”
“You mean Tori?”
Why the hell did he have to bring her up?
“No, not just Tori. I mean everyone trying to dictate my life. I know you all don’t like Mimi, but she’s the woman I’m going to marry. I don’t need to see disapproval and judgment everywhere I turn.”
A tennis ball rolling past his feet followed the sound of a dog’s nails on the wooden floor. One of the dogs, Duke, sat in front of him and looked up. Tobias couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ll let you out, but I’m not playing fetch right now.”
“Why not?” Luke said, bending to pick up the ball and going to the sliding doors. “The dogs stifling you, too?”
“What the fuck?” He clenched his jaw, not sure what Luke meant by the comment and followed his brother and excited dogs out to the back deck. Luke bent to pick up a second ball and threw both.
The dogs barked and raced off. His brother turned with a scowl that probably matched his own.
Ruined: Tobias Page 2
