It Had to Be Them (An It Had to Be Novel Book 4)

by Tamra Baumann

  “Damn right. Size matters. Especially when it comes to football.”

  “Town size matters. I’ve been looking at houses in Denver. I want to be closer to my mom as she gets older. Then I’ll still travel on school breaks. It’s not like I completely hate it here—although I do wish there was some decent Thai takeout. I figure if I could live in a tent in Africa for six months, then I can deal with Anderson Butte for two years. It’s still close enough to Denver to get away a few weekends a month to get my city fix, which I’m sure I’ll need to do to stay sane.”

  She’d finally admitted that she didn’t hate Anderson Butte. If she could change things for the better by being mayor, maybe he really did have a chance to change her mind about staying permanently and they could resume their relationship. “Then why haven’t you come home for even a visit since you left?”

  She blew out a long breath. “Because of you.”

  While Kline had been a killer in sports and intrepid enough to travel the world, her habit had been to avoid and run away from emotional problems rather than face them.

  He laid his hand over hers still on his knee. “Because you hated me that much?”

  She shook her head. “No, I loved you that much.”

  Dammit. If he’d gone after her when his contract was up instead of assuming she hated him for bailing on their plans and breaking up with her, would she have forgiven him? Could she ever forgive him for it now?

  She slipped her hand out from under his. “I got over you, but I never wanted to feel that kind of pain again. I didn’t know what I’d feel when I saw you, so it was easier to just avoid you. If not for my mother’s health issues, I wouldn’t have ever come back.”

  So maybe this was his chance to show her they were both different now and belonged together. She’d had her adventure and he’d figured out that she was more important than any contract he’d ever sign. Or his father and family. He leaned closer and whispered, “So what did you feel when you saw me again?”

  “Sick, if you’ll recall.” She smirked. “And in debt to you for a pair a shoes.”

  Should he push for a real answer?

  All he knew for sure was that he didn’t want to lose her to the Fed guy, so he needed to make his intentions clear.

  He reached out and took both her hands in his. “So, now you’ve seen me, and it wasn’t so bad. We needed to do what we had to do back then, but now we’re in different places. You just admitted you don’t hate it here, so I think we should try for a fresh start.”

  Kline blinked at him for a moment. That she didn’t protest right away boded well for him. She finally said, “My time away has taught me to appreciate people and the little things that make up my life. I am a different person now. Maybe with more time we could—”

  “It’s been long enough, Kline. I don’t want to be just your friend anymore. I want a real relationship. I won’t stop until I win you back. So if that’s not something you want, I’d reconsider pursuing the mayor’s position in a town so small it’s impossible to hide.” Telling Kline that when he was the one who’d broken up with her ought to piss her off enough to make her deal with how she really felt about him.

  He stood to leave, but she yanked on his hand to stop him. “Wait a minute. If I decide I want a relationship with you, you’ll be the first to know. Otherwise, things will stay as they are and you’ll have to respect my boundaries. But that will have no bearing on my run for mayor. Is that understood?”

  He suppressed a grin. Yep. She was mad. But her being angry used to spur her into action and that’s what they both needed. “Absolutely. But this town might not be big enough for both of us, Kline.”

  She scowled at him as he turned and walked away. He wasn’t sure if he’d helped his case or hurt it. But second chances don’t often come along in life and he needed to make sure she knew where he stood.

  His footsteps on the shiny floors echoed in the quiet hallway as he made a hasty exit. When he reached the main lobby, he pushed the glass door open and headed down the steps. The cold air sent a shiver up his spine, so he pulled up the collar on his suit jacket. As he crossed by the bandstand, his grandmother, seated on the steps, called out, “’Bout time. I’m freezing my knickers off here, Ben.”

  “What are you doing out this late? I thought you went home an hour ago.” He reached out to help her stand. “Let me walk you home.”

  Grams must’ve been tired because she actually let him help her up. Then she grabbed his arm for stability instead of her cane as they set out for her house. “I was waiting for you because it’s pretty obvious that Nate fellow wants Kline. And he might even be a little better looking than you.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  She chuckled. “Just telling it like it is. The girls asked Kline to ladies’ night tomorrow night, but now that Nate is in the picture, we decided to go with plan B.”

  “And what would that be? Careful.” He held on to her with both hands as they started down her gravel drive.

  “You need to get one of your lady friends here tomorrow night instead of going to Denver on your usual night off. Take her to Brewsters so Kline can see you with her.”

  He already had a dinner date in Denver he’d nearly forgotten about. “What is that supposed to accomplish?”

  “Kline still has feelings for you. The question is, how deep? A woman doesn’t hold a man’s hand to stop his compulsive habits if she doesn’t care for him at least a little.”

  He should let it go, but he’d heard that term one too many times. “I don’t have a compulsion. I’m a doctor, I know what the symptoms are.”

  “Well, I’m your grandmother and know you better than anyone else, and I have the Internet right on my phone now. I looked it up. It said one of the things that could trigger an episode was serious family and relationship problems. I don’t think it’s a coincidence you started with your strange quirks shortly after you and Kline broke up.”

  Thankfully, they were almost to her front steps so he could end the ridiculous conversation. “I don’t know why I bothered to go to medical school. Now anyone with an Internet connection can diagnose and cure themselves.”

  Grandma started up the first step. “Don’t use that smarty-pants tone with me. I’m just trying to help you win Kline back. Now where were we? Oh, yeah. Bring your girl here tomorrow night, and do whatever you need to do with her to make Kline jealous. I’ll be sure Betty gets Kline and pretty boy to Brewsters. Your sisters will take care of the rest.”

  Once at the top of the stairs, Ben moved ahead and opened her front door. “Is this high school? What if it backfires and sends Kline into Nate’s arms for comfort?”

  Grandma shook her head. “It’s amazing you ever graduated from high school. You can be so darned dense sometimes. You’re going to go over to Kline’s house now and tap on her bedroom window just like you did years ago when you thought I didn’t know. Then you’re going to ask her if she wants you to cancel your date tomorrow night. Trust me. The rest will fall into place just fine. Now get out of my hair. I’m tired.”

  Grandma slammed the door closed in Ben’s face.

  He had no clue how going over to Kline’s was going to help. Or if he should even play along with the game his grandmother and sisters had cooked up. But Kline was angry with him and the Fed guy was in her house to console her, so maybe he should go talk to her. First he’d make a stop at home, though. He had just the thing to make Kline forget she was mad at him.

  Kline slid under the covers and turned off her bedside lamp. The full moon made the room unusually bright, so she slipped out of bed and closed her curtains. Once settled in bed again, her brain was so full of what-ifs and whys that she couldn’t sleep. Distracting her busy mind with a story on the new tablet, which she still needed to pay for, seemed like a good plan.

  Just as she’d found a comfortable position on her old, lumpy mattress, a soft knock sounded on her door. She laid her tablet down and threw the covers back. When she opened the door,
Nate stood before her wearing only his boxers and a grin. “Couldn’t sleep. Wondered if you’d like to blow off a little steam with me?”

  Nate was great in bed. No doubt he’d make her a satisfied customer for the short term with his smoking hot body. But they had a complicated past that she didn’t want to make any more complicated by sleeping with him. Seeing Ben again had solidified that she hadn’t loved Nate as much as she had Ben. And look how that had worked out. “Tempting, but I’m super tired. It’s been a long day.”

  “No worries.” Nate leaned closer and whispered, “Good night . . . Mayor.”

  “We’ll see about the mayor part. Night.” She should’ve told him that sleeping together wasn’t going to happen ever again, but she just didn’t have the energy after dealing with Ben earlier.

  Nate calling her mayor sort of took her aback, though. Whenever she heard that title, a vision of Ben’s scowling father flashed in her head.

  She crawled back into bed and tried to read, but her overactive brain refused to stop asking her hard questions. Like, how was she going to win the election? What did she need to study up on to be good at running the town? And would the council help her until she learned?

  Worse, what would she do about Ben if she actually won the election? It was one thing to avoid dealing with him for three weeks, but two years was a long time. He’d been right about one thing: they’d see each other often. And they were both in different places than they’d been before. Ben was established in his career now, and didn’t seem to need his father’s approval like when they were young and poor in college. And she’d learned that men she could love were few and far between. As much as she’d tried to open her heart, she’d only been able to give it to Ben.

  And she knew in theory that love was precious and worth fighting for rather than hiding from the pain it could bring. But her heart still hadn’t caught up with the idea of that. Could she let Ben back into her heart? Did she want to risk being hurt all over again?

  Ben had made her so mad with his earlier “promise” of not giving up until he won her back. He was the one who’d pushed her out the door, so he’d lost the right to pursue her unless she wanted to be chased, dammit. He’d just decided they should be back together as quickly as he’d decided to end things with her. When he’d said he’d like to try again, her heart had momentarily skipped a beat. When the oxygen had returned to her brain, though, she’d realized that if they were going to be together, then this time it’d be her choice. Not his.

  Reading wasn’t happening either, so she turned off her tablet, punched up her pillow a couple of times until it was just right, then laid her head down and hoped for sleep.

  Quiet tapping on her window, in a familiar pattern, made her huff out a breath. Ben. He was the last person she wanted to talk to. She’d just ignore him and maybe he’d go away.

  The tapping sounded again, so she threw her covers back and stomped to the window. After throwing the curtains aside, she lifted the window just enough to hear him without freezing her tush off. “What?”

  “Still mad, huh? Here, this is for you.” He lifted the window another few inches and stuck an insulated lunch bag inside. She unzipped it and found a cellophane-wrapped bowl and a spoon. On the bottom there was a perfectly folded napkin. Of course.

  “What is this, Ben?” She slowly unwrapped the bowl.

  “Better than any Thai takeout in Denver. Still love tom yum goong?”

  Yes! Her mouth watered at the spicy aroma. “Thanks. But I’m still mad at you.”

  He blew on his fisted hands for warmth as he leaned to the side, seeming to search for something. “Bet it’ll be tough to stay mad after you taste that.” He strained his neck farther to the other side to peer around her.

  She took a step back and held a hand out toward her rumpled covers. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m alone, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Things could’ve been awkward had she taken Nate up on his offer. Not that she would have anyway.

  She was freezing, and the lovely smells wafting from the bowl made her curious, so she said, “Come in out of the cold.”

  While Ben maneuvered himself inside, she sat on her bed and dug into the spicy dish. She closed her eyes and savored the combination of fragrant herbs and the kick at the end from the chilies. “Mmmmmm.”

  Ben was an awesome cook. Growing up without his mom and being the oldest, he’d had to learn how to make family meals at an early age. “This is better than takeout. Is it an apology for your caveman act earlier?”

  “Nope.” He closed the window behind him. Then he crossed the room to the bed. The mattress took a big dip with his weight, sucking her toward him, so she juggled the bowl to keep the soup from spilling.

  He took out his phone and answered a text as he said, “Did you know you make the same sound for incredible food as you do for incredible sex?”

  She glanced at him as she swallowed another big bite. “Pleasure is pleasure, I guess. If you’re not here to apologize, then why are you bringing me yummy food this late at night?”

  His lips formed into a very sexy grin as he tucked his phone away. “If I told you I hoped to seduce you with Thai, would you let me? Seduce you?”

  Her mouth was full again so she just shook her head. But being seduced by Ben was tempting.

  “Didn’t think so.” He laid his hand on her bare leg just below where her flannel boxers ended, and then his gaze landed on her chest. She wished she was wearing something other than a thin tank top, because the cold had made the girls stand at full attention. Ben’s hungry stare made them ache for his touch.

  “So why are you here, Ben?” She slipped her finger under his chin and tilted it up, until his eyes zeroed in on hers again.

  “Sorry.” His full lips formed a naughty, unrepentant grin. “I’m here because I need to clarify the rules of our friendship agreement.”

  “It’s pretty straightforward. We act like friends, and we don’t act on our baser desires.”

  His brows shot up. “Baser desires? That sounds kind of dirty. And fun.” He ran the tip of his index finger along her collarbone and made her shiver. “Did you learn a few new interesting techniques in all your travels that you’d like to share with the class?”

  She brushed his finger aside and then finished scraping the bowl clean. “If I did, I wouldn’t be so foolish to tell you while you’re on my bed with that predatory gleam in your eyes.” She hoped he didn’t see the one in hers. He looked awful cute in a pair of sweats that showed off his nicely formed butt and strong thighs. It’d just take one tug and those pants . . . she needed to knock off the naughty thoughts.

  He leaned away a fraction and patted her thigh. “Actually, I just wanted to be sure you hadn’t changed your mind. Because I have a date tomorrow night. I’ll cancel if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

  “Date?” A sharp pang shot through her chest. She was pretty sure the burn left behind wasn’t from the spicy dish.

  What was wrong with her? She stood and placed the empty bowl back in the bag to give herself a second to pull her thoughts together. “You don’t have to ask my permission to date.” Did the man have that many women clamoring for his time that he had to date on a Thursday night to squeeze them all in? “Taking her somewhere nice in Denver?”

  “No.” His jaw tightened as he stood. “I’ve asked her to come here.”

  “Long drive for a date. She must really like you.” And she’d most likely be spending the night. That pang was back again. She rubbed her chest to ward it off.

  “She’s not driving. I’ll pick her up in the chopper tomorrow after work and then take her back home on Friday afternoon. We’re going to do some hiking Friday morning.”

  Hiking? She used to love to hike with Ben. They went whenever they could. “That sounds like a fun date.”

  “Yeah.” He huffed out a breath. “Okay, I guess we’re good here then. So I’ll see you when I see you?”

  “Yep.” She fo
rced a smile. “Thanks for the Thai fix.”

  “Welcome.” He scooped up the bag, straightened the lampshade by her bed, and then headed for the window. Once he was all the way out, she started to close it but stopped. “It worked, by the way, Mr. Sneaky.”

  He stopped walking and turned around. “What worked?”

  “Thai food. I’m not mad at you anymore.” She hated that now she was jealous because he was taking someone besides her hiking. But she needed to push that aside.

  He walked back to the window and whispered, “Are you sure you don’t want me to cancel? You and I could go hiking on Friday instead. As friends.”

  Her stupid eyes burned with tears. He seemed to want her to tell him to cancel. But she couldn’t have it both ways. It’d just be confusing for both of them. “Maybe another time. Bye.” She quickly shut the window and drew the curtain closed before he saw the tears she couldn’t hold back any longer. It made no sense that she was crying. She was over him. Had been for many years. She needed to keep her eye on the goal.

  Tomorrow she’d make an appointment for her mother with a doctor in Denver. Whether she liked it or not. Then she’d figure out how to beat the mayor and become the first Grant ever to be elected in Anderson Butte. That was enough for now. She’d deal with Ben and all the messy emotions that’d surely bring after the election.

  And she’d get used to seeing Ben with other women . . . eventually.

  Dawn finally illuminated Kline’s bedroom curtains. She’d tossed and turned all night thinking about Ben and what he’d said about the both of them living in their small town. As much as she probably needed to try to sleep a little longer, that just wasn’t happening.

  She dressed in sweats and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Then she quietly slipped down the hallway, past the guest room where Nate was sleeping, and to the kitchen. She grabbed a banana from the bowl on the counter and then opened the door that led to the garage. Her old basketballs stood right where they always had on the shelf next to the pump. She chose the best looking of the worn balls and filled it with air. Maybe a little physical activity would help her out of her funk.