by Dylann Crush
“Saw a shovel in the garage.” The man nodded toward the building that used to operate as the carriage house.
“Thanks.” Bodie waited until he reached his truck and loaded the traps into the back. With nothing but time on his hands and a giant hole he needed to dig himself out of, he might as well start by filling some in. He found the shovel in the garage and got to work. An hour passed, then two. By the time the sun began to disappear behind a bank of heavy gray clouds, he’d filled in all the holes he could find. That ought to put a smile on Lacey’s face. One less thing for her to have to worry about.
Thinking of Lacey made him wonder where she was. Had she blown off some of the anger he’d created? Hopefully giving her the afternoon to cool down would work in his favor. As he put the shovel back in the garage he pulled out his phone, ready to track her down again and try to make amends.
“Hey, Bodie.” She answered on the second ring, her voice calm, clear, and sounding the slightest bit happy.
“Hi. Where have you been this afternoon? I stopped by the house.”
“My dad gave me the flowers you dropped off. That was so sweet of you. Thanks for thinking of me.”
Why wasn’t she swearing up a storm? Did he get it wrong? His gut told him to proceed with caution. Something wasn’t right. The singsong tone in her voice was a dead giveaway. “You’re welcome.”
“I went out for a ride. It’s been so long since the poor horse got a chance to stretch his legs. I’m sorry I missed you. You should have told me you’d be stopping by. I made a brisket and some apple crumble for dessert. Do we still have dinner plans?”
He checked his watch. It was almost six and the only thing waiting on him at home was a knocked-up dog and a freezer full of frozen tamales. “I’m over at the Phillips House right now. I need to swing by home and feed Shotgun but other than that I’m not doing anything tonight.”
“I could make up a couple of plates for us and run them over. What do you think?”
She sounded genuine. His gut warmed at the thought of a home-cooked meal and practically sparked as he envisioned the kind of things they might be able to get to after they ate and he came clean about the offer from Mayor Little. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
“I’ll see you in a little while, then.” Her smile traveled right through the phone. There was no way she was pissed at him. He’d seen her angry before and if Lacey had one area where she struggled it was in wearing her heart on her sleeve. She’d always been like an open book. A weight lifted from his shoulders and he smiled.
“Looking forward to it, Sweets.”
“Oh, me, too.” She disconnected.
Hell, what had he been so worried about? He looked around the yard. He’d just wasted a couple of hours filling in holes for no reason. Granted, Lacey wouldn’t have to worry about it now but he’d wasted hours’ worth of energy worried she’d never want to see hide nor hair of him again.
The thing with his dad and pops must be making him paranoid. He’d do best to come clean with Lacey tonight before she caught wind of it otherwise. Having her find out from someone else would definitely put a kink in their budding relationship. A relationship . . . is that what he wanted?
Luke wouldn’t like it. But he was thousands of miles away. By the time he made it home it would be old news. Mr. Cherish might have a bone or two to pick. It’s not every day he was arrested by the man who’d become his daughter’s boyfriend. Bodie shook his head. Boyfriend sounded too juvenile. Lover. No, that didn’t work, either. Made it sound like they were having some sort of illicit fling. Significant other?
Was he ready for a significant other? She couldn’t just be an “other.” He spent the drive home trying to come up with a way to classify whatever was growing between him and Lacey but making no progress. By the time he’d taken a shower and put on a fresh pair of jeans and a pressed button-down flannel he’d about given up. Why did he have to name it?
He’d let it grow naturally. Someday in the future, the distant future, they’d figure it out together. So when the doorbell rang, he rose from the couch, a little extra pep in his step.
Shotgun got there first, her rear end wiggling so fast she knocked herself over. Bodie pulled the door open, a smile on his lips, ready for a kiss from whatever she wanted to call herself.
“Hey there, Lacey.” His smile faded slightly at the sight of Lacey standing on his doorstep, a familiar woman in tow.
“You remember Samantha, don’t you, sugar pie?” Her eyes widened then narrowed.
“Sure I do.” He held out his hand to the reporter. Why would Lacey be coming over with the magazine reporter? Especially on a Sunday night?
Lacey brushed past him, her arms full of foil-wrapped containers. “Samantha was in town this weekend but has to head back tomorrow. Since Adeline backed out I didn’t have any choice but to tell her our news.”
“Our news . . .” Bodie trailed behind the two women to the kitchen, Shotgun at his heels.
“Lacey told me how the two of you didn’t want to steal Adeline’s thunder. I think that’s so sweet. Readers are going to love it.”
Bodie nodded, a smile pasted on his face. What was she talking about? He tried to catch Lacey’s eye. She looked comfortable in his kitchen as she opened up cabinets, pulled out plates, and set up on the counter the dinner she’d brought.
“So are you ready to talk about the big event?” Samantha asked. She opened up a notebook and clicked her pen. “Tell me, Deputy Phillips, what does it feel like to be engaged to the mayor?”
thirty
Lacey waited for Bodie to respond. Knowing him as well as she did, he’d go one of two ways. He’d either play it off, leaving her to fill in the details or he’d go along in an attempt to save face. Either way she had the lying deputy exactly where she needed him. At least for now.
“It feels, um, well, Lacey, you’ve kind of caught me by surprise here. You sure you want to do this?” His face had paled under the seemingly constant layer of scruff.
“What with Adeline canceling, it didn’t really give me a chance to find another bride and groom willing to share their big day with the media. I know we talked about having a fall wedding, but really, it should be us that gets married there first, don’t you think, love bug?” She stepped next to him, put her arm behind his back and rested her head against his chest.
His heart thudded, a much faster beat than it had the other night when she’d lain in his arms. When she thought he meant what he’d said. When she thought they were for real.
“Sure. Can I just grab a quick word with you? You don’t mind giving us a minute or two, do you?” he asked Samantha.
“Not at all.” She set down her pen and waved them away. “Take all the time you need. I’ll just be out here drooling over whatever Lacey has hiding here in this pan.”
“It’s brisket. Cooked all day. Feel free to help yourself, we’ll just be a minute or two.” She smiled, then tugged on Bodie’s arm, dragging him down the hall to where she presumed his bedroom was. How could she pretend he was her fiancé when she’d never even seen where he slept?
“What the hell’s going on?” He closed the door behind them then turned on her. “Fiancé?”
“That’s right. Congratulations to us. It happened so fast it just left my head spinning.” She practically spit the words at him. Being in his room, alone with the man who’d left her heart full of buckshot almost made her regret what she’d told Samantha. Almost.
“Where do you get off telling people we’re engaged? Who else have you told about this?” He towered over her, the glint in his eye proving he was beyond finding this an amusing little prank.
“You didn’t leave me much of a choice.” Arms clamped around her middle, she held her ground. This was his fault, after all.
His arms spread wide. “What are you talking about?”
“You tell me, S
heriff Phillips.” She emphasized the word sheriff.
He stopped gesturing and put his hands to his hips. “So you were on the phone earlier today.”
“That’s right.” She tried to squelch the raw emotion that threatened to bubble up inside. “I heard everything. How you and your dad are working with Buck Little.” Her eyes watered. She couldn’t have that. Reaching up, she ran a finger under her lashes, wiping away any trace of emotion.
“Lacey, I can explain. My dad made me an offer but I went there to turn him down.”
“Sure you did. Does Sheriff Suarez know you’ve got your eye on his job?”
“It’s not like that.” He reached for her.
She sidestepped him, whirling around to stand in front of his bed. A bed she’d hoped to spend some time in up until a few hours ago. “I don’t care what it’s like. All I know is that your dad and grandfather are trying to pull a fast one and you’ve taken their side. Just like you always do.”
“I do not.” His jaw set. A muscle ticked along the edge.
“You do, too. And I’m not going to let you get away with it. Not this time.”
He scoffed, shook his head, and rolled his eyes. “Unbelievable. After everything that happened the other night? You think I’m working against you?”
Her heart seized. Could he be telling the truth? She wanted to believe him. Wanted to think that everything they’d done had been because of feelings they’d been hiding over the years. Not because of some plan he was trying to pull together to keep his family out of trouble.
“You have two choices, Bodie.” She held up two fingers to emphasize her point.
“Really? Do tell. I can’t wait.” He took a step closer.
She backed up, her thighs bumping against the edge of his bed. Not willing to be intimidated, she drew in a breath and lowered her voice. “You can go out there and pretend to be my adoring fiancé—”
“Or?” He matched his tone to hers—low, almost a growl.
“Or you can tell her it’s a sham and I’d be happy to return the favor by paying a visit to Sheriff Suarez and telling him all about the plans you’ve been making with Buck.”
“I’m not making plans with Buck.” He glared at her.
“So you’re not trying to cover up the fact your family is involved in some illegal importing activities and you’ve been offered his job?”
His left eye twitched. She’d hit a nerve.
“I just haven’t had a chance to fill him in on everything just yet. Once I get to the bottom of it I’m going to tell him everything.”
The power shifted. She could almost feel victory in the air. “But you haven’t yet.”
Bodie put his hand to his temple. “Not yet. You know as well as I do that my dad’s made a few, let’s just call them ‘less than legal’ decisions over the past few years. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to him.”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to my dad, either. Imagine what it’s going to feel like when my own father isn’t able to walk me down the aisle at our wedding.”
“Seriously? How far are you going to take this? You don’t expect me to actually marry you, do you?”
“Of course not,” she hissed. “We’ll fake the ceremony and no one will be the wiser. Don’t you see, this is our chance to put the town on the map? You owe it to me, Bodie. It’s your family’s fault this whole thing happened in the first place.”
He opened his mouth and she waited, expecting an argument. Instead, he threw his hands in the air. “You’re right. Fine, I’ll be your fiancé. But you’ve got to promise you won’t spill a word about the import stuff or the offer from Buck until I have a chance to figure out what’s happening on my own.”
“Deal.” She thrust her hand at him, ready to seal the agreement with a handshake.
His hand closed around hers, warm and firm and reminiscent of how it felt to be lost to his touch. Was that just the other night she’d spent hours in his arms? Seemed like a lifetime ago. And now, by calling him out and blackmailing him into being her fake fiancé, she’d pretty much guaranteed that would be the last time she’d have her way with Bodie, in or out of the bedroom.
thirty-one
Bodie gestured for Lacey to enter the kitchen first. “After you, sugarplum.”
She shot him a thinly veiled glare—the kind that might have leveled him if he hadn’t been in on her deceitful little game. “Thanks, snuggybug.”
“Have you always had nicknames for each other?” Samantha sat on a stool at the kitchen counter, pen in hand.
“Not always,” Bodie said. “She didn’t like me for the longest time.”
“Oooh, an enemies-to-lovers tale? Do tell.” Samantha scooted closer to the counter, where her blank notepad waited to be filled with stories detailing his and Lacey’s love affair. Lies, all of them. But he’d always been a big fan of the advice to go big or go home. Since he was already at home, he didn’t have a choice but to come up with the biggest, most ridiculous background story he could. If Lacey wanted to play with fire, he would make sure she got a little singed around the edges.
“Yeah, she always had the hots for me but . . .”
“Unrequited love?” Samantha’s pen flew over the paper.
“Not exactly.” Lacey leaned her elbows onto the counter. “I didn’t want to catch anything, if you know what I mean. He’s been clean for a few years now, isn’t that right, honey bear?”
Samantha’s eyes widened.
“I don’t think you should put anything about that in the story.” Lacey brought a finger to her lips. “Let’s keep that just between us.”
Score one to Lacey. If that’s how she wanted to handle things, he’d be willing to take a stab or two at creating a history for her that was just as colorful as the one she seemed to want to make up for him.
“Yeah, that was nothing though compared to what poor Lacey went through as a teen.” He picked up a plate and forked a nice piece of juicy brisket. “Did she tell you about her IBS issues? I’m surprised she made brisket tonight.” He held a hand up to his mouth like he was about to share a big secret. “Gives her horrible runs, red meat always has.”
“Oh.” Samantha glanced at her plate of half-eaten brisket.
“Crazy what true love will make you do, isn’t it?” Lacey asked. “I know how much he loves it so even though I can’t enjoy it like I used to, I still want him to be able to experience it.”
“That’s such a great story,” Samantha said.
Yes, it was. Bodie would have to up the ante if he wanted to cast Lacey in a bad light. Before he had a chance to come up with something equal parts ridiculous and embarrassing, Samantha tapped her pen to her lip.
“I notice you’re not wearing a ring. Did he give you one? I’m sure our readers will want to know how he popped the question.”
Lacey glanced down at her ring finger. “Of course he gave me a ring. I was just out working with the horses today so I didn’t want to risk losing it. I’ll make sure to wear it next time you come to town.”
Next time? Bodie’s heart stuttered to a stop. What exactly had he committed to? Temporarily distracted from his goal of throwing Lacey under the bus, he cleared his throat. “When exactly is the next time?”
Lacey twined her fingers with his and rested their joined hands on the counter. “We’re going to be featured in the magazine. Samantha is going to want to follow our journey from proposal to happily ever after.”
“That’s right. So tell me, how did you propose?”
Bodie glanced to Lacey. “You sure do tell it better, honey pie.”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “Well, if you insist . . .”
He insisted, all right. What fictional tale would Lacey feed to the reporter? He sat down on a barstool and picked up his fork. It would be a shame to let all of that home-cooked brisket
go to waste.
“He’s always been so romantic,” Lacey started. “In fact, he used to write me love poems while we were growing up but was too shy to give them to me.”
Bodie almost choked on a piece of brisket. Love poems? The only poem he’d ever memorized was his dad’s version of grace: Good bread, good meat, good Lord, let’s eat.
“How sweet. Do you remember any of them off the top of your head?” Samantha glanced to Bodie.
He shoved a bite of beans in his mouth and shook his head.
“He’s too embarrassed to say.” Lacey leaned over and squeezed his shoulder. “How did that one go? Grass is green, sunflowers are yellow, I wish so bad that I was your fellow?”
He sucked in a breath, sending the bite of beans down the wrong pipe. Coughing, he tried to catch his breath.
“Are you okay, angel love?” Lacey’s mock concern made him want to abandon the project right then and there. If he had to put up with crap like this until May he’d rather risk facing the town. She handed him his water and he took a nice, slow sip.
“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to share something so personal.” The way he glared at her should have shut her down. Should have turned her knees the consistency of his grandma’s rhubarb jelly.
But instead she tapped him on the shoulder and leaned toward Samantha. “What did I say? He’s so sensitive.”
“And the proposal?”
“It was incredibly romantic.” Lacey smiled as she dipped her head. “All day he kept leaving me little poems. I won’t repeat any of the others since they’re so personal.” She glanced at Bodie, one side of her mouth quirking into a smirk. “But we had dinner plans that night so I figured it was just a lead-up to our date. He picked me up that afternoon and we drove to Houston. Nice restaurant, gorgeous view of the city. Then the waiter brought a special dessert to the table next to ours.”
Bodie wondered where she was going with the storyline. But he waited, ready to intervene if necessary.
“The gal squealed because there was a diamond ring sitting on top of her flan. Just resting there. Poor Bodie kept craning his neck, and I wondered why in the world he was so interested in their dessert. I mean, the man does love his flan, but it was ridiculous. And then he gets up from the table and walks over there and I almost died. He stuck his finger in the flan and grabbed the ring.”
