by Tina Leonard
She blinked. “Are you making a business proposal or a marriage proposal?”
“Both. I believe one sweetens the other.”
She shook her head, wondering what the man was really up to. “Besides the fact that we like kissing each other, what’s the catch? What’s in it for you?”
He jerked his head toward the back seat. “I get away from the family.”
“You could move to Montana and achieve that.”
He met her statement with a shrug. “And I could marry you.”
“You don’t know me. You don’t love me.”
“Judging by the fact that you left your wedding to hang out by the road with a big sign, there are different levels of love. Maybe it’s best to grow into these things.”
“We’re totally opposite,” she said.
“I like contrary things. I’m used to them.”
“But you didn’t want to get married just thirty minutes ago.”
“True,” he conceded. “But I would like to make love to you, and the only way that’s going to happen is if you’re married. That’s what you told loverboy, and I believe you.”
She hesitated. “You would marry me just to make love to me?”
“Well, that’s not the only reason. It’s just the best reason I can think of.”
“It’s so male chauvinist. Or maybe male opportunist.”
He laughed. “Probably. But I would be stupid not to tell you that you’re sexy. And a wedding ring suddenly doesn’t seem like that big of a drawback if I get to kiss your lips every night.”
“I can’t marry you,” she said. “Even if I believed you were serious, which I don’t, I’m not about to take you away from your search for your father.”
“Oh.” Bandera frowned. “Listen, that trail is cold. Even Hawk won’t be able to figure this out. Dad left. His heart cracked, and maybe he lost his mind. We’ll never know. But he’s long, long gone.” He sighed. “By now, passed away, I’m sure. Mason knows it. Truthfully, I think if he and Mimi could have settled down and made a go of it, he wouldn’t have this urge to find out what happened to Dad.”
“His quest seems pretty reasonable to me.”
“Yeah, well. Hang around us a little while longer and you’ll begin to question everything you ever thought was reasonable.”
She turned to glance at Mason, who was deeply asleep, clearly taking advantage of the time to relax. Crossing a leg underneath her and hoping to avoid the subject of families and matrimony, she said, “How did you get the name Bandera?”
“Bandera’s Pass,” he said. “Long story.”
“Where are we going?” she asked curiously. “If it’s far, you may have time to tell me.”
“We are going to the land of Jellyfish,” he said quixotically, “and we’re not far away.”
“It’s not necessary to be totally mysterious, Bandera. You know my secrets. I can know some of yours. How can we get married if you don’t share?” She tapped his forearm lightly, marveling at how strong his muscles were under his skin. How well-formed and rough-hewn this man was.
“Ah, so you’re considering my proposal?”
“No,” she said bluntly. “Neither business nor otherwise. I’m just exploiting your proposal. You don’t really want a wife. You’re just running away.”
“I’m running away?” He turned to stare at her. “That doesn’t seem fair, coming from you.”
She sighed. “Bandera’s Pass, please.”
He looked back at the road. “Well, all the boys were named after something in Texas. Usually a city or historical event. I was named after the incident at Bandera’s Pass.”
“Very melodramatic,” she said. “I like it.”
“Hey! How melodramatic is running from your own wedding? You could have confronted your groom at the altar, or called him, or had the minister intercede, but no.” He glared at her. “You skipped out, missy. Don’t tell me about melodramatic.”
“Sensitive.” She patted his hand. “It’s kind of sexy on you.”
“Well.” He looked embarrassed. “I think everything about you is sexy. So sexy, in fact, that I have the same urge I used to get as a child chasing after fireflies. I wanted to catch them and put them in a bottle.”
She gasped, her heart speeding up. “You know, there are times when I can’t decide if you’re romantic or crazy. You can’t tell a woman you want to catch her and put her in a bottle!”
He laughed. “So much for sensitivity.”
“Try scary.”
“No, it’s just that you’re all, you know, light. Fascinating. Firefly-like.”
“Oh.” What was she supposed to say to that? “Thank you.”
He sighed happily. “You’re welcome. There for a minute, I was afraid you might be offended by a compliment. Some women think a man is after something if he compliments her.”
She laughed. “You are after something. You admitted it.”
“Yeah. Fifty percent of your balloon business, partners straight down the middle. I think you’re on to something with that. And I don’t want you telling Jellyfish or he’ll be on it like white on rice. He used to commandeer a floating palace.”
The smile faded from her face. “You’re offering financial backing?”
“Absolutely. I need a side business,” he said thoughtfully. “And if Marielle’s property is what you’re looking for, you can be manager of the business, and I’ll take care of the land and maintenance. Along with the financial backing.”
What Bandera was offering was wonderful. It might mean she wouldn’t have to go to a bank to describe her air-spun dream for a loan. There would be a man to help with the upkeep, no small thing for the business she was imagining. It would allow her to concentrate specifically on her customers’ needs. One day, she might even be able to expand—
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I sort of like the idea of going it alone.”
“No, you don’t,” he said. “You really want me on the team.”
“Is this with marriage or without?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light, but wondering where he’d been going with his strange ideas. Strange, but somehow compelling.
“I don’t believe in marriage,” Mason said, stretching.
“We know,” Bandera said, his tone dry.
Holly turned to look at Mason curiously. “Don’t you want children?”
“Children!” Bandera smacked himself on the forehead. “Of course you’ll want kids,” he said to her.
Holly stiffened. “No less than two and no more than four,” she said.
“Four.” Mason whistled. “That’s a lot of little people.”
“You never want any children?” Holly repeated, wondering why Mason was avoiding her question. “Kids keep us young. They make us real.”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “I’m not much of a kid person.”
“The heck you’re not,” Bandera said. “You love Mimi’s little girl.”
“Yeah, well.” Mason pushed his hat down low over his eyes and moved to position himself to fall asleep again.
“So what about you?” Holly asked Bandera.
“What about me?”
“Do you want to have children?”
He paused. “Honestly, only the practice of making babies has appealed to me heretofore. I never thought about any long-term commitment.”
Mason snorted under his hat.
“Oh, well, you can snort,” Bandera said. “You already have a little girl.”
“He does?” Holly asked. She frowned at Mason in the back seat.
“Well, he has a little girl who adores him. It’s Mimi’s daughter. She thinks Mason is the only man on the planet, though the rest of us uncles try desperately to squeeze in for some attention.”
“Oh.” Holly smiled to herself. “My mom would like to have some grandbabies. She really thought this wedding was going to bring her the little ones she wants.”
“Maybe it should just be a business commitment be
tween us,” Bandera said. “I really wasn’t planning on having kids. You have to understand, I’m from a family of twelve boys, and they’re all children.”
From under his hat, Mason sighed deeply.
“And he’s the biggest one of all,” Bandera whispered.
“I’m sensing that.” Holly looked at Bandera. “I don’t know if I trust you to be a business partner. You’re awfully random.”
“But steadfast in ways you can only imagine. I only appear random on the surface. Deep inside, I’m a really steady guy.”
Holly glanced over the back seat, waiting for another snort from Mason, but all she heard was silence. “Steady guy with no kids, huh?”
“That describes my goals,” he said. “Since we’re being honest, what are yours?”
She sighed. “All the ones I had for the past year changed today. Give me a little while to figure them out.”
“Sorry. Unfair question.” He reached over and took her hand in his. “I’ll tell you a little secret.”
“What?”
“I’m just joshing you about trying to get you into bed.”
“You are?” Vague disappointment bloomed through her.
“Yeah. Listen. I’ve been trying to keep your mind off everything. I think you’re taking it all very bravely, keeping a stiff upper lip and your feelings to yourself, which I understand.”
He massaged her fingertips, which she liked and yet didn’t, because it felt good, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to make her feel good when he was talking about joshing her. She withdrew her fingers from his, opting for independence.
“Now, don’t get your feelings hurt,” he said with a wink. “You’re a beautiful woman, and I can’t stand to see beautiful women cry. I want you to smile, and I want you to try to forget the jerk you left behind many miles ago now.”
“I may be trying to forget about the jerk driving this truck,” Holly said crossly. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I didn’t need your…peppiness?”
“Peppiness?” He frowned. “What’s that?”
“A good humor man trying to ride in and save my emotions. You, Mr. Peppy.”
He turned to look at her. “So you want to consider the physical benefits of our business model?” he asked with a grin.
“Cowboy, I only wanted a kiss from you, which I got, thank you very much.” She laid her head against the truck window and closed her eyes. “Anything more would be overkill.”
“You think?” he asked, sounding pretty proud of himself.
“Yes,” she said with a sigh. “You couldn’t handle catching this firefly.”
“Yeah, but you’d go good in my bottle.”
AN HOUR LATER, when she’d awakened from a nap and put on lip gloss, she hopped out to meet Jellyfish and Mimi. Holly couldn’t tell which one she was most astounded by.
Jellyfish was huge, a big, handsome man who was clearly in tune with the earth and all the natural surroundings. She stared at him, wondering how he ever found clothes that fit.
And Mimi was beautiful in a very sweet, feminine way. Her gaze seemed to seek Mason often. He looked for her, too, in a protective yet wary way.
They were friends, Holly realized, but their friendship was also adrift for some reason.
“Hello,” Bandera said, coming up behind her. “You look so serious. Regrets?”
“Only that I didn’t slap you while we were in the truck,” Holly said without rancor and just from a desire to pick at him. “Mimi’s really pretty.”
“I guess so,” Bandera said, “in a little-sister way.”
She blinked. “Bandera, she’s a knockout.”
“Well, don’t be jealous,” he said. “You’re not exactly ugly.”
“You’re the backside of a donkey, Bandera,” she said, heading away from him toward the creek, where Jellyfish’s house sat hidden by a stand of leafy trees.
“Wait,” he said, striding behind her to catch her hand and slow her down. “I like needling you as much as you like needling me. Only you don’t seem to like it when you get needled. What’s up with that?”
He had a point. “I don’t know. Maybe your arrogance bothers me.”
“I don’t mean to be unfriendly,” he said, surprising her. “My only goals are to run my ranch, read great poetry and maybe rescue a damsel or two.”
“What am I supposed to do with that?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m not a damsel, but I’m presuming you think you rescued me.”
“No,” he said, pulling her closer to him, “you rescued me.” He kissed her once, ever so softly, on the lips. “I could never put you in a jar. Your lips are so soft I’d hate to waste time taking the lid off.”
“Bandera,” she said, pulling away from him. “Do not kiss me.”
“Okay,” he said easily. “Suit yourself.”
That annoyed her even more. He made it sound as though she were giving up something wonderful! Turning, she headed to the creek.
“Let’s go canoeing,” he suggested. “While Mason fills Jellyfish in on what he wants from the journey they’re taking.”
“I thought you were going, too.”
“I might,” he said, pulling the canoe off the embankment so they could ease it into the water. “Then again, it depends on how fast we get our honeymoon retreat idea going. I think we should go back to that man whose balloon we crashed and ask him to give us lessons in flying, first off. Secondly, he can give us pointers on running a business that includes hot air balloons.”
She couldn’t believe Bandera was so interested in her idea. Truthfully, it warmed her soul that he approved of it. She had to admit that her ex-fiancé had dismissed her creativity, suggesting that one day she would stop working to stay at home. While she wanted to be a mother and take care of her children, she hadn’t thought giving up her business was such a good idea. She was good at making other people’s dreams come true.
Just not her own.
“You really do think it’s a good idea, don’t you?”
He glanced up as he helped her into the canoe. “You sound so shocked. It’s a helluva good idea.” Once I got to thinking about it.
“It’s just that I don’t see you as being the kind of guy who is interested in wedding stuff.”
“Shoot, as long as it’s not my party, I’m all for it. I vote we keep a couple horses on the property, too, so that the guests can ride if they wish.” He pushed away from shore with a paddle.
“Horses,” she said softly. “That’s a great idea.”
“I’m full of them.” He smiled at her, and her heart sang a disjointed tune. He likes my idea, and he likes me, she thought—and then realized she was happy because he believed in her.
But other than that—and their matching lips—they didn’t have a whole lot in common.
“I’m confused,” she said. “Is it me or my idea you’re interested in?”
“Both,” he said honestly, paddling lazily to the middle of the creek. “Now here’s the trick. You have to close your eyes and relax for the thirty minutes we’re out here. Not one word leaves those velvety pink lips of yours.” He laid the paddle in the bottom of the boat, stretched out, leaned back and covered his face with his hat.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh,” he said arrogantly. “No talking. Just unwind.”
And that was that. Paddle down, hat over face, determined to relax. Holly sighed, glancing around for signs of danger, like a waterfall or rocks. Nothing except trees dotted the creek edge. An occasional fish bubbled at the water’s surface, and the wonderful feel of late sunshine warmed her skin.
Slowly, she edged down into a reclining position, trying to mimic Bandera. Basically, that meant aligning her feet beside his hips. Frowning, she told herself that this was not too intimate a thing to do with a man she’d only met today. It was not romantic. He was not going to seduce her in the middle of this creek. He genuinely seemed interested in his nap.
“You’d probably b
e more comfortable if you lay against my chest,” he said. “Not that I’m rushing you or anything.”
She was about to say something to rebuke his obvious lure to temptation, but just as she opened her mouth a loud splash near the pier stopped her. Bandera sat up, swiping his hat off his face just in time to see Mimi walking to her truck as Mason swam toward shore.
Chapter Seven
Bandera sighed as he watched his brother hit the creek-bank and head off after Mimi. “You see how it is.”
Holly nodded. “Crazy.”
“Yeah.” He wanted to lie back down in the boat and relax, but at this point he knew he was too tense to do it. No doubt Mason had gotten his just desserts, and Mimi was always willing to ladle out those desserts with an extra-large spoon. “He probably said something stupid.”
“Like he didn’t believe in marriage. I thought that was sort of unwise when he said it in the truck,” Holly murmured.
“This from the bride on the run?”
“Would you stop saying that?” She stared at him crossly. “All parties concerned are happy with the way matters worked out.”
“Even you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be sitting in a canoe if matters had gone as planned, which tells me that even the best wedding planners can’t control every detail.”
“There are always random occurrences.” He thought about that for a moment. “As I said, I have always liked random.”
“Would you like it in your wedding?”
“I don’t know. There was a time, when Mimi got married and the minister asked if anybody had any objections…” He stopped and looked at Holly, knowing she’d probably not approve of what they’d done. “We actually took bets on whether Mason would stop the wedding or not.”
She shrugged. “Why would he?”
“Because he cares about Mimi, but we didn’t know he was going to be such a stubborn ass about not admitting it at the time. We thought he was just shooting off his mouth.”
“Hmm. Wonder what she came all the way out here to tell him?”
“Probably nothing specific.” Bandera grabbed the paddle and began stroking.
