by Tina Leonard
“No,” Holly said, “women do not drive a couple of hours to say nothing specific.”
He shook his head. “She was on her way somewhere. This is just a pit stop.”
Holly stared at him. He lowered the paddle. “What?”
“You’re not really that dense, are you?”
“I suppose I might be. You think she had an ulterior motive?”
Holly laughed. “Bandera, I’ll make a bet with you, and this one’s safer than all of you betting on whether Mason would stop her wedding.”
He perked up. “I like the sound of a friendly wager. What’s on the table?”
“I bet you Mimi came out here with something really, really earth-shattering to tell Mason.”
“I thought you’d already established that.”
“No fair,” she said. “You weren’t certain she’d had an ulterior motive when she stopped here.”
He put the paddle down, and now that they were safely hidden from the shore by trees, he took her hands and pulled her toward him. “Spell it out for me some more. I love to watch your lips when you talk. They’re so full. They enunciate so well.”
She pushed him away when he would have stolen a kiss. “This is a serious wager, Bandera.”
“Oh, sure, get serious on me now, when we’re in the middle of a creek, and there’s no one around, and I want you to kiss me to sweeten the wager.”
“No sweetening. I haven’t even gotten to the wager yet.”
“Hey!” Jellyfish called loudly across the water. He rang a dinner triangle noisily.
“Wow,” Bandera said. “I think Jelly wants us to come eat.”
“I am hungry,” Holly said. “I didn’t eat breakfast because I was nervous about getting married.”
“And right you were to skip that meal,” he said happily. He called back to Jellyfish to tell him that they were coming back in. “Quick, wager me.”
“All right. The bet is that Mimi drove all the way here because she has something really important to tell Mason. If I’m right, you have to…send me a postcard when you get to Alaska.”
He frowned. “Did I say I was going to Alaska?”
“You said you had to stay with Mason. He says he’s probably headed to Alaska.”
“This was supposed to be a simple visit to hire Hawk and Jelly to do the search!” Bandera was outraged. “How do you know all this?”
“Marielle told me. She wanted to know when I might be by to look at her land. I said I was traveling with you for a bit, and she said she wouldn’t look for me for at least a week, since Mason was going to Alaska.”
“That snake! I’m not only going to push him in the lake, I’m gonna give him the dunking of his life!”
“Hold on,” Holly said, laughing at him. “Can’t you give him a chance to tell you?”
“No. Because he’s not going to until it’s too late, obviously.” Bandera was so annoyed he didn’t know what to do. “Hey, that means…you should have gone back with Cousin Mike and Marielle. How come you didn’t?”
She raised her chin. “There are planes, buses, trains and rental cars from just about anywhere, Bandera Jefferson. I felt like traveling a little longer, but don’t get any cockier than you already are. I am happy right now just to be on the road.”
He put a finger under her chin. “You may be telling a bit of a story, Holly Henshaw. I think you like me more than you’re letting on.”
She pulled away from him. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell you.” Her gaze went to the shore, where they could make out Mimi and Mason talking in the gathering dusk. “They’ve got a great thing going.”
“No, Holly, they have a really confused thing going.”
“They’re friends, aren’t they?”
“Awesome friends. They love each other like brother and sister.”
“No, they don’t,” she said, laughing. “They want to love each other that way. But something’s keeping them apart.”
“Mason’s fat head,” he said gruffly.
“You’re so mean to your brother.” She gave him a tiny pop on the arm, which he thought was cute. She was out in a canoe in the middle of a creek, alone with a man she didn’t know very well, and she felt comfortable enough to be playful.
“If I win the bet,” he said, “you have to tell me what color your underwear is.”
“It’s colors,” she said slyly, “and you’re naughty for asking.”
“Colors plural?” He sat up.
“Actually, the absence of all light, and something more,” she said cryptically.
He thought about her wedding garter and went totally still. “Not black and white polka dots?”
“You haven’t won the bet so I’m not telling,” she said. “You have absolutely no regard for rules.”
“Oh, man.” What was the silly wager, anyway? He couldn’t remember. Squeezing Holly’s fingers between his, he thought about her softness and her petite bones. She’d be soft and petite all over. His breath stopped; his blood hummed. “I forgot the rules,” he said helplessly. “Let’s wager something about you and me instead.”
“All right,” she said, pulling her hand away. “What?”
He blinked, still thinking about what color her undies were. What did a bride wear under her wedding dress? What sort of satin or silk and lace had she planned to reveal to her groom as a gift on their wedding night?
Bandera wasn’t sure he could handle knowing.
He wasn’t sure he could handle not knowing.
“Holly,” he said softly, “I’ll give you a thousand dollars to start your business if you tell me what’s under those shorts you’re wearing.
She stared at him, shocked. “Bandera.”
He had never been more serious in his life. “I don’t have to see it,” he said, putting a dare-you glint in his eyes, “but I want excruciating detail. Color, style, size, fit.”
“You’re insane.”
But she liked him being insane, he noticed, because her skin had goose bumps all over it, even along her delicate arms. One day, he told himself, I’m going to kiss all the way from her wrist up to that fragile white underarm, before I make my way—
He was lost in his fantasy, so he was a bit slow to realize that her hands had moved to her shorts. He heard snaps give, and she slowly pulled something down.
Mesmerized, he felt real pain from the pounding of his heart.
She took his hand and pressed something into the palm.
It was her panties, still warm from her body. His mouth dried out; he got the fastest, hardest erection he’d ever had in his life.
Thong. Black lace waistband. Tiny little crotch of white with black iridescent sequins. Polka dots. Snaps on the sides.
“You win,” he said. “Whatever we were betting about, you win.”
THEY’D HEADED BACK TO shore in utter silence. Bandera hadn’t said another word; he’d just handed her panties back to her quickly, then begun paddling.
Clearly, he could dish it out but not take it.
Holly hopped out of the canoe at the water’s edge, helped him pull the boat ashore so that it was once again wedged in its place, then began walking away.
Her breath caught when Bandera swooped her up in his arms. “Bandera!”
“You are a little minx,” he said, his voice a growl next to her ear. “I have never, ever had a woman strip for me like you just did. I didn’t get to see a thing under those shorts, but somehow, you got me hotter than a pistol.”
“Bang, bang,” she said, goading him.
“Holly,” he said, crushing her against his chest, “you had no business trying to marry some poor sap who couldn’t handle you. I’ve made up my mind for the both of us. The only one who’s going to be handling you is me. And it’s going to have very little to do with business.”
BANDERA LET HOLLY scramble down out of his arms and run toward the cabin. He didn’t mind. She’d scared him with the panty trick; now he’d scared her with the hot he-
man routine.
He relished a good game of push-pull. Hadn’t he warned her that he had the stamina for a long chase?
He closed his eyes for a second, wishing he’d kept her panties. There’d been nothing there but air, basically. Airy lace. “Now that would be a name for a hot air balloon,” he said to himself.
Holly was seated at the kitchen table when he walked in, along with everyone else. A chair had been left next to her, so he took it, leaning down to whisper, “Best thousand dollars I ever spent,” into her ear.
Her blush delighted him. She nearly knocked over her tea, and he grinned.
“Want to make another wager?” he asked, so low that only she could hear him as the assembled company began passing around dishes of food.
“No.”
“Oh, come on.”
She sniffed and ladled some steaming mashed potatoes onto her plate, next to a beautifully grilled piece of meat and some brussels sprouts.
“I have a thousand dollars,” she said brightly.
“I know. You just won it from me.”
“Double or nothing,” she said, turning to look him straight in the eye.
He grinned. The chase was on.
“Terms?”
She took a deep breath. “I’ll bet you that you can’t forgo talking about making love or anything to do with sexual contact between two people for the next twenty-four hours. That includes kissing, my lips, and anything else romantic.”
He frowned. “You want a moratorium on romance?”
“Yes,” she said. “Twenty-four hours of just being my friend, like Mason is Mimi’s.”
Their voices had risen to conversation level, and they realized everyone else was listening. Holly’s blush deepened, and Bandera sat back in his chair, looking at her.
He definitely wanted to catch his little bride-on-the-run. So if she wanted to be friends…he was a pretty friendly guy. “Friends it is,” he said. “You have trust issues, but I’m understanding.”
She hesitated, a fork in her hand. “I do not.”
“It’s okay. I’ve spent an entire day with you, and I know everything about you that I need to. I’ll wait for you to know everything about me that you need to.”
Mason cleared his throat. “Would you two care to take this outside?”
Mimi’s eyes were huge and wide as she stared at them. Jellyfish and Hawk were grinning.
“I thought you were never going to get a girlfriend,” Hawk said.
“Something about the road less traveled,” Jellyfish chimed in. “Something about poetry being better read alone.”
“Yes.” Bandera calmly buttered a roll. “But I’ve had second thoughts. I can live like you three, or I can try to enjoy the mysteries of life. You,” he said to Hawk, “live in the wilderness and seem fairly happy. Jellyfish, you’re a man of mystery and means, and probably committed to nothing but whatever hippie ideal jolts you.”
Jellyfish grinned. Hawk nodded.
“But I am a Jefferson,” Bandera said, “and when I look at Mason, I think there has to be a better way.”
His brother laid his fork down. “What the hell does that mean?”
Bandera shrugged. “Whatever you think it means. I’m taking this lady on a walk. Would you like to come, Holly?”
She jumped up from the table. “Excuse me, everyone. I have something to say to Indiana Jones here.”
Bandera opened the door for Holly. “Don’t bother clearing our plates. We’ll be back. The food’s awesome, Hawk.”
He closed the door.
“You’re probably going to have a long wait,” she told Bandera once they were alone. “I like my life the way it is. I can’t see any reason to change it.”
“Essentially, neither can I. You already cut loose all the deadwood. Now you’re ready to flower.”
“Bandera!”
He laughed, taking her hand and pulling her down a path toward the creek. “You know this is a ton more fun than a honeymoon with Useless.”
She sighed. “You do make me feel better, but then I feel guilty because I know I should probably slap you for your cockiness.”
“Why slap me when you really want to kiss me?” He pulled her into his arms. “Guess I just lost that bet.”
“You make me crazy,” she said. “I don’t know what to think about you. You’re sort of weird, but in an okay way, and I really don’t know what my parents would think about you.”
“Ah, they would think a wolf had grabbed their lamb, which I intend to do.” He kissed her, his hands moving along her back, guiding her toward him.
“Yes, but—” She broke away. “I would rather make my own way. Like Mimi.”
“Oh, no,” he said. “You don’t want to hold Mimi up as a role model. I already told you that. Trust me, she makes Mason as nervous as a cat around dogs.”
“But she came to him,” Holly said. “And that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I don’t want to be overwhelmed, romanced, swept away or otherwise caught. This time, I want to do the choosing. I want to fall slowly. You’re not a fall slowly kind of guy.” She touched his face softly. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. But with you, I know it’s all or nothing.”
“That’s true,” Bandera said.
“I want to be nothing for a while,” she said. “In general. I need time to think.”
He swallowed, his heart shriveling. She was totally serious about this, and he sensed that if he pushed her, he’d lose her forever. “I’m sorry if I’ve come on too strong. It’s sort of my nature, as you’ve noticed.”
This time, she took his hand and moved in next to him. “I’ve noticed that with your family and friends, it’s all pretty much a walk on the wild side. I really admire that. I do.” She took a deep breath. “But think about it. I’m a virgin, as you know from overhearing my phone conversation. One who lives very close to her parents, and who does nothing more exciting than plan weddings for a living.”
“Sounds pretty explosive to me.”
Smiling, she shook her head. “No. I had my life all planned out.” She frowned. “But today was a slight bump I wasn’t anticipating.”
“I like the way you handled it.”
She looked up at him. “At first I thought you were trying to make me feel better by being so attentive. But now I think you might just be a rogue, enjoying a flirtation.”
“Rogue. I like the sound of that. Bandera the rogue.”
She tapped his chest. “Pay attention here. I’m trying my best to be honest.”
“So far I’m coming off pretty heroic. Continue.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. But then I met Mimi—”
“Blast Mimi. Something about her soured my game plan.”
Holly laughed. “No. But you can see how much she and Mason like each other.”
“You can?” Bandera put his arms around Holly as sneakily as he could. Maybe while she was busy philosophizing, she wouldn’t notice him enjoying how great she felt. Never had he encountered such soft skin, such smoothness. Almost like the meringue his mother used to put on the tops of pies at Christmas.
“You are definitely not paying attention,” she told him. “And I believe you’re copping a feel.”
He let go of her bra strap. “Sorry.”
She smiled. “No, you’re not.” Stepping away from him, she looked up, searching his eyes. “I hope you understand.”
He was still thinking about the tiny bra strap at her back. When he was young, he’d gained the very elementary skill of undoing a bra with one hand. It was no harder than throwing a lasso just right, or hanging on to a saddle horn. The challenge was in the timing.
His timing was clearly off. “I think so. You want to be friends.”
“Well, friends who care about each other.”
He sighed. “All right. I can handle rejection with the best of them. I have been thrown before and lived.”
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go eat that wonderful supper.”
“And then what?”
“I’ve vacationed enough,” she said. “I’d like to go home and do some planning.”
“More planning,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “To think I almost had you in action mode.”
“If I’m going to start a new business, it will take lots of planning.”
“Hey, I’m still in on that.”
“Good. Business partners will be a lot more fun than being…whatever it was you had in mind.”
He grinned. No, business partnerships weren’t more fun than other kinds of…partnerships.
But she didn’t know that.
For now, he sensed it was best to let her run her rope for a while—before he ever so gently pulled her back in.
She smiled at him, and he tweaked her nose gently.
He was okay with “just friends.” Time was on his side.
Eventually she would come to him.
Chapter Eight
Holly walked back inside with Bandera, feeling good and yet somehow bad about the conversation they’d just had. The truth was, she had been flattered by his attention. But he was so handsome, so sure of himself that he was scaring her a bit.
She needed some time to figure things out. After all, she’d just made a colossal mistake.
Bandera was so much temptation she feared she might use him to rebound, based on her crushed dreams. It would be too easy to fall into this man’s very willing arms.
But it wasn’t nice to lead someone on, and she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to find joy in another relationship. Romance seemed to be wired with booby traps.
For now, though, she’d just enjoy Bandera’s company and a meal with his friends.
“Mason,” Mimi said a little while later as she pushed away her plate, “I think I’ll head on back.”
He seemed surprised. “What’s the rush?”
“You have somewhere to go. I have a baby waiting at home.”
“Well, okay, if you want.” He stood. “But we were planning on bunking here for the night, and then head out at first light. Jelly and Hawk and I want to talk over some plans. So don’t rush off.”
Mimi hesitated. Holly could practically feel the other woman’s indecision. Half of her wanted to stay, half of her knew she should go.
