Belonging to Bandera

by Tina Leonard

  Holly completely understood. Bandera made her feel like that.

  “Hey, Mimi,” Mason said, “stay awhile longer.”

  Bandera blinked. Hawk and Jellyfish raised their heads. Holly tried to look busy rearranging her napkin. How could Mimi resist the plea in that voice? she wondered.

  Mimi blushed. “If Holly’s staying, I suppose I could.”

  Holly glanced up, startled. Now that was a new angle! “I am staying tonight, but if you’re changing your plans and leaving in the morning, could you give me a ride?”

  “That would be great.” Mimi smiled. “It would be wonderful to have a woman to visit with on the drive. I’d really enjoy getting to know you.”

  “Great,” Bandera said. “Thelma and Louise all over again.”

  Mason started to say something, his mouth opening and closing, then he finally just shut it.

  “Sounds like everything is worked out,” Hawk said, getting to his feet. “In the morning, we four men will ride out to Alaska. You two ladies will find spiritual comfort in each other as you return home.”

  The table fell silent at that pronouncement.

  Holly wondered why she felt so awkward. She had to leave sooner or later. Bandera was just a momentary fling. His attention, his sense of adventure—none of that was right for her in the long term. As a student of life she was cautious.

  Business partners, maybe. Anything more, no.

  “I’ll be ready when you are, Mimi,” Holly said brightly, taking her dishes into the kitchen, already knowing she would miss Bandera like crazy.

  HAWK AND JELLY MADE a campfire outside, studying maps for two hours after dinner. Holly was holed up in a guest room. Mason listened to the men plan their trip, sometimes answering questions, and Mimi sat beside him, their arms not touching.

  Bandera rubbed dirt off his boot toe as he sat at the campfire. Okay, so it was early June, and they could have done this planning stuff inside, but Jelly’s house was a tax address, not really a place of comfort. His home was the outdoors. In fact, he often slept in a sleeping bag on the porch or in the woods along the water. Sometimes he retired to the pier so he could hear the fish jump and the birds and insects move in the trees at night.

  Bandera got up and tossed out his original goal of following Mason—even to Alaska. He knocked on Holly’s door.

  When she opened it, his gut slid over, despite his best attempt not to stare at her in her long white gown with streaming satin ribbons. He’d like to say it wasn’t sexy, but he couldn’t. The top was held up with thin straps, and the sides were cut out. It was basically see-through, and the lamp on the table backlit her.

  Damn, he thought, there is no way we can be just friends. “Ah,” he said, backing away from the door, “I’m sorry. I thought maybe you were watching TV. I didn’t realize you were in bed.”

  She looked at him, her face sweet and innocent. “Was there something you wanted?”

  “Yes. I mean, no!” He gathered his wits, taking a deep breath. “That’s a beautiful, uh, nightgown.” The second he told her, he wished he hadn’t. Even as a schoolboy he hadn’t been this uncertain; he’d had the one-handed bra strap removal down cold. Why did this woman make him feel as though his every breath felt better, deeper, more alive, when he was with her?

  “Thank you. It’s my wedding nightgown.” She smiled at him. “No point in it going to waste, I decided. This is the closest to a real wedding night that I’ll get.”

  He was trembling, or at least his hands were. His blood felt funny; his mind seemed confused. All he could register was that this woman should be his, and yet she was innocently unaware of that fact.

  “I was going to see if you wanted to take a walk,” he said, trying bravely not to look below her waist and finally giving up. If he ever got married, he was going to fill his home with lamps—cheery, homey little lamps that sent a glow right through any fabric on a woman’s body. His wife was going to wear nothing but sheer fabric, when she wore anything at all. “I’m sorry I disturbed you.”

  He turned to walk away, trying to keep his lust from blowing out his brain function. Everything in his body screamed that he should go into that room and make love to that woman. He could teach her that some things were better when they weren’t planned. Without her groom, tonight was going to be lonely, and he wanted to show her that every night with him could seem like a real wedding night.

  But she’d asked him to be friends. She needed time.

  Trust was even more important than sex, and he had to let her know that he understood.

  Even if it killed him.

  IN THE MORNING, Bandera found that Holly had already left with Mimi. Mason stood by the remains of the campfire from the night before. Jelly and Hawk were nowhere to be seen, but they’d left a note that said they’d made a run for some supplies.

  “I wonder what supplies one can find at six o’clock in the morning,” Bandera said, “and at what store. I didn’t see anything with a sign on it between here and Hawk’s.”

  Mason grunted.

  “So did Mimi say goodbye to you?”

  “No. I came out here this morning to find her truck gone.”

  “The least Holly could have done was say goodbye,” Bandera said. He’d never had a woman disappear on him like that before.

  “She owed you nothing,” Mason said. “The way you had your paws all over her, she was probably glad you slept in.”

  “I did not…” He stopped, annoyed. So he had kissed her as often as he’d dared. He’d also respected her need to be alone, though it had been difficult. “I knew she wouldn’t hang around,” he said miserably. “She was too good to be true.”

  “Hell, Mimi didn’t hang around, either, and she’s always been too good to be true.”

  Bandera stared at his brother, shocked. “How come you don’t act like you think she’s too good to be true when she’s around?”

  “Because.” Mason sounded surprised. “There are thoughts in that brain no man will ever understand, nor should he attempt to.”

  “Mason, man, Mimi loves you.” Bandera stared at his brother.

  Mason waved his hands in protest. “You don’t understand. Mimi loves everyone. It’s not a long-term thing. I ought to know that better than anyone,” he said with a sigh.

  “What in the hell does that mean?”

  “It means,” Mason said slowly, “that Miss Mimi and I have a secret no one knows. Not a single soul on the planet.”

  Bandera blinked. “I’m all ears.”

  “And nosy, too,” Mason growled. “Let’s just say that I know all too well how Holly feels.”

  Bandera suddenly had the wildest notion that Mason had more of a grip on things than any of the brothers ever suspected; he’d just been keeping his feelings to himself all this time. And we thought he was an unfeeling ass.

  “I know what it feels like to have the person you love marry someone else,” Mason said gruffly.

  Bandera frowned. “Earth to Mason. You’ve never told any woman you love her.”

  “I’m not laying claim to it, so don’t ask me to,” his brother said. “But let’s just say Mimi and I had one night where we nearly talked it all out.”

  A cold wind, contrary to the June morning heat, swept through Bandera. “Wait,” he said, grabbing his brother’s sleeve as Mason turned away, “you’re not saying you and Mimi—”

  Mason jerked his sleeve out of Bandera’s grasp. “I’m not saying any damn thing, except this—you need to take some time to figure out what you really want with that Holly girl. If you decide she’s the one, then don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Mason walked away. Bandera stared after his brother, his jaw slack with wonder. “Mason has feelings,” he said to himself. “He’s not an unemotional blockhead.”

  He was mildly jealous that Mason and Holly had found they had so much in common. They understood each other as friends.

  Bandera, however, couldn’t see past Holly’s polka-dotted thong and
her sheer gown. Even now, when he thought of her, he got a rise in his Levi’s that wouldn’t quit. Yes, he desired her; he knew because of the lust that hammered at his body.

  But did the feeling resonate from his heart? Was it deep and real, or did he just want Holly because no one else had had her? Did he want her because she was beautiful?

  If he wasn’t careful, he would end up like Mason, which would be a fate worse than listening to his brother Crockett ramble on about art.

  Holly had left him without saying goodbye, a fact that rankled and ate at Bandera’s pride. Why should he go tearing after a woman who didn’t want him?

  Because, he thought. Because Mason said so.

  But if anybody knows how to mess something up, it’s Mason.

  Because if not for Mason, Bandera wouldn’t be here with three men about to head out on a wild-goose chase—instead of in a truck with two beautiful women.

  One of whom had really caught his eye.

  “SO THE SCOOP ON THE Jefferson men,” Mimi said to Holly as they rode down the interstate, “is that they’re different from any other men you may meet.”

  Holly took that in, watching the countryside pass by. One thing she could say for certain was that Mimi drove much more slowly than Bandera. It was nice and peaceful to see the pretty green landscape as the trees exchanged their spring buds for June finery. “I did notice something different,” she finally said. “In a good way.”

  “They’re wonderful. All the Jefferson men are. Their only hang-up is that they have a terrible fear of commitment, most of the time. But in the past couple of years, several of them have run to the altar with the ladies they love. Of course, they met really nice women.” Mimi smiled. “It’s almost as if they know exactly what they want when they see it, and they go after it with everything they’ve got.”

  “Do I sense some history between you and Mason?” Holly asked gently. She didn’t want to pry, but Mimi seemed to want to talk.

  “There’s history,” she confirmed softly.

  “Oh.” Holly looked at her newfound friend. Mimi seemed so gentle, so kind. Mason seemed like a cool dude. But Holly was seeing both of them from the outside looking in. There must be a reason they weren’t together…Holly’s heart ached for Mimi. She loved Mason; it was apparent, even to a stranger.

  “I’m sorry,” Holly said. “Guys are kind of weird sometimes, as I just found out myself.”

  Mimi laughed good-naturedly. “Mason’s more than weird sometimes. Let’s not sugarcoat it.”

  Relieved, Holly smiled, too. “Okay. We won’t.”

  “And while we’re vowing not to get out the artificial sweetener, let’s not sugarcoat Bandera, either. Be warned that if you’ve got your eye on him, you’ll have to do some pretty fancy roping.”

  “Oh, it’s not like that,” Holly said hurriedly.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “We’re going into business together. In fact, Bandera has already put up a thousand dollars on good faith.” She politely neglected to mention the money had satisfied his curiosity about her panties. “Polka dots are good luck,” she said softly. “I’m going to design a banner for my honeymoon retreat, of a balloon made with white lace and black polka dots.”

  “Oh, good,” Mimi said, “Bandera loves polka dots. He’s just dotty for them.” She giggled, pleased with herself.

  Holly frowned. “It’s unusual, isn’t it?”

  “There is nothing normal about those men, Holly, from the way they were raised to the way they live their lives now. I would offer to help you get through your reluctance phase so you could move into your acceptance phase, but unfortunately, I’m just now moving into my own acceptance phase.”

  Holly swallowed. “I should probably skip the whole thing. I’m not feeling very strong these days.”

  Mimi turned to look at her briefly. “Well, tell me something. Have you ever met a man like Bandera?”

  Holly could honestly say she had not. “No.”

  “Are you sure you want to skip it?”

  Chapter Nine

  “What worries me,” Holly said to Mimi as they drove down the tree-lined highway, “is how much I like Bandera. I’ve never been so incredibly attracted to someone. The second I met him, I wanted to change everything about myself.”

  “Really?” Mimi asked. “I think Bandera likes you just the way you are.”

  “That’s the problem. He doesn’t know who I am. I wanted to be sexy around him. Free-spirited. And that’s just not me at all.” She sighed. “I even threw my garter through the truck window at him.”

  Mimi laughed. “Trust me, he loved that.”

  “And I…gave him my panties on a bet,” she whispered. “And the worst part,” she added, looking at Mimi, who was trying hard not to giggle, “is that I didn’t do it for the money. I gave him my thong just to be a little…”

  “Wild.” Mimi laughed. “Trust me, Bandera was very happy that you did. Women always leave lacy calling cards for the Jefferson men. Helga—their housekeeper—is forever muttering about getting some unmentionable in the mail or left at the front door. One enterprising young lady left her white satin nightgown hooked to the stall of one of their horses. That night, the nightgown spooked the horse. Luckily, we were nearby when it went nuts in its stall.”

  “What became of the girl?”

  “Oh, Mason got the gown and the phone number she’d left inside it. It was one of the younger brothers’ school friends. Mason called her parents.”

  “Which brother was the gown intended for?”

  “Crockett.” Mimi grinned. “He didn’t dare ask that girl out after Mason had his fit. Mason said the girl was dumb as a rock and careless to boot, and Crockett knew better than to disagree. It was a pretty nightie, though.” She sighed. “They gave it to the church rummage sale, with a lot of other stuff, and I heard Widow—hey, what’s that?”

  Holly turned to see what Mimi was looking at in her rearview mirror. “It’s Bandera!”

  “Your voice is so excited when you say his name,” Mimi said with a grin.

  “I’m just surprised.” Holly put her head out the window, waving at him.

  “Do you want me to pull over?” Mimi asked. “We can say we thought he was going back home and wanted to caravan.”

  Holly pulled her head back inside, straightening her hair with a careless hand. “Isn’t he?”

  “Unless I miss my guess, he’s come after you,” Mimi said. “So if you’ve decided to be brave, now’s the time to do it. If you’re still feeling anguished—and that’s understandable—we’ll just keep going, without him.”

  Holly folded her hands tightly in her lap. Almost every instinct told her to stay with Mimi. Here she was safe. Bandera made her feel things she wasn’t ready to feel. Though she now knew she hadn’t loved her ex-fiancé, the whole matter had hurt.

  “Just keep going,” she said. “It’s better for both of us.”

  Mimi looked at her. “Are you sure?”

  Holly nodded.

  “Wow, this may be a record. The first time a woman has determined she’s definitely not giving in to a Jefferson male.”

  “You didn’t give in,” Holly said. “Bandera said you and Mason never get your stuff figured out.”

  “Bandera should mind his own business. Actually, Mason… I love Mason.”

  “I know,” Holly said. “But you still didn’t give in and start chasing him.”

  “Actually, I do chase him every once in a while,” Mimi said with a sigh. “And sometimes I think he’s chasing me. Then we both get nervous and back off. I don’t really know. I’ve got to get it figured out soon.” She laughed. “Bandera’s flashing his lights at us. He wants me to pull over.”

  “This is precisely what I mean,” Holly said nervously. “Bandera said he had a lot of stamina for chasing me, or something like that.”

  “Oh. He said that?” Mimi looked pensive. “You know, sometimes I get tired of cocky Jefferson attitude. Even though I find it attracti
ve and sexy as hell, every once in a while, I think What the hell, buddy?”

  Holly smiled. “I can understand that.”

  “So, if you’re sure you don’t want to swap seats and ride with him—”

  “I’m fine for now,” she said hurriedly. “Thanks.”

  “Then you and I are going to ignore him and his flashing lights.” Mimi jumped when her cell phone rang, quickly checking the screen. “Ah. It’s probably for you,” she said. “Bandera.”

  Holly took the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hey. Come ride with me,” he said. “You and I need to plan our business.”

  “I’m happy with Mimi,” Holly said stubbornly.

  “Yeah, but she listens to bad music on the radio. And I’m much more interesting.”

  “We’re having girl chat,” Holly said.

  “Is that why my ears are burning?” he asked. “Talking about me, are you?”

  “We were talking about Mason, actually,” she said.

  “Oh. Mason always gets to be the object of affection,” he complained. “And conversation. Unless one of us does something really crazy.”

  Holly tried not to let him lure her. “Don’t do anything crazy,” she said. “We’re enjoying talking about Mason.”

  He sighed. “I’m coming on too strong for you, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded to emphasize her point, even though he couldn’t see. “You’re too strong, and I’m too weak right now.”

  “I hate this,” Bandera said softly.

  “I just don’t want to be dishonest.”

  “All right,” he murmured. “I understand.”

  “Do you?” She wanted him to.

  “Yeah. So I’ll just follow you back to Malfunction Junction, and you just pretend I’m not here.”

  “Malfunction what?”

  “Junction. Our ranch.”

  Holly blinked. “Your ranch is named Malfunction Junction?”

  “Well, that’s what folks in town call it, and it stuck. We decided we like it. Sometimes, anyway.”