by Tina Leonard
“I know. It was better that way, I think. And it’s all worked out for the best,” Mimi said. “I didn’t want Mason to marry me because of a baby. I wanted him to…well, to love me. To want me to be his wife. So I can’t say I regret anything I’ve done. It’s just that lately I’ve realized my daughter deserves to know who her father is.”
Mimi took a deep breath. “To her, all the male influences in her life have come from my dad, Calhoun’s father-in-law Barley, and the Jefferson brothers. Mostly Mason.”
“Yeah, and you probably hate to mess up a good thing. No telling how Mason might react. It could be good, but…” Bandera frowned. “It could also be very bad. So?” he said with a glance at Holly. “Miss Wedding Planner? Do you think the status quo should stay the way it is?”
“I just plan weddings,” Holly said, “I don’t do relationships. But judging from what little I saw of Mason, I don’t think finding out he’s a father is going to, um—”
Bandera looked at her. “Make him want to marry Mimi?”
“Well, he’d offer, but it wouldn’t be what Mimi wants.”
“I know,” Mimi stated. “I’ve always known that.”
“And yet,” Bandera said, “the Jefferson in me says his daughter has a right to our name. I’ll marry you, Mimi.”
Mimi laughed. “Thank you, Bandera. I love you, too.”
Bandera took Holly’s hand in his. “And you’re going to be my concubine.”
Both women slapped him on the shoulder at the same time.
“Ow!” He chuckled, enjoying the attention. “Ah, life is good. I’m a real uncle, not that I wasn’t before, but—”
“Bandera, we know what you mean,” Mimi said. “Thank you for trying to be sensitive.”
He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “I think she has my nose, by the way. The Jefferson stubborn nose.”
“I think…” Holly said. “Mason does have a deep love of family.”
Bandera and Mimi stared at her.
“That’s true,” he finally admitted. “It will hurt his feelings that he didn’t know about Nanette. Here’s a man who’s out desperately searching for the past, when the future is right under his nose.”
They sat silently after that. Bandera wanted to reach for Holly’s hand again, but she’d pulled away a few moments ago, and if there was one thing he’d learned, it was that determined people didn’t like to be pushed.
There had to be that something more between a man and a woman for it to be right—and Bandera was going to find out what was needed between him and Holly to get a yes out of her.
“There’s your balloon festival,” he told Holly as they passed it. “And your newest business.”
“Really?” Mimi asked. “This is what you were talking about?”
A balloon floated serenely above them in the sky. They could see it through the front window of the truck. The people in the basket looked very small, almost invisible.
A chase vehicle passed by, following the balloon, with the balloon’s colors emblazoned on the SUV door.
“A hot air balloon honeymoon retreat,” Holly said, and Bandera heard the dreamy note in her voice. “Something different, something that no one else has to offer.”
He thought Holly had plenty to offer that no one else had. “We’re going to be partners,” Bandera said.
“I heard,” Mimi stated. “Something about a thousand dollars up front.”
Bandera glanced at Holly, who blushed.
“Planning fee,” Mimi said, her voice teasing.
“That’s what it was,” Bandera agreed, going along with the ribbing because he knew Mimi meant it in fun. “Have to pay the planner.”
But the second he said it, he knew Holly wasn’t planning him into the picture at all. Her head was turned so she could look out the side window. When she swung back around to look at him, there was no smile on her face.
She seemed just as preoccupied as Mason had been when he’d left for the north.
Bandera had to do something. He had to win her over. “Shall we stop?” he asked. “Fish around for info on your investment dreams?”
“I’d love that,” Holly agreed instantly, glowing. He liked to see her happy, smiling, excited.
“You know,” Mimi said, “you added a ton of land when you all bought my place, Bandera.”
“Your point?”
She laughed. “That it would almost be poetic justice if Malfunction Junction became known for balloon honeymoon retreats.”
“I…” He thought about that, liking the sound of the idea, but he needed to dodge his enthusiasm for Holly’s sake. He didn’t want her to pull back more than she already had. “I think Mason would blow a gasket.”
Mimi sighed. “You have a point.”
“Fortunately, Marielle offered some land to Holly.”
Holly nodded. “She had a pretty place. Very picturesque.”
“Cat, cookies…what more do you need to make a home?” he said dryly.
“Sex,” Mimi said. “Men usually rank sex right up there with cats and cookies as being the comforts of home.”
Holly blushed furiously, which Bandera enjoyed. “Well, now that you mention it…” he said teasingly.
He parked and they got out, walking together to the festival grounds. Holly kept her distance from him, he noted, staying on the other side of Mimi. For now, he’d bide his time, let her work out her feelings of unease.
“This balloon is pretty,” she said, stopping abruptly. “A waterfall has been painted on it.”
“It is lovely,” Mimi agreed. “Get in and try it out.”
“We already tried one,” Holly said, “and it didn’t go so well. Bandera has a fear of heights.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Mimi stated. “I know this for a fact, because he chased Janie—”
“Mimi,” Bandera said warningly.
“I’m just saying that if her daddy hadn’t gotten out his shotgun, you’d still be up on that roof—”
“I believe I will get in this balloon,” Bandera said to keep her from saying more. “Because I didn’t learn my lesson the first time.”
Mimi laughed. “You never know. This time might be better. I’m going to go find some popcorn. I can smell it cooking. See y’all back here in maybe an hour. Take good notes.”
She walked off, smiling. A man in overalls stood by his truck, watching people look at the three balloons he owned. “Howdy,” Mimi said.
“Ma’am,” he answered, tipping his hat.
“That waterfall balloon is pretty,” she told him.
“It’s a good one. Bought it a couple years ago from a couple who decided to give up the sport.”
“Sport, huh?” She looked over at Bandera and Holly, who were now inside the balloon’s basket, talking. “Ever lose one for maybe an hour, in a private place?”
“Could be arranged,” he said.
“For a price?”
“Exactly.” He grinned. “Those two lovebirds?”
“Actually, no,” she said, lowering her voice. “You could think of them more as jailbirds.”
His brows raised.
“Yeah, they broke out of a little country jail. Mind you, they’re not armed and dangerous, but they did have a little spat with the sheriff’s wife over whose peaches were on whose side of the fence.”
“I know you’re up to trouble, young lady,” the man said with a smile, “but I’m not really interested in your reasons. Show me the cash, and they’re as good as lost.”
“For a full hour.”
“Hell, make it two. I have kids to feed.”
Mimi pulled her wallet from her purse. “My brother has this coming to him. He has a fear of heights, you know.”
He laughed. “I believe you’re getting closer to the truth, but I’m really not interested.”
Mimi sighed. “You’re almost no fun, you know. All my life, I’ve been known for being—”
“Mischievous.”
She raised her chin.
“Have a nice day, sir. Can you point me in the direction of the food tents?”
“Peach pies are piping hot over there,” the man said, obviously amused by Mimi. “Shall I send up a snack for those two?”
Mimi glanced over her shoulder. “Nah. Let them live on love.”
He laughed.
“SO HERE,” Holly said, running her hands over the side rails of the basket, “I would tie big ribbons the color of the bride’s wedding party, or the couple’s favorite colors. Mint and lilac for spring, maybe—”
“Deer and duck head patterns for the guys,” Bandera suggested.
She cocked her head. “I never thought about that before. Guy decor.”
“Well, yeah. Remember what we liked about Marielle’s place? It was comfortable for both sexes. And believe me, if a guy is going to get talked into going up in one of these pear-shaped contraptions, he’d better have some decor that’s comforting.”
“You know, I don’t think you read Around the World in Eighty Days,” Holly said, laughing at him. “Or saw the movie. Wasn’t there recently a billionaire bachelor who took to the skies—”
“Remember, I told you that most gents prefer to keep their boots on the nice hard ground, where matters are as secure as possible,” Bandera said. “Possible being the operative…” He hesitated as the balloon shifted, and Holly watched his eyes grow huge. “Wait a minute…are we going up?”
Chapter Eleven
Bandera looked over the side of the basket at the man below him. Six people were gathered round, holding the ropes. “Excuse me,” Bandera said. “You’re about to lose us.”
“Give that burner a little tweak, please,” the balloon owner said. “It’ll keep you safe until we figure out how to get you back down.”
Bandera glanced at Holly. “Welcome to your first experience as an active balloon enthusiast. Give the burner a tweak, whatever that means.”
Holly frowned. “It means we’ll go up. We don’t want that.”
“He seems to think it’s best.” Bandera went over and looked at the burner. “I should have stayed with Mimi’s steaming radiator. It was less complicated.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Holly said. “This is less complicated than a bride’s hairdo, believe me. Ask him how much of a tweak a tweak is.”
“How much of a tweak, sir?” Bandera called over the edge.
“Son, I don’t have time to explain,” the man yelled back. “If you’ve ever wanted to be a pilot, this is your chance.”
“Really, we just want down,” Bandera said.
“I don’t,” Holly retorted, giving the handle of the burner a small twist. “I see what we did wrong last time. No tweaking.”
“Not too much tweaking, please,” Bandera said glumly as the flames roared up into the balloon.
Holly smiled. “It’s good to see you in a worried state occasionally. You’re far too confident. It puts me off.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Bandera said. “You’re attracted to it. Women like confidence in a man.”
“Oh, is that what we’re looking for.” Holly gave the burner another tweak.
“Hey! Enough of that!” Bandera grabbed her hand. “They’re moving us. Can you feel that?”
They were about fifty feet in the air now, being led to a far corner of the festival grounds. “All the people look very small, but even though it’s getting dark, I can still see them,” Holly said. “This is cool. When I plan my business, I’m going to make certain that the location is very remote and private.” She pulled a brochure from her purse. “Look what I got. An itinerary for a hot air balloon trip in Salzburg, Austria. It’s a luxury honeymoon package.”
Bandera forgot about his hesitation and gazed over Holly’s shoulder. “A balloon ride over Salzburg, Austria, I must admit, tempts even me.”
“You would be scared out of your wits.”
“Not with an experienced pilot, and this says they have them. ‘Late afternoon balloon adventures, skimming over pine trees and meadows tucked away in the foothills of the majestic Alps,’” he read. “Okay, even my brothers, as scattered as their wonderful locations have become, never dreamed of anything this super cool. It may be better than bull riding.”
Holly nodded. “It says you stay in a tower built in 1450 by the prince-archbishop of Salzburg as his private hunting and summer residence. Now, see, we can do something nearly as wonderful for the folks who prefer to see Texas rather than Austria.”
“Yeah.”
Bandera was smelling Holly’s hair, and she moved away from him. “Pay attention. We’re researching.”
They’d stopped, she noticed, and when she peeked over the edge, she saw that the balloon was being tied and anchored in a remote location. “Excuse me,” she called, “you’ll be wanting to let us down now.”
The man in the overalls looked up at her. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled, “I understand you two are escaped jailbirds.”
Holly gasped. “No, sir, we are not! We are law-abiding citizens.”
“That’s not what she says,” he called back loudly as he pointed to a faraway blonde eating ice cream at a picnic table.
“Mimi!” Bandera exclaimed. “That little vixen!”
“What happened?” Holly asked.
“Mimi is having her fun,” he replied, turning to stare at the burner. “I guess she rented this balloon to keep us up here for a while. Revenge, no doubt, for every inconsiderate thing Mason and the rest of us ever did to her.”
“Aw,” Holly said, “I think it’s sort of sweet. Except for the jailbird part.”
“Trust me, she’s having a good giggle over what she’s done.”
Holly looked the opposite way to keep from smiling.
Bandera turned her back around to face him. “You think this is funny, don’t you?”
“Well, it is amusing how she one-upped you,” Holly admitted.
“She one-upped you, too,” Bandera said.
“No, she didn’t. Mimi likes me.”
“Hey!” Bandera glared at her. “Mimi’s like my little sister!”
“And she’s treating you like a brother. This is exactly what sisters do—get their brothers back for all the years of teasing and terrorizing.”
“We may have played a joke or two on Mimi, but this is unnecessary. However, if I’m going to spend time aloft, I’m going to spend it doing something I really want to do.” Bandera pulled Holly into his arms, then sighed with pleasure. “I like holding you. You’re a perfect fit for me.”
It felt better than she wanted it to and every bit as wonderful as she needed. “I don’t see how I can be a perfect fit for you when you’re nearly a foot taller than me.”
“I like it. You make me feel strong and protective.”
She looked up at him. “You make me feel strong and protected. Somehow.”
“Good. Between us, we’ll beat up on Mimi when she finally lets us down out of this contraption.”
“I suppose we could lower the flame on the burner and gently sink to the ground,” Holly said.
“What would be the fun in that?” Bandera kissed the top of her head. “We’re up here. We might as well…cuddle.”
Holly felt her whole body sigh as he kissed her. It was sweet and gentle at first, then heat rushed all over her. “Better stoke it,” she said, pulling away. “I want it to stay up.”
“It will not go down, I assure you,” Bandera said, reaching under her blouse to stroke her back. “It hasn’t needed a lot of stoking around you.”
Holly blinked. “Oh, my,” she said. “I meant the balloon.”
“Don’t get all ruffled up, babe,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He moved to the burner, discharging another blast of heat into the balloon.
Holly watched Bandera’s big hands as he worked, and his lean body as he turned back toward her. She liked the way his hair fell rakishly over his eyes, and she liked his hat pushed down low on his forehead. In fact, she liked a lot about this man, though she’d be
en resisting him with everything in her.
And for what? Mason and Mimi resisted each other and that had gotten them nowhere.
Holly didn’t want to be nowhere.
“I like being up here with you,” she told Bandera.
“I’d like being anywhere with you.” His hands slipped along her bare skin, and right then and there, Holly made up her mind.
She wasn’t getting out of this balloon, she wasn’t putting her feet on the ground, until she had quit resisting him and everything and life itself. “Are you still afraid of heights?” she asked, melting against him.
“I don’t particularly care where I am right now, as long as you keep doing that,” he said. “It’s sort of romantic to be up in a hot air balloon with you starting to take on a little come-hither attitude. And I am a romantic guy, in case you couldn’t tell.”
She laughed. “Maybe I will put on a little come-hither.”
He made a hissing sound and pulled her against him. She could feel parts of his body that were hard—rock hard. “Remember when I met you and asked you to kiss me, and you did?”
“Yeah.”
“I liked it.” She ran her hands up his chest and wound her arms around his neck.
“I am always happy to oblige you.” So he kissed her again, for good measure.
“It was the wildest thing I’d ever done.”
He pulled back to look down into her eyes. “Really?”
“Really.”
“We’ve got to loosen you up, babe. Get you wilder.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Hmm, let’s see. One of us is going to lose something in this balloon tonight. Either I’m going to lose my fear of heights,” he said, “or you’re going to lose your fear of rebounding.”
She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him on the lips with everything she had. He couldn’t miss her meaning. “I had losing something else in mind,” she said with a teasing smile. “How’s your balance, cowboy?”
