Her Perfect Cowboy

by Trish Milburn

  True to his word, Liam made quick work of the change. He had the flat tire off, the new one on and everything back in the trunk before she could think about how to make their current situation not so awkward.

  He closed the trunk and dusted off his hands. “You think she’d give up if we actually went out?”

  India jerked her gaze to his, unsure she’d heard him correctly. “What?”

  “You know, play along. Maybe if we actually went out a time or two, then you could tell her you tried and that it didn’t work out. End of problem.”

  India didn’t like how her insides twisted at the thought that he might think of them going out as a problem. But then she remembered that was exactly what it would be. They were business associates, acquaintances, nothing more. She feared even pretending to date might endanger that. She might not ever admit it to anyone else, but she was intensely attracted to Liam despite the fact he had absolutely nothing in common with the type of guy she’d always maintained she wanted. But the reality was that her blood raced every time she was around him. Could she pretend to be on a date with him without caving in and making it real?

  “That would probably just add fuel to the fire.”

  Liam looked up the driveway toward the backyard. “You know her better than I do, so I’ll take your word for it. If you change your mind, though, let me know.”

  She couldn’t help fidgeting under his gaze. What exactly did he mean by that? He couldn’t actually want to go out with her, could he?

  When he finally broke eye contact and headed back up the driveway, she was able to take a deep breath. He’d taken a few steps when she remembered what he’d just done for her.

  “Thanks for the help.”

  “No problem.”

  A few more steps and he was gone, leaving India standing in the driveway imagining her feet stuck in concrete so she wouldn’t run after him and take him up on his offer.

  * * *

  SOMEHOW INDIA MANAGED to finally fall asleep, helped by the long bath she’d taken the moment she got home. Her state of mind hadn’t been helped by imagining Liam in the bathtub with her. But there seemed to be no stopping those kinds of thoughts from strolling through her head no matter how much she tried. Finally, she’d given in and let her imagination run free. That had resulted in some very nice dreams. She had no idea how she was going to face Liam the next time they had to see each other without her face going up in flames.

  Despite everything, she had a really good morning. She was busy enough with a steady flow of customers that she didn’t have a lot of time to fantasize about a guy who would not only be out of her life, but also hours away before the calendar turned to July.

  The amount of sales encouraged her to pull out her plans for the building next door. She wasn’t going to give up trying to convince Celene that the right use for the space was an expansion of Yesterwear. She wanted to make her store a hub of destination shopping. More than once she’d imagined people driving from Austin and San Antonio just to be able to buy clothing from her carefully selected merchandise.

  When she looked at the plans, she erased some of what she’d drawn on the sketch pad and rearranged previous ideas. Where she’d had an area devoted to vintage coats, she drew a quarter circle in one corner for a stage and a set of three changing rooms next to it and a semicircle of couches facing the stage. She smiled when she imagined a parade of little girls trying on vintage-inspired outfits just their size. Maybe she could even work with Keri to cater the parties.

  She got so excited about the new ideas that she couldn’t get them down on paper fast enough. She almost resented when the front door opened again. When she looked up and saw Skyler, she relaxed.

  “Hey, come here,” India said, waving her friend toward the front counter. “I’ve got a lot of new ideas for the space next door.”

  “Did you get Celene to approve the expansion?”

  “Not yet, but I’m not giving up.”

  “Then what’s going on over there?”

  “What?”

  Skyler gestured in the direction of the vacant store. “The front door is open and Justine is in there showing around a couple of guys.”

  “What?” India realized she’d just uttered the same one-word question twice then shook her head. “Can you watch the store a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  India hurried next door. When she stepped inside, she spotted Justine Ware, who owned the real estate company a couple more doors down the street. With her were two men in suits. One of them turned at her entrance, catching India off guard with his impeccable good looks. At a glance, she knew his suit cost more than her family had often had to buy groceries for six months. On the outside, he looked like her fantasy guy. But because of where he stood right now, she was afraid he was more of a threat than a potential mate.

  “Hey, India,” Justine said.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Justine looked a little startled by her tone and excused herself from the men. As Justine walked toward India, the younger of the two men, the one in the stylish suit, smiled at India. Of course he had perfect teeth. She’d bet he had a sports car and quite possibly had traveled to at least three foreign countries, too.

  “Is something wrong?” Justine asked as she drew close.

  “Who are those guys?”

  “Real estate developers from San Marcos.”

  “Why are they in here?”

  Justine’s forehead crinkled. “They’re considering buying the space.”

  “But it’s not for sale.” India’s heart grew heavy because she already knew what Justine was going to say next.

  “Celene listed it late yesterday.”

  India fought tears and struggled to take a steadying breath. “Why would she do that? She knew I wanted to lease the space.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Justine looked genuinely regretful to be the bearer of bad news. “I didn’t know.”

  “It’s not your fault.” India’s words came out in a half-choked whisper. Not able to even look at the space that had been the centerpiece of her dream for so long, she turned on her heel and rushed back out onto the sidewalk. She leaned against the side of the building, trying not to think about all her plans falling in a pile of ashes around her.

  Why had Celene decided to sell, and so soon after they’d talked about India leasing the space? It had either been a sudden decision, or she’d simply not had the decency to tell India her plans. Either way, it ticked her off. If she’d had plans to sell all along, Celene could have at least given India first dibs.

  But Celene knew India didn’t have that kind of money. Never had, and from Celene’s point of view never would. Something ugly squirmed inside India. She’d likely never be able to prove it, but India suspected that Celene’s decision had a lot more to do with India’s past than her present or future. And here India had thought most people had let it go, had allowed her to distinguish herself as more than her genetics. But T.J.’s outburst at the music hall and now this...well, she wondered if she’d been deluding herself all along. Had she made a mistake by not leaving Blue Falls for good?

  She shook her head. No, her best friends were here. The vast majority of the residents were wonderful people who always greeted her with a smile.

  But could they look at her and not see who she’d once been? Who her parents had been? What her parents had done?

  She wanted to believe she was overthinking, reading too much into recent events. But once tempted out into the light of day, those old doubts dug in their claws.

  The sound of approaching steps along with the sudden realization that she was drawing a couple of curious stares prompted India back to her store. When she walked through the front door, Skyler hopped up from the stool behind the front counter.

  “Are you okay?” S
kyler rounded the jewelry case, concern etched on her face.

  “Celene put the building up for sale.”

  “Without telling you?”

  India nodded.

  “When?”

  “Last night.”

  “And there are already people looking? That’s surprising, especially since I didn’t recognize them.”

  Meaning they were from out of town. Would they buy it? And what did they want it for?

  The door opened behind India, drawing her attention. She hid her feelings as she turned, ready to help a customer. But it was Justine and the two men. Justine gave her an apologetic look.

  “Can I help you all?” India smiled. After all, if these men would be her new neighbors, best to be friendly.

  The younger of the two, he of the slick suit, smiled and extended his hand. “Hello. You ran off before we could introduce ourselves. I’m Kevin Sladen, and this is my business partner, Mark Raybourn.”

  India shook his hand, noting the firm grip and the way he held her hand a little longer than necessary. The hint of mischief in his blue eyes added to his physical appeal, but she was too upset to respond to it the way he was probably used to. As she released her grip and shook hands with his partner, she remembered to respond. “Nice to meet you both.”

  “We’ll try not to get in your way,” Mark said as he glanced past her.

  India looked from him to Kevin and finally to Justine. “I don’t understand.”

  Justine looked as if she wanted to crawl into a hole. “Celene is selling this building, too.”

  Chapter Eight

  India just stared at Justine, hoping she hadn’t heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”

  “No need to worry,” Kevin said, drawing her attention back to him. “We’re just looking now. If we decide to buy, we may only need the building next door. Depends on if we land a couple of big projects we’re bidding on.”

  India felt as if she’d been dropped in the middle of some country where she didn’t speak the language. She shook her head, as if that might clear the confusion.

  “Mr. Sladen and Mr. Raybourn are architects.”

  “We’re looking for a place to expand into the Hill Country. The space next door will be sufficient if it’s just us, but we have a partnership with a builder who may want to expand with us and will need the extra space.”

  “You do realize this space is already occupied?” Bless Skyler for voicing India’s thoughts, the ones caught up in the maelstrom of emotions and questions whirling inside her.

  To their credit, the two men suddenly looked uncomfortable.

  “Like we said, it might not work out,” Mark muttered.

  “We’d still like to take a quick look around, if that’s okay with you,” Kevin said, giving her what she suspected was his closing-the-deal smile.

  “I don’t seem to have much of a choice, do I?” Rage and sorrow combined forces to make India shake. At least she could feel the shaking. She had no idea if it was visible.

  Somehow she found the willpower to take a couple of steps back out of their way. She tried not to hate them as they passed her, checking out the floor, the intricate moldings at the edge of the walls, the pressed-tin ceilings. After all, she couldn’t blame them for inquiring about buildings on the market.

  No, this was all Celene. And the more she heard, the more India stewed. The more she stewed, the more she wanted to go give Celene a piece of her mind. Maybe it was a good thing that the duo of Sladen and Raybourn were here now because otherwise she might march down the street and give Celene Bramwell a giant chunk of her mind. And that would just prove that Celene had been right all along, that no matter how much you dressed up India Pike she was still poor white trash at her core.

  Justine paused for a moment as she followed the men. “I’m so sorry.”

  All India could do was nod.

  Once Justine and the men were in the other room, Skyler touched India’s arm.

  “You need to sit down.”

  “What I need is to tell Celene what a bitch she is.”

  “As attractive as that might seem, not the best idea. We’ll figure out a way to fix this.”

  India met Skyler’s eyes. “How? She knows I don’t have the kind of money it would take to buy one of the spaces, let alone both of them.”

  “A loan from the bank, maybe?”

  “The way lending is now?” India shook her head, hating how defeated she felt.

  “Don’t give up yet. I promise, we’ll figure this out.”

  India’s outlook changed from one moment to the next, making her feel a bit schizophrenic. First she wanted to agree with Skyler, buckle down and find a solution like she always had when faced with a challenge. But then a sliver of the insecure girl she’d been would surge to the surface and punch her self-confidence in the nose.

  She glanced toward where Justine was showing the men around. India couldn’t hear what they were saying, and honestly she didn’t want to. Instead, she needed to focus on her next step. Because no matter what doubts were making a reappearance, she was not going to go down without a fight. She’d worked too hard to build her business, the life she wanted. There was no sense in trying to figure out why she suddenly felt as if she were being bombarded from all sides, because the why didn’t matter. What did matter was what she was going to do about it.

  Another incredibly long minute ticked by before Skyler stepped in front of India, blocking her view of the men. “I have to get back to the inn for a meeting now, but I’ll call you later, okay?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Skyler hugged her before heading back to her own job. For a few seconds, India envied her friend. Skyler owned the Wildflower Inn. Unless she didn’t pay her taxes or went bankrupt, she didn’t have to worry about someone waltzing in and taking it away from her. Skyler was much too meticulous to let either of those things happen.

  India wandered behind the front counter, not wanting to even see the men who had the power to destroy everything. Her jaw tightened as she stared out the window at her neighbors walking up and down the sidewalks. Scenarios for making the best of a bad situation began to run through her head. Maybe she would go to the bank and apply for a loan. Sure, she doubted it would be approved, but she wouldn’t know for certain until she tried.

  And if that didn’t pan out, maybe the suited duo would decide not to buy and that would give her more time to move on to whatever option number two ended up being.

  But what if they did buy the buildings and evict her? Could she find another space? It certainly wouldn’t be as prominently placed as where Yesterwear sat now, right in the heart of the downtown that drew tourists.

  She tried not to think that this might be the world’s way of showing her that Blue Falls wasn’t where her future lay. She didn’t even want to entertain that thought. It was too easy to run away.

  Justine, Kevin and Mark walked back into the small front room. Mark thanked her again before he held open the door for Justine. But Kevin motioned for them to go on and he’d catch up.

  “We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot,” he said as he leaned one hip against the counter.

  “It’s safe to say I didn’t expect someone to possibly be buying my business out from under me.”

  “How about you let me take you out to dinner to apologize for upsetting you?”

  She eyed him and realized he was everything she’d always said she wanted in a man. Good-looking, well dressed, successful. But an image of Liam popped into her mind, nudging Kevin aside even though he was still in front of her.

  She should say yes to Kevin’s invitation. Maybe an evening with someone like him would shove all her annoying daydreams about Liam out of her brain. And if he ended up owning her building, maybe she could convince him to at least let
her keep the space she had. Despite all that, she found herself shaking her head.

  “Already taken,” he said. “I should have known.”

  Instead of correcting him, she couldn’t make herself say anything.

  “Well, if that ever changes, you let me know.” With a wink and a smile, he headed out the door.

  As if she were sending out bad vibes, the store stayed empty most of the afternoon. The more she sat and thought about what Celene had done, the more she fumed. But instead of giving in to the urge to go scream at Celene about the unfairness of the situation, she channeled her energy toward an action plan. First up, her case for the bank to grant her a loan.

  But when she went to the website for Justine’s real estate listings, her stomach did a nosedive. The price tag for even her building was hefty. Could she risk losing everything by going into debt up to her neck with a big mortgage payment in addition to the one on her cute little house?

  She looked around her at all the items she’d carefully selected to showcase in Yesterwear, thought about the thrill she experienced when she discovered a new designer and inspired designs. She couldn’t give this up, not without a fight.

  An hour before her normal closing, she packed up her purse and the bank loan form she’d downloaded and filled out, doing her best to cast herself and the business in a positive light. Instead of driving, she headed down the sidewalk toward the bank. It wasn’t that far, and she needed the time to try to rein in her nerves. She hadn’t been this nervous since she’d signed on the dotted line to lease the space for the store.

  Well, that wasn’t exactly true, was it? Every time she was around Liam Parrish, her nerves sparked like an entire package of firecrackers set ablaze.

  But this was different. This was her livelihood, her future, her life’s work. Liam was simply a man passing through a tiny sliver of that life.

  For some reason, she felt a pang in her chest at that thought. It was enough to make her falter. She took a deep breath. She didn’t need to be thinking about Liam, his tall, lean body, those beautiful eyes of his.