Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)

by Christine Kersey

  “Who remembers Gabby’s famous chocolate cake?” Amethyst asked when everyone had finished eating.

  “I do,” Gage said with a grin.

  “Ah, yes,” Chloe added. “The bane of my diets when I was a teenager.”

  Gabby laughed. “You never needed to lose any weight, Chloe. Then or now.”

  Chloe laughed.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had any of this famous cake,” Travis said, drawing Gabby’s gaze. And when she saw his half-smile, her heart did its little flip. His gaze zeroed in on her and she no longer felt like she was fifteen. Instead, she remembered the way it felt to have his strong arms around her when she’d nearly fallen from the tree.

  He was certainly noticing her now. And she liked it. A lot.

  Tearing her gaze from his, she stood. “I’ll go get it.”

  “I’ll help you,” Travis said, and before Gabby could tell him she didn’t need help, he stood and began walking in her direction.

  Chapter 17

  Travis could tell his sudden focus on Gabriella had rattled her. He was glad he’d gotten her attention. Better than when she had run off at his approach.

  “What makes this cake of yours so famous?” he asked as he followed her towards the open sliding glass door, his gaze on the gentle sway of her hips.

  She stepped inside and turned around, making Travis nearly run into her.

  “I don’t know how famous it is,” she said. “It’s just a recipe my aunt taught me.”

  “I love chocolate, so I’m eager to give it a try.” He was also eager to kiss her senseless.

  A little surprised at the bold thought, Travis’s mouth curved into a smile of anticipation.

  I’m going to make that happen sooner or later. Count on it.

  With him standing so close, Gabby found it hard to think straight. There was something about him, some animal magnetism that made her wish he’d draw her into his arms and kiss her. The memory of her back pressed against his chest and his strong arms holding her steady filled her mind, and a rush of heat flowed through her.

  “Is this it?” he asked as he stepped away from her and over to the counter where a cake sat on a platter.

  Her gaze shifted from his handsome face to the cake, and she nodded. “Yeah.”

  He turned his back on the cake and faced her. “Was it my imagination, or did you run away from me earlier?”

  The question was unexpected and Gabby paused a beat as she remembered how she’d panicked at his approach. Instead of rushing off, she should have been more subtle. Then she tilted her head like she was confused. “What do you mean?”

  Smirking, he shook his head. “You know exactly what I mean. When I first arrived. When I started walking towards you, you left.”

  “Oh. That. Yeah. I was just seeing if Amethyst needed any help.” Did that sound convincing?

  “Okay.” He stretched out the word, and Gabby knew he wasn’t buying her excuse.

  She wanted to pick up the cake and carry it outside, putting an end to this awkward conversation, but he was standing right in the way.

  “Everyone’s waiting for dessert,” she finally said when he made no move to step aside.

  “They can wait.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I want to talk to you first.”

  The confidence in his voice told her she wasn’t going to be able to leave by using some lame excuse. And Amethyst and Chloe would be more than happy to wait if it meant she and Travis had time alone. Darn them. They weren’t going to come check on them either.

  Deciding to get this over with, she asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

  He took a step in her direction, leaving less than two feet between them. With him so close, she had to look up to meet his gaze and it was as if a current of electricity was arcing between them. Overwhelmed by the power of her attraction to him, she had to remind herself to breathe.

  “Tell me, Gabriella Peters,” he began, his voice soft and deep. “What will it take for you to agree to go out with me again?”

  Nothing. Nothing at all. She was at his mercy. “Uh…”

  His lips curved upward. “Will you go to dinner with me tomorrow night?”

  It was as if her brain had shut down and her heart had taken control. “Yes.” Her voice came out on a whisper.

  “Good. I’ll pick you up at six. Does that work for you?”

  “Yes.”

  His smile grew, then he stepped back, breaking the spell that had overtaken her. “I’ll carry your famous cake outside.” Then he lifted the platter and walked out of the kitchen.

  Gabby stared after him, her thoughts flying.

  Had she just agreed to a date? After she’d vowed not to go out with him? But dang, how could she turn him down when he was standing so close to her, smelling so good and looking so smoking hot?

  After taking several deep breaths, she went outside to face her friends.

  Travis set the platter on the table to the oohs and aahs of the rest of the group. Beyond thrilled that Gabriella had so easily agreed to go out with him, he had to make it count or he might not get another chance.

  Moments later he saw her exiting the house, and when she sat at the table, he offered her a knife. “Do you want to do the honors?”

  Her eyes locked on his, and he was glad he’d followed her inside and pressed her for a date.

  Her smile seemed hesitant. “Sure.”

  “I hope it’s as good as I remember,” Gage said.

  Trying to drag her attention away from Travis and the effect he was having on her, she laughed as she looked at Gage. “Me too.”

  “I’m sure it will be delicious as always,” Ashleigh said.

  Gabby gave everyone a plate with a slice of cake, then served herself and took a bite.

  “They weren’t exaggerating,” Travis said. “This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten.”

  Pleased by his compliment, Gabby looked at him and smiled. “Thank you.”

  Gage loudly cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. “Uh, the cakes at my bakery are pretty good too. Just sayin’.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Later, as the party began to wind down, Gabby saw Travis walking in her direction. Not about to repeat her earlier stunt, she stayed where she was.

  “I have to take off,” he said when he stopped in front of her. “But I wanted to tell you good-bye before I left.” He smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow night?”

  Though she was torn about whether accepting his invitation to dinner had been a good idea, she wasn’t going to back out now. “Yes.”

  His smile grew. “Until then.”

  Gabby nodded, then watched him turn and walk away. The moment he’d exited the backyard, Amethyst seemed to materialize at her side.

  “So?” she said, her expression curious. “What happened with him?”

  Knowing her friend would be pleased, Gabby laughed. “We’re going out tomorrow night.”

  Amethyst smiled. “I’m so glad.”

  Chloe and Ashleigh joined them a few moments later and Amethyst shared the news. Her friends obviously approved, and Gabby shook her head.

  “You guys are all just a bunch of little matchmakers, aren’t you?”

  “It’s fun to see romance blossom between two people we care about,” Ashleigh said, her blue eyes sparkling.

  “I don’t know about a blossoming romance,” Gabby said, although she couldn’t deny how much she wanted a romance with Travis.

  “Give it time,” Chloe said.

  Time was one thing they didn’t have. But Gabby kept those thoughts to herself. She didn’t want to put a damper on her friends’ good cheer.

  Chapter 18

  Gabby gave Sadie her evening pill, then she began getting ready for her date. All day she’d been thinking about this evening, surprising herself with how much she’d been looking forward to it. Well, maybe she wasn’t all that surprised. After all, the date was with Travis Haywood.

  “I’m so excite
d,” she sang to Sadie, who seemed less than enthusiastic as she curled up on Gabby’s bed.

  Ready by a quarter to six, Gabby sat on the couch and began reading the novel she’d started a few days earlier. Engrossed in the story, she didn’t realize forty-five minutes had passed until Sadie jumped onto her lap and insisted on a scratch, at which time she looked at her phone.

  “I thought he said six,” she murmured. Sadie purred and head-butted Gabby’s hand to get her to re-focus.

  As the minutes ticked by, Gabby became worried—what if something had happened to him on his way over? At seven o’clock she tried calling him, but got his voicemail. She decided to leave a message.

  “Hi. It’s Gabby. Just wondering if you’re okay.” She disconnected and chewed on her bottom lip, then picked up her book, but she was unable to concentrate.

  At seven-thirty her phone rang. She snatched it from the couch cushion beside her, and when she saw Travis’s name on her caller ID, she swiped the phone to answer. “Hello?”

  “It’s Travis,” he said.

  “Are you okay? I’ve been worried.” Her concern kept her from feeling self-conscious about admitting her anxiety.

  “Yeah. I had to assist Doc Martin in emergency surgery. I’m sorry I didn’t make it over.”

  Relieved beyond words that he was okay, and proud that his job involved doing something so important, she softly sighed. “That’s okay. Did everything go all right?”

  “Yeah. I’ll tell you about it when I see you.”

  When he saw her? Was he still going to come over? “Tonight?”

  “You’re probably starving by now.” He laughed. “Unless you gave up on me and ate something.”

  Too distressed about his whereabouts to even think about eating, she was definitely hungry. “No. I didn’t eat anything.”

  “I’ll pick something up and bring it over. Is that okay?”

  Her earlier excitement came roaring back. “Yes. That’s fine.”

  “Good. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  She disconnected the phone, then turned to Sadie, who was stretched out on the cool wood floor. “He’s coming over.”

  “You did great, Travis,” Doc Martin said a few minutes later as Travis prepared to leave. “I really appreciate having you here.”

  “Thanks. I’ve enjoyed it and I’ve learned a lot from you.”

  Doc Martin placed a hand on Travis’s shoulder. “We’ll miss having you here when your internship ends next summer, but I know you’ll do great things wherever you end up.”

  Travis nodded, and as he watched Doc Martin walk away, he noticed that he hadn’t suggested that Travis stay on at Emerald Falls Veterinary. In fact, in all the time Travis had been at the clinic, Doc Martin had never made that suggestion.

  Travis hadn’t thought about it before because he had been so focused on leaving at the end of his internship, but what if staying wasn’t even an option?

  With that thought in his mind, Travis cleaned up, then headed out.

  When the doorbell rang, Gabby hurried to answer. It was after eight, but she didn’t care. Excited to see Travis—particularly after her earlier worry—she opened the door to find him standing on her porch, bags of food in his hands.

  “That smells delicious,” she said as she gestured for him to enter. “Is that Chinese?”

  “Yep.” He smiled. “I hope you like it.”

  “I love Chinese.” She closed the door behind him, then followed him into the small dining room where he set the bags on the table, which she’d set after his phone call.

  They sat across from each other, and after they’d served the food, Gabby asked him about the emergency he’d had to deal with.

  “A dog was hit by a car,” he began. “The driver of the car dropped him off, but the dog required surgery. His leg was fractured in two places and he had some internal bleeding, but we got him fixed up. Now it’s wait and see.”

  “Oh, that’s awful. Poor thing.”

  Travis nodded. “Yeah, it’s always hard to see an animal in distress.”

  “I’m glad you and Dr. Martin were able to take care of him.”

  “Now we just need to track down the owner. The dog didn’t have any tags or a chip, so hopefully the owner will come looking for him.”

  Saddened to think that the dog’s owner had no idea what had happened to his dog, Gabby frowned. If Sadie disappeared, she’d be frantic with worry.

  “Anyway,” Travis said, “we’ll see what happens tomorrow.” Then he asked her how school was going.

  Gabby told him about her day, then they talked about other things.

  “I should probably get going,” Travis said after he’d been there for well over an hour.

  Gabby was more of a morning person, but despite being tired, she didn’t want him to leave, and she knew she was falling for him more and more.

  “How would you like to get together on Saturday?” Travis asked.

  Gabby very much wanted to spend more time with him. “What did you have in mind?” Not that it mattered. As long as he was there, she was up for it.

  He smiled. “I was thinking of visiting the zoo.”

  Delighted by the idea, Gabby smiled. “I haven’t been there in ages. That sounds like fun.”

  “Great. I’ll pick you up about nine.”

  She laughed. “Assuming there aren’t any emergencies.”

  Travis nodded. “Right.” Then he stood.

  Gabby stood as well. Would he kiss her? She wanted him to, but then again, she didn’t. Because once he did, that would take things to another level, and she didn’t know if she was ready for that.

  He stayed on his side of the table. “Thank you for letting me come over so late.”

  Hoping he’d walk over to where she stood, she nodded. “Thank you for bringing dinner.”

  “Anytime.” A moment later he walked toward the front door, so Gabby followed.

  The vibe Travis got from Gabriella was one of hesitancy. Deciding not to push things despite wanting to kiss her luscious mouth, when she stood several feet away from him, he didn’t approach her.

  “I’ll see you on Saturday,” he said.

  “See you then.”

  With a last smile, he opened the door and walked outside, and as he backed his car out of the driveway, he was pleased to notice that Gabriella stood on her porch watching him. And when he waved, the pool of light falling on her from the porch lamp illuminated her smile as she waved in return.

  Saturday he was going to make it happen. He was going to kiss her then.

  Chapter 19

  Gabby woke early on Saturday morning. Stretching her arms above her head, she thought about Travis and how much she’d been looking forward to this day. Despite her fear that she would fall for him and then have to say good-bye when he left the next summer, she didn’t seem to be able to stop herself from spending time with him. And she was doing exactly as she had feared. She was falling for Travis Haywood and falling hard.

  She was in trouble.

  Flinging the covers back, she sat up on the side of the bed and sighed.

  It was time to face the facts. Either she needed to stop seeing Travis or… She didn’t want to stop seeing him.

  Trudging into the bathroom, Gabby acknowledged that she was reaching the point of no return. Soon it would be too late. Her heart would belong to Travis.

  But then what? What would happen when the next summer rolled around and he left Emerald Falls for good? Would she be able to get over him? Would they get to the point where he would ask her to go with him? Would she want to? She was making a life here. Emerald Falls was where she wanted to live.

  Groaning in frustration, Gabby stared at herself in the mirror. Why did love always have to be so difficult? For her at least.

  Then she thought about her friends—Amethyst, Chloe, Ashleigh. They hadn’t found love either. She shouldn’t lose hope. One of them was bound to find love. And it could be her.

  With fresh hope propel
ling her, Gabby got ready for her date with Travis.

  As nine o’clock approached, Gabby’s excitement grew, and when a knock sounded on her door, a smile lit her face as she answered.

  “Good morning,” Travis said.

  Seeing him standing there after thinking about him for days made Gabby’s heart thunder with longing. “Hello. I’m glad you didn’t have any emergencies this morning.”

  Travis laughed. “Me too.”

  Gabby invited him in, and they sat near each other on the couch.

  “How’s that dog doing, anyway?” Gabby asked.

  Smiling, Travis said, “She’s doing fine. In fact, she’s ready to go home.” His smile faltered. “Trouble is, she doesn’t have a home to go to.”

  Gabby’s eyebrows bunched. “What do you mean? Didn’t you find her owner?”

  Travis shook his head. “No.”

  “What happens now?”

  “Hopefully we can find a home for her.”

  “You mean, like, adoption?”

  Travis nodded. “More like foster care for now. She’s a really sweet dog though. A yellow lab.”

  Gabby had always had a soft spot for labs. “A yellow lab, huh?”

  “That’s right.”

  A smile curved Gabby’s mouth. “Maybe I could foster her.”

  Travis’s eyebrows rose. “You? Really?”

  Gabby laughed. “Yes, me. Why is that so surprising?”

  Travis’s mouth opened, then closed. His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “What about Sadie? How do you think she would feel about a dog living in her house?”

  That was something that had crossed Gabby’s mind, but she was confident Sadie would adjust. “I think she would get used to it. Besides, it would only be temporary, right?”

  “Probably.” He smiled. “It would certainly be a relief to know she’s in a good home.” Travis looked thoughtful. “After we visit the zoo, why don’t we stop by the clinic and you can meet her. Then you can decide.”

  “Does she have a name?”

  “We don’t know what it is, so you could choose one.”