by Scott, Lisa
“Let’s make it twenty.”
She sucked in a breath. “But only for one month.” She poked his chest with her finger. “And do not think I’m going to fall for you. I have zero interest in someone like you. Let’s make that clear from the get-go.”
Teague grabbed the finger pressed up against his chest and pulled her knuckles to his mouth. “Sorry, don’t want the press to think the lovebirds are bickering.” He kissed her hand and looked up into her eyes. “And an extra twenty thousand says you will fall for me.”
She snatched her hand away. “Fall for you? Pigs will not only fly, they’ll open their own airline before that happens. And by the way, I get to break up with you.” She would not suffer another round of sympathy after a humiliating public breakup. This one was going to be on her terms.
He shrugged. “Go ahead, break my heart, baby. You’ll be the first one to do it.” Teague smiled. “Ready, milady? Follow my lead.” He opened the door a crack, but the photographers moved in closer, shouting more questions. He finally got out and they backed up. Camera lights flashed like one of the big Fourth of July displays in Whitesville. Teague walked around the car to open her door.
Kate suddenly regretted slapping on that I think, therefore I’m single bumper sticker Tonya had given her last Valentine’s Day. Teague took her hand as she stood up on wobbly knees. She felt the same stab to her gut she had experienced back at Lookout Point when he’d curled his fingers over hers.
Cameras flashed; more questions came. Bugs danced around the lights in the dusky sky. When Teague raised a hand, the reporters shut up. “I’m surprised to see you all here. We wanted to keep things quiet. But yes, this is my new girlfriend, Kate Riley.”
Kate tried not to roll her eyes.
Reporters hurled more questions at them—so many, she couldn’t even gather what they were saying.
“What are you—”
“Where did you—”
“How did you meet?”
Teague turned to Kate and smiled. “It’s such an interesting story. And you tell it so well, honey.”
That weasel … Kate dug her fingernails into his palm. He asked for it.
She dropped his hand, clasped her hands in front of her and shrugged, doing her best aw, shucks country-girl impression. “Well, ya’ll, we met on the Internet. One of those dating service thingies? I did it as a joke, but dang, he was serious about it, and here we are.” She shrugged. “You should’ve seen his funny profile picture. I felt bad for him, actually, figured he wasn’t getting many responses, so I emailed him.” She batted her lashes at him, determined not to make this arrangement easy on him.
“T-Rex, why did you join an Internet dating service when you could have any woman in the world?” The reporters scribbling in tiny notebooks paused and looked up.
“You’re certainly not hurting to meet women,” another shouted. Plenty of chuckles followed that one. “Why come all the way to Willowdale for a date?”
Teague laughed and paused, and she wondered how he’d handle that one.
“I joined anonymously under a different name, with a bogus picture.” He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Haven’t had great luck with the ladies in Hollywood, in case you haven’t noticed.”
The crowd laughed.
More confident, he straightened. “So, I thought I’d meet a nice, old-fashioned girl.” He looked at her and smiled. “And that’s how I met Kate.”
She felt herself sucked into those eyes, wondering what it would be like to believe those words. It was like lapping up sugar. But then another light flashed and broke her gaze.
“Kate, were you surprised to learn the guy you met on the Internet was Teague Reynolds?”
She glanced at him, aware of his body heat, the firm stance, his very being, and shook her head. “Surprised wouldn’t begin to describe how I felt.”
“What were you two doing in town today?”
Good one. The pavement was hot under her flip-flops and she shuffled around a bit. She sucked in a breath, figuring this was the question that would stump them. But Teague kept up.
“It was our first official date. I even bought her this ring.” He took the ring out of the bag and slipped it on her finger. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a plane to catch.”
We?
The crowd of journalists followed them to the tiny plane sitting in the middle of the tarmac. The sun had slipped in the sky, setting the night aglow in purple and orange. The heat and stress of the day hung on her like a cloak.
She hugged her arms around herself. “I’m going with you right now? I didn’t even pack.” She looked up at him, panicked, aware of the delicate ring circling her finger like a tiny shackle.
“We’ll go shopping tomorrow. I’ll buy whatever you want.”
“How about a goodbye kiss for the cameras?” a reporter called out.
Oh, this isn’t good.
Teague flashed a look at the throng of cameras and slipped his hand across Kate’s lower back. It was a nice, big hand. Fit, like it belonged there. He pulled her to him and his lips parted. Those easy blue eyes of his closed, and his mouth was on hers. Well good lord, she was in a movie scene.
Right, we’re pretending. We’re acting, she reminded herself. I can do this. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, surprised at how hungrily she returned his kiss. This was more divine than taking her time with a box of truffles. Their lips moved like they’d been together many times before. He pulled away and her mouth ached for more, her lips still tingling and her stomach rolling. Damn. Why did that have to be so good? She could not, would not, fall for this guy. No way, no how.
But as they stared at each other, she wondered how a fake kiss could have felt so darn real. “Are we going to be able to pull this off?” she whispered.
One corner of his mouth curled up. “Trust me.” He grabbed her hand and she followed him up the stairs onto the small plane, not trusting him at all. No ma’am, not one tiny bit.
Chapter 4
“WHEN CAN I go back?” Kate asked as the plane lifted her away from the only place she’d ever called home. She snapped the window shade shut.
“We’ve only been gone five minutes. Homesick already?”
Suddenly chilly, she rubbed her bare arms. “I hadn’t planned on flying away from my life today. It’s not like my calendar for the summer is entirely open.” Even though it was. She pulled out her phone and texted Dina. “I had to go out of town on an emergency. Will call tomorrow to explain.”
Teague scratched his head. “I’m not sure when you can go home. We’ll be at the Sunshine Film Festival for a week. Maybe after that you can come back for a few days to visit. We’re going to play it by ear. Don’t forget, you agreed to work for a month. And I have to say, you were pretty good back there, especially with that kiss. Have you ever done any acting?”
She tried to think of something funny to say, like she always did when emotions got too close. But the joke didn’t find its way out soon enough. Her eyes felt heavy with tears, so she looked away from him.
She hadn’t ever been an actress—more like a liar, to protect her mother. Kate had caught George in compromising positions more than once. “Let’s just keep this between you and me,” he’d say, slipping her a twenty-dollar bill. “You don’t want to hurt your mother, do you?”
She’d always wanted to say Of course not, so why do you keep hurting her? So Kate would take the money, keep her mouth shut, and use the cash to buy her a mother a trinket on one of their antique excursions.
Tears flooded her eyes, as she remembered the feel of the dirty bill in her hand and the way she’d crumple it up and shove it in her pocket. And here I am doing the same thing again, taking money to keep a secret, embroiled in one big lie. She promptly reached for the airsick bag and threw up.
Teague called for the flight attendant, then unfastened his seatbelt. He rushed next to her and set his hand on her shoulder. “You alright?”
“
I’m fine,” she snapped. She held up a hand to prevent him getting closer. “Stay away from me. Nothing is going to happen between us unless it’s absolutely necessary, like for the cameras back there.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder.
He nodded. “Of course. That’s the agreement.”
The flight attendant emerged from the back of the plane and took the bag from Kate. “I’ll be right back with a drink for you both.” She gave Teague an appreciative look then bustled away.
Teague reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. “Sleeping pill? Knocks you right out. Looks like you could use some rest, Kate.”
She shook her head. “It’s been an overwhelming day.”
He looked at her, and for the first time, she thought she saw a flash of sincerity on his face. “Tomorrow’s going to be even worse.”
With a groan, she sat up. “Why?”
“Your face is going to be on tabloid magazines and newspapers across the country.”
The flight attendant arrived just in time to hand her another flight bag. Kate threw up again and then held out her hand to Teague. “I’ll take that pill.”
TEAGUE WATCHED KATE’S fingers twitch, then her eyelids flutter closed. “Dating” her gave him the perfect excuse to go back to Willowdale so he could deal with the baby situation over the next few weeks. It really was a fantastic solution. Heck, maybe there’d even be a few more of those staged kisses. Just so long as she didn’t try to get to know him. Not the real Teague. He’d worked too hard to keep the truth from everyone. He was relieved, really, that she was so adamant about nothing happening between them.
He covered her up with a blanket. “Team Teague” was going to have a cow when they found out about this. His publicist, June, thought she should have final approval on his potential girlfriends. She’d chosen a group of A and B list actresses he was allowed to date. His agent insisted his private life greatly impacted his public life and had to be strategized. His manager thought he should ditch women for a while and concentrate solely on his career.
Never mind his personal assistant, stylist, driver, chef and housekeeper. They all had opinions and liked to share them. How many people did he require to take care of him, anyway? Either way, he was in for an earful tomorrow. It was part of the Hollywood scene he hadn’t planned on when he’d gone there looking for a new life.
Settling back in the comfortable leather chair, he pulled out a book, a thriller that a producer friend had optioned for a movie. He was considering casting Teague as the lead. That was his life—chasing the next big gig. And the ultimate gig would be landing the lead in an action adventure film: the number one goal for Team Teague these days.
He tried not to jostle Kate, who was slumped against him in a deep sleep. She’d sat in the small row of seats across from him when they’d first boarded, but he was reluctant to leave her now. He closed his book and set it on his lap. He couldn’t concentrate. He felt like a voyeur, watching her sleep. She curled up on her side and settled her head on his shoulder. He set his hands on his thighs, determined not to touch her.
What he was going to do with this woman for an entire month?
Chapter 5
“WHY COULDN’T YOU get Kate to drive you home?” Dina’s father asked as she climbed into his pickup. “I had a business meeting this evening.” He slammed the rickety door shut.
Right, Dina thought. More like cards over at Roy’s house. Even without Kate constantly reminding her, she knew her father’s shortcomings. “She wasn’t around.” She decided not to mention Kate had left town. She was too tired to deal with one of her father’s moods.
He tapped a cigarette out of the pack and tucked it between his lips.
She fanned her hand through the air. “Excuse me? Pregnant woman in the car. You can’t smoke that in front of me.”
He sighed and set it down on the console. “You mean pregnant girl in the car.”
Dina swallowed hard. She hated disappointing everyone like this. She chewed on her bottom lip and looked up at the stars in the sky. What would she wish for if she saw a shooting star? That she wasn’t pregnant? That Mama Margaret hadn’t died?
She blew her bangs off her forehead. Kate was wrong. Dina could raise this baby by herself. She had to. Bitty-Bump’s daddy wouldn’t be around, that was for sure. Bitty-Bump’s daddy had a new girlfriend. She rubbed her tummy.
George pulled into the driveway, but didn’t turn off the engine.
“Aren’t you coming in? It’s eleven o’clock.”
He ran his hand down his face. “Nah, I’m headed back to Roy’s for a bit. Oh, I picked up a playpen for the baby at a yard sale. It’s the in the back of the pickup. I’ll get it out tomorrow.”
Dad surprised her sometimes, acting thoughtful and kind like he had when she was a little girl. What the heck had happened to him over the years? “Thanks. That was real nice.”
She hopped out of the car and let herself in to the dark house. A year ago, a night alone would have been a dream come true. But now it just felt lonely and sad. Mama Margaret would have brought her a glass of sweet tea and asked her all about her day. Mama Margaret probably would have been in her rocker, knitting a blanket for the baby.
Dina slumped on the couch. She probably wouldn’t be pregnant if Mama Margaret hadn’t died. Mama never would have left her home alone with a boy. But that’s what happened soon after she died.
Dina kicked off her black flats and lowered herself onto the couch, settling her feet on top of a throw pillow. The baby’s daddy had asked if the kid was his. Said he’d be there for her. Dina laughed to herself. Right. She wasn’t about to be with someone who didn’t really love her. Look at how things had turned out for Dad and Mama Margaret. She loved them both, but they shouldn’t have gotten married. All they did was fight. She didn’t want a marriage like that. Plus, Dina had only been out with the guy a few times before this happened. It was her mess to clean up. And that’s why she had lied and told him no. No worries. The kid wasn’t his.
But now as the due date was getting closer, her stomach did giant flip-flops at the thought of raising a child all by herself. She rubbed her hand across her big tummy. Should she give it away?
The very idea brought tears to her eyes. Giving the baby away almost seemed like having it die or something. She ran the back of her hand under her nose and pressed her eyes shut. Where are you Kate? I need to talk to you. That was easy to say when she was all by herself in a dark room. Admitting it to Kate was another thing. She’d have to listen to a long lecture on responsibility and consequences. Dina sighed, but she knew it was true. Without Kate, she couldn’t take care of this baby. And she really, really wanted to keep it.
She pulled out her phone and typed in a text message to Kate. Can u come home? I need u.
Then she erased it and turned off the phone. She wasn’t quite ready to admit she couldn’t do this. And she still had some time to figure things out.
KATE WOKE TO VOICES shouting. She sat up and rubbed her eyes and looked around the big, airy room. Light streamed through gauzy curtains, the sunbeams stretching across beautiful hardwood floors. Pulling the silky lavender comforter around her, she remembered what she had done. She was pretending to be Teague Reynold’s girlfriend. Last thing she remembered, she was on the plane. How had she gotten in here? She groaned and rolled out of bed.
“You’re going to ruin your career!”
Following the angry voice coming from below, Kate ran her hands through her hair and stepped out of her room. She stood on the second-floor balcony overlooking a huge living room with a big fish tank, giant paintings—probably originals, not that she would know—leather sofas and chairs, and an immense stucco fireplace. Now that’s a room she could spend some time in. But no one was in there. A set of curved, iron stairs beckoned her downstairs. She took two steps and froze as the fighting resumed.
“Calm down, June,” she heard Teague say. “She’s a nice girl. She’s not going to hurt my career.”
“A nice girl will hurt your career.” The woman’s shrill voice got louder. “Remember Marcy Winters?”
“She got arrested for punching a chick who grabbed my ass,” he retorted. “Not nice at all.”
“Exactly. Tons and tons of press. That was the juiciest gossip of the week.”
Kate thought she remembered that particular scoop. She sat down on the stairs, interested to hear more.
The ranting woman continued. “You date the divas, the wild girls, and you should be shooting for A-list. Or B-list, but only if she’s up-and-coming or totally wild. What did you do with that chart I gave you?” The woman’s voice felt like shards of glass in Kate’s ears. “Like people date like people, you know? But T-Rex jetting off to pick up his little hick-town girlfriend? Please! You’ve just unraveled a year’s worth of my work.”
Kate held on to the cold metal railing and tried to think of ways to disappear.
“It got me in the papers,” Teague said below. “And you said that’s what’s important.”
“Sure it did, but this isn’t the kind of press you want. Feature film stars don’t date nobodies.” Her voice hit a high note. “If you want to land your first leading action-film role, you’ve just sent yourself five steps back.”
Kate’s heart tumbled out of place. She’d been thinking how this would affect her, never realizing she could be bad news for him.
Teague was quiet for a moment. “June, it’s complicated. And she’s nice. I think she’s just as pretty as any of the women I’ve seen here in Hollywood.”
Pretty? He thinks I’m as pretty as anyone in Hollywood? Kate wrapped her arms around her knees. Then he’s an actor and a farmer, because he’s a hauling a load of you know what.
“Then you better get her cleaned up. Because the pictures in the paper today ain’t pretty.”
“She looks great.”
“She looks small-town.”
“She is. She looks real.”
Ugh, real what? Kate thought about going back in the room and scouting for a second-story leap.
