“See you still don’t like mice,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes.
Tess smacked at him while a shudder raced through her. It was all Brice and Travis’ fault she hated mice. When she was seven, she had a little baby buggy that she loved to play with. She would carefully tuck in her babies for naps and pushed that thing all over the place. One sunny summer day, they thought it would be fun to fill her buggy full of mice. When Tess pulled back the blanket she assumed was covering one of her precious baby dolls, mice swarmed out everywhere.
Screaming loud enough hands raced from every corner of the ranch to see who had been killed, she refused to ever touch the buggy or blankets inside again. Thank goodness the boys had removed the doll or it would have been lost as well.
“You boys were so mean to me,” she said, smacking him again for good measure.
He grabbed her hand and tugged her to him. Tess felt an army of butterflies explode into action in her stomach when Travis held her hands captive against his strong chest, and drew her close, his arms wrapped securely around her. She looked into his eyes and watched them ignite into hot blue flames.
Shifting his weight, his spurs jangled and Tess felt Travis’ muscles bunch beneath her hands. She had an overwhelming desire to explore those muscles without the fabric of his shirt obstructing her touch or view.
“I’m sorry we were ornery to you, honeybee,” he whispered, kissing her ear. “But you were so fun to tease.”
Travis was about to lose his thinly stretched self-control. When Tess gazed up at him, all soft and dewy-eyed, he knew he was a goner. He thrilled at the feel of her soft body against his.
Where his was solid angles and planes, hers was sweet comfort and lush curves. Tipping her chin up, he watched her eyes slowly close and lips part as she anticipated his kiss.
Before he could deliver on the unspoken promise, he heard Brice and Danny outside.
“Hey, you two in there? We’ve got a problem,” Brice hollered, banging on the open door as he ducked inside. Looking around he smiled at the well-preserved remnants of childhood that decorated the one-room building. He smiled even bigger as he watched Tess and Travis jump away from each other. Brice had figured out a few weeks ago the problem eating at Tess was her growing attraction for Travis. Getting the idea the feeling was mutual, he’d been doing his best to throw the two of them together every chance he could. He wouldn’t have interrupted them now, but there was a mad bull on the loose and help was needed in getting him corralled.
“So what’s the problem, BB?” Tess asked, walking toward the door and stepping outside. She hoped the fresh air would help her regain her senses and calm down.
“You know Trent’s new prize bull?” Brice asked, as they remounted the horses.
“Leroy?” Travis asked.
“Yeah, he got a bee in his bonnet, smashed down some fence and is on the lam. We need some help getting him back where he’s supposed to be and then fixing fence.”
“Let’s go,” Travis said, letting Brice and Danny lead the charge. He wondered what would have happened if Brice hadn’t interrupted them. Looking over at Tess’ flushed face he could only guess that she was as rattled as he felt right now.
Travis was going to have to speak to Trent about the bad behavior of his stupid bull.
Chapter Ten
Love is a battle, love is a war;
love is a growing up.
James A. Baldwin
Travis knocked on his mother’s door early Friday evening and stepped inside. He listened but didn’t hear anything. Both Tess’ and his mom’s car were parked outside, so he assumed they were home.
“Hello? Anyone here?” he called, walking into the kitchen. He heard soft voices and then his mother appeared in the hallway.
“Hey, baby. What brings you into town tonight? Got a hot date?” Denni asked giving him a warm hug.
“Yep, with my best girl if she’ll go out to dinner with me,” Travis said, giving his mom a charming smile.
“Are you pulling my leg Travis Aaron Thompson?” Denni asked, hands fisted at her sides.
“No, Mama. I thought you might like to go try that new restaurant for yourself. What do you say?” Travis said, enjoying the smile that bloomed on his mother’s face.
“I say give me five minutes to change and I’ll be ready to go.” Denni hurried out of the room.
Travis wandered into the front room and waited for his mom. Sitting down on the couch, he thumbed through a magazine, glad he decided to surprise his mom. The joy on her face when he asked her to dinner was worth the extra effort to finish his work early and get into town at a decent hour.
“Oh, hey, Trav,” Tess said, stepping into the room dressed in the red and black dress Jenny helped her pick out with the sky-high black heels. Smiling, she gathered up her purse and keys. “That’s great you are taking your mom out for dinner. She is so excited.”
Stealing his breath away when she walked in the room, Travis was unable to respond. He sat on his hands to keep from going to her and running his fingers up and down the tantalizing curves highlighted by the black stripe down each side of her red dress. Her hair hung in shiny curls down her back and her big brown eyes sparkled, while her scent teased his nose. Then there were those sexy heels that highlighted the shape of her legs. Tess was all curves, warmth, and soft enticing woman.
Travis thought he might hyperventilate.
Finally, he let out a long, low whistle.
“Honeybee, you look amazing.” Travis was pretty sure his temperature had spiked at least ten degrees in the last two minutes and fought the urge to wipe his chin to make sure he wasn’t slobbering all over himself.
“Thank you,” Tess said, blushing under his intense scrutiny. If she didn’t know better, Travis looked like he was on the verge of devouring her, and that thought made a shiver race up her spine.
“Where are you heading?” Travis finally asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Rick’s taking me out to dinner and a movie,” Tess said, glancing at her watch.
Travis hoped lover boy was running late. Maybe he had a flat tire. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t show up at all.
Travis knew keen disappointment when the doorbell rang a few moments later. Tess opened the door and greeted the good doctor with a kiss to his cheek.
“Wow, Tess, you look great. I remember this dress from the night I saw you in Portland,” Rick said, putting his hands around her waist and drawing her close to his side.
Travis jumped to his feet and fought back the urge to bust the doctor’s nose. It was a perfect nose, set in a pretty-boy face with a chiseled jaw, green eyes and wavy blond hair. That was so typical of a woman, to go for the all-American guy. From what his mom said, Rick was really nice on top of everything else.
“Hi, I’m Travis. Just an old friend of Tess,” Travis said, sticking his hand out to Rick.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Rick Martin,” Rick said sizing up the tall, muscular man in front of him, not happy with what he saw. It took him less than a minute to surmise the good-looking cowboy was in love with Tess. That could be a problem. “Are you Mrs. Thompson’s son Travis?” Rick asked, making the connection.
“The one and only,” Travis said with an easy grin he was far from feeling. His neck muscles were so tense he thought his shoulders might become permanently attached to his ears.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you,” Rick said, putting a possessive arm around Tess’ shoulder. “We better hurry, Tess, if we want to make our reservation. I would have been here sooner, but traffic out of Portland was a real bear.”
“No worries,” Tess said, walking out the door. She turned and waved at Travis before Rick shut it behind her.
Sinking down on the couch, Travis put his face in his hands and struggled to breathe.
He heard his mother banging around in the kitchen then felt her hand on his shoulder.
“Is it that bad?” Denni said, sitting beside him, rubbing his neck.
“Yeah, Mama, it is.” Travis said, leaning back and resting his head on the couch. “I love her.”
Denni laughed at him and smacked his leg. “Of course you do, you always have.”
“No, Mama. I love Tess like a man loves a woman when he is completely and totally consumed with her,” Travis said, not wanting to share his feelings but unable to keep them to himself.
“I know, baby. You’ve loved her for years. It’s about time you realized it,” Denni said, with a motherly smile. “The challenge is what you’re going to do about it. Are you going to sit back and let Rick steal away the best thing that could ever happen to you or are you going to get in there and fight? All’s fair in love and war, you know.”
“Mama, you never cease to amaze me,” Travis said, with a grin. Standing up, he helped Denni to her feet and kissed her cheek. “How about we go out for dinner and you help me formulate my battle plan?”
“Okay, but only if you promise to teach me some of your graphic stuff on the computer,” Denni said picking up her purse and locking the front door. “The invitations you made for Trent and Lindsay are absolutely amazing.”
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Tess decided to spend the weekend at the ranch, getting up early Saturday morning to drive out. It was a gorgeous June day and she was looking forward to seeing her parents. Ben was home and they always enjoyed catching up. Her mother mentioned something about a barbecue that evening and Tess thought it sounded like fun.
Listening to the radio, she drove with the window down and the radio blaring. The song was halfway through before she realized she was enthusiastically singing along to Honey Bee. Conjuring up visions of Travis, wet from their dunk in the fishing hole, shirt molded to every muscle and the sunset catching golden highlights in his hair, she felt her stomach tighten and mouth go dry.
Flipping off the radio, she tried to think about the day her mom had planned, her work schedule next week, the laundry she needed to do. She spent a very nice evening with Rick the night before, going to dinner and a movie. He was charming, kind and very attentive but the whole time she was with him, she kept wishing it was Travis. Rick was a great guy, a great catch. Tess just needed to convince her heart of what her head already knew.
Annoyed that Travis invaded her thoughts once again, Tess tried to turn her attention to her patients, the talk she still needed to have with Brice regarding his odd behavior and the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.
Thinking about the Fourth of July brought back memories of past holidays spent with the Thompsons, bringing Travis back to the forefront of her mind.
Shaking her head and smacking the steering wheel, Tess realized she was going to have to work harder at not thinking about Travis until she decided if she wanted to stay in The Dalles or move back to Portland. It would help her focus on her relationship with Rick as well as make it easier to block out thoughts of one way-too-handsome daredevil cowboy if she pursued an open physical therapist job at OHSU Rick mentioned last night.
Pulling up at the house, Tess groaned when the object of her thoughts waved from his seat on the front porch swing next to her mom. Did he have to turn up everywhere she went?
Last night he strolled into Denni’s looking like he walked right out of an advertisement for Stetson cologne and now he sat here this morning looking just as good wearing a T-shirt, faded jeans, and ball cap.
As she got out of the car, Tess hoped he wasn’t planning on staying long. It was supposed to be all family, although knowing her mom and dad, they would think the day was even better if Travis was there.
“Hi sweetie,” Michele called to her daughter as she came up the sidewalk, carrying an overnight bag. “Isn’t this weather beautiful?”
“It sure is,” Tess said, handing her bag to Ben, who took it from her and carried it inside the house. Sitting down on the far side of her mom, away from Travis, she stretched out her legs and leaned back in a chair. “So, what’s on the agenda today?”
“Your brothers are going to help your daddy rebuild a section of fence, then after lunch…”
Tess forgot to pay attention to what her mother was saying. She made the mistake of looking at Travis and found herself lost in the warm blue depths of his eyes. She noticed the dark fringe of his eye lashes, the way the early morning sun turned his skin a golden bronze, his square jaw that looked stubbly and somehow dangerous. She wondered what would happen if she pressed a kiss to that stubborn chin.
“Okay, sweetie? That sound good to you?” Michele asked, patting Tess on the leg.
“Huh? Yeah, Mom, that’s fine.” Tess yanked her thoughts away from Travis and back to reality.
Brice and Ben, who were both leaning against a porch post, burst into laughter.
“Told you she wasn’t paying attention,” Brice said, pointing a finger at Tess. “You just volunteered to shine all our boots and sing a rousing rendition of Old Susannah at the barbecue tonight.”
“What? Well, I didn’t… I mean, I wasn’t…” Tess said, completely flustered, again. It was all Travis’ fault. Did he have to sit there grinning in a way that made her heart beat fast and her palms get all sweaty? “I’m not singing or polishing boots.”
“But you already agreed to it, honeybee,” Travis said, giving her a wink as he got up from his seat. “Shall I bring over all mine, along with Trent’s and Trey’s, or do you want to come to the Triple T to do the work?”
“You idiot, I’m not polishing your boots,” Tess said, standing up and glaring at Travis. “I’m not singing either. If you bunch of yahoos don’t leave me alone, I’ll drive myself right back to The Dalles and not come out again.”
“Oh, climb off that high-horse and sit down, Tessadora,” Michele said, wondering what had her daughter in such a disgruntled state so early in the day.
Turning to her mother, Tess frowned. “For goodness sakes, don’t call me that, Mom. You know I hate my name. Why couldn’t you name me something normal like Rachel or Sarah? Instead you had to stick me with a name that sounds like you’re addressing snooty Victorian royalty.”
Michele was bewildered by this outburst from Tess but didn’t let it bother her. “I thought it was a beautiful name for a beautiful baby girl. Despite what you may think, it suits you quite well.”
“I agree,” Travis said as he strolled down the porch steps. “See you later, Tessadora Tatiana.”
“He is the most arrogant, ridiculous, annoying man that ever lived,” Tess said, setting the swing into motion as she sat in Travis’ vacated seat next to her mom.
“Don’t hold anything back, Tess. Tell us how you really feel,” Michele said sarcastically as she smacked Tess on the leg. “Good gracious, sweetie, what has got you so worked up this morning? Or maybe I should say who?”
“Nobody,” Tess said, watching Travis drive off while Brice and Ben took four-wheelers out to work on the fence.
“Then you should definitely stop seeing him. He makes you too grumpy,” Michele teased.
“Seeing who? Rick?” Tess asked.
“No, this Mr. Nobody. He must be awful to have you this worked up on a beautiful Saturday morning like today.”
Instead of responding, Tess took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. She wasn’t mad about the teasing and she’d even polish the boots before the weekend was through.
It was seeing Travis and fighting her feelings for him that had her so worked up. The more she saw of him, the harder it was to ignore her growing attraction to him.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Tess said, feeling contrite. “What did you really have planned for the day?”
“This morning I’d like you to help me hang some new curtains in the front room and clean up the house, then this afternoon we’ll need to get ready for the barbecue,” Michele said, giving the swing a push with the toe of her sneaker.
“So this isn’t just a family barbecue? Neighbors and everyone will be here?” Tess asked, wondering who all her mother had invited.
“Yep, so we sh
ould really get cracking. There’s a lot to get done before everyone arrives. Your dad and brothers will take care of setting up and Brice helped your Dad put a pig on to roast last night.”
“Is that what smells so good?” Tess said, sniffing the scent of slow-roasted meat lingering in the air.
“It sure does, doesn’t it? Trav brought over an extra barbecue. He said he’d come early and bring more tables and chairs. It’s our turn to host a get-together, don’t you think?”
“Probably,” Tess said, wondering why her mom didn’t tell her about all this earlier. Getting up from the swing, she gave her mom a hand as she stood to her feet. “Let’s see those new curtains.”
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Driving home from the Morgans, Travis was still recovering from his encounter with Tess. She looked so fresh and young this morning as she strolled up the sidewalk wearing rolled up denim shorts and a soft summery blouse that outlined her curves. Her thick, dark hair was pulled into a loose bun at the back of her head with tendrils escaping all around her face. The sandals on her feet highlighted her bright pink toenails.
It took an effort on his part to stay seated next to her mom and not tug her onto his lap. When she stretched out those curvy legs, he wanted so badly to reach out and run his hand along her smooth skin.
He definitely had it bad for that girl.
His mother agreed to keep him apprised of her dating activity with Rick and she let him know when Tess left the house that morning so he could time his visit to be at her house at the moment she arrived. He had sworn his mother to secrecy, though. If Trey and Trent caught wind of his feelings for Tess, they’d never let him hear the end of it, and he was still in enough trouble with them as it was.
Travis could hardly wait for the barbecue that evening. He was launching a full-scale war in his efforts to win Tess’ heart.
The Thompson house was buzzing about the barbecue by the time Travis got home. Cady was already busy cooking and baking and Lindsay arrived to lend a hand. The two women were also working on details for the wedding that would take place the second weekend in August. If all went according to plan, they should be finished with wheat harvest and between cuttings of hay.
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