by Skye McNeil
Jessie held her breath as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You were worried I would be a fan girl if you told me who you were.” She understood, realizing the truth behind his lie.
“Yeah, something along those lines.” He pried her fingers off the reins. “I wanted to just be Asher and not—”
“Oh my God!” Bobbi screamed the words, enunciating each syllable. “You are A.J. Whit. You’re the next Nicholas Sparks.”
Asher’s eyes slid closed and he loosened his hold on her. “Him. I didn’t want you to think of me as him,” he whispered, shaking his head.
Bobbi’s horse trotted to them and she yanked on Jessie’s arm. “How could you keep this from me? I swore he looked familiar but I never put it together. The picture on the back of his books doesn’t do him justice.”
Still shocked by the last minute, Jessie retrieved her hands. “Um,” was all she could utter.
Beside her, Bobbi was freaking out like a groupie, and all her cousins surrounded them like vultures. She couldn’t register all of this. Not when she looked over and saw Asher so comfortable with adoring women shoving phones into his face for selfies.
Racking her brain, she remembered the bits of information Bridget told her about the new and popular romance author. It wasn’t like Jessie thought. The story made sense though. A.J.’s biggest hit was a war love story. At once, it brought back Asher’s story about his uncle. She wanted to slap herself for not recognizing the obvious way he spewed the facts like he’d rehearsed them millions of times. No wonder Bridget liked the books so much. There was eye candy on the back.
Watching Asher give each of her cousins the opportunity to snap a photo like a common duty, Jessie sat in marveled silence. What were the odds? She shook her head. This could work. Other than him lying about his identify, he did it to protect himself. She had done no different.
“And what does this mean?” a man’s voice asked above the buzz of girlish voices. All eyes spun to Tommy, holding up his phone. “A.J. Whit finds his muse at last after a year of writer’s block,” he read aloud. “And in Colorado, no less. His latest novel is set to debut in late October.”
Gasps shuddered through the circle of wedding guests and Jessie bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. Tommy’s voice filled the whispering among the trees. “Oh, and look, there’s even a photo.” He waved the cell phone in the air.
Bobbi grabbed the phone and her eyes widened. “Shit, this is you, Jess.”
Glaring at Asher, she saw his face was filled with shock. He didn’t know about the picture, but how could she believe him? With shaky hands, Jessie motioned for the phone. The damning evidence spoke for itself. A picture of her and Asher locking lips met her eyes. Scanning Tommy’s phone, she saw every social media outlet flashed with news of A.J. Whit’s “Colorado Cutie.” Her singular comfort was she remained “an unidentified woman” in the photo. It wouldn’t take long before her name would surface in the media.
Scrutinizing the picture, Jessie wondered who took it and how it ended up everywhere. From the location, it looked like the picture was taken from quite a distance. Increasing the size, she gasped when she recognized the location.
“You took this at Hancock.” She shoved the phone back into Tommy’s hands.
Tommy waved her allegation aside. “I was with Bobbi. She would’ve seen me take it.”
From the look in Bobbi’s eyes, Jessie knew she wouldn’t have her sister’s support. “You didn’t know about him, did you?” The younger Davis gasped and her eyes turned dark.
Jessie couldn’t look at the sea of pitiful faces from her relatives. Her heart pounded against her ribcage and her eyes threatened tears. Snapping her attention to Asher, she was glad he looked mournful. He did all of this to her. He lied to her and brought the wave of paparazzi as well.
“Mina, I’m sorry. This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said, breaking through the crowd of horses. “Let me explain.”
“No. I think all of this is plenty of explanation for me, A.J.” She reined her horse backward. Air. She needed air.
“Jess, come back,” yelled Bobbi when she managed to untangle from the group.
Not listening to her sister’s pleas, Jessie pushed away from them and urged the horse into the woods. The trail guide hollered after her, but she ignored him. She would ensure the horse made it safe and sound back to the stables, so he could stop bellowing.
Tears bit at her cheeks as they picked up speed. Stray branches whipped her arms and face, but she didn’t feel them. All she felt was Asher’s betrayal. She could accept he kept his true identity a secret, she did the same, but the rest killed her. He used her to get over a rough patch of writer’s block.
The horse slowed as they neared the ranch in the wooded distance. “I’m such a fool,” she said, wiping at her face. In a matter of days, she went from being so desperate for a date that she asked a stranger, to allowing herself to accept feelings for the man. Never had her heart been given away and trampled with such precision. “Must be a new record.”
When the horse stopped, Jessie glanced up to see the horse had returned them to the stables and now awaited a treat. She slid off the mare and handed the reins to the staff member, gaping at her. She must look like a wreck.
“What? You’ve never seen someone come back from the trail ride crying before?” she snarled and the man set his feet into motion. Her legs ached from the unaccustomed ride. Almost as bad as my heart.
A gust of wind caught the dirt from her scuffed boots and blew into her face. Waiting for the rest of her troop wasn’t happening, so she set off down the road. She knew her way back to the cabin from there.
A minute of walking didn’t get her far enough into the mountain before she cursed. “I should’ve taken a different route,” she said when Asher came into view. She had to admit, he rode the horse like a professional. And broke hearts like one.
Instead of waiting for their paths to intersect, Jessie stumbled down from the road to the untamed forest. She couldn’t outrun him, but maybe she could outsmart him.
“Jessie, stop,” Asher’s voice called with urgency.
“Damn, even that’s hot,” she complained, driving her body through the thickets.
“You do know I can see you, right?”
“Well, why don’t you pretend you can’t? You’re good at pretending, Asher. Oh, wait. Should I call you A.J. since the cat is out of the bag?” She paused a moment when a thorn jabbed through her jeans and sliced her ankle.
The soft thud of his dismount set her heart into overdrive. “I wasn’t pretending with you.”
“Ha! Right. You were doing what I asked you to. I was stupid enough to think some of it was real. It was the worst thing I could do too.” Jessie pushed at a small aspen tree, Asher’s footsteps closer now. Her lips curved in a smirk when she heard the clip clop of horse hooves. Even the horse was a witness to this insanity.
“Mina,” he breathed between his teeth and grabbed her wrist.
Whipping around, she retrieved her hand. “Do not touch me ever again,” she hissed with enough venom to maim him.
Asher held his hands up in defense. “Okay, okay, but you don’t mean it.”
“I mean every damn word.” She flipped her braids over her shoulder. Lord, but she must look like a naïve child in braids. “Go away, Asher. We’re done.”
“I don’t think we are,” he predicted, moving closer to her. Taking his time, he placed his hands on her hips. “I know I wasn’t the only one who felt our connection.”
“Sounds like something you wrote.”
His fingers ran along her hips. “You’ve read my books?”
Jessie cursed herself for saying anything. She should’ve turned and run instead of letting him touch her. “Bridget read me part of one to annoy me,” she confirmed. “It wasn’t too bad. For a romance novel.”
“But not good enough for you to read the rest of the book or wonder who the author was?”
“Not
when I have a dozen other books I have to read for work. Plus, I envisioned a middle-aged woman with four cats, so no, I wasn’t curious about the author,” she responded, pushing his hands. They didn’t budge. If anything, they gripped her tighter, staking their claim to her.
His deep chuckle made her peek up at him for the first time since she’d bolted. Jessie wished she could take her actions back afterward. The corners of his eyes were creased in a smile and his white teeth entranced her. “You used me,” she snarled, breaking from the enchantment of his embrace.
“Maybe, but not in the way you think,” he assured her in an even tone. “I admit, my writer’s block was the reason I agreed to come out here with you, but nothing more. I don’t have a book in the works.” She wrinkled her nose. “Come on, Jess. You’ve been with me the entire time. How could I slink off and write it?”
He had a valid point. She never caught him scribbling or typing in a dark corner. He was possessively by her side as often as possible. He didn’t want to be away from her. “Let’s say I buy your excuse. What about the other part?”
“The picture and gaggle of social media excerpts?” he guessed, already knowing the answer.
Still, Jessie bobbed her head up and down in response. Asher took off his Stetson and placed it on a sprouting aspen tree. The horse behind him grazed with the rays of sunlight washing over the painted colors. They were tucked between a grove of aspens and deciduous trees, Mount Antero in the backdrop. If she weren’t so pissed, it would be a wall-worthy shot.
“Mike. He’s my agent, my manager, my accountant, and my friend. He does everything for me. One hell of an agent who will do whatever it takes to make a buck,” he explained with a slight smile. “But he wouldn’t put a candid up. I don’t know who sent the picture or who took it, but Mike knows better. Sure, he re-tweeted it, but it didn’t come from him.”
Jessie shook her head. “My family wouldn’t invade my privacy.”
“Not everyone here is family,” he reminded her. “Or a big fan of me.” Jessie offered him a demanding glare and his face twisted into chagrin. “I punched Tommy the other day. I think he overheard me and your dad talk about my book.”
“Wait. My dad knew?” She shoved his chest and hated how she touched him again. He was an addiction to her hands.
“I didn’t tell him. He figured it out,” Asher told her.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she glowered at the man taller than her. She wanted to believe his spun tale. Her heart urged her to recant the curses she spewed against him. The more she thought about it, the more she resolved she couldn’t. He was a professional writer. Making up stories was his forte. And he lied to me.
She shook her head in remorse. “I’m sorry, Asher, but I can’t believe you.”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
“I don’t know. Both.” Jessie shrugged her shoulders. “The paparazzi will figure out who I am within hours. I will have a shit storm to deal with when I get back to New York City. I’ll be lucky if Brecon doesn’t fire me.”
She let out a huff to conceal the tears threatening to spill. “I need you to stay away. I can’t turn my world upside down for a man I’ve known a week. I met you on a Thursday and fell for you by Saturday.”
Jessie took a step toward the road. “I can’t trust you with my heart or any other part of me, so please leave me alone. Let me live my tidy life without the threat of cameras flashing and secrets coming out into the daylight.”
Asher stood in silence, his eyes locked on her. How she wished she could read his thoughts! His face was marred in pain matching her own. She didn’t want to push him away, but she couldn’t afford another happily ever after to end in heartache. This week had done enough destruction to keep her hidden away for years. It was undeniable that another moment with A.J. Whit would destroy her.
Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she fought them off as she kept her gaze locked with his confused green eyes. Never would she be able to read about a character with green eyes without seeing his. They would haunt her every moment. The time spent with him forced her outside of her organized box. She couldn’t afford it anymore. Not with her heart on the line. She wouldn’t let another man ruin her. Asher already had and all it took was a handful of days. If she gave him longer, he would consume her.
After a minute, Asher spoke and shattered the pristine world. “I don’t think you want me to go.” He shook his head. “I take it back. I know you don’t want me to. It’s in your mesmerizing blue eyes and the way your fingers mesh with mine.”
Jessie darted her eyes down to see her fingers were indeed laced within his. She couldn’t even keep her body from his magnetization.
“But somewhere in your lovely brain, you don’t want me.” His eyes flicked over her body and then back to her face. “You think you want a tidy life, but you don’t. You want a life where you spill tea on me. A life involving hiking up to an abandoned town together and making love in the tall grass on top of a mountain clearing.”
He shoved his hand through his hair. She wished he would ruffle it, so he would seem human instead of like a dream come to life. “You want to hold my hand when we’re riding the subway instead of watching me from afar. A life that involves me wrapping my arms around you every damn night until we drift to sleep.”
The tears broke over her dam and flooded her cheeks at his words. He ripped her perfect world with every consonant. How was he able to see through her façade to the truth? Did she even want all of what he said? She knew the answer, but also knew it would never work. Jessie shook her head no.
Asher let out a broken chuckle. “Nah, Jess. Don’t lie to me.” He traced her cheek with his hand. “Do you know how I know you want a messy life?” She kept his gaze, desperate to hear his reasoning. “It’s because I see it in every glance you give me. Even now as tears fall, you can’t hide it from me.”
He dropped his hand and Jessie willed him to return it to her face. “I can’t force you to grasp anything. You’re gorgeous in a stubborn way, but I won’t be the reason you cry.” He cleared his throat. “I want you to be happy. If it means I vanish from your life, then so be it.”
A light breeze brought a tress of Jessie’s braid into her face. He looked into her face, adoring the memory sure to be burned in his mind. His lips curved into a gloomy smile. “You won’t find it difficult to box me away like I was nothing, but I can’t hide what I feel. I’ll be the crazy date you dumped tea on. If that’s all I am to you, I will learn to accept it.”
Jessie watched in silence as he stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets. Her heart urged her to stop him before he rode off into the sunset, but her lips remained frozen. He read her like a book, one she craved to hear more of.
“I doubt you will believe me, but I’m going to say this anyway because it’s the truth.” Asher retrieved his hat and plopped it on his head. Curse him for looking like he stepped out of a John Wayne movie.
Meeting her gaze, he grinned. “I love you, Mina. It’s crazy on so many levels, but I’m a man who knows what he feels and I’ll be damned if I didn’t tell you.”
He grabbed the horse’s reins and tipped his hat. “I’ve said my piece so I’ll leave you to your order-driven life. If you ever feel like opening up to more in life, let me know.”
With his final words lingering on the air, he was gone. He vanished into the thick tree line, leaving Jessie in a puddle. Her feet refused to move, to run after him. What stopped them from scurrying off was her better sense. It couldn’t see past the lies. It couldn’t see beyond his celebrity status.
Without warning, her legs gave out from under her, sending her crumbling onto the forest floor. It was over. The illusion of her happiness was gone like her addiction to Earl Grey tea. Her body craved something stronger now. Something tall, dark, and too sweet, more than what she deserved. The damn man made her want coffee as strong as his connection to her heart.
Chapter Thirteen
Cramming his clothes
into his luggage bag, Asher muttered a curse under his breath. He couldn’t fit the clothes into the bag like he did on the way out to Colorado. It always happened when he went on a trip. It was as if the clothes grew twofold and defied the notion of returning to normalcy.
He smashed his shirts into the corner and blamed Jessie for his strife. Since leaving her under the shade of aspen trees, she was all he could think about. It served him right for being deceitful. No woman would be all right with blatant lie after lie.
Setting the Stetson on the pillow, he let out a forced chuckle. New York didn’t need another cowboy in Times Square. He hung up his dreams with the cheap hat. More important, his ultimate dreams had been crushed when he confessed his love to Jessie and she didn’t even acknowledge it.
His toe stubbed on the dresser leg and he winced. It was idiotic to tell her. He didn’t know her favorite movie, for Christ’s sake! Why would she accept his proclamation of love?
Zipping the duffel bag, Asher’s eyes caught on the bed with immaculate lines. She all but insisted on it, which made him wonder what kind of magic she possessed to encourage him to make the bed. It wasn’t something he did on a regular basis. At home, he would crumple the sheets when he rose. Since he would be there again in a few hours, it made sense to him to leave them as they were.
Yet as he gazed at the quilt, Asher’s throat swelled. Holding Jessie would not happen another time. Her light citrus scent would never mingle with the tantalizing aroma of fresh ink on paper to torment him. This was why he had stayed single. The whole falling in love bit never went well for him.
“Asher, where are you off to? The wedding isn’t until tomorrow.”
Asher gripped the handle of the bag and turned toward the door. Jessie’s grandma stood in the doorway with a puzzled expression on her face.
“I’m not welcome here any longer, so I’m going home. I arranged for a ride into town.” Three horn blasts echoed in the woods. “And it sounds like he’s here.” He placed a kiss on the older woman’s head. “Thanks for everything, Grandma Jane.”
