I was a kid when Isabella Connor left Wishing Well, and way more interested in sports and video games than teenage love affairs, but even I remembered that Bella and Colton had been together from the time they were kids until she moved away when she was probably fifteen or sixteen. Her father had been killed in a car accident the year before and her mom was in and out of rehab so she went to live with a distant relative. I don’t think anyone expected her to come back here. Ever. In fact, the entire town was surprised to see her at the reception last night, even Cara who had invited her. She didn’t stay long, but I heard through the gossip train that she was back because she’d inherited her grandfather’s farmhouse.
I kept all of those details to myself and remained silent. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mia pull out her phone and begin typing furiously. Even though she wasn’t paying me any attention, I still loved having her beside me as I drove past the small downtown area. There was just something intimate about having a girl in your truck. Maybe it was the same with guys that drove cars, I wouldn’t know since I’d never owned one. But having her beside me, driving down the country road that I’d traveled thousands of times, felt good. It felt right. It felt perfect.
Unfortunately, the entire trip only took a couple of minutes. You could get anywhere in Wishing Well in under five minutes. It was a running joke that if you blinked when you were driving down the main road you’d miss the entire town.
The cab of my truck jostled as I pulled into the parking lot and Mia lifted her head. “Oh. We’re here. That was fast.”
I pulled up beside a bright yellow Porsche with rental plates that looked conspicuously out of place surrounded by mini vans and trucks.
Before I even rolled to a complete stop Mia was talking a mile a minute and sounded like she was walking the razor’s edge of hysteria. “You know what, this was a bad idea. I don’t know what I was thinking. This whole thing is ridiculous. You can’t pretend to be my boyfriend.” Her eyes were wide with panic as she grabbed her bag from the floor. “This isn’t some rom-com, this is my life. This is real life. You can just drop me off and go back to…to whatever you were doing. Thanks for the ride—”
She lifted her arm towards the door handle and I reached across and covered her shaking fingers with my hand. “Wait.”
Her body stilled except for her chest that was rising and falling rapidly. If I didn’t know any better I would say that she was having a full-fledged panic attack. I’d never witnessed one in person, but this is what I thought it would look like. All I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. That I would make sure everything was okay. But that was ridiculous. Especially considering she wasn’t my real girlfriend and she was trying to get out of being my fake one.
“Wait there. Let me get the door.”
“You don’t have to do that. He’s inside, he can’t see. I’m perfectly capable—” she began to protest.
“I know you’re more than capable. But, it’s not up for debate. My mama raised me right and like I said, it’s not for show. I don’t care who sees or doesn’t. And if you want me to leave after I fulfill my gentlemanly duty, then I won’t argue with you. Deal?”
She hesitated and I could see that she really just wanted to jump out of my truck and make a run for it. But surprisingly, she agreed with a nod.
I didn’t waste any time jumping out and rounding to her side of the truck. The entire time my heart was pounding like a drumline against my chest as adrenaline raced through me. I felt like something I’d never had was slipping through my fingers.
When I reached for the door, it was already opening and I had to smile. “Patience is not really a virtue of yours, is it?”
“What? I waited.” She took my hand as I helped her down and her large blue eyes were wide with innocence as they shot to mine but her tone had just enough defensiveness that I knew she knew exactly what I was talking about. As soon as her feet hit the ground she pulled her hand out of my grasp and she spoke with anxious speed as she dismissed me, “Okay, thanks for the ride. Sorry again about…everything. I don’t know what I was thinking…I just…I didn’t want to face him, them, alone. But, it was a stupid idea.” She let out a forced laugh and shifted from foot to foot nervously.
It was clear that she was embarrassed and that she felt awkward and if I was a real gentleman, I would make this easier for her and just leave. But before I did that, I felt compelled to tell her something that I felt she needed to hear.
I lifted my hand and brushed a strand of hair that the wind had blown in her face. I hadn’t meant to touch her, it was just so natural when it came to Mia. “The only thing that is stupid in this whole situation is that someone was lucky enough to be with you and actually let you go.”
She stilled and her face tilted up towards mine just as rays of sun shone over my shoulder and lit up her face. Her baby blue eyes shimmered like diamonds as she stared up at me. Her skin glowed and her lips parted slightly and took in a slow breath.
The energy between us was palpable and as much as I wanted to act on it, to lean down and press my lips to hers, I knew that this was not the time. I also knew that just because she was calling off our arrangement didn’t change the fact that I was determined to be in this very moment again, and next time it would be the right time to kiss her.
But not now. Now, it was time for me to go, no matter how much I didn’t want to.
My heart was still pounding wildly as my thumb grazed along the soft skin of her jawline. “Have a good lunch. And, if you find socks, I’m only a phone call away.”
Two cute, tiny wrinkles appeared between her brows as they pulled together in confusion. “Socks?”
“Yeah, for your cold feet.” I grinned.
Her head fell back and the sweet sound of her laughter filled the air. I could stand there and listen to the melodic rhythm all day. It was hypnotic and mesmerizing. I found myself floating in it.
Being with Mia was different than any other person I’d ever encountered. No one else existed when I looked into her eyes. Whether we were surrounded by people at a wedding reception or in the parking lot of The Greasy Spoon, it was like we were in our own insulated environment.
A loud knock on the window caused that intimacy to shatter. We both looked over and I could see the outline of a man and woman seated at a booth facing the parking lot, but the glare on the glass made it impossible to make out their features. Before either of us had a chance to react to the interruption his hands flew up in the air, in the commonly used gesture for ‘What the hell are you doing?’
Mia held up a finger. It wasn’t the one that I would’ve used, it was the one next to it, indicating that she’d be right there.
Her hair fanned out as her face spun back up to mine and her fingers wrapped around my forearm and gripped it firmly. “Come in with me.”
As much as I wanted to jump at her invitation, I honestly didn’t want her to do something that she would regret. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. If you’re still in…then, yes.” She nodded once before spinning on her heels and heading straight into the Spoon without even a glance back.
I followed and couldn’t help the smile that formed on my face or the speed with which my eyes drifted directly down to her backside as she rushed into the restaurant. I wasn’t sure what had influenced Mia’s flip-flop but I was damn happy she’d landed where she had.
Chapter 6
Mia
“A good run is better than a bad stand.”
~ Walker Briggs
Nerves were popping inside of me like Pop Rocks soaked in soda as we stepped inside the quaint diner. I never made spur-of-the-moment decisions. I was a planner. A by-the-book kinda gal. Oh, and I was also generally honest.
And yet, here we were.
In the car I’d had a mild panic attack that was induced by the thought of this very moment. Introducing Tad to Travis. The reality of how insane the entire setup was crashed into me and I’
d known there was no way I could go through with this.
When I tried to bail I was expecting Travis to react in one of three ways. To either be happy for the out and relieved that he hadn’t had to put on a show. Or I thought he might tease me about chickening out and try and talk me into it. Or, worst of all, maybe even be irritated that I’d wasted his time.
The last one didn’t seem like him, but honestly I’d known him less than twenty-four hours, it’s not like I could speak with any kind of authority about what he might or might not do.
What I hadn’t expected was his kindness and understanding. If he was relieved or irritated, he hadn’t shown it. Instead, he’d respected my decision and acted like a total gentleman.
And when I was stressed and uptight he did the one thing that made all the anxiety and tension melt away. He made me laugh.
My mom didn’t believe much in fairytales, despite the fact that she and my dad were still in love after forty years together. She always attributed their success to work. She always told Libby and me that we were never going to find the “perfect man.” She said that he doesn’t exist. She told us that if we found someone that was our best friend, that gave us butterflies, a man who was honest and dependable, then and only then would we have a good foundation to try to build a good life. She always finished by saying if we found that in a man that could make us laugh when times were hard, then we had a shot at happily ever after.
I wasn’t under any illusion that Travis was my forever HEA, but a week of happily ever after—even if it was fake—was too tempting to refuse. And honestly, the fact that he looked mouthwateringly good in his red cotton T-shirt that molded to his body and accentuated the lines and dips of his muscular chest and arms didn’t hurt either.
When I’d opened the door at the motel, I was stunned speechless by his beauty. That might be odd to say about a man, but he is beautiful. He’s ruggedly beautiful, a potent combo that had my head spinning like a hamster on roller skates on its exercise wheel.
Last night, he’d been sexy in his tux with his face clean-shaven. But Travis Briggs with a five o’clock shadow in a T-shirt, jeans and cowboy boots was lethal.
“Finally,” Tad huffed before we even made it to the table.
“Hey, guys.” My hand lifted in a small wave as we approached the booth Tad and Alexandria were seated at. I knew that the happy expression plastered on my face was too big and bright but I was powerless to correct it. The tremble in my voice was also something I was painfully aware of and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it either as I asked, “How was your flight?”
“Fine.” Tad rose and kissed me on the cheek and it was all I could do not to push him off of me. He’d only started the cheek-kiss thing after we broke up. When we were together, he never greeted me with anything more than a nod in public. I wasn’t sure why he did it now, but I wasn’t a fan.
My body stiffened until I felt an arm wrap around my waist, cocooning me in warmth and strength. Travis’ hand rested on my hip and the tips of his fingers dug into me as he gave me a gentle, but firm squeeze. His motion pulled me against him and out of Tad’s grasp. I had no idea if he’d meant it to be a possessive gesture, but that was what it felt like to me. And I liked it. I liked it a lot.
Just like last night when we were dancing, every cell in my body came alive with awareness. A shiver ran from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I opened my mouth to make introductions, but it seemed being this close to Travis had short-circuited my brain.
“Hi, I’m Travis Briggs.” Travis held out the hand that wasn’t currently anchored to my hip.
“Sorry,” I apologized as Travis’s voice woke me up out of my momentary sexy overload. “Travis this is Tad and his fiancée Alexandria.”
Travis first shook Tad’s and then Alexandria’s hand. Tad was normally friendly. He was the kind of guy my dad referred to as a “wheeler dealer.” He schmoozed. He worked angles. In all the years that I’d known him I’d never seen him be rude or standoffish to anyone he was just meeting. But if I had two words to describe the interaction I’d just witnessed, those would be them.
I didn’t know if his unusual behavior was attributed to the fact that Travis was with me or that Alexandria’s smile brightened to megawatt status when Travis dipped his head in greeting as he shook her hand. I even looked for moisture around her lips because I was sure that she had to be drooling.
It was odd that not once had I felt an ounce of jealousy any time I’d seen Alexandria and Tad together and I’d been living with him when the two of them started dating. I’d actually been relieved. As much as I’d loved Tad, or thought I loved him, it was exhausting trying to hide our relationship. Even when I’d found out that she was pregnant I hadn’t blinked an eye. But seeing her reaction to Travis made me want to stake my claim. I wanted to tell her to back off.
He’s not your real boyfriend, I reminded myself as we all slid into the booth.
“Travis Briggs!” A waitress approached the table and pointed one long acrylic red nail towards Travis as we took our seats. “You’re in big trouble, mister. You didn’t save me a dance last night.”
Travis wrapped a strong arm around my shoulder and pulled me tighter to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And the odd part of that was, that’s exactly what it felt like. “Sorry, Tami Lynn. I was busy dancing with my girl.”
“Your girl?” One perfectly penciled-in brow raised and her mouth dropped open.
“Yes, ma’am.” Travis tilted his head first in my direction and then to the other side of the table. “This is my girlfriend Mia, and this is Tad and his fiancée Alexandria. They’re here working on Colton’s new show.”
Tami Lynn greeted the entire table and then shook her head slowly as her eyes bounced between Travis and me. “Your girlfriend.” The words were spoken in equal parts wonder and disbelief. “Is the devil wearing snow boots?”
Beside me Travis laughed. I didn’t find her observation amusing. It made me nervous. I hadn’t really thought about what the reputation of the man that was sitting next to me was. The truth was, I hadn’t done a lot of thinking at all since meeting Travis. Which just like the jealousy, was very out of character for me.
“Why would the devil wear snow boots?” Alexandria genuinely inquired. “He lives in hell. And it’s so hot there.”
Travis didn’t miss a beat as he explained. “Tami Lynn is implying that the only way I could’ve settled down and have a girlfriend is if hell had frozen over.”
Again, Alexandria’s face twisted in confusion. She was sweet, and stunningly beautiful, but not the brightest crayon in the box. “Why would she imply that?”
Tami Lynn snorted. “Maybe because every girl in the great state of Texas has been trying to lasso this boy since he hit puberty and not one has been able to hogtie him yet.”
“Wow. And you did?” Alexandria asked in all sincerity. I knew she wasn’t saying it to be rude, she was genuinely awed at my accomplishment.
Everyone’s attention focused my way, including Travis’. The heat of his stare was boring into my cheek but I was too scared to look in his direction for fear of what he might say or do. One thing I’d learned about Travis in the limited time I’d spent with him is he never said or did what I would expect him to.
“No, she didn’t.” Travis answered beside me and again a sick feeling rolled over me and I wanted to toss my lunch before I’d even ordered it.
His answer caused my eyes to fly to his as my head spun with how I could play this off. I could act like the entire thing was a big joke. That he’d just been kidding about us being together, but for the life of me I couldn’t think of the words to do that. So I remained quiet; wishing, hoping and praying that the earth would open up and swallow me whole.
His thumb began rubbing in a circular motion along my shoulder as he stared into my eyes and continued, “She didn’t need to catch me. From the second I laid eyes on her no other girl in the world existed. All I see is h
er. She has me hook, line and sinker. If anyone had to work to get attention, it was me. I was the one tripping over myself to try to get her to notice me. In fact, it took quite a bit of negotiating to convince her to be mine.”
He finished with a wink and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to punch him or kiss him for putting me through that. My hormones were voting kiss, but my head was voting punch. Since the jury was deadlocked, I didn’t do either. I just grinned at him like a lovesick puppy.
Travis’ phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. “I’m sorry, I have to grab this.”
As he stood he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on my forehead and it was all I could do not to melt into a puddle of swoon on the bench seat. His lips felt firm and soft and even though the contact was chaste and brief, it left an impression that I wouldn’t soon forget. I closed my eyes to give myself a moment to regain my composure.
When I opened them I saw that Tami Lynn’s eyes followed Travis as he made his way out of the diner. She sighed as she leaned on the back of the booth and fanned herself with her hand as she looked down at me. “Well, young lady, to quote my favorite movie of all time, there are hearts breaking wide open all over Texas tonight because that boy is off the market.”
She was wrong. He was only pretend off the market, but I didn’t correct her. Instead, I scrolled through the Rolodex of movie quotes in my head and snapped my fingers when I remembered it. “Top Gun!”
“That’s right.” Tami Lynn looked impressed as she pulled out her notepad to take our orders. “Now what can I get y’all?”
I motioned outside where Travis was on the phone. “Shouldn’t we wait for—”
“No need. That boy’s order hasn’t changed in all the time I’ve worked here, which is longer than I’d care to discuss.”
“Oh, okay.” Small town living was still a little strange to me but I was really enjoying the sense of community here.
I picked up my menu and waited as Alexandria ordered a salad with dressing on the side, no croutons and a glass of unsweetened tea. Tad ordered a hamburger with no bun, explaining that he couldn’t eat bread because he had a gluten allergy. Tami Lynn’s eyebrows rose so high it moved her hairline back as she jotted down notes. It was obvious, to me at least, that she wanted to comment on their orders. But to her credit, she remained silent, although I did think she was in very real danger of biting through her tongue.
Taming Travis (Wishing Well, Texas Book 4) Page 5
