“It’s good to see you angry about it.”
She shifted her gaze back to him. “Why is that good?”
He reached out and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. “Because you’re not crying anymore.”
Linnea stood frozen, every bit of her mind focusing on the feel of his fingers. She should slip away from that touch, but it was as if she’d been ensnared by the gentleness of it. “I think I’ve shed enough tears over Michael Benson.” She’d like to believe that she truly was done with the tears, was determined to be, but she didn’t know if the pain might hit her again out of the blue. Common sense told her you didn’t get over losing the man you loved in a few days, but she kept telling herself that he didn’t deserve her love, that he never had, and that she deserved to be able to move on.
Owen dropped his hand to the top of the stall. “You really do need to learn how to ride.”
“About as much as I need to learn to ride a unicycle on a tightwire.”
She could say the same thing about letting herself feel too much attraction toward Owen.
Before she did or said something she’d regret, she took a couple of steps back. “You know what’s going to help more than getting on top of an animal that could stomp me into a squishy mess?”
“Mucking out the stalls for me?”
“Nice try.” She glanced out the end of the barn. “No, I’m thinking retail therapy.”
She’d spend Michael right out of her head. And maybe Owen while she was at it.
* * *
THANK GOD FOR women’s need to shop. As Owen watched Linnea walk out of the barn, he was thankful females never had too many shoes in their closets. Because if Linnea hadn’t left when she had, he had the horrible feeling he might have done something really, really dumb.
He ran his hand over his face, wondering where he’d misplaced his brain. Because making a move on his sister’s best friend when she was still hurting from the mother of all breakups would definitely be his worst decision yet. And he had a life full of bad decisions.
And what was with the sudden attraction toward Linnea, anyway? He’d known her since he was a teenager. Yeah, he’d recognized she was pretty, but he’d been nothing but a giant walking hormone back then. Almost any girl he saw drew his interest.
He was beginning to think the giant walking hormone thing was making a comeback, because just skimming his fingers across her cheek had sent a shot of desire through him, enough that he’d been glad there was a stall hiding the effect it’d had on him.
What the hell was he thinking? Hadn’t he learned his lesson about women with whom he had nothing in common? And he definitely had nothing in common with Linnea. She cried over a guy who’d treated her like dirt, made her living selling dresses that cost more than his first two trucks put together and knew about as much about ranch life as a fluffy poodle attempting to herd cattle. She might be from Texas, but the woman couldn’t even ride a horse.
Not to mention the last thing she needed right now was another unavailable guy.
He finished mucking out the stalls, not allowing himself to watch as Linnea drove away from the ranch. When he was finished, he knew he should saddle up and head out to where his dad and Garrett were working. Instead, he walked back to Charlotte’s stall and scratched her forehead. He allowed himself to replay Linnea’s words in his head, her belief that he should do what made him happy. She was the only person who knew about his goals who hadn’t looked as if his failure was all but certain, not an if, but a when. He knew his family loved him and their doubt was totally his fault. But that only made him want to prove himself even more.
And for some reason, he wanted to prove himself to Linnea, too. That, more than anything else, told him he needed to stay away from her, no matter that part of him wanted to do the exact opposite.
* * *
EVEN THOUGH SHE’D told Owen she was going to town for some retail therapy, Linnea hadn’t meant to walk out of Merline Teague’s art gallery with a painting. But the striking piece depicting a field of bluebonnets had captured her eye the moment she walked through the front door. She had no idea where she would hang it, but she hadn’t been able to walk out the door without it.
“I hope you have a good rest of your visit,” Merline said as she accompanied Linnea to the door and held it open for her.
“Thank you.”
After she safely tucked her new purchase in the back of her car, she headed to the Primrose Café to have lunch with Chloe and some of her friends.
“Hey, Lin.” Chloe waved to her as soon as she stepped in the front door.
Linnea headed over to the table in the corner where Chloe sat with four other women. She knew Keri Teague, one of Merline’s daughters-in-law, who owned the Mehlerhaus Bakery. And she’d briefly met Elissa Kayne, India Parrish and Skyler Bradshaw during a couple of other visits to Blue Falls.
“So, have you bought out the town yet?” Chloe asked as Linnea slid onto the empty chair next to her friend.
“She better not have,” India said. “She hasn’t been to my store yet.”
Linnea smiled along with the rest of the women. “I think there might still be a little bit of room on my credit card.”
“Good. Because I have the perfect dress for you.”
They halted their conversation when the waitress walked up to the table to take their orders. As the pretty young woman wrote on her notepad, Linnea couldn’t help but notice that there was sadness in her eyes.
When she walked away, Linnea watched her. “Is she okay?”
At the uncomfortable silence, Linnea shifted her attention to her lunch companions.
“Suffering from a broken heart, I’m afraid,” India said.
That’s why Linnea had picked up on it so quickly. Birds of a feather. “Lot of that going around.”
The other women looked a little uncomfortable, making it obvious that they knew what had happened to her. Chloe had probably planned this cheer-up lunch the moment she’d found out Linnea had come to town.
“Maybe we should fix up Tara with one of your brothers,” Elissa said.
“She’s already been out with Owen once,” Chloe said.
“Everyone’s been out with Owen once,” Keri said. “It’s his magic number.”
Chloe swatted Keri on her arm. “Hey, that’s my baby brother you’re talking about.”
Keri’s gaze shifted to Chloe. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
Chloe sighed, unable to refute Keri’s characterization.
Linnea thought back to how Owen had caressed her cheek earlier, how he’d held her hand in the truck the night before, how nice and caring he’d been since she arrived. Something unwanted twisted inside her at the thought that he’d done the same thing, probably more, with countless other women. What was wrong with her that it bothered her at all?
“You okay, Lin?” Chloe asked.
“Sorry, we shouldn’t be talking about this,” Keri said.
Linnea waved away their concern. “It’s okay. Not like I’m going to be able to go through the rest of my life without running into people who’ve had their hearts broken.”
India reached over and patted Linnea’s hand. “I know it’s hard right now, but you’ll find someone else.”
“I’m going to guess that the only thing Linnea is interested in doing with a man now is stringing one up by his tender bits,” Elissa said.
Linnea hadn’t expected to laugh in the middle of the current conversation, but that’s exactly what she did. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
They fell into conversation about their families, their businesses and, unfortunately, Owen’s penchant for serial dating, pausing only when Tara delivered their meals.
“I think the only person who has him beat is Greg Bozeman,” Keri said. “If that man ever settles down, we’ll know hell is about to become an ice-skating rink.”
“Maybe they just haven’t found the right women to make them settle down yet,” Chl
oe said as she picked up one of her fries.
There was a momentary pause before everyone else at the table started laughing. Linnea didn’t really know Greg Bozeman, but she had to shove down the desire to defend Owen, to say that he was a good person who had plans for his life, that he was more than a guy who hopped from one woman’s bed to the next. Only for all she knew, that was how he managed his love life. It shouldn’t matter to her, but she found herself hoping it wasn’t true. And not for her sake but for his. Somehow in the past few days, she felt as if she’d seen beyond the Owen whom most people saw to a hint of the man beneath the surface, and that man deserved more than empty dalliances.
She shook her head as she realized her years of selling happily ever after had to be messing with how she viewed people. Maybe not everyone was cut out for happily ever after. Maybe she wasn’t.
“So, how long are you in town?” Skyler asked as she picked at her salad.
“I don’t know. I should really head back home, but I haven’t been able to face that quite yet.” She lowered her fork to her plate, her appetite draining away. “Honestly, I’m having a hard time thinking about even going back to Dallas.”
“Maybe you don’t have to,” Keri said.
“I don’t really have a choice. I’ve got a business to run.”
“From what Chloe says, the business is doing well. Maybe it’s time to expand, open a second location.”
“Oh, Lin, you could stay here,” Chloe said, her eyes alight with excitement. “It would be great to see you all the time instead of every few months.”
“I don’t know. That’s a lot to consider.” And she wasn’t exactly in the best mental state for making huge decisions.
“Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what a person needs,” Keri said. “It did wonders for both my sisters-in-law. You should talk to Grace. She had a business in Arkansas, but she’s made the transition to Blue Falls.”
Linnea was surprised by how much she was intrigued by the idea. In fact, an unexpected wave of excitement ran through her.
“Oh, my God. I just had the best idea,” India said. “The store space two doors down from Keri’s bakery has been empty for only a couple of weeks now. If you took over that, maybe you and Keri could work in conjunction. You’d take care of dressing the bridal party, do the china and crystal, all that fun stuff.”
“And I could do the cakes.” Keri clapped her hands once. “I love it.”
Chloe pointed at Elissa. “You could do the flowers.” Her finger shifted toward Skyler. “And weddings could be held at the inn, or at least the guests could stay there.”
“I could possibly dress the mother of the bride or the bride’s traveling attire for after the reception. This all just seems meant to be,” India said.
Elissa leaned back in her chair. “That just leaves Chloe.”
Chloe shrugged. “I could always hand out valium for nerves.”
That caused even more laughter, and though she felt as if she’d been caught up in a whirlwind, Linnea had to admit the excitement was rubbing off on her, as well. Could she really make that big a change? Would it work financially? Maybe now, when her life was already racked with upheaval, was the best time to really examine where she was in her life, where she wanted to go, and which path to take.
Tara came back to the table and left their checks. Seeing her reminded Linnea of Owen, and a huge sliver of doubt wormed its way through the excitement. If she moved to Blue Falls, would her silly infatuation with Owen go away? Or would it just get worse? Did she want to risk finding out?
“I bet you could look at the space this afternoon if you wanted to,” Keri said.
Linnea held up her hand. “I need to think about this first. It feels a little like a runaway train at the moment.”
“You’re right, of course,” India said. “We kind of get carried away sometimes. Sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize. I’ll admit, the idea is intriguing. I just... With everything that’s happened I don’t want to make any rash decisions.”
Even though she was urging herself to use caution, her excitement grew as they finished their lunches and conversation shifted to other things she had trouble concentrating on. Before the revelation of Michael’s lies, she could never have imagined walking away from her shop, from her home in Dallas. But now it appealed to her on so many levels. Her mind started running wild with ideas, of how she would design a new store differently. By the time lunch was winding down, she’d changed her mind.
She looked at Keri and said, “You know, I think I will look at that space after all.”
When she walked into the empty building an hour later, the sound of her feet echoing against the wooden floor, she thought maybe she’d lost all her common sense. Because she fell in love with the space instantly, even though it was totally different from the posh interior of her Dallas shop. Maybe that’s what appealed to her, that it was a total departure from what she was used to. If she was going to make a change in her life, why not go big?
Her rational side tried to take over, but she shoved it away. Even if she didn’t go through with making the move, she wanted a few minutes to fantasize what it would be like.
“It’s awesome, right?” Keri said as she and the rest of her friends filed into the empty storefront behind Linnea.
“Yeah.” And it was. Linnea walked toward the back, admiring the historic feel of the building. In addition to the wooden floors, the crystal chandeliers, copper ceiling and lengthy glass countertops in antique cabinetry made the space rich with potential. She loved the idea of mixing the feel of Texas history with modern wedding finery. For the first time since she’d left Dallas, she experienced some of the familiar excitement about her chosen profession. Her love life might be in shambles, but part of her still believed in happily ever after. At least for some people.
Justine, the real estate agent, pointed out stairs in the back. “Would you like to see the upstairs?”
Linnea nodded, a new wave of excitement filling her at the thought of all the extra space she could have here, more than twice what her shop had in Dallas. But could she make it work? Blue Falls might draw a fair amount of tourist traffic, but would they come there to get married? Her Dallas shop might be smaller, but it was well placed for brides looking for more than a chain-store bridal experience.
If she’d harbored a thought that the upstairs might dampen her enthusiasm for the building, one look proved her wrong. The walls were exposed brick with a lot of character, and the tall windows facing the street let in streams of gorgeous natural light. She ran her fingers along the brick as she walked toward the front to look out one of the twin windows. From that vantage point, she could see India’s store, Yesterwear, across the street as well as several other businesses. This was a perfect location right in the heart of a bustling little tourist town, and the idea of working with the other women to build Blue Falls into a wedding destination made her creative neurons spark like firecrackers.
Chloe came to stand next to her. “So, what do you think?”
“Honestly, I love it and feel ready to jump at the opportunity right this minute, which is what scares me.”
“How so?”
“I can’t say that I really trust my own judgment at this point.”
“This isn’t the same thing.”
“No, but am I just running away from my problems instead of facing them head-on?”
Chloe sighed. “I can’t answer that.”
No, only Linnea could. But at the moment she couldn’t, and that sent up all kinds of caution flags that she shouldn’t be making any big, life-altering decisions while her emotions were still so raw and confused.
Even so, that didn’t alleviate the sense of loss when she stepped out of the building back onto the sidewalk. She couldn’t believe how hard it was to resist the pull of leaping into the change headfirst. It just felt right. But so had saying yes to Michael’s proposal. She wasn’t willing to let her years of hard work
go down the same drain as her love life, no matter how much she wanted to say yes yet again.
Chapter Six
Despite telling herself repeatedly that she needed to approach any big decisions slowly and with a lot of caution, she couldn’t stop the flood of ideas her visit to the empty store space had started. She told herself that it was okay to fantasize, that perhaps she could even take some of the new ideas and apply them to her shop in Dallas.
As she pulled into the drive leading onto the ranch, she was glad she’d talked herself into a day in town. Granted, her fluttery feelings around Owen had prompted it, but she felt better than she had since Michael’s duplicity was revealed. She even started humming a song she’d heard in Yesterwear, where she’d bought herself the pretty new dress that India had said would be perfect for her. As she’d watched India working with customers to match them with the perfect outfits, she felt they were kindred spirits.
She had to admit that being able to hang out with Chloe, India and the rest of their group of friends was another plus in Blue Falls’ favor. But it wasn’t as if she didn’t have friends in Dallas, Katrina chief among them. But as much as she loved Katrina, they didn’t hang out that often outside of work. She could absolutely imagine regular lunches with the Blue Falls crew. There was just something about this little slice of the Hill Country and the people in it that made her believe she could move beyond her heartbreak.
She glanced toward the barn as she parked, trying not to think that some part of her subconscious might be considering Owen as a mark on the plus side of the “move to Blue Falls” pros-and-cons list. Thankfully, his truck was gone, giving her more time to shake the feelings he’d elicited earlier.
As she got out of her car and walked to the back to retrieve her painting, she heard an engine slowing before turning into the driveway. Her heart sped up at the thought of seeing Owen again. Maybe she should heed that reaction more than anything else as a sign that she should put all the nonsense about moving to Blue Falls and starting over out of her mind and get back to real life in Dallas.
Her Cowboy Groom (Blue Falls, Texas Book 5) Page 7
