by T. J. Kline
You sure this is about James and not you?
Bethany didn’t want to listen to the logical voice of her mother in her mind. She was attempting to protect both of them. She heard the garage door closing as she followed James into the kitchen.
Looking into the bag Grant had left on the counter, James’ blue eyes widened like saucers and a smile spread across his entire face, making them light up. “Donuts? Can I have two?”
She reached into the cupboard and pulled down a plate, slipping the donuts from the bag and arranging them. “We’ll see. Why don’t you just start with one and see how many are left?”
“But there are . . .” He paused as he pointed a chubby finger at each one, counting them. “Twelve.”
“Those two are Danish and those two are bagels, honey, but yes, there are twelve. But you aren’t the only person who needs to eat, you know.” She glanced up as Grant opened the door into her utility room and saw them. James had his back to him but he spun as soon as he heard the door shut.
“Grant!” Bethany didn’t think it was possible for his eyes to get any bigger or his smile to get wider, but somehow he managed it as he threw himself at Grant with even more enthusiasm than he’d shown her. “Are you here for breakfast?”
“I am,” Grant replied, the frown he’d been wearing we he first arrived disappeared as he squatted down and accepted a hug from James.
Bethany had to turn away. This was exactly what she was trying to avoid. After only a few days, James had become attached to Grant. She didn’t even want to think about how she was going to break the news to him that Grant would be leaving soon for training camp and not returning. She felt her own heart lurch at the thought and had to admit James wasn’t the only one getting attached too quickly.
She reached for the coffee, passing one to Grant when her eyes fell on the paper he’d brought inside. She instantly recognized the front of her house, and unfolded it, quickly scanning the headline.
Most Eligible Bachelor off the Market?
It wouldn’t take much for anyone to recognize Grant’s car. There weren’t many people driving classic Camaros around the small town, and showing it parked in front of her house late at night gave the impression he’d stayed for more than just a movie. As much as she dreaded it, Bethany couldn’t help but read the article insinuating a local woman had removed Grant McQuaid from the dating pool. It didn’t mention her by name, but it wouldn’t take much deduction for people to realize the house was hers. Between this article and the picture of them at the pizza place the day before, it would be an easy assumption that she was the unnamed woman.
“Crap,” she muttered under her breath.
“Mom, you said a bad word,” James pointed out.
Grant came up behind her and reached for the coffee, one hand on her shoulder. She felt heat spread across her shoulders and down her arm from that one simple touch. “Now you see why I wanted to put the car into the garage. I’m sorry for this, Bethany.”
He tapped the paper and she dropped it onto the counter, moving away from his hand. She reached for a paper towel and grabbed one of the donuts for James, setting it on the table. “Sit and eat, baby.” She reached for a cup from the cupboard, avoiding Grant, and pulled the milk from the refrigerator. “Here you go.”
“Bethany.” His voice was quietly cajoling and she dropped her hands at her sides. “Look at me, please.” She turned to meet his dark gaze, resigned to the fact that she couldn’t seem to deny him anything. “I should have realized this would happen. There have been a couple stories about me ever since I got home a few weeks ago. I just thought they would figure out I wasn’t doing anything headline-worthy and disappear. I didn’t know they followed me here yesterday.”
“Or the pizza place, apparently.”
“So you saw that one too?”
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Look, Grant, I don’t blame you. I should have known something like this would happen. You’re a professional football player in a small town. Of course, it will set the gossip mill on high alert, but this is exactly why I said no to pizza.” She lowered her voice. “I don’t even want to think about what people are saying. Anyone can tell that’s my house.”
Grant let out a long sigh. “I’ve been thinking about that. There is one sure way to keep this from blowing up into a local tabloid story.” She looked up at him and his dark eyes begged her to hear him out. “You need to start dating.”
GRANT HAD TRIED to convince himself during the entire drive to Bethany’s house that there was another way, but the fact was that she was a kindergarten teacher, a single mother of a hearing-impaired child and new to town. People were probably already talking about her but if his name were to suddenly become connected with hers, if they were to become a couple, this small-town newspaper would be the least of Bethany’s worries. It was the broader news outlets he worried about—networks, tabloids and social media. Once the smoke cleared and he went back to the team, she’d be the one left trying to live down a reputation that was undeserved, trying to pick up the pieces of what had once been a normal life. He couldn’t do that to her. She was already struggling; he didn’t want to make her life more difficult. He liked her and James too much, even after the short amount of time he’d known them.
In truth, the best option for her would be if he turned around and walked away completely, putting as much distance between them as he could. If he didn’t show any interest in her, neither would the reporters. But he couldn’t do that. He’d offered her his friendship, offered it to James and, like he’d told her yesterday, he was a man of his word. He wouldn’t just turn his back on either of them. So the next best thing would be for them both to be seen with someone else. If her name was linked with another man, he could convince reporters they were nothing more than friends. She and James would be off their radar once they saw her with someone else.
“Date?”
“Look, I like you and I like James. I don’t want to cause you any trouble. To make this go away, this reporter, whoever it is, needs to see you involved with someone else.”
“Wouldn’t it be more important to see you with someone else?” she pointed out. “I’m a nobody and it isn’t me they want to follow.”
“They do now, because they think we are together.” Grant ran a hand through his hair. “Look, Bethany, I messed up. I wasn’t even thinking about this the other day when I invited you two to the park or last night. I’m so used to it that I don’t even notice it most of the time anymore, but you’re not.”
She studied the paper again. “No, this is not the kind of attention I really want James dealing with.” Her gaze sought his. “But what makes you think my dating is going to change anything? It would be far easier for you to go out with someone else.”
Grant didn’t miss the flicker in her eyes as she said it but he didn’t dare hope it was because she might not want him to date someone. He had no right, not unless he was willing to give her what she deserved.
“And I will. But we need to create the right image here, to tell a story that shines a good light on you. If I date someone else, you’re the poor, single mom screwed over by the football star. That’s going to create attention you don’t want too. If you date, then they’ll second-guess the validity of us as an item altogether. Rather than admit they were wrong, the story will drop with the attention disappearing altogether.”
Grant didn’t even want to think about the way his stomach was churning at the words coming from his mouth. He was honest enough to admit he wanted her for himself, but he was realistic enough to know that wasn’t possible, not while he was still playing ball. Not while he couldn’t offer her any sort of security or a future. Shit, if he didn’t get back on the team, he’d be forced to live in the bunkhouse for the next two years until he started seeing a return on the money he’d invested into Jackson’s venture.
&nbs
p; “Bethany, you agreed that James needs a man in his life.”
Bethany crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought that was why we were going to meet up with you today,” she pointed out. “For him to learn ‘guy’ stuff.”
“It is, but we both know I won’t always be around.” He saw the flicker of regret in her eyes but he had to press on. “I’m heading back for training soon. He’s going to need someone besides just me.”
Jealousy ate at him. The thought of another man playing ball with James, teaching him how to fish, or how to throw a baseball, grated on his nerves. He’d grown far more attached to this pair in the past few days than he’d ever thought was possible. He relished the sight of them, longed to be with them when he wasn’t. It was as if there was a common thread that had drawn them to one another. The thought of someone else making either of them smile or laugh made him feel hollow inside.
But he couldn’t offer them what they deserved and it wasn’t fair to pretend he could. He’d meant what he said about being her friend so he needed to get her out of this mess he’d gotten her into, which meant forgoing what he wanted someday for what she deserved today.
James slid from the kitchen table and came running toward them. “I’m finished. Can I have another one?
“You can have one more, but after you go put your clothes on.” She looked at Grant. “We are still on for today. Right?”
Grant could see the hesitation in her hazel eyes again, the anxiety creeping back. He felt like every bit of the headway he’d made at gaining her trust had been destroyed.
“Make sure you wear long pants and bring your bathing suit with you. Go, hurry.” Grant gave James the sign for hurry. The little boy scooted past him and ran up the stairs. He could hear drawers opening and slamming shut. “Bethany.”
She met his gaze but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. He wanted to go back to the easy friendship they’d had last night. Hell, he wanted to go back to that moment in the doorway of the bathroom when it had taken every ounce of self-control to keep from kissing her. She moved past him toward the kitchen and grabbed the coffee cups, passing one to him.
“It’s okay, Grant. I appreciate your honesty. I’ll have to think about it though. I told you I don’t date, and I have reasons. That’s not going to change just because of a newspaper article.”
“Or two,” he reminded her.
She nodded in agreement. “Or two. But I’m not sure dating someone else is the right answer either.”
Grant needed her to agree to this plan. He hadn’t realized how much until he’d come this morning. Seeing her looking pretty and sweet, her eyes half-closed with sleep, her hair mussed and she still in her pajamas, he’d been able to convince himself that he wasn’t ready for the permanence that she and James made him long for. But it was a lie.
And this plan of his wasn’t only for her benefit. Until there was another man in her life, he was going to continue to want things he couldn’t have. However, if she was happy in a relationship, he would gladly step back for her and James’ sakes.
“I know what you said, but—”
She waved him off. “I’m not saying I won’t date, just that I haven’t, not in a long time, and I need to take some time to consider it. I’m out of practice and I don’t really know anyone here.” She took a sip of the coffee and looked over the rim at him. “Any recommendations?”
Grant felt his gut tighten in knots. Wasn’t it bad enough to have to see her with someone else? How could he pick a guy out for her when he wanted her for himself? Crap, who did he know that deserved a woman like Bethany but whom he wouldn’t see often enough for it to rip his heart out and make him want to beat the man senseless?
BETHANY TRIED NOT to stare across the car at Grant as he drove them out of town toward his parents’ ranch. The man was a complete enigma.
Last night, she’d thought several times that he was going to kiss her. She’d even lain awake most of the night reconsidering her no-dating policy again, knowing it would be a huge mistake to go out with Grant but wanting it nonetheless. That rule had kept her and James away from heartache for the past six years. However, after seeing James with Grant last night, she realized it might not have protected James the way she’d thought it would. It might have sheltered him from heartache, but she’d also confined him to living in an overprotective fantasy that kept him from developing into the man she hoped he would someday become. Grant was right—James needed some male influences in his life, especially now that the only one he’d known was thousands of miles away, across the country from him. She’d spent most of the night contemplating her options, which really only came down to two courses of action: continue the way they had been and risk stunting James’ development or take a chance and risk heartache both for her son and herself.
After making a decision in the early morning hours, she’d actually been excited to see Grant this morning, ready to spend the day getting to know him without the walls she usually erected. After all the flirting he’d done the evening before, she was looking forward to the warm thrill she felt when his eyes swept over her, the way his touch sent goose bumps over her flesh and a tremor through her. She’d been looking forward to the moments, like this one, when she could steal a glance at his profile, see his ruggedly handsome features and relish the heat seeping through her veins at the anticipation of their first kiss.
And then he’d made the suggestion she date someone else.
Finding out that people had seen her picture in the paper with him at the pizza place had been disconcerting enough, but to see the picture of his car parked outside her home, to read details of their imaginary love affair as if it were reality, had rattled her. She understood the small-town dynamic, how everyone involved themselves in everyone else’s business, but she hadn’t expected a complete fabrication to circulate so quickly. It had definitely made her think twice about her decision the night before. However, Grant’s suggestion had crushed it under the heel of his very expensive-looking cowboy boot.
Regardless of how much he’d flirted, he obviously wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship, exactly what she’d been insisting on from him since from beginning.
She’d brought this upon herself with her stupid rules and the way she’d pushed him away. She couldn’t blame the man for taking her not-so-subtle hints. Unfortunately, she’d changed her mind and made her decision too late. Now she’d have to live with the consequences, which meant she could have nothing more than friendship with the first man she’d found herself attracted to in years. It was all he offered and, while embarrassment would have her turn tail and run, she owed it to James to at least accept that from him. It wasn’t James’ fault she’d been foolish.
Grant turned toward her, catching her admiring him. “Whatcha thinking about? You’ve been pretty quiet during our ride.”
She shrugged. “The article, what I should do about it.” It wasn’t a complete fabrication. She glanced over her shoulder into the back seat where James was playing with two of his superhero figures and lowered her voice. “I’m hoping there’s no real backlash from some of my more judgmental parents at school.”
“And that is part of the reason I suggested you . . .” Grant looked back at James who smiled his way, obviously catching at least part of their conversation. “I suggested what I did,” he amended.
“You don’t think that will make things look even worse?”
“If I get asked, I’ll mention that James and I were paired by my sister because I know sign language. If you’ve been seen with someone else, it will just give it credence that there is nothing more going on and the story will drop.”
“I’m not going to use someone just so—”
“I’m not telling you to use someone. I’m suggesting you find a nice—” She cleared her throat in warning. “Friend to spend time with,” he clarified, turning his cho
colate eyes on her again, melting her refusal. “Go see a movie, have a cup of coffee, take a walk in the park.”
“I like the park,” James chimed in from the back seat. “Can we go to the park too?”
“My house is sort of like a park, James. You’ll like it.” Grant looked out the windshield again. “Bethany, you’ve been letting life pass you by. I have no idea what happened in your past, but you need to find your future. Find someone, be happy again.”
Grant’s voice held a note of regret and she wondered if he wasn’t wishing he’d done things differently as well. He wasn’t wrong. Everything he mentioned was what she wanted for herself again, someday. But until now, there hadn’t been anyone who made her want to take the risk. Unfortunately, the one man who had made her want to reconsider was telling her to find someone else.
Chapter Ten
GRANT SLOWED AS he made his way up the driveway and stopped the Camaro in front of his parents’ home. He knew his father and the twins would be coming in soon from feeding cattle, which was exactly the reason he’d arrived when he did. He didn’t want Bethany to feel like he was throwing her to the wolves nor did he want James to feel overwhelmed by too many people at once. Only his mother and sister were at the house right now, since Andrew and Benjamin would still be in town until their shifts were over.
Maddie came out to the front porch to greet them. “Well, hello there, James! I think you’re the first of the kids at school to see where I grew up.”
“Hi, Ms. McQuaid. Do I get to see your room?”
“Sure, why don’t you come with me so your mom and Grant can grab a cup of coffee.” Maddie winked as she turned and he prayed Bethany didn’t see it.
The last thing he needed right now was any matchmaking from his mother or sister. As much as he might want more with Bethany, his father was right. He couldn’t leave her with a “baller” reputation as a noose around her neck in this small town. It was bad enough in a big city, but at least there she could disappear if things didn’t work out. In Hidden Falls, she’d become a spectacle for the rumor mill.
