Fifteen Minutes of Fame

by Liz Isaacson

  Oh, Navy liked Gavin. She knew how to flirt with him. How to get him to look at her with that flame of desire in his eyes. How to make him laugh. Since she’d dated so much, she knew exactly what to do.

  And that was exactly the problem. She was still doing what she’d always done. So she couldn’t expect a different result this time.

  Gavin glanced over his shoulder, prompting Navy to say, “I have to go, Lynn. I’ll call you later.”

  “You better. I want more regular updates now that I know there’s a man in play.”

  Navy smiled, hung up, and hurried to catch up to Gavin. She let her fingers brush his, but he didn’t grab on. She didn’t either. It was obvious he didn’t want to flaunt their budding relationship in front of the most famous matchmaker in Texas.

  Navy supposed she couldn’t blame him for that, but a terrible thought struck her right between the ribs. Maybe he’d brought her out here so no one else in town would find out about their hand-holding.

  She tried to dismiss the thought. They’d gone to The Stable together. The bark park. The hardware store.

  Still, the idea wouldn’t go away. Gavin had never openly displayed his affections for her, limited as they were. Only when they were alone.

  That’s normal, she told herself. This is new.

  She closed her eyes as Gavin stepped up to the ticket booth and said, “Four, please.”

  She prayed that she wouldn’t ruin this thing with Gavin—whatever it was—before it could truly get started.

  10

  Gavin enjoyed wandering around the hodgepodge market with Navy and his grandparents. They ate too much fried food from a truck, laughed, and told stories. He liked Navy’s quick smile, her helpful hand when Granddad stumbled, her calm demeanor in tough situations. He chalked all of those admirable qualities up to her pediatric nursing training.

  But he couldn’t get her words from that morning out of his head. Oh, I’m not looking, Nancy. Remember? I’m on my escape from reality right now.

  Her escape from reality. So holding his hand wasn’t real for her? Or the way she watched him with those penetrating eyes, practically begging him to come over and kiss her? That wasn’t real?

  He hardened his resolve, pushed out the disruptive thoughts. He wasn’t going to be her vacation boyfriend. This wasn’t a fling for him.

  So he couldn’t hold her hand again. It wouldn’t kill him. He’d learned that a broken heart didn’t actually kill a man when Joan had left him standing out at Sterling Springs Ranch by himself, at a wedding altar he’d constructed with his own hands.

  A jilted groom, right there in Three Rivers, Texas, which was famous all over the state for its matchmaker. No wonder he disliked the town’s history so much—and every woman who rolled into town on a bus and went straight to his grandmother’s door. And Navy fit right into that group as if she were their founder. So had Joan.

  He sighed, alerting Blue to his mental and emotional turmoil, as he kicked off his boots and leaned back into the couch. He’d dropped Navy off thirty minutes ago and made sure his grandparents were safely inside their house after that.

  For Saturday night, it was early still, but Gavin’s exhaustion nearly overwhelmed him. His phone chimed, and his heart shot to the back of his throat. Maybe it was Navy.

  It wasn’t. Instead, Steve’s name came up on the screen. “Hey,” Gavin said, his troubles evaporating. “How was the trip to California?”

  “Good,” Steve said. “Great. You should come next time.”

  Right, Gavin thought with an eye roll tacked on. “I don’t want to infringe on your family vacation,” he said in the nicest voice he could muster.

  “Carol wouldn’t mind.”

  “I’m sure she would.” Gavin cleared his throat. “So what’s up?”

  “Wondered if you wanted to go fishing tomorrow after church.”

  “Yeah, sure.” It was a ninety-minute drive to the Kingsland Slab where they fished, but Gavin suddenly craved the time away from Three Rivers, away from Navy, away from everything that had become normal in his life. Squire had given him this first weekend off, promising there wouldn’t be many more once he moved out to the ranch.

  “Anything new happen while I was gone?” Steve asked, as if he’d already heard. Since his wife was a waitress at the speciality coffee shop, one of the premier hotspots for talk in town, he probably had.

  “Got a new job fixing up the Shepherd cottage,” he said. “Got a new job at Three Rivers. That’s about it.”

  “Right,” Steve said. “So you didn’t save a blonde woman and then start dating her?”

  Gavin made a choking noise. “Is that what people are saying?”

  “You’re a big topic right now, what with the way you leaped off that fence.” He chuckled, which only riled Gavin further. “I wasn’t even there, and I seem to know every detail.”

  “It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Gavin said, wondering how many times he’d have to say it tomorrow. Fishing and a long drive suddenly didn’t seem so fun.

  “And you didn’t go out with her?”

  “I mean, we got breakfast, but only because she’s new to town and the cottage where she lives is barely habitable.” But it was more than that, and Gavin knew it. But maybe for Navy, their pancakes-in-the-park had been part of her vacation.

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  Gavin hung up, knowing full well he’d have to tell Steve everything. Gavin had a few friends in town, but not many. Most knew what had happened with Joan and had let him retreat to his quaint house, the dogs, and his grandparents’ massive yard. Steve had been there the longest—since Gavin’s days at Sterling Springs Ranch even.

  Gratitude filled him that he had someone rational to talk to about his maybe-relationship with Navy. He couldn’t mention anything to Grandmother, not after the Joan disaster. After all, she’d consulted with Joan four times over the course of a year before she accepted his proposal. And four months later, she skipped town after yet another meeting with his grandmother.

  Gavin had never asked her what she’d said to Joan. He wasn’t sure he cared, because he thought it was all bunk anyway. The legends and myths. The matchmaking. All of it, pure fantasy.

  Which meant Navy—and any hope of having a real relationship with her—was pure fantasy too.

  Gavin made sure to sit on the inside of his grandparents the next day. He wasn’t trying to be rude. He simply needed to protect himself from the blonde bombshell who walked in with sixty seconds to spare, her hair all twisted up like she was going to the prom and a dress as dark as night clinging to her curves.

  He sucked in a breath as she sat next to Grandmother, as they started whispering, as she glanced down the row to him. He gave her a single nod and focused on the pulpit, every cell in his body angry at him for not sitting where he could touch Navy.

  Pastor Adams spoke about enduring through trials, and Gavin kept all his attention on the man’s words. Gavin had been through a fair few trials, from losing his job to all the dating fiascos. His grandparents were aging, and he expected he’d lose one of them in the near future.

  His unfulfilled dreams of owning a ranch came forward in his mind. He hadn’t been looking, and something whispered to him that he should be. But what about the new job at Three Rivers? he thought.

  And just after that, What am I going to do with Grandmother and Granddad?

  And he wasn’t sure where the next thought—Call Aunt Ally—came from, only that it was there.

  His spirits buoyed, and a new plan fell into place to start the search for a ranch again and to call his aunt about moving to Three Rivers to help with her parents. He’d mentioned it to her a few times before, but she’d been reluctant to leave her job in Amarillo. Gavin understood, but more time had passed, and perhaps she could retire or find something to do in Three Rivers—or move her parents closer to her.

  The service ended, and Navy appeared at Gavin’s side. “What are you doing this after
noon?”

  “Goin’ fishing with a friend.”

  Her eyebrows rose and her eyes widened. “Oh. I didn’t know you liked to fish.”

  “It’s Texas,” he said as if that explained everything.

  She fell a half-step behind, and Gavin felt bad for dismissing her so readily. “Have you ever been to the Canadian River? It’s gorgeous.”

  “No,” she said. “I did see it a lot on that website I was looking at about the festivals.”

  “Yeah, they do stuff all summer long. The fishing is good about now until June. Steve and I will go a lot.”

  Steve stepped in front of them as if summoned by the mention of his name. “Gavin.” They man-hugged, complete with loud clapping on their shoulders. “And you must be Navy Richards.”

  A pit opened in Gavin’s stomach. If Steve knew that, he already knew everything else. Sure enough, he kept his winning smile in place for Navy as he shook her hand, but his eyes flashed to Gavin’s several times.

  Gavin settled his weight on his back foot and folded his arms. “So you’ll drive?” he finally asked so Steve would stop talking to Navy.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there in say, forty-five minutes?”

  “I’ll be ready.” Gavin tipped his hat to Navy and walked out of the church. He hoped she’d follow, that maybe he could stop by her place tonight to show her his catch, but he made it to his truck without her.

  His phone remained silent while he put together his fishing gear, food for the afternoon, and an assortment of toys for Blue. Misfit and Miles wouldn’t come—Gavin didn’t trust them in the Canadian River in the spring.

  Steve arrived, and Gavin hefted his gear and backpack into the truck bed. “Thanks for embarrassing me at church,” he said.

  Steve, a ginger-haired man who couldn’t grow a beard to save his life, laughed. And laughed. “She’s nice.”

  Gavin grunted, put up the tailgate, and got in the truck. Steve joined him, still smiling. “And beautiful.”

  “She came to Three Rivers on a bus and met with my grandmother the very next morning.”

  Steve cringed as he backed onto the street and set the truck heading east. “I can see why you like her, and why you don’t.”

  “She’ll only be here for a few more months.” At least five more, he thought but kept to himself. “And I’m looking for a ranch, so maybe I’ll leave town before she does.”

  “Anything good out there?” Steve asked. He’d taken to equipment repair, a service offered by the hardware store, when most of the ranches around town had dried up.

  “Maybe,” Gavin said. “I haven’t looked in a while, but I feel like I need to again.”

  “I’ll come work for you.”

  “I know you will.” The conversation turned to Steve’s vacation, and how Gavin’s parents were doing in West Virginia, before circling back to Navy.

  “She’s from Dallas,” Gavin said. He filled Steve in on everything he knew about Navy, which was admittedly a lot more than he’d told her about himself.

  “So does she know how you feel about the legends of Three Rivers?”

  “I think I’ve been clear.”

  “But she doesn’t know about Debbie. Or Ginny. Or Tabitha. Or—”

  “No,” Gavin barked to get him to stop talking about all his past female failures. “She doesn’t know anything about any of them.”

  “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Says the man who married the woman who came into town on a bus and met my grandmother the next morning.”

  “It was two mornings later,” Steve said with a smile. His grin faded quickly. “But seriously, Gavin, sometimes it does work out.”

  “Sure.” But Gavin had five examples of how sometimes it didn’t work out. And he wasn’t up for a sixth.

  Thankfully, once they started fishing, the conversation stalled. Gavin soaked up the warmth of the late-April sun. Snacked on his beef jerky and homemade trail mix that Grandmother put almond M&Ms in. Cast his line over and over, hoping for that bass to latch on.

  The beauty of Texas surrounded him, and he let the gurgling sound of the river soothe his soul. Allowed the clean breeze to sweep the cobwebs from his mind. The gray and brown rocks, the bright green grasses and trees, the brilliant blue sky all combined to create a picture of perfection Gavin was sure didn’t exist anywhere else on God’s great earth.

  And he was thankful God had put him here. Right there in Texas, where he could experience a slower pace of life. He felt closer to the Lord while fishing than he did while sitting in church, and Gavin finally cast all his burdens away while he cast his line out again and again.

  Several hours later, he said, “Thanks,” to Steve as they pulled up to Gavin’s house. “We should go again next weekend.”

  “Let me check with Carol.”

  Gavin collected his gear from the back of the truck, waved to Steve as he drove off, and had taken two steps toward his front door when Navy came around the side of the house, both Misfit and Miles panting at her side.

  11

  Navy could see and sense the wall Gavin had constructed between them. She’d dated enough men to know, talked to parents who were resisting treatment, had a sixth sense about such things.

  So she was sure he’d put his defenses in place. What she wasn’t sure of was why.

  “How was the fishing?” she asked.

  He lifted a lidded basket. “Great. Here’s dinner.” He watched her with amusement, like she’d balk at eating bass.

  “Great,” she said without batting an eyelash.

  Gavin stepped to his front door and entered the house. Navy had not gone inside earlier, but she did now. The inside of Gavin’s house was neater than she’d thought in some ways, and messier in others. There were no dirty dishes in the kitchen, but the living room held discarded socks and unfolded blankets, almost like he slept on the couch most nights after kicking off his cowboy boots.

  “Give me a few minutes.” He moved down a hall, adding, “Make yourself at home.” A door closed a moment later, and Navy took the opportunity to snoop. Problem was, Gavin didn’t have a whole lot for her to draw from. There were two pictures in the front common area of the house. One of him and his grandparents, obviously taken a few years ago as his beard didn’t hold any of the gray streaks it did now. And a photo of him and who she assumed were his parents. His father had the same sloped nose, the same twinkling, mischievous look in his eyes when he smiled.

  Dust didn’t cover anything, which meant Gavin did a fair bit of cleaning, and Navy couldn’t smell anything foul. He didn’t return right away, so Navy sat on his couch. Almost immediately, Blue jumped up next to her and put his paws—his damp and dirty paws—in her lap. Right on her khaki shorts.

  “Blue,” she said, leaping to her feet. “You’re dirty.” She swiped at the mud smeared on her clothes.

  Gavin chose that moment to return, his cowboy hat gone and his hair damp. He wore his basketball shorts and a gray T-shirt. He paused on his way into the kitchen and looked at her. Navy froze, unable to even continue cleaning herself. Experiencing him in his natural environment, shoeless, hatless, and his stunning physique, and Navy couldn’t move. Could barely breathe.

  “Let’s go, Blue,” Gavin said and the dog trotted over to him. He opened a door next to the garbage can in the kitchen and Blue went through it. “You guys too.” Misfit and Miles, who hadn’t done anything, followed and Gavin closed the door.

  He scanned her again, making her blood heat. He’d looked at her in this way several times now, and every time felt like the first time. “Let me get you a washcloth.” He moved into the kitchen and started rummaging around in cupboards and drawers.

  He finally faced her again. “It looks like I don’t have a washcloth. Grandmother will, though.”

  “You don’t cook,” she said, the pieces of his flawlessly clean kitchen coming together.

  “Nope.” He grinned at her. “So let’s get these fish next door so Grandmother can put
lemons or something on them.” He picked up the basket and stepped toward the door. “What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to talk to you.” She didn’t want to tell him she didn’t have any other friends in town besides him. Surely he already knew that.

  Gavin didn’t ask what she wanted to talk about or continue the conversation. He took Navy next door and said, “I have six bass here, Grandmother.”

  She bustled out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “Wonderful, wonderful.” She took the basket and disappeared back the way she’d come.

  “We’re gonna go for a walk,” Gavin called. He didn’t wait for an answer before heading outside again. He took several long strides away from the road and into the backyard before asking, “So what did you want to talk about?”

  “Yesterday,” she said. “I had a good time.”

  “Me too.”

  “Did you?” She tilted her head and looked at him. He’d stuffed his hands in his pockets, the exact opposite of what she wanted him to do with them.

  “Sure,” he said. “Did you see that new lampshade? I put it on the lamp in the living room.”

  “I must’ve missed it.” Had she misread the signals from him too? She inched a bit closer to him on her next step, and he remade the distance between them when he stepped. Nope.

  She stopped walked and drew in a deep breath. “It seems like you’re unhappy with me.”

  Gavin stilled too. “Not at all.”

  Navy examined him, trying to see past the symmetrical face, the sexy salt and pepper hair, the impressive muscles. “Did I do something yesterday?”

  He gazed back at her evenly. “Not at all.”

  “What did I say to upset you?”

  He blinked twice in rapid succession. Ah-ha. So that was it. She’d said something. Her brain whirred and stirred, trying to find what it could’ve been.

  “Nothing.”

  She bumped him with her hip and started walking again. “You’re such a liar.”

  “Navy—”

  She froze again, all this stop and go making her stomach lurch. “It was the thing about me looking for a match.” She peered at him, getting that tiny flinch again. “Isn’t it?”