Tierra smiled, pulling up her own chair to the table. “Travis is Damien’s platoon leader,” she said. “He came all the way to Dallas to tell me Damien didn’t want to marry me.”
Mama Dee laughed loudly. “You already knew that, granddaughter. Damien didn’t need to send his boss to deliver that message.”
Tierra rolled her eyes, a full pout pulling at her mouth. “Thank you, Mama Dee.”
“It really wasn’t like that,” Travis said in his own defense. “I have family here in Dallas that I’m visiting while I’m on leave. Private Porter took advantage of my being here. I was an unwilling pawn and, unfortunately, although I didn’t ask to be the bearer of bad news, it turns out that I was.”
“Life doesn’t always go as planned, Mr. Stallion, but you know that,” Mama Dee said, her head bobbing against her thick neck. “Besides, look where it’s brought you.”
Travis’s eyes met Tierra’s. “Things happen for a reason, Mama Dee.”
The older woman looked from one to the other, studying the two of them carefully as they continued to stare at each other, both seemingly oblivious to her being there. There was clearly something in the look they exchanged. Something the woman recognized but had never before seen in her granddaughter’s expression. She suddenly had a ton of questions for the new man sitting at her kitchen table.
“Tierra, I need you to run that bag of clothes on the screened porch down to the church for me. Reverend is expecting it, and you can save me some time.” She turned to Travis. “We’ve been collecting gently used clothing for the children. We’ve gotten some nice donations for families in need.”
Tierra sighed. “Yes, Mama Dee. Travis and I will drop it off when we leave here.”
“No, you can run them over there now. Have a conversation with Reverend about your situation while you’re there. Ask him to say a prayer for you. Mr. Stallion can stay here and help me in the backyard,” her grandmother commanded.
“But—” Tierra started to object, but the stern look her grandmother gave her stalled her words. She shook her head as she came to her feet.
Easing past Travis, Tierra leaned down to whisper into his ear. “Be afraid. Be very, very afraid!”
Chapter 8
As Travis and Mama Dee both enjoyed a second cup of java, the casual conversation had been like an easy calm before a storm. Collecting both cups from the table, Mama Dee rinsed them out in her sink, then carefully placed them in her new dishwasher. She gestured with a crooked finger for Travis to follow her out to the yard.
“It’s a good day to be outside gardening,” Travis noted as the old woman changed from her bedroom slippers into a pair of bright red rubber garden shoes.
Mama Dee nodded her silver-gray head in agreement as she plopped a wide-brimmed straw hat on top of her head. “A little more sunshine wouldn’t hurt,” she responded as she led him to the rear of her home.
Stepping out to the slate patio, Travis was taken aback by the wealth of plants that decorated the rear landscape. The yard was bordered by rich summer colors against dark green foliage, the textures creating a dramatic visual experience. The spectacular front yard paled in comparison.
“How beautiful,” Travis muttered, his eyes skating back and forth as though he might miss something.
“This here is my sanctuary, Mr. Stallion. My home away from home.”
“It’s quite remarkable. I imagine it takes a lot of work.”
Mama Dee nodded her head. “Tierra and her brother used to help. Tingin, that’s Tierra’s older brother, he still comes every now and again, but I can’t remember the last time Miss Tierra got her hands dirty.”
Travis chuckled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me!”
Mama Dee gave him a curious stare. “So, what are your intentions, Mr. Stallion?”
“Excuse me? Ma’am, I’m not sure what you’re asking me.”
“I think you do. The question’s not hard, chile’. What are your future intentions with my granddaughter?”
Travis suddenly felt like he was under a microscope, about to be exposed. “Well…ma’am…we’re just getting to know each other. I’m hoping Tierra and I will be great friends.”
“Just friends?”
“Well…I…” Travis stammered, his mind searching for an answer he thought she might be satisfied with.
Mama Dee fanned a gloved hand at him as she gestured for him to follow her with the wheelbarrow she’d just filled with supplies. She rested her gaze on him, and Travis knew that she was not a woman who would be easily satisfied.
“I see how you look at each other, Mr. Stallion. My granddaughter has never looked at any man like she looks at you. You have her heart, and she doesn’t even know it yet.”
“I…don’t…know…” Travis suddenly felt challenged, completely at a loss for words.
Mama Dee continued. “And I would venture to say that you’re a bit smitten yourself, Mr. Stallion.” The woman gave him a thoughtful stare.
Travis smiled. “It’s not hard to see that your granddaughter is a very special woman, Mama Dee.”
“Yes, Mr. Stallion, she is. And she’s had her heart broken too many times by a man who didn’t care about her. Damien played house with her emotions, stringing her along to make himself feel good. Tierra knew it, even though she tried to pretend that she didn’t. She knew it, and she ignored it.”
“And I’m sure when you pointed it out to her, she ignored you, too.”
This time Mama Dee smiled brightly. “My granddaughter is as stubborn as a mule when she wants to be. Once she sets her mind on something, she’ll dig her heels in and hang on tight.”
Travis laughed softly. “I can see that about her.”
“This is why I want to know your intentions. I don’t want to see my baby girl heartbroken again.”
Travis nodded his understanding. “I’d never do anything to hurt Tierra, Mama Dee.”
“Never say never, Mr. Stallion. You don’t know what you’ll do until the situation presents itself. Now, tell me again, how long are you here for?”
“Just thirty days, ma’am. Then I have to go back to Afghanistan to finish my tour.”
“And how long is that for?”
“I’ve only got eleven months left, unless, of course, I decided to reenlist.”
“And is that something you might consider?”
The man paused, taking a quick minute to think about something he’d been thinking about since forever. “I consider myself a career soldier, Mama Dee. I haven’t really given anything else any consideration.”
“And now you have to,” she declared, “as soon as you figure out your intentions with my granddaughter.”
Travis reflected on her comments as Mama Dee began to hum, leaning to pull weeds from a designated spot in her garden. Time seemed to stand still as he thought back to the first time he’d laid eyes on Tierra, his heart skipping with excitement. He thought about the hurt he’d seen in her eyes when she talked about her ex-fiancé and their relationship. Then he reflected on what he saw when he’d been alone with her and she allowed herself to relax into the moment. There had been something else he’d seen in her haunting eyes.
As long as he could remember, Travis had been a man who dealt in facts. There were no gray areas in his life. Even as a little boy he’d lived by a code of honor that few others believed in. His enlisting in the military had been the answer to all of his prayers. Once he’d committed himself to Uncle Sam, there had never been time for a woman in his life, and definitely no woman he’d ever consider spending the rest of his life with. Then he met Tierra.
Just like that, it felt like everything he believed in and everything he had ever wanted changed. It had been love at first sight, and Travis hadn’t believed it possible for him to love anything, or anyone, more than he loved the military. But he knew it, just like he knew his name. He loved Tierra Braddy, and the something else he’d seen in her eyes told him she might be feeling the same for him.
He
inhaled deeply, his pulse racing ever so slightly. When Mama Dee’s deep voice broke through the moment, he didn’t have a clue how long he’d been standing there. Those few short minutes had felt like a lifetime.
“So, I’ll ask you again, son. What are your intentions with my granddaughter?”
Travis met the matriarch’s gaze and held it. He smiled, the wealth of it spanning across his face. Mama Dee smiled with him.
“With your permission, ma’am, I would really like to start dating your granddaughter. I think Tierra and I might be able to build something exceptionally special together, and I would really like to do whatever I have to do to make that happen. It would make me very happy if Tierra would give me a chance.”
Mama Dee nodded her head slowly. “You’ve got your work cut out for you, Travis Stallion. But if my instincts are right, and they usually are, that might actually be possible. But we will just have to see, son. We will just have to see.”
“I know it would be important to Tierra to have your support, Mama Dee. I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to prove myself worthy of your granddaughter’s love.”
The old woman tossed him a warm smile, turning to stare into his eyes. “Someone certainly raised you right, son. I like how you do things.” Pausing, she waved a hand in front of her face, swiping at the rise of perspiration that dampened her brow. Her head nodded ever so slightly above her round neck as she continued. “Tierra cares about you, Travis. More than she realizes. Maybe it’s love and maybe it isn’t, but time will certainly tell. And I already like what I see, so we’ll just wait to see, what else happens. But you both will definitely have my support if this thing makes my grandbaby happy.”
Behind them, Tierra’s voice filled the warm air between them. “You two have both completely lost your minds!”
Tierra could barely focus on the road as she maneuvered her car toward downtown Dallas and her favorite shopping mall, Galleria Dallas. Travis was trying to explain the conversation Tierra had overheard between him and her grandmother. And although his arguments about the two of them becoming involved were intriguing, she was having no part of it.
“Why not?” Travis queried, turning in his seat to stare at her.
“I can’t believe you’d ask me that. Pray tell, what part of your plan makes an ounce of sense?”
“All of it. We start by dating, and after a respectable amount of time I’ll ask you to marry me. You’ll say yes. We’ll have a beautiful wedding and eventually three kids and a dog. It makes perfect sense to me.”
“Marry you! I know you’re crazy now!” Tierra shook her head.
Travis grinned broadly. The idea hadn’t seemed crazy at all when it had come to him. Marrying Tierra seemed like the most sensible thing he could do. He certainly wasn’t going to risk losing her. Making her his wife, the two of them tied to each other for eternity, was not only logical but fantastical, as well. When he considered the circumstances of how they’d become acquainted and their growing friendship, marriage was the least crazy thing he could imagine.
“No, Tierra, I’m very serious. I want you to be my wife,” he said, self-satisfaction holding hands with his words.
“What part of me getting dumped at the altar didn’t you get? It was just a few short days ago that I was engaged to marry another man. A man I loved very much.”
“You might have cared about him, but you weren’t in love with him.”
Tierra bristled. “I’m not in love with you.”
Travis smiled. “Are you sure about that? Because I think you might be, and your granny agrees with me. Admit it. It was love at first sight, girl!”
“And that’s another thing,” Tierra stated as she pulled into a city parking lot, found an empty space and slammed hard on the brakes. “Where do you get off drawing my grandmother into your craziness?”
Tierra shifted the car into Park and shut off the engine. Turning to face the man, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for a response.
Travis laughed. “Mama Dee asked me a question and I answered it. I don’t know why you’re having such a problem, Tierra.”
Exasperated, Tierra threw her arms up in frustration. “Aargh!” she shouted, her eyes widening as she stared at him. Shaking her head, she pushed her way out of the car and slammed the door.
Travis was growing used to the woman’s tantrums. Exiting the vehicle, he raced behind her to catch up. As he reached her side he swept her hand into his and held it.
Shaking him off, Tierra gave him an evil stare. Travis laughed.
“You really aren’t funny,” Tierra said.
“I have my moments. So, where are we headed now?”
Cutting her eyes at him, Tierra scowled, the frown clouding her face. “I have to return the wedding bands I purchased. Is that going to be a problem?”
Travis grinned. “Not at all. In fact, while we’re here we can pick out a new pair. We might need them sooner than later.”
Reaching for her hand a second time, Travis clasped her fingers gently between his own. Tierra’s first instinct was to pull away again but she didn’t. Whether she admitted it out loud or not, she liked holding Travis’s hand, even if the man was annoying.
Travis followed Tierra faithfully as she moved from one store in the large shopping complex to another. Their first stop had been Bachendorf’s Jewelers. With its extensive collection of handcrafted designer jewelry, Travis could easily see what had drawn Tierra to the nicely detailed gold bands that she’d selected. The 18-karat gold had been nice. The diamonds and platinum he planned to put on her hand would be much nicer, he thought, making a mental note to come back for a matching set that had caught his eye.
Tierra balked when Travis insisted she try on the engagement ring and wedding band set.
“Just to see,” Travis said, refusing to let her waffle her way out of it. “I like them and I just want to see them on a woman’s hand.”
“Well, you need to go find you another woman to experiment with,” Tierra said, trying to move down toward the other end of the counter.
As Travis clasped her by the elbow, she knew there would be no backing down without causing a major scene. The man had her once again, and the expression that crossed her face said she wasn’t happy about it.
“Your boyfriend is very persistent,” the redheaded sales clerk said with a slight chuckle. “And he has impeccable taste. This set is an interlocking engagement ring and wedding band combination. It’s solid platinum with a 6.78 carat, princess-cut diamond and twenty-four diamond baguettes. It’s a stunning piece of jewelry and looks wonderful on.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Tierra muttered as she cut her eye at Travis.
The woman raised her eyebrows curiously as Travis nodded his head in contradiction.
Suddenly intrigued, Tierra slowly extended her left hand in the woman’s direction. Shaking her head, she wanted to tell Travis exactly what she thought about him, but it would have to wait until they were back in the car, and alone. Right then she needed to try on a ring to appease him.
From the jewelry store they’d gone on to a gift shop, a Hallmark greeting cards store, Ann Taylor, Old Navy and Cache. Travis couldn’t believe how much stuff Tierra had needed to return.
“Are you keeping anything?” he finally asked as they maneuvered their way in the direction of Saks Fifth Avenue.
“What do you mean?”
“Anything you purchased. Are you keeping anything, or is this like some pity-party ritual you women do? Buy to make the hurt go away and then burn back to the store before the credit card bill is due.”
Tierra rolled her eyes. “Don’t start.”
“I was just asking.”
“Well, don’t. And I am not having a pity party. There is just no reason to hold on to things that I have no use for. Why waste money?”
“You knew you had no use for some of that junk when you were buying it. But you bought it anyway.”
“Tch!” Tierra sucked her teeth, her fac
e skewed with displeasure. She hastened her steps, wanting to leave Travis somewhere behind.
“So, where are we headed to now?” he asked, racing to catch up to her.
“This is my last stop,” she said, entering the lingerie department of Saks Fifth Avenue. “Then I’m taking you back to the ranch, and this is going to be the last time you ride shotgun with me.”
Travis shrugged, a broad grin pulling at his lips. “If you say so,” he said, his grin widening further as he looked around. “I’ll just be over here,” he said, moving in the opposite direction. Tierra headed to the sales counter with the last of her returns, a sexy negligee that would have been a part of her honeymoon trousseau.
Minutes later as she stood waiting for the salesclerk to refund her credit card, Travis moved to her side with a La Perla push-up bra and matching thong.
“Now, this would be hot on you!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Eyeing the delicate lace and dotted stretch tulle garment, Tierra didn’t know whether to blush or drop down into a hole in the floor from embarrassment. She couldn’t believe the man’s gall.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” Tierra hissed, reaching for the garment that Travis was waving about so brazenly.
Travis beamed, his eyes narrowing with devilment, as he snatched it out of her reach. “Seeing you in this might make me lose my mind.”
“You are never going to see me in that, Travis. Never.” Tierra turned her back to the man, strumming her fingers impatiently against the counter.
“It’s a size 34-A. It looked like it would be the right size for you,” he teased, twirling the garment’s hanger in midair. “But you can try it on if you want.”
Tierra was ready to scream, and just as she was about to say so, the salesclerk returned with her credit slip in hand.
“We’re sorry that didn’t work out for you, Ms. Braddy. Is there anything else we can assist you with today?”
“Yes,” Travis interjected. “I would like to buy this set,” he said, pushing the bra and thong in the woman’s direction. “And is black the only color it comes in?”
Promises to a Stallion (Kimani Romance) Page 6
