“Everything going okay with Helene’s wedding?”
“Yes, ma’am. Happy bride. Happy guests. I think tomorrow will be real special for them.”
“Well, I’ll be there for the ceremony.”
“Not staying for the reception? Don’t you want to catch the bouquet?” Sam teased. His grandmother hadn’t so much as looked at another man since his grandfather had passed away nearly twenty-five years ago. Sam only had a handful of memories of Grandpa Pleasant, but he did remember how happy his grandmother had been in his company, how they behaved like teenagers until the very end.
“I can’t. I’ve made other plans. I have a date.”
Sam pressed his hand to his chest and leaned all the way back. “Ah. Excuse me?”
“I have a date.”
“Well, go on, girl. Tell me about him.”
“I will not. And you will not tell your brothers, especially Jesse. He’s already all up in my business, getting in the way. You know nice Mr. Chester?”
“The organ guy.” He played the organ at Miss Leona’s church.
“Yes, honey. The organ guy. He asked me out to a nice lunch. Jesse got puffed up. You know how he does—”
“I do.” His brother didn’t have a temper, exactly, but he had a temper. It didn’t help that he was six-foot-seven and built like warehouse, forget a barn. He kept his temper in check most of the time, but while Zach, Lilah and Corie took care of Miss Leona’s day to day needs, Jesse had knighted himself his grandmother’s protector. Trying to save her from any and all elderly would-be grifters looking to swindle her out of her money and her heart. But Mr. Chester was far from the type. He was a sweet old man who had always been kind to their family. Too bad Jesse had ruined his chances.
“Okay, so this new guy slid in while Jesse was swimming laps or something.”
“Why do you have to make me sound all common? Slid in. Please.”
“Well, you won’t give me details and you’re being all covert. I have to assume he’s being covert too.”
“No one is sliding in anything. I’m just trying to keep most of my grandchildren out of my business. But if you must know, he’s a widower. He’s a nice man. He still works. He has one grown daughter who is doing very well for herself.”
Sam was pretty out of the loop when it came to the happenings of the over-eighty set. She could have been talking about anyone. “Well, you let me know if it starts getting serious. I want to talk to the young chap.”
“Mhmm. I take it you’re sleeping over here tonight.”
“I didn’t want to wake Jesse up and the rest of the dogs. Do you want me to wait up for Lilah and Corie?”
“No, baby. You go on to bed. You can stay in the Sunshine room. It’s all made up for Evie, but I’m gonna stick to my word and let her sleep over there when she gets here tomorrow.”
“How kind of you,” Sam laughed as he came back around the island. “Don’t worry, they’ll be married soon enough. Good night, Grandma.”
She sucked her teeth. “Miss Leona.” It was what everyone called her, all three of her sons and all of their children. Except Sam. Lilah may have been the baby, but Sam got away with more.
“You know I can’t call you that. It’s so impersonal. So cold,” he teased. His grandma rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers against her cheek. He gave her a light kiss and a hug, then headed down the hall toward the guest rooms.
Talking to his grandmother put a smile back on his face. It also made him look forward to seeing Amanda again. They couldn’t spend the night together, but it would be nice to text her before he knocked out. Say goodnight, tell her how much he enjoyed being with her for the short time they had. Maybe tomorrow, he’d remember to get her number.
Chapter 8
Amanda felt strange. It was the only way to describe the uneasy feeling that had been following her all day. She’d tried to get some good, restful sleep. It was the most responsible thing to do in a nice hotel room, and the bed in room twelve was freaking divine. Perfect mattress, warm blankets and feather pillows to die for. She could’ve taken a two-week vacation on the bed in room twelve. Too bad Dru had been blowing up her phone on and off until two a.m. Amanda should have expected it. Yes, she had her weekends off, but Dru had geographical anxiety when it came to Amanda, especially when Kaidence was busy. It hadn’t helped that Dru had been drinking. Still, Amanda had answered her calls and replied to her texts until it was clear Dru had fallen asleep. She’d passed out herself and woken up to the ascending twinkling of her alarm. She’d slept soundly, but she’d needed at least four more hours.
She’d pulled herself together and made her way over to the Copper Canteen for the ladies’ breakfast with the bridal party. That’s when things had started going downhill. Helene’s cousin Oni had to go and bring up Sam. Helene and Robyn kept their word and their mouths shut about what they knew about Amanda and her unique situation with a certain actor. They didn’t stay on him too long as a topic of conversation, but for seven or so minutes nearly every woman in attendance, including Helene’s mother, presented their opinions on Sam’s devastatingly good looks, his Oscar win, and his single status, testing all of Amanda’s limits.
More than one member of the bridal party had made it clear Sam could get it before they’d moved on to the all-important topic of who had done bridesmaid number two’s eyebrows. Before the weekend was out, one of these single ladies was going to take a crack at Sam Pleasant. Amanda just smiled and laughed along with the conversation, ignoring the glance Helene passed her way. She understood. Sam was gorgeous. He was famous. He was available. Who wouldn’t want to get with him?
Of course, Amanda hadn’t breathed a word about the night they’d spent together or their abbreviated dessert break, but it had been a special kind of awful listening to them talk about a person she had to admit she had some pretty confusing feelings for. And she definitely wasn’t jealous. It wouldn’t make sense for her to be jealous. She and Sam weren’t a thing, and whatever had happened between them was, by definition, a secret. But still, an odd pang pinched at her neck every time another woman mentioned his name.
And that seemed to be the theme for the day: glee for the happy couple and their beautiful union, and absolute shock and excitement over the fact that Sam Pleasant’s fine ass was in attendance. By the time they’d gotten to the reception Amanda felt even more confident in her decision to completely disappear from Sam’s life when the wedding came to an end. For one brief moment she’d thought about what it must be like to actually date someone like Sam, the constant comments, the constant competition. She didn’t want it. It didn’t matter how badly she wanted to see him wearing nothing but that cowboy hat.
They’d spoken to each other twice throughout the day, but only in passing. He’d offered her a polite hello that was devoid of sexual innuendo before the ceremony. And he’d checked on her again, simply asking if she was enjoying herself during the cocktail hour while the mariachi band Helene’s father had requested was entertaining the mingling guests. He’d sat with his grandmother, thee Leona Lovell, during the ceremony and they were placed at different tables during the reception.
It would have been interesting to spend the event on his arm, even though she had to check herself hard and fast for even considering it, but as the night went on and dinner turned to dancing, the invisible wall between them proved to be a blessing. It forced Amanda to really examine the impact her attraction to Sam had on her overall horniness. And that’s all it was, purely sexual. Beyond that there were no real feelings.
He was funny and charming, and on the surface, thoughtful and considerate. Amanda couldn’t ignore the way he doted on his grandmother until she was ready to call it a night. Sam Pleasant was a great guy, but what did that mean to her? Nothing. Definitely not enough to throw her hat in the ring with his hundreds if not thousands of lady admirers. Even if only a dozen or so had a real chance. On paper there was a lot to like about Sam Pleasant and she was sure, beyond what she’d
already witnessed, he had even more to offer a lucky girl. Still she knew that none of it was for her.
It was so clear, Amanda should have felt good about the bullet she was going to dodge. The one where he realized she wasn’t actually his type. Or when she remembered that she would probably die alone, adjusting Dru’s IV in whatever assisted-living facility they’d both been stuck in by the kids Dru would eventually have with a pro-basketball player who refused to marry her. A calm, pleasant feeling should have washed over her. She should have felt light and carefree, able to enjoy the rest of the evening and the DJ’s impressive selections as she cut up her own corner of the dance floor.
Instead she found herself off to the side, nursing a glass of champagne as she swayed to the beat. Her smile refused to leave her face as she watched Helene, arms draped over her new husband’s shoulders. She was happy for them, and really the whole day, the whole weekend so far had been so much fun. She just wished she didn’t feel so lonely.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and chased it with a sip of bubbly alcohol. She caught sight of Sam on the other side of the dance floor. He was talking to some other ridiculously hot guys. Amanda knew men like that flocked together. It only made logical sense. But it didn’t matter, she reminded herself. Men like that were not for her. She didn’t mean that in a low self-esteem-y way. She was a catch, dammit. But the world of A-list celebrities was silly and over the top, and sometimes it hurt to look at it. She could be a friend on the periphery, she could watch from the sidelines, but she couldn’t participate. Not in any real way. Amanda glanced down at the now-empty glass in her hand.
She needed to stop drinking.
When she looked up again, at first she’d lost sight of Sam. Not that she was looking for him. A mixed bag of emotions rushed through her when she saw him making his way from the DJ’s table to her general direction. She figured there was some other famous or photo-ready person somewhere between them, and there was. She spotted at least four, but that didn’t stop him. He was coming right for her. Amanda’s palms were suddenly warm, her fingers unsure. She set down the glass on the dessert table behind her, then straightened her shoulders as she slowly released a deep breath.
Just as Sam reached her the opening notes of “I Only Have Eyes for You” came through the speakers. The DJ took to the mic. “Just want to slow it down again, just one more time. This one is for all the lovers out there, young and old. And the bride and groom.”
The sentiment echoed around the room as Sam reached for her hand. “Care to join me on the dance floor?”
She fixed him with a stern glare and whispered, “Keep clean and above the belt.”
“Ma’am. I’m a gentleman. Everything about me is nice and clean.”
“Uh-huh.” Amanda rolled her eyes, but that didn’t stop her from following him out to the dance floor. Also didn’t stop her from hearing some comments from the peanut gallery.
“Oh, that’s so nice,” one of Ignacio’s guests said in what would never have been mistaken for a whisper. “She’s been alone all night.”
“Who is she?” her companion said. Seriously, had no one ever learned to whisper? Sam had heard them too.
“I think it’s one of Helene’s cousins.”
Amanda bit her lips and forced herself not to laugh. Of course Sam’s attention was all about pity when it came to her.
“How come when you show up to these things without a date it’s seen as sexy, but when I do it, it’s pathetic?” she asked as his hand slid around her waist. She forced her body not to respond. She managed to keep herself from pressing closer and soaking in his warmth, inch by inch. Instead, she draped her arms loosely over his shoulders, leaving plenty of room for the Lord. He seemed to catch her drift, but that didn’t stop a devilish grin from touching his lips.
“Nah, nah, I didn’t come here without a date. I came here with my grandmother. I’m sure that sent my stock through the roof.”
“That’s sick,” Amanda teased. “Using thee Leona Lovell like that. She’s royalty. Show her some respect.”
Sam let out a low chuckle as his tongue swept out and wet his lower lip. “Do you want me to prove a point?”
Amanda’s eye sprang wide with shock. She glanced around and caught the handful of people still watching them, including Loud Mouth and her friend. “Absolutely not. No.”
“You mean you don’t want me to pull you close and kiss the hell out of you in front of all of these people? Let them know if I had the choice I would have spent the whole day by your side?”
“What about your grandmother?”
“I have two brothers and two cousins who would have been happy to escort her.”
Amanda fought the urge to rest her head on his shoulder and finally said the thing she had a feeling she’d regret one day. “I don’t think you should come to my room tonight.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I—uh, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Was it something I said?” he teased even though a sad smile crept across his face.
“No. This is a textbook ‘it’s me, not you’ situation. You’re—well, so far so good.”
“What does that mean?” Sam laughed.
“I’m trying not to gush over you. We’re not there yet.”
“And we won’t get there, is what you’re saying.”
“I keep running into you by accident and I know you’re not trying to boo me up or anything, but if you come to my room tonight? I just know me. I’ll want to run into you again on purpose and I just can’t.”
“I see.”
“My life’s kinda full right now and not in a fun way. When I do start running into someone on purpose, I don’t want my life to get in the way.”
“So we part as friends,” Sam replied. “Friends who desperately wished they had slept together at least a dozen more times.”
Amanda let out a hideous snort. “You have a lot of friends like that?”
“Nah, Cha-Cha. Just the one.”
“Mr. Pleasant. I’ve had a wonderful time.”
“If you change your mind—”
“I’ll book a room with Naomi.” Amanda watched Sam’s face closely, noting the hurt he was trying to hide. Finally he gave her a little nod, letting her know he understood, that he wouldn’t push her any further. She dropped her gaze to the knot of his tie, and they spent the rest of the song swaying together in their own corner of the dance floor. When the song ended she wanted to leave him with a final bit of advice, maybe hint at the idea that he should ignore any DMs he received from Dru, but she decided to stay out of it. If he took her up on her offer, it would just serve as further proof that Amanda had no business messing with Sam. She stepped back, taking his hand as it slipped from her waist.
She reached up and slowly, but playfully drew the backs of her fingers down his cheeks.
“You’ll find another girl like me, Tex. I promise,” she said in a deep Southern drawl.
“Don’t make this worse than it already is. You best go, missy. Leave a cowboy to his broken heart,” he responded in kind. Amanda chuckled a bit as she gave his fingers a light squeeze, then walked away. This was how they needed to leave it, with laughs and no hard feelings. Nothing had really happened between them anyway, just some pelvis-quaking sex and part of a really decadent dessert. Speaking of which . . .
Amanda grabbed a piece of cake and headed back to her table, where Helene’s actual cousin was sitting, rocking her sleeping toddler. She could still see Sam on the other side of the room. The smile had returned to his face as Loud Mouth stepped up and started to dance with him.
“Oh, I haven’t had any cake yet,” Helene’s cousin said as Amanda made herself comfortable.
“You want me to grab you a slice? Your hands are full with the baby,” Amanda replied.
“No. I’ll get one before we head back to our room. Are you having fun?”
“I am,” Amanda said, even if it wasn’t the whole truth. For once, she couldn
’t wait to get back to LA, where her regular life was underwhelming and exceedingly less complicated.
* * *
Around midnight when the after-party started to dwindle, Sam decided to call it a night. Overall the wedding had been a complete success. For one, an actual wedding where both the bride and groom had shown up on time and enthusiastically said I do had taken place. And as the afternoon had rolled into night, a lot of the guests had gone out of their way to tell Sam how much they were enjoying their time at Big Rock Ranch. Sam couldn’t have been happier for his friends, so he’d felt like a total ass sporting a fake smile for the rest of the reception. He’d danced and mingled, declined more than one indecent proposal, but overall he’d had a pretty good time himself, until Amanda had let him know that whatever he’d seen happening between them that night and beyond was no longer in the cards.
Amanda had split an hour before, not that he’d been paying attention. He’d caught sight of her a few more times as the night had gone on. As she’d enjoyed her slice of cake, when Ignacio’s brother had pulled her back out on the floor to dance to some Latin remix of the new Normani track. When she’d hugged Helene and Ignacio good night. She’d headed back toward the lodge with another female guest by her side. Sam knew no one had caught on to the way the heat between them had thawed. Still he didn’t think it would be a good idea to take off right after she’d left. He’d waited until the mood of champagne and wedding hookups amongst the stranglers became too much to handle, then headed back to the barn, where he’d parked Zach’s truck.
The place was quiet when he got back to Pleasant Lane. He let himself into Miss Leona’s house, then made his way down to the guest room. He should have passed right out. It had been a long few days, and he still hadn’t recovered from the adrenaline rush from being under the spotlights on that Oscar stage. He was exhausted, but he lay awake in bed, just staring at the ceiling, wondering what the fuck was wrong with him.
If the Boot Fits Page 8
