Saturday morning, I wake up ready for vengeance, seething at the memory of Mr. Can’t-Touch-This smirking on the porch. The mayor may act all cool and smug now, but I didn’t start this. Travis is the one who kissed me first, which means he feels the attraction. But now he wants to resist? Well, I’m going to make it a touch more difficult for him to do that.
I shuffle through my closet until I find a nude silk slip very much akin to the ‘naked dress’ Carrie Bradshaw wore for her first date with Mr. Big. If I’m not going to have sex, at least I’m going to look like sex.
From the closet, I also select a calf-length, sleeveless button-down cream cardigan that will make the naked dress appropriate to wear to work. I roll the cardigan up to avoid wrinkling it and stuff it into my maxi bag.
I’d like to pair the dress with beaded stiletto sandals, but I have to be practical and not too obvious, so I opt for sensibly large-heeled suede mules.
Before exiting the room, I bend over the bed and kiss a still sleeping Fluffy on the forehead. “Wish me luck.”
The cat looks up at me and rolls onto his back demandingly. I rub his belly and leave him purring on the bed to head downstairs.
The mayor is already up making coffee and cooking bacon. For a moment, I admire this homey version of him. Sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt have never looked sexier. Then, mustering my most casual tone, I say, “Morning.”
“Morning.” Travis turns, and the greeting gets choked in his mouth as his eyes widen. They roam over my body before they rise again to meet my gaze.
His lips curl up. “You look nice.”
“Thanks.” I force a smile. “And you look—distracted.”
“Sorry,” he says, but the subtle curl of his lips doesn’t go away. “I was just… I mean, do you always dress so casually in the morning?”
I make a twirl. “You like the dress?”
“I, uh… interesting choice,” the mayor says, his voice husky.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I say and continue to the porch, leaving him to gape at my backside.
Contrary to the treatment I’ve become used to from Willette, the table isn’t laid with a million breakfast treats or, most importantly, coffee.
I drop my bag on the bench and poke my head back into the kitchen.
“No, breakfast, huh? Service is slacking at this establishment,” I say, joking.
“I was working on that.” The mayor points at the pans on the stove. “How do you take your eggs?”
“No eggs, thanks,” I say, walking back into the kitchen. “Just coffee and I’ll make oatmeal.”
“I’m sorry,” Travis says. “I know Mom’s breakfasts are one of the best things in the world, but I’m afraid I’m not such a skilled cook.”
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s best this way. I was already getting fat on all Willette’s food.”
Travis’s eyes roam the length of my body again. “I seriously doubt that.”
His gaze on me makes me feel even more naked.
“How is your mom today?”
“Her temperature is not as high, but she still has a fever. The doctor is optimistic the pneumonia is going to resolve itself.”
“I’m glad,” I say. Then, returning my attention to the practicalities of making breakfast, I reach for the empty pot resting on the stove. “I’ll just put the water to boil.”
“Let me,” Travis says, also reaching for it.
Our forearms touch. It’s the simplest, most innocent of touches, but it’s like all the air has been sucked out of the room. I feel kind of… no, not kind of, I’m going to combust.
But I note with satisfaction that I’m not the only one who seems affected. Now that we’re standing so close, Travis’s gaze has dropped to my lips.
When he looks up at me again, the air between us crackles. For a moment, I think he’s going to clear the kitchen island of all the clutter and give me a good ‘seeing to’ on top of it. But then he must regain some self-control because he turns off the stove and takes a step back.
“I’ll leave you the kitchen, then; I have to shower anyway.”
Travis takes another step back, and another, until he literally makes a run for it.
I smirk to myself. The naked dress always does the trick. I hope the mayor enjoys his shower. He looked like he needed a cold one.
* * *
The day at work is uneventful. If not for all the little things that remind me of Travis. The small pond on set brings to mind our kiss. The BLTA sandwich I eat for lunch makes me think of how sexy he looked in the kitchen cooking bacon this morning. I’m distracted all day. And even when I shut myself in my trailer to concentrate, I end up staring out the window, daydreaming.
The final straw is when I walk into the barn for one of the last takes of the day and see Christian in full cowboy costume from behind. For a moment, I mistake him for Travis and butterflies explode in my belly. And the worst part is that now I have to go home, and Travis will be there, unwilling to give me what I need.
Screw that. Maybe I shouldn’t go home at all. I mean, I’m already dressed for fun and it’s a Saturday night. I should go to the pub, have a drink, and perhaps meet another hot cowboy. I bet not all men in Emerald Creek are so hell-bent on not sleeping with me.
* * *
“Samantha, you’re back.” Amber, the pub barmaid, greets me with a huge smile as I sit on a stool at the counter. “I thought we’d never see you again after the water incident.”
“Sorry,” I say, “I had a couple of busy weeks, but I’m ready to let my hair down.”
Amber smiles conspiratorially. “And I have the perfect cocktail for you. I convinced Ernie to stock the pantry with triple sec and I got fresh lemons. A lemon drop martini?”
I beam at her. “You’re literally my favorite person in town,” I say.
“Mine, too.” Muscular arms drop onto the counter next to me. The sheriff unleashes a most dashing smile on Amber, who, in turn, scowls and disappears into the pantry, presumably to grab the ingredients to make my cocktail.
Duncan winks at me. “She’s going to succumb to my charm one day.”
“I’ve no doubts, Sheriff West,” I greet the newcomer. “Off duty again?”
“One night of rest before a fifteen-hour shift at the fair tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes, for you and me both.”
My phone pings in my bag with a text. When I open it, I’m astonished to find out it’s from the mayor.
From Travis
I type back.
To Travis
From Travis
To Travis
From Travis
To Travis
The three dots appear and disappear, then appear again until another text comes in.
From Travis
To Travis
I wait a minute, two, five, but no more replies.
My cocktail arrives, and I want to weep for how good it tastes. I take another sip and check my phone again. But my inbox is clear. I shake my head and put the phone away.
“A suitor?” the sheriff asks.
“Actually, the opposite of a suitor.”
Duncan chuckles. “What’s the opposite of a suitor?”
“Someone actively trying to avoid a romantic entanglement with me.”
The pub’s doors bang open and Travis storms toward the counter. He looks disheveled in dark gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt. Not exactly the outfit of someone who had planned to go out, or a very mayorly attire at that.
“Speak of the devil,” I say, pointing.
Duncan turns toward the entrance and leans backward with both elbows on the counter. He studies the mayor as he marches toward us. “Looks like a suitor all right to me.”
Travis reaches us in a few quick strides.
“Did you fly here?” I ask.
“There was no traffic.”
“And to what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Yeah, Vis-Vis,” Duncan mocks him. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
The mayor glares at his friend, sending a clear shut-up vibe, and then shrugs. “I suddenly felt like having a beer.”
“What about your mom?”
“She was feeling much better. She could eat alone, and I left her reading a book in bed. Plus, I bought her one of those emergency chain pendants with the red button in case she didn’t feel well.”
Duncan pats Travis on the shoulders. “Glad to hear your mama is better. Willette is the heart and soul of this town.” Then, looking at the barmaid, he adds, “Amber, apple of my eye, gem of my heart”—the sheriff theatrically places a hand over his chest—“would you pour the good mayor a beer?”
Amber’s glare would send children to cower into a corner and terrify even a grown man. “Keep that going, Sheriff, and the next jug of water I’ll pour on your head will be boiling.”
Duncan doesn’t even flinch. If nothing else, he pumps up the charm. “Please say you’ll go out with me and I’ll stop.”
Apparently, this particular police officer is a little harder to subdue than the average grown man.
“Not a chance in hell,” Amber replies. But as she turns to fill a beer jug for Travis, I catch a little secret smile on her lips. Guess the attention isn’t as unwelcome as she’d have us believe.
“What do you think?” Duncan asks me. “Do I stand a chance?”
“I’m sure every woman would capitulate under the force of your charm.”
“Yourself included?” the sheriff asks, waggling his eyebrow at me.
“That’s enough.” Travis inserts himself between us, forcing Duncan to move down a stool.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say the mayor is acting territorial.
“Can I talk to you?” Travis asks.
“You are talking to me.”
He grabs my elbow and pulls me away from the counter and the sheriff, who is watching the exchange with an amused grin.
“In private.”
I give the sheriff an apologetic smile, then reluctantly follow the mayor to a corner of the pub.
I stare at him. “What do you want?”
“What are you doing with Duncan?”
“Nothing. I was having a drink, and he joined me to chat.”
“I’ve known Duncan all my life, and he’s one of my best friends, but he’s not famous for talking to women.”
“No? What is he famous for, then?”
“Nothing that should interest you.”
I don’t take kindly to being told what to do—or what not to do. Even more by someone who, until recently, was a virtual stranger.
“So I can’t sleep with you because it’d be too serious and I can’t sleep with Duncan because it wouldn’t be serious enough?”
The mayor positively growls his next question. “You want to sleep with him?”
“What if I did? It’s none of your business how I spend my free time. Especially since you’ve clearly stated you’re not interested in being a part of it. I’m a big girl, no need to go alpha mayor on me.”
We both seethe in silence. When he doesn’t speak again, I add, “And, anyway, in case you hadn’t noticed, Duncan is really into Amber and he’s flirting with me only to rile you up, which is working surprisingly well. Want to tell me why?”
“No, I’m tired of talking. I need a drink.”
Travis abandons me in the corner and goes back to the bar, taking a long sip of his beer. The man is so frustrating I want to scream. I came here specifically to avoid spending time with him. Then he shows up, acts all jealous and possessive, and the moment I call him out on it, he chickens out again. My blood is boiling and I feel like kissing his stupid face until he faints—or kicking his gorgeous bottom. Either would be deeply satisfying.
Instead, I go back to the bar to grab my purse, ready to go home. The night is ruined anyway.
“Another one?” Amber asks me.
“No, thanks. I have to drive and tomorrow I have an early start. How much do I owe you?”
“Oh, the sheriff already covered your tab.”
Both my and Travis’s heads whip toward Duncan.
“Thank you,” I tell the sheriff.
“It was nothing, Peach. See you tomorrow.” He winks.
“Right, tomorrow, bye,” I tell no one and everyone at the same time.
As I turn on my heels to leave, I catch Travis’s last muttered words, “Where do you plan to see her tomorrow?”
“Relax, man, at the town fair. You seem a bit prissy tonight, Vis-Vis. Something the matter?”
I don’t catch Travis’s reply as I get out of the pub. But I haven’t made it three steps toward my truck when I hear the door swing open and slam shut, immediately followed by the sound of footsteps behind me.
I spin around. “Are you following me?”
“Nope, just going home.” Travis walks past me and hops into his pickup. I watch him put it into gear with an angry jerk of his arm and skid away into the night.
I’m half-tempted to go back into the pub, but I’m also tired and tomorrow is going to be a long day. Lionel wants to start shooting early and keep going until sunset for the romantic natural lighting, so I might as well go to bed.
At the ranch, Travis has left the gate open for me. I drive in and get out of the truck to close it. By the time I reach the house, his truck is parked outside, and the mayor is nowhere to be seen. And just as well.