A hint of crispness had begun to creep into the air, signaling the possibility that summer might be ready to relinquish her grip on East Texas and allow autumn to visit awhile. Back in Atlanta, Scarlett knew decorated pumpkins and scarecrows would be appearing on people’s front porches. In the South, the leaves might have begun to turn—nothing dramatic, just a few spots of bright red or yellow here and there. So far, she hadn’t seen any leaf changes here, though Delilah assured her it would eventually happen.
Since they were so far out in the country and so isolated, there wouldn’t be any trick-or-treaters, so there was no need for any decorations. Though Scarlett didn’t comment, inside she felt disappointed. Halloween had always been one of her favorite holidays. She’d amassed quite a collection of ghoulish decorations. They were all in storage now.
As she walked into the kitchen, something caught her eyes. An invite sat on the Formica counter. A bright orange jack-o’-lantern on a jet-black background. A yellow crescent moon decorated one corner and the words You’re Invited were spelled out in silver glitter.
“What’s this?” Scarlett asked, picking it up.
“An invitation to the annual Anniversary Halloween Harvest Fair and Costume Ball,” Delilah said. “It’s quite a big deal around here. Hal is usually involved in the planning committee.”
“Not this year,” Hal said grumpily. “Been too damn sick. Who knows what it’ll be like without me?”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” Delilah’s brisk tone warred with her watchful expression as she met Scarlett’s gaze. “I’m hoping we can talk Hal into attending, even if it’s only for a little while. Vivian already said she’d take him.”
“Not gonna do it.” Hal shook his head. “I don’t want people staring and pointing and telling me how much weight I’ve lost. As if I didn’t already know.”
“It won’t be like that.” Stubbornly persisting, Delilah glared at him, her hands on her ample hips. “And it would do you a world of good to get out of this house once in a while.”
“I’d love for you to show me around,” Scarlett interjected.
“I’m sorry.” Hal’s gaze softened. “But maybe you and Travis can go instead.”
Though Scarlett nodded, she couldn’t help but frown.
“What’s wrong?” Hal asked, clearly noticing.
While she didn’t want to say anything bad about Travis, Hal also needed to understand that everything wasn’t roses and sunshine between them.
“I’d rather go with you,” she settled on.
“Oh, horse-pucky,” Hal countered. “Travis could do a much better of job of making sure you have a good time. Me, I’d get exhausted within thirty minutes and need to be taken home. You go with Travis.”
“Travis is a difficult man to get to know,” she said, quietly.
Her comment made Hal hoot with laughter. “Tactful as your mother was, aren’t you?”
Reluctantly, she nodded. “I just don’t know what I’ve done, but Travis doesn’t like me very much.” Or trust her, but she’d leave that unsaid. And she also wouldn’t mention the tiny fact that he’d kissed her.
“Though he did offer to teach you how to horseback ride,” Delilah put in helpfully, making Scarlett regret telling her.
“He did?” Hal raised both his bushy eyebrows. “That’s promising. See, he likes you. He wouldn’t have offered to show you the ropes around his beloved horses if he didn’t.”
Thankful she hadn’t said anything to anyone about the kiss, Scarlett reluctantly nodded.
“I worry about him,” Hal confided. “Even as a young boy, Travis had a serious nature. He works hard, too hard if you ask me. Never makes time for fun. Ever since Kendra...”
“I met her in town,” she confessed. “She asked me to pass a message on to Travis.”
“She’s back?” Hal frowned. “That can’t be good,”
“What happened between her and Travis?”
Hal looked down. “Now I feel like I’m gossiping. But maybe if I tell you, it’ll help you understand why Travis acts the way he does.”
Intrigued, she waited.
With a sigh, Hal leaned forward in his wheelchair. “Kendra was Travis’s high school sweetheart. After they graduated, they’d planned to get married but she decided to go away to college. She chose the University of Texas, down in Austin. She wanted Travis to go with her, but he’d never wanted to do anything but run the farm. He was happy for her, though. He said he’d never begrudge her getting an education.”
“I can guess what happened,” Scarlett interjected. “She got to college, met other boys and broke off the engagement.”
“Not exactly.” Hal’s morose expression had her reaching out to cover the back of his hand with hers. “They stayed engaged the entire four years she was at school. She came home on breaks and during the summer and he tried to get down to Austin at least once a month. It was tough on both of them, but they did it.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. That’s some dedication.”
“It is.” Grimacing, Hal shrugged. “She came back with a business degree. She stuck around, sent out résumés, but she wanted to work in Houston or Dallas for a big company. When she landed her dream job, she kept it a secret for two weeks.”
Scarlett winced. Clearly hearing this story for the first time, Delilah did the same.
“She wanted them to try to make it work. A long-distance thing, like they’d done while she was in college,” Hal continued. “Travis put his foot down. He wasn’t moving to Houston and she wasn’t staying in Anniversary. When he told her she had to choose, I suspect he knew that the choice had already been made.”
“How long ago did all this happen?” Scarlett asked.
“Right about two years. Travis was a wreck for a long while, but he dealt with it by throwing himself into work. I swear, he did more around the ranch than five men the first months after she up and moved to Houston.”
Two years. “I’m guessing he’s over it now.”
“As far as I know,” Hal agreed. “Anyway, the reason I told you this story is I wanted you to understand why he might be a little uncomfortable around you.”
“Because I’m a woman?” Incredulous, she shook her head.
“No. Because you’re a lot like Kendra. You’re also college-educated and you clearly prefer big city life to that in the country. You wear designer clothes and high heels. And you’re beautiful.”
“I have a fine arts degree,” she protested. “Not business. There’s a huge difference.”
Hal shrugged. “Maybe so, but not to him. Why does it bother you so much?”
Now she squirmed, not wanting to admit how attractive she found Travis. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “I just couldn’t figure out why he didn’t like me. I go out of my way to be pleasant to him...”
Eyeing her, Hal nodded. “I see.”
Though she suspected she hadn’t fooled him, she kept her expression bland. “Thank you for telling me. That explains a lot.”
“You’re welcome. But you can’t say anything to Travis.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
Hal gripped her hand. “Will you help him?”
This confused her. “Help him how?”
“He needs a friend,” Hal said.
“I’m sure he has plenty of those.” She hastened to assure the older man. “He told me about some of his friends texting him.”
“Yes, he has a couple of guys he plays ball or poker with or goes drinking with. They watch football occasionally. All but two of them are married with kids.” Hal shifted in his chair, his frustration evident. “I’m not really sure what I’m asking of you. Maybe just be there for him, in case he wants to open up. He’s got a lot on his plate right now. He runs the ranch, worries about me and takes care of his mother and sister and nephew.”
Touched, she nodded. “I’ll do the best I can. But honestly, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to want to be friends with me.” Friends. When all she could think about was the intensity in the way Travis had kissed her. She knew if they were to take things any further, smoldering embers would ignite into a blazing inferno.
Not only was she not sure she could handle anything that deep, she suspected Travis definitely couldn’t. And since the last thing she’d ever want to do was hurt him, or get hurt herself, it’d be best for both of them if they kept their distance. She didn’t see friendship as a possibility at all.
None of that could she say to Hal, who continued to eye her hopefully. “You’re a good man, Hal Gardner.”
Delilah snorted. “I wouldn’t go that far.” She and Hal grinned at each other. “I see what you’re doing there, Mr. Hal.”
“Innocent until proven guilty.” He held up both hands in mock protest.
“Don’t let him play matchmaker on you,” Delilah told Scarlett. “That kind of thing rarely works out for the best. There. I’ve said my piece.” And she turned and stomped away.
Not sure what to make of this, Scarlett stared after her.
“She’s not really mad,” Hal claimed. “She’s actually tickled pink at the possibility of getting Travis to come out of his shell.”
“I’m not sure I’m the right person to do that,” she protested. “Seriously.”
“But you’ll at least think about going to the Halloween ball, right?”
“Yes.” With Vivian and Amber, if they invited her. No way was she going to try to force Travis to endure her company at a Halloween ball. He definitely didn’t seem like the type to feel comfortable wearing a costume whereas she quite naturally would revel in it.
For lunch, Delilah fixed an assortment of sandwiches. “Travis called and said he’d be stopping by,” she informed Hal and Scarlett. “You know how hungry he gets after working all morning.”
Just the mention of Travis’s name made Scarlett’s entire body perk up, though she took care not to show it.
He arrived a few minutes later, striding through the door, his sheer size filling the room. Scarlett almost lost her words as she let her eyes drink him in, but she managed a casual greeting.
They ate at the kitchen table. Surprisingly, Scarlett managed to finish her sandwich. She hadn’t realized it would be such a struggle to keep herself from staring at him. So she did what she always did when she got nervous—chattered about inconsequential things like the monarch butterfly migration. She caught both Hal and Delilah giving her odd looks, but Travis pretty much ignored her.
When they’d finished eating, Delilah gathered up the plates and began washing up the dishes. Though she knew she was rambling at this point, Scarlett continued her discourse on butterflies.
“I need a word with you,” Travis said, interrupting her as she’d just about finished describing the time she’d been right in the middle of thousands of the beautiful creatures. “In private.”
Though both Hal and Delilah stared, neither commented. Delilah shot Scarlett a look of warning, while a small smile played around Hal’s mouth.
Heart pounding and curious, Scarlett stood and followed Travis outside.
As they stood on the front porch, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, making her realize he was uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, genuinely concerned. “Is it about Hal?”
“No, nothing like that.” He cleared his throat. “I need to ask you for a favor.” The reluctance coloring his tone revealed how much doing so pained him.
“Okay.”
“As you know, my ex is in town—long story—and I need a date for the Halloween ball. Every year, Anniversary does this big Halloween festival, culminated by a costume ball on the weekend before October 31. Since I represent the HG Ranch, I always go.”
Her first reaction was suspicion. “Did Hal put you up to this?” she asked.
“Hal?” He frowned. “Not at all. He doesn’t even know Kendra’s in town.”
“He does now,” she replied. “I just mentioned her in passing.”
Travis shrugged. “He never liked her anyway. About the ball. Will you go with me?”
“You’re honestly telling me you can’t find a date from among the women in town?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“I could,” he replied, again surprising her. “But I need someone spectacular. Someone like you.”
For a few seconds she allowed herself to bask in the glow of hearing that Travis found her spectacular, but then reality crept in just like it always did.
“So you’re still hung up on your ex? So much so that you want to try to make her jealous?” That stung, yes it did, though she sure as heck didn’t want Travis to know.
“Not at all.” Grim-faced, he shook his head. “She’s already stalking me. Apparently, she works for Wave Oil Company now. I just want her to leave me alone. If she thinks I’m in love with someone else, she will.”
“In love with...” Her knees felt weak. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No. I just hadn’t worked my way around telling you the rest of the favor I need from you. I need you to not only be my date for the night, but to pretend to be madly in love with me and vice versa.”
“And vice versa,” she echoed, dazed. “What makes you think I’d be any good at acting?”
“Because of the way you kiss.” Though his skin reddened slightly, he held her gaze and didn’t back down. “Here.” He handed her a slip of paper. “My phone number. You don’t have to answer right now. Call me when you decide.”
“Oh,” she squeaked, accepting the paper. She wondered if he realized that with a request like that, there was no way she could turn him down. “I don’t need to think about it. It’s okay, I’ll go with you.” And then she turned and went back inside the house, telling herself she wasn’t retreating. The last thing she needed to do, though sorely tempted, would be to kiss him again.
Jaw clenched, Travis didn’t follow Scarlett back into the house. Damned if he knew how or why he’d managed to make an even bigger fool of himself than he’d thought he would. All he’d planned to do was to invite her to the ball, letting her know the actual reason why and simply leaving it there.
Instead, he’d not only managed to tell her he found her spectacular—and where had he come up with that word?—but to also admit he’d enjoyed kissing her. And then, to top it off, he’d asked her to pretend to be in love with him. He certainly hadn’t planned that.
What the actual hell? But then, she had agreed to go with him, so his mission had been accomplished. She’d let him off the hook too. Most women would have taken his comment about kissing as an invitation to kiss him again. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or disappointed.
The Halloween ball. Arguably one of the most important events in Anniversary. If he could have managed to skip out on it, he would have, but the HG Ranch had to have representation.
Years ago, the ball had been known as the Harvest Ball. Tradition decreed that all the area farms and ranches send representatives. Even after the ball had been changed to the Halloween Harvest Fair and Costume Ball, the long-established custom had continued.
Until his mysterious illness took away his strength, Hal had always made attending a priority. Who he’d choose as his escort had been anyone’s guess. Sometimes he’d have a woman he’d been dating on his arm, other times he’d let Vivian or even Amber fill in. Travis just knew if Hal had been well enough, he’d have insisted his newfound daughter accompany him this year.
Instead, she’d be going with Travis. He hoped Hal would approve. Travis figured he would. Next, he’d need to work with Scarlett on choosing their costumes. He suspected if he left it up to her, he’d end up wearing a clown costume or something.
Back at work, this time driving one of the big trucks pulling a trailer to bring in hay for the winter, he found he couldn’t stop thinking about her reaction to his comment about the way she kissed. For one heart-stopping moment, he’d thought she might kiss him again. Luckily for both of them, she’d fled.
When he reached the meadow where the hay was being made into huge round bales, he backed his trailer up and got out to watch as a loader placed his hay, bale by bale, until he had two huge stacks covering the entire length of the trailer. Another one of his ranch hands had pulled up with a second truck and trailer and had parked, waiting his turn.
Travis waved to him as he drove past, heading back to the huge hay storage barn. They kept this filled over the winter, just in case. Though East Texas generally enjoyed mild temperatures during the winter months, some years brought ice storms and snow. Once the grass died, the cattle depended on the hay as a major source of food.
His cell phone rang just as he’d pulled up to the barn. Amber. “You are not going to believe who showed up at the house a few minutes ago.”
His heart sank. “Please don’t say Kendra.”
“How’d you know?”
“Because she not only called me yesterday, but showed up at my gym. She’s back in town working for Wave Oil and trying to get me to sign that oil lease.”
Amber swore. “Seriously? I mean, you know I’m in favor of the oil drilling, but not if it benefits her in any way.”
“Is she still there?” Escorting Kendra off his property was the last thing he felt like dealing with.
“No,” Amber replied. “I sent her packing.”
“Thank you,” he said, meaning it. “I’m about to supervise having a bunch of hay unloaded, so can we talk later?”
“Definitely.” A note of mischief had crept back into his sister’s voice. “I really want to talk about what you and Scarlett are going to dress as for the ball.” She hung up before he could reply.
He could only imagine how his inviting Scarlett had started everyone talking. Since, he couldn’t tell them the truth, he had no choice but to let them believe what they chose.
For the first time, he wondered if Kendra would be tactless enough to attend. But he already knew the answer to that. Brazen and shameless, Kendra would enjoy trying to make him or Scarlett squirm in front of the entire town. He’d have to make sure that didn’t happen.
Part of him couldn’t help but wonder how it had come to this. Kendra wasn’t a bad person, she’d just chosen a different lifestyle and they’d gone their separate ways. Sure, there’d been pain on both sides, and bitterness. But time had helped him heal and he’d always supposed it’d been the same for her.
So why was she acting like this? Skirting the edges of outright stalking him. And for what? No matter how badly she wanted to be successful at her job, she had to know such behavior wouldn’t make him more inclined to sign on the dotted line.
For the first time, he wondered about the timing of Kendra’s arrival in town and the strangely vague note someone had sent to Scarlett. But that made absolutely no sense.
After he finished working for the day, instead of going home, he texted his friend Mike to meet him for a beer in town.
When he arrived, Mike had already claimed a barstool and ordered them both a tall glass of draft beer.
Sliding onto a stool, Travis greeted his friend and thanked him for the beer.
“How’s Hal doing?” Mike asked. “Lots of people are praying for him.”
“He’s about the same.” Though it pained him to say those words, he managed to keep his tone light. “My mother is looking into getting him into some specialty diagnostic place in Dallas. Not a single doctor has been able to pinpoint what’s ailing him. One guy even went so far as to suggest it was all in Hal’s head.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I agree.” Travis shook his head. “But some of those doctors get pretty defensive when you question them.”
“Speaking of questioning...” Mike nudged him with an elbow. “Why didn’t you just tell me you’d staked a claim on that woman from Georgia when I asked for her number?”
Which meant the gossip about him taking Scarlett to the ball had traveled with lightning speed and had already reached town.
“I didn’t know if she’d agree to go,” Travis replied, wanting to stick as close to the truth as possible, without bringing up Kendra. “If she’d said no, then I might have introduced the two of you. Now, there’s not a chance in hell of that happening.”
Taking a swig of his beer, the other man laughed. “Can’t say I blame you. She’s a pretty one, that’s for sure. I’ve also heard that someone has been threatening her, trying to get her to leave. Are you on top of that?”
Instantly alert, Travis wondered if Mike meant that vague note Scarlett had received or if something else had happened. “What exactly have you heard?” he asked, cautiously. “Clearly, I don’t have access to the steady stream of gossip like you apparently do.”
Mike shrugged. “Hell, I’ve just been talking to Amber. I’m taking her to the ball.”
“My sister?” Travis wasn’t sure how he felt about that. But Amber was a grown woman recovering from an ugly divorce, so he figured she knew what she was doing.
“Yep. Amber loves gossip. But I’d heard stuff even before Amber told me. Nothing serious. Just rumors. But you know how it is. Anniversary is a small town and people like to talk. Some of them ain’t got much else to do. Everyone’s fascinated by Scarlett. Her being so damn gorgeous doesn’t help. Women are jealous and the men can’t take their eyes off her. Some people think she might be a scammer, pretending to be related to old man Gardner just so she can take over the ranch.”
To Travis’s surprise, hearing this from someone else made him feel oddly protective of Scarlett. Despite initially wondering the same thing himself, he realized he didn’t like outsiders thinking or speaking ill of her.
“Eh.” Waving away Mike’s concern, Travis sipped his beer and tried for nonchalance. “She seems genuine. You used the word threat, though. Is someone making threats against her? If so, I need to know about it.”
Mike mentioned the note and when Travis commented on the vagueness of it, the other man agreed. He hadn’t heard anything specific, he said. Just a lot of speculation on who might want her gone. By the end of the conversation, Travis got the impression that other people tended to take the note more seriously than he did.
Should he be worried? While he pondered the question, Mike got up went over to chat with the blue-eyed blonde who’d been eyeing him. Her friend had been trying to flirt with Travis, but he ignored her. He already had his hands full dealing with Kendra and Scarlett. The last thing he needed was to bring another female into the mix.
Plus, truth be told, no one could hold a candle to Scarlett. Mike had been right—she was gorgeous. And kind and funny and compassionate. No. He cut off his thoughts. If he kept on like this, he’d be inventing excuses to be near her.
Finishing his beer, he waved a quick goodbye to Mike, who still stood next to the blonde woman, and climbed into his truck.
His phone rang as he drove home. Kendra. Perfect. Time to put a stop to this once and for all.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were involved with someone?” The pique in Kendra’s voice made her sound shrill. “All I’m hearing about from everyone in town is this Scarlett person.”
“I didn’t mention it to you because it’s none of your business,” Travis replied. “And please, stop calling me. I have nothing to say to you.” With that, he ended the call. If Kendra kept on calling him, he’d block the number.
On the way to his house, he decided to stop in and check on Hal. The possibility of seeing Scarlett might have been a secondary factor.
When he pulled up, he saw her sitting in one of the large wooden rocking chairs on the front porch. He sat in his truck awhile and watched her. She’d seen him pull up and had straightened, clearly waiting for him to get out.
Apparently, he moved too slowly for her. She pushed to her feet and took the porch steps two at a time, before hurrying over toward him.
He had an instant fantasy flash of him opening his door, climbing out and crushing her to him for a deep, soul-searching kiss.
This foolishness only confirmed his suspicion that being around her any more than he had to would only cause trouble.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Scarlett declared, skidding to a stop mere inches from him, sending his heart rate into overdrive.
“Have you?” he drawled. “Why?”
“Because I just had the strangest phone call.” Scarlett glanced up at him, through impossibly long lashes. “From your ex-fiancée, Kendra, though I have no idea how she got my number.”
He swore. “I’m sorry. She called me a few minutes ago as well. I’ll speak to her and tell her to stop harassing you.”
“Oh, it wasn’t like that.” A hint of a grin teased the edge of her lips. “She wants to meet me for a drink. So we can be friends. And she can fill me in about you.”
Staring, he wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Don’t worry,” Scarlett continued. “I declined. And then I blocked her number so she can’t call me again.”
This made him laugh. “You know what? I think I like you.” He spoke impulsively, but meant every word.
She smiled back, a slow, sexy smile that made her eyes sparkle. “I like you too,” she replied, meeting his gaze.
Just like that, electricity crackled between them. He actually took a step toward her, every nerve ending alive, before realizing if he kissed her right here, right now, he’d never stop.