“There’s a word for this, you know,” Brandy said nearly a week after Tyler’s declaration when she opened her front door to find him standing on the stoop.
Still in Rebel even though the Cheyenne rodeo was happening in less than a week.
The devil danced in his eyes as he grinned. “Dating?”
She ignored the thumping of her heart and glared. “Harassment. You’ve shown up every night this week.” Every night at exactly the same time. So punctual she could have set her clock by him.
As if his presence, so tall and sexy and reliable, wasn’t bad enough, he’d come bearing gifts. The first night, he’d shown up with a dozen pink roses. The second, he’d brought a box of chocolate-covered strawberries. The third had been a gallon of ice cream from the local Baskin Robbins. Today?
She eyed the starched Wranglers and pressed western shirt. He’d traded the frayed straw cowboy hat for a sleek black one, his boots shiny and polished. He handed her a clear florist’s box with a wrist corsage nestled inside.
“What’s this for?”
“The Elks are having their monthly dinner and dance, and I thought you might want to get out.”
“Shouldn’t you be training?”
“I’m done for the day. Besides, this is more important.”
You’re more important.
That’s what his gaze said even though the words never left his lips.
Wishful thinking, she told herself.
“Come on. You need to get out. Have a little fun.”
Like hell. That’s what she wanted to say, but truthfully she’d never felt so idle in her entire life. She’d finished up all her prep for tomorrow and the only thing that loomed ahead was a lonely night watching Shark Tank reruns with Jez the dog. “If I go, you have to promise me that this is strictly platonic. Just two friends having a night out. Promise me.” Her heart pounded for several long seconds as she held his gaze. “Please,” she finally added.
As if he sensed her desperation, his expression faded and he nodded. “Just friends.”
* * *
“This is my friend, Brandy Tucker.” Tyler introduced Brandy for the umpteenth time to one of the elderly couples standing near the punch table and she did her best not to frown.
They were just friends, she reminded herself.
Which meant it shouldn’t bother her when he said the word. Or left her sitting alone to dance with Mrs. Meyers, the chairperson for the event. Or Mrs. Davenport, wife of the head Elk. Or Mrs. Carlisle, newly widowed and president of the senior ladies crochet circle.
She watched Tyler lead the small, round woman around the dance floor. Her silver hair piled high on top of her head in a monstrous beehive. Bright-orange lipstick matched the blinding shades of her flower-print dress, and her white patent-leather shoes gleamed in the dim lighting. With every turn, Brandy glimpsed the top edge of her knee-high panty hose just below her hemline. On top of that, the woman was three times his age.
It’s not like Brandy had anything to be jealous of even if they had been more than friends.
Which they weren’t.
“Where’s the domino group?” she asked the minute he walked back to their table. “The band’s playing so they should be out back by now, right?” She pushed to her feet. “I think I’d like to sit in on a hand.”
“I promised Miss Earline I’d dance with her first.”
“Then point me in the right direction and you can go dance with Miss Earline.”
He eyed her for a long moment, and a light twinkled in the depths of his eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re jealous. But then that would mean that you actually do care, and you’ve been hellbent on making it clear that you don’t.”
“I’m not jealous, I’m just anxious. I have to be up early tomorrow. They’re bringing in my new second oven.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you home in plenty of time for a good night’s sleep. But first things first, let’s have a dance.”
Two hours later, Brandy stood on her doorstep, her feet aching from all the dancing and her face sore from smiling so much.
She stared at the man who walked her to her door.
“Thanks for tonight.” She stuck out her hand to shake his, desperate to keep the distance between them and end the evening before she surrendered to the push–pull of emotion inside her and planted one smack-dab on his lips. “I wouldn’t have even known about the dinner dance if it weren’t for you and I want you to know that I really appreciate everything. It was more fun than I expected.”
He stared at her, into her. “I don’t want your thanks.”
Her hand fell away. “Please, Tyler. Don’t—”
“I want you.”
“It could never work. I live here and you don’t. And even if you did, I can’t get involved with someone right now. It’s too much.” And then she turned and walked away from him, because after years of clinging to her dreams, of fighting to make them happen, she didn’t know if she had the strength or the courage to let go.
Not that she wanted to. She was happy just the way she was.
Wasn’t she?
* * *
She was happy.
That’s what she told herself the next day as she fed half a dozen loaves of apple cinnamon bread into the oven and tried to forget Tyler and all the ways he’d made love to her since he’d rolled back into town this last time. The way he’d tried his best to woo her the past few days. The way he’d put his foot down at the thought of her going out with Mike the photographer.
As if he had a leg to stand on.
They didn’t owe each other anything.
No explanation. No responsibilities. No expectations.
Which was why she did her best to look the other way when he showed up at the Bingo Hall on Friday night with a date.
She was already there, setting up the platters of coffee cake that the bingo coordinator had ordered, in addition to the dozens of boxed doughnuts from her competition.
She watched him steer the young woman to a nearby table and pure longing shot through her.
Because she wanted to be that woman.
She wanted Tyler beside her, smiling at her, loving her.
And he wanted someone else.
She reached for one of the habanera jelly-filled doughnuts and took a big bite.
Mmm … Okay, so they were really good. Better, in fact, than she’d hoped. She took another bite and tried not to look at Tyler and his lady friend.
Walk away. That’s what she should have done.
But it wasn’t what she wanted to do.
She wanted Tyler. More than anything. She always had, which was why she’d been so scared.
She’d been so afraid of falling for a man who made her feel so much—to the point that there was no room left for anything else. Not her hopes. Her dreams.
Herself.
But she wasn’t her mother. She’d already made her dreams come true. She was doing it right now and while she wanted to believe there was no room for anything else, she’d spent far too many sleepless nights to keep fooling herself.
She wanted Tyler every bit as much as she wanted her bakery. More, even.
And as much as that frightened her, what scared her more than anything was her sudden notion that he might leave town and she might never have the chance to tell him how she felt.
The third bite of jelly doughnut lodged in her throat and panic bolted through her. She crossed the room in a few heartbeats and grabbed his arm.
“I really need to talk to you,” she blurted “I need to tell you something. I love you,” she rushed on before she lost her courage. “I always have, I just didn’t want to admit it because I was afraid that I would have to choose. I’m still afraid because you’re leaving and I’m not and, well, I have no idea how this could possibly work out, but I don’t want to blow it off without even trying. I want to work it out. I want to love you and I want you to love me.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Is that a proposal?”
“What?”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know. I just know that I don’t want you to give up on me and start dating someone else.”
“He’s not on a date.” The woman sitting nearby gave her a horrified look. “Hells bells, I wouldn’t date the likes of Tyler McCall. He’s just dropping me off on account of my granddaddy’s here and he can’t see well enough to read his own Bingo cards.”
“She works at the rodeo arena with the barrel racers. She asked if I could drop her off. Since I heard from Duff who heard from Ellie that you were delivering desserts, I thought I’d stop by.” Tyler wasn’t the only one sticking around Rebel. Duff had decided to lease a small house on the outskirts of town and stick around long enough to see where things with Ellie might lead.
So far it had led to the two of them living together and an engagement ring. Obviously Duff’s declaration of love had been the real thing even though neither had wanted to admit it. But the cat was out of the bag and Ellie oozed happiness.
Enough to make Brandy want a little for herself.
But not to the extent that she was going to trade her common sense for a piece of the pie. “Let me get this straight.” Her gaze swiveled back to Tyler as realization hit. “You mean I rushed over here and made a fool of myself for nothing?”
“You rushed over here and made a fool of yourself because you love me and I love you. I do, you know. I have since the moment I saw you standing outside the locker room. You were a sight for sore eyes back then and you make me feel just as good now. Better because I know what it feels like to kiss you and touch you and love you.” His grin faded and a serious light gleamed in his eyes. “I know and I can’t forget, Brandy. I don’t want to forget.” She saw the sincerity in his gaze, and felt it in her heart, and she knew. She gave in to the longing inside and threw herself into his embrace. Strong arms wrapped around her and held her tight.
“I love you so much,” he murmured into her hair. “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about it, I just know that if you love me it’s worth figuring out.”
She pulled back and stared up at him, tears streaming down her face, happiness overflowing her heart. “You could stay here.”
“And you could go with me.”
Warmth coursed through her and she smiled. “Yes,” she blurted.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I’m proposing to you. I mean, sort of. I’m declaring my intentions. I want marriage and babies and a future, and I want it all with you. Only you. I don’t care where we live. If I have to follow you around the country—”
“I won’t let you do that.”
“If that’s what it takes to make it work.”
“All it takes is you and me. We can make it work through this season.”
“And then?”
“And then we can make it work right here. I’m coming back to Rebel, Brandy. I’m going to buy a little spread near the rodeo arena and train there in between rodeos. I’ll hang on and hopefully win a championship or two and then I’ll come back here and help with the younger guys the way Brett is trying to help me.”
“But you hate it here.”
“I hate the memories here, which means it’s time to make new ones. Better ones. It’s not this place that I hate. I used to think so, but I know now it’s the way it always made me feel. But you changed all that. When I’m with you I feel good. Better. Hopeful. It’s not so much about getting away from the past as getting over it.”
She knew how he felt. She’d cried when the boxes had been loaded into the church van. She’d cried and she’d let go of the past.
And now it was time to get on with the future.
“I love you,” she murmured, and then she pressed her lips to his and showed him just how much.