The ex. At the mention of him, Blake’s lips tightened into a thin line. “I see.”
She didn’t seem to notice the tension he felt, which was good. His ego, where she was concerned, had very nearly cost him their relationship. He wouldn’t go there again.
“Yes, that’s why I have to go. I don’t know if he’s telling me the truth or not about this job. But it’s working with someone I like a great deal, and who gave me my break in the business. I feel like I owe it to him to at least hear him out.”
The ex, or someone else? He couldn’t come up with a subtle way to ask, without sounding like a jealous boyfriend. They’d said from the beginning that this was a fling, even though it had come to mean a great deal more to him. But he was the last one to stand in the way of someone’s dream. Whatever she decided, he cared for her enough that he would support her.
He was just grateful it was about a job, and not another man.
She moved away from him and headed for the bedroom. “I need to grab my carry-on, and then I’ll—” She smiled sheepishly. “I was going to say I’d show you where everything is for Harley, but you know all of that as well as I do. The good news is I went on a cooking binge while you were gone. There’s a bunch of stuff in the freezer, and I just put the King Ranch casserole in the oven. It needs to cook about twenty more minutes. The buzzer will ring.”
“For someone who doesn’t really cook, you’ve been doing a lot of it lately.” He smiled.
“It’s your fault, making me watch all those cooking shows. I get inspired and then I get in there and go crazy. It’s one of the few ways I can settle my mind. I guess, like running, it’s my kind of meditation, only a lot more fattening. As soon as my knee is back in shape, I’ll have to start running again so that my clothes will fit.”
At the mention of food, Harley barked twice. Her signal for feeding time.
He chuckled as he put his duffel bag on one of the bar stools. “I’ve got her food in the back of the truck, I’ll go get it.”
“There are a couple of cups left in the old bag, but not near enough for her nightly feast. And watch it if you eat apples, bananas or peanut butter. She’ll leave the roasted chicken on the counter but put one of those down and it disappears in the blink of an eye.”
“Noted. Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“Oh, thanks, but since it’s such a fast turnaround, I’ll just take my car.”
“If you get your carry-on, I’ll put it in the SUV for you.”
She went to the bedroom and returned with the suitcase. Dressed in an ivory sweater, dark jeans and heeled boots, she took his breath away. Dammit. Whatever this business was, it was going to mess things up for them. He knew it instinctively.
And that hit him hard, as hard as any man could punch. He didn’t want to lose her.
“What’s wrong?” She touched his cheek with her fingertips.
“Not a thing. Though I’m worried slightly about you driving the hour into Austin. The traffic was a bear getting here, and you’ll be right in the thick of it.”
She kissed his cheek where her fingers had been. “You are the sweetest man ever. I’ll be fine. Are you sure everything is okay with you? That was a big decision you made about taking the honorable discharge.”
“A decision I’d been thinking about for the last six months or so. I’m good. Like you, I’m taking a look at my opportunities and trying to figure out my next move.”
“I guess—it’s good that we have so many opportunities. There are a lot of people who don’t,” she said.
“Yes, we’re extremely lucky.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “Say your goodbyes to you know who. I’ll go put this in the car for you.”
Outside, he took a long breath.
Hell.
What if she got in that car and she never came back? It was hard for people to turn down dream jobs. She was talented, it was no wonder someone wanted her.
But no one wanted her more than he did.
Hauling the giant bag of dog food onto his shoulder, he grabbed the groceries he’d bought with the other hand.
When he got to the door, she was holding it open for him and trying to keep Harley inside. “Oh, I should have called and told you about all the food I’d made.”
Once in the house, he set the giant bag next to the kitchen door.
“What? Oh?” He glanced down at his hand with the other bag. “These things aren’t for me, they’re ingredients for a new kind of dog cookie I wanted to try for Harley.”
At the word cookie, the dog came sliding down the hall and stopped at his feet.
“She scares me sometimes,” he said, nudging the dog out of the way so he could move things into the kitchen.
“You said it,” she agreed. “I find myself being careful about what I say just in case I accidentally use one of her cues. But I swear she understands most of the English language.” She sighed. “I guess if traffic is bad, I should get going.”
He nodded regretfully.
Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her.
Pressing her body into his, she intensified the exploration of tongues as if she were communicating something else, as well.
Before he could think too much about it, he was lost in her. Her touch did that to him.
They were panting when they finally separated.
“Never in my life has a man affected me the way you do,” she said softly. “And I don’t just mean when we make love.”
He sucked in a breath. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear her say that. “The feeling’s definitely mutual,” he said.
“I don’t want to go,” she said softly. “I want to stay here with you.”
“I want that, too. So hurry up and get back.” He kissed her one more time.
Then he scooted her toward the front door and led her out to the car. Opening her door for her, he waited until she was belted.
“I have to kiss you one more time,” he said.
“That’s a good idea.” She tilted up to meet his lips.
“Be safe.”
She nodded and gave him a sweet smile. “Take care of my girl.”
“Done,” he replied, and he shut the door and waved.
Everything was about to change. He knew it in his bones. He waved again though her car was already where the driveway met the road.
Damn.
Harley whined beside him.
“I know, girl. I love her, too.”
14
A
S
M
ACY
STEPPED
out of the glass-and-marble shower in her hotel room, her phone beeped. Wrapping a towel around herself, she picked up the cell. A picture of Blake and Harley graced her screen. He had his fingers crossed, and the dog had one paw crossed over the other.
The text read,
We’re crossing fingers and paws that everything goes well for you today. No matter what happens, we are here for you.
The photo and message were the cutest things she’d ever seen and were exactly what she needed to help with jangled nerves.
The Henderson Paper Group had come to her, not the other way around, and besides, she didn’t need the job. Still, she had a bad case of the jitters that the warm shower hadn’t calmed.
Taking a deep breath, she texted back,
You made my day. Thank you! I miss you!
For someone who didn’t use exclamation points in her work, she meant every one of them today.
Do you have time for a call?
he texted.
Hearing his voice would be the balm that she needed to make it through the next few hours.
Call me in ten minutes,
she texted back.
Someone knocked on her door.
“Hold on,” she called out as she yanked on the hotel robe and tied the belt around her waist.
Peeping through the peephole, she frowned.
“I know you’re in there,” Garrison said.
“Why are you here?” she asked through the door.
“Aaron wanted me to bring you to him. Thought you might be more comfortable if you showed up with someone you know.”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks, anyway. You can go.”
“It won’t look good. That is, it won’t look good if we aren’t playing on the same team. Your group will be answering to me. He needs to know we can get along.”
Huffing, she opened the door.
The man always looked gorgeous in a suit. Nowhere as good as her marine, but he
was
a looker.
“Sit.” She pointed to the sofa under the windows on the far side of the room. “Don’t talk to me. Don’t do anything. Just sit there until I get dressed.” She scooped up her dress, tights and boots and headed for the bathroom.
Her phone rang as she was putting on her dress and she couldn’t open the door.
Mortification set in when she realized Garrison had answered the call.
“She’s getting dressed, who is this? What kind of friend?” He sounded jealous when he had absolutely no right to be. That was so not what she needed.
Slamming the door open, she then rushed to grab the phone out of Garrison’s hand.
“I told you to sit,” she said, annoyed. She pointed to the sofa for emphasis.
He ignored her. “Sorry, I thought it might be the boss telling you the meeting was moved or rescheduled.”
What a lie. He was just being nosy. You could take the reporter out of the newsroom and make him a vice president, but you could never take that need for information out of a journalist. That quest for knowledge never died.
“Blake?”
“Hey,” he said hesitantly. “Everything okay there?”
“Yes, sorry. I was in the bathroom and someone decided he’d answer my phone, although I didn’t ask him to. So, how are you and our girl?”
He chuckled. “I like that. A lot. We’re good. She went for a fast walk with me, as fast as I could go with this leg, anyway. She’s tuckered out and laying in front of the fireplace. She moved her sofa in front of it last night while I watched the game. I filmed it for you, but it’s too big to text.”
She laughed. That must have been a sight. “Oh, I really needed that. Thank you. Great Danes get cold. And their bones get achy. I bought some glucosamine tablets for her, but you have to coat the pills in peanut butter to get her to swallow them.”
“Got it,” he said.
“Uh, can I be the jealous boyfriend for a minute and ask who that guy was.”
Get in line.
On the one hand she didn’t want Blake to get the wrong idea, but on the other hand she wouldn’t lie.
“The ex. He’s escorting me to the meeting. It’s in the publisher’s suite, so they wanted me to feel comfortable. Evidently.” She moved into the bathroom when she spied Garrison listening to every word with a giant grin on his face.
“And are you more comfortable?”
She huffed and closed the door. “No. I’d rather not have to deal with him while I’m contemplating everything else that’s happening. It’s weird. I’m not angry anymore—just...irked because I don’t like him much as a person.”
Her marine let out a deep breath. “I have to admit, I’m glad to hear that. When he answered the phone—”
“I would have thought the same thing,” she interjected. “But, trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Time to go,” Garrison called to her.
“I heard him,” Blake said. “Whatever happens today I support you and so does Harley. Right, girl?”
Harley barked in agreement.
That Blake was so supportive brought tears to Macy’s eyes. Most of the men in her past were too competitive to be truly supportive, including Garrison. It wasn’t until after she’d broken up with him that she’d seen their relationship had become a game of one-upmanship.
“I wish you were here with me,” she whispered, not bothering to keep the want from her voice.
“Ditto, babe. Ditto. Call us and let us know how it went.”
“Will do.”
As she hung up, she heard Harley bark again.
She loved that damn dog.
And she loved the marine.
Settling down in a small town with them didn’t seem like such a wild notion to her.
But the opportunity from Aaron tugged at her. A real chance to make her mark in this environment was so enticing. Still, she first had to listen to what he had to say.
She marched forward and opened the bathroom door. “Right. Let’s do this.”
“Uh. You might want to put shoes on.” Garrison raised his eyebrow.
“Well spotted,” she said with dripping sarcasm. “He does that sort of thing to me.”
“
He
being the boy back home?” Garrison asked.
“He’s a man—a decorated marine to be exact—and yes. Not that it’s any business of yours.”
“Ah. The lady is a little testy. Was he jealous about your ex answering the phone?”
“He has nothing to be jealous about.”
Minutes later, they’d left her room and were in the elevator, heading for Aaron. Garrison used a key card in a slot beneath the row of elevator buttons, he pushed the
P
for penthouse.
They want me.
No need to be worried.
On the short flight up, she realized why she was worried. She was about to get the job of a lifetime, one she’d always wanted.
But there might be a big sacrifice in store for her to take the position.
No. I can’t think about that right now.
Just listen to what the man has to say.
Then you can make an informed decision.
As the elevator doors opened, she steeled herself. Plastering a smile on her face, she left the elevator and approached the penthouse door.
This was it.
“You look beautiful,” Garrison said behind her. “In fact, your small-town life seems to agree with you.”
Forcing herself not to roll her eyes, she raised her hand to knock on the door.
“Say anything like that when we’re in there, and you’ll really regret it.” She had no desire to deal with his games and meaningless flirtations.
“You were always a fierce one,” he whispered in her ear. “And one of the biggest mistakes of my life was letting you go.”
“You didn’t let me go. I ran as fast as I could from your toxic, cheating self, which was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve met a man’s man, one who honors and respects me. A man who deserves me.”
“Sounds boring.”
She laughed. “Not even a little bit. He’s taught me a lot about my body, enough that I know what I’ve been missing out on all these years.”
She glanced back to see his eyes narrow.
Not her finest moment, to throw such a comment at him, but maybe she’d save the next poor woman he got together with. Everything had always been about his pleasure.
Jerk.
The door opened and Aaron Henderson ushered her in. She’d been expecting one of his aides to answer and she nearly tripped as she passed by him. He steadied her and then guided her to a sofa in the living room.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said. Dressed in gray slacks and a cream shirt, he looked the epitome of classy casual. But she knew how hard he’d worked to own his newspaper group. At forty-five he’d accomplished more than most people did in double the years. “Can I get you some coffee?” He gestured toward a small tray on a table in front of the sofa.
“No, thank you.” Her nerves were jittery enough.
“I’ll leave you two to your meeting,” Garrison said.
“No, please I’d like you to stay.” Aaron nodded to a chair.
Aaron sat in the one opposite her.
Her ex hesitated for a moment, but then took one of the leather chairs to the side of the conversation area.
“Before I explain why I called you here, though I’m sure Garrison has mentioned a part of it, I need to know something. It’s a touchy subject, but the truth is important to me if we’re to move forward with this arrangement. It’s personal and not something an employer would ever ask in the normal course of things. But this is a big step, so we need to be clear.”
What the heck was he talking about? There was nothing she couldn’t answer. And Garrison didn’t need to be here. What arrangement?
“I’ll answer whatever it is,” she said, defiant.
“Good. So explain to me why you broke your engagement to Garrison and ran off to the country to run your uncle’s paper.”
Crap.
* * *
A
FTER
MAKING
SURE
Harley was settled in the office at the feed store with his mother. Blake headed out to the barn where they kept the hay and fertilizers.
“Hey, Blake,” Ray said. “What are you doing out here?”
He shrugged. “Need to work off some energy. Thought I’d help you with the bales.”
The other man nodded. “Glad to have the help, but is your leg going to be okay?”
Blake patted his right thigh. “It likes a good workout now and then.”
Sliding on his leather gloves, he picked up the first bale and walked it into the barn. After creating a stack of about ten, he worked on the next one.
What if she took the job? And really, why wouldn’t she? From what her ex had told her, it was all of her dreams tied into one neat package. If she had to move to New York, what would she do with Harley?
What would she do with him?
No way could he lose her.
He could follow Macy, but would she want him to?
When her ex had answered the cell earlier, he was suddenly so angry. It scared him that his temper rose that quickly. That wasn’t him.
You’re jealous.
Hell. He’d never been jealous before the night of Jaime’s party. He’d dated and even had a few girlfriends. But nothing like the connection he had with Macy. In such a short time she’d become everything to him.
He lived his days trying to find ways to please her and make her smile. And darn if that didn’t make him feel good, as well. Being around her was the best therapy there was. She made him laugh and look at the world through her curious eyes. Having seen more than his fair share of the dark side of things, he’d become jaded.
The past few weeks, she’d shown him that yes there was darkness, but there was also light. Her articles and features about the local folks had warmed his heart. She understood the true essence of people.
She’d gone a step further and shared some of the stories of people she had met during her travels. Many of them had the same problems as folks here in a small Texas town. Ultimately, they all wanted the world to be safe for their children, put food on the table and have a decent roof over their heads.
No longer did he think of people as us and them. There were evil people in the world, but there were a lot of good people, too. People he would gladly die to protect. When he was in the thick of it, he hadn’t been able to see the truth.
Macy wrote that the world was a melting pot and that everyone was more the same than they were different.
That was one of the ideals she could pursue on a higher level if she took the job. He knew that before she had any of the details. She had a voice that should be heard, and he would not in any way hinder that.
“Not sure what those bales of hay have done to you, but throwing them around is getting messy,” Ray’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Blake’s eyes took in the chaos around him. Two of the bales had busted and there was hay all over the floor.
“Sorry,” he said as he reached for the broom. “I’ll clean it up.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get the rest of these bales into the loft. It looks like it’s about to rain. Mind if I hand them up to you?” Ray asked.
Stepping up on the ladder, Blake climbed into the loft. A half hour passed before the storm hit, and water poured down on the tin roof of the barn. Normally, it was a comforting sound.
But his mood was no better than it had been before he’d started. Though, his muscles certainly ached now. He’d be lucky to get out of bed in the morning.
“Go on,” Ray coaxed him. “I’ll clean this up. I’m betting that horse of a dog of yours is giving your mom hell about the thunder.”
Damn. He’d forgotten about Harley and loud noises.
Running through the rain and into the back of the store, he slid to a stop outside his mother’s office door. She sat on the floor reading a book to the dog.
Blake chuckled. She’d done the same for his little brother who’d missed being struck by lightning by mere inches when he was six, and had been afraid of storms most of his childhood.
The crazy thing was the dog hung on her every word.
“Go check on Tanya at the register. There’s news the river might flood. Folks will be stocking up. I’ll be there once I get her to sleep.” She rubbed Harley’s head.