When the Glitter Fades (Cowboys of Whispering Winds) (5 page)

The waitress set a cup of coffee in front of each of them, pulled a tab from her lace trimmed apron and laid their ticket upside down on the table. “No rush, whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks.” Jeremy slid the bill to his side of the table, acknowledging that he was paying for their meal.

Lanie pulled a crisp twenty dollar bill from her wallet and pushed it toward him. “This should cover mine, plus the tip.”

“I got this one. Don’t worry about it.” He went to push it away and their fingertips collided.

His chest tightened and he couldn’t breathe. What the hell was wrong with him? They’d been divorced over two years, closer to three, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t been with a woman since then. So why, for the second time today, did the most innocent touch from her throw him into a tailspin. Today was the longest length of time they’d spent together since they’d separated; the only time they’d been together without Cody also being present. Nostalgia. That’s all it was.  He’d been watching the replay of his championship ride, remembering the good days and then she showed up.  It was a trip down memory lane, pure and simple. 

Neither one moved, their fingers still connected by the faintest of touches.  His mind went blank except for one thought. This was nice.  Lowering his gaze, he saw her chest rising in uneven patterns, telling him she was as affected as he. 

Her phone rang loudly, breaking the moment. Saved by the bell.  Lanie jerked her hand away to take the call, confusion covering her face.  She lowered her head and blocked her phone with one hand, implying a half-hearted desire for privacy. Demonstrating some semblance of gentlemanly behavior, Jeremy busied himself digging some cash from his wallet, doing his best to not eavesdrop.

“Sorry,” she said when she ended the call.  “I didn’t realize it was well past afternoon already. We must have been here several hours.”

“Everything okay back home?” he asked. Time must have flown. He could’ve sworn they’d been at the restaurant less than an hour.

“It’s fine. That was Clay calling me back to let me know the new manager he hired is going to close up shop for him, so he doesn’t have to work tonight  He asked if I wanted to catch a movie later, once I get back in town.”

Jealousy sucker punched him in the gut. He had no right; he’d lost his chance. Man, he was losing his grip on life. Something had to give.  Maybe he’d give J.T. a call- see if he wanted to go out tonight, shoot some pool, and have a few drinks. Hell, he’d even listen to him push about the Eli Denim deal. Anything to forget about Lanie’s touch, to stop his memory from recalling their more intimate moments. “You should get going. I’m sure spending the day with me was the last way you wanted to spend your Saturday.” Any magic, real or imagined, from moments before was lost, a hardness returned to his voice.

The harshness in his tone visibly upset Lanie and she blanched. “You’re right,” she replied with equal austerity.

Guilt pierced him. Typical. She’d done nothing wrong, but he’d been a prick anyway. “I’m sorry.  My leg’s really hurting and the pain’s getting the better of me,” he lied.

“Are you okay to drive?”

“I’ll be fine.”  Driving was still fairly tricky, but he did okay as long as he stayed nearby.

“You have dad’s number. Just call him when you make a decision.”

Not call her. He read the message between the lines. “I will.”

She held her keys in one hand, her slightly shaky hand causing them to jingle. “Take care, Jeremy.” The vinyl material of the booth squeaked as she slid out.

“Lanie…”

“Yes?”

“Tell Cody thanks for card.”

A glimmer of a smile appeared. “Sure thing.”

***

Beating her head against the steering wheel, Lanie groaned. This was a bad idea. A very bad, no good, horrible idea. Chemistry between her and Jeremy had always been electric; an undeniable fact which both frustrated and maddened her. There was no turning it off; trust her, she’d tried. The only thing to do was to ignore and avoid it. That’s how she’d survived the subsequent years since he’d broken their bond of trust and their relationship. Their chemistry was something that could never be acted upon again, destined to lay dormant under a pile of broken promises.

Why had she opened her mouth in the first place? Bringing Jeremy to Whispering Winds was dangerous; it would make the avoidance factor much more difficult. If only he’d been the arrogant ass she’d come to expect from him. But no, today he’d been a different person. He’d been honest and open, a reflection of the man she knew before he became a star. Add in the heartrending brokenness and it was a potent combination that threatened to bring her back under his spell. Almost. Too much heartache and breach of trust had passed for that to ever happen again.

She was being silly, putting too much thought into it. The intimacy of conversation, in addition to being alone with Jeremy for the first time in years, had her emotions on a heightened alert. She needed to get back to her comfort zone, where she felt safe and secure. Turning the key in the ignition, she gave one last backward glance to the restaurant. Jeremy still sat at the table, staring out absently until his eyes shifted, as though he knew she was looking. Their gazes locked, silently wondering what might have been. 

Guiltily, she remembered Clay. Now there was a man who was dependable and sturdy; a man she could count on anytime. Averting her gaze, she backed out of her parking spot and sped down the road. The sooner she got to Clay, the better.  

Several hours later, the town of Bumblton came into view. Instead of passing through and going home to get ready for her date, Lanie went straight to the hardware store. Constructed from brick, the building hailed from the beginning days of Bumblton over a hundred years ago and its unpretentious appearance was in stark contrast to its rich history. Over the years, it had worn many hats; but for the last thirty years, it has been home to Holme’s Hardware.

She flipped down the mirror on her car’s sun-visor and pulled a brush from her purse, running it through her locks. After applying a fresh coat of sheer lip color, she hopped out and walked toward the entrance. Inside, the hardware store was a man’s playground of tools, paint and everything needed for home repair and maintenance. A smorgasbord of masculine scents assaulted her nose; metal, mulch, rubber and more. It was a comforting sense, a throwback to simpler times when her dad would bring her along on his Saturday morning trips to town. 

“Hi, Aaron. Is Clay around?” she asked the teenaged boy who was hired for weekend help. 

“He’s in the office, leaving closing notes for Hank; it’s his first night closing the store.”

“Thanks. How’s senior year going?”

“Okay for the first week. My AP classes are going to be a killer, but Mr. Clay said it’s cool if I bring my books to study during downtime.” Aaron unloaded the contents of a cart, lining cans of spray paint neatly on a shelf.

“You’re a smart kid. I’m sure you’ll do fine,” she told him, wishing the best for him.  He was a good kid who worked hard and still kept good grades, destined to go places.

“Thanks, Ms. Lanie.”

Leaving Aaron to finish his tasks, Lanie walked behind the rear counter where the cash register was and went through the door leading to the office. Her eyes darted around, confirming only she and Clay were in the room. Absorbed in notes, he hadn’t noticed she walked in, allowing her a moment to privately observe him.  He was handsome, albeit in a different way than Jeremy. His blonde hair was cut short to his scalp and his jade eyes always shone with sincerity. Almost twenty years out of high school, he still maintained his quarterback’s build. From what she’d heard, he’d been quite the star back then, marrying the prom queen the year after they graduated. The marriage hadn’t lasted but several years, and beyond saying it ‘just didn’t work out,’ Clay never made much mention of it. Fair enough, since she didn’t talk much about her marriage to Jeremy. There she went again with thoughts of him. Enough was enough.

“Hi there,” he said, looking up and smiling when he saw her. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“I thought I’d surprise you.”

Coming to her, he closed the office door then pulled her to him. He nibbled on her earlobe, sending small shivers of delight through her. “These are the surprises I like,” he murmured, moving his lips downward.

“Mmm,” she uttered in agreement. This was what she needed. All thoughts of her ex-husband fled away with the onslaught of Clay’s warm, spicy kisses.

“Hey boss, I think…oh shoot. I’m sorry,” a voice interrupted. 

Lanie jumped back, embarrassed to be caught making out with her boyfriend in his place of employment, even if he is the owner. She ducked her head, hiding her burning face.

“I’ll be right out, Hank,” Clay told his manager.

Hank left, closing the door back behind him. Lanie took one look at Clay, then burst into laughter. Mortified as she was, there was still an element of humor to the situation.

“Sorry,” Clay offered sheepishly.

“How much longer until you can leave?”

“Give me ten minutes to go over the notes with Hank. Mind if I run home to change before we go out?”

“That’s fine. We can leave my car here and leave straight from your house to save a trip, if you’d like.” 

“Are you hungry? We can grab dinner before the movie?”

“Maybe after. Jeremy and I had a late lunch earlier.”

“As in ex-husband Jeremy?” Clay looked at her with a quizzical expression.

“I told you that this morning,” she reminded him, mildly put-off he was making an issue of it.

“You mentioned he might be coming to work at Whispering Winds, not that you were going to meet him.”

“I was the logical choice to talk to him,” she defended.

“Sure,” Clay came back with, his tone full of sarcasm.

“Look, it was strictly business, nothing more.”
Yes it was,
her conscience screamed
.

“I know it wasn’t.” Clay’s features relaxed. “Sorry, it just threw me for a loop.  I would have thought your dad or Jase would have went, all things considered.”

Lanie couldn’t respond directly, afraid she’d give herself away. “I’ll wait for you outside.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then left, keeping her stare straight ahead as to not make eye contact with Hank.  It might take a while to live down that scene.

Taking advantage of the time alone while not driving, she called home to check on Cody.

“He’s fine,” her mom confirmed. “Jase and Allie took him over to their house for a few hours. Allie mentioned setting up a scavenger hunt for him outside.”

“Cody will love that.  Clay’s getting off work early so I came to town and he and I are going to catch a movie, maybe dinner too, and then I’ll be home.”

“Take your time, sweetheart. How was the meeting with Jeremy?”

“Okay, I guess.” Lanie answered vaguely.

“Do you think he’ll come here?” her mom asked, anticipation filling her voice.

Quiet for a minute, she mentally replayed her conversation with Jeremy. “He’s a broken man, mom. I don’t know. At first he outright refused, but by the time we finished lunch, he seemed more receptive.”

Even through the phone, she could see her mom’s eyebrows raise. “You had lunch with him?”

“He was hungry and wanted to eat, and we still had more to discuss.” Was it just her or did her voice sound shaky?

“Hmm. Do you really think you’ll be okay with him here, if he decides to come?”

Blowing out an exasperated breath, more toward herself than her mother, she tried to form a generic response, because to be honest, she didn’t know. “It’ll be for the best.”

“Hmm.” Apparently, her mother’s vocabulary was limited this evening.

“Clay’s walking out. Have to go. Love you.”  She hurriedly disconnected the call, grateful that, for the second time today, Clay had rescued her from an uncomfortable moment.

Excruciating pain planted itself in Jeremy’s leg. Driving to Whispering Winds alone wasn’t the best idea, but he’d be damned if he had someone drive him. With extreme care, he swung his legs out of his truck, grinding his teeth the entire time. How much longer until he felt whole again? Would he ever? No one was expecting him, at least not in definite terms. Hell, he hadn’t even been sure until he pulled through the opened gate that he’d accept the offer.

The landscape was familiar. He’d spent a good amount of time here with Lanie while they were dating and in the first years of their marriage.  It was a breathtaking plot of land, especially when the forested acres were reached. Funny, looking back, he’d never minded that Lanie wanted to spend so much time here instead of his family’s place. He’d forgotten how peaceful the atmosphere was at Whispering Winds.

He walked into the impressive two-story lodge, much grander than anything the Travers’ Ranch had boasted. Then again, Travers’ Ranch had never been open to guests. Inside, a tall blonde stood at the welcome desk.  Glancing up, her eyes lit with recognition, but she didn’t make any comments alluding to knowing who he was. At least it wasn’t Allie, who he’d been expecting.  He hadn’t seen her in years, but now that she was married to Jase, and good friends with Lanie, he’d doubt she’d give him a welcome reception. It wasn’t even that he wanted to be welcomed; he just wanted to slide in and talk to Lanie’s dad, without all the whispers.