The Reluctant Bachelorette (30 page)

“Pretty cool, isn’t it?” Luke said, his hand resting on the
small of her back as he guided her to their seats.

“It’s amazing. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

“I hope you like Bluegrass.”

“Love it.” It really didn’t matter what band performed or what
type of music they played. With Luke’s arm around her, Taycee would love
anything. In fact, her mouth hurt from all the grinning and laughing she’d done
that day. That’s how happy Luke made her.

When they found their seats, he shook out a blanket he’d been
carrying—the same one they’d shared stargazing. The night air began to chill,
so he wrapped it around them both and pulled Taycee tight against him as they
sat down. It felt so good, so natural, so warm. Here, right now, all that
existed was him and her, tucked into a warm cocoon with the beauty of the
mountains surrounding them.

The concert was incredible, a perfect accompaniment to
cuddling with Luke. The strains of music echoed off the rock walls and seemed
to come alive, swirling around everyone in a soothing, relaxing way. People
sang, clapped, danced, and swayed along with the music. Taycee stayed snuggled
next to Luke, content to feel the vibrations of the music through his body.

All too soon, it ended. Luke continued to hold her close until
the worst of the crowds dispersed, and then he led her back to his truck. He
drove down a dark windy road, eventually pulling off to the side.

“C’mon, you’ve got to see this view before we head back.” He
jumped out and came around, reaching for her hand.

“View?” Taycee squinted through the darkness. All she could
make out were rock formations and desert shrubs. Still, she slid from the truck
and allowed Luke to lead her to the other side of a large boulder. It felt like
they’d walked through a magic door that opened up into a completely new world.
Denver’s lights glowed in the distance, beneath a canopy of sparkling stars.

“Oh.
That
view,” Taycee breathed.

Luke’s arms circled her from behind, and his chin rested on
her head. “The owners of the restaurant we ate at this morning told me about
this place. Said if we were coming to the amphitheater, we couldn’t leave until
we stopped here.”

“I’m glad you listened.” Taycee inhaled the cool night air,
feeling like her heart had never felt so whole, so complete, so alive.

Before Luke came back, she’d been comfortable. Even happy. But
standing with him now, it were as if all of her hopes and dreams collided and
erupted into something bigger and scarier than she’d ever thought possible. A
feeling of rightness mixed with a very real fear that this could all be taken
away.

The fear won out and a sudden chill shot through her, making
her body stiffen.

“Cold?” Luke asked, tightening his hold on her.

Taycee twisted around, her arms circling his waist as she
looked up at him. “Today has been . . .” She searched for the right word.

“Fun?”

“Perfect.”

“Hmm . . . even better than I’d hoped.” His words came out low
and hushed, melting into the night.

Taycee swallowed, her gaze dropping to his chest. Her fingers
smoothed over the soft fabric of his shirt, feeling his muscles beneath it. “As
perfect as today has been, I have to know what it means—to you, I mean.” Taycee
clamped her mouth shut, hating herself for sounding so insecure.

“What today means to me,” Luke said slowly. His hands rubbed
circles up and down her back before he finally said, “When I first decided to
move back here, I hoped you and Caleb would still be around because I wanted a
taste of my old life back. But in my mind you were still that little
fourteen-year-old kid with braces. So it caught me off guard when I first saw
you at the diner—all grown up and gorgeous.”

His hand moved to her jaw, and his thumb caressed her
cheekbone. “When I found out you were the bachelorette, I tried to tell myself
that I wanted to stay on the show just to make you uncomfortable, but the real
reason was that I wanted to get to know the grown up version of Taycee Lynne. But
then I got voted off, which sucked. So I figured I’d lay low until it was all
over.” He grinned. “I guess I’m not a very patient person.”

Luke lifted Taycee’s chin, forcing her to look at him. “As far
as what that means, I’m not one hundred percent sure yet. You’re stubborn,
crazy, and more confusing than any girl I’ve ever met, but I can’t get you out
of my mind.”

Taycee’s heartbeat surged, feeling ready to burst. “So, this
isn’t another one of your practical jokes? You know, make me fall for you, and
then walk away laughing?”

Luke stiffened. “Is that what you think this is?”

“No.” Her finger rubbed a slow circle on his shirt before she
peeked up at him. “But you said it yourself once. You’re an eye for an eye kind
of a guy, so I had to ask.”

Luke dipped his head until their lips were inches apart, with his
breath sending shivers down her spine. “Does this feel like a practical joke to
you?” he murmured before covering her mouth in a kiss that devoured any
lingering doubt. He crushed her to him, searching, seeking, and tasting.
Something ignited deep inside her, jolting her into a whole new awareness. Her
hands slid up his back and to the base of his neck, clinging to him as she responded
to his kiss in a way she’d never responded to anyone’s.

This was the reason Taycee had never gotten over Luke. He was
it. The one person who could make her feel this alive, this happy, this
complete. She belonged right here, in his arms.

Gradually, Luke’s lips eased off hers, and she found herself
wrapped in a fierce embrace. The throbbing vibration of his heartbeat pounded
against her ear with a beautiful, untamed melody. More beautiful than any music
any band could ever make.

T
aycee had to tell Jake and Miles
about
Luke. After yesterday, she couldn’t keep pretending that she was into them
—
at
least not unless they were okay with it. Which they would be. They wouldn’t be
like Greg and leave town before the final vote. They’d understand why Taycee
did what she did, and they’d stay to help her finish.

Right?

She shoved the worry aside and pulled open her fridge,
rummaging around for something edible. Nothing called out to her. She tried the
pantry next. Chips, cereal, and a box of crackers. Hmm . . . no thanks.

Her cell rang with Jessa’s ringtone, and Taycee snatched it
up.

“Hey, girl, missed you last night,” Jessa said.

“What was last night?”

“Jake’s presentation, duh. I can’t believe you forgot.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Taycee leaned against the counter and
pressed the phone closer to her ear. “How’d it go? Was anyone interested?”

“Jake did awesome, of course,” Jessa said. “He fielded
millions of questions and I think piqued a lot of interest. No one committed to
anything last night, but they loved the idea that the farmers market might not
have to be a long-term solution. Assuming, of course, it can still be the
short-term solution.” Worry tinged her words.

“What’s wrong? I thought things were going well,” said Taycee.
“We got more votes last round than ever before, didn’t we?”

“Yeah,” said Jessa. “But we still have fifteen grand to go and
only two voting opportunities left. If we get within a few thousand, I think
the farmers could pool together whatever savings they have left to make up the
difference, but I’m getting worried we might not make it. I’m really wishing I
would have scheduled the voting to go one more round because we could really
use an extra week.”

One more round. Taycee didn’t think she could handle the one
week they had left, and yet here was Jessa, wishing for more. Taycee’s heart
sank. With that much money on the line, Jessa would never agree to risk telling
Jake and Miles the truth. And Taycee wasn’t sure it was worth the risk either. “We’ll
make it, Jess. I still have that morning show interview to do before the final
vote. I’m sure that will help drive up the numbers.”

“Let’s hope so.” But Jessa sounded anything but assured. “I
think this organic farming thing is a good fit, I really do. My uncle was up
all night reading about it. I just got off the phone with him, and I’ve never
heard him sound this hopeful before. But what if we can’t earn enough for the
co-op? They’ll be ready to start selling in only a few weeks.”

“We’ll earn enough, Jess, I promise,” said Taycee. “Even if I
have to get down on my knees during that interview and beg for people’s votes.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, you know.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything different.”

“Where were you last night, anyway?” Jessa asked. “I figured
you’d at least pop in for a second, just to see how everything was going.”

Taycee hesitated. With the way Jessa had been trying to push Jake
on her lately, how would she react to the news that Taycee had spent the entire
day with Luke? Not good.

“Oh, I knew you’d have everything under control,” Taycee said.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Probably because I didn’t want to answer your question.”

Silence. Followed by more silence. Just when Taycee thought
the connection had failed, Jessa gasped. “You went out with the Tin Man, didn’t
you?” It sounded accusatory—not the typical gushing, overly-excited way most
best friends would phrase a question like that. Not that Taycee had expected
anything different. Still, it would have been nice if Jessa at least pretended
to be happy for her.

“Yes,” Taycee finally said. “I spent the entire day with
Luke—
who,
believe it or not, does have a heart, and a pretty big one at that
—
and
had the most incredible day of my life. Now go ahead and ruin it for me because
I know that’s what you’re going to do.” Maybe Jessa would take the hint and
back off.

“What were you thinking?” Jessa said. “Did anyone see you?”

What kind of question was that? It made Taycee feel like a
scolded child who’d snuck off and done something she wasn’t supposed to, which
was ridiculous. “Of course not,” Taycee said. “I mean, how could they when he
picked me up in a dark tinted car and drove to a hidden cave where we spent the
day reducing the mosquito population one by one. I won, by the way.”

Jessa didn’t laugh, not that Taycee expected her to.

“How could you?” Jessa said. “Luke got voted off weeks ago,
which means you shouldn’t be dating him, at least not until the show is over.
If word got out, we might as well post a banner declaring ourselves
fraudulent.”

“Aren’t you being a tad melodramatic?”

“No! The viewers think you’re in love with one of the
remaining bachelors. They
want
you to be in love with one of them
because they’re the ones who picked them. If they find out you’re off
gallivanting around with someone they already voted off—especially the one from
Shelter Springs—what do you think they’re going to say? You go, girl? Wahoo?
No! They’re going to be ticked!”

Which was exactly how Taycee felt at the moment. She took a
calming breath and struggled for a level tone. “Look, Jessa. You practically
forced me into doing this show, and for the sake of your aunt and uncle and the
rest of the farmers, I agreed. I let you push a new wardrobe on me and get
manicures, and then I endured weeks of dating with guys I never wanted to go
out with in the first place. I understand this show is important, and I would
never want to do anything to jeopardize that, but you’re the producer of the
show—not my life.”

“You’re not getting it,” said Jessa. “What if someone who
watches the show saw you with Luke last night? What if they decided to comment
about it online and speculate what you were doing out with a bachelor who they
voted off when you’re supposed to be falling for someone else? How do you think
that would go over? Do you think people would still be willing to vote or give
to our cause after something like that? I don’t think so. Nobody likes to be
made to feel like a fool, Tace. Which is exactly how they would feel. A fool
who’s been taken in by yet another fraudulent charity case.”

Taycee frowned. Why had she answered the phone? She should
have kept today all to herself as the day to relive the most perfect day ever.
Instead, in two minutes flat, Jessa had tainted it. Granted, her friend had a
point, but that didn’t mean Taycee had to like it.

“Okay, so I never thought about it like that,” Taycee said
grudgingly. “But he picked me up early, we spent the day in Denver, and he
dropped me off late. No one saw us.”

“Maybe not in Shelter, but did someone recognize you while you
were in Denver?”

“I seriously doubt it. I’m not that famous.”

Jessa let out a breath. “Just promise me you won’t see him
again until after this is all over, okay?”

“Fine,” said Taycee, hating how bossy Jessa sounded. “Try to
remember, though, that you put me here. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been a
fraud from the beginning. In fact, I’ve about made up my mind to tell Miles and
Jake exactly that.”