Valentine's Cowboy (11 page)

She’d just nudged her horse into movement when Sam rode on ahead, leading the way, barely waiting for her to catch up. Her heart pinched; the air seemed to rush out of her.

Tomorrow
. His casual announcement about leaving earlier than planned had caught her off-guard. Tomorrow was too soon. She’d wanted more time with him, even if they disagreed on the ranch matter. Now after she’d evidently overstepped her boundaries again, he was anxious to leave the island. He was ready to get away from her. She hadn’t meant to attack him about the Shelby and ranch issue, but the depression that had swept over her about his early departure had—for some insane reason—sent her on the defensive. She’d driven him away.

Watching him sitting stiffly in the saddle, tears misted her eyes. They’d had such fun, enjoyed each other, particularly in bed. She’d started to think she’d finally met someone she could really care for, someone who might really care for her. She sniffed back the threat of tears. No. She hadn’t met the man of her dreams. It was clear now she just couldn’t hang onto a man. It was time to accept that fact.

* * *

Several hours and many tears later, Valentine sat in the back pew of the small Baptist church and watched the wedding party rehearse for tomorrow’s wedding. She had begged off attending the rehearsal dinner, claiming a bad headache. It had been a bad heartache in reality. She shouldn’t have come here either. It shouldn’t, but it hurt her to observe Shelby and see how radiant she looked, how happy.

Sitting all alone in the shadowy part of the sanctuary, memories of her own wedding day swamped her. Now that she thought about it, she realized she hadn’t been nearly so excited at the time. She couldn’t remember ever looking at Jonathan with the same obvious love in her eyes that Shelby looked at Dale with. Had she subconsciously sensed even then that their marriage was doomed? Had Jonathan felt as forced into going through with the wedding as she’d felt? They’d met via their parents and gotten along easily enough. Somehow they just kept seeing each other after the initial meeting, until finally they’d found themselves planning a wedding.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, trying to relieve the tension thrumming through her. Her head really did throb now. It might have helped if she’d eaten something since the ruined picnic and coming here. But her stomach was too upset to handle food. Her whole body was too upset to handle anything. Again, she wondered why she’d come here tonight. She didn’t want to put any kind of damper on Shelby’s happiness.

She was about to get up and leave when someone came and sat down beside her. Even before she opened her eyes she knew it wasn’t Sam. The scent was different, yet familiar.

Her heart raced even as she opened her eyes and gasped, “Jonathan!”

The handsome man—make that pretty man—she’d been married to for three years smiled gently. Why hadn’t she noticed how “pretty” he was before now?

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Val. But I saw you sitting here, saw how… I don’t know… stressed and sad you looked. Are you all right?” he asked.

Although his phone call the other day had upset her, now she was glad of his presence. Maybe she’d finally gotten over what she’d thought to be his betrayal of her. Because now all she saw was the man beyond his gender preference, the man she had once enjoyed talking with and going places with. They could talk for hours on so many subjects. They just hadn’t been able to have a romantic relationship, and now she knew why.

“My life is a mess. I’m a mess,” she admitted, blinking back tears. She really hated constantly being on the verge of crying. It was all Sam’s fault.

Jonathan scooted closer and settled an arm around her shoulders. She moved easily into his comforting embrace. “You know I never meant to hurt you, don’t you? I just… we just…”

She gave him a wobbly smile. “I’m sorry for verbally going at you the other day. I’m really okay with what happened, with the divorce. And with you having a new relationship.” She smiled again. “You’re a good man, just not the man for me.”

She felt the tension leave his body. She glanced toward the front of the church where the wedding party was listening to directions from the minister. Sam looked in her direction, and then he frowned before turning abruptly away. The same aching disappointment she’d felt ever since he’d told her he was leaving tomorrow filled her.

“I don’t think there is a right man for me. In fact, I’m going to stop working as a romance therapist.” This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a good one, she decided. “I’m going to start working with women who’ve come out of bad relationships.”

She looked up at Jonathan, who was studying her in concern. “I’m becoming something of an expert in bad relationships.”

“Because of me?” He nodded toward the front, his gaze locked on Sam. “Because of that cowboy?”

She shrugged, but she didn’t want to continue with this topic of conversation. She didn’t want to talk about Sam, because she’d break down into a sobbing mess for sure if she did. “What are you doing here? At this rehearsal?” she asked to change the subject.

Now he smiled, his green eyes dancing with pride. “The groom’s best man is
my
best man.”

All she could do was gape in shock. She supposed seeing in real life the person—the man—who’d come between her and Jonathan should upset her, but it didn’t. It was just a surprise. Seeing his pleasure made her feel strangely happy. “I’ve talked with him. I think I even danced, maybe flirted, with him my first night here. At the mai tai party. I got pretty wasted.”

Jonathan chuckled and reached over to gently touch the side of her face. “That’s what I heard. I also heard the cowboy carried you off like some kind of romantic hero. Wish I’d seen that.”

Suddenly she couldn’t be there in the church any longer. She couldn’t be this close to the “romantic hero” who now wanted nothing to do with her. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to… got to go. Somewhere.”

When she shot to her feet, he did as well. “It’s not you. I’m actually glad to see you again. I’m happy for you.” She gave him a quick kiss for old time’s sake and then raced out of the church.

* * *

Somewhere around dawn Valentine shoved to her feet from where she’d been sitting on the sand next to the beach wall for hours. The constant rolling and crashing waves had somehow soothed her raw feelings. Time had gotten away from her. At least her headache was gone, but she was so tired. She’d rehashed the partnership, her brief affair with Sam, and her idea about the bed-and-breakfast business. She’d gone over every tiny detail of it all so many times that she was tired all the way down to her soul.

She climbed slowly up the concrete stairway to the dew-covered grassy grounds of the large hotel two resorts down from the Papakea. As she started wearily walking toward her condo’s building, Shelby came flying frantically at her.

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!” Shelby’s arms swept around her and hugged her desperately. “I was so worried. You went running out of the church, and then just disappeared.”

Valentine struggled for breath. “Too hard. You’re squeezing me too hard.”

When Shelby immediately let go and eased back, Valentine noted a half dozen of the wedding party hurrying in their direction. They all looked exhausted. She felt awful, responsible, even if they really needn’t have worried about her. “I’m sorry to have ruined your night. I never thought anyone would even notice me leaving.”

Jonathan and his “best man” got to her before the rest of the group, a group from which Sam was conspicuously absent. “You took ten years off my life, sugar. Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He swept her into a brief hug.

As he stepped back, she noticed his black eye. “What happened to you?” She gently reached out to touch the bruised area, a sinking feeling threading through her.

“That cowboy is what happened,” he snorted, although he didn’t appear all that mad.

Shelby interrupted by explaining in disgust, “When Sam discovered you’d left the church, he went straight to poor Jonathan. He was certain Jonathan had said something to upset you. Sam started rambling about Jonathan stalking you, about you not wanting him anywhere near you. And then Wham! Sam—my idiot brother—knocked Jonathan flat on his back.”

Valentine couldn’t do anything but stare in shock between Shelby and Jonathan. Sam had attacked Jonathan? Was he nuts? And then she remembered the things she’d said in anger about her ex the other day. After that she remembered how Sam had turned on her today. How he’d not said one word to her their entire drive back from that ranch.

She sizzled. “Your brother has no right, none at all, butting into my life. In any manner.” She winced as she looked again at Jonathan’s damaged face and her voice turned quivery, “I’m sorry. So sorry about this.” And then she did just what she’d prayed she wouldn’t do: she burst into miserable sobs.

Both Jonathan and his friend surrounded her, smothering her with their efforts at comforting. So tired she could barely function, she allowed them to lead her to her condo. They wanted to stay and let her talk things out, but she refused their offer. She just wanted to collapse on her bed and cry herself to sleep. After that she’d face the wedding later today and all of the people who’d searched for her instead of getting the much needed rest before this big day.

She didn’t know if she wanted to see Sam later or not. Or if he’d even want to see her, even if he’d attacked poor Jonathan supposedly on her behalf. Whatever. He would be leaving today and she’d never seen him again. Never feel the warmth of his big body moving over hers, in hers. Never look into those warm brown eyes again.

Jerking off her clothes, she dove naked on top of the bed. The coolness of the quilt felt good. It also felt incredibly sensual, which immediately made her think of Sam.
Darn him!
Why couldn’t she get him out of her mind? He didn’t want anything to do with her anymore. That much was made clear by the fact his sister had been desperately looking for her, but Sam had been nestled in his bed.

Sobs overtook her. Fine. She’d cry this all out, and then she’d start looking at bed-and-breakfasts here on Maui tomorrow.

Chapter Six

There were times when Sam was glad he had finely tuned hearing. Other times when he hated it. Around an hour ago he’d heard his sister’s voice from around the corner of the condo building closest to the beach and hesitated. She’d been talking to Valentine. And the man he’d punched earlier in the evening—something he definitely was not proud of—had been talking as well. They’d been so relieved to find her. None of them were as relieved as him. He’d nearly gone crazy with worry about her taking off like that. He’d personally called cab companies to see if someone had given her a ride back to the resort. He’d walked the area around the church after learning she hadn’t gotten a cab ride. Boots were not made for walking, and he had blisters now as proof of that fact. Finally he’d driven back here and walked all over the resort grounds, as had a half dozen of the family members, including his distressed sister.

Yet he’d not joined the small group of people who had been looking everywhere at the time they’d run into her. Guess they’d looked everywhere except the beach. He’d frozen instead of revealing himself as he heard her angry comment.
Your brother has no right butting into my life
. Her statement had been laced with such pain. He’d known he was responsible for it.

Standing barefoot on his balcony now, he thought about the sun he’d watched slowly rise over the rooftops of the buildings to the east. He’d seen a lot of sunrises over the years, but never taken the time to actually study them, to enjoy them. This one had been pretty darn spectacular. He’d remember it. Because he’d remember this day for a long, long time. The day when he realized he’d finally fallen in love, and when he realized he’d broken his sweet lady’s heart.

He rubbed at his chest. Hell if his heart didn’t feel like it was breaking.

The room phone rang, jarring him enough that he nearly tripped over the patio chair when he turned around. He wasn’t all that sure he wanted to find out who was calling. Either it was Shelby, calling to rag on him again for being a first class idiot. Or it was Jake, calling with some ranch problem he needed to make a decision about. At the moment he was sick to death of the damn ranch.

The phone rang another couple of times and he decided to answer it, worried the ringing might wake Valentine up next door. He’d peeked out his bedroom window to watch Jonathan and his friend all but carrying her up the stairs to her condo. She’d looked beyond miserable, dead tired, and on the verge of tears. God help him, he would recall how she’d looked—because of him, he was sure—until the day he died. She needed whatever rest she was getting now, and he hoped she’d fallen asleep.

He stubbed his toe on one of the barstools as he snagged the phone. “Hello,” he ground out, not wanting to encourage the caller toward starting up a conversation.

“A wounded bear would sound better than you,” Jake stated, clearly not impressed with his tone of voice. “I figured by now all that wedding stuff would be wearing you down.”

He took a second to rein in his irritation. “If I ever get married, I’ll be eloping.”

“Whoa. Marriage? You? I’ve never heard you even joke about the subject. What’s up, buddy?”

Jake was right. Sam took the whole matter of marriage very seriously and he’d always been dead determined about steering clear of it. He’d felt burdened with more than enough commitments his entire life. At least so he’d thought. Now, as his sister was really and truly easing away from his care and protection to another man, he understood she’d never been a burden. She’d been a special gift he’d been entrusted with for a while. He was going to miss her. And he knew, although he’d fought the idea at first, Dale would make her a good husband.

He swiped his hand down his beard-roughened face. His eyes burned from lack of sleep. His relationship with Valentine was killing him. Okay, the relationship he’d
had
.