by Reese Ryan
Ryan sat back against the sofa and dragged a hand across his forehead. He’d tried to curtail his feelings for Tess because of his promise to Tripp and because he hadn’t wanted to ruin their friendship. But what lay at the root of his denial was his fear that he couldn’t be the man Tess deserved. A man as strong as he was loving and unafraid to show his affection for the people he loved.
A man like her father.
In his family, affection was closely aligned with weakness and neediness. In hers, it was just the opposite. With their opposing philosophies on the matter, it was amazing that their parents had managed to become such good friends.
He’d been afraid that he could never measure up to her father and be the man she deserved. But what he hadn’t realized was the time he’d spent with Tessa and her family had taught him little by little how to let go of his family’s hang-ups and love a woman like Tess.
Sabrina was right. He was in love with Tess. Always had been. And he loved her as much more than just a friend. Tessa Noble was the one woman he couldn’t imagine not having in his life. And now, he truly understood the depth of his feelings. He needed her to be his friend, his lover, his confidante. He wanted to make love to her every night and wake up to her gorgeous face every morning.
He’d asked Tess to give their relationship a chance, but he hadn’t been honest with her or himself about why he wanted a relationship with her.
He loved and needed her. Without her in his life, he felt incomplete.
“It wasn’t intentional, but I was unfair to you, Sabrina. Our relationship was doomed from the start, because I do love Tess that way. I’m sorry you’ve come all this way for nothing, but I need to thank you, too. For helping me to realize what I guess I’ve known on some level all along. That I love Tess, and I want to be with her.”
“As long as one of us is happy, right?” Her bangs fluttered when she blew out an exasperated breath.
Ryan stood, offering her an apologetic smile. “C’mon, it’s getting late. I’ll walk you to your car.”
Ryan gave Sabrina a final hug, grateful to her. He’d ask Tess again to give them a chance.
This time, he wouldn’t screw it up.
Nineteen
Tessa had been going crazy, pacing in that big old house all alone. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Ryan. Not just what had happened in the stables, but she’d replayed everything he’d said to her.
She hadn’t been fair to him, and she needed to apologize for her part in this whole mess. But first, she thought it best to let him cool off.
Tessa got into her truck and drove into town to have breakfast at the Royal Diner. It was a popular spot in town, so at least she wouldn’t be alone.
She ordered coffee and a short stack of pancakes, intending to eat at the counter of the retro diner owned by Sheriff Battle’s wife, Amanda. The quaint establishment was frozen in the 1950s with its red, faux-leather booths and black-and-white checkerboard flooring. But Amanda made sure that every surface in the space was gleaming.
“Tessa?”
She turned on her stool toward the booth where someone had called her name.
It was the makeup artist from PURE. Milan Valez.
“Milan. Hey, it’s good to see you. How are you this morning?”
“Great. I always pass by this place. Today, I thought I’d stop in and give it a try.” Milan’s dark eyes shone, and her pecan brown skin was flawless at barely eight in the morning. “I just ordered breakfast. Why don’t you join me?”
Tessa let the waitress know she’d be moving, then she slid across from Milan in the corner booth where the woman sat, sipping a glass of orange juice.
When the waitress brought Milan’s plate, she indicated that she’d be paying for Tess’s meal, too.
“That’s kind of you, really, but you’re the one who is new in town. I should be treating you,” Tess objected.
“I insist.” Milan waved a hand. “It’s the least I can do after you’ve brought me so much business. I’m booked up for weeks, thanks to you and that article on the frenzy you caused at the charity auction. Good for you.” Milan pointed a finger at her. “I told you that you were a beautiful woman.”
“I’m glad everything worked out for at least one of us.” Tess muttered the words under her breath, but they were loud enough for the other woman to hear.
“Speaking of which, how is it that you ended up going on this ultra-romantic weekend with your best friend?” Milan tilted her head and assessed Tessa. “And if you two are really ‘just friends’—” she used air quotes “—why is it that you look like you are nursing a broken heart?”
Tessa’s cheeks burned, and she stammered a bit before taking a long sip of her coffee.
“Don’t worry, hon. I don’t know enough folks in town to be part of the gossip chain.” Milan smiled warmly. “But I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize a woman having some serious man troubles.”
Tessa didn’t bother denying it. She took another gulp of her coffee and set her cup on the table. She shook her head and sighed. “I really screwed up.”
“By thinking you and your best friend could go on a romantic weekend and still remain just friends?” Milan asked before taking another sip of her orange juice.
“How did you—”
“I told you, been doing this a long time. Makeup artists are like bartenders or hairdressers. Folks sit there in that chair and use it as a confessional.” Milan set her glass on the table and smiled. “Besides, I saw those pictures in the paper. That giddy look on your face? That’s the look of a woman in love, if ever I’ve seen it.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“Word around town is there’s a pool on when you two finally get a clue.” Milan laughed.
Tessa buried her face in her hands and moaned. “It’s all my fault. He was being a perfect gentleman. I kissed him and then things kind of took off from there.”
“And how do you feel about the shift in your relationship with...?”
“Ryan,” Tess supplied. She thanked the waitress for her pancakes, poured a generous amount of maple syrup on the stack and cut into them. “I’m not quite sure how to feel about it.”
“I’m pretty sure you are.” Milan’s voice was firm, but kind. “But whatever you’re feeling right now, it scares the hell out of you. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Milan was two for two.
“It’s just that we’ve been best friends for so long. Now everything has changed, and yeah, it is scary. Part of me wants to explore what this could be. Another part of me is terrified of what will happen if everything falls apart. Besides, I’m worried that...” Tessa let the words die on her lips, taking a bite of her pancakes.
“You’re worried that...what?” One of Milan’s perfectly arched brows lifted.
“That he’ll get bored with a Plain Jane like me. That eventually he’ll want someone prettier or more glamorous than I could ever be.” She shrugged.
“First, glammed up or not, you’re nobody’s Plain Jane,” Milan said pointedly, then offered Tess a warm smile. “Second, that look of love that I saw...it wasn’t just in your eyes. It was there in his, too.”
Tessa paused momentarily, contemplating Milan’s observation. She was a makeup artist, not a mind reader, for goodness’ sake. So it was best not to put too much stock in the woman’s words. Still, it made her hopeful. Besides, there was so much more to the friendship she and Rye had built over the years.
They’d supported one another. Confided in each other. Been there for each other through the best and worst of times. She recalled Ryan’s words when he’d stormed out of the stables the previous night.
They were good together. Compatible in all the ways that mattered. And she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
“Only you can determine whether it’s worth the r
isk to lean into your feelings for your friend, or if you’re better off running as fast as you can in the opposite direction.” Milan’s words broke into her thoughts. The woman took a bite of her scrambled eggs. “What’s your gut telling you?”
“To go for the safest option. But that’s always been my approach to my love life, which is why I haven’t had much of one.” Tessa chewed another bite of her pancakes. “In a perfect world, sure I’d take a chance. See where this relationship might lead. But—”
“There’s no such thing as a perfect world, darlin’.” A smile lit Milan’s eyes. “As my mama always said, nothing ventured, nothing gained. You can either allow fear to prevent you from going for what you really want, or you can grow a set of lady cojones, throw caution to the wind, and confess your feelings to your friend. You might discover that he feels the same way about you. Maybe he’s afraid of risking his heart, too.”
Milan pointed her fork at Tessa. “The question you have to ask yourself is—is what you two could have together worth risking any embarrassment or hurt feelings?”
“Yes.” The word burst from her lips without a second of thought. Still, its implication left her stunned, her hands shaking.
A wide smile lit the other woman’s face. “Then why are you still sitting here with me? Girl, you need to go and get your man, before someone else does. Someone who isn’t afraid.”
Tess grabbed two pieces of bacon and climbed to her feet, adrenaline pumping through her veins. “I’m sorry, Milan. Rain check?”
“You know where to find me.” She nodded toward the door. “Now go, before you lose your nerve.”
Tessa gave the woman an awkward hug, then she hurried out of the diner, determined to tell Ryan the truth.
She was in love with him.
* * *
Ryan was evidently even angrier with Tessa than she’d thought. She’d called him repeatedly with no answer. She’d even gone over to the Bateman Ranch, but Helene said he’d left first thing in the morning and she didn’t expect him until evening. Then she mentioned that his ex, Sabrina, had been at the house the day before.
Tess’s heart sank. Had her rejection driven Ryan back into the arms of his ex?
She asked Helene to give her a call the second Ryan’s truck pulled into the driveway, and she begged her not to let Ryan know.
The woman smiled and promised she would, giving Tess a huge hug before she left.
Tessa tried to go about her day as normally as possible. She started by calling Bo and Clem and apologizing for any misunderstanding. Both men were disappointed, but gracious about it.
When Tripp arrived back home from the airport, he brought her up to speed on the potential client. He’d landed the account. She hugged her brother and congratulated him, standing with him when he video conferenced their parents and told them the good news.
Tripp wanted to celebrate, but she wasn’t in the mood to go out, and he couldn’t get a hold of Ryan, either. So he called up Lana, since it was her day off.
Tessa had done every ranch chore she could think of to keep her mind preoccupied, until finally Roy Jensen ran her off, tired of her being underfoot.
When Roy and the other stragglers had gone, she was left with nothing but her thoughts about what she’d say to Ryan once she saw him.
Finally, when she’d stepped out of the shower, Helene called, whispering into the phone that Ryan had just pulled into the drive of the Bateman Ranch.
Tessa hung up the phone, dug out her makeup bag and got ready for the scariest moment of her life.
* * *
Ryan hopped out of the shower, threw on a clean shirt and a pair of jeans. He picked up the gray box and stuck it in his pocket, not caring that his hair was still wet. He needed to see Tess.
He hurried downstairs. The entire first floor of the ranch smelled like the brisket Helene had been slow-cooking all day. But as tempted as he was by Helene’s heavenly cooking, his stomach wasn’t his priority. It would have to wait a bit longer.
“I was beginning to think you’d dozed off up there. And this brisket smells so good. It took every ounce of my willpower not to nab a piece.” Tessa stood in the kitchen wearing a burgundy, cowl-neck sweater dress that hit her mid-thigh. “I mean, it would be pretty rude to start eating your dinner before you’ve had any.”
“Tessa.” He’d been desperate to see her, but now that she was here, standing in front of him, his pulse raced and his heart hammered against his ribs. “What are you doing here?”
She frowned, wringing her hands before forcing a smile. “I really needed to talk to you. Helene let me in before she left. Please don’t be mad at her.”
“No, of course I’m not mad at Helene.”
“But you are still angry with me?” She stepped closer, peering up at him intensely.
“I’m not angry with you, Tess. I...” He sighed, running a hand through his wet hair.
He’d planned a perfect evening for them. Had gone over the words he wanted to say again and again. But seeing her now, none of that mattered. “But I do need to talk to you. And, despite the grand plans that I’d made, I just need to get this out.”
“What is it, Rye?” Tessa worried her lower lip with her teeth. “What is it you need to tell me?” When he didn’t answer right away, she added, “I know Sabrina was here yesterday. Did you two...are you back together?”
“Sabrina and me? God, no. What happened with us was for the best. She may not see it now, but one day she will.”
Tessa heaved a sigh of relief. “Okay, so what do you need to tell me?”
Ryan reached for her hand and led her to the sofa in the family room just off the kitchen. Seated beside her, he turned his body toward hers and swallowed the huge lump in his throat.
“Tess, you’ve been my best friend since we were both knee-high to a grasshopper. The best moments of my life always involve you. You’re always there with that big, bright smile and those warm, brown eyes, making me believe I can do anything. That I deserve everything. And I’m grateful that you’ve been my best friend all these years.”
Tess cradled his cheek with her free hand. The corners of her eyes were wet with tears. She nodded. “Me, too. You’ve always been there for me, Ryan. I guess we’ve both been pretty lucky, huh?”
“We have been. But I’ve also been pretty foolish. Selfish even. Because I wanted you all to myself. Was jealous of any man who dared infringe on your time, or God forbid, command your attention. But I was afraid to step up and be the man you deserved.”
“‘Was afraid?’” Now the tears flowed down her face more rapidly. She wiped them away with the hand that had cradled his face a moment ago. “As in past tense?”
“Am terrified would be more accurate.” He forced a smile as he gently wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb. “But just brave enough to tell you that I love you, Tessa Noble, and not just as a friend. I love you with all my heart. You’re everything to me, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”
“I love you, too, Rye.” Tessa beamed. “I mean, I’m in love with you. I have been for so long, I’m not really even sure when it shifted from you being my best friend to you being the guy I was head over heels in love with.”
“Tess.” He kissed her, then pulled her into his arms. “You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
Relief flooded his chest and his heart felt full, as if it might burst. He loved this woman, who also happened to be his best friend. He loved her more than anything in the world. And he wanted to be with her.
Always.
For the first time in his life, the thought of spending the rest of his days with the same woman didn’t give him a moment’s pause. Because Tessa Noble had laid claim to his heart long ago. She was the one woman whose absence from his life would make him feel incomplete. Like a man functioning with only half of his heart.
“Tessa, would you...” He froze for a moment. His tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. Not because he was afraid. Nor was he having second thoughts. There were a few things he needed to do first.
“What is it, Ryan?” She looked up at him, her warm, brown eyes full of love and light. The same eyes he’d been enamored with for as long as he could remember.
“I’d planned to take you out to dinner. Maybe catch a movie. But since Helene has already made such an amazing meal...”
“It’d be a shame to waste it.” A wicked smile lit her beautiful face. “So why don’t we eat dinner here, and then afterward...” She kissed him, her delicate hands framing his face. “Let’s just say that dinner isn’t the only thing I’m hungry for.”
“That makes two of us.” He pulled her into the kitchen and made them plates of Helene’s delicious meal before they ended up naked and starving.
After their quick meal, Ryan swept Tessa into his arms and kissed her. Then he took her up to his bedroom where he made love to his best friend.
This time there was no uncertainty. No hesitation. No regrets. His heart and his body belonged to Tessa Noble. Now and always.
* * *
Ryan woke at nearly two in the morning and patted the space beside him. The space where Tess had lain, her bottom cuddled against his length. Her spot was still warm.
He raised up on his elbows and looked around. She was in the corner of the room, wiggling back into her dress.
“Hey, beautiful.” He scrubbed the sleep from his eye. “Where are you going?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She turned a lamp on beside the chair.
“You’re leaving?” He sat up fully, drawing his knees up and resting his arms on them when she nodded in response. “Why?”
“Because until we talk to our families about this, I thought it best we be discreet.”
“But it’s not like you haven’t spent the night here before,” he groused, already missing the warmth of her soft body cuddled against his. It was something he’d missed every night since their return from Dallas.