by Carly Bloom
“How dare you treat Alice like that?”
Oh. Allie must have concocted a story, and it sounded like it was a doozy. But he’d promised to go along with it. “I’m just a horrible guy, I guess. A real beast of a man. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
She shoved him. Like actually shoved him. And since he wasn’t ready for it, he lost his balance and had to take a step back to catch himself. Unbelievably, Claire stayed on him, right in his face, pulling the door shut behind her.
Great. He’d lost his brother. He’d had his heart broken. He was about to give up his foreman position. And now Claire was literally trying to fight him on the front porch. “What the fuck, Claire? I don’t know what you think happened between me and Allie, but believe it or not, it was all part of a plan.”
“No doubt,” Claire said, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s a tired plan, and you should retire it.”
“I don’t even know what that means—”
“You have more than enough willing victims for the one-shot game you play. Why did you have to prey on Alice?”
“Prey on Alice? I don’t prey on anybody. And I don’t play games. Every woman I see knows exactly what she’s getting—which is a fucking good time, by the way—and Alice was no exception.”
Claire gasped dramatically.
“In fact,” he continued. “In Allie’s case, there was an actual contract involved. Which she drew up. So, if you’ll just get out of my way now, I have a meeting—”
“She gave you everything, Beau.”
Beau’s pulse pounded in his head. How dare Claire even engage him in this conversation? She had no idea what she was talking about. “She didn’t give me a damn thing,” he said. “She just took.”
Took his heart and stomped on it.
“She. Was. A. Virgin.”
“Virginity is a social construct.”
He shouldn’t have said that. Because he knew damn well that the first time was the first time, and that it meant something. It had just slipped out, much like a million other Allie-isms he often spouted.
“I’m so sorry you were her first.”
Beau wasn’t sorry. He would treasure that night for the rest of his life, and he hoped Allie would, too.
“You treated her like any old romp in the hay,” Claire said. “I mean, Beau, this was Alice!”
Something snapped inside. He could hardly breathe or form a coherent thought, but it didn’t matter. Feelings were rushing around inside of him, slamming into each other and exploding into a single, sloppy storm of grief and rage and disappointment, and it was all about to pour out of his mouth.
“I will never regret being Alice’s first lover. Ever. I poured my whole heart and soul into making love to her, and you have no fucking right to stand here invading my privacy and forcing me to talk about something so personal and accusing me of . . . Of what, I don’t even know. But I did not steal anything from Alice. I gave her everything. Her first time was with someone who cherished and loved her, and you will not talk shit about it to me or anyone else.” He yanked his Stetson down low, hoping the shadow would hide his face, because he’d already revealed more than he’d intended. “Now then, if you don’t move your ass, I’m going to move it for you.”
Claire didn’t yield. “You’re in love with Alice?”
There would be no getting past her. She was like a troll under a bridge, demanding a secret password, which seemed to be the baring of his soul. He lifted the brim of his hat, because fuck it. Let her go ahead and see the red-rimmed eyes and whatever other pathetic hints might be lurking in his expression. “Yes. I’m in love with Alice. I always have been, and I always will be. Are you happy now?”
Claire gave a shriek of joy and then launched herself at him. He was covered in redhead and totally confused. “Alice loves you, too, Beau. She’s absolutely heartbroken. You need to go talk to her—”
Beau peeled Claire off of him. “No. You’ve got it wrong. Allie struck a deal with me, because . . .” Hell. Might as well let it all out. He had nothing to lose anymore. “I don’t read very well, Claire. It’s embarrassing, but it’s the truth. Alice helped me with that. And in return, I took her to the wedding.”
“First of all, that’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and I’m glad Alice helped you. Secondly, you did a little more than take her to the wedding.”
Beau shrugged. “I guess you could say that we amended the contract to include a few extracurricular activities. But believe me, Alice is not in love with me. Maybe, since I was her first, she’s developed an understandable attachment. But she’s moving to Austin to start a new job, and she didn’t even bother to tell me about it. That’s how important I am to her. The contract ended at midnight after the wedding. It’s over.”
“Who told you about the job?”
“Ford.”
“Dang it.” Claire chewed on her thumbnail. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“It doesn’t matter how I heard about it. What matters is how I didn’t hear about it.”
“She didn’t take that job, Beau. I don’t think she ever even seriously considered it, and that’s probably why she didn’t mention it.”
“Why didn’t she take it?”
Claire rolled her eyes. “You can be super dense sometimes.”
Beau took his hat off so he could see Claire clearly. “Are you saying she turned the job down because of me?” If this was true, it melted his heart. But it also gave him pause, because he’d already held Bryce back. He didn’t want anyone else giving up their dreams because of him.
Claire reached out and touched his cheek. “She thought your relationship was real. And she thought you felt the same way.”
This information made his head spin. Like he literally reached back and grabbed hold of the porch railing to steady himself.
“Beau, why won’t you let anybody love you?”
“What? You need to warn me when you’re switching the topic.”
“I think that’s why you only land in a woman’s bed once. You don’t want anybody to get close enough to love you.”
That wasn’t true. He wanted to be loved. But letting someone get close meant letting someone know his secret, and that secret was shrouded in feelings of shame and worthlessness. But Allie knew his secret. And if what Claire was saying was true . . .
She loved him anyway.
But dammit. A job in Austin. With a big library. He couldn’t be the reason someone didn’t chase after their dreams.
Not again.
Alice marked off four more items on her to-do list.
Dust shelves—Check
Fluff beanbag chairs in children’s nook—Check
Water plants—Check
Sharpen pencils—Check
The fact that she wasn’t even scheduled to work today didn’t stop her from performing mindless and mostly unnecessary tasks. She needed to keep moving. Because dang it, there were miniblinds to be cleaned. Also, if she slowed down for even a minute, she started to cry.
She grabbed the feather duster and headed for the blinds, but Brittany cut her off at the pass.
Brittany was home from her honeymoon but still riding the newlywed high. She was also out of her boot, which had her buzzing around like a bee on steroids. “Something came for you,” she said, presenting a vase filled with red roses. “Maybe they’re from Beau!”
For just a moment, Alice’s heart fluttered. But there was no way the flowers were from Beau. She hadn’t seen him since the wedding, and why would she? Their deal was up. The contract had expired.
She’d been such a fool to think their relationship was real or that it had a chance of continuing after the wedding. Beau had never hidden who he was. Everybody knew his reputation. She knew his reputation.
She’d written the contract herself. And signed it. There had been no reason to think their agreement had been anything other than what it was.
She took the roses. “These are probably from the library volunteers
or something. Maybe it’s a holiday.” She didn’t think it was, but she’d forgotten to eat for the past week, so who knew?
She went to go hide in her office, where she shut the door and held her breath while quietly pulling the tiny card out of its envelope.
From a Secret Admirer
She dropped into the chair behind her desk. She’d only received roses from a man twice, and it was her father both times. Who else would her secret admirer be?
Her dad knew she and Beau had “broken up.” Heck, everyone in the entire town knew, because this was Big Verde, so of course they did. It was sweet of him to be concerned about her. But there was probably nothing sadder than a thirty-two-year-old woman receiving breakup roses from her dad disguised as a secret admirer.
Well, maybe there was something sadder. She opened her planner and wrote Think of something sadder than Dad flowers.
“Knock-knock!”
Ugh. That sounded like Claire. And Alice just wasn’t in the mood to suffer through more attempts at cheering her up. “Come in.”
Claire entered with Rosa on her hip and Maggie on her heels. Little Maisy was in a stroller being pushed by Henry. “We’re here for Cowboy Story Time.”
“That’s today?”
“Yep,” Maggie said, wearing a huge grin.
Alice pulled out the story time schedule and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Worth’s name. Not that Beau ever actually showed up for story time—
“Hello, Beau!” Brittany said. “Ready to read?”
Alice sank down in her chair, heart pounding. Dang it. She closed her eyes and repeated the plan she’d been practicing . . .
Polite smile
Cheerful countenance
No big deal
Although, maybe she should just shoo everyone out of her office, shut the door, and wait until Beau was gone.
Too late! He was in her doorway. Taking up every inch. And holy guacamole, he looked good. He’d worn the full cowboy getup—hat, chaps, boots, spurs, big belt buckle, rope at his side.
“You okay, Allie Cat? You look a bit heated.”
And there it was. The playful twinkle in the eyes. The little dimple in the cheek. She was nothing special. Beau Montgomery would flirt with anyone.
“Hi,” she croaked. Like an actual frog.
Folks began pouring in for story time. Bubba walked by with his two youngest. JD and Gabriel were right behind him with little Brianna. Miss Mills lumbered past for no discernable reason at all.
“Are you going to come listen to me read?” Beau asked.
Alice cleared her throat. “Sure.” Reading story time was a big step for Beau, and broken heart aside, she wanted to support him. “The books are on the little table—”
“I brought my own,” Beau said.
“Oh, that wasn’t necessary—”
“It really was,” Beau said.
He’d probably chosen a book he felt comfortable with.
She followed him to the children’s nook, where everyone was busy finding their cozy spots on cushions and in beanbag chairs. And the entire time, her heart was flapping furiously around her rib cage, no doubt trying to get to Beau.
He doesn’t want you, Alice. Get a grip.
“Would you like any water?” she asked.
“Nah, darlin’, I’m good. Thank you, though.”
Ha! She remembered when darlin’, which Beau used as often as other folks said please and thank you, made her knees go weak. Especially since it was just last week. And maybe right now.
She cleared her throat. “Thanks for coming to Cowboy Story Time, guys! Today we have Beau Montgomery. He’s a real working cowboy from Rancho Cañada Verde. Let’s give him a big cowboy welcome!”
All the kids cheered, and Beau’s cheeks turned a bit pink. And even though she didn’t want to be, she was nervous for him and wanted him to do well.
“Howdy,” Beau said. “Before I get started, I have a secret. Do y’all want to hear it?”
The kids all screamed various versions of yes.
“My secret is that I don’t read very well,” Beau said.
Alice brought a hand to her heart. Oh, Beau . . .
Henry raised his hand. “But you’re a grown-up.”
“I know,” Beau said. “But I struggle with something called dyslexia, which makes it hard for me to read. And for a long time, I didn’t want anybody to know about it, because it’s kind of embarrassing, you know?”
The kids all nodded.
“But if any of you ever have trouble reading, or maybe with math or other things, it doesn’t mean you’re not smart. People are smart in all sorts of ways. You just need to ask for help. And sometimes the first person you ask, or even the second or third, won’t be able to help you. But you’ve got to keep asking until you get the right person. And do you want to know who my right person was?”
They all nodded their heads.
“Miss Alice,” Beau said.
The kids craned their necks to look at Alice, so she smiled. “It’s my job. I’ll help any old person, really.”
There was a snort, which probably came from Claire.
“Now then, who wants to hear the story of Beauty and the Beast?” Beau asked.
An unintelligible chorus rang out.
“I might need help as we go, so who wants to be my helper? I need a good reader at my side.”
Literally every little girl and several of the moms raised their hands, ready to volunteer. But Beau pointed at little Dalton Reed, JD’s young nephew, who’d really been blowing through books lately.
Dalton went to Beau’s side, and they shared a high-five.
Before Beau opened the book, he looked at Alice. Reading aloud, in front of an audience, was one of his biggest fears.
You’ve got this, Beau.
“Before I begin, let me tell you what the story is about. You’ve got a beast—a big old ugly thing—who’s under a spell. And there’s only one thing that can break it—”
“True love!” a little girl shouted.
“That’s right,” Beau said. “But the Beast doesn’t think he’s lovable. And he especially doesn’t think he can be loved by the smartest girl in the village, the one who reads books and likes going to museums and her special women’s group in Austin and whatnot.”
A women’s group in Austin? Dear God. He was talking about her. About them. At story time. In front of everyone. She shifted uncomfortably as a few folks glanced her way with knowing smiles.
“But,” Beau said. “The Beast loved the girl. He’d always loved her, and—”
“That’s not how the story goes,” a little girl said. “You’re telling it wrong.”
“Oh, am I?” Beau said. “I guess we’d better use the book then.” He cleared his throat loudly and said, “Once upon a time . . .”
It was a really short version of the story, geared for little ones, and Beau got through it with no trouble at all. He consulted Dalton a couple of times anyway, seemingly for Dalton’s sake, and the little boy beamed with pride.
When he closed the book and reached for another, Claire stood up. “I’ll read the next one. You go grovel.”
Alice was so confused. If Beau wanted to be with her, why had he left her all alone at midnight?
Beau looked around Alice’s office, which was messier than usual. It seemed she’d started a million different projects, and hadn’t finished any of them.
Alice Martin was not herself. And he understood, because he hadn’t been himself for the past week, either. “I see you received the roses,” he said.
“How did you know about those?”
“They’re from me, Allie. Who did you think sent them?”
Alice stared at him, mouth agape, before finally answering. “I assumed they were from my father, because he sent me a rose in high school once, and he signed the card from your Secret Admirer—”
“No, darlin’,” Beau said. “That was me.”
Alice wrinkled her brow. “No, be
cause you would have only been—”
“Thirteen,” Beau said. “I was content to admire you from afar, because, well I was a kid. But then I grew into a man. And I was still your admirer, but I didn’t think you could ever be interested in a simple, homespun, small-town cowboy like me. Not until we struck our deal, anyway.”
“But you left me at the wedding . . .”
He took her hands. “I heard that you’d accepted a job offer in Austin and hadn’t even told me.”
“I didn’t accept it. By the time they offered, I’d already made up my mind.”
“I didn’t know that. And I was hurt, Allie. I thought you didn’t care about me at all, and that maybe I was the one who was bad at reading people. And that’s why we need to talk it out. Right here. Right now.”
“Okay—”
“Alice, I love you.”
Alice stepped back, bumping into the desk and nearly knocking the roses over. Her pulse beat frantically at the base of her throat, and he could feel her fingers trembling. But she didn’t say a word.
“I thought maybe I was just something to mark off your bucket list.”
That did it. Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Beau . . .”
He took a risk and pulled her close. “It’s just you, Allie. You’re the only woman I want. And I am so sorry I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to. And I swear to God, I will sign a contract right now stating that I will never do it again.”
Allie lifted her head to look at him. Would she accept his pledge? Or had he hurt her too badly?
“I believe you, Beau. And I believe in you.”
The relief damn near buckled his knees.
“And I’m not the only one who believes in you. You just need to believe in yourself.”
This morning, when he’d gone in to quit his job as foreman, he’d ended up telling Gerome and Ford about his dyslexia instead. And they hadn’t cared at all, other than being mad that he hadn’t told them earlier. And it turned out that the broken pump had nothing to do with him—the dang thing had broken because it was old—and the inventory miscalculation had been Bryce’s error.
Everyone made mistakes.
Alice brushed the hair out of his eyes, and the touch set him on fire. He wanted to kiss her, but did he dare? She still hadn’t said—