“A Christmas miracle!” She clapped her hands and gave him a grin. “The Blackwood siblings together at Christmas? Who would have thought that could happen again?”
A twinge of guilt pinged inside him as he realized that in cutting the holiday and Royal out of his life, he’d done the same to his siblings. Why had he never considered that before? He was fighting so hard for the ranch, the family legacy, but he wasn’t paying close enough attention to his actual family? Made no sense.
Still, seeing the gleam of excitement in Sophie’s eyes had him backtracking a little.
“Don’t make more of it than it is,” he warned.
He wasn’t even sure why he was doing this—staying in Royal through Christmas. Since Shea died, he hadn’t celebrated the holiday—had, in fact, avoided even thinking about it. But now things felt...different, somehow. Was it Irina? Was it fighting for his family’s legacy? Hell, was it as simple as actually spending time with Vaughn and Sophie again? He didn’t know. All he was sure of was that he wasn’t ready to leave. To go back to his empty house in Nashville.
“Oh God, no,” Sophie said, laughing. “This is enough for now.”
“Agreed.”
“What’re we agreeing on?” Vaughn pulled out a chair and sat down. Then he lifted one hand in a signal to the waitress. “Let me guess. Is it that we hate Miranda? Or is this about Kellan and Irina hooking up?”
“What are you talking about?” Kellan demanded.
“You know exactly what he’s talking about,” Sophie said with a sad shake of her head. “So spill. You and Irina. Together again?”
“No.” His gaze narrowed on her.
“They looked pretty together to me,” Vaughn mused, then said thanks to the waiter who delivered his usual, a longneck beer.
Sophie smiled and picked up her drink, lifting it in a toast. “Vaughn says Irina looked very cozy in your bed.”
He swiveled his head to glare at his brother. “You had to shoot your mouth off?”
“Didn’t have to,” Vaughn corrected. “Wanted to.” He grinned and took a swig of his beer.
“You’re not a monk, Kellan,” Sophie reminded him. “You and Irina are both adults. Irina’s great, so why are you so touchy about it? Tell me everything.”
“Nothing to tell.”
“Oh, that’s sad.” She shook her head slowly in mock sympathy. “A naked woman in your bed and nothing to tell? Well, you are getting older...”
Vaughn snorted.
“Not what I meant.” Kellan downed the rest of his scotch and signaled the waiter for another. He was already rethinking the plan to spend more time with his siblings. “I meant, it’s none of your business. Either of you.”
“If it was,” Vaughn pointed out, “it wouldn’t be as much fun.”
“True,” Sophie added.
“Enough.”
His sister held one hand up for peace and shot a warning look at Vaughn. “Okay, we’ll stop.”
“Good.”
“I’ll just say—”
He sighed.
Sophie rolled right on. “—that I like Irina. And it would be good to see you happy again, Kellan.”
“I am happy.”
“Yeah,” Vaughn mused sarcastically. “You’re a blazing ball of sunshine. Nearly blinding just to be around you.”
“Why’re you here?”
“You invited me.” He shrugged.
“You’re not happy,” his sister argued. “At best, you’ve been content, Kellan. That’s different from happy. You haven’t really been happy since Shea.”
Where was that waiter? “Not going there.”
Even Vaughn looked surprised that Sophie had brought up Kellan’s late wife. But she wouldn’t be stopped.
“It’s been eight years, Kellan,” she said softly. “You lost Shea and we lost you.”
He winced at the well-aimed jab.
“I know how much you loved her,” Sophie added. “We all did. But maybe it’s time to let her go.”
His sister’s words echoed in his mind, his heart. Memories of Shea weren’t as clear as they had once been. Even the pain had been muted over time, though he knew that a part of him would always grieve her and the loss of what they had had. But, Kellan admitted silently, even if it was time to let Shea go, he wasn’t sure he knew how.
* * *
Two days later, the whole town was buzzing.
The “teaser” trailer for Irina’s upcoming episode on Secret Lives of NYC Ex-Wives had gone viral and now it was all anyone in town was talking about. Irina simply had not been prepared for the reaction to the video.
“Irina! Hi!”
She turned to wave at a blonde high-school girl working for Jillian at Miss Mac’s Pie Shack. “Hi, Trina.”
“Really looking forward to your show.” The girl grinned. “You must be totally excited!”
“Thanks, I am,” she said and silently added, I think. She kept walking down the crowded sidewalk, smiling and nodding at those she passed. How did celebrities handle this all the time? People watching you. Wanting to talk to you. She gave another wave to the town barber and then the florist, and still, Irina walked, headed to the diner.
It was Christmas-shopping time in Royal. The streetlamps were twined with garlands and winking white lights. Banners hung across the street wishing people Have a Royal Christmas in swirling golden letters. And the sidewalks teemed with busy shoppers. Parking was impossible on Main Street since it was packed with cars, so she’d been forced to park at the other end of town. And this long walk was proving, beyond a doubt, the power of the internet.
She’d lived in Royal for more than seven years, and yet this was the most notice anyone had ever taken of her. She’d never had the time to make real friends. When her marriage ended, Irina had withdrawn into herself, needing time to rediscover herself. Remember who she had been before Dawson Beckett entered her life.
Then between working at the Hollow, going to night school and finally law school and writing her book, Irina’s life had been fairly insular.
Until today.
Irina felt exposed in a way she never had before. People she’d never spoken to had seen that viral video. Had seen Miranda and the others talking to her about her marriage. Her book. They knew about her divorce. That she’d been abused. It was mortifying and she had no idea why she hadn’t considered the consequences before she’d agreed to appear on that show. Still, the whole story would be out when her book was released, so maybe it was good to get used to this now. Maybe.
But it wasn’t only her people were speculating about. Everyone was talking about Kellan’s confrontation with Miranda, too. She’d long heard that there was nothing the town of Royal liked better than juicy gossip. And thanks to that video, she was seeing the proof.
She wondered what Kellan thought of all this. But she was wondering about him a lot lately. Like, what he was doing? Was he thinking of her at all? Did he miss her even a tenth as much as she missed him? She’d tried to deny it to herself, but the plain truth was she ached to be with him.
“Irina,” someone else called out, splintering her thoughts, “that show sure looks like it’s going to be fun!”
She smiled at the hairdresser and kept going. What was she supposed to say to people she barely knew?
“Can’t wait to read your book,” someone else said in passing.
Her smile never wavered as she walked. Her book. That was what she should concentrate on. Surely this publicity had to be good for potential book sales. So she would suffer through being stopped every few feet and keep in mind that she was helping herself in the long run. Irina plastered a smile on her face and determined to find the silver lining.
Until someone came up behind her, slid one arm around her waist and said, “Hello, darlin’, it’s been a while.”
Irina
stiffened instantly. She would never forget that voice. How could she? She still heard it in her nightmares. Instinctively, she tried to shift out of his grasp, but Dawson Beckett only tightened his hold and gave her a hard, bruising pinch at her waist. “Don’t. Just keep walking. Everyone will think we’re old friends. We’ll talk a minute and then I’m gone.”
“Go now,” she said, nodding at a woman who passed her on the sidewalk.
“I don’t take orders from you, bitch.” He kept a tight grip on her, holding her pressed against him. “I saw your video.”
She closed her eyes briefly. In all the rush of the book and the TV show, Irina had completely forgotten that with the teaser going viral, Dawson would be sure to see it. It was clear that he was furious, too. And in spite of how far she’d come, she felt a ribbon of fear slide through her.
“Let me go, Dawson,” she muttered, drawing on courage she had lacked completely when she was under this man’s thumb. Yes, there was fear, but she wouldn’t surrender to it. “Or I will scream so loudly, Sheriff Battle will hear me.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t do that.” Dawson smiled down at her and it was feral. He hadn’t changed, except to get more gray at his temples. He was about five foot ten and was still barrel-chested, with small dark eyes and a grand handlebar mustache he waxed and turned up at the ends.
Another hard pinch. “And you best watch how you talk to me.”
Wincing from the pain blossoming in her side, she ground out, “What do you want, Dawson?”
Another hard pinch. Tears burned her eyes but she blinked them back. She wouldn’t cry in front of him. Never again. He liked it too much.
“Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?” He stared off down the sidewalk. “What do I want?” He paused as if thinking about it. “I don’t like being talked about, Irina. People who know you were my wife are doing some whispering and that’s not good for my business.”
Irina took a deep breath to steady herself.
“And that book of yours,” he added, “is already causing me some grief and it’s not even out yet. I’ve got people looking at me different...”
“No more than you deserve.”
“You should know better than to make me mad, Irina.” Another vicious pinch and he gave her a tight smile. “I figure you owe me, girl. Without me, you’d have had nothing to write about after all.”
Stunned, she stared at him. “Really, you would take credit for what you did to me?”
His voice dropped to a dangerous note she had hoped to never hear again. “There you go, making me angry again. Don’t you remember what happened when you didn’t do what you were told? You know it doesn’t work out well for you.”
A chill swept along her spine because she did remember. All too well. She’d lived with Dawson for two years of hell, and had thought that she was doomed to be there forever. But he was out of her life now. She was free of him. She’d fought hard, with Buck’s support, and she’d carved out a new reality for herself. Damned if she’d be dragged back into Dawson’s web. She didn’t answer to him anymore.
He grimly steered her through the crowd and Irina caught more than a few people looking at her in curiosity. Could they see pain on her face?
“The book isn’t about you, Dawson. It’s about overcoming misery and building a new life for myself.”
“You calling me a misery?”
“Among other things,” she said tartly and refused to be afraid of him. All he could do was briefly cause her pain. He couldn’t rule her life any longer.
They were almost at the diner, and the crowd of people outside seemed to give him pause. He drew her to a stop, turned her to look into his eyes and said, “I had a deal go bad on me today thanks to that video. Cost me ten thousand. You owe me that money.”
“I owe you nothing,” she said and began to get angry at herself for allowing him to hurt her. She didn’t have to do what he said. Didn’t have to fear him, either. That Irina was gone.
“Not a good idea to treat me this way, darlin’,” he murmured.
“I’m not afraid of you anymore, Dawson.”
“Well, you better rethink that, because if you don’t get me that money, I can find ways to make you miserable, little girl.”
He probably could. Though he wasn’t as rich as Buck Blackwood, he had money. And worse, he knew influential people with as few morals as he had.
“You’re blackmailing me?”
“Well, you don’t have big-shot Buckley Blackwood standing guard over you now, do you?”
No, she didn’t. It shamed her to admit that she missed having Buck to rely on. Briefly, she thought about reaching out to Kellan, but it had been a week since she’d seen him and the way they’d left it, she couldn’t imagine him standing up for her. So she’d have to do it for herself. “I don’t have ten thousand to give you.”
“You will once that book of yours comes out.”
“That’s not how publishing works.” She’d gotten a small advance and wouldn’t get the other half until she turned the completed book in. As for royalties, she hoped she would get some eventually, but there was no guarantee. So if Dawson wanted money from her right away, he would be disappointed. And a disappointed Dawson, as she knew, could be dangerous.
“I don’t give a good damn how it works. You find that money or—”
“Or what, Dawson?” Disgusted with this ghost from her past and her own response to him, Irina finally pulled away from his grasp. She just managed to not rub the spot on her side that he’d pinched so hard.
“Or I’ll remind you with more than a pinch.”
She hated that even though she was different now, he could still make her afraid. Hated that her old response was still the first thing that occurred to her. “I’ll go to the police.”
His eyes went hard and cold. “Wouldn’t advise that, darlin’. I’ve got a lot of important friends in Dallas. They’ll sit your small-town sheriff down and tell him how things’ll be.”
She met his gaze. “You don’t have friends, Dawson. You have people you use.”
His eyes narrowed. “Gotten mouthy, haven’t you? Just remember. Accidents happen all the damn time. Pays to be careful.”
“Irina!” Lulu called her name from outside the diner and waved one hand to get her to hurry up.
Thank God. Irina took a deep breath and looked at Dawson. “I have to go.”
“That’s fine.” He took a step back. “I’ll be around.”
He would, too. She knew this wasn’t over. Walking away from him now was just a small reprieve. Dawson wouldn’t go away until he had what he wanted. And even then, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t come back. Irina walked on and didn’t look back. She didn’t have to. She could feel Dawson’s dark eyes boring into her back.
But she smiled for Lulu and happily listened to the woman laughing and chatting as they went into the diner. Ordinarily, Irina would have enjoyed spending time with her and Miranda and Fee. She didn’t know the other girls as well, but these three women had become important to her over the last week or so.
They were her first real friends since leaving Russia. When she was married to Dawson, he’d kept her on a tight leash. She hadn’t had a lot of opportunity since to establish friendships. And over the last week, she’d realized how much she had missed having another woman to talk to. Insularity was good, but apparently, she still needed people, too.
“Who was that old guy you were with?” Lulu tugged her over to a booth where the others were gathered.
“He’s just...an acquaintance of Buck’s.” She didn’t want to talk about Dawson. Didn’t want anyone to see the remnants of fear still clinging to her.
They accepted that, these new friends, and she was grateful. She was also grateful for the noise, the laughter and the tableful of food and drinks. The film crew had decided to have a “wrap” party of
sorts at the diner. Of course, they’d still be filming for a while, but they’d finished what they’d wanted to accomplish at Blackwood Hollow, and as Fee had said, “Any excuse for a party!”
Irina picked up a glass of iced tea and sipped at it while she listened to everyone. Glancing around the crowded diner, she smiled to herself. The locals were loving it, really enjoying watching these reality television stars in their own hometown. Everyone seemed relaxed, happy...except Kellan.
How had she missed him when she’d walked in?
She caught his eye from across the room. He was seated at one of the red vinyl booths and across the table from him sat his “assistant,” Ellie Rae Simmons. Naturally, the woman looked beautiful, dressed in a navy blue long-sleeved dress and black heels. She was smiling at Kellan, apparently not noticing that he was looking at Irina.
The power of his gaze locking onto hers was nearly a physical jolt. A week since she’d seen him and he hadn’t been out of her thoughts longer than a few minutes at a stretch. She’d missed him. Missed his touch. Missed his scowl. Missed the way his mouth moved when he was trying not to smile.
Kellan’s gaze fired and Irina’s body responded with a flush of heat that swamped her. Didn’t matter that she was in a room full of people. It was as if she and Kellan were completely alone. All that mattered was the arc of electricity buzzing between them. Every cell in her body was shouting at her to do something about this now that he was there. Right there.
But she didn’t want to see him now. Couldn’t deal with him and what she was feeling. That buzz of attraction to Kellan was tangling up with the irritation and fear she’d felt at seeing Dawson again. Her body was still jumpy and she felt in desperate need of a shower to wash away her ex-husband’s touch. Nope. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t stay at the party—not with Kellan there.
She told herself that no one would miss her. The crowd had gotten thicker in just the last few minutes, with the locals and the Exes, as Fee called them, laughing together like old friends. So Irina set her glass down on the lunch counter and left, forcing herself to avoid Kellan’s gaze.
Tempting the Texan Page 10