Chasing the Renegade

by Bonnie R. Paulson

  He folded his arms across his chest, his well-defined forearms enhanced by green and white plaid sleeves rolled to his elbows. He didn’t look away as he boldly studied her the same way she studied him.

  After realizing how rude she was being by staring at him, Treya shook her head and cleared her throat. Holding out a hand, she smiled. “Hi, I’m Treya Smythe, and you are?” She held her breath, unable to drag her gaze away from his hypnotic eyes. Please, don’t be married. She wasn’t worried about him being a Bailey. The ushers were being extra careful on where they sat people. No, the enemy of the wedding was going to be married men. She wanted to sneak a peek at his left hand, but didn’t dare while trying to introduce herself.

  A slow side-smile revealed straight white teeth as he reached out and enclosed her hand in his. The touch sent a jolt through her flesh all the way to the back of her neck where it seemed to warm and electrify her spine. “I’m Jasper, Treya. Nice to meet you.”

  Jasper. Just his name alone gave her a thrill and his voice sent shivers where the thrilling sensations had been.

  He motioned toward the stream and then nodded toward the chairs filling up with more people. “Do you know what’s going on?”

  He had to be from out of town. A man that good looking would have to be from out of town and he had no idea what was going on? Could this be Treya’s lucky day? Could he really not know anything about the feud that divided the town or the fact that Treya was one of the undesirable Smythe women? The optimism she’d struggled to hold onto burgeoned with fresh hope in her chest.

  Weddings were good luck. She just had to make sure she recognized it when she saw it.

  Maybe Jasper-No-Last-Name was the ticket she needed to get out of town and no longer be alone. Even if he wasn’t, a girl could hope and that’s exactly what she was going to do. Hope that she could snatch the man before he left for his home.

  She needed him to take her with him.

  Chapter 3

  Jasper

  Treya’s blue eyes had an even more startling effect up close. Jasper had tested her by letting his knee touch hers when he sat and he grinned when she didn’t move away. The attraction in her eyes confirmed it. She didn’t even suspect that he was a Bailey.

  Things could be complicated after they broke things off, but he wasn’t worried about that. He’d be home and that’s all that mattered.

  “It looks like you’re traveling, Jasper. Did you come far?” Treya peeked at him from under her long sooty lashes, her hands demurely folded and placed in her lap. She craned her neck and jerked her chin in the direction of his backpack taking up a seat beside him.

  Jasper glanced at his bag and then nodded, startled. He’d forgotten all about it. “Yeah, I’m down from Alaska for the festivities. Barely made it.” He stretched his legs out in front of him and looked around. He couldn’t keep staring at her, if he wanted to keep his wits about him. There was something more than captivating about the slight up-turn at the end of her nose and the soft crease in the center of her chin. A strong yet feminine jaw suggested a propensity for stubbornness and Jasper had the sudden urge to see just how far he could push her.

  Was she a spitfire or was she docile like a lamb? So far she was friendly as all get out and his bitterness from being sat on the Smythe side faded long ago.

  “Alaska? That’s really far from here. What part?” She crossed her long legs at the knee his direction and Jasper blinked as he tried to focus on what she was saying.

  Something about what part. What part of what? Oh, Alaska. He smiled and shook his head. “I’m sorry I’m so distracted. You are simply a delight to look at.” He glanced away from her becoming blush and silently reprimanded himself. A fling. That’s all he was looking for. A fling. He cleared his throat and ignored the other blonde trying to lean around Treya and see him more fully. “I’m mostly from Anchorage, but sometimes I make my way to Juneau.”

  Reaching up, Jasper adjusted his hat. Things were starting to get warm. He didn’t want to talk about himself. He wanted to know what it would take to get her to go out with him. As soon as she found out he was a Bailey, she’d change her mind. The goal would be to keep things a secret, but how would he get her to agree to that? Most Smythe women wanted to flaunt their men on their arms for all the world to see. Was Treya going to be the same way?

  “That sounds fascinating. I work over in Taylor Falls in the clinic, but I’ve never been further than Missoula. Are the moose really as big as they’re rumored to be up there?” She hadn’t taken her large blue eyes off him. He’d never been the center of such intense focus. He kind of liked her direct studying. The woman was bold and he couldn’t help but like her more.

  Jasper chuckled. “The full-grown moose down here are like babies compared to the ones up there. Even the mountains here are small.” He sighed as he took in the purple shadows of the Rockies just over yonder. “But there’s something about Montana that calls to ya, you know?” He glanced at Treya, surprised she had a look of sadness in her eyes.

  After a moment, she nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” She glanced over her shoulder and then scooted back in her seat, nodding forward as she folded her arms. “It looks like it’s about to start.”

  Jasper paused, taking in the scene of her despondency before turning toward the wedding ceremony unfolding in front of him. When had the seats filled up to where there was standing room only? He moved his bag from the seat beside him and motioned toward a gentleman standing behind the row that he could have the seat. The man nodded, his smile tight and polite.

  Following Treya’s gaze, Jasper couldn’t stop the half-smile on his lips. Leave it to Titus to look as though he lifted weights six hours a day and wear jeans to his own wedding. The only thing that was traditional about his wedding attire was the black cummerbund. He even wore a bolo tie under the collar of his white button-down shirt. A special black Stetson set off the shape of the Bailey jaw and Jasper suddenly swallowed past a lump in his throat.

  Man, he’d missed his older brother something fierce. He just hadn’t realized it until that moment how much.

  Titus approached from the Bailey side, his gaze directed across the wooden arch as he stared at a woman in a pristine white dress climbing the bridge. She didn’t try to stick to the pacing set by her father and the music trying to waft through the park from the far side. When had the band gotten there? Had Jasper been so wrapped up in Treya that he’d missed the band playing music?

  His brother was about to marry a woman that, from the look on his face, he loved completely. The adoration on Titus’s face gave Jasper pause as he waited for them to meet at the peak of the bridge where the arch and the pastor stood.

  The rest of the wedding guests seemed to hold their breath as if they didn’t want the event to happen, as if glaring at the couple would stop the event in its tracks. There was nothing breaking the delirium of happiness Titus and Abby were wrapped in.

  Even Jasper could see that.

  Treya sighed beside him, tears sparkling on her lashes as she watched the two uniting the feuding clans.

  Jasper understood exactly how she felt. He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and took one of her hands in his, keeping his gaze trained on the couple getting married.

  Stiffening, Treya turned and stared at him a moment. Then she seemed to relax as she turned back to watch the wedding. Jasper exhaled softly. He hadn’t known what to expect when he’d boldly taken her hand, but he didn’t reach out to cajole her into liking him more. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he needed the connection.

  Watching his brother take on a wife he obviously cared deeply for was like watching a man walk the plank. There’d be nothing but heartache in the end. It always came down to that and Jasper had left six years before to escape watching his family, extended and otherwise, fall victim to it.

  He needed to hold Treya’s hand for a smidgeon of comfort. As Titus leaned in to kiss Abby, Jasper couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to k
iss the woman beside him. Weddings did crazy things to a man’s heart.

  As soon as he was able and without seeming rude, he’d let go of her hand. Until that point, he’d just enjoy the sensation of her soft skin in his and the wonder at how delicate her fingers felt. He hadn’t realized how petite she really was.

  The crowd should have cheered as Titus kissed his bride. The shocked silence stunned Jasper a moment. Releasing Treya’s hand, he stood, keeping his hat down a bit over his face as he clapped and whistled for the newly-married couple. He didn’t approve of the marriage, but that didn’t mean he was going to let anyone ruin his brother’s day.

  He didn’t want to be recognized yet. The last thing he needed was for any chance with Treya to wash away on the water of the stream.

  A few more people stood, clapping politely, as more and more joined the crowd. Soon, the majority of both sides honored Titus and Abby, some a bit more reluctantly than others.

  Treya’s top of her head reached his shoulder. Jasper couldn’t stop himself from looking down at her. She was like a little imp and he smiled. He didn’t want to get attached. There was too much at stake for that to happen. He wanted to come back home, but he’d never be able to pull off something long term with a Smythe. He wasn’t Titus.

  Wasn’t that part of his problem?

  Chapter 4

  Treya

  Jasper was from Alaska. Treya couldn’t stop thinking about that fact, or the fact that he wasn’t from a small town there. No, he was from the biggest city – that she knew of – and he had only a backpack with him. That had to mean he would be going back.

  If she could get him to fall for her, maybe he’d take her with him. She could deal with the details after that. As she snuck small glances his direction, though, Treya could see he wouldn’t be hard to fall for. There was a gentleness around his mouth that made her weak in the knees.

  She wouldn’t be allowed at the reception. Standing her spot clapping for the bride and groom, something Jasper had started, Treya experienced a sudden rush of panic. She wouldn’t see him again. She had to see him again.

  Debra leaned over, rudely keeping her arms folded across her chest, her lips pursed like she’d tasted a lemon. “I’m leaving. There’s a party over at Stephanie’s to celebrate another Smythe getting married. They’ve decided to leave out the Bailey part. Good luck with that one.” She arched her eyebrow as she glanced past Treya before turning and walking out of the row.

  As more and more people filtered out of the Smythe side, Treya dropped her hands to her sides. Titus and Abby went down the side of the bridge where the Baileys had been and where the clapping was the loudest. Even though Jasper had started the applause, which Treya found very admirable, the Bailey clan had taken it up with vigor.

  And why shouldn’t they? Wasn’t the goal of the Baileys to get rid of the Smythes? If the curse were true, by Titus marrying Abby, she was doomed to either die or leave later. Either way, she’d be gone from Bailey. As morbid as it was to think about, Treya was a Smythe and they thought of little else.

  She didn’t see the sparkling water as it bubbled in the stream through the park. She didn’t see the blue skies overhead or the green, well-manicured lawns. All she could see was the tightening hold of the town as it clenched ever more surely around her. She had to escape, she knew she did, but she couldn’t do it alone.

  Some people were adventurers and could do those things by themselves. Others, like her, needed someone with them. Treya could at least acknowledge that about herself.

  If she wanted anything, though, she had to be brave. More people left their seats, ambling away from the wedding. Treya’s chest rose and fell as her gaze flicked over the crowd, trying to take in how much time she had before Jasper left. He hadn’t asked her for her number. Why should he? He would be leaving, she had no doubt about that.

  Taking a deep breath, Treya turned toward him, careful to focus on his face which was as distracting as the breadth of his shoulders. “I’m not sure how long you’re in town, Jasper, but maybe you’d like to get together before you leave.” Was she nonchalant enough? Did she come across as desperate? She was desperate, she just didn’t need to present herself that way.

  From under the wide brim of his dark hat, Jasper glanced in the direction of the Baileys and then back down at Treya, the green of his eyes almost familiar. For a split second, she considered that maybe he could be a Bailey, but then shook that thought from her mind. No Bailey would sit with the Smythes. Not just because it wouldn’t be allowed, but because they just wouldn’t do that.

  Jasper reclaimed Treya’s hand, which hadn’t stopped tingling since the last time he’d surprisingly held it. A slow half-smile triggered an electric landslide through Treya’s chest. “I would love that. I don’t want to go to a restaurant or anything, though. What do you think about a picnic, just the two of us, out by the creek running past the old Smythe place? I don’t want to be interrupted getting to know you.”

  Overtaken by the romance in his words, Treya nodded slowly. After she realized she stared at him, mutely, she shook her head and blinked. “I mean, yes. Did you want me to bring the dinner?” She could pack all kinds of things. She wasn’t a bad cook, if she did say so herself.

  He squeezed her hand and shook his head. “Nope, Treya Smythe. You just be there at four tomorrow afternoon. Bring an appetite.” He winked and reached up, tugging on the brim of his hat like tipping it forward. “It was nice meeting you. I need to go secure me a place to stay.” Releasing her hand and bending down, Jasper swung his backpack up to his shoulder and cast one last glance at Treya before he walked down the now-empty row and disappeared past the edge of the park.

  Had a man just offered to provide a picnic on the banks of a creek for her? His idea. Had Treya died and gone to heaven? She glanced around before pinching herself. No, she wasn’t dreaming. He was from out of town. Maybe, just maybe, she’d get a chance to go after her dreams.

  ~~~

  Treya sipped the punch in the single-use plastic cup. She couldn’t decide if the drink was fruit punch or some kind of lemonade. Whatever it was, she had no doubt half the content was sugar.

  Standing against the side wall at the community rec center on the opposite side of town from the library, she watched family members mingling with each other. Her mom had decided to forego the wedding and party, stating she didn’t need to witness the spectacle to know it would be a fiasco. Treya’s mom hadn’t been wrong on that account.

  Even though it was mid-afternoon, the inside of the rec center was dim like it was evening. Blinds had been lowered into place to amp up the party atmosphere and multi-colored lights glowed from the edges of the large room. Music seeped from speakers set up on-stage and Treya couldn’t shake the sensation she was at a very old version of a high school dance.

  Round tables covered in plastic tablecloths offered more options than standing against the wall, but Treya didn’t want to go anywhere else. She was close to leaving as it was.

  From the side, Debra sidled up to Treya with a couple other women on the Smythe side that Treya had only met once or twice and never really spoken to. “So, Treya, I see you made it out of the wedding with your hand intact.” She smirked, her joke falling flat. The women with her tittered like they hadn’t heard anything as funny in a long time.

  Unsure where Debra was going with her comments, Treya smiled and gripped her drink. “It was a nice wedding.” One she should have just gone straight home from and thought about her date the next night.

  “Did you think he was going to stick around for you or something? He looked like a drifter. If I didn’t know better, he could have passed for a Bailey.” Debra cocked her head to the side while her followers gasped.

  “What do you know about him?” Treya narrowed her eyes at her cousin. Debra had Treya’s attention. Treya folded her arms, letting her drink dangle from her fingers off to the side.

  “Not much more than you. Just that he seemed rather brazen to c
heer for the Smythe and Bailey union which only means he’s not from here. No one else did that. It is obviously not going to be a good mix. If he’s not from here, he probably won’t want to stick around. You shouldn’t get your hopes up.” Debra’s smile lacked any friendliness as she glanced back at the women with her. “Let’s go see what Mrs. Davies is up to. My mom said she was bringing some nephews with her, but I don’t see anyone.”

  Glancing back at Treya, Debra offered a cold smile. “See you next time, Treya.” She walked away, the other women with her following like ducks.

  Treya didn’t reply. If everything went according to plan, she wouldn’t be in Bailey, Montana the next time Debra was in town. She just didn’t want to waste her life anymore.

  Moving woodenly toward the nearest table, Treya set her drink down and smiled at an older woman she vaguely remembered as a great-aunt.

  “You’re still in town, Treya. Are you going to go out and find a husband and come back to Bailey or are you accepting the Smythe plight and being alone?” The woman, what was her name? Treya wanted to say it was Rachel, but she couldn’t remember for sure. Anyway, the woman’s bold curiosity set Treya on edge after her run-in with Debra who had been pleasant enough at the wedding and then resembled an old version of the Mean Girls movie at the reception.

  Smiling politely, Treya ignored the question and turned, headed toward the exit. There was no reason to hang around the depressed party when it felt more like a funeral wake than anything else. When was the last time the Smythe’s had anything to celebrate?

  As Treya walked home, she bit her lip and tried to appreciate the warm evening. The mountains worked on claiming the sun behind them, sending streaks of brilliant purple and orange across the horizon.