by Dylann Crush
“No.” Samantha gasped.
He could see where she was going with this so he decided to ad-lib a bit. “It was my ring. The waiter took it to the wrong table. Like hell some other guy was going to get credit for my proposal.”
“Not to mention that two-carat yellow diamond.” Lacey laughed as she skimmed her hand over his arm. “That poor woman was so sad. The other couple left the restaurant with her in tears.”
“After you stomped on her foot,” Bodie added. Lacey squeezed his arm. “She really thought the schmuck she was with was proposing. She told everyone they’d been dating for seven years. So she tried to take the ring back from me.”
“But you held on tight, right?” Samantha asked.
“No.” Bodie shrugged. “She caught me off guard. Grabbed it right out of my hand as I went down on one knee. It fell on the floor and Lacey got down on her hands and knees to find it. You should have seen her crawling around in that miniskirt she had on. I think one of the busboys got some video of it.”
“I’m assuming you captured the moment as well.”
“Of course,” he said.
At the same time Lacey blurted, “Sadly, no.”
“So which is it?” Samantha asked.
Lacey glanced to Bodie, her hand to her temple, a question in her eyes.
What was the big deal? “I’m pretty sure we got at least one good one.”
“I’d love to include it in the article. I’m thinking this could be bigger. Maybe we’ll do a small piece in the issue ahead of the big one. Can you get that to me by the end of the month?” Samantha reached into her bag.
While she rummaged in her purse, Lacey elbowed him in the gut. So maybe he’d taken it a tad far in his effort to one-up her. He’d find someone at the station to fudge a pic of them together. No big deal.
“I’d love to. I can probably even send one or two of our early dates if you’d like.” He glanced at Lacey. Her eyes just about bugged out of her head. This was fun.
“The two of you are so right together. I’m sure our readers would love that.”
“So right.” He wanted to belly laugh at that remark. If he and Lacey were so right together then how come everything had gone down so wrong?
“Tell me what it’s like working so closely together?” Samantha changed the subject. “Have you ever had any conflict of interest seeing as how Lacey’s the mayor and you’re the sheriff?”
“Sheriff’s deputy,” Lacey corrected. “Although rumor has it my main squeeze has some pretty big career aspirations.” The glint in her eye could have sparked a fire.
“It’s good to have dreams,” Bodie said.
“Have you clashed over city issues? Where’s the conflict?”
“We have plenty of sparks, if you get my drift.” Bodie lifted a brow, trying to make light of the gray area they were wading through.
“Yes, we’ve had conflicts,” Lacey answered. “His family closed down their business recently, causing half the town to lose their jobs. As mayor, that put a giant wrench in my plans to keep our economy going.”
“Bodie, how’s that possible? How involved are you in the family business?”
“My dad and grandfather handle everything. They don’t run their decisions past me. It’s unfortunate but you’d have to ask them for their reasons.”
“You said you wanted to talk about how the wedding plans are going,” Lacey said, changing the subject.
Grateful for a bit of a reprieve, Bodie kept quiet while she and Samantha talked about all of the upcoming decisions they’d have to make. What kind of flowers did they want? Were they going with a theme? How about a groom’s cake? Would there be a bachelor and bachelorette party? Hell no to that. He’d seen the kind of damage Lacey could do when let loose with the girls for an evening.
He finished his brisket and went back for another helping. Lacey might be a hot mess when it came to some things, but the woman sure could cook.
“So Bodie, you’ll get that photo to me? And one with the ring?” Samantha asked as she slid her notebook into her bag.
“Sure. I’ll get right on that.” And by “get right on that” he meant he’d try to figure out a way to manipulate something that would pass.
“It would be great if you could include the name of the restaurant. Couples are always looking for places to pop the question.”
“It was the Cattleman,” he offered.
“Oooh, I’ve heard that place is nice.” Samantha turned to Lacey. “You’re a lucky woman.”
“Don’t I know it.” Lacey blew him a kiss then stuck out her tongue as Samantha reached back to put on her jacket.
Why was she giving him the stink eye? He’d gone along with her crazy talk. For now. Someone would have to set the record straight though before this got out of hand.
“Thanks again for sharing your story. I’ll be in touch with some potential dates for the camera crew to come down.”
Lacey held the door open, the casual grin on her face not giving any outward sign of what was going on inside that crazy head of hers.
“That sounds great. I’ll talk to you soon.” She shut the door gently, letting it barely click closed before she spun around and glared at him.
thirty-two
Lacey advanced, her pointer finger leading the way, jabbing the air with sharp thrusts. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Bodie sidestepped her attack.
Was the man really so dense that he didn’t realize he’d just made the situation at least twice, if not three times, as bad? “Why didn’t you let me handle that? I told you to be quiet and play along.”
“That was before you made me out to be some nerdy poet. ‘Sunflowers are yellow’? Are you kidding me?”
“That’s better than telling her we got engaged at Cattleman’s. And that you have photographic proof. Where are you going to come up with those pictures you promised her?” She could feel a migraine coming on. The kind that would require complete darkness and silence, not an argument over their fake engagement.
“I’ll figure it out. That’s nothing compared to the two-carat yellow diamond engagement ring you said you got.” He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick out in all directions. Reminded her of how he looked when she woke up next to him yesterday. How could that have been only a day ago? So much had changed since then. Almost gave her whiplash trying to wrap her head around it.
“Can we pick this up again tomorrow? I need to get home.”
“Sure, why not? You seem to be the one in charge here. No matter that I didn’t have a say before you outed me as your groom. Did you even think to ask me first?”
Lacey tried to tune him out. Her headache was coming on like a freight train and she needed to take one of her pills and lie down before she ended up missing the chance and having to spend the next two days in bed. “I’m sorry, okay?”
He paused in his rant and put his hands on the counter. “So what next, Mayor Cherish? What’s the big plan?”
She took one look at him and made a mad dash for the bathroom. Her knees barely hit the floor when the little bit she’d had for dinner came back up. Damn migraine. Damn Bodie. Damn everything.
“Lacey, are you okay?” He paused in the doorway to the bathroom, genuine concern evident in his eyes.
“Headache,” she managed to mutter. “Pill’s in my purse.”
“I got it.” He disappeared down the hall, leaving her to curse herself for not heeding the early signs. She knew from experience when she felt one of her migraines coming on she needed to drop everything, take a pill, and go to bed. But with Samantha giving them the third degree it had been her chance to set the publicity plan in motion—something she needed to do if she had any hope of saving the town.
Bodie came back, a glass of water and one of her pills in hand. “Here you go.” His voice lacked t
he sharpness of earlier.
She nodded, taking the pill and swallowing. How was she going to get home? She couldn’t see straight enough to walk down the hall, much less drive herself ten miles in the dark.
Bodie must have read her mind. “You can take my bed tonight. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“It’s okay. Just let me lie down for a few minutes.” She rested her head against the cabinet, too tired to even think about getting up.
“Come on, Sweets.” Bodie leaned down and scooped her up into his arms.
She groaned at the movement. It had been a long time since one of her headaches had come on so fast and fierce.
“I’ve got you.” He angled her through the bathroom door then took soft steps down the hall.
“Don’t be silly. Just put me on the couch and I’ll get myself home when I feel better.” She tried to push against his chest. Her head seemed to weigh forty pounds and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and wish her headache away.
“Shh.” He stepped through the doorway to his bedroom and gently set her on the bed. “What can I do for you?” he whispered.
“Just leave me alone for a while.” She wanted to roll out of his arms but didn’t dare move.
He pulled back slowly then climbed on the bed beside her. “Come here.” With long, gentle strokes his fingers smoothed the hair back from her temple.
The tension in her head eased a bit. Bodie continued to stroke her hair, his chest pressed against her back. Maybe it was the calming scent of what had to be freshly washed sheets. Or it could have been the warmth she felt with his front pushed against her back. Whatever it was, it eased her headache from debilitating to slightly less so.
She waited until her pill took effect then closed her eyes. Taking a short rest before she tried to head home would be the smart thing to do.
* * *
* * *
She woke to the thump-thump-thump of a heartbeat against her ear. It was impossible to see in the inky darkness. She remembered Bodie, arguing in front of the reporter from the Texas Times and then a monster headache coming on.
Propping herself up on an elbow, she squinted at the clock on the nightstand. Four thirty in the morning? Her dad had probably been worried sick about her. She tried to get up but something pinned her in place. One of Bodie’s arms clamped around her middle. Just like the other night. For a moment she wanted to lie still, linger in his arms, and pretend they were just a guy and a gal, not the warring deputy sheriff and mayor, both trying to protect and save something they loved that happened to be in direct conflict with each other. Wriggling, she tried to free herself.
“Hey.” His breath brushed against her cheek. Sleepiness edged his voice, making it sound gravelly, even borderline sexy. “You feel any better?”
“Yeah, I should go. Dad’s probably wondering where I am.”
Bodie’s arm tightened. “I called him last night. Told him you had a migraine and were going to stay here.”
“You did what?” She tried to flip around to face him. He loosened his grip a little and she rolled over.
His hand skimmed up and down her back. “Didn’t want him to worry.”
“I need to get home.”
“Why?” His question gnawed at her resistance. “Alarm’s set for six thirty. Just go back to sleep.”
“I can’t sleep with you.” She spoke into the soft cotton of his T-shirt.
His chest rose and fell as he let out a soft laugh. “Too late for that. Besides, aren’t we engaged now?”
Heat slapped her cheeks. Engaged. That’s right. If she wanted to hang on to the promo opportunity, she and Bodie would need to pretend to be engaged. With his arms enveloping her, the sound of his heart against hers, and the intoxicating scent surrounding her, she wished with all her might she’d picked someone else to be fake engaged to. But her options were limited. No one else had as much to gain or lose by keeping up the charade.
“You know I wouldn’t have done that if I thought I’d had a choice.” His shirt muffled her words. At least he had one on. For a brief moment she let herself remember what it felt like to be cradled against his bare chest the other day. The heat moved from her cheeks, down her neck, across her breastbone, then lower, uncomfortably lower.
“So here we are.” He reached up, running a finger down her cheek. “How are we supposed to play this now, Mayor?”
“I don’t know. Adeline’s wedding was scheduled for mid-May. That means we only have to pretend to be engaged for a couple of months.”
“Surely you’ll be able to put up with me for that long.”
As his hand ran over the contour of her hip she doubted her resolve. She couldn’t let herself get involved with Bodie. Not now. Not when she knew for certain he’d been hiding things from her.
“You know, I’m going to run home.” She rolled away from the indentation he’d caused in the mattress and let her feet hit the floor.
“You sure?” His fingers wrapped around her arm. “How’s your head?”
“It’s fine. Thanks for taking care of things last night.” Her heart swelled as she remembered what it felt like to get swooped up in his arms. He might have been thrown off by the fake engagement but the concern and gentleness he’d shown had been real, she was sure of it.
“So I’ll see you around?” he asked. “Have you given any thought to how we’re going to break the news of our engagement to everyone?”
No, of course she hadn’t. It had been an impulsive reaction to feeling all of her hopes and dreams for Ido slipping away. “I’ll figure it out.”
He let go of her arm. Her breath returned to normal.
“Let me know when you do. I want to make sure I play a convincing role.” There it was, the tiny bit of bitterness she’d been expecting.
“It’s not like you left me much of a choice.” Even in the dark she could sense his glare, the weight of his disapproval heavy enough to sit like a boulder on her shoulders.
He let out a frustrated breath. “I told you, I don’t want to say anything about the import stuff until I figure out what’s going on.”
“I get it, really I do. But the deal with Swynton and your offer from Buck . . . it’s too much. I don’t know which side you’re on anymore, Bodie.”
The mattress shifted and she felt him stand next to her. “I’m on the right side. I would never do something shady to get ahead. You ought to know that about me by now.”
She felt around for the lamp on the nightstand then flipped the switch, lighting up the room. Bodie stood, his arms crossed over his chest, the look in his eyes daring her to doubt him. She wanted to believe him, she really did. But a tiny sliver of doubt wedged its way in between her heart and her head. It would take more than his denial to show her he meant what he said.
“Can we talk about this later? I need to get home.” What she meant to say was she needed to get away from him, from his broad shoulders and warm hands. She couldn’t think straight in Bodie’s bedroom. Heck, she couldn’t think straight no matter where she was if he was anywhere near her.
“Yeah, go. Just make sure you let me know who I’m supposed to tell what and when.” He ran a hand over the scruff on his chin, the scratch of fingers on whiskers making her want to crawl back into bed and let those strong arms wrap around her, shield her from all of the problems she had waiting for her.
“I’ll put a spreadsheet together.”
“A spreadsheet to track our fake engagement?” His brow furrowed.
She wanted to smooth out the lines creasing his forehead. If she was being honest with herself, she wanted to do a whole lot more than that. But denying herself was one of her superpowers—one she needed to employ more often if she wanted to keep her wits about her.
“Yes. Now that we’re planning a wedding we’ll need to figure out all the details. I’ll also make note of who need
s to know and what we tell them so we don’t mess anything up. Why don’t you get to work on those photos?”
“Yeah, okay.” He followed her to the front door, pausing every time she stopped to scoop up a personal belonging. Seemed like her stuff had exploded all over Bodie’s apartment. Her purse sat on the kitchen counter, her shoes had been kicked off and left on the living room floor.
“Oh, and you may as well keep the brisket.” She turned on him as she reached the front door. “Seeing as how I can’t fully enjoy it due to my massive IBS issues.”
He snickered. “Hey, you were painting me out to be the world’s worst poet. I had to strike back somehow.”
“Touché.” Her hand closed around the doorknob. “I’ll be in touch, okay?”
“You got it.”
As the door closed behind her she fought the temptation to fling it open again and bury herself in Bodie’s arms. That’s the only place she’d felt sheltered from the storm she’d created that now raged around her.
thirty-three
Bodie sat back from the computer. He’d been doing research all morning on cigar importing, except for the breaks he took to look up engagement rings. Did Lacey know the going rate for a two-carat yellow diamond ranged from five grand to over two hundred thousand dollars? Probably. He’d gone from jewelry store websites to costume jewelry websites real quick. The ring he’d chosen should arrive by the end of the week, putting an end to the reporter wondering about the ring. Now he just had to hope she wasn’t some certified gemologist who’d be able to spot a fake.
With the ring issue resolved, he still had to figure out a way to get some photos created. Why’d he have to go and give the name of Cattleman’s? The ultraexclusive steak place didn’t have any interior pictures on their website and he’d never actually been inside. Would Lacey be willing to take a day trip to Houston to snap a few images? If he couldn’t figure out how to fake it, they just might have to.