Tangled Up Hearts

by Hughes, Deborah

  Alyssa finally moved, passing him without so much as a pause and leaving a trail of her perfume in her wake. Cole breathed in the fragrance. She was wearing that last night. His body tightened and he took a moment to settle it.

  Alyssa stormed toward Cole's truck in a fit of temper. What on earth was his problem? His determination to ignore her should have pleased her. It didn't. It pissed her off. She hoisted herself up into her seat and watched as he came around to join her. Was he embarrassed at her finding him inebriated last night? Or was it her company, now he was sober, that he couldn’t stand?

  Cole got in beside her, started the engine, put his truck into gear and then proceeded to the church without glancing once in her direction.

  Alyssa twisted around in her seat to glare at him. As her anger mounted, her glares became more pronounced. Not that he noticed the mental daggers. Or the wounded gazes. The minutes ticked by and she became aware of more than the fact that he wouldn't look at her. His posture was rigid, tense. Further inspection landed on his hands which were wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. Was he upset about what happened between them? Well, so was she. But she was more upset with herself than with him. In fact, she was finding it impossible to calm her over-active imagination and drive all the unwanted thoughts of last night out of her very persistent mind. Why was it so difficult? Now she was facing this cold, remote stranger beside her, she couldn’t believe they had shared such incredible passion. But they did. And she couldn't forget it. It was all so hopeless. Giving up on his giving her any attention, Alyssa turned away and stared blindly out the window.

  When Alyssa finally let out a sigh and turned away, Cole let himself relax a bit and chanced a glance in her direction. It was a relief to not have her staring daggers at him, especially when he wasn't sure why. Was she mad because he'd been drunk last night? Did he do anything inappropriate? Something had to have happened to put her on edge because every time she looked at him there was something in her eyes that made him want to squirm. Right now, however, she seemed quite determined to ignore him and he found it rather convenient because he'd been wanting to get a good look at her and now he could do just that. Sitting as she was, her dress pulled up enough to show off her sexy legs, he gave a silent whistle of appreciation. The girl was gorgeous and therein was the problem. All he wanted to do was look at her. Like now when he was supposed to be concentrating on his driving. Try as he might, he just couldn't get his eyes to obey his head. She was worth looking at, staring at. Ogling. In fact, she deserved his complete attention. Wishing he could stop this annoying obsession, Cole's fingers flexed on the steering wheel. He'd give anything to have the freedom to reach over and slide his hands across those smooth, shapely legs of hers.

  Sweat broke out on his brow. He had to get the hell out of this truck. Think of something boring, Cole. Get a damn grip. His foot pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. Why the hell did his sister have to choose a church so damned far away to get married in? He tried doing mathematical calculations in his head. The diversion helped. Some of the heated tension in his loins was slowly relaxing. He pulled into the church parking lot and barely contained his sigh of relief.

  Once they were parked, Alyssa wasted no time escaping him. Cole watched her rapidly retreating figure and closed his eyes for a brief moment of fortification. Well that was a pretty clear message of what she thought of him. Last night couldn’t have happened. Not the way he was remembering it.

  Alyssa entered the church and caught sight of Paul the moment she stepped through the door. She rushed to him with relief flooding her system. Never was she so happy to see him as she was in that moment. “Paul, I’m so glad you came.” She gave him a hug, making it last longer than usual but she needed his strength.

  After giving her a moment, sensing something was wrong, Paul stepped back, his hands sliding around to take hers. With a gentle, reassuring squeeze to her fingers, he gave her a sweeping glance and nodded in approval. “You look beautiful, Alyssa.”

  "Thanks, Paul." Thankful for his comforting presence, her grip tightened. More than anything, she wished she could just stay with him for the rest of the evening.

  Wondering at the cause of her tension, Paul was about to ask her when he looked past her shoulder and got his answer. Cole was coming towards them looking about as disturbed as she did. So they were at it again. Not sure what he could do to ease the situation, Paul gave her hands a reassuring squeeze before letting them go and turning to the man now standing silently beside her. Holding out his hand in greeting, Paul offered him a friendly smile. “Cole, it's good to see you again.”

  Though he was loathe to be civil to the one man Alyssa seemed to truly care for, Cole forced himself to shake Paul's hand. Watching their touching little greeting had him seething with resentment and the fact he felt that way only added to his irritation. The guy seemed like a pretty decent fellow and that’s what made it so difficult for him. It would be so much easier to dislike him if he was as flawed as her other boyfriends.

  Realizing he needed to say something, Cole settled on the politest response he could come up with. “Trisha will be pleased that you're here.” It came out sounding stilted and he didn't care. He didn’t like how Alyssa was crazy about the guy and that was all there was to it.

  Puzzled by Cole’s response, Paul took a step back and glanced around, looking for a polite reason to be on his way. Last thing he wanted to do was cause any trouble. “Well then, I guess I better go find myself a seat.” He pressed a quick kiss to Alyssa’s cheek then hurried off before she dreamed up an excuse to keep him there.

  Alyssa whirled around and pinned Cole with a narrow-eyed glare. Well aware she needed to keep up friendly appearances, she lowered her voice to a quiet hiss. “You have no need to be so rude to Paul.”

  Cole’s face tightened, his jaw going rigid. “I was not being rude.”

  "You acted as if you wanted to punch him rather than shake his hand. Your attitude stinks."

  “Look,” he snapped. “I don’t take dictation from you on what kind of attitude is appropriate to display.”

  Alyssa’s mouth dropped open in shock. Why was he talking to her that way? There was no excuse for his being such an ass. Tears stung the back of her eyes and she blinked to keep them at bay. Nothing would ever change between them. The realization hurt more than she cared to admit. Not trusting herself to say another word, she swung around and made for the room Trisha was using until the ceremony began.

  “Alyssa? Is something wrong?” Trisha's perceptive gaze narrowed with worry the moment she spied her friend's face.

  Jenna turned from her task of fussing with the veil to look at Alyssa in mutual concern.

  “No. Nothing's wrong. I just … I just got to thinking about the wedding and well … aren’t people supposed to cry at weddings?” She blinked rapidly, praying for calm and desperate to ignore her hurt feelings.

  Smiling with relief that nothing was seriously wrong and getting watery herself, Trisha rushed to her and gave her a hug, taking care not to wrinkle their dresses or mess up their hair. “You are such a sensitive friend, Al. I love you, you know that?”

  “I love you too, Trish. You are so very lucky to be marrying Jack. As for him, well, he struck gold.” She pulled from the embrace and somehow managed to warble out a smile. Although she truly was happy for her friend, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever have someone love her as Jack loved Trisha. With her chest aching from the pressure of holding back her turbulent emotions, Alyssa turned away and crossed the room toward the mirror. "I better check my makeup." Lifting her gaze upward, she sent up a heartfelt prayer. Please, please, please, God, help me through this. Don’t let me ruin Trisha’s wedding in any way.

  They heard the music start up, signaling them that the ceremony was about to begin, and Trisha's father entered the room. “It’s time, sweetheart.” He tucked his daughter’s hand in the crook of his arm and motioned for Alyssa to precede them out
the door. “Shall we give this young lady to her man now?”

  Alyssa winked at her best friend and headed out the door, pausing briefly when she saw all the pews filled nearly to capacity. Of course it was a small country church but still, it was a lot of people for such a short-notice wedding. With a sea of eyes upon her, Alyssa drew in a deep breath and started down the aisle. And it was right then that it really hit her what was happening. Her best friend was getting married. Images floated through her mind of herself and Trisha sharing laughter and good times. They were warm, wonderful memories and they brought a smile to her lips. This was Trisha’s golden day and she couldn’t be happier for her deserving friend.

  Jack and Cole stood facing her and she focused on Jack. He looked slightly nervous but happy and excited. Their eyes connected and he gave her a warm smile, nodding with approval as he took in her appearance. Smiling back, Alyssa told herself to not look at Cole but she couldn't seem to keep her eyes from straying there anyway. His expression was shuttered, his mouth pressed in a firm line, a muscle twitching along his jaw. When their eyes connected, there was no smile but the intensity of his gaze made her stomach flutter with nerves. What was he thinking? It was hard to ascertain anything from his stern expression. One thing for certain...they didn't need anyone catching on that they were staring at each other. So she pulled her gaze away then cast it out over the sea of watchful faces and found Paul.

  Seeing that she'd spotted him, he gave her a small wave and winked. Her smile widened. Dear, sweet, Paul. He would get her through this night. The thought relaxed her and she made it to the end of the aisle feeling better than she had at the beginning of it. Once she was standing in place, she turned to watch Trisha’s last walk as a single woman and heard Jack’s intake of breath when she appeared with her father.

  The ceremony was one of the loveliest she’d ever attended. Not that she'd attended many. Only this one, but still. Trisha’s voice was filled with so much emotion when she said her vows that it made Alyssa's eyes water. Jack’s voice was strong and sure, the love emanating from him leaving no doubt that he cherished his bride and was proud to become her husband. When the priest finally announced them man and wife, Alyssa couldn’t keep the tears from falling. Her eyes lifted and caught Cole’s. His gaze held hers throughout Trisha's and Jack's first kiss as a married couple. When they finally drew apart, Trisha turned to Alyssa and gave her a hug, breaking their contact.

  “Thank you for being such a wonderful friend.” Trisha squeezed her tightly for a moment then pulled back to smile at her with eyes shimmering in tears.

  Alyssa managed a wobbly smile in return, not trusting herself to speak.

  After nodding in understanding for Alyssa's loss for words, Trisha gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then turned to her brother who pulled her into a long, exuberant hug.

  "I love you, sis. Be happy." He pressed a kiss to her forehead then stepped back so Jack could claim her once again.

  Grinning at each other, joy obviously bursting within them, Trisha and Jack linked hands and walked down the aisle, smiling and waving as people cheered and called out their congratulations.

  Cole stepped close to Alyssa and offered his arm. She took it with much reluctance, her hand barely touching him. They followed the couple before them in a far quicker pace, each of them doing their best to hide their strained relationship and pretend that everything was fine.

  When they stepped out onto the church steps and Alyssa saw the photographer snapping photos, she dropped her hand from Cole's arm then did her best to blend with the crowd. It wasn't going to be possible to avoid having her picture taken but she was sure as heck going to try anyway. Maybe Trisha, in her joy, would forget about her. The last thing she wanted was to have her picture taken with Cole.

  There were several family photos taken before Alyssa's hopes sunk into oblivion. The moment Trisha's gaze starting skimming the crowd, she knew what was coming and braced herself for it.

  “Al, you need to be part of these pictures now get over here!"

  Jack added his encouragement to the mix. "Yes, Al, get on over here and look beautiful with my lovely wife."

  Alyssa made it through the throng on leaden feet. The ensuing pictures would no doubt include she and Cole standing close together and she wasn't looking forward to it one bit.

  The first few shots weren't too bad for Alyssa focused on Trisha and Jack. But then Trisha took her hand and Cole's and joined them together. “We must have a picture with just our Best Man and Maid-of-Honor.” Catching Alyssa’s reluctant eye, Trisha waved off any possible argument. “Come on, Al.”

  Though she wanted to grind her teeth and growl with frustration, Alyssa dutifully placed herself next to Cole and did her best to look like she was okay with the deplorable task. Though she smiled dutifully, a running dialogue of protest raced through her thoughts. This was just great. If she didn’t love her friend so much, she’d be sorely tempted to bonk her on the head.

  Cole knew he was standing stiff as a board but the tension flowing through him made it difficult to relax. Alyssa's tension was so strong it was coming off her in waves. Surely Trisha was going to notice? Though she stood there smiling, it was not a natural smile and her eyes didn't have their usual sparkle. She was not happy to be photographed with him and it was really quite obvious. Not exactly pleased with the situation himself, at least he wasn't seething over it. What was the big deal anyway? Couldn't she just let things be for a few minutes and go with it?

  The photographer lowered his camera and shook his head at them. “No, no, no. Look happy. This is a happy day!”

  “No kidding. You both look like you’re attending a funeral,” Trisha said, mild accusation taking some of the joy from her eyes. She glanced from one to the other, her face darkening with worry.

  It didn't help that those gathered around were watching them with interest and muttering teasing comments. Alyssa could take that well enough but when she saw her parents' mixed expressions of curiosity and puzzlement, it was all she could do not to groan out loud. They'd be asking questions later, she just knew it. As for Jenna, well she looked worried. Not Thomas, though. He seemed to be quite amused. Just what, Alyssa wondered, did he find so funny?

  "Come now, arms around each other...and smile." The photographer was losing some patience. He had a schedule to keep and he wasn't about to let them bungle it.

  Panic surged through Alyssa when Cole slid his arms across her shoulders. Cameras had a way of capturing things, certain expressions, that she wasn’t prepared for anyone to see. Thanks to his touch, images from last night were filtering through her head, making her heart jump and skip in response. Heat spread through her and she shifted uncomfortably. His hand curled around her bare shoulder and Alyssa briefly closed her eyes, wishing the contact didn't affect her as much as it did. Little shivers raced up and down her spine, giving her the strangest compulsion to move closer. God, what was happening? Cole was her nemesis for cripe sakes.

  “Let’s not be all day, folks," someone called from the crowd. "We still have the reception to get to and I’m hungry.”

  The comment was followed by enthusiastic clapping and calls of encouragement.

  The injured look on Trisha's face caused Alyssa's panic to spread. They needed to get through this and quickly. As it was they were attracting far too much attention. Alyssa turned slightly toward Cole and slid an arm around his waist. Then, with a lift of her chin, she let go of her resentment and looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Forbidden thoughts filled her mind, thoughts of Cole’s arms wrapped around her, his mouth plundering hers, his body pressed close. She allowed the feelings to invade her body. Allowed the ecstasy his kisses brought her to shine through. Hopefully he'd mistake whatever he saw in her eyes as great acting. Hopefully.

  Cole sucked in his breath. Mesmerized by the look in her eyes, he stared back and didn't care if his eyes reflected the sensual images running rampant through his mind. The damned photographer better hurry the hell
up or he was going to be giving them one heck of a picture.

  “Ah, that is much better.” Several pictures were snapped while instructions were given on how to stand for each shot. An eternity later, it was over. "That should do it, thanks."

  Alyssa stepped away from Cole and looked for Paul, finding him with her parents. He gave her a smile when she joined them, his eyes meeting hers and conveying his understanding. Alyssa smiled back. It was good to have someone around who understood what she was going through.

  Trisha blew her a kiss. “We’ll meet you at the reception!” She then grabbed Jack's hand and they ran to the waiting limo while well-wishers called out and threw bird seed at them. The Mourning Doves and pigeons that hung out around the church were going to have a great dinner!

  Cole made his way to Alyssa and touched her arm. "Shall we head over to the reception?”

  "Oh, well, I thought I'd ride with Paul." Alyssa turned to her friend. "Is that okay?"

  Before Paul could answer, her mother shook her head. "You should ride with Cole, Allie. The photographer will be there waiting to take more pictures and I think you should arrive together. In fact, I believe the limo is waiting for you to follow behind them."

  Alyssa turned to see that was exactly the case. The tinted windows made it impossible to see Trisha and Jack but the limo driver was definitely watching them. Not wanting to cause another scene or raise more questions in her parents' minds, Alyssa reluctantly agreed with her mother. She gave Paul a parting hug. "I'll see you at the reception then."

  They went to his truck in a manner quite different than they had earlier. At least Cole was acknowledging her presence and she wasn't pretending to be ignoring his. He opened the door for her and let his gaze slide over her legs as she settled into her seat.