“We’ll finish this conversation later,” he promised. “In private.”
In private. Somehow those two simple words carried a whole lot of meaning. Just thinking about being alone with Travis McDonald made Sarah tremble with anticipation in a way she hadn’t for a very long time. Maybe he was right about one thing. Maybe it was time she took a giant leap of faith—not in him, but in herself.
16
Travis had been playing things Sarah’s way from the beginning. Other than a few stolen kisses, he’d pretty much kept his distance. Though he’d risked repeated rejections and uttered a string of invitations for the kind of things he thought she might be willing to accept—coffee, a drink, ice cream—he decided it was time to start asking for what he really wanted: a chance to prove how well-suited they were.
Of course, he’d accumulated a lot of evidence that the direct approach didn’t work. She turned him down with such regularity that no was usually on her lips before he could fully form his request.
That left him with trying a more subtle, sneaky approach. Prevailing on Tommy’s love of playing ball had seemed to be the most likely tactic. Though the groups he’d put together were informal and mostly too young to play in any kind of skillful fashion, Tommy clearly loved every second he played. That meant Sarah was at the field Saturday mornings like clockwork. It was evident there was nothing she would deny her son. And since Walter had moved to town and spent part of most weekdays with Tommy, he mostly left the weekends to Sarah. Travis figured that could work to his advantage.
A week after the first practice, he had two groups of kids on the field, with a couple of the dads helping out. It was mostly barely organized chaos, but the boys were having a blast, and so was Travis. He loved seeing kids so excited just to be playing what they thought of as a big-boy game. The skills and rigid rules could come later.
Batting was, quite literally, a hit-or-miss thing. Running the bases was a challenge, since some of the boys tended to be distracted by the sight of mom or dad on the sidelines. Even so, at the end of the hour, Travis was enthusiastic with his praise.
“Okay, kids, how about pizza, just like we do after the older boys play?” he asked.
A chorus of cheers greeted the question. Many of these same kids had tagged along with Mom or Dad after their older brothers played ball and already loved the tradition.
“Moms and dads, any of you who want to come along, I’ll see you in ten minutes at Rosalina’s. The pizza’s on me.” He turned to Sarah, who was hunkered down in front of Tommy, having a conversation that obviously wasn’t going the way she wanted. Tommy’s expression was mutinous.
“Is there a problem?” Travis inquired, joining them.
“I was trying to explain that we need to get home,” Sarah said. “Libby’s there with Raylene, and I don’t like to leave them alone for more than an hour.”
Travis had figured out that Raylene had some issues, but everyone was careful to dance around them. He hadn’t pried. “How about letting Tommy come with me? You can go home and pick up Libby and join us.”
“Yes, please, Mommy,” Tommy said, seizing on the offer. “I’ll go with Travis.”
Just then Annie appeared with Trevor, who’d turned out for this week’s practice. Travis had a hunch she was there mostly to keep an eye on Sarah, or more specifically him and Sarah. She’d made her distrust of him evident more than once.
“Or Tommy can go with us,” she said, her expression all innocence as she offered an alternative Sarah was bound to seize. “We’re going for pizza, too.”
As Travis could have predicted, Sarah immediately looked relieved. “Are you sure, Annie?”
“It’s not a problem,” Annie insisted, turning a triumphant look on Travis as if she’d figured out exactly what he was up to.
“Okay, then,” Travis said, giving in gracefully. “I’ll see you there.”
Once he reached the family-owned Italian restaurant, though, he made sure the table at which Annie was seated with the two boys was too full to accommodate Sarah when she arrived with Libby. Travis gestured for them to join him in the two seats he’d managed to save.
After casting a resigned look toward her friend, Sarah slipped into the chair he was holding for her. He leaned down to whisper, “You had to know I was going to win round two.”
Her startled gaze met his. “Round two?”
“Annie took the first round,” he said.
“I had no idea there was a game,” Sarah said.
“It’s been going on since the day we met,” he told her, enjoying the blush that spread across her cheeks. “Now tell me what kind of pizza you like.”
“Pepperoni for me,” she said. “Plain for Libby.”
“Perfect. I already have you covered. See how well I know you?”
“Lucky guess,” she said. “Don’t most people like either plain or pepperoni?”
He grinned. “Some of us like a little more spice. I’ve added a few jalapenos to mine.”
Though the table was too noisy to pursue a private conversation, Travis managed to find any number of excuses to brush his fingers along Sarah’s arm, touch her shoulder or look into her eyes. By the end of the meal, she was obviously disconcerted, but she didn’t hop right up at the first opportunity and flee. He figured that was progress.
Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that Libby had crawled right into his arms and settled there. She was now fast asleep, snuggled against his chest.
Sarah looked at the two of them and shook her head. “I’m going to have to talk to her about falling for the bad boys.”
“Maybe you should take lessons from her, instead,” he suggested. “She obviously feels safe with me.”
“I know better. Do you realize there are at least three single moms in this room right now who’d like to rip out my heart because I’m sitting here with you and they aren’t? Why not go for the easy score?”
“Because easy doesn’t interest me. You do.”
She regarded him with confusion. “Why?”
“I’m starting to feel a little like I have to keep proving myself, to say nothing of needing to justify the way I feel about you. How do I love thee and all that. Do you really need me to count the ways?”
“It might be helpful.”
“I thought I did a good job just last week of countering all those negatives that obviously play on some reel in your head. Didn’t you believe even one word of that?”
To his shock, her eyes filled with tears before she looked away. “Sarah,” he said quietly, tucking a finger under her chin and forcing her to look at him. “What’s wrong? What did I say?”
“That’s just it,” she whispered. “You say all the right things, everything I want to hear. It scares me.”
“Why?”
“Come on, Travis. Everyone knows what a player you are. You flirt with any female who still has breath in her. How can I possibly believe that you truly mean what you say to me, when the only other man in my life, the man who married me and fathered my kids and probably knew me better than anyone, always said the exact opposite whenever he got the chance? Even now, when he’s apologized and swears he’s reformed, he can’t resist taking a potshot from time to time. He didn’t even think I could cope with being a waitress at Wharton’s, for goodness’ sakes.”
“I thought we’d established that Walter is an idiot.”
She almost smiled at that. “But he’s an idiot who knows me pretty well.”
“No,” Travis said fiercely. His voice must have startled Libby, because she stirred in his arms. He rubbed her back until she sighed and fell back asleep.
Travis lowered his voice. “Maybe Walter knew who you were when he was belittling you every second of the day, though I have my doubts about that. But for sure he doesn’t know the woman you’ve become. You’re building a new life for yourself. You’re strong, and God knows you’re independent.”
She did smile then. “You make that sound like a bad thing.�
�
“Not bad, just exasperating,” he said, grinning at her. “You’re very hard on my ego.”
“Really?”
More than anything else he’d said, that was what pleased her. Go figure, Travis thought. “Yes, Sarah,” he said solemnly. “If any other woman on earth had told me no as often as you have, I’d have given up and moved on.”
“Why haven’t you done that, then?”
He sighed. “I honestly don’t know.”
“It’s probably just the challenge,” she said.
He skimmed the back of a finger down her cheek. “I don’t think so, but I do think I’ll go a little crazy if I don’t get to figure this out.”
Her gaze narrowed. “How?”
“Go out with me on an honest-to-goodness date. We can get dressed up, drive over to Charleston or stay here and go to Sullivan’s, whatever you want. Just you and me, spending a quiet evening together. Despite the amount of time we spend together, we don’t really know each other. Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves to at least do that much?”
“We probably won’t have anything to talk about,” she said, looking flustered.
He chuckled. “I’m not worried. I talk for a living. So do you.”
“If I say yes, you’ll probably lose interest.”
The excuses just tripped off her lips, but he was ready for them.
“I would think me losing interest would make you happy,” he said. “Assuming you’re telling the truth and have no interest in me, it’ll be sort of a put-up-or-shut-up evening.”
She frowned. “I’m not putting out for you.”
He chuckled at her misinterpretation of his meaning. It definitely told him the direction of her thoughts. “Did I say anything that remotely implied sex was part of the evening?” he asked.
“With men like you, dating always leads to sex eventually.”
“Dating usually leads to sex with anybody,” he countered. “Assuming it works out well.” He held her gaze. “And it’s going to work out very, very well with us. I can tell.”
She blushed. “One date, and you promise you’ll stop pestering me?”
“One bad date and I’ll stop pestering you,” he agreed. “If this goes the way I’m anticipating, there will be more pestering and more dating. So, how about it? It’s time to stop listening to Walter’s voice in your head and test the wings of the new you, don’t you think?”
Before she could answer, Annie once again appeared, her timing sucking as usual.
“What are you two talking about?” she asked cheerfully, jamming a chair in between them as Trevor and Tommy climbed up on adjoining chairs and reached for the remaining slices of pizza on the table.
“No more,” Annie told them, drawing scowls, though neither boy retreated. Clearly they planned to wait for her attention to be diverted before grabbing the leftover pizza.
Annie turned back to Sarah. “What’s up?”
“Sarah was just agreeing to go out with me,” Travis told her, all but daring Sarah to contradict him.
Annie scowled. “Really?” She cast a meaningful look in Sarah’s direction. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
Normally that look might have intimidated Sarah, but apparently she’d had enough of being bullied because she immediately turned to Travis. “When?”
Trying not to look as triumphant as Annie had at her earlier victory, he said, “Tomorrow night?”
Sarah nodded. “Seven o’clock?”
“That works for me.” He stood up, eager to leave before she changed her mind.
“Um, Travis,” she said, regarding him with an amused expression. “Are you planning to give me back my daughter?”
He’d gotten so used to holding Libby, he’d almost forgotten he had her. “Sure,” he said, transferring her back into her mother’s arms. He felt oddly bereft when she was gone. That was a new feeling, he thought.
He would have walked away then to ponder the unexpected reaction, but he paused long enough to lean down and whisper in Annie’s ear. “Don’t you dare try to change her mind. She needs this.”
He heard Annie’s indignant gasp, but he left before she could challenge him. He hoped if she took even a couple of minutes to think about his words, she’d see that he was right. Ever since her divorce, Sarah had been petrified to try again. It was time she tested herself at dating and it might as well be with a man who genuinely cared about her. Whatever happened between the two of them down the road, at least she would have taken the first step toward moving on with her life. This time it would be toward a full life, rather than the sheltered existence she seemed willing to settle for.
That afternoon when Travis went for a run with Tom, he told his cousin about his success in getting Sarah to agree to a date. “Now I just have to pray that Annie Townsend doesn’t talk her out of it,” he concluded.
Tom glanced over, his expression serious. “Travis, swear to me this isn’t a game with you.”
Travis tried to rein in his indignation. Surely his own cousin should know him better than that. “I told you it’s not,” he said testily. “Sarah’s great. We click on a lot of levels, if only she’d admit it.”
Tom still looked concerned. “You’re honestly ready to think about settling down?”
Travis regarded him with impatience. “I bought a radio station here and I’m working my butt off to make it successful. I’m in the process of buying a house. What other evidence do you want that I’m here to stay?”
“I’m not questioning your commitment to Serenity, just to sticking with one woman. It’s one thing to play the field in a place like Boston, but around here, it’s not a good idea.”
Travis stopped in his tracks, which brought Tom to a halt a couple of feet ahead of him. His cousin turned back. “What?”
“Here’s the deal. I like Sarah. I’m attracted to her. She’s not a thing in the world like all those women you were talking about in Boston. They knew the score. Despite having been married, Sarah’s still naive. She’s vulnerable in a way that gets to me. I want to protect her. I want to show her just how amazing she is. And if everybody would stop interfering—” he gave Tom a pointed look “—or busting my chops, I think I could be good for her.”
A slow smile spread across his cousin’s face. “Okay, then. Point taken.” He slapped Travis on the back. “Good luck.”
Travis’s gaze narrowed. “You mean that?”
“Of course, I do. Nothing would make me happier than to have you right here in Serenity, married and settled with a family. As the only males in our generation of McDonalds, we’re more like brothers than cousins.”
Travis swallowed hard. “Married and settled with a family,” he echoed, suddenly unnerved. “I never said I was ready for that. I mean, I’ve thought about it, but come on, Tom, we haven’t even been on a real date yet.”
He was prepared to defend his position when Tom glanced over his shoulder.
“Uh-oh,” he murmured.
“What?”
“Here comes trouble,” Tom said.
Travis regarded him blankly. “Trouble?”
“Annie, and she’s evidently on a mission.”
“We could probably outrun her,” Travis suggested, only partially in jest.
“And then hear about it till our dying day,” Tom said.
Before Travis could decide whether to risk her wrath, Annie joined them.
“Jeanette told me I’d find the two of you here at the lake,” she said.
Travis frowned at Tom. “Your wife’s gone over to the other side?”
“I warned you the Sweet Magnolias stick together,” Tom said, his amusement plain.
Annie, however, did not look the least bit amused. She scowled at Travis. “We need to talk about this date you’re planning with Sarah.”
He faced her squarely. “I don’t think we do. I asked. She said yes. She’s an adult, who knows her own mind. Stop treating her like some fragile piece of glass.”
“That�
�s the thing,” Annie said. “She is fragile.”
Travis lifted a brow. “Obviously you don’t know the same woman I do. She’s been through a lot, no question about it, but she’s coming out of it stronger than ever. She’ll be even tougher once she starts making her own decisions about things, instead of listening to her friends.”
Annie blinked at his fierce response. “It almost sounds as if you respect her.”
“Well, of course I do,” he said incredulously. “Why wouldn’t I?”
His vehemence seemed to rattle her. “I just thought you were taking advantage of her. You know, the poor little divorcée could use a sexy man to throw a few compliments her way, take her to bed, that kind of thing.”
“That’s insulting,” Travis said. “To Sarah and to me.”
Annie glanced at Tom, who was listening silently. “And you think he’s being honest?”
Tom nodded. “Believe me, I’ve had a similar conversation with him. I live with a Sweet Magnolia. I’m not taking any chances on hearing about it forever if he messes with Sarah’s head.”
Annie seemed to be considering Tom’s response. Finally she nodded. “Okay, then. I’ll back off.” She waved a finger under Travis’s nose. “But if I get the idea that you’re playing a game with her, there will be hell to pay.”
Travis chuckled. “Duly noted.”
After she’d gone, Travis breathed a sigh of relief. “Did you deal with this kind of stuff when you were dating Jeanette?”
“Worse,” Tom said. “I had Cal, Ronnie and Erik on my case. They were sent by their wives, of course.”
“Then I guess I better call on my A game,” Travis said. “Anything less and I’ll probably be run out of town.”
“Now you’re getting the picture,” Tom said. His somber expression suggested he wasn’t kidding.
Saturdays and Sundays were two of the biggest days in the real estate business. Weekends were when people had the time to go shopping for new homes. And here Mary Vaughn was, stuck not only at home, but in bed. It was the third week since the incident at Liz’s and the doctor still wanted her to stay put. It seemed her blood pressure was still running too high to suit him.
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