by Debra Holt
Her surprised gaze homed in on him. “Thanks for the compliment. And since we’re being honest with each other, I have to say that I know you meant what you just said. I can’t explain exactly how I do know that. But you seem different… from the person I knew in school. You seem more reserved, more thoughtful. Like there’s something that has changed inside you. I don’t know how else to put it. But I will give you that much.”
“You are a sharp lady. And you see more than you say.” Dev had a feeling he needed to keep his mind in the game from the first moment with this woman. And things were getting more real between them in their conversation. It was time to lighten things up a bit. “I’d say your idea of starting off with us walking down the aisle this morning at church in front of most of the town was a stroke of genius. As long as people take it that it was just a friendly walk and nothing resembling a matrimonial one. Next time, just give me a little more notice before we take a leap off the cliff, though.”
“That’s odd coming from the master of disappearing acts and on-the-spur-of-the-moment good-times guy. You used to like thumbing your nose at this town. Now, you’ve got to get them to support you… and me. Although, they do like me, so that will be the easy part.” She grinned and Dev noted how her eyes moved from a caramel color to an unusual shade of amber.
He found them most mesmerizing. And she had a little dimple in her chin that seemed to invite a man’s thumb to investigate right before he might move in for a taste of lips that were definitely made for kissing. And he was in trouble… just like that.
“Don’t frown… it’s okay. Let’s change the subject. Since we’re being honest with each other… can I ask how you hurt your leg? I couldn’t help noticing a couple of times how you seemed to have a slight limp… perhaps a bit of pain even last night on the dance floor with your never-ending line of partners.”
“Is it that obvious? But I’m flattered you were watching me so closely.”
“Don’t be flattered. It was my trained medical eye. Whether four- or two-footed animal… I recognize injury and pain when I see it. But if I’m being too personal, then I’m sorry.”
“No… it’s okay. I have an old injury from one of my travels and I’m still recuperating from it at times. It’s no big deal.” He hadn’t lied to her.
He had just omitted pertinent details… as he was good at doing. And that made him feel uneasy. What once came flowing easily from him was now slow on his tongue as molasses from a jar. It made a difference to him now because it was Rissa he was talking to… and he wanted there only to be truth between them.
“We all have scars and past pains to deal with. But then, they can be good teachers. We won’t make the same mistakes twice. I know that I won’t.”
“I would hope to agree with that.”
“Hope? Where’s the real Devlin Braxton, and what have you done to him? The person I remember always chose the high wire of full-speed ahead and damned the consequences. You walked on the edge and never looked back.”
A frown fought its way to replace the smile he had tried to maintain. It took a lot of energy and patience to keep explaining that the old Dev was no more. “You sound like you’d prefer that Dev over the one that’s here with you now.”
“That Dev would be easier to figure out. He was a known commodity.”
“Really? And what if you didn’t care for some of the thoughts the old Dev might have as you sit here next to him? The old Dev might want to push the envelope of friendship.” He saw her gaze change a bit… perhaps a hint of confusion? Wariness? Interest? Maybe he should give her a taste of the man she seemed to prefer?
Dev leaned closer to where she sat; a couple of fingers reaching up to allow a few silken strands of her hair to play through them.
He brought back the perfected gaze of seductive interest with a slow smile. “The old Dev wouldn’t be wasting a perfectly good sunset with a lot of talk… not when he is alone with a beautiful woman with lips that are too tempting.”
The most natural thing in the world was that he lowered his mouth to hers in one smooth movement. What wasn’t usual was at the moment of contact his lips locked on hers as if two magnets snapped together. The feel of the soft flesh beneath his was more than pleasant. It was immediately habit-forming. He drew more of them in, drawing on their sweet warmth. It was like a fever passed between them… a heat that began to flow through every vein and pore of skin.
Rissa’s mouth was welcoming and enticing and… then it wasn’t. It was gone and all the warmth and sweet taste of her went with it. He opened his eyes and found hers shuttered against his.
“I think the old Dev should go back where he hides away. He isn’t welcome here. And kissing is not on the friendship menu. I have surgeries tomorrow and I need to go over some notes before then. We’ll call this meeting to a close and pack things up.” She stood to punctuate her words, reaching for the basket and beginning to pack up their items.
All the while, she checked covertly to see if anyone had paid attention to the shared kiss in their midst. Dev followed her in silence. Until he sorted out the jumble of thoughts and emotions his spontaneous kiss had opened up like a Pandora’s Box in his brain, he considered it the prudent course. The less said the better.
*
“Well, that had to be the most awkward drive home with a date that I’ve ever had.” Dev spoke those words out loud inside the empty cab of his truck.
He and Rissa had parted ways with each other in front of her office a few minutes before. After church, they had left her vehicle there and he drove them both to the picnic site. Dev turned his pickup toward the ranch and his mind tried to make sense of what had happened.
He couldn’t remember ever having said as little to a date as they had on the way back into town from their picnic. But then, it wasn’t a date. He had no idea what to call it. But he had made a mess of it, whatever it was. It felt like neither one of them wanted to go anywhere near what had happened when they had shared one heck of a kiss. Maybe if they didn’t speak of it, it would fade away like some sort of mirage that hadn’t really happened to begin with? But it had. Boy, had it.
One thing Dev knew for certain; it shouldn’t happen again. He could see that in the way Rissa’s gaze had closed against his. Theirs was to be a strictly friendly agreement. And that was stretching it. Was it just him? Did she hold that much of a grudge for what he failed to do when they were back in college together and he let her down? It twisted his gut to think he had caused her to miss out on something so important to her future. But as much as he wished he could explain why he had disappeared; he couldn’t. That part of his life was over and done and not for public consumption. It had been difficult enough to share with Chance.
The only way he could make anything up to Rissa was to keep showing her each day that Devlin Braxton… the old one… was not around any longer. He had to introduce her to the real one… the one who wouldn’t be letting her down or disappointing or hiding behind a made-up persona any longer.
But that led to an even bigger issue. Who was the real Dev? He had an idea… or at least he thought he did. It was like he was a man trying to find his way through a thick fog. He thought he was headed in the right direction and then he would run into a wall. He’d change his direction and the fog would claim him again. There was a glimmer of light just ahead of him, but he always failed to reach it. That didn’t keep him from trying.
It was a jigsaw puzzle and there were many pieces laid out around him. He just had to figure out what pieces fit into the life he wanted now. Were they the right ones? Did he belong and where? And how did he keep from hurting more people… particularly those he cared deeply about? What about Rissa?
Would she like the real man? Would she give him a chance? A chance for what? The question didn’t come with a clear-cut answer in his brain.
Chapter Seven
“It sure was nice seeing you and your young man in church last Sunday. Of course, it could have knocked me over with
a feather when I saw you coming down that aisle with Devlin Braxton… of all people! But I guess stranger things have happened. You just keep a tight hold on him.” The words weren’t spoken in spite, just country honesty.
Ruth Sawyer had been a long-time patient of the previous vet and had given her an opportunity to treat a couple of her prize Angus bulls when Rissa had taken over the vet practice. That had brought in other ranchers and Rissa felt like she owed the woman. She could keep a smile on her face and nod when needed. It wasn’t lost on her that Ruth was alluding to the fact she better keep a tight grip on this male and not let him run back up the aisle as the last one had.
In the beginning, Rissa would have felt a twist of the knife between her ribs and the urge to run and cry in a dark corner. But now, she felt nary a twinge. She had survived. And she had grown a couple layers of amour. Her trust in the male species had taken a direct hit. Someday, maybe it would climb back on the chart again… maybe. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe there were good men to be had. She saw good ones… like Chance and Rio and a few others around town. But they weren’t ones she thought of in a romantic sense. She didn’t need to safeguard her heart from them.
She could kick herself in that moment, because an unbidden face came into her mind. Dev Braxton. Why had he kissed her? Why had she allowed him? And why did she have to enjoy it so much? When had she ever enjoyed kissing a man as much? And that made her even more upset with herself because not even Tony’s kisses had stirred something so deep and white-hot within her core as Dev’s had done. How was she supposed to keep to their let’s-be-casual-friends plan when she had already broken her own cardinal rule and kissed him?
“It can’t happen again.”
“What was that, sweetie? I’m afraid my hearing isn’t as good as it used to be. That’s the heck of it… getting old.”
Rissa shut the last latch on her vet bag and gave the woman a grin. “Nonsense… you aren’t getting old, Miss Ruth. You still look young to me. And don’t mind me… I was just talking to myself. It’s a habit I have around the animals.”
The woman nodded and followed along with her to the truck while Rissa stowed her bag in the back seat and then climbed into the driver’s side, shutting the door. The woman leaned her arm on the open window frame. “Well, you find yourself a sexy cowboy and whisper some sweet nothings in his ear… that’s the best tonic for anything.” The woman gave a laugh that ended on a snort at her own words.
“I’ll remember that advice.” Rissa grinned, putting the truck into gear. She threw up a wave as she turned the SUV toward the open road.
“Sexy cowboy indeed,” Rissa muttered, shaking her head.
Sexy cowboys meant trouble… at least the one that came to mind far too easily. And who knew? She hadn’t seen nor heard from that cowboy in two days… not since they parted on Sunday evening. For all she knew, he had decided to forget their ‘plan’ and head out of town again. That was his speed. She needed to remember that.
A few minutes later, she pulled into her parking space behind the clinic, grabbed her hat and bag, and entered the welcome air-conditioning of the building. Rissa paused to drop her stuff on her desk and then move toward the front of the building, stepping into the area behind the reception desk. Grace was standing with her back to the door and two of the techs were on either side of her. Mrs. Marston, the owner of a gray-and-white tabby named Jethro, was in front of the desk and they were obviously engrossed in something.
She stepped up to the desk, her voice reaching them first. “What’s so interesting up here?” And then she stopped.
They turned and all eyes were on her. Theirs held surprise and then knowing smiles lit their faces.
Grace shook her head. “That’s what we might be asking you. Seems you have an admirer. We were trying to read the card through the envelope, but hadn’t got that far when you came in just now.” She plucked the small while envelope and handed it toward Rissa.
Rissa reached out for it on purely automatic reflex. Her gaze was still locked on the full arrangement of pink and lavender flowers. Who knew what her favorite colors were? The hot pink flowers included huge gerbera daisies and roses in softer shades and purple irises and smaller lavender roses were interspersed in a lavish display. She couldn’t remember the last time she had received flowers.
“Open it.”
The words brought her back to the card in her hand.
Rissa had to temper her reactions given the audience zoomed in on her in the moment. Opening the envelope, she withdrew the card.
Lunch tomorrow? Pick you up at noon? Dev
There was no accounting for the way her heart sped up as she read the words. She wasn’t some teenaged schoolgirl having the hottest hunk in school notice her. Not by a long shot. Get a grip… people are watching.
She placed a noncommittal smile on her face and returned the card back inside its envelope.
Then she slid it inside her back pocket. “Who’s next? Please bring Jethro back to exam room A.” She turned and left the women staring after her.
It was four patients later when she was able to slide into her desk chair, after removing the small card from her pocket and rereading its words once again. She ignored the racing of her pulse. It was just a long and busy day. Rissa reached for her phone and hit the call button for the number she had programmed into her phone Sunday. On the third ring, the low tones of the man answered.
“This is a nice surprise. I guess the flowers were a good idea?”
Dev didn’t have any right to sound so sexy over the phone. It was hard to concentrate on why she had dialed his number. When he mentioned flowers it popped back into her head.
“No… they weren’t. Especially since there was an audience present. If we were playing at having a romance, that would be one thing. But just friends don’t send romantic bouquets of flowers to each other. But I kept the card private and let them think what they will. I did not let on who the flowers were from.”
“Then I failed again.”
If she didn’t know better, she would believe his tones really were disappointment. But they did make her feel bad.
“You didn’t fail. You just need to think before you act. But the flowers were incredibly beautiful, and I thank you for them. I just have no idea how you knew that color combination and those flowers were some of my favorites. You can’t be that good at guessing female minds.”
“Well, I never try to guess what is in the mysterious workings of the female mind.” He hastened to add, “And I’m not saying that in a derogatory way. I mean it as a compliment. And I will confess that I might have asked Josie for some help. But the lunch part was all my idea. I have a weekly medical appointment in town, and I thought we could grab lunch right after I’m done. It’s about time the couple of friends make a simple lunch appearance in public… just like the regular folk, don’t you think?”
Rissa was silent for a moment or two. There was both temptation and self-protection whirling in her brain. But it was just lunch, after all. “I think you’re right. Lunch is a good idea. I see my last patient for the morning at eleven thirty. Works out for both our schedules.”
“I’m glad. I’ll see you at twelve then. Bye, Rissa.”
She sat holding the phone in her hand for a few moments. She liked the way he spoke her name. Maybe someone was listening on his side? It sounded like he was talking to someone special and almost hated to say goodbye. It was very nice, indeed. But don’t get used to it.
*
Those exact words came back to her more than once the next day. Dev had been right on time… even coming into the office and waiting for her to change out of her lab coat and grab a quick look in the bathroom mirror to check her hair and makeup. When she stepped out of her office, he had Grace and one of the techs laughing at something he had said. They seemed to have fallen for the Braxton charm easily enough. Even hard-sell Grace had a nice glow on her face as she traded jokes with the man. As they left, Rissa was very muc
h aware of the hand he placed at her back as he escorted her out of the building and kept it there until she was seated in his vehicle.
At the restaurant they had both agreed on for lunch, he had kept the hand there across the restaurant and held out her chair for her. She was well aware of the many covert glances and whispers on their arrival. And there were two or three that she wanted to advise them to close their mouths or a fly might be on their lunch order.
Rissa picked up the menu and studied it. Dev didn’t do the same. She looked over at him.
“Already made up your mind?”
“Yes, indeed. It’s the same thing I get here and have for the last fifteen years of my life… since I was old enough to know better. Juanita’s tamale plate… nothing else compares.”
“I would have thought you’d like variety in your life. Or at least the ‘old Dev’ would.”
“When you know what you like and what you want, why waste time on anything else? Besides, the ‘old Dev’ always came here each time I came back and had a plate of those tamales. I may be in a rut, but it’s my rut.” He finished with a grin and she couldn’t help but join him.
Once they gave their orders, and had their iced teas, they were alone.
“I know what a goldfish feels like now.” She smiled the statement before taking a sip of her tea.
“I agree with that. Just keep smiling… it will drive them crazy wishing they knew what we were talking about and what’s so amusing. Once they get their fill, we’ll be yesterday’s news.”
“You sound very experienced in putting on a show in public.”
It was just an observation, but the light changed in his eyes. The sky blue slid into cobalt. The smile lost its brightness. What had she said?
“How’s Gypsy? Has she gotten you trained yet?” She hoped the change of subject wasn’t too transparent.