Dammit, going to meet his family had been a mistake. A giant, hurtful mistake.
Just as he took a step toward her, she pulled out her cell phone and started texting, her focus never leaving her flying fingers. First, to Celeste, letting her know she was back and that everything looked wonderful.
“Kylie...”
Next, she started typing a thank-you to Rachel, but her phone rang... Rachel’s ring tone, so Kylie answered. “So, I hear you were nagging Joe to finish up,” she said. “And that we’re down a dozen brownies.”
“Hey, I didn’t touch anything. I sniffed. Cried buckets. Moped a lot, but I didn’t take one bite. Anyway, doesn’t the counter look great? By the way, I know you know how to use the espresso machine, and I’m allowed to have lattes as long as I don’t add sugar, so anytime...”
Kylie chuckled. “I just got back. I haven’t even been home yet.”
“I want details. Everything from the drive to the family to the long Wyoming nights.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes we just can’t get what we want. But I’ll make sure you’re the first to know when the coffee bar is operational.”
Rachel quieted for a moment. “You all right, kiddo?”
“I’m fine. Just tired. I’ll be in touch, okay?” Kylie hung up, anxious to leave, ready to take a long, hot bath and stop her thoughts from beating up on her.
“Should we head home?” Landon asked, wisely keeping some distance between them.
“Yeah. Everything looks good here.”
“I admit Joe did a great job. I can’t wait to see the whole thing finished. The bench seats and tables. You’re going to have customers lining up all day.”
She forced a smile. “I’m sorry for snapping at you,” she said, even though she wasn’t. But she probably wasn’t being fair to him either. Just...she needed a little more time to process things. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was tired.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He put an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get you into bed.”
She shivered. Despite her anger, her confusion, her certainty that things were about to implode, his touch still managed to turn her into a lovesick teen. It would have been easy to walk ahead to the door, but there was comfort in his scent, his body so close to hers.
Before they made it out, someone tried the knob, then knocked. Kylie held back a moan. At least it was just Sadie.
“Kylie, I’m glad I caught you.” She noticed Landon and nodded to him.
Kylie made the introduction.
Landon shook Sadie’s hand. “Ah, you’re the mayor. I’ve heard good things about you.”
Sadie winked at Kylie. “He’s a good liar.”
Kylie forced a smile.
“Hey, I wanted to let you know the city council voted to move to a bigger facility. I figured I’d let you know before we make it public.”
“Wow. So soon.”
“Well, you know how those slowpokes operate,” Sadie said. “Nothing will be done for months.”
Still, Kylie was in no way prepared. “Thanks, Sadie, I appreciate the heads-up.”
“Think about it and let me know.” Sadie turned to Landon. “You just passing through?”
He hesitated, then smiled. “I do have places to be.”
“Well, nice meeting you.”
Kylie waited until Sadie had stepped outside before she turned off the lights, hearing Landon’s answer on a loop inside her head. It felt like everything was suddenly closing in on her.
* * *
AS THEY WALKED to the truck, all Landon could think was that since they’d gotten back, every single thing had gone to hell in a handbasket.
It would help if Kylie could get more sleep, but dammit, he’d told Joe to show him the bill before he gave it to Kylie. And Joe had agreed. Stupid old buzzard. Landon wasn’t quite as worried about Patty’s revelation. Once Kylie got some rest, she’d understand better. And now, the expansion option was more than just a maybe. Shit.
The short drive home was tense, and he hoped the surprise he had waiting for her would take care of that. He parked next to Barry’s truck, counting on the kid’s promise that he’d have everything finished.
He raised the garage door, keeping his eyes on Kylie. Her look of delight when she saw her new furniture made his heart start beating again.
She walked in slowly, right to the seats, smiling as she ran a hand down the distressed wood.
Landon breathed out a sigh of relief when she whispered, “Wow,” at the tables that he’d made without anyone’s help.
“It’s all gorgeous. Better than I even imagined.”
“There’s still trim to add to the bench seats,” Landon said. “Barry’s idea. Thanks for finishing this up.” Landon nodded at him. “Nice job.”
She turned again to Barry, who was standing awkwardly next to a chair Landon hadn’t seen before. It was a nifty design, compact, yet sturdy, that fit perfectly with the tables.
“What’s this?” Kylie said, running her hand over the back of the chair. “Is it all right if I sit down?”
Barry nodded just as Landon said, “Of course.”
“This is very comfortable.” She leaned back. “But I probably wouldn’t want to sit in it all day.”
“Which makes it perfect,” Landon said. “I think you’ll find that’s true for the bench seats as well.”
When she stood, she turned to Landon. “I knew your brothers had to be teasing. You could do this professionally.”
Barry let out a laugh that turned quickly into a cough.
Kylie glanced his way, a slight frown forming. “I understand you were a terrific help. Thank you for all your hard work.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
She paused, still looking troubled, then pulled out her cell phone, and snapped several pictures. Including one of Barry backing up toward the door, his face flushed, and trying not to laugh again.
Landon closed his eyes, wanting to strangle the kid. Was every person in this town trying to sabotage him?
“He did all of the work, didn’t he?” Kylie said, keeping her voice low.
“Not all of it.” He met her eyes, and wished he hadn’t. It would’ve been fine if his idiot brothers hadn’t opened their big mouths.
“You lied to me. Again. You didn’t ask Joe to order anything for your truck. Did you?” She blinked. “How much did all this cost, Landon?”
“Look, Kylie, I didn’t mean to lie to you. I honestly thought I could do this myself, but then Chad convinced me that I wouldn’t be up to the task. Which I saw for myself that first day. But I was embarrassed, okay? It was nothing more than my damn ego. Although I did distress the wood, and I built the tables on my own.”
She kept staring at him with wounded eyes.
“I just wanted to make you happy.”
After a sigh that was louder than Barry’s truck backing up, her shoulders lowered. “I appreciate the thought, but it wasn’t your place to do that, Landon. It’s my business. My expenses. Which I’ll pay for. I may not be able to pay it all right away, but I’ll go to the bank tomorrow and—”
“Kylie, please—”
“If I can’t get a loan, I’ll set up a payment plan. I love the chair Barry built, but he needs to stop now. You need to stop.”
“I understand.” Landon felt as though his entire world was crumbling under his feet. A loan? Shit. “I’m sorry there were things I didn’t take into consideration. You’ve worked hard for everything you’ve built, and I wouldn’t want to take any of that away from you.” He approached her slowly. “I just wanted to make you happy.” He reached out to put his hands on her shoulders, but stopped before he touched her.
She nodded. “I know you meant well. Although I’m still confused about the motel..
.”
“I’ll explain, I promise. But one thing you need to know. I paid Barry a bonus, but that was more about Barry than you. I wanted to give the kid and his family a hand. That’s all on me, and nothing you need to worry about.”
“That was good of you.”
He pulled her close, relieved when she didn’t resist.
“Landon? Just one more thing.” She looked deeply into his eyes and there was no question she wasn’t counting on the truth. “When are you leaving?”
“Physically, I’m ready to ride again. I realized that over the weekend,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to leave.” Especially when they were on shaky ground.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
He cupped her face. “Soon, sweetheart.”
Before she could look any more disappointed, he swept her up in his arms, and took her straight through the house to the bedroom. At least he knew what he was doing in there.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m sorry about the chairs. I’ll talk to Kylie again and see what we can do, okay?”
Barry shrugged. “She seemed pretty pissed off yesterday.”
“That she was.” Landon held the strip of molding at the top of the first bench seat while Barry hammered in the penny nails.
At least she’d agreed they could put on the finishing touches. It bothered Landon to leave things like this with Barry, but he wasn’t about to go behind Kylie’s back again. His plan was to ask her if he could pay Barry to complete the work, and when it was convenient, she could pay him back.
If she brought up a bank loan again, then that was it. All work stopped. The thought of her getting into debt over this cut him off at the knees.
He hoped she’d say yes, for Barry’s sake, sure, but if things went well, it would all be a moot point. The weekend with his family hadn’t just told him he was ready to go back to the circuit, it had revealed something far more important. He’d made up his mind to ask Kylie to marry him.
Obviously, a few wrenches had been thrown in the works since he’d come to that decision. But once the dust settled and he wasn’t so deep in the soup anymore he would ask her to be his wife. Kylie had a right to be angry, even though he’d already apologized. If it took a week of groveling, he’d do it. He was sure she’d come around. She wouldn’t hold his stupidity against him forever.
After they’d made love—which had been more emotional, for him at least, than anything he’d experienced before—he’d spent most of last night thinking about his choices, and her reactions. Finally, it had gotten through his thick skull that she wasn’t looking for a knight in shining armor. She didn’t need someone to erase all the crap Gary had done to her. Kylie wanted independence and equal footing. He’d done far too little explaining and way too much assuming.
Tonight that would change. They were going to have a no-holds-barred talk.
“Uh, Landon?”
The molding had slipped. Now was not the time to get sloppy. He focused on the work, on making everything as perfect as they could before Barry packed up his things. Before Landon packed up his things.
His clock was running out.
This morning he’d made an appointment to see the orthopedic surgeon in Oklahoma before his next competition, then confirmed he was still in the lineups for four upcoming rodeos. Not that he hadn’t been tempted to quit the whole damn thing. But he wanted the two of them—him and Kylie—to have a running start on the life he envisioned. Knowing he would pop the question before the finals made his resolve even stronger.
After Barry left, Landon spent the next hour cleaning up the garage, gathering the tools and equipment that would go back to Matt, and loaded what he could in the back of his truck. Then, he drove over to the motel.
Patty was at the reception desk. “Come to check out?”
He nodded, grateful that Kevin wasn’t around. Not that it mattered. He’d know Landon had left soon enough.
“I’m sorry to see you leave,” Patty said. “Especially after all you’ve done for Kylie.”
“It was the least I could do,” he said, glad that Patty didn’t seem to know how much he’d screwed up in the doing department. “She’s a wonderful woman.”
“She sure is. I hope you come back after you win that gold buckle,” Patty said. “You know we’re all rooting for you.”
“Thanks. Besides, I’m not that easy to get rid of.”
Patty handed him the final accounting, and it was all over in a few minutes.
After returning Matt’s stuff and buying him a beer, Landon parked near the bakery at almost four o’clock. Some kids who must’ve been close to Barry’s age were laughing and talking as they headed toward Abe’s Variety Store, and the twin old ladies who drove slow as molasses took their sweet time looking him over as they passed on the wrong side of the road.
The Cake Whisperer was crowded for this time of day, although he should’ve guessed everyone would want a gander at the new counter and to find out why she’d been closed. He’d been hoping Kylie would be ready to leave, but from the looks of things, she’d be a while.
She was busy boxing up something when he entered. Not wanting to bother her, he slipped into the kitchen, but he wasn’t sure she noticed him.
The espresso machine was on the counter, along with a few bottled flavors and long stirrers, not much else, but the temptation to test it had obviously been too great. When he investigated, he realized there was hot water in the machine, and the manual was right there. He started to refresh himself on the operation, figuring he’d fix a coffee for himself and one for Kylie to go, but halfway down the second page, he heard Kevin’s voice in the front.
It hadn’t taken long at all for the news of his departure to spread.
Landon thought about ignoring the man, but since he was still trying to win points, Landon figured he’d be nice and make himself known. Kevin might really embarrass himself if he thought Landon had left town.
* * *
KYLIE HADN’T HAD such a busy day since her opening week. Celeste had helped this morning, but then her seven-year-old had fallen off the monkey bars, and Celeste had to go get her. Which left the entire population of Blackfoot Falls to stop by, order a donut or a cupcake and proceed to make a fuss over the new counters, and the much-discussed soon-to-open coffee bar. A lot of folks had a lot of opinions about that.
In the meantime, she was exhausted after a horrible night’s sleep, and the last thing she needed was to deal with Kevin. Although, after their talk, she was surprised to see him here.
She handed Mrs. Tobin her bag of donuts and as she was ringing her up, Kevin said, “What are you doing here?” in a tone that was less than friendly. “I figured you were on your way to Texas.”
Kylie turned to find Landon standing about two feet behind her. He smiled at her, then turned his grin on Kevin. “So you follow the circuit, do you? Just broncs or...?”
“I like to keep up. And from what I hear, you’ll need to ride a lot if you want to stay ranked.”
“That’s true. I will. But I’ll make up for it.”
Kevin didn’t look all that happy. Which wasn’t her problem.
“I’ll bet you don’t have any trouble, Kincaid,” came a low voice from near the window. “I saw you ride in Wyoming last spring, and damn you have some slick moves.”
Kylie hadn’t even seen Rudy, a lanky cowboy who was a semi-regular, come in, his jeans sending out clouds of dust as he approached the counter.
“Hey, thanks. But there’s no guarantees.” He shrugged. “It’s not just slick moves. Sometimes the horse wins.”
That brought a laugh from some of the ladies, especially the two women from the Sundance who were checking out Landon like he was a juicy steak.
“I know you’re scheduled to ride in Dallas in
a week and then Albuquerque after that. You gonna make it?”
“I have to if I want to make the finals.”
A box of cupcakes almost slipped out of Kylie’s hands.
Last night she’d flat out asked when he was leaving. And all he did was pull another one of his slick moves. Was he incapable or just unwilling to tell her anything?
With the heat of fury coursing through her, she continued to serve her customers. She managed to be somewhat pleasant, but it wasn’t easy. At least Kevin got the hint and left without saying a word to her. All she wanted was for everyone to go away. Leave her alone. Stop talking about the rodeo or for heaven’s sake, caramel coffee lattes!
The moment the last customer walked out the door, she had the closed sign out and the door locked. She zeroed in on Landon, and the smile he’d worn disappeared like icing on a hot cake.
“What a day, huh?” he said. “If I help you clean the kitchen do you think we can go over to the steak house for dinner and to talk?”
“About?”
“My schedule, for one thing. And also about Barry.”
“Your schedule, as in when you’ll be leaving?”
He nodded, his face creased in confusion.
Join the club.
“Look, I made a few calls this morning. I needed an appointment with my doctor before I took off for Texas, and then I had to make sure I was still on the marquee—”
“How convenient.”
“I don’t follow,” he said slowly.
“I don’t care.” She was spitting mad. “What I don’t understand is why you’re still here at all. If you need to go, go. Leave now. Clearly you’re not staying on my account.” She whipped off her apron and rolled it into a tight little ball. “You said right from the start you were only here temporarily. It’s probably the only honest thing you’ve said to me, so just...go. Leave already.”
Stealing the Cowboy's Heart Page 18