She stepped aside, realizing she was just standing there gawking like an idiot. “Can I get you some coffee? I’ll text Beckett, and he’ll be right in from wherever he’s at. That way you don’t have to go chase him down.”
He laughed. “I’m Mason, by the way. No coffee for me, but thanks, that’d be great.” He left his work kit on the porch and then came in the house.
“Tea instead or just water?” she offered.
“Tea if he has it.” He nodded.
She texted Beckett that the vet arrived and went to get them some warm teas.
They sat there chitchatting, and a few minutes later Beckett came in the house in a hurry. He turned the corner from the laundry room and stopped in his tracks. “The hell?!”
“What?” Jordyn asked. “Why does everyone keep saying stuff like that?”
He looked at his hoodie she was wearing, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
She rolled her eyes. “Mine are all in the wash, so I stole yours for a bit.” Lies. She was never giving it back, but he didn’t need to know that. She knew what he was getting paid for the commercial; he could buy another one if he even missed it. And she knew he had multiple red ones, gray ones, and black ones. He had enough Husker gear from when he was playing to wear a different Husker shirt every day of the week for a month. Maybe more.
He looked at her for so long, and with such heat in his gaze, that she finally asked, “Would you like me to take it off?”
“Yes!” he said too quickly, which made Mason chuckle. “But no.”
“Do I need to give you guys a minute?” Mason asked playfully.
“Mase, I swear. You think you know a woman. Then she puts on your college hoodie and just gets that much hotter.” If Beckett smiled any bigger, his face might bust.
“I was shocked you had her in red already. Thought for sure you’d need another week,” Mason fired back. “We had bets going in town, dammit. I thought for sure this Texas girl would fight it. So how’d you do it? Play old highlight reels? Take out the high school championship footage?”
Mason didn’t hesitate to give Beckett crap. She liked him already.
Beckett kept talking like she wasn’t in the room. “With this one, Mason, I have no idea what I did or didn’t do. None of the usual rules apply.”
Mason laughed again. “Dude, the rumors are actually true for once. You’re gone already.”
She wasn’t sure she knew what that meant, but it sounded in the realm of good. And it seemed like with men there was some unsaid man code that as long as they said “dude” in front of a statement, they could say something as emotional to one another as they wanted.
“Do y’all want some cookies, or are you just going to talk about me some more like I’m not in the room?” she asked as she sat a plate on the table.
Mason grabbed a cookie, took a bite, and let out a moan. “She bakes and y’alls?”
Beckett looked at Jordyn, staring her down. “Yep.”
Mason chuckled again, taking another bite. “Totally a goner.”
Becket snorted out a laugh. “I know. And I’m not even mad.”
****
“So you met Mason,” Beckett said.
Jordyn didn’t hesitate to smile. “You could have told me he wasn’t some fat old guy. I about had a heart attack!”
Beckett stepped away from the porkchops he was cooking to where she was at the table with her computer. He got eye level, just to be annoying. “Why? You interested in my vet, sweetheart?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. I initially wondered what kind of workouts you two do together. I mean, yes, he’s attractive . . .”
He just stared her down. He wasn’t really jealous. Well, not really. Of course, he did kind of want to know what she thought. Girls came from all over in pursuit of either Mason or Beckett. He was man enough to admit that Mason was probably more attractive than he was—prettier anyway. Beckett had played the sport this state worshipped, whereas Mason had been a pitcher for Kansas City. He was still a hometown hero, but hadn’t quite reached the crazy-groupie level that Beckett was on. If Mason had played football instead of baseball though, Mason would win the contest, hands down.
She moved her computer and scooted closer to Beckett, who now had his arms on either side of her chair. That was more like it. Bring it on in.
“I think he’s an attractive man, but I am not attracted to him. There. How’s that?” she offered innocently. She was smooth, this one.
“Hmm. Acceptable answer, I suppose,” he murmured, moving in closer to her so they were right in each other’s faces. “Seriously, though, this hoodie. It’s doing it for me.”
She gave him a quick kiss on the dimple and laughed. “Seriously, Beckett? I have zero curves in this thing, I’m drowning in it. It’s super unflattering on all five feet five of me.”
He moved to whisper in her ear. “Yeah, but it’s mine.”
She whispered back, “And you’re never getting it back either.”
To which he groaned and said, “Good,” before they were crashing into one another.
They ended up eating burnt porkchop because they’d been too distracted to keep an eye on supper, but Beckett wasn’t complaining any. Zero complaints. Best damn burnt porkchop he’d ever had.
****
Wednesday had turned into such a surprise. Beckett had told her to have all her work done by two in the afternoon so they could go on a real date. So she did just that. She wore her skinny jeans and flat boots and a cute sweater she had packed along. She didn’t have many options, but she was sure to do her hair and makeup to make a bigger impact. Beckett had somehow convinced Mason to come over and do the evening chores so they could drive into the nearest city without having to worry about rushing home.
It was an hour and a half to that city, so they had a bit of a road trip. Jordyn, though a self-declared small-town hater, thought it was adorable Beckett was an hour and a half from a Target. She wasn’t sure how he survived, but then again, she could sit in traffic for an hour and a half if there was a bad accident or something. So it was oddly nice to drive and be able to see snow-covered field after field—and actually get somewhere when they were driving. It seemed like in Houston there was a ton of travel time but not that many miles driven.
They ate at a little restaurant with a rear party room that Beckett had rented—so they could eat without Beckett’s celebrity status ruining their alone time. The waiter did ask for an autograph, but who could blame the poor kid, right?
After a nice, quiet meal, Beckett surprised her by stopping at a gas station. She figured he just wanted snacks, since he was always snacking, but he instead got them each a cup of hot chocolate.
“Gas-station hot chocolate?” she asked. “My favorite.” It kind of was. That and those cappuccino things that were terrible for you. She didn’t like coffee, but those were more like dessert in a cup. She loved it though. She wasn’t above gas-station goodies. You didn’t need all that fancy coffee; a seventy-five-cent hot cocoa would do perfectly fine most days.
He shook his head. “I guess I should have expected that, but I didn’t.”
She bounced her eyebrows. “So you don’t get all of your conquests gas-station hot cocoa, then?” When he glared at her, she appeased him by changing the subject. “Are we heading home now?”
He went from annoyed to grinning in record speed. “There it was again—that H word. And no, not yet.”
“Well, where are we going?”
He looked at her as he stopped at a stoplight. “We are going on a Harper family tradition. Hot cocoa and Christmas-lights looking. They have a little drive-through lights display area. I’m sure you’ve seen better in the big city, but it’s not too bad. And no, I have never taken any woman other than Blakely on this tradition.”
He was taking her Christmas-lights looking? Was this real life . . . ?!
“You do like Christmas lights, right?” he asked in her hesitation.
She nodded eagerly, taki
ng in a huge breath of air, because all of a sudden she was feeling winded. “Of course I do. What sane woman wouldn’t? I’m just touched you would share a family tradition like that with me. And do something so . . .”
“Mundane?”
She nodded.
He shrugged. “That’s my life here. Or it was, until you came strolling—or falling—in.”
As she tentatively took a sip of her hot cocoa, she thanked her lucky stars her heel gave out when it did back on that fateful day.
Just Another Strain
CHAPTER 17
His phone would not stop buzzing. He was a bit tired. Last night Jordyn had made him drive through the lights not once, not twice, but a record-setting three times. They had laughed and told stories and had the most amazing official first date. He was now in the shop trying to get some work done on his tractor with a bad radiator, but his phone just would not shut up. Which was fine—his heart wasn’t in it anyway.
Jordyn was slammed with work, but he just wanted to hang out with her. He was trying to clean up the shop and work on the tractor to keep himself from doing something with her. He didn’t care what they did; he just wanted to spend time with her. But he also knew she had to work this week. Over lunch she had barely even had time to say a word to him because she was so busy—probably because of the commercial. Hopefully it was all set up soon so they could get back to enjoying the few days together they had left.
Another phone call. At this rate, his phone was going to buzz right off the workbench and shatter. He finally gave up, washed his hands, and looked at the screen of his phone. He saw he missed two calls from his old agent, a call from Rose, and three calls from Blakely. This couldn’t be good.
Well, if he was going to get bad news, he’d prefer it be from his sister. With all they’d been through, she knew him best, so he dialed her first.
She didn’t even say hello. “You and Jordyn are in the tabloids,” she blurted out.
He sighed. “Hello. Okay, which ones and what’s going on?”
She rattled off two or three names. “You must have gone on a date in Hill Creek? In the picture, you are out on a date and holding hands. You are leaning in, whispering something, and she’s laughing. There’s no way you guys don’t look like an item.”
Well, it could’ve been worse. It could’ve been of them making out while they waited in line for the Christmas lights. Because that definitely happened. Twice.
“I just wanted to make sure you knew and that Jordyn was prepared,” she explained.
He sighed again. “She’s not. She had a crappy childhood. Her mom is a deadbeat, and she never even knew her dad. The last thing she wants is people digging into her past.”
Blakely was quiet a moment. “Maybe they’ll just focus on the commercial and AgGroSo so they stay away from all that.”
“That’s a good idea, B. I’ll see what AgGroSo’s PR team can do. Maybe they can help get the attention off her and onto the commercial. Hype it up a bit.” He nodded his agreement, though his sister couldn’t see it.
“Beckett Harper,” Blakely said quietly. His full name. This wasn’t going to be good.
“Yeah?”
“What happens when the commercial is over, and she has to go back?” she asked. His sister was never this serious with him, so she must be pretty concerned.
He sighed again. “I don’t honestly know, B. I just know I don’t want it to be over. Do I love her? I don’t know. It’s definitely stronger than ‘like.’ It’s strong enough that I want to take it slow and do things right. But that many miles between us is going to be rough. Especially if the tabloids know.”
“I just can’t believe you actually really feel like this,” she said. “For a while there, I thought you were going to be a bachelor for life.”
“Me too, sis. She’s just different. Way different than any woman I ever cared to get to know.” He paused, thinking of her. “Sometimes in the little things she does—always getting me a cup of coffee the way I like it, or making cookies just because—she reminds me a lot of mom and her thoughtful ways. And Jordyn has been alone most of her life. It’s just naturally who she is. Then the next second she calls me out on my crap.”
Blakely sighed. “I think if you like it, then you should put a ring on it.”
He laughed. “Ha. Good Lord, B. Slow down. It hasn’t even been two weeks. I’m trying not to scare her off, no thanks to the tabloids. And I’m trying my damndest to be a man she deserves, not like Dad was to Mom. I also feel like trying to live down this Heartbreak Harper crap is going to be tough. I stayed out of the public eye for two years, and that still wasn’t enough apparently.”
Blakely was quiet a moment. “You won’t be like Dad. You have too much of Mom in there too. And besides, I know you hated how he treated her, but they did love one another in their own way. You just have to learn from their relationship to know in what ways you want something different.”
Well, when it came down to the way his dad was with his mom, he wanted to be way different.
“Now get off the phone with me and go tell Jordyn if she doesn’t already know,” Blakely commanded.
“Annnd there’s my bossy little sister,” he said with a laugh.
She tried not to laugh. He could hear it in her voice. “I’ll see you in less than two weeks when I get back. I so can’t wait for Christmas this year.”
For once, neither could he. “Me too. See you, B.”
“Love you, Big B,” she said before she hung up.
“Love you too.”
Great. So the word was out.
He got on his smartphone and googled his name. He supposed by this point he should have alerts for his name, but for the most part, he just didn’t care. And back in his wild days, he really didn’t care to see what anyone had to say. This was different though. Not that he cared what they said about him, but he cared what they said about her.
The picture taken had to have been from the waiter at supper last night. He had even autographed a piece of paper for the kid. He was angry. He was nothing but kind, even leaving him a huge tip, and this is how he went and repaid him?
He had to take a steadying breath. This was just a high school kid. There was no sense in getting him fired or something. If he was in high school and working there on a school night, he was obviously there for the money. He probably sold the picture to make a little more. The kid had no idea Jordyn had a past he didn’t want them to dig into. So it really wasn’t his fault.
The headline over the picture read, “Heartbreak Harper at It Again, Finally Making It to the Super Bowl.”
A bit of a low blow. Freaking ouch.
He quickly skimmed the articles. Other than linking Jordyn to AgGroSo and Houston, nothing more was really said. Good. He’d like to keep it that way.
Now knowing what he was dealing with, he texted his agent that he’d call him back in a bit, then went inside to break the news to Jordyn. He hated this. He hated his reputation and trying to overcome it. He and Jordyn were at a good place right now. This was just another strain they didn’t need on their relationship.
****
So she was in the tabloids. Super. Just super. Since Walt called this morning and told her, she’d done nothing but be on the phone with work. PR was working on running a press release telling the details of the commercial with Beckett, like a teaser for a commercial, if such a thing even existed. Then hopefully the articles would revolve around that and not who she was and how this ordinary nobody came to be dating Heartbreak Harper.
Hopefully?!
Beckett came in earlier in the afternoon than she expected, and with one look at his face, she understood that he also knew.
“You know?” he asked.
She nodded and said with an annoyed gesture, “I’ve been dealing with it all morning.” He’d been in for lunch, but she was on the phone pretty much the whole time, so she hadn’t even had a minute to tell him.
“You knew at lunch?” he asked.
She nodded.
“And you didn’t tell me?” he asked. Judging by his crossed arms and tense neck, he was perhaps a little ticked off.
She sighed. “I was on the phone with Walt and then PR, trying to figure out what to do about it. And . . . and I guess I just didn’t know what to do. We both knew it was a possibility.” She stopped to shrug. “To be honest, it was bound to happen eventually. I just hope they don’t go digging around for too much information on me. PR updated my personal file on our website so that only select vague information is given. I already double-checked my settings on my social media accounts, so that’s the good news. Good thing Rose had it on my radar so I could do some of this before.”
He looked at her a moment then looked away, jaw tight, that vein in his neck doing its thing.
“Are you mad?” she asked, knowing he was.
He looked out the windows a few seconds before responding, leaving her uneasy in the silence. “I’m more mad you didn’t tell me you knew than at the stupid articles.”
She thought about that a second. “Oh.”
He pierced her with his gaze. “And not because I’m concerned with the tabloids or care if people know about the commercial. I’m not concerned about that. At all. What I am concerned about is you.”
She felt the tears sting her eyes.
He closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry dating me has to be this huge thing. I promise you I’m a normal person. I only played in the pros for two seasons, not even finishing the second one. The reason for all this whoopla is just my reputation. And believe me, I never thought that years later I would still be trying to live it down.”
She smiled. “I know it isn’t your fault. Well, I mean, it isn’t Beckett Harper’s fault. It may be Heartbreak Harper’s fault, but I have yet to meet him.”
“You won’t,” he said softly, running a hand through her hair. He must have a thing for her hair because he was always doing that.
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