“Only bits and pieces. It wasn’t what he said but how he said it, and I could hear in your voice that he was hurting you.”
Hillary sat on the edge of the coffee table. “You know Travis. He gets worked up and says things without thinking how they’re coming across. He’s been like this since we were kids. It’s the analytical, computer part of his personality. Sometimes his software has glitches.”
What Sophia couldn’t admit was that Travis’s words were things she’d had niggling in the back of her mind since she found out about Gunner. Yes, they’d shared amazing kisses. He’d looked her in the eyes and assured her he was telling her the truth. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was a grain of truth to what Travis said. That maybe he could hear a tiny bit of doubt in her voice and he was only echoing her own feelings.
She sure hoped she was just being insecure and that the rest of the show would go by quickly. She’d never craved normalcy so much in her life, and most of all, she wanted that to include a chance with Gunner because she loved him.
Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what she’d just thought. She loved Gunner. It would flat-out destroy her if she found out he’d still been lying to her. No, she’d be ground into so many tiny pieces that there’d be no reassembly. For the first time in her life, she knew it was the real deal. It wasn’t imagined or misplaced. She loved him, and as soon as she could, she was telling him.
Chapter 24
Landon hugged Sophia. “Thank you for coming to the funeral.”
The cast and the entire crew had attended Landon’s dad’s funeral in southern Utah. They’d taken up a good size portion of the tiny church and then filled out the back of the group in attendance at the graveside, leaving standing room only.
The family had agreed to let the show film some of the funeral, and Hillary had given them her word that they’d be respectful and thoughtful when it came time to air it. The show was also donating to the local animal shelter in memory of his dad. Apparently, the man had been a long-time volunteer.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.” She pressed a small kiss to his cheek.
“I appreciate that.” He smiled. “I think I’m still trying to process it.”
She nodded. “I’m sure you are,” she said, taking his hand. “Just know if you need anything, call.”
“Actually, I think I’m going to come back to the show. Losing my dad has me thinking I need to take my life a little more seriously. We’ve only got so much time, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. I’d like to see where this can go.”
Sophia was pretty sure he knew it was going nowhere, but if he needed the distraction the show could give, she wasn’t going to talk him out of it. “Sure. Whatever you need. I’d be glad to have you back.”
Gunner walked up next to her and shook hands with Landon. “I’m really sorry for your loss. I have no doubt he was a good man.”
“Thanks, Gunner.”
“Landon’s coming back on the show,” Sophia said as she looked up at Gunner. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. How was she going to spend weeks hiding how she felt about him?
“Oh, wow, okay. Are you sure?” Gunner asked.
Landon nodded. “Yeah, I…need some distraction. Not that you’re a distraction, just…I like you, and it would help to be around someone I like.”
“It’ll be good having you back.” Gunner patted him on the shoulder.
“Do you know what we’ll be doing?”
Sophia shook her head. “No, uh, we thought you’d be out, but now that it’s changed, we’ll see what happens next.”
“Awesome,” Landon said as he pressed his hand into the small of her back. “Would you mind if I introduced you to my family?”
She cut Gunner a glance. “Uh, no, I’d love to meet them.”
“Great.” He led her away from Gunner to the family room off of the kitchen. It overlooked a deck, and beyond that stretched bright green grass. A cameraman followed them at a respectable distance.
Landon stopped in front of a woman with salt-and-pepper hair pulled up in a bun. The black dress she wore matched the two women standing next to her. One had long blonde hair, and the other had a short dark bob. “Mom, Trisha, and Rachel, this is Sophia.”
His mom pulled her into a hug. “Thank you so much for coming. It means a lot that you came.”
Rachel and Trisha shook her hand, smiling. “Yeah, we really appreciate it,” Rachel said as her hair brushed her ears.
“And thank you so much for donating to the shelter. Dad loved that place, and he’d love that you helped them,” Trisha said, dabbing at her eyes with a piece of wadded tissue.
“Oh, no. Thank you for allowing us to come.”
His mom patted her hand and smiled. “Landon’s been saying nothing but good things about you. And my Landon’s about the sweetest man on earth. So for him to say that, you must be pretty special.”
Inwardly, Sophia groaned. If he hadn’t just lost his dad, she’d be telling him the truth. That she’d fallen in love with Gunner, and she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t. But there were still more than three weeks left on the show, Landon had just lost his dad, and if this show helped him, she couldn’t hurt him like that.
“Well, thank you,” Sophia said. “You’ve raised a wonderful, kind, caring son. I’m lucky I got to meet him.”
His mom beamed. “That’s my boy. Always the sweetheart. Class clown.” She winked. “Does he keep you laughing?”
Sophia nodded, cutting a glance at Landon as his cheeks turned pink. “Oh yeah, he’s quite the character.”
Landon slid his arm across her shoulder. “Well, I think I need to be getting her back. I’m sure the show has a plan for the day.”
His mom and sisters chuckled. “It was nice meeting you, Sophia,” Trisha said.
Sophia waved. “You too.” When they were out of earshot, she said, “The show didn’t have any plans today other than this.”
“I know, but there were no rocks to crawl under, and I was desperate.”
“You are incredibly funny, you know.”
As they reached some of the crew, he stopped and hugged her. “I’m really glad you came.”
She patted his back. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” She leaned back. “Well, as okay as you could be. I know this has to be difficult.”
“Yeah, but you coming to be with me made it easier.” He kissed her cheek.
Her heart sank. Was she leading him on? She wasn’t trying to. She just wanted to be there for him. “Sure.” Now she really felt like a heel. “Well, we’ll go so you can spend time with your friends and family. Just call when you’re ready to come back.”
“Thanks.”
How was she going to do this? Would it hurt him even more to know that it didn’t matter if he came back? That she’d fallen in love with Gunner, and in her mind, the show was over? Maybe if she talked to Hillary about how she was feeling, they could discuss options. There had to be a better way to do things than hurting Landon. He was a good and decent man, and he didn’t deserve to be lied to, especially when she knew just how badly that hurt.
* * *
Gunner sat at the kitchen island in the bachelors’ mansion, working on a bowl of Cocoa Puffs while he waited for Landon to arrive. Gunner had returned to the mansion after the funeral, but Sophia and Landon had only just flown back to California.
With Landon wanting to rejoin the show, and since they were already there, they’d decided to film Sophia spending time with him and his family for a day, and then Landon had a one-on-one day to show her around his hometown.
Gunner had refused to leave her at first, but they’d adjusted security since he’d promised Sophia she’d be safe. Noah had worked it out with Hillary, and Elijah had tagged along during her stay in Landon’s hometown. Once they reached California, he’d accompany them to the house, and then he’d fly back to North Carolina.
The front door op
ened, and Gunner stood and strolled into the living room to find Landon walking in. “Hey, Landon.”
“Hey,” he said, letting out a long puff of air.
“Tired?” Gunner laughed.
Shaking his head, Landon rolled his eyes. “Exhausted. I didn’t realize we’d be filming all afternoon before flying in.”
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to filming and stuff. I’m not cut out for television.”
“At least now that it’s just the two of us, there’s no more filming in the house.” Landon rubbed his jaw with his hand, and an uneasiness settled over the room. “Which means I’m free to ask a few questions.”
Gunner’s stomach hit the floor. Something bad was about to happen. He needed to make sure he kept his cover. “Okay.”
“Just how close did you and Sophia get while I was gone?”
His pulse jumped. If he told the truth, the show would be over. It would also be revealed why he was there, and the chance of catching the person behind the threats would decrease. “Uh, no more than when you were here.”
“Are you sure? Because I heard some of the crew talking, and they were saying you spent the night at her cottage. I mean, if you two have something going on, you need to tell me. I don’t want to waste my time here. If she’s into you, great, but just be straight with me.”
What could he say? What would Hillary want him to say? He was supposed to be undercover, and she hadn’t given him the okay to bring Landon in on it.
Landon’s shoulders slumped. “I can see by the look on your face that the rumor is true. You’re a decent guy. You don’t strike me as someone who would lie.”
Gunner had gone with something that was as close to the truth as he could get. “I’m here undercover to catch the letter writer.” Which was true. He’d just leave out the part where he’d fallen in love with Sophia.
“Here undercover?”
“Yes, and Sophia knows it. We’re supposed to make it look good. I stayed at her cottage after the fire long enough for my team to get some extra security in place. My job is to keep her safe.”
Landon smiled and sighed heavily. “So I’m not here just to keep the show going?”
“No. That’s why I’m here. I’m not saying Sophia has feelings for you. We didn’t discuss that, but you still have a shot.” He choked out the last part. Just speaking the words made it hard to breathe and his heart ache.
“Oh. Wow. So a real-life superhero, huh?”
Gunner laughed. “No, just a regular guy with some better-than-average training.”
Landon stuck his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Gunner.”
Shaking his hand, Gunner said, “It’s nice to meet you too. Listen, I’m going to head to bed. We’ve got a date tomorrow, and I’m beat.”
“Oh, sure. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Gunner nodded and quickly took the stairs to his room. He had hoped for a relaxing evening, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that their conversation had changed everything.
He slipped into the bathroom, shut the door, and pulled out his phone to dial Noah.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Noah. We have a problem. Someone told Landon I spent the night in Sophia’s cottage. He said he wasn’t going to go on with the show if he didn’t have a chance with her, so I came clean, telling him this was just my job.”
Noah remained quiet a moment. “Okay, I’ll tell Hillary. She’s not going to like this.”
“Maybe not, but what choice did I have? He knew something was up.”
“All right, I’ll pass on the info and let her figure it out.”
“Thanks, man.”
Gunner ended the call. He hoped he’d made the right choice, but his gut was churning. He couldn’t put a finger on what, but something bad had happened.
Chapter 25
As Gunner prepared for a day of filming, he caught sight of Gwendolyn in the mirror approaching him from behind. The look on her face said something was way off. He swiveled in the makeup chair. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Hillary has asked to see you. She’s waiting for you in one of the bedrooms upstairs.”
He drew his eyebrows together, trying to come up with a reason she’d need to meet with him.
“She said quickly.”
“Okay,” he said as he stood.
“You really like Sophia, don’t you?” Gwendolyn asked as they climbed the steps.
He nodded. “Yeah, I do. She’s pretty easy to like.”
Gwendolyn smiled. “That date you planned for her with the showing of Casablanca? That was so sweet. I don’t think I’ve seen a bachelor do that before.”
“I think I’ve fallen for her.” That wasn’t true. There was no thinking about it. He just wasn’t going to tell anyone he was in love with her before actually telling her.
“Really?”
They reached the top landing and continued to the last bedroom. “I think between you and Landon, you’re the best choice. Planning a date like that? I think I’d be head over heels in love with you.”
“I’m sure one of these days, and soon, you’ll find a guy who’ll treat you like the princess you are.” He smiled.
When they reached the bedroom, Gwendolyn waved as he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Hillary, Landon, and Sophia were all waiting for him. “Hey, what’s up?” Why was Landon’s arm draped over Sophia’s shoulders, and why did she look so upset?
“Hey, Gunner. We’ve decided to let Landon in on the whole reason you’re here,” Hillary said, but it wasn’t what she said as much as how she said it. With a play along type of tone.
“Oh, right. Did he tell you I told him last night that I was only on the show undercover so I could catch the letter writer?”
Hillary nodded. “Yeah, he did.”
“I told Sophia I knew everything. I spotted her on set and thought I should let her know.” Landon pulled Sophia closer. “It was a relief to know all of it was for show.” He palmed her cheek and kissed her forehead. “I didn’t know when she picked me to stay that it meant she’d picked me. But don’t worry. I’ll keep up pretenses. I promise I won’t get in the way of your job.”
Gunner was gut-punched. “Do you think Sophia and I could talk for a second?”
“No, that’s okay. I wouldn’t want Landon to get the wrong idea again.” Sophia leveled her eyes at Gunner. “I told him we were just playing our parts. That I was doing what Hillary had asked me to do from the beginning.”
“And what’s that?” he asked, just above a whisper.
“That I was making sure you acted like a real bachelor. I mean, the audience needs to feel a connection to each of the bachelors, and they can’t do that if you never open up.”
Sophia had coaxed things out of him because she was playing a part? He could feel his heart shattering. Little pieces of glass slicing through organs on the way down to his stomach. It was a wonder he wasn’t actually bleeding internally.
Hillary opened her mouth to speak, and Sophia cut her off.
“Hillary feels terrible, but you’re a professional. I’m sure you understand how things work.”
He swallowed hard, trying to fight how broken he felt. “Right. Uh, were we really filming today?”
Hillary cut a sharp glance at Sophia. “Yeah, we were going to let you know we’re going to spend the next couple of weeks alternating longer dates, traveling to the Caribbean and Paris, and then we’ll be coming back to the States so Sophia can meet your family, Gunner.”
“M-my family? Why?”
“That’s what happens every season,” Sophia replied icily. “The show has to go on, you know. Of course, you’ll be meeting my family a few days prior to the ceremony.”
Gunner nodded.
“Guys, I just need a moment with Sophia. If you’ll head downstairs, we’ll be there in a second,” Hillary said as she walked to the door and opened it.
Gunner was the first horse out of the chute. If he’d bolted any har
der, he would have smacked into the wall facing the room. His mind was in a whirl. Sophia had used him for ratings. His story about Bella was fodder for television. Had there been cameras in her cottage too? Was his time as a prisoner going to be used as well?
Instead of heading down the steps, he strode straight to his bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach until there was nothing left. He stood, wiped his mouth, and braced his hands against the counter.
He wasn’t angry. The best way to describe how he felt was grieved. It was his own fault, though. He’d let someone in, and he should have expected this, given where he was—in the middle of a giant theater. It was stupid, and he should have known better. It didn’t change how he felt about Sophia. He loved her, and he’d do what it took to keep her safe, but what life she’d breathed into him was gone, and the walking corpse was back.
* * *
Hillary frowned as she shut the door and turned on Sophia. “What was that?”
It was the answer to overhearing Gunner tell Landon she was just a job. Gwendolyn had told her she was needed at the bachelors’ mansion the evening before, and she’d just arrived and reached the kitchen when she heard Landon ask about what happened with her and Gunner.
Gunner had replied that he was only there undercover with such conviction that it made Sophia flinch. He’d sounded so detached, like it was nothing for him. Her thoughts had gone wild. She’d known why he was on the show, but the way he’d explained it to Landon? So…mechanically? Was he acting for Landon, or was he acting when he was with her? He was just making their relationship look good to cover his job after all? Is that what he’d done the whole time? Her heart had picked up speed, and her stomach soured.
Then Gunner had admitted that she was just a job, and all the doubt she’d had about him returned full force. His words hit her like shrapnel. No, not just the words, but the way he said them. And, from the sound of the conversation, he’d not expected her to overhear it. That made it all the more gut-wrenching. He’d used her.
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