“You told Leo ‘Why not be both? Never limit yourself.’”
“True.” Dustin knew she wasn’t going to let this drop, so he might as well answer. “But there’s a reason you think I’m good around kids. Families come to the ranch each summer. Interacting with them is part of my job.”
“Today wasn’t a job.”
“No.”
She turned toward him. “I’m not asking you to make any big changes. All I’m asking is for you to think about it more. You might be able to find a way to combine teaching and being a cowboy.”
He had to give her credit. She never gave up. “Yes, Professor.”
She stuck her tongue out at him.
He laughed. “I hear sticking out your tongue can keep you from getting tenure.”
“A good thing no one will remember I did that.”
He would. “Getting tenure is important to you.”
She nodded. “I’ll finally be settled. No being dragged around from place to place or having to move. I hated that growing up. I can put down roots and have a home. Belong.”
He could relate to those reasons given his own upbringing. “Where do you want that place to be?”
“Wherever a university wants me.”
“But if that’s where you plan to settle—”
“I’m not picky. I just want to fit in.”
“Being stuck in the wrong place would suck.”
Two lines formed above her nose. “You know, I’ve always been focused on finding where I belonged. A job that I could keep forever. I never thought about whether I’d like the place or not.”
“Maybe you should be.”
She nodded. “I may have missed a few things on my plan. Looks like we both have things to think about.”
“That’ll give us something to discuss over dinner tomorrow night. I made reservations.”
She shot him a sideways glance. “On Valentine’s Day?”
He nodded. “The quest will be over.”
“You’re not wasting any time.”
“Should I?”
Her grin reached her eyes and let him know she was looking forward to tomorrow night as much as he was. “No.”
That was the first time he’d hoped to hear the word no. He winked. “Then we’re all set.”
*
As they headed to the chocolate shop to check in after their task, Nevada saw customers standing in a long line to pay for their purchases. Portia stood at the cash register. Another salesclerk, Rosie, was reaching into the display case. The Valentine rush must be on. Poor Dakota had to work tomorrow. Bet this place would be even crazier then.
Contestants milled about the shop. Some made grand hand gestures as they spoke. Few smiled.
Maybe they’d been affected by today’s task, too.
Dustin stopped her. He brushed a hair off her face. “I’m glad we spent more time at the hospital.”
“Me, too.”
“Time to see how we did.” He opened the door.
The noise level was so loud she barely heard the bell ring.
The door closed behind him.
Silence.
The noise stopped, as did everything else.
Nevada froze.
All eyes were on her, even the customers who had nothing to do with the Valentine Quest.
What was going on? Her stomach churned from the memory of when something like this had happened before.
Stop.
This had nothing to do with her being different. She was part of the Valentine Quest. That was what mattered. No reason to let old teenaged inadequacies and insecurities get the best of her.
“Cheater,” a man’s voice mumbled.
Her skin prickled. She couldn’t tell who said it. “Excuse me?”
A woman snickered. “I can’t believe your audacity.”
Some mumbled their agreement.
Confused, Nevada looked at the faces of people she didn’t know that well, but who had been friendly during the race. They’d waved, greeted her, chatted. They’d made her feel like she fit in. “What’s going on?”
“Smart enough for Columbia, but no common sense.”
She searched the crowd to see which man had said that, but three stood in the direction the voice had come.
“I bet she didn’t even read the rules before she signed up.”
A woman said that. Again, Nevada couldn’t tell which of the women had spoken.
Their words felt like swipes of a sword. Anonymous ones. “I don’t understand.”
Dustin stepped in front of her as if to shield her.
If she hadn’t known she was falling for him before, she would now. Gratitude and affection for this man surged.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She peered around him. No one spoke, but glances were being exchanged at a rapid rate.
Sage and Tim stepped forward. The look of concern on Sage’s face told Nevada whatever she had to say wouldn’t be good.
“A few contestants brought a rule violation to our attention today,” Sage said in a contrite tone. “We hired a firm to handle the quest entries when the grand-prize value increased from five hundred to ten thousand dollars, but this somehow got missed during the registration process.”
“We didn’t violate any rules,” Dustin said.
“You didn’t.” Sage’s gaze traveled to Nevada. “But she did.”
Nevada’s heart plummeted to her feet. Splat. “What rule?”
Sage took a breath. “Family members of sponsors’ employees are ineligible to participate.”
Nevada’s mouth gaped. “That wasn’t on the entry form.”
Granted, she’d filled it out quickly before she changed her mind, so maybe she missed seeing that… No, she’d read everything, including the fine print. She always read the fine print.
“I read the brochure front to back,” Dustin said. “There was nothing like that on the form I filled out.”
Tim cleared his throat. “Both of you must have used the original entry form to register. That one was made before the grand-prize vacation package was donated. Because of the value of the vacation package, we hired a firm to handle registrations. They revised the brochure and added new rules. Neither Sage nor I paid much attention to the changes since we were so busy with the actual quest, but somehow, not all the old brochures were replaced with new ones.”
Nevada’s gaze bounced from Tim to Sage. “I didn’t know there was another form with different rules.”
“We see that now.” Sage turned her attention to the other contestants who were trying to overhear their conversation. “This is all a mistake. A misunderstanding. Nevada never saw the rule on her entry form. She used an old form with different rules.”
People murmured, but no one apologized for what had been said.
Sage looked at Nevada. “We’re sorry. This was an oversight on our part, but you’re still ineligible to win the grand prize.”
Giving York a dream vacation wasn’t going to happen. Disappointment shot through Nevada, but she was okay. Although she and Dustin were tied with the most points, she assumed he would be the winner. No reason to make a scene over this.
“I understand,” Nevada said. “Those rules are to stop any conflicts of interest or favoritism.”
Relief washed over Sage’s face. “Yes. That’s why we hired a firm with no ties to Marietta.”
“I’m fine finishing the quest, but not being able to win the prize,” Nevada said.
Sage’s gaze darkened. “I’m sorry, but you can’t continue to compete.”
“There’s only one day remaining. I know I can’t win.”
“But Dustin can,” Tim said. “If he has your help…”
Several of the competitors nodded. None looked unhappy about this turn of events.
Nevada couldn’t believe this was happening. “We aren’t planning to work together during the final task. We aren’t a team sharing the vacation.”
No one said anything, inclu
ding Dustin.
She didn’t understand why he wasn’t taking her side.
“I didn’t purposely break the rule,” she explained. “It wasn’t on the form I used. The one I got here. I assume my sister didn’t know about this rule, either.”
“No,” Sage admitted. “Dakota is upset, naturally. She was helping out earlier due to the holiday rush, but I sent her home.”
No doubt her older sister had fought for her to remain in the quest because Dakota knew what this race meant to Nevada. The Valentine Quest was enabling her to find pieces of herself that she didn’t know existed.
She wanted to cross the finish line. She needed to do that.
Not for the prize, but herself.
And Dustin.
“I want to finish what I started,” Nevada continued. “Isn’t there a way I—”
“No,” Tim interrupted. His red face and embarrassed tone brought a look of sympathy from Carly and Dan, the middle-aged couple in third place.
“We realize this isn’t your fault,” Sage said to Nevada. “We spoke with the firm earlier. They apologized for their oversight, but you cannot continue in the race.”
“It won’t hurt anyone if I do the final task and can’t earn points.” Nevada looked at Dustin.
His lips pressed together, and lines deepened on his forehead. He looked as upset about this as she felt.
So why was he just standing there?
She wasn’t sure what she wanted him to do. Fight for her to remain in the race? Comfort her over this turn of event? Their alliance had turned into something more, so she thought he would say something. Stand up for her. Be the voice of reason.
His silence bristled. A lump of dread settled in her stomach.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
Dustin shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Let’s talk outside.”
Nevada released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She made a beeline for the door.
Instead of going to the left, which would put her in front of the shop’s large window where everyone inside could see them, she turned to her right.
Standing there, she rubbed her face. “I can’t believe this.”
“Me, either.”
“Should we see if there’s a way around what the firm said? Try to fight this?”
“This would be your fight.”
Your. Not our.
Every muscle tensed. “I know, but I thought since we had formed an alliance…”
He held his hands up, palms facing her, as if warding her back. “You heard what Sage and Tim said. You need to drop out.”
Nevada’s chest constricted. She forced herself to breathe. “You want me to quit?”
“It’s for the best.”
No, it wasn’t. Her gaze implored him. “I want to see this through to the end. It isn’t about winning for me. I need to do this.”
“Don’t kid yourself. It’s always been about winning.”
“I thought…” The words died on her lips.
They’d shared kisses and secrets, but those hadn’t mattered. She didn’t matter to him. He only cared about the vacation to Fiji.
Keep that up and I’m going to think this is part of your winning strategy… or you’re starting to care about me.
Her heart splintered in two.
He was the one person she knew in this race. The one person she’d trusted. The one she’d fallen for. Yet, she’d been nothing more than a means to an end.
Just like when she’d been named the winner of Cupid’s Crown.
Her heart pounded.
Oh, the situations weren’t the same, but the emotions were identical. Dustin’s betrayal, however, felt worse. Her jerk of a date back then hadn’t known her. Not the way she’d thought Dustin did. But both men shared a common trait—their desire to win.
She’d been wrong about Dustin. Wrong about everything.
Her heart, blossoming with love only minutes ago, withered. The truth hit like the “L” train speeding past a subway station. What she’d felt hadn’t been real, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t wanted the feelings to be.
Emotions clogged her throat.
No, she wouldn’t let them get the best of her. She swallowed. Straightened. “Well, one of us was going to walk away empty handed.”
“I’m sorry.” He shoved his hands in his jacket pocket. “Like Sage said, this isn’t your fault.”
“No, but everyone is still against me.”
Just like after winning Cupid’s Crown. Except this time, Nevada thought she was finally fitting in. Worse, she’d truly believed there was something between her and Dustin.
Emotions spiraled and threatened to overwhelm her.
She was stuck in Marietta until July. Even though her sister was a fixture in this town, Nevada was an outsider. She didn’t fit in here or anywhere. But dropping out without additional drama might lessen the impact on Dakota.
The quest had made Nevada stronger, but self-preservation wouldn’t let her walk back into the chocolate shop and quit. She couldn’t do that after coming so far. If that was weak, so be it.
Nevada took one breath after another to calm herself. It wasn’t working. “Will you tell them I won’t compete?”
“Yes. I’ll do that for you. You’re making the right decision.”
The way the words came to him so easily was like a knife to the chest. Why couldn’t he at least say something about how unfair this was? Say anything that validated her feelings?
She rubbed the back of her neck to loosen the tight muscles. “I guess that’s it then.”
“I’ll drive you home.”
“No.” The word came out sharply. She didn’t care. “I’ll walk.”
“Tomorrow, we—”
“There is no tomorrow. There is no we. Our alliance is over. No reason to pretend there was more between us than that.”
They hadn’t had a partnership. They’d never been a team. They would never be a couple.
Even casually.
She balled her hands as if that could get her through this. “The only thing left for us to say to each other is goodbye.”
“No.” Dustin reached out to her, but she backed away so he couldn’t touch her. “This quest doesn’t mean anything in the long run.”
“Maybe not to you, but if you’d been listening, you’d know what the quest meant to me.”
She’d been the means to his dream vacation, nothing more.
Her breath hitched. Tears stung her eyes.
She turned and walked away.
“Nevada,” he called.
She didn’t look back. She couldn’t.
How could she have been so stupid to think that falling in love was even a possibility for her?
*
With a beer bottle in one hand and the television remote in the other, Dustin sat on the couch at the bunkhouse. He’d been in this same position for the last two hours. The raw hurt in Nevada’s eyes made him feel like a cow dung.
Eli walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. “I hear you’re the favorite to win the Valentine Quest. Guess I should figure out what I need to pack.”
Dustin took a long swig from his beer.
Eli came closer. “You don’t look like a man on the verge of winning a dream vacation.”
“I’m not.”
“That could only mean one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Woman trouble.”
Dustin nodded once. “I blew it.”
“Blew what?”
“My chance with Nevada. She filled out the wrong form that didn’t have the correct rules. Turns out family members of sponsor employees weren’t eligible, and they kicked her out of the quest.”
“That’s bogus.”
“She didn’t know about the rule.”
“Which is why she shouldn’t have been kicked out.”
“No one wanted her to stay in the race.”
“Of course not. She�
��s tied for first place with you, but this works to your advantage.”
If you’d been listening, you’d know what the quest meant to me.
His stomach clenched. What had he done?
All his ivory-tower princess wanted was to help her brother and belong somewhere. He could have stood up for her, shown her that she did belong in the quest, and…
With him.
Only he hadn’t.
A bull seemed to be standing on top of his chest. He struggled for a breath.
“Hey.” Eli leaned forward. “Your face is pale. You all right?”
“No.” Dustin’s chest constricted. “Nevada told me stuff no one else knew, and I still threw her under the bus like everyone else in the race.”
No wonder she’d said the words she did.
He’d wanted to hurt the guy who’d humiliated her at that dance, but what Dustin had done to her had been worse. His actions—rather, his lack of them—had betrayed her trust in him. Because he’d kissed her and acted like he’d cared.
He had.
But not enough.
He’d still been focused on winning the grand prize.
“I need a do over. I need to show her I was listening and that I care about her.”
“You care about her?” Eli asked.
More than Dustin thought possible. The thought of not being with her ripped his insides to shreds. He nodded.
“So tell her,” Eli encouraged.
Dustin dragged his hand through his hair. “It won’t be enough. I broke her trust and her heart.”
That explained the look in her eyes and the way she walked away.
He groaned. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Even idiots deserve second chances.”
“I hurt her bad.”
“On the flip side, if she’s hurting, that means she has feelings for you.”
“Had. Past tense.” Dustin shook his head. “She deserves better than a broken-down, commitment-phobic cowboy like me.”
“Whoa now, partner,” Eli said. “You’ve been at the Bar V5 for almost three years. Compared to the other wranglers passing through, that’s a whole lot of commitment right there. If you can commit to this place, you can commit to a woman.”
Dustin had never thought about it that way. “Maybe I’m not hopeless.”
“Far from it, but this isn’t something for you to decide. She needs to make a decision, too.”
The Valentine Quest (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 5) Page 17