by Weiss, Sonya
Across the track, he spotted the councilman he’d spoken to and nodded when the other man tipped his head toward him and then gave him a thumbs-up. Everyone in town was starting to believe that he and Josie had something real going on. He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved everything was going according to plan, or worried that it was so easy for them to play a couple.
The smell of her shampoo, her sweet smile, and the feel of her body against his was starting to wear on him. For the last several hours, he hadn’t been able to shake a strange feeling that his life had consisted of a long journey with only one ending destination. Josie. Thinking about it again shook him to the point that he had to step away from her and cross his arms, pretending that he was more interested in the race.
His sister and Kent joined them, and Lincoln was thankful their presence interrupted his thoughts. Excitement practically radiated from Casey. She beamed at Lincoln, then turned her attention toward Josie. “We have news.”
“We’re getting married,” Kent said.
Lincoln laughed. “We already know that.”
“He means sooner than we originally planned.” Casey gave her fiancé a look of adoration.
Lincoln narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
Casey lightly punched his shoulder. “It’s not what you think. We want to get married before Thanksgiving when Kent already has vacation scheduled. Otherwise, thanks to the staffing cuts, he can’t have any time off for our honeymoon.”
“Thanksgiving isn’t that far away,” Josie said.
Kent put his arm around Casey. “The rush isn’t the way we wanted to do this, but we don’t want to have to put off going on a honeymoon, either.”
“So what do you need us to do?” Josie asked.
His sister shot her a grateful look. “We have a two-week time span to get married in before his vacation and with everything we have left to take care of, it all feels so overwhelming.”
“Just tell us what we can help with,” Lincoln said.
Casey pulled a sheet of paper from the back pocket of her jeans. “I was hoping you’d say that.” She passed it to him. “This is a list of all the errands that have to be done.”
Lincoln scanned it, then gave it to Josie. Once she read it, she said, “It won’t be a problem. If you’ve told the rest of your family your plan, we can team up with them and get everything accomplished faster.”
“Perfect,” Casey said. “Can you meet me at the diner for breakfast tomorrow? We can talk more then.”
Josie gave Lincoln a worried look. “Actually, I’m planning on starting the breakup there tomorrow morning.”
“We’re starting the breakup mutually,” Lincoln corrected.
Casey mulled that over for a second, then smiled the way she always did when she knew a secret that he didn’t. “Okay…um…”
“What about tomorrow evening at girls’ night? We can talk then.”
“Okay, but I can’t stay long. Have fun on the hayride. We can’t stick around for that because we’re meeting Kent’s parents. So I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lincoln watched his sister and Kent disappear into the crowd.
Josie sighed. “Their wedding will be beautiful. I think your dad is going to have a hard time when it comes to walking Casey down the aisle.”
“Yeah. She’s always had him wrapped around her finger.”
Josie smiled wistfully. “I doubt either of my parents will even come to my wedding. They’d probably schedule a vacation at the same time.” She nudged his side. “I may have to get you to walk me down the aisle when my time comes.”
Walk Josie down the aisle? That sounded as fun as the day he’d wrecked his mountain bike and slid down the trail on his face. She was looking at him expectantly, like he should be seven kinds of honored to agree to her suggestion. He finally settled for saying, “Huh.”
“Are you hungry? Because you always get grouchy when you get hungry.”
“Maybe.” That sounded like a better answer than what he’d really been thinking.
The last lap of the go-kart race ended and they headed toward the food stands. He ordered drinks plus two specials. Hot dogs loaded with everything including banana peppers and coleslaw. Josie went to stake a claim on one of the tables before they filled up.
When he brought their food, she didn’t look up, so he glanced over his shoulder to see what had caught her attention. Last year’s sweetheart couple, Tyler and Carol Myers, were walking arm in arm over to the balloon dart game booth.
“Everyone calls them the ideal couple,” Josie said.
Lincoln passed a drink to Josie. “Trying to figure out what your ideal man would be?”
“I’m looking at him.” She laughed when his grip went slack and the hot dogs tilted forward. He barely managed to rescue them before they went topping side down on the table.
“Before your face freezes in that dear-God-Josie-likes-me expression, I was referring to the fact that you’re ‘my guy.’”
“Oh.” Lincoln sat down, glad his heart was returning to its normal beat.
“But if you want to know what my ideal man looks like, that’s easy. He has to be kind, courageous, and a man of his word.” She took a bite of her hot dog, chewed, and swallowed, before adding, “And before you think I’m noble, he also needs to be sexy as hell.”
Lincoln sighed dramatically, fighting back the urge to smile. “I knew it. You have a thing for me. Every word you used describes me.”
Josie laughed. “And your ideal woman?”
“Kind and strong.”
“Strong?” She frowned as she toyed with her straw.
“To be able to wash my truck, rotate the tires—”
She balled up a napkin and threw it at him. “Seriously?”
“Seriously, I don’t think about it.” He was afraid if he did, he’d see a familiar face. His perfect plan didn’t include falling in love, especially not with Josie. No matter how ideal she was. It would only lead to problems and heartbreak.
Once they had finished their food, Rosa Jordan, one of the event organizers, hurried to their table wearing the same harried expression she wore for every hayride. “The bands are starting in five. Get ready to announce.” With a tight smile and without waiting for an answer, she was gone.
“Well, sweetheart, you ready to dance?” Josie asked.
“Looking forward to it. Every step pushes us closer to the hayride and then it’s over and we’re out of the spotlight.” Lincoln began clearing the remnants of their food and Josie rose to help. When the table was clear, he took her by the hand and led the way to the stage just beyond the short platform built for dancing.
Together, they walked up the steps and stood in front of the first band, a returning local group that had performed last year. After they introduced the band, Lincoln helped Josie down the steps and out to the dance floor. Holding her close was near torture as they swayed to the music. His hands burned where they rested on her waist, and he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her closer. Then, during the second dance, Lincoln’s phone rang. “It’s Grayson.”
“Go on. I’ll just enjoy the music.” Josie moved closer to the stage.
Lincoln walked off to the sidelines to talk to his brother. Halfway through the conversation, he had to put his finger in his ear to tune out the lead singer talking in the middle of a song. When loud yells and cheers rippled through the crowd, he looked up.
The lead singer was tugging Josie up onto the stage. Holding onto her hand, he stepped up to the microphone with a huge grin on his face. “Every year the hayride is famous for one thing and this year is no different.”
At the back of the crowd, Wyatt, a guy who worked at the hardware store, groaned with frustration and said, “He’s screwing up my proposal.”
Lincoln felt like he was stuck in slow motion as he looked at the stage, then at Wyatt.
The lead singer called for the “lucky guy” to come forward and claim his love.
Wyatt scowled and crossed
his arms. “That’s supposed to be my girl up there. The idiot got the wrong woman. I’m not proposing to Josie.”
From where he stood, Lincoln could see the shock on Josie’s face. In a few seconds, the singer would realize his mistake and then she would be humiliated. Not to mention the town gossips would spread the story like wildfire.
“I gotta go.” Lincoln ended the call with his brother and pushed his way through the crowd until he reached the dance area, then he jogged the rest of the distance to the front. After running up the stage steps, he went to his knees, sliding across the polished surface until he came to a stop at Josie’s feet.
He could see the tears glistening in her eyes and the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. Taking her hand in his, he pressed it to his heart. “Josie Moore, will you marry me?”
He stared up at her, willing her to say yes. As long as he protected her now, they could sort out the logistics of this screwup later. And this was definitely a screwup.
She smiled, and the gratitude shone in her eyes along with something else he couldn’t name. “Yes,” she practically whispered.
Lincoln dug out one of his grandmother’s engagement rings his mother had shoved at him right after he’d arrived. He held it up for a second before sliding it onto Josie’s hand, and then he slowly rose.
Josie flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. She trembled against him.
The crowd chanted, “Kiss, kiss!”
Josie raised her head and mouthed the word sorry.
He smiled to reassure her, and then pressed his lips gently to hers. Josie kissed him back while she gripped his arms, as if fearing she’d fall if she didn’t hold onto him. He lost the noise of the crowd and found Josie. Her body pressed against him. Her lips moved beneath his. If he didn’t know for certain it would screw up his plan and their friendship, he could almost wish that this moment and everything between them was real.
Chapter Eleven
Josie walked away from the stage, glad that no one in the crowd had the ability to read her mind. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, or why she was suddenly engaged, but she was grateful Lincoln had whisked her away from what would go down in her memory as one of the potentially most embarrassing moments of her life. But she was also upset that her heart had given a funny little lurch when Lincoln had slid across the stage on his knees and held out the ring.
Which was stupid. Lincoln had been her hero, but he was a hero to everyone. Him coming to her rescue wasn’t personal, and she’d be an idiot to read more into it just because she was feeling emotional. It didn’t stop her from wishing, deep down, that their fairy tale romance was real.
Lincoln hadn’t let go of her hand after they’d left the stage and he kept holding on until they walked behind the fortuneteller’s tent, a part played by the elementary school principal in heavy makeup.
“Lucky for me you had an engagement ring. It made the whole thing look planned.”
“Grandma gave one of hers to Mom and insisted that I had to take it for the future.” Lincoln paced back and forth, then sent her a half amused, half frustrated look. “Looks like you and I are getting married.”
Josie laughed and then put her hand over her mouth when tears sprang to her eyes.
“Hey, come on. Don’t cry.”
“Sorry. I just…I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t rushed onto the stage. I was so embarrassed.” Josie wiped at her eyes and forced a smile, determined not to mope about the situation.
“You would have handled it like you always have through all the rough things in your life. You would have found the positive in the negative.”
“Positives in this situation?” Josie said skeptically and arched a brow.
“You just got engaged to the best guy in Morganville. That’s gotta count for something.”
She smiled. “It’s a fake engagement, but you are the best guy in Morganville.” Holding her hand up, she examined the diamond. “It’s a beautiful ring.”
“Only the best for my breakup girl.”
“You realize that every time we’ve planned to break up something has gone wrong, right?”
“Yeah, I have. Wonder where we’ll end up on our honeymoon.”
Josie laughed. “We can still stick to the breakup plan tomorrow. Let’s just tell everyone that we got caught up in the moment.”
“People will speculate even more about us.” Lincoln rubbed a hand across the scruff on his jaw.
Josie was hit with the desire to do the same. To touch his face and let go of the tight hold on her emotions where he was concerned. She felt hot all over, and when she looked into Lincoln’s eyes, a collage of memories involving him raced through her mind. She’d learned over the years through her psychology studies that feelings often developed for one’s rescuer. And Lincoln had been there for her enough times for her to understand that.
“Josie?”
Right. They were talking. She blew out a breath. “Everyone will definitely be curious.”
“I don’t want that to hurt your business.”
“I don’t want that, either, or for our breakup to mess things up for you with the council. We’ll just have to be careful how we handle our breakup.”
Lincoln thought for a second. “Like you said, let’s just say we got caught up in the moment but later realized we weren’t right for each other.”
She felt a twinge at his words, but she knew they were true—they weren’t right for each other. “Perfect.”
“There you two are!” Jean called out as she approached. She had a huge smile on her face and her eyes shone with love and excitement. “I found them, Beverly!”
Lincoln’s mom rushed over with several people following her and pulled Josie into a tight hug. “I’ve always had a feeling about the two of you.”
“I want some pictures.” Jean took out her phone. She held her hands out, then drew them together in a gesture indicating she wanted Lincoln and Josie to stand closer to each other.
Lincoln’s silence was unnerving, but he put an arm around her waist, his hand resting lightly on her hip, and pulled her against the side of his body.
Josie fake smiled for all she was worth, while thoughts of Lincoln’s body touching hers ran circles in her mind.
“Give your girl a kiss,” Jean said as she peeked around her phone and beamed at them.
Lincoln turned Josie to face him, and she wished she had the ability to read his mind. He kissed her softly, briefly, then sighed and gave her a second kiss, the kind that made Josie’s head swim. The kind that seemed like he wanted her. He wrapped his arms around her back, lifting her off her feet.
It was the clapping that brought her down to earth, figuratively and literally. In the middle of congratulations to her, and back slaps and handshakes from some of the men in the crowd for Lincoln, he turned to her and said, “We should head over to the hayride.”
He held his arm out for Josie to slip her hand into the crook of his elbow. As they walked away, she could have sworn she caught a conspiratorial look between his mom and grandmother.
Deciding she was imagining it, Josie said quietly, “Thank you for the save.” He squeezed her hand in response.
Gravel crunched under Lincoln’s shoes as they walked to the area where a handful of wagons filled with small bundles of hay waited. At the side of one of the wagons, Lincoln reached out his hand to help Josie up.
As soon as they were seated, she gently bumped his shoulder and whispered, “You’re frowning. Are you okay?”
Lincoln lowered his voice to keep the other people on the wagon with them from overhearing, “Getting engaged, I felt my life flash before my eyes, but I’m good now.”
Josie laughed even though his words made her feel a little sad for the both of them. “A relationship between us feels right.” Crap, why did I just say that?
The wagon jerked forward and Lincoln automatically put his arm out in front of her. He’d always been as protective of
her as he was Casey. He was handsome and sexy with a heart of gold, and she knew that no other man would ever outshine him in her eyes. Which didn’t bode well for her wanting to get married someday.
“A relationship?” He raised his eyebrows in alarm. “A serious one?”
“No, I was teasing.” Liar. Okay, so what if I did imagine once or twice what a relationship with Lincoln would be like?
“Oh. Good.” He stared off into the distance like he was a million miles away.
Josie felt the urge to tell him about her long-ago crush. They’d probably share a laugh and he’d say he was thankful she was over it.
Am I truly over it?
What if she admitted how she’d felt about him, and he pulled away and they went back to that painful coolness between them? She wasn’t sure she could take the risk. Lincoln wasn’t interested in a relationship with anyone, especially not with the fiancée he’d acquired simply because she’d needed rescuing.
…
The hayride was torture. Josie so close, her body warming his side, the memory of her lips teasing him. When it finally ended, Lincoln jumped off the second the wagon stopped rolling. He turned and helped Josie down, then quickly moved his hands from her waist. Every time he touched her, a ton of strange emotions struck and messed with his head. It would help matters if every time he saw her she didn’t look so damn tempting.
Josie gave a funny, breathless sounding laugh. “We did it. We survived being the sweetheart ambassadors.” She tipped her head up and smiled.
That smile… It was the first thing he’d seen when he’d woken up in the hospital the morning after the fire that had injured Kent and killed Aiden. He remembered her gripping his hand like she was never letting go. He remembered her soft, sweet voice telling him everything was okay. It was okay, but only because she had been there.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Something was definitely wrong. His heart beat too fast, his hands felt clammy, and his tongue too thick to speak. He shook his head, as if he could clear away the symptoms for whatever he was coming down with.
“Linc?” She touched the back of his hand.