Coming Home to Texas

by Victoria Chancellor

  The restaurant they’d chosen was in a large hotel, so he entered the lobby and located the signature, nearly unintelligible black script on a brass plaque. Like a lot of things in California, the sign looked pretentious.

  He saw Jodie immediately at the bar, surrounded by three avidly attentive men of different ages and looks. One was middle-aged, paunchy and balding; the short one was younger, with an athlete’s build; the third one was a studious, thirty-ish African-American. She shone as though a spotlight had been placed overhead to show off her blond hair and luminescent skin. After a long day of meetings, she still looked radiant. Only he seemed to sense how hard she was working to appear relaxed.

  The very idea that she had to entertain and enthrall these men made him angry all over again.

  Waving off the maître d’, Travis strode to the group. “Sweetheart, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” he said, placing his arm around her shoulders.

  She smiled and leaned against him, as though she were absorbing his strength. He was glad to share. He would gladly shoulder her burdens if only she’d allow him into her life. Perhaps after last night…

  “No, we got finished a few minutes early and came on over to the restaurant. Let me introduce you,” she said, straightening but not stepping away from his arm.

  “Norm Edwards, Mitch Reynolds and Jamal Mitchell, this is my husband, Travis Whitaker.”

  The three men congratulated him and shook his hand, which he endured for Jodie’s sake. What he really wanted to do was to walk her out of the restaurant, to the registration desk, then into a hotel room, where she could slip between some cool sheets with him and sleep for about ten hours—after which he’d make to love to her until they were both exhausted but sated.

  He motioned for the maître d’ and soon they were escorted to their table. Jodie sank into the chair, then almost immediately straightened and pasted a smile on her face.

  “The stuffed mushrooms here are fantastic,” she said.

  “Let’s have a round of drinks first to celebrate,” Norm Edwards said, nodding toward the waiter.

  Everyone ordered their mixed drink of choice. Jamal turned to Jodie. “Your usual lemon drop martini?” he asked.

  “No, not tonight,” she said.

  “Oh, come on, Jodie. Have a drink with us,” Mitch urged. He looked up at the waiter. “Bring the lady—”

  “She’s not having her usual tonight,” Travis said, ready to punch the guy if he continued to be so pushy. Tell them you’re pregnant, he silently urged Jodie. This is your chance.

  “You know that alcohol can make your skin age. You wouldn’t want me to look all wrinkled and sallow in the photos, would you?”

  “You’ll never look wrinkled and sallow,” Norm said.

  “Right,” Jamal added. “You’ll be the girl next door for a long, long time.”

  “Just the same, I’m passing on the martini. Bring me a bottle of Pellegrino, please,” she told the waiter.

  They received their drinks and talked shop, which pretty much left him sipping a Chivas and water, watching Jodie and wondering how long this dinner would last.

  They devoured crab-stuffed mushrooms, smoked salmon on endive and another round of drinks before ordering dinner. Travis shifted in his chair, glanced at his watch and continued to sip his first scotch and water. Jodie had been gone from her condo for twelve hours, way too long, in his opinion. She needed to take better care of herself now, not when it was convenient to her career.

  “Will you be moving to California, Travis?” Jamal asked as the main course was cleared away.

  “No. I’m a Texan, through and through.” As their child would be, he silently vowed.

  “Then, Jodie, are you moving to Texas?”

  “Well, of course I’ll be with my husband,” she said, wrapping her hand around his bicep and smiling broadly. “I’ll also keep my condo in Newport Beach, and I’ll be traveling to New York or wherever I need to go. Travis understands about my schedule.”

  No, he doesn’t, Travis felt like saying. Instead he smiled and placed his hand over hers. “Hopefully, Jodie will grow to love Texas as much as I do,” he said to the men at the table—and especially to his reluctant wife.

  “The town is very charming. I’ve already made some friends there.”

  “I’m sure they’re quite impressed to have a world-famous model marrying into their community.”

  “No, I don’t think—”

  “Yes, I’ll bet you really stand out among all those cowgirls,” Norm said with an annoying chuckle.

  “They like Jodie for who she is, not what she does for a living,” Travis contradicted.

  “Still, a small town like that…” Mitch said.

  “Like what?” Travis narrowed his eyes and glared at the executive. The hell with being polite for Jodie’s sake. These yahoos were disparaging his town.

  “I’m sure this Rancher Falls is nice—”

  “Ranger Springs,” he corrected Jamal.

  Norm waved off his comment. “They should be lucky Jodie is putting them on the map.”

  “They kind of got on the map when one of the local girls married the most eligible bachelor in Europe. You might have heard of Prince Alexi of Belegovia.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I remember now. Well, what a coincidence. Now the town has a European princess and an American princess.”

  “I’m not a princess.”

  “No, you’re the girl next door!” Norm exclaimed. “Let’s have a round of drinks to toast the Girl Next Door ad campaign.”

  “Let’s not,” Travis muttered under his breath. He was getting really tired of these guys. If Jodie had to put up with these nitwits to make a living, maybe she would be better off living in a small town.

  No, he shouldn’t think that. He understood that she loved her career. She’d just achieved everything she’d been working for, and as she’d told him, she wouldn’t be a fresh, young face forever. But dammit, she should have more than a portfolio of photographs and a legacy of commercials. She should have a family who loved her in a community who appreciated her for who she was. She should have a husband who loved her…

  He looked at her, the bigger-than-life woman with the glowing skin and gilded hair, the sparkling green eyes now dulled with fatigue. He loved being with her—and had from the very first moment they’d met. She intrigued and excited him more than any other woman he’d known. Certainly more than those insipid airheads he’d dated ever since Tiffany had walked out of his life. He also loved the way she looked, how she felt when he held her and made love to her. How she made him feel when they were alone and she reached for him.

  My God, he’d fallen in love with his wife!

  “This has been great,” he told the three men who were avidly listening to their waiter describe the tray of desserts, “but we’ve had a long day. It’s time for us to say good-night.” He linked his hand with Jodie’s and pulled her to her feet.

  “But we haven’t talked about sight-seeing tomorrow,” Mitch complained.

  “Or the schedule for the next round of meetings in New York,” Jamal added.

  “Sorry, guys. Jodie needs her rest and as her husband, I’m going to see that she gets it. Good night.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said tightly to the men as she reached down for her purse.

  “What about my car?” she asked as they walked toward the exit.

  “You won’t need it tonight, and I’ll bring you in tomorrow to pick it up.”

  They didn’t speak as they waited for his car to be brought around. He didn’t trust his voice or his mood in public. That odd protectiveness he’d felt since Jodie had arrived at his house was back with a passion. He needed to get her alone so he could tell her about his realization.

  But when they were finally alone and he pulled out of the portico onto the still busy streets of L.A., she turned to him and asked, “Who do you think you are to interfere with my career?”

  JODIE FINALLY KN
EW the meaning of the word “livid.” If she hadn’t been wearing a seat belt and if Travis hadn’t been driving a car, she would have grabbed two handfuls of his Hugo Boss jacket and shaken him until his perfect white teeth rattled. The nerve of that man, practically dragging her out of the restaurant!

  “I’m your husband, in case you’ve forgotten since just this morning.”

  “You know what I mean! Those men are important to my career.”

  “Then maybe you should find yourself another career,” he nearly growled as he turned to enter the ramp to the freeway.

  “I like my career just fine, thank you very much. And I don’t need help from you.”

  “You need someone to take care of you, since you obviously don’t want to do so yourself.”

  “I’m just a little tired. That’s perfectly understandable, given the fact I got about three hours of sleep last night.”

  “And that’s my fault, I agree, although I wouldn’t have kept you up all night if you’d bothered to tell me that you were going to be working all day today.”

  “You didn’t give me a chance!”

  “You had chances. Just a few short sentences would have done the trick. But you didn’t want me to know, did you, Jodie? You wanted to get up and slip out of the house and never tell me that your precious career meant more than our marriage.”

  “That’s completely unfair! I’ve never compared our marriage and my career. You’re the one who keeps weighing the two.”

  “Well, maybe you should start comparing them.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Just what I said. You need to decide what is more important to you, our marriage and the baby we created together, or the career you’ve already built.”

  “Are you giving me an ultimatum?” she asked incredulously. Who did he think he was?

  “Yeah, I guess maybe I am.”

  “Ask anyone. I don’t react well to ultimatums.”

  “Dammit, Jodie, you don’t react well to anything I’ve asked. You won’t slow down, you won’t put this pregnancy first and you damned well won’t give our marriage a chance. I can’t go on like this.”

  “You’re being unreasonable! I can’t give up my career just because I’m pregnant. I shouldn’t be expected to give up my life just because I got married.”

  Travis stared at her, his eyes cold in the green light of the car’s instrument panel. Her heartbeat and rapid breathing filled the car with a type of panicky energy she couldn’t control. He was so silent that she wondered if he would say anything to her…and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to. She was tired of fighting him, tired of defending her choices. Just…tired.

  “Why did you marry me, Jodie?”

  “I told you why. I needed to get married because of the contract. It’s everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve wanted.”

  “I understand that, but I told you my terms. A real marriage. Not a temporary legal arrangement so you could salvage your career.”

  “Yes, I know, but…”

  “But you didn’t really mean it, did you?”

  “I meant it. I tried, but you always want more.”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  She threw up her hands. “I have no idea!”

  “Well, why don’t you think about it,” he said as he put the car into gear and prepared to merge into traffic.

  She sat on her side of the car, as close to the door as possible, and tried to ignore his cold presence. How could a man as giving and passionate as Travis be so cold to her now? Didn’t he care for her at all? No, he probably hated her. She was an inconvenience, a burden that he’d been saddled with.

  Just like her father, who hadn’t wanted the responsibility of raising two daughters. He’d valued his freedom too much to be a dad to her and her sister. Her sister had never really recovered from his rejection, but Jodie believed she’d done a good job of moving on. She didn’t blame her father for not wanting his children.

  But she wanted this baby. She wanted Travis, too, but she didn’t know how to have him in her life. He didn’t even approve of her life! He might want her in his life, but she wasn’t a small-town girl from Texas. She couldn’t be shuffled away to his ranch so she could be coddled and protected for the next seven months. She didn’t want that type of treatment from any man, especially a man who had seemed to treat her as an equal and had respected her independence when they’d first met.

  Travis had asked—make that, ordered—that she think about why he was acting this way. But he hadn’t given her any clues, and now her head was pounding and her stomach was churning, and all she wanted to do was to go home and fall into bed.

  “I don’t understand you,” she said, barely above a whisper. “All I know is that I don’t want to argue with you tonight. I’m too tired to think.”

  “I know you are, Jodie, and that’s why you should be home, resting. But you won’t listen to me, so I’m going back to Texas.”

  “We should get this resolved, Travis. You can’t just keep running away from me when you don’t like what I say.”

  “I’m not running away. I’m leaving you in peace, because my presence seems more upsetting than my absence.”

  “It’s not always easy to establish a relationship.” She leaned back against the headrest and thought of her single mother, because that was easier than facing her husband’s immediate departure. Despite what he’d claimed, he was running away to Texas.

  Which she supposed, deep down inside, made her think of the father who had deserted his family so many years ago that she hardly remembered him.

  Her mother hadn’t needed a man in her life. There had been no stepfather for Jodie and her sister, and there hadn’t been any “uncles” spending the night, either. Had her mother remained single because getting along with a man was just too darn hard?

  All Jodie knew for sure was that she’d grown up believing that a woman could depend only on herself, even when she loved her family and they loved her.

  She couldn’t depend on Travis. He’d certainly never said he loved her, and she wasn’t about to admit her weakness for his handsome face, great body and mostly caring personality. If only he weren’t so protective and possessive. She didn’t need protecting, and she darn sure wasn’t a possession.

  “Maybe it would be best if you returned to Texas. I’ll be there in a few days.”

  “Are you sure you can work it into your schedule?”

  She turned and glared at him. “Look, I’m trying to make this work.”

  “Are you, Jodie? Or are you just trying to make this look like a real marriage for those people you work with?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The drive back to the condo became even more tense after that. Jodie leaned against the passenger side door and closed her eyes, letting the miles pass by, letting words remain unspoken. She felt the burning sting of tears that she wouldn’t shed and the churning sensation of the rich dinner she’d barely eaten. She wanted to get back home, huddle in her bed and listen to the sound of the distant surf drifting through her windows.

  No, what I really want is to cuddle up with Travis, let him protect me and keep me safe. I want to know he’s possessive because he cares about me as a person. I want to know he loves me.

  But he didn’t love her, and the way they’d botched their marriage, he never would.

  “We’re here,” he said, his voice flat.

  She opened her eyes and stirred, stiff and tense and half sick at her stomach.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She forced herself to unwind her legs, unwrap her arms from where they were clutched around her middle, and open the door. The smell of surf and the cool night air comforted her.

  “I’ll get my luggage and head for the airport.”

  “You don’t have to. You can wait until the morning if you’d like.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  She leaned against the door. “I’m
not trying to run you off. That’s not what I want.”

  “What’s happening between us isn’t what either one of us wants, but it’s happening anyway, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

  She closed her eyes, feeling her stomach churning again. I don’t, either, she felt like shouting, but she didn’t. Yelling wouldn’t do any good. Besides, a neighbor might be taking a late-night walk or a tabloid reporter might be lurking in the bushes. How would that look in next week’s rags?

  Girl Next Door Yells Like A Fishwife At Estranged Husband. Wonderful publicity. Almost as good as Girl Next Door Pregnant With Texan’s Love Child.

  “Jodie?”

  “I’m fine.” She removed her key and walked toward the condo. I’ll be fine just as soon as I sleep for about twelve hours…and find a way to forget about how I feel about you, she added silently as she stopped in front of her door.

  Ten minutes later Travis left her condo, asking her to call if she had any more medical problems or needed him to make another appearance. Unlike the passionate, warm man who had made love to her yesterday, this one was polite and distant. She promised she would, calmly closed the door, and threw a Lalique glass vase into her stark white, cold fireplace.

  TRAVIS TRIED THROWING himself into his next job the morning after catching the red-eye to Austin, but his heart wasn’t in the concrete, nickel-plated, steel-and-glass structure. He couldn’t stop seeing Jodie’s face when he’d said goodbye. She’d looked so strong, yet so vulnerable inside. He’d wanted to fold her into his arms, but that keeping-her-safe urge was what got him into trouble. She insisted she didn’t want to be protected, but her expression told him she did.

  Maybe she didn’t know herself as well as she pretended. Maybe this strong woman of the world, this “I can do anything” mentality was just a device to keep her from being vulnerable, which she obviously viewed as a weakness.

  He would force himself to give her time, he vowed. He’d stop rushing her, which he had to admit he’d done ever since she’d shown up on his doorstep just days before their marriage. He’d try his best to develop some patience—never his strong suit—and not go after her.

  She’d come to him when she was ready. He had to believe that, because in spite of their differences, he loved her.