It had only taken one text from Jake Kelley to burst her little bubble of optimism. Can’t wait to see you again, Babe. We’re going to be epic together.
She’d gotten the message late last night. In a matter of seconds, those two sentences had brought her daydreams of being with Ian to a screeching halt. Reality had set in, along with all the reasons why she should end things with Ian before she did something crazy like fall in love with him.
Still, Tomi hadn’t gone overboard when she replied to Jake. She couldn’t muster up the strength to send him a fake response about how excited she was to see him again. Instead, she sent him a single emoji of a fist bump. It seemed appropriate since she wanted to punch him in the nose for ruining the limited time she had left with Ian. Of course, Jake took it to mean she was pumped to see him again. He’d tagged the message with a heart.
That was a good indicator he wasn’t needy and looking for words of affirmation right now. He probably was getting plenty of attention from his other female admirers. Too bad he didn’t fall for one of his hookups. If he were in a relationship by the time filming started then she wouldn’t have to keep up the pretense of being into him.
Sighing, she turned off the bathroom light and headed to her room, grabbing her purse and shoes. Truthfully, it wouldn’t matter if Jake had a girlfriend or not. As far as she knew, he’d never been in a monogamous relationship. Rules about faithfulness and commitment didn’t apply to him, yet he expected the entire female population he deemed worthy of his attention to be faithful to him.
It was stupid. She wasn’t in a relationship with him. She didn’t even like the guy. But she had at first…and Jake had loved how rattled she got around him. Her shy glances across the table while they went over lines, coupled with frequent bouts of obvious blushing, fed his enormous ego. An ego that required a continuous diet of admiring females, including Tomi.
Trying to put the temperamental actor out of her mind, she went downstairs to grab a bite to eat before leaving for the clinic. Aside from the family dog, the house was empty. The kids had to be at school early for an assembly practice, so Piper had dropped them off before going to her class to get caught up on paperwork. Being alone wasn’t good. It gave Tomi way too much time to think about Ian and what she should do about her growing feelings for him.
Given the situation, it wasn’t wise to spend more time together. On the other hand, maybe spending time with him was exactly what she needed to see if her feelings were the real deal or merely infatuation. Sure, she liked him, but that didn’t mean she was in love with him. They just had great chemistry together. And he was a good kisser. A really, really, good kisser.
Just thinking about those kisses made her feel a little lightheaded. She shouldn’t kiss him anymore. She should’ve never started in the first place. Still, she’d kissed him every chance she got over the weekend when the kids weren’t looking. At least she’d thought they’d been discreet until Piper and Gabe came home, and Lindsey blurted out that Tomi and Dr. Ian liked kissing as much as her parents.
Piper was thrilled. Gabe wasn’t as happy as his wife and went into overprotective-brother-mode by taking Ian out back for a little chat. Ian had told her later that Gabe had grilled him, wanting to know what his intentions were and reminding him that only married people got to do married people stuff.
Tomi wanted to know what Ian’s intentions were too, but that meant talking about a future she wasn’t sure they could have. Instead, she’d made everything more complicated by kissing him again.
The drive to the clinic took a little longer than usual as she had the misfortune of getting behind a tractor. The delay just gave her more time to think. At one point, she considered making a U-turn to head to Billings for a shopping spree. But she couldn’t do that to Ian. He was her friend. Besides, it’s not like they were getting married or anything. She needed to chill. And not kiss him again.
A few minutes later, her resolve not to kiss him weakened the moment she pulled into the parking lot behind the clinic. Leaning against his truck with his arms crossed over his chest, Ian looked more like a cowboy model than a country veterinarian.
“Oh, my goodness,” she murmured when he uncrossed his arms and strode with purpose toward her car. He didn’t have on his white lab coat, nor was he wearing a button-down. No, today he wasn’t playing fair by wearing a snug T-shirt that showcased his well-developed biceps and taut stomach.
Climbing out of the car, she met his blue eyes and sucked in a quick breath. His heated gaze set off a flock of butterflies inside her stomach. “Good morning,” she said, straightening another one of the scrub tops Meredith had loaned her. “Sorry, I’m late I was—” Her explanation was cut off when Ian swooped down and captured her lips with a long, good-morning kiss.
And just like that, she was all in, sliding her arms around his neck and kissing him back until she felt like she was floating. Tendrils of sensations stole along her nerves as his hands caressed her arms, her shoulders, and her back.
“I missed you,” he said, his lips trailing tiny kisses along her jawline. His warm breath, and the scrape of his beard against her skin sent a shiver of pleasure that traveled clear to her toes.
“I guess so,” she said, hardly recognizing the husky tone in her voice.
“Hmm,” he said, placing a soft kiss below her ear, “if there’s still a question then I need to try harder.”
He took possession of her lips again, lightly at first, then with more intensity and a deeper passion that sent her mind swirling with desire. Desire she’d never felt before. She tried telling herself it was merely chemistry, but she knew there was something else to her feelings. More than just the crazy, physical attraction that made her want to give him more than she’d ever given any other man. He made her want what Piper and Gabe had—a marriage based on love and friendship.
Tomi was so lost in the moment that she had no idea how much time had passed, but the blissful kiss ended when Meredith cleared her throat loudly.
“You two are causing quite a stir,” Meredith said when they both looked at her. “I’ve already had three phone calls asking who Dr. Ian is making out with.”
“We weren’t making out,” Ian said with a straight face. “I was just saying good morning.”
“Right,” Meredith said with a snort of laughter. “I’ll be sure to clarify that if anyone else calls.” Grinning widely, she disappeared back inside the clinic.
Tomi let out a shaky breath and stepped away from Ian. She couldn’t think straight with him standing so close. “I hope you’re really not in trouble.”
“Oh, I’m in trouble all right,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
She was too, especially if word about the make-out session ever got out to the wrong people. A certain movie star would not be happy about her carrying on with the local veterinarian when she was supposed to be solely devoted to him. Depending on his mood, Jake could snap his fingers and have Tomi replaced with another actress more willing to pander to his ego and his needs.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes now filled with concern. “I’m not in trouble-trouble.” He closed the distance she’d tried to put between them and took her hand in his. “It’s just I really like you, Tomi. A lot.”
“I like you too.” She moistened her lips. “But maybe we should—” Not see each other anymore. The words were right there, but she couldn’t say them out loud. “—make out…I mean, say good morning in your office.”
“Good idea,” Ian said, pulling her by the hand toward the clinic’s door.
“I didn’t mean right now,” she said, stumbling to keep up with his quick stride.
He just grinned, held the door open for her, and led her straight to his office where he proceeded to kiss her good morning all over again. By the time he finished, Tomi knew she was the one in trouble. She liked Ian…and was well on her way to falling in love with him.
The rest of the week flew by in a blur. She and Ian spent every waking hour tog
ether, either at the clinic or out exploring the countryside as Ian visited various ranches. The evenings were also spent together, picnicking in the mountains, fishing or horseback riding.
Tonight was their last night together. Ian didn’t know that yet—Tomi hadn’t worked up the courage to tell him—but she would tell him. Because tomorrow everything would change. The entire production crew was already on location. The director and his wife were flying in tomorrow morning, along with Jake.
Her phone chimed another incoming text just as Ian came out of his house carrying two mugs and a carafe of hot chocolate. “Is your agent always this persistent?” he asked, taking a seat next to her on the bench he’d dragged over to the fire pit. “Maybe you should go ahead and talk to her so she’ll leave you alone.”
If only it were that easy. Susan had sent one text, telling her that Jake was in a mood. He hadn’t arrived in Snow Valley yet, but he was already complaining about being stuck in a small hick town and demanding they get him a bigger trailer.
Tomi already knew he was in one of his moods. The string of text messages pinging her phone were all from Jake, questioning her about what there was to do in Snow Valley and repeatedly asking her if she missed him.
“The texts aren’t from my manager.” She stared into the fire, knowing she couldn’t put it off any longer. “They’re from my costar, Jake.”
“The horse whisperer guy?” Ian asked, a hint of possessiveness tinging his words.
“Yeah.” Tomi swallowed hard as she turned to meet Ian’s blue gaze. “I probably should’ve told you about this earlier, but I’ve been too chicken.”
A pensive look crossed Ian’s face. “Told me what?”
Chapter 14
The muscle in Ian’s jaw clenched so tight his molars hurt. He tried to relax as he waited for Tomi to answer him. Whatever she needed to confess involved Jake Kelley. The guy was a tool. Ian had done his research and hadn’t liked what he’d found. The actor went through women faster than a bottle of Jack Daniels, the pretty boy’s choice of drink—well, his previous choice of drink. Ian had to give the man credit for getting sober, even if it wasn’t the first time he’d gone into rehab.
Tomi chewed on her bottom lip, still not speaking. Her delay was making him nervous. This couldn’t be good.
“You’re killin’ me here,” Ian said. “Just tell me.”
“I’m sorry.” Her gaze flickered to his and held. “I…can’t see you anymore once filming starts.”
The tension in Ian’s shoulders eased a little. He’d almost expected her to confess that she was secretly married or something. Besides that, her words held little conviction like she was being forced to end things. “Is that a choice or some kind of policy?” he asked in a calm tone.
“Sort of both.”
Confused by her answer, Ian ran a hand across his beard. “You’re going to need to explain that one.”
Closing her eyes briefly, she let out a deflated breath. “I’m totally screwing this up.” When he didn’t argue, she offered him a tiny smile. “Just hear me out, okay?”
“Sure.”
“I used to have a thing for Jake Kelley, so when I got the part playing opposite of him…let’s just say it was a dream come true.”
Envy wound its way through Ian’s chest, but he kept his mouth shut and allowed her to continue.
“My crush was pretty obvious to everyone, especially to Jake. That first week I blushed so much I thought my face would be permanently red.” She twisted her hands together. “He’s kind of got an ego and my reaction to him was feeding it big time.”
The man kind of had an ego? Ian stifled a sarcastic laugh. From everything he’d read about the actor, his ego was bigger than all the western states combined. Clenching his jaw tight, he listened to her describe how much the actor basked in her hero worshipping. But he couldn’t keep quiet when she mentioned the first time they kissed.
“I don’t think I can stomach hearing how much you both enjoyed kissing.” Ian got to his feet and moved away from the fire. He was already hot enough with jealousy.
“But that’s the thing,” Tomi said from behind him, “I didn’t enjoy the kiss.”
Ian spun around and met her blue eyes. “You didn’t?”
She moved to stand in front of him. “He’s not a great kisser…kind of slimy, and he uses way too much—”
“Don’t say it,” Ian said, cutting her off mid-sentence. “I get the picture without the details.”
“Okay.” A familiar spark of amusement flickered in her eyes. “But I need to add that aside from his horrible kissing skills, I no longer had a crush on Jake. It only took working with him for a couple of weeks to discover I didn’t even like him. Talk about a diva,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Feeling a little better, Ian unclenched his jaw. “That’s good to hear.”
“Yeah, except Jake picked up on my animosity. He didn’t come right out and say it, but he hinted that there were plenty of actresses out there who would love to be in my position. I knew right then I was expendable, and I needed to play nice, or I’d lose my job.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I tested my theory by falling all over him again, and he ate it up.”
“So,” Ian said, trying to put everything she’d told him in perspective. “You can’t see me anymore because Jake won’t like it and you’re afraid he’ll have you replaced?”
She nodded her head. “Basically, yeah.”
“Tomi, that’s nuts. Didn’t you sign a contract?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fire me. The whole document is layered with provisions that give them the option to get rid of me if they really want to.”
Ian ran a frustrated hand through his hair. No wonder she’d avoided any kind of defining-the-relationship talks he’d tried to instigate this past week. She’d been planning on dumping him the entire time.
“Have you been playing me?” he asked, feeling stupid for once more being duped by a pretty face. “Or I guess I should say play-acting.”
“No, of course not.” Hurt clouded her eyes. “My feelings for you are genuine. Why do you think I’ve waited this long to talk to you?” Her voice broke on the last few words, making Ian feel like a jerk.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He rubbed a palm across the back of his neck, the muscles so tight he could feel a headache coming on. “Wait a minute,” he said as her words echoed in his mind. “You said your feelings are genuine.” He dropped his hand and took a step closer to her. “What exactly are you feeling for me?”
Her eyes widened, a hint of a blush staining her cheeks a rosy pink. Ian tamped down the heady sensation from her reaction. He was ashamed to admit he got why Jake liked her blushing. It was cute.
She still hadn’t answered him, though. Ian wasn’t sure if her hesitancy was due to her fear of getting fired or if she was afraid to be the first one to talk. It was scary putting yourself out there, so he decided to take the plunge first.
“Because I know how I feel about you,” he said in a low voice. Up until this moment, he’d only admitted that he liked her. A lot. But after spending almost every day with her over the past two weeks, he was pretty sure he’d gone and fallen in love her. What he felt for Tomi was nothing he’d ever experienced before. Yeah, the physical attraction was off the charts, but it was more than that. He felt as if the teetering scale of his life had suddenly balanced, giving him a sense of purpose and peace he’d been searching for. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Tomi.”
Her blue irises deepened in color as her lips parted into a sweet smile. “Me too.” She laughed. “That came out wrong…I don’t love myself. I mean, I do like myself.” She covered her face with her hands and giggled. “Oh, you know what I mean.”
Yeah, but he still wanted to hear it from her. Reaching out, he took her hands away from her face and waited for her to look at him. “I guess I kind of have an ego too because I want to hear you say it out loud.”
Sh
e held his gaze for several long seconds. “I think I’m falling in love with you too.”
“Yeah?” Ian tugged her close as his chest expanded, giving his rapidly beating heart room to grow. “Then how about we seal it with a kiss?”
“Mm-hmm,” she said, rising on her toes to meet his mouth in a passionate kiss that heated every part of his body until he felt like he was going to combust. Need and desire crashed through him, making him feel reckless. His hands slipped to the curve of her lower back, pulling her closer as he kissed her more deeply. Tomi moaned softly as she twined her fingers through his hair. A sound so satisfying that Ian was tempted to sweep her up in his arms and carry her into his house. Before he gave in to the impulse, he ended the kiss and pulled her into him for a hug while he regained control.
His breath was still ragged when he pulled back to look at her. “Not seeing each other isn’t an option, but I don’t want you to worry about losing your job either.”
Pressing her lips together, she pondered the question. “How good of an actor are you?”
“I’m not an actor.” He had a feeling where this was going, and he didn’t like it.
“That’s not true,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “You totally acted like you didn’t like me when we first met, even though both of us were feeling it.”
“That wasn’t acting. I was just in denial.”
Her lips twitched. “We can call it that if it makes you feel better.”
“Okay, whatever it was…what does it have to do with our situation?”
“Acting is all about recalling emotions you’ve had in the past.” She flattened her palm against his chest and patted him a couple of times. “So, you just need to drudge up all that denial you had going on and pretend you don’t like me whenever we’re in public together.”
Ian narrowed his eyes. “Let me get this straight…just because Mr. Hollywood might get his feelings hurt that you aren’t into him in real life, I have to pretend like I don’t like you?”
Caught Kissing the Cowboy: A Return to Snow Valley Romance Page 12