Taming Travis (Wishing Well, Texas Book 4)

by Melanie Shawn

  Farming wasn’t a nine-to-five job that allowed for long breaks mid-day. It was more of a sun up to sun down with a few fifteen-minute water breaks sort of gig. And I loved it. What I didn’t love was my new physical limitations that would only heal with consistent treatment. So I was stuck with white knuckling it.

  After staring down at the stack that represented nothing but pain to me, I bent at the knees, to readjust them for a better grip when I heard the voice of an angel. A stressed out angel.

  “This is Mia. Mia James. Her sister. I can wait. Fine, but can you please tell her it’s important?” The anxiety behind her words as she disconnected the call was palpable. You could sense the stress even from behind the cardboard barrier.

  When I stood I saw the girl that had captivated me with a single glance in my direction looking down at her phone while pacing back and forth.

  “Come on, come on, come on, come on…” She whispered impatiently under her breath.

  In my head there was a voice screaming, say something. Do something. Make your presence known. But I couldn’t. Just like the first time I’d laid eyes on her I was speechless. And my vocal chords weren’t the only things that weren’t working. I also couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. I was paralyzed by not just her beauty, but her essence.

  I’d heard of people having charisma or magnetism, something that pulled people to them. But I’d never experienced it before. Until this moment. The woman standing in front of me had it in spades. She was like a force, drawing me in, that I was powerless against. Not that I’d fight it, even if I could.

  The screen on the device she was holding lit up with a Facetime call and illuminated her beautiful features, her eyes flashed with momentary relief. “Thank God. They said you were unavailable.”

  “I’m with co-counsel going over our closing argument for tomorrow morning. I have a few minutes.” A female voice stated in a modulated tone. “What’s wrong?”

  “Libby, he’s coming here. Tad’s coming tomorrow with Alexandria.” Mia’s voice had sounded anxious before but now it was on the border of panicked. “And they’re staying for a week.”

  “Why?” The woman snapped, no longer sounding calm and controlled as she let out a forced laugh. “I mean, I know why. He’s a narcissistic sociopath. But, what’s the excuse he’s using?”

  “He says that since it’s my first time showrunning, he wants to be there for me during preproduction. Which is crazy! He’s never done that before on any other project.”

  Someone else might’ve felt a tiny bit of guilt for listening in on this private conversation, but growing up with eight siblings had desensitized my conscience.

  In our house, if you didn’t clear a room before you opened your mouth and said something private, that was your bad.

  “Why is Alexandria coming?” the voice on the phone asked in disgust.

  “He said it’s the last chance they’ll have to get away before the baby comes, so it’s a ‘work-cation.’” Mia lifted her hand and made air quotes and I couldn’t help but smile, she was freakin’ adorable. “And he wants me to work on her back while she’s here because the pregnancy is straining it. Which means that I’ll have to spend an hour. Alone with her.”

  “Has he ever told her that you two were together?” Fury oozed from every word her sister spoke.

  “No. He hasn’t.” Mia continued pacing. “He’s not coming here because he’s worried about my dropping the ball. It’s like he’s trying to rub my face in the fact that they’re together and she’s pregnant, like I’m the one that cheated or something. But, I didn’t. He left me. He cheated on me. He got another woman pregnant.”

  “I told you continuing your working relationship with him was a mistake.” Her sister sounded like a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners gal.

  She reminded me of my mom.

  Mia shook her head and the golden strands of her long hair fell over her bare shoulder. “I just need to build my resume. Then, I can move to LA and put the past four years behind me. I know you think I’m crazy to move to a city I hate, but that’s where the jobs are in production. I won’t be working with him for much longer. This is just a means to an end.”

  “That’s all fine, in theory,” Her sister said pragmatically. “But you were going to marry him, Mia. I’m worried about what this is doing to you. You have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known, and that asshole just keeps breaking it. What is your heart telling you about still working with him?”

  “I’ve decided my heart no longer gets a vote in anything.” Mia paced faster as she spoke. “It’s been downgraded to background, no more speaking roles. From now on my brain will be the lead actress in my life. It will also be the director and writer.”

  “So, you’re going to stay and do this?”

  “Of course I’m going to stay and do this.” Mia’s tone was incredulous. “This is my show. I pitched it. I’m casting it. Colton only agreed to do this to help me. I’m not abandoning it, or Colton, just because the man I was engaged to is having a baby with someone else and bringing her here to rub my face in it.”

  Both women were quiet for a minute and then Mia stopped walking back and forth and her shoulders dropped. “I just wish I had something to rub his face in. Or at least someone that could be a buffer so I wasn’t always the awkward third wheel with a huge secret.”

  “There are services for that. I can have someone there by tomorrow morning.”

  Blonde, silky hair fell to her lower back as she tilted her head up and laughed. If I thought she was an angel before, I knew she was now. The melodic sound that came out of her was the sweetest I’d ever heard.

  When she straightened again, she stared down at her phone. “I don’t think a male escort is the answer to my problem.”

  “Okay, fine.” Undeterred, her sister came up with another solution. “Why don’t you find yourself a hot cowboy and saddle up with him for the week.”

  I watched as Mia held up her forefinger indicating the number one. “I’ve saddled up with one person and one person only—”

  Holy shit. She’d only been with one person.

  “Tad,” she continued, “because I loved him, and look how that turned out. No way am I gonna saddle up with someone to spite him, that would be a disaster.”

  “Fine. No saddling up. But that doesn’t mean you can’t offer a quid pro quo, like your services in exchange for pretending to be your boyfriend. I know you said you don’t want to go backwards, but this would be more of a lateral move.”

  “My services?”

  “Yes. Guys love massages, and your fingers are pure magic. A couple of sessions, in exchange for one week of rubbing Tad’s face in what he lost. Just make sure the guy knows there will be no ‘happy endings.’”

  Mia’s eyes grew wide with mortification. “I can’t just walk up to some guy and say, ‘Hi, my ex is coming into town for a week with his pregnant, ex-model fiancée. It’s kind of an awkward situation for me and I was wondering if you would pretend to be my boyfriend in exchange for two free massages.’”

  “You’re right,” Mia’s sister stated flatly. “Offer four.”

  Mia’s hand flew up in the air. “It’s not about the amount of massages.”

  “Fine. Throw in a dinner, too. Everything’s negotiable.”

  “Says the lawyer.” Mia shot back with obvious pride in her voice.

  “Damn, right. And I have to go lawyer now, but if you need me to draw up a contract or negotiate terms, I’m all over it.”

  I watched as Mia’s lips curled up slightly. She didn’t exactly look happy, but I could see that talking to her sister had helped as she scrunched her nose. “Bye, sissy. Love you.”

  “Love you.”

  When the call disconnected Mia put her phone back in her pocket and ran her hands down her dress as she took a deep breath.

  “Tad sounds like a real prick.” Talking about an ex wasn’t my usual opener with a beautiful girl, but there was nothing usual about this beaut
iful girl.

  Mia’s head jerked up as she sucked in a startled gasp. I was happy to see that the fear in her eyes only lasted until recognition kicked in and a flush appeared on her cheeks and her breath was shallow and shaky. Maybe the impact of the look we’d shared wasn’t one sided.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” I couldn’t help the cocky grin that spread on my face.

  “Were you standing there the whole…you heard my…you heard me…”

  “Yes, yes, and yes.” I answered. “And I’d like to know who I speak to about contract negotiations.”

  “Ha, ha, ha,” She said dismissively, but her voice was still shaky. “You’re funny.”

  “I am funny,” I confirmed confidently. “But, right now, darlin’, I’m not joking.”

  The flush on her cheeks darkened, from what I assumed was either arousal or embarrassment, as she stammered, “She was…I was…we were joking…it was a joke.”

  I moved around the boxes and took one step forward, my long legs eating up a lot of the distance between us. When I did, Mia’s eyes widened as she licked her lips. I was sure that she hadn’t done it to be intentionally sexy, but that’s exactly what it was. As I watched her tongue run along the seam of her lips, I inwardly groaned and my jeans grew just a little tighter below the belt. I wanted to comment on what she was doing to me, but I thought if I did it might take me out of the running for the pretend-boyfriend job.

  “There are two things I never joke about.” I held up my hand and counted on my fingers. “Money and love.”

  Her eyes grew somehow larger. “I’m not going to pay you.”

  “You’re right, it’s more of a barter system. Four massages, and three dinners.”

  A spark of challenge lit in her eyes and it sent my libido into overdrive. That mischievous twinkle might just be the death of me.

  “It was two massages and one dinner,” she corrected.

  “Like Libby said, everything’s negotiable. But, I can talk to her—”

  “No!” Mia blurted out loudly. Then realization dawned on her as she shook her head slightly. “Wait, what am I worried about? You don’t know her. You couldn’t…”

  Her voice trailed off when I took my phone from my pocket and started typing.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, not quite as panicked as when she’d been trying to get a hold of her sister, but definitely headed in that direction.

  “Googling Libby or Elizabeth James attorney.” I glanced up and saw the self-satisfied look on Mia’s face and knew I was barking up the wrong tree.

  My fingers stilled as I lifted my head and locked eyes with her as if I was searching for the correct name in their depths. The truth was, I was only using the situation as an excuse to stare into the depths of her baby blues and feel the feelings I’d never felt before. In reality, I only had one more guess as to what else Libby could be short for and no amount of drowning in the crystal blue pools of her mesmerizing eyes was going to change that.

  When I was just pushing the creepy-stare-contest limit, I said, “Olivia James, attorney.”

  The mouth drop and simultaneous intake of breath told me that I’d guessed right. “How did you know that?”

  I clenched my teeth together and made a hissing sound as I inhaled. “That’s a personal question. I wouldn’t feel comfortable answering it to anyone that wasn’t under contract to be my fake-girlfriend.”

  She smiled, and I could tell she wanted to laugh but didn’t want to give into it. “You actually are funny.”

  “That’s another thing I don’t lie about.”

  “Nice callback, but I hate to point out that our arrangement isn’t about love or money, so your honesty in those areas is irrelevant.”

  “Wow, are you sure you weren’t supposed to be the lawyer in the family?” I teased.

  That actually did get a small laugh.

  “It might be irrelevant, but ya gotta admit, I sounded pretty damn cool saying it.” I tilted my head and gave her my most charming, endearing, and sexiest smile. It was a smile that had gotten me out of trouble for as long as I could remember…and got me into a lot of it, too.

  “Fine. I’ll concede that you kind of sounded cool.” I could see that she was trying not to let herself fall for my charm and wit. But, I wasn’t worried. I knew she’d already jumped, falling was inevitable.

  I clapped my hands together. “Great. Now that that’s settled, what’s on the menu for the week and when do I get my first intro to ‘pure magic fingers’?”

  The look in her gaze was part intrigued, part disbelief, part turned-on. It was what I called the keep-’em-coming-back-for-more trifecta. I was always happy when I saw it in any female’s eyes, but what I felt when I saw it in Mia’s was more than happy, it made me feel like a barbarian that had just conquered the world.

  “I never agreed to anything.”

  “Yes, you did.” I motioned towards the corner of the room to an imaginary court stenographer. “Sally, can you please read back what Ms. James said regarding our relationship.” I lowered my voice several octaves. “Our arrangement isn’t about love and money.”

  “Wow.” Mia laughed again and it sounded just as heavenly as the first time I heard it. “Sally has a very masculine voice.”

  “Shh.” I leaned forward and hushed her, whispering, “She’s very self-conscious about it.”

  She shook her head slightly. A grin still pulled at her lips as she crossed her arms and took a deep breath. I could see her shutting herself off and erecting a wall. Putting up an emotional barrier between us. I actually thought it was kind of cute that she thought that would work, that I wouldn’t just hop over or bust right through it.

  Silly, girl.

  “Travis William Briggs! There you are!”

  Oh shit.

  “Hey, mama!” I looked up to see my mom walking towards me, lookin’ madder than a wet hen. I smiled and raised my hands. “I was wrong I guess you did have to send out a search party.”

  Dolly Briggs did not get charmed easily. Her face morphed into her this-is-not-funny-mom-face. “Glasses. Now.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” My Pavlovian response kicked in.

  When she saw that I was taking her seriously, her face softened and that’s when she noticed Mia beside me. She stepped forward and extended her hand. “Forgive my manors, I’m not usually like this. Today has turned me into a mother-of-the-groomzilla. I’m Dolly Briggs.”

  Mia reached out and shook his mother’s hand. “Hi, I’m—”

  “This is Mia James,” I interjected, adding, “my girlfriend.”

  Beside me, Mia tensed.

  My mom didn’t seem to notice, or if she did she didn’t care. “Nice to meet you, sweetie. You and Travis need to come by the ranch for some sweet tea so I can get to know you properly.” After extending her invitation to my “girlfriend” my mom turned her attention back to me and repeated, “Glasses. Now.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I responded once again.

  After a sharp nod, my mom turned and hurried back out to my brother’s reception.

  Mia waited until she’d disappeared out the door, before she turned to me and I noticed that her arms were once again crossed. “You just told your mom I’m your girlfriend. I thought you didn’t lie about money or love.”

  “I thought you said that our arrangement wasn’t about money or love.”

  “Touché.” She smiled, the same wide engaging smile that had spread across her face when I’d seen her from across the room.

  “So,” I held my hand out. “Do we have a deal?”

  Her eyes narrowed, as if she was trying to decide. “One dinner. Two massages. No happy endings.”

  “Two dinners. Three massages. Happy endings off the table, “I countered.

  She sighed as if she was making a huge concession, but then held out her hand. “You have yourself a deal Travis William Briggs.”

  I shook it and the tingling awareness spread through my body as if she’d just tra
nsferred energy to me.

  “I would’ve stayed for two,” I referenced one of my little sister Harmony’s favorite movies, Pretty Woman. Sure, I would’ve rather been Richard Gere in the scene I was playing out, but if I had to be a woman, Julia Roberts wasn’t a bad one.

  She didn’t miss a beat taking on Richard Gere’s role. “I would’ve paid four.”

  And in that moment I knew our arrangement may not have anything to do with money but it had a very real possibility of being about love.

  Chapter 4

  Mia

  “Ridin’ a bronc is like dancin’ with a girl, the trick is matchin’ your partner’s rhythm.”

  ~ Walker Briggs

  Is this really happening?

  I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience as I walked beside Travis as he carried several boxes of champagne glasses into the reception hall. Had I really just agreed to have a pretend boyfriend in exchange for massages and dinners? The butterflies that were throwing a rave in my stomach were of the opinion that that is exactly what I had done.

  Oh boy. What did I just get myself into?

  This entire situation smelled like a set-up. Like I was on some elaborate Candid Camera or Punk’d show. I did a quick sweep of the party to see if I could spot any cameras or equipment. There had been rumors floating around Spotlight that they had greenlit a hidden camera show, it would make sense that they would start with one of their own.

  Maybe that’s why Tad had called. To see if they could illicit a reaction from me.

  No. I quickly dismissed that idea. That would mean that he’d actually admitted that we’d been a couple, which he would never do.

  No one at work knew that we’d ever been more than colleagues. At first Tad’s reasoning seemed sound. He said our secrecy was because he didn’t want people to think that I’d only gotten the job because we were dating. But after a year I’d revisited the subject and he’d said that we couldn’t reveal our relationship because although having a “work romance” was not against company policy it was definitely “frowned upon.” I’d accepted that explanation because I’d truly believed that he loved me and that I loved him.