Her gut tumbled. She still hadn’t decided what to do about him. It wasn’t Tatum’s fault that his roommate was a jerk. She shouldn’t give him the cold shoulder because of Drex. Besides, she missed him something terrible.
She placed her carefully packed pie on the floor in front of the passenger seat. Pies were fragile and she’d experimented in the past with the best way to transport them. If she didn’t take any corners too fast, her entry would arrive unscathed.
She showed up a half hour before the gates opened, but those working the fair or with a contest entry could enter early via the back entrance. She located the pie station and registered her winning pie. No sooner had she filled in her entry than Sharon rushed up.
Ashley leaned over. “Lemme see.” Sharon lifted the lid. “Okay, I am so going to lose.”
Her friend laughed. “I’ve tasted your pie before. Everyone loves apple. I took a risk on rhubarb.”
Sharon filled out her form and handed her pie to the judge. The throngs of people would be crashing in shortly.
“You want to walk around and see what’s happening?” Ashley asked.
“I would, but I have my little cousin with me.” Sharon nodded to the little girl sitting quietly on the bench across from them. “My aunt and uncle are out of town and I promised I’d bring her. You’re welcome to join us, but trust me, Pammy is a handful. Then again, what six-year-old isn’t?”
Normally, Ashley loved a social outing and would have enjoyed being around a cute kid, but if it meant she had to be on her best behavior the whole time, she’d rather wander around by herself. She might run into one of her friends whose husbands decided not to come to the fair, and if that happened, she’d tag along with her. Adults wouldn’t expect her to participate if she wasn’t in the mood. “Some other time.”
Sharon gave her a hug. “I’ll see you at the award ceremony then.”
Once her friend disappeared, Ashley wandered over to look at the other contest entries. Within a few minutes the crowd would be let in and the rides would have long lines in front of them. Since she’d always been partial to the house of mirrors, she headed in that direction. At one time, she’d seen all of the sideshows and the supposed freaks, but it made her sad to see them put on display.
By the time she got there, the fair had begun to fill up. She went through the house of mirrors and missed how her older brothers Zane and Garth would let her tag along and jump behind her to give her a scare. As she exited, most of the crowd consisted of families, but of late that seemed to always be the case. She went on a few rides then headed toward where the food was on display.
As she rounded one of the stands, a pair of hands covered her eyes. She inhaled, but failed to detect who it was until she clasped his large wrists. She spun around. “Tatum!” Boy was she glad to see him.
He gave her a hug. “I’ve missed you.”
He’d called, but she hadn’t been ready to speak with him. “Sorry. I’ve been occupied.”
Without asking, he grabbed her hand and led her over to the stand where they sold elephant ears. “I used to love this stuff. Want one?”
“Why not?”
He ordered two and handed her one. “Let’s find a quieter place.”
While she didn’t really want to talk, she understood it was necessary. Benches lined a walkway on one side of the rides. Most were taken up with parents waiting for their children to have their fill of fun, but Tatum luckily found an empty bench.
Before they started talking about Drex, she wanted to be sure he wasn’t lurking about. “Did Drex come?”
“Would that have made you happy if he did?”
Why couldn’t he just answer her question? “Let’s just say, I’m not ready to have a conversation with him.”
“I told him the same thing. The fair is a Drex-free zone for today.”
That did make her smile. “How did you know I’d be here?”
He tilted his chin. “Everyone knows about your pies. You haven’t missed entering one for six years.”
She chuckled. “Maybe it’s time I move to a big city.”
“You don’t mean that. You and Freedom are perfect for each other.”
She thought about asking him why he believed that, but they had more important things to discuss. “Tell me why Drex really left Portland.”
“What did he say?”
“That’s part of the problem. I kind of rushed out before I gave him the chance to tell me everything.” She wove her fingers together, collecting her thoughts. “He said he was the great-great-grandson of Henry Ford. I kind of guessed that meant he was rich or something.”
Tatum grinned and spread his arm behind her on the bench. A couple of children yelled as they went around on the Ferris wheel.
“Drex grew up under a lot of pressure to succeed. His younger brother is basically a fuck-up, which meant the dad looked to Drex to pull the weight. In my opinion his old man is at fault, mostly because he only praised Drex. If I’d been Lee, I might have decided no matter what I did, I could never be as good as the great Drexel Ford, so why compete?”
“That’s sad. My brothers, thankfully, didn’t have that attitude.”
“That’s a good thing. I get it though. Holly was a super overachiever because she knew it was the only way to break free of the poverty. Like Lee, I took the easy way out. But then I got caught and ‘saw the light’ as the evangelists might say.”
She huddled closer, enjoying being with someone so open. “You’re a good person.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Continue with your Drex story. I really do want to understand.” Though from what little he told her, she probably could put the pieces together.
“Drex sacrificed a lot to be the best. He received his masters in marketing, took his dad’s company national, and even convinced some of the brokerage firms to back an IPO. It was his father’s dream to take the company big.”
“Then why give it up? It all sounds wonderful.”
“He’ll have to give you the details, but there were a few people he counted as his friends, who, in the end, only wanted him for his money.”
She had no idea. “That would so suck. I’ve never had anyone I got close to deceive me like that.”
Tatum raised a brow. “No?”
Was he talking about Drex? Was she that close to him? “If you’re talking about Drex, remember I’ve only worked with him for a few weeks.” Then why did she think of him as someone she might want to spend the rest of her life with? Of course, that was before he’d told her about who he really was.
He twisted to the side and faced her. Two kids ran by waving cotton candy on a stick. A rather exhausted-looking man trotted after them.
“If Drex doesn’t mean all that much to you, why did you react so strongly when he told you the truth?”
Admit it. Because I’m falling for him. “I refuse to answer on the grounds it might incriminate me.”
He grinned. “I thought so.” He lifted his arm to the front and clasped her hands in his. “Listen. Drex has his issues. He’s confused right now. He believes he doesn’t want anyone to get close to him. A small part has to do with trust, but a bigger part has to do with him not knowing if he wants to stay in town.”
Her heart lurched. “That would be terrible if he left.” She hadn’t meant for that to leak out. “I only meant that—”
“I get it. You like him. A lot. I can see it in your eyes every time you mention his name. He likes you a lot, too, but he doesn’t want to blow it with you.”
“Then why tell me he has to act like some big shot?”
“Why do you think?”
She could come up with a few theories. “He wants to impress me?”
Tatum shook his head. “No.”
Why couldn’t people just tell her? They seemed to have this need for her to figure it out. “He cares for me so much that he yearns desperately for honesty.”
“You’re getting very warm.”
She’d been kidding. “Tell me.” She squeezed his hands.
“He’s scared. You do things to him that he doesn’t understand. What if he falls in love with you and then has to move back to Oregon?”
If she had a mirror to look into, she bet her face would have paled. “He thinks he could fall in love with me?” She didn’t know whether to shout for joy or be scared that if he did love her and left her, she’d be devastated.
“I say after we find out if you won the pie contest, we go back to my house and ask him.”
Chapter Twelve
Ashley had no idea how to react so she laughed. “Right. I’m going to walk up to a descendent of the inventor of the automobile and say, ‘Sir. Tell me. Do you think it’s possible you might fall in love with a small-town girl whose only real talent is baking a pie?’”
Tatum’s lips firmed. “Why do you think so little of yourself? You are amazing. You’re soft, kind, giving, and according to Drex, have an innate business sense.”
That was an exaggeration. “Because I can create spreadsheets and keep track of which customer had what service done to his car?”
“Because you thought to do it. Carl didn’t tell you to do it.”
“Carl isn’t technically savvy.”
“But he could have written down that information.” He leaned forward. “The point is, you have a good head on your shoulders. Contrary to what your father or your brothers might have told you, men want a woman who’ll listen and be a good sounding board. You’re that woman.”
His gaze nearly bored a hole through her. “Why, Tatum Morganton. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were sweet on me, too.”
His face reddened. “I am. This might sound conceited, but women usually put the moves on me, but I never was drawn to any of them like I’m drawn to you. I’ve had to work really hard to keep out of your way. I knew that once Drex told you about himself that you wouldn’t want to see either of us for a while.”
She leaned back. “Did they teach you how to read women in law enforcement school?”
He cracked up. “See what I mean? You are witty. What do you say we give old Drex another try? If he fucks it up again then you can walk away without feeling guilty.”
Why was he being so nice? “Do you think he’ll admit to how he feels?”
He ran a finger in between her breasts. “Let’s just say that if you took off all your clothes I’m betting he’ll show you how much he cares.”
That made her laugh. “I don’t doubt that he likes me sexually. I’ll even go so far to say the sex you and I had rivaled what Drex and I shared, but that doesn’t mean he wants to spend time talking with me.”
“Now there you’re wrong. Give the old boy a chance.” He scooted closer. “But if you want to see the real Drexel Ford at work, let both of us love you.” Thank goodness he kept his voice low.
Her body heated up faster than the hot oil in the deep fryer at the elephant ear stand.
He grabbed her hand. “Let’s go check on your pie.”
“They won’t announce the winner until one.” Now that the trauma with Drex seemed to be over, her appetite had returned. “How about you buy me lunch?”
“That will be my honor.”
For the next hour, they surveyed the vendors’ selections. After much deliberation, she opted for a hotdog with all the trimmings, while Tatum went for a sausage sandwich that would have given her a bellyache. Even after they ate that greasy fare, he brought her over to the fudge shop.
They both looked over the slabs of chocolate, peanut butter, and white peppermint bark fudge. He pointed to a peanut butter and chocolate combination. “My mom used to make fudge. She was a real master.”
“Holly never mentions her.”
He glanced away. “They never did get along.”
“But you liked your mom?”
“Loved her to death. Holly was resentful that our mom let our dad go, but in truth the man ran away.”
“I thought Holly said your mom even worked two jobs.”
“She did. See, that’s the problem. No one blames a person for being angry when it’s justified. If Mom had been a drunk or a drug addict who did nothing to help her kids, then everyone would understand if we hated her. The problem was that Mom was sweet and really cared for us. She just wasn’t educated and wasn’t good at staying focused at a job for long.”
“So Holly feels guilty for hating her situation.”
“Right.”
“But not you?” Ashley wondered how kids could grow up under the same circumstances and end up with different values.
“I was more interested in belonging than worrying about my circumstances. But don’t get me wrong. I acted out plenty.”
She smiled. “For all that you went through, you turned out pretty good.” Her life had been idyllic compared to his.
“Thank you. On the surface it might seem as though your life was fantastic, but I bet it had its challenges.”
Tatum was a highly intuitive soul. Maybe that was why he was a good lawman. Ashley nodded. “I had to battle my dad and my brothers to prove I was capable of doing things for myself.”
“I haven’t met your two older brothers, but Gavin and Zane seem to be the highly protective type.”
“That they are.” Sometimes, too much so. “All this talk has me thirsty.”
“Then allow me to buy you a drink.” He bought both of them Cokes.
The first sip moistened her mouth. “That was the core of my problem, I think. My brothers thought they were being good by not letting me do stupid stuff and learn things on my own.”
Tatum laughed out loud and caught a few glances. “I’ve never heard anyone put it that way.”
“It’s the truth. I know my dad doesn’t think I can start a bakery on my own, but I want to try. If I fail, then I fail.”
“What if he offers you a loan?”
Ashley shook her head. “I won’t take it. The success won’t be as sweet if it’s not on my terms.”
He smiled. “I’ll remember that.”
They worked their way to the pie table. The judges had already begun the taste testing and were comparing the pies. Another group was in front of the cakes doing the same thing. She wanted to pace, but then Tatum would be able to tell that her stomach was swirling. He couldn’t have any idea how important this was to her. If she placed, people would order the pies. Last year, she told most of them she didn’t have time to bake. This year, she planned to do whatever it took to fill those orders.
After another agonizing ten minutes, the head judge gathered the six ribbons and placed them in front of the three winning pie entries and the three winning cake entries. When she stepped to the side, Ashley nearly hyperventilated.
“Oh, my God. I won!” She wanted to shout it out until she spotted Sharon.
Her friend and her six-year-old cousin rushed over to her. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Did you win second?’
“Sure did. Now we just need to wait for the orders to pour in.”
Ashley had a stack of business cards made up so the fair-goers would know how to contact her. “Oh, Sharon, this is Tatum Morganton.”
Sharon grinned. “So nice to meet you.”
Her niece tugged on her hand. “You said I could get some candy.”
“That I did.” She turned back to them. “Gotta go.”
Tatum wrapped an arm around Ashley’s waist. “Do you need to stay around and speak with your admirers?”
She nearly giggled. “No. If they want a pie, they can contact me.”
“Then let’s share the good news with Drex.”
She totally didn’t know if she was ready for this.
Because they’d both driven, she followed Tatum back to his place. With each mile, her stomach churned. Her pussy, however, tingled. The conflicting emotions created further indecision. From the beginning, she’d been open to being with two men. That part wasn’t an issue. It was Drex who caused her to question
why she was in the car following Tatum to this showdown. Drex was a take-charge guy—a Dom, most would say. She believed she was still single at twenty-six because her past lovers had been so vanilla. They’d lacked passion and direction. No man had ever taken her as high as Drex and Tatum had. Together, she might come apart at the seams.
So, what’s your problem?
What if Drex returns to Portland?
“Then he leaves.” Grr.
That was the real issue. She was falling in love with both men, knew the three of them belonged together, but feared if she followed her heart, she’d be the one crying at the end. Drex was too unsettled, and she had no idea what action on her part would push him over the edge to leave.
Tatum turned down the street to his place.
Then you’ll have to convince him to stay.
Feeling better with her little self-talk, she parked next to Tatum and waited until he opened her door.
“May I escort you to our humble abode?” He grinned as he held out his hand.
As she glanced at Holly’s small home, she stood and took his proffered hand. “What kind of place did you two share in Portland?”
“Ah. I was wondering when that question would come up.” He’d told her they roomed together. “Drex owned the top floor of a high rise.”
“Jesus. A whole floor?”
“It was only about five thousand square feet. He needed the space because he used part as a home gym.”
“Five thousand square feet though?” That seemed excessive. Maybe he realized he’d become materialistic and came to Freedom to go cold turkey.
“How big is your parents’ ranch house?”
That kind of deflated her outrage. “Bigger, but there were seven of us living there.”
He led her toward the door. “Come on. And stop judging. This is Drex. The man who wants to forsake all that money, remember?”
Her heart softened. She appreciated when someone tried to take a new direction in his life. As soon as Tatum twisted the doorknob, she grabbed his wrist. “Wait.”
Freedom to Surrender [Freedom, Colorado 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11