by Emmy Eugene
“You’re squeezing tight,” Millie said, and Travis released her as quickly as he’d slipped his fingers through hers.
“Sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Travis didn’t need to reveal all of his flaws right now. It had been less than a week since the dance at the wedding, but Travis had never needed too terribly long to know how he felt about a woman.
But she needs some time, he told himself. He didn’t need to repeat his mistakes and break-ups of the past.
“Trav?” Millie stepped in front of him, blocking his retreat from everyone that was more fun than him.
“Look,” he said. “I’m not mad or anything. But I’m not Rex, or Griffin, or even Russ. I’m quiet sometimes, and well, that’s how it is.” He drew in a deep breath, but he felt like he’d just gotten off the treadmill.
“I know that,” Millie said.
“I’m not the fun Johnson brother,” he said. “Maybe you’d be happier with Griffin. He’s close to your age, and he’s a lot more lively than me.” He stepped around her, his strides lengthening.
“Travis,” Millie said from behind him. “Wait.”
He stopped suddenly, and she ran past him. Turning back, she tucked her hair and sucked in a breath. She looked concerned, her blue eyes wide as she searched his face.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Sorry that was…I’m a little sensitive about being the boring brother.”
“You’re not the boring brother.”
“Rex has actually called me that before.”
“And look who has the girlfriend,” Millie said, smiling.
But Travis couldn’t return it. “I know you didn’t mean anything when you said I was being quiet today. I know that. Let’s just forget it.”
“No,” Millie said quickly. “I’m not going to forget it.” She backed up a step, but she didn’t look away from him. “I apologize that I said you were quiet. Quiet doesn’t bother me.”
“Millie, I really don’t want to talk about this.”
“I don’t want to go out with Griffin,” she said, lifting her chin. “I like you, Travis, whether you’re talking or not talking or whatever.”
Travis felt like someone had injected a storm into his bloodstream. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just…”
“You should never be sorry for telling me how you feel.” Millie reached up and cradled his face in her hand. “Okay? I don’t care if you only say two words, as long as I know how you feel.”
“I feel like a fool,” he whispered. All the fight inside him faded to nothing, and he hung his head, causing her to drop her hand.
“Travis, we get to be ourselves with each other.”
He looked at her, pure hope filing him over and over again. Could that really be true? Could he just be himself with this woman? He’d never been able to do that, and all of his past relationships had failed, because he’d never been enough for the women he’d dated. Even the one he’d somehow managed to hide his true self from long enough to get a ring on her finger had figured it out eventually.
Millie wrapped her arms around him and held on, and Travis hugged her back. “Thanks,” he whispered.
“Even the big, strong cowboy has a soft side,” she said. “I like that, Trav. Very sexy.”
“Yeah?” He’d never considered his weakness to be something anyone would like.
“Yeah.” She pulled back and gazed up at him. “And don’t look now, but my momma is coming this way, and I’m going to need to go help her on the uneven grass.”
Travis twisted, and Millie stepped out of his arms. “Yeah, go.” He went with her, pressed a kiss to her forehead and added, “I have to get back to work anyway. I’ll call you after dinner with my folks?”
“Can’t wait,” Millie said, and Travis couldn’t help the slip of foolishness still moving through him. He couldn’t believe he’d told Millie that she should go out with Griffin, especially when his younger brother spilled from the homestead with a slice of pizza stuck to the top of his head.
Travis didn’t say much during dinner at his mother’s, which wasn’t that unusual. He knew his brothers hadn’t meant to exclude him. In fact, he was sure they’d embraced Millie’s momma so he’d have the opportunity to be alone with Millie.
His mother made a beautiful cheeseburger with homemade French fries, and he would’ve wrestled anyone for the sweet potato fries with chipotle seasoning. Everyone loved them, and his mom was smart—she made a ton of them.
“You’ve been quiet tonight, dear,” his momma said as Griffin got up to get coffee mugs.
“Yeah,” Travis said. “Not much to say.”
“What’s new at the ranch?”
Travis inhaled and pushed out a breath. “Everything.” He gave his mom a quick smile. “Seth bein’ gone is hard.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Russ and I are going to build him another dog enclosure for Christmas.”
She accepted the cup of coffee from Griffin, smiling at him fondly. “Thank you, baby,” she said before focusing on Travis again. “A new dog enclosure. That’s ambitious.”
“Probably, yeah,” he said. “But we can do it.”
Momma glanced toward Daddy, and Travis followed her gaze. “Daddy will want to come help,” she said, hiding her mouth behind her mug. “Don’t you dare let him.”
“How’s he going to deal with things in the Dominican Republic?” Travis asked.
“He’ll use a walker,” she said. “And a wheelchair. It was the only way I’d agree to go with him.” She lit up as she started talking about their upcoming service mission, though it was still months and months away.
“What do you want for Christmas dinner?” she asked, changing the topic quickly.
“What I always want for dinner,” he said, kicking a smile at her.
“We can’t have steak for Christmas.”
“Why not?”
She shook her head. “I’ll do steak bites for the party.”
“Party?” His heart leapt to the back of his throat, and he stared at his mother.
“Yes,” she drawled. “We always have a little get-together a few weeks into December. We’ll wait until Seth and Jenna get home, of course, and—”
“Momma,” Travis interrupted, needing to get the words out before they choked him. “I want to have the party at the homestead. On the ranch.”
Griffin set a cup of coffee down in front of him, clearly lingering to listen to the conversation. In fact, everyone had stopped talking and was now watching Travis. He glanced down the table to Russ and Rex, who both sat there silently.
His mother made a noise sort of like a bike tire leaking. “At the ranch?”
“We have no traditions there, Momma,” he said. “And we need some.”
“And his girlfriend is a party planner,” Rex sad.
“Shut up,” Travis hissed to his youngest brother. But the dreaded word had been said.
“Girlfriend?” His mother’s interest would be the death of Travis. And a slow one.
Travis swung his attention back to his momma. “It’s new, Momma,” he said. “No big deal, but yes, I did ask her to plan us a party out at the ranch. You guys can come out there.” He threw a look at his father that he hoped would operate as an SOS. His mother often said she was the one who was outnumbered, but she didn’t realize her opinion counted as ten votes. She could sway the whole family with a single look.
“Sally,” Daddy said, drawing out her name into four syllables. “Let the boys host this year. Less work for you.” He took a sip of his coffee, his piece said.
Thanks, Daddy, Travis thought, sending him a quick smile. He looked at his mother, his eyebrows raised.
“Can your girlfriend make sure we have steak at the party?”
Travis chuckled and ducked his head. “I’m sure she can.”
“Who is this woman?”
“Momma, I don’t want to be grilled,” he said.
“Come on,” she said. �
��I can’t know her name?”
Travis sighed just to prolong the moment. He wasn’t really going to withhold Millie’s identity from his mother. “Millie Hepworth,” he said.
“Yeah,” Rex said. “The woman he danced with at the wedding last week?” He grinned like a wolf, and Travis wanted to sock him in that mouth that never stopped.
“I didn’t see him dance with anyone,” Momma said.
“Oh, I did,” Rex said.
“Rex,” Travis growled, getting up from the table. “Thanks for dinner, Momma.” He leaned down and hugged her tight. “Love you.”
“Love you too, baby. You’re going already?”
Russ was up too, and Travis suddenly couldn’t wait to leave. “Yep.”
“We have so much to do on the ranch, Momma,” Russ added, and they headed out. Once in the safety of the truck, Travis glanced at Russ.
“Do you think I’m too quiet?”
Russ watched him, and Travis didn’t like it. He wished he hadn’t said anything. “Of course not,” Russ said. “And even if I did, why would it matter? You’re who you are, and if you don’t want to talk all the time, who cares?”
Travis nodded, unsure why he needed so much reassurance about this. “I mean, Rex always has something to say.”
“Do you seriously want to be like Rex?” Russ shook his head and chuckled darkly. “Don’t get me wrong, bro. I love him, because he’s my brother. But his voice grates on my nerves sometimes.”
“Maybe he’s just one extreme, and I’m the other,” Travis said.
“I prefer your extreme,” Russ said. “Honestly.”
“Okay.” Travis didn’t need more than that. “Do you want to tell me about Janelle?”
“Not yet,” Russ said, looking out his window, his voice fading at the end.
“Fair enough. I can’t believe I forgot Momma did a party for Christmas.”
“Well, she didn’t do it last year,” Russ said. “And the year before that, Daddy had just fallen.”
Travis nodded, glad it had been a few years since she’d done a party.
“Do you want to talk about Millie?” Russ asked.
“Not yet,” Travis said, because he thought he should probably kiss her without the addition of mistletoe before he said anything to anyone.
Chapter Twelve
Millie’s breath came quickly as she continued to climb, her blonde ponytail swaying with every step.
“Holy sweet tea,” Angela Brunner said behind her. “I don’t remember…this trail…being so…dang hard.”
Millie couldn’t answer, because she was breathing too hard. The scenery surrounding Chestnut Springs always made her feel small and insignificant among all of God’s beauty. At the same time, the miles of rolling hills and trees and fields made her feel strong and powerful and full of joy.
She loved using her muscles, though right now, her right calf was screaming at her to stop. Stop already!
She reached the top of the trail and stopped, Ang wheezing as she joined her. Their eyes met, and Millie grinned through her sweat and heavy breathing. “I’m dying,” she said, reaching for the straw connected to her water backpack.
“We haven’t done this one for too long,” Ang said. “We should do it every Friday for a while.”
“Are you kidding?” Millie laughed, but the sound was more like a strangled gasp. She stretched her calf, but the pain remained. They hiked together every Friday morning, and Millie was glad for the change in her exercise routine. Plus, she loved seeing Ang, who worked as an aesthetician and could set her own schedule.
“We have to do something easy next week,” Millie said, lifting up on her toes to further work out her muscle. “Though the view up here is fantastic.” She gazed out over the countryside from the top of Mount Ol’ Baldy, and she wondered where Travis had lived in nearby Concan.
“Really rejuvenates the soul, doesn’t it?” Ang asked.
“It really does.” Millie drew in a long breath and stretched her arms above her head, moving through a standing yoga routine that would bring her heart rate down.
“I got your website,” Ang said.
“Yeah?” Millie glanced at her as she walked further along the rock. “How did it look?”
“It’s adorable, of course.” Ang threw her a smile over her shoulder. “I’d hire you.”
“Thanks.” Millie couldn’t help smiling. “I designed it myself.”
“It’s amazing,” she said. “In fact, I’m hoping you’ll be available for a surprise party for Jack.”
“Sure,” she said, following her friend and still taking in the spectacular scenery in the Texas Hill Country. “His birthday is in March, right?”
“Yep, the fourth.”
Millie stretched her back. “Right. March fourth. I remember. How old will he be?”
“The big four-oh,” Ang said. “Which is why we need an epic party. I mean, epic.” Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, and Millie liked that her husband made her so happy. They had two cute boys together too, and while Angela was a few years older than her, Millie sure did like spending time with her.
“Epic takes time to plan,” she said. “I’ll put you on my calendar when I get home.”
“Thanks, Mills. What else is new with you?”
Millie sighed, toying with the idea of telling Ang about Travis. They weren’t in a secret relationship, and frankly, Millie was surprised her mother hadn’t spread the word far and wide.
“I’m sort of seeing someone new,” she said.
“Millie.” Ang darted over to her. “Sort of? Someone new? I thought we weren’t dating for a while after Mitch?”
“Is that what I said?”
“Yes,” Ang said with too much force. “That is what you said.”
“Well, this guy asked me to dance at a wedding, and I couldn’t say no.”
“Yes, you can,” Ang said. “You just say it. No. No, thank you. Sorry, dude.” Her Texan accent sure was cute when she got animated.
“It was Travis Johnson.” Millie watched Angela’s whole demeanor change in the blink of an eye.
“Oh, well, that changes things.”
Millie had never been the type to kiss and tell, and she kept their mistletoe kiss under her tongue. “Does it? In what way?”
“I heard that his momma sold some huge part of some company, and they have a ton of money.”
Millie had heard the same thing—from the horse’s mouth. “And that means I can date him? Because he’s rich?”
“Well, no,” Ang said. “But money doesn’t hurt, you know?”
“Doesn’t it?” Millie wasn’t so sure about that. She knew plenty of men with a lot of money who didn’t know how to treat a lady, and Travis definitely did.
“We’re not going to argue about money again,” Ang said, smiling as she shook her head. She rolled out her shoulders and reached up to pull her own blonde ponytail tighter. “And Travis. He’s quite the catch, isn’t he?”
“Is he?” Millie asked. “Why do you think that?”
“Well, number one, all those Johnson boys are kind of mysterious, and none more than Travis. He doesn’t come to town much, and even when he does, there’s not a lot to say about him.”
Millie had plenty to say, but she once again held it back. Her feelings for him were growing steadily every time she saw him, and she rather liked unraveling the mystery around the cowboy billionaire.
“Plus, he’s hot,” Ang said with a giggle. “Don’t tell Jack I said that.”
“Yeah, because I talk to Jack all the time,” Millie said, rolling her eyes. “Now, come on. We have to get back. I have to pick up a tree skirt and go out to the ranch today.”
“Ooh, seeing your cowboy boyfriend again?”
“I’m planning a Christmas party for his family,” Millie said, making their relationship sound more professional than it actually was.
“Ooh, ritzy,” Ang said. “Should we run down?”
Millie moaned, but she nodd
ed. “But it’s not a race.”
“Oh, yes, it is,” Ang said, already moving toward the trail they’d come up. She’d win for sure, because her legs were twice as long as Millie’s.
With one last regular breath, Millie started jogging, her eyes trained on the ground. The last thing she needed was a sprain or a break. Then she’d never make it to the ranch to see the hot, mysterious Travis Johnson.
A few hours later, she pulled into the driveway at Chestnut Ranch, armed with the tree skirt and a plan to get a date for that night. Travis had not asked her out for that Friday night, but she wasn’t leaving without him or a good reason he couldn’t take her to dinner.
Heck, she’d take him to dinner if that was what it took.
Millie was surprised by the strength of her feelings, but there they were, pulsing and vibrating inside her.
She wasn’t sure where Travis was, as she’d texted him to say she was on her way out to finish the tree, and he hadn’t responded. He could be anywhere on the ranch, and she didn’t even know how big it was.
Ringing the doorbell didn’t bring anyone to greet her, and Millie hesitated. Could she simply try the door? All she needed to do was spread the tree skirt on the floor, and the tree would be done. It was a thirty-second job she was hoping to turn into an afternoon with her cowboy.
Ridiculous, she thought, the faint sound of hammering coming from behind her. “Ah-ha,” she murmured to herself. Travis had told her he was going to build a dog enclosure for his brother, but she hadn’t realized they’d be starting the very next day.
Weren’t there holes to dig and foundations to pour? Millie admittedly didn’t know everything about construction, but she knew that much.
She soon realized that distances on the ranch were very much like they were in Vegas—much farther away than they looked. When she reached the huge fenced area where dogs were romping around, she definitely saw two men working a little further out.
She was really regretting her hike to the summit of Mount Baldy that morning by the time she’d tromped through the long grass to the spot where Russ and Travis were working. Russ saw her first, and he lifted his hand in greeting, nodding to Travis in the next moment.