Game On (Fair Catch Series, Book Six)

by Christine Kersey

  “Look!” Mia said as she pointed to the rocky area. “A marmot!”

  Brielle squinted in that direction, and a moment later she saw a small fuzzy creature that was looking right back at them. It reminded her of a ground hog, only fatter. Then she saw two more. Laughing with delight, she took several pictures with her phone. As she snapped away, she turned to Tyler. “We should take a selfie.”

  He got a deer-in-the-headlights expression. “Uh…”

  Why did he seem reluctant? Then she remembered him saying he didn’t want anyone to know about their arrangement. Well, neither did she.

  “I’ll take it,” Mia offered, her hand held out for Brielle’s phone.

  Brielle handed it to her, then she stood beside Tyler.

  “No posting on social media,” he said, which Brielle found odd.

  Even stranger, Mia rolled her eyes and said, “We all know the rule.”

  He had a rule? About posting on social media? What the heck? What was wrong with this guy?

  Brielle plastered a smile on her face while Mia snapped a picture of the two of them, thinking that she had no intention of posting pictures of them. How would she even caption it? My fake boyfriend and me in Yellowstone. Uh, no. She only wanted a picture because she found him so hot and needed something to remember him by.

  When Mia handed her phone back to her, Brielle glanced at Tyler and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t post it anywhere.”

  Did Tyler trust her not to post it? He didn’t really have a choice. And he wasn’t about to explain the reason behind his rule. Telling her would reveal his secret—a secret that probably wouldn’t stay secret for long. It seemed inevitable that his family would inadvertently let something slip that would let the cat out of the bag. Until then, he’d enjoy his anonymity.

  After watching the marmots for a while, they continued the hike, re-entering the forested area.

  “Anyone getting hungry?” Rob asked after a few minutes, his eyes on Tyler.

  Chuckling, Tyler nodded. “You know I can always eat.”

  Rob grinned. “Yes I do.”

  They found logs to sit on, and when Brielle sat on a log that had room for him beside her, Tyler took advantage of it. Not sure if she’d meant for him to sit with her, he did it anyway, careful to keep several inches between them.

  They took their lunches out of their packs and munched on sandwiches.

  “Those marmots were cool,” she said, her expression friendly. Not at all like he repulsed her.

  “Make sure to mark it off your list.”

  She laughed. “Oh, I will.”

  When they got back to the parking lot, it was early afternoon. He asked Brielle if she wanted to go out on their own to see more sights and she agreed. After telling his family their plans, he helped her into his Range Rover, and after they drove off, he wondered if she would be more relaxed when it was just the two of them. Maybe she’d even reverse her no touch rule.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Now that it was just the two of them, Brielle became unexpectedly nervous. She didn’t have to pretend, so what was going on? Why should she be nervous? Taking a sidelong peek at Tyler as he drove, she felt her pulse flutter. His strong profile didn’t give a clue as to what he was thinking.

  Wanting to get a conversation going, she asked, “Where are we going?”

  He turned to her, a smile on his face and his eyebrows raised. “To see the mud pots.”

  “What are mud pots?”

  “Basically, boiling mud.”

  That didn’t sound right. “Boiling mud?”

  He laughed. “It’s true.”

  Skeptical, when they arrived a short time later, Brielle was astonished to see that Tyler hadn’t been exaggerating.

  “Wow,” she said as they stood in front of a railing and watched the grayish-brown water bubbling. “That’s really cool.”

  They walked along a wooden boardwalk together, taking in all the sights.

  “It really stinks though,” Brielle said, a hand covering her nose.

  Tyler laughed. “Yes it does.”

  “It smells like rotten eggs.”

  “It’s sulfur.”

  “Well, it’s nasty,” she said with a grimace as they wound their way around the area, following the path until they reached the parking lot again.

  Tyler was glad no one had recognized him. There had been a fair number of other tourists, but no one had paid any attention to them. He’d kept his ball cap pulled low over his forehead to help hide his face. That was all he needed—an enthusiastic fan accidentally revealing his secret.

  “Now what?” Brielle said as they approached his Range Rover.

  They stopped next to his car. Only a few feet separated them, but it might have been a mile. As much as he wanted to reach out and touch her—stroke her cheek, take her hand, even a tiny brush along her arm—he knew he had to respect her no touch policy.

  Gazing into her sparkling green eyes, an answer to her question popped into his head. Now it’s time for me to kiss you. His eyes widened in surprise. Where had that come from? Composing himself, he looked off into the distance, then met her unwavering gaze. “How would you like to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone?”

  Eyes narrowing, she said, “You’re making that up.”

  Throwing his head back with a laugh, he realized how much he was enjoying this girl. Too bad this was pretend. Still smiling, he looked at her. “It’s the truth. Scout’s honor.” He held his fingers up like he was taking the Scout’s pledge.

  Her brows drew together and her lips pursed.

  “Come on,” he said as he opened the passenger door. “I’ll prove it to you.”

  Without a word, she climbed inside, and once he was behind the wheel, they set off.

  As they drove through Hayden Valley, Tyler kept an eye out for wildlife, stopping so that Brielle could watch a herd of bison cross the road. Before long they reached the Artist’s Point parking lot.

  “Okay, show me this Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,” Brielle said with a smile as they walked toward a path surrounded by tall pine trees.

  Laughing, Tyler nearly took her hand, but stopped himself just in time. Determined to overcome this no touch policy, he walked beside her, and when they reached the path, she stopped.

  “Whoa,” she said, her voice filled with astonishment as she looked to their left.

  An enormous canyon filled their view, the walls a creamy yellow, pine trees visible on the rim.

  She turned to him, her smile wide. “You weren’t making it up.”

  Delighted by her reaction, he laughed. “Nope.”

  “Wait. I think I hear water.”

  “It’s the Yellowstone River. Wait until you see the waterfall.”

  They continued on, and with the way Brielle seemed so enchanted by everything he was showing her, with the way her enthusiasm kindled his own, Tyler couldn’t resist. He took her hand in his.

  When Tyler’s hand encompassed hers, Brielle was shocked. His family wasn’t around, so why was he bothering? About to ask him why he was breaking her no touch rule, she looked at him, but when she saw the happiness in his eyes, she held her tongue. And she didn’t yank her hand away. Besides, she liked having him hold her hand.

  Still, she was confused.

  People swarmed around them, so it didn’t seem like the right time to ask him what was going on. But she would ask. And soon.

  The thundering of a waterfall met her ears, and when Tyler led her to an overlook, she saw a stunning sight—soaring canyon walls, a magnificent waterfall with a green stripe of water on one side, and the gorgeous Yellowstone River flowing through the canyon.

  Her hand was still in his, and somehow that made the experience that much better.

  As they stood there enjoying the view, Brielle was acutely aware that Tyler was very close to her.

  “What do you think?” he murmured right next to her ear.

  Pulse skyrocketing, she took a moment to gat
her herself. “It’s amazing,” she finally said.

  “Thought you’d like it.”

  “I do.”

  At the very least, this would be a vacation she would remember for a long, long time. And not just because of the beauty of Yellowstone.

  “There’s a hike that begins not too far from here. I think you’d like it.”

  She had no doubt that she’d like anything he showed her, and she turned to look at him. His magnetism was overwhelming and she nearly swayed toward him. “Are we going to go on that hike this week?”

  His gaze was steady on hers. “Would you like to?”

  “Yes.” The word came out on an exhale. She mentally shook herself. She had to get a grip. And she had to find out why he was breaking her no touch rule. It had only been a few hours since she’d implemented it.

  His lips curved into a smile. “Maybe we can go tomorrow. We’ll have to see what everyone else wants to do.”

  She almost blurted that they should go alone, but then she reminded herself that he wanted to spend time with his family. She was only there because he was paying her. Surely he would prefer to be with his family over her. But the feel of his large hand enveloping hers made her wonder.

  Back at his car, he helped her inside, and once he was behind the wheel, she had to ask. “Tyler?”

  He was reaching for the button to turn on the engine, but he paused, turning to look at her. “What?”

  “I thought we weren’t going to…you know. Touch.” Not that she minded, but there was no way she would admit that, no way she would put herself out there like that. Not with him. Not when this was all pretend.

  A muscle worked in his jaw as he stared at her. Then he turned on the engine. “It won’t happen again.”

  Shoulders sagging with disappointment, Brielle fastened her seatbelt and stared out her window.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  What had he expected? Within hours of agreeing not to touch he’d gone ahead and taken her hand. Of course she was going to call him on it. What had he thought she would do? Throw herself at him? That was ridiculous. He had to respect her boundaries. No matter how hard it would be.

  True, he could tell her he was attracted to her, but that didn’t seem right. She was basically trapped with him until the end of the week, essentially his employee. Telling her about his growing attraction would just make everything awkward. It might even scare her away. What was to stop her from leaving? That was something he definitely didn’t want to have happen. And not just because it would destroy the girlfriend illusion. There was so much more he wanted to show her.

  “Where are we going now?” she asked, which underlined how completely dependent she was on him.

  “I thought we’d head back to camp.”

  “Okay.”

  When they reached their campground, he saw his parents’ truck, but no one was outside.

  “Where is everyone?” Brielle asked.

  “If I know my dad, he’s napping. Rob might be too. Mia and my mom are either reading or playing a game.”

  Sure enough, his dad was asleep in the RV bedroom, and his mom and Mia were playing a rousing game of Scrabble. “Where’s Rob?”

  “Sleeping in the tent,” Mia said, then with a sly smile, she asked, “Where have you guys been?”

  “Checking out mud pots and visiting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.”

  Holding her hands against her cheek, she said, “How romantic.”

  “Especially the mud pots,” Brielle said with a chuckle.

  Appreciating her sense of humor, he smiled at her, warmth towards her radiating from his heart. Until he remembered the look she’d given him when she’d asked why he’d broken her no touch policy, like she couldn’t understand why he’d done it.

  He knew why. Because in that moment he couldn’t not touch her. But that wasn’t a reason he could share with her. It would make him look like a Neanderthal. Not the impression he wanted her to have of him. Just because he was used to getting his way didn’t mean he always could.

  Holding back a sigh, he went to the fridge and took out a cold drink. “Brielle, do you want anything?”

  She faced him. “What I really want is to take a shower. You said there was somewhere we could go?”

  “Fishing Bridge,” Mia said, then she glanced at the clock on the microwave. “You should go soon. It gets pretty busy in the late afternoon.”

  “So, you guys already went?” Brielle asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Yeah. After the hike.”

  “I’ll take you,” Tyler said. “I could use a shower myself.”

  “Okay.” Was she acting like this was awkward? Because if she and Tyler were really in a relationship, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Anyway, it wasn’t like they were going to shower together—the thought made her face burn with mortification. Still, she’d assumed she and Mia and her mom would all go together.

  “I’ll grab a towel for you,” Tyler said. “You’ll need to bring your own shampoo.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  Five minutes later the two of them were driving to Fishing Bridge, and as it turned out, it wasn’t a big deal. Tyler paid the fee for both of them, and then they parted ways, not seeing each other again until they were ready to leave. Brielle had taken advantage of the electricity to dry her hair. By the time she was done, she was sure Tyler had been waiting a while, and when she walked outside, there he was, sitting on a bench, his head down as he scrolled on his phone.

  “Hey,” she said.

  His head jerked up, and when his eyes lit up at her arrival, something blossomed inside her. He was happy to see her. She could tell.

  That’s just because he’s tired of waiting for you.

  “Sorry it took so long,” she said. “There was a line for the showers.”

  He smiled. “It was worth the wait.” Then his eyes widened slightly, like he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

  Did he really mean that? “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

  He chuckled, but didn’t reply.

  What did that mean?

  Then he stood, towering over her, making her feel petite. “Ready to head back?”

  “Yeah.”

  As they drove the few miles in silence, Brielle wondered what he was thinking. She knew what she was thinking. That she was falling for her fake boyfriend.

  You’re an idiot, Tyler. Can’t keep your mouth shut. Why’d you say it was worth the wait? What message is that sending?

  He sneaked a glance at Brielle, who appeared to be deep in thought.

  Probably wondering how to get you to cool down. This is a job for her. She’s not actually your girlfriend.

  He was having a hard time differentiating between how he was supposed to be acting toward her, how he really felt toward her, and how he should be feeling toward her. It was all mixed up.

  Better get it figured out, doofus, or you’re gonna be in deep trouble.

  But he knew he already was.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Was it busy?” Mia asked Brielle when they got back. She and the rest of Tyler’s family were sitting outside—Rob and Mia on their phones and Tyler’s parents reading.

  “I had to wait for a shower,” Brielle said as she plopped into an empty camp chair next to Mia. She thought about Tyler’s comment that it was worth the wait. Did he really mean that? He seemed to. The idea that he did sent a thrill of excitement through her.

  “Like I said,” Mia said as she set her phone in a cup holder on her camp chair, “it gets busy in the afternoon.”

  Brielle stretched her arms above her head. “It felt great to get clean.”

  Mia laughed. “Right? Just wait until we take a longer hike.”

  “Speaking of longer hikes,” Tyler said, his gaze going to Brielle, who felt her insides heat at his focused attention. “I was telling Brielle about the Ribbon Lake hike. We should go on that one tomorrow.”

  “Oh!” Mia said. “I love that
hike. Brielle definitely needs to see that one.”

  The warmth in Mia’s voice, like she was loving having Brielle with them, like Brielle was part of their family, sent sadness sweeping over her. She really, really liked Tyler’s family. And after this week she’d never see them again. Forcing a smile to hide her melancholy, she turned to Mia. “What’s so great about the Ribbon Lake hike?”

  Mia opened her mouth to speak, but Tyler spoke first. “Let her discover all the cool things herself.” One side of his mouth tugged up. “Besides, she might not even like it.”

  “Just give me a hint,” Brielle said, her interest piqued.

  Ann smiled. “Let’s just say you get to see a lot of the interesting aspects of Yellowstone close up.”

  Brielle’s eyes widened. “Not bears.”

  Rob laughed. “Only if we’re lucky.”

  Swinging her gaze his way, she said, “You want to see bears while you’re hiking?”

  “Sure.”

  Mia touched her arm. “The only wildlife we’ve seen on that hike are bison and deer. And maybe a squirrel or two.”

  Brielle looked at Tyler, who was watching her with an unreadable expression from his chair across from her. But he was watching her. And knowing that his focus was on her, and remembering the way he’d taken her hand, Brielle felt a few butterflies zipping around in her belly.

  Then she remembered that when she’d asked him about taking her hand despite her no touch rule, he’d said It won’t happen again. But contrasting that with his comment after her shower made her wonder how he really felt.

  And don’t forget. He’s supposed to be your boyfriend.

  Which meant, when they were with his family, she needed to act the part. She could actually kiss him and no one would think it was odd.

  Imagining how it would feel to brush her lips against his sent a riot of emotions spiraling through her. Too bad she didn’t think she’d have the nerve to make that move. And she was fairly confident Tyler wouldn’t do it either. Not after she’d made such a big deal about him breaking her no touch rule over something so tiny as taking her hand.