“She knows you’re here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Renie decided she needed to know.”
Fuck. Now what? Ben laid his head against the steering wheel. He never should have come. Liv would not be happy about this. No matter what he did next, it would be the wrong thing.
“I saw her, Paige. She was with someone else. I can’t see her and pretend like I don’t know.” He hit the off button on the phone and threw it against the passenger window, hoping it would break. Why had he come?
“Hey, sweet Mama,” Renie said, meeting her mother outside the barn. “Do you have any idea how proud I am of you? How happy I am for you?”
Liv hugged Renie tight. Thank God she was here. If she hadn’t been, tonight would’ve meant so much less.
“There were people in the stands tonight cheering you on that you didn’t expect to be here.”
Liv’s eyes flew open, and she tried to catch her breath.
“Mom, are you okay?” Renie started slapping Liv on the back.
“Stop! Stop it. I’m okay, it went down the wrong pipe.” Liv coughed a couple times trying to get her breath back. “Who?”
“Paige and Mark came down, you probably figured they would. And you already knew that Dottie and Bill were here. There was another person you didn’t expect.”
Liv wanted to strangle her daughter. “Who, Renie? Quit playing games and tell me.”
“Ben.”
Liv turned and walked back toward the barn.
“Mom, come back. Don’t run away.”
“Where is he?” Liv looked back at her daughter but kept her feet firmly planted where they were. “You shouldn’t have interfered in this.” She walked into the barn. As much as she’d wanted him to be here, she hadn’t asked. How could she? Would it be fair to ask him to come and see her when she wouldn’t do the same for him?
“We promised, Renie…” A tear rolled down Liv’s cheek.
“He told me. You should have seen his face, though. He had tears in his eyes he was so proud of you.”
“He did?” Liv whispered.
“Yes, he did.”
“Where is he?”
“Paige is trying to keep him from leaving.”
“I don’t know what to do.” It came out somewhere between a gasp and a whisper. She held onto her daughter’s arm. “What should I do?”
“Call him.”
Liv dug out her cell phone, and called. “Huh. It went straight to voicemail.”
“Leave him a message.”
“Uh, hi, Ben. It’s Liv. Renie told me you’re here. I’m …uh…so happy you are.” Why was she so tongue-tied? “Call me back, I…uh…can’t wait to see you.”
Ben picked his phone up off the floor of his truck and hit the “on” button. Nothing. He’d done it. He broke it. Wasn’t that his intention? That way Paige wouldn’t be able to reach him, but now he had no way of knowing if Liv wanted to see him. What the hell was he thinking?
He’d never get the image out of his head, of the cowboy’s arms around her, and the look on her face. Even if she did want to see him, would it only be to say their final goodbye? Should he just get it over with—see her one last time and let her break his heart for good? Or should he just walk away, and try to forget her, like she’d forgotten him?
16
Ben got out of the truck and paced along the side of the road. He didn’t know what the hell to do.
Paige told him to come to Blue Water on Main. He assumed that was a restaurant, or a bar. He could find Main Street, since there were only two roads in the whole town, and he was on the other one.
He finally decided to rip the bandage off, let Liv have her say, and drive home in the morning, if heartbreak didn’t kill him while he slept tonight.
Ben walked into the restaurant but didn’t see Paige or Mark. He didn’t see Renie or Liv either. Or even Dottie or Bill.
“Is there another Blue Water in town?” he asked the bartender, who laughed at him.
He ordered a soda water and rubbed his hands over his face. He sat with his back to the door, he was too anxious to turn around and watch for her. If Liv walked into this bar and wanted to talk to him, she’d know he was there.
“I told him where we’d be,” Paige said to Renie on the phone. “I don’t know whether he’ll come or not. He said something really strange about seeing her with another man. It didn’t make any sense.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. He hung up before I had a chance to ask.”
“Have you tried calling him again?”
“Only once a minute. It keeps going to voicemail.”
“She left him a message too, but he hasn’t called her back. She’s gonna be wrecked if he doesn’t show. We handled this wrong.”
“Thanks, Renie. I appreciate you saying ‘we,’ but this is all on me. I handled this wrong.”
“Nope, you’re not taking all the blame. It was my idea to tell her he was here. If I hadn’t, he would’ve left. My mom never would’ve known he was here. Instead of looking as though she’s gonna throw up any minute, she’d still be celebrating.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s walking toward me. Gotta go.”
“Ready?” Renie said to her mom.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to Blue Water on Main. Paige, Mark, the Pattersons, Jolene and Mary Beth are coming. And Mom, we’re celebrating tonight, one way or another.”
Liv smiled, although inside she was anything but. Why hadn’t Ben called her back? And if he came all this way, why didn’t he tell her he was coming? And why was did Renie say Paige was trying to keep him from leaving?
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
Liv went into mom-mode. “It’s okay, baby girl. This thing between Ben and me is complicated. I realize everyone wants to help, but some things just have to happen on their own. Come on, let’s go celebrate. Your mama is a barrel racer after all.”
Everyone, except Ben, was waiting under the bright light near the front door when Renie and Liv pulled into the parking lot.
There were so many shouts and cheers, people picking her up and hugging her, Liv almost, for a second, forgot about Ben. Not a whole second, but part of one.
“Let’s go eat,” Bill said. “Dottie’s treat.”
Dottie slugged him. “That’s right, big spender, make your wife buy your dinner, and everybody else’s too.”
“I’m just kiddin’, sweetie,” Bill said as he nuzzled up to Dottie. Watching them made Liv wish Ben was here even more.
Bill went in to get a table, followed by the rest of the group. Paige grabbed Liv’s arm and held her back. “Walk in with me,” Paige said and hooked her arm through Liv’s. Renie was right in front of them, and Mark was right behind them. Liv wondered if they thought she would back out, so they had her surrounded.
It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but as soon as they did, she saw him. His back was to her, but he was there. She stopped where she was, and took her arm from Paige’s.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I’ll meet you in there.”
Ben turned around. He felt her. The only thing he could do was smile, he was so damn happy to see her.
He stood, held out his arms, and she walked into them. When her mouth sought his, he crushed into hers. His arms were around her waist, and he pulled her body as close as he could to his.
The noisy restaurant went silent. He could only hear his own heart pounding and Liv’s soft, quiet whimpers as she kissed him. Her lips tore at his, as she ravaged him. Not the other way.
“Ben.”
It was the only word he wanted to hear.
“There’s my girl.”
“I’m so happy you’re here. I heard you watched me chase the cans.”
“You were magnificent.”
She looked down and even as dark as it was in the bar, he knew her cheeks were pink. He put his finger on her chin and tilte
d her head so her eyes met his. “Magnificent.”
Her smile left her face and her eyes bored into his. “I missed you so much.”
“I know, baby, me too.”
“I’m so glad you’re here, but—”
“Shh. No ‘buts’.”
He smiled and kissed her again. “Let’s go join your party, darlin’.”
Ben stood back and watched Liv as she circled the table, greeting each person there to celebrate with her. He pulled out a chair at the end of the table and sat next to Mark.
“You didn’t go home.”
“I sat next to you because I thought you were the only person at the table who wouldn’t try talk to me about Liv. Can’t we talk about guitar strings, or baseball, or another random topic you’re so good at pullin’ out of thin air?”
“You got it, buddy.” Mark pulled out his cell phone and started to show Ben videos on YouTube. The guy had the sense of humor of a fourteen-year-old and sometimes that was a very good thing.
“Tomorrow’s another day of training, as it would be back home. Don’t go gettin’ all full of yourself tonight, thinkin’ you have this in the bag,” Jolene said to Liv.
Dottie stood up in Liv’s defense. “Oh, Jolene, can’t you give the girl a break? Give Cinderella a midnight curfew if you have to, but let her enjoy the ball while she’s here.”
“You don’t win world titles enjoying the balls,” the gruff sixty-five year old spit out, which Mark picked up and ran with.
“What did she say? Liv isn’t allowed to enjoy the balls? Is that what she said? Bummer for you, dude.”
“Yep. You’re fourteen. A fourteen-year-old with gray hair.”
As Liv moved from person to person at the table, she’d look at him and smile. Was she checking to make sure he was still there, or that he was okay, or was she wondering if he was watching her?
Too soon and yet not soon enough, Liv came and sat in the open chair next to him.
“This is so much…more,” she said to him. “More than I ever imagined, more than I expected, more than I dreamed of.”
“Which part, the barrels, or the celebration?”
“All of it. I’m not used to being the center of attention. I’m not used to having a reason to be.”
“You’re completely unaware of your significance in the lives of the people sitting at this table.” Ben stroked her cheek with his finger. “If you only knew.”
As much as he dreaded it, at some point he’d have to ask her about the cowboy he saw her with.
“What are you thinking about, Ben? You don’t look happy all of a sudden. Do you regret coming?”
“No, Liv. Not for a minute.” Questions could wait. The cowboy wasn’t here with her, he was, and she seemed happy. “There isn’t anywhere in the world I’d rather be than right there with my girl.”
“The things you say, sweet talker. Sometimes they sound as though they should be in a song.”
He laughed. “And sometimes they are, or they work their way into one.”
Liv rested her head against him. Her breath warmed the curve between his neck and shoulder. When she shifted far enough that her lips were where her breath had been, he thought he’d come apart. “Liv—”
“Will you stay with me tonight, Ben?”
His blood heated and he longed to carry out to his truck and plunder her in the parking lot. He brushed his lips across hers, then moved so no part of her body touched his.
“Ben?”
He leaned over and whispered in her ear, trying to keep himself from touching her as he did. “I’m ready to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here, caveman-style. So unless you don’t care what anyone at this table thinks of that, you gotta stop touching me.”
He didn’t miss the little grin she tried hard to hide, or the way her eyes drifted closed as she breathed in deeply.
“I know, sweetheart,” he murmured.
Dottie got up on her feet and pulled Liv with her. “Come on, girls, I wanna dance.”
Oh Lord, Dottie wanted to dance, and all Liv could think about was getting out of this bar, and Ben out of his clothes. With Bill and Mark head-to-head at the jukebox, Liv wasn’t sure what to expect.
“Come on, Paige, you’re in on this too.”
The heavy sounds of a guitar filled the room, something about saving a horse and riding a cowboy. She’d kill Mark, if Paige didn’t do it first.
Dottie, Jolene, and Mary Beth were woo-hooing it up. “Save a horse, Livvie!” They pulled her in to dance with them.
She’d had a damn good day, one of the best of her life. What the hell, she deserved to have some fun.
They danced, and danced, and danced. Liv needed a drink, something tall and cool and wet. Ben. She’d rather have him than a drink.
“One more song, Livvie,” Billy Junior hollered out. “This one’s a slow one.”
The fiddle started to play as Zac Brown’s “Free” drifted through the speakers in the bar.
“I love this song,” Liv said to no one in particular, right before Billy swung his arm around her waist and proceeded to move her around the dance floor.
Ben lasted all of twenty seconds before he was on his feet. He recognized the cowboy about to put his arms around Liv. “Pardon me, but you’re dancin’ with my girl.”
“She was my girl before you came along…”
“Billy, you don’t want to start this.” Liv kissed his cheek. “You’ll ruin my night.”
Billy stepped aside, and Ben pulled Liv in close. As much as he didn’t want to do this here and now, he couldn’t help himself.
“Who is he, Liv? Someone special?”
“Haven’t you met Billy? He’s Dottie and Bill’s son.”
Ben’s arms tightened around her. “What’s he to you, Liv?”
“I don’t know. Like a brother, I guess.”
Ben stopped moving, and pulled far enough back that he could look in her eyes. “You’re sure there’s nothing more between you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Liv pulled him closer. “You don’t seem like the jealous type, Ben.”
“As long as he keeps his hands off you, I won’t be.”
Liv put her hand on the back of his neck, and pulled his mouth closer to hers. “This is the first time you’ve held me in my arms and danced with me. Do you realize that?”
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“Dancing?”
“You, in my arms.”
He pulled back so he could see her face, and hated that he couldn’t get the image of her and Junior out of his head.
“You think anyone would mind if you carried me out of here now? Remember that caveman thing?” She was talking so damn seductively, it was almost as though she was purring at him. He didn’t care if anyone noticed, it was time for them to leave.
He danced her over near Dottie and Bill.
“We’re gonna call it a night. Thanks for everything,” he said to them.
“You better ask Jolene what time Livvie’s supposed to be at the barn in the mornin’ there, Ben. Won’t be good for her to be showin’ up late.” Bill shook his finger at them as he said it.
“Jolene?”
Jolene was dancing with Mark, God love him. Ben wasn’t sure she heard him.
Jolene glared at Ben. “Not a minute later than nine, little girl. We gotta make sure you’re focused.”
“She’s a tough one,” he said.
“She’s my hero,” Liv whispered.
Ben put his arm around her and moved her in the direction of the door. “Are you gonna stay awake long enough to tell me where we’re staying tonight?”
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about me stayin’ awake, cowboy.”
Ben didn’t waste a second once they got to his truck. His hands fisted in her hair as he backed her up against the door. His lips rubbed against hers, nibbling and teasing, followed by his warm tongue invading her mouth. Her stomach did a little flip as he first groaned, then growled when her ha
nds dug into his chest beneath his shirt. He took over, imprisoning her hips with his. She loved having the length of his body against hers.
His hands gripped her hips as he kissed her harder, and stroked the soft skin where her shirt rode up. He angled his head, changing his kiss. He was gentle, so gentle, sweet, but she wanted so much more from him.
“I can’t think straight for wanting you, Liv.” He nuzzled her cheek, then realized his stubble probably scratched her. He reached up and softly rubbed his fingers where his face had been.
He pulled her away from the door and unlocked it. “I want you too much for it to be this way.”
She climbed into the passenger seat and he leaned in, laying his face against her breast, his hand squeezing the inside of her thigh. His hand came up, and he gripped her chin. “You are so beautiful.”
When Liv looked away from him, Ben brushed her cheek with his fingers. “No, don’t look away. You are so beautiful, but you are so much more than that. You’re everything. Do you understand? You’re everything to me.”
He pulled away and closed the door, stopping to take a deep breath before he walked around the back of the truck. He got to his door and stopped again, and took another deep breath. God, he hoped he could drive. It wasn’t as though he’d been drinking—it was Liv who intoxicated him.
As soon as they were in the hotel room, Ben worked the buttons on Liv’s blouse free, running his fingers along each sliver of her skin. Once it hung open, he slid it off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
His eyes darkened with heat as his lips followed where his tongue had been. He dropped to his knees, and his tongue licked across her middle. His fingers popped the button on her jeans. He lowered the zipper and his warm mouth softly kissed along the top edge of her panties. He tugged her jeans until they were down below her knees. She was in her bra and panties, and Ben was still fully clothed.
“On the bed, Liv.” He placed his hands on her knees. “Let me in.”
He leaned in close enough that his jeans rubbed against her skin while his hands slid up her thighs, around her hips, up her back and around to the clasp of her bra.
Fall for Me (Cowboys of Crested Butte Book 1) Page 15