Between Hope & the Highway (28 page)

“They were drooling over you way before I busted your nose. We guys appreciate beauty and class, and you’re the essence of womanhood.” When she snorted, I decided to tease her. “Except when you snort. Serious though, you’re the whole package—funny, easy to talk to, kind, hardworking, graceful, passionate, honest.” I glanced down south and mumbled, “Not to mention your other visible assets.”

She smacked my shoulder. “Stop it!”

“Ow! Damn, woman. Can’t you take a compliment?”

“I don’t want your compliments.”

“Well, I’m giving them anyway.”

“Move back to your seat so I don’t have to hit you again.”

My gaze dropped to her juicy lips. “You could just kiss me so we can figure out what we want from each other.”

“I don’t want anything from you. We’re friends, that’s all.”

“The best relationships are based on friendship.” I leaned down to brush my lips over her brow. “We also have chemistry.”

She gulped. “Some chemical reactions are dangerous. Now scoot over so I don’t feel like a teenager in a parked truck with her date coming on too strong.”

“So you admit this is a date?”

“No. I’m saying you’re making me uncomfortable.”

I growled and slid behind the steering wheel. “Is that better?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I stared at the roof of my truck, uncertain how to proceed. I thought after making it clear I liked her, we’d make out for a while. Simple. We’d almost kissed in the church parking lot, and I wanted to strangle Trina for ruining that moment, because nothing was going how I imagined now. I’d never opened up like this, and her response felt like alcohol on a wound.

“Look. I’m sorry.” Her soft voice caressed me in the darkness. “But we wouldn’t work. Besides, have you forgotten how you tried to push me off on Chance for the last month?”

“I thought you were too good for me.”

“Oh, and now you realize that’s not true. I’m just—”

I shook my head and stopped her before she could belittle herself. “No. Now I
know
you’re too good for me. But I’m not content to be with the riff-raff anymore. I hope you’ll take pity on me and lift me up to your level.”

She stared at me, no doubt rendered speechless by my words. They’d come out better than I expected.

I clasped her hand. “What do you say?”

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy for you.”

She pulled her hand from my grip. “No. Just crazy. I treasure our friendship too much to risk ruining it.”

“Even for something a million times better?” I might as well have been on my knees for how desperate I felt.

“It wouldn’t be.”

“How do you know?”

She shrugged. “We don’t see eye to eye on things.”

“Like what?”

“God.”

I smacked the steering wheel. “I’ve gone to church with you.”

“But do you love God?”

Her question infuriated me. She was pulling the church card on me just as Sarah Benson had in high school. “No. I don’t love your god. What has he done for me except throw mine fields in my path? I despise how people like you praise him for all that’s good, but blame mankind for all that’s bad. God is either responsible for all the good
and
the bad, or we are. You can’t have it both ways.”

Tears glistened in her eyes, making me wilt inside.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

She didn’t respond as I pulled back onto the road. I couldn’t gauge her emotions in the darkness, but I knew I’d hurt her…the last thing I wanted to do. I’d hurt her physically in volleyball, and now I’d pummeled her faith. Slap a big
Jerk
label onto my forehead.

Sleet-like rain began to fall. Typical for September in Montana. By the time I pulled up to the house to drop her off, the ground was puddled. As Liz opened her door, I knew I should get out and be a gentleman, but my jerk persona won out. Why should I help her when she wanted nothing to do with me? She’d probably ignore my hand anyway, and I couldn’t take anymore rejection. It was bitter medicine to swallow.

“Sorry again about your nose,” I called as she stepped out.

“It’s all right.” She gave me a half-smile that didn’t reach her pretty eyes. “Don’t worry about mucking in the morning. I’ll do it.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it. Maybe I should leave well enough alone. Baring my heart to her hadn’t worked out well for me so far.

Chapter 46

Liz

Mornings sucked. As my alarm buzzed, I rolled out of bed and threw on some dirty clothes. Fingering my crazy curls into a poofy ponytail, I staggered into the bathroom half-awake. I gingerly touched my swollen nose and cheek, thinking I resembled Quasimodo.

Approaching the stable, I frowned at the light pouring from beneath the door. I knew I hadn’t forgotten to turn off the lights last night. What bozo had been out here and left them on? Hefting the door open, I grabbed a mucking rake and searched for the wheelbarrow that usually sat by the door.

“Dang fool, lazy, no-good cowboys,” I muttered.

“Morning.”

I screamed and dropped my rake.

“I hope you weren’t referring to me in your early morning salutation, sweetheart.” Rawson scooped horse droppings two stalls over, plopping them into the wheelbarrow I’d been searching for. He looked sexier than sin.

“What are you doing out here?” I self-consciously touched my nose. He was the last person I wanted to see after our awkward time together last night.

“What does it look like? I told you I’d muck for you since I smashed your nose.”

In his tight T-shirt that emphasized his muscles and snug Wranglers that hugged his backside, it was difficult to think. Averting my covetous gaze, I crossed to the opposite stall. “I told you I’d do it.”

“I know.” He threw me a crooked smile. “So help by talking to me. I’m not used to being up this early.”

“Go back to bed. I can do it. Besides, I look like a train wreck.”

He grinned. “I could wake up to your kind of train wreck every morning.”

I launched a rake full of horse pellets at him, making him duck and laugh.

His beautiful blue-green eyes danced with mirth as he joined me in my stall. “I have a hypothetical question for you.”

I chewed on my bottom lip as he shut the gate behind him.

“If I asked you on a date right now, what would you say?”

Surely he wasn’t going to start this again. “This is a terrible time for a date,” I muttered, concentrating on horse droppings.

“I’m talking in the future…like this weekend. If I asked you to go to town with me to watch the football game, would you say yes?”

“Uh…I don’t really get football.” I was paying such rapt attention to the ground that I didn’t realize he’d crept closer until he trapped me against the back wall. My heart pounded and my breath caught in my throat as he tilted my chin.

“Rawson, I—”

“Tell me you don’t like me.”

I wanted to lie, but my tongue surrendered the truth. “I…do like y-you,” I stammered, “but you could have any girl you want. Why me?” The whole idea seemed ludicrous. I tried to move his hand, but he clasped my fingers.

“You and I connect.”

I could only stare at him with my mouth wide open.

With a teasing grin, he closed it for me. “Let’s see where this will go, Lizzie. I’d like to get to know you outside of work.”

I stiffened as his lips began to caress my neck. It felt so insanely good that it must be wrong. “What if we crash and burn?” I pushed his head upright. “That’d make working together super awkward.”

His thumb stroked my swollen cheek, making me feel faint. “That’s definitely possible with all the snap, crackle, and bang we bring to the table. But more likely, things will be amazing between us.”

That’s what scared me.

His gaze dropped to my lips, and like a magnet, mine were drawn to his. As gravity pulled him toward me, I jerked to the side. His lips landed on my swollen cheek, making me wince.

“Damn. I hurt you, didn’t I?”

“I’m fine.” I felt both relieved and guilty for dousing the chemical reaction between us with my evasive maneuver. “I’m not sure I’m cut out to date a guy like you, Rawson.”

“Like what? A guy who doesn’t wear a halo and have holes in his knees from praying all day?”

“No. That’s not it.” We just didn’t match. He was Prince Charming. I was Quasimodo’s ugly niece.

Rawson blew out a deep breath. “You like me. I like you. Where’s the problem?” He massaged my arms, igniting internal fires.

I closed my eyes. “It’s just that—”

“Give us a chance, Lizzie.” His pleading tone silenced doubts. With my body buzzing, burning, and bursting with pleasure, I couldn’t resist any longer.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Really?” He cupped my chin. “You’ll go out with me?”

I nodded, feeling dazed.

Rawson leaned in to kiss me, but I lifted my palm, cheating his lips of victory.

“As tasty as your hand is, it’s kind of in my way.”

I shoved his head back. “Can I be honest?”

“Please. Maybe then I won’t feel so damned confused.”

I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not a fast mover.”

He full-on smirked. “Honey, that’s the understatement of the year.”

I pursed my lips. “I’m willing to give us a go, but I won’t lower my standards. If we go out, we take things slow.”

His expression turned skeptical. “Explain what you mean by slow.”

“No kissing.” Even as I said it, I knew I was being harsh. I’d never had that rule with other guys, but Rawson was like no other man I’d ever dated. Kissing him would place my heart at grave risk, and I couldn’t do that again. Not until I knew him better…and trusted him.

“What?”

“If you don’t like it, I’m sure there are any number of girls who’d like to kiss you.”

His brows pulled together. “Of course, there are. But you and I already don’t kiss. How will this be any different? Shouldn’t we maybe add kissing to the list of things we can do if we’re together?”

I studied the stable wall. “Uh, I don’t know if I’m comfortable saying we’re together.”

He looked up at the rafters as if they could help him. “I’ll agree to the no kissing part—for now—but only if you agree to not date other guys. I want exclusive rights.”

“I’m not a brood mare. And besides, I’d think you’d be glad to date other girls.”

“I don’t want other girls.” His hands dropped from my shoulders to clasp my hands. “Riff-raff, remember? I want to step up my game.”

I tried to tug away, wondering if that’s all I was to him. A game.

“Stop struggling, woman. You didn’t say anything about hand holding, and I intend to hold your hand a lot since we’re together now.”

“We’re not together. I can date other guys.”

“Come on. You have to be willing to give a little.”

“That’s just it. I don’t want to give in at all. You’d be miserable dating me rather than one of your normal girls.”

“My normal girls?” He sounded upset.

“You know? Like Kelsey, only younger, or Trina at church. Beautiful, big-breasted models.”

“Come on. Give me some credit. Do you really think I’m that shallow?” He tilted my chin. “Give yourself more credit too. Can you really not see what draws me to you?”

His sweet words and tender touch called up a reserve of tears.

He ran a hand over my ponytail. “I love your crazy curls.” He ever so softly pressed his pinky to the tip of my swollen nose. “I love how after I smashed your adorable nose, you joked about it with me. You make me laugh every time we’re together, and you also make me want to cuss and punch a hole in the wall.” He played with my fingers. “I love your pushy hand that won’t let me get away with anything.” He brushed his lips across my knuckles, literally causing me to melt. No lie. It was all I could do to keep my knees from buckling. “It’s also fun to kiss since you won’t let me anywhere near your lips.”

I smiled.

“I love your strength. You never let me bully you. Most people don’t have a lick of courage, but even from the start, you stood up to me and put me in my place.”

“Because you were a super-size jerk.”

“Ah Liz, I still am. I’m just too scared to show that side around you now.”

I giggled.

“I love your giggle, but what really gets me is your inner seal. When I make you bark, I feel as though I’ve won the lottery.”

“Shut up about my dorky laugh.”

“I adore your dorky laugh.”

“Stop lying.”

“I’m not. Your laugh is unique and refreshing. Most girls are so fake, even their laugh. Yours is genuine…from your gut.”

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was teasing me. My laugh was beyond obnoxious.