Between Hope & the Highway (42 page)

My fear of driving in stormy weather trumped my pride. I’d feel more comfortable if he drove, and I really could use help setting up since others had flaked out last minute. Best of all, if Garret came, he would see he was wrong about Rawson when he showed up to be with me. I’d take care of three problems at once.

“You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

I grinned, hopeful that everything would work out.

For the most part, it did. I managed to get my hair to fall in perfect spirals down my back. The new coral dress I’d ordered fit like a glove. The drive to town wasn’t too bad either; Garret didn’t harass me about Rawson once. We purchased refreshments, and I shaved another twenty bucks off the budget because Oreos were on a two-for-one deal. The gym looked spectacular after we set up the gauzy tulle and twinkle lights for the
Happily Ever After
theme. The only piece missing from my Cinderella dream was a handsome cowboy prince to sweep me off my feet.

As I balanced a plate of cookies and pushed through the door into the darkened gym, I found myself searching for Rawson. The clock showed it was almost ten. Where was he? I’d tried calling several times, but his phone went straight to voice mail. Blinking to keep tears in check, I set down plates and gathered empty ones.

Garret sidled up to me. “Let me take those from you, darlin’.” He transferred the trays to his hands and walked with me to the kitchen.

“You’re a lifesaver.” I hadn’t stood still for hours; neither had he.

“And you’re a workhorse. Now let’s dance. The refreshment table will be fine for a few minutes.”

As he took my hand and tugged me into the hall, I said, “Don’t waste your time on me. You have your own fan club.”

Tossing a smile over his shoulder, he said, “You need to have fun too, darlin’.”

He led me into the gym where
Country Man
by Luke Bryan played. I noticed a group of girls looking surly as they noticed me dancing with Garret. Twisting back and forth, he danced without releasing my hands. Dancing wasn’t my forte, but Garret seemed to be in his element. Doing my best not to disappoint him, I pretended to enjoy myself.

“Thanks again for all your help.”

“My pleasure, darlin’.”

He swung me out by one hand and tried to reel me back in, but I got twisted up in my feet and stumbled. He pulled me against his chest.

“Whoa. We can’t have you falling.”

The song ended, and
Home
by Blake Shelton began. “Thanks for the dance.” I tried to extricate myself to check refreshments. Anything to distract me from my absent Prince Charming.

“One more, Liz. Please.”

Glancing around the darkened gym, I sighed and took his hand.

Garret pulled me close. “Maybe he’s not going to show.”

I frowned as he voiced my thoughts.

“It’s his loss.”

“He’ll get here.” Rawson knew how important this was to me. Even if he arrived for the last dance, I’d be thrilled. The thought of snuggling up during a slow dance as he whispered in my ear kept me going.

Garret whispered in my ear instead. “You look ravishing tonight.”

I wrinkled my nose. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Just you. The others look like something the dog’s kept under the porch.”

I laughed. “That’s awful.”

He pulled my hands together. “It’s true.” He brought my hands to his neck and claimed my waist, pulling me into an intimate position.

I dropped my gaze. Surely he wasn’t still hoping for something between us. He knew I liked Rawson.

“Yakama Yoda’s going to be something, isn’t he?”

I relaxed as he brought up horses. A safe subject.

“Yeah. He has so much natural ability.”

When Blake’s beautiful voice sang the last word, I pulled away. “I need to get back to the kitchen.”

I didn’t give him time to protest before I hightailed it out of the gym. Thankfully, there was a punch spill I had to clean up as well as plates to refill. The next chance I had to breathe, the clock showed 10:40.

Slumping against the fridge, I allowed myself to mourn. It was time to admit the truth. My handsome prince wasn’t coming.

“Come on out and dance with me again, darlin’.”

I yelped and flipped around to see Garret standing inside the doorway. How long had he been watching me?

I shook my head. “You go ahead. I’m not feeling well.”

He marched across the linoleum and took my hand. “All the more reason for you to get out there and have some fun. You’ve been busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.”

His words surprised a barking laugh from me, the kind Rawson swore he adored. But I knew my laugh was obnoxious. Mom always said so.

“There’s that smile I’ve been missing.” He grinned and pulled me out the door.

I allowed him to lead me to the middle of the gym. He held my hands through another fast song and then shifted them to his neck for
I Still Miss You
by Keith Anderson. I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t feel comfortable dancing so close, but he put his lips next to my ear and said, “That song was faster than green grass through a goose.”

I laughed. His outrageous sayings always caught me off guard.

“You’re as cute as a peach.”

“That’s better than a bug’s ear, at least.”

His gaze swept the room. He grinned at someone I couldn’t see and leaned in to touch foreheads. “I never did understand that one.”

I squirmed. “Uh, Garr—”

That’s as far as I got before his lips claimed mine.

Chapter 72

Rawson

Torrential rain and sporadic bursts of hail made it difficult to see, but I plowed on, determined to get to the dance. My girl was counting on me. Checking the dashboard clock, I calculated arrival at just after ten. That would give us fifty minutes together. Not perfect, but it’d have to do. Murphy’s Law had caught me this afternoon and held me hostage. Everything that could go wrong—had.

At the Johnsons’, Jeb needed help with his tractor. It wasn’t a quick fix. By the time I made it out of there, the sun had already set. After showering, I hopped in my truck and floored it to get to Bozeman. Of course, a freak hailstorm hit as I reached the pass, bringing visibility down to zero. Murphy definitely had it in for me tonight.

An explosion sounded and my truck spun out. Gritting my teeth, I hit the anti-lock brakes and struggled with the steering column to gain control. As my Ford limped to a stop in the middle of the highway, I pounded my fists against the steering wheel. Of all the rotten luck!

Pulling over to the side, I jumped out and marched through marble-sized hail to see that the rear tire had blown. I kicked it and called it a few names that would’ve burned Lizzie’s sensitive ears before grabbing the jack, gloves, and a tool kit from the back seat. Throwing my cowboy hat on to protect myself against the raging elements, I began loosening lug nuts. The rain and hail didn’t improve my mood or tire-changing efficiency.

When I finished, I hopped inside the warm cab and wished I could text Liz. But along with everything else that had happened, I’d dropped my phone while helping Jeb and broken the damn thing. Hopefully, she had a sense of humor when I told her about my boxing match with Murphy’s Law.

Revving the engine, I peeled out, fishtailing before hitting straight. I could still make it. Lizzie would understand and be glad to see me, even if I was a sopping mess. Turning the heat to full blast, I shivered and hoped to dry off some. When the church appeared, I cheered. 10:45. Not bad for what I’d endured.

Hopping out, I ran inside and savored the warm air. Loud music came from up the hall. I jogged toward it, peeking into the kitchen first to check for Lizzie. Finding the room empty, I marched into the gym and stopped to let my eyes adjust. This was much tamer than the dances I’d gone to in bars and nightclubs. People milled around the edges of the gym as a few brave couples danced all prim and proper in the center to loud country music. A slow Keith Anderson ballad played as I sauntered around the edges, studying each blond-haired woman to see if she was Liz. It didn’t take long to realize she wasn’t holding up the walls.

Folding my arms over my damp shirt, I checked out the couples on the dance floor. My eyes zeroed right in on Lizzie, her curly hair looking like an angelic halo around her head. When I realized she was dancing with Garret, my jaw clenched. They looked way too cozy. As she laughed at something he said, my fingers curled into fists. Blood boiled as the ferret whispered in her ear. For a moment, I thought our eyes connected before he leaned down to touch foreheads. The next second their lips were mashed together.

A growl escaped as I watched him kiss my girl and waited for her to knock him out of his heady orbit. When she didn’t, I began seeing red. The cold found me with a sudden fury, and I shivered violently.

Turning on my heels, I stormed out of the gym and out to my truck. Slamming my door, I began beating the steering wheel as I emptied an arsenal of curses. I couldn’t believe she’d lied to me—telling me she’d be my girl and then kissing Garret behind my back. How long had those two been in cahoots? I’d thought Liz was different than my cheating ex. She’d made me believe she was…and that I could be different too.

But now I realized that was all just a pipe dream.

Chapter 73

Liz

Usually, brain freezes occurred when you drank a Sonic slush too fast or got frozen into carbonite like Han Solo in
Empire Strikes Back
. Han’s shocking ending had always appalled me, though it sent Benny into fits of laughter. Seeing Han’s twisted grimace frozen for all time made me shiver and wonder if he’d been conscious under that frozen mask. I now felt he had experienced every second of horror while being helpless to change his fate…because that’s how I felt as Garret kissed me.

His lips claimed mine as though he had a right to them, and though it felt terribly wrong, I couldn’t move. Shock bound me to the floor, and if his mouth hadn’t been all over mine, I’m sure my expression would have mirrored Han’s agony. Desperate to escape my frozen prison, I blinked frantically as his tongue probed.

“Garret,” I managed to say from my iced-over throat. “You—”

“Rawson’s one fry short of a Happy Meal to have stood you up tonight, darlin’. You know that, right?”

I found his corny expression offensive.

“He’s more concerned with enabling his loser friend than being the man you deserve. I know for a fact he could’ve been here. Chance texted me when he left the house a couple hours ago. He didn’t choose you, Lizzie.”

Anger melted my carbonite chains, and I shoved him hard in the chest. “Don’t ever kiss me again!”

I heard him call after me as I fled, but I ran until I made it to the safety of the restroom. Inside a stall, I tormented my eyes with tissue until they stung. When the area crowded with giggling girls, I knew the dance had ended. I stayed put until the squealing receptacles of joy vacated the premises. I really was Cinderella, forsaken by her prince.

As I recalled Garret’s revelation, questions scraped my mind. Why hadn’t Rawson come? Why hadn’t he even texted? Maybe I really had deluded myself into thinking he cared.

When I exited, I spotted Garret pacing the hallway. His anxious expression transformed into relief.

“Lizzie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“Are you ready to go?” I didn’t want to have this conversation.

He looked at the ground. “Yes, darlin’.”

“Before we go, I have something to say.”

“I’m listening.”

“First, I’m not your darlin’. So don’t call me that.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Yes, ma’am.”

“That’s better. Second, if you ever kiss me again without my permission, I’ll haul off and knock you to the other side of the state. Do I make myself clear?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Sorry.”

Dang his humility. He made it hard to stay angry.

“And third, don’t stir up gossip about my boyfriend.”

“I just care about you. I don’t want you to—”

“Do we understand each other?”

His jaw clenched. “Yes, dar—I mean ma’am.”

I wasn’t sure I liked
ma’am
either. It conjured up images of a stern matronly woman who would paddle your backside with a frying pan if you stepped out of line, but maybe that was the image I needed to portray to Garret.

Following him to his truck, I hugged the passenger door. As he started the engine, he opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand.

“Just drive. I don’t feel like talking.”

Pounding rain fell as we pulled out of the parking lot. Maybe Rawson had been caught in the storm. Maybe he’d slid off the road and was hurt. My heart caught hold of those possibilities and squeezed them tight.