The Reluctant Bachelorette (16 page)

Taycee pulled her arm free. “Let’s eat.”

“About time,” Caleb said.

Luke followed Taycee to the table, taking the seat next to
her. “You got here just in time, Caleb. The videos of Taycee’s last two dates
went live today.”

Taycee’s foot connected with Luke’s shin under the table.

“Ouch,” he said.

“Tonight?” Caleb shot her a speaking glance. “You said it was
tomorrow.”

“Oops. My bad.” Taycee glared at Luke. “The next time my
brother invites you over, just say no, okay?”

“I don’t think so. Being with you two is way more interesting
than eating alone.” He grinned as he picked up his fork. “This really is just
like old times isn’t it?”

Taycee picked up her glass and chugged the water, drowning out
the expletives threatening to spill out of her mouth.

L
uke’s eyes followed Taycee
as
she walked out the front door. She said she needed to take care of something at
her shop, but it sounded like an excuse—a way to avoid being around him and
Caleb. Or was it just him?

Luke frowned.

Why couldn’t Taycee be more like her brother? All it took was
a few minutes for Luke and Caleb to be back to the easy friendship they’d once
had. But with Taycee, things were different. Harder. Why? From Luke’s
perspective, their date had gone well and they were finally making some
headway. But now things were back to stiff and uncomfortable, as though Taycee
purposefully threw up walls to keep him out. It made Luke want to tear them all
down and force his way back into her life, but he had no idea how to go about
it.

Luke missed the idolizing, relentless little tomboy with her
braces and wild hair. The girl who’d been wide open and wall-less, demanding
the same from anyone who wanted to be called her friend. What had happened to that
girl?

“So, you’re dating Tace, huh?” Caleb dropped down on the couch
next to Luke. He picked up the remote and flipped on the TV. “Isn’t that sort
of like dating your sister?”

Luke only wished it was, and then maybe it wouldn’t bother him
so much. But a brother wouldn’t miss his sister as soon as she walked out the
door. He wouldn’t want to keep her from leaving, sit next to her, or touch her.
And he especially wouldn’t want to kiss that impassive expression off her face.

Argh, what was he thinking? This was Taycee Lynne they were
talking about—his best friend’s younger sister. Luke needed to remember that.
“Actually, it hasn’t been so bad. She’s . . . cool.” More than cool. She was
funny, smart, and intriguing.

“No way.” A slow smile appeared on Caleb’s face. “You like
her.”

Luke grabbed the remote from him. “Of course I like her. I
always have. She’s fun to hang out with.”

“No,” said Caleb. “I mean you
like
her.”

Luke shook his head. He was in no way ready to admit that out
loud, especially not to her brother. “Wrong.”

“I’m never wrong.”

“You are about this.” Luke flipped through the stations,
stopping on ESPN. “I’ve sworn off girls for a while, at least until I get my
practice up and running. That’s why I like your sister. There’s no pressure
with her.”

Caleb laughed. “No pressure? Are you kidding me? You’re in a
freaking dating contest with her. How can you call that no pressure?”

“Please.” A push of the remote button and another show came
on. “I’m only doing it because there’s a chance it could help Shelter, and I’m
pretty sure Taycee feels the same way.”

Caleb leaned back and propped his feet on the coffee table.
“I’m actually glad she got suckered in to doing it. It’ll be good for her, and
with any luck, she’ll even find someone to settle down with once and for all.”
He paused. “Hey, you’ve met the other guys, right? What are they like? Anyone
Taycee might go for?”

“You’re seriously asking me that?”

“Sure, why not?” Caleb grinned. “Unless of course,
you’re
hoping for that honor.”

“Sorry, no.” Luke punched the remote button again, this time
harder. “And I’m no matchmaker either, so don’t ever ask me that again.
Besides, your sister is old enough to pick her own dates. How would you feel if
she tried to hook you up with Jessa?” It was a defense tactic. A way to keep
the subject away from Taycee and the fact that she could fall for one of the
other guys, because for whatever reason, Luke didn’t like that idea at all.

Caleb made a face. “I’d tell her I’ve already got me a girl.”

“Who? An inflatable in your suitcase?”

“Her name’s Jenny.” Caleb hesitated. “She’s actually uh . . .
my fiancée. As of two nights ago.”

Luke flipped off the TV and turned to face his friend. “Are
you serious, man?”

“Yep.”

“Congrats! That’s awesome. Does Taycee know?”

“Not exactly.” Caleb scratched his head, looking a little
sheepish. “That’s the tricky part. Before I left for law school, I sort of
promised I’d come back to Shelter one day and set up a practice here. Taycee’s
never let me forget it, and I’ve never dared to correct her. I guess I thought
she’d get used to me being gone and stop asking me about it, but she won’t.
She’s got it in her head that I’ll be coming back as soon as I wrap up a few
cases at work.”

Luke nearly laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. What did
Caleb think she’d do? Make a voodoo doll, name it Caleb, and torture him the
rest of his life? Actually, she might do exactly that if Caleb kept his
engagement from her much longer. “Dude, you’ve got to tell her. She’s going to
be ticked if you don’t.”

“I know, I know. It’s one of the reasons I came here. But
there hasn’t been a good time to bring it up. It’s a big deal, you know? To her
anyway. She’s not going to take it well.”

“Are we talking about the same person? Taycee’s lived on her
own since she graduated from high school. She owns her own shop, makes her own
food, and stars in her own internet show. I think you’re underestimating her.
She’s pretty independent.”

“I agree,” Caleb said. “She is independent. But you weren’t
there after you left, or when my parents decided to move, or when I spilled the
beans that I was headed to Arizona for law school. Total basket case. Why do
you think she never left Shelter? She
hates
change.”

“Wait—what did my leaving have to do with anything?” Luke said,
suddenly very interested in the answer.

Caleb shrugged. “She was miserable for weeks. I think she had
a bit of a crush on you back then and took it pretty hard when you dropped off
the planet. Then when your parents announced they were moving, she practically
shut herself in her room for days.”

Luke whistled and settled against the back of the couch. “I
had no idea. I guess I’m not the type to stay in touch with people. I just
moved on with my life and thought everyone else had too.” But if he’d known
Taycee would take it that hard, he would have tried a little harder. Especially
if he’d known he’d eventually wind up back here.

Caleb made a grab for the remote, stealing it from Luke. The
TV flipped back on. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. She eventually got over
it. As did I—after years of therapy, that is.”

Luke chucked a pillow at him. “Shut up.”

“You shut up.” Caleb scanned the channels once again before
turning off the TV. “Nothing’s on. I say we find Taycee’s laptop and watch the
show before she comes back and makes us turn it off.”

Luke pointed at bookcase near the TV where a silver laptop sat
on top. “You mean that laptop?”

Caleb retrieved it and immediately pulled up the website. All
the dates from the first two weeks were posted. Ten in all. Caleb rubbed his
hands together gleefully. “Shall we begin? It’s been a long time since I had
anything new to tease Taycee about.”

“It probably doesn’t help that you live a state away.”

Caleb clicked “play” on date number one, and they both settled
back to watch. The filming was definitely low budget, with terrible lighting
and not the best sound quality, but Luke hadn’t expected anything different
when he saw the inexpensive camera equipment they used. The editing, on the
other hand, was more impressive, highlighting the interesting stuff and jumping
from scene to scene in a fluid way. Luke chuckled when Taycee refused Jason’s
kiss, and then laughed when Sterling dove into the lake to save Missy Green.

“She’s not worth saving,” he said to no one in particular,
still bitter about what had happened at the diner.

“You sure about that?” said Caleb. “According to Taycee you
two looked pretty cozy.”

“Please. Missy wanted her five minutes of fame, and I was just
an innocent bystander.” But the fact that Taycee had brought it up to Caleb
meant something, didn’t it? Luke picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on his
shirt. “What else did Taycee say?”

The look Caleb shot his way made Luke immediately wish the
words back. “Holy crap, you do like her.”

“Will you stop reading into things? I do not.”

“Do too.”

Luke ignored him and moved on to the next date. But when he
saw Taycee laughing at something Jake said, a pit of jealousy formed in his
stomach. Followed by the reluctant realization that he did like Taycee,
probably more than he wanted to admit. He liked her enough to want to get to
know her. To see if the girl who used to chase butterflies through meadows or
challenge him to see who could leave their feet in the frigid spring runoff
water the longest was still buried inside somewhere. He wanted to know if the spontaneous
Taycee of the past had merged with the stunning Taycee of the present, because
that would be some combination.

It wasn’t until Luke watched Date #10—
their
date—that
he realized something else. Around all the other bachelors, particularly Jake, there
were moments when Taycee became that person Luke wanted her to be. She threw
mud at Jake. She laughed and joked with Miles. Her sarcasm emerged with Alec
and Gavin. Her kindness with Sterling.

But on her final date with Luke, the walls came flying back
up. Although she still laughed and joked, something changed. She acted stiffer.
More on guard and less relaxed than any of the other dates. Why? It made him
feel cheated somehow. Deprived. As though he’d drawn the short straw and now
had to sit back and watch everyone else get to interact with the real Taycee
Lynne.

When the video clip ended, Luke pushed the laptop closed with
a snap, more determined than ever to break down those walls.

The Results are In!

A massive thanks to all of you who voted and donated to our
cause! The people of Shelter Springs thank you for your support and enthusiasm
for our show. Bless you all.

Without further ado, the top five winners (in no particular
order) are . . .

Jake Sanford

Greg Jones

Miles Romney

Sterling Montgomery

Alec Jamison

Now let’s see what our bachelorette has to say . . .

Taycee stared at the list with mixed feelings. Jake, Greg, and
Miles were all people she would have chosen if it had been up to her. But Alec?
Really? Did the viewers not have the volume turned up when they watched that
episode? Apparently not. As for Sterling, well, if going out with him and his
overactive salivary glands saved her from seeing Gavin ever again, then she
could deal with that.

It was her reaction to not seeing Luke’s name that bothered
her the most. It landed her back in the ice cream parlor that Luke and Caleb
had taken her to years and years before. With over twenty flavors to choose
from, her little ten-year-old mind thought she’d never be able to decide. But then
she caught sight of a flavor that reminded her of her favorite rose, and she
pointed to that one.

“It’s sherbet,” Luke had said. “You’re not going to like it.”
Taycee didn’t care. To her, it was now rose flavored ice cream and she wanted
to taste it more than anything else in the world.