The Reluctant Bachelorette (29 page)

Taycee looked around once again, feeling claustrophobic. There
were too many people. Too much noise. The excitement and energy from earlier
faded instantly, leaving behind a feeling of dissatisfaction. As though she
didn’t deserve to be in a room with people who didn’t shy away from change the
way she did.

“I think I’ve seen enough,” Taycee said. “Ready to go?”

“You sure?” Luke craned his neck, looking over the heads of
the people milling through the aisles. “There’s another florist over that way.”

“I’m sure.”
            Luke followed her out. He slid the key into the ignition, started
the engine, and then glanced at Taycee. “Did I say something wrong in there?”

“No. But sometimes the truth hurts, and you were right. In a
way, I’ve been a bit of a coward.”

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. “I never said that.”

A small laugh escaped from Taycee’s mouth as she shook her
head. “You didn’t have to. It was more of a revelation for me. My entire life I’ve
resisted change, and any time something happened to threaten my happy little
comfort zone—like this bachelorette thing or you moving back to town—I balked,
just like I balked when you and Caleb and my parents moved away. Instead of
embracing change and seeing how far it could help me fly, I let fear keep me
grounded. The only reason I’ve grown at all over the past few years is because
of circumstances I had no control over.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m actually really glad you stayed in
Shelter.” Luke’s warm fingers closed over hers. “And you are not a coward,
Taycee Lynne. Not even close. You did what you wanted with your life, including
moving back to a place you loved, despite the fact that all your family left. You
even opened your own business—a successful one at that.”

He nodded toward the building. “I brought you here because I
know you have a goal of doing more with your business, and I wanted to help
with that goal. I honestly didn’t mean to make you feel like you were anything
less than the amazing person you are.”

Taycee gnawed on her lower lip as she stared straight ahead.
It was funny how two people could look at the exact same thing and see two very
different perspectives. Was this the half-full, half-empty metaphor where Luke
was the optimist and she the pessimist? Maybe. Or maybe Luke didn’t really know
her as well as he thought he did.

Regardless, his words made Taycee want to become what he
thought of her. To crawl out of her cozy little hole and make some actual
plans. Goals. Really see what she could achieve with her life. She leaned over
and kissed his clean-shaven cheek. “Thanks for seeing me that way, Luke.”

His hand cupped the back of her neck, keeping her close, while
his thumb traced a line down her neck. “What I don’t get is how I didn’t see
you before.”

Taycee’s heartbeat throbbed like a subwoofer, vibrating
through the cab. Luke brought his other hand to her face, caressing her cheek
and sending the most amazing sensations through her body. His eyes rested on
her lips as he inched forward, closing the gap between them until his lips
brushed across hers. The kiss was light and tentative, as if he didn’t know
whether he should be doing it or not.

Taycee sat, almost frozen. She wanted to throw her arms around
him and deepen the kiss, but something held her back. Fear. Shock. Whatever it
was, it kept her rigid, as if any movement on her part would make him come to
his senses.

His forehead rested against hers while his lips lingered,
feathery light against her own. They remained that way for a moment, their
breaths colliding together and warming the air between them until Luke slowly
backed away. The usual teasing glint was gone, and in its place was an
intensity Taycee completely understood. Something was happening between them.
Something real and scary and . . . incredible.

Without a word, Luke turned his attention to the road and
threw his truck into gear. He drove to a nearby strip mall and pulled to a stop
at the curb.

 “Be right back,” he said. And then he was gone. Out of the
truck and through the doors of a small little eatery with a blinking pink neon
“Open” sign affixed to the door.

Taycee stared at the sign, watching it blink on and off. On
and off. Her thoughts were muddled and obscure. People walked by on the
sidewalk, their shoes clopping by with dull thuds. But still Taycee stared at
the sign, letting the people pass between them like a blurred image.

Luke had kissed her.

Really
kissed her.

Her lips still burned, aching for more. She touched them with
a hesitant fingertip, not wanting to disturb the tingling, but needing to feel
it. Nothing would ever be the same now. How could it? If Luke had ruined other
guys for her before, now they were destroyed. Obliterated.

Just like her heart would be if he decided to walk out of her
life again.

“I
think this is a very bad idea
,”
Taycee said as she tried to stand. The afternoon sun beat down on her as the
wheels of her rented rollerblades spun. Her arms jerked frantically in the air
before she lost her balance and landed with a jolt on the hard concrete. She
peered up at Luke. “Told you.”

Luke braced one roller blade against the other to keep from
rolling. He held out a hand. “The Taycee Lynne I know isn’t a quitter. Up you
go.”

She eyed his outstretched hand, and then grudgingly rested her
fingers on his. “Okay, but if I break something, I’m holding you responsible. I
haven’t tried rollerblading since you and Caleb left.” That wasn’t one hundred
percent true. She’d gone with a group of friends in high school once. They’d
taken her to a skate park, where she’d promptly fallen and sprained her wrist.
After that, Taycee had never been invited along again—not that she would have
gone. Wheeled shoes didn’t belong on her feet.

In a fluid movement, Luke pulled her to her feet, keeping a
firm grasp on her hand. “Seriously, who doesn’t know how to rollerblade?”

He’d pretty much said that same thing ten years earlier, the
summer before he left for college when he offered to teach her. They fit in
three lessons before he left, which obviously hadn’t done much good.

“No one else had the patience to teach me,” Taycee said. Her
skates started to move again, and her other hand latched on to Luke’s solid
bicep.

He steadied her. “Good thing I came back then. No way can you
go through life not knowing how to rollerblade. That’s so . . . un-American.”

Her feet started to roll backwards again, so she gripped Luke
with both hands. “So that’s what’s been missing in my life all these years.”

“Yeah,” he said. “And me.”

“I never said anything about you.”

His finger tapped her nose as he grinned. “But you were
thinking it.”

If she wasn’t before, she was now. The feel of his strong arm
beneath her fingers and the smell of his spicy cologne served to remind her
even more. Suddenly, hugging his arm wasn’t close enough, so she took a step
closer. Stupid move, because once again her feet rolled out from beneath her
and she fell toward the ground again. Luke’s arms caught her around her waist.
He pulled her up against him, holding her steady.

Okay, so maybe not such a stupid move.

His voice was husky and his breath warm and minty as he
murmured in her ear. “I’m glad no one else wanted to teach you. I’m kind of
liking this.”

“Only kind of?”

He laughed. Gently, the pressure of his hands at her waist
eased up as he slowly spun her around. “Just put one foot in front of the
other,” he said. “It’s that easy.”

“Maybe for you,” she muttered, although he was making it
difficult for her to
want
to learn to rollerblade. She liked holding on
to him for support way too much.

His hands slipped from her waist as he moved to her side,
grabbing her hand. “Glide for a second like this, and then turn the other foot
at an angle and give yourself a push to keep going.”

Not wanting another sprained wrist, Taycee gripped his hand
hard as she pushed her feet forward, trying to copy his movements. She managed
it for a few strokes, but when Luke tried to pick up the speed, Taycee pitched
forward.

“Easy there, killer,” Luke said, raising his arm to steady
her. “I guess we’ll just take it slow.”

“Or I can take them off and jog along beside you.”

“Not a chance. You are going to learn to rollerblade whether
you want to or not.”

“Fine.”

An hour later, Taycee was finally able to skate slowly on her
own, but her legs burned from the strain of constantly tightened muscles. As
she came around a turn, a large maple tree beckoned her with its shade, so she
rolled off the sidewalk and trudged across the grass, sinking down beneath the
tree. Minutes later, she tossed the rollerblades aside and wriggled her toes in
her socks. It felt good to be free.

Luke chuckled as he dropped down beside her and removed his
rollerblades. “Not bad for a rusty beginner.”

Her eyebrows raised in an I-don’t-believe-you look.

He shrugged. “Okay, so you stink.”

Taycee’s fingers closed around a fistful of grass, and she
yanked it from the ground. Then she leaned over and stuffed it down the back of
his shirt before he could stop her.

“You’re so going to regret doing that.” Luke lunged for her
arm, but she rolled to the side and leapt to her feet, sprinting away from him.
It didn’t take long for him to catch up. She soon found herself locked in his
arms as he dragged her toward a drinking fountain.

“But I’m not thirsty,” she said through giggles as she fought
to break free.

“I wasn’t planning on giving you a drink. More like a shower.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Actually, I would.”

They arrived at the drinking fountain at the same time as a
teenage boy. He had a ring through his nose and carried a skateboard under one
arm.

“Hey, you wouldn’t mind holding that on for me would you?”
Luke asked him.

 “Luke! Stop it!” Taycee laughed. The poor kid looked
uncomfortable and probably regretted ever coming near them. “Don’t let him turn
you into the bad guy,” she said to the teenager.

“I’ll give you five bucks if you do,” Luke countered.

The kid shrugged and twisted the knob on the fountain,
stepping aside.

Taycee glared. “And you looked like such a nice person.”

Another shrug. “I could be nice for ten.”

“You’re on the path to juvenile detention,” Taycee said. “You
know that right?”

“Don’t listen to her.” Luke brought Taycee’s face within an
inch of the water. “Now, I’ll let you stay dry if you repeat after me: I,
Taycee Lynne . . .”

She rolled her eyes. “I, Taycee Lynne . . .”

“Love Hercules.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The spray of water hit her forehead. “Say it.”

“Okay, okay. I, Taycee Lynne, love Hercules.”

Luke grinned and pulled her up, looking at the kid. “Don’t
ask.”

“Wasn’t gonna.” He took a drink, and then held out his palm
expectantly.

Luke withdrew the money from his wallet and handed it over.
The kid smirked and stuffed it into his pocket, and then stalked away with a
tug on his skinny jeans.

“Wow,” Taycee said, watching him leave. “I don’t even know
what to say to that.”

“There’s a first.” He started laughing.

Taycee stuck out her tongue, and then bit back a smile as she
spun on her heel to collect the rollerblades.

The amphitheater at Red Rocks reminded Taycee of some Indian
ruins she’d seen once—the kind that had been carved out of the mountain and
appeared almost like they’d formed naturally over time. Rows and rows of
bench-style seating sloped up and away from a stage centered below, blending
into the red rock background of the Rocky Mountains. How did she not know a
place like this existed only fifteen minutes east of Denver?