The Reluctant Bachelorette (33 page)

“Y
ou’re a little quiet tonight
,”
Jake said as he and Taycee walked hand-in-hand though a park on the outskirts
of Denver.

Taycee sighed. He was right. She was being quiet. Mostly
because the park reminded her of rollerblading with Luke, which reminded her of
the concert at Red Rocks, which reminded her of everything else she’d done with
Luke over the course of her lifetime. As much as she enjoyed Jake’s company, it
was Luke she craved. Luke’s hand she wanted to hold. Luke’s lips she wanted to
kiss.

“Sorry,” she said. “I guess all the craziness from the past
several weeks is finally catching up to me. I’m a little worn out tonight.”

“Let’s sit then.”

“Oh no. Really, I’m fine.” If he had any idea where her
thoughts really were, he wouldn’t be nearly so chivalrous.

“It’s okay to be tired, you know.” Jake’s hand relinquished
hers and moved to her back, rubbing up and down. “Happens to everyone.”

His words coerced a smile from Taycee. “It doesn’t seem to
happen to you. What’s your secret?”

Jake stopped and pulled her into his arms. “Healthy living and
lots of exercise. In fact, did you know kissing is one of the best
pick-me-ups?”

Her body stiffened. She’d meant to tease him and lighten the
mood, not open the door for an invitation like this. But it seemed everything
she said today was the wrong thing because Jake was more affectionate than
ever. Or maybe it was because this was their last official date. Either way, it
made Taycee increasingly uncomfortable.

“I don’t know,” she said, trying once more to lighten the
mood. “I’ve always thought curly fries and chocolate shakes were the best
pick-me-ups.” Next to Luke, of course.

Jake’s lips twitched. “Did you really just compare my kiss to
a chocolate shake? Because it kind of sounded like you did. And it kind of
sounded like I came in second.”

“Never,” Taycee said.

“Good.” A full smile formed as Jake inched closer. “But I
still plan to prove that I’m preferable to chocolate.”

Taycee felt like throwing her hands up in a gesture of defeat.
But then Burt stepped into her peripheral vision, coming in for a close up
shot. She held back a sigh. There was no escape, not if she wanted it to look
real. So Taycee let Jake kiss her. At first her lips felt stiff and awkward
beneath his, but then her thoughts drifted to Luke. How it felt to be held by
him, kissed by him, looked at by him. Suddenly, her lips melted against Jake’s.

Her fingers threaded around the base of his neck, and she
pulled him close, as if she could turn him into Luke by kissing him long and
hard. She poured all of her frustrations into the kiss. Jake not being Luke.
Jessa signing up for this to begin with. The viewers need for romance. The
pressure of helping the town. And now Caleb and his accusations.

But when her eyes started to sting from unshed tears, Taycee
pulled back. She couldn’t do this anymore, not to Jake. Blinking rapidly, she
turned her head away from the camera and buried her face in his chest. His arms
pulled her tight against him.

What was she doing? How could she kiss him like that when it
wasn’t him she wanted to kiss? Why hadn’t she followed her gut and told the
truth last week like she’d wanted to do? It would have been the right thing to
do, even if it had meant a mad scramble to come up with the rest of the money
another way.

Instead, Taycee had caved. She’d even given everyone a finale.

Taycee cut a long stemmed rose and pulled the leaves off the
bottom part of the stem. Her date with Jake was officially behind her, and for the
first time in weeks, she felt the stirrings of relief. Yes, she still needed to
get through the interview and find a way to coax Jake and Miles to move on, but
the worst was finally over.

Or so she thought.

Bells jingled, and Jessa’s voice screeched through The Bloom
Boutique. “You promised, Taycee! How could you?”

Now what? Honestly, this show had been the worst thing for thier
friendship. Taycee picked up another rose and snipped the end off. “How could I
what?”

Jessa appeared with windblown hair and a look that made the
room feel chilly. She slapped a picture down in front of Taycee on the counter.
“That!” she shouted. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

There, on a bed of green leaves, was a low resolution picture
of Taycee kissing Luke under the giant oak tree at the park.
A
sick feeling filled her gut. Someone
had seen them and had snapped a picture they had no right to take. “Where did
you get this?”

“Off the gossip blog, along with several others. But that’s
not the point. The point is, you lied to me.”

“I’m so sorry, Jessa. I had it out with Caleb yesterday. Luke
saw me walking by the diner and followed and—“

“I don’t care how it happened!” Jessa shrieked. “What I care
about is that you broke your promise. This looks so bad, Taycee! For me, for
you, for Shelter. How could you?”

“I’m so sorry,” Taycee repeated, still staring at the picture
with a sense of loss. The day they climbed the old oak tree was special—or
had
been special—before someone set out to ruin it. Who would do such a thing and why?

“Sorry?” Jessa spat. “You’re sorry? How kind of you to be
sorry.”

In one swift move, Taycee grabbed the picture, wadded it up
and threw it into the trash. But it didn’t help. Her body shook with
frustration and anger. She’d had enough. Of Jessa. Of
Shelter’s Bachelorette
.
Of always being watched. Everything. “What else do you want me to say? I can’t
take those pictures back any more than you can.”

Jessa let out a heavy sigh and dropped down on a nearby chair.
Her rapidly blinking eyes made Taycee feel even worse. Jessa never cried. And
if she was fighting back tears, then things really must be as bad as she said.

“Hey.” Taycee placed a hand on Jessa’s shoulder. “It’s going
to be okay.”

“Is it?” The words came out so quiet, Taycee could barely hear
them. “People are really upset, Tace. They’re demanding their money back and
threatening to sue. A few reporters have called.” Jessa paused and swallowed,
staring beyond Taycee with a glazed look. “And the mayor even asked for my
resignation.”

“What?” Taycee felt sick. She let go of Jessa’s shoulder and
slumped against the counter. All this because someone got a pathetic little
cell phone picture of her kissing Luke—a guy she shouldn’t feel guilty kissing.

How did this happen?

Jessa’s tear-filled eyes trained on Taycee. “We were so close.
So close. I really thought we’d make it and that I’d finally be able to repay
my aunt and uncle and all the other farmers who have been so kind to me over
the years. But now”—she shook her head—“now I’ve made it worse. I gave them
hope, and then snatched it away.” Her head dropped to her hands. “Tace, what am
I going to do?”

Taycee wrapped her arms around Jessa. Just when she thought
the worst was behind her, this happens. But what could she possibly say or do
to make things better?

Jessa sniffed. “I know I shouldn’t have manipulated you into
being the bachelorette. And I’m sorry I did. But you were great and everything
was going so well. But now . . .” Defeat reflected in her eyes, making Taycee’s
heart sink. It wasn’t fair that falling in love should have such a disastrous
impact on everyone else.

But as Taycee’s mom had always told her, life wasn’t fair.

“I’ll fix this,” Taycee said. “I will. It was my fault. I’ll
apologize and explain everything, and if people still insist on getting their
money back, we’ll find another way. I promise.” But her words sounded empty and
hollow. An impossible promise made out of desperation.

Luke knew something was up the moment he set foot in the diner
during the dinner rush. All pairs of eyes looked his way. Some accusing. Some
knowing. Some disappointed.

He frowned and stepped up to the counter where Liza stood with
angry eyes. “What can I get you?” Her voice was like ice.

“Uh . . . ” Did Luke dare ask what was going on? Did he even
want to know? “I’ll take the special.” Hopefully whatever it was it would be
quick because he suddenly wanted to get out of there pronto. “To go.”

“Sure thing,” Liza said, punching numbers on the register the
way she’d poke someone’s eyes out. She slid Luke’s credit card through the reader
with an angry slice of her hand before tossing it back to him.

Luke eyed her warily. “Something wrong, Liza?” He shouldn’t
have asked, but the words were out before he could reconsider.

“Why don’t you ask your
girlfriend
?” Liza snipped. “Or
is it Jake’s girlfriend? Or Miles’s? I can’t remember anymore. From the looks
of it, she’s not exactly sure either.”

Luke picked up his credit card and shoved it back in his
wallet. “What are you talking about?”

“Give me a break.” Liza planted a palm on the counter and leaned
toward him. “Don’t play all innocent with me. I saw the pictures of you kissing
her. Was that why you asked me out? To make her jealous?”

Pictures? What pictures? Did someone see them at the park?
Luke nearly groaned. Oh the perks of living in a small, nosy town. Liza glared
at him, as she had every right to do. But it had only been one date. Nobody
could be accused of leading someone on after only one date. Not even Luke.

“I asked you out to get to know you better,” Luke said.

With one final glare, Liza turned and walked toward the back
room. Luke breathed a sigh of relief and looked around for a seat near the
window where he wouldn’t have to watch everyone staring at him. But the diner
was crowded, more so than usual, so Luke slid into the nearest seat he could
find and wondered if the special would be worth the wait.

Probably not.

His fingers drummed on the counter until the sound of Taycee’s
voice had him looking over his shoulder. Babette, a woman who loved gossip as
much as she loved coffee, sat directly behind him with her laptop open. Luke
would bet his truck that she was the anonymous keeper of the town’s gossip
blog. Only it wasn’t the blog that appeared on her laptop today, it was
Shelter’s
Bachelorette
’s website, featuring Taycee’s last date with Jake—something
that Luke had promised he wouldn’t watch.

Taycee was in Jake’s arms.

“Did you really just compare my kiss to a chocolate shake?” Jake
said. “Because it kind of sounded like you did. It also kind of sounded like I
came in second.”

“Never,” Taycee’s tinny voice came through the small computer
speakers.

“Good.” A full smile formed as Jake inched closer. “But I
still plan to prove that I’m preferable to chocolate.” And then he kissed her.

At first, Taycee’s response was tentative, but then her arms
went around him, and she kissed him the way she kissed Luke. Luke’s stomach
churned, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away. This was why he hadn’t watched the
show the past couple of weeks. Luke didn’t want to see her with other guys.
Didn’t want to see her holding their hands, hugging them, or kissing them. It
was bad enough picturing it in his mind.

But not once had he ever pictured Taycee responding like that.

Babette craned her neck to look back at him with her fake
eyelashes and blue eye shadow. “That girl sure gets around, doesn’t she? That
how she kissed you?”

With a barely controlled clench of his jaw, Luke stood and
walked out of the diner. He set out on foot, leaving his truck behind in the
parking lot.

What Taycee did was all an act, a way to keep people
interested in the show, that’s all. She needed to make it look real. Luke knew
this. But what if her response really had been genuine?

Taycee had always made it sound like the show was nothing more
than an annoyance—something she couldn’t wait to be through with. But what if
she cared more about Jake than she let on? What if she didn’t know who she
liked better? What if her feelings for Luke weren’t as strong as he thought?