Chapter 34
It’s only a hat. Brit kept telling herself that as she admired it in his bathroom mirror. But it wasn’t just a hat, was it?
Trent had taken the time to find her something special. Not a trinket or a bouquet of flowers that would die in a week, but something she would cherish and wear for years.
Her focus on his hat last Saturday night might have inspired him to get her a really nice one. Or he’d made a lucky guess and nailed it. Or maybe, just maybe, he’d paid close attention.
They’d made love and shared breakfast in her modest rented house where no luxury items were in evidence. He’d seen the low-budget truck she drove. An observant person would figure out she was unlikely to treat herself to a pricey Stetson when something cheaper would do the job.
His choice of a gift impressed the hell out of her. It also made her a little nervous, as if it had significance. Nah, it was just a hat. She was overthinking it.
The soft thud of her suitcase on the wooden floor brought her out of the bathroom and face-to-face with her thoughtful lover. “It’s a fabulous hat. You couldn’t have given me a more… what’s wrong?” She gazed in confusion at his stony expression.
“I need to tell you something and you’re not going to like it. But it’s only fair for me to?—”
“What? What’s happened?”
He sucked in a breath and glanced around. “Let’s go in the living room.” Turning on his heel, he walked out the door.
She hurried after him, her heart slamming against her ribs. “Good grief? Did you get a phone call? Is someone in serious trouble?”
“Not someone, but something.” He turned back to her. “Dallas kept telling me I was fooling myself, but I wanted to believe he was wrong.”
“About what?”
“About me.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “He said I bought that swing because I secretly still want what I used to have, or thought I had, with Cheryl.”
“You had a swing before?”
“No. It’s the idea of it, two people in love getting cozy on a swing. You even said it looked cozy.”
Her stomach began to churn. “Go on.”
“I told Dallas he was nuts, that I was not taking that chance ever again, but now I realize…I’m so sorry, Brittany. I promised you I wouldn’t?—”
“Don’t you dare ask me to marry?—”
“I won’t! But this is just as bad, maybe worse.” His gaze locked with hers. “I’m in love with you.”
Her brain refused to process the words. Then she finally did. “No, you’re not. It’s just?—”
“Yes, I am. I’ve been here before and I know what it feels like. I should have recognized the signs but I didn’t want to admit that I?—”
“You honestly think you’re in love with me?”
“I know I am.”
“You can’t be.” She clasped her hands in front of her to control the shaking. “Not in the space of a week. It’s because we’ve had this incredible physical?—”
“That’s what I told myself, but it was never true, not even in the beginning.”
“Come on. We were virtual strangers that first night.”
“Not for long. I’ve been pretending it wasn’t happening, but I can’t ignore it anymore. Just now, when I watched you going into the house, it hit me, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt.”
The shaking got worse. Maybe it didn’t matter whether he was actually in love with her. If he believed he was, that was just as bad. “I’m sure it’s temporary, like a crush.”
“I’m sure it’s not.”
“When did you buy that swing?”
“Last week.”
“So it was before we got together on Saturday night. That means it has nothing to do with me, or with us. Your brother could be totally wrong about that swing.”
“But what if he’s right about my state of mind when I chose it? What if it’s the first crack in my resistance to getting?—”
“I think you’re overreacting. Of course you like me a lot after what we’ve shared. I like you a lot, too. I was overcome with tender emotion because you bought me this hat, which is why I kissed you. That doesn’t mean I’m in love with you.”
“What if I bought it because I’m in love with you?”
That hit a nerve. Her breath hitched. A man who was falling in love would pay attention. He would seek out the perfect gift. But could love really happen in a week?
“You’re starting to believe me. I can see it in your eyes.”
“I believe you think you’re in love. But be logical. We met seven days ago.”
“You can’t use logic in our situation. It’s not like we’ve been casually dating for a week.”
“No, but?—”
“Look, I’m not happy about this. I considered not telling you until later, but if I’d waited, I’d find more reasons not to tell you. For instance, I couldn’t tell you when we were in bed.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’d think it was because of what happened in that bed. This goes way beyond sex. And it’ll get worse.”
“Worse?”
“In terms of messing up our plan.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.” He checked his phone. “And we don’t have time to figure it out. The rehearsal starts in fifteen minutes and you haven’t been reintroduced to my parents yet, so I’m sure they’re hoping we’ll?—”
“Let’s go. We’ll put this subject aside for now and talk about it when we get back here.”
“Then we’re off.”
They rode in silence the short distance to the ranch house. But there was nothing quiet about what was going on in her head.
She’d kept her hat on, an advantage of being short. But it meant she had to tilt her head a little to check on Trent, the beautiful man who’d just declared his love for her.
He gave new meaning to the phrase jaw carved from granite. He stared straight ahead, at least whenever she glanced over there.
I’m in love with you. That couldn’t be true, could it? She replayed the moment when he’d told her, the intensity in his brown eyes mirroring the emotion in his voice. She’d tried not to hear it.
But now she couldn’t hear anything else. It wasn’t the first time a man had said he loved her, but it was the most potent because he’d had the courage to confess something he knew she didn’t want to hear.
It gave a different meaning to their passionate encounters. Those probably should end now. It was the kind thing to do. Continuing under these circumstances would be selfish of her.
The thought of no longer sharing that joy with him made her ache, and he would suffer at least as much if not more. Sure, they’d intended to give it up eventually, just not this soon. But he needed to fall out of love with her.
When Trent rounded the curve, giving her a view of the house, she sucked in a breath. This would be tricky. The crowd gathered on the porch and in the yard was filled with familiar faces. Except for his parents and a few others, she’d known these folks all her life.
The McLintock clan now included spouses and in some cases the parents or grandparents of those spouses. Mrs. J, BB owner and Molly’s grandmother, would be here, along with Liz and Gerald Bradley, Ella and Faye’s parents.
Ella. Brit prayed her best friend would understand why she hadn’t been informed early on. And forgive her for holding back the news.
Trent beeped the horn as he drove past the house and headed for the tractor barn where a new and much larger parking area had been marked off.
The house had become the backdrop for the ceremony. A greenery-covered arch at the top of the porch steps would likely be the altar. In the front yard, four rows of temporary benches made of planks and cinderblocks provided seating with an aisle in between.
“That’s a cool idea for the seating, but that’s not enough benches, is it?”
“No. We’re putting up the rest in the morning.” Trent eased into a parking space next to Midnight Thunder, Rance’s big black truck. At least fifteen others were there, too, along with a couple of SUVs.
“This won’t hold all the vehicles, though.”
“This one’s for the wedding party. We passed the spot for the guest one, which is right before you round the curve.” He switched off the motor.
“I couldn’t imagine how they’d handle such a huge crowd, but it seems like they’ve got it covered.”
“We do.”
She picked up on his subtle correction. She’d used they and he’d changed it to we. He considered himself part of Rowdy Ranch, now.
Movement in her sideview mirror caught her attention. “I think your parents are on their way over.” Vanessa’s chin-length hair was still brown and Harry hadn’t covered his silver. Their picture-perfect Western wear marked them as greenhorns, but the effort was endearing.
Trent checked his rearview. “Yep. That’s why I beeped, although I’m sure they saw us drive in.”
“Don’t bother helping me out.” She opened her door. “We don’t have time to stand on ceremony.”
“No, ma’am. Meet you at the tailgate.” Grabbing his hat, he climbed down.
Her throat tight and her pulse racing, she left the truck to meet two people who would willingly die for the man whose heart she held in her hands.