Chapter 19
Ican’t stop smiling as Landen and I walk hand in hand through the grocery store. Knowing what I do about him, putting us on public display like this is a huge deal.
Locals from Sugarland Creek love their juicy Southern gossip and this will get someone’s attention to start it.
When an elderly woman greets him and he tips his hat at her, I have to conceal my laughter.
“That just feels wrong,” I tease.
“Not to me.” He winks as he continues to push the cart with one hand.
I can’t believe what happened in his truck, and I don’t know what the hell it means now, but I’m choosing not to freak out about it. My life was so structured and almost every day was predictable.
Now, I like not knowing. I want to live my life for once.
“Okay, here’s my mom’s list. Can you hold it for me?”
I grab the piece of paper from his hand and read it over as he pushes the cart.
“You shop for your mom? How sweet,” I gush.
“Only once in a while. Every Sunday we have family supper and since I had to shop for myself for the week, I volunteered to grab anything for tonight she might need.”
“Wow, that’s sweet. So all of your siblings come?”
“Yep. Fisher, Magnolia, and their kids.” He looks at me and grins. “It’s a full house.”
“I bet it gets crazy.”
“Well, you’re about to find out soon.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re comin’ tonight. With me.”
“I don’t recall you askin’.”
He pauses and we stop in the middle of the aisle. “Sweetheart, you just came all over my cowboy hat. That’s like a dog markin’ its territory, and now, you’re stuck with me.”
“Did you seriously just compare me to a dog?”
He snorts. “That’s not what I said.”
“I think you did. I’m startin’ to remember why I didn’t like you.”
“Nice try.” He grins. “C’mon, to the dairy section.”
“Wow, best first date ever.”
“Nope, our first date is in twenty-one days. Mark your calendar.”
I chuckle dryly at his stubbornness to keep our deal. “At this rate, we’ll be married before our first date.”
He glances at me, but there’s a hidden smile on his lips he doesn’t want me to see. I’m surprised he’s not freaking out about the word married like most men my age would. But again, I don’t know him well enough to know if the thought of commitment would turn him away.
We start grabbing items off his mom’s list and he tells me what he needs for his place. Mostly essentials like milk, eggs, and bread.
“Do you cook?” I ask when I find the bagels he likes.
“Uh…define cook?”
“I’ll take that as a no. Well, that’s not good because I don’t either. We’re going to starve as a married couple.”
I hand him what he needs and he tosses it into the cart. “Don’t worry, we’ll just go to The Lodge.”
“You go there every day?” I ask, walking toward the freezer section.
“At least once a day, yeah.”
When he catches me giving him a judgy look, he scowls. “I work twelve-hour days. You expect me to have the energy to cook?”
“No, but doesn’t that get old? Or do they serve different food each day?”
“It’s on a schedule, so every Monday is broccoli cheese soup and beef tips. Tuesday is tacos. Wednesday is?—”
“Wait…that sounds familiar.” I pause, trying to figure out why those food items triggered a memory.
“The soup and beef tips?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah, but I dunno why. I’ve never eaten at The Lodge, have I?”
Landen scratches his cheek, and I see the hesitation written on his face.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Nothing, it’s just that you’ve been there a couple times.”
“Recently?”
“Yeah, within the past few weeks.”
“Did something happen when I was there?”
He sighs, and we stand to the side of an aisle. “I’m not supposed to tell you things you can’t remember.”
“But I remembered the broccoli cheese soup…though I wouldn’t eat that. I’m not a fan of soup. Or broccoli.”
He wrinkles his nose. “Who doesn’t like soup?”
I push against his chest but of course he doesn’t budge. “Not the point. What happened at The Lodge?”
“You choked on a piece of beef.”
“Oh my God, how embarrassing.”
“Yeah, almost dying is so embarrassing,” he drawls out.
“This is why I didn’t like you, isn’t it?” I scowl. “Now tell me what happened.”
“I gave you the Heimlich maneuver.”
“Geez. I need a prone to accidents sign on my forehead at this rate.”
“We had a fight beforehand, and I was actively avoidin’ you until I heard you gaspin’ for air. I’d only ever panicked that hard once before in my life. I shot out of my chair and raced over to you.”
My heart swells with tenderness. Knowing we weren’t even friends or on good terms, and he still didn’t think twice about saving me.
“What happened earlier?” I ask, but again he hesitates. “Please…I wanna know.”
He exhales slowly as if he knows I’ll keep asking until he tells me. “We were at the stables and you told Ranger he was a good boy, and I came up behind you and said oh, thank you. You scowled, I made a joke about it, and then you snapped. To be fair, it wasn’t the first time I’d bothered you when you clearly didn’t want to be, but my desperate ass was greedy for any opportunity to talk to you.”
“What did I say when I snapped?” I plead, needing to hear it.
“Just…that I don’t listen and you askin’ me not to bother you wasn’t an act because you weren’t interested in havin’ any conversation with me. Then I really pissed you off when I compared you to other women who would love the chance to tell a guy why they didn’t like them. Then I apologized and said I’d never bother you again before walkin’ away.”
“Wow, I sound like a bitch.”
“I pushed you a lot if I’m being honest. I flirted with you every chance possible even after you made it clear you weren’t interested. I figured negative attention was still attention from you. You had every right to get upset.”
“You’re just tryin’ to make me feel better. It’s okay. I know I wasn’t the easiest person to be around. Socializing never came easy to me.”
“You’ve been quite social with me since the accident.”
“I know, but it literally feels like I knew you in another life and feel safe with you. Like we were more than friends.”
“I can assure you, we were not, at least in the lifetime from three weeks ago.”
“Very funny.”
“See, it’s about damn time you got my humor.” He pulls me into his chest, and I lift my head to find his lips.
When he presses his to mine, I smile.
I’ve never had this before. It feels nice.
“Remember our new rule.”
“No?”
He smirks, licking his lips. “You kiss the cowboy, you ride the hat.”
Lowering my eyes to his groin, he quickly tries to cover himself, and I laugh. “So much for not wantin’ to walk around with a boner.”
“Oh, I lost that battle the moment we kissed.”
My cheeks heat at how dirty it felt to rub against his cowboy hat in the front seat of his truck. Anyone could’ve driven by and had a free show. But it felt so good, I didn’t want to stop. His mouth on me, kissing down my neck and encouraging me to shatter with him underneath me is the most erotic thing I’ve ever done.
And damn if I don’t wanna do it again.
“Okay, what’s left on the list?” I ask once we pull apart.
“Over here…” He leads us into the freezer section and pulls out a bag.
“Fish sticks?” I wrinkle my nose.
“Hey, I thought this was a judgment-free zone.”
“Since when?” I muse.
“Since I learned you don’t eat soup.”
I roll my eyes. “Chicken tenders I could respect, but these? Very questionable tastes…”
“In the air fryer they get nice and crispy, then I eat ’em with mayo and ketchup.” He presses three fingers to his puckered lips. “Delicious little snack.”
“The more I get to know you, the more past Ellie might’ve had a point…”
He pokes my side, making a bursting squeal come out of my mouth, and then he does it again to my other side when I twist around trying to escape him.
“You’re ticklish? This is great information to have.”
“I’m not! No, get away from me!” I giggle as I try to escape his stupidly long arms.
“Ellie? Hey.”
A male voice halts my laughter, and I come face to face with a man I don’t recognize.
He has shaggy blond hair and every two seconds whips it out of his eyes. He opens his arms as if he wants to hug me.
But I’ve never seen this man in my life.
At least I don’t think so.
“Do I know you?” Alarm bells go off in my head as I step backward and away from him.
He ignores my hint at wanting space and comes closer, quickly eyeing Landen before focusing on me. “I’m Gage. We met a few weeks ago at one of your races. I work with your dad. We hung out at the rodeo…”
I tilt my head, studying him for any resemblance. “Sorry, I don’t remember you.”
“We talked about your horse, Ranger…”
Anyone who knows about my career could easily look up my horse’s name, so I’m still not convinced I’ve actually met this man before.
“I had an accident a couple weeks ago and got a concussion.” I point to my head bandage. “My memory is very hit-and-miss right now.”
“I bought you a churro. You complimented my boots,” he continues, then shows them off.
They literally look like any other brown cowboy boots.
“I-I’m sorry…I?—”
His face reddens as his hands ball into fists. “That’s bullshit! Stop actin’ like you don’t know who I am!”
I flinch at his raised voice and back into Landen’s chest. He squeezes my shoulders before stepping in front of me and pushing me behind him. “You better watch your goddamn mouth before I put my fist inside it.”
“And who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Landen, her fiancé.”
My what?
I stand next to Landen to peek up at his face. All hard lines and a tense jaw.
He’s not playing around.
“Since when?” Scowling, he crosses his arms. “Mr. Donovan said she was single when he hired me.”
“Well, he’s mistaken. She’s not,” Landen says firmly.
Gage sizes up Landen, which is a bad fucking idea considering how tall and muscular he is. Landen grew up on a ranch doing manual labor. I have no doubt he’d know how to kick someone’s ass if he had to.
“I don’t believe that.” Gage snarls. “How does someone go from single to engaged in a matter of a month?”
Good fucking question.
But also, mind your business.
“Sorry that you got the wrong information, but even if I wasn’t engaged, I wouldn’t be interested,” I explain, playing along with this stupid plan.
“Why not?” he asks, reaching out toward me. “Your dad thought we’d make a great couple.”
“Listen…Gage, is it?” Landen wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest. “Last year, I shot a man in the dick for tryin’ to hurt my best friend. Imagine what I’ll do to a man who harasses my fiancée.”
He did what? There’s no way…
My gaze snaps to Landen again and he looks more entertained than anything by Gage’s attempt to coerce me. But I’m not sure if he’s telling the truth or not. If my dad thought that, I’m going to have a few questions about his taste in men for me.
“That was you?” Gage asks.
Wait, it’s true?
Furrowing my brows, I whisper, “You actually did that?”
He leans above my ear. “Yep, but trust me, past Ellie wasn’t impressed.”
Considering the lack of context, I’m not sure if I should’ve been or not.
“Yep, and he lost both of his balls,” Landen replies to Gage. “Now he sits in prison with a permanent reminder.”
Gage finally smartens up and backs up. “Yeah…we’ll see what Mr. Donovan has to say about that.” He shoots him one final glare before walking out of the aisle.
As soon as he’s out of view, I release a deep breath. “Why did you say we were engaged?”
He tips his hat. “You’re welcome.”
“For what? Now my parents are gonna hear about it and have several questions.”
“For saving you from a psychopath who clearly wouldn’t take no for an answer unless you were claimed. Hell, even when I said you were, he wasn’t backin’ off.”
“Claimed? So now I’m a possession? First, I’m a dog, now I’m?—”
Landen shoves me up against the cooler door, cups my face, and then crashes his mouth to mine. Without a second thought, I kiss him back.
Heat builds between my thighs as he holds me in place and slides his tongue between my lips. Letting him take over, I give in to the way my body reacts to him, and still, I’m desperate for more.
When he pulls away, my shoulders rise and fall with labored breaths.
Then he flattens his palm against the door, leaning close, and thumbs my chin. “There. Properly claimed.” And then he fucking winks.
“Like property,” I deadpan.
Shaking his head, he chuckles softly under his breath. “So goddamn feisty all the time. How is it we still bicker even after you lose your memory of me?”
“Guess you’re just that insufferable or some things never change.”
“Oh, trust me…plenty has changed. But I’ll take it as long as it means I get to shut you up with my tongue.”
My jaw drops and he smirks. “See? I know exactly what to say to rile you up so we can fight and make up all over again.”
“You know it’s only a matter of time before the entire town hears about our engagement. Then what?”
“Good, then all the other Justin Bieber lookalikes know to stay away from you.”
Rolling my eyes, I push against his chest so I can move around him, but he blocks me in.
“You’re being a little possessive, don’t ya think?”
He cocks a brow. “You’re the one who put the idea of marriage in my head, so you’re partially to blame.”
“How is it we haven’t even gone on a first date and now we’re talkin’ marriage?”
“Would you like to revisit the terms of our deal?”
I cross my arms, scowling. “Depends…what would the date entail?”
“Now if I told ya that, you wouldn’t be surprised.”
“I’m just makin’ sure your idea of a first date ain’t takin’ me to the jeweler to get my finger sized or to go get matchin’ tattoos or something.”
“Ooh, good third date idea. My fiancée needs a ring after all. Matching tats…maybe for our fourth.”
“That’s not funny, Landen!” I push his chest again. “My parents are gonna freak out if they hear about this.”
“Why? I think your parents love me.”
I scoff. “Actually, my dad told me to be careful with you.”
“Did he?”
“He thinks I’m gonna get my heart broken.”
He tips my chin and a tender smile spreads over his face. “I wouldn’t have waited four years to try to move on if I planned to break your heart. If anything, you’re going to break mine.”
People needing to grab food out of the freezer we’re blocking interrupt our conversation. But it’s for the best since this isn’t the place to continue this kind of discussion.
We finish getting everything on the list and load up Landen’s truck. As we listen to music and talk, I notice Landen glancing in the rearview mirror every thirty seconds. After a couple minutes, I look out my side mirror and notice an SUV driving close behind.
“They’ve been following since we left the store,” he explains when I ask about it. “And making every turn I do.”
“Maybe they’re going out this way, too.”
“I dunno…” He narrows his eyes as he looks again. “I’m kinda thinkin’ it’s that Gage kid.”
“Seriously?” Turning around, I look out the back window. Since there’s not a second row, I can see behind us pretty clearly. Except whoever’s driving is wearing a black hat and dark sunglasses.
“Why would he follow us?”
“Not sure, but I don’t like it.” Landen swerves over to the side so he can pass, but instead, the person slows down, too. “This fuckin’ asshole.”
Landen slams his foot down on the gas until we’re speeding down the road. I watch the car get farther away in the side mirror and breathe out a sigh of relief when they don’t catch up.
“That was so weird,” I say, finally relaxing against the seat.
“Do you think he’s tellin’ the truth? Did you meet him at one of your rodeos?”
I shrug because I have no idea. “I’m gonna have to ask my dad to know for sure. It’s possible, but there’s no way I would’ve been interested in him. I was probably only nice because he’s one of my dad’s employees.”
“I don’t like the idea of him thinkin’ he had a chance with you.”
“Well, now no one will since I’m engaged and all…”
He grabs my hand, interlocks our fingers, and then brings it to his mouth for a tender kiss. “Good. I’d hate to have to threaten another man’s balls. Or worse, shoot ’em.”
We finally arrive at the ranch. I’ve never been inside the main house, but the outside is gorgeous with a white wraparound porch that has a couple swings and wooden chairs.
“I bet this was a great place to grow up,” I say once we walk inside with the groceries. There’s a rustic feel to it with lots of cozy vibes and family photos on the wall.
“It was hectic, that’s for sure. But yeah, it was fun.”
“Ellie, darlin’!” Mrs. Hollis grabs the bags out of my arms, sets them on the counter, and then engulfs me in a hug. “It’s so good to see you. How’re you doing?”
“I’m good. Considering, I mean.” I smile and then get a hug from Gramma Grace. I’ve only met her a few times, but this family is full of huggers, so I accept my fate.
“I’m glad to hear it. I reached out to your parents when I heard and they were so worried, but it comes with the territory of your kids ridin’ horses professionally. When Noah got hurt, I banned her from ever trick ridin’ again.”
Landen snorts. “Yeah, that didn’t last long.”
“Wait, I remember that. She fractured her ankle and broke some ribs, right?”
“Oh…that you remember.” Landen groans, putting away the groceries while Gramma Grace adds ingredients to the mixer. They’ve already started baking and cooking, and it smells delicious whatever it is.
Mrs. Hollis chuckles. “My kids have been givin’ me heart attacks since the day they were born, so I knew the fear your parents must’ve been feelin’.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to convince me to slow down,” I admit, leaning against the island counter.
“And would you?” she asks.
I think about the past few years and how much I’ve enjoyed traveling, racing, and pushing myself to do better at each event. The feelings I get while riding are irreplaceable.
“No, I don’t think so. I love it too much.”