Chapter 14
WYNTER
Who said stuff like that?
And why did Marcus have to be the one to say them to her?
She couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat.
Did he even know what he was doing to her?
Probably. Marcus wasn’t lacking intelligence.
Even though he’d been stereotyped as the jock in high school, he was probably one of the smartest people she’d known.
He was trying to talk her into giving love a chance, and for the life of her, she couldn’t say she hated it. Maybe she was a glutton for punishment. Spending time with Marcus made her want things she knew were not good for her.
Before she had a chance to respond, he changed the subject.
“You sure you want to pick up a tree from town? I’m sure we could find something better in the woods.” Marcus didn’t glance her way when he posed the question. Instead, he was facing forward, both hands holding tight to the steering wheel. He looked tense.
Well, what did he expect? He’d said some heavy stuff. And she was obsessing over it just as much as he was. Or at least she hoped so. He didn’t deserve to spring something like that on her without feeling the effects of it.
“Grams doesn’t have a big house. I think it’s a safer bet to grab one from town. Besides, I’d rather support local businesses.”
Marcus nodded. “Sounds good. You know, I don’t think we’ve ever had a real tree.
When we moved here, Mateo bought one of those artificial trees.
I’m pretty sure we still have it even after he got married to Nikki.
” He cut her a smirk. “Maybe I’ll get one for the house.
My nephew deserves the real deal, don’t you think? ”
Wynter grinned right back. “Are you trying to become the favorite uncle? Is that what this is all about?”
He chuckled. “Can’t hurt.”
After that, the tension in the truck faded.
They didn’t immediately pick up the trees.
Wynter had planned on picking up a few books for Grams, and they needed some groceries.
Marcus didn’t question it when she climbed out of the truck and headed down the street.
He simply fell into step beside her, hands deep in his pockets.
“It was really sweet, what you were doing with Grams,” she offered when their conversation tapered off.
She chewed on her lip and fiddled with the lint in her coat pocket.
The ice melt crunched beneath their boots as they made their way toward the bookstore.
“She’s been lonely since my grandfather passed.
And since I can’t be here all the time…” Her cheeks heated, and she avoided looking directly at him.
Honestly, it was her fault that her grandmother was as lonely as she was. Wynter could have transferred her job down to Copper Creek if she wanted to. That much was made clear by how easy it had been for her to get a temporary job.
So why aren’t you doing anything about it?
That voice in her head had asked that question several times over the last couple of weeks.
Ever since she’d lined up the work, she’d wondered if her reasons for staying away from this town were reasonable.
Grams was her last remaining relative—well, the last one who mattered.
She didn’t know where her father was. He’d abandoned her when she was an infant.
Grams was the only one who mattered anymore.
And when she was gone? What then?
Wynter couldn’t bring herself to think that far. When Grams was gone, she really would be alone. And that was the absolute fear.
“You know as well as I do that it’s not a hardship to spend time with your grandmother,” Marcus said. “She was just as important to me during high school as she was to you.”
Tossing him an appreciative look, Wynter nodded.
She knew better than to argue with him. And this was just who Marcus was.
No one was more kind than this man. In a perfect world, she would have given in to his flirting.
She would have considered the risk to her heart worthwhile because she wouldn’t have to worry about it all coming to an end.
When they reached the bookstore, Marcus held the door open for her.
They stomped off the bits of snow they’d tracked in and together headed farther inside.
She led the way toward the romance section, laughing when Marcus averted his eyes when he caught sight of a book cover of a couple in a steamy embrace.
He kept his eyes trained on the ceiling, and his ears flooded with color.
Marcus cleared his throat and glanced at Wynter with what almost seemed like concern. “Please tell me she doesn’t read that kind of book.”
Wynter shook her head as she led him around the aisle. “That display was showcasing stories that… well, you got the gist of it. Now, these? They’re more up our alley.” She gestured toward a display of romance novels showcasing western landscapes or a cowboy with his love interest.
She cut Marcus a look, noting the way his lips twitched upward. “What?” she asked.
“So, you like reading about cowboys?”
“Sometimes. And sometimes it’s billionaires. Sometimes it’s small-town romances.”
“Who knew there were so many different kinds of romance?”
Wynter reached for a book and flipped it over to the back. “Me.” She answered the question even though it was clearly rhetorical. The book she held was one she’d read in eBook form and had enjoyed, but she wasn’t sure Grams had read it yet.
Marcus moved in closer, his body heat wrapping around her, and her heart skipped a beat.
He read the title over her shoulder. “Her Second Chance Cowboy.” A low hum rumbled from his chest, and goosebumps rose on her arms as he read aloud.
“As the eldest son of the wealthy Miller family, Ben Miller is content with helping his brothers run their family’s ranch in Montana.
Well… mostly content. There’s a certain something missing from his life, and he’s done a good job denying it for the past decade. Until she rolled back into town…”
Wynter glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes locked with his. Something flashed in those beautiful dark eyes that threatened to knock her off her feet.
Then he whispered, “Sounds familiar.”
That had to be the most loaded statement on the planet. Flustered, she put the book back on the shelf. “To be fair, the love interests were high school sweethearts. And she came back to town after struggling to make it on her own. So…”
He chuckled, low and sensual. The sound made her feel trapped, but in the most delicious way.
They weren’t even touching, and she felt like she’d caught on fire.
Maybe she should take off her coat. Maybe she should put some distance between them.
All she’d have to do was lean back and they’d be flush against one another.
Wynter closed her eyes when she felt the whisper of his fingertips brushing the hair from her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for what might come next. The logical thing to do would be to pull away, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to do that.
“Wynter! Hey!”
She jumped, and her eyes flew wide as Rose Taylor came into view. “Rose! How are you?” At her side was a man she wasn’t familiar with. They both wore smiles, and their eyes flicked to Marcus at Wynter’s back. But then the cowboy who hovered there stepped away.
The loss of closeness to him hit her square in the chest. She liked the warmth he’d offered. But she couldn’t think about that right now.
“Doing good.” Rose’s eyes flicked to Marcus then back. “Wynter, this is my friend Emerson McKenzie. He helps us out at our ranch occasionally.”
Emerson rolled his eyes. “That’s a nice way of saying that I’m not quite a freeloader.”
Wynter blinked, unsure of what to say. Were they involved?
Rose elbowed the man in the ribs. “You’re not a freeloader. You do a lot to help out.”
“Yeah, like mowing the lawn and chasing off vermin.” Emerson winked at Wynter. “They really should be forcing me to do more. I get room and board, and they—”
Rose waved a hand through the air. “Anyway, what are you getting? Anything good?”
“Grams needs some new reading material. I thought I’d take a look at some of the cowboy romances. I told you how much she likes those.”
“Definitely.” Rose glanced up at Marcus expectantly.
Wynter jumped and gestured toward Marcus. “You remember Marcus. His truck is a four-wheel drive, so he offered to help me run my errands today.”
Rose seemed to ignore the last part of her statement and grinned wickedly at Marcus again. “And you? Are you interested in cowboy romances?”
Marcus’s eyes slid to Wynter. “I guess I’d be interested in what’s called friends to lovers.”
Wynter’s mouth dropped open with a gasp. The smug look on Marcus’s face was all it took for her to connect the dots. Marcus knew his genres. He’d been toying with her. She whacked him playfully. “I can’t believe you.”
Rose watched their interaction with interest, and Wynter blushed when she noticed the sly smile that tugged at her friend’s lips. Even Emerson seemed to catch on that there was something brewing. He probably thought the two of them were dating with the way Marcus was acting.
Emerson was the first to speak up. “You two should come to the Christmas event being hosted at the country club on the other side of town this weekend. It’s semiformal. There will be music, dancing—of course—and food. No children allowed, though. Just for the adults.”
“Oh, they’re not—” Rose started to say, but Wynter cut her off.
“We’d love to.”
The way Rose’s eyes rounded would have been hilarious if Wynter didn’t have Marcus at her back. She didn’t know how the man was going to react to the invitation, but she’d been unwilling to risk it. If she was only going to be in town for a couple of months, she was going to make the best of it.
“Well, then. I guess we’ll see you two there,” Rose said, flaring her eyes at Wynter and smiling as she wheeled her friend away from them.
Based on the curious look Emerson was giving Rose, more questions were about to be asked.
But then Rose paused and glanced at them over her shoulder.
“Let’s go pick out a dress. There are some real pretty options at the new boutique in town. Let me know when you’re available.”
“Of course.” Wynter watched them disappear around a tall set of shelves and grinned to herself. This was something to look forward to.
Marcus cleared his throat at her back, and Wynter stiffened. Then she forced herself to look up at him. The effort was excruciating, and she could feel the warmth spreading beneath her cheeks once more. That familiar spark in his gaze said it all. He wanted to know what it all meant.
She tore her gaze from him and coughed. “Sounds like fun, don’t you think?”
“Mm-hmm. And?”
“And,” she drawled, “something fun like a Christmas party is made even better when I can spend time with my best friend.”
“You mean Rose?”
Wynter blushed hotter. “No. I mean you.”
He squinted at her, and she could almost hear the thoughts in his head. Did she really think of him as a friend? Or were the tides shifting?
If she’d been asked a few days ago, she would have said there was nothing there but friendship. But now?
Unfortunately, she didn’t have an answer.
And that both terrified her and exhilarated her.
She placed a hand on his chest. “Is that okay?”
He arched a brow. “What? That we go on a date that isn’t?”
Wynter couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “Exactly.” And just like that, the tension mounting in her muscles eased. The expectation for more had been demolished, and that was all she needed.