Chapter 6
ROYCE
Royce hadn’t realized just how much he needed this day to go well until he had Penny beside him.
Every time he took her to a new location, he couldn’t help but look at her for her reaction.
Like right now.
The second they stepped over the threshold into the gallery, he knew he’d made the right choice. Penny’s whole face lit up. Her eyes darted from one thing to the next like she couldn’t get enough.
The artist being showcased specialized in what the city folk called “cowboy life.” Not only did she paint, but she was a photographer as well. Some of her work was a combination of the two, which was really fascinating.
Penny’s hand tightened around his as they moved farther into the gallery. While Penny admired the work on the walls, he continued to watch her. There was a pressure in his chest that wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but it reminded him how much he wanted to get this right.
One day.
Royce had one day to show Penny she could step outside her careful life and still feel safe.
One day to make Penny believe in love. Not only that, but believe she could love him.
Her eyes snagged on him, and she paused for a moment, a curious smile gracing her lovely mouth. “What?” she asked.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?”
Those large eyes of hers expanded. “You can’t keep saying stuff like that.”
“Why not?” He tugged gently on her hand, inviting her a little closer. When she came, he smiled down at her. “It’s true. I’m just letting you know how I feel.”
She continued to stare at him, stunned. Her mouth opened, then closed before she shook her head. “I’m beginning to wonder if you’re crazy.”
“Maybe a little.” His smile tugged higher. “But only about a few things.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Probably not yet.”
A surprised laugh slipped out of her, and it did something dangerous to his chest.
Before he could overthink it, Royce brushed a whisper of a kiss to her brow. “Come on. I want to show you my favorite.”
He released her hand, then a moment later, offered his again as he headed down a corridor toward a smaller exhibit. To his surprise, Penny took it.
He glanced down at their clasped hands, needing proof that she had chosen it this time. Sure enough, her fingers were wrapped around his. A smile tugged at his lips, unbidden.
Their connection went beyond the attraction he knew was there. Beyond the banter and the way his pulse changed every time she looked at him.
He didn’t have a name for it.
Or maybe he did, but if he said it out loud this soon, Lincoln would have him committed. Penny might too, but she would probably be a lot nicer about it.
The room had a single bench in the middle, and there were three pictures. But only one of them was being showcased above all else.
Penny gasped, finally dropping his hand as she moved closer to the picture.
It was one of those combination works. The artist had taken a picture of a cowboy in the rain, then added paint to accentuate the emotions the man in the photograph was feeling.
The subject peered out at a section of land that wasn’t covered by clouds, light coming through.
At first glance, the man looked sad. But the longer Royce had stared at the picture, the more he saw hope in those eyes.
He took a step closer to Penny, stopping beside her so he could see both the painting and her face. She held her fingers to her lips as she drank in the image.
Royce cleared his throat, but she didn’t glance at him. All he got was a blink. He peered up at the work of art and rocked back on his heels. “I’ve never seen anything capture hope like this before. Not to this degree.”
Penny sucked in a breath as if she’d been holding it until he spoke. When she didn’t add to the conversation, he continued.
“It’s cliché to say life is hard and we have to look for the bright spots.
Everyone says that—especially when they’ve never had to sit in the dark for long.
” He nodded toward the picture. “If I had to guess, I’d say this man knows what it feels like to be swallowed up by it.
Maybe he gave up on finding his way out of whatever his life became.
And yet, based on the way that rain is pouring off his cowboy hat, but he’s still turned toward the light, I’d say he’s fighting. ”
Penny stayed quiet, but he could feel her listening.
“That’s the point, right? The light in that field is too far off to chase. It might keep moving. The storm might keep coming. But that doesn’t take away…”
“Hope,” Penny murmured.
He tipped his head and glanced in her direction. “Hope,” he confirmed. “Hope is knowing that eventually the rain will ease. Even if he can’t reach that bright field, the clouds will shift, and he’ll be able to breathe again.”
Penny chewed on her lip and folded her arms. “You sound like a philosopher.”
“You sound like a therapist.”
She laughed then and glanced at him, causing him to smile.
“The picture is beautiful,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I might have to reach out to the artist to get a print for my office.”
“We’ll make sure to get a card on our way out.”
They left the gallery and headed down the street toward a bookstore. He pulled out his phone and winked. “Are you ready to get your adrenaline pumping?”
Her brows pulled together low. “What does that mean?”
He held up his phone with a timer.
Five minutes.
“Okay…” she murmured. “Let me guess. I have five minutes to pick out a book for you.”
Royce shook his head. “Five minutes to get the lay of the land. Then you get three minutes to pick as many books as you want.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And?”
“And I’ll get them for you.”
She blinked just like she had in the gallery. “Royce, you don’t have to—”
“I know I don’t have to.” He held up the phone. “That’s what makes it fun.”
“I can afford my own books.”
“I know that too.” He lowered the phone a little. “You can say no. Or you can let me do something ridiculous and harmless because I want to.”
Penny stared at him for a long moment.
Then she kicked off her heels, shoved her purse at him, and lifted her chin. “Start the clock.”
Royce’s grin spread slowly. “Yes, ma’am.”
He tapped the screen. “Five… four…”
Penny darted around the store, taking corners a little too fast. There were more than a few times that she apologized to the people she nearly bumped into. He chuckled to himself, and when the timer was up, he tracked her down.
Three minutes later, they were both laden down with books—mostly romance, but some were related to her field of study. She eyed him as he helped stack the books on the counter.
“Honestly, you don’t have to—”
Royce paused and looked at her. “I know.”
She seemed to brace herself for an argument.
He didn’t give her one.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, we’ll put some back,” he said. “But if it’s only hard because you’re not used to someone doing something nice for you, maybe let me.”
Penny’s expression shifted, just enough to tell him he’d hit a nerve.
His voice softened. “It’s not because I think you can’t take care of yourself.”
Her shoulders eased a little.
“I know you can,” he said. “That’s part of what I like about you.”
Her mouth opened, then closed again, and a faint flush touched her cheeks.
“All right,” she said finally. “But I’m buying lunch.”
“Deal.”
Her smile was worth every penny he paid for those books and then some.
Once they’d dropped the books off in his truck, he leaned back against the passenger door and glanced over at her. “Can I ask you something?”
“Okay?”
“Why didn’t you want me to get you books?”
She stiffened beside him. “Because they cost too much, and I’m more than capable—”
“I know you are.”
That stopped her.
He tipped his head, studying her. “Would you say it’s out of character for you to let someone take care of you a little?”
The way she stilled made it more than clear that he’d hit the nail on the head, and he couldn’t help the grin that tugged at his mouth.
“I suppose that means we’ve crossed something else off that list of yours.”
Penny’s narrowed gaze stirred another chuckle from his chest.
“I told you I’d help you cross things off that list,” he said. “From my count, we’re three out of five.”
She snorted. “Try two. Doing something out of character and getting a cat.” She held up two fingers. “Dos.”
He glanced down the sidewalk, where music drifted from a nearby restaurant. Then he looked back at her and held out his hand. “Dance with me.”
Penny’s eyes widened. “Here?”
“Here.”
“This isn’t a dance floor.”
“No,” he said, stepping closer when she placed her hand in his. “But if we wait much longer, we’ll hardly be a strangers.”
Amusement flickered in her eyes. “I could almost make the argument that you weren’t a stranger the moment I learned your name.”
Royce placed one hand lightly at her waist and took her other hand in his. “Ah, but you don’t know my last name.” He smiled down at her. “Tell me, Penny Klein. Who am I?”
Royce loved watching the way Penny could say so much with just a single look. So many emotions flitted across her features that he couldn’t keep track of them even if he tried.
In the end, her amusement mirrored his own.
Then she lifted three fingers. “Fine. Tres.”
He swayed with her in the middle of the sidewalk, reveling in the scent of her sweet perfume and the way she fit against him without either of them having to try too hard.
“Royce,” she whispered, breathless, “what are we doing?”
“Crossing off number three,” he murmured.
She softened against him. “This is ridiculous.”
“Probably.”
“And people are looking.”
“Are they?”
Her laugh was quiet and close. “You know they are.”
“Then we’d better make it worth their time.”
She shook her head, but she didn’t pull away.
After their dance, he took her to a restaurant she’d never visited, and then they spent the rest of the day trying to find unique places in the city. At one point, they tracked down a geocache.
There was no doubt about it, time slipped away when he was with her.
Eventually, they made their way back to Copper Creek and sat out on the balcony of her apartment. First to stargaze, then to watch the sunrise. She let her legs dangle through the bars, barefooted and with her head resting on his shoulder.
Royce lost track of the number of times she’d yawned so he took the hint and carefully eased her off him.
She moaned her dissent and he chuckled as he scooped her into his arms. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to tuck you in before I head home.”
“But I don’t want our day to end,” Penny mumbled against his chest.
“I know, beautiful.” He adjusted his hold and carried her into the bedroom, then eased her beneath the covers. Penny’s eyes fluttered closed and she yawned again. His fingers grazed along her temple to brush the stray strands of hair from her face. “But I promise you, this is only the beginning.”
Another yawn slipped past her lips and she curled up on her side. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
He didn’t know how he was going to keep that promise, but he knew he wanted to try. Penny didn’t know who he was—not all of it—and the truth sat heavy in his chest as he watched her drift toward sleep.
He should tell her.
But not tonight. Not when she was exhausted and happy and trusting him to leave when he should.
But soon.
If this was going to be anything real, he couldn’t build it on half-truths and hope that neither family found out.
Penny deserved better than that.
Royce traced one gentle finger along her temple, brushing the last strand of hair from her face. “Good night, Penny.”
Her eyes stayed closed, but her mouth curved faintly. “Thank you for the best day ever,” she mumbled.
Royce froze for a moment, one hand still resting on the edge of the blanket.
The last thing he wanted to do was walk out that door and face the unknown waiting on the other side of this day. But he would, because Penny was worth doing things right.
Even the hard things.
He turned off the bedside lamp, stepped into the hallway, and left her bedroom door cracked behind him.
Then he let himself out quietly, already trying to figure out how to become the kind of man who could keep his promise to Penny Klein.