Chapter 6
Chapter Six
I t was strange being part of a big family Thanksgiving. All the Thanksgivings Casey could remember had been shared with only his brother and father. After Mama left, Sam had hired a woman to take care of him and Rome. Mabel had also cleaned house and cooked, including their holiday meals. But when Casey was in fourth grade, she’d retired and moved to Houston to be near her grandkids and Sam decided his sons were old enough to fend for themselves.
For a few Thanksgivings and Christmases, Sam bought a turkey last minute and attempted to cook it. It hadn’t gone well. Either he forgot to thaw it out and it was half raw when he took it out of the oven or he cooked it to the consistency of saddle leather. He finally gave up and started ordering a smoked turkey from the Hellhole.
But those smoked turkeys looked nothing like the turkeys that graced the mile-long table in the Holidays’ barn. Casey’s mouth watered at just the sight of the crispy golden-skinned birds that were surrounded by more side dishes than he had seen in his life.
Bowls of whipped potatoes, creamed corn, and cranberry sauce. Casserole dishes of candied yams, cornbread stuffing, and green beans covered in fried onions. Platters of fresh veggies with ranch, pitchers of rich gravy, a huge glistening ham studded with cloves, and baskets of fluffy dinner rolls. It was like Casey had died and gone to food heaven . . . or it would be if not for the devil in the short cherry dress who was flitting around taking pictures of the table before everyone took their seats. No doubt, those pictures would end up on the Holiday Kitchen social media page, accompanied with more lies about her cowboy hero boyfriend.
The thought caused his anger to flare once again. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this mad. Not even at his father. He wasn’t the angry Remington. He was the happy one. But as he watched Noelle, he didn’t feel happy. Not happy at all.
“So you want to explain why the normally charming Casey Remington has turned into the Grinch before he has the ‘wonderful, awful idea?’”
Casey turned to Sunny. She looked stunning as usual in skinny jeans and a sweater that showed off her tall, slender figure. If her two brothers, Corbin and Jesse, hadn’t informed him that they’d skin him alive if he tried to date her, he would have already made a play for her.
Or maybe not.
He liked her too much.
“Wonderful, awful ideas are my specialties,” he said with an evil grin.
She laughed. “I bet they are. But being mad at Elle isn’t wonderful. It’s just awful. From what she told me, she didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand.”
He stared at her. “She didn’t mean it? She’s the one acting like I’m some kind of cowboy Romeo who’s madly in love with her.”
Before Sunny could reply, Hallie’s voice boomed. “For Pete’s sake, Elle! Enough pictures already. People are hungry and the turkey’s getting cold.”
“Turkey,” Sunny muttered before she turned to Casey and socked him in the arm.
He was stunned. Sunny wouldn’t hurt a fly. “What was that for?”
She smiled brightly. “Haven’t you ever heard it’s lucky to get punched by a friend on Thanksgiving?”
He rubbed his arm. “No.”
“Well, now you have. Let’s eat!” He started to follow her to the table, but she turned to him and shook her head. “You need to sit with Noelle and get all that pent-up anger out before it turns into a grudge.” She winked at him. “You wouldn’t want to end up like my brother, now would you?”
She had a good point. A grudge was how Corbin had ended up married to Belle. Not that anything would get Casey to marry Noelle. But if he wanted to enjoy this heavenly feast, he needed to get over his anger and go back to the happy-go-lucky guy he was. The only way he could do that was to convince Noelle to clear things up on her social media feed.
He headed to the empty chair next to her, but when he started to pull it out, she grabbed it and held firm. “Reid Mitchell is sitting here.”
Casey glanced at the assistant ranch manager who was talking with Hank Holiday. All the women in town were gossiping about how good-looking Reid was. The gossip hadn’t bothered Casey at all. Until now. For some strange reason, the thought that Noelle had been saving Reid a seat did not sit well. Casey tugged the chair free from her grip with a little more force than was necessary before he sat down.
“Now, I’m sure Reid would rather sit with his niece. You don’t want to separate a family on Thanksgiving, do you, Ellie? Especially when we have so much to talk about.”
She glared at him. “We have nothing to say to each other.”
“You might not have anything to say to me, but I have plenty to say to you.” But once everyone was seated at the table, he realized there was no way he could say what he wanted. She realized it too. The smile she sent him was smug and annoying.
“So what did you want to say, Case?” She glanced at her daddy who sat at the head of the table and her mama who sat directly across from them. “I’m sure everyone would love to hear it.”
He looked at her parents and pinned on a smile. “I just want to say how grateful I am to be invited to this bountiful feast.”
Darla beamed. “You’re more than welcome, Casey. You’re part of our family now and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have you.” She glanced at Hank and Noelle. “Isn’t that right?”
They gave identical snorts before Mimi, who sat between Darla and Sunny, spoke. “Of course we’re thrilled. We now have everyone we need to make this ranch what it’s destined to be. Now let’s bow our heads so we can give thanks before we dig into that turkey.”
“Turkey,” Sunny repeated. She turned to Reid Whitlock who had taken a seat on her right and socked him in the arm.
The meal was better than any meal Casey had ever had in his life. Since he couldn’t yell at Noelle like he wanted to, he focused on every delightful bite. He devoured his first helping and then went for seconds. He was savoring the gravy-drenched dressing when he glanced over and noticed Noelle watching him.
He swallowed the bite. “What?”
Her gaze lowered to his mouth. Thinking he had something on it, he lifted his napkin and wiped it off. But her long, dark lashes remained lowered. Her lips parted as if she was going to say something, but nothing came out. Even after eating and drinking, that cupid bow mouth was still the color of the cherries on her dress. Although the color wasn’t as shiny as it had been. As if she’d read his thoughts, her tongue swept out and wet her lips.
Just like that, heat washed through Casey like a late summer flash flood and the fork he still held slipped from his fingers and clattered to his plate, causing everyone at their end of the table to look at him.
“Pardon me,” he said. When everyone had gone back to their meals and conversations, he glanced at Noelle, expecting to find her smirking. But she wasn’t. Instead, she was looking down at her plate with her cheeks flaming.
Casey didn’t know what had just happened. All he knew was that he didn’t want it to happen again. Which meant he needed to get things settled with Noelle.
He leaned in closer and whispered next to her ear, “Meet me behind the barn.”
She shivered as if she were cold. The barn was a little chilly. Which didn’t explain why he felt so overheated as he breathed in the scent of baked cookies that seemed to seep from her pores.
“I have no intentions of meeting you anywhere,” Noelle said without looking at him.
“So you want me to talk about the video in front of your parents? Because I will. I’m sure they’ll love to hear about their daughter’s deception.”
“Fine.” She tossed her napkin onto her plate and scooted back her chair.
As she headed out of the barn, he glanced across the table and saw Mimi and Sunny watching her. Once she was gone, they leaned their heads together and started whispering. They stopped whispering when they noticed him watching. They both drew apart and pinned on innocent smiles, but it was obvious the two women were up to something. He just didn’t have time to figure out what. He had his own problems to deal with.
He waited a few minutes before he excused himself and followed Noelle. When he came around the barn, he found her sitting on the seat of an old tractor. In the cherry dress and red cowboy boots with the light autumn breeze fluttering her dark hair, she made the perfect picture of a country girl.
Although the scowl didn’t quite go with the image.
“You’ve got five minutes to yell and get all your anger out.”
He moved closer, dried leaves crackling under his boots. “Five minutes isn’t gonna do it. I’m not sure five days would. What are you thinking acting like I’m madly in love with you?”
“I haven’t been acting like you’re madly in love with me. I’ve been acting like the cowboy in the video was madly in love with me.”
His eyes widened. “I am the cowboy in the video!”
She glanced over her shoulder at the barn. “Would you lower your voice? I know you’re the cowboy, but none of my other followers do.”
“I don’t care about some random followers. I care about the entire town thinking I’ve fallen for you.”
“And why is that, Case? Are you worried that all the women you convinced you don’t do love will show up at your door with pitchforks?”
That was exactly what he was worried about. “I don’t do love and I don’t want some social media diva who just wants followers and likes convincing people that I do.”
He thought she was going to keep arguing, Noelle had always been stubborn as a mule, but she surprised him.
She blew out her breath in a long huff. “You’re right. I did let things get a little carried away.”
“A little?”
“Fine. A lot. I only planned to play along with vague references to the video, but things just sort of snowballed.”
“Are you sure about that? Or was this all a plan to get back at me for all the teasing I’ve done to you over the years.”
Those cherry lips parted to reveal a brilliant flash of teeth. “Maybe. Although there’s nothing I can do to get back at you for all the things you did to me, Casey Remington.”
“Besides a little harmless teasing, I haven’t done anything to you.”
“Harmless?” Her smile faded and she jumped down from the tractor right in front of him. “Stealing the dessert from my lunchbox almost every day wasn’t harmless teasing. Neither was slipping that horny toad into the pocket of my coat so I screamed and embarrassed myself—not to mention my entire family—in church. Neither was setting off those firecrackers during my Miss Soybean speech so I ended up losing. And using a horrible nickname is not harmless teasing. Especially when it was you who farted in class and blamed it on me!”
“Those were just childish pranks. And Smelly Ellie was all in fun.”
“Maybe when we were in elementary school, but not when I was an impressible teenager with low self-esteem.”
“Low self-esteem? You’ve never had low self-esteem in your life, Ellie. You’ve always thought you were God’s gift to the world. Which is why you have no problem jumping on social media and telling folks your entire life story. And that’s fine as long as you don’t include me in your story.”
She rose up on the toes of her boots, bringing those red-hot lips inches from his. “Oh, let’s talk about people who think they’re God’s gift to the world, shall we? You have thought you walked on water ever since we were kids. And every woman in this town has supported your belief. Which is why you’re so upset. You’re worried they’ll stop thinking it if you get a steady girlfriend. Well, grow up, Case. A steady girlfriend isn’t going to cramp your style. In fact, it might just help it. Women will like you better if they think there’s actually a possibility you can commit instead of being a womanizing man whore.”
He’d been so proud of himself for keeping his anger under control. But damn if this woman didn’t have a way of lighting his fuse. “I’m not a womanizing man whore!”
“Really? What would you call it?”
“A man who just isn’t ready to settle down. And I never lie about it. I make that clear to every woman I date.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Date? I wouldn’t call buying them a couple shots of tequila before you take them to bed a date, Case.”
“Obviously, you know nothing about my dates. I don’t think one woman I’ve taken out will complain.”
“I think you’re wrong. I think they complain plenty when they wake up the following morning and you’re gone.”
“And I guess you think it’s better to lead men on and then dump them?”
Her eyes flashed with green fire and he couldn’t help feeling happy that he’d made her as angry as she made him. “I don’t lead men on!”
“What would you call your serial dating? How many men have you made believe they are the one, Ellie—the mythical man who is going to fulfill all your dreams and be gifted the elusive blossom?”
She slapped him so hard his ears rang before she turned and headed around the side of the barn. He ran and caught up with her, taking her arm and pulling her around to face him. He expected to see her green eyes flashing with anger. He did not expect to see them glittering with tears. The sight caused all the anger to drain right out of him.
“Elle. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“That’s such bullshit. You love to make me cry. You’ve always loved to make me cry.” She jerked away from him. “Who told you?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You know how people love to gossip about everything in this town.”
Her eyes widened. “People have been talking about my virginity?”
He stared at her. “What? I was talking about all the men you’ve dated. Why would you think I was talking about . . . wait a second. You’re still a virgin?”
Her cheeks flushed almost as red as her lips and he felt like she’d slapped him all over again. “If you don’t know what it means, then why did you use the term my elusive blossom ?”
“Because, when we were in seventh grade, you kept yelling ‘You’ll never get my blossom, Casey Remington!’ every time I teased you. I just assumed it was your love.”
“Why would you think I was talking about love?”
“Because who calls their virginity their blossom?”
Her face got even redder and she pointed a finger at him. “I swear if you tell a single soul . . .”
“You’ll what? Make everyone think I’m madly in love with you on social media?”
“Fine! If you keep your mouth shut, I’ll convince everyone you’re not my cowboy hero.”
“And how are you going to do that when the video has already trended?”
She lifted her chin. “I’m going to swap you out for a much nicer cowboy. One who doesn’t have commitment issues.” Before he could ask what she meant, she turned and walked away.
He stood there for a moment, still reeling over the fact that Noelle was a virgin. It made absolutely no sense. The woman might not be his type, but he couldn’t deny she had the kind of soft, full-figured body that would tempt a saint. Which probably explained why Casey’s mind had gone off the Noelle-is-not-my-type tracks lately. And not one of the men she had dated had tried to get her into bed?
Of course, maybe they had tried, but just not succeeded.
Why did that suddenly feel like a challenge?
Absolutely not, Casey Remington.
He shoved the crazy thought out of his head with a bulldozer.
Noelle’s blossom was completely off limits.