No Foolin' (Willowdale Romance Novel) (4 page)

He scanned the necklaces in the display case, imagining them looped around Kate’s long neck. He felt an odd desire to soothe her, make the ache go away. Just like he’d always wished someone would do for him when he was a kid.

He tapped the glass. “Can I see that ring in the back? The silver one with the big pearl.”

Delores handed it to him and folded her spotty hands. “It certainly is gorgeous. Just like Kate.”

Kate walked up to him, letting out a big sigh at Delores’ words.

“Can you try this on?” he asked.

She slid it on her finger and splayed her hand. “It’s lovely. I think any woman would be tickled to have this.” She took it off and set the ring on the counter.

“I’ll take it,” he said.

Maybe he’d give it to Kate, or .
 . . oh, hell. Just say her name: Jennifer, who’d toppled his world today. Maybe he’d give it to her the next time he was in town. Would he stop and see Kate, too? Maybe then they could get down to business and have a good time. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the feeling. Why was he thinking about that at a time like this? He had “the problem” to deal with.
Jennifer’s big problem.

No,
his
big problem, now.

They walked out to the Jeep and he settled in the seat. He closed his eyes, wishing he were back in L.A., lying by his pool, maybe getting a massage from that lovely Swiss masseuse. A few more appointments with her and those massages would be much more interesting, he just knew it. He wanted to leave this town and never come back.

But that was impossible now. He’d probably have to make more trips back here after his visit today. But at least he’d gotten the call in time. The baby was due in two months and he’d have to make appropriate arrangements. But what would those arrangements be? He scratched his head. Was there any way to handle this without the entire free world finding out? Jennifer didn’t stand a chance if they did.

Kate climbed into the car and slumped back in her seat. “So you heard my history with Tommy, and you know my mama died. Do you trust me enough now to tell me what you’re doing in town?”

He shook his head and took a long gulp of not-so-horrible coffee. He couldn’t trust anyone with this secret. He’d rather die than let the news out.

“It’s crazy and it’s complicated and I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

She held up her hands. “Trust me, I’m not going to say anything to anyone. I fuel the gossip mill plenty around here, so I know what it’s like. Might help to talk it out.”

He turned and looked her in the eyes. “I’ve learned one thing in Hollywood. Trust no one.” Actually, he had learned that a long time ago, when he found out his own mother didn’t want him and gave him up for adoption—and not when he was a baby, either. No, when he was two years old, like he’d been a mistake. Like he wasn’t good enough. Well, he’d proven to the world he was good enough by now, hadn’t he? So why did he still feel so alone?

And why did this woman next to him make him feel so damn antsy?

THEY DROVE ALONG Antique Alley until the airport was visible just up the road. Knowing Teague would be leaving in a few minutes, Kate was surprised by the mixture of regret and relief storming her heart like twin tornadoes.

But this is good news.
She needed to hightail it back to town to apply for that lousy job. She needed to get her butt to the Jelly Jar to meet up with Tonya and Jeanne and tell them all about this crazy day.

Her phone beeped and she pulled it out. It was a text from Dina.
My dad’s back home. He’ll pick me up tonight. And the job’s filled. Told ya.

“
Of course it is,” she mumbled, putting away her phone.

“What’s wrong?”

“The job I needed is filled now.”

“You missed it because you were helping me.” Teague puffed up his cheeks then blew out his breath. “I’m so sorry. I really am. But you have no idea how important it is the press doesn’t discover why I’m in town. Thank you.” He handed her the bag with the antique ring. “I want you to have this.”

Kate’s stomach did a little flip-flop. Again, her stupid emotions were bucking her common sense. But then she remembered all those trinkets George used to bring home for her mother, like they were get out of jail free cards from a Monopoly set. He always found a way to weasel out of any situation. It seemed Teague had learned the same trick.

Kate’s mouth tightened. “Keep it. No doubt you’ll have some new girlfriend to give it to next week. You paid me a thousand bucks, which was more than generous.” She wondered which starlet would be wearing it at the next award ceremony.

Teague set the bag on his lap as they pulled into the tiny airport. She saw his eyes sweep across the parking lot, packed with cars and vans. A light on top of a camera flicked on. Then another and another and another. He dropped his head back. “Damn it. They’re here.”

Kate pulled into a parking spot, and the cameramen and photographers ran over to the car, jostling for position, snapping photos and shouting questions. It was like a pack of dogs chomping and yipping outside a meat wagon.

“T-Rex, what are you doing here?”

“Teague! Is this your new girlfriend?”

“How did you meet a small-town country girl?”

Kate felt the blood drain from her face. “That photographer told everyone you were here.”

Teague shook his head. “Any photographer would’ve loved an exclusive piece. No, that guy didn’t unleash these hounds.”

Kate looked to the heavens.
What were the penalties for killing a cop?
“Tommy. He’s got TV reporter friends in Asheville.”

“Looks like Chief Larsen made a few phone calls. So much for keeping mum.”

Kate turned around, trying to count them all. “How did they get here so fast?” She imagined the whispers that would follow her around town when this news broke.

He frowned. “All the tabloids and magazines have stringers across the country.”

Kate twisted her hands in her lap. “What do we do?”

Teague smiled. “I can think of one way to handle this.” He took a deep breath. “Pretend you’re my girlfriend.” His grin widened.

Kate tried to swallow her laugh. “Oh, I don’t think so, sugar.”

He raised a hand of reason. “Strictly business. I’ll hire you for the summer to pose as my girlfriend. Today is June fifth, let’s say we break up .
 . . August first.”

“No way.” He was the absolute last person she needed to spend more time with. “I’ve got responsibilities here. I can’t just fly around the world to bail out your behind.” Kate looked out at the throng of reporters. She looked back at Teague. “What’s with the grin?”

He turned up his hands and shrugged. “They already think you’re my girlfriend,” he said. “So does your cop friend. Oh, and Delores, too. No one’s going to believe you’re not. Plus, that job you were going after is filled.”

Teague looked way too smug. Kate tried to slow her breathing and find her composure, though it was usually nowhere to be found. She let out a sigh for the ages. “What does being your girlfriend entail?”

“Like I said, strictly business. But we need to spend some time together and you need to come to the Sunshine Film Fest this week.”

“Pose as your girlfriend.” She reached for the coffee cup in the console and took a deep gulp.
Why couldn’t it have been Scotch?
She looked over at Teague. How could she ever go back home when it was over? And how could she agree to be part of such a preposterous lie? It’d be the juiciest gossip to ever hit Willowdale. Folks talked for weeks when Tonya and Tommy had started dating—and then for weeks after they broke up. What would they say about this?

But then she thought of all that money she needed to keep her mother’s house off the auction block. Kate gently bounced her head against the back of the car seat, trying to lodge some great idea in her brain. But the only solution that seemed possible was Teague’s ridiculous .
 . . impossible . . . fool suggestion.

People were going to be talking about her anyway, once they saw these pictures. Somehow, Teague’s proposal seemed like the sensible thing to do. And Kate was all about sensible these days. It was exhausting, really.

“Fine,” she said through her teeth. “I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend. But I want ten-thousand dollars.” She raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s make it twenty.”

She sucked in a breath. “But only for one month.” She poked his chest with her finger. “And
do not
think I’m going to fall for you. I have zero interest in someone like you. Let’s make that clear from the get-go.”

Teague grabbed the finger pressed up against his chest and pulled her knuckles to his mouth. “Sorry, don’t want the press to think the lovebirds are bickering.” He kissed her hand and looked up into her eyes. “And an extra twenty thousand says you
will
fall for me.”

She snatched her hand away. “Fall for you? Pigs will not only fly, they’ll open their own airline before that happens. And by the way, I get to break up with you.” She would not suffer another round of sympathy after a humiliating public breakup. This one was going to be on her terms.

He shrugged. “Go ahead, break my heart, baby. You’ll be the first one to do it.” Teague smiled. “Ready, milady? Follow my lead.” He opened the door a crack, but the photographers moved in closer, shouting more questions. He finally got out and they backed up. Camera lights flashed like one of the big Fourth of July displays in Whitesville. Teague walked around the car to open her door.

Kate suddenly regretted slapping on that
I think, therefore I’m single
bumper sticker Tonya had given her last Valentine’s Day. Teague took her hand as she stood up on wobbly knees. She felt the same stab to her gut she had experienced back at Lookout Point when he’d curled his fingers over hers.

Cameras flashed; more questions came. Bugs danced around the lights in the dusky sky. When Teague raised a hand, the reporters shut up. “I’m surprised to see you all here. We wanted to keep things quiet. But yes, this is my new girlfriend, Kate Riley.”

Kate tried not to roll her eyes.

Reporters hurled more questions at them—so many, she couldn’t even gather what they were saying.

“What are you—”

“Where did you—”

“How did you meet?”

Teague turned to Kate and smiled. “It’s such an interesting story. And you tell it so well, honey.”

That weasel .
 . .
Kate dug her fingernails into his palm.
He asked for it.

She dropped his hand, clasped her hands in front of her and shrugged, doing her best
aw, shucks
country-girl impression. “Well, ya’ll, we met on the Internet. One of those dating service thingies? I did it as a joke, but dang, he was serious about it, and here we are.” She shrugged. “You should’ve seen his funny profile picture. I felt bad for him, actually, figured he wasn’t getting many responses, so I emailed him.” She batted her lashes at him, determined not to make this arrangement easy on him.

“T-Rex, why did you join an Internet dating service when you could have any woman in the world?” The reporters scribbling in tiny notebooks paused and looked up.

“You’re certainly not hurting to meet women,” another shouted. Plenty of chuckles followed that one. “Why come all the way to Willowdale for a date?”

Teague laughed and paused, and she wondered how he’d handle that one.

“I joined anonymously under a different name, with a bogus picture.” He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Haven’t had great luck with the ladies in Hollywood, in case you haven’t noticed.”

The crowd laughed.

More confident, he straightened. “So, I thought I’d meet a nice, old-fashioned girl.” He looked at her and smiled. “And that’s how I met Kate.”

She felt herself sucked into those eyes, wondering what it would be like to believe those words. It was like lapping up sugar. But then another light flashed and broke her gaze.

“Kate, were you surprised to learn the guy you met on the Internet was Teague Reynolds?”

She glanced at him, aware of his body heat, the firm stance, his very being, and shook her head. “Surprised wouldn’t begin to describe how I felt.”

“What were you two doing in town today?”

Good one
. The pavement was hot under her flip-flops and she shuffled around a bit. She sucked in a breath, figuring this was the question that would stump them. But Teague kept up.

“It was our first official date. I even bought her this ring.” He took the ring out of the bag and slipped it on her finger. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a plane to catch.”

We?

The crowd of journalists followed them to the tiny plane sitting in the middle of the tarmac. The sun had slipped in the sky, setting the night aglow in purple and orange. The heat and stress of the day hung on her like a cloak.

She hugged her arms around herself. “I’m going with you right now? I didn’t even pack.” She looked up at him, panicked, aware of the delicate ring circling her finger like a tiny shackle.

“We’ll go shopping tomorrow. I’ll buy whatever you want.”

“How about a goodbye kiss for the cameras?” a reporter called out.

Oh, this isn’t good.

Teague flashed a look at the throng of cameras and slipped his hand across Kate’s lower back. It was a nice, big hand. Fit, like it belonged there. He pulled her to him and his lips parted. Those easy blue eyes of his closed, and his mouth was on hers. Well good lord, she was in a movie scene.

Right, we’re pretending. We’re acting
, she reminded herself.
I can do this.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, surprised at how hungrily she returned his kiss. This was more divine than taking her time with a box of truffles. Their lips moved like they’d been together many times before. He pulled away and her mouth ached for more, her lips still tingling and her stomach rolling. Damn. Why did that have to be so good? She could not, would not, fall for this guy. No way, no how.

But as they stared at each other, she wondered how a fake kiss could have felt so darn real. “Are we going to be able to pull this off?” she whispered.

One corner of his mouth curled up. “Trust me.” He grabbed her hand and she followed him up the stairs onto the small plane, not trusting him at all. No ma’am, not one tiny bit.