The Reluctant Bachelorette (36 page)

Michael knew nothing. All he cared about was showcasing Taycee
and Shelter Springs in the worst possible light. He was on a mission to uncover
some nasty, manipulative person, and nothing she could say or do would change
that, especially since he wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise. “You’re
wrong. I never—“

Michael held up a hand. With his horrid triumphant smile still
in place, he faced the camera. “As you all know, the two remaining bachelors, Jake
Sanford and Miles Romney, have agreed to join us today.”

Taycee lifted her eyes as Jake and Miles sauntered onto the
set. Jake, with his confident air, and Miles, with his black cowboy hat and boyish
grin. She hadn’t spoken to either of them since the night she and Jessa had
attempted to right a wrong. But here they both were, as promised. Would they
really be supportive runners-up, or would it now be three against one?

Miles pulled her up into a big bear hug, saying, “Don’t worry,
we got your back,” and then Jake followed suit. He reached for her hand and
held it in his as they sat down—Miles on one side, Jake on the other.

Michael cleared his throat, his squinty eyes absorbing the
affection. “Welcome, gentlemen. Glad you could make it.”

Jake nodded. Miles said nothing.

Michael crossed one leg over the other. “Miles, let’s start
with you. How do you feel about the recent turn of events regarding Luke Carney
and Taycee Emerson?

Miles caught Taycee’s eye for a moment before returning his
attention to Michael. “I feel about how anyone else would feel if a girl they
liked had eyes for someone else. It’s a blow, but that’s life for you. Feelings
aren’t always mutual, so when they go south, ya gotta accept it and move on.”

Michael turned to Jake. “What about you, Jake? From what I can
tell after reading all the comments, you were the clear favorite. Any thoughts?”

Jake shrugged. “I have to agree with Miles on this one. Of
course it was a disappointment, but Taycee found a better fit for her with one
of the other bachelors, and that’s that.”

“Yes, but how do you feel knowing you really had no chance to
begin with?” Michael prodded. “Especially after all the time and money you
sacrificed to be on this show? You’ve got to be a little miffed by that.”

Jake shrugged. “I might be if I actually believed it.”

“What do you mean?”

Jake leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, relinquishing
Taycee’s hand. “Taycee may have had feelings for Luke before this all started,
but I had a chance to change her mind. Each of us bachelors did. If any of us
had been a better fit, and then those feelings would have changed. Happens all
the time, actually. But it didn’t with her, which also happens. It’s the ups
and downs of dating. It’s life.”

Apparently Michael didn’t like that answer because he frowned.
“You’re telling me that you don’t you think it was wrong for Taycee to become
the bachelorette when she already had a bias or preference for one of the
bachelors?”

“They weren’t dating at the time the show began.”

“How can you be sure they weren’t dating?”

“Call me naïve, but I believe Taycee. Besides, Luke had been
gone for a decade and had only just moved back to town.”

“You’re pretty loyal for a guy who’s just been played.”

Jake shot Taycee a look before answering. “I’ll be honest. I
was pretty upset at first. But when I heard her side of the story and gave it
some thought, I started to wonder how I would have reacted in the same
situation. I mean, this wasn’t just a show about finding love, it was about
saving farms and homes and people’s livelihoods. If there hadn’t been so much
on the line, I’m positive Taycee would have dropped out the second her
relationship with Luke started to get serious.”

“I’ll second that,” Miles agreed.

Taycee’s fingers fiddled in her lap. As horrible as the
interview had begun, Jake’s words soaked into the hole in her heart, repairing
it a little. If anyone had a right to be angry or feel duped, it was Jake and
Miles. And yet here they were, going to bat for her against the mean-spirited
Michael Roik. She didn’t deserve it.

Michael shifted in his seat and flashed a meaningful look to a
guy standing near a large camera. “It’s time for a short commercial break.
We’ll be back in a moment.” When they were off the air, Michael rose and strode
away.

As soon as he was gone, Taycee said, “Thank you. Both of you.”

“Where’s Luke?” Miles asked. “If anyone should be here, it
should be him.”

Miles’s words depressing reminder that Luke still hadn’t
called her back. It had been two days now. Two very long days. He didn’t answer
her calls, didn’t respond to her texts, didn’t answer his door when she
pounded. Where was he? Was he planning to leave Shelter? Had he already gone?
Would he ever give her a chance to fully explain?

Taycee let out a breath. “I haven’t heard from him since
Saturday night. He saw the final episode of the show and was pretty upset with
me.”

Jake actually smiled. “I guess I can understand that. That was
quite the kiss.”

Taycee cringed. She didn’t feel up to discussing this right
now—especially not with Jake and Miles. “Well, thanks for standing up for me.
It means a lot that you’re both here.”

Jake caught her eyes before turning back to face the empty
armchair in front of them. “You know he’s only using this time to regroup don’t
you? In another minute or so it’s back to the firing range with a freshly
loaded automatic.”

Taycee clasped her fingers together and sat up straight.
“Suddenly, I don’t care anymore. Bring it on,
Wake Up Denver
.”

But the truth was, Taycee did care. Too much. When Michael returned
and asked if the donated money would be returned, and Jake said, “No, Taycee
didn’t do anything wrong and the town needs the money,” it opened up an entire
new slew of questions and accusations. Taycee was able to keep her chin up and
her claws to herself, but only because Jake and Miles deflected the majority of
the bullets.

Or at least tried to. In reality, the shots found their mark.
Each one cut in a little deeper, pierced her soul a little harder. By the time
it was finally over, Taycee was more than ready to put it all behind her and
get away from the horrible Michael Roik. She’d come to the interview ready to
explain and apologize to the viewers, but she never had the chance. What did
this mean for the town? Would people still vote, even after all that had
happened? Or would they still insist on getting their money back?

After it was all over, Taycee found Miles by the lockers in
the back. She gave him a long hug goodbye. “Thank you, Miles. For everything.
There are amazing things in store for you, I know it.”

Miles’s hands trailed down her arms. “It was great seeing you
one last time, but I’ve gotta head back and get myself ready for a rodeo next
week.”

“I hope you win.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, that would sure be awesome.”

“Good luck to you.”

His finger grazed her chin. “Chin up. Everything is going to
work out just fine.”

“I hope you’re right.”

One last hug and Miles walked out the door. Jake was nowhere
in sight, so Taycee grabbed her purse from a nearby locker and headed out the
back door and into the bright, sunny Denver morning.

“Taycee, wait up,” Jake called from behind.

Taycee stopped and turned around. “I thought you’d already
gone.”

“I had to sneak away to take a quick phone call.”

“Oh. Well, good,” said Taycee. “I want to thank you again. You
didn’t have to come here today and take my side, and yet you did.”

Jake nodded. “You still look worried.”

He was far too perceptive. “Probably because I am worried. I
feel like a failure. He didn’t even give me a chance to explain, which was the
main reason I showed up here today.”

Jake leaned against his car. “Oh, I don’t think Shelter’s
going anywhere anytime soon. As warped as it is, people love a good drama, and
Miles and I were able to get in enough of an explanation that the viewers will
understand. They might surprise you.”

Taycee let out a breath and folded her arms. “How can you be
so nice to me? If I were you, I’d want to get as far away from me as I could.”

“Don’t think the idea hasn’t crossed my mind,” Jake joked. “But
I’ve come to realize that maybe we aren’t the best fit after all, so maybe this
is a good thing. While you’re content to live in the small town of Shelter
Springs, I like the bustle of Sacramento and all the travelling I get to do.
You like kite wars while I’m more of a symphony and Broadway type of guy. In
the end, we’d probably drive each other nuts.”

Taycee touched his arm as she studied him. Tall. Smart.
Good-looking. Heart of gold. A guy who’d won everyone over with his charm and
genuine nature. He’d even given the farmers a bigger reason to hope.

“There’s someone way better for you out there, Jake, I know
it. Someone who actually deserves you.”

“I’m sure there is.” Jake smiled, but it started and ended
with his lips.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you.” He gave her a lingering look, and then
dug into his pocket for his keys.

Taycee wanted to throw her arms around him for one last hug,
just to show him how much his friendship meant to her. But she clasped her
fingers together instead and forced her arms to remain by her side. It was time
to let Jake go so that he could move on with his life.

Just like it was time for her to track down Luke so that she
could move on with hers.

New message from Taycee: Where are you, Luke? Please call
me! We need to talk.

Luke’s thumb hovered over the reply button for a second, and
then he deleted the message, just like he had the few others she’d sent before
it. He wasn’t ready to open that door just yet—not while he was still in Ohio.
It had been an exhausting few days, and he was emotionally spent. Watching a
good friend get buried while his family stood by and sobbed wasn’t an
experience he ever wanted to repeat.

Everything around him still felt subdued and gray, as though
some of the life had been sucked out of the house. A wife was now without a
husband, a daughter without a father, and two parents without a son.

Luke tossed his phone on the bed and grabbed his suitcase.
He’d done as he promised. He’d given Madi a shoulder to cry on and had even
said a few words at the funeral. But now it was time to go home and somehow
find a way to shake off the heavy feeling that hung over him.

 A light tap sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened. Madi took a few tentative steps inside, her
long, curly strawberry blonde hair framing her face. Not many girls could pull
off red, puffy eyes and still make it look attractive, especially with that hair
color, but right now she looked vulnerable and beautiful. Luke wished he knew
how to comfort her, but nothing he could say or do would make it all right.
That was the crappy thing about loss.

“Packing?” she said.

Luke tossed a few shirts in his suitcase. “I’m booked on a
flight tonight. I need to get back.”

She nodded and took another step forward, resting her hand on
the bedpost. “You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay? Dad always wanted you
to take over his practice, and we could really use your help.”

The words tugged on Luke’s conscience, making him feel even heavier.
Ever since he’d arrived, Madi had been hinting about him staying around for a while—at
least until they could find someone else to take over the practice. But Luke
had to say no. He hated doing it, but staying here would only create more
problems. Madi obviously wasn’t over him yet, and the last thing Luke wanted to
do was give her false hope, which was exactly what he would be doing if he
agreed to stay. Besides, he had his own problems and practice to worry about.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Luke said. “I have a life back in
Shelter now, and it’s time for me to get back to it.”

Madi studied him with a solemn expression as her fingers
tapped against the bedpost. “Does she deserve you?”

Luke’s eyes shot to hers. This wasn’t exactly the conversation
he wanted to have with his ex-fiancée, especially not after everything she’d
been through. “What?”

“That bachelorette girl.”

Madi knew about that?

She shrugged and tried for a smile. “I saw the way you looked
at her. And if that didn’t convince me, those pictures of you two kissing did.”
Her head cocked to the side. “So, I’ll ask it again. Does she deserve you?”

Luke had no idea how to answer the question. What made one
person deserve another, anyway? “She deserves to be happy,” he said. “Just like
you do.”

“And you.”

Luke chuckled, more at the absurdity of the conversation than
actual humor. “Yeah, well, a lot of people do I guess.” He gave her a wary
look, thinking of her father. “But that doesn’t mean we always get to be happy,
does it?”