Tara gasped and started to wrap up her sandwich. “I’m sorry,” she said again with a bit of sniffle. “I probably kept you here waytoolong.”
“It’s all right. Don’t leave on my account,” he said as he stood from the table and accidentally bumped her knee. Even that little touch tempted himtostay.
“Oh, it’s fine,” she replied quickly with a flustered wave of her hand. “I’ve got to get back to work before Rebecca has a cow. We’ve been busy allmorning.”
Even though he was running behind, he waited for her to hurriedly gather up her lunch and latte. She slid out of her chair and in the process, knocked her purse over. The contents, mostly makeup and little things like a notepad and her phone, spilled out onto the tilefloor.
Tara cussed under her breath and stooped down to gather everything up with trembling hands. “I’m so clumsy,” shegroaned.
Beau laughed and, if it were appropriate, he would have told her that he would never consider her to be clumsy. Not after the way she danced circles around everyone that night atthebar.
He squatted to help scoop up the pens and bits of used straw wrappers that tumbled out. Underneath the table, he saw a book, front cover faced down on the tile, but he wasn’t sure if it had been there before they sat down. They were in the bookstore, after all. Someone could haveleftit.
Before he had a chance to reach for it and ask if it was hers, Tara stood and shouldered her bag. “I’m really sorry for ghosting on you guys, but we’re all good now,right?”
Beau stood as she snatched up her drink and sandwich. “Yeah… Yeah, we’re good.” That was a total lie, but they didn’t have time to go into that right now. “I’ll let Dixie know you’re coming over this weekend… Listen,” he said, reaching out to gently place his hand under her elbow. “I am sorry for what I did… or tried to do. I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward situation,believeme.”
Tara gave him a forced smile. “I didn’t mean to either, I swear… Let’s just forget the whole thing. This is for Dixie, right? Then let’s just let it be about Dixie and keep going fromthere.”
Agreeing with her nearly broke his heart, but he nodded and dropped his hand before he was tempted to pull her close and try something stupid –again.
Tara turned and rushed out the door, leaving Beau at the table with his coffee and sandwich. He stooped down to retrieve the book he had spotted earlier. Rachel was probably missing it, or would need to shelve it again, so a customer couldbuyit.
When he dusted off the cover, he was shocked to see a familiar face staring backathim.
Whatthehell?
Beau slowly sat in the chair and stared at the male model on the cover, who looked surprisingly like himself. The girl in the back was familiar too and he instantly picked it up as a likenesstoTara.
He read the back description and then the first few pages, though his phone vibrated with a few more text notifications from Dixie. This was insane. Did Tara write this? Checking the publication year, that theory wasimpossible.
Yet, how could a story follow so closely to what had happened last week when they met? Almost nothing seemed different except for the names. Even the town was so much like Brooksdale and a bar just likeCountyLine.
It was only when Dixie finally called that Beau was able to pull himself out of his stupor and hurry to his truck. He’d have to read more when he got back to the ranch. At least he managed to do two things. He had procured a playdate for Dixie for the weekend and managed to shatter any hope he had with Tara. Maybe now he could empty his headofher.
* * *
In the courseof the afternoon, Tara completely forgot about the sandwich she had stuffed in her purse upon leaving the coffee shop. She didn’t have an appetite in the least. Just when she thought she was over the disaster that had sent her spiraling into a dark hole of emotion that she could barely crawl out of. Nights spent in a fit of tears, she almost didn’t want to pick up thatstupidbook.
But she forced herself to. The moment she came home that night from the bar, she read as much as it would allow. The next two chapters had magically appeared and she finally gotherwish.
It was from the hero’sperspective.
Beau’sperspective.
But what she read had sent her reeling harder and faster than that kiss they shared atthebar.
Tracy wasn’t his and wouldn’t be, if everything went right. David deserved the girlthistime.
From what she gathered, David was the fictional counterpart toDaniel.
Tara nearly dropped the book, her hands were shaking so badly. What did he mean by not his and never would be? Daniel – David – wasn’t the sexy cowboy on the cover. Beau was. This obviously wasn’t Daniel’s romance, because Beau’s point of view was finally presented. It was what she had feared as soon as she locked eyes with Daniel the moment she pulled away fromBeau’skiss.
Tara’s heart beat hard against her chest until she was sure it would burst. She wasn’t even sure she was breathing as her eyes poured over the words. With every sentence, she ventured deeper and deeper into the heart of the man she thought she understood, the man she thought she had cometolove.
Beau never intended for her to be his girlfriend, even though it was clear that he wanted her to be. Not even close. From the very beginning, she knew it was going to end this way, but she still let herself sink neck-deep into this crazy dream. This couldn’t have been what the book intended. If this wasn’t her romance, then what the hell was it? Just some magical, mysticprank?
Everything they did had always been centered on Dixie and Daniel. The carnival, the horseback riding, the card playing, dinner, all of it. None of it had been about her and Beau or what kind of relationship they could have together. She was getting matched up with Daniel, who might have really felt something for her too. Why would Beau want to do that when the book stated so plainly that he was attracted to her? Then, the harsh reminder of what happened to Daniel’s wife came crashing back to thepresent.
