Page 6 of Falling for the Maverick

“Are you cold?” he asked when he felt her shivering. It was nightfall in Montana, with rapidly dropping temperatures, and she was wearing a dress that exposed a lot of her skin.

“Only a little,” she said.

Lucas pulled her closer, rubbing her back and sharing his body heat. Under another set of circumstances, he would’ve removed his jacket and put it over her shoulders, but he didn’t want to fuel the allegations that he and Michelle had something going on with each other.

The song ended, and he escorted her back to the table, then he walked out of the ballroom to put some distance between himself and the woman whose very presence threatened to shatter his vow of bachelorhood. He found a chair in the lobby and sat down.

Lucas closed his eyes while wondering why he found Michelle so disturbing when it was something he’d never experienced in his past. He wasn’t a choirboy when it came to women, but he wondered why he’d had to wait until he was thirty-four to let a little slip of a woman get under his skin. She hadn’t flirted with or come on to him, so why was he going through mental calisthenics with Michelle Corey?

Maybe that was it. Because she hadn’t flirted with him, he saw her as a challenge. Lucas wasn’t vain, but he was more than aware of his effect on women, while at the same time he’d always been very discriminating when dating.

Raised voices caught Lucas’s attention when a group of guests had gathered in the lobby to discuss an issue that pitted some of the residents of Tenacity against one another.

An out-of-towner named Duke Daniels had been pushing the mayor and other town council members to green-light the proposed expansion of the recently opened Tenacity Dinosaur Center into an amusement park. Some residents thought the town had extended itself enough building the center and should wait to make sure the tourism dollars really would flow before approving another expensive project. Plus, the town had been burned before by outsiders, such as the Bruckner boys—grifters who had claimed to own the land the center had been built on. A claim that later proved to be false.

Lucas heard one of the guests mention Daniels, and an elderly man pantomimed spitting on the ground. A young woman piped up, saying a dinosaur amusement park in Tenacity was what the town needed to continue making it economically viable. Daniels could be the one to help them do that, once he was properly vetted, of course.

As a newcomer to Tenacity, Lucas had yet to get involved in politics, yet he knew he would have to become familiar with the issues and register to vote in the local elections. Pushing to his feet, he reentered the ballroom and went completely still when he saw Michelle dancing with a man who was not only holding her too close, but whose hands were only inches from her hips.

Taking long strides over to the dance floor, he tapped the man on his shoulder. Flashing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he said, “Sorry, buddy, but she belongs to me.”

Michelle, appearing visibly relieved, said, “Oh, bae, I’m so glad you’re back.”

The man glared at Lucas. “I’m not finished dancing with her.”

“You’re finished when I say you’re finished dancing with my girl,” Lucas countered as he swept Michelle into his embrace.

Michelle rested her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for saving me from Mister Roaming Hands.”

Lucas pressed his mouth to her ear. “Now that I’ve saved you, we have to make this look good, because after all you’re my girl.”

* * *

Michelle wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed a kiss under his ear. “How’s this?” she whispered.

Lucas chuckled. “I think you’re going to need a little coaching,” he said. He curved his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet and swung her around and around in an intricate dance step.

Michelle’s heart was beating double time when he finally set her on her feet, his mouth only inches from hers. Now she didn’t know what was make-believe for her inappropriate dance partner or what was real. What she did know was that Lucas Brandt was an accomplished actor.

She returned to the table with the members of the bridal party, deliberating ignoring those staring at her while Lucas walked over to a table with his in-laws. There was no doubt she and Lucas had put on a display of affection, but what they didn’t know was that it had been all for show. If he’d been her actual boyfriend, he would’ve escorted her back to the table and sat with her for the duration of the evening, but within seconds of ending the dance he’d escaped as if she’d been carrying a communicable disease.

The festivities were winding down, and it was now time for the brides to toss their bouquets to the unmarried women. Amy pushed Michelle out of her chair. “Get up, Michelle!”

Michelle glared at Amy and wanted to tell her to mind her business but didn’t want to cause a scene. She stood off to the side of a group of women waiting to catch a bouquet, hoping she wouldn’t be noticed.

Remi was the first bride to toss her bouquet, and it was caught by Lauren Dalton, who stared at the flowers as if they were a poisonous reptile, then tossed it to her younger sister Chelsea, who seemed overjoyed. Michelle was familiar with Lauren, a divorced mother of two who had made it known she was done with love. However, it was different for Chelsea, who was unattached and looking for Mr. Right.

It was now Tiffany’s turn to toss her bouquet and as if rehearsed in advance, it sailed through the air and landed squarely in Michelle’s hands. A beat passed before Michelle smiled. She may have had a fake boyfriend for a few moments, but maybe she would have a real one in the future.

Tiffany approached her. “Do you mind that I made certain you would get my bouquet?”

Michelle hugged Tiffany, smiling. “I’m okay, because I believe I’m ready for love sometime in the future.”

Tiffany winked at her new sister-in-law. “Just make certain when it comes knocking, you’re willing to open the door to let it in.”

* * *

It was hours later when Michelle was in bed at the Circle C that the events of the past two days ran through her mind like frames of film. It began with the rehearsal dinner and ended with catching Tiffany’s wedding bouquet. What she didn’t want to dwell on was sharing a dance with Lucas, then him cutting in on the guest who’d tried to feel her up on the dance floor. He’d not only rescued her but also had put on a performance that almost made her believe she was his girl.