She opened her eyes, noticing the turmoil that had wracked his expression from earlier had calmed from the frothy waves of the sea into the serene surface of a lagoon.
She wanted to get to this tropical place stat. No joke. “What are we waiting for?” she asked. “We can carve out pumpkin seeds on the beach.”
“Let’s not rush a good thing, okay, babe? But yes… we’ll get you married some place tropical.”
It was the most planning that she’d ever gotten out of him for their wedding. She brightened at the small victory. They had an agreementanda location. The only thing left was a date!
Her fingers landed over his. “How about we go to our tropical paradise for Christmas?”
He blinked. His thick lashes beat together as if awakening from a spell, but still, he pulled her closer, resting his stubbled cheek against hers. “Honey, I want your wedding to be everything that you dreamed, and I can’t do that when all these problems from work keep piling up, but…” he pulled back so that he could devour her with his smoldering gaze. “I promise that as soon as I get them taken care of, I will spoil you like you deserve.”
She didn’t want him to spoil her. She just wanted him to be present, and obviously that wasn’t happening when her daddy kept taking him away from her. Eva didn’t know what was going on… if somehow West had taken on more than he could handle or turned against the wrong people, but it had to be terrible by the way West was acting.
“What is it?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
His hands loosened over her. “Yeah. Of course. What about you?” He smoothly switched the topic from himself like he always did. “Why weren’t you livestreaming your pumpkin finding adventures like you always do? It’s hard to keep track of you nowadays.”
She hesitated and sat back.
What a pair they were. She knew that he was lying… just like she wasn’t telling him about the troubles that she’d met online. She hated how he kept things from her, so maybe she should stop this hypocrisy and make herself vulnerable for once by telling him the truth.
But how to break to him what was happening while minimizing the danger to herself?
“I haven’t been using TalkieTalk as much as normal,” she said. “Too many creepers and stalkers on there.”
“Hmm,” he murmured.
He watched her like he truly cared, and she took a deep breath to confide the rest to him.
He licked his lips. “Can you do me the biggest favor in the world?” he asked. “You think you can handle being on your own at my family’s for a bit? There are a few things at work that are calling my name.”
More than he thought they would? The announcement cleared her mind of everything else. “You’re leaving?”
“No! No… just lots of phone calls. I’ve got some clean up… but…” He chuckled. “These tough guys need to take offsomefamily time for Thanksgiving. I’m sure I can scrounge up a few minutes here and there to–to…” He professed to hate everything about this holiday, and so she wondered what he’d come up with “…uh… wash dishes.”
She erupted into a laugh, though it sounded a little hysterical. When would they ever find time together? Normally, she’d use social media to grab his attention, but even that was denied her.
He rubbed his thumb over their clasped hands. “You might have to carve that pumpkin yourself, hon. Will you be okay?”
Something about his tone rubbed her the wrong way. “I’m not a child… you don’t need to make sure that I’m entertained.” That wasn’t the point anyway. She just wanted to spend time with him, but she didn’t know how to say that without sounding clingy.
Before she could figure out a way, he was kissing her and revitalizing her lagging spirits with all sorts of fiery sparks. “Oh, but Idohave to keep you busy,” he said as his hungry lips left hers. “I want to make sure that my baby has a good time.”
Did he really mean that?
Staring up at the sincerity of his blue-eyed expression, she decided that he did.
Chapter Twelve
Cole scrubbed the toothbrush against his teeth. A week! He was going to have to put up with this madhouse for a whole week.
He couldn’t wait to get back on the range this morning and face down coyotes, bears, wolves,anythingother than Eva. He’d awakened at the crack of dawn to escape this wretched house. West’s fiancée was like a beam of light glittering off the moon, impossible to catch and stuff back into the deepest recesses of his mind to stay forgotten. She’d become moon madness—once seen, she couldn’t be unseen. She wouldn’t leave his thoughts.
He didn’t believe her about Ashley.
So who was this stalker? An old boyfriend?
It isn’t any of my business! West is taking care of it. He takes care of everything, even down to asking her to marry him when he doesn’t love her.