Wild Weekend (8 page)

Christine paused as she waved another employee to come over to assist them. “I beg your pardon?”

“My mother thinks Todd would appreciate the family heirlooms.” Bonnie shook her head wearily. “She wants him to present them to his fiancée on a special occasion. What fiancée is he on now? Number eight?”

“Hush, now,” Faye said. “It took Todd some time to find his true love. That necklace will seal the deal. Mark my words.”

“Here is Laurie to help you with the box,” Christine said, even though Faye and Bonnie were familiar with the procedure. “Please let me know if you need anything.”

As Christine returned to her office, she thought about the jewelry that dear departed Stanley had given his wife. The pieces were old, heavy and didn’t fit the current styles, but Christine thought the ritual had been sweet and romantic. Faye relived the memories every time she wore one of Stanley’s gifts.

Christine was about to sit down at her desk when she heard the unfamiliar throaty growl of a motorcycle. That was odd. No one in Cedar Valley had a motorcycle.

She glanced out the window as she saw the rider turn into the parking lot. He wore a black motorcycle jacket, faded jeans and boots and a black helmet. There was something familiar about the lean, muscular body. She wondered who’d bought a bike over the weekend. She didn’t remember anyone coming in asking for a loan.

As the man parked in front of the bank and removed the helmet, Christine went still. That looked like Travis Cain. She blinked. The same high cheekbones and angular jaw.

She blinked again and stared at his harsh features. Her skin went hot and then cold. Her heart leaped in her chest and she gasped.

Oh, no. That
was
Travis Cain. What was he doing here?

There was only one answer. He was here to see her. Christine looked at her dull brown dress and her hands automatically went to her tight braid.
Oh, no, no, no.
She dropped to her knees and hid from the window. She couldn’t let this happen.

The panic pulsed in her body as she looked for an escape. She had no second door. The walls were glass. There wasn’t another exit.

She needed to make a run for it. Christine was about to stand when she heard the heavy footsteps on the marble floor.

“Good morning, sir,” Laurie said with a tinge of curiosity. “How can I help you?”

“I’m here for Christine Pearson.”

Christine shivered when she heard Travis’s voice. It was husky and confident. The man didn’t need to raise his voice. He always gained attention the moment he stepped into a room.

“She should be in her office,” Laurie said. “I’ll take you there.”

8

C
HRISTINE
DOVE
UNDER
her desk. She winced and gritted her teeth when her knee bumped against the sharp edge of a drawer. She tried not to make a sound as she curled her body tight. Resting her forehead against her stinging knee, she closed her eyes. Her pulse was racing, her heart pounding in her ears, as she listened to Laurie’s squeaky flat shoes get closer.

“Christine?” Laurie’s voice grew louder as she stepped into the small office. “Huh, that’s strange. I could have sworn she was here.”

Christine pressed her lips together and prayed Laurie wouldn’t investigate and walk around the desk. The older woman would immediately call her out. Laurie wouldn’t understand that she was hiding from Travis until it was too late.

“She must have just stepped out,” Laurie continued. “Perhaps I could help you?”

“I’m not a customer,” Travis said. Christine’s heart did a slow, funny flip at the sound of his voice. “I’m here on personal business.”

“Really?”

Christine scrunched up her face at Laurie’s intrigued tone. The woman was hardworking and helpful, but her favorite pastime was gossiping. She could probably get information out of a hardened criminal with a carefully placed question and a cookie.

She didn’t want Travis talking to Laurie. Christine was tempted to jump out from under the desk just to keep Laurie and Travis apart. Maybe she could cause a distraction. Christine looked around the room as the anxiety pulsed inside her. She had nothing.

Perhaps she didn’t have anything to worry about. Travis was discreet. He was friendly but private. He didn’t reveal a lot about himself.

She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t noticed that before. He’d entertain her with stories about his travels, but he was hesitant to answer any personal questions. She knew that he had risked death while snowboarding in Alaska, but she didn’t know where he was born. She was sure he would respond in the same manner to Laurie’s pointed questions.

“I’m sure Christine will be back shortly,” Laurie said. “Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait?”

Don’t do it! Tell her you’ll come back,
Christine thought. She needed Travis to leave so she could get out of here. She needed time to come up with a plan for how she would act when she came face-to-face with her one-night stand.

“Thank you.”

“Are you from around here?” Laurie asked. “What did you say your family name was?”

“I’m Travis Cain, and no, this is my first time in Cedar Valley.”

Christine shook her head. Why was Travis giving out unsolicited information? He was making it too easy for Laurie. The man knew how to deflect personal questions. He did it during her Vegas weekend. Did he want to hide something from her or was Laurie just that good at interrogation?

“I knew you didn’t look familiar,” Laurie said, her voice fading as they went closer to the front door, where the complimentary drinks were served. “So how do you know Christine?”

Christine strained to listen to Travis’s reply but all she heard was the timbre of his deep voice. Her stomach twisted as she imagined how he replied.
I met her while she was gambling away her life’s savings.... I spent the weekend with her in bed....
She was going to be the talk of the town before lunchtime.

She couldn’t let that happen. She had spent the past ten years building a reputation. Christine Pearson was no longer the dreamer who didn’t understand reality. She now was the woman who knew how to make dreams happen for others. She was the advocate for her friends and neighbors and got to live the dream through them. She was the fairy godmother she’d never had. She wasn’t going to let one wild weekend ruin that.

She had to do something, but she needed help. Christine carefully uncurled herself from under the desk and reached for the bottom drawer. She hissed as the metal rubbed against metal. She grabbed her purse and found her cell phone. Christine hunched her shoulders and returned to the safe haven under her desk as she speed-dialed her friend.

“Jill’s Dry Cleaning.”

“Jill?” she whispered fiercely and then paused. As far as she could tell, no one heard her in the quiet bank. “It’s Christine. I need your help.”

“You got it.” Jill’s voice dropped low. “Why are we whispering?”

“Travis just showed up at the bank.” She didn’t know how Jill was going to handle the news. Neither of them had ever had a man follow them to the ends of the earth. Or Cedar Valley, which sometimes felt like the farthest edge of civilization. Would Jill worry or cheer her on? She hoped it would be brief because it was getting extremely uncomfortable under this desk.

“Travis?” Jill said the name as if she was testing it out on her tongue. “Who’s Travis? Wait, wasn’t your one-night stand named Travis?”

“Yes, that’s the guy. Travis Cain. He drove up to the bank on a motorcycle and is talking to Laurie.”

“Uh-oh. Of all the people to meet in Cedar Valley. She’s going to find out everything you did in Vegas and tell everyone,” Jill predicted. “Then the whole town is going to question your judgment. Jumping out of a building is one thing, but gambling? And a one-night stand with a stranger? They aren’t going to trust you with their money.”

“I know.” Christine rubbed her hand over her face as she considered the worst-case scenario. Any lack of faith and she could lose her job. “Travis is hanging around waiting for me to return.”

“Where are you?”

“I hit the floor the minute I saw him,” she admitted. “And now I’m hiding under my desk. I can’t escape without anyone noticing.”

“This guy followed you from Vegas? Should I be concerned?”

Christine jerked in surprise. “No, Travis isn’t a stalker. I didn’t get any creepy vibes from him. He never made me uncomfortable. In fact, I was the one who was in charge of this fling. I took
him
to bed.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Jill said. “But how did he know where you live?”

“I don’t know.” Christine shook her head and sighed. “I may have mentioned Cedar Valley once or twice.”

“Christine! The next time I see you, we will discuss what you can and cannot reveal when you have sex with a stranger.”

“I really don’t think this situation will come up again,” Christine whispered fiercely and clapped her hand over mouth. She looked from side to side as she listened for anyone approaching her office. “Tell me how to get out of this.”

Jill clucked her tongue. “There is only one thing you can do. You need to suck it up, buttercup.”

Christine swallowed a groan as she heard her friend give the usual advice. “I was really afraid you would say that.”

“Get out from under the desk,” Jill told her, “look him in the eye and tell him that you are a married woman with seven children.”

“Jill!” She covered her mouth again as a laugh threatened to escape. There was no way she could tell a lie like that.

“You have a better idea?”

“I don’t want to see him.” That wasn’t true. She wanted to see Travis again. Wrap her arms around him and claim a kiss. Feel the sizzle in her veins and the throb of pleasure as he awakened her body. But she needed to do it on her terms. She glanced down at her brown shift dress and sensible shoes. “You saw how I looked this morning.”

“What was wrong with your appearance? It’s a clean, tailored look. Very proper and ladylike.”

“That’s the problem.” Christine leaned her head against her desk and winced from the unyielding metal. “He’s under the impression that I’m a sexy and exciting woman.”

“You are a sexy and exciting woman,” Jill insisted.

Christine smiled. Her friend was loyal but wrong. “I’m not wearing strapless dresses and high heels day after day. I’m not having all-night sex in my real life.”

“Well, no wonder he followed you from Vegas,” Jill muttered. “What exactly did you do during the sex marathons?”

“Nothing!” She didn’t do anything that would have him chasing her for more. That was what made this so confusing. “I just don’t get it.”

“Okay, what do you want to do?”

Christine held her hands out as she considered her options. “I got a plan. I need you to come over here and smuggle in a little black dress and some stiletto heels.”

“Right,” Jill said in a drawl. “Like that’s not going to cause a scene. Your coworkers are so used to you walking around the bank in evening wear.”

Her friend was right. If she sexed up her appearance, it would create more gossip. But it would hurt to approach Travis now and watch the desire in his eyes fizzle. “I can’t let him see me like this.”

“Why not? It’s the real you.”

She tilted her foot and looked at her shoe. They were dowdy but comfortable. Just like every other pair of shoes in her closet. “He wouldn’t be interested in the real me.”

“Now I’m confused. Do you want him here or not?”

Christine sighed. “I want to see him again, but not like this. Not in my natural habitat. He’s going to expect a swan and find a colorless, boring duck. My pride is at stake here.”

“If he’s that kind of guy, you don’t want him in the first place.”

“I know. I just wish...” Christine bit her tongue before she voiced her deepest desire. She wanted Travis to think she was so fascinating that he couldn’t believe his luck that he was with her. She wished she could have one person in this world think she was special. Even if it was a lie.

“You need me to come over there and run interference?” Jill offered. “I can cause a distraction while you crawl out the window.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Christine said as she reluctantly withdrew from her hiding place. “But that didn’t work in high school, and I don’t think it’s going to work now.”

“What are you going to do?”

“The only thing I can do. I’m going to show Travis the real me. He’ll walk out of here and I’ll have a chance to contain the gossip. No one will know about my secret weekend.”

“It’s for the best,” Jill assured her.

Christine knew that, but her heart wasn’t in it. This had been her one chance to be a man’s fantasy. Now that moment was gone.

* * *

T
RAVIS
TOOK
A
SIP
of coffee and cast a quick glance at Christine’s office. She was still hiding under the desk. Did she really think he wouldn’t have noticed? The desk was on short legs and he had seen her feet.

The anger swirling inside him was cold and hard. He wanted to walk around the desk and crouch down, surround and trap her until she handed over the emerald. But his instincts told him to play dumb. Pretend the way she was pretending. He had struggled to remain standing in the doorway, but he trusted his instincts more than the hurt and anger that tore him up inside.

“You’re telling me she raced a sports car?” Laurie said slowly. “Our Christine Pearson?”

Travis turned to face Laurie. She had a motherly quality about her. Her salt-and-pepper hair swung just below her chin. Her blue eyes sparkled with interest and concern behind the cat-eye glasses. She wore a thin green cardigan over a floral-print dress. Laurie appeared unassuming, but he wasn’t going to lower his guard.

“She was a natural,” Travis said with a smile. He admired Laurie’s ability to elicit information from him. He knew how to sidestep the questions. It was a technique he had learned while growing up. His grandmother wouldn’t leave the house and at times her fears were so great, she wouldn’t let him out, either. It was easier to make up stories and excuses than to reveal the truth.

But he wanted to know more about Christine and an incurable gossip was the best source. He had to give a little to receive something in return. Laurie wanted information, but her true mission was spreading it around. She was the expert on everyone in Cedar Valley and wanted him to know it. “You sound surprised,” he said. “Christine is a speed demon.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Laurie said with a frown. “Christine used to be like that. She was the kind of girl who climbed the water tower because it was the tallest structure in the area. Stood on her bike as if it was a surfboard and rode down the hill at full speed. But that changed once her dad ran out and she became the head of the household.”

Travis didn’t want to think of Christine as a carefree girl who had to grow up fast, but he instantly imagined a young woman trying to make ends meet. She would dress in clothes that were too old for her and take the role of caregiver seriously. A little too seriously.

He didn’t want to think about her navigating the adult world without any guidance. He needed to remember that she was a thief. Christine Pearson stole his friend’s emerald. Travis clenched his teeth as he recalled Aaron’s face when he had to admit he’d lost the stone. He had failed his friend—one of the few people in this world who mattered to him—and he had to make things right. He wasn’t going to find the emerald if he fell for Christine’s innocent act.

“What else did she do in Vegas?” Laurie asked.

“She was very interested in extreme sports,” Travis said, hoping his voice carried to Christine’s office. “The bigger the risk the better.”

“Christine?” Laurie said in a squawk. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person? You should see her investment portfolio. It’s about as low-risk as you can get.”

“She did a sky jump,” Travis revealed. He set his coffee cup down and reached for his cell phone. “I think I have a picture somewhere on my phone.”

Laurie chuckled and rubbed her hands together. “Oh, I wish Darrell could see this.”

Travis glanced up sharply at the older woman. “Her ex-boyfriend? Why?”

“Don’t worry about him, sweetie.” She gave him a knowing look and patted him on the arm. “There is no competition. That is over and done with. She would never take him back after how he humiliated her.”

Travis glanced at Christine’s empty office. He knew she was shy and blushed easily. She didn’t know how to attract attention, but did she avoid it because of an embarrassing experience? “What do you mean?”

“He had one too many beers at the bar one night,” Laurie said in a confiding tone, “and announced to the whole town that he was breaking up with her because he found her boring.”