Renting His Heart Page 8

  Austin’s dad held his mom’s arm as they walked out of the ballroom and Chloe collapsed against Austin.

  “I was pretty sure I was going to pass out.”

  “You and me both.” Austin took her hand. “I see Mom giving Dad the evil eye so we better go intercept. Why don’t you find our seats at the table and I’ll head her off and then meet you there?”

  Chloe nodded and escaped before he could change his mind. His family was so intense. Not that her mom was much better, but still. How Austin came out somewhat normal was beyond her. After checking several tables, she found her name at the main table, but Austin was off to the side. There wasn’t anyone at the main table that she could switch, so she bumped her mom up to the main table, moved whoever was by Austin to where her mom was sitting, and then took her place next to where Austin would sit. No one would have to know. She hoped.

  Austin sat down and wiped his brow. “I think I got her to let it go for now. As far as I know, Dad is long gone back to whatever hotel they found to stay in.”

  “Your family keeps you on your toes, don’t they?” Chloe grimaced as the person who was supposed to be sitting at her seat picked up their card and looked around in confusion.

  “Actually, they usually stay out of my way. Well, Dad and Grandma do. Mom makes me go to the country club with her every Friday so I can meet someone.” Austin perked up. “I guess I don’t have to worry about that part anymore.”

  Chloe laughed. “I guess not. Oh dear.”

  “What?”

  “Just, um.” She pulled him into a kiss, ignoring the woman tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. When she needed a breath, she finally let go and grabbed the water off the table, almost spilling it. “Sorry.”

  The woman huffed. “I believe you are in my spot.”

  Chloe could feel her face burn as she mocked surprise. She was such a horrible liar. Most of the time. “No, I’m sorry. See. That’s my name.”

  “Yes, and that is my husband you’re sitting next to, right there. And I should be where you’re sitting according to the wedding planner right there.” The woman pointed triumphantly.

  Austin took Chloe’s hand and grinned up at the woman. “There’s been some kind of mistake, ma’am. You see, this is my wife, and while this is Lacey and Dallin’s wedding day, it is also our honeymoon. So, if you’ll please take your argument elsewhere, we’d appreciate it.”

  Chloe smiled innocently and waved her hand to show off the ring that was rather violet at that point. Probably not the best way to show she was married. “I’m sure if you talk to the bride and groom, they’ll work something out.”

  The woman huffed again. “No need to get them involved in this. If you would be so kind as to go back to your spot over there so I can sit by my husband.”

  Austin looked stunned, but it quickly turned to frustration. “I guess if you won’t go talk to Dallin or Lacey, I will.”

  Oh dear. This was quickly getting out of hand. Chloe pushed her chair out to move just as Lacey tapped on her glass with a fork. The woman shot one more glare at Chloe, then stomped over and sat in the chair she’d been assigned to—by Chloe.

  “What was that all about?” Austin whispered.

  “I’ll tell you later.” Chloe stayed focused on Lacey so Austin wouldn’t see how red her face had to be right then. But she couldn’t help the little thrill of triumph for winning the conversation. Perhaps living on her own hadn’t been a good idea. She’d gotten in more fights this trip than she had for years.

  Lacey set her glass down. “Thank you all for coming. We hope you’re having a wonderful time. Please enjoy your meal, and then we’ll have dancing afterward.”

  Waiters poured into the ballroom, looking at the back of each of the name cards so they’d know what each person had chosen. First came the salads with different dressings, and the vinaigrette was perfect. The bread provided with the salad made her homesick for Paris.

  Next came the main dish. Chloe had gotten the chicken, asparagus, and rice, while Austin had chosen the beef tenderloin and potatoes. She stared longingly at his beef for long enough that he laughed and cut off a slice for her.

  “Does that make you feel better?” he asked, biting into the tenderloin on his fork.

  “Absolutely.” She shared some of her chicken with him. “There you go.”

  Austin speared it with his fork and took a bite. “I think I like this marriage thing. Sharing food, not getting my hand slapped when I try to take a piece of asparagus.”

  “Don’t touch.” She shot him a mock glare and then dropped a piece on his plate.

  Another ringing on the glasses at the front table and everyone looked up. Austin tried to sneak a second piece, but Chloe swatted his hand away.

  The toasts began, and several people stood at the front table to wish Lacey and Dallin the very best. Chloe realized she probably should have thought of something to say, but everything had gone too fast since she decided to hop on the plane.

  Chloe glanced up at Austin in surprise when he stood to give a toast. He raised his glass. “To Lacey and Dallin. I’ve known Lacey since we were very young, and even after her family moved across the country, I always wanted the best for her. May you always have a clean home, a happy heart, and love for each other.”

  While everyone else clapped and Lacey wiped a tear and whispered a ‘thank you’ to Austin, Chloe stared at the look of death that Dallin was shooting at Austin. Apparently something really had been going on earlier that day and Chloe couldn’t wait to find out what that was about.

  Dessert was cheesecake—Lacey’s favorite—and then the tables were cleared off for the dance. There was both a stage for a band and a sound system brought in, which seemed strange.

  Until Rachel walked out onstage with a shimmery blue dress and picked up the microphone. “Are you ready to get this party started?”

  Cheers rang out in the ballroom as music pounded through the speakers. Apparently Rachel could sing on top of running a hotel and working on a ranch. The first few songs had a country rock vibe to them, and Chloe was content to stand by the side, watching the performance.

  When a slow song came on to announce the first dance for the bride and groom, Austin bowed in front of Chloe and held out a hand. “Would the maiden care to dance?”

  “What are you doing?” Chloe giggled, but allowed him to pull her onto the dance floor. “Pretty sure this was supposed to be for Lacey and Dallin.”

  “It is. But Lacey gave me permission to dance with my bride as well. As long as we stayed off to the side and didn’t steal her thunder.” Austin pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  Chloe laid her head against his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. And for the shortest moment, she allowed herself to let go of everything and pretend that this could be their dance. That this was okay to make up for her wedding.

  But then the tears came. Because this wasn’t her wedding. She pulled away. “I’m sorry.”

  Austin tried to call to her as she ran for the door to the ballroom. The lobby was full of people milling around, and it was too much. Too stifling.

  “Hey, come on. Let’s get you back to the ranch.” Austin put an arm around her and helped her out to his car. He didn’t say anything as they drove, and for that, Chloe was thankful. She needed time to think. Everything was just too . . . fast.

  As soon as the car was in park, she climbed out and ran up the steps into the ranch house, then up to her room. Chloe couldn’t lock him out—not after he brought her home, but she could lock herself into the bathroom. She stopped long enough to grab a change of clothes and then fled to the bathroom.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pulled the dress off and carefully draped it over the towel rack, then slid down the wall to sit on the floor. She wasn’t angry with Austin. Or herself. Things had happened naturally, really. The kisses, the dancing, everything felt so natural. But it was too soon. And she needed time to think. It wasn’t fair
to Austin for her to keep pulling him along when she needed to figure what she wanted. Needed.

  Knocks came at the door a few times, but she kept silent. It would be better for both of them if he just left her alone for now. But when someone spoke outside the bathroom, it wasn’t Austin.

  “Chloe? Let me in please.” Mike’s voice had Chloe standing and opening the door before she realized what she was doing.

  She buried her face in his shirt and sobbed. “What have I done?”

  “Well, for starters, you just ruined my favorite shirt with your mascara.” Mike laughed when Chloe jerked away. “I’m kidding. I’m sorry.”

  Chloe slugged him and went over to sit on the bed. “I came here, fully planning to return to France after this. I have a few books to finish—we’ll talk about that later—and a line that I needed to get started with. But when I saw Austin in the airport, it was like all of that disappeared.”

  Mike sat next to her on the bed. “You liked him for a really long time. It’s pretty normal for all of those feelings to come back.”

  “How would you know? You married when you were twenty-six to a lady you met on a cruise.” Chloe smiled at the memory of her mom’s reaction when Mike had told her.

  “Yes, but before that, I ran into Becky. Remember her?”

  Chloe sat up and wiped her eyes. “You mean Becky Stephens? You dated for, like, well, forever.”

  “I know. And it ended badly. But I saw her a year before I met JoAnn. I was so shocked that I asked her out. We dated for a week before she cheated on me again.”

  “Ugh. I still can’t believe she married Chad.” Chloe made a face. Chad was the quarterback in high school and had gone bald by the time he was twenty.

  Mike shook his head. “I can’t either. Anyway, I think that’s what happened here. Except that Austin isn’t Chad and he actually cares for you.”

  Chloe sighed. “I think that’s the problem. He cares too much.”

  “That was always his fatal flaw.” He stood. “Now, come on. No more pouting. I have something to show you. But dress warm.”

  Chloe stood and found some shoes and her jacket. Knowing how cool it could get outside, she grabbed one of the blankets that Austin had used last night. When she left her room to find Mike, he was downstairs in the kitchen talking to Angela.

  “You ready?” He waved at Angela and pointed toward the dining hall. “We’ll go out this way. It’s closer.”

  The night was pitch black except for the barn lights. Chloe shivered in the sudden chill and wondered what in the world Mike had in store. He did love his ghost stories. They left the gravel of the ranch and stepped into a field. They’d gone a few hundred yards when Chloe noticed a light up ahead.

  “What are we doing?”

  “You’ll see.” Mike waved and stopped. “You go ahead. I’ll be right here.”

  Chloe shot him a strange look, but kept going. If there was one person on earth she could trust, it was him. But then again, he was also the one who liked to play practical jokes . . .

  Movement up ahead made her pause, but then she recognized the man in front of her. She turned back to get after Mike for sending her out here to talk to Austin when she wanted to be alone, but Mike was already gone.

  She sighed and trudged ahead until she found a blanket laid out on the weeds between the two fields. Austin came closer, but kept his hands clasped behind his back.

  “I know you probably don’t want to talk right now. I get it. So, I figured we could come here for something else.” When Chloe opened her mouth to argue, Austin laughed and pointed up. “Look.”

  Chloe gasped. The sky was covered in stars. She’d thought the night sky in town had been amazing, but this . . . “Whoa.”

  Austin sat on the ground and pulled her down next to him, then laid back. “We never got a chance to see this last night, so I asked Angela the best place to see the stars.”

  “This is amazing.” Chloe lay next to him, still wrapped in her blanket from the house. “Thank you for this.”

  “I’m sorry if I pushed too hard. When you left the dance tonight, I wasn’t sure if you’d even talk to me anymore.”

  Chloe was silent for a moment. “You pushed, yes, but it’s me. I need to think first before anything else happens. All of this is so perfect, but someday we’re going to have to wake up from this and go back to real life. Deadlines, designing things, and mortgages.”

  Austin rolled over and propped his head up on his hand. “You really know how to take the magic away from this, don’t you?”

  “Yep.” She suddenly sat up. “I just saw a shooting star.”

  “I saw one earlier. There must be a meteor shower going on or something.” Austin sat up and pulled a basket over. “Angela packed us a mini picnic. It’s all leftovers from the wedding. Beef sandwiches, rice, and cheesecake.”

  Chloe groaned. “I’m still full. I think I’ll wait a bit.”

  “Oh, okay.” Austin put everything away. “So, can I ask what it was that made you take off?”

  “The dance. I know you meant well when you asked me to dance. And I really did enjoy it. But it just felt so . . . fake.”

  Austin nodded. “I get it. I’d hoped it could make up for what you missed, but I guess it did the opposite.”

  “No. Not really. I just wasn’t ready, I think.” Chloe turned to face him. “Hey, during the toasts, I was sure Dallin was going to throw something at you. What was that about?”

  “When I went to tell him to get ready for the wedding, he kinda mouthed off when I told him to clean up the mess he and his friends had made in the room. Totally lame, I know, but he’d made some stupid comment about how the hotel would just clean it. I couldn’t handle it. Lacey deserves better than that. Anyway, that’s what you heard when you came to find me earlier.”

  Chloe busted up laughed. “So that’s what the clean home comment was about. I was so confused.”

  Austin grinned. “What can I say? I’m very clever with words.”

  “Yes, I’m beginning to think you should be the one to write the books.” Chloe settled back down on the blanket and laid her head on Austin’s chest once he’d moved next to her. “I wish I could just forget everything else. You know that, right?”

  He kissed her forehead. “I was hoping so.”

  “I think . . . I think I’m going to go back to France. I’ll finish our agreement and meet with your grandma. And then I need to go figure some things out. And I think you should stay here. Look at the land, learn the ropes, and decide what you really want. We both owe that to ourselves.” Chloe bit her lip, hoping he’d agree.

  He stroked her hair, silent for what seemed like an eternity. “Just don’t find some Frenchman, okay? Come back to me?”

  She looked up at him, the light from the lantern making shadows on his face. “I don’t think I could look at anyone else anymore.”

  “And that’s all I needed to hear.” He bent down and kissed her, making her forget the cold, the pokey weeds below them, and the vast number of stars above their heads.

  A rustling sound came from nearby, yanking Chloe back into reality. Running water gushed alongside them, and then suddenly drops of water turned to torrents. The sprinklers.

  Chloe shrieked and stood up, grabbing both blankets while Austin went for the lantern and basket of food. There was no away around the sprinklers, so Chloe ducked her head and went straight through the field, hoping she wasn’t stepping on any of the wheat as she went.

  By the time they got to the edge of the field, they were completely soaked through and laughing so hard they couldn’t breathe. It was the perfect end to a perfect night. Well, almost. Chloe knew exactly what she needed right then. Hot chocolate.

  Chloe could hardly contain her excitement as Austin pulled into the clothing store in town. As soon as he suggested in that morning, she’d been on pins and needles to go. The store stuck out among all the older buildings along Main Street, but that just made Chloe love it more.

>   She climbed out of the car and ran to the front door. Any minute the door would open for the day and she could go inside. A few other people were there lined up for the new summer sale, but Austin stood back from the group, content to watch Chloe from afar.

  The door finally opened, and she rushed inside, searching for Mandy. She stood in the back at the cash register, so Chloe went straight there.

  “Hey, I know this sounds weird, but I’ve been dying to meet you. My name is—”

  “Chloe Parker.” Mandy’s eyes widened. “Chloe Parker is in my store.”

  That wasn’t what Chloe had expected at all. “You know me?”

  “Are you kidding? We had a couple of classes together—you wouldn’t know that because I hid in the back—and I was super jealous when you got the internship in Paris.” Mandy came around the counter and wrapped Chloe in a hug, her rather pregnant belly getting in the way. “Sorry. I forget I’m pregnant half the time.”

  Chloe backed up. “That’s so exciting. When are you due?”

  Mandy made a face. “A week ago. This little dude is as stubborn as his mama.”

  “That’s . . . quite a long time.” Chloe took in the store, her eyes widening. “These are new. I haven’t seen these styles before.”

  Mandy laughed. “These are the reason I quit my job and moved here. Well, Thomas had something to do with it too. But my ideas brought me here. A few of the styles have been featured in Walker Apparel’s magazine, but I keep most of them for myself.”

  “They’re so cool. Maybe sometime I can incorporate them into my shows. If that’s okay with you.”

  “I thought you were done with shows.”

  Chloe blinked. “Right. I am. But if I do another one, maybe we can collaborate.”

  “That would be really cool.” Mandy stepped back behind the desk to ring someone up and then came back. “So, what brings you here? Paris is a little far away.”

  “A wedding.”

  Mandy glanced down at her hand, eyebrows raised. “You came here to get married?”

  “No. I mean, yes. Kind of. But we were here for my cousin’s wedding out at the hotel.”