AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My fingers flex as I rub my hands along my denim-clad thighs...anything to prevent myself from blurting out the truth to her…the truth that I don’t love her; I love someone else. Instead of saying those words, and hurting her, I reply, “You’re not coming back to the ranch. It would make things awkward.”
She looks sad for a moment and then it’s gone as she straightens her spine. “We have things about the wedding to discuss,” she smiles, “I could use that as an excuse with my father.” She jumps off the bar stool before she wraps her arms around my neck and plants a kiss to my lips.
I push her gently away. “Look, your father doesn’t approve of cohabitation when there’s no ring on fingers. It won’t work. Just accept it. We’ll talk soon.” I pat her shoulder. “I’ll walk you to your car,” I offer, wanting to be polite, instead of the asshole I feel like being.
Tossing cash onto the bar, I take her arm, and lead her outside. I spot her car across the street and help her keep her footing while she wobbles all over the place on the snow and ice lining the edge of the sidewalk. “This is bad.”
“It’s going to get worse.” I help her into her vehicle. “Are you sure you’ll be alright driving in this?”
She rolls her eyes. “Honestly Tanner, you should know me better than anyone. I’ve driven in this my whole life.”
“Sorry.” I step back from the door and watch as she sighs before tugging it closed. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
She nods before I watch her drive off.
My heart aches with the desperate need for the one woman I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to have. I stare at the fading taillights, comparing her to the woman who has a hold of my heart. Charlotte...Emma...so different in the way they moved, how they looked and their personality. Charlotte was warm and giving—I’d seen it myself at the wedding. She was loyal and I knew that Charlotte would never look at another guy if she had me. I sure as hell wouldn’t have my head turned by anyone else.
I rubbed my hands together against the cold and realize my heart belongs to Charlotte McKenzie.
61
Charlotte
Christmas music plays in the background while I bury my sorrows with a gingerbread latte and a large red velvet muffin my cousin, Sofia, has made. How she stays so slim while working in this small bakery, I’ll never know. I’m sure I’ve gained five pounds just looking at the thing!
“Are you going to eat that?” she asks, dropping into the seat opposite.
“I think I need to. It looks too good to just sit on a plate, right?”
She chuckles. “I better not show you the wedding cake I’ve just made then, huh?” She swipes a chunk of my muffin, popping it into her mouth.
I smile before I look around the store. She just fits at Ella’s Sweet Treats, despite having only been here for three weeks. She’d just finished school when she’d been offered a job here and I hadn’t had a chance to visit before today.
Taking a deep breath, I can’t help but feel relaxed here. It’s an amazingly beautiful store: Christmas cookies on red plastic trays in the window, paper-wrapped muffins, colorful fruit tarts and glazed flans, Danishes, macaroons and much more are on display in the glass counter. Freshly baked pies: pumpkin, berry, apple and cinnamon, and rhubarb, cooling on the counter behind the cash register. Everything smells so good but the strongest scent is coming from my latte. It’s thick and creamy with the flavor bursting on my tongue when I take a sip.
While I’ve let my eye wander around the store, my cousin has watched me with delight, and I can see the happiness she feels working here. Although her amazing talent isn’t going to waste, I long for the day when she has her own bakery. She’ll do wonders and go far.
“So,” I ask, “what wedding cake have you been making?”
She smiles, happy that I asked. “It has four tiers. Each tier a different flavor: red velvet, lemon, vanilla, and apple.” She shrugs. “It’s all about what the bride and groom want, so I’m here to please.”
“And you do it so well.”
“I do.” She primps so I roll my eyes as she giggles. “Okay, enough about me and my awesome baking skills, I want to know why I’m feeding you cake to cheer you up?” She tilts her head as she watches me closely.
“I’m missing someone.” I sigh into my latte. “Someone who I think I need more than anything.” I lift my gaze to Sofia’s concerned one. “I’ve fallen in love...and I don’t think he realizes how I feel about him.” I munch on a piece of muffin, chasing it down my throat with some latte, wincing when the two flavors meet.
“Yeah, not good mixing those two,” Sofia comments.
“Remind me next time.”
“You were saying,” she prompts.
I shake my head as I think about everything ahead of me. “I’m going on a trip to Montana.” I fidget with the large scarf around my neck.
“To see our cousins?” she asks, referring to the De La Fuente side of the family. They’re more like our second and third cousins.
“No…I’m going to let Tanner Jackson know how much I love him. It could completely backfire and blow up in my face. However, I’ve put it off long enough out of fear of his reaction, and I can’t any longer. Not when he’s getting married next month.”
