Where There's Smoke: A Texas Heat Novel (2 page)

“Fine,” Sawyer grumbled. She gave Deena a dirty look.

Deena’s lips twitched. She leaned on the edge of her desk and crossed her arms.

“You’re quite the guardian angel,” she said. Her green eyes took on a speculative gleam. She looked at her son.  

“Your secretary says you’re having problems with stalkers.”

“What?!” Sawyer glared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you’d go into full battle mode.”

“I understand the women are becoming quite persistent,” his mother threw gas on the fire.

Rowan raked a hand through his ginger hair. That was an understatement.

“You see Sawyer, there are groupies-”

“Mother-”

“Groupies?” Sawyer said, her mouth agape.

“Indeed, they target prominent athletes, politicians, celebrities, men of influence, now that my son pastors one of the top ten largest congregations in the country he’s a target.”

“It’s not as bad-” Rowan tried to tone it down.

“They send him underwear, naked pictures, all with the goal of toppling a pastor and getting their fifteen minutes of fame.”

Sawyer looked at him with wounded eyes.

“Hey,” he said. He cupped her chin gently. “Look at me.”

“No.”

“Sawyer-”

“I’m pissed off at you right now.”

“With everything going on with your dad, I didn’t want to upset you.”

“You’re only human, all it takes is a moment of weakness and bam – you’re accidently inside some skank’s vagina.”

Rowan fought a surge of tenderness. Deena’s shrewd eyes darted between the two of them.

“I won’t break my vow to God,” he said.

“The church board is also pressuring him to remarry did he tell you that?”

Rowan glared at his mother. “You’re not helping.”

“What can I do?” Sawyer asked. He stroked her rosy cheek. “Nothing, Cricket.”

“Oh that’s not exactly true,” Deena said smoothly. “I have a solution.”

Rowan flashed his mother a warning look. Sawyer soothed his arm. It was the kind of gesture couples did, without conscious thought, after years of marriage.

Deena watched them together, fascinated. “You need time to decide who and what you want,” Deena said to her son, “And you my dear,” she addressed Sawyer, “The best way to attract a man is to capture the interest of another.”

Rowan and Sawyer gaped at her. They spoke at the same time.

“Are you saying-”

“You’re not suggesting we-”

“Pretend to date, yes,” Deena said.

“I can’t date my best friend,” Rowan burst out, “She’s like a sister to me.”

Sawyer flinched. Deena noticed and went in for the kill. “My point exactly, Sawyer is the only woman on the planet immune to your charm, she’s oblivious to your good looks, you couldn’t seduce her if you tried.”

That irritated Rowan. Was Sawyer really immune to him?

“You can trust her as your loyal beloved friend. The church board would back off, your female admirers will realize you’re taken and most will cease and desist.”

The possibility of the pressure being lifted from his shoulders, even temporarily would be a welcome relief.

“No one will believe it,” Sawyer said.

Deena and Rowan raised identical eyebrows.

“Look at me,” she blurted out, “My hair’s a frizz ball, my face is average, and don’t even get me started on my ass-”

“Sawyer Elizabeth Landon,” Rowan said sharply, “Stop putting yourself down.”

“Rowan, I’m being realistic. I’m a frumpy librarian from a small southern town. I’m like a rusty Ford pickup and you’re a hot, sexy Jaguar convertible.”

Rowan’s heart flipped over in his chest.
She thinks I’m hot and
sexy?
 

“Oh nothing a little make over won’t cure,” Deena said. She made a show of studying her perfect manicure.

“No,” Rowan said, “I like Sawyer just the way she is, she doesn’t need a makeover.”

“Ah, yeah I do,” Sawyer muttered.

“Nothing drastic, just a few tweaks here and there, so what do you say?” Deena said, “You’ll have to be rather convincing, I suspect in the beginning you’ll be under a lot of scrutiny as a couple, but if you can fool the good folks of Aberdeen, you’ll be home free.”

“I don’t know, it feels deceitful,” Rowan said uneasily. “What if some nice guy wants to ask Sawyer out but he doesn’t because I’m in the way?”

“Prince Charming got lost on the way to my house years ago,” Sawyer said. “No worries there.”

Rowan frowned. “Mom, can you give us a minute alone please?”

Deena sailed through the door as if her work for the day was done.

Chapter 3

Rowan’s mesmerizing green eyes were troubled. “Sawyer, you don’t have to do this, I get a lot of criticism, nasty articles and social media posts about everything from my clothes to word by word analysis of what I say every Sunday, it doesn’t phase me. But I don’t want you exposed to hurtful comments.”

“I’m tough remember?”

“Yeah but you’re my girl,” he said softly, “I don’t even know how to pretend we’re something more. Not because I don’t think you’re attractive, it’s just that we’ve been friends for so long, I don’t want to ruin us.”

“Let me help you,” Sawyer said, “We’d have to fool our friends and family, I just don’t know if we can pull it off. The wedding will be the perfect time to start. We can say we looked at each other in a different way. You could dance with me as if, as if I’m someone you wanted.”  

Something flashed in his eyes. His jaw clenched. “Do you think you could pretend to want me too?” his voice stroked her like velvet.

Sawyer’s heart pounded. She felt flustered. “Um, I-” she stammered.

“I’m going to flirt with you, we’d have to be affectionate in public, like holding hands, touching, kissing.”

Sawyer melted. Her eyes stared at his full lips in a way that she never allowed herself to before. She gulped.

“When I flirt with you,” he said, “I won’t stop until you respond, it has to look real.”

She nodded mutely.

“Wanna practice holding hands?”

Is it hot in here? Sawyer made a strange sound in the back of her throat. Rowan’s big hand slid over hers and linked with her fingers. Her palm tingled.

“Oh!” she said, surprised by the unfamiliar sensation. His hand felt so warm. The skin on skin contact sent a hot shiver down her spine. “It feels good,” she said.

He managed to nod. The air between them suddenly felt charged.

“We should practice hugging,” he said thickly.

“We’ve hugged loads of times,” she said.

“Not like this.”

Rowan gently tugged her into his arms. Sawyer pat his back awkwardly. He chuckled in her ear. “Like this,” he whispered.

He placed her arms around his neck. His hands spanned her slender waist. He crushed her full length to body and lifted her off the ground. His muscles were hard, his body radiated heat, his hands caressed her waist and back.

Sawyer closed her eyes. Oh God, the man felt so good. Her hands stroked his hair for the first time. She felt the gold red hair like silk between her fingers.

“Rowan-” she never said his name quite like that before.

A shock of desire went through her. He felt it and stiffened. His arms tightened around her. His head buried in her neck. He kissed the pulse that leaped there, licked that spot that beat wild for him.

Sawyer moaned in a way that made him tremble from head to foot.
Jesus!
The door opened. They sprang apart. Sawyer breathed little gasps. Rowan walked to the wall of windows with his back to her.

“Well,” Deena said, as if she were oblivious to the undercurrents in the room. “It’s all arranged. Sawyer, my assistant will take you down to the spa.”

Sawyer nodded and fled the room. Rowan took deep breaths. He stared blindly at the Vegas strip and mountains beyond.

“You’ll have to be a really good actor dear but I’m sure you will…rise to the occasion,” Deena said, clearly amused. She sat down at her desk. He heard the rustle of papers.

Rowan, in the meantime, was shocked to the core of his being. A simple hug with Sawyer gave him such a hard on he could barely move. After years of celibacy his body roared to life and it wanted Sawyer and her round, juicy ass. His body went rigid. He tried to breathe, calm himself down. No doubt he would’ve reacted that way with any woman with close physical contact. Perfectly natural. It had been years since he touched a woman with romance in mind. No wonder his body reacted so…fiercely. His feelings for Sawyer didn’t go beyond friendship and affection. Rowan’s shoulders lost some of the rigid tension. He could feel his mother’s hawk eyes.

“Sawyer doesn’t know that you paid the balance for her father’s medical expenses, does she?”

“No,” he said self-consciously, “Let’s keep it that way.” The stress of the past few months took its toll on Sawyer. He couldn’t bear it, to see her suffer.

“Would it be so bad to let yourself love again?” Deena asked.

Yes, yes it would. After what he did to Becky…

“Rowan, it’s not your fault.”

The hell you say! He closed his eyes. Becky’s delicate, pretty features were fading from his mind. He wouldn’t dishonor her memory by groping his best friend.

Sadly, Becky always felt threatened by his close friendship with Sawyer. She demanded he stop calling her or visit her whenever they were in Aberdeen. He patiently explained the platonic nature of their relationship but Becky resented their undeniable bond.

Rowan never did figure out how a stunning beauty like Becky could be jealous of a salt of the earth, no frills librarian from Aberdeen. The pretense of dating Sawyer felt like a betrayal of both women.

Deena regarded her son thoughtfully. She clapped her hands, “I need ideas for another hotel, what about Shakespeare, too trite?”

Rowan turned away from the window and his troubled thoughts. “It has merit,” he said. “What about the Camelot, King Arthur legend?”

She smiled. “I’ll have our design firm draw up the schematics.”

Sawyer gaped at her reflection. Between the stress of her dad’s illness, crushing financial pressure and running back and forth to work, her hair was never styled, just shoved into a messy bun or pony tail. She didn’t have the time or the money to bother with makeup. She threw on whatever clothes were clean in a mad dash for the hospital to see her dad. Manicure? Pedicure? What’s that? She thought ruefully. The spa treatments were decadent. Sawyer sighed as she received a facial, Swedish massage, manicure, pedicure, aromatherapy bath, stylish haircut and new clothes.

“Burn these,” Deena said, of her ratty sweatshirt and faded jeans. The stylist, Fernando, held the offending clothes at arms-length.

Deena eyed Sawyer up and down. “Yes, you will do nicely.”

Sawyer studied her coral colored polished nails. “Do you really think it will work? I mean, these women after Rowan, they’re really gorgeous and I’m…they won’t view me as much competition.”

Deena’s frown softened. She knelt beside Sawyer and clasped her hand. “Those hussies don’t stand a chance,” she said kindly. “You have a certain appeal for my son those women don’t possess, now I need you to proceed with confidence. What are you wearing to the wedding?”

The unorthodox ceremony included a wide array of costumes. “I’m a bridesmaid, I’m going as Flynn.”

Deena gave her a blank look.

“You know, Flynn from the TV show
The Librarian
, I have the khakis, duffel bag and dagger.”

Deena closed her eyes as if praying for patience. “Fernando!” she called sharply. He came running. “We need a costume, something…naughty.”

Chapter 4

The Black Widow costume did wicked things to her body. The skintight jumpsuit hugged every lush curve. The Bride, Harper, spun Sawyer around. “Damn girl, you look fierce!”

The other bridesmaid, Emerson, a newlywed herself, took one look at Sawyer and whistled. “Whoa! Who’s the man?”

Sawyer, flustered, paced the length of the bridal suite. “Why do you assume-”

“Oh please, it’s me you’re talking to, tell Aunt Emerson all about him.”

“It’s Harper’s big day,” Sawyer protested.

“Spill!” Harper demanded.

“Rowan,” she muttered.

“Your best friend, that Rowan?” Emerson said in disbelief.

“Pastor Camden?” Harper asked wide eyed.

“Yep.” This was the true test. If Sawyer could convince her dearest girlfriends, their plan might work.

“I knew it!” Harper crowed.

That startled Sawyer. “Uh, you did?”

“He is hot, hot, hot,” Harper said fanning herself.

“When Dyl and I got married, I swear, I would’ve agreed to anything he said, that husky voice,” Emerson mused. She flopped back on the bed in her Supergirl costume. “He is yummy.”

“Saw this coming a mile off,” Harper said as she inspected her bridal costume – the Amazon warrior princess, Wonder Woman.

Sawyer felt uneasy. “What do you mean? We’ve been friends forever.”

“Babe, you’ve been sweet on him for years,” Harper said.

“And he adores you!” Emerson said, “A blind man can see that.”

What?!

Sawyer was still baffled. She held a bouquet of roses about to walk down the aisle. What did Harper mean – she saw this coming a mile off? How could Emerson say, she’s been sweet on him for years! Is that what everyone thought? It’s not true! But that’s what Rebecca Camden believed. A few months before her death, Becky – with her perfect supermodel hair, South Beach tan, lithe body and trendy clothes – paid Sawyer an unexpected visit. While Rowan was in Austin scouting a hotel location, Becky drove north of the capital, to Aberdeen by the Lake and dropped by the library.

Sawyer felt peace around books. It gave her a sacred feeling, like church. She loved the new books smell, cracking the spine, and seeing miles and miles of glorious books on oak polished shelves.

Becky found her in the kids section, shelving books. Sawyer sat up between a giant paper cut out of The Cat in the Hat and Barney the dinosaur.

“Hi Becky,” Sawyer headed to the check-out counter. She looked around, “Where’s Rowan?”

“He’s not here,” Becky said. She cocked her head to the side as if observing some new species found in the wild. “God, you’re plain.”