Coming Home to Texas. Victoria Chancellor

asked before she could stop herself. His past relationships weren’t really her business, but she was curious about his ex. In Monte Carlo he’d been so adamant that he wasn’t looking for anything past a great weekend. Had his marriage been a disaster? Her fault…or his?

      He shrugged, carrying the biscuits and butter to the table. “Tiffany was cute and clever. Petite. Dainty, I suppose, but only in appearance. Inside she was a ten-foot-long great white shark with a huge appetite for anything that caught her eye.”

      “And I’m sure you caught her eye,” Jodie commented, grabbing the plate of bacon and carrying it to the table. He’d set two places with place mats and heavy, dark blue ceramic plates.

      “If you’re thinking of love at first sight, you’re wrong. She decided I was moving up and could give her what she wanted.” He pulled out two chairs and indicated where Jodie should sit.

      She smiled to herself when she noticed the tall glass of milk at her place setting. “Which was?”

      He settled into his seat before answering. “Everything. I never understood what Tiffany really wanted, but she was sure glad to look under every label and price tag to find it.”

      “Other than spending your money, what was the problem?”

      He placed his fork and knife down with a clatter. “Look, let’s not talk about her anymore, okay? It’s over and done with. I was young and stupid when we married, older and wiser when we got divorced. It doesn’t have anything to do with this marriage.”

      Jodie didn’t want to argue with him, but she thought that anything from their past might affect their marriage—even if it were temporary. Nevertheless, she could understand why he didn’t want to discuss his ex-wife with his possible future wife, so she kept silent. There would be time to talk later—if they actually got married.

      “I’d like to see the town if you have time this morning. And this Bretford House where we’re going to have the ceremony, if we get married.”

      “On Valentine’s Day,” he added. “Four days from now.”

      Jodie sighed. The man had a one-track mind. “So, do you have time or not?”

      He nodded while chewing a bite of biscuit. After swallowing, he added, “I haven’t started on my next project yet because I’m waiting on some additional site elevations from the surveyor. I can put that off until after the wedding.”

      “Great.” All this seemed to be falling into place for him, while she still felt completely turned around. She couldn’t remember her schedule. Thankfully, it was all written down in her trusty planner. She knew she had to be back in California next week, but wasn’t sure what date.

      If she didn’t value her independence so much, she’d hire a personal assistant to travel with her. But she didn’t want someone with her all the time. How would she get used to a husband if they actually lived together?

      She couldn’t. She’d just have to explain that to Travis after they went through with the ceremony he wanted. Something for him. Something for her. Isn’t that what compromise was all about?

      TRAVIS TRIED TO SEE his adopted hometown through Jodie’s much more sophisticated eyes, but he had a hard time reading her expressions as he parked his SUV in front of Schuler’s Jewelry Store. If looking around and meeting folks went well, he hoped they could shop for wedding bands before going to Bretford House to finalize the wedding plans.

      The town square appeared rather bleak on this February day, with only a few evergreen shrubs to break the faded browns of this past winter. Soon spring bulbs would appear, but today he suspected Jodie wouldn’t see the charm of the gazebo or walkways used by so many in Ranger Springs.

      “The town square is real nice in the spring and summer,” Travis commented as they stepped onto the sidewalk.

      Jodie nodded, but was obviously busy looking around. “The businesses seem to be doing well,” she finally said.

      “We’re having a small boom. More and more people are moving out of the cities and into the countryside.”

      “It’s…charming.”

      Not exactly wild praise, but he’d settle for her favorable impression. “The café is on the other side of the square, near the gazebo. I thought we’d go there first and meet some of the regulars.”

      He and Jodie walked side by side. He felt as though he should hold her hand, or take her arm, or make some other gesture, but he couldn’t read her mood. She wasn’t exactly as chilly as the wind whipping along the raised concrete sidewalk, but she didn’t seem all warm and snuggly, either.

      Despite her somewhat subdued mood, he enjoyed walking with a woman he didn’t have to lean down to talk to, or saunter beside slowly because their strides were so different. The kind of women he usually dated wore heels almost everywhere, and they giggled when he commented on how “little” they were. Jodie didn’t giggle, although in the days they’d spent together, she’d laughed and chuckled regularly. She had a throaty, genuine laugh that came from deep inside. He hadn’t realized how irritating a high-pitched, childish voice could be on a grown woman until he’d met Jodie.

      The door to the Four Square Café tinkled in welcome as he stepped inside. Normally he took a table near the front window, but he didn’t want to appear antisocial by ignoring the folks who were lingering over their coffee. None of the waitresses were up front, so he grabbed a couple of menus before guiding Jodie past the old-fashioned chrome and Formica-topped tables to the rear booths.

      “Mornin’, Ambrose. You’re looking pretty today, Joyce,” he greeted the semiretired doctor and his new wife. “Dr. and Mrs. Wheatley, I’d like you to meet Jodie Marsh. She’s going to be in town for a few days until she needs to go back to Los Angeles.”

      “Why, hello there, dear. You’re the famous model, aren’t you?” Joyce asked. “Thelma told me she’d met you yesterday. You just missed her, by the way.”

      Jodie chuckled. “I don’t know how famous I am, Mrs. Wheatley, but I do model. I’m not sure I remember who Thelma is, though.”

      “Thelma Rogers. She’s the owner, editor and lead reporter for the Springs Gazette, our local newspaper.”

      “Oh, really?”

      Travis sensed Jodie’s concern over hearing that the newspaper editor already knew she was in town. “The Gazette is a weekly paper, and besides, Thelma doesn’t run any tabloid-style stories.”

      “Oh, I’m sure she doesn’t. I was just hoping to have a nice, quiet stay here for a few days.”

      “I’ll bet you go to lots of exciting places for your work,” Joyce said.

      “I stay fairly busy, but I don’t work all the time. There’s a growing market for plus-size clothes for business, casual and exercise wear. And I have some other…things I’m working on right now, too.”

      Travis wondered if she meant her cosmetics contract or their baby.

      “You’re not one of those skinny little beanpoles, either,” Dr. Wheatley added. “They look downright anemic to me.” He shuddered. “I like a woman with a good figure, like my sweetie here,” he added, patting Joyce’s hand.

      The strawberry-blond hairdresser smiled and practically blushed. Newlyweds, Travis thought with a mental shake of his head. Ambrose and Joyce were just two more of the happily married couples populating Ranger Springs. Two more of the people making goo-goo eyes at each other and acting as silly as teenagers. Getting married without all that silliness made a lot more sense to him.

      Jodie smiled at the older couple. “No one’s ever confused me for a beanpole. I tried dieting when I was a teenager, but I soon discovered that I couldn’t keep my weight down to a size six. It’s much more fun to eat enough to keep my weight up to a size sixteen.”

      “Just as long as you exercise and eat right,”