Devoted (Whiskey Run Book 5), page 1
Devoted
Whiskey Run
Hope Ford
Contents
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1. Lakelyn
2. Tate
3. Lakelyn
4. Lakelyn
5. Lakelyn
6. Lakelyn
7. Lakelyn
8. Lakelyn
9. Lakelyn
10. Lakelyn
11. Tate
Epilogue
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About the Author
Devoted Whiskey Run 5 © 2021 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
All rights reserved.
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1
Lakelyn
I can’t take my eyes off him.
I work around models every day. I have for the last five years, but I’ve never seen a man like him before. He’s manly, even with his arms loaded down with what looks like shopping bags. His arms are flexing, making the tattoos move as he readjusts the load he’s carrying. The closer he gets, the more I can’t look away. His hair is dark and a little long on top but short in the back. His chin and jawline are covered with a thin stubble of hair, and my fingers are itching to touch him.
He stops right in front of me, and I don’t know how long we stand here, staring at each other, but then Kameron, the production assistant, walks up to us, forcing the man’s eyes off me. “Are you the caterer?” he says, and even I can hear the surprise and judgmental tone in his voice.
The man smirks. “Uh, yeah, I guess I am.” He holds the bags up, and I notice they say Red’s Diner on them.
Kameron points to a table set up under a tent. “Can you put them over there, please?”
The man nods, and with a long glance at me, he turns and carries them over to the table. I follow him because there’s no way I can stop myself. He starts unloading the clear containers and arranging them on the table, but it’s obvious this isn’t something he does every day. “Here, let me help.”
I start arranging the trays and tubs of food. There’s fruit, veggies, what looks like chicken salad, crackers, and finally – finally – the stranger pulls out what I’m looking for.
The man is holding the Styrofoam container in his hand, and on the top is the name Lakelyn. I shouldn’t get this excited over food, especially cake that I shouldn’t be eating anyway, but I clap my hands together excitedly. “Violet didn’t forget.”
The man is staring at me, no smile on his face, but there’s definitely a flare of interest in his eyes. “Lakelyn,” he says, reading the top of the box. “Is this for you?”
The sound of my name on his lips sends goosebumps up my arms, so all I can do is nod.
“You know my sister?”
“Uh, yeah, I met Violet the other day, and she promised me she’d send me a slice of the Apple Cinnamon Blaze Cake.” I open the container and take a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent. I moan. “I’m pretty sure she just became my new best friend.”
He chuckles, and I can feel my face turning red. I probably shouldn’t get this excited over food, especially in front of a stranger.
I close the lid on the box even though I want to dive into it now. “So are you going to tell me your name?”
“Tate. My name is Tate Jennings.”
He finishes moving things around on the table, and while he’s looking down, I’m looking at him. Delivering food is definitely not his day job. But before I can ask him how he got wrangled into bringing food, he holds wrapped plasticware up in front of my face.
“What’s that for?” I ask.
He smirks. “Really? I thought you were excited to see me, but it was actually the cake you wanted. Go ahead, dig in.”
Sakes alive, I’m a mess. If I had to choose, I’d definitely choose him, but there’s no way I can say that. I know I look like a tomato right now. When I get embarrassed, it’s obvious, and well, I’m definitely embarrassed. I accept the plasticware and set down the carton with the cake long enough to rip open the plastic. I put a small piece of cake on the fork and lift it to my lips. When my eyes meet his again, he’s staring at my mouth. I’m standing here, probably drooling and about to shove cake in my mouth, and he’s watching me so close I want to drop the fork and taste him instead. I blink and take the bite.
The moan comes instantly, and there’s no holding it back. I savor the taste, and the whole time I’m looking into Tate’s eyes.
He smiles and damn, I thought he was good looking before, but him smiling is a force that hits you right in the poleax. He clears his throat and shifts his stance, still not taking his eyes off me. “It’s good, right?”
My coworkers are here, the few production staff, maybe ten total. And there’s quite a few people from town that are lined up to see the commercial being shot. But none of them matter. My eyes are on Tate.
“Yeah, it’s good, probably the best cake I’ve ever eaten.”
He’s nodding, and I should probably leave it alone, but I’ve found in life that if you want something, you have to go for it. “But, well, you were right the first time though.”
His big beautiful brown eyes squint, and he shakes his head, not understanding.
“I mean, I was excited to see you.”
I can see the physical response he has to my words. His nostrils flare, the pulse in his thick neck is pulsating, his pupils dilate, and his eyes darken. He takes a step toward me. He’s a man I just met, and I literally know nothing about him, but he doesn’t scare me.
I tilt my head back to look up at him. He’s so much bigger than my size twelve body, but the difference only makes me feel safe, maybe even protected if I start to examine all the thoughts I’m having right now.
“Is that cake?”
Kameron’s shrill voice breaks through the trance, and I exhale deeply. How long have I been holding my breath?
“Yes, Kameron, it’s cake.” I answer him without looking at him.
He gasps and pulls it from my hands. “Lakelyn, you know better. You can’t eat cake; this is going to go straight to your hips.”
Tate’s face transforms instantly, and I know he’s mad. He takes a step toward Kameron, and Kameron does the smart thing by walking away. But not before he hollers over his shoulder, “Tara’s ready for you.”
When I thought Tate was going to hurt Kameron, I moved closer to him. Now, I’m standing toe to toe with him, and my hand is on his chest. I curl my fingers, clutching the soft material of his shirt. “It’s fine,” I tell him as his heart is pounding under the palm of my hand.
He shakes his head. “He shouldn’t talk to you that way.” He’s still watching Kameron and then looks down at me. “No one should talk to you that way.”
His look is intense, and there’s a pull in my lower abdomen.
I pat his chest. “You’re right, he shouldn’t.” I could tell him that I really shouldn’t be eating cake anyway, but I don’t want to. Right now, I want to enjoy being this close to him. I take a deep breath, smelling his manly scent. It’s not cologne, it sort of smells like a cross between motor oil and a scent that seems to be all Tate. I’ve never smelled anything like it before.
Reluctantly, I remove my hand. “I have to go. Tara’s ready for me. Are you going to stick around?”
He doesn’t want to... or maybe he does. I can see the indecision on his face, and I’m holding my breath again waiting for his answer. What if he leaves? Then I’ll track him down through Violet. I’ll have to, because I’ve never felt a connection this strong to anyone before, and I don’t want to just let it slip through my fingers.
“I should go back to work, but yeah, I’ll stick around for a while.”
I blink up at him, trying to hide the happiness I’m feeling. “I don’t want you to get in trouble or anything. I understand if you have to go.” Ask me for my number. Please, ask me for my number.
He takes a deep breath, and I wonder if he feels it too. I know he’s attracted to me; I have no doubt about that. But something’s holding him back. Is it a girlfriend? A wife? I hope not, because I couldn’t imagine just letting him go.
His voice is gruff, and he pushes a hair that came loose from my ponytail off my face. I almost press the side of my face into his hand until he looks at it and drops it to his side. His face drops a little, making me wonder what he’s thinking. “Yeah, I’ll stick around.”
I bounce on my feet a little, and I hear Tara hollering for me. This isn’t like me to be holding up production like this, but I had to get some confirmation that he was going to be around. I just had to.
I reach my arms around his waist and squeeze really quick before letting him go. “I’ll be back.”
I walk away then, to the airconditioned enclosed tent a few yards away. Before I duck in, I look back, and Tate is standing right where I left him. He’s still watching me with that intense look on his face, and I smile and wave before walking inside.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Girl, I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t worry about a schedule either if I had a boyfriend that looked like that.”
I should correct her, tell her that I just met Tate, but I don’t. Because even though I just met
2
Tate
Fuck!
I scrub my hand down my face. I knew my sister was up to something, and I was right. She likes to matchmake, and I should have known better than to fall for it. She’s pregnant and due any day. When I found out she had to bring food down to the town square, I offered to help her out. I should have known all along she was up to something.
But I can’t be mad about it. Not after meeting Lakelyn. We probably only said a handful of words to each other, but it was enough to know that I want to talk to her more. Heck, I want to do more than talk to her.
People have gathered around the table of food, so I walk off to the side where some of the other locals are milling around. A few say hi, and I nod at them. They don’t get mad or upset at my lack of conversation. I’m sort of known in Whiskey Run for keeping to myself.
I stand with my arms crossed on my chest and my eyes on the tent that Lakelyn walked into. She has to be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. No makeup, cutoff jean shorts and hair haphazardly in a knot on the top of her head. She looked like she’s down to earth, and I’ve already decided I’m going to get her number.
“You’re probably the last person I would have guessed to be here.”
I don’t even have to look to recognize Old Man Jacobs’ voice. He’s the town busybody, usually hanging out on the bench in front of the barbershop. It’s a joke in town that he hangs out there because it’s obvious by his long strands that he never goes in and gets a haircut.
“Yeah, I know. But Violet asked me to bring some food down, so I thought I’d stick around and see what’s going on.” There’s no way I’m going to tell him I met a girl; it would be all over town before I made it back to my shop.
“Violet’s due any day now, isn’t she?”
“Yep, any day.”
“Are you excited about being an uncle?” he asks.
I tear my eyes away from the tent and look at Jacobs. He’s a lonely man, I know that. And even though I want to keep a watch out for Lakelyn, I also know I can’t just ignore him. I’d feel guilty for sure.
“Yeah, I’m excited. Violet is happy... so I’m happy.”
He whistles loudly. “Well, I guess she is. She’s always smiling these days.” He nudges me in the arm. “Tell me, are you able to get Eagles tickets now since your brother-in-law is the running back?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I’ll be able to go to a few games.”
I wait for the next question because with Jacobs, there’s always a next question, but he’s staring to the side of me with his mouth wide open.
I turn and follow his gaze and I do the exact same thing as Jacobs. My mouth drops, and I know my eyes about pop out of my head. It’s her. It’s Lakelyn. But it’s not the same Lakelyn from before. This one is enough to make any man watching hard. I don’t know if I should run up to her and cover her with my T-shirt or just stand here and enjoy the show as she sways her body back and forth as she walks toward me.
I walk toward her, leaving Jacobs mumbling behind me.
“Lakelyn?” I ask her questioningly. I mean, I know it’s her, but I still stupidly ask the question.
She laughs, and it’s the same sweet sound from before. “Yes, it’s me. I’m glad you stuck around.”
Her face is made up and hair teased and lying in soft, round curls down her back. She has on a short black leather skirt and a white tank top. Big hoop rings are hanging from her ears and a matching necklace is nestled between her breasts. She’s beautiful... obviously from the big city... and obviously way out of my league.
“Yeah, uh, you’re a model?”
She tilts her head to the side, but before she can say anything I’m shaking my head. “I mean, yeah, of course you’re a model.”
She looks at the people setting up behind her and then up at me with the same flirty smile from before. “Yeah, and I need to get to work before they fire me.”
“Oh, uh, sure.”
As if I’m still grasping at straws, trying not to believe what I’m seeing, I nod my head. “Sure, I’ll see you later.” No you won’t, Tate. She’s a rich girl from the city, you won’t be seeing her later. You’re going to get the hell out of here, I tell myself.
“Come on, Lakelyn, you’ve already got us behind... quit fraternizing with the townspeople and get to work,” the man from earlier, the one that took the piece of cake from her, says from across the way. He’s eyeing me, and I can see the fear from where I’m standing.
Lakelyn rolls her eyes. “I’m sorry about him. He’s kind of an ass.”
“Yeah, he is. It’s fine. I know you’re busy... go ahead.”
I smile at her, but it’s nothing like the one before. Right now, I feel like I’m under a microscope, by Lakelyn and the rest of Whiskey Run that is no doubt gawking at the beautiful model talking to me, the town mechanic.
She looks at me hesitantly but nods her head and turns away. I watch her walk. The same body as earlier that swayed, and I couldn’t take my eyes off. I still can’t, even knowing that she’s not just an employee working on a commercial or something. She’s the main star.
I need to walk away. I need to forget ever meeting Lakelyn because there sure as hell can’t be any kind of future between us.
She’s surrounded by people and cameras, and she’s smiling, doing what she’s obviously been trained to do. I have the same feeling in my gut as when I pushed the hair away from her face earlier. It’s like I’d forgotten who I am until I saw my stained hands next to her beautiful face. We’re nothing alike, and there can never be a us.
I’m rooted to the spot as I watch her. She’s laughing, posing for pictures, flipping her hair around. She’s a fuckin’ goddess. I shift my stance because my cock is lengthening in the leg of my pants. She does this to me... just by looking at her.
I pull my gaze from her and look at the other people that are here to observe. There’s a part-timer from the Whiskey Run Co-op. There’s a rancher that I recognize from the Yates ranch who’s probably in town to just pick up supplies but found himself here to see what’s going on. They’re both standing at the temporary fencing that’s been set up, hands in their pockets, staring at my – Fuck, she’s not mine... not now or ever will be mine.
I jam my hands down into the front pockets of my jeans. Jealousy is raging inside me because I don’t want anyone else to look at her... not the way these men are looking at her now. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t have a right to feel the way I’m feeling.
With one last glance at Lakelyn, I walk away. There’s no point in me sticking around. Yeah, I could probably get her number... maybe even take her out. But as soon as she found out what I did for a living, well, she’d be gone five seconds later. Nope, it will just be wasted time, and I’m not going to put myself through it again.
I turn down Main Street and walk to the end of the block, past Sugar Glaze Bakery, past the library, and when I come to the intersection of Main and Joy Street, I turn into the parking lot of Jennings Auto Repair. My shop. It doesn’t look like much, probably like any other auto repair shop around, but to me it’s been everything.
“Wow, that’s probably the longest lunch break you’ve ever taken. Violet okay?” Jeremy, one of the mechanics, asks. He’s been with me since I opened the doors on the shop ten years ago.
“Yeah, she’s good,” I answer as I walk past him. I don’t want to talk or chat or make small talk. I need to work and try to get Lakelyn out of my head.
3
Lakelyn
He didn’t stick around. Filming starts tomorrow, but the photoshoot was today. It was supposed to be a couple hours – three tops – but it ended up going for almost four. It doesn’t matter, though. I kept looking for him, but he was gone before we even finished the first shots.
