LITMIR.BIZ

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stepped up and placed his arm around my shoulder. “This is my chance, Charli. I’ve already had so many people try to buy it. I know it’s going to work. This could put the Book Barn Princess on the map of Texas. It could make you a national treasure. Think about it.” His voice brimmed with his excitement. “People from all over the country will want to come to the Barn for book signings, or to just browse through the loft. You wouldn’t just have national exposure; you’d have worldwide exposure.”

      He pulled his arm away, and I suddenly felt like that seventeen-year-old girl who made a half-cocked decision to run away when life wasn’t as perfect as I’d expected it to be.

      “If you don’t do it,” he said, “I’ll have to find another bookstore owner who is willing to take a chance and see this thing through. Because it will work and it will be successful. It’s just a matter of getting the right launch with the right author and the right store to allow us to work out all the kinks. Lucy Barton is all in, can I count on you to be as well?”

      I looked to my dad to make sure he really wanted this for our store; that I wasn’t hanging him out to dry because of my cousin’s dreams. He squelched that thought in an instant.

      “It’s what we’ve been working for,” he said gently.

      Actually, it was what he’d been working for, not me. And if he wanted to try it…

      I looked back and forth between my cousin and my dad. Then to my aunt. There was hope in her eyes, yet at the same time, understanding if I chose not to sign on to my cousin’s business plan. And it was that look that pushed me over the edge.

      “Let’s do it.”

      “Get out! Seriously?” Jamal’s face froze, as if he was too afraid to believe I’d acquiesced to the idea. Then nervous energy rumbled through his body. He bounced from foot to foot, chewing on his bottom lip. His eyes sparkled as a grin, dying to be exposed, spread across his face.

      “You have yourself a guinea-pig business, and”—I held my hand up like a student volunteering for the job no one else wanted—“a sucker for a cousin.”

      He charged me and smothered me in a real bear hug, the kind that makes your life flash before your eyes. And I could have sworn he said, “Who’s going to be just as filthy rich as I am.”

      But I could be wrong. At that moment, I was struggling to breathe.

      Chapter Four

      “Why is my mother scheduling a press conference in front of the Book Barn Princess tomorrow?”

      I jumped at the sound of Cade’s voice—the voice I’d been longing to hear. Then swallowed down the emotions that wanted to rise from the pit of my feminine ego. By the time I turned away from the box of books I was unloading, my composure was solidly intact.

      Somehow, he’d snuck into the store without me hearing the swish and ding at the front door. Nor had I felt the chilly breeze that should have proceeded Cade’s arrival. Cade Calloway. The town high school football legend. The ex-NFL quarterback. The newly reelected town mayor. And my ex-high school sweetheart, who promised to take me out to dinner after his reelection two weeks earlier, was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face. Not a hint of a smile.

      My composure flew out the window. A tinge of hurt laced my words. “Wow, that’s a dandy way to say good morning.”

      He sighed. His large body relaxing ever so slightly, but the wariness remained. “Good morning, Princess. How are you doing?”

      “Funny you should ask …” I grabbed hold of that anger I’d felt when he’d ducked out of sight without stopping at the store the day before. “Because if I’d waited to eat dinner in the past two weeks, I’d probably be dead.”

      “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.” His answer was too quick and lacked explanation. So much for being afraid he’d lose me forever.

      “You’re a rooster that’s all crow and no tail feathers, Cade Calloway.”

      He rubbed his jaw as if I’d hit him with a left hook. “I deserve that.”

      “Ya think?” My sarcasm got the best of me. I didn’t like the way I sounded, but since he hadn’t called in two weeks, I’d decided I could cut myself a little slack.

      He capitulated too easily. “I know I do…and I’m sorry.”

      I turned back to my box, afraid I’d forgive him too soon. Afraid he’d turn on that Calloway charm and I’d once again be lost in the depths of that passionate blue-green sea hidden in his gaze. Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could see his eyes so vividly in my mind. Then I remembered the specks of golden fire that flashed through his irises—I could get burned.

      Drowning in his beautiful eyes would be extra stupid, no matter how good he smelled. Especially since he wasn’t attempting to make it up to me by taking me out to dinner. At that moment, I knew he wasn’t going to ask. Our past was in the past. I accepted my disappointment and covered it with business.

      “What can I do for you, Cade?”

      “Can you tell me why my mom is having a news conference in front of your store tomorrow morning?”

      “She’s helping out an old friend with a business venture. Beyond that, I can’t help you.”

      “You can’t, or you won’t?” Cade’s voice softened. He’d moved closer and his fresh, clean scent tortured my sanity.

      I hardened my resolve. “I won’t.”

      “Look, Princess—” he started.

      “I’m kind of busy, Cade. I’ve got a lot going on today. So, if you’ll excuse me…” I let my dismissal hang in the air.

      “Can I come by later this evening?”

      I turned to find him crowding me. Using the chemistry we’d always shared against me. “What for? I don’t think we have anything else to say to each other.”

      “We have plenty to say, Princess.”

      He moved closer and I could feel the heat of his body and the warmth of his breath. We were too darn close for comfort.

      I turned back to my work, forgetting which pile I’d made for mysteries, which pile was for romances, and which pile was for the action adventure books. Maybe I should just combine them all and create my own new genre. I scrunched my eyes closed, hoping Cade would disappear and the piles of books would make sense the moment I peeked out from the darkness.

      When I opened my eyes, I found everything the same and Cade was still there…behind me. I didn’t have to see him. I felt his disturbance in the air. Fuzz buckets.

      I’d have to go through sorting the books all over again once he left, otherwise the readers in my military section might get action of the bedroom variety instead of a battlefield. Mr. Draper would be displeased if he found Fifty Shades of anything in the midst of World War II literature.

      “Princess.” Cade’s hands were on my shoulders turning me around, and I did nothing to stop him. I was foolish when it came to Cade Calloway. He was my Alamo.

      I dared to look up into his gaze and saw my own feelings mirrored right back to me. If he was my Alamo, then I was his Santa Anna. In that moment, I was ruined.

      “We need to talk,” he insisted, but I could see his mind was going elsewhere.

      “I’ve been waiting to talk to you for several weeks.”

      “I know. And all I can say is that I’m sorry. Can I stop by tonight?” he asked.

      I heard myself saying it, before my brain could correct my mistake. “Yes.”

      He smiled and I nearly drowned. “Thank you.” Cade leaned down to kiss me, but one last glimmer of self-respect rose and I turned away at the last moment. His firm lips encountered

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