Taming Travis (Wishing Well, Texas Book 4) Read online

  “Sorry, mama.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I didn’t hear you.”

  Instead of appreciating the gesture or the apology, she snapped her fingers. “Now, would be good son.”

  “Yes, ma’am!” I nodded and high-tailed it to the backroom.

  I was more than happy to do my mama’s bidding, but I decided to take the long way to the storage area. My out-of-the-way detour happened to force me to pass behind the mystery woman. When I did, I heard Colton introducing her to Sheriff and Mrs. Reed as Mia James.

  Mia James.

  That was the name of the girl that had just flipped my world upside down. Savage Garden’s “I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You” was playing through the speakers. I’d never been a huge fan of the song but it suddenly became the soundtrack of my life. Every lyric that they sang was exactly how I felt. From dreaming her into being. Waiting for her my whole life. And no, I hadn’t met her yet, but if what I was feeling wasn’t love, then hell, I didn’t know what was.

  Chapter 2

  Mia

  “You can’t keep trouble from visiting, but you don’t have to offer it a chair.”

  ~ Walker Briggs

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Sheriff Reed, Mrs. Reed.” My voice was weak and I could feel my hands trembling as I shook both the Sheriff and his wife’s hand and hoped they didn’t notice the tremor.

  I couldn’t help my body’s involuntary response to the gorgeous specimen—that had short-circuited my brain with one glance—walking behind me. At this point, I was just happy that I was still standing and able to speak at all. I knew it was all in my head, but as he’d passed by, a shiver raced down my spine and I could feel, literally feel, his eyes on me.

  The past few moments in my life had been an anomaly. I wasn’t a love or lust at first sight kinda gal. Sure, I was attracted to men when I saw them, but only on a superficial level. I’d never experienced attraction tingling through every cell of my body like this before.

  Work, I reminded myself. That’s what I was here for. Not to swoon at the first cowboy that grinned in my direction. Talk about a distraction that I absolutely did not need.

  Tonight was not about me. I was here as Colton McCord’s “date” since he couldn’t exactly bring a real date to his sister’s wedding when a reality show to win his love was slated to start next week. I’d already been running late thanks to my flight being delayed and missed the entire wedding. When I’d arrived at Cara’s wedding reception moments ago and glanced around the room looking for Colton, the very last thing I ever expected was to go weak in the knees with one look into a complete stranger’s eyes. In fact, up until this very moment, I’d have told you that that kind of physical manifestation of arousal was impossible. That people exaggerated things like that for movies, TV, or books. But apparently they knew what they were talking about because that is exactly what had happened to me.

  One look. That was all it’d taken for my muscles to stop working. I’d swayed. Actually swayed from the power of a stare. Eye contact had never been something that I’d had to recover from before, but that’s exactly what I was attempting to do now.

  Claiming Colton was more than just another reality dating show. It was my brain-child. My baby. It was my ticket out of Chicago. Having a showrunner credit on my resume for a successful reality show was exactly what I needed to make my move to Los Angeles. And I had the man standing next to me to thank for that. Colton, a man previously burned by relationship-centered shows, had agreed to do one last one for me. He’d also worked my position as showrunner into his contract.

  My friend had not only gone out on a limb for me, he’d also rearranged his life, and agreed to let his love life, once again, be the subject of a reality dating show.

  This had to be a success. Not only was my career on the line, I owed it to Colton not to lose focus and get sidetracked, no matter how spectacularly sexy the knee weakener was.

  “So young lady, I hear you’re bringing quite a circus to Wishing Well.” The Sheriff’s brows rose and it was clear from his tone he may not be completely on board with his beloved small town being used as the backdrop for the show starring one of the town’s golden boys.

  I smiled brightly, the same smile I’d plastered on when I’d had to face the city council to get approval for the show to happen in the first place. “Well, we’re going to try to keep the circus as contained as possible. There will only be the contestants and a skeleton crew.”

  Some people in town were excited for the production to start, but others weren’t thrilled. From the limited interaction that I’d had so far with the residents, I’d say that it was a fifty-fifty split. Part of my job was making sure that the not-so-pleased half of that equation felt heard and that their concerns were addressed. The last thing I needed was for businesses to decide that they didn’t want to be used as locations or the town to pull any of my permits.

  I’d done my research before pitching the idea of filming in Colton’s hometown. I’d learned that not only was Jasper Reed the Sheriff, his family was one of the three founding families (the others being the Briggs family and the Calhoun family). His opinion was a lot more than just an opinion. If any residents were on the fence of whether or not this show was a good idea, Sheriff Reed would definitely influence them to his side of the yard.

  He crossed his arms. “How many contestants are we talking about?”

  His continued questioning was a good thing, at least that’s what I was telling myself. If he’d already made up his mind that he was against the idea, chances were he wouldn’t be asking about it. From what I’d heard, he was a fair and honorable man. He probably needed more information before coming to a conclusion.

  “Well, I’m finishing up casting this week, but I’m thinking I will be capping it at twelve.”

  “Twelve women.” Another eyebrow rose. “You think you can handle that son?”

  Colton nodded as he smiled, it was the smile that had won the hearts of women across the country when he’d appeared on Fairytale Love, the show that I’d met him on when I was a PA. His all-American good looks, big heart and status as a bona fide Southern gentleman had immediately made him a show favorite. But when he selflessly stepped aside so that Becca, the girl he was paired with, could be with her childhood best friend and true love Brian, his popularity with the opposite sex skyrocketed. Colton was a man’s man who owned a successful ranch, Circle M, which, apparently, was catnip to the female population worldwide.

  Colton sighed. “It won’t be easy, sir, but I think I’ll manage.”

  The sheriff laughed, and his wife swatted his arm. “Jasper Reed, you stop giving these kids a hard time.” She leaned forward and whispered to me, “He watches The Bachelor and The Bachelorette religiously. He’s been more excited than me that Wishing Well is going to be the backdrop of your show.”

  That was music to my ears. Knowing that he supported the show was a huge relief. Hopefully he would set the tone that other town leaders would follow.

  “Now don’t go telling tales, Loretta.” Sheriff Reed huffed, looking, if I wasn’t mistaken, a little embarrassed.

  She leaned even closer and spoke even softer as she giggled, “Sometimes he yells at the screen during rose ceremonies.”

  That mental picture popped in my head and I couldn’t help but laugh. Thinking of this gruff, tough, badass Sheriff upset because the wrong girl or guy got a rose was comedy at its best. It just proved my point that demographics were not as easily tracked as the powers that be and advertisers might think. Looking at Sheriff Reed, no one would guess that his guilty pleasure was a reality dating show. And if his wife hadn’t spilled the beans I’d imagine he would’ve gladly gone to his grave with that as his secret.

  My phone rang, and though I had a million more questions for the Sherriff, like, what were some of his favorite segments? Did he enjoy confessionals? Did he prefer group dates or one-on-one dates more? I knew I had to excuse myself.

  Being a showrunner was
a juggling act and letting even one ball fall could create a domino effect and cause the entire thing to fall apart. There were only a handful of people that had my private number: work contacts, my parents, and my sister. If any of them were calling, it was important.

  “I’m so sorry, I have to get this.” I walked outside so I wouldn’t be one of those awful people on their phones talking loudly and plugging their other ear so they could hear above the music.

  When I looked down I saw my ex’s name. Well, Tad wasn’t just my ex, he was also my boss. We were dating just before I started my last semester to complete my degree in physical therapy and he’d actually been the one that introduced me to production. He’d asked me to help out as a favor when he’d been short staffed on a project. Then he’d asked me to do the same thing the next day. One day turned into a week which turned into a month, and I never ended up going back to school. Before the end of that project Spotlight Entertainment, the production company Tad worked for, hired me. I still worked as a massage therapist, which I’d been doing to supplement my income during school, because production was not a steady source of income. Especially not in Chicago, where I lived and Spotlight was based out of.

  “Hello.” My tone was light, friendly, and professional. I’d mastered it in the six months since he’d called off our engagement because he was in love with an actress he’d met on a movie of the week he’d executive produced last year. She also happened to be a former supermodel and was pregnant with his baby, so it was quite the avalanche of information.

  “MJ, how are things going there?”

  I cringed at the nickname that he used. A lot of people didn’t like their names, but I always had. I was named after my paternal grandmother who was the classiest, sassiest, and funniest woman that I’d ever known. Sadly, she passed away when I was sixteen, but I’d always treasured the fact that we shared the same name. Even when I’d told him I didn’t like the nickname, he’d continued using it. That was red flag number one that I’d ignored. Actually, that should have been red flag number seven hundred, but apparently hindsight was twenty-twenty, because that was the first I’d seen of those suckers.

  “Things are right on track.” I said confidently, because they were. Actually, except for casting, everything was ahead of schedule. Locking down the final cast was the only thing that was running right up to deadline. “I scouted housing this morning. I’m finishing up casting this week. We’ve hired all the crew and they’ll be here on Friday. Colton is heading out tomorrow morning with PR for a week of press and he’ll get home at the same time the girls will get here, a week from tomorrow. And I’ve been assured that all of our filming permits will be approved and filed by close of business tomorrow.”

  “Great. I’ll be in by noon and I was thinking I could take a look at your final picks.”

  “In…in where?” My gut was telling me that he wasn’t talking about the office so I ignored my gut. There was no reason to panic unless he was talking about…

  “In Wishing Well.” He clarified, his tone just condescending enough so that it was clear he thought his answer was obvious. “Our flight lands in Dallas at ten a.m.”

  “Our flight?” Again my ex-spidey-senses were screaming that he wasn’t talking about Randy, Monica, or any of the other producers, but I told them to shut up and stop thinking the worst.

  “Yeah, Alexandria’s coming with me. She’s always wanted to visit Texas and since I’m sure that you have everything under control, I’m using this as a workcation.” He emphasized the word, clearly impressed with himself for using the made up term.

  I would’ve rolled my eyes but I was too busy trying not to have the nervous breakdown that I clearly deserved. This was bad, yes, but all was not lost.

  I held onto hope like it was the last pair of Jimmy Choos in my size at a ninety-percent-off sale at Saks. “I really don’t think it would be worth your time to come down here. Like you said, I have everything under control and I’m sure that Alexandria would rather spend her pregnancy somewhere a lot less…” I wasn’t sure how to describe Wishing Well in a bad light. The truth was, from what I’d seen during the time I’d spent here on my last short visit to pitch the show to the city council, it was more than quaint. It was magical. It was small town living at its best, from the people to the rolling green pastures, and the breathtaking sunsets to the town square which boasted the wishing well that had inspired the town’s name. “Less humid.”

  Humidity and pregnancy had to be like oil and water. Right?

  “Just because she’s a model and actress used to traveling the world, doesn’t mean she needs the finer things. Alex is much less high maintenance than she seems.”

  Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. Tad used every opportunity to bring up how “down to earth” and “low maintenance” Alexandria was. After six months, I should be used to it…but it still got to me. It had nothing to do with her, I liked Alexandria, we were kind of friends, which made it a million times more awkward for me to be around the two of them because Tad had never told her that we’d dated for three years and had been engaged.

  “Plus, this is your first time showrunning. That’s a big responsibility. A lot of balls in the air. I want to be there for you, you know when you drop the ball.”

  When I drop the ball?!

  With disingenuous concern, Tad continued, “I hope you’re not going to let our past interfere with work. If that’s the case I can call Randy and see if someone else can take over for you.”

  Right. Because to Tad I was the one that was replaceable in this scenario. The person that came up with the concept. Had a relationship with the talent and was the showrunner. I would be the obvious replacement. Tad did love to remind me of my place in the pecking order. I could mention he didn’t have any choice, since my position was a part of Colton’s contract, but I decided instead to go along and not stir the pot.

  “Don’t be silly! That’s ancient history. I just didn’t want you to make an unnecessary trip.” I was shaking I was so mad but thanks to all the practice I’d had at hiding what I was feeling, none of my anger bled into my voice.

  “Great! Glad to hear it. Set up lunch tomorrow so we can go over picks. Send me the address. Oh, and before I let you go, Alex wanted me to ask if you could carve out some time to work on her back, it has been killing her since she went into her third trimester.”

  “Sure.” I managed to force out before the line went dead. I lowered the device and stared at the blank screen in my still trembling hand as I tried to process everything that had just transpired.

  Tad was coming here. To Wishing Well. With Alexandria. For a week.

  As I stood, silently under the starry Texas sky, I noticed for the first time that I wasn’t alone on the porch that wrapped around the gathering hall. Two party goers were just a few feet away from me and they seemed to be having a private conversation.

  I turned and headed back inside, not wanting to intrude any more than I already had. But when I stepped back into the reception, I knew that there was no way I could put on a brave face until I talked to the one person that would put this entire thing into perspective for me. The one person that I could always count on to tell me the truth, even if I didn’t want to hear it. And in this case, I wasn’t sure I did.

  Chapter 3

  Travis

  “Some people grin and bear it, others smile and change it.”

  ~ Walker Briggs

  Mia James.

  Damn. Even her name was sexy. As I walked into the storage room I was still suffering from aftereffects of the electrifying awareness that heavenly creature had just caused in me.

  I hadn’t even known Mia James existed twenty minutes ago, and now it felt like my entire world revolved around her, like she was the sun to my earth. She really was a celestial being. Looking at her was like looking straight at the sun. She warmed me from the inside out faster than the whiskey had and her image was burned into my vision. When I closed my eyes I could still see her
soft, wavy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and her wide, engaging smile.

  Shaking my head, I tried to focus on the task at hand and remember what I’d been sent back to get as I scanned the storage room searching for some clue to jump out at me. I had just ruled out napkins as my target when my pocket vibrated and I pulled out my phone.

  A text from my mom read: Travis William Briggs! Do I need to send out a search party for you and those glasses?! So help me…if you’re not back in time for the toast!

  Glasses. Right.

  I briefly considered shooting my normally sweet and sane mother a smartass response that on any other day would make her smile, but decided against it. Today had taught me that one does not tease Dolly Briggs on her child’s wedding day if they wanted to live to see tomorrow. So far she’d had two mini meltdowns and I didn’t want to be the trigger for a major one.

  After I quickly sent back a text assuring her no search party was necessary and I’d be right there I put my phone back in my pocket. Then, I walked around the corner to the back of the storeroom and searched the boxes that filled the shelves. On the cardboard sides of each was writing indicating its contents. I struck out in the first two rows, but on the top shelf I hit the jackpot. There were three boxes labeled glassware.

  Of course. It had to be on the top shelf. I rolled my shoulder, flinching as a stab of pain shot through it. The pain increased as I pulled all three boxes down and placed them on top of one another. It morphed into an aching-throb/sharp-pain combo as I bent and picked the stack up and had to immediately set back down.

  My body was clearly not happy that I hadn’t made it to physical therapy in over a month. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to or suffered from some macho I-don’t-need-a-doctor bullshit. I did need a doctor. The problem was, the nearest PT was sixty miles away. With traffic that could mean three hours round trip. If you included the actual appointment, it was easily four hours out of my day.