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Mimi had to cover her mouth to stop her laughter from sending Summer into a real fit. “He thinks you’re cute, doesn’t he?”
Summer crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes at the old woman. “If it weren’t for the apple pie, I would so be going home right now.”
Big D walked into the kitchen wondering if he needed to call for an ambulance. His wife was laughing so hard, her face was bright red. Mimi got up, wiping her eyes and shaking her head. She shooed them both out so she could get lunch ready.
“She still giving you a hard time about that quarterback?” Big D asked. He’d always had a soft spot for his granddaughter, but it got bigger after her parents died. Summer knew it and never took advantage. It was nice having Big D looking out for her, even when he only had to protect her from nosy grandmothers.
“She just wants me to get married before she dies. I figure the longer I drag it out, the longer she’ll stick around. Maybe I’ll wait until she’s a hundred.”
He looked up at the ceiling pleadingly. “Lord, help me.”
“Be nice,” Summer warned.
“She wants you to be happy, darlin’. That’s all she wants.”
She wanted them to be happy, too. When her dad died, so did a little piece of them. Summer’s presence helped, healed some of the wounds. Still, one thing she’d learned in the hard years since her parents’ deaths—people don’t get over burying a child. Mimi was having a good day today, but next week was the anniversary of her son and daughter-in-law’s deaths. As feisty as the old woman in the other room was, she still suffered from a broken heart. The dark days were coming. Summer could feel it.
“I am happy.” Big D gave her a knowing look from his oversize recliner. “Most of the time,” she added.
“I never thought you’d stick around here. Not that I mind, of course. I just thought you’d be more like your daddy, I guess.”
Summer had two reasons why she stuck around, and they were both in this house. Part of her yearned to be in the thick of things, studying weather phenomena on location instead of reporting about them from the safety of a television studio. Nevertheless, she knew her grandmother wanted nothing more than for her to marry someone with roots in Texas and raise a family that would fill the dining room table every Sunday. Summer wasn’t looking for some guy to settle down with because she wasn’t sure she wanted to settle down. Sometimes she hoped there was a man out there who was going to blow into town and sweep her off her feet, take her away and show her the adventure of a lifetime. That was a secret she’d never dare tell.
“I’m good, Big D. Don’t you waste one more minute worrying about me.”
He sat forward and patted her knee with a weathered but gentle hand. “I could say the same thing to you, sweetheart.”
* * *
SUMMER SPENT ALL of Sunday night thinking about what her grandfather had said. She thought about it again while she waited for her turn to speak to a bunch of kids at one of the local libraries Monday afternoon. It also crossed her mind when she arrived at the station later and opened an email from Ryan.
I have big news when I see you. You won’t be able to say no this time. Your career as a boring, Texas weather girl is over.
Ryan was crazy. Wasn’t he? Being a meteorologist was the perfect job for her. Summer got paid to talk about the weather five days a week. What more could she ask for?
Adventure.
The truth was, the thrill of a storm chase was like nothing else she had ever known. She tried to appease the wild child inside her with rock climbing, hiking, even skydiving. Nothing came close. Summer loved the weather, but did she love being the—
“Weather Girl.” Travis was all smiles as he sat on the corner of her desk. “Did you have a good weekend?”
“I had a great weekend,” Summer said, taking a good look at him. His hair was shorter, a lot shorter. It made him look older, less like a boy and more like a man. “It looks like someone attacked your head with some clippers.”
Looking sheepish, he rubbed his clean-shaven jaw with his knuckles. “I got a haircut,” he said, stating the obvious. “My aunt Kelly’s neighbor’s book club apparently thought it was too long. Kelly agreed and called my mother, who called me and said she wasn’t going to bake any red velvet cupcakes when I came to visit if I didn’t get it cut.”
“She drives a hard bargain.”
“You have no idea. Her cupcakes make me cry,” he whispered.
“Interesting,” Summer said, not interested in the least.
“I’ll ask her to bake you some. She likes you.” He cringed and closed his eyes. His cheeks turned pink. “I mean she watches you and likes you, you know, as a weather girl.”
If anyone knew about sticking her foot in her mouth, it was Summer. “If it makes you feel any better, my grandmother thinks you’re cute,” she confessed to ease his embarrassment.
“She does?” His eyes were bright like the clouds had lifted. “And would you say you consider your grandmother a wise woman?”
“Oh, Mimi is completely off her rocker. I mean, she is more than a few cards short of a full deck. Bonkers. Mad as a hatter. Crazy as a—”
“Okay, okay!” Travis put his fingers on her lips. “I get it.”
Summer’s heart skipped a beat, then flew into overdrive. Before she could process this unexpected physical reaction, Travis pulled his hand away and shoved it deep in his pants pocket.
“Did you know that the highest temperature ever recorded was 136 degrees Fahrenheit in Azizia, Libya?” she blurted out. “Can you imagine?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “That’s crazy hot.”
“Summer, Travis. Can you two come here a minute?” Ken called from the doorway of his office, breaking the tension.
Travis stood up and smiled. “I talked to him about giving your thirty seconds back.”
Her thirty seconds. Summer made a mad dash to Ken’s door. She could barely contain her excitement as she took a seat and waited for the two men to settle in. Maybe Travis wasn’t so bad after all.
“I want to run through your upcoming appearances. You guys know about the Balloon Festival in a couple weeks?”
“I’m running in the 10K, so I’ll be there all day,” Summer announced anxiously. She wanted him to get to the part about her thirty seconds.
“You run?” Travis asked, seeming surprised. Summer nodded and bit her tongue. Was it really that shocking? Was he unaware of the fact that women could run? Did she not look like a runner?
“Well, you two don’t need to be there until three o’clock. Brian and Rachel will be kicking off the event in the morning. You’ll need to be there after the balloon launch. I’m sending some head shots for Travis to autograph. I think we could get a lot of traffic.”
Abilene hosted an annual hot-air balloon festival to raise money for local charities. It attracted tens of thousands of people as well as local and national media attention. KLVA sent reporters to cover the event and held a meet and greet with some of the station’s personalities. Above and beyond Rachel and their anchor, Brian, Travis was certain to be a big draw this year. Summer loved the Balloon Fest, but she dreaded having to spend the afternoon dealing with the football god and his disciples. This obsession with a man who threw a ball to other men made absolutely no sense to her.
Ken was momentarily distracted by an email alert. He slid his reading glasses off the top of his head and onto his face. He took his sweet time reading the message and typing a response.
“I run,” Travis whispered.
“That’s super,” Summer whispered back. Did he want a medal? Did he not get enough attention for his previous career? Clearly he needed recognition for being able to run, as well.
“Okay.” Ken turned away from the computer. “There’s also the Rodeo Parade next month. You’ll both need to be available for that, too.”
“No problem,” they said at the same time.
“Perfect. Then I’ve only got one other thing.” Ken sat back, took his glasses off and set them on his desk. “Travis came to talk to me earlier about giving the thirty seconds back to weather.”
“I appreciate that,” Summer said, meaning it wholeheartedly.
“He and I discussed it, and I think I came up with the greatest idea,” Ken continued.
Summer’s smile faltered a bit. Ken had come up with an idea? Wasn’t the idea giving weather back its thirty seconds?
“So, picture this,” Ken said, holding his hands up as if he were framing the scene. “Instead of weather getting an extra thirty seconds each night, we add a whole special segment once a week.”
Summer almost leaped out of her seat. A segment? A special segment? Her grandmother was right. Travis was cute. He was unbelievably cute. He was maybe the cutest guy she had ever met. “I am so glad you changed your mind,” she said in a rush. “Like I told you a few weeks ago, I’ve been working on this weather history—”
Ken held up his hand to stop her. “Summer, Summer, hold on there. Let me finish.”
The knot in her stomach told her something was wrong. Something was very wrong. She stole a glance in Travis’s direction. He was rubbing the back of his neck, and his tension only added to her worry.
“Travis is going to bring a lot of viewers to the station, but he needs some—” Ken smiled at Travis apologetically before turning back to Summer “—polishing if we want to keep the viewers from switching back to Channel 4. You’re a natural when it comes to reporting. You two are both young, attractive people. I’ve seen you banter in the newsroom. I like it. I like it a lot. I like it so much, I want to combine weather and sports during football season.” His steepled fingers slid together to join his two hands.
Summer felt the heat rising up her chest. This was not what she wanted to hear.
“We send you two to do special on-location reports. Summer tells everybody how hot it is on the field and Travis talks about how hot the action is. He’ll learn a thing or two from you. The viewers will eat you two up. It’s brilliant. We’ll do a couple of the high-school games to warm you up. Local games here in Abilene, Sweetwater’s homecoming and then I want to send you down to Austin. Travis’s alma mater. Summer in a Longhorns T-shirt. It’s gonna be magic.”
There were no words. No words for what Summer was feeling. She was being asked to report the weather at a football game. At several football games. No “This Day in Weather History.” No escape from the nightmare that had begun when Travis Lockwood stepped into the newsroom.
“So, what do you think? You love it?” Ken looked back and forth between them with a huge, ugly smile.
Travis cleared his throat. Twice. “Ah, I think I’m game if Summer’s game. I mean, as I said earlier, I want to prove myself—prove you didn’t made a mistake hiring me.”
Summer was having an out-of-body experience. She was no longer sitting in the chair. She hovered above everyone, looking down at the disastrous scene. Ken was all too pleased with himself, and when he came up with ideas like this, there was no stopping him. Nothing she said would make a difference, but she tried anyway.
“A Texas game means you want us to work on the weekend. Richard’s not going to like that. He thinks things are unfair already. If I take the weekends, too, no telling what kind of fit he’ll throw.” Her voice shook slightly as she fought to keep herself together.
“I don’t really care what Richard will and won’t like. We’re talking one Saturday. Most of these segments will be local high-school games on Friday nights. Maybe we’ll send you to Dallas for a Cowboys game.” Ken’s focus went back to Travis. “You think you could work your connections to get us some one-on-ones? Maybe you and Romo? Travis! This is the best idea I’ve ever had!”
The walls began to close in on Summer. She needed to get out. She needed to leave the building. Without saying a word, she bolted from the office, past the elevators and straight to the stairwell. Her footsteps echoed as she made her way down.
“Summer!”
Her name didn’t even register until she had pushed open the heavy door into the lobby. She couldn’t face Travis right now. Oh, the things she might say if she opened her mouth. This was his fault. If he hadn’t come to work at Channel 6, she wouldn’t be dealing with these changes. She certainly wouldn’t have to go to football games every week. Weather would be nothing but a second thought on those days.
Fueled by her frustration, Summer exited through the building’s revolving doors. The afternoon sun momentarily blinded her, and in her frantic need to get away, she bumped into a passerby. Shielding her eyes, she apologized to the man and kept moving with no destination in mind. Maybe Ryan was right. Maybe what Summer needed was an escape from it all. Why did she want to be a stupid weather girl anyway?
A hand wrapped around her arm, and Travis tugged her to a stop. “Summer, please. Don’t be mad.”
“Don’t be mad?” Her anger rose. “First you take thirty seconds. Now you talk Ken into getting your own special segment? And I have to be dragged along with you?”
“I didn’t ask him for anything,” he said, letting her go and sounding exasperated. “All I’m trying to do is find a way to do this job and do it well.”
“Do it well? You can’t even read the prompter!” If she was going to tell him how she felt, she was going to let all the ugly out. “You come in here with no experience, no résumé, nothing! You got this job because of who you were, not who you are. You smile and you charm everyone, but I know you’re a fraud. You’re nothing but a big fraud who took my thirty seconds. I’ve been asking Ken for a special weather segment for months and he gives the time to you instead. I shouldn’t be mad? What should I be exactly?”
There was no boyish grin, no twinkling eyes. Travis looked pissed and not afraid to show it. He stepped forward, and Summer’s back pressed against the warm brick behind her. He caged her in with his arms. His rock-hard body barely an inch from hers made it hard to concentrate. “I didn’t take your stupid thirty seconds. They were given to me. I didn’t ask for them. I didn’t plot to ruin your life. I simply took the job I was offered. And maybe I don’t have any experience, but I’m willing to learn. Maybe I am a fraud, but I’m not your punching bag.”
Summer felt as if her chest was going to break open from the pounding of her heart. She opened her mouth to say something but could think of nothing. He was right. She was blaming him for things that weren’t really under his control.
Travis stepped back and ran his fingers through his too-short-to-tug hair. “I don’t know what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. But you don’t know me.” He laughed without humor. “Here I thought that was a good thing,” he said more to himself than her. He looked her in the eye, casting no doubt on his sincerity. “I tried to give you your time back. I asked Ken to do that, but he came up with this instead. I’m sorry football offends you so much. I’m sorry I offend you so much. Be mad. I don’t really care.”
With that, he stormed back inside, leaving Summer breathing heavily and filled with regret. She had cast him as the villain for no other reason than to make herself the victim. Summer was mad all right—mad at herself.
CHAPTER FOUR
TRAVIS WAS NO stranger to hard work. He was never one to back down from a challenge or to give up without a fight. He’d been fortunate that his talent on the football field made things easier for him. For every loss there were ten wins. Travis wasn’t afraid of losing, though. There was only one thing he truly feared—failure. Failing wasn’t the same as losing. Losing was temporary. Failing meant there was no coming back. His football career was a failure. He would not meet the goals his father had set for him or the ones he had set for himself. And according to the Weather Girl, his career in sportscasting was destined to end in failure, as well.
She’d called him a fraud, which was true. He didn’t know the first thing about reporting. He tried faking it, but that wasn’t working as well as he’d hoped. Summer also wanted to blame him for all her problems. As if having to attend a football game once a week was the worst problem in the world to have. She needed to get over herself. The world didn’t revolve around the weather or football. Travis had learned that the hard way. As much as he enjoyed their harmless banter, he wouldn’t accept her wrath. It was one thing to be uninterested. It was another to be mean.
Summer could be as mad as she wanted. He didn’t care anymore—not about the length of her weather report, and not about her. From now on if he needed someone to tell him what a loser he was, he’d call his father. He also didn’t need Summer pointing out he wasn’t good enough. He had an ex-fiancée who had made that clear when she left him. Summer’s opinion didn’t matter.
Travis pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Maybe Ken was right. Maybe going to these football games would help him. Obviously he needed the ego boost more than he thought. He’d be able to forget all about his current shortcomings by living it up in Austin or Dallas for a weekend.
Of course, what Ken didn’t know was that Travis had no pull in the NFL anymore. He was damaged goods. People around these parts still worshipped the ground he walked on, but in the big leagues, he was nothing. It was embarrassing to think he’d have to sit down with Tony Romo and ask him questions about playing ball.
Travis had met the Dallas QB once when he was still in Austin. Back then, the expectations for him were high and there wasn’t a team in the league that wasn’t looking at their quarterback situation and wondering if they could get their hands on Travis. Romo was friendly enough, but he knew someday Travis was going to be real competition. Travis loved that, the unspoken anxiety he created in opponents. Nowadays, the only opponent he had was a sassy weather girl who wanted her stupid thirty seconds back, and she had proved too tough for him.
“Is there a storm headed our way that Summer didn’t bother to tell us about?” Rachel voice startled him. She ran a finger along the top of Travis’s desk and her blouse was open one button too low to be professional. Rachel, unlike Summer, had no issues with making things personal between the two of them.
Travis shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “She’s getting some fresh air. Ken gave her a bit of bad news.”
“She’s moving to weekends?” Rachel certainly loved gossip. Travis shook his head. “He’s cutting some of her appearances?” Travis shook his head again. “He’s letting her go?”
“No, no. Nothing like that,” Travis assured her. “She has to go to football games with me. That’s all.”
Something flashed in Rachel’s eyes— displeasure, he thought. “Now, why in the world would Ken be sending Summer out to football games with you? That girl doesn’t know a thing about football!”
“He’s got it in his head that we have some sort of chemistry. I’d agree if oil and water somehow reacted to each other. But I think the only thing we do is push each other away.”
Rachel tapped her painted fingernails on his desktop as she glared at Ken’s office door. “You and Summer? Is he saying you two have better chemistry than Brian and me?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Is he saying you and I don’t have chemistry?”
“Your name didn’t really come up,” Travis said, not understanding what she was getting at.
She paled and put a hand over her heart, looking horror-struck. “He’s saying I don’t have chemistry with anyone?”
“I can’t really say what he thinks about your chemistry because like I said, you didn’t come up in the conversation.”
Rachel’s hands were balled into fists at her sides as she stalked over to Ken’s door. “Well, if he thinks he’s going to groom that blond weather freak to take me out, he’s got another think coming.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” Travis shouted. He had no idea what was going on anymore.
Rachel pushed open the door without knocking and slammed it shut behind her. The women at KLVA were all certifiable. Just as that thought crossed his mind, in walked Summer. Those bluebell eyes met his and were brimming with something other than the anger and disgust that had been present a few minutes ago. She headed straight for Ken’s office, knocking politely. Rachel flung open the door, almost knocking Summer over.
She pointed an angry finger at the bewildered weather girl. “Don’t think I’m not on to you, Rain Princess. I know what you’re up to. I know.”
Travis watched as Rachel stomped off, knocking into one of the production assistants and snapping at the woman to get out of her way. Summer looked over at him, trying to make sense of what had happened. All he could do was shrug. He had no idea what was in the water today. Still slightly shaken, she stepped into Ken’s office and closed the door behind her.
Try as he might, Travis couldn’t keep himself from checking constantly for Summer to emerge. Although he couldn’t make out exactly what was being said, Ken’s voice was loud and scolding. When Summer finally opened the door, her expression gave away nothing. No telling what had gone on in there. She slowly walked toward Travis’s desk. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder and he could tell she was nervous.
“I was wrong to take my frustration out on you. I’m sorry,” she said like a child who had been told to apologize but didn’t really mean it. She began to turn away.
“Hold up.” Travis rose to his feet. He was a good foot and a half taller than her, and his size caused her to take a step back. “Obviously Ken told you you’re stuck with me.” She didn’t deny it but arched an impressive eyebrow. “I get that you think I don’t deserve to work here, but what is it about me that makes you so angry, huh? Does your boyfriend watch too much football on Sundays? Maybe your brother’s team got beat by Sweetwater back in the day?”
“I don’t have a brother or a boyfriend. Not that it’s any of your business,” she grumbled.
“I wasn’t trying to pry.”
“Listen, my weather time matters to me. You were given my time.” There was another flash of resentment in her eyes. “I’m also allergic to people who are looking to make fun of me.”
When had he ever mocked her? He had been nothing but nice to her even though she was the only person at the station who refused to jump on the welcome wagon. “I would never make fun of you for being passionate about something you love.”
She regarded him with her head tilted slightly. “Is this your dream job? Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe you should figure that out because sharing what I know about the weather is what I want to do with mine.” She retreated to her desk. All hope of her helping him become a more polished sportscaster evaporated. Travis dropped back into his chair. His indecision made him feel ridiculous. He wasn’t a child. He was a man who should know what he wanted out of life. Sadly, he did not.
* * *
TRAVIS WAS HARD-PRESSED to get any tips on improving his on-air performance. Summer Raines managed to be as elusive as...well, summer rain in Texas for the rest of the week. Travis and Summer’s work-related appearances kept them from connecting before newscasts. She was all-business and disappeared as soon as she finished giving her forecast. It was probably for the best. If they didn’t interact, she wouldn’t have the chance to make him feel guilty.
Determined not to fail, Travis spent all his free time memorizing his reports. The less he had to rely on the Teleprompter, the better. His nerves still got the best of him now and again. He fumbled through the end of Friday’s five o’clock report. It wasn’t a complete disaster, but still not good enough. He resolved to hide in his car and practice during the break until it was flawless.
He was surprised to find Rachel waiting for him by his desk when he stopped to grab his keys. “Great job at five, Travis. You’re really going to be a big draw.” She put her hand on his arm and not so subtly squeezed his biceps. She must have liked what she felt because she let out an appreciative hum. “You’ve been an excellent addition to the team.”