Free Belonging to Bandera by Tina Leonard Page B

Bandera’s heart. The woman was so independent. It was annoying! Women who were interested in a man, who returned their interest, usually tried to hang around. In fact, any womanhe had ever kissed usually did her darnedest to stay very close to him.
    Holly seemed determined to run away. He supposed it was in her blood, just as some Jefferson things were in his own blood. Clearly, her motivation and his were not meant to mix.
    “Bandera?” Hawk asked. “What are you going to do?”
    “If I don’t go with Mason,” Bandera said with a sigh, “he may never return home. That’s my job, following Mason back to Union Junction.”
    Marielle laughed. “He doesn’t seem like such a bad boy to me.”
    Mason blushed, Bandera noted with interest.
    When everyone had made their plans, Bandera stared at Holly. She raised her chin, looking right back at him stubbornly.
    “You’ll regret stopping your run so soon,” he said softly.
    “You’ll have regrets, too,” she replied, her eyes wide. “Mason can take care of himself.”
    “You don’t know Mason,” Bandera said. “Actually, none of my family takes care of themselves very well.”
    She laughed, turning toward Cousin Mike’s motorcycle, but Bandera caught her hand. “You want to ride back in the truck and tell me more about this Honeymoon Balloon thing? I’m pretty sure you need me to brainstorm ideas with you.”
    “I do not,” Holly said, removing her hand.
    “Oh, go with him,” Cousin Mike said suddenly, with a surreptitious look at Marielle. “He won’t bite, and there’s no rush to get back. Your mom called before you got here and said she and your dad are going on vacation.”
    She blinked. “Where?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. You’d gotten them so excited with your wedding and honeymoon plans that they decided to take one of their own. Think they murmured something about renewing their vows.”
    “Oh,” Holly said softly, then smiled. “How very romantic of them.”
    “Yeah.” Mike crossed his arms over his chest, glancing at Marielle. “Think it was on their minds.”
    Marielle blushed.
    Mason’s cell phone rang. He jumped, pulling it from his pocket.
    “Hello? Hey, Mimi,” he said.
    The whole group stared at him.
    “You are? Okay. Let me have Hawk tell you how to get to Jellyfish’s then. There’s no point in you stopping here, and we’re on our way there.” He passed the cell phone to Hawk. “Mimi’s passing near here on her way to…to somewhere.” He wrinkled his face. “I don’t think she said where.”
    Hawk took the cell phone and gave her instructions.
    “That reminds me,” Bandera said, “Mimi called earlier. I meant to tell you.”
    “What did she want?”
    She’d want you to not be with another woman, Bandera thought but didn’t say. “I’m not sure. I told her I’d have you call her.”
    Holly looked at him funny. Okay, so he was prevaricating, but he didn’t want to be caught in the middle of a Mimi-Mason miscommunication. Holly had no idea how tense things could get between those two.
    “Okay.” Mason turned away. “Thanks for the ride, Marielle.”
    “Anytime.” She grinned up at him. “It was great riding with you. You know how to lean into the turns just right, cowboy.”
    Mason grinned back. “And you know all the right things to say to make a man feel good.”
    They kissed goodbye—on the cheek, Bandera noticed with some relief—then Mason headed to the truck. To the passenger seat. That meant Bandera was driving, and if Holly went with them she would be in the back seat. Alone. He did some quick seat rearranging in his mind. Before Mason was halfway to the truck, Bandera said, “You drive, Mason.”
    His brother caught the keys he tossed him. “Why?”
    “So Holly’s not alone in the back.”
    Marielle and Cousin Mike laughed. Holly glared. “I don’t mind being alone in the back. I was planningon taking a nap. And changing out of this tank top. All these seed pearls and sequins