Free Promises to a Stallion (Kimani Romance) by Deborah Fletcher Mello

door.
    Travis was growing used to the woman’s tantrums. Exiting the vehicle, he raced behind her to catch up. As he reached her side he swept her hand into his and held it.
    Shaking him off, Tierra gave him an evil stare. Travis laughed.
    “You really aren’t funny,” Tierra said.
    “I have my moments. So, where are we headed now?”
    Cutting her eyes at him, Tierra scowled, the frown clouding her face. “I have to return the wedding bands I purchased. Is that going to be a problem?”
    Travis grinned. “Not at all. In fact, while we’re here we can pick out a new pair. We might need them sooner than later.”
    Reaching for her hand a second time, Travis clasped her fingers gently between his own. Tierra’s first instinct was to pull away again but she didn’t. Whether she admitted it out loud or not, she liked holding Travis’s hand, even if the man was annoying.
    Travis followed Tierra faithfully as she moved from one store in the large shopping complex to another. Their first stop had been Bachendorf’s Jewelers. With its extensive collection of handcrafted designer jewelry, Travis could easily see what had drawn Tierra to the nicely detailed gold bands that she’d selected. The 18-karat gold had been nice. The diamonds and platinum he planned to put on her hand would be much nicer, he thought, making a mental note to come back for a matching set that had caught his eye.
    Tierra balked when Travis insisted she try on the engagement ring and wedding band set.
    “Just to see,” Travis said, refusing to let her waffle her way out of it. “I like them and I just want to see them on a woman’s hand.”
    “Well, you need to go find you another woman to experiment with,” Tierra said, trying to move down toward the other end of the counter.
    As Travis clasped her by the elbow, she knew there would be no backing down without causing a major scene. The man had her once again, and the expression that crossed her face said she wasn’t happy about it.
    “Your boyfriend is very persistent,” the redheaded sales clerk said with a slight chuckle. “And he has impeccable taste. This set is an interlocking engagement ring and wedding band combination. It’s solid platinum with a 6.78 carat, princess-cut diamond and twenty-four diamond baguettes. It’s a stunning piece of jewelry and looks wonderful on.”
    “He’s not my boyfriend,” Tierra muttered as she cut her eye at Travis.
    The woman raised her eyebrows curiously as Travis nodded his head in contradiction.
    Suddenly intrigued, Tierra slowly extended her left hand in the woman’s direction. Shaking her head, she wanted to tell Travis exactly what she thought about him, but it would have to wait until they were back in the car, and alone. Right then she needed to try on a ring to appease him.
    From the jewelry store they’d gone on to a gift shop, a Hallmark greeting cards store, Ann Taylor, Old Navy and Cache. Travis couldn’t believe how much stuff Tierra had needed to return.
    “Are you keeping anything?” he finally asked as they maneuvered their way in the direction of Saks Fifth Avenue.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Anything you purchased. Are you keeping anything, or is this like some pity-party ritual you women do? Buy to make the hurt go away and then burn back to the store before the credit card bill is due.”
    Tierra rolled her eyes. “Don’t start.”
    “I was just asking.”
    “Well, don’t. And I am not having a pity party. There is just no reason to hold on to things that I have no use for. Why waste money?”
    “You knew you had no use for some of that junk when you were buying it. But you bought it anyway.”
    “Tch!” Tierra sucked her teeth, her face skewed with displeasure. She hastened her steps, wanting to leave Travis somewhere behind.
    “So, where are we headed to now?” he asked, racing to catch up to her.
    “This is my last stop,” she said, entering the lingerie department of Saks Fifth Avenue. “Then I’m taking