Page 33 of Catching Coy
“Of course I did. You’ve gotta give me something.”
“Lucy’s scene tonight wasn’t enough drama and heartache for you?” Coy asked in a dry voice.
“You’re gonna choose Bellamy at the end of this—everyone sees it the way we did with Gunner and Mae—only no one on the other side of the television is going to know why because you haven’t even taken her on a date alone yet. At least Gunner gave us something on camera with Mae, even if he was rehearsing quite a bit off camera with her behind our backs.”
Bellamy clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“I’ll take her on an alone date next week,” Coy promised.
“Oh, how very gracious.” Agnes’ voice dripped with sarcasm. “Where is she, Coy?”
“Probably up in her apartment, bunking with her mom to avoid having someone barge in her room with a camera in the middle of the night.”
Bellamy heard a muffled snort of laughter she pinned on Zane.
“Argh!” Agnes cried in frustration, and a moment later a door slammed. Several moments followed and the side-by-side roared to life.
“Thanks for coming, Bells,” Coy whispered into the darkness. “I definitely feel better.”
Worth it, she thought, not even the cool air around her could bring down the heat still pumping through her from kissing Coy. She wished she had a phone so she could tell him. But sneaking a phone call tonight was probably more than Agnes could bear.
Chapter Seventeen
Bellamy, 27
Little River, Wyoming
Manager, The Ranch House at the Arrow C
“Last week was so difficult, just dealing with all of the frustration of the women here. It’s hard, all of us falling for Coy but having to also watch as he falls for other women. It’s so difficult, but getting more alone time with Coy will make all this worth it.”
* * *
Coy only heardBellamy’s voice over the phone the next couple of days. Agnes sent over one of the camera guys to sleep on the couch at Roxy’s house and Zane complained that he’d gotten a long lecture on whatever part he’d played in Bellamy sneaking into Coy’s room.
“I have a roommate now,” she’d said when she called Saturday morning. A camerawoman. She just went to the bathroom, so I have like, two minutes.”
“Cheese curds,” Coy had replied, and then they couldn’t stop laughing before Bellamy had to hang up suddenly. After kissing Bellamy Friday night, he couldn’t wait to get her back in his arms. By the time Bellamy stepped out of the SUV in front of one of the historic buildings in downtown Little River, he couldn’t hold himself back. He hurried forward to greet her, pulling her up into his arms and holding her close for several seconds.
“Agnes is a heartless dragon,” he whispered.
Bellamy laughed in his arms, and he pulled away only enough to kiss her. The way he couldn’t get enough of her on Friday night had surprised him. Kissing Lucy had been fun—exciting and electric—but he had never felt as though he might not be able to stop. He had thought about Bellamy and even the other women during his time with Lucy, worrying how each of them felt about his relationship with Lucy. With Bellamy, the entire world disappeared. He hadn’t cared that Zane had walked in. He’d been hard pressed to care that Agnes was about to catch them. He had just wanted those moments with Bellamy to go on forever.
Like now, when the cameras didn’t matter anymore.
“Missed you,” she said in a soft voice as they rested their foreheads together before pulling apart.
“Missed you.” He grinned and pulled back. “This is new for me. What do you have in store for us today?”
She slipped her hand down into his and turned to look up and down Little River’s Main Street. “I’m going to show you my town. You’ve already seen the museum, so we’ll skip that.” She chuckled, probably remembering the way Coy had described to her how his day with Willa had gone, paying tribute to the great Taggart Dubois. “Let’s start with food.” She tugged him down the sidewalk to the Little River Diner.
“I’ve also been there,” he pointed out, following her anyway.
“Not with me. And it’s not all rented out for privacy today.” They came to the doors of the diner quickly, and she pulled open the door, stepping through while he held it.
The diner was full, even in the late morning, past the breakfast rush. There was a brief hush as people turned toward the door and noted who had come in. It was broken by a waitress plunking down a plate louder than he thought necessary. Several people jumped and conversations immediately restarted.
“Addy might have threatened people to act normal,” Bellamy said as she led him to a booth. She scooted in on one side, letting go of Coy’s hand, but he surprised her by scooting in next to her instead of going to the other side.
