Chapter Thirteen
Nikki followed Harrison at a near run until they reached the courtyard. Where the joust was moments from commencing.
Harrison strode over to where Cole was helping Brooks suit up with elbow and kneepads, a chest protector like a hockey goalie would wear, and a bike helmet. Chris stood in the middle of the “field” with a white handkerchief like one of those capri’d beehive girls in the old car race movies. A crowd of the castle staff and several of the villagers stood on the other side of the field in a makeshift spectator section.
Nikki headed over to where the ladies surrounded Granny, who was already in full gear and sitting on her bike clutching a broomstick.
“What’s going on?” Nikki asked.
“It’s jousting day!” Granny said, adjusting her helmet.
Nikki raised her eyebrows and glanced at Amy, who, for once, wasn’t glued to her phone. Well, it was still in her hand. But it looked like it was more for recording purposes as she lifted it every few seconds and took a picture or video of something.
“Amy, maybe you should get your mother,” Nikki said.
“Can’t. She’s the scorekeeper.” Amy pointed at where her mother sat in a lawn chair covered by a huge umbrella, a white board and easel set up near her.
Nikki turned to Kiersten, Leah, and Izzy. “This can’t be safe.”
They looked at her helplessly. “Amy said it’s a tradition,” Kiersten said. “We’ve already tried to talk Granny out of it. But she said she’s the champion and—”
“I’ve got to defend my title!” Granny interjected. “Now, ye better stand out of the way lassies or yer like to get skewered.”
They all backed up, but Nikki looked around for Harrison. Truthfully, she was trying very hard not to dissolve into uncontrollable laughter. But one look at Harrison’s face as he strode toward her kept her from giving in.
“Gran, get off that bicycle!” he said.
“Sorry, sonny!” Chris waved the handkerchief, and Granny raised her broom in salute. “Tally ho!” Brooks followed the move with his mop, and then they both lowered their lances. “Amy!”
Amy took up position behind her and counted it off. “One, two…three!” She gave her a push, running behind her for a second until the bike got going.
Brooks took off from the other side, and Harrison groaned, grabbing his head with both hands.
“Why is Brooks going along with this?” Nikki asked.
“He doesn’t want to ruin the bet.”
“What bet?”
But Harrison wasn’t paying attention to her. His gaze was riveted to the two figures on the bikes, getting closer and closer to each other. Granny leaned over her handlebars and let loose a howl. Her lance connected with Brooks’s chest pads, knocking him clean off his bike.
Of course, the force of it also knocked Granny backward. She landed on her back, feet in the air, skirts exposing her hot pink knickers, broomstick still firmly in her hand.
The crowd went wild. Chris sprinted forward to pick Granny up off the ground and help brush her off. They all rushed over to the middle of the field. Brooks still sat on the ground, helmet in his hands, while he laughed and shook his head.
“Gran, are you all right?” Harrison asked.
“Never better! Champion for another year! Pick me up, laddie,” she said to Chris.
He raised his eyebrows at Harrison who didn’t seem to know what to say. Chris shrugged and stooped down to lift the tiny, old woman onto his shoulder so she could properly be cheered by the crowd.
Cole gave Brooks his hand to help him off the ground. Brooks laughed. “Man, I didn’t even let her win. She’s good.”
“I can’t believe you went along with all this,” Harrison said, glaring at him.
Brooks held up his hands. “Don’t get pissy at me. Everyone was already out here setting up. They had a whole pool of people wanting to challenge the champ. I just threw my name into the hat.” He handed off his gear to the next competitor who’d come to get it.
Harrison let out a long sigh. “I guess I should be glad they’re doing this now, before the guests arrive. The last thing we need is someone taking a broomstick to the face and slapping us with a lawsuit.”
“There, see. Always a bright side,” Nikki said, slipping her arm around his waist. She smiled up at him, hoping to lighten his mood.
He looked down at her and finally she felt the muscles in his body relax against her. He gave her a sexy little half smile. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him for a quick kiss on her forehead.
“Come on, let’s go make sure the champion stays put for the rest of the match,” he said, leading her to where Chris was depositing Granny near Francie.
Nikki studiously ignored the glances Harrison’s friends were shooting back and forth. She wasn’t sure he was even aware his arm was still around her, or that he’d kissed her in front of them all. She didn’t want to draw his attention to any of it for fear he’d realize what he was doing and stop.
Or worse, mention it only to have him tell her it was part of the whole fake fiancée act. Because this didn’t feel fake. That smile he’d given her had seemed genuine. And that sweet kiss had felt more real than any she’d ever had.
Not to mention the scorching kiss in his old room when no one had been looking.
She knew whatever was brewing between them wasn’t going to last. Couldn’t last. Or even go further than it had. It wasn’t what either of them wanted no matter what their hormones might do around each other.
But for a brief moment she just wanted to enjoy it. She could get back to reality later.
…
Harrison grumbled again as he put on his kilt, mumbling under his breath about that damn bloody book.
Finally, Nikki threw up her hands. “How can you possibly hate something that so many people find joy in?”
Harrison scowled at her. “I don’t understand the fascination—or maybe I should say obsession—with a fictional story. These women talk about this character as if he were a real person. Someone that they not only have a shot with, but are in a relationship with already. They talk like they’re really in love with him, and he doesn’t even exist. And they will spend huge amounts of money to travel halfway around the world in order to see fictional sites from a fictional book in a fictional show.”
Nikki spread her hands wide and looked at him, her mouth slightly open. “And? All that fictional love is going to be making you a crap ton of real money. You should be thanking your lucky stars that this series has such a huge, loyal following. It’s going to save your company. It’s probably going to be such a huge success that you won’t ever have to come back out here and do this again. Your family will be able to keep it running on their own, hire actors to do all the reenactment work, and you’ll be off the hook. You should be sending dozens of long stem roses to the author and producers of the show. Not to mention the actors. Yet all you’re doing is stomping around the house and complaining like a toddler. Let me remind you, that this entire thing was your idea from the start.”
He frowned. “No, it wasn’t. It was my idea to take the tourists to the different locations, but it was certainly not my idea to dress up like any of the characters. Or parade around in some ridiculous red wig,” he said, grabbing it from his head, “or have an even more ridiculous fake wedding with my fake assistant.”
“I might be your fake fiancée, but I have definitely been working hard enough for you to earn the title of real assistant.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out. “You’re right. My apologies,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face. “I didn’t mean that. But this whole thing has got me wound up so tight I’m…”
Her lips quirked up at that. “About to pop like a shaken champagne bottle, are you?” Then she shook her head. “Do you even know why people like me and the other rabid fans as you call them like this book and the characters so much?”
He raised an eyebrow. This should be good. “Enlighten me.”
“It isn’t the romance, or at least not the way you think. It’s like in the show. Yes, the guy who plays the main character is gorgeous. But frankly I’ve seen better in real life.” Her eyes traveled over his body with a slow intensity that almost had him squirming like an inexperienced virgin.
“And yes,” she continued, “the sex scenes are fun. But not for the reasons you think. It’s not what they’re doing. It’s the way he looks at her. The way he touches her. The things he says to her. He’s a good enough actor that you believe he really means it. He would do absolutely anything for her. Give himself over to his worst enemy. Let himself be captured, beaten, flogged, killed. Anything to keep her safe. He’d dive into the middle of a storm-raging ocean and face down entire armies for her.
“Hell, my last boyfriend wouldn’t even toss a few of my shirts in with his laundry when he ran a load. Not to be mean. It just never occurred to him to do something like that for me. If he did do nice things for me, it was because it was convenient for him, not because he wanted to make me happy or because of something I needed. That is why I love the series so much. Because when I read it, I can experience a different time and place and be a part of a type of love that probably doesn’t really exist. I get a taste of something that I’ll probably never have in real life. Their love is epic. And when I’m immersed in the books or the show, I get to feel that for a little while, too.”
He watched her for a moment, struck a little speechless at both the passion behind what she just said, and the logic, sad though it may be.
“You don’t think you’ll ever experience that kind of love?” he finally asked.
She met his gaze for a second before looking back down. She shrugged. “I’m not sure I believe that kind of love really exists at all. Do you?” she asked, looking back up at him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it before.” His heart clenched at the trace of sadness in her eyes. “But I hope so.” He reached out to cup her face, his thumb lightly tracing her cheek. “You deserve that kind of love.”
She gave him a soft smile that spread like a warm glow through him. “So do you.”
He forced a laugh and dropped his hand. Things had taken an uncomfortable turn. He never knew how to deal with the warm fuzzies, and she seemed to bring them out more and more. “Well, I don’t know about that. But,” he said, sucking in a deep breath and taking a step back from her so he could look at himself in the mirror, “at least if I have to squeeze my proper English ass into this bloody kilt, I’ll look damn good while doing it.”
She laughed and nodded her head. “That you do.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Austin poked his head in when Harrison called out.
“The guests are arriving, sir,” he said.
Harrison took another deep breath and took Nikki’s hand. “Show time.”