Breaking Travis (The West Series Book 5) by Jill Sanders

and still didn’t move. Her knees had gone weak and her mind refused to stop thinking about the kiss.
    Did he know that she loved him? How had she fallen so quickly? Especially for him?
    She leaned her head down on the glass table. She felt like crying. She was doomed. She just knew there was no way he was feeling the same way about her. Sure, he was nervous and anxious about the fight, but after the renovations on her store and the theater were finished, he was more than likely hitting the road again. She wasn’t.
    She’d told him the truth. She belonged in Fairplay. There had been a time when she wanted nothing more than to get out of the small town. Actually, up until earlier that year, she’d been trying to think of ways to sell the shop and head down to Florida or take a tour of Europe. She’d heard her friends talking about wanting to do that, so she’d started reading books on it and had dreamed of it ever since.
    Now, however, she wanted nothing more than to settle down in Fairplay in her apartment above her bookstore and spend as much time with Travis as she could.
    When she finally got up and stepped inside, she had decided that she needed to treat herself tonight. She walked up the stairs and showered and dressed in the sexy red dress she’d brought to wear to the fight, just in case Travis had changed his mine. She piled her red hair up in a curly mass and let several wisps spring loose.
    When she stepped out of the elevator two hours later, she felt confident. She noticed a few men turn their heads and watch her walk towards the blackjack tables. When she sat down, she was immediately engulfed in the world of the game. Her worry about Travis disappeared.
    Four hours later there was a small crowd gathered around the table. People cheered as she flipped her cards over and won yet another hand. She was almost ten thousand dollars up from her initial two hundred dollars.
    She sipped her cherry coke and nibbled on the French fries she’d ordered. Still her mind was so focused on the table she didn’t register that someone new had come up behind her until he placed a hand on her shoulder.
    “Miss Bridles?”
    She looked around to see a very large Mexican man standing over her. “Yes?” Her first thought was that she’d done something wrong during the game.
    “I’m here on behalf of Travis.”
    “Oh?” Worry instantly shot through her. “Is everything alright?”
    “Yes,” he nodded. “If you’ll be so kind as to cash out and come with me.”
    She looked at him. “You haven’t told me your name.” She waved the dealer away from dealing her another hand.
    “I’m Randy, Travis’ agent and manager.”
    “Did he get hurt?” She stood and started to gather her chips.
    “Miss,” the dealer broke in, “if you want, we can cash these out for you and credit them to your room. You can get the funds when you check out.” The dealer looked towards Randy with a nod.
    “Yes, please. Thank you,” she said and signed the receipt for her chips. Then she turned back to Randy. “Is he hurt?”
    “No, ma’am. The fight starts in an hour. If you’ll join me, I’ll take you to him.”
    She frowned. “But he doesn’t want me there.”
    “He’s had a change of heart,” he said, taking her arm rather firmly in his big hands.
    “If you’ll just wait, I can call…” She started to pull her cell phone out of her handbag.
    “I don’t think you fully understand what I’m saying.” He jerked her arm. She cried out a little and felt something jab in her side. “Come with me now.”
    She nodded and thought of a million ways she’d been taught to get away from a situation like this. None of them involved having your boyfriend in trouble. No matter what she did, they still had Travis and she wouldn’t rest until she knew that he was safe.
    “I don’t understand. He’s here. He’s going to fight. Why do you need me?”
    “Insurance.” He jerked her arm until they stepped outside onto the