Page 27 of Country Winds (King Creek Cowboys #9)

Ellie hugged him back, and they held each other for a long moment. She raised her head and smiled up at him. “Thank you for coming here with me and being so patient.” She looped her arm in his, and they walked away from Zephyr’s booth.

“I was told I’m up for another award.” She shook her head in amazement. “This is all so crazy.”

Her words reflected his feelings about everything.

“Do you mind going? It starts in about fifteen minutes.” She looked hesitant. “You’ve been such a good sport, and I know this is all alien to you and not your cup of tea. I could skip the awards. It’s probably long and boring.”

“We’re going.” He slid his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

The awards ceremony was long, and Tucker was itching to get going even though it was only partway through.

He was proud of Ellie when she won the Best Voice Actor award for her voicework on Myth Hunter , which also won the Best Game award in its category. After the ceremony, she tucked her plaque into the tote, and they walked hand in hand to their rental.

As Ellie slid into the car, he got a great look at her cleavage. She looked sexy as hell in her silky red jumpsuit, and he looked forward to returning to their suite and removing it.

“I worked up an appetite.” She held her hand to her belly once they were driving out of the parking garage. “I’m starving.”

“According to GPS, we should be at the seafood restaurant just in time for our reservation.” He put on the blinker and turned onto a street that would take them downtown.

“It has stellar reviews.” She pushed her hair away from her cheek. “I love to eat seafood whenever I’m in a city by the ocean. It’s fresher and tastes better.”

Tucker nodded. “Same here.”

The restaurant’s parking lot was packed, and they got lucky when a car pulled out of a spot directly in front of them.

Once they were walking away from the vehicle, Tucker rested his hand on Ellie’s waist as he escorted her to the entrance. He liked touching her whenever he had the chance. He loved this woman and couldn’t seem to get enough of her.

These days, he wasn’t getting as much time with her as he had before her career skyrocketed. He was having a hard time with it all and wasn’t handling it well. Ellie wouldn’t know that, and he wasn’t sure he should bring it up. He didn’t want to dampen her excitement.

Tucker had never loved a woman as deeply as he loved Ellie, and he was finding it difficult to share her with the world.

Ellie was riding high on excitement. It had been an exceptionally fun and crazy day. There’d been a few creepy guys, but overall, the entire experience had been terrific.

A young woman’s voice pulled her attention away from Tucker as soon as they were seated. “Oh, my gosh. You’re Nyx from Myth Hunter .”

Ellie smiled. “Well, not Nyx, but I am her voice in the game.”

“Can we get your autograph?” The girl dug in her purse and pulled out a program from the convention. “We didn’t get a chance to see you at the convention.”

“Sure.” Ellie signed the program and handed it to the girl. She wasn’t sure how to send them along. “Have a nice evening.”

“Good night,” the girl said.

Ellie turned her attention back to Tucker, and the couple walked away.

She found herself talking about all that had been happening and the hours she had spent at the con. She talked a mile a minute from when they ordered their drinks to the end of dinner.

During dinner, a few more people from the convention stopped by and asked for her autograph. Ellie paused long enough to sign a napkin for one fan, the back of an envelope for another, and an autograph book for a third.

It felt odd that so many people recognized her. A couple of months ago, one woman recognized Ellie from her YouTube channel, and now many more people were approaching her.

She turned back to Tucker each time, and their conversation continued. Well, Ellie was doing most of the talking.

When dessert arrived, she finally slowed down and realized Tucker hadn’t said much at all.

“I’m sorry.” She put her hand on his. “I’m talking like a maniac, and I haven’t given you a chance to say much.”

He turned his palm up and linked his fingers with hers. “You can talk as much as you want, and I’m happy to listen.”

“You seem quieter than normal.” She paused, unsure whether she should say anything, but since they loved each other, she should be able to bring up subjects to discuss. “Did I ask too much of you to join me today? Like I said earlier, I know it’s not your thing.”

Tucker didn’t say anything for a long moment, and she caught herself holding her breath. She breathed out slowly as she waited.

“I love spending time with you.” He paused as if searching for the words to say. “I came because I want to be with you. We seem to have less and less time to spend together.”

Her excitement dimmed a bit. “It’s short-term. Things will slow down.”

He gave her a little smile and squeezed her hand before drawing his away. “How’s dessert?”

“I haven’t even tried it.” She stuck her fork in her whiskey-soaked bread pudding, thinking about what Tucker had said. She hadn’t considered how Tucker would feel about her busier and busier schedule. She was riding high, and he was on the sidelines watching her.

She focused on her bread pudding while thinking about Tucker and his place in her life.

The next day at SeaWorld was a magical experience. Ellie placed her palm on the viewing glass, which housed jellyfish that flowed through the water. “They’re beautiful.”

She looked over her shoulder at Tucker, who gave a slight smile and nodded. When she turned back to the jellyfish, her smile faltered. He hadn’t been talkative today, and she hoped it wasn’t because of her overly enthusiastic chatter last night.

They walked from the jellyfish viewing window and continued through all the animal encounters. Tucker’s favorites were the beluga and pilot whales, as well as beautiful black and white orcas. Ellie enjoyed the whales but loved the dolphins the most.

The entire experience was breathtaking. They also saw sharks, penguins, seals, sea lions, walruses, bat rays, otters, sea turtles, and many other marine animals.

They sat quietly on a bench for a while, watching the sea life in an underground chamber, through a viewing window that she thought was probably at least thirty feet wide. It was peaceful as they sat quietly watching. For right now, she pushed aside her concerns about Tucker and enjoyed the moment.

In the afternoon, they sat in the second row of the audience for the orca show. During the event, one orca slammed down on the water, splashing the first few rows of audience members. Ellie and Tucker were soaked through.

Ellie giggled as she pushed wet hair from her eyes. “That was fun. I do have to say I am glad for sunshine in July in San Diego. It’s nice and warm.”

Tucker lowered his phone, a weather app on the screen. “Only seventy-five degrees.”

“Can you imagine if Phoenix weather was that nice?” Ellie shook her head. “Everyone would move there.” She laughed. “Maybe we should be glad for the extreme heat in our part of Arizona.”

They watched the rest of the show while soaking up the sunshine. When the show was over, they walked hand in hand toward the parking lot. She didn’t feel the regular connection they had when touching. It was different.

She looked up at him. “You’ve been quiet today. Is everything okay?”

He waited a beat, then responded. “Everything is fine. I’m just tired.”

“Okay.” She grew quiet, feeling like everything was not all right at all.

Tucker tried not to let his emotions show as he reflected on the events of the past few months. Apparently, he wasn’t doing a good job because Ellie sensed something was off.

A lot was going on in his head, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it. He had to process it all before he discussed it with her.

His chest ached as thoughts of Ellie and the future competed in his mind. Was money and fame so important to her that she would sacrifice other things in her life? He did well with his business, but it didn’t consume him. Did her desires consume her? He had begun to wonder.

She was sweet, loving, and caring. She would do anything for anyone—he’d seen it in her interactions with family members and friends over the past few months. She was a wonderful woman whom he loved.

He was in his mid-thirties and knew it was time to start a family. He always wanted kids of his own, with a mom who would stay home with them during the day. He’d be right there every night to help.

They reached the rental vehicle while his mind turned over how he looked to the future.

He’d seen what his mom did to raise him, his brothers, and sister, and he had always recognized how hard she worked and what she sacrificed to be there for her kids every day.

His dad was a good man and recognized it, too.

He always helped with the laundry and chores and did his share of the work.

But Ellie was on a different path from the woman he’d first met.

She wasn’t thinking about kids yet—just weeks ago, she had said maybe in a couple of years.

Additionally, the demands on her could frequently require her to be away from him for days at a time.

If they had kids, would it be the same? He wasn’t sure he could live with any of that.

Tucker held back a sigh. He had to admit his thoughts were old-fashioned, and judging Ellie based on his values wasn't fair to her. However, he needed to determine if he could cope with the differences in their values.

He opened the passenger side door and helped Ellie, the beautiful woman he loved with all his heart, into the rental vehicle. But was love enough to bridge the gaps between what he envisioned for the future and her goals and dreams?