Catching Coy (Love in Little River Book 3) Read online

  “She has to do this,” Nico interjected. He didn’t look displeased, Bellamy thought. When Agnes had brought him in earlier and explained the situation, he’d looked shocked. Then his eyes started dancing in a way that told Bellamy he could appreciate the story there, the uniqueness. Probably the same way he’d reacted when he found out that Gunner and Mae had been sneaking around for most of the season. It all fed the hype. The whole “no publicity was bad publicity” thing.

  “No, I don’t want to,” Bellamy said to Agnes. No way would she let Nico railroad her into a decision. Behind her, Coy sucked in a breath, but he didn’t say anything. It had taken him almost an hour the night before to convince her to come with him to Agnes and make things official. “But I want to get to know Coy better. This seems like the right way, as crazy as that is, thanks to the show.”

  Coy’s hand landed on her shoulder, squeezing lightly before he let go. “And what about our other arrangements?” Agnes went on. Though she was talking to Bellamy, she turned to Nico. “She can’t participate in the dates and do all the cooking and managing of the Ranch House.”

  “My mom has agreed to come back,” Bellamy explained. She laughed as she thought of the sigh of relief her mother had given over the phone about getting to give up the cruise. “It’s too cold,” she’d said, a hush to her voice. “I’ll offer your brother my spot. They’ll have way more fun.”

  “She’s the regular cook during the summer,” Bellamy went on. “When things are too busy for me to handle everything. She signed all the non-disclosure statements too.” The Catch had requested all of their staff do so, even the seasonal ones. They didn’t want word slipping out too soon that The Catch planned to film at the Ranch House. “She can handle any management issues as well, if she needs to, until Roxy comes back in a couple weeks. She also agreed to return sooner than she planned.”

  Agnes chewed on her bottom lip and then a smile broke loose as she turned to Nico once more. “It’s a great story,” she admitted.

  “Better than even Gunner and Mae.” Nico beamed at Agnes, then Bellamy. “Coy told me how he fell for her the moment he walked through the front door. It’s beautiful.”

  Though heat swept through her cheeks, Bellamy couldn’t help smiling as well. This was all crazy. She was going to compete for Coy. On The Catch.

  She’d called Roxy the night before from her front yard, banishing Coy into the house while she discussed his crazy idea with her best friend. “I can’t believe I’m putting my heart out there, like all those girls do every season, on the chance that he might choose me,” she’d said.

  Roxy had scoffed. “He’s gonna choose you.”

  “He likes Lucy and Charlotte and probably Gillian, too. I’ve seen him with them. You know how this goes, Rox. We’ve watched it so many times. This is crazy.”

  “Then don’t do it,” Roxy had said.

  “That would be crazy too.”

  Coy Jones, 27

  Charleston, South Carolina

  Shooting Guard for the Denver Mountaineers

  “There’s been a spark between me and Bellamy since the first moment I met her. I wish Stella all the best, but when she left, it seemed like the universe telling me that it wasn’t an accident I met Bellamy first.”

  The fanciest dress Bellamy owned was the one she’d worn to Roxy’s wedding. It was a summer wedding, so the dress was white with a red, yellow, and gray floral pattern, in a flowing, boho style. To Bellamy, it looked like exactly what it was—a bridesmaid dress—not a sophisticated cocktail dress like she imagined the other women were wearing tonight. She didn’t actually know yet. She hadn’t seen any of them since the meeting that morning. For the maximum impact, Nico and Agnes didn’t want them to know why Stella had left or that Bellamy was joining the cast. Zane was going to drive Bellamy over to the gym in a mysterious, dark SUV instead of her riding with the rest of the women.

  She stared in her mirror one last time. Agnes had brought the hair and makeup women up, and they’d made Bellamy’s shoulder-length hair look elegant and dramatic by doing a deep side part and glamorous, movie star waves. She did a spin in her dress. She looked pretty, nicer than even at Roxy’s wedding. But she didn’t compare to how she always saw the women of The Catch dressed. Agnes promised they’d bring in more dresses for her for the following weeks. Bellamy had joked that they might only need this one.

  “We might,” Agnes had admitted. But then she’d winked and left the room.

  A tap at her door interrupted Bellamy’s mirror-staring, so she took a deep breath and walked over. “We’ve got the all-clear,” Zane said when she opened it.

  “This is crazy.” Bellamy put a hand on her stomach and shook her head. Butterflies had erupted in full force at seeing Zane at the door. At this crackpot idea actually being real. What had she let Coy talk her into? She should have just made out with him the night before and then convinced him to run off with her and forget about his Catch contract.

  Zane offered his arm. “I’m pretty sure Coy will fire me if I don’t deliver you tonight, so let’s go.”

  She took another deep breath, nodded, and slipped her arm through. The butterflies in her stomach last night when Coy had held her so close said all this was worth it. Coy was worth it. Plus, she was like a Catch superfan. She should be lapping this experience up.

  But losing seemed a lot less trivial than when Gunner had sent Sybil home in favor of Mae on the live finale the season before.

  “Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Charlotte, 28

  Fort Collings, Colorado

  NICU Nurse

  “It’s scary because going into tonight, Coy and I have had so little time together. I’m worried about what that means for us. Having Stella leave scares me all the more. I’m friends with these women. I’m not ready to go home.”

  Nerves bounced around in Coy’s stomach. He still hadn’t decided on who to cut and on top of that, Bellamy would be here tonight. Completely inside this world for the first time. It was the only way to move their relationship forward the way he wanted, but he couldn’t help but regret that he couldn’t sneak off to strategize with her anymore.

  Well, he could always take a page out of Gunner’s book.

  If Coy had his phone, he’d text Gunner and ask him how he’d handled this. He didn’t really know the baseball player before he’d agreed to do The Catch, but they’d chatted a lot since then, becoming friends.

  Agnes stood next to him, tapping away at an iPad. “Are you bringing in any of the past Catches for ‘advice?’” he asked.

  “Gunner,” she said, without looking up. You guys seemed to hit it off when we introduced you last summer.”

  “When?”

  “Week five. The advice goes over better the closer you are to choosing the Final Pick.” She glanced up at him, her eyebrows pinching. “Why?”

  “Can we move him up? I need advice sooner,” he said. Agnes gave a knowing nod. “I’m finding my situation is similar to Gunner’s in some ways.”

  “We can do a call, video or something. That will make the advice later even better.” She gave him a pat on the arm. “I’ll get something arranged.” She walked away, stopping to give some instructions to one of the productions assistants, and then called out, “Okay, everyone, let’s get set.”

  Coy swallowed as he made his way to the mark in front of the bleachers where he would make his Team Picks. A few minutes later, a production assistant led Gillian, Bristol, Lucy, Charlotte, and Willa to their marks in a half circle. He got waves and smiles from all of them. Lucy blew him a kiss, which made some of the tension in him melt. He had one sure pick. Their chemistry on their date said so.

  But his mind swirled with all the other options. He was pulled to Bellamy every time he was around her, but they had just met. In a normal situation they’d take several dates, get to know each other, all of the usual before he committed himself to a relationship with her. He and Bellamy definitely had a spark, as we
ll as friendship, but the fact was that he did have to date these girls for the next few weeks, and none of them deserved for him to make a show of it until he could date only Bellamy. And what if it didn’t work out with her? He would have passed up the opportunity with one of these other women for something that fizzled out. He recognized those thoughts were probably just nerves, but he couldn’t dismiss them.

  The director gave the signal that they were filming, and the cameramen began taking shots of the women fidgeting and avoiding eye contact with each other as they waited. Portia stepped to Coy’s side, and the women turned their attention to her.

  “As you can all see, Stella is no longer here. She left the Ranch House last night. That does mean that Coy will only cut one woman from his team,” Portia said, her gaze stopping on each of the women in turn. Someone gave a small gasp, maybe of relief, but Coy couldn’t tell who. Quiet murmurs rippled through the group as they digested the news. “But—” Portia held up a hand and the women fell silent. “We have a twist to rival any Catch season yet.” She gestured to the doors of the gym, which were being opened by unseen crewmembers on the other side. Bellamy stepped through, smiling widely at Coy, and began walking toward them.

  “Coy has asked that another woman be added to the competition,” Portia finished.

  Whispers rushed through the women waiting, but Coy didn’t take his eyes away from Bellamy to see the reaction of the others. Bellamy gripped one side of her rippling dress, fingers clenched. Her eyes danced with nerves, but it didn’t show in the rest of her expression—not in the confident strides she took to join the women or in the way her gaze didn’t leave Coy’s.

  She was gorgeous. He’d only ever seen her in jeans and hoodies, and many of the times her shoulder-length brown hair had been pulled back into a ponytail or hanging straight down. “Wow,” he mouthed at her, and his heart skipped as her smile widened.

  “Ladies.” Portia smiled at all of them and then turned to Coy. “Coy, it’s time to pick your team.” She took several steps back. Coy turned to the basket beside him, filled with this week’s team gear. Last week had been a small basketball. This week’s was a retro-looking letterman jacket with “The Catch” embroidered on the back and “Coy’s Team” scrolled across the left front. He picked one out.

  His first choice was obvious. “Bellamy.”

  She grinned again as she walked toward him. “Phew. I was worried for a second there,” she teased in a quiet voice.

  “Welcome to the team,” he whispered back, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

  She pulled the jacket on over her pretty dress, which made Coy chuckle, then she went and sat on the bench behind him. Coy turned back to the basket, reaching for another jacket, gripping it in his hands. “Lucy.”

  She was already coming forward as soon as he started her name. She took his cheeks in her hands, pulling him down for a kiss before accepting the jacket. “Thank you,” she said, putting it on over her shimmering pink dress the way Bellamy had and walking over to sit next to Bellamy. One glance showed that Bellamy’s smile had stiffened, but she still cast it on Lucy as the woman sat down next to her.

  Coy reached for another jacket. “Charlotte.”

  Her mouth dropped open for a moment before she smiled and hurried forward. “Oh, thank you,” she breathed, putting her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a quick hug. He squeezed her back before she also retreated to the bench. He noted that Bellamy’s smile had eased when she watched Charlotte. Charlotte was difficult not to like.

  “Gillian.”

  Her jaw relaxed when Coy said her name, making him realize how worried she had appeared as she stood there. She walked forward. “Thanks.” She took his hands in hers, and he felt compelled to reassure her that he wanted to get to know her better. He brought one hand up to his lips and kissed it. She held her jacket in her arms as she went to the bench, which Coy didn’t know what to make of.

  He pulled out the last jacket, looking at the gym floor before he made his final decision. He had gone back and forth all day in deciding what to do. Just because he and Bristol had a few awkward moments didn’t mean their relationship was doomed. They’d likely get over that on a one-on-one date—he thought. Her too-intense interest in his plans after basketball made him second-guess, though. Was she here to get to know someone? To fall in love? Or had she come on The Catch to meet someone famous? It was so hard to tell, to trust what Gunner had said and trust himself.

  But Willa. Coy knew already that a spark lit the beginnings of their time. She seemed a safer bet. So, could he trust himself with that decision?

  He swallowed and looked up, his gaze bouncing between the two women, uncomfortable in holding either one’s eye too long. Bristol stood elegantly unconcerned, the one-shoulder, bright blue gown she wore draping to the floor in a perfect puddle of fabric. She had her hands clasped in front of her, but loosely, like that was the most comfortable thing to do with them, not that she was nervous about what Coy would say next.

  Willa swayed slightly, a habit he’d noted early on. No doubt music always played through that girl’s head. She pinched her lips together then relaxed, taking a deep breath.

  He closed his eyes, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. He’d had so little time with these women. How could he make a decision about his future with them so soon?

  “Willa.”

  “Oh, oh,” she cried softly before bouncing forward. She took the jacket and threw her arms around him. “I was so worried,” she whispered. She gave him a smile as she pulled away and then hurried over to the bench, only throwing on her jacket after she’d glanced down the row. She didn’t put her arms through, letting it dangle off the back of her shoulders.

  He walked the few steps to Bristol, reaching for one of her hands. She smiled tightly. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Bristol.”

  She nodded and tugged her hand from his, turning to walk out the gym doors, cameras following her graceful march out of the gym. The thwack of her heels against the wooden floor seemed to echo so loudly in the room.

  Portia returned, standing between him and the women he’d chosen. “Alright, ladies.” She grinned at all of them. “Welcome to this week’s team. Time to celebrate!”

  The women gave a quiet cheer and then stood, some of them even hugging before they moved to Coy’s side while the crew set up the food behind them all. Bellamy didn’t push for his attention as they surrounded him, and he wondered how she was taking jumping into the deep end here. Although she had admitted to watching every season, he’d never asked if she’d ever signed up to be on the show.

  “Bell—Bellamy.” He quickly corrected himself from using the nickname he’d made up for her. He had seen enough seasons to know that wouldn’t endear him to the other women to find out that they already had something like that in their relationship. “Can we chat for a second?” He reached out for her hand.

  She darted a gaze at the women to either side of her before reaching and taking his hand. “Sure.”

  He led her over to one of the sofas set up to make hanging out in the gym for the celebration easier and waited for her to sit before he did. “Hey.”

  “Hey. Thanks for choosing me,” she teased.

  “It seemed unfair to convince you to join the show and then cut you right off.” He gave a mocking shrug.

  “I’ll watch my back next week then.” She smiled, but then she chewed on her lip, letting him know she did worry about the possibility, even if she was trying to joke.

  “I wanted to warn you that on Sunday, I’ll be asking someone else for our one-on-one.”

  “Oh,” she blinked at him, surprise registering on her expression. “Well, thank you for the warning.”

  He scooted closer, taking her hand. “It’s just that I know we have something, Bells,” he said. From the corner of his eye he noted a camera moving in closer, but he tried to push the irritation away. Bellamy’s gaze drifted over his shoulder, and he could guess that a second
one was also filming away. His stomach clenched. So far, he hadn’t had to share any of his interactions with Bellamy. And he liked them much better that way. This had turned things awkward. He squeezed Bellamy’s hand. “I just want to make sure I give the women here a chance to know me.”

  “Of course.” But the smile she gave him stiffened the way it had when Lucy had sat next to her after he made his picks. “That’s why you’re here.”

  He lowered his voice even more. “I don’t want you to think that I asked you to come on here to toy with you.” He shook his head. “Forget it, I will just ask you. I already miss you.”

  She leaned in closer, her expression relaxing. “No. You’re right, Coy,” she said. “We both wanted real time to get to know each other, and as unorthodox as this is, it’s what you’re here to do.”

  “I’m starting to regret asking you to come on,” he teased, then leaned close enough to put his lips against her ear. “I liked having you all to myself better.”

  “I’m starting to regret it too,” she whispered back, leaning into him. “Now I can’t tell you to stop your flirting and making me melt all over the place.”

  “Do you mind if we join you?” Lucy’s voice snapped Bellamy away from Coy, but he gripped her hand even as she tried to pull it back.

  He turned to Lucy, who had her arm linked with Charlotte’s, standing above them. Charlotte pressed a smile to her lips, her cheeks deep pink and her gaze darting between him and Bellamy and then around the room. Lucy’s actions had embarrassed her.

  “Of course,” Bellamy said, scooting away from Coy. He still held her hand in his, refusing to let go, even though she tugged again.

  “Yeah, please do,” he said, scooting back closer to Bellamy and patting the spot on the other side of him. Lucy dropped down onto it, letting go of Charlotte’s arm. She slipped onto the corner of the sectional on the other side of Bellamy. Within a few seconds, the other two women, probably encouraged by Lucy and Charlotte’s success, were making their way over.