Very true.
With a grin, he reached out to twine a strand of her hair around his index finger. “And as long as we’re on the subject, I’m partial to brunettes.”
Her breath caught. The most appealing man in Cupid’s Bow—possibly the most appealing man she’d ever met—was flirting with her, and she had no idea what to do. Every feminine instinct in her body told her to flirt back, but she wasn’t sure she even remembered how. Besides, her girls were only a few feet away. Granted, they weren’t paying much attention to the adults, but Megan was pretty sure they’d notice if their mother suddenly threw her arms around a sexy firefighter and started making out with him. Kids were observant like that.
“Will!” A cheerful female voice broke through Megan’s deliberations.
“Anita. Hey.” Will’s tone was warmer than it had been when he greeted Stefani, but his posture was tense, as if he resented the interruption. He put his hand on Megan’s back. “Have you two met? This is my neighbor and good friend Megan Rivers. Megan, Anita Drake.”
“Nice to meet you,” Anita said, stepping forward to shake Megan’s hand. “You’re in the flower shop on Main Street, right? I’ve been meaning to stop in. A Christmas arrangement of roses and carnations would brighten up my grandmother’s room at the nursing home.” Her gaze trailed down to the stroller, where Tommy was sleeping. “Awww. So, is this little guy the reason we canceled dinner?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Well, I can’t hold it against him. Who could be mad at that face? When your babysitting gig is over, let me know if you still want to check out the new restaurant.” She looked up from the baby, belatedly registering Will’s uncomfortable demeanor, and abruptly turned to Megan. “You should join us.”
“I should?” Megan hadn’t expected to be included on their date.
“Absolutely. Assuming you like Chinese food?”
“I like any food I don’t have to cook.”
“Great. Just let me know if the two of you find a free night.” She nodded toward the nearby triplets. “I’m guessing you have your hands full?”
“I have an entire minivan full. But I’ll try to work it in,” Megan promised, feeling as if she’d just made a new friend.
Anita spotted one of the lot attendants and waved after him to show him which tree she’d selected, calling to Megan, “I’ll be by soon for that flower arrangement!”
As the other woman disappeared over a slight hill, Megan said, “She seemed—”
“I didn’t date her, either,” he blurted.
Megan raised an eyebrow.
After a second’s reflection, he added candidly, “We’ve talked about grabbing a bite a few times, but our schedules never quite matched up. Our relationship has always been casual but friendly.”
“Yeah. You have a lot of friends.”
“People are drawn to me. It’s my strength of character, generous nature, admirable— This would be more convincing if I could keep a straight face, wouldn’t it?”
“William, I hate to break it to you, but nothing was going to make that steaming pile convincing.”
He grinned. “Will you at least concede that I’m a likable guy?”
Pretending she had to think it over first, she finally allowed, “Oh, all right.” Truthfully, Will Trent was dangerously likable. Bordering on irresistible.
And the more time she spent with him, the harder it was to remember why she should resist the draw.
* * *
MEGAN STEPPED INSIDE the renovated barn that served as a headquarters for the tree farm, ready to pay and head home. On the plus side, she wouldn’t have any trouble getting the girls to sleep tonight. Iris and Lily had already crawled into the stroller. Even Daisy’s steps were dragging. But the last hour and a half had been worth it. After intense deliberation, the girls had selected a spruce that was currently being strapped to the roof of the van. They’d had so much fun.
And so did I. She snuck a sidelong glance at Will, admiring his profile. He was so—
“Will Trent, as I live and breathe.” A petite woman with corkscrew curls stopped in front of them, her hands on her hips and a broad smile on her face. “Never thought I’d see the day you’d be pushing a stroller.” She eyed Megan with curiosity. “Hi. Tansy Carmichael.”
“Megan Rivers, Will’s neighbor.”
“Will and I used to play a lot of pool together,” Tansy said. “I lost more than a few bets to him.” The twinkle in her eyes said that she hadn’t minded. “But since it’s been months since I’ve heard from him, I found a new pool partner.” She nodded toward a good-looking man with an elaborate tattoo sleeve who was paying for a couple of cups of hot cider. Tansy flashed Will a pointed glance that seemed to say you missed out, buddy, but then she smiled at Megan. “Are these your adorable kids?”
“Only the girls. Three is a rewarding challenge, but I’m not sure I could handle four,” she admitted.
The man Tansy had indicated joined them, passing her a cinnamon-scented cider. His posture stiffened almost imperceptibly when he noticed that she was talking to Will, but he smiled politely. “Ready to go?”
She nodded. “Nice meeting you, Megan. Goodbye, Will.”
As the couple exited, Megan smirked at Will. This time, there was no way he could deny a romantic past.
He folded his arms across his chest. “When you live your whole life in the same small town, you get to know a lot of people, okay?”
Yeah. Especially the female people. She bit back a chuckle, amused that, for once, he was the one being defensive.
There was a short line to pay for trees. While Megan pulled her wallet out of her purse, Lily suddenly scrambled down from the stroller.
“Puppy!” She raced toward a golden retriever sprawled across a large plaid dog bed in the corner.
When the bearded man behind the cash register saw Megan lunge for her daughter, her eyes wide with alarm, he quickly assured her, “It’s okay, ma’am. Buster’s as friendly as they come, and he loves children.”
Sure enough, the dog’s tail started happily thumping when Lily plopped down next to him.
Will shook his head in wonderment. “She may be shy with people, but she’s sure not timid around dogs, is she?”
“Nope.” Megan watched her daughter fondly. “She adores dogs, always has. I keep trying to teach her, though, that she shouldn’t approach them without adult permission. Guess we need to keep working on that.”
“Mama? Can I pet the doggy?” Daisy asked the question with an air of self-importance, as if drawing attention to the fact that she had followed proper protocol.
Megan gave permission, and within moments, all three of her girls were crowded around the golden retriever, who looked positively thrilled with the attention. She sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if the girls ask Santa for a dog. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals, but I really do have my hands full. The girls are too young to help much with pet care, and my yard isn’t even fenced.”
A muffled noise escaped Will, as if he was smothering a laugh.
“What?”
“Nothing, I... It’s just, after our first meeting, I half expected you to build a fifteen-foot fence between your house and mine. And possibly add a moat. You really did not like me.”
“You were too charming.” At his blank look, she tried to explain. “Not quite flirtatious, but almost as if you were trying too hard?” When she’d moved in, he was working long hours at the fire station. She’d overheard plenty of local gossip about him before ever meeting him. They met later, one night when he was enthusiastically kissing a woman goodbye at her car as Megan brought out folded moving boxes to the recycling bin. Will’s date had driven away, and he’d walked over to introduce himself. She’d found his over-the-top charm off-putting.
Would
her first impression have been different if she hadn’t already heard stories, if she hadn’t witnessed him getting PG-13 in their shared driveway? “My ex-husband, Spencer, is in sales. Getting people to like him is part of his job. And you...reminded me of him. You don’t look anything alike, and you don’t even have much in common. But there’s a vibe.”
“A vibe,” he repeated disbelievingly. “You didn’t like me because of ‘a vibe’?”
“Sorry,” she said in a small voice. From his point of view, she must seem very petty to have convicted him for someone else’s crimes.
He sighed. “I guess I didn’t help matters. The next few times I saw you, I was determined to get a more positive response. A smile, a laugh, something. I just compounded the problem, didn’t I?”
Yes. “That’s all behind us.” She gave him an earnest look, laying her hand on his forearm as she added in an oh-so-sincere tone, “I find you downright tolerable now!”
“Smart-ass.”
She cast a glance toward her girls, even though they were far too interested in the retriever to eavesdrop on boring grown-up conversations. “Language, William.”
“Smart-butt.”
They were next in line. After they’d each paid for their respective trees, Will pushed the stroller along a side wall, so it wasn’t in the walkway. Megan joined him next to a shelf of ornaments.
“Girls,” she called, “we need to g—”
“One more minute, Mommy!”
She sighed. “You have one minute to say goodbye.”
“If it helps,” Will said, “this farm also has berry picking in the spring and a pumpkin patch in the fall. I’m sure they can come back and visit Buster some other time.”
“Hey!” The bearded cashier beamed at them, pointing toward the ceiling. “You two are under the mistletoe.”
Megan’s pulse stuttered and she raised her gaze slowly, as if afraid of what she’d find. Yep. A sprig of mistletoe with a red velvet bow tied around it. Her eyes slid to Will’s face. He was looking straight at her, his expression hungry. A hot shiver went through her. He’s going to kiss me. There was an unnatural stillness about him as he met her gaze, a sense of expectancy as he waited for some sign for her, a silent yes or no.
Her heart was beating madly now, and her throat had gone dry. Licking her lips, she swayed ever so slightly on her feet. It wasn’t a step or even a conscious action, but it brought her closer to him. Taking that as his permission, he cupped her face in his broad, warm hands and leaned down, pausing for the barest second, gaze locked on hers, before their mouths met. It was a light, exploratory kiss, nothing that would scandalize those around them, but it was also the first kiss she’d received in two years. Even more staggering, it was Will.
Now that his lips were moving over hers, she realized she’d been waiting for him to do this since that moment among the pine trees when he’d told her he liked brunettes. Perhaps the hunger she thought she’d glimpsed in his gaze was just a reflection of what she herself had been feeling. Sensation coursed through her, almost like adrenaline, leaving her shaky in its aftermath. Part of her wanted to kiss him back from now until the new year. The other part was shocked that she’d done this with her daughters in the same room.
She pulled back, already mentally forming an explanation about mistletoe and Christmas traditions; if that didn’t work, she’d distract them with candy canes, to hell with how sticky the inside of her van got. But the triplets were oblivious, all hugging Buster and proclaiming their love for him.
She cleared her throat. “Girls? We, um, need to leave.” She was hesitant to look at Will. If he seemed disappointed or unaffected by the kiss, she’d cry. Or possibly throw Christmas ornaments at his head. But if she found desire in his expression, how would she keep herself from melting back into his arms?
“Megan.”
Moment of truth. She glanced up, suddenly commiserating with Lily’s shyness.
There was need etched in his expression—he definitely wasn’t unmoved by their kiss—but tenderness, too. He opened his mouth to say something, but it seemed his usual slick charm deserted him. Instead, he gave her a lopsided smile and squeezed her hand. Megan realized she was grinning like a teenage girl with her first crush. She wanted to skip through the parking lot or spin in circles for no reason other than the sheer, dizzy joy of it.
It was ironic—for all that three different females had approached him since he’d set foot on the farm, in that moment, grinning back at Megan, he made her feel like the only woman in the world. Or at least, the only one who mattered.
Chapter Nine
Cupid’s Bow only had one men’s formal-wear shop, and it had been operating for over thirty years. Every so often, the owners did some minor redecorating to keep up with the times, but as Will stood waiting for the associate to bring him his tuxedo, memories swirled around him like smoke. He’d stood in this exact spot in the days prior to his junior and senior proms, both of which he’d attended with Tasha. And this was where he’d rented the tuxedo for his wedding—not that he’d ever needed to wear it.
With each month that passed, he thought about Tasha less and less. Yet, standing here now, he couldn’t suppress a sharp spike of anger. It wasn’t that he held any grudge for her breaking off their engagement; if she didn’t love him enough to make it work, better to find that out before they exchanged vows. But after all the years they’d had together and everything they’d meant to each other, couldn’t she have found a less humiliating way to end their relationship? Even after she’d skipped town, he remained an object of pity and speculation.
But he was here today as Cole’s best man. He needed to support his brother, not dwell on past wounds. Get your game face on. If Will struggled to make it through a simple tuxedo fitting without brooding, how was he going to handle the wedding day? He truly was happy for Cole and Kate. When he stood in front of their family and friends to give his best man toast next weekend, he wanted them to feel his sincerity, not any lingering bitterness.
To Will’s left, Jace slid open a floor-length curtain and emerged from a fitting room. He strutted toward the large mirror on the back wall and smiled at his own reflection. “Bond, James Bond.”
Will shook his head. “Dork, major dork.”
“You’re just jealous you don’t look this suave.”
“Give me a minute,” Will said, taking his tux from the returning associate, “and I will.” As he changed clothes, he couldn’t help wondering if maybe Cole should have asked Jace to be the best man. Will had been the best man in Cole’s first wedding...which had ended in divorce. And Cole was the best man on record for Will’s wedding that wasn’t. Our history is not auspicious.
Then again, Will thought, adjusting his bow tie, if Jace were the best man, he’d lose the rings and kidnap Cole to Mexico for some wild bachelor party weekend. Which Cole knew perfectly well.
Will exited the dressing room to await his turn while the tailor circled Jace, checking the fit of the shoulders and the back of the coat. The elderly man tutted to himself as he ran a finger beneath the collar. Cole, meanwhile, had already finished with his own fitting and changed back into his sheriff’s uniform. He and Will were both taking their lunch breaks; Jace didn’t work until this evening, and their father was running late because of an accident on the other side of town.
Will walked over to where his brother sat. “Not much longer until the big day. Excited?”
“I’d say I was the most excited person in the world, but I think the twins have me beat. They are ecstatic that Kate is going to be their mother.”
“And how are you and Luke doing with the impending stepson/stepfather situation?” Will asked. The two had gotten off to a rocky start when Cole busted Luke for shoplifting on his very first day in town.
“Luke’s a teenage boy, so he plays it a little cooler than m
y six-year-old daughters, but he’s started confiding in me. Asking my opinion on what classes to take next year, asking my advice about girls—”
“Ha. If it’s romantic advice he wants, he should come talk to his uncle Will.”
“Yeah.” Cole’s expression turned sly. “I heard new romance was brewing in your life. I thought you didn’t want Mom setting you up with Megan Rivers.”
“I don’t want Mom setting me up with anyone,” he said neutrally. “I’m a big boy. I can get my own dates.”
“Okay, but you do realize that she probably heard about you kissing Megan at the Leonard Tree Farm about five minutes after it happened?”
Will groaned inwardly. As a lifelong resident of Cupid’s Bow, he knew how swiftly gossip spread. But he hadn’t been thinking about the rumor mill when he’d realized the opportunity he’d been given. He’d only been thinking about the sensual gleam in Megan’s eyes as she’d glanced from the mistletoe to him, about the softness of her lips beneath his and the way she’d moved toward him. For all the times he’d teased her about being prickly, she’d been so sweet and eagerly pliant.
Cole whistled low under his breath. “Wow. You’re not even here anymore, are you? You’re thinking about her.”
He let out an exasperated breath. What the hell had happened to his poker face? No wonder his brothers had taken his money last time they played. “There was mistletoe. In the spirit of the holidays, I gave her a friendly kiss. I kiss women semiregularly, Cole. It’s not breaking news.”
“And do you also hang up Christmas lights for them? And buy barbecue dinners for their families? Abe Martin across the street from Megan plays bridge with Dad. And Leanne Lanier gave Kate an earful when she went in to pick up a rack of ribs last night.”
“Damn Cupid’s Bow,” Will muttered. This town was the original information superhighway.
“So, what’s happening between you and Megan?”
If the question had come from Jace, all smirking mockery, Will would have automatically deflected. But this was his big brother and Cole had always been there for him, including drinking with him until dawn the night Tasha broke their engagement. So he said honestly, “I don’t know. She’s...great.”
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