by Jaci Burton
He left Erin’s office more confused than ever. But Joe arrived to pick him up, so he grabbed his coat and slid it on.
“So you’re leaving?”
He turned around to see Alice standing in the hall.
“Yeah.”
“I . . . guess I’ll see you sometime?”
“I can come by and pick you up for that dinner any time you’re ready for it, Alice. I gave you my phone number. All you have to do is text me. Or call me.”
“Right. And in the meantime, I’ll start looking for the right match for you.”
“I didn’t finish the questionnaire.”
She quirked a smile. “I think I have enough to go on. And we can finish it over dinner.”
“Yeah, you do that. I’ll talk to you soon, Alice.”
She inhaled and let it out, and he wondered if she was waiting for him to kiss her or something.
But he wouldn’t. He’d promised her that. If she wanted him to kiss her, she was going to have to tell him.
So he turned and walked out the door.
* * *
* * *
Even though she knew she shouldn’t, Alice went to the door and watched Clay trudge through all that snow and climb into the truck with the snowplow attached.
“What size shoe are you?”
She turned her head to find Erin standing next to her. “A seven and a half.”
“Same size as me. I have snow boots you can borrow.”
“I brought boots. Ankle boots.” She shrugged.
Erin laughed. “Yeah, none of us planned on this. No worries—I have several pairs of high calf boots. We’ll get you through this.”
“Thank you, Erin.”
“At least it isn’t below freezing out there. Thirty-three degrees isn’t bad when the sun is shining. If the wind isn’t howling, it’s almost pleasant.”
“Sure it is.” She was going to have a serious talk with Lainie about her idea for a winter wedding in December in Oklahoma. Not that it would matter, since the wedding was only a few days away and nothing could be changed now.
“Do you have a few minutes to talk?” she asked Erin.
“Sure. Come on into my office.”
She followed Erin and sat in the chair across from Erin’s desk. The entire house was decorated for the holidays, and Erin’s office was no exception. She had a small lit silver tree on the corner of her desk, garland with lights strung across the top of the two windows behind her, and a beautifully decorated wreath on the wall.
Alice loved the holiday season. She loved everything about it, from trees to decorations to the way everyone seemed warm and friendly—at least for a short period of time.
“What can I help you with?” Erin asked.
“I’m trying to find a match for Clay.”
Erin’s lips tilted upward. “Are you now. Any thoughts on who might be the perfect woman for him?”
“No. I thought you could help me out since you know more people here than I do.”
Erin leaned back in her chair. “I wish I could. I’ve tried to set him up with women since we were teenagers. Trust me, if I knew who was perfect for him, he’d already be with her.”
Alice pursed her lips. Okay, so this wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d first thought.
“Based on his questionnaire, he seems pretty easygoing as far as his interests. It’s not all about him, and he takes the woman’s interests in mind when planning a date.”
Erin nodded. “That’s good to know. The problem is, he just hasn’t found that one woman he connects with yet.”
“Oh. The chemistry thing.”
Erin shrugged. “I don’t know that I believe in chemistry. I just think you have to share common interests and you end up falling in love with someone who wants the same things out of life that you do.”
At least Erin was on the same track as she was. “Is that how you and your fiancé ended up together?”
“We’ve known each other since we were kids. Owen and I always had a lot in common. He played on the high school baseball team; I played softball. We both played soccer. We like mystery movies. And when we started dating, it all clicked. We’re just meant to be, you know?”
Alice was happy that Erin had found the love of her life so early. “I’m so happy for the two of you.”
Erin smiled. “Thank you.”
There was a knock on the door of Erin’s office, and an extremely handsome guy—tall, muscular, with dark brown hair and intense dark eyes—popped his head in. He was dressed in jeans and a thick button-down black shirt. He was also wearing cowboy boots.
“Hey, beautiful. Sorry for the interruption. I see you all survived the snowstorm. Where’s your dad?”
“We did survive. And Dad was out in the barn last time I saw him.”
“Thanks.” He started out of the room, then smiled at her and said, “By the way, you look pretty today.”
Alice saw a blush stain Erin’s cheeks. “Thanks. Now get out.”
The guy grinned and closed the door.
Alice arched a brow. “Your fiancé?”
“Oh, no. That’s Jason. He’s Owen’s—my fiancé’s—best friend. We’ve all been friends forever. He’s a ridiculous flirt. Totally harmless.”
Uh-huh. Interesting. If Alice believed in chemistry, she’d say she’d experienced a hot wave of it just now between Erin and Jason.
But she was obviously wrong because Erin was marrying Owen. Which just proved her point. Chemistry meant nothing in relationships. She had great chemistry with the owner of her favorite liquor store back home. They laughed, and they had everything in common, from their love of pop music and romantic comedies to their irritation over bad drivers and mean people. He was also the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on. He flirted outrageously with her, something she enjoyed very much.
He was also gay and married to another gorgeous man.
Chemistry. It was nice and all, but you couldn’t rely on it to form a relationship.
She was going to have to seriously work on finding the right woman for Clay, chemistry be damned.
“So there are no women around here you think are suitable for Clay?”
Erin’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, I could come up with a couple of people you might want to check out.”
Alice smiled. “Perfect.”
Now things were moving along.
Chapter Eight
“Doesn’t look like you starved during your stay with the Bellinis.”
Clay grinned as he grabbed a pork chop from the plate in the center of the table. “You know Maureen Bellini better than that, Mom. You also know, Louise, their cook. I was well-fed.”
His mother nodded. “Louise makes wonderful food. And I want to make sure you take a pie or two over there as soon as you can. It was nice of them to put you up.”
“I will.” Right now he wanted to devour the pork chops, mashed potatoes, okra and applesauce, and about four of those rolls, which were steaming hot and just begging to be eaten. He was starving. Since he’d gotten home this morning, he’d ridden out to roll feed to the cattle, shoveled snow and mucked horse stalls, then put in fresh hay and feed for them.
At least the sun had come out today, and there was no more snow. Joe had plowed the entire drive leading from the highway to the Double H Ranch, so they could get in and out now.
“So how are things over there?” his dad asked.
“Fine,” he said in between bites. “They’ve got a wedding planned for next weekend, so the maid of honor got stuck there with me. She’s from LA.”
“Oh, yeah?” His dad leaned back. “Bet this snowstorm took her by surprise.”
“It took us all by surprise, Stan,” Clay’s mom said.
“Yeah, it sure did, honey.” His dad looked over at Clay. “Your mom was forc
ed to bake for two days because she couldn’t get to her shop.”
Clay’s mom laughed. “Yes, because baking is such a hardship for a baker.”
“I’m sure the folks in town missed the bakery being open, though,” Clay said.
“I’ll be open in the morning, for sure, now that the road is plowed.”
Clay’s phone buzzed. He took a quick glance, surprised to see Alice’s name pop up on a text message.
I have some suggestions of women for you to potentially date. When can we meet?
His lips curved. He wondered where she got the names of local women from. Erin, probably. And knowing Erin, these women wouldn’t be the least bit interested in going out with him. Or they were women he’d previously dated, and those dates had ended in disaster.
He knew Erin. If Alice had approached her about matchmaking with him, she’d think of this as one huge joke.
He hoped not, for Alice’s sake. She took her job seriously, and while he wasn’t at all interested in finding a woman this way, Alice believed in it. Plus, he’d promised to do it, and he never went back on a promise.
He sent back a text.
Dinner at my place tomorrow?
“Everything okay?” his mom asked.
He looked up and smiled. “Everything’s fine.”
Alice texted back right away.
Dinner tomorrow would be perfect. Hopefully, we’ll be able to set up some dates for you.
Yeah. Dates. Sure, Alice.
It wasn’t gonna happen.
Chapter Nine
“I’m so worried about the wedding, Alice.”
Alice paced her room at the Bellinis’ house, alternately staring out the window and looking at the wedding schedule on her laptop while she was on speaker phone with Lainie.
“Everything’s going to be fine, Lainie. The sun is out, the roads are open, and flights are on time. There’s no more snow in the forecast, and the weather is holding steady in the midthirties.”
“I know, and that’s a good thing, because Jeff shouldn’t have any problems flying home from his medical conference in Colorado. My concern is how cold is it going to be for the wedding, and what if we get a bunch of snowmelt?”
She knew Lainie was having prewedding jitters, and it was her job as maid of honor to keep her calm. “Honor already explained that the reception building can easily be modified to accommodate the wedding ceremony. If it’s really cold, they’ll prep for the ceremony inside.”
“But Jeff really wanted it outside. And it’s beautiful out there.”
“It’s still beautiful out here, honey. The snowy backdrop just gives it that wintry feel. That’s what you wanted anyway, wasn’t it?”
She heard Lainie’s sigh.
“You’re right. I’m panicking for no reason. It’ll all work out. I’m so sorry you got stuck there.”
“I was planning to be here anyway. I was just going to hang out at the hotel. The Bellinis are amazing people and have been so accommodating. Plus, the home-cooked food is much better here than it would have been at the hotel or eating at restaurants, and I have no complaints about the company.”
“I’m so happy to hear that. And are you able to get work done?”
“Yes, of course. I’ve sort of picked up a new client.”
“You did. Who?”
“A rancher I met who got snowed in with me.”
“Oooh, a rancher, really? Is he hot?”
So incredibly hot. “He’s decent-looking. Smart. Funny. And he’s looking for his forever partner.”
“You’re the perfect woman to find her for him. Though I shouldn’t assume it’s a ‘her’ he’s looking for.”
“It’s a her. Though he might be a challenge. He’s had a couple of unsuccessful long-term relationships, and for the past couple of years he’s been serial dating.”
“If he’s dating a lot, that means women find him compelling. You can do this, Alice. You’re great at your job.”
She loved her friend’s confidence in her abilities. “Thanks.”
“Well, I’ve gotta go. Thank you for being there to do advance reconnaissance on my behalf. I’ll be there on Thursday. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait to see you, too.”
“Love you, Alice.”
“Love you too, Lainie. We’ll talk soon.”
After she hung up with Lainie, she made a couple of calls to clients. Mariah’s first date with Sherman had turned out well. She told Alice the two of them had clicked, had fun together, laughed and ended up closing the restaurant down. They’d both lost track of time and had no idea they’d sat there talking the entire night.
Sherman had told her the same thing. He really liked Mariah and had asked her out for dinner tomorrow night.
Alice nearly vibrated with excitement. She told both of them to take things slow and not try to get ahead of themselves. First dates could often be thrilling, but she didn’t want them to burn themselves out by moving too fast.
Still, she had a very good feeling about Mariah and Sherman. They were exceptionally compatible, and she had high hopes for their future.
She had another couple that were celebrating the end of their first month of dating. Gabriella was the chef/owner of a prominent LA eatery, and Adam was an investment banker. They both put a lot of effort into their careers, were both extremely high energy and both loved to travel when time and work permitted. During their first month of dating, they had managed to carve out time to take a trip to Hawaii together, and were already talking about a trip to the East Coast, to Martha’s Vineyard, in the spring.
Alice had queried them about matching them with anyone else, and both had declined, saying they were more than happy with each other. It was at this point that Alice concluded her association with a client, leaving the door open for them to come back to her at any time. Her hope, of course, was that they never needed her services again. Her endgame was always love and a happily-ever-after.
Feeling more than content with the results of her job, she went downstairs and into the kitchen to fix herself a cup of tea.
She wandered the house, trying to stay out of the way. Honor came out of her office and smiled at her.
“Do you need some help with anything?” Honor asked.
“No. I was just taking a break from my work. I don’t want to get in anyone’s way.”
“You’re not in the way, Alice. Have you talked to Lainie?”
“I did. She has typical bride nerves and is worried about all the snow, but I told her how pretty it looks on the vineyard, and what a lovely backdrop it’ll be. I also told her the backup plan if it ends up melted and muddy.”
Honor nodded. “Perfect. We’ve got this, so I don’t want you to worry, either.”
“I’m not concerned at all. I know you’ll handle it.”
Honor’s lips lifted. “Always.”
Erin walked by and stopped. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Great,” Alice said.
“Did you get the budget for the Williamson/Joyce wedding that I e-mailed you?” Erin asked Honor.
Honor nodded. “I’ll fill in the information you need and send it back to you by tomorrow.”
“This is my cue to get out of your way.”
Erin grasped her arm. “You’re not in the way. Besides, I hear you’re having dinner with Clay at his place tonight. We definitely want to hear about that.”
Honor’s eyes widened. “You’re having dinner with Clay?”
“So it’s true about small towns . . . or did he tell you?” Alice asked.
Erin gave her a half smile. “First, it’s definitely true about small towns. We all know one another’s business. And second, Helene, who’s the cook over at the Henry ranch, knows Louise. Helene heard Clay talking about going into town to get supplies for the di
nner that he was going to make for one of the Bellini guests. And Helene doesn’t let things go, so she asked Clay who that might be, and he told her. So Helene called Louise and asked about you. And then Louise told me.”
Alice blinked. “Wow.”
Erin grinned. “I know, right?”
“So, wait,” Honor said. “You’re going on a dinner date with Clay Henry?”
“It’s not a dinner date. It’s just . . . dinner.”
Erin leaned against Honor. “That’s like a date.”
Alice rolled her eyes. “We’re doing business together.”
“Oh, is that what we’re calling it now?” Honor asked, trying to fight a smirk.
“I’m attempting to matchmake for him.”
“Ohhh,” Honor said. “That’s so interesting.”
Erin looked over at Honor. “That’s exactly what I said to Clay when he told me.”
“He told you?” Alice asked.
“He did.”
“What did he say about it?”
“That he was way more interested in you than he was in you finding someone else for him.”
Alice’s heart started to race. “He said that?”
Erin shrugged. “Not in so many words. But that’s what I inferred from our conversation.”
She had no idea what to think about this. Or even if what Erin was telling her was true. Though why would Erin lie about her conversation with Clay?
So as she got ready later to have dinner with Clay, she thought about what it all meant.
He’d promised to take her matchmaking services seriously, so she was counting on him to honor that. And, really, she shouldn’t even be aware of his conversation with Erin, so she was going to push it completely out of her head and concentrate instead on matching him with the right woman for him.
The right woman being not her. Definitely not her.
Chapter Ten
Clay had dated a lot of women, so he was never nervous about a first date.
Okay, his dinner tonight with Alice couldn’t really be considered a date. But he was fixing dinner for her.
