by Melody Grace
No other woman could compare.
“Uh-oh, I know that look,” Wes said, taking a gulp of beer.
“What look?”
“That’s the way you used to look at Kennedy, whatshername, Lieberman when she’d show up in that pink bikini of hers.”
“Is not!” Luke protested. “And how do you even remember what bikini she wore? It was fifteen years ago!”
“Oh, I remember,” Wes replied with a grin. “That bikini played a crucial role in my adolescent development. You think Kennedy’s still single?” he asked after a beat.
“Married. Three kids,” Luke replied. “Mom sent me the wedding announcement. You know, as a not-too-subtle hint to get a move on.”
Wes chuckled. “You should elope to Vegas, see how she likes it then.”
Luke couldn’t help thinking of Natalie. She didn’t seem like the Vegas type. This was a woman who’d kept all her grandmother’s old saucepans; she was more the traditional style. Timeless and elegant . . .
“See, there it is again,” Wes prodded. “The look.”
Luke shook his head. “It’s nothing. Well, yet,” he corrected himself. “There is someone, but . . . She hasn’t even said yes to dinner.”
“Resisting the famous Kinsella charms? I like her already.” Wes smirked. “So, what’s your game plan?”
“It’s not like that,” Luke said firmly. “I’m doing some work at her store, so I’m just going to try and get to know her a little more, that’s all.”
“Yeah, that’s a terrible plan. Building furniture from scratch with your bare hands? Women hate that kind of thing,” Wes said, grinning.
Luke allowed himself a smile. “We’ll see. I’m in no rush.”
“Yeah? Well, don’t wait too long,” Wes replied. “Otherwise she’ll think you’re not interested and move on. There’s a window for these kinds of things, and before you know it?” He clapped his hands together. “Closed.”
“Are you speaking from experience?” Luke asked.
“Maybe. Or maybe I’ve just developed great wisdom from watching the rest of you guys fumble around,” Wes said with a smirk.
“Uh huh.” Luke shook his head, laughing. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Still, he wondered if his friend was right. Sure, he’d just arrived in town, but Natalie had been living here for months. Who knew if she’d met somebody else or if there were other guys waiting to make their moves? Luke couldn’t be the only man to have been dazzled by that smile. And if he waited too long . . .
He finished up his drink, talking some more with Wes, but as he said his goodbyes and headed out for the night, he was still thinking about it. Or maybe overthinking. Natalie had his brain scrambled, that was for sure.
Luke couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt this gone over a woman, but maybe it was his karmic reward for scorning the idea of fate and soulmates all these years. Clearly, the universe had decided it was time for some payback. So, when he cut across the dark town square and saw a familiar figure sitting in the gazebo—wrapped up in a blanket, sipping a mug of something steaming hot—he wasn’t even surprised.
Of course she was there.
And maybe there was no time to waste.
Natalie breathed in the cool November breeze and smiled. She loved this spot, tucked away in the old gazebo, right in the middle of everything. She liked to come here sometimes with a mug of cocoa and a book and just soak in the quiet evening in town. But tonight, there was something different in the air, an extra tang of crisp possibility. She’d thought maybe it signaled snow, a change in the weather, but when Luke suddenly emerged from the shadows and greeted her, Natalie realized she’d been half-expecting him to appear all along.
So much for keeping her distance. She couldn’t avoid him if she tried.
“You look comfy,” Luke said with a smile, climbing the steps to the gazebo.
Natalie flushed. She knew it was kind of eccentric to be camped out here alone. “You mean you don’t carry a blanket and Thermos with you wherever you go?” she asked lightly.
“No, but I keep a planing saw in my truck in case of carpentry emergencies,” he replied, and despite the chilly evening, his smiled warmed Natalie all the way to her core.
Oh.
She swallowed, still struck anew with just how handsome he was. He was wearing a dark coat over jeans and a tan scarf that brought out the caramel in his eyes, and he gestured to the bench beside her.
“Mind if I join you? Or is this where you come to escape everyone and be alone?”
“The opposite, actually,” Natalie replied, nodding for him to take a seat. He folded himself down beside her. “I like coming here to watch everyone,” she explained shyly. “You can see the rhythm of the town . . . It’s amazing how much you can tell about people just from a little glimpse into their lives.”
“How do you mean?” Luke asked, and he actually seemed interested instead of just humoring her, so Natalie paused, looking around.
“Well . . . Take those two,” she said, noticing a couple just exiting the pub. “You can tell they’ve been together for years, see how they walk at the same pace without even trying?”
The pair strolled, barely talking, but it was an easy silence, his arm slung around her shoulder and the woman nestled in the safety of his embrace. Natalie’s gaze drifted to another younger couple a little farther down the street. She smiled. “But see, those two are on their first date,” she said, pointing them out. “The girl is so nervous; she’s wondering if he’s going to try and hold her hand, so she’s just kind of hovering it there between them to make it easy for him.”
Luke chuckled. “And he’s agonizing over it, in case he’s got it all wrong,” he agreed, his voice warm beside her. “See, he keeps opening his mouth to say something and then changing his mind.”
“He shouldn’t worry,” Natalie said. “It’s obvious she likes him.”
“Is it?”
She nodded. “Look at her outfit. A girl wouldn’t wear a skirt in this weather unless she’s trying to impress someone.”
“Really?” Luke said, sounding amused. “You think pneumonia is impressive?”
Natalie laughed. “I didn’t say it made sense,” she said, turning back to him. “She’s young. She’ll learn soon enough that no man is worth chilblains.”
“And that a guy will like her just as much in a blanket and hat,” Luke agreed. Their eyes caught, and Natalie blushed again.
Was he talking about her?
“What are you doing out?” she blurted. “It’s late.”
“Eight p.m. is late?” he looked amused.
“For Sweetbriar Cove,” Natalie said, covering with a joke. “It’s past my bedtime, for sure. I’m usually tucked in bed with something warm by now.”
Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh really?”
“My hot water bottle!” Natalie protested, laughing. “Why, what did you think I meant?”
“Nothing,” Luke insisted, grinning. “A gentleman would never presume.”
“Of course. Let me know if you see one around here,” Natalie asked lightly, and she was rewarded with a rakish grin.
“I’ll have you know, I’m the model of chivalry. Ask anyone. In fact, call my mom right now,” he said, pulling out his cellphone. “She can give you my character reference.”
“Don’t you think she might be a little biased?” Natalie laughed, playing along. “Being your mom and all.”
“Huh, maybe you’re right,” Luke said. “OK, call my sister, instead. She won’t pull any punches.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.” Natalie grinned. “But I appreciate the thought.”
“Well, a woman can’t be too careful these days,” Luke said, tucking his phone away. “You don’t know me from Adam.”
But she did, Natalie realized. At least, she was discovering the kind of man he was, one piece at a time. The kind of guy to go out of his way just to return a misplaced earring. The guy who saw an empty space on the wal
l and offered to fill it with shelves.
The man who was content to sit beside her, just watching a lone man push a stroller in laps around the square.
She felt a warm glow, something bright in the stillness of the dark.
“He comes here every night.” Natalie nodded to the strolling guy as she pulled her blanket more tightly around her. “I think it helps the kid sleep. He sings to her, too. Old Willie Nelson and Jonny Cash, mainly. He’s actually not bad.”
Luke smiled, watching. “My dad used to do the same thing. It was the only way I would get to sleep, he says. Especially with the other kids all making a racket at home.”
“You have a big family?” she asked, and he nodded.
“We’re all scattered about now, but we try to keep in touch. We used to run riot here every summer,” he added with a nostalgic smile. “Terrorized half the town, I’m sure. I’m surprised they didn’t take a vote and kick us out, especially the summer we all got matching Super Soakers.”
Natalie laughed.
“What about you?” Luke asked, glancing over. “How did you wind up here?”
She paused. “I came here for a wedding a couple of years ago,” she answered carefully. “I guess you could say I fell in love at first sight.”
That much was true, at least.
She adored this town from the start. They’d come to attend the wedding of one of Oliver’s college fraternity buddies, a big society event. He’d been stressed the whole time, annoyed at the bad cell reception and lack of a Starbucks and that he hadn’t been seated at a table with any of the VIPs. He’d wanted her to schmooze at the spa with all the society wives, but Natalie had slipped away instead and just strolled the town square, soaking in the cute, local stores and leafy calm.
The wedding was called off in the end—the bride stood up the groom at the altar, and Oliver had raged about his missed networking opportunities all the way home—but Natalie often thought about Sweetbriar Cove, and what it would be like to live someplace good like that.
Someplace safe.
Natalie realized Luke was still watching her, and she shook off the past. “Anyway, when I thought about starting over and opening up my shop, this place just popped into my head. I figured, why not?” she added.
“And you didn’t know anybody? Wow. That’s brave.”
“Or foolish.” Natalie gave a wry smile. “We’ll see which it turns out to be.”
“You don’t mean that,” Luke said, meeting her eyes. “You already know it was the right thing to do.”
Natalie blinked. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “I do.”
There was a pause, their eyes still locked. Her heart pulsed in her chest, and Natalie could have sworn the air shimmered between them, golden in the gazebo lights.
She looked away and took a sip of her drink, trying to distract herself from the giddy feeling skipping in her veins. Luke sniffed the air. “What is that?” he asked. “It smells amazing.”
“Mexican chocolate,” Natalie replied. “It was my grandmother’s specialty. Would you like a taste?”
Luke took the mug she offered and sipped. “Oh wow,” he said. “I expected it to be sweet, but it’s really rich and spicy . . .”
“That’s the cinnamon and chili,” Natalie explained with a smile. “You have to let it simmer so all the flavors infuse, but there’s nothing like it.”
“You’ll have to give me the recipe.”
“Why? You like to cook?” she asked, surprised.
“No, but I love to eat, so it’s a necessary evil,” Luke replied, and she laughed.
“I was thinking of selling it in the shop now that the weather is getting colder. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin spice as much as the next girl,” she added, “but I think it would be fun to introduce people to something new. Every time I taste it, it feels like the holidays again.”
“It’s funny how food can do that,” Luke agreed. “I’m the same way with cookies. You know, those really chewy molasses ones? My mom would bake them with us every year, as soon as the holidays came around,” he said with a fond smile. “Now I just get a whiff of the scent of them, and it’s like I’m right back there, fighting with my brothers to see who would get to lick out the bowl.”
“Who would win?” Natalie asked, smiling.
“None of us.” Luke looked rueful. “Somehow, our sister always found a way to steal it while we were busy fighting.”
“Never mind. You want to know the secret about making cookies as an adult?”
He nodded.
“You always get to lick the bowl.”
Luke laughed, and right then, Natalie felt like she could have sat there all night, trading stories and listening to the sound of his voice. But another breeze whipped around them, and she let out a shiver. Luke’s expression changed. “Are you cold?”
“Oh, no,” Natalie lied.
What was that she’d just been saying about chilblains? She took it all back. Some guys were worth the cold.
But Luke got to his feet. “I shouldn’t have kept you,” he said. “Do you live close by? I can walk you home.”
“It’s fine. I’m just above the shop,” she said, wishing it were farther.
“Still, I’ll walk you.”
Natalie gathered up her things, and they headed down the steps and across the square. She walked slowly, trying to make the moment last, but strangely, after all their easy conversation, she suddenly couldn’t think of what to say.
“Do you like churros?” she asked, blurting the first thing that came into her mind.
Luke blinked.
“It’s just, if you like molasses cookies, then you’d probably love churros, because of all the cinnamon,” Natalie found herself saying. “I like them with a dark chocolate dipping sauce, but some people prefer dulce de leche. You could even make a burned caramel sauce and add the nutmeg and allspice,” she added, before she finally clamped her lips shut and swore not to say another word about churros.
Churros!
“I . . . can’t say I’ve ever thought about it,” Luke replied diplomatically. Because of course, normal people didn’t ramble about fried dough sticks for hours. “But I’d love to try some. I’m sure everything you make is delicious.”
Natalie gave a wry laugh. “Not exactly. Believe me, when I experiment with flavors, half the time I have to throw the whole batch out. Lavender and grapefruit, for example. Sounds delicious, tastes . . . not so much.”
“The mad scientist,” Luke joked, and she smiled.
“It’s actually more of a science than you’d think. You have to figure out the melting points, how the different ingredients break down and reform . . . I wish I’d paid more attention in chem lab in school.”
“If they’d run the experiments with chocolate, I think we’d all have paid more attention,” Luke agreed. He looked up. “Here we are,” he said, and Natalie realized that they’d already reached her shop.
“Oh. Well, thank you for seeing me back,” she said, strangely disappointed to be done with their stroll so soon.
“Someone has to protect you from the mean streets of Sweetbriar Cove,” Luke said, his lips curling in another dangerously tempting smile.
She couldn’t help but smile back. “It takes a brave man,” she agreed.
Their eyes met, and there was silence again, just a moment, but Natalie couldn’t help her gaze drifting lower, to Luke’s mouth. She wondered again what it would be like to feel him against her. She wondered if it would be as good as she imagined—
And then she didn’t have to wonder anymore, because he was kissing her.
Softly and sweetly, his lips barely grazing hers as one hand went to her cheek, cupping her face gently and drawing her closer into his irresistible warmth.
Mmmm . . .
Natalie forgot herself. She forgot everything except the sensation of his mouth against hers and how good it felt after all this time alone. She swayed into him as the kiss deepened, rich as mel
ted chocolate on her tongue. Luke’s body was taut and solid, blazing with heat even through the layers of their coats and scarves, and Natalie couldn’t resist bringing her hands to his chest, pressing closer, arching up, and parting her lips to taste him more deeply. Losing herself in the rush . . .
It felt like an eternity, suspended there in the sweetness, then Luke finally drew back. He exhaled a slow breath, his eyes dark in the moonlight. “Wow,” he whispered softly, almost reverently, and just like that, the daze broke, and Natalie realized what she’d done.
Following her heart, not her head. Rushing in too fast, no matter the consequences.
No matter how badly it could hurt her in the end.
She lurched back. Guilt and shame crashed through her. What was she doing, leading him on?
“I’m sorry!” she blurted, her pulse still racing. “I shouldn’t have . . . I mean, we can’t . . . I didn’t mean to do that.”
However earth-shaking that happened to be.
Luke’s smile slipped. Disappointment took its place, and Natalie felt another shot of guilt.
“I’m sorry,” he said immediately, stepping back. “I misread things. I thought you wanted—”
“I did,” Natalie said quickly. “I mean, I do. It’s just . . .” She paused, trying to choose her words carefully. She couldn’t tell him the truth, but she didn’t want to lie to him either, so she picked something in the middle.
“I had a breakup,” she said at last. “A bad one. It was months ago, but I’m still trying to figure things out on my own. And I’m just not ready for . . . anything like that. Not yet. Or anytime soon.”
Luke’s expression changed. “Of course,” he said respectfully. “I didn’t know.”
“I’m sorry,” Natalie said again, and he cracked a rueful smile.
“You said that already. It’s OK. Really. I understand.”
Natalie nodded. He was being so nice about it, it almost made it worse.
“So, we’ll keep things simple,” Luke continued, giving her a reassuring smile. “Friends.”
“Friends,” Natalie agreed, swallowing back her regrets. “I should, umm, go. It’s definitely past my bedtime now,” she cracked, but the attempt at a joke fell flat.
