Surprise Bride and Groom

by Iris Abbott

  “All right then. Considering you’re a hero and all, I’ll take two pans of brownies to work. And you can have your own pan without looking selfish.”

  “I’ve got a better idea. Have dinner with me tomorrow night at my house. You can bring the brownies over there and no one at the bank will ever have to know.”

  He gave her a sexy, lopsided grin that would be hard for any woman to say no to. Daisy had to try, however. “I can’t, Carson.”

  “Why not?” He arched a brow and waited.

  “There are several reasons, but the most important one is that I can’t find a babysitter for Lucas on such short notice.”

  “What about his regular babysitter?”

  “Lucas doesn’t have a babysitter? He goes to daycare when I’m at work. I’ve never needed to use one before.”

  Carson frowned. “Well what do you do with Lucas when you date?”

  Daisy gave him a flat look. “I don’t date, Carson. Raising Lucas is the sole focus of my life right now.” She hated admitting her dateless status to Carson. It made her sound like an old maid. But she had no reason to lie. And Carson needed to know the truth of what her life was like up-front.

  Lucas came running their way with an ecstatic Rosie chasing close behind. He loudly giggled before dropping to the ground to roll around with the frolicking Golden Retriever.

  “I have the perfect solution,” Carson said on a sudden outburst. “Bring Lucas with you,” he suggested. “It will be good for everyone.”

  “Really?” Daisy couldn’t tell if the offer was genuine or if he was just trying to be nice.

  “Really,” Carson emphatically insisted. “You get to have dinner with me, your hero.” He winked at her. “Lucas and Rosie get to wear each other out running around my backyard. And I get my own batch of your scrumptious brownies.”

  “Well, when you put it like that…”

  “That’s not all,” Carson insisted. “I also get to have dinner with the most beautiful woman in Rancher’s Bend.”

  Daisy’s eyes widened at the compliment. “Umm….” She was at a loss for words. That was the last thing she expected Carson to say about her. She stared at him with her mouth slightly parted while she fought to find something to say.

  Carson reached out toward her. He used a strong, lean finger under her chin to push her mouth closed. “Just say yes, Daisy. You know you want to.”

  Yes, she did, badly. The longing to spend time with Carson outside of work was what had her scared speechless.

  He gave her a goofy grin and turned those beautiful dark eyes her way one more time.

  The temptation was just too much. “Yes,” she finally said after several tense seconds passed.

  Carson’s taut muscles slowly relaxed when she agreed to the spur of the moment dinner invitation. He took out his cell phone. “What’s your mobile number?”

  Daisy was still a little dazed from the fact that she would be having dinner with Carson at his house tomorrow night. “My phone number?” she questioned. “Why?” She was so addled her brain just wasn’t working correctly.

  “I want to text you my address. That way you’ll know where you and Lucas are supposed to be tomorrow evening at five o’clock. Is that a good time for dinner?” he asked.

  “Actually an early dinner works well, because of Lucas’s bedtime.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. And traffic shouldn’t be too bad since it’s a Saturday.”

  Daisy laughed. “This is Rancher’s Bend, not San Antonio. Traffic isn’t really ever a problem here, unless there’s a major accident.”

  “That’s true enough, and fatal accidents are few and far between here, thank goodness. My phone number will be stored in your phone just in case something happens and you need to cancel.”

  “Good idea, I’d hate to be a no show. If something came up I’d feel really guilty if I couldn’t notify you.”

  He held up a hand. “I’m not offering you an easy out, Daisy. I really want to have dinner with you or I wouldn’t have asked. Please don’t deprive us of the joy of each other’s company.” The look he gave her was nothing but sincere.

  Daisy knew she might regret it eventually, but who could turn down such a heartfelt request? “We’ll be there. I promise.” She rattled off her number while Carson typed it into his phone. About a minute later her mobile buzzed. She had a text from an unknown user.

  “That’s me,” Carson told her. “Go ahead and save my number in your contact list so that you have it for future reference. You never know when you might need it after tomorrow.” He winked.

  Daisy felt the heat from that one sexy gesture all the way down to her toes. She was saved from having to make small talk by a quickly approaching Lucas and Rosie.

  Lucas plopped down on the bench next to his aunt. Rosie flopped down on the ground at his feet. “That was fun. I wanna do it again soon. Can I please, Aunt Daisy? Please, pretty please,” he begged.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. His enthusiasm was contagious. “Is tomorrow evening soon enough for you?”

  Lucas’s eyes widened until they almost filled his small face. “Can’t wait,” was the only thing the young boy said before he bent down to give Rosie a hug. “Did you hear that, Rosie? I can come play with you tomorrow!”

  As if she understood, the dog let out a joyous bark. Then the furry canine proceeded to lick Lucas all over his face, which sent the young boy into gales of childish laughter.

  Seeing Lucas so happy definitely did Daisy’s heart good. She had a lot to be thankful for this day. And Carson was at the top of the list. He’d made what could have been the worst day of her life turn out not so bad after all.

  She stood. “Thank you, Carson, for everything.” And Daisy did mean everything. She just didn’t want to elaborate in front of Lucas.

  Daisy lightly touched her nephew on the shoulder. “Let’s go home and figure out what we’re going to do for dinner, young man.”

  “Do we have to?” He was still petting Rosie and he looked reluctant to leave his new four-legged friend behind.

  “Yes, I’m sorry, but we do. I have some chores I need to complete tonight, including a trip to the grocery store. That is if you still want to have dinner with Mr. Miller and Rosie tomorrow evening.”

  “Oh, all right.” The little boy huffed, but he didn’t argue. “I gotta say goodbye to Rosie first, though.” He kneeled down next to the dog and wrapped both his chubby little arms around her neck. “Love you, Rosie. See you tomorrow.”

  Daisy’s gaze collided with the dark brown eyes of Carson. She put a hand to her heart and offered him a big smile. “Precious,” she whispered to Carson.

  Carson didn’t respond. Instead he just nodded his head in agreement. Daisy didn’t blame him. Sometimes words weren’t needed.

  Lucas finally got tired of being slobbered all over by the Golden Retriever and got back on his feet. “Ready now, Aunt Daisy.”

  “Okay, Lucas. Make sure you thank Mr. Miller for allowing you to play with Rosie.”

  To Daisy’s utmost surprise and probably Carson’s too, Lucas walked up to Carson and shyly wrapped his arms around the man’s legs. “Thank you, Mr. Miller.”

  Daisy knew that Carson didn’t have any children or nieces and nephews of his own. She wasn’t shocked that he seemed to be a little awkward around Lucas. He stood stock still as if frozen for a split second before clumsily patting Lucas on the shoulder.

  “You’re most certainly welcome. Trust me when I say Rosie had just as much fun as you did. I should be thanking you for wearing her out for me.”

  “I would do it every day!” Lucas answered before returning to his aunt’s side. “I’m really ready now,” he promised Daisy.

  That was more than Daisy could say. She wasn’t ready for any of the unsettling things coming her way. Not the feelings of attraction that Carson roused in her. Not the “dinner date” at his house tomorrow night. And she most certainly wasn’t ready to face the full brunt of Carson’
s charm and attention if he actively pursued her and turned up the heat that already simmered between them.

  ****

  Carson held onto Rosie’s collar when she looked like she might charge after Daisy and her nephew. He bent down and rubbed the dog on the belly. It was one of her favorite spots to be scratched.

  “Sorry, girl, but you’re still stuck with me.” Carson and Rosie both watched until the woman and young boy disappeared from their sight. Rosie let out a long, low whine.

  Carson stood to his full height. “I feel the exact same way, girl.” It was hard for him to watch Daisy walk away now that he’d made up his mind to pursue her. She was skittish and with good reason. He didn’t want to make the mistake of coming on too strong too soon.

  The first thing he needed to do was help her feel comfortable around him away from the bank. The more time they spent together, the easier it would be for her. He wasn’t above using Rosie to help him accomplish his goal. It was obvious that Lucas adored Rosie. And everybody in Rancher’s Bend knew how much Daisy adored Lucas.

  The attempted robbery of the bank on his watch left a bitter taste in his mouth. The previous hour spent talking with Daisy had taken off the edge. Listening to the lovely lilt of her voice and looking into her beautiful eyes had wiped out the bitterness and replaced it with something much sweeter. He wanted more of the way she made him feel.

  He attached the leash to Rosie’s collar. “Don’t worry, Rosie,” he said as they started walking toward his SUV. “If I have my way, and I usually do, we’ll be seeing a lot of Daisy and Lucas in the future.”

  He threw back his head and laughed when the dog wagged her tail and barked as if she understood every word he was saying.

  FOUR

  Just what did one wear to dinner at the boss’s house? Daisy blew out a large puff of air and continued to evaluate the contents of her closet. There was a fine line she was trying to walk. She didn’t want to appear too casual or dressed down. That might infer disrespect or indifference. And Daisy had the utmost respect for Carson, both personally and professionally.

  On the other hand, she didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard to impress either. Thanks to her ex-husband, Travis, she was wary of men. As a form of self-protection Daisy kept her distance from men, even the good ones like Carson. Of course, she’d thought Travis was a good one too, once upon a time.

  Another few minutes were spent agonizing over her wardrobe. Finally she decided on a denim skirt that reached to just above her knees. She paired it with a lacy pink top that hugged her figure without being too tight. Now that her mind was made up, Daisy quickly changed clothes.

  While she was pulling the top over her head she thought about Carson. Daisy tried hard to imagine what his home would look like. Did he have contemporary, traditional, or antique décor? No matter how hard she tried, Daisy couldn’t get a handle on it. The man was just too much of an enigma for her to even try to guess.

  She knew that he lived in one of the large, gated, golf course communities on the outskirts of Rancher’s Bend. She’d heard him mention being a member of the country club and playing a round of golf there at least two times a week. The problem was she’d always tried to avoid spending an excessive amount of time with Carson, so she’d never caught the name of the club or his neighborhood. She knew now, however, and she’d be seeing his private domain soon enough. The thought sent a chill down her spine, causing her to shiver.

  Since it took her so long to make a decision she and Lucas were running late. The sound of tiny fists impatiently knocking on her bedroom door underscored that fact. “Come on in, Lucas,” she called out.

  While she waited for Lucas to turn the knob and push open the door, Daisy took a quick look in the mirror. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with a few wispy strands escaping the elastic band to frame her face. She didn’t have time for another style, so it would have to do. A touch of lip gloss and she’d be as ready as she was ever going to be.

  Lucas rushed inside the bedroom and stopped at his aunt’s side. “You look pretty, Aunt Daisy. Can we go now?” He skipped from one foot to the other. A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking the boy had ants in his pants.

  “Let’s go into the kitchen and get Mr. Miller’s brownies and Rosie’s dog treats. Then we can leave for our visit.”

  “Yah!” the little boy exclaimed before running out of the bedroom ahead of Daisy.

  “Lucas, don’t mess with the brownies,” she called after his quickly retreating figure. “I’m right behind you.” She was nervous enough about facing Carson on his home turf. She didn’t need anything going wrong before she got there.

  Lucas and she had spent a good portion of their evening the night before baking. The first thing they made last night was three batches of peanut butter fudge brownies. Then Lucas decided that Rosie deserved homemade treats too. So they searched the Internet until they found a recipe for dog treats. Daisy even had a cookie cutter from Halloween that was shaped like a bone. It turned out to be a perfect way to form the doggie treats.

  After all of their hard work, it would be a shame for the decadent dessert or bone-shaped treats to end up on the floor. An unsupervised and overeager little boy could be a disaster waiting to happen in the kitchen. Especially if he got his hands on the baked goods and the food met an untimely demise.

  “I wanna help,” Lucas insisted when Daisy reached the kitchen.

  “Okay. Here you go.” She held out the lightest of the sealed plastic containers. It also happened to be the one that contained Rosie’s treats.

  “Hurry, Aunt Daisy! I can’t wait to see Rosie!”

  “Hmm, you might not be so good for Carson’s ego,” Daisy laughed.

  “Ego? What’s that,” Lucas wanted to know. “Is that another pet?” he asked her with barely contained excitement.

  “Not exactly,” Daisy said with a laugh.

  “What is it then?” He was looking more than a little confused now.

  “Oh, just you never mind. We better leave now or Mr. Miller and Rosie are going to think we changed our mind about dinner.”

  “Nuh-uh,” Lucas squealed. “We didn’t change our minds!” He ran for the front door as fast as his little legs would carry him.

  Laughter broke loose from deep inside Daisy. The joyous sound echoed around the kitchen. Lucas was a well-adjusted little boy despite all the heartache and loss he’d suffered during his short lifetime. But Daisy had never seen him this excited about anything, ever. Seeing him so happy lightened her burdens more than anything else could.

  She didn’t want to leave him outside unattended for long. Her inner reflections would have to wait for another time. Daisy took a giant breath before grabbing the brownies and her purse. She couldn’t procrastinate any longer. She followed her nephew out the door to her car, which put her that much closer to Carson.

  ****

  Carson glanced at the clock on the microwave for about the fifth time. Daisy and her nephew were five minutes late. Daisy was efficient and conscientious, definitely not the kind of person who just wouldn’t show up. He told himself that to try and calm his jittery nerves. This was like any other dinner date, he tried to reassure himself.

  It wasn’t working. No other woman had ever made the confident and charming Carson Miller nervous. Daisy, however, wasn’t like any other woman he’d ever met. Finding a woman to sleep with wasn’t hard for Carson. Daisy was a woman he wanted to sleep with and didn’t mind waking up to. As far as he was concerned, that kind of woman was a rare find indeed.

  Somehow Daisy got under his thick skin. She’d always had the ability to do so, and he’d known it. She had a solid hold on him now, and it was only going to get deeper. Carson, who’d sworn off of serious relationships since his bitter divorce almost ten years ago, should be running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

  Daisy made him take pause. She was almost the complete opposite of Laurie. His ex-wife had been obsessed
with her career and climbing the cooperate ladder. She’d served Carson with divorce papers when the president of the large bank they’d both worked for in Dallas divorced his second wife. Six months later she became the third Mrs. Winston and leapfrogged over Carson for a major promotion.

  Two good things had come out of the debacle. He was well rid of the coldhearted barracuda who had apparently never loved him, just the opportunities he could provide. And it had been the impetus that sent him back to Rancher’s Bend. He’d been hiding out in his hometown licking his wounds long enough. It was way past time to move on. And he wanted to move on with Daisy, if she was interested.

  He heard two car doors slam and then the doorbell rang in three quick bursts. Rosie barked and ran to see who had come to visit. Carson followed at a much slower pace. There was no need for Daisy to see just how eager he was to see her again.

  He opened the door and greeted his guests. It was a handshake for Lucas and a quick kiss on the cheek for Daisy. “Welcome and come on inside,” he invited with a wave of his hand.

  Lucas didn’t waste any time. The young boy rushed inside the foyer and dropped to his knees to greet a dancing and yipping Rosie. Carson couldn’t help but smile at the exuberant greeting the child and dog had for each other.

  “Why don’t you go outside with Rosie and explore the backyard with her,” Carson suggested. “The door is right through there.” He pointed toward the kitchen.

  “Yippee,” the denim-clad little boy yelled before making a beeline for the backdoor. “Come on, Rosie,” he called even though the dog was already hot on his heels.

  Daisy had been hanging back. She looked just as nervous as Carson felt. She quickly stepped inside the house. “I don’t want to lose sight of Lucas,” she warned him.

  “They’ll be fine in the backyard,” Carson promised. “It’s fenced, and I don’t have a swimming pool, so there’s no drowning hazard.”