His Valentine Bride

by Cindy Kirk

  “I—” Betsy cleared her throat before continuing “—I can relate.”

  “Can you?” Ryan reached forward and took her hands. “It’s difficult having such intense feelings but having to keep them hidden.”

  “A person shouldn’t keep feelings like that under wraps.” Her voice shook with emotion. “You should always say what you feel.”

  “Even if I’m not sure the other person feels the same way?”

  “How do you know unless you ask?” Two bright spots of pink dotted her cheeks.

  Ryan wondered if she’d guessed his secret. “You’re right,” he said. “I’m going to just blurt it out.”

  He realized with a start that he was still clutching Betsy’s hands as if he were a drowning sailor and they were a life raft. But when he started to pull away, she tightened her hold.

  “Tell me, Ryan,” she urged. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”

  He took a deep breath. “I’m in love with Adrianna Lee, but I’m not sure how she feels about me.”

  A shutter fell across Betsy’s eyes. Even when she blinked the shutters remained firmly closed, hiding her thoughts, her reaction from his view. She released his hands and sat back, which he took to be a very bad sign.

  “You and Adrianna?” Betsy stumbled over the name. “I thought that you, that we—”

  She clamped her mouth shut.

  Ryan tilted his head. “Did you think I was talking about you and me?”

  Was that pity in his eyes?

  Betsy’s heart fluttered like a thousand tiny hummingbirds in her chest. Dear God, this was her worst nightmare come to life. Somehow she had to find a way to salvage this situation. And while she was doing that, save her pride.

  “You and me?” She somehow managed a respectable-sounding laugh. “Pssh. We’re just friends.”

  By the look in his eyes, Betsy knew she hadn’t quite allayed his suspicions. How uncomfortable would it be for them to work in the same office day after day if he thought she was pining over him? She had to make him think there was someone else. But who? They knew most of the same people.

  “Actually, as long as we’re sharing confessions, I have my own secret crush. That’s why I could so easily relate to what you were saying.”

  The muscles in his shoulders relaxed and the suspicion that had colored his gaze all but disappeared. “Who is he?”

  If she refused to tell him, he’d think she was lying. But she couldn’t pick anyone currently living in Jackson Hole. That would be way too uncomfortable. And she wouldn’t put it past Ryan to spill the beans.

  Think, she told herself, think of a name.

  “Tripp Randall.”

  “The Tripp Randall who used to live here?”

  “He lives back East now.” Betsy relaxed against the chair, feeling comfortable enough to take a sip of her now-lukewarm drink. “He was married, but—”

  “His wife died.”

  At first Betsy was surprised. How did he know that Tripp’s wife had passed away? Then she reminded herself that this was Jackson Hole. It was hard to keep any kind of secret in this town.

  “Even though he’s now single, I don’t think there’s any chance of our getting together,” Betsy said. “I mean, he’s in Connecticut and I’m here.”

  “Not for much longer.”

  “What do you mean? I don’t have any plans to move.”

  “You haven’t heard?”

  “Heard what?”

  “I just got a call from him this morning,” Ryan said. “Tripp is moving back to Jackson Hole.”

  Chapter Five

  Betsy dressed for work the next morning, still thinking about her conversation with Ryan in the coffee shop.

  She hadn’t known what to say when he announced he was in love with Adrianna. It made perfect sense. Heck, if she was a guy she’d pick Adrianna, too. The woman was smart and beautiful. And she had a kind heart.

  His announcement had shaken Betsy to the core. Even though she’d never admit this to anyone, there had been a few wonderful seconds where she’d been convinced he was going to declare his love for her. When he said her friend’s name instead, she’d wanted to cry. But she hadn’t. She’d kept her pride.

  So what if he now thought she was interested in a man she could barely remember? There were worse things, such as his knowing her true feelings.

  No, it hadn’t been a good day. But if she hadn’t thought quickly, it could have been so much worse.

  By the time she arrived at work she had her emotions firmly under control. Only eight hours to get through and then she’d have four days away from Ryan. Four days to lick her wounds. Four days to figure out how she was going to deal with working for a man she loved who had the hots for her best friend.

  Ryan was in court all morning. Adrianna had asked Betsy to meet her for lunch. Although she didn’t like lying to her friend, her emotions were too raw and she made up an excuse about having too much work to do.

  Actually it wasn’t far from the truth. She was hoping to be able to get her tasks done so she could leave early and minimize the time spent with Ryan.

  The clock had just chimed one when Ryan appeared. Betsy smiled and said hello as he walked through the back door, knowing it would have looked odd to do anything else. Then she immediately returned her attention to the papers on her desk, hoping he’d go straight into his adjoining office and shut the door.

  Instead he crossed the room and stood by her desk giving her no choice but to look up. “Is there something you need?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other. “About our conversation yesterday—”

  “All forgotten.” She spoke quickly before he could continue.

  Ryan dropped into the chair next to her desk. The spicy scent of his cologne teased her nostrils. “I did a lot of thinking last night.”

  Every muscle in Betsy’s body tensed. She had no idea what he was going to say, but she had the feeling she wasn’t going to like it.

  “I’ve come up with something that might just solve both of our problems.” His voice said he was quite pleased with himself.

  “I don’t have a problem.” Betsy picked up the promissory note she was working on for one of Ryan’s clients, but the words swam before her eyes.

  “You like Tripp. You want to be with him. And now he’s moving back to Jackson.” He smiled expectantly as if he’d just given her all the information she needed tied up in a neat little bow.

  The truth was she didn’t have a clue what he was trying to say. And she wished he would take his enticing smile and his delicious-smelling cologne and leave her alone. “While I might like Tripp, he doesn’t know I exist.”

  “You realize this man you like is a good friend of mine.”

  The man I like is you, you idiot, she wanted to say. But Betsy bit her tongue.

  “And you and I share a common issue,” Ryan continued. “Like Tripp, Adrianna doesn’t know I exist.”

  He seemed to expect her to say something, so Betsy obliged. “Adrianna is a good friend of mine.”

  “Exactly.” Ryan slapped his hand on the table as if she’d just answered the million-dollar question.

  Except...she didn’t know the question. “I don’t understand.”

  The look he shot her seemed to say, You’re smarter than this. But, of course, that wasn’t true. Because if she was the least bit intelligent, she’d have stopped herself from falling in love with him.

  “Are you familiar with the principle of ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’?”

  Betsy slowly nodded.

  “Well, you help get me in front of Adrianna,” he said with a little smile, “and I get you in front of Tripp. Then we let nature take its course.”

  “Get in front of...” Betsy dropped the promissory note to the desk. This conversation required her full concentration. “What does that mean exactly?”

  “For example, you help me spend time with Adrianna. That way she’ll have the opportunity to get to know me be
tter. After all, to know me is to love me.”

  Betsy couldn’t even manage a smile. “You mean, like I’d take you with me to Adrianna’s house for Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes.” Ryan practically jumped out of his chair in his enthusiasm. “That’s exactly the type of intervention I’m talking about. But I want to make it very clear that this wouldn’t be one-sided.”

  “It wouldn’t?”

  “Absolutely not. Once Tripp is back and settled in, I’ll definitely return the favor.”

  Betsy felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. The fact was, she might need an introduction to the man. Even though he’d been a friend of Ryan, she didn’t remember Tripp all that well. And unlike Adrianna, she hadn’t thought about him since high school. Even back then, he hadn’t made a big impression. “I don’t know...”

  “What’s not to know? To get someone to fall in love with you, they have to be around you, spend time with you.”

  The flicker of hope that one day Ryan might wake up and realize he was in love with her had been all but snuffed out when he’d announced he was in love with Adrianna. Still, she realized now that a tiny spark remained. Which meant she was either a hopeless romantic or the dumbest woman on the face of the earth. Betsy suspected both were true.

  Because now, gazing into those beautiful gray eyes, she found herself wondering if maybe, just maybe, they spent more time together, Ryan would see that it wasn’t Adrianna he loved, but her instead.

  You’re going to get your heart broken, a tiny voice of reason in her head whispered. But she ignored it. The way Betsy saw it, love wasn’t for wusses.

  “What would make the most sense would be for the two of us to start hanging out together.” Betsy forced a slightly bored tone. “We make it clear to everyone that we’re just old friends. That way Adrianna and—”

  Panic rose inside Betsy. Who was it she was supposed to be in love with? For a split second his name fled her mind.

  “Tripp.” Ryan filled in the blank.

  “Yes, Tripp.” She quickly repeated the name ten times in her head so she wouldn’t forget it again. “Because we don’t want them to think we’re a couple or anything...”

  “No, we don’t want that.” Ryan spoke a little too quickly for her liking.

  “Anyway, it would seem less suspicious. I know that Adrianna—” Betsy paused for effect “—wouldn’t think it strange at all if you started coming around with me.”

  Betsy vowed in that moment if Ryan and Adrianna discovered that they were soul mates, she’d be happy for them. And even while her heart was breaking, she’d never let it show on her face.

  Ryan’s expression turned thoughtful. As he drummed his fingers on the table, she could almost see him considering the pros and cons of what she’d suggested. “I think it would work,” he said finally. “Tripp would be less suspicious, too.”

  Her gaze met his. “Please know that if we give it our best shot and he doesn’t return my feelings, I’m not the type to cling or to be where I’m not wanted.”

  The words flowed from her heart and they were as much for her sake as for the attorney sitting beside her. It wasn’t Tripp who needed to know this about her, it was Ryan.

  Betsy jumped when his hand closed over hers. “You’re a wonderful woman. He’d be crazy not to want you.”

  Her skin turned hot beneath his touch and she pulled the words close to her heart. But she wondered, if she was so wonderful, why didn’t Ryan want her for himself? She slipped her hand out from beneath his. “Sounds like we have a deal.”

  Ryan rubbed his chin. “When should we start?”

  “Adrianna is having a few friends over for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I’ll tell her to set the table for one more. Unless you’re busy—”

  “I’ll be there,” he said immediately. “What time shall I pick you up?”

  “Five o’clock would be fine.”

  “I’ve got a good feeling about this,” Ryan said.

  Well, Betsy thought, that makes one of us.

  * * *

  The next morning, while making a sweet-potato casserole, Betsy made her own pro-con list in her head. She still hadn’t told Adrianna that Ryan was coming because she wasn’t sure she was going through with their agreement. Food wouldn’t be a problem if she did decide to go along with his scheme and let him come. There was plenty to eat.

  Even after she’d finished with the food preparation, she still wasn’t certain the pros outweighed the cons. But later that afternoon, she realized she had no choice. Not unless she wanted Ryan to know it was him she liked, not Tripp.

  She called Adrianna and told her she’d like to bring Ryan with her. Just as she thought, Adrianna hadn’t minded. In fact she’d been rather enthusiastic. Even though Betsy had stressed that Ryan was simply a friend, she got the feeling Adrianna didn’t believe her. It was at that point Betsy thought about coming clean and telling her friend about the crazy scheme Ryan had concocted.

  Several things stopped her. She’d given Ryan her word to keep this arrangement just between them. In this day of easy promises, she liked to think that her word meant something. And then there was a more practical matter. If she went back on her promise, what would stop Ryan from going back on his word? If he told Tripp Randall that she was interested in him, she’d be mortified.

  And—she glanced at the medallion lying on the dresser—this would be her chance to get to know Ryan better and for him to get to know her in a nonwork setting. Perhaps she’d discover he wasn’t her one true love. Then she could move on with her life. Find the man she was meant to be with.

  But say she didn’t get tired of him. She’d give this odd arrangement until the holidays were over. If he hadn’t fallen for her by then, he never would. Then she would make every effort to do as she’d promised and steer Adrianna his way. Until then, she was giving herself the best shot.

  The ringing of her doorbell pulled her from her reverie. She glanced at the clock on the wall, surprised to find it was time. Taking one last quick look in the mirror, she was pleased to see that for an average person, she looked a little above average today.

  She paired a soft red sweater with a black tweed skirt and boots. Even if she had to say it herself, she looked pretty darn good.

  The doorbell rang again, and Betsy swiped on another layer of lip gloss. She shut Puffy, her Pomeranian, in the bedroom before hurrying to the door.

  Betsy’s breath caught in her throat as the door swung open. Above average was today’s ugly duckling. Next to Ryan she was a brown moth with nothing to recommend her.

  For the casual dinner this evening Ryan was once again dressed all in black. Black sweater. Black pants. Black boots. Few guys could pull off such a look, but on him, with his broad shoulders, lean hips and classically handsome features, it worked. His hair was tousled and still slightly damp from the shower. He looked, well, way out of her league.

  “Happy Thanksgiving.” He leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her cheek.

  Betsy went absolutely still, resisting—but barely—the urge to touch the tingling spot where his lips had just been.

  “What—what was that for?”

  His eyes widened ever so slightly. “It’s a holiday and you looked so nice.” Concern filled his eyes. “Was I out of line?”

  Mutely, she shook her head.

  “Really, if you think I was even the least little bit, just slug me.” He leaned over, sticking out his chin.

  Betsy raised her hand, but instead of clenching it into a fist, she cupped his face and kissed him right on the lips, like she’d been longing to do for years.

  For a second he responded. His lips were warm and firm, and he tasted faintly like chewing gum. When she pulled back, a tiny smile tugged at his lips. “What was that for?”

  Betsy shrugged and reached for her coat. “You looked so nice,” she said mimicking his response to her, “and it is, after all, a holiday.”

  The rest of the tension left his face. He grinned. “An
d I’m starving.”

  “You and me both, buckeroo.”

  He helped her on with her parka. His fingers brushed her neck, and a curious thrumming filled her veins. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, but she was happy she’d taken advantage of the opportunity. Because when this was all over, she didn’t want to have any regrets. And right now she didn’t have a one.

  * * *

  Somehow Betsy ended up across the table from Ryan at dinner while Adrianna sat directly to his right. He wasn’t sure how much Betsy had to do with the seating arrangement, but he owed her big time for this.

  The beautiful brunette had smiled a welcome when he’d walked through the door with Betsy, thanking him warmly when he’d handed her a bottle of wine. It had to be the fact that he was here as a guest of her best friend that made the difference. Whatever it was, he appreciated Betsy’s efforts. And once Tripp was in town and settled, he would definitely return the favor.

  Betsy was telling a hilarious story about the time she and her brother had gotten lost at Yellowstone. He wondered if she knew how pretty she looked when she smiled. He had the feeling he wouldn’t have to do much pushing to get Tripp to notice her.

  Although Ryan liked Tripp, he was surprised Betsy had a thing for him. He just didn’t seem her type. Ryan pulled his brows together and stabbed a piece of, ugh, purple asparagus.

  “Does the asparagus taste okay?” Adrianna whispered to him. “I made it myself.”

  Her perfume was sultry, a sexy fragrance he usually loved. But tonight he found himself wondering if she’d ever considered wearing something different, lighter, say a vanilla scent. For some reason that fragrance held more appeal.

  “Everything is...wonderful,” he said, looking into her beautiful green eyes. Had he ever known a more beautiful woman? He didn’t think so. “My favorite is the sweet-potato casserole.”

  “Betsy made it.” Adrianna smiled proudly.

  “How?” he asked. “We didn’t bring any food with us.”

  We? Us? Using words like that made it seem that he and Betsy were a couple. Hardly the impression he wanted to give to Adrianna. Thankfully she didn’t appear to notice.