She watched Jared as he gave a small shrug, then turned back to investigating each tree with interest. “What about this one? It looks good.”
Brooke moved over closer and looked the tree up and down. It was the fifth one Jared had pointed out so far, but she could see she still had a lot to teach him about picking out a Christmas tree. “Well, this one is better than the last one you picked. But see how when you stand back here, some of the branches are a bit shorter on this side than the other?”
She tried not to laugh out loud as she watched him step back and tilt his head slightly to get a better look at the tree.
He’d arrived a bit early to pick her up but had waited at the clinic while she saw the last of her patients. And on the drive out here, he’d been a perfect gentleman and had assured her she would get to meet the real Jared, not the one who had left such a bad first impression. So far, she’d actually been enjoying herself with him, but she wasn’t prepared to let him completely off the hook for that first meeting.
“I think you’re just messing with me now. There’s nothing wrong with this tree. Each branch is perfectly shaped.” He squinted his eyes slightly as he faced her with a wide smile.
She pretended to think it over, stepping back to get another look. The truth was, she normally would have just picked the first one they’d found. Her tree never ended up looking that good anyway. After the first day of being decorated beautifully, her cats usually made sure it didn’t look anything like that by the time Christmas arrived. So having the perfect tree really didn’t make that much of a difference.
But she was enjoying dragging Jared through the trees in search of that tree she had led him to believe would make Christmas complete. Then watching his confusion every time he thought he’d found one, only to be told it wasn’t quite right. She knew she should still be mad at him over what he’d done at their first meeting but after spending time with him today she realized he really wasn’t that bad of a guy. Holding a grudge wasn’t going to prove anything.
“You realize it’s going to be dark soon and then it will be impossible to find a tree.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for her to decide. “I don’t know about you, but I’m nearly frozen right through. Once the sun is gone, we will probably die out here from hypothermia.”
“Well, I guess it will have to do then.” She laughed as he rolled his eyes and nodded.
“Good. I’ll go find that man we talked to earlier who said he’d cut it for us.” As he walked away, she let her eyes follow him. He was tall, and his shoulders were broad beneath his heavy coat. She felt a small twinge of guilt knowing she’d kept him out walking around in the cold longer than necessary. He’d offered to get the tree up to her apartment for her and get it standing, so she would offer him some hot chocolate or something to warm him up.
Her stomach did a somersault as she realized that she’d be taking a man to her apartment. She hadn’t known any of the men she’d gone on a date with enough to even invite them upstairs. But she somehow sensed that he wasn’t the kind of man to take advantage of the situation. Plus, his aunt was friends with her Grams, so if he even tried anything, Brooke knew they’d both have his hide.
She was determined not to let her fears and mistrust ruin the fun she’d had with him over the past couple of hours.
“Okay, lift your side down carefully.”
Brooke followed his instructions, slowly letting the side she was holding slide from the roof of his Jeep.
“No, be careful! Hold it up!” His voice was muffled as he struggled to hold up the massive tree that was threatening to knock her to the ground. She should have never let him pick a tree this big. Now she was beginning to wonder if it would even fit into her apartment.
As she tried to hold on to it while he undid the final strap, she could feel it starting to slip. “Jared!” she hollered loudly in fear as she realized she was about to be crushed to death by a giant Christmas tree. But before it could land on her, he’d pushed her out of the way and taken the brunt of the trunk swinging from the roof. It hit him hard on the head before knocking him to the ground as the tree fell beside him. Pine needles sprayed everywhere, covering the snow around them.
“Jared, are you all right?” She quickly kneeled down in the snow to check on him.
Blood was already pouring from a large gash just above his eye. He reached up to wipe at the blood as he tried to sit up.
“Here, let me help you. Put your arm around my shoulder.” She took his hand and wrapped his arm over her shoulders as they stood. He held his other hand over the cut to try and stop the bleeding that was leaving a trail of bright red on the snow.
“I’m fine, Brooke. It’s just a cut. I’ve had worse.” He sounded a bit dazed, and she worried that he might have a concussion.
“No, it’s not just a cut. I’m taking you into the clinic and cleaning it up. You’ll likely need stitches.”
His eyes opened wide and he shook his head adamantly. “Absolutely not. No way am I letting you stick any needles in my head.” He stopped walking and refused to move.
She turned her head to the side and looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. “You aren’t afraid of needles, are you?”
He scoffed and shook his head again as he tried to stand on his own. “Of course not. I’m a grown man. I’m just not fond of the idea of anyone sticking me with needles or sewing me up when I’m not entirely sure that person isn’t still angry with me.”
She wasn’t sure she believed him. He was trying to protest just a bit too much. “Well, first of all, I’m a doctor, so it would be against the law for me to act on any personal feelings when dealing with a patient.” She’d placed an arm behind his back to help steady him, so she tugged slightly to get him walking again before he bled out right behind her clinic. It probably wouldn’t be a great way to build trust with any patients coming in tomorrow if she just let him die back here.
“And second of all, I’m not angry. You’ve proven to be an all right guy today, so I can let go of your less than stellar first impression.”
He stopped again and looked down at her with a grin on his face. “Does this mean you’ll let me take you on a proper date? And hopefully one that won’t have us freezing the entire time, only to end with one of us suffering from serious head trauma?”
“I don’t know. It’s not really ethical to date a patient. And once I get you inside and sew you back up, that’s what you’ll be.” She laughed at the stunned look on his face.
“Well then I am refusing medical treatment. I really don’t want you to see how un-masculine I am around needles anyway.”
She rolled her eyes and tugged again. “Fine, I will go out with you again on the condition you let me take care of that cut. It really is bad, and you need to get it fixed.”
“Can’t you just use some strong Band-Aids or something?”
By now they were at the back door to the clinic, so she let go of him to reach into her purse for her keys. He leaned against her slightly while he waited.
“No, Jared. You need stitches. I promise the needle won’t hurt a bit.” She felt like she was having to convince a child that everything would be okay. “And if you’re good, maybe I’ll even give you a sticker.”
He clenched his jaw tight and looked inside the open door as though he was motivating himself to go into battle. Finally, he took a step inside.
“If I survive this, please promise me that I will get to pick what we do for our next date.”
Chapter Seven
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to this? You aren’t showing any symptoms of a concussion, but I know your head has to be hurting at least a bit.”
Jared opened the door to the restaurant and let Brooke go in ahead of him. He would never admit how much his head was actually still throbbing. If he did, he knew she would insist they go home so he could rest. There was no way he was passing up this chance to be out on a real date with her, even if he did end up passing out in his
salad over dinner.
It would be worth it.
Yesterday at the Christmas tree farm, he’d found himself smiling and laughing more than he had in a long time. Once she’d let down her guard a bit and not focused on his stupidity from the day at the taco truck, they had actually been able to have a lot of fun together. She was a bit picky about finding the perfect tree, but he hadn’t really minded because it meant he could spend more time with her. His fingers had been almost completely frozen off, and then he got clobbered with a Christmas tree, but other than that, it had been a perfect day.
He hoped tonight would end up without any injury.
“I’m fine. Quit trying to get out of your date with me. A deal is a deal. I didn’t even cry or pass out when you stuck that ridiculously long needle into my forehead, or when you proceeded to repeatedly stab me with that hook while you sewed me back up. So, you owe me.”
Her laughter made his heart skip a beat. How could one woman have such an effect on a man?
“Well, I’d say that since I was the one doing the stitching, technically you owe me, but we won’t argue about that. You were a very good boy and didn’t fuss too much when I jabbed you, so I guess I can follow through on my end of the bargain.”
“Thank you.” He grinned as he let her lead them to a table in the restaurant. She’d mentioned that it was owned by her cousins, and he’d asked if they should go somewhere else, so they couldn’t be interrupted. But she’d insisted it wouldn’t be that bad, even though he already had a feeling they were going to have more sets of eyes on them all night than he’d like. However, Maude had told him that Brooke hadn’t been having much luck with dates lately, so he suspected she wanted to be somewhere she felt safe.
He could give her that.
It didn’t matter to him where they went, as long as he got to spend the evening with her.
As soon as they sat down, a young waitress came rushing over. “Hi, Brooke. I’m glad to see your back.” The woman looked at him warily, as though she was somehow expecting him to show he had another head or something.
“Ivy, this is Jared. He’s not a date from the Internet. He’s Maude’s nephew who came to stay with her.” He put his hand out to the waitress who obviously knew Brooke well. “Jared, this is my cousin Ivy.”
“Oh, well then hopefully you won’t need rescuing tonight.” Ivy laughed at her own joke and took their drink order.
Once she left, he grinned across the table at Brooke. Her cheeks were a bright shade of red as she rolled her eyes in Ivy’s direction.
“She’s exaggerating. I’ve had a few dates over the past couple of weeks that resulted in me needing some assistance to get away from, but I’d hardly say they had to rescue me.”
“Well I hope she’s right. I’d hate to think you’d need rescuing from a date with me. However, I will be on my guard now for anything suspicious that might require you to suddenly have to leave.”
They sat and talked while they waited for their meal to arrive, and she was laughing as she shared the details of some of the dates she’d been on. He was sympathetic and even shared a couple of dating stories he’d experienced in the past that he said he’d rather try to forget.
In the hour since they’d arrived, he’d met three more cousins who he knew were now keeping a watchful eye on them. Ryder and Maggie owned the restaurant and bar, and he’d noticed them looking their way more than once. And another cousin named Andrew had come in with his girlfriend Rachel. They’d both quickly came over to introduce themselves to him and it seemed that Rachel and Brooke might be good friends.
He really hoped that the next time he took her out, she’d agree to go somewhere with a little less company.
And he already knew he’d be asking to take her out again. He’d never met anyone who did what she did to him. He was enjoying every moment with her and he didn’t intend to let her get away. Even though he’d only known her now for about a week, he knew she was different.
“So, we’ve talked about how horrible dating is. You know just about everything about me, along with my family and what I do for a living. When are you going to share more about yourself? All I know really is that you don’t make a good first impression and you’re a bit accident-prone.”
Their plates arrived, and they thanked Ivy, who looked back and forth between them, probably waiting to see if Brooke was going to give some kind of signal to imply she needed to be rescued. Or, more likely, she was trying to decide if he was some kind of dangerous criminal adorning a giant black goose-egg on his head with stitches stretching across it. Everyone they’d met tonight had stared at his forehead and he could tell they were dying to find out about it, but he’d gotten a bit of enjoyment out of leaving them to wonder what had happened.
It made him feel a bit more mysterious. And to be completely honest, he really didn’t want them all to know he’d been almost knocked unconscious by a Christmas tree. He was hoping to make a better first impression on her family than he’d managed with her.
“What would you like to know? There’s not too much interesting to know about me. I grew up in Philadelphia with parents who believed working and putting money away for retirement was more important than doing anything with their children. And one sister who moved to New York as soon as she was able to drive. So you can see my family isn’t quite as extensive as yours.”
“What about Maude?” Brooke took a bite of her pot roast and closed her eyes briefly as she started to chew. “Oh, this is good.”
He had to smile at how much she was truly enjoying her meal. It was refreshing to be with someone so honest and uninhibited. Too many times women would put on an act, sometimes even pretending to just want a small salad thinking that would impress him.
“Maude is my great-aunt. I used to come and stay with her a lot when I was a kid, but I guess over the years as I grew up, I didn’t make the effort to see her as much as I should have. She’s more like a grandma to me than an aunt, and when I heard she’d hurt herself I realized time was passing by and she wasn’t getting any younger. I needed to make more time for her before it was too late.”
He stopped and stared at Brooke for a moment, wondering why he’d just shared stuff with her he hadn’t even really thought about himself until now. She just smiled and took another bite; completely unaware he had just completely opened up to her like that.
“When we first met, you mentioned that your job allowed you to be able to move anywhere you wanted.” She made a face at him as she continued. “Of course, at the time, I thought you were some kind of online stockbroker like it said in your profile.”
He cringed slightly as she brought that up again. At least she wasn’t mad anymore.
“I’m an author. I write crime fiction.”
She opened her eyes wide with excitement. “You’re really an author? I think I do remember your aunt mentioning something about you being a writer, but I kind of assumed that just meant you were between jobs. You know, the whole struggling writer thing.”
He laughed and shook his head as he took a sip of water. “Well, I do actually make a living from my books, so I guess I’m not struggling too badly. I find it’s sometimes easier not to mention what I do simply because everyone does automatically assume I just don’t have a job.”
They laughed and continued their meal, and he was finding himself getting pulled even farther into her eyes every time she looked at him. Just being around her made him feel happy.
When it was time to pay, Brooke excused herself to go to the washroom before they left. He went up to the counter at the bar to give them his credit card instead of waiting for Ivy to come to the table. The restaurant was so busy he didn’t want to make any extra work for her.
Another woman stood near the counter talking to Maggie. She turned when he got there and smiled at him. “So, you’re, Jared? I hear you’re out on a date with Brooke. I think you’re the first one she’s actually managed to stay through the whole meal with.”
“Ja
red, this is Renae, another one of our cousins.” Ivy walked up behind him, taking his bill and punching it into the till.
“Another cousin. I wonder if it’s possible to go anywhere in Quinn Valley without running into a Quinn cousin.”
Renae shook her head emphatically. “No, I doubt it.”
Ivy handed him back his card and smiled at him tiredly. “I’m sorry if I didn’t get back to you guys much. It is so busy in here tonight.” Suddenly, she gasped as she stared across the restaurant before quickly looking at Renae. Renae followed her gaze and cringed.
“Oh no.”
Jared immediately noticed Brooke coming back toward them at the same time as a couple walked into the restaurant. She had to go around them to get past and he could see the exact moment all color drained from her face.
“What’s going on? Who is that?” His pulse was already racing as he sensed something wasn’t right.
“That’s Todd. Her ex. With his new wife.”
She’d briefly mentioned an ex, but he couldn’t remember what had happened. Or, if she’d even really told him.
Renae looked at him with her face crumpled like she was genuinely in pain. “He dumped her two days before their wedding and ran off to elope with her matron of honor. It’s the kind of thing you would only ever believe happened in the movies, but it happened to her. She lost her fiancé to her best friend and they didn’t even have the decency to tell her to her face. They just ran off and let her live with the humiliation.”
Ivy was shaking her head, staring at the confrontation that was about to happen across the floor. “It was two years ago, and they at least didn’t come back to town to rub her nose in it. Well, until now. I’d heard they’d moved back here but was hoping I was wrong. I never liked her friend Amanda. She always had to compete with Brooke and couldn’t stand to let her have anything she didn’t. Now she’ll be flaunting her marriage in her face.”
Becoming Brooke (Quinn Valley Ranch Book 6) Page 4
