Tears welled in her eyes for the billionth time, which would explain the chronic eye puffiness. She brushed away the wetness on her cheeks at the same time she heard the bell ring over the outer shop door, signaling a customer.
“Darn it. Now I have to be perky and puffy.”
“Faith?” That was Sam’s voice and there was a tone in it. He was worried. “Faith? Where are you?”
She rushed into the front and found him frantically looking around. “What’s wrong, Sam?”
He rushed over and took her upper arms, holding her still, checking her out. “Are you all right?”
That was a very good question. Her heart was pounding, her knees were weak and it was hard to catch her breath. On top of that, her eyes were puffy. Otherwise she was fine.
“Faith—” He gripped her arms. “Answer me.”
“What was the question?”
“Are you all right?”
She didn’t get it. There was genuine concern leaning toward fear in his expression. “Don’t I look all right?”
“Your eyes are a little red, but otherwise—”
“I’m fine, Sam. Why? You came rushing in here looking as if the place was on fire. What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.”
When he removed his hands from her arms, Faith was almost sure he did it reluctantly. As if maybe he didn’t want to stop touching her any more than she wanted him to stop. But that was probably nothing more than wishful thinking.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“Phoebe just called me and said you were in trouble.”
And he’d come rushing to help her. Hold on, she thought. That didn’t prove anything except he was good Blackwater Lake material and a caring neighbor. “As you can see, I’m fine. But my daughter has some explaining to do.”
“So you’re not in trouble?”
“No.” At least not physically, she thought. “Thank you, Sam. I appreciate your concern, but there’s nothing wrong. Except that my daughter is a manipulator. I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother you again.”
“It was no bother.” But something was bothering him because the hand he dragged through his hair was shaking.
Faith pulled the cell phone from her pocket and called McKnight Automotive. Tom had picked Phoebe up after school and was keeping her with him at the garage instead of dropping her off at the flower shop. He’d done it with his daughter, Sydney, when she was a little girl and said maybe Faith and Phoebe needed some space from each other.
The phone rang twice, then was picked up. “McKnight Automotive, Sydney speaking.”
“Hi, Syd. This is Faith. May I speak to Phoebe, please?” And give her a piece of my mind.
“Sure, hold on. She’s right here.”
Faith heard voices on the other end, but not the conversation. It seemed to take longer than necessary for her daughter to come on the line. The little sneak.
Finally, she said, “Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Mom.”
“I know. Syd told me it was you.”
“Do you know why I’m calling?” She glanced at Sam, who looked as if he was trying not to smile.
“To check on me?” There was a hopeful note in Phoebe’s voice.
“Yes. Is everything all right?”
“Yup. I’m having fun with Uncle Tom and Syd. They’re showing me stuff on cars.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Faith knew if they were having this conversation face-to-face her little troublemaker would crumble like a sugar cookie. “Do you have anything else you want to tell me?”
There was a moment of silence, then she said, “I can’t think of anything, Mommy.”
“Have you talked to Sam recently?” This was it. The moment of truth. “It’s not a hard question, Phoebe. Yes or no.”
“Okay, then. Yes.” A few seconds later she said, “He’s there, isn’t he?”
“You told him I was in trouble,” Faith said sternly. “That’s not true.”
“It is, Mom. You said last night that losing him was bad. That means there’s something wrong with you.”
Wow, that was twisting the truth into a knot but Faith realized that the spirit of the message was valid. Although that’s not what she was going to tell this child.
“Why would you do something like this?”
“Uncle Tom said it was for a good cause.”
“He knew you called Sam?” Faith was shocked.
“It was his idea. He said somebody had to get the two of you together in the same room to have a talk. Do you want to ask him?” Phoebe said, trying to get off the hook.
“Not right now.” But she would.
Several moments passed before the little girl said in an uncertain voice, “Mommy? Am I in trouble?”
“Are you in trouble?” she mused. Sam’s expression indicated he was a no vote on that. “We’ll talk about it when we get home.”
“O-okay. Bye.”
“Phoebe? I love you.”
“Love you, too.” She clicked off.
Faith let out a long breath and met Sam’s gaze. “So we’ve been had by an eight-year-old and the brains of the operation is a grandfather who’s old enough to know better.”
“Tom McKnight?”
She nodded. “Or, as I will forever think of him now, Cupid. He thought we needed a push to talk to each other.”
“I see.” He slid his fingertips into the pockets of his worn jeans. “Are you going to discipline her?”
“There need to be consequences, Sam. She lied to you.”
“But her intentions were good.” He was taking Phoebe’s side, just the opposite of excluding her. “And before you ground her for the rest of her life, you should know that I was already on my way here when she called me.”
“It was a risky move on her part and might not have worked.” Faith barely managed to get the words out, what with her heart pounding so hard.
“Why’s that?” His gaze searched hers, questioning and intense.
“You had every right to ignore Phoebe and chalk it up to me getting what I deserved,” she said. “I’m surprised you would be concerned about me at all after what I did.”
“You don’t get it yet.” He was irritated, but somehow she knew it wasn’t directed at her. “Faith, I’m not like your parents or that jerk of a husband who deserted you. I will always be there for you and Phoebe. Whether you want me to be or not.”
Her heart squeezed tight and his words made her want to blubber like a baby. But she held it together. Hope blossomed inside her and it was important that she not blow this.
“Sam, I want you to know how sorry I am for leaving you at the altar.”
“Technically it was an office, but—” He sighed. “It’s all right—”
“Let me say it.” She held up a hand to stop his words. “I might fumble this a little because groveling isn’t what I’m known for. It’s unnatural to me, but I’m willing to give it a try. For you.”
“You have my undivided attention.”
“I was wrong about love and you’re the one who taught me that. You showed me your heart and it’s as open and immeasurable as Big Sky Country. There’s enough room for everyone you care about. No one gets left behind.”
His eyes went soft, but no less intense. “No fumble there.”
“I’m not finished yet.” And thank goodness he was still listening intently. “The thing is, I was afraid and that gives Phoebe a flawe
d message. That can’t be the lesson she learns or she’ll get love wrong, too. And I don’t want that for her.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.”
Good, but this was the tricky part. She walked over to her refrigerated case and pulled out two different-colored flowers, then came back to him. She handed him a lavender rose and a red one. “These are for love at first sight and forever-after love. I’m going out on a limb here, no pun intended because I’m a florist and work with plants. I’m asking you to forgive me and let me have a second chance. Marry me, please. Because I’m in love with you.”
He nodded and the corners of his mouth curved up. “I’m going to have to think it over.”
“What?” She blinked and her heart deflated like a punctured balloon. “Right. Of course. Because I should have—”
“Okay. Yes,” he said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I thought it over. Actually, I’ve been thinking about you, nothing but you, since you walked out. And the answer is yes. There’s nothing I want more than to marry you. Because I love you.”
“Really?”
“Really. And I love your daughter. Let’s get that straight right now.” He looked at the roses, then pulled her into his arms. “I’ve never meant anything more. I would have said it first, but you took the words right out of my mouth. The I-love-you part, not the asking-for-forgiveness part. Because I didn’t screw up.”
“Are you ever going to let me live that down?”
“My current plan is to give Phoebe sisters and brothers and together we’ll live happily ever after. But you should know that I might bring this up every twenty-five years or so.”
“I love that plan,” she said, smiling up at him. “So we should go to the courthouse for the wedding, take two—”
“No. Not a quickie courthouse thing.” He was adamant. “I want a big splashy affair with you in an outrageously expensive and gorgeous white dress. Phoebe needs a fancy dress, too, because she’s going to be the flower girl. No way we’re sneaking off to do this quietly. Our love is a gift and should be celebrated and shared.”
“That sounds like vows to me—” The tears started again, but they were all about joy this time.
“Please don’t cry, sweetheart—”
“I’m just overwhelmed with happiness. You gave me shelter when I had nowhere to go and I never expected to find my future, too. The new guy in town is officially off the market.”
He held her tighter and she knew home was and always would be in the shelter of his arms.
* * * * *
Looking for more BACHELORS OF BLACKWATER LAKE? Then keep an eye out for the next book in the series, available in November 2017!
And while you wait, catch up with residents of the picturesque Montana town:
JUST A LITTLE BIT MARRIED
A WORD WITH THE BACHELOR
HOW TO LAND HER LAWMAN
THE WIDOW’S BACHELOR BARGAIN
A DECENT PROPOSAL
Available now wherever Harlequin Special Edition books and ebooks are sold!
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE CHASE by Vanessa Fewings.
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A rising star art investigator finds herself captivated by Icon, an enigmatic international art thief whose heists are methodical, daring, baffling. To Zara the case is maddening—bordering on an obsession. She finds distraction in the arms of a magnetic American billionaire but, as she surrenders to his captivating allure and glamorous world, she must determine if it’s the real thing...or just a convincing forgery?
Enjoy a sneak peek of THE CHASE, the first book in the ICON series by USA TODAY bestselling author Vanessa Fewings.
The Chase
by Vanessa Fewings
My gaze fixed on the living, breathing sculpture.
My heartbeat quickened as I searched my memory for where I knew him from. I was awestruck by this breathtaking Adonis, who was reaching for a white shirt hanging on the back of a chair. He was tall and devastatingly handsome in a rugged kind of way. Thirty, maybe? Those short, dark golden locks framing a gorgeous face, his three-day stubble marking him with a tenacious edge and that thin wry smile exuding a fierce confidence. His intense, steady glare stayed on mine as he calmly pulled his arm through a sleeve and covered that tattoo before I could make out more.
A gasp caught in my throat as it came to me that we’d never actually met, probably because this was Tobias William Wilder, a billionaire. He moved in the kind of refined circles one would expect from a business magnate and inventor who owned TechRule, one of the largest software companies in the world.
And I’d given this playboy mogul his very own peep show.
I’d read an article on him, featuring his Los Angeles–based art gallery, The Wilder. It was an acclaimed museum that was one of the most prestigious in the world.
Although I’d imagined one day I might bump into him with the art world being relatively small, but never had I imagined a scenario as racy as this.
“I’m looking for the stairs,” I managed.
“That way.” His refined American accent felt like another blow to my reason.
That alpha-maleness made him look like he’d just returned from a dangerous adventure in the Himalayas or even the jungles of Peru—
A waft of expensive musky cologne reached me with its sensuous allure and did something crazy to my body.
“You might want to put some clothes on,” I said firmly.
“Well, now I’m dressed.”
Yes, he was, and this was a changing room, apparently, and I’d not exactly represented a pillar of virtue.
“Well that’s good.” I swallowed my pride. “Please keep it that way.”
His gaze lowered to my feet.
And I remembered my strappy stilettos were flirtatiously dangling from my left hand, those spiked heels hinting at a sexy side I wished I had.
Intrigue marred his face, and then his expression softened again as his jade gaze returned to hold mine.
/>
I left in a rush—
Shaken with just how this man had affected me merely with a smile.
I felt an inexplicable need to run back in and continue to bathe in the aura of the most enigmatic man I’d ever met.
Will Zara risk it all when she finds herself on a collision course with danger and desire? Find out in THE CHASE by USA TODAY bestselling author Vanessa Fewings, available June 2017!
Copyright © 2017 Vanessa Fewings
ISBN-13: 9781488014444
The New Guy in Town
Copyright © 2017 by Teresa Southwick
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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The New Guy in Town Page 20
