by Sonya Weiss
Rafferty couldn’t put his finger on what was going on, but something was off with the way she was acting.
“Hey, Prince Charming!”
Rafferty looked down the hallway and waved Grayson off, but his brother kept walking toward them. When he reached them, he gave Rafferty a devilish grin. “You were great out there, Harper. I know with Rafferty you didn’t have a lot to work with, but you pulled it off.”
“Actually, Rafferty was amazing.”
Rafferty gave Grayson a smug take that smile. “On that note, I’ll see you later, Grayson.”
“Oh. Are you going somewhere?”
Rafferty clenched his teeth at his brother’s deliberate thick-headedness. He wanted to be alone with Harper. “That was your invitation to leave.”
“I’m not going back out there. A handful of single women walked over where I was at with Grandma, and she told them I didn’t need to be on a singles’ dating site with available women right here in Morganville.”
Rafferty frowned. “You’re on a dating site?”
“No! The women were agreeing with her, and Grandma started asking for their phone numbers and telling them she’d call when I realized I was ready to settle down.”
“Brutal to be put on the spot like that,” Rafferty couldn’t stop a grin. Better his brother on the matchmaking hot seat than him.
“She has to be stopped. You need to help me.”
Rafferty shook his head. “No, no. That’s your little red wagon to pull.”
Harper looked amused at the exchange between them.
“Keep in mind that if she takes me down, it’ll embolden her, and she will focus all her efforts on you next.” Grayson looked at Harper. “Probably by pushing you and Rafferty together.”
The amusement on her face faded. “Not going to happen. Your brother and I are work colleagues. Nothing more.”
Grayson snorted. “You’re not the first person to think she could stand against the wiles of my grandmother. She does have a tendency to get her way.”
“You’re right,” Harper said. “Well…I guess there’s only one thing left I can say that will help you.”
“What?” Grayson asked eagerly.
“Do you have a tuxedo?”
Rafferty laughed.
Grayson wagged his finger. “Not funny.”
“Give us a minute, will you?” Rafferty said.
“Why? Want me to go so you can kiss Harper good night?”
Harper’s eyes widened in alarm. “Actually, I was just leaving. Good night, guys.”
Rafferty watched her slip into her dressing room then slung his arm around Grayson’s neck and pulled his head down so he could scrub his knuckles across his head. “You’re such a pain.”
Grayson pushed him off and smoothed his hair down. “Just admit that’s exactly what you were thinking. I kept you from making a huge mistake. You wanted to kiss her good night.”
“Nope.”
“Wow. Man, you really are good at acting.”
“You heard the lady. We’re work colleagues.” And I intend to keep it that way. I hope. He looked back over his shoulder as Harper’s door opened. Their eyes met. She smiled at him, and it warmed his insides.
He smiled back and walked into an open door. Bouncing off it, he choked off a curse and put his hand against the side of his face.
Grayson laughed until he wheezed. “Just work colleagues,” he gasped out. “Better learn how to lie and walk at the same time.”
Chapter Nine
“You’re giving me your worried look. What’s going on?”
Ivy winced. “That obvious, huh?”
“I know you too well.”
“Since the rehearsal, there’s a lot of talk around town about Rafferty as the new prince.”
“And?” Harper asked, eager to hear the consensus.
“And…rumor has it there’s a lot of awkwardness between the two of you.”
“That’s because he’s new,” Harper said, not liking the dread filling her stomach.
“Right, but the awkwardness needs to be addressed.”
“It’ll take time—”
“You don’t have time,” Ivy reminded. “Not if you want to keep the castle in business.” She took a breath. “Which is why spending time with him away from the castle is a good idea. Get to know him again. Develop a relationship.”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s for the good of everyone.” Ivy sat on Harper’s bed, waiting for her to finish dressing for the dinner at the Bradford’s.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“What’s to think about?”
“Best case scenario—we become close friends again. Worse case—we end up as bitter exes fighting over custody of the glass slipper.”
Ivy laughed as Harper had intended. “Be serious.”
“I am seriously afraid of even being his friend. There’s this thing between us…”
“Thing?”
Harper searched for the right words. “A weird…vibe.”
“Chemistry?”
“No… Maybe. It’s like the air around us is holding its breath, if that makes sense?”
Ivy smiled. “Definitely chemistry.”
“Fat lot of good it’ll do to have chemistry with him.” Harper arched an eyebrow. “Can you picture Rafferty behind a white picket fence? With a wife? Or kids? Because you know what I want. What I’ve always wanted.”
Ivy pretended to imagine it. “Rafferty as a husband and father… Yeah, no. I see what you mean.”
“Exactly.” She bit her lip. “I’m supposed to go to a burn drill with him. It was a bet,” she clarified. “But…”
Ivy clicked her tongue. “But nothing. You’re going to have to suck it up and deal.”
“Haven’t I always done what’s best for the castle?” Harper didn’t wait for her friend to comment. “I’ll do what I have to even if it means I need to spend every day with Rafferty.”
“The only problem I can see is what if you fall for him?”
“Fall in love with Mr. Daybreak-and-I’m-Gone? I don’t think so,” Harper said firmly then frowned. “The dress doesn’t fit right. It looked okay in the shop, but I’m afraid that it’s—”
“An eleven on a scale of one to ten?” Ivy said, getting up to take Harper by the shoulders and force her to face the floor-length mirror. “Look at you.”
Harper smoothed her hands down the hips of the figure-hugging dress then touched the top. “I don’t know…it’s—”
“It’s perfect. Trust me. You’re going to turn heads.”
Harper frowned. As long as one of them wasn’t Rafferty’s. She turned toward the door. “Let’s go. I hear Barbara’s making those delicious barbecue ribs she made for the barbecue festival last year.”
Ivy groaned. “I knew I should have worn sweatpants. I already know I’m going to eat too much. Maybe I’ll develop stomach pains and need to be examined by hot Dr. Grayson.”
“He’s a pediatric doctor. He sees kids and teens, not a conniving single woman.”
“Conniving. That hurts. Where’s the love?”
Harper laughed. “Friends don’t lie to friends.”
…
As usual, there was a crowd at the Bradfords’. Every Sunday, Barbara invited a different group of people. Not only did she love cooking, but she loved the residents of Morganville. She was a kind woman who was well loved in return. Like her big heart, her Sunday dinners were legendary.
Harper remembered the first plate of biscuits she’d made herself when she was trying to take care of her mom after Dad died. She’d been so proud that she’d shared some with Barbara.
Those biscuits were hard as rocks and burned on the bottom, but Barbara had sat right down and crunched her way through one then de
clared it was the best bread she’d ever tasted. She’d given the little girl that Harper once was a boost of self-confidence, and Harper would never forget that. She’d always thought that the women who married Barbara’s sons would be lucky to have her as a mother-in-law.
Speaking of sons…she spotted Lincoln with Josie. She was glad they had each other. Josie had always been a good friend. Then she noticed the way Kent protectively hovered around Casey. News of Casey’s pregnancy had already made the rounds, and Harper was glad for them, even if it left her feeling a little emptier than usual.
The second Ivy saw Grayson, she made a beeline for him.
“That woman is like a moth to the flame,” Jean said as she approached, clearly delighted.
“Ivy has a crush,” Harper agreed.
Jean nudged her with a bony elbow. “You should take Grayson out on a date.”
Harper’s gaze flew to where Rafferty was talking to his dad. “Um…he’s not my type.”
“Kind of hard to see one brother when you’re busy foaming at the mouth for the other.”
Color swept up Harper’s face. “Rafferty is… There’s something about… I mean…”
“Sweetie, I didn’t get to be my age and not know exactly what you mean.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Oh no…there’s nothing going on. I couldn’t. He has a reputation. He’s wild, and he has no staying power. Sorry if that offends.”
“If I got offended every time a woman said something about Rafferty, I’d live with my panties perpetually in a wad.” Jean took her by the arm and steered her away from the crowd and toward the back of the house. “I’m going to give you some advice about relationships.”
“I’m good, Jean. I’m not in a relationship and—”
“But you want to be.”
“Well…yes.” Harper had always wanted that.
“Then you need my advice,” Jean said triumphantly. She led the way into the hallway where a collage of framed photos hung on the wall. She touched each one as she spoke. “Here’s Rafferty parasailing. Boating. Mountain climbing. That’s him with his brothers helping to build homes in poor, rural areas.” Her voice softened. “This is Rafferty when he went with a volunteer team to help fight that wildfire that ravaged parts of South and North Carolina. Burned thousands of acres of forest.”
“He’s always willing to help. To risk his life,” Harper said, wondering how the girlfriends and wives of some of the firefighters coped with worrying about the danger their loved one was sometimes in.
Jean huffed out a breath and glanced at Harper. “You’re missing the point. The point, my dear, is that Rafferty isn’t afraid to take a chance on something he wants.”
Harper cleared her throat. “Jean—”
“You can’t be afraid to open up the throttle and just go for it. Rafferty might be a good-looking pain in the ass, but no one denies that he enjoys life instead of sitting it out.”
“Jean, there’s nothing wrong with living a quiet—”
“Safe life. That’s fear, honey,” Jean cut in. “I’ve got your number, gal. You’ve been scarred, and you think the best way to live is to not add any more scars to the ones you’ve already got.”
“You might be right, but I learned the hard way that men who live wild tend to be ones like my father, and getting left behind emotionally or physically—or maybe both—will happen eventually to their families.”
“It’s true that Rafferty’s a little wild and he does live fearlessly, but the day he falls in love, he’s gonna love that woman just as fearlessly. Can you imagine being loved that way, holding nothing back? And my grandson isn’t the kind of man who’d ever abandon his family.”
“I don’t know why you’re telling me any of this.”
Jean smiled. “All the years I’ve spent sticking my nose in other people’s business has made me an expert on recognizing couples who belong together.”
Alarmed at the conviction in Jean’s tone, Harper said, “I would never let myself fall for a man like Rafferty.”
Jean reached over and took her hands in hers. “There’s allowing and there’s can’t-help-yourself when it comes to matters of the heart. A great love is the kind where you just can’t help yourself.”
“Until recently, Rafferty and I weren’t even getting along.”
Jean laughed and said loudly, “Honey, that’s just verbal foreplay.”
“Shh!” Harper’s face reddened, and she lowered her voice, hoping Jean would follow suit. “I understand that your trying to matchmake Rafferty and me is because you love both of us, but I want a man who’s going to be in it for the long haul, and your grandson isn’t that man for me any more than my father was for my mother.”
“My mistake. I didn’t realize that you don’t find Rafferty appealing at all.”
“I wouldn’t say at all,” Harper said then cursed herself for falling into Jean’s trap.
“Then my pushing the two of you together isn’t a lost cause.” Jean pounced. “Even the smallest spark can turn into an inferno.”
That’s what Harper was afraid of. An inferno burned up everything in its path, not caring about the destruction left behind.
…
Rafferty didn’t know how he’d managed to keep his mind on the conversation with his brothers. He was acutely aware of Harper and the figure-hugging dress she wore. She’d done something with her hair to make it curly and piled it on top of her head, fastening it with a shiny clip that sparkled when she moved. He’d watched her discreetly, his heart pounding, mouth dry, his mind racing, feeling like he was coming down with the flu.
She’d passed by him on the way into the dining room, and in her wake, sweet perfume floated in the air. When she reached the doorway and glanced at him, their eyes met. She smiled a strange kind of pondering smile, and he was…rattled. Floating. Ten feet tall. Every second that he looked at her, she grew more beautiful.
Then he remembered they were colleagues and nothing more, and he was acting like an idiot. When he saw Chris, a fellow firefighter, trying to close the gap to get near Harper, Rafferty sprang into action, moving quickly to slide into the space between her and Chris.
Chris let out an oof sound then complained, “You stepped on my foot.”
“You have another one,” Rafferty said, not sorry at all.
When they reached the table, Chris beelined by him and pulled out the chair next to the one Harper had chosen. He sent Rafferty a smug smile.
“Excuse me,” Harper said and, getting up, skirted the table, coming around to stand beside Rafferty. She put her hand on the back of a chair next to the one he was going to sit in.
Rafferty quickly pulled it out for her, shocked that she’d chosen to eat dinner sitting near him. When he was seated, he sent her a sidelong glance. Was she feeling as upside down as he was? Did he cross her mind the way she did his? Had their kiss played over in her mind, too? Did it mean something to her? A dish filled with green bean casserole was passed his way, snapping him out of his thoughts. He took it and turned slightly toward Harper to offer it to her.
She took it and added some of the food to her plate. “Did you manage to set everything up with your chief for me to do the burn drill?”
Rafferty set the dish down and then passed the bread. “I did for tomorrow. I forgot to mention it to you. Is that good?”
“It’s fine. I’m glad he was okay with it.”
“He is, but he made it clear you’d be my responsibility.”
She frowned at that, and he picked up how she toyed nervously with her fork.
“Are you sure it isn’t dangerous?”
“It’s not,” he assured her. Not when he’d be right there with her, protecting her. He reached for a bowl of gravy.
“I need time to go on a date with you,” she said.
Oh no. The kiss did mean somethin
g to her… Rafferty jerked the bowl, sloshing some of the gravy out. It landed squarely in his lap. He leaped up, grabbed a napkin, and mopped at the hot liquid.
“Smooth,” Grayson said with a grin.
Rafferty shot him a look and excused himself, needing a moment to figure out why Harper had said that. If she was ready to change everything, he had to shut that down. He was attracted to her on the one hand, but on the other, he didn’t want her to get hurt. He was halfway down the hall toward his parents’ bedroom to borrow a pair of his dad’s sweatpants when he heard footsteps behind him. Thinking it was his brother, he turned, about to give Grayson hell.
“Are you okay? I wasn’t trying to be pushy when I said I needed to know the time of day to go with you for the burn drill.”
That’s what she’d said? Had he been so lost in thoughts of keeping her safe at the burn drill that he’d missed it? Smiling, hoping the confusion swirling around in his head didn’t show on his face, he said, “That’s not a problem. I’ll let you know the time as well as the address to the burn structure later tonight. I need to confirm it first.”
“Okay.”
“You look worried. Something on your mind?”
“Well…Ivy said that the rumor going around town is that at the rehearsal, you and I seemed awkward. She suggested a way that we can deal with it, which is by spending time together.” She stopped talking and put her fingertips against her lower lip.
He thought of brushing her hand aside and putting his mouth where her fingers were. He didn’t move, the thought having jolted him as if he’d been struck by lightning. This must be what it was like to turn into one of his boneheaded brothers. The first symptom was scrambled brain cells leading to an inability to think straight. “Uh…yeah. That’s cool. You and me. Spending time together.”
“Good. I guess I’ll go, then. Unless you need me…”
“I’ve been changing my own pants since I was a kid.”
She aimed a playful punch at his shoulder. “You know I didn’t mean that.”
He caught her fist, holding on. “I know.”
The noise of his family talking and laughing came faintly from the dining room. Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed, and in the backyard, a dog barked. All normal sounds in his parents’ home, but there was nothing normal about how fast his heart raced while he held onto her hand.
