Stranded with a Hero (Entangled Bliss)

by Karen Erickson

  Kenneth was wonderful to her mother, and the two of them were inseparable. Naomi’s smile faded a little. Recovering from a broken heart was all the more difficult when she was surrounded by loved-up couples—her mum and Kenneth, Luke and Tyler, the hugely pregnant Ally and her anxious husband. Everyone around her appeared to have found their perfect mate, so why couldn’t she?

  Damn. She hated sounding like a whiny, little wuss, even if it was only to herself. Straightening, she glanced about the store to see several customers milling about unattended. She’d been so engrossed in conversation with Aaron, she’d forgotten about work.

  She instantly pushed to her feet, reaching for the tray to load their plates and cups. “I forgot the time. We’d better get back to work.”

  “I’ll deal with this.” Aaron forestalled her by taking hold of the tray. He stood tall in front of her, eyes fixed on her. “May I take you out to dinner tonight?”

  The sheer unexpectedness of his request made her cheeks heat. Part of her leaped with eagerness at getting to know Aaron better. But another part warned her off. They were opposites, and in some respects he was too much like her ex. But her reservations about him were wavering, especially after their surprisingly frank lunchtime conversation, and the warmth in his eyes was doing terrible things to her resistance. Flustered, she became aware of two elderly women at the next table eavesdropping without shame.

  “Uh, dinner, huh?” she echoed in a weak attempt to buy herself time to think.

  “Yeah, it’s that meal we have at the end of the day,” he replied, poker-faced. “I figure if the afternoon shift is anything like the morning’s, we’ll both deserve a night out in a nice restaurant. Can you recommend any around here?”

  She gulped and stared at him, feeling as naive as a schoolgirl.

  One of the women at the neighboring table leaned toward Aaron. “Carlotta’s Bistro is very good.” She smiled and nodded encouragingly.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Aaron said to the woman in that snappy American accent of his. He lifted his eyebrows at Naomi. “Well? Shall we go to Carlotta’s Bistro tonight?”

  “A-another time, perhaps,” she stuttered. “I have to walk Milo and finish up my Christmas cards and—and…” She licked her lips, out of ideas.

  “And wash your hair?”

  Now he was making fun of her. And he didn’t seem the least put out by her refusal. She braced her shoulders. “Precisely. I’d better see to those customers over there,” she said before walking off.

  As she hurried away, she heard the woman at the next table cluck sympathetically and say, “Never mind, son. Just keep on asking, and she might come round.”

  Aaron’s chuckle made the blood in her cheeks pound harder. “Good advice, but she seems determined not to.”

  …

  Naomi’s steps slowed as she neared the house, but Milo tugged impatiently at his lead, his pink tongue lolling madly. As soon as she and Aaron had returned home after work, she’d grabbed dog and leash, shoved her mobile phone into the pocket of her dress, and told Aaron she was taking Milo for a walk. She’d hurried off before he could suggest joining her, and now, as she opened the front door, she felt guilty for her discourtesy. She hadn’t meant to be rude. She’d only been desperate for some air to clear her mind, and some distance away from Aaron. She had to admit at times she found his presence overwhelming.

  As soon as she unclipped Milo’s leash, the dog bounded into the house, barking up a storm. She followed him, only to find the puppy in the kitchen greeting Aaron with ecstatic licks and furious tail-wagging.

  “Hey, fella.” Aaron crouched down to scratch the puppy’s head, and Milo went into a frenzy. “Nice to see you’ve missed me.”

  A comment directed at her, Naomi felt but decided to ignore. “I’ve been talking to Luke and Tyler,” she said.

  “Yeah?” All his attention focused on her as he quickly rose to his feet. “What’s the news?”

  “It’s good news. Tyler’s mother has a heart murmur. She’s not in any danger, but for the time being she has to remain in hospital under observation.”

  “That’s a relief. So they could be away for a week or more.”

  “Oh, no. Tyler and her mother aren’t that close, and her mother doesn’t want her hovering by her bedside. According to Luke, they’ll be back in a couple of days.”

  “Just in time to say good-bye to me.” Aaron pulled a face. “I was really looking forward to spending more time with them.” His gaze intensified on her as he grinned faintly. “Good thing you’re here.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that, so she coiled up the dog leash and laid it on the kitchen counter.

  “I’m just about to cook pasta for dinner.” He gestured to the stove where a pot stood ready.

  “But you’re the guest here.” She stared in surprise at him. “I should be cooking you dinner, especially after the long day you had at the store.”

  “Neither of us would need to cook if you let me take you out to dinner.”

  He rested his hip against the kitchen counter, his lean figure relaxed yet agile. His eyes were warm like chocolate, and his sensual smile sucked her in, jangling the rhythm of her heart. She was all too conscious of his biceps stretching his T-shirt, the faint stubble shadowing his square jaw, his pearly white teeth.

  Say yes, a sneaky voice said inside her. Let him take you out to dinner, let him wine and dine you. Instantly she envisaged herself with Aaron at a cozy, little table, chatting and laughing, maybe even flirting. Just one night with a handsome guy who admired her… A shiver of longing ran through her, quickly chased by misgiving. She wasn’t thinking straight. She was still on the rebound, and Luke had warned her about Aaron’s reputation with women. Best to steer clear.

  “I don’t need fancy dinners.” She shrugged. “Pasta is fine with me, as long as you don’t mind.”

  “Hey, I wore a frigging elf hat for you today. Of course I don’t mind cooking you pasta.”

  As he turned back to the stove, Naomi allowed herself to smile at his answer. He’d been a fantastic sport to wear that hat. She couldn’t imagine Justin doing that for her. Or cooking her dinner after a long day’s work.

  Aaron picked up a couple of vine-ripened tomatoes and juggled them in the air before catching them expertly. Whistling softly, he filled the pot with water and lit the stove. As he reached for a knife, his jeans stretched snug across his butt, and a fresh shower of flutters burst in her stomach.

  Excitement. Trepidation. Desire.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning Aaron sauntered into the kitchen yawning when he spotted Naomi in the adjoining family room. She was still in her sleep attire of loose T-shirt and gingham shorts, and she was bending over the Christmas tree in the corner. Aaron halted, blinking his eyes wider. Damn, Naomi had a great pair of legs.

  He must have made some noise—possibly a drooling sound—because she straightened and whipped around, eyeing him suspiciously.

  “Has Santa come early?” he asked.

  She pushed her mass of loose hair off her shoulders and made a face. “No, but I have to get another Christmas tree. This one’s a dud. Look at all the needles it’s shedding.” She pointed to the green needles carpeting the floor beneath the tree. “The poor thing looks like it’s suffering from eczema.” She shook her head decisively. “We can’t have a tree like this on Christmas Day.”

  Christmas trees weren’t things Aaron usually noticed, but on closer inspection, this tree did seem sickly and threadbare. “You wouldn’t have this problem with a plastic tree.”

  As he’d half expected, her eyes glinted with indignation. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” She kicked at the fallen needles with a bare foot, her toe ring gleaming in the morning sunshine coming through the windows.

  He grinned. “Where are you going to find a decent tree this close to Christmas? And what about the store?”

  “Ally is covering the morning shift, so I’ve got until lun
chtime to get a new tree.”

  “You mean ‘we.’”

  Her expression grew tentative. “Oh, you don’t have to. And you don’t have to help in the store today, either. You did plenty yesterday.”

  “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Besides, how are you going to cart a tree home without a car?”

  She blinked at him, and then laughed. “And how exactly would we cart a tree home in that Porsche of yours?”

  Her chuckle sent a tingle through his veins like a gulp of champagne. He found himself wishing he could make her laugh again. “We could strap it to the luggage rack.”

  Her face lit up and her shoulders shook. “You’re crazy!”

  More laughter bubbled out of her, and he automatically took a couple of steps toward her, everything in him wanting to bask in her humor. Her infectious liveliness was as irresistible as ice cream on the Fourth of July. The urge to touch her swelled and burned. He wanted to run his fingers through her tousled hair, trace the curve of her cheek, press his mouth deep against hers. He pulled in a sharp breath, fighting his inconvenient cravings. What was it about this woman with her barefoot charm and Christmas obsession that captured his attention?

  He couldn’t put a finger on it, except that she was the complete opposite of all the women he’d dated in the past seven years. Well, maybe “dated” was the wrong term. With his long hours and dedication to his career, he had little time or inclination for a proper relationship. But a man had needs, and so too, as he’d discovered, did a lot of women in the same situation. Women who were as driven and work-focused as he, women who were smart and beautiful but didn’t have time to date. Women who were more than happy to hook up with him without any further expectations beyond a night of good sex.

  Naomi didn’t share that attitude toward men. Which was another reason he should steer clear of her. But he liked her a lot. He liked being with her, talking with her, even when they disagreed. And besides, he’d be leaving two days from now. There wasn’t sufficient time to do something he shouldn’t.

  But what about one night? One amazing night with one amazing woman? The idea pierced his logic and set his senses on fire. No one could deny the crackling chemistry between him and Naomi. He wasn’t seducing her so much as letting nature take its course. If he had only one night with Naomi, he’d make it the most incredible night of her life, a night they’d never forget.

  But what about his promise to Luke to keep things platonic with Naomi? Hell. He couldn’t go back on his word. But he couldn’t turn off his attraction to her either. Things were getting too damn complicated.

  Naomi walked purposefully to the kitchen and picked up the kettle. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We’ll drive to the store and borrow Ally’s SUV. I know the best Christmas-tree farm not too far away. We can be there and back in a few hours.”

  Christmas trees? Is that what they’d been discussing? Aaron didn’t care too much about Christmas trees, but at least he’d have Naomi’s company for a few hours. Forty minutes later, they were heading out of Burronga in the borrowed SUV, Naomi at the wheel. Already the temperature outside was climbing, and the surrounding countryside of undulating hills covered in gray-green bush shimmered under the relentless sun. The news on the radio mentioned heat waves and brush fires, even a volcano erupting in the Pacific Ocean. The natural disasters barely registered with Aaron. He was too preoccupied with Naomi. She drove with enthusiasm, her window rolled down several inches, allowing the hot wind to swirl through her hair.

  “Am I letting in too much heat?” she asked, glancing at him. When he shook his head, she said, “Ever since I came back, I can’t get enough of the heat. I feel as though I’ve been frozen for an entire year.”

  She wasn’t alluding to her physical state so much as her emotional well-being, he felt sure.

  “You look pretty thawed out now.” He shifted in his seat to face her more directly, enjoying the way the wind rumpled her long hair.

  She chewed her lip a while as if she were deciding something, and then said, “I guess you know about me and Justin.”

  The uncertainty in her voice made him hesitate for a second. “I know he’s a douche bag, and if he ever sets foot in these parts, he’ll have a very angry uncle to get past.”

  She let out a choking laugh. “Luke’s a writer. He gets worked up sometimes.”

  He was worked up, too, Aaron realized. About the sadness that stole into Naomi’s eyes from time to time, and the pain-filled expression on her face when she thought no one was watching her.

  “You’ll get over him soon,” he said firmly, reluctant to dwell on her broken heart too long. He wanted to believe Naomi was resilient, that she was far better off without this Justin jerk.

  “I know I will.” She nodded matter-of-factly as she steered the car off the highway and onto a narrow side road that led toward the nearby hills. “But Justin was the first man I fell in love with. The first heartbreak you suffer will always be with you, don’t you think, even well after you’ve recovered?”

  Her sudden reference to love took him by surprise, and he remained silent, too startled to reply.

  “Sorry,” Naomi said. “Didn’t mean to embarrass you by mentioning love.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Please, just ignore what I said.”

  “No, I’m not embarrassed,” he said even as the tightening in his gut gave the lie to his answer. But despite his discomfort, something in him wanted to confide in her, if only to make her feel better. “The first girl I fell in love with was Britt Burdett in my senior year at high school. I thought we’d be together forever, but she dumped me without warning.”

  On Christmas Eve, too. He’d saved up his money and bought her a silver bracelet engraved with their initials, planning to give it to her on Christmas Day. Instead, he’d spent the day moping in his bedroom, with his mother repeatedly offering him various snacks in a vain attempt to ease his pain. News of the breakup had quickly spread, and enduring everyone’s pity had almost been as bad as the split. The silver bracelet had sat hidden in his closet for some years, until one year he’d cleaned out his belongings and given the bracelet to Goodwill.

  “I’m sorry.” Naomi’s eyes were soft with sympathy.

  The breakup was a distant memory now, but he’d never fallen in love again, so maybe what Naomi had said about the first heartbreak staying with you was true. He didn’t want to believe it. Not for himself, but for her. He didn’t want to think someone sensitive and lovable like Naomi wouldn’t find love again.

  “Don’t be. Britt wanted a jock who liked to party and have a good time. I was too nerdy for her.”

  “Nerdy!” The look she flashed at him was a mix of surprise and disbelief.

  “You didn’t know me in high school. I was a skinny teenager, and I was in Math League and chess club. Most people thought I was a nerd. Britt was new in town. She went out with me before she realized I was a nerd.”

  Naomi shook her head. “Bet she doesn’t think you’re a nerd now.”

  Aaron didn’t answer. Two Christmases ago he’d bumped into Britt in Mecklenburg. She’d been all over him, smiling and gushing, inviting him out for a drink. It wasn’t the first Christmas he’d been propositioned by girls who hadn’t looked twice at him back in high school, and he’d had no problem declining Britt’s offer.

  “Don’t know about that,” he said, “but I’m proud to be a nerd.”

  A big roadside sign loomed up, welcoming them to TUMBALONG’S CHRISTMAS TREE FARM. They drove through the gates and pulled up alongside a row of parked cars.

  Soon Naomi was absorbed in her task of finding the perfect Christmas tree. Aaron followed her as they traipsed past columns of trees, all of them seeming more than adequate to him, but none of them appeared to be right for Naomi. The sun beat down on him, causing perspiration to prickle between his shoulder blades, but Naomi didn’t appear to be bothered by the broiling heat, so determined was she to pick the right tree.

  As she contemplated a Monterey
pine, he was reminded of his father. Just like Naomi, Frank Cade was a Christmas-tree nut. When Aaron was younger, he and his sister would accompany him each year on his trip to select a tree. They’d be bundled up in coats and scarves, and afterward they’d get hot chocolate with marshmallows at the farm café. He’d enjoyed those trips when he was a kid. By adolescence, it wasn’t cool to be seen with your dad, let alone getting a Christmas tree. He’d gone with his dad on sufferance, and when he had escaped to New York, he finally got out of the ritual. Nowadays his dad took his two granddaughters with him, who were young enough to love it.

  Aaron hadn’t gone Christmas tree shopping with his dad in over a decade. A strange regret came over him at this realization. When he got back to Mecklenburg this year, he definitely had to tell his dad about Naomi and her studious tree-hunting. Dad would get such a kick out of hearing about her.

  “This is the one,” Naomi said, spreading her arms wide in front of the Monterey pine she’d been circling for the past five minutes.

  “You sure about that? You haven’t seen every single tree on the farm.” When she appeared to be giving his flippant remark serious thought, he said, “Only kidding!” He waved the saw that the front office had provided. “Look, I’m ready to cut it for you.”

  Grinning, she let him get on with the job. By the time he’d felled the eight-foot tree and dragged it to the road where a truck would transport it back to the parking lot, he was sweating freely, and his T-shirt was clinging to his back.

  Straightening to wipe a forearm across his brow, he caught Naomi’s gazed fixed on him. Was that admiration in her eyes? Their gazes crossed, and she quickly looked away, her cheeks coloring. Aaron smiled to himself. So she’d been ogling him while he labored. Gratification bubbled up as he fought the urge to puff out his chest. Pity there wasn’t another tree he could cut down for her.

  “While we’re here, I’ll buy you some miniature conifers,” he said. “To replace the ones I damaged.”

  “Oh, good. I saw them for sale back at the office.”