Smitten

by Colleen Coble

  Willow cried and held up her index finger—with the broken needle pierced clear through it.

  Shelby’s breath caught. “Madison, quickly, go get Mr.

  Majors.”

  The little girl ran out the door.

  In another moment Nick dashed inside, spotted Willow crying, and rushed to her side.

  “I’m not sure what happened, exactly. She was sewing and—”

  Nick frowned at Shelby, scooped Willow into his arms, and ran out to his truck without a word.

  After the last student left, Shelby waited awhile and straightened the room, hoping she’d catch Willow and Nick when they returned. She had tried to contact him on his cell phone, but her call went straight into voice mail. Cell service was always spotty in this part of the state. Once everyone was gone, she decided to go to the hospital and see if she could find them. But just as she stepped out of the building and headed toward her car, Nick pulled up in his truck.

  “How is she?” Shelby asked when she reached the car.

  “She’s going to be all right. Though she’ll most likely lose feeling in the tip of her finger.”

  “I’m so sorry, Willow,” Shelby said as she and Nick walked with her into the house.

  Once Willow was placed comfortably in her bed so she could sleep off her pain medicine, Shelby followed Nick out of the room.

  “Well, I guess I’d better go,” Shelby said.

  Nick rubbed the back of his neck. His face was flushed.

  “What happened out there?”

  “She was sewing, Nick, and her finger got in the way of the needle. It can happen if you aren’t careful.”

  “Oh, so it was her fault? Don’t you watch what your students are doing? Kids can get hurt.”

  “I’m aware of that, but—”

  “You can’t leave them alone for a minute. You should know that. If you’re going to work with children—”

  “Nick, I—”

  “I can’t talk about it right now.” He walked over and opened the door for her.

  Words gathered in her throat, then dissolved with one swallow. “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she walked past him.

  Nick ran his fingers through his hair and slumped down on his couch. He didn’t know why he reacted that way to Shelby. He knew it wasn’t her fault. It was just seeing Willow in pain and feeling so helpless himself, he had to get mad at somebody, and she was the only one around.

  That was a lame excuse, and he knew it. But it was also the truth. He was mad. Mad that his daughter was hurt, and he wanted to blame someone. Though he knew accidents happened and he knew Willow’s negligence had brought it on, he could hardly blame her when she was in a world of pain already.

  The more he thought about it, the more he realized there was more going on inside him than this. The situation brought to mind the thing that he wrestled with the most.

  He couldn’t always protect those whom he loved from pain.

  Shelby stopped by the grocery store on the way home and spotted Reese.

  “Hey, girl.”

  Reese turned around. “Hi, Shelby.” They pushed their carts down the aisle together.

  “You all right? You look a little upset.”

  Shelby forced a smile. “I’m fine. It’s been a long day.”

  “How’s the remodel coming along?”

  “Going faster than I’d hoped.”

  “Griffen doing a nice job?” Reese asked.

  Griffen and Reese had been good friends since high school. Where you saw one playing basketball, you saw the other. The two of them were well matched athletically.

  “He’s doing a great job. He’ll be done in no time.”

  “Then you’ll have to leave Nick’s and move your school back to your place.” Reese gave Shelby a sideways glance and lifted a teasing grin.

  “Don’t get me started.”

  They finished their shopping and walked out to the parking lot together.

  “Wow, who’s that?” Reese said.

  Shelby looked up from digging for her car keys in her purse and followed Reese’s gaze across the parking lot toward a man carrying two bags of groceries. He wore a baseball cap and a snug black T-shirt that revealed bulging biceps.

  “Isn’t that Griffen?” Shelby said.

  “What? No.” Reese leaned forward, squinting.

  The man in question unloaded his bags into a truck, then walked around to the driver’s side, clearly visible. Reese’s mouth went slack, then she snapped it shut, looking away from her best buddy. Her face turned a pretty shade of pink.

  Shelby felt a bubble of laughter building, but she pressed her lips together, smothering its release.

  Reese pointed a finger at Shelby. “Not one word.”

  “Now you know how I feel,” Shelby said. “I won’t tease you if you won’t tease me.”

  “Deal,” Reese said.

  They said good-bye, and by the time Shelby reached home, fatigue had swept over her. She could barely manage to drag herself into the house. Even Penelope’s little happy dance at seeing her failed to lift her spirits. A heaviness weighed on Shelby’s chest.

  Willow would be fine, she knew that. But the anger on Nick’s face . . . she had never seen that before. Not that way.

  And it was all directed at her. Dropping her keys and groceries on the counter, she went into the bedroom to change. She was too tired to eat dinner.

  Putting on pink running pants and a matching pullover with ruffled cuffs on the sleeves, she headed to the kitchen to put away the groceries, make some tea, and then call it a night.

  Despite all the work they’d done on the invitations, she’d still need to address them and get them in the mail. But she could address them tomorrow and mail them on Monday. She had time.

  Penelope barely had time to settle into her pajama bottoms and curl up on the sofa, and Shelby had just sat down next to her, cup of tea in hand, when the doorbell rang. Hope surged through her. Maybe Nick was coming to apologize— though Shelby wasn’t at all sure he would leave Willow. Maybe Willow was up and feeling better. She walked downstairs to the door with Penelope following, doggy toenails clacking daintily against the hardwood floor.

  With a renewed spirit, Shelby smiled and opened the door. One look at the visitor, and all life seemed to drain to her toes.

  “Hi, Shelby. Aren’t you going to invite me inside?”

  Reluctantly she stepped aside. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

  “Can’t a man come see his daughter?”

  “Well, of course. It’s just so unexpected.”

  They never hugged, so she wasn’t sure what to do. That’s when she noticed he had something with him.

  Luggage.

  He followed her gaze. “I don’t want to presume. If you can direct me to a hotel, I’ll be happy to stay there.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she said. “I’d love to have you stay here— how long did you say?”

  “I didn’t. But it would just be a little while.”

  Little while. As in days, weeks, months? Years?

  “What about that job you had lined up?”

  “Oh, that. It didn’t work out. They’d hired someone else before I got there. Guess they needed me a week earlier, and I didn’t realize it.”

  “I’m sorry, Dad.”

  “Oh well. It’s not as though I had to have it to survive.”

  Shelby led him upstairs and flipped on the lights in the guest room. “I just cleaned this room yesterday. It should work well for you.”

  “It looks nice, Shelby. Real nice.” He rolled his luggage to the foot of the bed. “Don’t want to be a bother, but do you have anything to eat? I’m starved.”

  This day just kept getting better.

  You see this, right, Lord?

  “No, Willow, you are not going.” Nick stormed across the floor toward the kitchen. The door hinge squeaked, and he turned around.

  Shelby stood in the doorway, embarrassed that she’d caught them in a fam
ily moment. “I’m so sorry. I knocked and heard you say something. I assumed it was to tell me to come in.”

  “What do you need?” He didn’t say that in an I-want-to-help-you kind of way. He said it in a hurry-up-I’m-busy sort of way.

  “I just wanted to drop these off for Willow. She left them in class.” Shelby walked over and handed Willow the tickets she had ordered.

  “See what I mean? You can’t even keep track of tickets.

  How can I expect you to be careful at a ski resort?” Nick turned on Shelby. “And that’s another thing. Why in the world would you invite Willow on a ski trip? Can you guarantee to me that you will watch her 24/7?”

  “I—” Shelby stuttered.

  “Dad, I’m twelve years old!”

  “She could fall and break a leg—”

  “But I—”

  “—hit a tree, get a concussion—”

  “Nick, I—”

  “—get kidnapped by some psycho weirdo person.”

  He looked like Nick Majors, but right at this moment, Shelby had her doubts. She stared at him.

  “Well, can you guarantee none of those things will happen to my daughter?”

  Shelby blew out a sigh. “No. But I—”

  “Then she’s not going. I won’t have her well-being compromised.”

  “I’m not a baby. Stop treating me like one!” Willow stormed off to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

  “I was trying to tell you, Nick. I merely suggested we should go sometime. We didn’t set a definite date.”

  He paused as though to catch his breath. “I’m sorry, Shelby, but you need to talk to me about these things first.

  I’m trying to get a handle on things, but I need to think it through. I have to protect her at all costs.”

  She would not point out that his overprotective attitude could cost him a relationship with his daughter. She turned on her heels and left.

  Nick was making her absolutely crazy. She wanted to help Willow, but she wasn’t sure how to go about it. All this time she thought she’d known Nick, but obviously the good-friend role was far different from the father thing. Shelby was quickly losing faith in the family unit.

  Once she got home, she shoved the front door closed behind her, allowing a gust of cold air to swish through the entryway and blow a grocery list off the hallway stand. The grocery list she had forgotten to take with her so they could eat tonight.

  “Welcome home.” Her dad stood in the hallway, holding a glass of iced tea in his hand. “What did you have in mind for dinner?”

  “I need to get changed,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”

  He shrugged and walked back into the living room. Shelby watched him and felt a tinge of regret for her biting tone, but she was entitled to a bad day, wasn’t she? Besides, since when was she responsible for his dinner? She hadn’t expected him to come to her home. And aside from that, he still hadn’t told her what he was doing there. How long was he planning to stay anyway? If history had told her anything, she didn’t need to worry that he would stay there forever. He never stayed anywhere longer than a couple of months. But the very idea of a couple of months made her skin prickly.

  Shelby walked into her room, closed the door, leaned against it, and shut her eyes. Maybe if she stayed there, this whole mess would go away.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Nick sat on the edge of his bed. What on earth had gotten into him lately? Yes, he was worried about protecting Willow at all costs, and that needle incident brought all his fears to light. But it was more than that. Much more.

  Shelby.

  Something about her lately had changed. Or maybe he had changed the way he looked at her. They’d always teased one another, but he’d never thought of her as anything more than a friend. Yes, he’d noticed her beauty, but he always considered her far beyond his reach. And no doubt she was.

  Still, Friday night when they’d listened to the Garner Sisters, he and Shelby had connected in a fresh way. Something in her smile, her sweet voice, the way she interacted with others. He didn’t want to be her “friend” anymore.

  And that irritated the daylights out of him.

  Not only was he not good enough for the likes of Shelby, who no doubt had never done a wrong thing in her entire life, but she would never give a second glance at him had they not developed a friendship. If she knew his thoughts were running amok this way, she would most likely cut all ties with him. He had to stop.

  Maybe it was because Willow had moved into his house. It made him look beyond his bachelor existence. He was a family man now. And didn’t a family need a woman in the house? Not that that was the only reason he was noticing Shelby. No, no. It was much more than that. The silky feel of her hair between his fingers when he pulled a pine needle from it . . . the curve of her soft neck . . . the way the stars sparkled in her eyes.

  Why would she ever give him a second glance? He rubbed the stubble on his chin. Why indeed?

  “You, my man, need to talk to her,” he said aloud. “With any luck, an apology—again—will keep you in her good graces.

  Though if you keep blowing it, she may count you out altogether.”

  He stood up and started to leave the room, then looked back at his reflection in the dresser mirror. He shook his index finger at it. “And another thing—stop acting like a lovesick teenager.”

  “Who are you talking to, Dad?” Willow asked when he walked into the living room.

  “Myself. It’s what old people do.”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “Sometimes I scare myself.” He put his hands on Willow’s shoulders. “Listen, about the whole skiing thing—I’m sorry I came down so hard on you.”

  “You’re going to have to get used to me growing up.”

  He sighed. “I know. I’ll work on it, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  He smiled and gave her a hug. Being a dad had its rewards.

  “Would you be all right if I drove into town for a little bit?”

  “Going to see Shelby?” She grinned.

  “Well, I just wanted to see how the repairs were coming, since I haven’t helped Griffen for a few days.”

  He could tell by the look on Willow’s face she wasn’t buying it, but he ignored her.

  “I’ll take my cell phone. You can call if you need me.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Yes, I believe you will.” He put on a jacket, kissed her good-bye, and closed the door behind him. When he pulled up to Shelby’s driveway, he saw the strange car and remembered that her dad was there. He smacked his palm to his forehead.

  All this way for nothing. He started to pull out when he saw Shelby looking through the lacy sheers at the window.

  No turning back now. He cut the engine and got out of the truck. The front door opened as he climbed the steps onto the porch.

  “Hey, Nick.”

  At least she was still talking to him. That gave him a bit of hope. “I, uh, was passing through and thought I’d stop and see how the repairs were coming along.”

  “They’re coming along fine,” she said, full suspicion in her voice. “Dad’s asleep in the downstairs living room right now, and I hate to wake him. Can I show you later?”

  “Oh yeah, sure, no problem.”

  “I was just headed out the door to go for a walk in town.

  Want to go?”

  “Sure. I’ll drive.”

  They slipped into the truck and Nick drove to town, maneuvered the truck up to the curb, and turned off the engine. He looked at her. “Listen, Shelby, I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. And it seems like I’m taking everything out on you. I’m sorry.”

  Shelby smiled. “We’ve both been under pressure.”

  They got out of the truck and strolled along the lamplit sidewalk. A few townsfolk were out and about.

  He wanted to say more, but one look at Shelby and all words scattered from his brain.

  “The moon is beau
tiful tonight,” she said, gazing up at the sky.

  “It sure is.” They took a few steps in silence. “So are you ready for your big night?”

  “I think we’re fairly set to go. Of course, next week will be the busiest.”

  “Yeah. Will your dad be here for that?”

  Shelby turned a surprised glance his way. “I don’t think he’ll still be here. My goodness, I hope not. I have enough on my plate without worrying about him.”

  “Oh, sorry. I just thought since the other dads would be escorting their daughters, and your dad is in town, and you’re the teacher—”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Uh-oh. Things not going well?”

  “Let’s just say we have a history, as I think I’ve told you.

  Not the greatest daughter-dad relationship around. That’s why, I suppose, I was a little too anxious to help you.”

  “Are you trying to patch things up with him?”

  “We just have to kind of go from here, you know?”

  “You mean, forget the past and forge ahead?”

  “Something like that. Can we talk about something else?”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.”

  They settled on a wooden bench at the edge of the walk. A tub of mums rested beneath the lamplight just ahead of them.

  “I know I overreacted on that ski deal. It’s just that this parent thing is so scary.” He looked at his big calloused hands.

  “What if something happens to her? What if I do it all wrong?”

  Shelby touched his arm. “Nick, no one is perfect.

  Remember, all parents make mistakes. You have to give yourself some grace.”

  He shrugged. After a long pause he said, “Anyway, I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you.”

  “All is forgiven.” She smiled.

  They talked awhile longer and then headed back to the truck. Nick reached over to open her door, and their gazes locked. Moonbeams danced in her eyes. “You look beautiful tonight.” His breath caught in his throat, but the way she looked up at him gave him courage.

  Without so much as a wisp of another breath, Nick gently pulled her to him, then leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Her mouth was as sweet and intoxicating as he had imagined it would be. Reluctantly he let her go. Neither said much on the ride home, but Nick’s heart told him plenty.