by Jaci Burton
This was interesting, especially since Reid looked very uncomfortable. She was going to go with it to see how it played out. “Is that right?”
“Yes. So I was wondering—and you’re under no obligation, of course—but if you weren’t busy or anything, would you want to go?”
But now it looked like she did have a date. And an extremely hot one at that. “I’d love to come. So I’d need to bring a date?”
He frowned. “Uh, no. You’d go with me.”
“Oh, I see. You didn’t actually directly ask me to be your date, so I was kind of confused.”
“Shit. Sorry. Samantha, Des is having a couples dinner party at the ranch on Saturday night. I would very much like to bring you as my date, if you’d like to come with me.”
She knew she’d made it hard on him, but it had been too much fun to see him squirm a little. “I’d love to, Reid. Thank you for asking.”
He exhaled. “Thanks. I’ll come pick you up around six thirty.”
“That’s not necessary, since it’s a long drive out to the ranch. I can drive over.”
“No, you won’t. I asked you to be my date, so I’ll come pick you up. At six thirty.”
Wasn’t he being chivalrous. And wasn’t she enjoying it oh so much. “Okay. Then I’ll be ready at six thirty.”
“Great.”
She waited while he stood there and stared at her as if there was something else he wanted to say. Or do.
Like catapult himself over the counter, pull her into his arms, and kiss her.
Or maybe that was just her wishful thinking.
“So I should get back to work,” he finally said.
No catapulting. How disappointing. “Yes, I should, too.”
He grasped the dog’s leash. “I guess I’ll see you Saturday night then.”
“Okay.” She drummed her fingers on the counter, waiting for . . . something. She didn’t know what. Just some kind of signal that him asking her to be his date hadn’t been a painful experience for him.
“I’ll see you later, Sam.”
“Bye, Reid.”
He and the dog left, and despite having been asked to be his date, she couldn’t help but feel . . .
What? Disappointed? She had no idea what she felt. But whatever the sensation was, she had no time to feel it, because she had loads of work waiting for her in the back room to deal with.
Thankfully. Nothing like immersing herself in the creation of beautiful flower arrangements to take her mind off the mystery of men.
Or, rather, the mystery that was one man.
Reid McCormack.
OKAY, THAT HAD gone about as well as it could have considering he and Sam weren’t dating and he’d asked her out completely out of the blue.
“What do you think?” he asked the dog as they made their way to the park, where the dog peed on a tree, then sniffed the grass for a few minutes before sitting down next to Reid’s feet.
Since it was nearing lunchtime, he figured Deacon would run out to grab a bite to eat, so he took a seat on one of the benches. The dog parked it next to him. “No opinion on my skills at asking women out, huh?”
The dog looked up at him, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. The dog had thoughts. Plenty of them. Reid could see that in his very intelligent, dark eyes. He was sure the dog was thinking something along the lines of Dude, you were a total stud back there.
“Yeah, I thought it was pretty good, too.”
A police car rolled up and stopped at the curb. The window rolled down, and Reid smiled as he saw his brother, Luke.
“You know you’re sitting in the park talking to your dog.”
“Not my dog. He just keeps hopping into the truck when I come to work.”
“That’s what I’ve heard. Which kind of makes him your dog.”
Reid shook his head. “Nope. Not my dog. What are you up to?”
“Solving crime. Saving the world. The usual.”
Reid’s lips curved. “Sure you are. Got time for lunch?”
“Yeah. How about Bert’s diner?”
“Sounds good. Want me to meet you there?”
“That’ll work best, in case I get a call. I’d hate to leave you stranded. Or have to handcuff you and shove you in the back of my patrol car.”
“You’re so funny. See you there in five.”
He walked the dog back to the mercantile and set him up on the porch with water and the dog bone he’d retrieved from Martha this morning.
“Behave. I’ll be back soon.”
The dog was too busy gnawing on the bone to pay any attention to what Reid said.
He texted Deacon to let him know he was having lunch with Luke, then climbed into his truck and drove off, knowing the dog would be safe there. The best thing about a small town like Hope was that no one messed with your stuff—or your dog.
Not that the dog was his. He wasn’t.
He drove over to the diner. Bert’s was one of the most popular places in Hope, thanks to Bert and Charlotte, a couple of the best cooks in town. Besides Martha’s home cooking, eating at Bert’s was one of the things he’d missed most since he’d moved to Boston. So he intended to eat there a lot while he was working on the mercantile.
Luke had already grabbed a booth for them. He made his way past the tables, saying hello to people he knew along the way—which was pretty much everyone. He finally slid into the booth.
“I’m going to assume you’re having the burger,” Luke said.
“Hell yeah. With onions and mustard and pickles.”
“You’re so predictable.”
“Hey, you can eat here all the time. This is a special treat for me.”
“Not my fault you decided to up and move to Boston for no damn good reason.”
Reid laughed. “I had plenty of damn good reasons, the first one being I got a great job offer after college. Which worked out really well, since I ended up starting my own business.”
“Yeah. Money. Whatever. There’s plenty for you to do here, ya know.”
Anita, whom he’d known ever since high school, came by to take their order.
“Sure is good to see you here again, Reid,” Anita said. “And everyone in Hope is really darn happy you’re cleaning up the old mercantile.”
“Thanks, Anita. I’m glad to be back.”
They ordered their food and drinks, and Reid settled his gaze on his brother. “There were more opportunities for me in a large city and you know it.”
“Hope’s a growing town. You might be surprised by all there is to do here now. You’ve been gone awhile. You saw what they did with the town square project.”
Reid nodded. “Yeah, that turned out great. The park is amazing, and I can’t believe they brought the old fountain back to life. I almost wish I had been a part of it.”
Anita brought their iced teas. Luke took a sip, then pointed a finger at him. “See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You could have been a part of the whole process if you’d been here.”
Reid laughed. “I didn’t say I wanted to be here. I just said it turned out great and I would have . . . You know what? Never mind. I don’t live here. I’m never going to live here again. My life is in Boston now.”
Anita set their burgers down in front of them. Reid’s stomach growled. Loudly.
Anita patted him on the back. “Enjoy those burgers, you two.”
Luke laughed. “I heard your stomach all the way across the table.”
“Oh, man. I can’t wait for the best burger in the world. And those fries. No one makes fries like Bert.”
Luke lifted his burger. “Just remember that when you say Boston is home. Boston will never be home.” Luke lifted his burger. “This is home, man.”
Reid bit into his hamburger, and a little bit of him died at how good it tasted, at the rush of memories just the taste of it evoked.
Driving into Hope after school to meet up with friends, hanging out on a Friday night after the rivalry football games
between Hope High and Oakdale High.
The memories clouded so thick today it was hard to see.
But this was just a burger, and Reid firmly believed in living in the present, not the past.
Today he had a life and a career in Boston, and that’s what he intended to go back to after this project was finished.
No matter how damn good this diner food tasted.
Chapter 8
“IT’S NOT REALLY a date, Megan.”
“Hey, I’m going to the party, too. With a non-date kind of date. And I’m wearing a hot-damn dress. So we’re making a big deal of it.”
Sam stood in her bedroom, eyeing her closet while Megan helped her figure out what she was going to wear to dinner.
Megan sat on her bed, cross-legged, and surveyed the contents of Sam’s open closet. “Besides, in your case it’s totally a date. Reid asked, you said yes. That makes it a date.”
Sam disagreed. “He only asked me because he’s new in town and he and I have talked a few times. I’m probably the only female on his radar at the moment. I was convenient.”
Megan laughed. “Honey, he grew up here. He knows everyone in Hope. He asked you. Not some other woman. You. Give yourself some credit. You’re a smart, successful, hot blonde with a gorgeous body, and he wants to go out with you. How convenient is it that Des was throwing a couples party?”
Sam sighed and sat on the bed. “Who’s your date tonight, by the way?”
“No idea. Probably one of the McCormack cousins. Des wanted me there and she said she’d take care of it. I’m excited to be going and hanging out with all of you, since I’m not currently part of a couple.”
“I’m not part of a couple, either.”
“Tonight you are. Because you have a date.” Turning her attention to the closet, Megan said, “You should wear the green dress.”
Sam wrinkled her nose. “It’s body-hugging and a little low-cut.”
“Exactly. He’ll want to lick you all over.”
Sam laughed. “Megan. We’re just going as friends.”
“You keep saying that, Sam. But I don’t think he’s putting you in the friend zone. And speaking of someone who’s going to be in the friend zone tonight and still doesn’t care, I have to go get dazzling.”
After Megan left, Sam made a dash over to Grammy Claire’s house. Her grandmother was seated in her favorite comfy chair, eating pretzels and watching television—some soccer match between Argentina and Brazil.
“Soccer, Grammy Claire?” she asked as she bent to kiss her cheek.
Her grandmother looked up at her with a bright smile. “Those boys have great legs.”
Sam shook her head. “So what you’re saying is you’re ogling and you don’t have the slightest interest in soccer.”
“I didn’t say that. I like sports. But football isn’t on until tomorrow, so for tonight, it’s soccer.”
Sam wandered into the kitchen, which was, as usual, spotless. It was a small kitchen, much like her own, with light oak cabinets and old, worn laminate countertops. The stove was ancient, but Sam could still remember Grammy Claire fixing her oatmeal on it while she sat at the kitchen table with Grandpa Bob. Then they’d read the comics in the newspaper and Grandpa Bob would help her with her homework.
She owed her entire life to her loving grandparents. She missed Grandpa Bob, missed the sound of his big, rough laugh and the way he used to hold her hand when he walked her into school as a little girl.
Feeling oddly nostalgic, she set about the task she’d come into the kitchen for. She checked the pantry and the fridge to make sure her grandmother was stocked up on the essentials. She grabbed a paper and pen and made some notes for her next grocery shopping trip. After tucking the list into the back pocket of her jeans, she returned to the living room.
“You’re fine on staples and your milk and bread should be okay until I go to the grocery store. I see you froze half a meat loaf, and there are some pork chops in there as well.”
Her grandmother pulled her gaze from the television. “Yes, I have plenty to eat, honey. But I’m going out tonight, anyway, so I won’t be cooking.”
“Really? Where are you going?”
“Faith and I are off to the senior center for bingo.”
Faith Clemons was her grandmother’s best friend, so Sam knew she was in good hands. “Okay, good. So you’ll call me when you get home?”
Grammy Claire shifted her gaze from the television onto her. “It’s like having parents all over again. And a curfew.”
Sam laughed. “Sorry. But you know I worry about you, so please call me?”
“I will. Can I hope you won’t be sitting around your house on a Saturday night waiting for me to call you?”
“Actually, I’m headed over to the McCormack ranch tonight. Desiree McCormack is hosting a dinner party.”
“That sounds fun. Who are you going with?”
“I’m sort of going with Reid McCormack.”
Grammy Claire grabbed the remote and muted the sound on the TV. “What does ‘sort of going’ mean?”
“It’s a couples dinner, and Reid needed a date, so he asked me.”
“Then you have a date with Reid McCormack. Nice young man. Very fine-looking. And he’s renovating the old mercantile. I’m very happy about that.”
“I am, too. But it’s not a date, Grammy Claire.”
Her grandmother gave her the look—the one that said she wouldn’t tolerate any BS. “He’s picking you up and taking you out somewhere to eat. In my day, that was a date.”
She wasn’t about to argue with her. “Yes, you’re right, Grammy Claire. It’s a date. And I need to go get ready.”
She kissed her grandmother and reminded her to call when she got back from bingo, then walked home and got into the shower. She dried her hair and put on makeup, then, against her better judgment, she went with the green dress, feeling decidedly naked. It was short and clingy and, with the bra she’d chosen, pushed what breasts she had up and over the top of the dress.
It was scandalous, but when she glanced in the mirror, she had to admit she looked pretty darn sexy. If that was the look she was going for.
Was it? She wasn’t sure. Because despite her conversations with Megan and her grandmother, she knew Reid had only asked her because he didn’t have many options date-wise. He’d only been here a week, and she was certain he hadn’t spent that time reacquainting himself with the female population of Hope.
Still, he’d asked her and not someone else. He hadn’t left it up to Des to match him up with someone. He’d come to the shop to ask her himself. So maybe it was a date after all.
She really had no idea. This whole thing was so confusing. Either way, she knew all the couples Des had asked, so she was going to have a great time no matter what.
She was just adding earrings when her doorbell rang. She went to the door and opened it.
“Holy shit,” Reid said as he took in her appearance.
She smiled. “I hope that’s a good thing.”
He looked her over from the top of her hair down to her sparkly-heeled shoes.
“Hell yes. I mean, yes. Wow, Sam. You look . . . amazing.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
He wore black jeans, a white button-down shirt, and very shiny cowboy boots. His hair was slicked back and obviously freshly washed. And since he’d stepped inside her house, she caught his clean scent. He looked and smelled good enough to lick all over—a thought that sparked all her fun places.
Especially the way he kept giving her hot looks, as if his thoughts were straying in exactly the same wicked way hers were.
But now the two of them stood in her foyer and neither of them moved. Maybe they’d never make it to dinner. Maybe they could just hang out here and spend time playing undress-each-other games.
Her mind was already awash in those visuals, her body heated from the ground floor up at how it would play out. First, her shoes. She could well imagine those great hands of
his rubbing her feet. Then her calves . . .
“So . . . we should probably go,” he said, pulling her out of that amazing fantasy. “Des made me promise I’d get you back there in time for cocktails.”
“Oh. Sure.” She’d have to quash the sex fantasy. For now.
But wouldn’t it be a fun thing to ponder for after dinner tonight?
“Let me grab my sweater and purse.”
“Okay.”
She put on her sweater and met him back at the door. “I’m ready.”
For anything that might happen.
Chapter 9
REID TRIED TO focus on the road, the speedometer, on anything but Sam’s legs and that damn dress she wore.
Christ, but why was it so hot in the truck? And why had he decided to help her climb in, which gave him an eyeful of her dress riding up her thighs and that tight material cupping her supremely sweet ass?
It might have taken him a few minutes to walk around the back of the truck, count to a hundred, and get his ridiculous erection under control.
No woman had made him so hard so fast just by wearing a goddamn dress.
“Are you excited about the party tonight?” she asked, making small talk no doubt because he’d been mute for the past fifteen minutes.
It’s possible that after ogling her thighs and her butt he might have swallowed his tongue and would never be able to speak again.
“Uh, sure.”
He caught the slight quirk of her lips. “So, not really all that thrilled about a dinner party.”
He shrugged. “I have a lot of events I go to for work. The mix-and-mingle kind of thing. This dinner party is something I’ve done before.”
“Oh, of course. So this isn’t a big deal for you. Plus, it’s your family—both your brothers, I mean. So I assume Luke and Emma will be there tonight, along with Logan and Des?”
“Yeah. Otherwise, I have no idea who else Des invited.”
“I see. Well, I know everyone in town. And out of town, for that matter.”
He made the turn down the road that led toward the ranch. “By virtue of the fact that a florist pretty much knows everyone?”
She laughed. “Yes. I’ve done flowers for births, weddings, high school graduations, funerals, birthdays. You name it, if someone has an event that requires flowers, they usually call me. I mean, they could also call one of my competitors.”
