by Lara Lacombe
A bright red sign hung over the door, the words Honeysuckle Road Boutique scripted in a whimsical font that somehow perfectly captured Claudia’s free spirit. The windows of the store were papered over, but there was a square cut out of the paper covering the glass panels of the double doors. Thorne rapped on the door and a moment later was rewarded with the sight of Claudia’s face framed by the brown paper.
She unlocked the door and pulled it open, grabbing his arm to practically drag him inside. “Thorne! Come in, come in! It’s so good to see you!” As soon as he was fully inside she threw her arms around him, squeezing hard enough to make his ribs groan in protest.
He returned the hug but was careful not to use his full strength. “Hey there, Little Bit,” he said, using his old nickname for her. “Long time, no see.” Claudia had come back to Shadow Creek a little over a month ago, but between one thing and another, Thorne hadn’t spent as much time with her as he would have liked. He was happy to see she looked well—her long blond hair was pulled back from her face, and she had a pencil stuck behind her ear. He glanced down at her hands and saw the telltale smudge of ink on the sides of her palms. She’d been drawing again, probably working on more sketches for her clothes or the shop.
“Are we interrupting you?” he asked.
“No, it’s fine,” Claudia replied. “I’m just messing around a bit with some ideas. Nothing that can’t wait until later.” She turned and gave Maggie a warm smile. “Forgive my manners,” she said, sticking out her hand. “I’m Claudia.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Maggie.”
“How do you know Thorne?” Claudia asked, eyeing them both curiously. Thorne could practically see the wheels turning in his sister’s head, and realized with a sudden jolt of panic he didn’t know how to describe his relationship with Maggie. She was the mother of his child, but they weren’t together. There wasn’t a word to adequately describe their situation; “friend” was too casual, but “partner” seemed to presume too much.
Maggie saved him. “I’m an accountant, and I do Mac’s books. That’s how we met.”
Claudia nodded, and Thorne shot Maggie a grateful look.
“I see. What brings you into town, Thorne? Not that I don’t love seeing you, but I usually have to come out to the ranch if I want to spend time with you.”
“I need some new boots,” he said, deciding not to tell her about the snakes. “I figured we’d drop in for a visit, and I thought Maggie could do a little shopping.” He glanced around the boutique, a little disappointed to see there wasn’t any merchandise yet. “I thought you might have some clothes in stock, but it looks like I was wrong.”
Claudia laughed, a light, lilting sound that seemed to float in the air. “Sorry about that. I’m still several weeks away from opening, so nothing’s here yet. I’m putting the finishing touches on the interior, and then I’ll be ready for the goods.” She gestured them over to a large wooden table a few feet away, strewed with papers and colored pencils in every shade of the rainbow. “I’d be happy to show you some of my designs, though, if you’re interested.”
“I am,” Maggie said quickly. She followed Claudia over to the table, but Thorne hung back a bit, taking the opportunity to look around the store. It was surprisingly large inside, and the clopping of his boot heels echoed in the space as he walked across the wooden floor. There were a few shelves and racks in place already, and he could envision how traffic would flow through the store, winding from one area to another as shoppers searched for that special something. The walls were painted a fresh spring green, and the place had a warm, muted glow thanks to the papered windows blocking the harshness of the sun.
“What’s with the camouflage?” he asked, fingering a corner of the paper. “Are you hiding from someone?”
He’d meant it as a joke, but Claudia didn’t answer right away. He turned just in time to see a flicker of fear cross her face, but she pasted on a smile and shook her head. “Of course not,” she said, laughing awkwardly. “But people are curious, and I got tired of seeing noses pressed to the glass. I want people to see the interior for the first time when the boutique opens, rather than seeing all the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into setting the place up.”
“I don’t blame you,” Maggie said. “I’d feel really self-conscious working in a fishbowl like that.”
The women both turned back to Claudia’s sketches before Thorne had a chance to respond, but he made a mental note to ask Claudia about her reaction. She’d spent the past several years in New York, and while he thought her time there had been good, maybe he was mistaken...
The women talked softly, their voices a low murmur as they bent over Claudia’s pages. Thorne watched them a moment, enjoying the sight of his sister and the woman he loved—
Whoa. He mentally reared back, shying away from the word like a horse on the edge of a cliff. He had feelings for Maggie, of course, but did he really want to call them love? He wasn’t even sure he knew what the word meant, at least in the romantic sense. Livia and her husband-hopping hadn’t exactly set a stellar example while he was growing up, and his own relationship track record wasn’t exactly impressive. Until Maggie, he’d never met a woman who made him want to risk his heart. And thanks to his stupid mistakes, he might not get another chance with her.
The easiest thing would be to maintain the status quo. He and Maggie were on stable ground, and if they weren’t emotionally close, at least they didn’t dislike each other. If he tried to win back her heart, there was a very real chance it would irreparably damage the truce they had formed. They were about to bring a child into the world—could he risk disturbing the peace at this delicate junction?
Yes. The answer came to him immediately, along with a sense of urgency he couldn’t ignore. He knew what it was like to grow up with parents who couldn’t stand each other. It wasn’t the kind of life he wanted for his child. Maybe he was being old-fashioned, but he’d always figured he would get married before having a baby. He wanted to give his children the domestic stability he had never experienced, and in order to do that, he was going to have to win Maggie over.
But more than that, he wanted Maggie for herself. He’d been drawn to her from the beginning, and now that he knew her better, his attraction to her had only grown. She was an amazing woman—cool under pressure, smart, generous and kind. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a partner, and he couldn’t afford to let her think she didn’t matter to him.
He’d done a poor job of communicating his feelings, but that was going to change.
Starting now.
“Uh, ladies?”
Maggie and Claudia were so engrossed in her designs they didn’t hear him. So he walked over and touched Maggie on the elbow. She jumped, then smiled sheepishly. “Sorry to scare you,” he said. “I was thinking I could run down the street and look at boots, if you don’t mind?”
Maggie shook her head. “Go on. We’ll be here.”
He nodded, then looked at Claudia. It was time to tell his sister the news. Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, he said, “Take good care of them for me, will you?”
Claudia began to nod, then stopped, her eyes widening. “Wait, ‘them’? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He smiled and winked at his sister, then leaned down and kissed Maggie’s cheek. She sucked in a breath and her pupils dilated, but he couldn’t tell if she welcomed the gesture or was simply shocked at his presumption. “I’m just down the block if you need me,” he whispered. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Good luck,” she said. He noted the sparkle in her eyes and his worry eased; she wasn’t upset with him for the kiss. “I hope you find a nice pair.”
“I will,” he said. He started for the door, wanting to race through this errand so he could be back in Maggie’s presence. He felt a small twinge of worry as he left the store, but he
knew she would be safe with Claudia. Besides, Livia was a wanted woman—she wouldn’t dare try to harm Maggie in broad daylight with witnesses around. Livia was brazen, but she wasn’t stupid.
Despite the logic of his conclusion, Thorne didn’t waste any time walking down the street. The sooner he was with Maggie again, the better.
Chapter 13
“Are you pregnant?” Claudia’s voice was full of barely suppressed excitement and her eyes shone as she grabbed Maggie’s hand. She dropped it a second later and took a half step back. “I’m sorry, that’s very rude of me. I know we’ve only just met. But given what Thorne said...”
Maggie smiled. “It’s okay. Your brother did drop a pretty big bombshell on his way out the door. In answer to your question, yes, I am pregnant.”
Claudia let out a little squeal and pulled Maggie in for a quick hug. “I’m so happy for you both! When are you due?”
“November 19. But my doctor told me babies rarely come on their due date.”
Claudia held her at arm’s length and eyed her up and down. Even though there was no hint of judgment in her gaze, Maggie couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious at the scrutiny.
“You look amazing,” Claudia decreed. “You’re glowing.”
Maggie felt her face heat. “I don’t know about that,” she protested, but Claudia held up her hand.
“No, you are,” she said firmly. “You’re beautiful. Thorne is a lucky man.”
Her words were kind, even if they were incorrect. But Maggie didn’t bother to set the record straight. Besides, she couldn’t very well tell Claudia her brother was only interested in her because she was carrying his child.
“Are you in need of maternity clothes yet?” Claudia asked.
Maggie smoothed a hand over her belly, feeling the small bulge that seemed to grow bigger by the day. “Soon, I think.”
Claudia looked appraisingly at Maggie’s waistline and hummed thoughtfully. “You know, you have the perfect body for my clothes. I think I could easily modify some of my designs to accommodate your baby bump.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?” A sense of delight filled Maggie, and her imagination took flight as she pictured herself wearing some of the beautiful clothes in Claudia’s sketches. The fabrics and silhouettes in the sketches looked so glamorous and lovely—the exact opposite of the frumpy tunics she’d thought would be her only options. Maggie wasn’t a clothes snob, but she did like to feel pretty. And Claudia’s creations were so feminine and beautiful that Maggie knew she’d look amazing in whatever Claudia made for her.
“Of course! It would be my pleasure. You and I have the same body type—curves everywhere. I've always wanted to design clothes for women like us, since we deserve to feel pretty, too."
Maggie laughed and nodded. "That's very generous of you."
Claudia shook her head. "More like selfish. I'm getting paid to design clothes I want to wear. But I've been thinking about branching out, and designing a maternity line might be just the way to stretch my creative muscles. You'd make a great model for my prototypes.”
“I’d love that,” Maggie said, already looking forward to the experience.
“I do have one request, though,” said Claudia, tilting her head to the side.
“Name it,” Maggie said, expecting Claudia to ask for help with her books. It would be a nice way to repay Claudia for her kindness, and she would enjoy having the other woman as a client.
“I want to make your wedding dress.”
Claudia’s response was so unexpected it took Maggie a moment to fully process her words. “I’m sorry,” she said, certain she had misunderstood. “You want to what?”
“Make your wedding dress,” Claudia repeated.
“That’s what I thought you said,” Maggie murmured, stalling for time. How could she explain to Thorne’s sister that her brother had no intention of marrying her? She didn’t necessarily want to air their dirty laundry, even to Claudia, but she couldn’t let the other woman labor under the misapprehension that she and Thorne were engaged.
“Are you engaged yet?” Claudia asked. “I didn’t notice a ring, but that’s not always a sign nowadays.”
“Uh, no, we’re not,” Maggie said. And we’ll probably never be, she added silently. The thought triggered a mild pang in her heart, but her acceptance of Thorne’s feelings for her, or lack thereof, was growing by the day. She looked forward to a time when she could see Thorne and not feel a sense of longing for what they might have shared. Maybe she’d even get to a point where she wouldn’t care if he found someone else, someone he wanted to share his life with. Anything was possible...
“Ah.” Claudia nodded, as if she had expected this response. “Well, I’m sure Thorne will pop the question soon.”
Maggie’s first instinct was to deny the possibility, but her curiosity prevented her from contradicting Claudia. “What makes you say that?” she asked, wondering if Thorne’s sister had some kind of special insight into his behavior. They had grown up together, which meant Claudia knew him better than almost anyone else. Maybe he had said something to his little sister before they came to the boutique?
“It’s the way he looks at you,” Claudia confided. “Thorne’s always been a very private person. Even when we were kids, he was the quiet one. It was always hard to figure out what he was thinking or feeling because he kept things so close to the chest. But he’s never been able to control the look in his eyes when he’s around something or someone he loves. When he’s working with his horses or talking to Mac, you can practically see the love shining in his eyes. And he had that same glow a few minutes ago, when he walked over to say goodbye to you.”
“Really?” Maggie whispered. She wanted so badly to believe what Claudia was saying. But she couldn’t ignore the nagging doubt in the back of her mind. Claudia may have seen the glimmer of love in her brother’s eyes, but perhaps she had misinterpreted the object of his affections. It was clear Thorne was already in love with their baby. That was probably what Claudia had detected.
Maggie brushed aside her disappointment, determined not to let Claudia see her reaction. Fortunately, the other woman seemed oblivious to the dip in Maggie’s mood.
“And he kissed you,” Claudia continued. “He’s never done that in front of family before!”
Maggie’s cheek tingled with the memory of Thorne’s lips on her skin. He had given her a quick peck goodbye, but she’d figured he was simply trying to keep up appearances so Claudia wouldn’t ask too many questions about their relationship. If that was his plan, it had backfired spectacularly.
Not that he was here to know it.
For the first time, Maggie regretted not going with Thorne on his hunt for new boots. Claudia was a nice person, but everything she said made Maggie second-guess her interpretations of Thorne’s actions. And though she appreciated the other woman’s take on things, Maggie was just too tired to keep searching for signs that might indicate Thorne had feelings for her. Better to take him at his word and accept that their relationship was never going to go beyond friendship.
Claudia kept talking, going on about Thorne and his previous relationships with other women. Maggie listened with half an ear, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. Under normal circumstances, she would have appreciated this glimpse into Thorne’s personal life. But hearing this information from his sister felt wrong somehow, like an invasion of privacy.
Her discomfort must have shown on her face, because Claudia suddenly stopped talking. “Oh, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” she said, sounding concerned. “I just wanted you to know how special you are to him. And I can’t tell you how happy I am to know he’s found someone. He’s been alone for so long.” Claudia shook her head, a sad smile crossing her face. “I worried about him. We all did, you know.” She reached out and grabbed Maggie�
��s hand, her touch friendly and warm. “But we don’t need to worry any longer!”
Maggie wasn’t sure how to respond. Words piled up in her throat, forming a logjam of sentiment she didn’t know how to navigate. She settled for nodding her head, which seemed to satisfy Claudia.
“Now let’s talk about colors,” Claudia said, turning back to her pile of sketches. “I’d love to see you in this dress. My original design has it in red, but if that’s too bright for you, we can tone down the shade...”
Maggie seized on the change of subject, happy to have a reason to stop thinking about Thorne. But as much as she enjoyed talking about clothes with Claudia, she knew the woman’s comments about her brother would stay in her mind.
I just wanted you to know how special you are to him...
At that moment, the door opened and the man in question strode inside. Maggie felt a brush against her elbow as Claudia jumped in surprise at his sudden entrance, but she couldn’t spare the other woman a glance. Her gaze was locked on Thorne, and the half smile that appeared on his face when he saw her made her stomach flutter. She met his eyes and felt a jolt of shock as she registered the emotion shining in those dark depths.
Maybe Claudia was right after all. But if Thorne really did have feelings for her, how could she trust he cared about her for her own sake, not just because she was the mother of his child?
* * *
“You’re very quiet.”
“Am I?” Maggie said absently. “Sorry. I don’t mean to ignore you. I just got lost in thought, I guess.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Thorne assured her. “Did you have a nice visit with Claudia?”
“Yes.” Her tone was heavy with some kind of implication, but before he could dissect it further, she went on, “Your sister is great. Her sketches are amazing—I can’t wait to see her clothes in person. And did she tell you what she’s going to do for me?”
Thorne smiled to hear the excitement in Maggie’s voice. “No, she didn’t. But to hear you talk it must be something good.”
