A Match Made by Cupid (Harlequin Special Edition)

by Madison, Tracy

  No. Never.

  When she found his street, she slowed down to look for his address. There. Jace’s house had an angled roof, wide windows and a long, narrow front porch. She drove past, pulling her car alongside the curb a couple of houses down. Her legs trembled when she stood, and her palms were damp when she lifted the present. Approaching his house, she stood straighter, watching his door and his windows, hoping he wouldn’t see her coming.

  The driveway was empty, but he had a garage. Likely, the Super Sport was tucked safely inside. Adrenaline pumping, Melanie dashed up the porch steps, set the present on top of his newspaper and returned to her car as fast as her legs could carry her. She gave herself a minute to catch her breath. This secret-admirer stuff wasn’t so easy.

  Tempted though she was to stay, to watch Jace’s front door with an eagle eye, she kept to her plan and headed toward home. If he had the day off, when would he wake? How long would she have to wait to hear from him? It didn’t matter. She’d be there whenever he showed. What mattered was that she’d finally propelled herself into action.

  Her racing pulse calmed the closer she got to home, as did her breathing. Both of which would likely speed up again the second she saw Jace. With a smile on her lips, she slowed her car, pulled into her driveway and parked. Now all she had to do was wait.

  It wasn’t until she was halfway up her porch stairs that she saw a large, red-wrapped gift sitting on top of her newspaper.

  Jace. He’d been here. While she’d been at his place.

  Whipping her body around so fast that her vision swam, she searched the street for his bright orange car. Nope. Just like with the flowers, not a glimmer in sight.

  She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. Who would’ve guessed they’d have the same plan for the same day? And she thought she was being so clever.

  Picking up the present, she weighed it in her hands. It was a medium-size box, but rather light, and she didn’t see a card. Though maybe he’d done the same as she and put the card inside the box. Pleasure soaked in as she wondered what he might have chosen for her.

  Melanie stood there, staring at the box, unsure of what to do. Should she open the gift now or wait for Jace? Maybe she should go back to his place to see if she could catch him there. Or…perhaps she should sit her butt down on the porch steps, stare longingly at the street and jump up and down for joy the very second she saw his orange car.

  Yes. She liked that plan the most. Besides, that trembling, shivering, sweaty-palm, crazy-pulse thing was happening to her again. She probably shouldn’t drive under those conditions. Keeping the gift in her arms, Melanie sat down on the top porch step and craned her neck in the direction she figured Jace would drive in. And then, she waited.

  Chilly winds froze her cheeks within minutes, but she didn’t care. After a while, her bottom numbed as the cold seeped in through her clothes. Again, she didn’t care. She didn’t move, either. Not to go inside where she could wait in warmth and comfort, not to her car where she’d have almost the same vantage point but would be out of the wind.

  She couldn’t move. Not until she saw the man she loved.

  Her eyes began to water, a result of the wind and the cold, and probably also from the emotion zipping through her with such ferocity. That was okay. She’d wait here, just as he’d waited for her all of those weeks. Well, she wouldn’t be able to sit here for weeks. Or heck, even another thirty minutes. But for now, she liked the symbolism.

  Another ten minutes or so passed when a new thought occurred. What if…oh, Dear God. What if, at this very moment, he was waiting for her on his porch?

  Thankfully, that thought had barely processed when she saw a blur of bright orange several blocks in the distance. A blur of bright orange that was coming her way. She decided at that second that orange, especially that shade of orange, was her new favorite color. She might go out and buy an entire new wardrobe in that color.

  His car got closer and closer. Soon enough, she could even see the shaggy cut of his dark hair through his windshield. And then, there he was, parking the car in front of her house. Walking—no, striding—up the sidewalk, up the walkway, up the stairs…to her.

  “Jace,” she said, her voice much more a whisper than anything else. “I’ve been waiting for you. Sitting right here.”

  And then he smiled, and her heart melted and her toes tingled—though perhaps that was another side effect from the cold—and her entire body went weightless. If her thighs weren’t frozen to the porch, she might have even floated away.

  “Hi, there,” Jace said, his eyes so dark they were almost black. “I was waiting, too. For a while, but then I got impatient. You didn’t answer your cell.”

  “Inside,” she murmured. “Didn’t think I’d be out for long.”

  “Ah.” He set his present down, crouched in front of her, and touched her cheek. “Hey,” he said softly, “You’re freezing. Let’s go in. We can open our gifts there.”

  “Okay, but you might have to help me up. I’m sort of frozen.” She smiled. Brightly, broadly. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Jace.”

  “Happy St. Valentine’s Day, Mel,” Jace said, his voice warm and husky, soft and sensual. God, the man had an excellent voice. The sound of it made her tingle all that much more. “Let’s get you inside. You really look cold.”

  They went in, deposited their individual presents on the coffee table and sat next to each other on the sofa. His thigh pressed against hers, and the warmth of him radiated into her. Again, the feeling of Christmas-morning joy came over her. But it wasn’t Christmas. Heck, maybe after today, St. Valentine’s Day would be her favorite holiday.

  She liked that thought, too.

  “How did you know I’d be here?” she asked. “Did Kurt tell you I’d used a vacation day?”

  “No. I just assumed you’d be home.” Jace reached over and lightly pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m glad I assumed right.”

  “Me, too.” Melanie cleared her throat. “So, presents. I’d like you to open mine first. If you don’t mind.”

  But Jace was already shaking his head. “No dice, Mel. You have to go first.” He picked up the gift and set it on her lap, as if to say he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “I thought about this one for a while. I hope you…I hope you like it.”

  Impatient for him to get to her presents, she ripped the paper off as if it truly were Christmas morning. Lifting the lid, she blinked. Then, she touched the soft, blue, folded-up square of thick, fuzzy fabric. “A blanket?” she asked. Okay. So maybe this wasn’t the most romantic gift she’d ever received, but still. Jace had given it to her. That was romantic enough.

  “Pick it up, Mel,” he said thickly. “It isn’t a blanket.”

  Melanie nodded and lifted the material out of the box with a flip. The soft fabric unfolded and spread across the top of her legs. “It’s a Snuggie? You bought me a Snuggie?”

  “Not just any Snuggie.” His mouth split into a wide grin at her look of bewilderment. “A special Snuggie.”

  “There are special Snuggies?” she asked, working to keep a straight face.

  “There are.” He reached over to pull and tug and straighten until the Snuggie was out flat. “Look, it’s a Snuggie made for two. Even has three sleeves, Mel,” he said, as if the entire idea tickled him to no end.

  Melanie laughed at his look of delight. She couldn’t help it.

  “I thought, hoped, that you’d give me good news today. So I thought…and hoped…that maybe we could have a picture of us taken in this to use for our new column.” Then he gave her a sweet, almost bashful smile. “If you’ll have me, that is.”

  “I love the Snuggie, Jace. I love the sentiment behind it, too.” God, she could hardly stand the wait. She wanted to shout out that she loved him with every cell in her body. B
ut… “Open my present. I think that will answer your question.”

  So he did. Following her lead, he tore the paper off in huge strips. When he saw the three wrapped gifts nestled inside the larger box, his forehead creased. “Does it matter which order I open them?”

  She shook her head no, leaned forward and waited with bated breath. This was going to kill her. No doubt about it.

  The bikini came first. His jaw worked as he stared at the flimsy straps of fabric in confusion. “Um, Mel. I don’t think this will fit me, and I’m not really into—”

  “Read the card,” she said, pressing her lips together tightly to stop herself from laughing. Because he was too damn slow, she plucked the card out of his hand. “Never mind, I’ll read it for you. It says, ‘For yard work.’”

  His gaze switched from the bikini to the card and back again. Comprehension sifted over him. “Veronica and Geoffrey. This is your way of telling me…”

  “That you have two more presents to open,” she teased. “So get to it, boy.”

  “Boy? I’ll have you know—”

  Melanie tossed another present at him. This one turned out to be the brownies. He read the card this time, and the air between them crackled with heat. With electricity.

  “Maybe I’ll feed these to you later.” His voice held the hint of a promise she intended to make him keep.

  But all she said was, “Go on. There’s one more present.”

  He opened the third gift—the clock—quickly. He waggled one brow, saying, “Sorry, babe. This isn’t repairable. Guess you’ll have to find another way to wake up in the morning. I’m an early riser. So, if you’re looking for volunteers…”

  Melanie lunged for the last card before Jace even saw it. Nerves tumbled through her, and her mouth went dry. Would he know what she was getting at? If he did, would he say yes?

  “This one, I want to read to you.” The second she spoke, she knew she couldn’t. Wasn’t quite that brave. Not yet, anyway. Thrusting the card toward him, she said, “Actually, no. You read it, but to yourself.”

  Jace regarded her quizzically, but didn’t argue. Strong fingers pulled the card out of the envelope. She held herself still, barely able to breathe, and watched him carefully as he read. All the while, she tried to pretend she wasn’t about to crawl out of her skin.

  Almost in slow motion, a series of minuscule events happened that Melanie would remember for the rest of her life. For longer, if possible.

  First, Jace’s jaw hardened and firmed. Then his shoulders did the same. Muscle by muscle, his entire body went rock-solid, and his chest stopped moving as he seemingly held his breath. So very slowly, his jaw jerked up until their gazes met. One long whoosh of air escaped from his lungs.

  “Melanie,” he said, his tone deep and serious.

  “Jace,” she said, pulling together every scrap of her courage. “I love you. So much. More than I ever thought possible. And I believe in you. I trust you. And I want to know if—”

  “Stop,” he said, his voice now brusque. “Stop.”

  Oh, God. “But…” She wouldn’t beg, and she damn well refused to cry. So he didn’t want to accept her proposal, so what? He loved her, she knew that. Besides, she’d known this was a risk going in. More time would be good…smart, even. “We’ll go back to the dating thing. That’s fine! I—” She narrowed her eyes as Jace suddenly got down on one knee. “What are you doing?”

  He reached behind him, searching for and finding the coat he’d shrugged off earlier. “Shh, Mel. Give me a second here.”

  A million and one shivers hit her all at once. Her teeth started chattering, and goose bumps coated her skin. She wasn’t even cold, for goodness’ sake. Rubbing her arms, she said, “Seriously, Jace. What are you doing?”

  Bringing his hand back into view, he gave her the smile that she sometimes loved, sometimes hated. Today, she thought she loved it. He held out a small velvet box. Instantly, her breath locked in her lungs. Instantly, time stopped. On the heels of that, she stopped him.

  “Oh, no,” she said quickly, before he could push the words out that she’d intended to say. “Huh-uh! I was going to propose to you. So…you stop.”

  With a wink and a grin, Jace said, “I have the ring. You have a card. Diamond trumps paper any day of the week, so I say I win this battle.”

  “Unfair,” she pointed out. “Men don’t wear engagement rings. Otherwise, I’d have bought you the biggest diamond you’ve ever seen.” Um. “That I can afford.”

  “Melanie,” Jace said, undeterred. “I love you with all of my heart. When I look at you, my heart sings. Why, the day you walked into my life, I—”

  “Jace, you make me believe in forever!” Melanie leaned forward and stared into his eyes. “You make me believe in happily-ever-after. When I see you—”

  “You stunned me the second I saw you. I knew right off that my life—”

  They stopped and stared at each other for ten seconds, maybe twenty.

  “Will you marry me?” they both said in pretty much perfect unison.

  Silence surrounded them. Jace reached over to clasp her left hand. “I asked first,” he said, sliding the ring onto her finger.

  She held her hand up to see the ring. “This is so beautiful, but no. You’re wrong. I asked first. Like an entire millisecond before you.”

  Jace shook his head in amusement. “Must you always be so contrary?”

  “You’re the stubborn one,” Melanie said with conviction. “I had this entire scene planned out, from beginning to end. And you interrupted me.”

  Standing, Jace reached over to pull her to her feet. He lifted her into his arms, saying, “What? You think I had an engagement ring in my pocket by accident?”

  She sighed and rested her head against his chest. She felt safe, cherished and so very, very loved. Not to mention, extraordinarily lucky.

  “I know,” she said, wrapping her arms around Jace’s neck. “How about if you just shut up and kiss me?”

  And so he did.

  * * * * *

  ISBN: 9781459220706

  Copyright © 2012 by Tracy Leigh Ritts

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