by Leanne Banks
She blinked at the thought and frowned. Sexy? Nick wasn’t sexy to her. He was like a pain-in-the-neck big brother.
Suddenly, Nick glanced up at her and her gaze locked with his. She felt a weird ricochet of awareness ratchet throughout her.
“You’re glaring at me,” he said. “What’s wrong?”
She blinked again. “Nothing. Nothing,” she repeated for emphasis. “I was just thinking about something.”
“Well, stop thinking about it,” he said. “You look like you just ate a lemon.”
Irritation replaced...whatever fleeting crazy feeling she’d just had. Relief shot through her. She really didn’t want to be attracted to Nick. That would be a nightmare.
“Thank you,” she said. “That cabinet you’re working on looks good.”
He stared down at the cabinet. “Thanks. I would do more if I had more time, but—” He broke off and shrugged. “I rarely get the time I want.”
“You’re caught between being practical and being an artist,” she said.
He nodded. “Very well said. Nice that someone understands.”
She felt another unwelcome flutter and clamped her teeth together. Back to inventory. Must focus, she told herself.
She worked another thirty minutes. Most workers were leaving. She would leave soon, too.
A pair of boots came into her field of vision. Not the usual work boots or cowboy boots, she noticed.
“G’day, Cecelia,” Liam said in his cool accent.
She glanced up and looked into his weather-beaten face and felt a surge of pleasure. “G’day to you,” she said. “How did you find me?”
“I told you I would,” he said. “My mum has temporarily kicked me out of her house. She says I’m being a pain in the arse. I don’t suppose you’d join me for a shopping trip for tile in Livingston. We can get a bite to eat, too.”
“Hi,” Nick said, moving between her and Liam. “I’m Nick Pritchett. I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Probably not. I haven’t been here long. Good to meet you. Nice-looking cabinet there. Couldn’t find anything like that in Australia,” he said.
“Thanks,” Nick said, his voice tinged with reluctance. “What are you doing in Rust Creek Falls?”
“Helping out my mum. Her house needs some work and she refuses to move back in with us. Cecelia here has given me some advice about where to find the materials I need to fix my mum’s house. She’s a good one.”
“So she is,” Nick said then glanced at her meaningfully. “Cecelia, I thought you had a date tonight.”
“Nope,” she said cheerfully, ignoring his disapproving gaze. “And I was just finishing up. I’d love to go shop for tile, Liam. You just have to promise to talk the whole way coming and going so I can listen to your lovely accent.”
Liam gave her a gruff smile. “No worries. I can talk both your ears off.”
“Cecelia?” Nick said.
“Yes?” She met his gaze.
“I’ll see you later,” he said firmly.
“Don’t wait up,” she said and headed out the door.
Cecelia enjoyed listening to Liam’s voice during the shopping trip to Kalispell. They dined in a pub and she ordered fish and chips. It may have been fried, but she rarely got the opportunity to eat fish in Rust Creek Falls. On the return drive, Liam did as he promised, talking the entire way.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of his voice. As soon as he pulled up beside her truck, she glanced at him. “This has been fun.”
“For me, too,” he said. “You’re a great girl.”
She smiled, completely relaxed, because she could tell he wasn’t going to kiss her. “You’re not the least bit interested in me as a girlfriend, are you?”
“No,” Liam said. “I hope you’re not disappointed. But I have a mate back home. We’re committed to each other. Thank goodness my brother got married and had some children. My mother can only nag me so much.” He paused a half beat. “Have I disappointed you?”
“Not at all,” she said. “I have a new friend with a great accent. If you need anything else, call me. Here’s my cell number....”
“No need,” he said. “I’ll find you.”
Cecelia kissed him on the cheek and scampered to her truck. Starting the engine, she waved at Liam and put the truck in gear. The adventures of modern dating, she thought and smiled. Truth was she wasn’t all that disappointed. She was glad to have a new friend.
Driving to the rooming house, she looked forward to a good night of rest. She dragged herself up the steps to the front door and opened it. No baking for her tonight, she thought and headed for the stairs. After the first flight, Nick greeted her outside his room.
“So, how’d your date go?” he asked, searching her face.
“Fine. Great,” she said. “Liam is super nice. He had lots of interesting stories to tell about Australia.”
“Did he make a move on you?” he asked, his face as stern as she’d ever seen it.
Cecelia thought about taunting him, but she didn’t have the energy for it. “Not at all. His true love is in Australia. I’m a safe, sweet, sexually nonthreatening girl. I’m safe, sweet and nonsexual to most,” she muttered.
“What’s that about?” Nick asked. “If all you want to do is have sex, you could do that no problem. I thought you were looking for a relationship.”
“I am,” she said. “But we’re not living in the Regency period. I wouldn’t mind a little, well, heat.”
“Heat,” he echoed. “Another requirement?”
She shrugged. “We’ll see. I’m too tired to think about it right now,” she said and started to walk past him.
He grabbed her arm. “Whoa. Don’t you think Tim can take care of the heat?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s too early to tell. Anyway, I’ve got to go to bed, big bro. I have an early day tomorrow.”
Cecelia trudged to her room, washed her face, brushed her teeth and put on her pj’s. Maybe if she kept calling Nick big bro, she would stop feeling this strange quivery sensation around him. Maybe.
* * *
The next morning, Nick lingered over breakfast. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was getting all twisted up about finding a man for Cecelia. This Tim guy sounded good on paper and she seemed to like him okay, but maybe he wasn’t good enough for her. Plus, he didn’t want anyone taking advantage of her.
“Would you like another pancake?” Beth Crowder asked him.
Nick shook his head. “Nah, I’m fine, thank you.”
“Anything else?” she asked.
He appreciated her warm, concerned gaze. “Not at all. I meant to tell you that Will Duncan called me the other day. He couldn’t say enough good things about you. Thanks for taking them food.”
Beth’s cheeks turned pink. “It was nothing. He’s such a nice man. And taking over the care of his grandchildren. That’s a real man for you,” she said and removed his plate from the table.
“He mentioned that he could use some help. He could pay for it, but not as much as he’d like,” he said.
“Paid help?” she echoed, her brow furrowing.
“Well, I didn’t know if you would be open to another part-time job,” he said.
“Hmm,” she said, clearly uncertain. “I’ll have to think about that. I’m not sure I would feel right about taking money from a man in Mr. Duncan’s situation.”
“He’s proud,” Nick said. “He’s got a pension from the military and the lumber mill.”
Her brow furrowed again. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I’ll let you know. Anything else?”
“Nothing,” he said and walked away from the table. Beth Crowder was a sweet woman, but he knew she needed money. He wondered what was holding her back from taking this j
ob with Will Duncan. To him, it seemed right up her alley. Maybe he wasn’t reading people well lately. His mind took a hard swerve to thoughts of Cecelia and he felt a dark rush of emotion. Based on Cecelia’s response to his matchups, he wasn’t doing all that well.
Nick spent the day working at the new lodge outside town and grabbed a sub and a six-pack from a convenience store on his way home. He was dog-tired and just wanted to watch some football. Thank goodness he’d installed satellite TV for the rooming house.
He stomped toward the stairs and stopped abruptly when Melba and Cecelia stepped in his path. Both women seemed to search his face for something. He didn’t know what they wanted, but instinct told him it didn’t involve him drinking a few beers and watching football in the privacy of his room.
“I need your help,” Melba said. “Actually, the community needs your help.”
“What’s up?” he asked, looking from Melba to Cecelia.
“The high school is having their first dance of the school year at the community center and they need a minimum number of chaperones or they’ll have to cancel.”
Feeling a sick twist in his gut, Nick immediately shook his head. Images of his mother dancing with his siblings flashed through his mind. “Not me,” he said. “I don’t do dances. I didn’t even do them in high school. Not my area.”
“That’s what I told her,” Cecelia said. “But several of the chaperones who signed up aren’t able to come for one reason or another.”
“It’s only for three or four hours,” Melba said. “Gene and I would do it, but it’s way past our bedtime, and I’m not sure Gene could handle those teenage boys if they started acting rowdy. They need the natural intimidation of a strong man to keep them in line in case any of them has mischief on their minds.”
Nick rubbed his face in frustration. “Are you sure you couldn’t find anyone else?”
Melba lifted her hands in helplessness. “I tried,” she said. “Everyone is busy.”
Nick swallowed a growl. He was supposed to be busy relaxing tonight. “Okay,” he said reluctantly. “Do I have to wear anything special?”
“A clean pair of jeans and a shirt will do,” she said, with no cajoling left in her tone. She turned to Cecelia. “You don’t need to dress up either. I’ll call Helen Jameson to let her know you’re coming. She’ll be so relieved. Go ahead and get changed. The dance starts in an hour and a half, and you’re supposed to be there early.”
Nick sighed and met Cecelia’s gaze. “We can go in my truck. I’ll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.”
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the community center, which was decked out in crepe paper, balloons and lots of little lights. “Why are they using Christmas lights in September?” he asked Cecelia.
“I think they’re trying to provide ambiance without spending too much money,” she said.
“If you say so. Once the kids start coming in, you can stand near the punch to make sure no one spikes it,” he said. “I’ll hold up the wall near the door. This is going to be the longest night of my life.”
“That’s an exaggeration and you know it. I only went to a couple of my high school dances. It might be fun to watch it from this side of graduation,” she said.
“You like to dance?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t hate it. Of course, it helps if you’re dancing with the right person.”
“Hmm,” he said. “Looks like they’re putting out the cookies. I’m hungry,” he said, and headed for the food table.
From the other side of the room, Cecelia watched Nick as he prowled around like a wild animal that had been let out of its cage. She’d always known he wasn’t much for dancing, but she’d never known why. He was certainly coordinated enough. She suspected that might extend to other areas, such as dancing or... A heated image of Nick blasted through her mind, and she shook it off. Her thoughts were so embarrassing. She was relieved no one could read her mind.
Still, she couldn’t resist wondering what it would be like to dance with him—to feel his strong arms around her, his body so close she could feel him breathe. Her stomach fluttered at the thought.
At that second, Nick glanced up and met her gaze. Cecelia blinked, assuring herself that her thoughts had been her own and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. That didn’t stop her cheeks from heating as he walked toward her.
“The DJ is here,” he said. “The kids should be here soon. You might want to take your position by the table with the punch. We can take shifts if you get tired of standing there.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
“I’ll cruise the room to stay on top of everything,” he told her.
“Okay.” She paused a half beat and gave in to her curiosity. “Why do you hate dancing so much?”
He narrowed his eyes and turned away as if he weren’t going to answer her. “My mom. She taught all of us to dance with some music her parents had passed down to her. Frank Sinatra stuff. After she died, my father never let us play that music again, and he didn’t allow dancing in his house anymore.”
Cecelia’s heart twisted at his words. “That must have been doubly hard. Losing both your mom and those special memories.”
“Watching what happened to my father after she died makes me wonder if it’s better not to have the kind of memories that rip you apart like that. My father continues to live and breathe, but there were plenty of times he seemed like an empty shell of a man to me. I never want to live like that,” he said, then looked away. “Enough about that. The kids are coming in. I’ll talk to you later.”
Cecelia spent the next hour digesting what Nick had told her. Sometimes when she looked at him, she felt caught between two men. There was the flirty, fun guy, and the other, deeper Nick. The Nick who did favors for people who couldn’t pay him back. The softy. Oh, Lordy, he would hate being called a softy, and the truth was he was pretty darn tough. But underneath the fact that he was hardheaded and way too devil-may-care for her taste, he had a good heart. He sure seemed to try to hide it, but the truth leaked out every now and then. And lately it grabbed at her in a vulnerable place.
From across the room, he met her gaze and gave her a nod. Her stomach took an odd dip.
Behind her, she heard the sound of a girl crying. Cecelia automatically turned and saw a young teen covering her face as she stood in a darkened corner. Cecelia glanced toward Nick and twirled her finger to let him know there was a problem. She walked toward the young teen.
“Hey,” Cecelia said. “Anything I can do to help?”
The teen shook her head then sobbed.
“Are you sure?” Cecelia asked. “Maybe a cup of punch?”
“No,” the girl said. “My life is ruined. Justin broke up with me.”
Nick walked toward them. “Problem?” he asked.
“She’s not having a great time at the dance,” Cecelia said. “Her boyfriend broke up with her.”
Nick looked at Cecelia helplessly.
“You want a cookie? I like to eat when I’m upset,” Nick said. “And Cecelia likes to bake.”
The girl lowered her hands and swiped at her cheeks. “You do?” she asked. “Are guys mean to you?”
Cecelia bit her lip. “Sometimes,” Cecelia said. “Unfortunately some guys can be jerks at any age. Right, Nick?”
“Well, yeah,” he said. “That’s what I hear. I mean, I’m not a jerk,” he added, shooting Cecelia a glance of extreme discomfort.
The girl looked from Cecelia to Nick. “Are you two together?” she asked.
Nick nodded. “Yep. We’re both chaperoning tonight.”
“No,” Cecelia corrected. “We’re just friends.”
“Oh,” the girl said, looking disappointed.
“We’ve been friends a long time, though,” Nick said. “Since we
were kids. Sometimes having a good friend is better than having a romance.”
“That’s what Justin said. He just wanted to be friends.” She glanced at the dance floor. “He’s dancing with Katie.”
“Rearview mirror,” Nick said firmly.
“What do you mean?” the teen asked.
“Justin’s in your rearview mirror. You need to see what’s in front of you. Find someone else,” he said.
“Oh, I don’t know if I’ll ever get over Justin,” she said, her face starting to crumple.
“How about you hang out with us for a while, then?” Cecelia offered. “We won’t be dancing, but—”
“Definitely not dancing,” Nick said.
“Okay,” the girl said. “I’m Jessica.”
Cecelia chatted with Jessica while she supervised the punch table. Nick came over and talked with her for a few minutes while Cecelia took a restroom break. When she returned, Jessica was on the dance floor.
“How did that happen?” Cecelia asked Nick.
“I went to get her a cookie and some guy was talking to her. Before I knew it, she was on the dance floor.”
At that moment, the DJ announced the last dance.
“Best news ever,” Nick said, and brushed his hands together. “The root canal is almost over.”
“Who’s being a drama queen now?” she asked him.
Within minutes, the kids cleared out of the community center. Nick and Cecelia helped the other volunteers clean up then headed for his truck.
Cecelia seemed especially quiet as she got into the passenger seat. Nick wondered what was bothering her. He glanced at her as he drove to the rooming house.
“Looks like Justin is officially rearview mirror status,” he said with a nod. “Women are fickle.”
“And men aren’t?” Cecelia returned. “Young hearts break easily. Thank goodness they heal pretty quickly, too.”
“You sound like you know a lot about it,” Nick said, pulling next to the curb.
“I know enough,” she said. “I understand how Jessica feels, although I’m out of the drama teen zone.”
