Harlequin Special Edition September 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Maverick for HireA Match Made by BabyOnce Upon a Bride

by Leanne Banks

  Melba nodded slowly. “If you say so.”

  Cecelia turned to look at Melba. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because you and Nick should be together,” she said.

  Cecelia’s stomach fell to her feet. She shook her head. “Oh, no, Melba,” she said. “He’s like my big brother. He’s trying to find a man for me.”

  “Hmm,” Melba said. “Seems to me he’s the right man for you.”

  “Never,” Cecelia said, closing her eyes.

  “Never say never,” Melba said. “Now, let’s heat up those chicken and dumplings from Beth.”

  Cecelia stuffed herself with the dinner Beth had provided then went up to her bedroom for an early night. Despite her busy day, however, she couldn’t help thinking about Nick and whomever he was with tonight.

  Frustrated with her obsession with him, she took a shower and drank a cup of herbal tea that claimed it was calming. She turned on the television to watch real estate deals conducted throughout the world.

  She must have drifted off because sometime later she heard the television click off. Glancing up, she saw a male figure in her room. Nick. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Just checking on you,” he said. “I thought I would turn off the TV so you could sleep better.”

  “How was your date?” she couldn’t resist asking.

  “The usual. Rubber chicken. Woman who doesn’t belong in Montana. Needed a couple of repairs. She was nice enough. Why do you ask?”

  She swallowed over a strange lump in her throat. “No reason. I’m feeling better, so I’ll get back to my busy social life as soon as possible,” she joked.

  He paused then nodded. “Don’t rush yourself,” he said.

  “I won’t,” she said. “Thank you for helping me when I was sick.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way. You need anything now?”

  Would you touch my forehead again like you did that first night I was sick? she thought. She bit her tongue to keep from asking such a thing.

  “You’re quiet,” he said, moving close to the bed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She inhaled and caught a whiff of perfume. “I’m fine. I just want to sleep.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Get some rest,” he said and opened the door.

  “You smell like strong, icky perfume,” she said because she couldn’t stop herself from saying it.

  He paused at the door and gave a faint chuckle. “I can always count on the truth from you.”

  “One of my charms,” she said.

  “Yeah. Good night,” he said and closed the door.

  * * *

  The next night, Cecelia decided she wanted to give this time with Tim her best effort. She washed her face, put on lipstick and mascara and pulled her hair loose from its ponytail. She dressed in a skirt, boots and one of her nicest sweaters and scarves.

  Glancing in the mirror, she gave a duck lips face. “About as good as it’s going to get,” she said and grabbed her jacket and skipped down the stairs.

  “Well, don’t you look nice,” Melba called from the den.

  “I tried,” Cecelia said and smiled at the older woman, who sat on the sofa watching television.

  “What’s the occasion?” Melba asked.

  “Tim Gordon asked me to meet him at the doughnut shop. I’m not that hungry, but it’s good to get out.”

  “Does Nick know about this?” Melba asked.

  Cecelia frowned. “Yes, but Nick doesn’t need to know everything I’m doing. Just like I don’t need to know everything he’s doing.”

  “Of course not,” Melba said, but Cecelia heard something in the woman’s tone that didn’t match her words. “Well, you have fun tonight. You are due.”

  Cecelia felt her ruffled feathers smooth down at her landlord’s encouragement. “Thanks, Miss Melba. You’re the best.”

  * * *

  Nick had met Kenzie outside the Ace in the Hole bar when she’d tripped on the uneven walkway. He’d helped her to her feet and she’d suggested they get together sometime. Might as well, he thought and escorted her to the doughnut shop. Kenzie seemed like a nice enough addition to the town, though he wasn’t sure she would make it in Rust Creek Falls. It took a special kind of woman to be happy in such a small town.

  Opening the door for her, he was surprised to spot Cecelia sitting on the other side of the bakery with a man. He felt a sour sensation in his gut and pushed it aside. That must be Tim, he realized. It was good that Cecelia was getting out. He noticed she was wearing a skirt and that her hair looked almost sexy hanging down to her shoulders.

  Sexy, he thought. That was why he’d been coaching her. So she would seem a little more sexy.

  “Anything wrong?” Kenzie asked. “You’re frowning.”

  “Uh, no,” he said, deliberately turning around toward the doughnut case. “What are you in the mood for?”

  “They all look delicious,” she said and wiggled her shoulders. “But I hate to ruin my figure.”

  Nick sighed. He was so sick of hearing girls talk about their diets or their figures he thought he might scream. “I think they have fat-free hot chocolate,” he suggested. “I’m getting that Boston cream pie doughnut. When you come to a doughnut shop, I say either go big or go home.”

  They collected their orders and sat down at a table.

  She shot him an admiring glance. “You must work out a lot. Being able to eat like that and still have such a good body.”

  He should have been flattered. Instead he felt irritated. “I work a lot,” he corrected. “I don’t have to hit a gym, and anyway, Rust Creek Falls doesn’t have one.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed that. Not that much to do here. Thank goodness for Kalispell,” she said.

  He nodded and took a bite of his doughnut and couldn’t resist glancing again in Cecelia’s direction. She didn’t look as if she were having a good time. Come to think of it, he wasn’t having a great time either.

  “When I moved here, I knew Rust Creek Falls was a small town, but I didn’t think about the lack of shopping,” she said.

  “Yep, we don’t have a lot of time for shopping around here. This is a working town,” he said.

  “But there aren’t a lot of jobs either,” she said. “Thank goodness I telecommute or I don’t know how I’d be able to make it.” She shot him a coy look. “I do get lonely sometimes.”

  “Have you thought about volunteering?” he asked.

  She blinked. “Uh, no.”

  “You can meet a lot of people that way,” he suggested and fell silent as he finished his doughnut.

  Kenzie took a few more sips of her diet hot chocolate and sighed. “Well, uh, I should probably go,” she said.

  He glanced at her in surprise. “You have some other plans?”

  “Yes, I do. I really do. I need to stop by the general store and pick up a few things, so maybe we can talk some other time,” she said.

  “I’ll walk you to your car,” he said and rose. Nick was still thinking about Cecelia, so he didn’t have much to say as he escorted her to her car. “You take care now, you hear?” he said as she climbed in, then gave a halfhearted wave as she drove off.

  He glanced toward the doughnut shop and saw Tim leaving. Wondering if Cecelia was all right, he walked toward the shop. She stepped outside and he met her gaze.

  “How’d it go?” he asked.

  “Not that great,” she said and pursed her lips. “I was so uncomfortable with him.”

  “What do you mean uncomfortable?” he asked.

  She lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. I wanted it to feel great, but it didn’t.”

  “When did it seem to go wrong?” he asked.

  “I don’t
know,” she said. “It didn’t seem to go right at any time. I walked into the shop and waved at him.”

  “How?” he asked.

  “What do you mean how?” she asked. “I just...waved.”

  “Well, show me,” he said as they took a short walk.

  “I did this,” she said, lifting her hand then putting it in her pocket.

  “Hmm,” he said.

  “What do you mean hmm?” she asked.

  “Putting your hands in your pockets exhibits closed body language. It means you’re not open, not friendly.”

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Yeah, really. What else did you do?”

  “Well, I didn’t order a doughnut because I wasn’t hungry. I don’t have my appetite back. I ordered a hot tea,” she said.

  “Okay, that can go either way. The woman I was with was all worried about her body and weight gain,” Nick said.

  “That’s not my issue,” she said. “I’m not trying to be a supermodel.”

  “Good, because she couldn’t stop talking about diets and spas. I was ready to poke out my eye,” he said.

  “Poor girl,” she said. “She was probably hoping you were her dream cowboy.”

  Nick frowned. “She was wrong. What else did you do?”

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  “Well, sit here on this bench and try to remember,” he said.

  Cecelia sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. “I tried to make conversation.”

  “Did you do that?” he asked. “Did you cross your arms over your chest?”

  “I guess,” she said. “I was feeling chilly.”

  “Then wear more clothes,” he said.

  “You told me to wear less,” she said.

  Nick groaned. “Not so much that it makes you shiver.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t know it would make me shiver. I’m not used to wearing a skirt. Plus I just had that fever....”

  “Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s replay this. Body Language 101. Practice what I’m saying. When you want to show a man you’re interested, face him.” He paused. “Face me.”

  “Oh,” she said and turned her body toward his.

  “Good,” he said. “Now lean in.”

  “Toward you,” she said and leaned in his direction with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “With your hands and arms open,” he said.

  “Open?” she repeated, confused. “How can I make them open?”

  “Put your hands on top of the table,” he said.

  “There’s no table,” she said. “I don’t know what to do with my hands. This is weird.”

  “Flip your hair,” he said.

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not. Guys like it when you mess with your hair,” he said.

  Cecelia twirled a stand of her hair. “Is this okay?”

  Nick felt a weird tug of attraction. He’d never quite noticed the highlights in her hair before. A forbidden image of Cecelia lying on a bed with her hair spilled over a pillow flashed through his mind. Nick gulped and gave a mental shake of his head. Back to the lesson, he reminded himself.

  “Yeah, that’s good. Remember to lean in and look like you’re listening to everything your date is saying,” he said.

  Cecelia leaned in and twisted her hair again. “Like this?”

  “Yeah,” he said and met her gaze. Something strange flashed between them. He felt drawn to her in a way he’d never felt before. He lowered his head. “Yeah,” he repeated and pressed his mouth against hers. Her lips were so soft, so sweet, and he wanted so much more.

  Cecelia seemed to melt into him for a moment, then drew back, seemingly surprised at her own response. “You kissed me,” she whispered. “Why did you do that?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, pulling back and mentally swearing at himself. “It was the lesson.”

  “The lesson?” she echoed indignantly.

  “I didn’t mean to kiss you. It just sort of happened. I’m sorry,” he said.

  She scowled and rose. “You are sorry,” she agreed. “As sorry as can be.” She stomped away.

  “Wait, Cecelia,” he called, but she was gone. He raked his hand through his hair. Why had he kissed her? What had happened to him? He’d clearly gone crazy and he needed to rein himself in.

  * * *

  Cecelia felt as if her lips were burning for the next three days. Why had Nick kissed her? Surely he wasn’t attracted to her. And why couldn’t she just dismiss the whole incident? The memory of his mouth on hers tormented her.

  Thank goodness, work kept her busy. Along with Liam and Brent. She hadn’t heard back from Tim, but she hoped that would change. She was ready to change her body language at the next opportunity.

  She met Liam at the bakery, and it was a much more relaxing experience. She would have to figure that out later. Brent wanted to take her for wings again in a couple of nights. She would be happy for the distraction, she thought as she arrived home early one afternoon. She walked into the kitchen and found Beth in the kitchen crying.

  Cecelia felt a surge of sympathy for the woman. She cleared her throat, not wanting to intrude. At the same time, she couldn’t bear that Beth was suffering. “Hey,” she said quietly. “What’s wrong?”

  Beth gave a quick sob and swiped at her face. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

  “It doesn’t look like nothing,” Cecelia said, tentatively touching Beth’s arm. “Can I help?”

  “No,” Beth wailed. “You can’t help. No one can help. Will has rejected me. He doesn’t want me coming to his house anymore. He says he can’t be a total man to me. I tried to tell him he was wrong, but he wouldn’t hear it.”

  “Oh, Beth,” Cecelia said, alarmed. She gave the woman a gentle hug. “I’m so sorry.”

  “He just doesn’t understand what an amazing man he is. He tells me I could do better,” Beth said and sobbed again.

  “Men can be idiots,” Cecelia said, thinking of Nick.

  “Yes, they can. I’m trying to teach my son, Ryan, to be a reasonable man, but it’s not easy. I think men may be instinctively bull-headed.”

  “Is there any chance Will might come to his senses?” Cecelia asked.

  Beth pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s a very stubborn man.”

  Cecelia couldn’t stop thinking about how upset Beth had been. She wondered if she shouldn’t have encouraged their relationship. Both Beth and Will clearly had battle scars. Still, she wondered if Will needed a little more encouragement. She knew he was swamped with the care of his grandchildren, but she was still surprised that he’d turned Beth away. The time she’d seen the two of them together, their obvious affection for each other, seemed to light up the room.

  She sat down in the kitchen and ate a slice of Beth’s delicious coffee cake while she brooded over the situation. She heard the sound of boots in the hallway and looked up to see Nick studying her. Her stomach took a little dip. She frowned at the sensation.

  “You still mad at me about the other night?” Nick asked.

  Cecelia didn’t want Nick to know just how much his kiss had bothered her. She glanced at his mouth then away. “Oh, no. That was just pure craziness on your part. I’m sure it won’t happen again. I’m not your type.”

  He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Right. Well, you look like you’re unhappy about something and you’re baking. That’s usually a sign that you’re bothered,” he said and sat across from her. “What is it?”

  Her gaze dipped to the sight of his hands folded on the table in front of her. She’d always admired his hands. His palms were callused from hard work, but his fingers made her think of an artist. The combination told the true tale of part of his p
ersonality. Practical, yet artistic.

  He waved one of his hands in front of her face. “Hey? Are you going to answer my question?”

  Cecelia blinked. “Will dumped Beth.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, and she’s taking it pretty hard. He told her not to come see him anymore.”

  “Wow. I didn’t see that coming,” he said.

  “Neither did I. I caught her crying today. She’s been through so much. I hate to see this happen to her. Do you think Will just isn’t attracted to her?”

  He shook his head. “No. I haven’t discussed his feelings about Beth, but I told you that he said his days of romance were long behind him.”

  “But he seemed to enjoy being with her. You should have seen them together,” she said. “They were so cute.”

  Nick winced at her description. He couldn’t think of any man who wanted to be thought of as cute. He shook his head again. “I can’t explain it.”

  “I’m wondering if he got scared,” she said.

  “Scared?” he echoed. How could that be possible? “He’s a veteran who lost one of his legs and he’s taking care of his little grandkids. They don’t get much braver than that.”

  “True,” she said. “I wonder if we should talk to him.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “We need to be careful about messing in their lives.”

  “I thought you liked the idea of them getting together,” she said. “And you don’t seem to mind matchmaking me.”

  “You’re younger and you asked for my help. Will never asked me to set him up with anyone,” he said.

  “I still think we should talk to him,” she said. “When do you want to go?”

  Nick raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. This could be tricky.”

  “Oh, come on. Will simply needs a reality check, and you’re just the one to give it to him.”

  “Me?” he said in a high voice. “When did we become me?”

  “When you said it could be tricky. Do you really think I’m the best one to handle this?”

  “No, no,” he said and groaned. “Okay, I’ll talk to Will if you help me with a charity job I just got.”