Secretly Smitten

by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, Diann Hunt

  Tess kissed the smooth cheek scented with soap. “Just be yourself, sweetheart. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a granddaughter. You’re kind, loving, and a hard worker. Look at all you got done today.”

  Sophia’s expression was still troubled. “Daddy doesn’t like going there.”

  Tess didn’t want to pry. Well, she did, but she wasn’t going to. She released Sophia and rose. “I’m sure you will both have a great time tonight.” She glanced at her watch. “Let’s go find your dad. It’s time to go.”

  She took Sophia by the hand, and they found Ryan in the hall running a comb through his damp hair. He looked good too. He wore a blazer over tan slacks and his shoes looked freshly shined. No tie, though. She couldn’t imagine Ryan in a tie and wished she could peek into his closet and see if he owned one. The spicy cologne he wore made her suppress a sneeze. It was stronger than the usual light scent. Had he put it on for Isabelle?

  Tess wanted to believe he had no interest in Candace’s sister, but she’d seen the Morgan girls in action for years. They usually got what they wanted. And Tess had no doubt that Isabelle wanted Ryan.

  Sophia ran to him. “Daddy, you smell nice.”

  “Thanks, honey. Shoo-ee, aren’t you gorgeous!” He took her hand and twirled her around. “Like a princess.” He went down on one knee. “May I escort you to the ball at Grandma’s house tonight?”

  Sophia giggled. “Okay, Daddy. Can I sit in the front with you?”

  Ryan’s smile vanished. “Oh, the prince must make sure the princess is safe in the back. She is much too precious to risk. But we’ll be to Grandma’s in a f lash, and the princess can be escorted with style to the front door.”

  “Yay!” Sophia glanced at Tess. “I want Miss Tess to come with us.”

  Ryan glanced at Tess and their eyes locked. His were so warm, almost caressing. For a moment, Tess could almost believe he held tender feelings for her. She told herself it was a trick of the light, but he continued to stare. A shiver played up and down her spine. She couldn’t look away, and her mouth went dry at his expression.

  Sophia tugged at his hand. “Daddy! Can Miss Tess come?”

  “I can’t, sweetheart,” Tess said, saving him the explanation. “I’m a mess too. There’s no time for me to change, and you wouldn’t want me to get in trouble with your grandma, would you?”

  “No-o.” Sophia’s expression went from doubt to displeasure. “You should have taken a bath.”

  “I didn’t have clean clothes, and I needed to get the princess ready for the ball.”

  “Can I take Grandma some of the peanut butter cookies I made?” Without waiting for a reply, Sophia darted down the hall and across the living room toward the kitchen.

  “Sorry our evening got derailed,” Ryan said.

  Tess’s pulse pounded in her ears. “Our evening?”

  “I’d hoped we’d spend it together. Maybe going through the attic some more.”

  “Oh. Of course.” Idiot. Of course he was talking about the attic.

  “Want to come over after church tomorrow?”

  “I have a family dinner with my mom and sisters at Grandma’s house. If I skip out again this soon, I’ll be in big trouble.”

  His expression fell. “Oh.”

  An invitation to dinner hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t dare speak it. They were friends only, and he might mistake the invitation for more. She couldn’t face that embarrassment. “I could come over late afternoon, though, if that’s okay.”

  “We always have popcorn and hot fudge sundaes for Sunday supper.”

  “Then I’ll definitely be here.”

  “I thought so.”

  The banter between them lifted her heart. If nothing else came of this search for her grandmother’s lost love, at least she had made a friend. And that’s all he was. A friend. She couldn’t compete with the likes of Isabelle Morgan.

  He took her hand. “What would you think about going to dinner one night? Just you and me. I can get a sitter, and we could go to Stowe.”

  Her heart stuttered, then resumed its even thump. His thumb traced a lazy circle in her palm that did something funny to her stomach. “That sounds lovely.”

  “Friday?”

  “I’m free.”

  “Do you close on Friday?”

  “No, I get off at five.”

  “Six okay, then? Will that give you enough time?”

  “Perfect.” She was barely able to push the word out with what little breath remained in her lungs.

  She told herself not to assume too much. Maybe he just wanted to talk to her as a friend. But if he wanted to ask her advice about Isabelle, she didn’t know if she could handle it.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The atmosphere in the Morgan home was always so formal that Ryan found it easier to watch quietly. Ursula had managed not to shudder when Sophia proudly gave her the cookies. And to be fair, she’d even eaten one after dinner. Owen was warmer than Ursula. Round and bald, he had Sophia on one knee as often as he could. Ryan suspected that he would have had his granddaughter over to visit more often if he had his way. But Ursula ruled the roost.

  Ryan had been seated next to Ursula at the table out on the deck, and she had chattered away until his unease dissipated. After Candace died, he’d longed for a closer family. Maybe they were actually going to try now. His own parents had moved to Florida after he took over the creamery, and he’d stopped by his in-laws’ several times with Sophia in the weeks and months after his wife’s death. Though Ursula had been cordial, he could see her mentally ticking off the minutes. And he’d suspected she blamed him for her daughter’s death. Sophia too. If Candace had never given birth, she wouldn’t have suffered the brain aneurysm. Ursula had even said as much in the first hours after Candace died. She’d apologized, but now that Ryan knew how she felt, it was difficult to maintain the front of one big happy family.

  The sun had set, but they still sat on the deck listening to the music waft over the treetops from the festivities going on downtown. Every Friday and Saturday night the Garner sisters performed. They were excellent too. A couple of them—he forgot which ones—had even played professionally. He thought it might have been Tess’s grandmother, Rose. His heart warmed at the thought of her.

  And she’d said yes to his invitation. When he got home later, he intended to replay every flicker of her lashes and every smile. Surely she felt a little something for him, didn’t she?

  He realized Isabelle had been talking to him. “Sorry?”

  “You were in a faraway place,” she said, smiling.

  “I didn’t mean to be rude. How are you liking being back in Smitten?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Small-town life is so boring. We don’t even have a Macy’s. Though the spa in town is topnotch.” She twisted a lock of lustrous hair around her finger. “And I found the most unique spa down the road. Mocha Day Spa. Carly Westlake’s place in Spring Creek. I had a dark chocolate wrap. The aroma was to die for.”

  He couldn’t imagine anything worse than being wrapped up in sticky chocolate. “Chocolate for your skin?”

  “It’s a wonderful antioxidant.”

  Was he seriously having this conversation? “Have you found a job yet?”

  She fluttered her lashes his way. “Are you offering me one?”

  “No, I’ve got plenty of workers. And I don’t think you’d like dipping ice cream or working on the line to get the cheese out the door. You might chip your nails.” He smiled to take the sting out of his words. There would be much wailing in the land if she ever wrapped her long, slim fingers around an ice cream scoop.

  Her smile faded and she shrugged. “I’ve looked around a bit. In a town the size of Smitten, there isn’t much demand for a life coach.”

  “A life coach? That’s what you do? What is that?” He knew his tone had been wrong as soon as she tipped her chin up and glared at him. He spread out his hands. “Sorry, I’ve never heard of it.”

&nb
sp; “I help people determine and achieve their life goals.”

  “Sort of like a personal cheerleader?” No wonder she couldn’t find a job. It sounded like a lot of psychology mumbo-jumbo. His motto was just to plunge in and do what needed to be done.

  “Not exactly.” She pressed her lips together. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  The scent of her perfume was overpowering. And not in a good way. Ryan inched away and prayed for the breeze to change direction. “What will you do if you can’t find a job?”

  “Oh, I don’t really need a job. I can live off my trust fund. But I do get bored.” Her glance wandered to Sophia, who was kicking a ball in the yard with their little froufrou dog. “I would be glad to babysit anytime. I just love Sophia. She reminds me of Candace.”

  The wistful tone of her voice melted him. Candace’s death had been hard on everyone. “She looks a lot like her mother. You too. Same shape face and eyes.”

  Isabelle sighed, a whisper of sound that held yearning. “We’re family, Ryan.” Her hand touched his. “I want to be closer to her. To you.”

  He might be dense around women, but warnings began to ricochet in his head. Discreetly, he pulled his hand away. “I know Sophia would like that. She misses her mother.”

  “What about you?” Isabelle’s eyes were pools of mystery and allure. “Don’t you need a woman in your life?”

  He cleared his throat. “Actually, I, ah, I’m seeing someone.”

  She bolted upright, and anger replaced the softness in her face. “Who?”

  The wrath he glimpsed gave him pause. But surely she wouldn’t do anything to Tess. What could she do? The town was going to be talking about them after Friday night anyway. “Tess Thomas.”

  Isabelle gave an audible gulp. The color washed from her face. “Sh-she isn’t your type at all, Ryan. She’s nothing like Candace.” One elegant hand glittering with rings fluttered in the air.

  That hand told him everything. The diamond on her little finger would have fed a family of four for a year. The nails were polished a discreet pink. There were no calluses, no sign she’d ever moved a muscle to do any real work.

  He’d loved Candace, had mourned her loss. But Tess was refreshingly different. She laid everything bare—her commitment, her love of family, her faith. There was no pretense in her.

  He rose. “Time to go, Sophia.”

  The kitchen was redolent with the scents of garlic, cheese, and oregano. It mixed with the aroma of mashed potatoes and gravy that Aunt Violet had brought, even though there was no meat to go with them. Clare had brought chicken stir-fry, and Zoe had offered up her favorite Jell-O mixed with cottage cheese and fruit.

  Tess lifted the lasagna pan from the oven and placed it on the stove. “Dinner will be ready as soon as the garlic cheese bread is toasted.” She slid in a pan of bread she’d brought.

  Her mother was frowning as she stared at the lasagna. “Is that low-calorie cheese?” Her gaze went from the bubbling topping to Tess’s hips.

  Tess shuddered. “Low fat is nasty.”

  “But, sweetheart, you’ll never lose those ten pounds eating all that fattening stuff. And it’s bad for you.”

  “Natural fat is good for you. Don’t even try to take away my real butter.”

  Her mother gulped and stepped away. “Well, you know what’s best for you, of course. Let’s go shopping next week. I saw the cutest sweater at Moose Creek.”

  That was Mom’s usual strategy. Offer motherly advice, then quickly segue to just-us-girls-having-fun mode. Sometimes Tess wanted to shout at her, “Just be a mother!” But she clamped her jaw shut and pulled out the garlic cheese bread. “Food’s ready.”

  She loved Grandma’s dining room. The coffered ceiling made the huge room feel cozy. The original plaster walls were painted a muted tan with hints of yellow. An entire wall of windows let sunlight stream into the room to illuminate her grandmother’s collection of blue-and-white dishes. This room had been the scene of lots of meals filled with laughter.

  Her grandmother sat at the head of the table. Aunt Violet was to her left and Aunt Petunia to her right. “Sit close, Anna,” her grandmother said. “I want to talk about Zoe’s latest scheme.”

  The girls exchanged alarmed glances. “How did you hear about it?” Zoe asked.

  “This is Smitten, child. Anything you do is public knowledge in twenty-four hours.”

  Aunt Violet tittered. “A romance business. I think it’s a wonderful idea, Zoe.”

  Zoe eased back in her chair and scooped a helping of Jell-O onto her plate. “You do?”

  “Of course. I might join myself.”

  Zoe glanced at her grandmother. “How about you, Grandma? You have an online account.”

  “Oh my goodness, no, Zoe. All my romance is behind me.”

  Perfect opportunity. Tess took the salad bowl from Zoe and put some greens on her plate. “I guess you’ve had your fair share of romance, Grandma. We had no idea you’d been engaged before Grandpa.” She ignored her mother’s panicked shake of the head. “I’d like to know more about this David fellow and what happened.”

  Her grandmother’s smile was forced. “That’s old history, honey. And rather painful, if you don’t mind a little honesty.”

  “I can only imagine,” Clare put in. “To get that kind of news while you’re waiting for him to return must have been hard. Who told you? Did someone come from the army?”

  “Yes, two nice soldiers showed up at the door. I was visiting his parents when they came, so we all heard the news together.” She blinked rapidly, then put her napkin on her lap. “He wasn’t the only one to die in that battle. They had his belongings from the barracks, but his dog tags weren’t found.”

  Tess noticed the way her grandmother’s hands trembled and the way she was biting her lip. Maybe she should change the subject.

  “Then how did they end up here?” Zoe asked.

  Tess pinched her sister’s thigh and shot her a warning glance. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, Grandma,” she said.

  “It’s about time someone changed the subject,” Anna said. “This is much too painful for your grandmother.”

  Grandma shook her head. “I think the girls are right to ask me about it. It’s all been hidden too long. What would you like to know about David?”

  Clare began to cut squares of lasagna. She exchanged a startled glance with Tess. “What made you fall in love with him? How long did you know him?”

  Grandma laughed. “Oh, David was quite the charmer, wasn’t he, Violet? All of the girls were crazy about him. Tall and handsome, with light gray eyes that changed color with the weather. And the way he looked in his uniform . . .” She fanned herself. “Oh my.”

  Tess hadn’t thought of passion in the relationship, but she saw it in her grandmother’s eyes. If that man walked through the door right now, her grandmother would throw her arms around him and swoon. Tess just knew it. The knowledge made her heart hurt. What kind of love survived that long? Would a man ever love her with that kind of enduring devotion?

  Ryan’s face came to mind. He liked her—that much she knew. But she could never compete with the memory of Candace.

  “You have an odd expression on your face,” her mother said. “Are you feeling all right?”

  What would her family say if they knew he’d asked her out? She should tell them before they heard about it through the grapevine. “I’m fine.” She wetted her lips. “I have a date on Friday.”

  Her mother clapped her hands. “A date! Oh, that’s wonderful. Is it someone you met online?” She glanced at Zoe. “Did you arrange this, Zoe?”

  “Not hardly. All I’ve gotten done so far is install the software I’m going to use.” Zoe pointed her fork at Tess. “Give! You’ve been holding out on us.”

  “It just happened yesterday.”

  The corners of Clare’s lips lifted, then she laughed. “It’s Ryan, isn’t it?”

  “How did you know?”
/>   “It’s written all over you. You’re already crazy about him, aren’t you?”

  Tess stared down at her plate rather than look into her sister’s knowing eyes. “I like him.” She peeked at Clare from under her lashes. Her sister was chewing on her lip. “What, you don’t like him?”

  “I like him a lot. All the women in town think he’s hot enough to melt bricks.” Clare put down her fork. “But, Tess, word is out that Isabelle has plans for him.”

  Zoe gasped. “She wouldn’t! That’s just gross. He was married to her sister.”

  Their mother shrugged and lifted a bite of lasagna. “It happens, girls. Families are close. What better mother for Sophia than her own aunt?”

  Tess wished she’d never said a word. Her bright anticipation had tarnished.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Excitement hummed along Tess’s spine as she hurried into the creamery. She hadn’t been here often. It was the heart of Ryan’s business, where the milk was turned into luscious ice cream and aged cheese.

  The receptionist, Bethany Hopkins, saw her hesitation. “Hi, Tess, can I help you?”

  “I—I’m looking for Ryan. Mr. Stevenson, I mean.”

  “Go on back. He won’t mind.”

  Tess thanked her, then rushed to the back room. Stainless freezers lined the concrete floors and block walls. From here the ice cream would go to stores all over the country. She wandered through the maze until she found a hallway that led to a large office area divided by cubicles. A young man directed her to the back where Ryan’s office was.

  A walnut desk dominated the large room. Files and books covered the top and more stacks were on the f loor. Ryan was seated behind the desk. A pair of glasses perched on his nose, and he was so intent on his computer that he didn’t notice her until she said his name. The genuine pleasure that rippled across his face warmed her.