by Beverly Rae
“I am. And for what it’s worth, jealous looks good on you.”
“Dr. Dannigan, you’re full of yourself.”
“Pot, I wouldn’t insult the kettle, if I were you.”
“Why, you—”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just that sometimes you push the right buttons. Or wrong ones as the case may be.” He ran a hand through his hair and dragged in a breath. “Look. How about we start this conversation over? And if you like, we can call the bet off. Hell, I’ll even let you win.”
“What do you mean you’ll let me win? Why? So you can play the big man and tell everyone you let me win? Not on your life. No one lets me win a bet. I’m going to win this thing and have you eating crow before the week’s out.”
“Damn, can you emphasize the word let more? Crap, I didn’t mean that, either. Meg, come on.”
He took her hands and, for a second, she wanted nothing more than to lay her head on his chest and cry. But no man had ever made her cry.
“Do we really need to keep this up, Meg? I’d just as soon stop—”
She fisted her hands in her armpits and clucked like a chicken. His face hardened.
“I take it the bet’s still on?”
She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to call the whole thing off, but how could she? She couldn’t admit defeat. She never had and she never would. No matter how much she yearned to do just that. “Damn right it’s still on.”
“Then I’ll find another guy for you to seduce.”
Was her imagination playing tricks on her? Did he look sad? Almost as though he felt the same way she did? Or was he just worried about losing?
She swallowed, thrust out her chin and squirmed out of his hold again. Yet what she really wanted was to fall into his arms and let him hold her until the anger went away. Instead, she straightened her back and held on to her dignity. “You do that. Right after you finish with Miss Daycare. I’ll trust your word that you screwed her.” A sob clogged her throat. “Go on. Get back to her. I want to win this bet before the week’s out.”
A cloud covered his face, but he still tried to reach out for her. “Meg, stop. How about you and I go for—”
Meg stepped back, her hands raised to keep him from taking hers again. “Why don’t we get this challenge over with and then do our best to stay out of each other’s way? Call me when you’ve found my next seduction.”
The cloud turned into a storm, fury etched in the hard line of his jaw. “Have it your way.”
On the verge of crying, Meg spun around and stalked away. She waited until she was sure he couldn’t see what she was doing before she wiped away the tear on her cheek.
“Sweet Nothings. Great name for a bakery.” Chance stood in front of a display case filled with pastries and studied Meg’s dark-haired beauty of a sister, Hilly, then slid his smile over to Allie. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Meg, he leaned over the counter and searched the adjacent hallway. “I’d like to see Meg.”
Where are you, Meg? I need to talk to you.
“Ahem.”
Chance jerked backward and felt his face grow red. “Sorry. But I really need to speak to her.”
The sisters shared a meaningful glance, then zeroed in on him like predatory cats moving in for the kill. Hilly threw a towel over her shoulder and arched an eyebrow at him. “Who may I say is asking for her?”
“This is the new doctor, Hilly.” Allie widened her eyes and inclined her head toward him, giving Hilly a pointed look.
“I’m Chance Dannigan. Could you ask her to come out here?” He noticed several customers watching the exchange. “Or I could go back there so we can talk in private.” Meg, please.
“I could ask her.” Hilly’s eyes sparkled, challenging him. “If she was here.”
Why hadn’t she told him that from the start? Chance squashed the irritation tensing his jaw. Although he’d thought of nothing else since Meg had stormed off, Chance still wasn’t sure what he’d say to her. He only knew he had to say something. The way their last conversation had ended had left him feeling unsettled and lonely. “Could you tell me where to find her, please?”
“I don’t think so.”
If anyone personified “protective big sister” it was Hilly Tristan. Although he could understand and even admire her determination to keep her sister safe, he didn’t want her standing in the way of his getting to Meg. Judging from her expression, however, his present tactic wasn’t working. Chance dug in his heels and opted for Plan B.
I’m going to talk to Meg even if I have to go over you, lady. Hell, if I have to, I’ll put Plan C into action and storm the back room. He took a deep breath and tried again.
“Then maybe I could talk to you.” He checked Allie and found her expression to be less defensive than Hilly’s. “And you, too, of course.”
His curveball threw Hilly and she shifted on her feet, her defenses dropping a notch. “What do you want to talk about?”
What do I say? Do I tell them how much she means to me? Should I tell them how much I think about her? How much I dream about her? How I long to wake up next to her? But those words were for Meg and Meg alone.
“Let’s talk about Meg.”
Hilly didn’t respond, leaving him drifting in an open sea and grabbing for a virtual oar. Now was the time to get real. “I want to talk about how much I care about her.” Saying the words out loud hadn’t been as hard as he’d feared. In fact, they made him feel better. He let out a rush of air, releasing some of the tension along with the urge to jump over the counter and dash down the hallway.
“You care about her?” Hilly’s attitude did a flip-flop, the frown leaving her face for the first time since he’d walked through the door.
“Wow.” Allie laid a hand on his chest and stared at him, making him a bit nervous. “Let me look at your eyes.” She took him by the chin and, going on her tiptoes to butt her belly against him, squinted at him. “Did Meg do something to you?”
“Like what?” Chance tried to regard her in the same way she stared at him but couldn’t match her intensity. What did she think Meg did to him? Other than turn his world upside down? And yet he didn’t think that’s what Allie meant.
“Leave it be, Allie. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Hilly eyed him. “If you care for her, then stop this silly bet.”
“I tried. I offered to let her win.”
Both sisters groaned, but Hilly was the one in charge. “Did you say it that way? That you’d let her win?”
“What is it with you Tristan women and the word let? Yeah, I did, but I don’t understand why that’s such a big deal.” The irritation he’d held in check so far threatened to break free.
“And let me guess. She turned you down flat, right?” Hilly seemed almost as annoyed as he was.
“Flatter than a watered-down pancake.”
“That’s our Meg.” Allie leaned her back against the counter. “She’s as stubborn as they come.”
Chance loved Meg’s stubborn nature and he hated it, just as he hated and liked his own stubbornness. “I think we’re like two bulls fighting over a cornered matador.”
“Close. Actually, you’re more like two bullheaded people who don’t like to lose. Meg’s always been obstinate and now she’s met her match. Come with me, Dr. Dannigan.” Hilly took his hand and tugged him along behind her toward the hallway leading to the rear of the store.
He allowed Hilly to lead the way with Allie bringing up the rear. Hell, he’d let them take him anywhere just as long as he found Meg and had a chance to make her see reason. Inside an office at the back of the store, Hilly whirled around and ordered Allie back to the front counter.
Allie, however, had other ideas. “Are you kidding me? Meg and the doc hooking up is the biggest thing to hit our family since Tom came along. No way, big sister, I’m not missing this for anything.”
“So you’re going to leave the store unattended?”
Alli
e scoffed and crossed her arms over her ample bosom. “Puhlease. Those are our friends and neighbors out there. No one’s going to rob us. And even if they do, hearing whatever’s about to happen will be worth it.”
Hilly grumbled, then turned in his direction. Chance couldn’t help it. He swallowed and hoped she wouldn’t take it as a sign of weakness. Part of him wanted to place his palm over his jugular.
“Okay, then, tell us in no uncertain terms. What are you feeling for Meg? And say what you have to say in plain English.”
Hilly jabbed him with a finger, and he had to resist the urge to rub the sore spot. “Look, I’m not sure how I’m feeling or if I can put it in a way you’ll understand. I only know…” He paused to search for the perfect words. How did he feel about Meg? More than anything he’d ever felt for any other woman, that was certain. But more how?
“Well, obviously you’re attracted to her,” offered Hilly.
“Of course I am. She’s sexy as hell. But this is more.”
“Then you’re saying you like Meg. Not just for sex, but as a person. Am I getting close?”
Hilly’s blue eyes reminded him of Meg’s, but right now they could’ve belonged to a master interrogator. “Very close. But like isn’t a strong enough word. I…care.”
He hurried on, trying not to squirm under Hilly’s glare. “Although I’m not sure why I care so much. She’s irritating, annoying, cocky—”
“Hmm, seems like I heard her use the same words to describe you.”
He laughed, not doubting her. “But at the same time, she’s intelligent, clever, witty, charming and the most unique person I’ve ever met.”
“Ooh, go on. What else do you like about Meg?” Allie was the opposite of Hilly. Her face was open, eager, ready to accept what he had to say.
“I also know she can be compassionate and caring. I saw as much when she watched the seniors at Wesley Ward. Especially how she interacted with Mrs. Cunningham.”
“Wait a minute. Our sister visited old people?” Allie took Hilly’s hand. “Can you believe it?”
Hilly tipped her chin at him, urging him to go on. “What else, Doc?”
“I love it when Meg calls me Doc. Like a lot of people do, but it doesn’t give me the same, uh, gut reaction. If you know what I mean.”
As luck would have it, she understood his joke and chuckled along with him. Allie grew silent, her face now edged with concern. “Dr. Dannigan?”
“Please call me Chance.”
Allie stepped closer still, tilting her head back to gaze up at him. “Chance, do you think what you’re trying to say is that you love our sister?”
The question caught him unprepared, rattling through him like he’d driven over the world’s biggest speed bump. He tried to respond but couldn’t. Not because he didn’t have the answer, but out of surprise at the answer that found its way to his lips. Yes. Damn it. That’s it.
He loved her. He was as certain of that fact as he was that he was a good physician. Yet how had he not realized how he felt before Allie asked the question? Meg was a wildcard, a woman who could annoy him one minute, then have him dying to tear her clothes off the next. But it was more than a physical connection. She held his heart in his hand, and he liked the idea more than he could believe. The loneliness inside him broke apart.
“I do.” His laughter held a note of awe. “I really do.”
Allie gasped, then covered her mouth. But the joy on her face and in her eyes was unmistakable. Hilly, on the other hand, stood back and studied him like a fish she needed to gut.
“As much as she can bug me, as much as I often don’t understand her, I can’t deny it. I love her. How the hell that happened in so short a time, I haven’t a clue. But I can’t ignore it and, what’s more, I don’t want to.” He paused, letting the emotion set in. “I love Meg.”
He’d made the pronouncement as much for himself as for their benefit. He needed to hear the words spoken out loud, needed to declare to the world what he had accepted in his heart.
Allie hugged him, hopping up and down, holding her huge belly as it rubbed against him. He hugged her back, careful to take her arms in case she became unbalanced.
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Hilly turned and paced away, only to turn back. “You said it. You two hardly know each other. And from what I’ve heard, what little time you’ve spent together usually ended up in arguments. Then you two top it off with this ridiculous bet.”
“Well, we didn’t spend all our time arguing.”
Hard blue daggers bored into him, and he mentally dodged the invisible poisonous darts.
“Then you’re in lust. You’re not in love. Love doesn’t happen that fast except in fairy tales and trashy romances.”
He shook his head. “No. I know what lust is like and that’s not what this is. I’m sorry if you don’t approve, Hilly, but I love your sister and no amount of denial is going to change how I feel. Trust me. I know.”
Allie hurried over to Hilly. “Don’t you see? Love doesn’t have a time limit. Take Tom and me. Two people don’t have to know each other for X number of months or years. That’s what so great about love. It’s unpredictable and can strike at any time. Whether you’re looking for it or not. Whether you recognize it or not. But until you experience it for yourself, you’ll find it hard to understand.”
Was that the problem? Was Hilly not only a protective sister but a woman in need of her own love?
“But here’s the thing, ladies. I’m not sure if she cares for me. Hell, I can’t even get her to have a civil conversation.”
“Ooh, but you can’t give up on her, Chance. You have to keep trying. True love demands nothing else.”
He liked the romantic Allie and was sure he’d like Hilly once she put down her guard. But right now, he needed their help. “I have no intention of giving up, Allie. Not now. But can you help me? Can you tell me how to win her over? I don’t know what to do. Should I send her a huge bouquet of flowers and a love poem?” He wasn’t the type to write love sonnets, but for Meg he’d try anything.
“No, don’t bother. She gets flowers from men all the time. No, flowers won’t help.” Allie checked Hilly before giving him an answer. “But of course we’ll help. We’ll put our heads together and come up with a plan. Right, Hilly?”
Hilly didn’t answer. Or was her silence her answer? “So I guess if flowers won’t persuade her, candy’s out too.”
“No. No candy. No gifts of any kind.” Allie sighed. “She’s not into material things.”
“Then what do you suggest? A midnight serenade? My head on a platter?”
“That last one might work.”
At least Hilly had a sense of humor. Was she coming around?
“We could go to Meg on your behalf. You know, to tell her how much you care.” Allie looked hopeful, but her tone was less than enthusiastic.
“We could, I suppose.” Hilly shot her sister a stern look. “We could loosen her up a bit. Perhaps get her to at least understand that you’re not her adversary.”
Had he won over Hilly? “No. I don’t want either of you saying anything to her. I want to be the one to tell her how I feel. Once I can get her to listen.”
The beeping of his cell phone broke the sudden silence. “Speak of the devil.”
Hilly’s eyebrows shot up.
“You know what I mean. She texted me.” Chance scanned the message, then read it to her sisters. “She’s daring me to find not one, but two men for her to seduce at once and to do it today. She says to bring them to the club tonight.”
“Typical Meg. When in doubt, go on the offensive.” Hilly sat on the edge of the desk.
“Shit.” The hope he’d held a moment ago was gone, replaced by a heavy weight that threatened to bring him to his knees. He gave them a wan smile. “On second thought, I think she’s cornered the market on stubborn.”
Allie took his hand and squeezed. “What are you going to do?”
He squeezed her hand back,
then released her and squared his shoulders. “What else can I do? She won’t drop the bet even though I offered to let her win. I’m going to have to finish this challenge.”
Chapter Nine
Meg spent the time since she’d left Chance standing on the sidewalk trying to figure out how her game of sexual fun had shifted gears. Hell, shifted gears? That was an understatement. Their wild car ride had veered off the road and straight into a ditch. At first, the idea of seducing men Chance chose for her, especially while he watched, had excited her. But everything had changed, and not for the better.
Meg had stayed up last night, drinking and wallowing in self-pity until, at last, in the early morning hours she’d had a revelation. Not the kind of revelation a party girl expected or wanted. Instead the epiphany she’d experienced had taken her world and thrown it end over end.
She cared about Chance. But not in the way she cared for other men in her life. Chance wasn’t a plaything or even a friend with benefits. No, he was more. How much more shocked her, leaving her stunned and afraid.
What would she do now? She’d never liked—loved!—any man before. She wasn’t even sure she knew how to handle love. Did she tell him? What if he didn’t return her affection? Or worse, rejected her outright?
She no longer wanted any other man. In fact, taking another man to bed churned a hole in her stomach. She couldn’t, wouldn’t do that to Chance whether he cared for her or not. She grimaced, the idea of Chance touching another woman constricting her chest until she feared her heart would burst.
She had to find a way out of their crazy contest.
The sun was rising when the answer finally came to her. She couldn’t take Chance up on his offer to let her win. Pride, stupid or not, wouldn’t let her. The alternative was clear. She’d have to win the bet and win it once and for all. If she took two men to bed at once, men he’d chosen, he’d have to agree she could get any man she wanted—and more. Once he saw her seduce two men, he’d admit his defeat, giving her the win.
But she couldn’t stomach the thought of actually sleeping with anyone other than Chance. Strange as it may seem, she couldn’t get past the idea that she’d be cheating on him. Granted, they didn’t have a relationship outside the challenge, and she shouldn’t worry about it, but she couldn’t shake the impression that she was doing something wrong. Besides, how could she sleep with any other guy when her feelings for Chance grew stronger every day?
