by Donna Alward
She looked around. A few faces were staring in their direction, but not all. Some were at the bar, some were in groups talking, others were taking to the dance floor. The truth was she was tired of them all. All the familiar faces, all people who knew—or thought they knew—far too much about her. She couldn’t wait to get out of here. “I’m ready. My coat’s at the check.”
“You get it and I’ll join you in a moment. I’m just going to say goodbye to Callum and Avery.”
Of course. The bride and groom. His brother and new sister-in-law. Ignoring anyone who might want to speak to her, she made straight for the coat check. She was just tying the belt of her coat when Jack came up beside her, holding a bottle of champagne in his hand. “What are you...?”
He got his coat, tipped the coat-check girl and put a hand on her elbow. “I got the impression you liked the champagne.”
She couldn’t lie. “I did.”
“And that you might just happen to like me a little bit.”
“You’re not exactly a troll.”
He chuckled and opened the door to the outside. The frigid wind blasted against her, eating through the thin material of her stockings. He put his free arm around her and bundled her close as he led her across the parking lot to his rented car. “So leaving the dance doesn’t mean having to say good-night. I swiped a bottle from the bar. Come back to the B and B with me.”
Chapter Two
The B and B. Amy wasn’t exactly sure how much privacy they’d have there. And then there was the matter of what Jack expected out of tonight. She was tempted. Oh, so tempted. But she wasn’t the kind to spend a night in a man’s hotel room. Especially one she barely knew. She was more on the fairy-tale end of the spectrum when it came to romance, and not the fast and loose.
He opened her door and helped her inside, then jogged around the hood and got in, turned on the engine and let it warm up. It was better out of the wind but still cold, and she wished the heater would kick in.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said, regretting having to say the words but determined to make a smart decision for once in her life.
“Why not?”
“For exactly the same reason nothing happened in the ladies’ room.”
“You’re not the casual-sex type.”
“You’re a risk taker. I’m not.” Even if at times she rather wished she was.... Maybe she would have let Cadence Creek see the back of her long before now. Some days she worried she was turning out more and more like her mother. Afraid. Stuck in a rut and never strong enough to get out. God, she hoped she wasn’t that person.
Heat began to surround her feet. Jack rubbed his hands together. “No sex,” he said. “I’ll make a solemn promise that this is not a hookup type of proposition.”
She tilted her head as she looked at him. “Then why? I mean...what’s in it for you?”
Their gazes locked for a few seconds and then he looked away. “Honestly? I’m looking forward to taking off this jacket and tie and just hanging out for a while. Not being ‘Jack, the Groom’s Brother,’ who says and does all the right things.”
Surprise rippled through her. Maybe Perfect Jack was just an act? Or at least covering the real Jack.... And boy, oh, boy, could she understand that.
“Look,” he said, “just come back, have a glass of champagne with me. I was on chauffeur duty today and abstained all night. We can just chill and then I’ll walk you home.” He gazed at her sharply. “You do live within walking distance, right?”
“Just off of Main, on Maple.”
“Scout’s honor, Amy. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.”
That was just the problem. She didn’t know what she wanted. And if she had some of that champagne, she wasn’t sure how much willpower she’d have to turn away a man like Jack Shepard. The kiss on the dance floor was still front and center in her mind.
“An hour,” she finally said. “That’s all. An hour and a glass of champagne and then I go home and you go back to...”
Gosh, she didn’t even really know where he called home, did she?
“To my ranch in Montana.”
Montana. One summer she and her mother had taken a trip across the border through Glacier Park and spent a few days in Kalispell. It had been beautiful. They’d driven past this resort-type place that was huge, and she’d wondered what it would be like to stay there, order room service and look out at the mountains. Instead they’d gotten a room at a nationwide discount chain. It had still been fun, but even then, Amy had wanted more.
“I suppose you have a huge place there,” she said, blowing on her fingers as he drove out of the lot.
“It’s a working ranch. I bought it a few years ago with the idea of turning it into a corporate retreat. I spent some time in the area on vacation and really enjoyed the physical challenges, so I flew in my whole management team and we did this week-long team-building thing. It was so much fun I decided to have a go at it myself.” He smiled. “Now I consider it home. I still keep an apartment in Vancouver, but I’m not there much. Turns out I’m not much of a city guy when all is said and done.”
Jack was different when he talked about his ranch, more relaxed, animated. She got the feeling that this was closer to the real Jack than the man who had ridden to her rescue in the ladies’ bathroom.
“Do you wear the boots and hat and the whole nine yards?”
He laughed. “Of course. All our cattle work is done on horseback. We do a few drives during the year, not to mention the trail rides.”
She sighed. Just when she thought how different he was from the men she knew, it turned out he was the same, after all. After living her whole life in Cadence Creek, she was a little tired of the whole cowboy scene.
It took hardly any time to reach the town, and with a few quick turns Jack pulled up in front of the B and B. He grabbed the champagne and came around and opened her door, offering her his free hand.
The owners had gone to bed but Jack’s parents, Susan and Harry, sat up in the parlor, quietly talking and enjoying a glass of wine. Amy felt her face twist into a guilty expression the moment they stepped into the room.
“Jack, dear.” Susan suddenly noticed Amy behind him. “Oh, hello.”
“Hello, Mrs. Shepard.”
Parents were not part of the plan. This was the worst idea ever. She should never have gone along with it.
Jack put the champagne bottle down onto a side table and began unbuttoning his overcoat. “It’s a cold one. I invited Amy back for a drink. I hope that’s okay. Both of us were getting a little tired of the festivities.”
“Of course. We were just heading to bed....”
Harry’s brows were slightly raised, inquisitive. Jack grinned. “Why don’t you stay up and have a glass of champagne with us? It would give us all some time to just hang out and chill. It’s been a crazy few days.”
Harry nodded, as if satisfied. “Yes, it has. Your mother and I had quite a job getting Nell down for the night.” He nodded at a baby monitor beside him. “I wouldn’t say no to champagne. You open it while I grab some glasses, Jack. Kathleen showed me where she keeps them.”
While the men got the drinks, Amy took off her coat and hung it up on the antique coatrack in the corner, nerves tumbling around in her stomach. She’d met the Shepard children during the wedding planning, but she’d only really seen Mr. and Mrs. Shepard from a distance. Now she knew where Jack got his aura of success and Taylor got her class. It was intimidating as hell. “It was a lovely wedding,” she said to Susan, scrambling for something to say.
“Yes, it was. If I remember right, you work at the flower shop, yes?”
“I do, yes.”
“The flowers were beautiful. You did a great job.”
If nothing else, Mrs. Shepard was trying to be n
ice. “Melissa does all the designing. Though she has shown me how to do some simple arrangements.”
“Do you like it there?”
Amy shrugged. “It’s okay.” She smiled. “I actually like the business side of it better, but it’s a small shop. Know what I mean?”
Susan smiled. “Actually, I do. Not enough challenge to keep you going.”
“That’s it exactly.” Amy smiled. Jack’s parents weren’t anywhere near as intimidating as she expected. At least his mother wasn’t. Harry Shepard carried a distinct air of authority.
There was a loud pop and then glasses were filled. To Amy’s surprise, she and Jack sat on the sofa together and everyone simply chatted—about the wedding, about Cadence Creek, about Callum and Avery’s daughter, Nell. Clearly the elder Shepards were enjoying being grandparents. Finally Susan stifled a yawn. “Oh, my goodness. I think it’s time I went to bed. We’ve got to be up with the baby in the morning, and to see Callum and Avery off on their honeymoon.”
She stood and came to Jack, who also stood for a hug. “It was good spending some extra time with you, sweetheart. We don’t see you enough.”
“I know.” He grinned at her crookedly. “You should come down to the ranch for a week. I’ll take you zip-lining.”
Harry chuckled. “Maybe we will. I’d like to see your mother on one of those contraptions. Good night, son. And you, too, Amy. It was nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she said, and meant it.
They hadn’t spent an hour sipping bubbly in Jack’s room, but in some ways this had been better. She’d felt welcomed and relaxed. It was, to her surprise, the perfect ending to the day.
They said their good-nights and Jack turned to her. “I suppose this is where I say I should walk you home,” he said.
“I suppose it is.” She stood and put her glass down onto a coffee table. “I’ll get my coat.”
“Not so fast,” he murmured, catching her hand when she would have turned away. He pulled her back so that she was in front of him. He put his hand at her waist, his fingers sliding along the soft material of the curve-hugging dress. “I was on my best behavior,” he murmured, his voice low and intimate. “I kept my promise, too. The least you can do is give me a kiss good-night.”
“I suppose it is only fair.” She smiled up at him. If nothing else, in the past few hours Jack had given her something that she hadn’t had in a very long time: acceptance. She hadn’t felt the need to be anyone other than who she was. Hadn’t felt pressed to meet any sort of expectation. Perhaps that was because the Shepards hadn’t been in Cadence Creek very long. Or perhaps it was because they were a genuinely nice, normal family.
And after tonight it was unlikely she’d ever even see Jack again. The least she could do was take a kiss to remember him by.
She tilted her face up and kissed him, and with far less reserve than she’d shown on the dance floor. His arms came around her and pulled her close; she twined hers around his neck and slid her fingers through his hair. They were as close as two people could be with their clothes on, pressed together at several contact points. Jack’s hands roved over her back and came to tangle in her long curls as he tilted her head back and took command of her mouth. He tasted like man and the rich, erotic tang of champagne.
If he asked, she realized, she might reconsider her earlier bargain.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked roughly. “If I didn’t have to leave tomorrow night, I think I’d actually consider seeing where this leads.”
“But you are leaving tomorrow night.”
“Yes.” He nibbled at her earlobe and her eyes rolled back in her head with pleasure.
“And you’re not coming back.”
“Well,” he said, and he kissed her neck just below her ear, “I’m back on Christmas Eve and gone again Boxing Day.”
“And spending it with your family.”
“Yeah.”
They kissed a little longer until they were both out of breath.
“Jack, you should take me home. This would be a foolish mistake.”
She stepped backward, her chest rising and falling with exertion, her body humming with arousal. Of all the times to be sensible...and yet she was somehow happy about her choice. She was nearly twenty-five. It was time she took control of her life rather than simply letting it happen to her, time she decided what it was she wanted and found a way to get it. She could start by not letting herself get swept away in a moment that would only be a dead end.
She’d figure the rest out in time. Changing your life was a big job for one night.
“You’re right. I’ll get our coats.” He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. “But dammit, Amy, you are not an easy woman to walk away from.”
As he disappeared around the corner toward the foyer, Amy bit down on her lip and blinked a few times. Jack couldn’t possibly know that that was the sweetest thing he could have said to her tonight.
* * *
AMY COULDN’T STAND being in the house another moment.
It was Christmas Eve. It should have been a time for happiness and joy and presents and carols and hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps. Instead there wasn’t even a tree up at her house. A little-known secret—if Cadence Creek had any secrets—was that Christmas simply didn’t happen at the Wilson house in any way, shape or form. Not since she was ten years old and her dad had walked out on her and her mother on December twenty-third. Neither of them had seen him since.
It made Amy bitter. Naturally it had ruined that Christmas, but she didn’t see why it had to ruin every holiday since. But her mother was adamant. No tree. No turkey dinner, no Miracle on 34th Street.
As much as she understood, Amy refused to be Scrooged out of the holiday altogether. Tonight she would sing carols and look at the tree decorated at the front of the sanctuary and soak it all in for a blessed hour. She looked forward to this every year.
“Mom, why don’t you come with me? The service is so great.”
“Not this year, Amy.” Mary Wilson’s voice was tired. She looked up from her chair, where she was watching television. “You go and have fun.”
Amy went back into the living room and perched on the arm of the sofa. Since the wedding she’d been doing a lot of thinking. Thinking about what she wanted and the person she wanted to be. Something had changed in the moment she’d stepped out of the bathroom with Jack. Something good. Something...strong.
She’d been going to wait to broach the subject but the time felt right. “Mom, what would you say if I told you I wanted to go to school?”
Mary’s head turned, her program forgotten. “School? When? Where?” Was that fear Amy saw in her eyes? It only made her more nervous. Amy kept pushing for Mary to get out, but what would happen if she weren’t here anymore to give that nudge?
“Not far,” Amy assured her. “In the fall. I’ve been looking into college courses in the city. I’d have to get an apartment, but I wouldn’t be far away. I could come home lots. Every weekend.”
She wished she could tell what her mother was thinking. But years of hiding her emotions had served Mary well. Her face gave away nothing now that the initial shock was over. “You’re unhappy at the flower shop?” Mary asked.
Amy chose her words carefully. She didn’t want to put everything on her mother’s shoulders. It wasn’t about blame, though Amy did harbor some resentment for how she’d grown up in a cheerless house. At the same time, she understood. And she would never, ever want to add to her mom’s distress.
“I just can’t see myself staying there for the rest of my life, you know? I want more. I want...options. But I don’t want to leave you all alone, either.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
Amy frowned. “But I do worry about you. About you being alone. I w
ish you’d come with me to church. Maybe try to be a part of the community again. Don’t you think it’s time?”
Mary looked away. “Maybe another time. Just not today.”
Amy knew that look. It was the “discussion closed” look. Disappointed, she got up. “I won’t be too late,” she said quietly.
“Have a good time.”
The words sounded empty. There was no joy at Christmas, not in the Wilson house. And while Amy longed to get away, she was worried, too. Worried about what would happen to her mom if she were left all alone. At least now she left the house to work. Get groceries. What if that changed?
Amy walked to the church, taking deep breaths of the cold air and enjoying the sound of snow crunching under her favorite boots to shake her dull mood. The parking lot was already full and golden light spilled from the windows, welcoming her. She shook off the heavy weight of her talk with her mom and stepped inside into the warmth and cheer.
Then she spotted Jack.
He’d really come back to celebrate Christmas with his family, then. Something warm and lovely wound its way through her, making her smile. Jack had been a wonderful surprise at the wedding. She’d been at her lowest in the moment Rhys had uttered those words. To her it hadn’t felt like she was the last woman he wanted to be with—it had felt like she was the last woman anyone would want. That she had absolutely nothing to offer.
Jack had changed that. Oddly enough it hadn’t been his attention that had affected her so deeply. Or the way he’d kissed her and held her close—though that had been very memorable. It was how he’d brought her in, included her in his evening with his parents. As if she belonged. As if she were their equal. She’d never had that before.
He looked over and his face broke out in a smile when he recognized her. She gave a little wave and watched as he excused himself from the group he was in and came over.
