by LuAnn McLane
“What?” Addison thought about her image of potbellies in overalls.
Mia nodded toward the front door. “Don’t look now, but one just walked in. Hmm, haven’t seen him around here before.”
“Mia …” Addison warned in a low voice. “I’ve sworn off men. Remember?”
“He might just change your mind. Don’t be obvious, but look!”
“No way. I’m not looking.”
“Oh yeah. He’s heading to the stools at the counter, close enough so you can see him. Check him out,” Mia urged in a stage whisper. “Yeah, baby …”
“I’m not interested,” Addison insisted. She scooped up a bit of soup but turned her head to look nonetheless. The spoon paused halfway to her mouth. Oh my …
He was tall with brown hair kissed by the sun and just shy of needing a trim. A white cotton T-shirt tucked into jeans showcased his broad shoulders and bulging biceps. He walked slowly while looking down at his phone, and Addison wanted to but just couldn’t look away. Sexy stubble shadowed a firm jaw and when he licked his bottom lip while reading, Addison felt as if she needed to fan her face. Both Aiden and Garret were handsome men, but this guy had a rugged edge instead of glossy perfection and damn if she didn’t find it sexy as hell.
The waitress behind the counter greeted him. “Well, hey there. If it isn’t Reid Greenfield! Long time, no see, Sugar Pie. What brings you back to Cricket Creek? Family visit?”
Addison watched Reid swing one long leg over the stool and sit a very fine butt down on the red vinyl.
“Hi, Myra. Sure is good to see you too. Yeah, I’m here to help out on the farm for a while,” he answered in a soft Southern drawl that slid down Addison’s spine like smooth Southern Comfort. “I’d like a glass of your sweet tea, if you don’t mind, while I look over the menu.”
“Your sweet, sexy self can have anything your little ole heart desires,” Myra answered with a sassy sway of her hips.
“Is she really flirting with him?” Addison felt an odd stab of jealousy. “She’s got to be old enough to be his mother,” Addison grumbled, but kept her eyes on Reid.
Mia chuckled. “Oh, that’s Myra for you. She’s got that free-spirit, hippie thing going on like Uncle Paul and pretty much says whatever she wants. Even though she turned the restaurant over to her niece, Jessica, she still works from time to time, ever since Jess and Ty had a baby. She’s a trip, for sure, but she’s happily married to Owen Lawson, the groundskeeper at the baseball stadium and father-in-law to Noah Falcon, the hometown hero who built the stadium. As a matter of fact, Myra hired me as a waitress when I first arrived in town.”
“You were a waitress?” Addison asked absently. Most of her brain was still focused on Reid.
“For, like, a minute, until I caused a fight that landed Cam in jail. I actually jumped on the back of a guy and pulled his ears until he cried uncle.”
“That’s nice,” Addison said, but then blinked and finally tore her gaze from Reid. “Wait. What did you just say?”
Mia laughed. “It’s a long story that I’ll save for later. It gets better if I have a martini or two. Hey, speaking of martinis, we should go to Sully’s Tavern later and have a couple after I show you around. Stay with me tonight and we can walk from my place. We have a lot to discuss!”
“Sounds like a plan,” Addison agreed with a grin. It was difficult not to get pulled in by Mia’s enthusiasm.
“Maybe Reid over there will show up and pull you onto the dance floor and do a little two-steppin’.”
“I’m guessing that’s nothing like Dubstepping.”
Mia laughed. “No, thank goodness. And let me tell you, I’d rather be dancing the night away at Sully’s than any amped-up big-city nightclub.”
Addison would never have guessed that her globe-hopping cousin would have settled down in a small town. After taking another sneak peek at Reid she slipped the forgotten spoonful of soup into her mouth. While eating her lunch, she listened to her cousin chatter away about Cricket Creek, but snuck glances at Reid when Mia wasn’t looking. She didn’t even want to, but every time she heard his whiskey-smooth voice she felt compelled to glance his way.
“Still checking him out?” Mia asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
Addison felt heat creep into her cheeks. “I was … um checking out the desserts.”
“I think indulging in something decadent and delicious is just what you need, Addison. I suggest you go for it.”
Jump from the frying pan into the fire? “Tempting, I’ll admit, but, no, thank you.” She told herself not to look Reid’s way again and gave Mia her full attention.
After paying the bill they lingered over coffee, taking notes and brainstorming until Mia looked at her watch. “Wow, it’s getting late. I’d better call Maggie and arrange a showing. Are you ready to head over and take a look?”
“Sure,” Addison said. The more they’d chatted, the more the idea started taking root in her brain. She would discuss the venture with her mother but Addison was starting to really get excited. “I can’t wait to see it.”
Just as they both stood up, Mia’s phone rang. “Oh, it’s my boss,” Mia said. “I’ll have to take this.”
“No problem. We can go in my car. I’ll head out and open the windows or maybe put the top down.”
“Oh, that sounds fun! It’s such a nice day.” Mia nodded. “I won’t be long.”
Addison hitched her purse over her shoulder and started toward the exit. She glanced out the front window to admire the quaint view, and when she turned toward the door she ran smack into someone so hard that the lid popped off of his to-go cup, splashing tea down the front of his white T-shirt. It was Reid. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Addison immediately felt heat in her cheeks. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She quickly grabbed some paper napkins from a table and handed them to him even though touching his chest held some serious appeal. “Sorry,” she repeated with a wince.
“Totally my fault,” Reid said as he looked down and dabbed at the brown splotches. Addison could see the outline of his pectoral muscles through the white cotton and wished she were doing the job for him. She inhaled sharply and caught the spicy masculine scent of his aftershave. “I was reading a text message, or I would have seen you coming.” When he looked up and smiled at her, Addison noticed a cute dimple in his cheek. Up close she could see that his eyes were a very dark blue and for an embarrassing moment she simply stared at him, feeling warm and sort of befuddled. Living in LA, Addison was no stranger to handsome men, but she’d never had this sort of reaction to a perfect stranger. He held up the phone to show her the message. “Apparently picking up cupcakes is something I needed to be reminded of three times.”
When she noticed the message was from a woman Addison felt her stomach drop. Silly … why should she care if he had a girlfriend?
“After you.” Reid gestured toward the door, deftly tossing the wet napkins in the trash can a few feet away.
“Thank you.” When he held the door open for her Addison felt another unexpected little thrill at passing so close to him. When they were outside she knew she should keep walking to her car, but for some reason she lingered, searching for something else to say. Nice to meet you? Have a nice day? Hope your shirt doesn’t stain? But before she could open her mouth his phone dinged, indicating another text message.
“I remember the cupcakes, Sara,” Reid grumbled, reminding Addison that the message had been from a woman.
“Sorry again.” Suddenly feeling foolish, Addison started walking toward the parking lot.
Reid looked up, and to Addison’s surprise he fell in step beside her. “Make that four times my sister has reminded me.” He held up four fingers and sighed. “She runs an educational program for kids on our farm, and someone is having a birthday.” He chuckled. “And I am probably boring you to death with information you don’t want to know.”
Oh … his sister! Addison felt a little surge of joy and gave him a grin. “Did you text h
er back?”
“The first two times. Now it’s just redundant,” he grumbled good-naturedly as they walked toward the parking lot. “So, are you in town for a visit?”
“I thought I was, but my cousin Mia wants me to open a bridal boutique and plan weddings. Oddly enough, I’m actually considering it.”
“Are you kidding me? You might be the answer to my prayers.”
“Oh …” Addison said, and another stab of disappointment came from out of nowhere. “So, you’re getting married?” Addison asked with false brightness as she dug inside her purse in search of her car keys. She suddenly wished Mia would hurry up, before she made a complete fool of herself. What in the world was she doing giving personal information to a stranger? What was up with getting flustered over a guy she didn’t even know—especially since she had sworn off guys, anyway?
And where in the world were her keys?
5
Unanswered Prayers
“UM …” REID BEGAN, BUT JUDGING BY THE SUDDEN frown on her pretty face he was quickly wearing out his welcome. Instead of introducing himself, Reid decided he should probably take a hike before she pulled mace out of the big purse she was frantically digging around in. Odd, but Reid usually avoided small talk and now he remembered why. After glancing back toward Wine and Diner, she stopped in back of a sweet red Mustang convertible with California plates. Taking in the details, he now noticed her designer bag and that she’d slipped a pair of Gucci sunglasses over her big brown eyes. And although she was casually dressed in jeans and a lightweight lavender sweater, her watch looked expensive and she wore a diamond tennis bracelet that glittered in the sunshine. Great … She probably really wasn’t interested in talking to a country boy like him, anyway. Feeling foolish followed by a little bit irritated, he took a step backward. “Um, I should get going. Good luck with, you know … everything.”
She glanced up and flipped her shiny black hair over her shoulder. She was really pretty, and Reid found himself wondering about her family heritage.
“So, when is the wedding?”
Wait … huh? “Wedding? What wedding?”
“Your wedding.” She pushed her sunglasses up higher on her nose and waited for his answer. “Isn’t that why I’m the answer to your prayers?” She tilted her head slightly and the breeze played with her hair, making it caress her face.
Reid looked at her while trying to form an answer, but all he could think about was that the answer to his prayers would be to reach over and brush the hair from her face … pull her into his arms and kiss her.
Kiss her? What in the hell was coming over him? Maybe he was spending too much time in the sun.
Luckily a honking horn startled him back into thinking somewhat straight, but he took another step backward so that she was out of reach, just to play it safe. “No, I’m not getting married.” Reid shook his head as if the very idea was ludicrous. “I value my independence way too much,” he added, but then realized he was once again giving her more information than she probably wanted to know. He cleared his throat and tried to sound businesslike. “No, my sister has this wild idea to turn one of our old barns into a reception hall and host weddings on our farm, beginning with her own.” Reid shoved his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “It would mean sinking a lot of her savings into the venture and I’m not sure it’s a sound idea. I’d be interested in hiring a consultant, hopefully to dissuade her from going through with it.” When she remained silent he stuck out his hand. “By the way, I’m Reid Greenfield.”
She took his hand and gave him a firm handshake. “Addison Monroe. It’s nice to meet you, Reid.”
Reid smiled, enjoying the feel of her small hand in his and hearing his name on her lips. There was something familiar about her, something that tugged at the back of his brain but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “So, am I going to be your first customer?”
“Well, we’re putting the cart before the horse. I’m heading over with Mia to look at the shop, but as much as I’m interested, I’m not one hundred percent sure that I’m actually going to do the venture without more thought and research. Although I do have to say that Mia is very persuasive.”
Reid dug his wallet out of his back pocket and fished out one of his business cards. He appreciated that Addison was taking the time to consider all aspects of a new business. Hopefully she’d be a good influence on his sister. “This has my e-mail and cell phone number on it. If you go through with the shop, I would appreciate if you’d at least give Sara real numbers as to what it would take to get involved in doing receptions and weddings. It’s not that I’m totally against the idea; I just don’t want to see her lose her hard-earned retirement. I’d be glad to show you the barn and surroundings and then get your opinion. But I want you to err on the side of caution.”
Addison took the card. “I’m hardly an expert.” She glanced at his business card. “And it appears that you have the credentials to advise your sister in business matters.”
“Are you kidding? She won’t listen to me—well, unless you count listening only to try to prove me wrong.” Reid gave her a half-lopsided grin. “Of course, that’s pretty hard to do.”
She tilted her head and chuckled. “I’ll keep you in mind. But like I said, I’m no expert. This whole thing came out of left field.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll do your homework. After all, it’s going to be your business. I just want you to play devil’s advocate so she goes into this with her eyes wide open. I don’t want the barn on our farm to become a money pit and eat up Sara’s retirement.”
“If I go through with this venture, I’ll consider your offer.”
“That’s all I can ask. At any rate, it was nice to meet you, Addison. I wish you the best of luck,” Reid added, and he was about to ask if she’d like to have dinner and talk it over but decided it might be too pushy. She had his card. If she was interested, she’d give him a call. So he turned and walked toward his pickup truck, oddly reluctant to leave her company. His hand was on the door handle when she called out to him.
“Reid?”
He turned around, finding her grinning over at him. “Yeah?” he asked, and couldn’t believe that his pulse kicked up a notch just from seeing her smile.
“Don’t forget the cupcakes!” Addison pointed to the Grammar’s Bakery across the street.
Reid put the heel of his hand to his forehead, and she laughed. “I was going to pull across the street in front of the bakery,” he said, but she only laughed harder.
“Sure you were. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you!” Reid shook his head as he headed across the street to the bakery. It really wasn’t like him to forget to run an errand, especially since he’d been reminded four—well, now, make it five times—but in his defense, Addison had been quite a distraction. He was still thinking over why he was so drawn to someone he had just met when he reached the entrance to the bakery. The bell tinkled over the door as he walked in. Ahhh, he took a deep whiff of the fragrant aroma of brewed coffee and freshly baked goodies.
“Well, if it isn’t Reid Greenfield,” said Mabel Grammar, owner of the bakery. “I declare, I do think you’re even better-lookin’ than the last time I saw you. We sure grown ’em good here in Cricket Creek,” she boasted. “Back home for good, I hope.” She leaned over the counter and held her arms out. “Now get over here and give me some sugar.”
“And you’re lookin’ mighty fine yourself.” Reid walked over to the enticing display of Danish and cookies.
“You talkin’ about me or the cookies? Although I do have some pretty nice buns,” she added with a deep chuckle.
“Both.” After giving Mabel a hug he asked, “What’s your secret—Botox? Come on, Mabel, fess up.”
“Ha! It’s easy: just eat more doughnuts.” She stuck a pose and fluttered her eyelashes. “Keeps the wrinkles in my round face filled in and my bum as big and round as Kim Kardashian’s.”
Reid laughed. Cricket C
reek might have gone through some changes in recent years but some things stayed the same. “Well, it looks good on you,” he said, wishing it was as easy to flirt with Addison as it was with Mabel. “I’m here to pick up two dozen cupcakes for Sara.”
“Got them right here,” Mable said, and pulled a box from a shelf. “Decorated with farm animals and vegetables, just like Sara ordered. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the Old MacDonald program. Good for Sara for teaching kids about farming. They need to know that not everything is computer generated or made in a factory.”
“True,” Reid said, and realized that he hadn’t given his sister the acknowledgment that she deserved. He thought about the ivory-tower comment she made and wondered if he had grown out of touch with his family. But it was his job to help people invest and manage their money. How could he turn that off, especially when it came to his very own family?
“Anything else I can get you today?” Mabel asked.
“Oh, I can’t resist your butter cookies. I’ll take a dozen, and throw in a cheese Danish for the ride back home.”
Mable reached for a white paper bag. “Coming right up.” After he paid his bill, she said, “Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t,” Reid promised. After he walked back outside he looked down Main Street, noticing the improvements and new shops. Sara had been right. Cricket Creek had weathered some tough economic times, but beginning with Noah Falcon’s return home to build the baseball stadium, the little town had refused to throw in the towel. But saving the family farm wasn’t the same thing, and Reid was well aware that Sara was as stubborn as the day was long. Hopefully, Addison Monroe would take him up on his offer and talk some sense into his well-meaning sister.
With his hands full, Reid crossed the street at the light, nodding to greetings, waves, and honking horns from people he hadn’t seen in a while. Although he enjoyed living in Lexington, he had to admit that seeing old friends and eating at his favorite spots felt pretty damned good.
