Seeking Mr. Debonair (The Jane Austen Pact)

by Cami Checketts

  She nodded to Crew and pasted on a brave expression. He gestured with his arm, his eyes full of understanding and sympathy. Walking in front of him, she took a deep breath and smelled not only Crew’s tantalizing cologne, but home—fresh bread baking, Pine-Sol, and the faint scent of horse and leather that her mom tried to eradicate with the Pine-Sol. But Harley was glad you couldn’t scrub that out. That was her daddy, and she prayed that scent would never leave.

  On each side of the entryway were formal rooms: the office, and a living room that Mama called her “celestial room,” where nobody but visitors they didn’t know or like very well went into. Her daddy’s office was too quiet and tidy for Harley’s liking, the huge mahogany desk and bookcase all freshly dusted with carefully stacked papers.

  She set her carry on and purse by the stairs, and Crew did the same with her other suitcases. She glanced up at him and he offered her a smile, then put his hand on the small of her back and directed her past the entryway toward the large living area that made up most of the main floor. She wished she didn’t react to his touch so quickly. It was like a two-stroke motorcycle that went vroom loudly anytime you touched the throttle.

  They cleared the entryway and the house opened up with large windows and a combination kitchen, dining room, and living area. Her mom was in the kitchen to their right and spotted them immediately. She shrieked and ran at them, dropping what she was doing. “My baby girl!” Then her arms were around Harley and she knew she was truly home now. They hugged and hugged and Harley didn’t try to hide the tears streaking down her face. She’d missed her mom, and she needed her so much right now.

  Her mom released her and gently dried Harley’s tears with her apron. Harley was taller than her mom now, but it didn’t matter; her mom was still the nurturer. They looked a lot alike with the long, dark, curly hair, olive skin, and dark eyes. Her daddy used to brag that both of his children took after his “better half.”

  “Daddy?” she whispered.

  Her mom took her hand and led her into the open living room. Harley glanced back and noticed Crew was watching her carefully. She was glad he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable, but then he’d grown up here as much as she had, being best friends with Ryker and the two of them always at one of their houses.

  Her legs felt heavy as she walked through the dining room and around the couch. Her daddy was sitting in a leather La-Z-Boy. That alone told her how awful he was feeling. The only time he ever sat down was late at night or on Sunday afternoon to watch a football game. He was a little pale and thinner, his short blond hair speckled with more gray, but he didn’t look like he was knocking on death’s door per se. “There’s my girl,” he boomed.

  Harley felt a pang that he wasn’t picking her off the ground and swinging her around like he usually would, but at least he was here and she got to be with him before he left her for good.

  “Hi, Daddy.” Harley bent down and kissed his weathered cheek. The hair of his beard was soft and blondish-red with streaks of gray. She knelt next to his chair and he grabbed her hand. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and she blinked quickly. He wouldn’t want her pity. He was too tough for that.

  “What’s all this teary stuff about?” he asked. “Somebody dying?”

  Harley reared back and her mom gasped. “Clint! You are the orneriest man … you big loot, you just stop it!”

  Her dad grinned, and Harley felt all kinds of comforted. He hadn’t changed at all. “Oh, yeah,” he said, “forgot about my gloom and doom for a second.” He put his hand on Harley’s head and tousled her curls. “Sorry, it’s just so fun to tease that beauty of mine.”

  “Well, stop it, you’re not funny.” But her mom was fighting a smile.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t want to sit around my last days of life watching everybody sniffle. Cry after I’m gone, not before.” He winked at Harley. “Or maybe don’t cry at all. Go take all that insurance money you’re gonna get and go on a cruise or somethin’. Buy yourself that big diamond ring I always wanted to getcha.”

  “You are too much,” her mom scolded. “I’m finishing dinner. Ryker will be in any minute.” She turned to Crew, and her face broke out into a genuine smile. “You’re staying for dinner.” It was a command, not an invitation.

  “Yes, ma’am. Can I help you with something?”

  “I’ve got it. Gives me something to do rather than cuss him.” She pointed at her husband, then gestured Crew toward the living room. “Go sit down and keep him company. That’ll be more help than anything.”

  “I can help, Mama.” Harley stood, but her dad held on to her hand.

  “Let her do it,” he said. “She likes to keep busy.” The words were said with respect and affection, and Harley knew it was true. When Mama was upset, cooking was the balm she needed.

  “Sit with your daddy,” her mama instructed. “You just got here. I’ll put you to work later.”

  Crew took off his cowboy hat and walked toward them. Harley lost the ability to breathe as she took in all his glory with his golden, slightly wavy hair, that well-built body, and those too-blue eyes.

  “Somebody’s finally noticed my boy,” her dad muttered so only she could hear.

  Harley glanced sharply at him. “Hush, you.”

  He laughed, and Harley was glad to hear the sound was almost the same—not quite as loud, but guttural and just happy.

  Crew sat down on the couch and perched his cowboy hat on his knee. Harley couldn’t help but notice his muscular thighs under those nicely fitting jeans. He definitely wore his cowboy look with a manly flair that was all Crew.

  “Go sit over there by Crew and tell me everything you’ve been up to, darlin’,” her dad instructed. “My little smarty-pants college grad.” He beamed at her with fatherly pride.

  Harley walked toward the couch and sank into the soft leather, but Crew’s presence was just too much. He shifted closer to her and wrapped his arm around the back of the couch, brushing her shoulder and sparking a low smolder in her abdomen. Her dad’s grin said he heartily approved.

  “Well, the biggest news—” Harley raised her voice so her mama could hear. “—is I got accepted to Cambridge for my MBA!”

  Her dad’s eyes widened and her mom came running back from the kitchen like Harley knew she would. “My girl! A Yale business school graduate and now Cambridge.” She tugged Harley back up and hugged her and hugged her. “You’re brilliant and beautiful and the hardest worker and I’m just so proud!”

  Harley laughed. “Thank you, Mama. I’m ecstatic about it too.”

  Her mom finally released her, and she turned to her dad. He nodded, his eyes bright. “I’m right proud too, darlin’. Who would’ve known an old hick could produce such a shining star?”

  “Thanks, Daddy.”

  Her mom all but pushed her down onto the couch and she narrowly missed sitting right on Crew’s lap. As it was, her rear hit his thigh and his cowboy hat went flying. He grabbed her around the waist and settled her close to his side. Harley glanced up to see that her lips were inches from his chin. Her heart went all erratic and she had no one to blame but him. Why did he have to smell so good?

  “I’m proud of you too, Harley,” Crew said in that deep, throaty voice she’d always loved. “You’ve made all your dreams come true.”

  She nodded and pulled free of his embrace, scooting far enough away he couldn’t touch her, but she could still smell him.

  Her mom stood there, staring at her like she should’ve stayed in Crew’s arms. She knew their moms had arranged marriage between them as toddlers, but this wasn’t the eighteenth century anymore. When she graduated from Cambridge, she wouldn’t need a man; she could travel the world all by herself. She smiled at the thought.

  “When do you start?” her daddy asked.

  “September. So I’ll be home all summer. I can stay until …” She bit at her lip and hated the silence that blanketed the room. She wanted her daddy to kick cancer’s rear and be around for thi
rty more years, but what if he simply wasted away and was still clinging to this world when school started? She couldn’t possibly leave then.

  Her dad grinned as if guessing her thoughts. “I’m not holding you back, darlin’. If I haven’t gone to visit Saint Peter by September, you’ll go to England and not look back, you hear me?”

  “Oh, Daddy.” Harley glanced up to see her mom crying again, and she teetered on the verge of tears herself.

  Luckily, at that moment Ryker burst through the door from the garage into the kitchen. Harley jumped up and ran at him full tilt. He picked her up off the ground, swinging her around until she was dizzy. He smelled of horses and the outdoors and she’d missed him like crazy.

  He pulled back. “Good criminy, little sis, aren’t you the prettiest girl in the world?”

  She pushed at his shoulder. “Stop it. You’re only saying that ’cause we look like twins.”

  “I don’t want to be pretty!” he protested. He winked at her. “I get enough women without being a pretty boy.”

  “Ryker!” her mom reprimanded. “You stop being some womanizer or I’ll kick your hindside. You know I can.”

  “Yes, Mama.” His voice was far from repentant. “What’d I miss? Mama’s actually not cooking something, so it must be big news.”

  “My girl is going to Cambridge,” Mama announced.

  Ryker’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? You did it! Your dream.” He lifted Harley off the ground again and when he put her down he kissed her forehead. “Dang if I ain’t a proud big bro.”

  “Don’t say ain’t,” Harley and her mom said in unison.

  She knew Ryker would be happy for her, but it meant a lot that he approved. He’d spent a lot of time scoffing at her “silly Jane Austen dreams.” Her immediate family were the only ones who knew that it wasn’t just the Jane Austen Pact but her need to experience the world and see it all, but Ryker never seemed to get it. He was one of the reasons she’d kept her true desires secret from everybody else in this small town.

  He laughed, but then he took Harley by the arms, stared seriously at her, and shook her with both of his hands. Her teeth rattled.

  “No Englishmen,” Ryker demanded.

  “What?” Harley stared up at him. He wasn’t as broad as Crew, but he had to be six-four or -five and he was lean and looked awesome.

  “You heard me. Go do your year in England, have the best time at Cambridge, but you are not marrying some stuffy Englishman and staying in that cold place.” He gave an exaggerated shiver.

  “We’ll see.” She pulled away from him and winked, turning around to catch her dad’s eye and tease about how she was marrying Mr. Darcy someday. He’d just tease her back. She knew they all wanted her to come back to Wyoming someday, but her daddy had always been “proud as a peacock” for her success in school and her hard work and he was the only one who told her to go for her dreams, no matter where they took her.

  But it wasn’t her dad she saw first. It was Crew, and the way his brows drew together and his fists were clenched made her heart thump strangely in her chest. He didn’t want her marrying an Englishman either, but nobody but her dad understood. They never had. No matter how much they loved her, they wanted her home with them. Harley loved being close to them, but she wasn’t letting herself or her girls’ camp friends down. Fate had directed to Camp Wallakee as a young teen and the Jane Austen Pact was firmly in place.

  Chapter Four

  Crew loaded several steers into a trailer early the next morning. He’d already been to two of his construction sites and everything was progressing nicely. He’d take the cattle to the auction for Ryker and then make more rounds this afternoon. He currently had seven houses in different stages of construction. Business was booming, but thankfully his guys stayed on task with framing and finish work, and everything else was handled by competent subcontractors. He’d gotten a great name for himself the past six years and he only worked with those who did quality work and stayed on schedule. He didn’t mind taking some time off to help Ryker. With Clint down, Ryker had carried a huge load with their large ranch. Hopefully they could find some reliable help soon.

  His thoughts swung to Harley, as they often did. Last night it had been amazing to be close to her again, yet it had ripped his heart out. She didn’t want him, and now she was going to Cambridge and she’d find her proper Englishman. Any man would be a fool not to love Harley. Maybe it was time for him to face reality and give up on his Harley dreams.

  He latched the trailer and walked toward his truck, plowing into the very girl he couldn’t get his mind to stop thinking about. “Hey!” He grasped her by the elbows. “Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Daydreaming, were we?” She winked and then pulled free.

  If only she knew. “About you.” He returned the wink to keep things light and keep her from running the other direction.

  She pulled free of his grasp and put her hands on her hips. “Oh? Really good daydreams, then.”

  “For sure.” His eyes swept over the smooth skin of her cheek. He wanted to cup it with his hands. He tugged off his leather gloves and asked, “What are you doing out this early?”

  She gestured to herself, and he noticed that she was in a tank top and black spandex shorts. Whoa. How had he missed that vision? She was lean and perfect in his eyes. “I did yoga on the lawn as the sun rose, then went on a long run.”

  “Come with me to drop these steers off. Then I’ll take you to Delish Donuts.”

  She stared him up and down with that challenging glint in her eyes. Ah, no. He’d been too demanding. That’d been a huge issue between them in high school. He’d want to be with her so badly that an idea would just spill out and she’d accuse him of being large and in charge.

  “You do you, Crew.” She tossed her long, dark curls.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean it to come out like that. I just … want to spend time with you, and you obviously earned a donut with all that exercise.”

  “I don’t know if a donut is the best after-workout fuel.” She pumped her eyebrows, and he had to laugh. Suddenly her mouth turned down. “I hate to leave my dad.”

  “Yeah, I know. I try to spend as much time over here as I can.”

  Harley smiled sadly at him.

  “But he does sleep pretty late these days.” Crew hoped it didn’t sound like he was begging, though he would beg if it meant he could spend time with her. “I promise you we can get rid of these old boys—” He pointed to the trailer. “—and have breakfast before he’ll be moving for the day. We’ll bring him back a maple bar and he’ll really be happy.”

  She tilted her head to the side and that beautiful mahogany hair spilled over her firm, brown shoulder. Aw, man, she did too much to his insides. Why did he have to love someone who was completely out of his reach?

  “You really want to hang out with me, don’t you, cowboy?”

  He grinned. “You read me like a book.”

  She returned the smile. “You really read a little bit of Pride and Prejudice?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He wasn’t ready to admit he’d read all of it and have her know how desperately he loved her.

  “And you liked it?”

  “Like is pushing it.”

  She pushed him, catching him off guard. Crew stumbled back a step, but he reacted quickly, wrapping his hands around her biceps and pulling her against his chest. She sucked in a quick breath and stared up at him with her mouth slightly open. Crew couldn’t move, incapacitated with her so close. Her eyes flickered down to his lips, then back up. Crew’s heart slammed against his chest and he slowly lowered his head, entranced by her.

  Harley yanked back. “Come on, I’ll let you buy me a donut.”

  Crew blinked, seeing his dreams ripped away yet again. “And a breakfast burrito,” he said.

  “And hot cocoa,” she added.

  He followed her around to the passenger side of his truck and opened the door. “Dang, woman, you’re d
emanding.”

  She laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t ask so much. Can’t imagine how you afford the payment on this puppy.” She gestured to his new four-door Chevy. “Let me go get my purse and I’ll buy.”

  What? Did she think he was some poor ranch hand? He blinked at her and realized that she probably did. He kind of assumed she’d heard about his construction business and his side business of building concrete vanities that sold for triple what he thought he should charge. Maybe her mom and Ryker hadn’t said anything to her.

  “Over my physically incapacitated body,” he said.

  She arched an eyebrow. “That’s a little forceful.”

  “Sorry, but the poor college student isn’t buying my breakfast. You need to save your money for Cambridge and I actually have positive cash flow.”

  “That’s good to know.” She climbed into his truck, and he forced himself to be a gentleman and look away. Darn, those yoga shorts were nice.

  He debated taking her by his house or one of his job sites after breakfast to show off, but he wanted Harley to want him for him, not because he was successful. Suppressing a sigh, he shut her door and walked around to the driver’s side. Harley was never going to give him a real chance as long as she saw him as nothing more than a hammer-swinging monkey. Maybe he should brag about every one of his successes. He was going to need every bit of help he could get.

  Things went as quickly as Crew promised at the auction, and within an hour they were sitting on a picnic table outside of Delish Donuts, enjoying the morning sun on their shoulders and making short work of breakfast burritos, hot chocolate, and—of course—donuts. Harley thought the food was heavenly.

  If only the man across the table wasn’t more heavenly. He was a ranch hand, for goodness’ sake, and didn’t seem to have aspirations to do anything more. For all she knew, he still lived with his mom and dad or, at best, in a single-wide trailer on their property. That was very common in Wyoming. He probably had to. She was certain his truck payment was more than he made a month. That was fine for him. She hoped he was happy, but it wasn’t what she wanted in her life.