by Jane Porter
“She does love her work,” Taylor agreed. “And I’m going to miss her, too. She’s a sweetheart and has been so helpful since I arrived.”
“And Margaret? Has she been as helpful?” McKenna asked sweetly, fully aware that Margaret Houghton, the head librarian, did not believe in new-fangled things like computers and the internet and had resisted adding e-books to the library’s collection.
Taylor grimaced. “Not as helpful, no.”
McKenna laughed. “Didn’t think so.” She hesitated. “Actually, I was hoping I could ask a favor.... maybe impose on you tomorrow night?”
“You need a sitter?”
“No. Well, yes and no.” McKenna pushed a long dark auburn strand of hair back from her cheek, securing it behind her ear. “I need a dress for the Ball, and I hoped you’d go with me to Married in Marietta and give me your opinion. I practically live in jeans and am useless when it comes to formal attire.”
“Of course,” Taylor said quickly, pleased and flattered that McKenna wanted to do something with her. “I’d love to.”
“You’re sure? Dress shopping isn’t fun—”
“I would enjoy it. I don’t want to go to the Ball, but I’d love to help you find a dress for Friday night. That sounds great.”
“Wonderful! I’ve lined up a sitter so maybe we can make it a girls night out? Shopping and dinner, or shopping and then drinks after?”
“Perfect. Sounds like a great night out.”
And it did, Taylor thought, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table, since there were no spots open near McKenna.
McKenna was something of Marietta’s golden girl. People loved her, and were extremely protective of her. McKenna was also influential. Her opinion mattered, and when some folks were critical of Jane back in December, ridiculing her and the Great Wedding Giveaway, McKenna wrote a letter to the editor at the Copper Mountain Courier, publicly siding with Jane, stating that the Giveaway would be good for the community, the economy, and particularly the local merchants, and that she not only threw her full support behind the Wedding Giveaway, but she’d also volunteered to co-chair the Wedding Giveaway committee with Paige Joffee, owner of Main Street Diner, to ensure the Wedding Giveaway’s success.
After that, there’d been a lot less dissension.
A lot less.
Like... none. If some folks still weren’t happy about the Giveaway, they kept their negativity to themselves.
That was when Taylor learned just how much sway McKenna had in this town. It also made McKenna and Trey Sheenan’s relationship that much more intriguing to Taylor.
McKenna was clearly the town’s golden girl, but Trey Sheenan was by all accounts, Marietta’s bad boy... so what did people make of that?
Paige called the meeting to order then, and welcomed everyone. She shared that the Valentine Ball was still shy of its goal with regards to tickets sales, but on the plus side, another twenty had been purchased over the weekend, bringing the expected attendance to 170. Jane still hoped that a few more tickets would sell before Friday, and she’d also given ten pairs to the local radio stations to use as giveaways, in exchange for some last minute publicity.
Paige was answering a question about which radio stations Jane had approached when the board room door opened. A tall man in a sheepskin coat and black felt cowboy hat walked in and all conversation died.
He removed his hat, dipped his head. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, his voice deep, husky.
Troy.
Taylor sat up straighter, her stomach flip flopping wildly.
He looked so... different.
“Welcome,” Paige said, smiling at him. “Glad you’re here.”
“Join us,” Tricia said brightly.
He nodded again, his narrowed gaze scanning the room, looking for an available seat.
Taylor hated the way her pulse suddenly danced. There was no reason for her pulse to race. It was embarrassing, actually, to feel anything. So ridiculous that she did.
But she wasn’t the only one who seemed affected by Troy. Tricia couldn’t take her eyes off him, Risa had a touch of pink in her cheeks, and calm, practical, unruffled Paige suddenly looked almost nervous.
It’d been several years since the Copper Mountain Courier had named Troy Sheenan Marietta’s Most Eligible Bachelor, but apparently he hadn’t lost any popularity with the ladies since then.
Only McKenna didn’t look thrilled to see Troy. Taylor wondered why.
Troy headed to the table. Last night he’d looked like a city slicker in his cashmere sweater, tailored trousers and black wool coat but tonight he looked imposing in the thick shearling sheepskin coat and scuffed cowboy boots, snowflakes dusting his wide shoulders and long sleeves.
Tonight he wasn’t the technology tycoon from California, but a Paradise Valley rancher with Montana running deep in his veins. Tonight he looked like a Sheenan.
Taylor had met two of the other Sheenans in the past month. Louise had introduced Taylor to Brock, the oldest Sheenan, when he and Harley, his fiancé, had brought the twins to the library to do some research. And then just a few days later Taylor met Dillon, the youngest Sheenan, one night at Grey’s Saloon. Dillon and Callan Carrigan had been hanging out together, drinking too much, arguing a lot, and apparently enjoying every moment of it.
Brock and Dillon were both big, dark, ruggedly handsome men. And now Troy looked just as tough. Montana tough.
Taylor couldn’t believe that she found this new Troy rather appealing. She didn’t want to find him appealing.
He was Jane’s ex. Jane’s man. Jane’s love.
Taylor couldn’t forget that, either.
Suddenly Troy’s gaze met hers, and held. It was just for a split-second but that split-second was enough to send a rush of blood to Taylor’s cheeks.
She dropped her gaze, embarrassed, and flustered. It’d been bad enough telling him she couldn’t be his date to the Ball, but now to spend the next hour in the Crawford Room with him?
She prayed he’d take the empty seat next to Tricia.
He didn’t.
He took the chair on Taylor’s right.
Taylor’s heart did a quick staccato as he pulled out the wooden chair and sat down next to her, stretching his legs out beneath the table, boots crossing at the ankle, his denim covered thigh practically touching hers.
“Hello, Taylor,” he said under his breath as the meeting resumed.
Her mouth went dry. “Hi,” she whispered.
“Get your car situation sorted out?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Good.”
The meeting resumed, but Taylor could barely focus on what Paige was saying.
Troy was seriously distracting.
And not just because he was Jane’s ex. The man had quite a few attributes.
Like his size. He was a big man... you couldn’t ignore him. He filled his chair and all the space around him with shoulders and a big back and hard carved quads.
And a fit man. He had a body. And muscles. Lots of them. The jaw-dropping, eye-candy sort of body, and now that his heavy coat was off, his snug fitting Henley seemed to stretch over and wrap every sinewy line in his chest and arms, the soft cotton delighting in his dense pecs, flat hard abs, and thick biceps.
Then there was his scent. Which was a lovely, subtle masculine cologne that hinted at spice and something rich and mellow and smooth... vanilla, maybe?
But these attributes were quickly turning into negatives. His scent and warmth and the sheer physicality of the man was proving most distracting.
Taylor fidgeted unhappily, tugging on her notepad, drawing it more firmly in front of her. She’d been fine until he arrived. Now she couldn’t follow the thread of the discussion, the voices around her a whir of sound, the committee members a blur.
Why had he come tonight?
He hadn’t been involved in any of the planning for the Ball or the Giveaway, so why come to this last meeting now?
&
nbsp; The only other person who seemed troubled by Troy’s appearance was McKenna. Taylor caught sight of McKenna’s face. McKenna was still pale, her expression now guarded. Shuttered.
McKenna was no longer animated and bubbly, but someone else.
Interesting.
Meanwhile, various committee members continued updating Troy and all, on where things stood for Friday’s Ball.
Risa talked about the floral centerpieces, and how there would be flowers everywhere--tulips, roses, lilies, freesias--the most romantic, lush flower arrangements one could imagine.
Jenny Thorpe, Tricia’s new sister-in-law, brought everyone up to date on the band and DJ entertaining the guests. The band would play during the dinner hour and the DJ was to get everyone on their feet after.
Sage Carrigan shared about the chocolates she’d made for the elaborate dessert buffet, and Paige was working on the chocolate fondue fountain with the Graff hotel banquet staff.
Tricia mentioned that the lighting specialist Jane had recommended, would be arriving Thursday from San Francisco to bathe the white and gold ceiling and walls with pink light.
McKenna said nothing, lips curved in a stiff, artificial smile.
And Taylor glanced from McKenna to Troy to the different women on the committee, feeling inexplicably torn.
It was going to be an incredible Ball. Beyond beautiful, really.
And Taylor wasn’t going.
Troy sat in the library listening to the committee update its members with the Ball details. Everyone was so enthusiastic. The committee had worked very hard. The Ball would be lovely, and successful, he was sure of that. Of course it would have been nice if a few more tickets had been sold, but it was the first time Marietta had thrown such an extravagant party and if ticket sales were the only issue, then he couldn’t be critical. Ticket sales were difficult for even professional event organizers.
As he listened to the updates, he tried to avoid looking directly at McKenna, aware that it would just make her more uncomfortable. McKenna was most definitely not good with him here. It hadn’t always been the case. They’d once been very close. She was the sister he’d never had. Trey and McKenna had been together off and on since high school, and everyone knew that one day Trey and McKenna would get married. But life kept throwing them curveballs, and it seemed as if McKenna had finally had enough.
He didn’t blame her. He couldn’t.
How could he blame her for wanting to move on and settle down? She’d been a rock in the face of such chaos and adversity. She deserved a happy-ever-after and she wasn’t going to get that with Trey serving time in prison for involuntary manslaughter. True, it was a bar fight he didn’t start, and he was fighting to protect a woman. But that punch he threw killed a man and Trey had been in trouble before, so the judge came down hard on him, adding some extra time to the mandatory minimum sentence.
Troy sighed. Dad had taken it so hard when Trey was sentenced to five years.
It was then that Dad just seemed to give up. Trey was the one who lived at the ranch, managed the ranch. Trey and Dad had been pretty tight, too.
Now, with Dad dying, no one knew what would happen to the one hundred and five year old Sheenan Ranch. Trey might have been the one to run it, but Trey was going to be locked up for another two years at least, and Dillon couldn’t remain here in Marietta until then.
Troy was also worried that his bachelor brother Cormac had bitten off more than he could chew by agreeing to raise his goddaughter, two year old Daisy Davis, as his own. It was one thing to be asked to be a baby’s guardian. It was another to become the guardian.
Troy shifted restlessly in the library chair, trying not to glance at his watch. He wasn’t sure why he’d promised Jane that he’d attend the meeting tonight but he knew why he’d chosen to sit next to Taylor.
Last night he’d been surprised by her refusal to attend the Ball with him.
And then intrigued. And now amused.
He wasn’t accustomed to being rejected. In his world, women chased him and he spent tremendous energy dodging his computer and phone, overwhelmed by the number of women texting and calling, instant messaging and sending flirty snap chats. He appreciated a beautiful woman. He admired a smart, beautiful woman. But he wasn’t comfortable being chased.
He didn’t like feeling hunted.
Back in school he’d been popular. The Sheenan brothers were good looking boys. None of them had ever lacked for girls, or dates. But once he’d made his fortune, women weren’t just interested in him, they were interested in his lifestyle.
Maybe that’s why he’d chosen to sit next to Taylor in tonight’s meeting. She didn’t eye him as if he were a tasty steak, or a Thanksgiving feast.
She looked at him with indifference. Maybe even disdain. And that made him curious. Made him want to understand why Taylor Harris disapproved of him. It also made him want to prove her wrong.
Maybe he viewed her rejection as a challenge.
A man liked a challenge. A man liked the chase. Provided he was doing the chasing.
So Troy stopped listening to the committee, he gave up trying to keep track of all the details.... no longer caring to remember what kind of flowers or lighting or chocolate desserts there would be.
Instead he studied Taylor who sat with her legs crossed just above the knee, taking copious notes in her notebook, her pink lips pursed, her brow furrowed in concentration.
She looked so studious and focused with her glasses, cardigan sweater, and long gleaming ponytail. He’d always had such a thing for smart girls. Book girls. His sophomore year of high school he’d spent all his free time in this library, making out with Lani Murphy in any dark corner they could find.
They’d study, kiss, study, kiss.
It had been the best academic year of his life.
Sure, his grades hadn’t been so hot but he’d felt like a man, and she’d felt well... amazing.
He tried not to smile as he pictured Taylor back in high school. He was quite sure she’d looked the same. Same ponytail, same glasses, same smart, studious expression.
He wondered if she’d ever spent a high school afternoon making out in the library. Somehow from her starchy expression, he suspected not. She struck him as the kind of girl who believed libraries were about books. Silly girl. He’d love to teach her what dark shadowy corners in libraries were really for.
As if aware of his scrutiny, Taylor turned her head and stared back at him, giving him a significant, no nonsense look that he thought was as sexy as hell.
Until now he’d thought her eyes were brown, a simple chocolate brown, but now he saw they were a hazel green with bits of light blue. Or was it silver?
With her brows arching, dark elegant wings behind the masculine frames, and her hazel eyes snapping fire, he thought she’d never looked quite so bright and beautiful.
If only she understood that she looked very appealing annoyed.
Quite kissable with her pink lips pursed.
“What?” she mouthed at him.
“What, what?” he whispered back.
Her nostrils flared as she exhaled hard. “You’re staring.”
Heads were turning. Everyone seemed to be looking at them now but McKenna, who was looking away.
Troy leaned closer to Taylor. He spoke under his breath. “I like your glasses.”
For a moment Taylor just looked at him, her expression incredulous, and then she leaned very close to him, so close he could smell a hint of citrus and orange blossom. Shampoo or fragrance, he didn’t know which.
“They’re not a fashion statement,” she said quietly, tersely. “I need them to see. Now ssshh. We’re interrupting the meeting.”
Why did she say that?
The moment the words left her mouth, Taylor wanted to die of mortification. Ssssh. We’re interrupting the meeting. She sounded like such a fuddy duddy. Like the crabbiest old woman alive.
Like Margaret Houghton, Marietta’s head librarian.
; But Taylor wasn’t Margaret, nor was she crabby. Taylor was an optimist. And a closet romantic. But even optimists and closet romantics had to know when they were out-classed.
Troy wasn’t in her class, or her league, or anything at all that she could be part of.
She and Troy might as well exist on different planets and spheres.
She wasn’t a big city girl. She didn’t like social functions. She loved disappearing into bed with a wonderful story.
And yes, one day she hoped to find true love... that wasn’t in a romance novel... and she was sure, one day, she’d find Mr. Right, and when she did, he would make sense to her, and suit her, and reflect her morals and values.
He’d be a simple man, too. A homebody. A man who loved books and... and....
Taylor frowned.
What else would he love?
Sports? Hiking? Skiing? Mountain climbing?
Her frown deepened.
She didn’t do any of those things. But she did like movies, and she enjoyed some good quality television programs.
She loved B&Bs and scenic drives. She loved visiting historical spots, too, and hoped one day to visit all the national parks in the States.
Surely there was a man out there who’d like her, and want to do those things with her, too.
Surely.
And when she did find him, she’d know he was right. He’d look right. He’d feel right. He’d be right.
Troy had been waiting for the committee meeting to come to an end so he could speak to McKenna. He wanted to come see TJ one night this week while he was home but the moment the meeting did end, McKenna was on her feet and bolting out the door.
Troy tried to follow but Tricia stopped him and asked a question about the suite being donated to the Great Wedding Giveaway for the bridal couple, and by the time he’d answered her question and made it into the hallway, McKenna and TJ were long gone.
He was still standing there, when Paige and Taylor exited the board room, and Taylor locked the Crawford Room door behind her.
“Everything okay?” Taylor asked him, as Louise emerged from the back, turning off lights as she went.
