“What are you saying?”
Mia held her fork in the air, looking sideways at Kylie. “You mean, you never realized it?”
Suddenly, scenes from her childhood began clicking into place, and she was swiftly seeing things in a different light. No wonder her dad always gave in to her demands so easily. They were his ideas in the first place. If she hadn’t loved the man so stinking much, she would have been fuming.
“Darlin’, seeing as how you’re married to a professional head doctor, I would’ve thought you understood all about reverse psychology.”
“Did you catch on to it, too?” Kylie asked her friend.
Mia nodded. “I had my suspicions way back in college. We were all staying at your house for Christmas break once, and you lost your temper with him when he told you he thought you should be an airline pilot or an oil-rig engineer so you could live life in the fast lane and see the world. You know I love you, but sometimes you can get all fired up when people try to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. When you came back downstairs and announced you were going to become an accountant, he waited until you walked out of the room before smiling that big grin of his and telling your mom that at least you would have a career that settles you down and keeps you grounded.”
“Of all the manipulative, underhanded, conniving...”
Freckles interrupted her tirade. “Can you blame the man for wanting what he thought was best for his only daughter? He loves you. And when he requested that song for you and Dr. Gregson at Maxine and Cooper’s reception, I’ve never seen a father more content.”
“That was him?”
Just then, the minihorseshoe wind chimes dinged above the café door, and her husband’s twin walked in with his sons.
“Aunt Kylie,” the boys yelled in unison before running toward her.
“Are we going to another costume party?” Aiden asked. “Is that why you’re wearing that ugly outfit?”
Okay, really, it was not that bad. She thought people would have preferred her dressing like this.
She greeted Luke, then introduced him.
“I haven’t had biscuits and gravy in longer than I can remember.” He smiled his most charming smile at Freckles. “So I thought I’d bring the boys out for breakfast.”
“Well, if your brother thought he could send you in here to smooth talk me out of my secret recipe, he’s got another think coming. Tell him he’ll have to keep bringing me back to teach at those therapy sessions if he wants to learn how to make my gravy.”
Luke laughed, but as much as he resembled his twin, Kylie’s heart didn’t do cartwheels like it did when Drew smiled. “Kids, go find us a good table and look at the menu. I want to talk to your aunt for a sec.”
“Well, I’m late for dance class.” Mia stood abruptly and was out the door before Kylie could yell traitor.
Freckles picked up a coffeepot and moved on to another table, also abandoning her. Kylie squared her shoulders, waiting for the other cleat, or in this case, combat boot, to drop. She’d already found out that her dad had been bamboozling her this whole time. What else was she about to learn?
“You took off so quickly last night, I never did get a chance to thank you for stepping up to the plate and helping out with my children this summer.”
Oh, was that all this was about? She leaned back on her counter stool. “Please. No thanks are necessary. The boys are adorable, and I loved spending time with them.”
“What about their uncle?”
“What about him?”
“Do you think he’s adorable? Did you enjoy spending time with him, too?”
She bit her lip, wondering what his purpose was in asking her such an intimate question.
“Because I’m hoping you did. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Drew can be a little straitlaced.”
She took a sip of her juice. “Yeah, I kind of did notice that.”
“He’s a great listener, but he’s never been the type to open up about his feelings. He doesn’t usually get emotionally invested in people until he has mentally examined the relationship from all angles.”
“So what does this have to do with me?”
“Because with you, he’s not really himself. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was hoping that maybe you could be a voice of reason for him, because I don’t want to see him lose a good thing.”
Was this guy talking in code to her? “A voice of reason? About what?”
“Jeez, infiltrating an enemy camp under heavy fire is easier than communicating with either of you two. Look, you’re an accountant, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, let me break it down for you like this.” He motioned to Freckles to bring him a pen, and then wrote an equation down on her paper napkin. “KYLIE + DREW = A GOOD THING.”
She read the words, and her heart did another cartwheel. But how could her brother-in-law be so sure? “Did he tell you that?”
“He didn’t have to.”
“But you said he’s doesn’t open up about his feelings. If he’s that hard to read, then how do you know?”
“Oh, he’s not that hard for me to read. I’m his twin, remember? Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to go on that camping trip with the boys tomorrow, and Drew is going to be home at the cabin, stewing in his own misery. Alone.”
He picked up a slice of her wheat toast before standing up and giving her one last piece of advice. “But when you stop by to talk some sense into him, maybe don’t wear that outfit.”
Chapter Twelve
There was no point in Kylie staring at her home computer screen any longer. She hadn’t been able to concentrate on any figures this morning. She was tempted to drive into town for another pint of ice cream, but she’d had enough wallowing in misery. Plus, yesterday, the staff at Noodie’s asked her if they could take her picture for their Customer Wall of Fame.
She needed to fix this Drew situation, but she couldn’t let her impulsiveness get her in trouble again.
Kylie waited until she was positive the wilderness-adventure crew had departed before she even let herself think of going to the cabin uninvited.
But it wasn’t as though she needed an invitation. After all, half of the contents of her closet were still there—along with her heart.
She hated variables and uncertainties.
Wait. Why was she hanging back, doing all the wondering? It wasn’t like her to sit by meekly and allow someone else to decide her fate. If he wasn’t at the cabin when she showed up, then she would sit in her car and wait until he got home and confront him. She wanted some definite answers, even if she didn’t like what he had to tell her, and she wasn’t going to let her temper or her pride get in the way of finding out for certain.
She wouldn’t file a tax report without having all the necessary receipts and documentation. So why wouldn’t she run an emotional expense report on her marriage before making a determination of its net worth?
She was going to lay her heart out and demand he do the same. And if their feelings didn’t add up, then she could go her own way knowing that she’d solved the problem to the best of her ability and hadn’t made any incorrect assumptions or jumped to any wrong conclusions.
She pulled out her highest heels and her reddest dress from her walk-in closet, arming herself to conduct the most serious audit of her life. Thank goodness her father had tricked her into becoming a girlie accountant.
* * *
Drew had just dropped Luke and the boys off for their camping trip, but within five minutes of entering the too-quiet cabin, he couldn’t take the solitude.
He was dying to see Kylie and was damn tired of being the patient and rational one. He needed to tell her how he felt. If she laughed in his face or gave him the brush-off, then so be it. At least he could say he’d tried. He’d already put her in enough compromising positions that one more wasn’t going to hurt.
He was halfway out the front door when she pulled up in her new SUV
, the one she’d bought to make all of their lives easier.
How could he not love a woman who would make those kinds of sacrifices for children who weren’t her own? His surprise at seeing her caused him to freeze in the doorway. He should’ve expected her to beat him to the punch, but maybe she was here for another reason—like to pick up her skimpy pajama bottoms and her gardenia body lotion. Well, if that was the case, she was about to get a lot more than that. No more analyzing. He was going to tell her every single thing he’d been thinking since he met her that night in Reno.
“You’re beautiful,” he said the moment she stepped out of her vehicle, holding herself like the Amazon queen he admired. She really did look gorgeous, but then again, she always did, since the first moment he’d seen her.
She looked startled. “What?”
“I said you’re beautiful. I’ve been meaning to tell you that for a long time, but every time I got the chance, I ended up blowing things by rushing you into bed.”
She approached him a bit unsteadily. Maybe it was the heels. “You didn’t rush me...”
“No, wait,” he interrupted, not wanting to revert to his usual role of listener. “Let me say what I’ve been bottling up this whole time. I love you, Kylie, and I don’t want you to move out just because Luke is back. The boys still need you. More important, I still need you. I think my subconscious has known it since that night we got married. When you’re around, I’m not my usual boring uptight self. I feel passion and excitement—as if nothing else matters but us being together. When you left the other night, I wanted to beg you not to go.”
Her steps slowed, as if he’d thrown her off stride. “Then, why didn’t you?”
He stepped off the front porch, finally moving closer to her. “I wanted you to make that decision on your own. I know what it feels like to be unsure about a relationship and have someone try to pin you down and force you to make a choice. I knew that if I tried to make you do something you didn’t want to do, it’d blow up in my face.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly. Hey, maybe this saying-whatever-was-on-his-mind thing was actually working. “Why didn’t you tell me your brother was coming home?”
“Because I didn’t realize it would be so soon. I promise I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. I just needed—wanted—more time to figure out a way to convince you to stay.”
“And you didn’t think about simply asking me?”
“I thought of a hundred different ways to ask you. But every time I had a chance, something else would come up. Even right this second, it’s taking every fragment of self-control I can muster not to take you in my arms and show you exactly what you mean to me.”
She smiled, and it nearly undid him.
“So let me make sure I’ve got all of this straight,” she said. “You love me?”
“Yes.”
“And you want to stay married to me, even though you no longer have to take care of the kids.”
“Yes. However, we would still need to watch the twins for Luke when he goes out of town for training or recruiting assignments.”
“So we would still live here, all together in the cabin?”
He could see her mathematical mind running the details, making sure everything added up. So far, she hadn’t said no. Why hadn’t he just told her all of this in the beginning? He closed the distance between them. “What are you thinking?”
“Fact one. I love you, too,” she said. He closed his eyes, letting her sweet words sink in. “Fact two. The thought of no longer being married to you breaks my heart so badly, Noodie’s Ice Cream Shoppe would have to open a second location to handle my orders alone. Fact three. I’m kind of getting used to this aunt gig and wouldn’t mind spending more time with your family. And taking care of the twins any chance we get.”
What? No. She couldn’t actually mean she wanted to live permanently with his brother and nephews. He stroked her cheek, letting his other hand graze her waist. The nearer he got to her, the more his rational thought process diminished. Which was the only explanation he could muster for why he was about to resort to unconventional tactics.
“Hmm. I was thinking living here would probably be easiest for you. I mean, you wouldn’t want me moving into your private lakefront condo. It would be too peaceful, too romantic.”
“Saint Drew, are you trying to use reverse psychology on me?”
“Well, your dad told me it would work.”
Kylie rolled her eyes. “Don’t even get me started on that man. I’ve got years of grief to get back at him for.”
Drew laughed and gave in to his urge to pull her into his arms. “Let me know if you need any help planning your psychological warfare. Remember, we’re in this together.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pressed his lips to hers, finally sealing their words with a kiss.
* * * * *
Don’t miss Mia’s story, FROM DARE TO DUE DATE, the next installment in Christy Jeffries’s new miniseries
SUGAR FALLS, IDAHO available soon, wherever Harlequin Books and ebooks are sold.
Keep reading for an excerpt from A VALENTINE FOR THE VETERINARIAN by Katie Meyer.
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A Valentine for the Veterinarian
by Katie Meyer
Chapter One
“Grace, you just saved my life. How can I ever repay you?”
The woman behind the counter rolled her eyes. “It’s just coffee, Dr. Marshall, not the fountain of youth. If you leave a few coins in the tip jar, we’ll call it even.”
Cassie clutched the cardboard cup like a lifeline, inhaling the rich aroma. “I had an emergency call last night, ended up performing a C-section on a schnauzer at three a.m., and then was double-booked all day. So right now your caffeinated nectar is my only hope of making it through the meeting I’m going to.” She paid for her coffee and took a cautious sip of the scalding brew. “You’re my hero.”
“That kind of flattery will get you the last cinnamon scone, if you want it.”
“Have I ever turned down a free baked good?” Cassie accepted the small white bag with the proffered pastry. “Thanks. This ought to keep me out of trouble until I can get some dinner.”
“Speaking of trouble, here comes that new sheriff’s deputy. I’d be willing to break a few rules if it would get him to notice me.” Grace craned her neck to see more clearly out the curtained front window. “Don’t you think he looks like a man who could handle my rebellious side?”
Cassie nearly spit out her coffee. If Grace Keville, sole proprietor of Sandcastle Bakery, had a rebellious side, she’d kept it well hidden. Even after a full day of baking and serving customers, she looked prim and proper in a crisp pastel blouse and tailored pants. From her lacy apron to her dainty bun, she was the epitome of order and discipline. Not to mention she was happily married and the mother of three. “You’ve never rebelled a day in your life.”
Grace sniffed. “Maybe not, but that man makes me consider it. Hard.”
Rebellion wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She’d been there, done that, and had considerably more than a T-shirt to show for it. She started to say as much, but stopped at the jingle of the door chimes behind her. Turning at the sound, she caught her breath at the sight of the intense man heading toward her
with long, ground-eating strides.
No wonder Grace was infatuated. The man looked like he’d just stepped out of a Hollywood action movie rather than the quiet streets of Paradise, Florida. Thick, dark hair framed a chiseled face with just a hint of five-o’clock shadow. His eyes were the exact color of the espresso that scented the air, and reflected a focus that only men in law enforcement seemed to have. Even without the uniform she’d have known him for a cop. Sexy? Sure. But still a cop. And she’d had her fill of those.
“I’m here to pick up an order. Should be under Santiago.”
Grace grabbed a large box from the top of a display case. “I’ve got it right here—an assortment of cookies, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What, no doughnuts?” Uh-oh, did she say that out loud?
He gave Cassie a long look before quirking up one side of his mouth. “Sorry to ruin the stereotype.”
Grace glared at Cassie before attempting to smooth things over. “Deputy Santiago, I’m Grace. I’m the one you spoke to earlier on the phone. And this is Dr. Cassie Marshall, our resident veterinarian.”
“Nice to meet you Grace, Dr. Marshall.” He nodded at each in turn. “And off duty it’s Alex, please.” He smiled then, a real smile, and suddenly the room was too warm, too charged, for comfort. The man’s smile was as lethal as the gun strapped to his hip—more potent than any Taser. Unsettled by her instant response, Cassie headed for the door. It wasn’t like her to speak without thinking; she needed to get out of there before she embarrassed herself more than she already had.
“Let me get that.” He reached the door before her, balancing the large cookie box in one hand and pulling open the door with the other. After her own snide comment, his politeness poked at her conscience.
“Sorry about the doughnut remark.” There, her conscience was clear.
“I’ve heard worse.” His expression hardened for a minute. “Don’t worry about it.”
Waking Up Wed Page 19
