Miranda scooted close enough to touch Nick again, the strong scent of her perfume wafting past him. She lightly touched his arm with her hand and said, “I can’t possibly eat an entire dessert by myself.” Her fingers slid up his arm. “We can share.”
Nick just had to keep thinking about the kids and how Miranda’s donation would help them. The woman was completely opposite of what Nick found attractive in a woman. Fidelity being one of the most attractive attributes on his list.
Nick reached for the closest dessert on the table and set it in between the two of them. He didn’t have much of an appetite and longed for the evening to end.
“Kara, would you like anything?” Nick asked.
Kara, who was slung back in her seat and tracing her finger over the tablecloth pattern, let out an elongated breath. “Nothing. Thanks.” She looked at her watch. “What time does our plane leave?”
Alec chuckled. “Not soon enough, sweetheart.”
You’re telling me Nick thought as he took a fork and cut into the cheesecake. It felt like this dinner party would never end. To make matters worse, Ellie had been gone for a week, making time pass slowly. She should be home sometime this evening—he couldn’t wait to see her again.
Alec stood up and walked around the dining room, admiring a snowcapped photo of the Rocky Mountains. Annette, his interior designer, had accomplished a lot, and the house felt more and more like home—except for these people in it.
Nick heard the sound of a lawnmower. The Colemans still hadn’t returned, but their lawn had been taken care of the day before. Owen cut his grass a couple of days ago. Hope burned inside his chest. Maybe Ellie was home. Hers was the only lawn left.
Alec heard the noise and wandered out of the dining room. Not long after, he let out an elongated wolf-whistle. Kara’s eyebrow rose, a wry grin spread across her face as she left to find Alec.
Nick could only imagine who Alec had just whistled at, and he wasn’t about to be left alone with Miranda. He stood up abruptly, nearly knocking the chair over. “I just need to keep an eye on Alec.” He smiled through his gritted teeth. “You never know what he might do to my nice neighbors.”
Scowling, Miranda stood and followed Nick into the living room. Kara sat in a wingback chair, twirling her necklace. Alec stood in front of the big picture window, looking directly at the Colonial house across the street. That could mean only one thing: Ellie was home.
Chapter Ten
Glad to be home, Ellie turned into the cul-de-sac and pulled into her driveway. Right away, she noticed two things: First, the neighborhood had definitely settled down. The only van sitting in Nick’s driveway had Josiah’s Catering painted on the side. Next to his Denali was a black BMW. Second, her parents’ yard looked horrible. When was the last time she’d mowed the lawn?
Cade was tired, but she hadn’t let him fall asleep. She’d kept a running conversation all the way down the mountain. She glanced in the rearview mirror and said, “Look, sweetie, we’re home.”
“Finally,” Cade muttered. Poor kid. The condo had been fun, but he’d missed all of his toys. “Can I play with my Legos?” His voice finally sounded perky.
“Sure.” She cut the engine. “But please take in your backpack.”
Cade climbed out of his booster seat and gathered up his backpack and blanket. He raced to the front door and twisted the knob, trying to get in the house. While he continued trying to turn the knob, Ellie grabbed their duffel bags and shut the car door with her hip. “Hang on, kiddo. I’ve got the keys.”
After she let him in, she paused at the doorway, her eyes sliding over to Nick’s house. Who was he entertaining? Her guess was one of the many gorgeous women he had at his fingertips. One thing her time way had given her was a reality check. Nick Coulter was a nice guy and a nice neighbor.
He couldn’t possibly be anything else.
As she closed the door, her stomach growled. Betsy and Owen were gone for the evening, so unless Ellie crossed the street and begged for Nick’s leftovers, she was going to have to cook.
She slipped off her flip-flops, her bare feet sinking into the lush carpet as she went to find Cade. She leaned against the wall and found him sitting happily in front of the television, watching SpongeBob and playing with Legos. “Cade, are you hungry yet?”
He shook his head, zoning out on the TV screen. “Not yet.”
Pushing away from the wall, she went into the kitchen. If he wasn’t hungry, she better get started on the lawn. Needing a few carbs, she rummaged around in the pantry until she found a bag of Cadbury eggs. Opening the bag, she reached in and grabbed a few, popping one in her mouth. As the chocolate melted on her tongue, she put on her old tennis shoes she used for yard work.
Before stepping outside, she thought about changing her clothes. What if Nick came out to talk to her? She glanced down at the faded jeans and the fitted white T-shirt she wore. There was already a small ketchup stain on the front of her shirt and she figured changing into another one would only add to her mounting pile of laundry.
“Cade.” She paused at the doorway. “I’m going to be outside mowing the lawn. If you need me, just come out front.”
This time he slanted a glance at her and smiled. “Okay.” He gave her the thumbs up.
Grinning, she went outside to find the mower. With her iPod playing Phillip Jacobs, she easily started the mower. A couple of minutes later, she was fully absorbed in making sure the diagonal lines were perfectly matched. The bag filled quickly, so she shut down the mower to empty the grass clippings. She struggled to keep the trash can lid open.
“Need some help?” someone asked, making her nearly drop the bag of grass.
She looked up, appalled to see she had an audience. Nick and his guests stood on the edge of his front yard, staring at her. From the look of the crowd gathered, they probably didn’t know people who actually cut their own grass.
Nick smiled at her, his hands in his pockets, looking extremely handsome. He was surrounded by a couple of gorgeous women who looked like they were sneering. The other good-looking man Ellie recognized from television. Alec Lawson, was it?
Nick started toward her and Ellie took out the ear buds, hoping she didn’t look as bad as she felt. She hadn’t showered before mowing the lawn. What was the point of looking good while doing yard work?
“Sorry. Did I disturb your party?”
“Of course not.” Concern flashed in his eyes. “My guests and I were done with dinner.” His eyes crinkled and he gave her a soft smile. “I told my associates how nice all the neighbors have been to me and they wanted to meet you.”
The warmth in his eyes made her stomach quiver. It had been so long since seeing him last, and he looked good.
Mr. Lawson moved forward, pulling Ellie’s gaze from Nick. The guy was gorgeous with smoldering eyes and a rakish smile. His brown eyes slowly scanned the length of her. “Nick does have nice neighbors.” He offered his hand to Ellie. “I’m Alec, Nick’s business manager.”
Feeling her face go hot, she shook his hand. “I’m Ellie. It’s nice to meet you.” Alec kept a firm grasp, his eyes dipping down again. Was he looking at the stain or something else? He just went from gorgeous to creepy.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie noticed the muscle in Nick’s jaw tense as his eyes followed his agent’s movements. She withdrew her hand and placed it at her side, tempted to wipe it across her pant leg.
“The pleasure’s all mine, Ellie,” Alec said, his eyes coming back up to meet hers.
Uncomfortable with the look in Alec’s eyes, she shifted her gaze to Nick. He scowled at his manager and almost looked…jealous?
A stunning woman, wearing a formfitting gold dress, laced her arm through Nick’s, demanding his attention. Nick’s eyes locked on Ellie before he tore his gaze away and offered the woman a tightlipped smile.
The woman peered adoringly into Nick’s eyes. “Nicky, I hate to leave you in this simple town.” She slanted a glance at Ellie, who und
erstood she was the simple part. “When you’re in L.A. again, I insist on you staying with me.”
Nicky? Was this his girlfriend?
Nick gave a light laugh and pulled slightly away. “Sorry, Miranda, but if I’m in California, my mother would kill me if I didn’t stay with her.”
Miranda pouted and glared at Ellie.
Then as if remembering himself, Nick straightened and said, “Forgive me for not introducing you. Ellie, this is Miranda Hawkins. She and her husband are generous contributors for Kids Come First.”
Was it Ellie’s imagination or had Miranda just frowned at the mention of her husband?
Nick motioned with his hand to the redhead wearing a very immodest dress and a smirk on her pretty face “This is Miranda’s friend, Kara…” He paused, clearly not knowing the woman’s last name.
She smiled and filled in the blank. “Worthington.”
Ellie’s eyes flitted back and forth between the two women and felt shabby in her jeans and T-shirt. “It’s nice to meet both of you.” Neither woman replied.
Okay, the shows over. Ellie reached down to lift the grass bag. “I better finish—”
Alec took a step forward. “Ellie, would you like me to hold the trashcan lid open for you?”
Nick’s eyes narrowed, the muscle in his jaw clenched tight. “Alec, I don’t want you to miss your flight. Traffic can sometimes be horrendous.”
Alec looked at his watch. “I’ve got time.”
Cade chose that moment to make an appearance. “Mom, can you make me Mac and Cheese? I’m hungry.”
“I’ll be right there, sweetie.” Ellie looked over her shoulder, hoping Cade would stay inside. If she remembered correctly, the shirt he wore had cherry Icee stains on the front.
Miranda’s plump lips curved up into a condescending smile. “How sweet. You’re a mommy.”
Her sugary delivered sarcasm rankled Ellie. “Thank you. I’m lucky to have seven healthy children.” She grinned wickedly. “They keep me so busy that mowing the lawn is actually the highlight of my week.” The woman gasped at the outrageous number Ellie had just lied about. Nick looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
“Well, I better get inside to feed my crew. If they get too hungry, it can get really ugly.” Ellie took a step backward. “Nice to meet you all.” Abandoning the lawn mower, she held her head high and marched back inside her house.
Just before she closed the door, Alec said, “Man, she’s pretty hot for having that many kids.”
Once inside the house, Ellie leaned back against the closed door and let out a big breath. Was that the kind of woman Nick liked? If that was the pond he fished in, no wonder he was still single.
Feeling a little grumpy, Ellie went to the kitchen, filled a pan with water, and placed it on the stove to boil. She opened a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and dumped the pasta in the water. As she stirred the noodles, she wondered if Nick’s friends were still outside. Then she wondered why she even cared. He obviously lived in a different world. How long before he grew tired of Pleasant Wood and moved on?
As she finished making Cade his dinner, she also wondered if Nick Coulter was still willing to take them to Disneyland. After meeting his peers, it seemed even more ridiculous than before.
Cade was tired and had gone a week without watching SpongeBob, so she allowed him to eat in front of the television. She felt guilty about his dinner and promised to make him a smoothie after she finished mowing the lawn. Nick and his friends were not going to stop her from doing her yard work.
Before going back outside, she got herself a tall glass of ice water. She had guzzled it halfway when she heard the sound of a lawnmower engine. Placing the glass on the counter, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and went out front to see Nick Coulter mowing her lawn. He wore basketball shorts, a snug T-shirt and had a ball cap on backwards. Emotions whirled inside her stomach like the inside of a smoothie maker. The man was too gorgeous… well, for a man.
It didn’t take him long to fill the bag. She silently watched him as he hefted it over to the trash can and dumped the grass clippings inside it. Just when she thought she had finally figured him out, he had to go and do something nice again.
The trashcan lid slammed shut and he lifted his eyes. A slow smile tipped one side of his mouth. “Hi.”
Good heavens. The man’s smile positively made her knees weak. “What’re you doing?”
He cut the engine to the lawnmower and brushed his hands against his shorts as he walked toward her. “Mowing your lawn.”
“I can see that. The question is why?”
“Because I wanted to.” He paused just below the porch step. “And my guests were rude to you and I don’t want that to ruin our friendship.”
He didn’t want to ruin their friendship? Swallowing, she glanced across the street and noticed his car was the only one parked in the driveway. “So they’re gone?”
“Yes. I really am sorry.” His voice was soft and sincere. “They were getting ready to leave and Alec insisted on meeting you.”
“Me?” She laughed out loud. “Why on earth would he want to meet me?”
Nick’s eyes darkened. “Because, Ellie Garrett, you are a very beautiful woman.”
Uh huh. Like she could compete with the women from Hollywood. She looked down at her faded jeans and the white T-shirt that now had a couple of grass stains on the front. “Yeah. I look stunning right now,” she said dryly.
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “That’s what Alec thought.”
Remembering how Alec had looked her over made her squirm. She shoved the tips of her fingers into her jean pockets. “Does he come around very often?”
Nick’s mouth lifted at the corner. “Only when he has to. But I promise the next time he comes, I’ll personally hire six siblings for Cade and let them all run wildly through my house.”
Ellie giggled. “I’m sorry I lied, but she was so obnoxious.” Then she sobered and tipped her head to one side. “Are you dating her?”
Nick pulled a face that looked like Cade being asked to eat cauliflower. “What? No! Of course not.” He put his hands on his hips. “You really think I would date someone like her?”
No. Typically he dated young, beautiful women. She shrugged. “I guess not.”
He squinted, his mouth compressed into a thin line. “I don’t date married women.”
What about previously married women? “I forgot you mentioned she had a husband.”
“Unfortunately, Miranda likes to forget she has a husband also.” He pulled his ball cap off and then slapped it back on the right way. “She has a thing for me, but I’ve never encouraged her.”
Poor guy. If only he knew how many women had a thing for him. She fidgeted uneasily because she just might be one of them. “I’m sure you haven’t.” She stepped off the porch and walked past him. “I’ll take over the yard now.”
For someone so big, he moved pretty fast. “No. I’ll finish it.” He took a hold of the handle possessively.
“You don’t have to do that.” She grabbed onto the handle and nudged him out of the way with her hip. “I can do it myself, Nicky.” She shouldn’t have added that last part. It made her sound jealous.
He didn’t budge. Ellie raised her eyes and watched as a slow smile curved his mouth. “It’s Nick.” He placed his hand over hers. “I know you can do it, but I want to do this for you.”
Ellie wanted to argue, but she was rendered speechless. In fact, she might not even be breathing. How could one touch from this man make her whole body feel like it was on fire? She stepped away from him just so she could think again.
“Really, you don’t—”
“Nick!” Cade shouted, cutting off Ellie’s protest as he raced across the yard. “I missed you.” He threw his little arms around Nick’s bare leg, covered in dark hair.
Something tugged at Ellie’s heart at the glow of pleasure shining in Nick’s eyes. “Hey, Cade.” He pa
tted him on the head. “I missed you too.”
Cade tipped his face up to the football player. “Can you play?”
Nick’s eyes flickered over to look at Ellie and his mouth lifted into an overconfident grin. “Not right now. I’m going to finish mowing the lawn for your mom.”
Ellie didn’t refute the offer this time. It would be pointless. “Thank you.” Her heart melted at the tenderness Nick showed her son.
Cade grabbed a hold of Nick’s hand and started jumping up and down. “My mom said when she finished the lawn she would make me a smoothie.” Cade looked up at Ellie. “Can you make one for Nick too?”
Two sets of blue eyes were focused on her, waiting for her reply. She moistened her lips and nervously settled her gaze on Nick, trying to see if he was okay with the invitation. He almost looked more hopeful than Cade. “Sure. If he wants to.”
Another grin crept across his face. “As soon as I’m done, I’ll take a quick shower and come right over.”
Ellie wanted to rescind the invite when she remembered how messy her house was. Plus, she still had to take a shower. “Okay. We’ll see you soon.”
She figured she had approximately forty-five minutes to clean up and get ready. As the lawnmower started up again, she slipped inside her house, feeling an unexpected surge of happiness.
And hope.
* * *
The doorbell sounded just as Ellie wiped down the countertop. She tossed the paper towel in the trash and glanced at the clock. If that was Nick at the door, he’d finished the lawn and showered in record-breaking time. Only thirty minutes had passed since she’d dashed into the house. It was a good thing she’d showered first. Although her hair was slightly damp, at least she had on clean clothes and had touched up her makeup.
She tugged on the bottom of another one of her new T-shirts as she crossed the kitchen floor. Cade beat her to the door, opened it and launched himself against Nick’s jean-clad leg.
“Hey, Cade.” Nick’s eyes slid over to look at Ellie. “Hi.”
Every time he did that, her heart fluttered, making her breath catch. “Hello.” She wondered if she should peel her son off of his leg. “Cade, will you please run upstairs and put on your pajamas? When you come back we can make smoothies together.”
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