Looking at Quino, she wished she could be the petite blonde for him. Like her mother or her sisters, all three of whom she knew would be enamored with this hot cowboy. She remembered from the author picture on the book jacket of Her One and Only that Destiny, too, was a petite blonde. Oh, no, what if Destiny had a thing for Quino? If Savy showed up as his girlfriend, it could ruin everything.
“Um, is there any chance that Destiny is interested in you as more than her riding buddy?” Savy asked as they walked back outside.
Quino looked at her. He slapped his hat on his head and gave her side-eye as if she was a few sandwiches shy of a picnic. “She’s old enough to be my mom.”
“So what? A lot of older women fancy having a younger man,” she said. “I mean, she’s Destiny Swann—why would she settle for some shriveled-up prune of a man with no stamina when she could have you?”
He pushed his hat back and grinned at her. “So, you think I have stamina, huh?”
Savy felt her cheeks get warm but she refused to engage in fluffing his ego. “Well, duh. But more important, Destiny probably thinks you’re her young stud and she won’t appreciate having me show up. Maybe we should say I’m your cousin.”
Quino shook his head. “No, you’re my special lady friend, and I’ll tell you why. Destiny has been trying to set me up with every young woman she thinks is worthy of me for the past three years. It would do me a great service to have her think I’ve finally met someone special so she can stand down with the matchmaking.”
“So, you have an ulterior motive for having me come with you,” she said. She nodded. “Now it’s all coming into focus.”
“Is it?” he asked. They were stalled on his front porch while they hashed this out. He tilted his head back and looked up. There above them was a small bough of mistletoe.
Savy narrowed her eyes. “Was that here the other day?”
He shrugged. “I don’t remember.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Aw, come here, Red,” he said. “How about a quick smooch for good luck?”
“Incorrigible,” she said. “That’s how I would describe you if anyone asked.”
He put his hands on her hips and pulled her in close but not so close as to be touching. Savy acknowledged her disappointment but didn’t press to be closer.
“I would prefer irresistible,” he said. And then he kissed her.
It was swift and sweet, over before she even registered his mouth on hers. And then he was letting her go. He plucked a berry and handed it to her and then turned and walked down the steps toward the waiting horse trailer.
Savy scrambled after him, wondering how he could be so casual. Did he not feel the pull between them that she felt? Yeah, sure, she had slammed on the brakes, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the longing. Maybe Joaquin Solis was more of a player than she was prepared to handle. She supposed she should consider it lucky that she’d put a stop to their shenanigans when she did. Weirdly, she didn’t feel lucky. She felt gypped.
She hurried after him, feeling as if she was leaving her wits behind her along with her outfits in the house. When they arrived at the truck, Luke was just loading a pretty bay horse into the trailer. She was dainty and she tossed her head, but he patted her neck and soothed her. Another horse was already in the trailer and together Quino and Luke closed the back and secured it.
“Thanks, Luke. I’ll be back at the usual time,” Quino said.
Luke glanced up at the sky. “Looks like snow might be coming in later.”
“I’ll keep an eye,” Quino said.
“Bye, Luke,” Savy said.
“See ya, Savannah,” he said. He got a funny look on his face and Savy followed the direction of his gaze, which was riveted on her gingerbread man sweater. “He’s corrupted you, hasn’t he?” He shook his head as if this were a tragedy of epic proportions.
“Do me a solid, and do not tell a soul that you ever saw me in anything like this,” she said. “My reputation would be shredded.”
“Which is what should be done with that sweater,” Luke said. Savy laughed and held up a hand for a high five.
“Hey, I like the gingerbread man sweater,” Quino said. “It’s cute.”
Savy and Luke exchanged a look. Clearly Quino was beyond help.
“Fear not, your secret is safe with me,” Luke said. He tipped his hat at Savy and turned and headed for the barn.
“I do not understand why everyone disses my sweaters,” Quino said. He shouted after Luke, “Have you people no holiday cheer?”
Luke ignored him and Quino shook his head. He opened the passenger door for Savy and when she climbed in, he shut it and circled around the truck to slide into the driver’s seat.
He fired up the truck and tapped on the CD player. Savy was not the least bit surprised when Christmas music flooded the cab of the truck. It was a Harry Connick Jr. compilation that Quino sang along with, and as they rolled through the tall trees even she started to hum some of the standards. She could almost feel a happiness fill her as she listened to his deep voice croon the words, but she shut it down. She was not going to get swept up in holiday silliness. She was on a mission. She needed to focus.
When there was a pause between songs, she lowered the volume and said, “Okay, tell me everything you know about Destiny, so I can figure out how to play this today.”
“No,” he said.
“What?”
“She’s my friend,” he said. “If she likes you, she’ll do what you ask, and if she doesn’t she won’t, but I’m not going to reveal all of her personal stuff so you can bend her to your will.”
“But . . .” she protested.
“Nope.”
Savy gave him a disgusted look as he turned up the music and began to sing. This was not at all how she’d expected this to go. He was supposed to be helping her plot and plan. Sheesh, if she had to rely on her personality, this whole thing could blow up in her face. She frowned. Well, she’d show him. She’d charm the pants off Destiny and there’d be a signing at the bookstore and it would be amazing.
They drove in silence the rest of the way with Quino singing and Savy fuming. When he turned off the main road and onto a long winding drive on the outskirts of Asheville, Savy sat up. She had heard that Destiny Swann’s home, Windemere Manor, was something right out of a Gothic novel and she was eager to see it.
The trees lining the drive were bare of leaves, the day was still overcast, and it took them a while before the drive turned around a thick row of poplars and gave way to one of the most breathtaking buildings Savy had ever seen.
Windemere Manor was a Federal-style mansion, with massive columns supporting the roof, that perched above the two stories that each boasted floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors and wraparound porches. With a cupola and dormer windows popping out of the roof, it looked like a massive wedding cake perched in front of a large pond that had a spout of water shooting up out of the middle of it.
Savy could picture dark storm clouds looming above and a heroine in a gossamer dress, running from the manor as if in flight for her life. It was beautiful and stately, but also cold and severe. A perfect home for a romance novelist.
“Whoa,” she breathed, wondering not for the first time if maybe she was in over her head.
Chapter Fifteen
AS they drove between the pond and the house, Savy gawked out the window. Blue smoke wafted from one of the mansion’s chimneys and scented the air with the fragrance of burning wood. Lights were on in the downstairs windows but the upstairs remained dark.
“Does she live here alone?” Savy asked.
“No, she has a cook, a housekeeper, and a groundskeeper who also works as her handyman. They’ve all been with her for years and they live in the manor, too. On the third floor, I think,” he said.
Savy glanced up at the row of dormer windo
ws. The place was big enough that they all probably had a suite to themselves. Amazing. It was like falling back in time. She glanced at the mountains surrounding them. She was certain she’d go crazy being this cut off from the world.
Quino drove the truck around the house and down a narrow road until they reached a big gray barn and paddock in the back. Savy glanced back to see an immaculate lawn with an in-ground swimming pool and a massive terrace between them and the house. This property was immense. She could see empty garden beds encircling the enormous yard and she wondered what this place looked like in the spring. She was betting it was beautiful.
Quino parked and hopped out of the truck. Savy popped out on her side and asked, “Can I help you?”
He pointed to the paddock and said, “If you could open the gate, that’d be great.”
She hurried to unlatch the gate and then swung it wide, holding it open as he led first one horse, which she recognized as his horse, Daisy, and then Cocoa, who was to be Destiny’s ride. Quino let the horses run into the paddock and then signaled for Savy to close the gate. While she did, he took his phone out.
He held it to his ear and Savy listened when he spoke, hoping she’d get something to work with when she met Destiny.
“Hi, Genevieve,” he said.
Darn it, that was Destiny’s dragon of an assistant. Savy hadn’t really thought about encountering her. What would she say?
“The horses are just stretching,” he said. “I’ll get them saddled and set to go if Destiny’s about ready.” There was a pause as he listened. Then he said, “Perfect.”
He ended the call and put his phone back. He looked at Savy and said, “She’ll be here in fifteen minutes. Want to help me saddle up?”
“Sure,” she said.
She followed him to the trailer and helped him carry the tack to the paddock rails. She watched as he saddled and bridled the pretty bay.
“Good girl, Cocoa, there’s a pretty girl,” he said.
Savy was not as versed in horse expressions as she’d like to be, but she was certain she wasn’t imagining the flirtatious eye Cocoa was giving Joaquin. In fact, when she nudged him with her nose and he chuckled, Savy knew it for sure.
“Did you always want to work with horses?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “I wanted to be an engineer. I was enrolled part-time at the University of Texas for engineering, which is where I met Ryder.”
“Hook ’em horns,” she said. He grinned.
“I was working construction to pay my tuition and we were on the same crew,” he continued. “But then my parents were killed, and I came back to take care of Desi.”
“And when she was better, you never went back to school?” she asked.
His voice when he spoke was hesitant. “Desi needed a lot of care in the beginning. There just wasn’t time and then, well, life moves on, doesn’t it?”
Savy didn’t know what to say. She realized that standing in front of her was likely one of the best men she’d ever met. An older brother who gave up his life so that his sister could have a better shot at hers.
He glanced over her shoulder and said, “Get ready. Here they come.”
Savy started. She turned and glanced at the house. A jaunty little golf cart was zipping across the lawn, coming at them at a clip. Inside the covered cart, Savy could just make out a woman in an English-style riding outfit and beside her was a dark-haired woman in a tweed suit. Given that the rider had to be Destiny, that meant the suit was Genevieve. Great.
The cart stopped beside Quino’s truck and Savy expected a woman of an advanced age to gingerly climb out of the cart. Instead, Destiny sprang out of her side while the dark-haired woman switched off the engine and stepped out as well. Genevieve was wearing a darling pair of dark brown boots that went well with the tweed skirt, which matched her jacket. She had a beautiful beige cashmere scarf around her neck and dark-brown leather gloves.
“Quino, darling, so good to see you,” Destiny cried. She rolled up on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“You, too, Destiny, and as usual, you look stunning,” he said.
Destiny waved a dismissive hand, but Savy could tell she was pleased by the compliment. She looked Quino over and said, “I would say the same about you but that sweater is an absolute horror.”
Genevieve laughed and said, “I like it. It suits him.”
“Thank you,” he said. She kissed his cheek, too, and Savy felt an inexplicable twisting feeling in her gut that she feared was jealousy. Which was ridiculous because number one, she didn’t get jealous and number two, well, there was no number two. She didn’t get jealous. Period. So what the heck was this? Indigestion, she decided.
“Well, today I have company in my love of holiday sweater cheer,” Quino said. He held out a hand to Savy and she stepped forward. “I’d like you both to meet my friend Savannah Wilson. Savy, this is Destiny Swann and Genevieve Spencer.”
Destiny clapped her gloved hands together. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
Quino grinned and asked, “That Savy and I are a couple? Yes, it does.”
“Oh, my dear.” Destiny grabbed Savy’s hands in hers and squeezed them tight. “I am delighted to meet you.”
“Thank you, but it’s me who is delighted to meet you,” Savy said. “I am a huge fan of your work.”
She could feel Genevieve staring at her, and when she glanced her way the woman had one eyebrow up as if assessing Savy’s sincerity. Destiny continued to hold her hands and Savy wasn’t sure what to do, so she decided to pour it on thick.
“I just finished reading Her One and Only and, oh, wow, it was so perfect. I just loved it,” she gushed. “Although, I did tell my friend that you really set the bar pretty high with Tag McAllister. I mean, what man could live up to that guy? He is completely swoon-worthy.”
“Ahem.” Quino cleared his throat and Savy turned to look at him. He had his eyebrows raised and she laughed.
“Sorry,” she said. “But Tag is . . .”
“Uh-huh,” he said. He looked at Destiny and said, “Tell her you modeled him after me.”
Destiny glanced between them and laughed. She looked delighted. She let go of Savy and clasped her hands in front of her. “You two have such spark. This is simply delightful.”
Upon closer inspection, Destiny looked more like she was fifty instead of seventy, which, according to her biography, was her actual age. Her hair was a glorious shade of platinum blond. Her face was slightly lined but not tight. She still had a fluidity of expression and she was tall and thin, although not as tall as Savy. When she smiled at them, she positively beamed, and it occurred to Savy that the thing that made her appear more youthful than her age was that she just seemed happy.
“The horses are ready when you are, Destiny,” Quino said.
Destiny looked at him and said, “Of course, poor dears, mustn’t keep them waiting.”
Quino escorted Destiny into the paddock and Savy turned to Genevieve. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”
“Likewise,” Genevieve said. “It’s nice to put a face to all the flowers, chocolates, and the amazing balloon-o-gram.”
The woman turned and walked back to her golf cart. Savy felt her heart sink. She had a feeling everything was about to explode on her. Genevieve fired up the cart and drove back to the manor, leaving Savy to watch as Quino gave Destiny a leg up onto her saddle.
She leaned against the rail and watched as he swung up into the saddle with ease. He rode Western style, all loose-legged and stirrups long, while Destiny was English style with stirrups high and knees in tight. Before they rode off, Quino rode over to her and leaned low in his saddle and planted a kiss on Savy that was swift but no less intense for its brevity.
He winked at her and said, “I would never ride off without kissing my girl.”
It was ridi
culous, but Savy felt her heart flutter in her chest. What would it be like to be his girl for real? She knew better than to dwell on what couldn’t be. She was leaving. His life was here. This was why she’d allowed herself that one night with him so that she didn’t have to wonder what it would be like. But now, unfortunately, she knew, and when he kissed her, it all came back and she felt a longing for this man that hit her low and deep.
“Don’t stay out here in the cold,” he said. He fished out his keys and handed them to her. “There’s a fleece blanket in the truck if you get cold, or you can wait for us up at the house.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I’m not cold. The humiliation of wearing this sweater is keeping me plenty warm.”
He laughed and Savy smiled. It felt good to make him laugh. He wheeled Daisy around and they trotted across the paddock to meet up with Destiny. She seemed to handle Cocoa just fine, and Savy watched as they looped the corral a few times before Quino dismounted and opened the far gate. The two of them set off across the fields and Savy climbed into the truck and wrapped herself up in the big red fleece while she awaited their return.
She took out her phone and checked her messages. There was nothing urgent. She decided to tease Archer and texted a picture of herself in the hideous sweater. His response was immediate.
What is that?
My Christmas sweater, she texted back.
That’s it! You have to come back to NY. You’ve clearly lost your mind. She could hear the hysteria even in his text.
What if I told you I was at Destiny Swann’s house right now?
Shut up!
I am! Calling you right now.
Savy closed her text window and opened her contacts. Archer popped up first and she pressed his number and waited for him to pick up.
The Christmas Keeper Page 19
