Helen Lacey - Marriage Under the Mistletoe

“And thanks so much for your help with the caterers,” Callie said. “I can’t believe we’ve managed to organize all this in a little over a month. You’re a genius. And a good friend.”

“It’s a special day,” Evie said, and grinned. “And I like planning things.”

“Fortunately for me.”

“It will be a perfect evening,” she assured her, sensing a few bride-to-be nerves in the usually composed Callie. “My brother’s a lucky man.”

Callie smiled dreamily. “I’m the lucky one.”

The stab of envy returned and Evie squashed it down in a hurry. She wouldn’t begrudge Callie her happiness. “You’re both lucky. So are the kids.”

Her friend looked radiant. Have I ever looked like that?

Yes, of course. Absolutely. Without a doubt.

She’d loved Gordon since she was seventeen years old. He’d been her first kiss, first lover...her only lover. They’d shared dreams, values and the joy of raising their young son. And something else, a bond between two people so in tune with each other’s thoughts, so completely at ease with each other it was as if they were halves of the same whole. And Evie didn’t expect to ever have that again. And she wasn’t about to throw herself out there looking for it.

Evie settled her gaze on Scott again, and her pulse quickened. It’s just physical. But despite the warning bells going off in her head, the attraction she felt for him suddenly poleaxed her.

Sex clouded judgments, right? Sex made people do crazy things. Inappropriate things. She had no illusions. Fantasies about a man nine years her junior were completely off the Richter scale in the good-sense department. Of course he wouldn’t be interested in her. He’d have his pick. And he certainly wouldn’t choose a thirty-six-year-old single mother well past her prime.

Besides, he was a firefighter. And men with dangerous occupations had no place in her life. She’d already lost one man to the elements. She wasn’t about to start fantasizing about a man who chose to run into burning buildings.

That settled, Evie announced she had a B and B to run and excused herself. She was quietly relieved when Scott arranged to leave with his sister and Noah. She told him she’d left a spare key on the armoire in the guest bedroom and said goodbye to her brother and Callie before returning downstairs.

She had a lot of work to do. And a gorgeous man she had to get out of her head. Somehow.

Chapter Three

Scott spent most of the day with his sister. Callie’s property, Sandhills Farm, was a few minutes out of Crystal Point. The For Sale sign out front was new and Callie explained how she had plans to relocate her horse riding school to Noah’s larger property within the coming months.

“It’s a big move,” she said as they walked up through the stables. “But I’ve only ten acres here and I can easily take about twenty acres at Noah’s. Plus, I don’t want to be commuting every day and I want my horses close to me. I’m working on the house renovations now and will try to find a tenant if it doesn’t sell quickly.”

Scott didn’t think she’d have a problem finding a buyer. Sandhills Farm was an impressive setup for any equestrian enthusiast, with its stable complex, round yards and sand arena. “So, you’re happy?”

Callie’s eyes opened wide. “Blissfully,” she replied. “Noah’s just so...” She stopped, smiled a silly sort of smile Scott couldn’t remember ever seeing on his sister’s face before and let out a long sigh. “He’s everything.”

Everything? That was a tall order. Scott couldn’t imagine being everything to any woman. Not even Belinda way back when he’d been convinced he was in love with her.

“I’m glad he makes you happy.” He’d better, were the words unsaid.

Callie looped her arm through his. “What about you?” she asked. “Anyone special in your life at the moment?”

“No,” he replied, thinking about Evie all of a sudden. He pushed the thought back quickly.

Callie smiled. “Are you looking?”

Scott raised both brows. “Not intentionally.”

His sister gave him an odd look. “I wish you were staying longer,” she said. “With Mom arriving in two weeks and the wedding just around the corner, I don’t think I’ll be much in the way of a tour guide while you’re here.”

Scott shrugged and looked around. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve got more important things to think about.”

Callie squeezed his forearm. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. And you’re in good hands with Evie.”

Scott’s stomach did a wild leap. Thinking about Evie Dunn’s hands made him remember how she’d looked in her small kitchen earlier that morning. She’d looked...beddable. Was there such a word? In jeans and a white loose-fitting shirt that exposed just enough of her collarbone to raise his temperature a degree or two, Scott had barely been able to drag his gaze away from her. She had lovely skin. And that hair—masses of dark curls reaching way past her shoulders. He’d wanted to twist it around his hands, tilt her head back and kiss the smooth skin along her throat.

“Scott, about Evie...”

He shifted on his feet. Had Callie read his thoughts? “What about her?”

She smiled fractionally. “She’s, you know, my friend. And Noah’s sister.”

“The point being?”

Callie expelled a breath. “The point being that she’s my friend. And there seemed to be a fair bit of heat between you in the kitchen this morning.”

“You’re imagining things.” His sister raised both brows again and gave him a look. Scott held up a hand. “I left chasing everything in a skirt behind in my teens.”

Callie gave a grim smile. “I know that. But since you and Belinda broke up and then Mike’s death, you’ve changed and I—”

“Belinda was a long time ago,” he said, cutting her off. “And I don’t see what Mike has to do with any of this.”

Callie shrugged. “He was your friend.”

“And?”

“And losing a friend like that must be hard. And Evie, well, she’s like a magnet. Everyone feels it about her. She’s warm and generous and so incredibly likable. Anyone who meets her gets drawn in. I would hate to see her get hurt.”

“By me?” Scott pushed back the irritation weaving up his back. Callie was way off base. Sure, he was attracted to Evie Dunn. But he had no intention of acting on that attraction. He already worked out that Evie wasn’t for him.

Okay...maybe I did flirt with her a bit this morning. But flirting is harmless. It won’t go anywhere. I’ll make sure of that.

“You’re jumping to conclusions,” he said to his sister. “We barely know each other.”

Callie made a face. “I know what I saw.”

“Just drop it, Callie.”

She did, but the thought stuck with Scott for the rest of the afternoon. By the time Callie dropped him off at Dunn Inn, it was past three o’clock. Evie’s car was parked in the driveway and Scott was just fishing in his pocket for his key when he spotted a teenage boy shooting hoops near the studio out back. And shooting them pretty badly.

The youth stopped playing when Scott approached and spoke. “Hi.”

Scott smiled and shook the teenager’s hand as he introduced himself. Evie Dunn’s son seemed like a nice kid. Of course, Evie’s kid wouldn’t be anything else.

“Wanna shoot?” Trevor asked, and tossed the ball to him. “It would be good to see the thing actually go in the hoop.”

Scott laughed and swiftly dropped the ball into the basket. “You just need to work on your angle.”

Trevor shrugged and smiled. “I’m not much of a sportsman. Take after my mother, I guess.”

Scott remembered how Evie had looked that morning in her running gear. She certainly seemed to keep herself in great shape. “She’s an artist,” Scott said, and then felt foolish.