Nancy Thompson - Celebration's Bride

Pepper had confided that in her heart she would always believe her father was innocent. Sydney, A.J. and Caroline were all glad to have her back on the show and at Celebrations, Inc., where she had an opportunity for a fresh start. That was part of the reason that Sydney was so ambivalent about telling her friends she was thinking of leaving the show. She and Pepper shared a lot of the same duties. Where Sydney’s official title was public relations director, they all called Pepper the company’s “social connector” because of the incredible social “ins” she possessed that only a Texas debutante could bring to the table.

Before landing the show Catering to Dallas, they’d started Celebrations, Inc., Catering Company, which had been A.J.’s brainchild. During that time, Pepper had lived a cushy lifestyle. Money was the furthest thing from her mind. She came and went as she pleased, bringing in new clients and leaving the bulk of the PR and marketing work to Sydney. She didn’t draw a salary.

Sadly, last year, her financial situation had taken a turn for the worse as a result of the investigation involving her father’s company. Pepper had no part in the scandal, of course, but she had been left holding the bag. Sydney admired the way she’d managed to put her life back together. She’d married a man who had more money than the royal family of St. Michel, but she remained adamant about making her own money. If the crisis had taught her one thing, it was from that day forward, she would make her own way in the world, depending on no one. Not even her husband’s fortune.

She had insisted on distancing herself from Catering to Dallas, so not to taint the show with her family’s bad reputation. Now that everything had settled, Pepper was back. What better way for her to carve out her own place in this world than by taking over the reins of PR for the catering company and reality television show? Especially since the possibility of Sydney getting the St. Michel press secretary position was very strong.

Pepper’s life was in Texas. Sydney wanted to travel. Really, it was time for her to move on. She’d been in Celebration long enough. She had never been comfortable staying in one place too long.

As activity continued to swirl on and around the set in preparation for the next shoot, which, according to A.J., would feature all four of the women in the office and kitchen discussing menus for upcoming events, Sydney continued to study Miles…until, suddenly, as if he’d sensed someone looking at him, Miles glanced in Sydney’s direction. Their gazes locked.

He cocked a brow and smiled.

Sydney couldn’t decide if it was genuine or a so-glad-you-could-join-us look.

Okay. So here we go.

She steeled herself and smiled back at him, forcing warmth into her eyes and refusing to be the one to look away first—even when the voice in her head said, Heavens, he is gorgeous.

Holding her gaze, he said something to Aiden, who slanted her a quick glance. Both men started walking toward the craft-services area.

“Oh. Here he comes,” Caroline whispered.

“Good afternoon, Sydney,” said Aiden. “I’d like to introduce you to your new director. This is Miles Mercer. You’ll be working with him until Bill comes back. I’m guessing that by now you’ve heard that Bill is out?”

“Yes, Pepper brought me up to speed on everything.”

“Good,” said Aiden. “Miles, this is Sydney James.”

“Hello, Sydney,” Miles said. “It’s nice to meet you.” He offered his hand and she accepted it, giving a firm but feminine squeeze. Their gazes locked again—and if Sydney hadn’t known better, hadn’t been forewarned that he was mad as hell at her for being late—she might have imagined that something sensuous had just passed between them because for a split second, it seemed as if they were the only two in the room.

To break the awkward moment, words just started spilling out of Sydney’s mouth. “We’re so happy to have you with us, Miles. I would imagine they keep you pretty busy over on the West Coast. I was surprised when I learned that you were willing to take a break and come work with us—and on such short notice, too. How in the world did Aiden tempt you away from Hollywood to come to Celebration, Texas? It must be somewhat of a culture shock for you.”

Miles shook his head. “Actually, I grew up in Celebration, but it’s been ages since I’ve been back. It’s nice to have the opportunity to come home and visit my family.”

A-ha. That’s why. It made sense.

“We’re all from Celebration,” Pepper volunteered hesitantly. “Well, except for Sydney. She’s our British import, but we love her like a sister. I suppose we’ve never met before this because we were a few years ahead of you in school.”

His gaze was back on Sydney as if he hadn’t heard Pepper’s comment. “I thought I detected an accent. When did you come across the pond? Or do they still say that?”

He smiled and she noticed that he had the slightest gap between his two front teeth. Just enough of an imperfection on an otherwise-perfect face to make her sigh inwardly.

Then she realized he was actually waiting for her to answer. “Of course we still say across the pond. No worries.”

Well, no worries for him. She, on the other hand, was trying to play it cooler than she felt. She was such a bad actress. It was a good thing she simply had to be herself on the set. Even so, she needed to center herself as quickly as possible. To do that, she reminded herself that no matter how dark and interesting Miles was, technically he was her boss. At least for the interim. She needed to maintain a modicum of professionalism, especially since she’d already made a bad first impression by being late.

“Well, we’re behind schedule,” Miles said. “We should get back to work. Ladies, Debbie has the shooting updates. Why don’t you go take a look?”

He nodded at A.J., Pepper and Caroline. Sydney knew the unspoken message was for them to get lost for a moment. And they did just that.

“We’ll start in five,” he called over his shoulder.

As soon as they were out of earshot, he said, “We missed you this morning. Was there an emergency?”

At least he had the good grace not to reprimand her in front of the others. Actually, his tone was quite professional…nice, even. Not at all what she expected after the monstrous buildup her friends had given him. Maybe he wasn’t a morning person? A grouch until the caffeine was coursing through his veins? Whatever the explanation, Sydney was grateful for his civilized manner.

“I was out of town this weekend and my return flight was delayed. I apologize if I inconvenienced anyone.”

He nodded, letting the pregnant silence hang between them for a moment.

“I’m glad it was nothing serious. We’re all professionals and from here on out, I’m confident you will be on time and ready to work when you’re scheduled.”

She might have been tempted to challenge him, or at least defend herself because normally she was on time. However, there was something about the way his sexy gaze bore into her in silent expectation that gave her a strange sense of déjà vu.

Chapter Two

If Miles had had any trepidation about coming back to Texas, the risk was certainly worth the reward, he thought as he made a concerted effort to keep his eyes from wandering back to Sydney James.

She was sitting in a director-style chair, getting her hair and makeup touched up—last looks—before they began shooting.

He walked over to the coffeepot, helped himself to a cup and stood back. He wanted to get a feel for how the cast members interacted without the glare of the lights and the intimidation of the camera.

Now that he’d met Sydney, he got the same vibe from her in person that he’d gotten as he’d watched the dailies from recent shoots and footage from the first season. His instincts were right. She looked as fabulous in person as she had on screen.