Debbie Macomber - The Perfect Match - First Comes Marriage / Yours and Mine

“And I’m equally confident that you don’t.” She held her packages close and edged against the shop window to avoid hindering other pedestrians on the crowded sidewalk.

“I came here to do some shopping,” Zach said gruffly. “I wasn’t following you.”

“You can rest assured I wasn’t following you.”

“Fine,” he said.

“Fine,” she repeated.

But neither of them moved for several nerve-racking seconds. Janine assumed Zach was going to say something else. Perhaps she secretly hoped he would. If they couldn’t be friends, Janine would’ve preferred they remain allies. They should be uniting their forces instead of battling each other. Without a word, Zach gestured abruptly and wheeled around to join the stream of people hurrying down the sidewalk.

A half hour later, with more packages added to her collection, Janine strolled into a fabric store, wanting to purchase a sizable length of wool as a gift for Pam. She ran her fingertips along several thick bolts of material, marveling at the bold colors. The wool felt soft, but when she lifted a corner with her palm, she was surprised by how heavy it was.

“Each clan has its own tartan,” the white-haired lady in the shop explained. Janine enjoyed listening to her voice, with its enthusiastic warmth and distinct Scottish burr. “Some of the best-known tartans come in three patterns that are to be worn for different occasions—everyday, dress and battle.”

Intrigued, Janine watched as the congenial woman walked around the table to remove a blue-and-green plaid. Janine had already seen that pattern several times. The shop owner said that tourists were often interested in this particular tartan, called Black Watch, because it was assigned to no particular clan. In choosing Black Watch, they weren’t aligning themselves with any one clan, but showing total impartiality.

Pleased, Janine purchased several yards of the fabric.

Walking down the narrow street, she was shuffling her packages in her arms when she caught sight of Zach watching a troupe of musicians. She started to move away, then for no reason she could name, paused to study him. Her impression of him really hadn’t changed since that first afternoon. She still thought Zach Thomas opinionated, unreasonable and…fine, she was willing to admit it, attractive. Very attractive, in a sort of rough-hewn way. He lacked the polish, the superficial sophistication of a man like Brian, but he had a vigor that seemed thoroughly masculine. He also had the uncanny ability to set her teeth on edge with a single look. No other man could irritate her so quickly.

The musicians began a lively song and Zach laughed unselfconsciously. His rich husky tenor was smooth and relaxed as it drifted across the street toward her. Janine knew she should’ve left then, but she couldn’t. Despite everything, she was intrigued.

Zach must have felt her scrutiny because he suddenly turned and their eyes locked before Janine could look away. The color rose to her cheeks and for a long moment, neither moved. Neither smiled.

It was in Janine’s mind to cross the street, swallow her pride and put an end to this pointless antagonism. During the past several weeks her pride had become familiar fare; serving it up once more shouldn’t be all that difficult.

She was entertaining that thought when a bus drove past her belching a thick cloud of black smoke, momentarily blocking her view of Zach. When the bus had passed, Janine noticed that he’d returned his attention to the musicians.

Disheartened, she headed in the opposite direction. She hadn’t gone more than a block when she heard him call her name.

She stopped and waited for him to join her. With an inquiring lift of one eyebrow, he reached for some of her packages. She nodded, repressing a shiver of excitement as his hand brushed hers. Shifting his burden, he slowed his steps to match Janine’s. Then he spoke. “We need to talk.”

“I don’t see how we can. Every time you open your mouth you say something insulting and offensive.”

Only a few minutes earlier, Janine had been hoping to put an end to this foolish antagonism, yet here she was provoking an argument, acting just as unreasonable as she accused him of being. She stopped midstep, disgusted with herself. “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know what it is about us, but we seem to have a hard time being civil to each other.”

“It might be the shock of finding each other here.”

“Which brings up another subject,” Janine added fervently. “If Gramps was going to arrange for us to meet, why send us halfway around the world to do it?”

“I used to think I knew your grandfather,” Zach murmured. “But lately, I’m beginning to wonder. I haven’t got a clue why he chose Scotland.”

“He came to me with the tickets, reminding me it’d been almost a year since I’d traveled anywhere,” Janine said. “He told me it was high time I took a vacation, that I needed to get away for a while. And I bought it hook, line and sinker.”

“You?” Zach cried, shaking his head, clearly troubled. “Your grandfather sent me here on a wild-goose chase. Yes, there were contacts to make, but this was a trip any of our junior executives could’ve handled. It wasn’t until I arrived at the inn and found you booked there that I realized what he was up to.”

“If we hadn’t been so distracted trying to figure out who was to blame for that fiasco at your office, we might’ve been able to prevent this. At least, we’d have guessed what Gramps was doing.”

“Exactly,” Zach said. “Forewarned is forearmed. Obviously, we have to put aside our differences and stay in communication. That’s the key. Communication.”

“Absolutely,” Janine agreed, with a nod of her head.

“But letting him throw us together like this is only going to lead to trouble.”

What kind of trouble, he didn’t say, but Janine could guess all too easily. “I agree with you.”

“The less time we spend together, the better.” He paused when he noticed that she was standing in front of the bus stop.

“If we allow Gramps to throw us together, it’ll just encourage him,” she said. “We’ve got to be very firm about this, before things get completely out of hand.”

“You’re right.” Without asking, he took the rest of the packages from her arms, adding them to the bags and parcels he already carried. “I rented a car. I don’t suppose you’d accept a ride back to the inn?”

“Please.” Janine was grateful for the offer. They’d started off badly, each blaming the other, but fortunately their relationship was beginning to improve. That relieved her. She’d much rather have Zachary for a friend than an enemy.

They spoke very little on the twenty-mile ride back to the Bonnie Inn. After an initial exchange of what sights they’d seen and what they’d purchased, there didn’t seem to be much to say. They remained awkward and a little uneasy with each other. And Janine was all too aware of how intimate the confines of the small rented car were. Her shoulder and her thigh were within scant inches of brushing against Zach, something she was determined to ignore.

The one time Janine chanced a look in his direction, she saw how intent his features were, as if he was driving a dangerous, twisting course instead of a straight, well-maintained road with light traffic. His mouth was compressed, bracketed by deep grooves, and his dark eyes had narrowed. He glanced away from the road long enough for their eyes to meet. Janine smiled and quickly looked down, embarrassed that he’d caught her studying him so closely. She wished she could sort out her feelings, analyze all her contradictory emotions in a logical manner. She was attracted to Zach, but not in the same way she’d been attracted to Brian. Although Zach infuriated her, she admired him. Respected him. But he didn’t send her senses whirling mindlessly, as Brian had. Then again, she didn’t think of him as a brother, either. Her only conclusion was that her feelings for Zach were more confusing than ever.