Harlequin Special Edition September 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Maverick for Hire\A Match Made by Baby\Once Upon a Bride (14 page)

Nick went to work, but he was distracted the entire day. It was
a wonder he didn't cut off his or one of his coworkers' fingers. He figured he'd
better not show up at the rooming house empty-handed, so he bought some roses
for her and knocked on her door to deliver them. Twice, he knocked. Twice, she
didn't answer.

Melba was right. He was going to have to up his game.

* * *

For the first time in a couple of weeks, Cecelia had an
opportunity to meet with her best friend, Jazzy, for a quick lunch at the
doughnut shop.

“So glad I got to see you,” Jazzy said. “I've been working
crazy hours.”

“Me, too, but maybe mine haven't been as crazy as yours,”
Cecelia said. “I'm just glad to get together with you. How are you doing?”

Jazzy smiled. “I'm doing great.”

“I'm glad one of us is,” Cecelia said.

“What about you? You've been dating more lately. Anyone
promising?” Jazzy asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.

“Nothing promising,” Cecelia said glumly and sipped her hot
chocolate. She couldn't help remembering that special night when she and Nick
had shared hot chocolate and sandwiches under the stars on his new property.
That night had felt like magic to her, but she'd only been fooling herself. Nick
had just wanted an affair with her. She'd been so easy for him.

“You don't look happy,” Jazzy said, her face full of concern.
“Are you sure you're okay? You haven't fallen more for Nick, have you? I was
hoping you would focus on having fun.”

“I'm okay,” Cecelia said then shook her head. “I'm not okay.
I'm crazy for a man who won't ever get married. He's not into commitment, so I'm
doing my best not to have strong feelings for him. But I can't help myself. I've
gotten calls from plenty of guys, but I can't think straight because of the guy
I've fallen for.” She paused. “I think I'm going back to Thunder Canyon,” she
confessed.

Jazzy stared at Cecelia. “So it
is
Nick.
No. Don't tell me that. I want
you here.”

Cecelia shook her head again. “You're my best friend ever, but
you're busy in the best way. Earning a new degree and building your marriage.
But Rust Creek Falls hasn't worked out as well for me. And now I've made a
terrible choice to be with a man who is committed to not committing.”

“Oh, no,” Jazzy said and squeezed Cecelia's hand. “I can't
believe any man who had a chance with you wouldn't want to hold on to you
forever.”

“It happened in Thunder Canyon,” Cecelia said. “I didn't want
to tell anyone because it was so embarrassing. I thought he wanted to keep our
relationship secret because it was special and he didn't want people talking
about us, but I think he was really ashamed. And I'm afraid the same thing may
have just happened to me again.”

“Nick can't be that callous. Just how involved have you gotten
with him?” Jazzy asked.

Cecelia just bit her lip. She couldn't talk about the nights
she'd spent in Nick's arms. Just the thought of it made her chest ache.

“I know Nick has been noncommittal, but I can't believe he
would act that way with you. You're too important to him. Maybe you should give
it another chance,” Jazzy said. “My forever man took more than one chance.”

“I'm not sure Nick is interested in forever,” Cecelia said.

“Then he's a fool,” Jazzy said.

Cecelia felt as if she were caught in a web of reality and
unreality. “Can't focus on that,” Cecelia said. “It's out of my control.”
Cecelia thought about going straight back to her room to pack for her to return
to Thunder Canyon, but she couldn't do it all right away, as much as she wanted
to vanish immediately. She had to tie up some loose ends. Until then, she would
just need to avoid Nick as much as possible until she left.

The next two mornings, Cecelia found flowers when she opened
her door and dumped them in the garbage can outside the rooming house. She
couldn't bear the sight or scent of them. She was already crying every night.
The next night, she found candy. She also dumped that. She'd bought a pair of
earplugs so she wouldn't hear Nick knocking on her bedroom door every night.

She wondered if she should have left Rust Creek Falls before
she let Melba know she was determined to leave. She did everything she could not
to run into Nick. It was tricky, but she was able to accomplish it.

When he knocked on her door on the third night, it was all she
could do not to let him in. Cecelia held her breath and forced herself to keep
calm. As long as Nick wasn't allowed into her bedroom, then she was on the road
to getting over him. So she thought, but wasn't sure, because she still wanted
him more than ever. But she truly needed to get away from him. For her very own
survival.

The next morning Cecelia opened her door and Nick was waiting
for her. Her stomach fell to her feet.

“We need to talk,” he said and stepped toward her as if he was
going to enter her bedroom.

Panicking, she pulled the door closed and squeezed past him.
“You can say anything you need to say to me out here in the hall,” she said,
crossing her arms over her chest.

Nick glanced down the hallway. “This is just between you and
me.”

“We're not going in my room,” she insisted. “If you don't want
to talk to me here, then I'll just leave because I really don't think we have
anything to discuss.”

Nick stared at her in shock. “Melba told me you've given notice
and that you're leaving. I don't want you to leave.”

“Well, I've decided that leaving is best for me.”

He moved closer to her and locked on to her gaze. “Are you
telling me you don't want to be with me anymore?”

She glanced away then stared back at him, her eyes wounded and
hurt. “Not the way we've been carrying on,” she said. “Sneaking around. Keeping
everything secret. Getting women is so easy for you. Getting me was easy. Too
easy. I think you were right when you said I shouldn't sell myself short. I'm
tying up some loose ends before I leave because it wouldn't be fair to leave a
lot of people in the lurch, but you and I are just going to have to go back to
being friends.” She swallowed and looked as if she were ready to cry.

It was all Nick could do not to hold her in his arms. He
reached out to her, but she backed away. Stunned by her response, Nick, for once
in his life, was speechless. He thought all he would have to do was to ask her
to stay, but he could tell that Cecelia felt burned by her experience with him.
She clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

“I need to go,” she said. “I've got a job I want to finish
today.”

Nick stared after her and felt completely lost. Flowers, candy
and his persuasiveness weren't making a dent in Cecelia's resolve. After all his
talk about the man being the customer, the tables had been turned on him. Now he
had to figure out how to keep Cecelia in his life, and she was so determined to
leave him in her dust that he wasn't at all sure he would be successful. The
possibility made him break into a sweat. He swore at the sensation, at the
reality of how much he needed her. He'd never needed anyone. He'd sworn to
himself he never would. He'd learned firsthand that he couldn't count on anyone.
They could be taken away in an instant, just as his mother had been. But
now...

He had no choice but to leave for work. He was distracted all
day long. It was a wonder he got any work done. That night, he walked past
Cecelia's room and lifted his hand to tap on her door. Holding his breath and
praying she would respond, he waited. But her door remained firmly closed.

Nick went to his own room and paced from one end to the other.
Unable to bear the quiet in his room and disquiet in his heart, he wandered
downstairs and outside. After walking around the block a few times, he returned
to find Melba watching television in the den.

“Is that you, Nick? You're prowling around like a cat who got
his tail caught in a swinging door.” She stood and walked to the hallway then
studied his face. “How about I fix you some hot chocolate with a shot of
something stronger in there?” she offered.

“Sure,” he said and followed her into the kitchen. Sitting in
one of the chairs, he couldn't remember feeling this miserable.
This
was why he'd never wanted to get emotionally
involved with a woman. He'd seen it happen to too many of his friends. “They
kiss you, then wrap you up in fishing line then gut you like you're a fillet,”
he muttered.

“What on earth are you talking about?” Melba asked and put his
cup of doctored hot chocolate in front of him. “What's wrong with you? I've
never seen you this way.”

Nick sighed. “I think I've lost Cecelia for good. I've tried
flowers, candy. I've asked her to stay and she turned me down flat.”

Melba sat across from him with a worried frown on her face.
“Have you told Cecelia that you love her?”

Caught off guard, Nick stuttered, “Uh, uh. Well, no. What if
she doesn't care? What if she doesn't have feelings for me anymore?”

Melba shook her head and looked at the ceiling as if she were
searching for help from above. “Young people.” Then she looked him straight in
the eye. “You have to show her that you care. You have to tell her your feelings
and make her feel special. You've been dating nearly every girl in town. No
wonder she doesn't believe you. If you really want her, you better be willing to
show her your heart.”

Nick had never had any interest in showing anyone his heart.
The prospect terrified him. He remembered what happened to his father after his
mother had died. His father had become a shell of himself, unable to express
affection. He looked at Melba for a long moment. Was this the only way he could
keep Cecelia? His appetite vanished and he didn't feel like finishing his hot
chocolate.

“Thanks for the drink, Melba,” he said and took the cup
upstairs to be polite.

Brooding over Melba's advice, he felt as if a guillotine was
hanging over him. He didn't sleep at all that night, but when dawn broke through
the darkness, he knew what he had to do. Nick headed to Kalispell and bought a
ring. On his way back to Rust Creek Falls, he called Jordyn Leigh Cates and
asked her to make sure Cecelia came to the bar that night. Jordyn was both
suspicious and reluctant. She made Nick promise that he wouldn't hurt Cecelia.
What Jordyn didn't understand was that Nick was the one who could end up
hurt.

That night when Cecelia walked through the door, Nick felt as
if his heart was pounding so hard it was going to jump out of his chest.
Catching Cecelia's gaze, he walked toward her.

“There you are, Nick,” a woman said, stepping in front of him.
“I need some work done in my kitchen. Do you think you could come over this
weekend? I'll fix dinner for you.”

Nick saw Cecelia eyeing the door and his gut clenched. He shook
his head. He couldn't let Cecelia get away. “Excuse me, ma'am, but I have
something important to do,” he said and stepped around her.

“Well, my kitchen's important,” the woman complained from
behind him, but his focus was totally on Cecelia.

He caught up with Cecelia and grabbed her hand. “Just a
minute,” he said to her when she looked as if she was going to pull away. “Just
give me one minute.”

Reluctance and distrust oozed from her, but she gave a stiff
nod. “One,” she said with a warning tone in her voice.

His mouth went dry, but he was determined. “I may be making a
fool of myself right now, but at least I'm doing it for the right reason.
Cecelia, I'm in love with you. I'm sorry for the way I've acted. I'm done
renting myself out—from now on, I want to provide my services to only one
special lady. You.

“I've been so stupid. The woman I want, trust, love more than
anything has been right in front of me all the time. But you know about my
family. How we lost Mom. I was always afraid to put myself out there. I learned
at an early age about losing. Life's not certain.” He took a deep breath. “But
you're already inside me. I'm stuck. If I don't have you, I'm losing the most
important thing in my life. You know me. You know the real me. And I know and
love the real you.”

Nick got down on one knee and above the roar in his brain, he
heard a collective gasp from the bar's patrons. “I want to dance with you at our
wedding. I want to dance with you in our kitchen every night. You're the woman I
want to make memories with for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

Stunned, Cecelia could only stare at him in disbelief. “Oh,
Nick. Are you sure?”

“I've never been more sure about anything,” he said. “How long
are you gonna make me sweat?”

Cecelia laughed and cried at the same time and pulled him to
his feet. “Not even a minute. Yes,” she said.

“Do you still want to leave Rust Creek Falls?” he asked,
searching her face.

Cecelia shook her head. “There is only one place I want to be,
and that is in your arms. Forever.”

Euphoric, Nick scooped Cecelia into his arms and carried her
out of the bar with the whole bar applauding. Stepping into the much quieter
night outside, he took her mouth in a kiss. “I never want to be apart from you.
You're not just my friend. You're the one for me. You make everything about my
life better.”

Cecelia's eyes filled with tears. “I love you, too, Nick. I
didn't realize it until just recently, but I think I've loved you for
years.”

“We can start making plans right away,” he said. “In my bed,”
he added and strode up the stairs to the rooming house.