Mistaken Gifts (3 page)

She ignored his comment, and said, "Yes. Colin and Andi’s wedding. Andi’s decided she needs to ride a white horse to the ceremony. She seems to think it will be a beautiful entry and since I’m her party planner and best friend, I need to make that happen. Now, please tell me you have a white horse?"

Listening to her, all the pieces fell into place, although based on the way Andi had raved about her best friend and business partner, he was not expecting the diva who stood before him. "Wait, you’re Eva?"

"Yes. Who else would I be?" She stamped her feet in the snow, and shivered. Her feet must be frozen in those completely impractical boots. Although they did make her legs look pretty fantastic.

"Well, I wouldn’t know," he said. "Since you missed that small detail during our introductions."
 

He held out his hand again. "It’s nice to meet you, Eva." This time she took it and even through her glove, Jeff could have sworn he felt the heat of her hand. He held the grip a moment longer than he should have, and then said, "I don’t think I can help you, though."

Eva pulled her hand away. "With a horse?" She pointed in the direction of Clover and the other horses in the field. "You have some right there."

"Obviously I have horses," Jeff said. "But not for a wedding. No way."

He watched as her pretty face knitted up into a scowl. "Look," she said, some of the fire in her voice returning. "I don’t get it myself. Riding a horse in my wedding would not be my first choice. But it’s not my wedding, it’s Andi’s. And if she wants a horse, she’s damn well going to get one."

Jeff shook his head. He’d seen one too many weddings go badly because of an inexperienced rider, already nervous, atop a horse that wasn’t properly prepared. "No. It’s policy. I will not be responsible for ruining a wedding."
 

Eva clearly wasn’t used to hearing the word no. She glared at him, the effect ruined by a violent shiver that ripped through her body. "Oh, no," she said through chattering teeth. "I will get the horse."
 

Used to dealing with stubborn horses, Eva’s stubbornness was an entirely different challenge. But they couldn’t stand in the yard all day, not if she was going to freeze to death. "Why don’t you come inside and warm up? You’re not really dressed for the weather."
 

Eva looked like she might say no and he was surprised when she nodded and started to walk towards the large round building that housed his office in one corner.
 

She slipped in the snow and Jeff reached down, stabilizing her before she could fall into the snow again. "Let me help you," he said. "You know those aren’t really the best boots to be wearing out in this snow." Even if they did make her legs look fantastic, he thought.

"I didn’t expect to be schlepping around through a snowbank," she said. "I didn’t expect to be leaving the Lodge at all or I assure you I would have packed for the occasion." To his surprise, she didn’t shake him off, but instead clutched his arm while he led her through the snow. Even more surprising was that the weight of her on his arm felt really good.

~ ~

"Is that better?" Jeff asked Eva as soon as they were settled with a coffee mug in each of their hands.

She sipped at the steaming drink but didn’t say anything right away. By the look on her face, Jeff couldn’t tell if she was irritated with him or just frozen from the waist down. It was probably safer to wait until she made the first move.
 

It took half a cup of coffee and another few minutes to pass before Eva spoke. "Thank you," she said. "I didn’t realize how cold I was." Now that she was thawed out a little, her demeanor seemed to have melted even more and while he couldn’t be certain, Jeff thought he might have seen a glimmer of a smile, or what at least wasn’t a scowl, aimed in his direction. And he liked it.

"Once you get your feet wet, it doesn’t take long for the rest of you to freeze up," Jeff said. "It helps to dress for the weather." As soon as the last few words were out of his mouth, he wanted to pull them back. Especially when Eva’s face closed up. They definitely weren’t getting off on the right foot. "What I meant was, in this kind of weather—"

"I told you," she interrupted him. "I didn’t expect to be tromping through a snowbank this morning, or I would have dressed for it. I do know what snow is." She took another sip of her coffee, but her eyes didn’t leave his.
 

Jeff tapped his fingers on his desk and considered his options. It would be far easier to work with her if she wasn’t angry all the time; besides, city girl or not, now that he had a look at that beautiful smile, he wanted to see more. "Look," he said, extending an olive branch. "I’m sorry the walk wasn’t cleared." She relaxed a little, so he kept talking. "And I’m really sorry I didn’t help you out. That’s not usually my style. Can we start over?"

She seemed to consider his words for a moment. But finally she nodded. "I think that’s a good idea. Believe me when I say, the last thing I wanted was to come to the stables."

"Well, you’re here now," he said, certainly glad she was.
 

"Despite what you said, I need to order a horse for the wedding."

"Even if I did agree to it, which I’m not likely to," he said, “it’s not like ordering a pizza, you know?" He tried not to laugh. "Besides, you could have just called. You didn’t have to actually come down here."

Eva tilted her head and her long hair fell to the side over her shoulder. "You just said it wasn’t like ordering a pizza," she challenged. "Besides, I like to see what I’m getting. So, how do I do this? Do you have pictures or something for me to look at?"

The laugh he’d been holding in escaped. "You want to order from a catalog?" Jeff sat up and pushed back from the desk. She couldn’t be serious.

"No," she said. "Not like a catalog or anything. But photos or something," she said. "You can’t tell me you don’t have any pictures of your horses. A guy like you, you probably have them framed all through your house, don’t you?" She crossed her arms and grinned. He didn’t even want to see how obnoxious she would be if she knew she wasn’t far off the mark. Jeff did have photos of his favorite horses, but not around his apartment or anything. Just on his phone. But she did not need to know that.
 

"Besides, it doesn’t matter." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Because I’m not giving you a horse for the wedding."
 

Her face flushed again, and she clenched her teeth.
 

Without giving her a chance to argue, he added, "I won’t be responsible for anything going wrong. It’s too risky."

Eva let out a long breath and straightened her shoulders. "What if it wasn’t risky?" she asked after a moment of thought. "I mean, for someone inexperienced, sure. But for Andi…she’s been on horses before. It wouldn’t be as risky."

He thought about what she’d said. Andi and Colin were more than guests at the Lodge; they were friends. And Jeff himself had personally led Andi on a number of trail rides. She’d probably be fine. And for friends, Jeff could break his “no horses in weddings” policy. But maybe Eva didn’t need to know that right away. He took a moment and looked at Eva and how incredibly gorgeous she was when she was frustrated. She was so completely opposite of everything Jeff ever looked for in a woman, but there was no denying how much he was enjoying the challenge of their banter. He wasn’t ready for it to end. "I’ll consider it," he lied.

"You’ll consider it?" She tipped her head, evaluating him. "Fine," she said after a moment.

"But why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll see what I can do. You know, just in case I decide it’s okay," he added quickly. "Didn’t you say something about wanting a white horse?"

For a moment, Eva looked like she was going to retaliate with another smart-ass comment, but then she swallowed and said, "Yes. Andi thought a white horse, with her wearing a white dress, would be dramatic. Do you think you have one that’ll work?"

"I might be able to find one," he said. Jeff knew exactly which horse would be perfect for Andi, but something stopped him from telling Eva that. "I’ll have to check. But I have to tell you, I don’t think it’s a great idea.”

Eva put her coffee cup on the table and started to re-button her coat. "When will you know?" She barely glanced in his direction. "I’ll need to come up with a back-up plan if you can’t come through for me on this."

"I’ll have to think about it," he said as he stood up. "But I’ll let you know soon."

"You’re sure?" She stood and shot him a look. "This is Andi’s wedding. I can’t just depend on your vague word that you can make it happen. I need a guarantee."

"I said, I would—"
 

"Look, I have a lot to deal with right now. Please make sure you can deliver on this." Eva took two steps towards the door before spinning around. With a small smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye that Jeff couldn’t figure out, she said, "I don’t have times to play games, horse guy."
 

In a whirl of red, she was gone, leaving Jeff to stare openmouthed after her. Did she really just call him “horse guy”? He laughed. Maybe his first impression was wrong. Eva was definitely not the Hollywood princess he’d seen so much of; there was no doubt she was different. But figuring her out—that would be something else. It was a good thing Jeff liked a challenge. Especially a beautiful one.

No. He shook his head in an effort to clear her out of his head. He didn’t have time to mess with some prissy, overindulged city woman. Been there, done that. It never worked. And like her, he didn’t have time to play games either.
 

He slid the envelope with the offer from the production company towards him. He had bigger things to think about. Like his career. According to the contract, he only had a week to decide if he was going to take the offer. And it was a good one.
 

Jeff let his gaze drift out the window to the snow-covered meadow where Clover and the other horses were nosing through the snow. Taking the offer would mean leaving the Lodge and the stables. He didn’t know if he could do it. No, he didn’t have time to play games with anyone, even if she was beautiful and more than just a little intriguing. He had a decision to make. And it wouldn’t be an easy one. Jeff shoved the envelope into the top drawer of his desk, grabbed his leather gloves and headed back outside.
 

Eva was still amped up when she got back to the main building of the Lodge twenty minutes later. She’d never considered the possibility of not getting a horse for Andi. She’d never been in a situation where she couldn’t deliver on an event and even if she personally thought having a horse at a wedding was insane and just asking for trouble, if Andi wanted a horse, she’d get a horse. Even if it meant having to deal with Jeff and his ridiculous "no wedding policy.” She’d get it done.

And dealing with Jeff wouldn’t be that bad, Eva thought. Sure, he’d pushed all her buttons and completely tested her professionalism, but she’d gotten a few jabs in, too. And even if he was a horse guy, he was a seriously attractive horse guy. If you liked the muscly, big type. Which she did.
 

"No." Eva shook her head. There was no time to think about men, especially one who seemed determined to make her crazy. No, she’d keep her interest in him purely professional, just long enough to get what she wanted. Or in this case, what Andi wanted. They’d planned dozens of parties together, but none so important as Andi’s wedding. And she wouldn’t let her down.

Eva opened the door to her room and shrugged out of her coat. She also tugged off her leather boots, which were probably ruined from the deep snow, and God knows what else she might have stepped in out there. She rubbed her feet between her hands in an effort to restore some warmth, but only gave herself the luxury of a few minutes to sit before she dug out another pair of shoes, jammed her feet in them and headed back downstairs.
 

There was too much work to be done to let herself rest, and she definitely didn’t have time to think about Jeff. Even if there had been something behind his arrogance that sparked within her so she couldn’t get him out of her head. But no, she’d sworn off men. Especially men like Jeff. She’d dated enough to know that type. All muscle, like they spent all their spare time in the gym, or probably lifting bales of hay, in Jeff’s case. Regardless, men who looked like that always had an over-inflated opinion of themselves and expected women to be lining up to go out with them. But not her. No way.

Eva passed through the lobby and gave a wave to Carmen, her friend working at the front desk. Maybe she would have time to grab a drink with Carmen later. No doubt Jeff had dated every woman at the Lodge, and Carmen would definitely know the details. That is, if Eva cared. Which she didn’t.
 

Just thinking about him had her temperature rising, but she couldn’t be sure if it was in frustration or something else, like the shiver she’d felt when he touched her. The shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. Eva stopped in the middle of the hall, took a deep breath and straightened her sweater over her skinny jeans. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten so worked up over a man. Eva prided herself on her professionalism, but Jeff had tested her at every move. Her face flushed at the memory of the way she’d behaved towards him.

She continued to the end of the hall and with one hand on the door to the ballroom, she paused again. Maybe she had been a bit hard on Jeff. After all, he hadn’t hit on her, not really, and it wasn’t fair for her to judge him based on her recent bad luck with men. And it wasn’t Jeff’s fault that he happened to work with horses, which she herself hated. Besides, maybe if she apologized, she’d be able to sweeten him up enough to let her have the horse for the wedding?
 

With a sigh, Eva shook her head so her hair cascaded down her back. "Fine," she said aloud and pushed open the heavy wood door. "I’ll apologize."