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The reminder that she’d kissed a doctor with such unrestrained passion had her wrinkling her nose.
“Is something wrong with your champagne?” He glanced around as if searching for a waiter.
“It’s not the drink, it’s you,” she blurted then waited for the disapproving look.
Instead, Noah contemplated her as if she was a puzzle he was having difficulty solving.
“You’re a doctor,” she added for clarification, then flushed. Perhaps her father had been on to something with all his “think first” admonishments.
“Not for tonight,” he said smoothly, taking her arm and moving them in the direction of the back of the house. “Tonight let me be simply the man in the black mask, who you enjoy kissing.”
“I do not, ah, did not—”
One look from those brilliant blue eyes stopped the protest. She couldn’t deny the explosive chemistry between them, any more than she could control the shivers his touch elicited.
“Are you suggesting we pretend to be someone we’re not for the evening?” Though she found the thought intriguing, Josie knew she must have misunderstood. There was no way this straitlaced, serious doctor would suggest something so daring.
An emotion she couldn’t quite decipher flickered in the depths of those amazing blue eyes. “Interested?”
Josie sipped her champagne and tried to figure out what was really going on here...
“Are you here with someone?” His tone turned brusque. “Is that the reason you’re hesitating?”
“Actually.” Josie placed a finger against lips that still tingled from his kiss. “I’m trying to decide who—or what—I want to pretend to be.”
The fingers wrapped around her arm relaxed. He lifted the champagne flute with his other hand and took a sip. “You have any thoughts?”
“Let’s play pirates,” she suggested with a cheeky smile.
He choked on his champagne.
She merely smiled and waited for him to quit sputtering.
“Are you serious?”
“Totally.”
He rubbed his chin. While he pondered the suggestion—likely creating a pro-con spreadsheet in his head—she glanced around the room.
Josie assumed most of those in attendance knew the person behind each mask. It wasn’t that easy for her. She’d been away too long.
Until she’d run across Noah, she might as well have been playing blind man’s bluff. She still didn’t understand why her employer insisted they go solo. Unless...
Could her running into Noah have been part of a plan? Pauline had certainly made it clear she’d like it if Josie helped him. “Did your grandmother know you were coming tonight?”
His brows pulled together in puzzlement. “I don’t think so. Maybe. Why?”
“No reason.” She relaxed and waved a hand. “Back to the original question. Do you want to play pirates?”
“There are so many ways to answer your question. Are we talking pillaging and plundering or do you expect me to talk like a pirate? Say things like ahoy and matey?”
The look of horror on his face made her grin. “Yer correct.”
Okay, so maybe her own pirate accent was even worse than his, but Josie was already having fun.
Noah’s obvious reticence made the playacting even more enticing. The remainder of the evening suddenly took on a glossy sheen, like the pages of a magazine she couldn’t wait to devour.
Still, Noah resisted giving his agreement.
Shoving aside the thought that this man was just like her father and therefore someone to be given a wide berth, Josie extended her hand. “Don’t be an ol’ chumbucket, Cap’n. Put yer hand here and shake on the deal.”
* * *
Noah stared at the dainty hand with the pink nails. Just when he thought the evening couldn’t get any stranger, it did.
He took her hand. The feel of her skin against his put all sorts of thoughts in his head. Actually, the thoughts had been there since he’d first seen her tonight.
The vivid blue cocktail dress had drawn his gaze to her breasts and the legs that appeared to go on forever. Certain parts of his anatomy had immediately sprung to life.
When his lips joined hers under the mistletoe and she’d let out a breathy moan, he’d nearly lost it. Stepping back before he did something crazy like slinging her over his shoulder and going belowdecks to find a free bunk, had been the sanest thing he’d done all evening.
Why was he even considering going along with such a ridiculous suggestion? Pretending to be a pirate at a formal New Year’s Eve masquerade ball fell into the realm of a Saturday Night Live skit. “I’ve been thinking about your pirate suggestion.”
Her smile disappeared and wariness returned to her eyes.
The solid ground beneath his feet began to shift and crumble. Noah knew, just as surely as he knew that the body contained 100-160 ml of cerebral spinal fluid, that if he backed out now, she would walk away.
He shoved aside his reservation and his good sense. “Yer suggestion, it be a fine one.”
Noah wasn’t sure which one of them was more surprised by the sentiment. He liked games well enough as long as they had well-defined parameters and clear, concise rules. Rules and standard procedures gave life order. Noah concluded his agreement to Josie’s odd request illustrated that, contrary to what his family thought, he was very capable of being spontaneous. He could live on the edge. At least for one evening.
“I became a pirate because I love adventure,” Josie confided in a hushed whisper, as if imparting a great secret.
They reached the edge of the dance floor and he took her into his arms. They began to move in time to the music.
“There’s so much to see, to experience,” she continued in an earnest voice.
Maybe it was having her in his arms or the fact that they were wearing masks. Perhaps it was being surrounded by music and the enticing scent of flowers that made it remarkably easy to play along.
They spent several dances discussing various places, er, ports, they’d visited. She seemed surprised he knew so much about Portland.
“Edward Jamison, a friend from my fellowship days, grew up there.” Noah gave a nod of acknowledgment to a hospital trustee and his wife as he and Josie danced past them. “He’s now practicing in Chicago.”
“Great. Another doctor.”
Though her tone was light, he noticed how the mere mention of the practice of medicine had her stiffening. There was only one thing he could think to do to dispel the sudden tension.
He whirled about in an intricate spin until she was breathless.
“There’s a touch of pirate under that starched shirt.” She grinned in approval.
While Noah knew that wasn’t at all an accurate statement, he smiled and changed the subject.
“Your travels as a pirate have taken you far and near.” He spoke softly, making sure no one dancing nearby overheard him saying the word pirate. “I’m curious how you found your way back to Jackson Hole.”
Instead of tossing off some quick or clever response, she caught her lower lip between her teeth and appeared to carefully consider the question.
“Last year, a close friend—er, shipmate—was diagnosed with cancer. Not long after, I found a lump in my own breast.”
Fear, hot and swift, struck him. He controlled his emotions and forced a casual tone. “Was it—”
“Benign.”
With that one word, the knot that had formed in the pit of his stomach dissolved.
“My friend has a lot of stress in her life, some of it from unresolved family issues.”
The sadness in her eyes had him pulling her a little closer. He resisted—barely—the urge to remind her that cancer had many causes. As a doctor’s daughter and someone in the healing arts herself, that was something she doubtless knew already.
“Sasha’s diagnosis and then my own breast lump, well, it was a wake-up call,” Josie murmured, almost to herself.
He waited for almost a minute for her to continue before he prompted. “Because of your own family situation?”
“Yes.”
Behind the mask, her eyes were hooded.
“Is the pirate queen home to stay?” He kept his tone deliberately light.
“Perhaps.” The smile that lifted her lips didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Tell me, Cap’n, how did ye end up in this landlocked port?”
“Moving here gave me the opportunity to work with your father and, more importantly, my family was here.”
“You arrived what, about a year ago?”
He nodded.
“Do you plan to stay?”
It was a simple question. Undoubtedly she expected him to answer in the affirmative. Jackson Hole was a great place to live. Noah hesitated, thinking of the offer he had pending: the opportunity to go into partnership with his friend in Chicago.
Recently, he’d concluded if things remained at a standstill with Daffodil, it might be easier on both of them if he left town. But the decision to stay or go didn’t have to be made now. He had until March to give Edward his answer.
Although his friend was in a well-regarded practice in Northwestern, the group had recently voted to tie themselves to one of the large health systems. Edward wasn’t happy with the change. He wanted to go out on his own but needed a partner to share call. Noah was his first choice.
The deadline to accept or decline the offer was March 1. That was why Noah had decided to give reconciling with Daff one final, full-court press. If his efforts continued to be met with a brick wall, he could leave with the knowledge he’d done everything possible to bridge the gap between them.
“Noah?” Josie prompted. “It’s not a difficult question. Are you planning to stay?”
“Who knows what the future holds?” It was the type of ambiguous answer he detested, but an honest one.
Noah was spared from saying more when the man Josie had kissed earlier—psychologist Liam Gallagher—tapped him on the shoulder and cut in. Though it was a reprieve of sorts, as he left the dance floor, Noah realized he’d prefer to be subjected to Josie’s interrogation than turn her over to Liam.
“Looks like something is going on between you and my little sister.”
Noah didn’t bother to turn his head. The deep voice of Josie’s brother, Benedict, was as familiar as a member of his own family. Since Noah had arrived in Jackson Hole last year they’d worked closely on many cases requiring the talents of both a skilled neurosurgeon and Ben’s orthopedic surgery specialty.
When Noah had contemplated a move to the area, he’d been pleased to join a practice with surgeons of the caliber of Ben, Ben’s father and Dr. Mitzi McGregor, their associate.
Tension filled the lengthening silence, leading Noah to deduce the comment hadn’t been rhetorical. “Josie is a nice person.”
Ben’s gaze remained focused on his sister. “She’s a bit of a flake. I can’t see her being your type.”
The dismissive tone coupled with the sentiment shouldn’t have bothered Noah. Then why did he, a civilized man who’d never struck anyone in his life, feel like ramming his fist into Benedict’s face?
“That comment shows how little you know your sister.”
“You think you know her?” Ben gave a harsh-sounding laugh. “She disappeared right after her junior year in college. Sent this vague message that she had to find herself. It was almost a year before we heard from her again.”
Noah opened his mouth but Ben continued without giving him a chance to speak.
“We didn’t know whether she was dead or alive. My mother—” Ben took a deep breath and let it out slowly “—well, the worry nearly broke her.”
The strain in his voice told Noah that Dori Campbell wasn’t the only family member who’d worried.
He couldn’t imagine what had possessed Josie to hurt her loved ones in such a way. He was certain her parents and brother only wanted the best for her. Just as he wanted the best for Daffodil.
If his sister had listened to reason, listened to him, she would have walked away from that loser Cruz Newton. She wouldn’t be divorced and paying off his debts.
“I can sympathize with your frustration. My sister never listened to me.” Noah clenched his jaw when Liam whispered something in Josie’s ear, making her laugh.
“Their lives would be so much better if they did.”
Noah nodded in agreement.
“You two look as if you’re plotting to take over the world.” Poppy Campbell slipped her arm through her husband’s.
“Not a bad idea. The world would be running smoothly if I was in charge.”
Ben’s comment made his wife laugh.
Dressed in a loose black sheath, Poppy was an attractive woman with sleek dark bob and green eyes. Her black-and-gold half mask suited her elegant style.
From the time Noah had joined the practice, Ben’s wife had been pleasant, if a bit distant. Ben had mentioned once that Poppy’s first husband had been a neurosurgeon and Noah had the impression he was paying for the other guy’s mistakes.
Poppy inclined her head. “Who’s the guy in the joker mask dancing with Josie?”
“Liam Gallagher,” Ben answered. “The poor sap can’t take his eyes off her.”
“She does look especially lovely this evening.” Poppy’s tone reflected affection for her sister-in-law. “Blue is a great color on her.”
Benedict simply shrugged.
The band launched into another slow number and Liam gave no indication of releasing his partner. That added to Noah’s mounting irritation, as well as the fact that the psychologist continued to hold the pirate queen a little too close for Noah’s liking.
“Excuse me.” Without waiting for a response, Noah strode to where Josie and Liam danced. He tapped the man on the shoulder. “I’m cutting in.”
The psychologist, who’d been smiling down at Josie, turned. His gaze shifted from Noah to Josie then back again. “Too bad. I’m not ready to give her up.”
“You don’t have a choice.” Noah lifted Liam’s hand from Josie’s shoulder and pulled her into his arms.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked in a throaty whisper as he whirled her far, far away from the astonished psychologist.
“Being a pirate.” Noah flashed a sardonic smile. “We see what we want and we take it.”
Chapter Three
As the minutes ticked down to midnight, Noah experienced a surge of regret. Spending time with Josie and playing their ridiculous pirate game had made the evening fly by.
The band finished the set and took a break, no doubt gearing up for the playing of “Auld Lang Syne” when the clock struck twelve.
“That is the strangest cake I can recall seeing.” Noah cocked his head and scrutinized the multilayered monstrosity that would soon be cut and served with champagne.
Jet-black layers alternated with pristine white ones and caught the eye first. A crooked clock on the front made one take a second glance. The glittery mirror ball made it difficult to look away.
“It’s so creative.” Josie’s tone was filled with awe. “I wonder who made it?”
“That would be me.”
Noah and Josie turned in unison.
A slender woman with wavy hair the color of burnished copper and eyes that appeared violet in the light held a glass of champagne. Like most in attendance, she still wore a mask. Edged in gold, the deep purple color matched her cocktail dress. Although flattering, the cut of the dress reminded Noah of something from an earlier generation.
The woman extended her hand to Josie. “I’m Sylvie Thorne. My business, The Mad Batter, is all about creating unique cake designs.”
They’d barely exchanged introductions when Josie’s gaze returned to the cake.
“I adore it,” Josie exclaimed. “It’s so unique. Do you do catering for smaller events?”
“Absolutely.” Sylvie took a sip of champagne. She appeared cool and collected but Noah saw the eager gleam in her eyes. “What do you need?”
“I have an event next week. I promised to bring the dessert. I need something that will serve thirty.” Something in Josie’s tone told Noah she wasn’t excited about the event. “I’d love to take one of your cakes.”
Noah held silent while Josie and Sylvie discussed details and made plans to connect on Monday.
Sylvie strode off after giving them both an impromptu hug.
A smile lifted Josie’s lips. “Sylvie and I are going to be good friends.”
“The two of you just met.”
“Sometimes you just know.” Josie gave a little laugh. “We have a lot in common. For example, we’re both new in town.”
“You grew up here,” he reminded her.
“That was a long time ago. The friends I used to have are married now. Some with kids. They have their own lives, different interests.” She lifted a shoulder in a light shrug. “You know how that is.”
He did understand. Almost everyone he associated with since moving to Jackson Hole was married or dating someone. At most gatherings he felt like a fifth wheel. He realized that was why tonight had been so enjoyable. It’d been nice having a fellow pirate at his side.
The thought made him smile. “Have you thought any more about my proposition?”
“You’re certainly persistent,” she said mildly.
“It’s a pirate thing.” He lifted his glass in a mock toast. “Whether searching for sunken treasure or convincing a beautiful woman to join forces with me, determination is key.”
“Well, Cap’n.” She looped her arm through his in a companionable gesture. “The answer is still no.”
Noah stiffened. “I don’t understand why—”
“Ten.” The crowd roared as the countdown to midnight began.
By the time shouts of “Happy New Year” rang out in the mountain home, he’d covered her mouth with his.
When her hands rose to rest on his shoulders, Noah realized he wasn’t going to give up. Eventually she’d agree to help him. For now, he could think of no better way to end one year and begin a new one than kissing a beautiful masked woman.
* * *
After the kiss ended, Josie had taken a shaky breath and willed her fingers to remain steady as she removed her mask. When she’d told Noah she needed to meet Pauline at half past midnight, he’d insisted they had time to share a piece of cake and a glass of champagne.
She hadn’t realized how erotic it could be to actually share a piece of cake with a man. When his lips closed over that bite of cake and those glittering blue eyes met hers, she’d imagined that mouth closing over her nip—
Josie shoved the memory aside and refocused on her conversation with Pauline. After arriving home they’d taken seats in the parlor, a warm, inviting room where flocked wall coverings and rugs of the same deep green hue were accentuated with burgundy furniture edged in walnut.
Outside, snow continued to fall. Inside, the room was cozy with a fire blazing in the hearth. Pretty floral bone china cups held Pauline’s favorite blend of tea, African Autumn. The cranberry-and-oranges flavor of the herbal rooibos made for a soothing drink, especially with the addition of a dollop of honey. Josie felt the last of her tension ease as she took another sip.
The conversation on the drive to Pauline’s home had been laden with amusing anecdotes about the people her employer had interacted with over the course of the evening. Not once had Noah’s name come up.
When Pauline asked for a report on her evening, Josie chose her words carefully. “It was difficult to recognize people, because of their masks.”
She went on to tell Pauline about Liam and Sylvie, about running into her brother and Poppy. But when Pauline gazed at Josie over the top of her teacup Josie knew the moratorium on Noah Anson had ended.
“You’ve mentioned everyone but my grandson.” Pauline’s gaze turned sharp and assessing in the golden light of the richly appointed parlor.
“I ran into Noah. He was helpful. He pointed out several women and men who I wouldn’t have recognized because of the masks.”
It was a simplistic explanation but Josie had no intention of explaining something she didn’t understand herself...why she’d shared two very hot kisses and most of the evening with a man who was not her type.
“Did he ask you to help him reconcile with Daffy?”
“What do you think?” Josie’s droll tone had Pauline chuckling.
“My grandson is nothing if not persistent.” Admiration ran through the older woman’s words like a pretty ribbon.
“The man is a bulldog.” Josie sipped her tea. “He hammered home the same points he’d made previously.”
“What did you tell him?”
“No.”
Pauline lifted a perfectly tweezed brow. “Just...no?”
“It’s best to be simple and direct.” Even as the words left her mouth, Josie had to swallow a smile.
Keeping it simple would have been maintaining a distance. And kissing, well, locking lips, would never be part of any keeping-a-distance equation.
“I respect your right to make that decision.” Pauline lowered her cup and pinned Josie with the blue eyes her grandson had inherited. “And to change it, if you later decide otherwise.”
Josie smiled, tempted to tell Pauline that a surgeon was not her cup of tea. Because this particular surgeon was her employer’s grandson, she simply lifted the cup to her lips, took a drink and changed the subject.
* * *
The last place Noah wanted to be on a snowy night in January was at Benedict Campbell’s home watching a football game that had already been played. Only the fact that he’d already turned down numerous invitations had pushed Noah to accept this one.
As he trudged up the front walk he mused on what had been a disappointing year so far, beginning with Josie turning down his proposition for the second time only minutes after the clock had struck twelve. He’d been surprised. Heck, he’d been stunned. When he’d kissed her at midnight and she’d kissed him back with enthusiasm, he’d been certain of success.
What more could he have done to secure her cooperation? Hadn’t he played the pirate game? Danced with her to romantic ballads? Eaten cake and drunk champagne?
Her refusal shouldn’t have shocked him. He’d learned how unpredictable the female species could be, beginning back in high school with Sia Norton.
Sia, a perky brunette with a quick mind and big breasts, had made him so crazy he couldn’t even concentrate on his studies. She’d also confused the heck out of him with actions more emotional than logical.
It was the same with Josie. Instead of accepting an offer that made perfect sense and would be mutually advantageous, she’d thanked him for a fun evening and strolled off, mask dangling from her fingertips, lips still swollen from his kisses.
Noah shoved the thought of those few seconds of unrestrained passion aside along with his irritation over his unreturned phone call and text. He told himself if reuniting with his sister wasn’t so important, he wouldn’t be giving the baffling woman a second thought.
It was a lie, of course. Josie Campbell was like an itch that needed to be scratched.
Playing pirates. The thought brought a smile to his face as he rang the bell of the two-story home in Jackson Hole’s affluent Spring Gulch subdivision.
Even before the door swung open, sounds of laughter and conversation spilled out onto the porch. Noah squared his shoulders. It had been a long, tiring day. The last thing he felt like doing was socializing. He told himself he’d stay for an hour, then make some excuse to leave.
Poppy greeted him at the door, relaxed and smiling in a pair of gray pants and a red sweater. Several glittery bracelets encircled one wrist. If Noah hadn’t known she was pregnant, he’d never have guessed.
The smile she flashed was as warm and bright as the gems on her arm. Based on her previous coolness, her friendliness surprised him.
“Noah, I’m happy you could make it.” She ushered him in and pulled the door shut, closing out the brisk north wind. “I was hoping for better weather. Then again, this is Wyoming in January.”
She gave a little laugh and took his coat.
Noah forced a polite, interested expression. “Ben said you’re hosting a book club this evening.”
Actually, the book club was one of the reasons Noah had agreed to come tonight. When Ben mentioned his wife and the other women would be busy discussing their latest read, Noah had known he’d be socializing with just guys. This was one evening where he wouldn’t feel like a fifth wheel. And then there was the gourmet feast Ben had promised.