Catching His Eye

“You’re kidding. How? Where? What did he say? Did he notice your gorgeous new look?” Hope grabbed Emily’s shirt and pulled her toward the track. There were quite a few people running, even at six in the morning.

Emily started jogging. If you could call it that. “It wasn’t pretty, Hope. I’d fallen flat on my rear in the middle of the hallway outside my classroom. He helped me up.”

“Was it incredible? Did your eyes meet and—”

“I looked like death warmed over, and he didn’t blink an eye.”

They jogged in silence for a while. “I bet there was more. You probably just didn’t see it.”

Emily didn’t argue. She wiped the sweat from her eyes, pulled up her sagging sweats and moved aside as she heard a runner approaching from behind.

“Hey!” the runner said as he reached her side.

“Emily, I didn’t know you ran.”

Oh no.

Emily smiled at the man, with his windswept hair and perfectly muscled chest. Perfect.

Scott Dillon.

Dear Reader,

November is an exciting month here at Harlequin American Romance. You’ll notice we have a brand-new look—but, of course, you can still count on Harlequin American Romance to bring you four terrific love stories sure to warm your heart.

Back by popular demand, Harlequin American Romance revisits the beloved town of Tyler, Wisconsin, in the RETURN TO TYLER series. Scandals, secrets and romances abound in this small town with fabulous stories written by some of your favorite authors. The always wonderful Jule McBride inaugurates this special four-book series with Secret Baby Spencer.

Bestselling author Muriel Jensen reprises her heartwarming WHO’S THE DADDY? series with Father Fever. Next, a former wallflower finally gets the attention of her high school crush when he returns to town and her friends give her a makeover and some special advice in Catching His Eye, the premiere of Jo Leigh’s THE GIRLFRIENDS’ GUIDE TO…continuing series. Finally, Harlequin American Romance’s theme promotion, HAPPILY WEDDED AFTER, which focuses on marriages of convenience, continues with Pamela Bauer’s The Marriage Portrait.

Enjoy them all—and don’t forget to come back again next month when another installment in the RETURN TO TYLER series from Judy Christenberry is waiting for you.

Wishing you happy reading,

Melissa Jeglinski

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin American Romance

Catching His Eye

Jo Leigh

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To Trysa, who lights the night with her smile. Who holds us all in her heart.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Leigh currently lives just outside Las Vegas, Nevada, where she still can’t get used to the slot machines in the grocery stores. Storytelling has always been a part of her life, whether as a producer in Hollywood, a screenwriter or a novelist. It probably began when she told her third grade teacher that elephants ate her homework.

How To Catch A Man’s Eye…And Trade It In For His Heart!

Specially created for Emily Proctor by The Girlfriends

“Whatever you do, don’t say yes on the first date!”

Samantha Barnett

“Be mysterious. Don’t finish sentences.

Look off in the distance as if a faraway lover is calling you. Let him wonder and make him wait.”

Julia Carey

“For heaven’s sake, go out and buy new under wear.”

Lily Graham

“Don’t play games. Just walk right up to him and tell him every time you look at him yous get all hot and bothered. For once in your life, say yes!”

Hope Francis

“Take it slowly. Use your head.

It's too easy to make a mistake that will cost you every thing. This is serious.”

Zoey Hoffman

“Help!”

Emily Proctor

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

The Girlfriends’ Sixteenth Anniversary

Emily Proctor poured each of her girlfriends another frozen daiquiri. Midori daiquiris, to be precise. And, if one was getting picky about such things, they weren’t really just girlfriends, they were The Girlfriends. Sworn to be there for each other through thick and thin. Together by choice, forged by sixteen years of school and parents and boyfriends and…oh, just everything.

“I shouldn’t be drinking this,” Lily said, but only after she’d taken a really big swallow. “I have to take JT to soccer at eight in the morning.” She shuddered dramatically, making her impromptu ponytail wave back and forth. “The sitter can’t. She’s going to Dallas first thing tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you call Glen Cassidy…? He has to take Cody, so maybe he’ll pick up JT, too.”

Lily turned to Hope Francis. The polar opposite of Lily, Hope was five foot one to Lily’s five foot seven, and Hope had dark hair, almost black. It was trimmed in a dramatic sort of pageboy. Really angular, though. On her, it worked. She looked exotic, especially with her Winona Ryder eyes, made smoky by the liberal use of black kohl and powder. Not to mention the fire-engine red lipstick, which was mostly on the rim of her glass. The problem with Hope, at least in her own eyes, was that she looked about seventeen, and it drove her insane.

Lily smiled broadly as she uncurled her legs and got up off the couch to follow up on that excellent advice. “That’s why we keep you here, Hope. Because you’re beautiful and brilliant.”

Hope smiled demurely. Then she burped. Loudly.

Everyone cracked up as Emily crawled back on the hotel room bed and scrunched the pillow beneath her. It was so good to be together like this. All of them. Hope, Lily, Sam, Zoey and Julia. The Girlfriends.

They’d met in Mrs. Mann’s fifth-grade class, at Sheridan elementary school. They’d bonded over their outrage at Paul Morrison’s obnoxious game of pulling up their dresses on the playground.

Emily wondered for a moment what had happened to Paul. But that wasn’t important. What was important was that the six of them had come together like pieces of a puzzle. They’d all fit.

As she sipped her drink, Zoey turned the topic to her hair, as she did every year, complaining that it was too red, too curly, too hideous to be shown in public. It was utter nonsense, and the rest of the girls told her so. Every year.

“It’s wonderful hair,” Samantha said. “Very Nicole Kidman.”

Zoey sighed. “Yeah. Wouldn’t it be nice if I also had her body? And her face?”

Julia smiled wryly. “It would be even nicer if you had her husband.”

Zoey, who was sprawled in the chair across from the couch, turned to Julia. “Oh, really? You like him?”

“What’s not to like? That smile. Those eyes. That tight little behind…”

“He’s too short,” Lily said, coming back from her phone call to plop down on the couch again. “I like them tall. Tall and strong and kinda wiry.”

“No kidding?” Julia said, but Emily and everyone else in the room knew she was being sarcastic. Lily had always been specific about the man she was going to marry. Although she never admitted it, her perfect man was one Jesse Hyatt, who had been in high school with them. He’d never given Lily the time of day, unfortunately, but she still considered him the epitome of masculine perfection.

“I,” Lily said, sniffing her displeasure, “have certain standards, which some of you are sadly lacking.”

A great hue and cry came from the floor, the couch, the chair, the bed. Emily laughed. “Oh, please! This from a woman who got knocked up at age sixteen?”

“JT is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Lily said, and from her tone, Emily realized she needed to back off. Most of the time Lily joked with the rest of them about her unorthodox family, but sometimes, like when she’d had a little too much to drink, she could get pretty defensive.

“Sorry, kiddo.” Emily stood up so she could get some cookies. They’d each brought food for the weekend, and as far as Emily could tell, there wasn’t one nutrient in the bunch. They’d concentrated on the three basic food groups: chocolate, chips and cream filling.

Julia snorted in a most unfeminine manner. “Maybe we’d believe you had this non Jesse Hyatt ideal if you’d actually go out on a date. I’ve got news for you. You can’t get your virginity back, no matter how long you hold out.”

“I’m not holding out,” Lily said. “I just haven’t met the right man yet.”

“At least you’re not alone,” Hope said with a sigh. “You’d think one of us would have found Mr. Right by now, wouldn’t you?”

Zoey nodded. “Or at the very least, Mr. Okay.”

Sam shook her head. “I know you’re kidding, Zoey. You must be. Finding a life partner is the most important decision in a woman’s life. It’s not to be taken lightly.”

Hope grinned at Emily. “Too bad Sam’s ideal man is too old for her. And he’s married.”

“Who might that be?” Sam asked, raising her perfectly arched eyebrows.

“Bob Villa, of course. Between the two of you, there wouldn’t be a single store-bought item in your house. You’d knit the couches, he’d build the stove. You’re perfect for each other.”

Sam sighed. “Just because I’m handy—”

“Handy? You out-Martha Stewart Martha Stewart.”

“Look who’s talking, Ms. Everything-Has-To-Match Hope.”

“Hey!” Emily put her hands on her hips, but instead of giving her friends the stern talking-to they deserved, she noticed that of all the women in the room, hers were the only hips that were large, economy-size. It was depressing.

Hope, Lily and Samantha were the perfect width for their height. Julia was too skinny, despite the fact that she ate like a little oinker, darn it. And Zoey was just plain voluptuous, even though she thought she was fat. She wasn’t. But Emily was.

Not life-threateningly fat, but she could lose a good twenty or twenty-five pounds. She should lose—

“Emily?” Hope said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Weren’t you supposed to be yelling at us?”

“Oh, yeah. Stop it.”

The girls cracked up again, and things were the way they should be once more, only Emily had to force her smile. Couldn’t she go one blessed weekend without obsessing about her weight?

Of course not. Especially after the news she’d heard just this morning. She might as well tell them now. But first, she needed one more cookie before she sat down.

As Emily reached for the bag Lily poured herself another daiquiri.

“I suppose that means you don’t have to take JT tomorrow?” Zoey asked, eyeing the full glass of sweet, cold booze.

“Nope. I can get as toasted as I want.”

“Which isn’t going to be all that toasted,” Sam said. “There will be no throwing up tonight. We’re too old for that nonsense.”

“Yeah,” Hope agreed. “Hangovers have completely lost their charm.”

“I’ve got an announcement,” Emily said. But she must have said it very softly, because no one looked at her. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’ve got an announcement!”

That quieted the room. All eyes were upon her, and she felt her face heat up. She hated blushing, but that was yet another thing she had no control over.

“Well?” Sam said.

“Scott Dillon is coming back to town.”

Silence.

A really long stretch of silence.

Hope looked at Sam. Lily looked at Julia. Zoey looked at Emily, then looked away.

“When?” Lily asked.

“Oh, um, tomorrow.”

“What!” shouted the chorus.

“I’m fine,” Emily assured them. “It’s no big deal.”

“My behind,” Zoey said, bounding to her feet. “Why did you wait so long to say anything?”

“I just found out.”

“In the last five seconds?”

“No. This morning.”

Zoey grabbed a small water bottle from the side table then settled her gaze on Emily. “What’s the story?”

“Kelly told me, since his father died, Scott’s mom is having a tough time running the store. So Scott’s coming home to help until they figure out what to do.”

“Kelly?” Hope turned to Lily. “Isn’t she Jeff Whaley’s girlfriend?”

“Yeah. She’s the one that got that boob job.”

Julia shook her head at the two gossips. “That’s not the main item on the agenda, ladies.”

The miscreants focused on Emily. She wished they’d go on talking about boob jobs. Scott Dillon wasn’t her favorite topic, outside of her daydreams, that is. But at least she didn’t have to go into any lengthy explanations. They all knew she’d been crazy about him since tenth grade. That he’d played Romeo to her Juliet in drama class, which turned the crush into mad, passionate love. And that he’d broken her heart when he’d taken Cathy Turner to the prom.

Her friends even had the decency not to mention that she’d never stood a chance with Scott. A gorgeous guy like him, football captain, president of the class, would never consider a girl like her in a romantic sense. That was not the way the world worked. She was the friend, the sounding board, the one who’d find out if the Cathy Turners of the world were interested in the Scott Dillons. But she’d never be the date. The love interest. Not with her chubby cheeks and her large economy-size hips.

“So, are you going to do something about it?” Zoey asked.

“Like what?”

“Like ask him out.”

Emily burst out laughing. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m not kidding. He’s always liked you, Emily. I mean he still calls you, right?”

“Once. He called once a hundred years ago. As a friend. Nothing more.”

“He’s older now. More mature.”

“And dating older, more mature supermodels. Not one chance in hell he’d ever go for me that way.”

“You don’t know that.”

Emily lifted her right brow.

Zoey’s shoulders sagged. “It could happen,” she said weakly.

“No, it couldn’t,” Emily said with a sigh. “But it sure would have been nice, huh?”

“What?”

“One night. One perfect night. Champagne, a full moon, music, flowers. I would have been happy with that, you know? With the memory.”

No one spoke for a moment and, just as startling, no one ate anything for a moment. Emily guessed they were all thinking of their own secret dreams. Those heartfelt wishes for things that could never be.

She’d be fine. She would. She was a champ at landing on her feet. “Okay,” she said, climbing off the bed again, more than ready to change the subject. “I say we all get into our jammies and start some serious gossip.”

“HUH?”

“Shh.”

Sam blinked, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. It was too dark to see, and what the—

“Come on,” Hope whispered. “And don’t make any noise.”

Sam threw back her covers and climbed out of the cot she’d won playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. It wasn’t the bed, but it wasn’t the floor, either. She followed Hope toward the bathroom, and when she saw that it was nearly four in the morning, she almost turned right around and went back to bed.

Hope anticipated the move, however, and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward whatever the heck was going on.

They reached the bathroom, and Hope shoved Sam inside, then Hope joined her. Once the door was closed, the light came on. Everyone was there. Except Emily.

Zoey had on her Bugs Bunny pajamas. Lily wore a nightshirt that advertised a Stephen King novel. Julia had on a cropped T-shirt that showed off her perfectly flat tummy and boxers that showed off her perfectly gorgeous legs. And Hope? She had on men’s pajamas. Both the top and bottom. Sam’s conservative white nightgown seemed hideously dull.

“Okay, so here’s what I propose,” Hope said, hopping up on the sink counter with far too much energy for four a.m. “I say we give Emily what she wants.”

“A good night’s sleep?” Zoey suggested.

Hope gave her a look. “No. One night with Scott Dillon. One perfect night.”

Sam’s mouth hung open, and she wasn’t alone in her bewilderment. All the girlfriends except Hope, of course, looked stunned.

“Are you nuts?” Lily asked.

Zoey nodded. “She’d kill us.”

Julia sat down on the commode seat. “What are we supposed to do? Hypnotize him into dating her? Buy him for her?”

Hope smiled. “I don’t think it will come to that. I think, if we do our jobs correctly, Scott Dillon will ask Emily Proctor out of his own accord.”

“And why would he,” Lily asked, “when he’s never been interested in her before?”

“Because we’re going to take our little Emily, and turn her into the sexiest, most gorgeous creature he’s ever laid eyes on. That’s why.”

No one spoke. Someone, Zoey probably, hiccuped. They exchanged glances. Finally Hope threw her arms into the air, accidentally sending Emily’s toothbrush flying into the bathtub. “Well? Are we or are we not The Girlfriends?”

“We are,” Zoey said.

“And do we or don’t we help one another?”

“We do,” Sam agreed. “But—”

“But nothing.” Hope leaned forward. “We can do this, guys. And you know what’s going to happen? Emily’s going to come away from this with so much self-confidence, with so much pride, that she’ll be able to get any man she wants. Scott Dillon, George Clooney. Whoever.”

“Little optimistic there, aren’t you, Hope?” Julia asked.

Hope nodded. “I’d agree if it was just me working on Emily. But it’s us. All of us. We can do this, guys. I just know we can.”

Julia waved her hand. “One more thing? What if Emily says no?”

Hope jumped down from the sink. “Then we’ll make her say yes.”

THE FOOTBALL TROPHIES WERE lined up in perfect symmetry, polished to a high sheen, exactly where they’d been nine years ago when he’d moved out of his parents’ home to go to Texas A&M.

Scott shifted his attention to the wall, to the pictures, the green and white flags, the display of Sheridan High memorabilia his parents had preserved like a shrine. They had been good days. Important days. But he’d moved on. At least, he’d tried.

He turned back to his open suitcase and started putting his clothes in the bureau, guilt eating a hole inside him. He didn’t want to be here. He was on the cusp, inches away from a dream career after years of disappointment. Destined, finally, to regain his former glory. But instead of preparing for an interview at ESPN, he was in his old bedroom, in his old town, in his old life.

It wasn’t fair. But, as Coach Teller always said, nothing’s fair except a fine spring day. Coach. At least Scott would get to visit him. That was a good thing.

He heard his mother in the hallway, her slippers scratching lightly on the hardwood floor. “Scott?”

“Yes, Mom?” He shut the top drawer, pasted on a smile and turned to face her. God, she’d gotten old. Old beyond her years. It was frightening.

He’d been born late in his folks’ lives, when his mother had been forty-one and his father forty-five. His mother had always had more energy than any two people he knew, but now she walked with a shuffle. It took her a long time to climb the stairs. She’d stopped coloring her hair, so it was white now, instead of the strawberry-blonde it had been forever. The vibrant part of her had gone, and he wanted more than anything else to help her get it back.

The decline had started when his father died. She’d loved the old man, and Scott had a feeling she wanted to join him. But she wouldn’t. Not while she had her son to care for.

“I’ve made cabbage rolls for dinner,” she said.

“Ah, Mom, you spoil me.”

She smiled, and the wrinkles around her eyes made it hard for him to keep his own grin in place. How could he leave her to fend for herself?

“Do you have everything you need?”

He nodded. “It’s just like it always was.”

“It’s home,” she said. “It’ll always be your home. You know that, don’t you?”

His mother hadn’t ever been a big woman, but she’d shrunk somehow over the years, so when he hugged her, the top of her head came only to his chin. He held her cautiously, afraid to squeeze too hard for fear she’d break. She’d lost too much weight. Her little arms went around his waist, and for a long moment, they rocked each other.

Scott knew without doubt that he was responsible for this woman, just as she’d been responsible for him for all his growing-up years. She wouldn’t sell the store, and she couldn’t run the store, so that left him.

Instead of being the newest ESPN sports commentator at the unheard-of age of twenty-six, he was going to be the manager of Dillon’s Market.

Nothing was fair except a fine spring day.

“ARE YOU INSANE?”

Hope shook her head. “Come on, Emily. You know you want to.”

“I do not!” She hopped off the bed and grabbed her clothes, anxious to get out of her nightgown and end this conversation.

“You do so,” Hope said, following her across the hotel room to the bathroom. “It’ll be a great adventure. And face it, girl, you need an adventure.”

“An adventure in humiliation? No, thank you.”

“Who said anything about humiliation?”

Emily couldn’t believe her friend was so dense. Actually, Hope was such a dreamer, it made sense she couldn’t see the downside of her little scheme. But Lily had both feet firmly on the ground. Sam had been the most practical person in Sheridan, and now that she’d moved, she was probably the most practical person in San Francisco, too. Zoey had some flights of fancy from time to time, but surely she could see this was a disaster waiting to happen.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Emily said. “And when I get out, I don’t want to discuss this again. Capiche?”

Hope opened her mouth, but Emily didn’t stick around to hear her argument. She went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Of all the nutty…

She put her fresh clothes on the counter, turned on the water in the shower, and then she blew it. She took off her nightgown and saw herself in the mirror.