- -
- 100%
- +
“I’ve been here for hours. I’m doing the flowers,” she said a little too quickly. “I mean, I’m a guest, too, but I’m also the florist. I have my own flower shop here in town.”
His eyes widened, but returned to normal in an instant. Strange, he had never been this calm and collected before. He’d been so shy and adoring whenever he helped her with homework. It had made her feel feminine and cherished. A way she hadn’t felt with anyone else.
But the man standing in front of her didn’t look as though he got nervous about anything or anyone. And man was the only way to describe him.
Reed Connors had gone from brainy looking and skinny to gorgeous and a hunk. Had it taken a kiss to turn him from frog to prince? She swallowed. Hard. Not that she had any intention of falling under his spell again.
Besides she’d never cared what he looked like. She’d seen beneath his being too thin with thick glasses and a bad case of acne to the caring person underneath. At least, she’d thought he’d cared. Thought he’d loved her. But she’d been wrong. About Reed, about so many things. She stared at the bouquet in her left hand.
“You stayed in Fernville?” he asked.
“I…I…we stayed.”
She waited for him to ask about Timmy. Her son.
Their son.
But Reed didn’t. Damn him. After all this time, she thought Reed would have been at least curious about Timmy. She pushed her disappointment aside for the millionth time, but a permanent sorrow bore down on her. Reed must have ice running through his veins. Nothing else would explain his actions.
But she had to remember it was for the best. No one knew the truth about her son. No one except her, Art and Reed. And she had to keep it that way.
Reed’s assessing gaze made Samantha feel tongue-tied and self-conscious in her found-on-sale-at-the-consignment-store black dress. She pushed back a stray hair that had slipped out of her French twist.
The tables had turned.
She was no longer the girl she’d been. No longer the daughter of the wealthy Browns who could never live up to the example set by her perfect older brother. Samantha had known her parents’ love had to be earned, but she never thought they could harden their hearts against her so easily and kick her out of the house when she’d told them she was pregnant, a month before high school graduation. She’d been alone, penniless and homeless. Thanks to Reed, her entire life had been altered.
Shattered.
But she had picked up the pieces, and with help from Art and his parents, moved on. She was now part of the Wilson family, and had to be careful so nothing she did would change that. But Reed’s presence was another living reminder of her biggest mistake. If Frank and Helen found out…Samantha squared her shoulders.
“Has life gotten more exciting here?” Reed asked.
“No, but I like it.”
“You never used to like it.”
“True.” In high school she couldn’t wait to leave the confines of Fernville. The small town had threatened to suffocate her and her dreams. Now someone would have to drag her away from the comfort of the town she fondly called home. “Things, people change.”
“Not you.” One corner of his mouth lifted. “You look the same. Only better.”
His compliment sent an unexpected rush of emotion through her. Her cheeks warmed, and she smoothed the skirt of her dress. “You’re only being polite.”
“I’m not,” he admitted. “You look great.”
“So do you. In your suit and everything.” Darn, the more she said the stupider she sounded. That wouldn’t do at all. So what if he wore a designer suit and expensive leather shoes and looked like a male model? Reed, of all men, should not be having this effect on her. Not that it was really an effect. She was merely flustered by his sudden appearance. “I mean—”
“I know what you mean.”
Reed and she might have been different back when, but Samantha had believed he understood her like no one else, not even Art. She could be herself and not worry whether he would like her or not. But when push came to shove, Art had been the one who’d known what she needed in a way that defied logic, not Reed. The fact he still hadn’t asked about Timmy proved how little either of them had understood or known about each other. Well, she wasn’t about to offer any information.
Reed glanced around. “You’ve done a beautiful job transforming the church into a holiday wonderland, but what happened to moving to the big city, becoming a lawyer and fighting to right the injustices of the world?”
A teenage pregnancy, being disowned by her parents, getting married the day after high school graduation, a part-time job at a grocery store and a baby at age eighteen. “Life.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not really.” He knew some of the story, but hadn’t cared enough to do anything. And he still didn’t care. It was better this way. She had to protect her family and would—no matter what the cost. She straightened, wishing she’d worn high heels so she could even out his height advantage. “What about you? Have you taken the business world by storm?”
“Not quite. I work for a financial software company in Boston. I’m V.P. of global marketing.”
His dreams had been the most important thing in his life. More important than her and their baby. She hoped the price he’d paid was worth it. “Still planning to make your first million before you turn thirty?”
“We’ll see.”
No, he would see. There was no room for him in her life. What they had shared the spring of her senior year of high school had been like a dream—a dream come true for a few short days. He’d come back from college and she’d seen something different in him, felt things she’d never felt before and done things without a thought to the consequences or the future. Reed had swept her off her feet and stolen her heart.
Until their time together, she had never felt loved. Not by her parents who wanted her to be perfect, not by her then ex-boyfriend Art who didn’t want her unless she had sex with him, not by anyone. But Reed had made her feel the way she’d longed to feel—loved only for who she was. As if no matter what she did or said, he would still love her. Or so she thought. Samantha had been wrong. Their story hadn’t had a fairy-tale ending. No happily ever after for them.
But she was older and wiser. She would not repeat the mistakes of the past. And that’s where Reed belonged.
In her past.
The only thing he could do in the present was destroy her life by letting the truth about Timmy come out. If he wanted to pretend he didn’t have a son, fine. She was more than happy to oblige.
With her resolve firmly in place, she forced a smile. “It’s been nice seeing you, but I need to return the missing bouquet to an upset bridesmaid and light the luminaries outside the church before the guests arrive.”
“I’ll see you later,” he said.
Not if I can help it. She was going to stay as far away from Reed Connors as possible. Too much was at stake to let him near her again. “We’ll see.”
Reed watched Samantha walk down the aisle and into the vestibule. She looked sexy in her little black dress. The sway of her hips hypnotized him as if he were under a spell or dreaming. The slamming of a church door told him he was doing neither. He was wide awake.
He had believed he was over Samantha Brown and had gotten her out of his system years ago. He had.
Samantha Wilson, however, was another story. Such a beauty. Her bright, blue eyes contained an intriguing soulfulness. He was itching to pull the pins from her blond hair to see whether she’d cut the length to match her new matter-of-fact personality. Her figure had improved over the years—no cheerleader outfit necessary to show off her curves in all the right places. And she seemed more confident, self-possessed, mature. Qualities he’d never associated with her before. Qualities he found surprisingly attractive.
His system was going haywire. Talk about circuit overload. But there was no customer-service number to call. The engineering department would be no help, either. He was on his own. And for once he didn’t like it.
Instead of feeling like a man in control of his own destiny, he felt like an insecure, uncertain teenager. He hated that.
He was successful, in demand, everything he wanted to be, yet Samantha still made him feel like the dork he’d once been.
Reed took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He couldn’t allow her to get to him like this.
Once upon a time, she’d been the princess and he the court jester, strictly there for her entertainment and to make sure she didn’t fail any of her classes.
But things had changed.
She was a florist in a no-nothing town, perfectly attainable if not for her marital status. He, on the other hand, was achieving all he’d dreamed about.
Reed had everything he’d ever wanted.
Everything except Samantha.
Chapter Two
As the new Mr. and Mrs. Mark Slayter finished their stroll down the aisle to the tune of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” the bells in the steeple chimed. Reed followed the stream of wedding guests outside to the steps of the 275-year-old church. People milled about as if it were a spring afternoon, not early December with a wintry chill in the air.
“I’m Rebecca,” an attractive woman with hazel-green eyes said to him. “Are you a friend of the groom or the bride?”
“The groom,” Reed answered. “Rebecca Donnelly, right?”
“You know my name, but I’m positive we’ve never met before.” She smiled seductively. “I would never forget a man like you.”
“You sat next to me in physics and world history senior year.” Her blank look didn’t surprise him. “Reed Connors.”
Her mouth gaped. “I’m sorry, Reed. I didn’t recognize you.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I only lived in Fernville a couple of years. No reason for you to remember me.”
She pursed her glossed lips. “Can I make it up to you?”
“Possibly.” His hint of suggestiveness left Rebecca nodding and batting her heavily mascara-covered eyelashes.
As he made the one-block stroll to the reception, Reed searched for his friends from high school. They had to be here, but he didn’t see them. He reached the reception site, the town’s recreation center. An odd choice for a wedding reception considering he used to compete in chess tournaments there. The only difference between then and now was a new sign out front.
Inside, a framed picture of Mark and Kelli sat on an easel. A white mat with guests’ signatures and greetings surrounded the photo. Reed picked up the pen, scribbled the words “May the force be with you as you live long and prosper together” and signed his name. Mark would understand as only a former Star Wars/Trekkie geek would.
With his seat-assignment card in hand, Reed stepped through the pine-garland-trimmed entrance to the multipurpose room and was transported from the recreation center’s nondescript decor into a romantic winter wonderland.
The scent of pine permeated the air. White gauzy fabric with sparkling snowflakes on it covered the walls. Garland entwined with white lights was draped over them. Next to the dance floor stood a twelve-foot Christmas tree decorated with white lights, red bows and crystal hearts. A smiling angel, with wings spread wide, graced the top of the tall tree. Reed’s assistant had sent a gift for him, and he wondered if it was under the tree with the other wedding presents.
Had Samantha done all this? The girl he remembered hadn’t seemed interested in flowers unless they were for a prom corsage. Though she’d been more concerned about whether they clashed with the color and style of her dress. But Reed had thought he’d seen more in her. Too bad he’d been wrong.
Reed passed a group of carolers dressed like characters from a Dickens novel and made his way to the other side of the room. He located table four.
“Hey.” Reed was happy to see three of his closest friends from high school and two women seated here. “I’ve been wondering where you guys were. It’s been a long time.”
“I don’t believe it.” Wes Harkens, who had a goatee and a lot less hair than Reed remembered, rose from his seat and shook his hand. “Mark said you were coming, but I didn’t see you at the church so I thought you hadn’t made it.”
“I was with Mark until right before the ceremony,” Reed said, thinking how good it had been to catch up on the past eight years with his old friend. “Mark was as cool as a cucumber, but once I saw Kelli, I understood.”
As his three buddies nodded knowingly, the attractive brunette sighed. “Don’t you guys think about anything else?”
“Sorry, honey. We don’t.” Dan Crenshaw, as tall as ever, but no longer as skinny as a twig, laughed. “I thought a million-dollar deal would spring up and keep you away, Reed.”
He smiled. “I don’t make the deals, just make sure everyone knows about them and Wintersoft.”
“But you must be doing well. Wintersoft is a great company.” Patrick Fitzgerald, who looked eighteen not twenty-eight, hugged him. “Good to see you, Reed.”
“You, too,” he said.
The introductions continued. Reed met Dan’s fiancée, Jenn, and Wes’s wife, a pregnant, auburn-haired beauty named Claire. For two guys who’d never dated in high school, they had done well in the spouse department. Patrick, who hadn’t outgrown his thick black-rimmed glasses and too-short pants, seemed to have come alone, but two empty seats at the table still remained.
“Looks like we’ll have all the single women to ourselves,” Reed said to Patrick.
“Maybe you will.”
“Thank goodness,” a familiar feminine voice said. “I never thought I’d find it.”
One glance and Reed’s heart skipped a beat. He felt the same way he had the first time Samantha had bounced into the computer lab in her short cheerleader skirt and tight sweater asking for help with her algebra homework. She had never meant to be a tease, but she had been a natural flirt who drove all males, regardless of age, to the brink of insanity.
“Table four.” She glanced at her table-assignment card and at each of the table’s occupants. Her gaze lingered on Reed for a moment longer than the others, and he wondered if anyone else noticed or saw the wariness in her eyes. “Looks like I’m at the right place.”
All three of his friends stared at Samantha with the same look of awe they had in high school. Patrick nearly tripped over himself to pull out her chair. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Here you go, Samantha.”
Her face glowed with a radiance Reed didn’t remember. Must be the lighting. No one could look that good.
“Thank you,” she said.
Patrick’s red cheeks brought back so many memories about Samantha for Reed. His senior year he’d hacked into the school computer system to get her class schedule. The first day back at school he’d managed to “bump” into her between every class, but more than once he’d been too shy to say anything but hello. He’d been so pathetic. At least that was in the past.
Reed sat, leaving an empty seat between him and Samantha. The smart thing to do, he told himself, even though the idea of sitting next to Art Wilson—the man who had tormented him through high school and married the girl of Reed’s teenaged dreams—didn’t thrill him, but he was an adult and no longer in a losing competition. He could handle it. And Art.
Samantha picked up her flute of champagne. “Wasn’t the ceremony lovely?”
“I cried,” Claire admitted.
“You cry during commercials. Even when you aren’t pregnant.” Jenn laughed. “The bridesmaid dresses are gorgeous.”
“They are beautiful, but now you can see why I told Kelli no when she asked me to be a bridesmaid?” Claire patted her big-enough-to-burst belly. “I’m much too big to prance around in a sexy bridesmaid dress.”
“You’re all baby.” Wes’s voice, so soft and full of affection, was a 180 degrees different from when he used to talk like Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. “You look beautiful.”
Claire shrugged. “Thanks, but I didn’t want an album of wedding party pictures showing how ‘beautiful’ and big I look.”
“These are nice.” Dan adjusted the centerpiece, a small pine wreath circling a vanilla-scented candle. “I can’t wait to see what you do for our wedding, Samantha.”
“She won’t be able to top what she did at ours,” Wes admitted while Claire agreed.
Samantha’s eyes reflected her gratitude. “Thanks, but I only did what Kelli and Mark wanted done.”
Reed watched the exchange in amazement. The entire table acted as if they were friends, not acquaintances. He didn’t get it. Samantha would have never been caught dead talking to any of these guys in high school. She had been nice to him and treated him differently from others who weren’t in her clique. She’d made him feel special, but he’d helped her pass all her freshman and sophomore math and science courses. He’d believed friendship had grown from the tutoring. They’d been an odd pair—the beauty and brain—sharing their dreams for the future and what they wanted out of life. They had exchanged letters once he left for college until spring break of his sophomore year when they’d become lovers and the truth about how she felt—or rather didn’t feel—about him came out.
The DJ announced the arrival of the bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Slayter, and the wedding guests clapped. A harpist took over from the carolers, and a sit-down prime rib dinner was served. The conversation never lagged. Reed’s friends wanted to know about his job and life in Boston. After that, stories about their high school days and being pathetic geeks kept them entertained. Samantha didn’t talk much.
He stared at her. She was so elegant, so stunning. His gaze drifted to her lips. He remembered every contour, every detail of those soft lips, even her taste. He remembered so much more about her, about the days and the night they had spent together. Too bad it hadn’t meant the same to her as it had to him. Reed reached for his glass of ice water.
What he needed was a strong dose of reality. Something to remind him Samantha was no longer on the market and put an end to the fantasy forming in his mind.
“Where’s Art?” Reed asked her. “At home with the kids?”
Everyone at the table stared at Samantha. Not even the crystal-handled cake knife could cut through the tension.
Wes started to speak, but Samantha interrupted him. “I—it’s okay. I’ll do it.”
“Do what?” Reed asked, feeling like the last one to learn a worm virus was about to destroy his hard drive.
She toyed with the edge of her napkin. “Art was involved in a motorcycle accident three years ago, and his injuries were too severe. He died.”
Reed felt as if he’d been punched in the solar plexus. He also felt like a jerk. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“You had no reason to know.”
But he should have known. Reed glanced at her bare ring finger. How could he not have noticed before? Why hadn’t he asked about Art earlier? But then again, Reed had believed Samantha was living a happily ever after like she’d dreamed about. “You doing okay?”
The question sounded ridiculous once the words were out, but he’d felt compelled to say something.
Her steady gaze met his. “I’m doing fine.”
Fine.
Samantha deserved better than that. But it wasn’t up to him to give it to her. He knew that, both logically and realistically. Art might be out of the picture, but so was Reed. His flight was leaving tomorrow. His life was in Boston.
But you’re here now.
So what? He’d come to Fernville to have fun. He wasn’t looking for a second chance. Maybe a fling…
Samantha rose. “The lights on the tree are flickering. I need to fix them.”
“Want some help?” Patrick asked.
“Thanks, but it’s happened before and I know what to do.”
As Samantha walked away, Claire sighed. “Come on, you guys. Don’t make her do it alone.”
“Reed?” Jenn suggested.
“Be right back.” Reed stood. He should have done this on his own. Proactive, not reactive. That’s how he handled things now, but around Samantha he felt a little unsure and awkward, reminding him of his high school days. It didn’t make sense.
Standing at the tree, she tightened the miniature bulbs.
“Can I help?” he asked.
“No, thanks.” She didn’t glance up. “I’ve got it under control.”
Reed wished he could say the same. He touched one of the crystal hearts on the tree. Time to pull himself together. Samantha shouldn’t have him reverting to his former insecurities. Okay, she was beautiful, but he’d dated beautiful women before. Must be guilt over bringing up Art. It couldn’t be anything else. “I wanted to apologize for what I said back at the table.”
“No need.”
“I’m still sorry.” He checked for a loose bulb on the string of lights. “I would never want to cause you any pain.”
“Now that’s a good one.”
Her bitterness surprised him. She’s the one who didn’t want him. Perhaps she was having regrets. “I know it was a long time ago, but we once meant something to each other.”
“Did we?”
“Yes, we did.” At least he had thought so.
She raised a shoulder. “All that was a big mistake.”
Just as he’d assumed, their time together had meant nothing to her. “A mistake,” he repeated.
“I knew you would agree.”
But he didn’t. Not really. Being with Samantha had been both the best and the worst time of his life. A time of wonder and love. A time of rejection and disappointment. But he wouldn’t call it a mistake. Perhaps a lesson learned. “Sam—”
“Found it.” She fiddled with the wires, and the lights stayed on. “No more flickering.”
Reed wished he could say the same thing about his feelings for Samantha. His emotions seemed to be flickering on and off, and he didn’t know how to fix that.
“The bride and groom want to be on their way, so let’s get all the single women on the dance floor for the bouquet toss,” the DJ announced.
“That’s my cue to get the bride her bouquet. Excuse me.” Samantha rose, grateful for a valid reason to get away from Reed if only for a few minutes. She’d been upset at his returning to Fernville, but now she was annoyed at him. She hated the pity in his eyes. His need to apologize for bringing up Art.
So she was a widow? It wasn’t by choice, but she’d learned to live with it. Because of Timmy, she’d had no choice.
Timmy. The thought of her son filled her with warmth. Like her own parents, Reed had made the wrong choice where his child was concerned. He hadn’t wanted to be any part of Timmy’s life. Or hers. She wondered if he ever had regrets. She wondered if her own parents did. Not that it mattered. She’d only been wanted and loved on their terms. She and Timmy were better off without them in their lives.
She picked up the smaller throw-away bouquet made with fire-and-ice roses and sprigs of pine and made her way through the crowded room to the dance floor. The sweet scent of the roses tickled her nostrils, reminding her this was a wedding not a wake. She was here to enjoy herself. No sense letting Reed Connors get to her. He wouldn’t be in Fernville forever. He didn’t care enough to cause problems. Time to stop overreacting. Didn’t she deserve a night out and some fun?
At the dance floor, Samantha handed the bouquet to a beaming Kelli. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Kelli sniffed the roses. “Make sure you stand where I can see you.”
“Okay.” But it was far from okay. Getting stung by a bee would be less painful than battling the other women for a chance at the bouquet, but Samantha wasn’t about to disappoint her friend. She stood on the parquet dance floor, trying not to get jostled by a woman dressed in a hot pink dress, who jockeyed for a better position.
“One, two…” Before the DJ reached three, Kelli tossed the bouquet over her right shoulder. The flowers soared through the air. A woman in a teal suit reached up, but was a second too late. The bouquet landed right in Samantha’s hands. She stared at the white roses with the red tips. Their coy scent wasn’t so sweet now, but Kelli was clapping and smiling. That’s the only thing that mattered.