Rules of Contact

by Jaci Burton

  Women--and relationships--would make him feel, and that wasn't acceptable. He'd noticed that right away about Megan, noticed that he liked her and maybe--

  No. Wasn't going to happen--ever. He needed to get her out of his head.

  He only had time for work and making money. He had a dream he was saving for.

  And now he barely had time for lunch, because he had a Chevy to get back to.

  TWO

  Megan grabbed her purse and the cupcakes she'd made for tonight's book club meeting. She was already late because she'd had so much baking to finish for tomorrow, and she'd lost track of time. Then she'd had to shower to clean off the bakery scent--a flour, sugar, and butter combo.

  Though the girls probably wouldn't mind that.

  She drove over to Loretta Simmons's bookstore, noting that the street was filled with her friends' cars and she was the last to arrive. Typically, she was early. Her pulse raced as she got out of her car and pushed through the door.

  She loved this bookstore, which took up the entire first floor of the renovated old mercantile in downtown Hope. Loretta had returned to town after her divorce last year and had leased the first-floor space in the historic building Reid McCormack had gutted and rebuilt.

  Now it was the Open Mind bookstore, and lately it had become her favorite hangout. It not only had tons of books, but also coffee and tea, plus wireless and an electronics bar for people who had e-readers or laptops and wanted a quiet place to work or study. It was perfect for voracious readers, and with the local college nearby, it was also a great place for the students to come by at night to read or study.

  Megan wandered to the back and found her friends set up at their regular spot.

  "Hey, sorry I'm late," she said.

  Her best friend, Samantha, looked up from the book in her lap, her long blond ponytail twirling back and forth as she lifted her head. "You made it."

  "Yes, finally." She laid the boxes on the round table in the center. One of the things she loved was all the comfortable seating areas, spaces where groups could come together to meet. This one had several cushioned chairs, a sofa, and a table.

  "We're so glad you're here," Loretta said. "And not just because of the cupcakes."

  "Well, sort of because of the cupcakes," Chelsea said. "But I brought wine, so we'd have survived if you hadn't made it."

  Megan laughed. "I'm sure you would have. But I never miss book club."

  She unpacked the cupcakes from the box and arranged them on a plate.

  "What have we got tonight?" Molly asked.

  "Dark chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting."

  Chelsea poured the wine. "Which goes perfectly with zinfandel."

  Emma, who was eight and a half months pregnant, laid her hand on her lower back. "I miss wine."

  "Your doc said you could have a glass, didn't he?"

  "Yes, but I think I'll opt for tea."

  Megan looked around. "Where's Des?"

  "Opting out tonight," Emma said. "She said she'll see us all at the baby shower this weekend at the ranch, providing she doesn't have the baby before then."

  Megan went over and grabbed one of the glasses of wine Chelsea had poured. "Who do you think will go first, Emma?"

  Emma delicately lowered herself into one of the chairs. "I'm hoping me."

  Molly laughed. "I'm hoping it's you as well. I have tomorrow on the office pool."

  Emma arched a brow. "There's an office pool on my due date?"

  "Honey, the entire town has pools for your and Des's delivery dates," Sam said. "With both of you due at the same time, how could we not?"

  "Well, I have a couple of weeks left, so I don't know what you were thinking, Molly."

  Molly shrugged. "That first babies sometimes come early. Though I have you two weeks late on another pool."

  Emma rubbed her belly. "My poor baby being gambled on." She paused for a few seconds, then said, "Is it too late to get in on the action?"

  Megan laughed. "I don't know, Emma. I think you might have insider information."

  "Oh, please. I wish I knew when this little one was coming out. And hopefully it's soon."

  While everyone played guessing games about Emma's due date, Megan wandered over to Sam, who was making herself a cup of coffee. "How's the new house coming along?"

  "It's hit-and-miss. We got the foundation poured before winter set in, and they're working on plumbing, electrical, and getting the walls and the roof up. But you know they're dancing around the weather, and early spring has been rainy, so we're hoping that calms down somewhat so we can make some headway. In the meantime, we're living at my house. The yard is big enough for Not My Dog, who's perfectly happy as long as he's with Reid and me."

  Megan smiled. "And of course he goes to work with Reid every day anyway."

  "This is true."

  "How's Grammy Claire?"

  Sam's smile faltered. "About the same. She has her good days and bad days. Some days she recognizes me, some days she looks at me like she doesn't know who I am."

  Megan squeezed her arm. "I'm sorry."

  Sam nodded. "We're prepared for it. Physically she's still doing well enough to stay at her home, thanks to Faith, Grammy Claire's best friend, living there with her. I don't know what we'd do without her help. And the nursing staff who come in for regular visits have been lifesavers."

  "It also helps that you and Reid are just across the street."

  "Yes. We stop by every day and check on her."

  "And maybe someday the two of you will have a honeymoon."

  "Oh, we don't need that. It was enough that Grammy Claire was able to be at our wedding, and that she had full cognitive function at the time."

  Megan saw the tears welling up in her friend's eyes, and knew how much it was hurting her to slowly lose her grandmother to Alzheimer's. "But you two are still newlyweds, so anytime you need my help with anything, all you have to do is ask."

  Sam hugged her. "Thank you. I know I can count on you. But speaking of all things love, I haven't seen you dating anyone lately. What's up with that?"

  "Oh, well, you know how it is. The bakery keeps me busy."

  Sam slid her a look. "And that excuse is getting old. How did things go with that date you had last week?"

  "The one with the guy from the newspaper?"

  "Yes, that one."

  Megan gave her a blank stare. "He was . . . nice."

  Sam wrinkled her nose. "Nice? That's it?"

  "Yes. That's it."

  Sam sighed. "So, in other words, no spark."

  "What are we talking about sparking?" Chelsea asked. "Not that I'm eavesdropping, but . . . okay, I'm eavesdropping."

  "We're talking about Megan's date the other night."

  "Ohh, you had a date?" Chelsea asked, pulling up a spot next to Sam. "Spill the details."

  If there was one thing their hot redheaded friend loved, it was gossip. And Megan knew Chelsea had opinions, especially on men and dating. "Unfortunately, nothing to spill. Nice guy. Good job. Great manners over dinner. He was polite, made decent conversation and all, but I felt . . . nothing."

  Chelsea's hopeful look disappeared. "Oh. That's unfortunate. As someone who dated more than her share of men in the past--"

  "Like the entire male population of Hope," Sam said.

  Chelsea shot Sam a look. "Hey. Not the entire population. Maybe half."

  Megan laughed.

  "Anyway," Chelsea said, "I can attest to the fact that sometimes the chemistry just isn't there, despite how good a man looks on paper."

  Megan folded her arms. "Says the woman who landed the hottest bartender in Hope."

  Chelsea graced them all with a well-satisfied grin. "I did, didn't I?"

  "And she's smug about it, too," Sam said.

  "I am, aren't I?"

  Megan shook her head. "No cupcakes for you."

  "Megan," Chelsea said, looking shocked. "You wouldn't do that."

  "A few more bad dates
and I might just consider it."

  "But you wouldn't deny Sam, who just married the hottest architect in town."

  Sam gave Megan an apologetic look and took a sip of her wine.

  "Hmm, you have a point, Chelsea. Maybe I'll just keep all the cupcakes for myself."

  "Or maybe you should consider dating more," Sam said.

  "Okay, there's that. But even Chelsea can attest to the fact that the pickings are slim."

  Loretta came over and sat on the edge of the sofa. "What are we picking?"

  Sam leaned her head back. "Dates for Megan."

  "And I mentioned the prime pickings among men are slim," Megan said.

  Loretta nodded her head. "I can see how it would be hard to date in a small town."

  "You have a point there," Chelsea said. "However, I think my problem was that I was extremely picky. Now that I've had an opportunity to take a step back and reflect, I can assure you that there are several good-looking and eligible men in Hope."

  Megan wasn't buying it. "Name three."

  "Jeff Armstrong, Brady Conners, and Deacon Fox."

  Leave it to Chelsea to rattle off three names without even hesitating. Jeff was a very attractive doctor, Brady worked at Carter Richards's auto shop, and Deacon owned a construction company. Deacon had also been Loretta's high school boyfriend. She tilted her gaze to Loretta, who seemed to show no emotion when Deacon's name was mentioned. Though she wondered how Loretta felt about Deacon now after all these years.

  Sam laughed, then laid her hand on Megan's shoulder. "She's got you there."

  "I tried dating Brady," Megan said. "That didn't work out."

  Chelsea frowned. "You and Brady dated? When?"

  "Okay, so we didn't actually date. We had a couple of fix-ups where we were sort of pushed together."

  "Which is not at all like dating," Sam said.

  "No, it's not, but he never asked me out."

  "I haven't seen Brady go out with anyone since . . ." Molly let the sentence trail off.

  "Since his brother died," Chelsea said. "Yes, I know. All that hot studliness going to waste. You should go after him, Megan. Are you interested?"

  "She's definitely interested," Sam said.

  Megan shot Sam a mind-your-own-business look.

  "Oh, I see. So it's a lust thing," Chelsea said. "Well, who wouldn't lust after that man? If I wasn't already taken by a hot guy of my own, I'd be all over Brady Conners. Tall, well-muscled, rides a motorcycle, and that man just exudes sex."

  Megan looked over at Chelsea, who shrugged.

  "What? Just stating the facts. Come on, Megan, surely you agree."

  She couldn't deny it. "I do agree. But I don't know. It seems like a waste of my time to chase after a man who isn't interested."

  "I've seen him around town," Loretta said. "Chelsea does have a point. He is fine-looking."

  "Maybe you're not dangling the right carrot," Chelsea said.

  "I don't think many of Hope's citizens would appreciate me showing up at Carter's shop naked."

  Sam snickered. Chelsea laughed. Loretta smiled over the rim of her wineglass. Molly and Emma smiled.

  "Not exactly what I meant, Megan," Chelsea said. "You have to make yourself irresistible to him."

  "I actually ran into him earlier today. Or, rather, he ran into me and my two boxes of cakes. I talked to him about baked goods."

  "That would have gotten Reid's attention," Sam said. "Then again, he's a sucker for a good cinnamon roll."

  "All men love sweet things," Emma said. "If you know what I mean."

  Megan knew what she meant.

  "So bring him some baked goods. And while you're at it, flash him some cleavage."

  She looked down at her T-shirt and jeans. "Sexy is not my persona, Chelsea. That's more up your alley."

  Chelsea grinned. "Ooh, well thank you. But you don't have to change your appearance, Megan. We love you just the way you are. Which, by the way, is absolutely beautiful."

  Considering Chelsea was stunning, with her gorgeous red hair and stylish clothes and beautiful smile, Megan took that as a compliment. "Thank you."

  "But how does he react around you?" Chelsea asked.

  "Like he's interested. And annoyed about it."

  "Hmm," Loretta said.

  "That's a very good sign," Sam said.

  "I agree," Molly said. "Men aren't like women. They keep their emotions close."

  "And you know, Loretta," Chelsea said, "there are plenty of eligible men out there for you as well."

  Loretta looked none too happy that the conversation had steered over to her.

  "Oh. Um, I'm not interested."

  "In men?" Chelsea asked.

  Loretta laughed. "I like men very much. But after the divorce, I'm concentrating my efforts on the new business here, and on Hazel. I think that's enough for now."

  Megan's gaze drifted to where Loretta's nine-year-old daughter, Hazel, was reading on the floor in the corner of the bookstore, completely oblivious to their conversations. She was such a cute kid, with her jeans and her T-shirt and her ponytailed hair pulled through the back of her baseball cap.

  "She's so adorable, Loretta," Megan said.

  Loretta sighed, then smiled. "Thank you. I think so, too. Should we start?" She held up the book club selection, Shannon Stacey's newest book. Megan was so excited about this one, since Ms. Stacey was one of her favorite authors. She loved everything she wrote.

  Megan poured another glass of wine, and Chelsea pulled her aside.

  "Seriously, Megan. You have nothing to lose with Brady, and everything to gain. The man sounds interested. So give him a little shove in the right direction."

  She shrugged. "I'll try, but I don't know. He doesn't seem to want to be shoved."

  Chelsea laughed. "They never do. Then again, men can often surprise us."

  If Brady even once asked her out, Megan would be more surprised than anyone. But she had promised to bring him coffee and something from the bakery tomorrow, so she'd start there and see if anything came from it. The man was hot and sexy and worth pursuing, so why not?

  She'd give it one shot--and one shot only--and then see what came of it.

  Jaci Burton is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Play-by-Play series, including Rules of Contact, Unexpected Rush, All Wound Up, Quarterback Draw, Straddling the Line, Melting the Ice and One Sweet Ride, and the Hope series, including Don't Let Go, Make Me Stay, Love After All, Hope Burns, Hope Ignites and Hope Flames. Visit Jaci online at jaciburton.com, facebook.com/AuthorJaciBurton and twitter.com/jaciburton.

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