Summer Day Dreams

by Verity Norton

  “How about we call it even? You don’t pay me for my investigative work and I won’t pay you to help out at the store.”

  Sophie was about to protest. She knew there was no comparison in pay here. And she did have her pride. But she made the mistake of looking up at him. His smile could have melted a glacier.

  “How about I throw in unlimited ice cream sodas to make it a little more fair.”

  She smirked at him. He was going in the opposite direction from fair. But he was being so kind and so darned charming that she found herself playing along with him. “Throw in free banana sandwiches and we have a deal.”

  “Whoa, you drive a tough bargain, but okay. Deal.” He took her hand and he thought that together they could have melted the entire supply of ice cream.

  Sophie withdrew her hand and struggled to clear her throat. “So how about that milkshake?”

  “I think what I need is some exercise.”

  “Like shoveling ice cream?” She held up the scoop.

  “More like shoveling manure. I think I’ll take a ride and maybe clean out the much-neglected stalls. Want to help?”

  Her eyes lit up. “Really? But if we both leave—”

  “Sally will be fine on her own. It’s our quiet time.” Sean went over to tell Sally they were leaving while Sophie cleaned up the counter.

  “You really love riding, don’t you?”

  “You can tell?”

  “Kind of obvious.” He laughed when he looked over at her on the front seat of his truck. He didn’t really want to bring up the subject of his cousin, but his curiosity got the better of him. “I’m surprised Alex hasn’t taken you out riding yet.”

  “He’s been busy. Work keeps taking up his time,” she said, cringing as she told the lie.

  “But he’s been riding since he’s been here, hasn’t he?”

  “A couple times. With his mom. He’s not real patient about teaching other people though, especially beginners.”

  Sean looked over at her, wondering just how much his cousin had changed since he’d settled into city life.

  “Have you told him what a good rider you are?”

  “I am?”

  Sean laughed. His loose tongue again. “You’re not bad. So you haven’t told him, have you?”

  “Not yet. Maybe after today I’ll be so impressed with myself, I will tell him just how good I am.”

  Sean pulled the truck up to the barn and they climbed out. Sophie held her own, saddling her horse alone this time. Her horse, Milly, the sweet old mare who had taken to her like everyone else in Canden Valley had. He took her out on the trails today. Nothing seemed to faze her, not the uneven ground or the rocks and trees that they had to dodge, not even the pack of dogs that had joined them.

  “Are these all yours?” she asked. “Except for the hounds and the mutts?”

  “Some. The hounds are my grandparents’. The mutts are Aunt Nan’s, plus a couple of retrievers. Ours are the border collies and a couple mutts. They like to roam between the two properties.”

  “They’re wonderful!” Sophie said.

  If dogs and horses and the love of a good man were all it took to make her happy, life with Sophie Weldon would be incredible, Sean found himself thinking. Not that he hadn’t been thinking that all along.

  “You can go wait in the truck or visit with the dogs or horses,” Sean told Sophie after they’d finished riding and had untacked and brushed down the horses. He grabbed one of the shovels and started shoveling out one of the horse stalls.

  If there were new puppies here like at the horse ranch, she might have taken him up on that.

  “You really don’t have to help, Soph.”

  She liked the way he had shortened her name. The only other person who had done that was Arielle. “And miss out on all this fun?”

  “You’re seriously going to try to convince me you like doing this?”

  “I don’t mind. It’s part of the whole horse thing.”

  He believed her. Not because she wasn’t complaining as she scooped the horse manure into the wheelbarrow, but because she was smiling as she did it.

  “What? Am I doing it wrong?” What could she possibly do wrong with horse manure?

  Sean laughed. “No. I guess I’m just having trouble believing that a city girl with fancy fingernails and polished toenails doesn’t mind shoveling horse manure and isn’t worried about ruining her nail job.”

  Sophie braced herself. Had the rude, sarcastic Sean returned? But when she looked up at him, his eyes were warm and sincere.

  “I really don’t care if I ruin them.” She glanced down and noticed that one of her nails was indeed chipped. She tore off the dangling piece and went back to work.

  Sean tossed her a pair of gloves that looked like they’d fit her—Skye’s, no doubt. “So, if you don’t care about fancy nails and polished toes, why do it?”

  “Because when a guy compliments you on something, you kind of keep doing it,” she said without thinking.

  Sean smiled mischievously. “In other words, if I told you I liked the smudge of mud on your nose, you’d be sure to have a smudge on your nose the next time I saw you?”

  Sophie laughed, wondering if she did have a smudge of mud on her nose. “Sorry. Clarification. When a guy a woman is attracted to compliments her on something, she tends to keep doing it,” she said with a smirk.

  Sean raised an eyebrow at her as if challenging her to deny that she was attracted to him. Too soon, he cautioned himself. She was not going to admit that yet, not even to herself.

  But the signs were there—the smile she always had for him, the way she blushed when he complimented her, the way she looked at him far longer than a friend or a cousin, or the fiancée of a cousin would. Or maybe it was just his intuition telling him that there was something going on between them—and it was not one-sided.

  Alex rode around the arena for a few minutes, finding the dusty, hot air oddly comforting. Then he headed out on the trail north of the ranch. He tried not to think about the fact that Sophie hadn’t told him about helping out at the store. It was more curiosity than anything else. Was she worried he would disapprove of her working at a store? Or that he would disapprove of her spending time with his cousin, not just any cousin, but Sean.

  Alex slowed his horse to a stop. He wasn’t the only one riding the trails today. Coming toward him on the back of a beautiful chestnut connemara, was Cassie.

  “Hello, Alex.”

  “Hello, Cass. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  “It is.”

  “How are you?”

  “I’m fine. You?”

  “Good.”

  Her smile did not quite reach those emerald green eyes. “You seem happy.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I mean with Sophie.”

  Not really a subject he wanted to discuss with her. He looked down at the horn of his saddle.

  “She seems really sweet,” Cassie continued.

  Had she reconciled herself to his impending marriage so easily? Disappointment cascaded through him, settling in his gut.

  “Uh, yeah, she is very sweet.”

  “She seems to love it here, taken to country life like a McCullough—well, like most McCulloughs. I hear she’s a real natural on a horse.”

  A natural? Something else she hadn’t told him. “Where did you hear that?”

  “Sean told me.”

  Of course. “You see a lot of Sean?”

  “When I’m in town.” Her eyes were fixed on his, as if she were searching for something. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll head back.”

  As he struggled to find words to offer her, she turned her horse around and galloped off toward home. He did the same, recognizing that once again he had somehow managed to mess things up.

  Sophie knew something was wrong the minute she opened the bedroom door and found Alex staring out the window. It was as if there were a chill in the air which seemed even more blatant because it was in direct co
ntrast to the summer heat and the sticky perspiration she felt from just having mucked out a horse stall. Something was all but telling her to turn and run.

  But it was too late. He’d heard the door open. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Tell you what?” she asked.

  “That you’re helping Sean out at the store.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was a big deal. And you’ve been busy with other things.” She slowly edged her way into the room.

  “Why on earth would you want to work at the store anyway?”

  “It’s fun,” she said casually in an attempt to ignore his hostility. You know I love making ice cream sodas and sundaes. Kind of my dream job when I was a little girl. Maybe I’m just fulfilling a fantasy.”

  At his grandparents’ he’d managed to tuck his anger neatly away in a safe corner. He was certain that it was no coincidence it had returned after he had sat and watched Cassie galloping away from him. Or was it really his guilt for not taking Sophie riding? Or possibly a different guilt, one that went back many years? If that was the case, he knew exactly why he was angry. Unfortunately it was easier to make Sophie out to be the bad guy. He had, after all, a lifetime of guilt pent up inside him. He didn’t know if he could handle it anymore.

  Despite the anger that had been festering over the past couple hours, he thought she had never looked so adorable . and happy. But damn it all. She could have told him. It was out of character for her not to. Or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was just Sophie not subjecting him to things he didn’t want to hear. She was good at that. But, she had definitely changed in the short time they’d been here. She was even more dreamy-eyed and idealistic than she was in the city. At home, her pragmatic side had always been prevalent. Maybe that was what bothered him the most. Or maybe he was just seeing a side of her that he had not seen before. That scared him more than he wanted to admit.

  Sophie blinked hard as she watched Alex shake his head and walk past her and out of the room. He didn’t understand, the same way he wouldn’t understand her real reason for helping at the store, and her need to find her father. She wasn’t about to tell him. After what she had learned today about her mother, she wasn’t sure she could face disappointment and disapproval from the man she was supposed to be marrying.

  Why couldn’t he be more understanding? she found herself wondering. More compassionate and supportive? Why couldn’t he be more like Sean?

  Chapter 12

  “Okay, so I don’t get out on the golf course much anymore,” Matt admitted.

  “You can’t golf worth shit,” Alex said.

  “Okay, so you kicked our asses. You don’t have to rub our faces in it. Sorry we didn’t give you much competition.”

  “Much? You mean any.” Alex raised his voice slightly to be heard over the clinking of silverware and dishes being cleared from tables, and the sound of light-hearted laughter that he wasn’t particularly feeling. “And you, Sean? What’s your excuse?” He looked over at his other cousin who was seated across the table in the Dunedin Inn.

  “Same. I’m afraid golf isn’t high on my list of priorities.”

  “And what is?” Alex took a sip from the pint of Sam Adams the waitress had just set down in front of him.

  “Anything else for my favorite men?” She winked at Matt and smiled at Sean.

  “Thanks, Bev,” Matt said. “That should do for a while.”

  Alex had not stopped staring at Sean with his interrogator attorney look. Sean figured the cross-examination would continue until he answered the question to Alex’s satisfaction. “Priorities? Let’s see, the organic crops, helping out at the farm, the store—”

  That was where his cousin cut him off. “Actually I was referring to hobbies, not work, but since you brought it up. I hear you have my fiancée working for you.”

  “What can I say? She finds me irresistible.” He wished. “Or maybe it’s the ice cream sodas she can’t get enough of.”

  “It’s not as if you can’t find someone else to help out.” Alex was clearly not amused.

  “She wants to help out. It’s payback.”

  “Payback? For what?”

  Sean wished he could swallow his words, anything to protect Sophie. Obviously she still hadn’t told Alex that she was looking for her father. It was also probable that she had neglected to mention that she was spending time at the store, and that Alex had learned it from the chain of Canden Valley gossip. “Payback for teaching her to ride a horse,” he said.

  “I thought Skye was doing that.”

  “She is. I’ve helped out a little. Besides, Sophie loves making ice cream sodas and sundaes. And she’s been redoing the displays. She’s really been enjoying herself. It’s like she’s living out a fantasy.”

  The frown had not left Alex’s face. Matt felt responsible. He was, after all, the one who had suggested that the three of them go out—like old times. He’d somehow managed to forget that these weren’t old times and that a lot had happened since they were. Having learned from his grandfather never to tiptoe around issues, he decided they might as well confront this one head on.

  “What’s wrong?” He punched Alex lightly in the arm. “Are you afraid Sophie’s going to fall for Sean?”

  “Sophie? Fall for Sean? Not possible. She’s way too sensible. Besides she’s too crazy about me.”

  Matt was relieved that he had managed to ease the tension, at least a little, at least for one cousin. Unfortunately now his other cousin was frowning and clearly swallowing beer to contain the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

  Alex, obviously not having noticed the tension in Sean’s face, continued. “I am concerned about her though. She’s usually so pragmatic. Since she’s been here, it seems as if she’s slipped into some fantasy world.”

  Sean’s eyes opened wide at that comment. Since she’d been here? As far as he could tell, even in the short time he’d known her, Sophie was a dreamer.

  “You sound as if you didn’t know this about her,” Matt asked the question for him, a lot more subtly than he would have.

  “Well, yeah, I know she talks dreamily about having kids some day and the white picket fence image sometimes, but I didn’t realize— Since we’ve been here, it’s as if she’s living in some damned idyllic fantasy, idealizing everything.“

  “Like what?” Matt asked.

  “Like our frickin’ cute little village, the store, the ice cream soda fountain, the ranch, our family—She thinks it’s some idyllic village with happy people running around everywhere, being kind to one another.”

  “Is that a problem?” Sean asked, his breathing having almost returned to normal.

  “Considering that I’d like her to come back to San Francisco with me? Yeah.”

  Sean studied his cousin carefully, wondering how he’d react if he told him he had every intention of convincing Sophie not to go back to San Francisco. He winced, as if feeling the blow he was certain to incur if he had spoken the words. Hell, he was ready to punch himself just for thinking them.

  “You think she’d really like to live here?” Matt asked. There was nothing he’d like more than for his cousin to move back. His fiancée might just be the key to making it happen.

  Alex swallowed the peanuts he’d finished chewing. “Not really. For a little while maybe, but she’d get bored pretty fast.”

  “How’s that?” Sean hoped his tone did not reveal his irritation.

  “Oh, you know, it’s all very cute for a while. And as idyllic as it all seems to her now, Sophie’s also used to the good life—expensive restaurants and stores, malls. She loves to entertain.”

  “We have nice restaurants and stores here,” Matt said. “In Winslow.”

  “And we do plenty of entertaining,” Sean added.

  “Not the kind she’s used to. Sophie loves nice clothes. And putting on elegant dinner parties for clients and friends.”

  Sean took a swallow of his beer and set down his glass with an unintentional
thud. He had to wonder if Alex knew Sophie at all. So far the only accurate thing he’d said about her was that she had idealized the village and their family. Unlike Alex, he wasn’t sure that was such a bad thing.

  Sophie inhaled a deep breath of satisfaction and set down the remainder of her raisin scone. “Okay, that’s it. I’m officially full. I think I’ve gained five pounds in a week here. If I try to take another bite, slap my hand.”

  Anne laughed. “I know. This place is known for being over the top. But it’s good, don’t you think?”

  “Delicious.” Sophie inhaled again, savoring the scent of fresh-baked scones and freshly-brewed tea along with old-fashioned aprons, bone-China tea pots, lacy table cloths, and coziness—if those things had a scent which she was convinced they did. “If it weren’t so delicious, I wouldn’t have had to unfasten the snap on this damned skirt. Why did I wear it anyway?”

  “It’s pretty?” Skye offered.

  “And too short.” Sophie tugged on the hem once more.

  “It’s not that short,” Skye said.

  “It wasn’t five pounds ago. And it tends to get shorter when I sit down.”

  “It’s just not very practical. But definitely sexy. Let me guess—another one my brother chose?”

  Sophie nodded.

  “My brother and his designer labels.” Anne shook her head in disgust.

  “And he does like sexy. As long as it’s classy, which this one is quickly becoming not.” Sophie groaned.

  “Why did you let him talk you into it anyway?” Skye stared down at the skirt that was getting shorter by the minute.

  Sophie wondered that herself. “I don’t know. He loves taking me shopping. He really seems to enjoy it. And if he really likes something, I kind of have trouble turning him down.”

  Anne and Skye glanced at each other.

  “What?”

  “It’s still hard to imagine Alex liking to shop,” Anne said.

  “Must have been something he picked up in the city,” Skye said.

  Sophie shook her head. “It’s hard for me to imagine him not always liking to shop”