And Then He Kissed Me

by Southwick, Teresa

  One by one Rosie’s brothers hugged her and shook her husband’s hand. Abby noticed the longing in Nick’s eyes and that Joe Marchetti was especially tender with his sister, rubbing her still-flat tummy and talking to the growing baby there. It struck her that Flo Marchetti was right. These guys wanted families, and it didn’t make sense that they were still bachelors.

  Abby had never laughed so much. Doing dishes had never before lifted her melancholy mood. But then, she’d never helped Flo and Rosie in the kitchen before. Nick was hanging around, directing the cleanup operation, he claimed. One by one his brothers had wandered in, then—when threatened with “woman’s work”—quickly left for that football nirvana. Rosie claimed that since Sarah was keeping the baby occupied, it gave her a much-needed rest from motherhood, not that she didn’t adore every minute, or almost every minute.

  Nick looked at his sister as she finished putting away turkey leftovers.

  “That container is awfully big, sis.”

  “Really?” she shot back. “If you’re going to stand there and critique, maybe you would rather do this yourself?”

  “No. It’s just that I’m better at spatial things than you. And fridge space is finite.”

  “You are pompous and condescending.” Rosie looked at Abby. “How do you stand him?”

  “Beats the heck out of me,” she answered. She found she stood him way better than she wanted to, and wished this holiday would go on forever. Or end now before she got used to how wonderful Nick and his family were.

  “Hey, what happened to me being your hero?” he asked Rosie when she threw a dishtowel at him.

  “You still are. I just don’t want it to go to your head.”

  “How come I’m not your knight in shining armor?” he asked.

  Rosie sighed and shook her head with exaggerated patience. “There’s a specific protocol to the appointment. You need to be elevated to ‘white knight’ by your significant other. After that, the next step is the Hero Hall of Fame.”

  Abby had never thought of it in quite those terms, but he was awful darn close to that in her book. Did that make him her significant other?

  Nick gave Abby a sexy, teasing, beseeching look that made her warm all over. “Help me out here, pal. I have some credentials. Tell them how I saved Sarah’s birthday party from disaster. Are you going to let her get away with this abuse?”

  “Yes, you did. And yes, I am.” The comment earned her laughter and nods of approval from the female members of his family.

  Abby, towel in hand, stood with her back to the sink beside his mother, who was washing the oddball dishes that wouldn’t go into the dishwasher. She took the cracked crystal bowl the older woman handed her.

  “Ma,” Nick said studying it, “are you ever going to tell us the story behind that bowl?”

  “It’s classified.” His mother glanced over her shoulder and gave him an odd look. “A need-to-know basis. Right now you don’t need to know.”

  He grinned. “Guess she told me.”

  “And don’t you forget it,” Rosie said. Her expression turned pensive. “Seriously, Nick, are you really all right?”

  He sighed. “Abby, tell her.”

  She shrugged. “He joked about it with me. I have to conclude that the incident is behind him, emotionally speaking.”

  “I’m glad. But I still can’t believe you kept it to yourself,” Rosie said.

  “That’s not entirely true. I told Abby.”

  “You did?” Rosie and Flo said together as they stared first at him, then Abby.

  “Yes. We’re friends,” he explained.

  “Just good friends,” Abby added. No doubt he’d told Madison, too. Unfortunately she wasn’t here to take the heat off.

  “I know, but—” His mother didn’t finish the statement, but there was no mistaking the gleam in her eye.

  Because Nick seemed to have lost the power of speech, Abby scrambled to take the heat off all by herself. She searched for the first thing she could think of to say. “Did you know that Nick offered to let me use the cabin in the mountains while Sarah is nearby on a ski trip?”

  “No,” Flo said, giving her son an assessing look.

  “Sorry, Ma,” he said with a shrug. “I forgot.”

  “I hope that’s all right with you?” Abby asked.

  “Of course,” Flo said.

  “The cabin,” Rosie said with a dreamy sigh. “That’s where Steve and I fell in love. Remember, Nick?”

  “I remember that I found the two of you in bed there before I found out you were married.”

  Rosie giggled. “I wish I had a picture of the look on your face.”

  “Very funny. I thought my best friend was taking advantage of my sister.”

  “And I wanted to strangle you for interrupting us on our honeymoon. We still had some things to work through then.”

  “And you did.” Flo smiled at her daughter. “But that time at the cabin definitely brought you two closer. And now you’re expecting another baby. True love seems to blossom there. Your father and I always thought of it as a romantic refuge.”

  Abby was uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. “It was the treaty of Ridgeway for Sarah and me. Nick’s idea. She’s going on a church trip to the mountains. And I didn’t want her to because I would worry like crazy. He thought I might be more comfortable if I was nearby.”

  “Very thoughtful, Sir Galahad,” his sister said.

  “Apparently you didn’t think it through completely,” Flo commented. “If you don’t clue your family in on this, your brothers could drop in on Abby.”

  “Who’s dumping on Abby?” Joe asked. Lounging in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, he seemed to fill the entrance.

  “What’s Abby doing?” Alex said behind him.

  “Who’s picking on her?” Luke questioned.

  “I’m glad you’re all here,” Flo said. “Nick is letting Abby use the cabin for the weekend.”

  “Great,” Joe said. “Luke and I were thinking of going up. You busy, Alex?”

  “No. I haven’t been there in months.”

  “We should do it. What do you say, Ab?” Joe asked.

  She grinned at the three of them. “Since it’s your place, I don’t feel I’m in a position to object.”

  “You should,” Nick said. His tone was light enough, but Abby noticed a tightness around his mouth and an intensity in his gaze that hinted at irritation.

  She wondered what that was all about.

  Joe walked farther into the kitchen and cut himself a piece of pumpkin pie, then sat at the table across from his brother. “What’s eating you?” he asked.

  “Just that Abby never takes time off. She finally does, and has to share the place with a bunch of baboons like you guys? I don’t think so.”

  “It wouldn’t bother me,” she said.

  “You think that now,” he shot back. “But if—”

  “It’s really starting to rain,” Flo said staring out the window over the sink. “Abby, dear, do you have a four-wheel drive car?”

  “No,” she answered.

  “Chains?” Joe asked.

  She shook her head. “Why?”

  Nick looked concerned. “Because if it’s raining here, it could be snowing in the mountains.”

  Abby was a southern California girl, born and raised. She’d never set foot in the mountains or the snow and wasn’t sure why all the Marchettis looked concerned. “Maybe I should have Sarah cancel her trip.”

  “Good luck,” Nick said.

  “But is it dangerous to drive?” she asked.

  “Not if you’re prepared,” Alex answered.

  “That settles it,” Flo said.

  Nick scratched his head. “I didn’t realize there was anything to settle.”

  “Shows what you know,” Rosie shot back. “I know where Ma’s going with this.”

  “Then let me in on the secret,” Abby said. “If necessary, Sarah and I will stay home.”


  “No, dear. That won’t be necessary. Nick can borrow his father’s Jeep, and he’ll take you to the cabin tomorrow.”

  “He doesn’t have to.” Abby’s heartbeat stuttered. “I’m sure I can handle the drive if I’m careful.”

  Rosie grinned. “Steve and Steph and I could come up, too. That way you wouldn’t be alone with all of them, Abby.”

  Nick nodded, obviously warming to the notion. “We haven’t hung out together in a long time. What a great idea, Ma.”

  It was a lousy idea, Abby thought. She couldn’t handle much more of hanging around Nick Marchetti. Not if she wanted to hang onto her hard-won neutrality. “No, really,” she protested. “I’d feel guilty about you driving me.”

  “Don’t, Abby.” Flo handed her a copper-bottomed pot to dry. “He’s a notorious workaholic. He could use some time off, and you would give him a good reason. It would be a big favor to his family, friends, Marchetti’s Inc., and the world in general. Please let him drive you to the mountains.”

  “Jeez, Ma, have I been that bad?” he asked, grinning at her.

  “In a word? Yes,” she said.

  Abby didn’t know what to say. But she didn’t suppose that “no, you can’t come,” was an option. It was his cabin, after all. Not to mention the fact that he was going to make sure she arrived safely.

  But she couldn’t forget what his sister had said. The cabin was where she’d fallen in love. A romantic refuge, his mother had added.

  “So what do you say, Ab?” Nick asked.

  What else could she say with most of the Marchettis looking on? “Thank you very much.”

  Chapter Eight

  “It’s not the biggest, most impressive cabin I’ve ever seen.” Abby tapped her chin as she studied the structure and the long wooden stairway leading up to it, rich in the ambience of the mountains.

  “No?” Nick stood beside her, so close that their shoulders brushed.

  The touch warmed her clear down to her toes. An impressive feat, she thought with a grin at her pun. A cleverness she would keep to herself because she didn’t want to offer him the slightest bit of encouragement. After yesterday, she wasn’t sure about anything. Even though she’d cautioned him not to have feelings for her, she sensed a restless tension in him. She hoped it wasn’t about her, because she would never forgive herself if she was Nick’s third strike in the romance department.

  “Nope, definitely not the most impressive cabin I’ve ever seen. And if you believe that, I can probably convince you pigs can fly.” She smiled up at him. “I’ve never been up close and personal with a mountain mansion. It’s huge, Nick.”

  “Wait till you see the inside,” he said, walking to the rear of the sport-utility vehicle. His breath floated in a cloud in front of his face, attesting to the cold. He looked up at the gray sky. “Which I suggest we do real soon, before it starts in again. We were lucky it didn’t snow harder on the way up the mountain.”

  “Okay.” Good. Her voice had stayed steady. It was only one word, mind you. But one had to savor victories wherever one could. She was pleased that she hadn’t betrayed any hint of her inner turmoil. Which she definitely had. Turmoil in spades.

  Because she was alone with Nick.

  Really and truly alone. Thanks to his mother, she thought, and didn’t know whether to kiss or curse the woman. If Abby hadn’t been put on the spot, she knew she would have taken her chances with the slick roads. But no such luck. So here they were. In the mountains, away from work. No phones, faxes or other related business paraphernalia to distract him, her, them. This was the moment she’d been anticipating with equal parts of trepidation and exhilaration.

  When Nick finished taking the bags from the rear hatch of the car, Abby reached for her duffel.

  Nick started to lift it at the same time. Their hands brushed, and she felt the sparks dance all the way up her arm until finally the warmth settled in her chest.

  “I’ll get that,” he said.

  Her knight in shining armor.

  She thought of Nick’s sister, teasing him. Then relief mixed with disappointment as she reminded herself that they would only be alone until his family arrived. Still, it was for the best that they wouldn’t be by themselves for too long. Three whole days, one-on-one with Nick the magnificent, could be more than she’d bargained for. She was immensely relieved that her willpower wouldn’t be put to the test so she decided to relax and make the best of a fabulous situation.

  “You don’t have to carry that. I’m perfectly capable,” she said.

  “I didn’t mean to imply that you aren’t.” He held his hand out, indicating the stairway. “But it’s a long way up, and the air here is thinner than you’re used to. But have at it.”

  “I just want to pull my own weight,” she said. “You did all the driving, and considering how slippery the roads were, that wasn’t easy.”

  “No big deal.” He shrugged. “Where I come from, guys take care of girls.”

  How wonderful, she thought. A man who was nice to his mother and a real gentleman. The woman who captured Nick Marchetti’s heart would be lucky indeed.

  Abby lifted her bag. “This isn’t heavy,” she said.

  “I noticed. The women I know pack a truckload for a day. Are you sure you brought enough stuff?” He glanced down at her canvas sneakers. “Those are not going to keep your feet warm.”

  She shrugged. “I have a pair of athletic shoes, too.”

  “Better, but—” He shook his head as a frigid blast of wind hit them. “C’mon, let’s get inside, out of this cold.”

  She shivered in her jacket. “You’ll get no argument from me.”

  By the time they’d climbed the stairs, Abby was out of breath. Her chest felt tight, and she knew Nick hadn’t exaggerated the effect of the altitude. He unlocked the door and let her go first.

  She stepped into the living room and stared at the circular, screened-in fire pit that took up the center of the large room. On the walls around it sat a green plaid couch, matching love seat and occasional chairs in contrasting but compatible colors. There were oak tables nearby with lamps on top. It could have been put together by a decorator. Not to mention the fact that everything she saw was far superior to the furnishings in her apartment, and this was their home away from home.

  “Wow. There must be a lot of loot in linguine.”

  He laughed. “I guess that means you like it.”

  “What’s not to like?”

  “It’s pretty gloomy in here.” It wasn’t noon yet, but the clouds outside hid the sun, making the interior dark.

  “Gloom is a relative term,” she said.

  “Relative to the fact that it’s dark in here. But, never fear, Marchetti is here.” Nick set his bag down, flipped the switch beside him, and instantly the lamps blazed with light.

  “Wow,” she said again. “It was pretty nice in the dark. But this is spectacular. Do you want to give me the nickel tour?”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Abby followed Nick into the spacious downstairs master bedroom complete with Jacuzzi tub and gold fixtures, walk-in closet and French doors leading to the balcony. After she grabbed her duffel, he showed her the second floor with its four bedrooms and loft filled with grown-up toys. She grinned at the pool table and dartboard, figuring that those distractions would appeal to manly men like the Marchettis.

  “Which bedroom do you want?” Nick asked.

  Her grin faded as other distractions that would appeal to the Marchetti men and the women who were attracted to them came to mind. Indoor sports. Man-woman interaction. Kisses.

  “Are there assigned rooms? I don’t want to take anyone else’s and play Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Your brothers will want to settle in when they get here.”

  “Yeah.” He thought for a minute. “Mom and Dad are staying home with Grandma. If Rosie and Steve make it, they’ll want the master so they have room for Stephanie in with them.” He pointed down the hall. “The one
on the end is Rosie’s old room. Why don’t you take it?”

  “Joe and Alex and Luke won’t mind?”

  He shook his head. “Too girly.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll put my stuff in the one next to it.”

  Was it too late to change her mind about Rosie’s room without looking foolish? she wondered.

  “When the Three Bears get here, they can fight over who gets to double up in the other rooms.”

  “If you say so,” she said.

  Three days with a testosterone level hovering near the danger mark. Not an unpleasant prospect. But Abby couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to be alone with Nick. Her heart gave a little skip at the thought. As she’d said before, what’s not to like? The fact that she was a girl with a conscience. If she weren’t, she could enjoy him, then turn her back without a second thought. But he’d already been hurt by a woman without a conscience. Abby couldn’t do that to him, not again.

  “Why don’t you unpack your stuff and settle in?” he suggested.

  “Nick, can we make sure the kids arrived safely first?”

  “Not a problem. Just let me plug the phone into the jack downstairs. You can call—”

  “I hate to ask this,” she said. “But would you mind if we drove over to check out the lodge where they’ll be staying? I know I’m a worrywart, pain in the neck, overprotective, et cetera. But the roads were so icy.” She hesitated, waiting for him to laugh and tell her she was silly. When he didn’t, she said, “I’d like to see for myself that Sarah’s walking, talking, giggling and generally being her healthy sweet self.”

  “You got it.” He didn’t bat an eye or in any way indicate that her request was stupid.

  Nick the Magnificent. He was hovering darn close to white-knight status. The next step was knight in shining armor, before he entered the Hero Hall of Fame. Abby feared that long before he reached those hallowed halls, he would hold her heart in his hand, and then she would be in a heck of a pickle.

  Nick sat beside Abby in the café booth at the lodge as they waited for the church bus with the kids aboard.

  “What if something happened?” she asked for the umpteenth time in a half hour as her worried gaze met his own.