“I’m feeling much better, and I owe you so much,” Lily was saying. “I really want to help, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
He glanced at the others. “You’re all here to help?”
They nodded.
“Well, I do need all the help I can get, but unfortunately Mrs. Dawson said each team can only have four crew members...and Cody here has offered to help, as well...” He turned, but the young man had already disappeared into the stall. Great, he was on his own. How was he supposed to decide who stayed and who went? He studied the women. The stronger-looking ones would be his best bet, especially if he was stuck with Lily’s busted hand. He suspected she wouldn’t be able to contribute much.
Heather entered the barn then and stopped when she saw the group. He smiled and shrugged, but she barely glanced at him. Weird—she was usually the only one who gave him the time of day. Today, she just blew right past him. A memory of their exchange the night before flashed in his mind. Was she annoyed by the casual flirtation they seemed to have going on? Well, she could rest easy; it wouldn’t be happening again. A relationship, no matter how casual or fleeting, was the last thing on his list of priorities and top of the list of things that could jeopardize the case. He’d already destroyed Amber and Kyle’s life, albeit temporarily, and he wouldn’t risk doing that to anyone else.
“Don’t worry about crew limit,” Long Legs said, interrupting his thoughts and directing his attention away from Heather’s back. “I checked with Mom, and she said since you were starting so much later than everyone else, you could have extra team members.”
Okay, so Long Legs was Mrs. Dawson’s daughter. He knew she had two, Kayla and Alisha...but he couldn’t remember which of the two was the younger woman standing in front of him. He had a fifty/fifty shot. “Oh, okay, thanks... Kayla.” He mumbled the name, but she beamed.
Phew. He’d gotten it right. “Okay, well, there’s lots to do, so are you all ready to see this year’s winning float?” he asked, grateful for the extra twelve...eleven hands, even if they were there to help for all the wrong reasons.
That seemed to be the slogan for this float.
* * *
THE SOUND OF laughter coming from three stalls over was driving Heather insane. High-pitched cackling and fake bubbliness competed against one another, and she wondered how Jake could stand working amidst the cacophony. She was a few stalls away from the noise, and she wanted earplugs. But then the sound of his deep, rich laugh mixed in with the women’s voices made things even worse. He was enjoying himself.
Of course he was enjoying himself. In two days, he’d gone from not having a single friend in town, unless she counted, to being the center of adoration for six women. Reaching behind her, Heather turned the volume louder on the portable radio she’d brought along. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” drowned out the laughter. Better.
But seconds later, the giggles once again rose above the music. Oh, come on.
“They must be getting nothing done over there,” she said to Candace, the other team member working on the float with her that morning.
“Sounds like they’re having a good time, though,” Candace said longingly.
“Hey! We’re having a good time,” Heather said, stapling a strand of white lights to the edge of the float and catching the edge of her sweater beneath the staple. Shoot. She removed the staple and pushed her sleeves up, then tried again.
“My hands are numb from gluing these candy canes, and my legs are starting to cramp up. You didn’t tell me the barn wasn’t even heated.”
The truth was, she hadn’t known. Nor had she realized how much work went into building these floats. Melody had made running the bar and everything that went with it seem easy. Heather stapled the last set of lights and jumped off the float. “Okay, we’ll switch jobs for a bit. But first, I’ll go for a hot chocolate run. Whipped cream and cinnamon?”
“Is there any other kind?” Candace asked, getting up and taking the staple gun from her.
“Okay, be back in ten. Don’t leave.” Candace was the only team member she could actually count on to help. The other two girls who worked part-time at the pool hall on their busier days had survived half a day in the barn and had since found excuses not to pitch in. Maybe she should borrow some of Jake’s helpers—he seemed to have more than he needed.
Leaving the stall, she headed for the door, making a face as she passed Jake’s stall, where the women were now singing along to the Christmas carols coming from her radio. “Seriously?” she muttered.
“Something wrong?” Jake said behind her, causing her to jump.
“Jeez, Jake. Give a girl a heart attack,” she said, turning and continuing on her way, embarrassed that he’d heard her.
He followed. “Where are you going?”
“Hot chocolate run.” She hesitated, then sighed. “Does your team want anything?” Please, say no.
“I’m sure they do. They’ve been working nonstop.”
Huh, she was surprised they were getting anything accomplished with all the chatter and laughing, but she bit back her comment, knowing how it would sound. And she was not jealous that these women were working with Jake and having a good time. Not one little bit. “Okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, that’s okay...”
“You won’t be able to carry them all.” He shrugged, falling into step next to her. “We can take the squad car.”
“Okay, fine.” As they left the barn, he said, “So, how’s your second-prize float coming?”
She gave him a small shove. “First-prize float, you mean. And it’s coming along great.” Or at least it would be if she could drag her team members out there.
At the car, he opened the passenger-side door for her.
“And yours?” she asked him. “How are your little elves doing?” Wow, even she heard jealousy in that statement.
He smiled. “Things are moving a lot quicker now.”
“I find that hard to believe with all the giggling and nonstop chatter.” What was wrong with her? She was sounding like a jealous girlfriend. She’d never been that girl. Ever. Even when she’d had a boyfriend—and Jake wasn’t even close to being a boyfriend. He was...oh, forget it. Trying to define what was going on between them only made her head hurt.
Leaning toward her, he placed a hand on top of her head and gently guided her into the car, as he would a criminal, then said as he bent down to face her. “Don’t worry, Talks-a-lot, you’re still my favorite.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he shut the door.
Hmph.
When he got into the driver’s seat, she didn’t even pause for a breath. “I don’t want to be your favorite. I don’t want to be your anything at all. I mean, you really should get to know those other women, seeing as how you came here to settle down and put down some roots. You really haven’t been doing a great job fitting in, so this is good...” Shut up, Heather! What was wrong with her mouth, that it insisted on moving so much? She clamped her lips tight and sat on her hands, staring straight out the window. Do not say another word.
Jake looked amused as he pulled into traffic. “Okay, well, who do you suggest I get to know better?”
Seriously? She wasn’t falling into that trap. She cleared her throat. “That’s none of my business, or my decision...”
“Come on. You know all of these women. Help me out by giving me the inside scoop. Save me from some of the crazies.”
He had a point. Some of these women were a little nutty. She straightened in the seat. “Fine. How about Lily? She’s pretty, smart, has her own business to keep her busy, so she won’t be needy or clingy.”
He shook his head. “She has a boyfriend, doesn’t she? And besides, she’s not into me—she’s just feeling grateful,
that’s all.”
“Maybe, but I’m sure she’s attracted to you for more than that reason.” She sighed. “Okay, what about Kayla Dawson?”
“Too young.”
“She’s twenty-five.”
“Too young. Next.”
Um... “Rebecca Miller?” Personally, she found the bubbly nurse to be a busybody and kind of annoying, but who knew—maybe that was his type.
“Which one is she?”
She narrowed her eyes. “They’re helping you, and you don’t even know their names?”
“I have my own names for everyone,” he said.
So hers wasn’t unique. For some reason, that bothered her. She was just another nameless person in town whom he’d dubbed with one of many stupid nicknames. Who cared? She was leaving soon. She wasn’t interested in this guy.
Was she?
“Anyway, Rebecca is the dark-haired one with the blond streaks in the front...green eyes...”
He was already shaking his head. “Nope, not my type.”
Her stomach turned slightly. She had dark hair and sorta green eyes. So she wasn’t his type, either? Seriously, who cares? Leaving, remember.
She shrugged. “Well, choose one of the blondes, then.” She really didn’t feel like playing his matchmaker for the last few weeks she was in town. She had her own life to think about and figure out. He could do the same.
“I prefer brunettes,” he said. “Ones with hazel eyes and lips that won’t stop moving, a fascination for ankle-breaking heels and who hate acting jealous but just can’t help themselves.” He parked in front of the coffee house and turned to face her. “Know anyone like that?”
Her heart pounded, and she prayed he couldn’t hear it. She swallowed hard. Suddenly at a loss for words, she simply shook her head.
“That’s too bad,” he said, reaching across and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Yeah, too bad. She stared at him dumbly for a second too long. In that second, she almost gave him the answer he’d been hinting at. And that was not a good idea. Complicating things mere weeks before she could get out of Brookhollow was not a good idea. She’d made up her mind to leave and having any reason to second-guess that decision would only make it harder. So why did she have to keep reminding herself of that?
Luckily, Jake broke the spell before she could dive headfirst into complicated. “Heather... I was messing with you,” he said with a grin.
An urge to hit him competed with an unexpected pang of disappointment. He was messing with her. Of course.
“Should we go get hot chocolate?”
She nodded, her common sense returning. “Wouldn’t want to leave the Sheriff’s Angels waiting.”
* * *
AS JACOB WAVED goodbye to his work crew later that day, after successfully dodging three invites to dinner, he breathed a sigh of relief. In eight hours his float had gone from a shell of a design to half-finished. But he wasn’t sure the quick pace was worth it. At first the flirty women were funny and his ego had started to inflate a little, but somewhere along the way, they had begun competing for his attention. He sighed. At least their desire to capture his interest had resulted in quick work on the float. At this rate, he’d go from being behind the other entrants to finishing early. He just hoped he could survive the next week with the women. He only had so many excuses not to date any of them.
The main reason—his secret identity—was an excuse he couldn’t exactly use. But he knew there was another reason he didn’t want to date these women. He was attracted to Heather.
And allowing himself to feel that way was the dumbest thing he could do right now. He was in Brookhollow for one reason only: to get his life back on track and regain his confidence with the container drug bust. Falling for a woman at this stage of his life was not happening. Relationships were hard enough for cops; they were almost impossible with his undercover stints. And right now, being with Heather could compromise this important case and put lives at risk.
Putting the squad car in reverse, he shook his head. What had he been thinking, flirting with her that afternoon? He must be losing his mind. And then, passing it off as a joke had just been mean. He remembered the look on her face and wished he’d never agreed to go on the hot chocolate run with her. In fact, being around her at all wasn’t a great idea. From now on, he’d avoid the pretty brunette as much as possible.
CHAPTER SIX
“EVERYTHING OKAY?” VICTORIA asked the next morning.
“Huh?” Heather glanced at her friend, who was sitting next to her behind the B and B’s front desk. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Why?”
“Because you’ve been stapling those sheets together for two minutes now. I think eight staples oughta do it.” Victoria took the reservation file from her and removed several staples before putting it away.
Heather shook her head. “Right, sorry. Spaced out for a minute.” A common occurrence lately.
“Thinking about the position with Highstone Acquisitions? ’Cause I am,” her friend said, only half teasing.
That seemed like the easiest and safest answer. Sure, she’d go with that. “Yeah, waiting to hear from Mike Ainsley is torture.” In truth, the job offer was the farthest thing from her mind. Since the day before, she’d done everything she could to stop thinking about Jake, to no avail. And when he hadn’t shown up at the bar last night, it had only gotten harder to forget about him and his attempts to flirt with her. Though he’d claimed to be kidding, she’d felt...what? Connection, sincerity in his words?
“I’m sure you’ll hear something soon,” Victoria said, as the front door opened and her sister-in-law Kayla entered, stomping her boots on the mat. “Hi.”
“Hi, sorry I’m late. I was at the barn working on Jake’s float.”
Didn’t she mean Sheriff Matthew’s float? Since when had everyone gotten so friendly? Heather pushed aside her irritation and forced a smile. “How’s it going?”
“Good. Though today wasn’t much fun. Jake had to work, so it was only a few of us women.”
She smiled for real, then quickly looked away. Don’t be stupid. She couldn’t let herself fall for Jake. Not now. So why shouldn’t he date one of these other women? Because she said so, that’s why.
Kayla removed her coat and hung it on the rack.
“Okay, ready to get started?” Victoria asked.
Kayla had offered to take over Heather’s position on the front desk three days a week, while she continued her online studies to become an interior designer. She was here to learn the ropes, but Kayla seemed as distracted as Heather.
“How old do you think he is?” she asked wistfully as Victoria tried to show her the new online guest tracker.
“Who?” Victoria asked with a frown.
Heather knew who the girl was referring to. “Thirty-five on Friday,” she said.
“His birthday is on Friday?” Kayla asked, her eyes widening.
Victoria shot Heather a look, which she ignored as she nodded.
“Oh! We should totally throw him a party.” Kayla’s excitement shone in her eyes.
We? “I’m already planning one,” Heather said before she could stop the lie from escaping her lips.
* * *
HEATHER KNEW EXACTLY who to go to with her new plan. That afternoon, she knocked on Darlene Dawson’s front door and waited for the town’s event planner to answer, hoping her daughter wasn’t around. Other than Darlene, she didn’t want anyone else involved with Jake’s surprise party at the pool hall. She wanted to do this for him, and it took all her strength not to start asking herself why.
She also didn’t want to think of the dent it would put in her savings. She’d better get this job at Highstone Acquisitions soon.
“Heather! What a nice surprise. Come on in,” Darlene
said a moment later, stepping back to usher her into the family’s home.
“Hi, Mrs. Dawson. I was hoping you could help me with something.” She bent to unzip her boots, holding the wall for balance.
“Of course,” she said. Then eyeing the boots, she added, “I have no idea how you walk on those.”
“I’ve been wearing heels since I was four,” Heather said with a laugh. Her mother, a corporate professional with a passion for shoes, had passed down her love of stilettos before Heather could read.
“Come into the sitting room. Would you like coffee?”
“Yes, please,” she said, hanging her coat on the brass hook next to the door.
A few minutes later, Heather explained her idea. “I know you’re busy with all of the holiday events this month, but I was wondering if you could help me plan a surprise party at the pool hall.” Jake would be there like clockwork Friday evening. There was no way she could convince him to go anywhere else without ruining the surprise. Though, he hadn’t shown up the night before... She bit her lip. Ah, one night in months, the odds were good that he’d show up.
“Sounds easy enough. For who?”
“Sheriff Matthews,” Heather said, desperate to act nonchalant.
Darlene studied her. “You like him, don’t you?”
“No... I mean, yes, of course. He saved Lily’s life. Everyone likes him now,” she said. “But I don’t like like him, if that’s what you mean. Like I’m not attracted to him. Well, I mean, come on, I’d be dead if I wasn’t attracted to him, but not in that way...” Oh, God, she really was Talks-a-lot.
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