Brooke cringed as Joel opened the door and stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, pretending he was insulted. “Very funny, Joel. This is Jared, the man I’d mentioned helped me pick out my tree and who took me for supper on Friday night. Jared, this is my twin brother, Joel. Although I really don’t like having to admit that.”
Joel stuck his hand out to Jared. “Oh, right. I do remember you mentioning him. Isn’t he also the one you met that day at the taco truck? What was it you said to me after that?” He put his fingers up to his lips as he pretended to think while she wished a giant hole would open up and pull her under the porch. “Oh right! I think I was supposed to pummel him or something along those lines for the indignity he inflicted on you. Although by the look of that shiner on his eye, I’d say someone already beat me to it.” Joel squinted and pretended to cringe as he examined the large gash over Jared’s eye.
Brooke punched her brother hard on the arm. “Will you just get out of the way, so we can get inside? No wonder I don’t ever want to bring anyone home to meet you people.” She turned to look at Jared, afraid he’d be mad that they’d been talking about him after their first meeting. “I’m sorry. Of all the people you had to meet first, it had to be him. He thinks he’s funny, but no matter how much we tell him the truth, he doesn’t believe us.”
“Brooke, I’m so sorry. I tried to get here before Joel could, but I was up to my elbows in the sink before I even realized you’d pulled up.”
Brooke leaned in to give her mom a quick hug, then stepped back to introduce them.
“I’m so glad you agreed to join us for supper, Jared. Now we will actually be able to have an even amount of people on our teams for charades.”
Trust her mom to be more excited about teams for their games than the fact her oldest daughter had brought a man over for supper.
“Irene, will you let them in the house before you start organizing us into teams?” Her dad put his hand out to Jared. “My name is Harold. I hear you’re staying with Maude to look after things while she’s recovering. That’s awful good of you to do that. Especially since I’m sure the lifestyle is a bit different here than you’re used to in the city.”
“Well she’s always been good to me over the years, so it’s the least I could do for her. Besides, I like it here in Quinn Valley, so it really isn’t any hardship for me.” When Jared turned his head and smiled at her, his eyes full of warmth, her heart jumped.
Jared handed his coat to her mom and they followed her father into the living room where everyone stopped talking and looked at them with wide grins. Why had she ever agreed to let Jared come here? It would have been so much easier to make him meet her family one at a time. Instead, he was seeing how immature they all were as they sat staring. She expected them to start singing, “Brooke and Jared sitting in a tree…” any moment now.
Robyn was the first to jump up and race over. “So you’re Jared. Brooke has told me all about you.”
Brooke actually thought flames might break out on her cheeks. “Well, I’ve hardly told you all about him, Robyn. I mentioned we’d gone out a couple of times.” Why had she ever confided anything to her siblings? She was pretty sure any chance of another date with him was slipping away every time someone in this house opened their mouth.
Vicki came over too, offering them both a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry for our family, Jared. Unfortunately, everyone here tends to be a bit unstable and when you bring a newcomer into the mix, I’m afraid some of the people around us don’t know how to act properly.” Brooke mouthed a thank-you to her youngest sister, who she had just decided was her favorite sibling.
“So, what exactly happened to your face? Did my sister do that to you?” Brooke cringed as Travis came over for his introduction. They hadn’t even been in the house for five minutes and she’d wished the ground would open up and swallow her at least a hundred times.
“Actually, she did.” Jared laughed and put his hands up to protect himself as she gasped and turned to face him. “Well, not directly. And to be fair she did fix me up after, so I can’t really be mad.”
“I didn’t do that! It isn’t my fault the tree fell and hit you.”
Travis and Joel both laughed loudly, obviously enjoying her discomfort knowing it might have been somewhat her fault that Jared had been hurt. Her brothers could be annoying enough on a regular day but now that they obviously sensed the testosterone levelling out in the room, instead of the usual woman majority, they were all going to thump each other on the backs and celebrate their manliness.
Thankfully, her mom interrupted by clapping her hands and announced the team divisions for the first round of charades. “Since we have an even number tonight, we’ll be playing boys against the girls.”
Brooke’s eyes met Jared’s and she could see the sparkle from where she stood. With a wide grin she went to sit beside her sister, prepared for battle. She’d never wanted to win anything more in her life.
Chapter Eleven
They pulled up behind her house and Jared shut the engine off. Brooke stared up at the window to her apartment, smiling when she noticed the lights on her tree had turned on. “Looks like the timer you set up for me worked.”
Jared leaned forward to get a better look. “You sound surprised. I’m not just good looks you know. I can be quite handy when needed.”
“I will never doubt you again.” When they’d been setting the timer, she’d been unconvinced he knew what he was doing as he tried to adjust the dials. But he’d insisted that since his aunt had made him put up enough lights to be able to safely land a plane on her yard, he was quite sure he knew how to set one little tree timer.
It was snowing again outside, and the lights she’d hung in the back reflected against the whiteness. He opened his door and stepped out, his boots crunching onto the ground. As she reached for her door and pulled the handle, he hurried around to pull it open.
“Brooke, can you just let me try to be a gentleman here and open your door for you? Honestly, you’re making it very difficult for me to make a good impression.”
She rolled her eyes and took the offer of his outstretched hand. “I’ve been opening car doors on my own for many years, Jared. I can manage just fine. However, I do appreciate your attempts.”
He didn’t let go of her hand as he closed the door behind her. They stood facing each other in the quiet of the night with the wet flakes landing on their skin.
“Well then how can I ever woo you properly if you won’t let me do gentlemanly things? Surely there is something I could do to impress you.” His voice was low, sending shivers through her chest.
She was trying to concentrate as his thumb began to move around in circles on her hand. She wished she’d never put her gloves back on, so she could feel the heat of his skin.
“Woo me?” She laughed at his choice of words. “If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think you’ve been reading some of those historical romance books your aunt has piled up around her house.”
He shrugged and grinned widely. “I might have flipped through them a bit to see what I could do to sweep you off your feet. I’ve never dated a woman like you before, Brooke.” He swallowed and held his eyes on hers.
“What if I told you that you were doing a pretty good job of taking my feet out from under me and you really don’t need to try so hard?” She had never been able to speak so openly with anyone before, even when she’d been with Todd. But around Jared, she somehow just knew she could be herself and didn’t have to hold anything back. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited for him to say something.
Suddenly, his smile grew even wider and he reached into his pocket. A moment of complete panic overtook her. Surely, he wasn’t about to propose to her! They’d hardly even spent any time together and hadn’t even kissed! Well, except for that kiss when he was rescuing her in front of Todd, but that didn’t count.
What would she say?
But before she could turn and run, he held up a sma
ll piece of green Christmas decoration. Was that…?
“Mistletoe.” His eyebrows moved up and down quickly as he held it above them. “I stole it from Aunt Maude’s big box of decorations. She won’t even miss it. But I thought it might come in handy tonight if I couldn’t think of any other way to kiss you.”
Afraid to breathe in case she somehow broke the spell, she could only stand still as his hand came up to lightly brush her cheek, then moved around her neck to pull her close. His other hand still held the mistletoe above her head, but once he had her pulled up against him, it wrapped around her back. His head slowly lowered, his lips touching hers softly. But as soon as they met, her heart started beating double time and the world around her started to spin.
She brought her own arms up around his shoulders and held on for dear life as her legs turned to Jell-O beneath her. Just when she was sure she would collapse on the ground in front of him, he finally pulled back and stared at her with wide eyes. His shoulders moved up and down quickly, matching her own ragged breathing.
“What just happened?”
His voice rumbled deep in his chest, vibrating against her own that was still held up next to him.
She swallowed and shook her head slowly. “I don’t know.” There was no sense in pretending she hadn’t felt it too. She’d never been kissed so completely and held so tenderly in her life. Now, here she stood in Jared’s arms with just the glow of the Christmas lights around them and the softly falling snow, and she felt like the world had just been tipped upside-down.
His fingers came up and gently traced lines along her chin and behind her ear. Everywhere he touched left a trail of warmth even with the chill of the night air blowing onto her skin. His eyes followed his fingers as they moved. “Brooke, I’m glad you gave me another chance. I knew the moment I saw you at that taco truck there was just something different about you. I kind of feel like I’m in one of those silly romantic Christmas movies that Maude has been making me watch with her every day this week.”
She smiled and tipped her head back slightly as his fingers started to trail along her neck. “I think your aunt Maude is a good influence on you. Here you are reading romance novels and watching sappy movies. Maybe you’ll have to give up writing crime fiction books and start writing romance yourself.”
He pretended to think about it, then laughed. “The only romance story I am interested in right now is ours.”
Her eyes held his for a moment. “So, are we having a romance story then?” She wasn’t sure what to think of what was happening between them, but she knew it was more than just a couple of dates she’d had and would move on after they’d spent some time together. It just felt different. And she realized with a shock that she’d never even felt like this with Todd.
But it scared her to be feeling so much for him already. How much did she really know about him? He never really talked about his life, other than mentioning he was an author and a bit about his family. Yet, she felt like she knew so much about him just from spending time with him.
“I’d like to believe we are. And I plan to make it the best story ever. Now, if only I could think of something else I could do so that you’d see how much you want to keep me around. What can a simple man like me offer to a beautiful woman doctor like you?”
She could tell he was trying to joke with her, but she suspected there was a hint of real insecurity behind the words. She knew as a doctor, people were sometimes intimidated around her. In fact, it was one of the reasons she had few friends outside her cousins and siblings. And Amanda had torn away any shred of trust she had for other people, so making friends wasn’t easy for her. Other than Rachel, her cousin’s girlfriend, there wasn’t really anyone who wasn’t family who she trusted.
“Well, I hear you’ve become quite good at putting up Christmas decorations. This woman doctor could really use a hand decorating the front of the clinic, so she doesn’t look like a scrooge compared to the rest of the businesses in town.” She grinned widely as he cringed slightly and pretended to shake his head dramatically.
“No way. I’m done with Christmas decorations. Besides, I’m pretty sure Maude has used up the last of any stock that would be available in Quinn Valley.” He held his arms firmly around her back now, not letting her go. “Surely you could think of something else—anything else—I could do to impress you.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting his fingers move up to play with her hair. “There’s nothing that would impress me more than seeing a man up a ladder decorating for Christmas.” She smiled to herself, enjoying the chance to stand here in his arms like this and be able to tease with him like she’d known him forever.
He sighed loudly, then kissed the top of her head. “Fine. If that’s what my lady wants, that’s what she’ll get. I will spend every spare moment I have decorating her place so she has the best display in town.”
She pulled back and grinned up at him. “Your lady? You really have been reading those books of your aunt’s, haven’t you?” She laughed and shook her head. “Why shouldn’t I be surprised?”
He grinned widely as they pulled apart and he put his arm around her shoulders to lead her to her door. “I’m merely an author studying other works to build on my craft. I can’t help it if I’m picking up some extra tips along the way.” He looked down at her with a dramatic expression. “So, don’t be alarmed if you see me riding in to save the day on the back of a white stallion.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. But somehow, she could almost picture Jared doing just that.
Chapter Twelve
“So, you’re the guy who’s been seeing Brooke. Man, at the rate my family has been succumbing to this whole growing up and settling down bug, there won’t be many single ones left by this time next year. Luckily I’m smart enough to keep that from happening to myself.”
Jared laughed with Brooke’s cousin Dusty as he spoke about keeping himself away from any kind of commitment with a woman. Brooke had warned him about her chiropractor cousin who worked in the office, Joint Ventures, with her brother Travis and how he was probably the biggest flirt in town.
Maude was in Travis’s office having her physical therapy appointment to start getting the range of motion back in her hip now that it was healing. So Jared had been left in the waiting room with Dusty while he talked to the receptionist, Amy, a kind older lady who rolled her eyes at Dusty.
“Dusty McIver, one of these days you’ll find a woman who will steal your heart, just you wait. And when that happens, I can’t wait to see your face.” She laughed at the thought and went back to typing something on her computer.
“Never going to happen, Amy.” Dusty shook his head adamantly.
“Well, I’d hardly say Brooke and I are at the settling down stage yet. Although I’ll admit I’m hopeful that’s in our future. And I used to think a lot like you, Dusty, until I met Brooke. So never say never.”
Jared smiled to himself as he looked back down at the magazine he held. He wasn’t really reading it anyway, more just flipping through the pages to kill time while he waited for his aunt. But when Dusty had come out from his last client, he’d shown a great deal of interest in Jared, obviously wanting to make sure he was a suitable match for his cousin. Jared was beginning to realize that there was nowhere they could go in Quinn Valley without running into a cousin, an aunt, or a fifth-uncle-once-removed, who were looking out for each other. The Quinns were everywhere.
Over the past couple of weeks, he’d spent just about every day with Brooke when they could. He’d wait and pick her up after work to go for dinner, or to a movie, or even to just sit on the couch with her while they watched something on TV and talked. He’d never felt so relaxed and comfortable with a woman in his life like he was with Brooke. They laughed, told stories about their pasts and shared secrets. She’d opened up to him about how hard it had been after Todd had hurt and humiliated her, and how she’d had a difficult time letting herself get back out there again. That da
ting website had ended up being a complete nightmare for her. But he’d told her he was kind of glad she’d wasted her time going on dates with all of those duds so that when she met him, the bar really hadn’t been set too high for him to jump over.
The bell over the door jingled, announcing a new arrival so they all lifted their eyes to see who had come in. “Oh, Dusty, I hope you have time to squeeze me in. I’ve hurt my back somehow and I need you to fix it.” Amanda, Brooke’s ex-friend and wife to her ex-boyfriend sauntered into the waiting room in a flurry of perfume and blonde curls. She hadn’t even noticed him sitting there as she strode toward the counter. “Todd is waiting in the car because he said he didn’t think he’d be welcome in here, but I told him he was being silly. I know things will be a bit awkward for a while but now that we’re back in town I hope everyone can just move on.”
Dusty leaned against a wall behind the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “No, he’s right. He wouldn’t have been welcome in here. I’m surprised you feel that you’d be welcomed with open arms, though.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stopped moving. “Well, I’ve known you for years. I’ve known all of the Quinns, so I just assumed since you were a chiropractor now, that you’d welcome the business from an old friend.”
Dusty laughed and shook his head. “Not any friend of mine.”
Amanda looked over and noticed Jared sitting there. “Oh, I see. You’ve got Brooke’s new boyfriend in here and it wouldn’t look good for you to be nice to the enemy. I think you all need to just get over the fact that Todd chose me. I can’t help it that we fell in love and I was more suited to him than she ever was. Todd is a wealthy businessman who would have quickly grown bored with Brooke. You all should be thanking me that I helped him to realize he needed something more than a mousy, quiet girl who’d rather sit at home with her cats, than go out socializing and networking.”
Becoming Brooke (Quinn Valley Ranch Book 6) Page 6