The Matchmaker's Happy Ending: Boardroom Bride and Groom

by Shirley Jump

  It was what he hadn’t found in corporate law. It was what he’d always wanted. And it had taken one little boy to bring it out in him.

  “You did it,” she said quietly. “You changed the world.”

  “Not the world.” Nick chuckled. “More like one square of one street. Same as you, kind of. There’s still a long ways to go.”

  She slipped her hand into his and gave his palm a squeeze. “You’ve gone miles already, Nick.” Then she pointed toward Pauline and Bobby, who were inserting the key into their new house, chatting excitedly about the future, about their new life. A life that would forever be based on hope and joy. And would no longer be rooted in tragedy.

  “All I need now is for you to make the journey with me, Carolyn.” He turned to her. “What do you say? Are you ready to take that chance?”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CAROLYN HAD NEVER been very good at magic. She’d tried a thousand times to memorize the little tricks that Nick had tried to teach her years before, but didn’t seem to have the sleight of hand that he had. Couldn’t remember the steps to the card tricks or the disappearing balls. But this time she was determined.

  She’d left the new house after Pauline and Bobby had taken time to exclaim over every stick of furniture, every plant in the backyard, and asked Nick to meet her at the park that night. She’d needed some time to think, a moment to come to terms with the changes in her life.

  “You have me intrigued.”

  Carolyn turned at the sound of Nick’s voice. He strode toward her, tall, handsome, a man she now realized that she could lean on, depend on, make a partner in her life. “That was part of the plan. Keeping you on your toes.”

  He grinned. “This is a new side of you.”

  “A good side, I hope.”

  He closed the distance between them, and Carolyn inhaled, for a second forgetting what she wanted to say. Forgetting everything but Nick.

  “Every side of you is a good side,” he said.

  “You showed me something today, something that made me realize there’s a way to have everything I want.”

  “I did?”

  “When you gave that house to Pauline and Bobby, I realized I could put together what I’ve been doing in law with helping kids like Bobby. Jean had told me I was working the wrong side of the justice system. That maybe I’d serve society better by helping these kids before they end up in the courts.”

  “You...want to work with kids?”

  Carolyn laughed. “Yeah, I know it’s insane, isn’t it? I can’t even make a paper bag eagle, and I’ll have to learn a whole new vocabulary, but...” She smiled. “I saw what a difference it could make to a kid like Bobby. You were right.”

  He grinned. “Did I just hear what I thought I heard? A lawyer admitting the opposing counsel was right?”

  “There aren’t any witnesses to my admission so it’ll never hold up in court,” she teased. “But, yes, I did. You kept telling me that someone like me, someone who had been through the same experiences as Bobby, would be the perfect person to help him. To get through to him. And today I realized I had. I saw me in him, and he, in his own way, helped me, too.”

  “Helped you heal the wounds of your past.”

  She nodded. “What if there had been someone who had talked to me about what I went through? Who had taken me out of Aunt Greta’s house, even for an afternoon, and given me a bit of normalcy? Or let me know that it was okay to feel guilty about the day my father was killed? Maybe I wouldn’t have grown up so afraid, so worried about the Ronald Jakeses of the world. And so convinced I had to keep repaying my father for making a sacrifice any father would have made.”

  Nick took her in his arms, holding Carolyn to his chest, the smile that crossed his lips telling her he approved, very much approved, of this new idea. “Not that you weren’t a great bulldog, but I truly think you have a message, Carolyn, and it’s been stuck inside you far too long.”

  She tipped her chin to meet his gaze. “We could make a good team, you know. You could do the charity end, spreading keys to houses far and wide, and I could help put together counseling and buddy programs.”

  “That sounds like the ideal package.” His smile widened, and he dipped down to brush a kiss across her lips. “But there’s only one hitch. For it to work perfectly, we’d probably have to be together all the time.”

  She grinned. “I thought of that. After all, haven’t you always said we were better together than apart? And—” a hint of a tease appeared on her face “—since we’re both lawyers, we’d need a contract for something like that, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “A contract?” His face fell.

  But her grin only got bigger. Oh, how Carolyn was going to delight in this new side of her life. She hadn’t realized until these last days with Bobby and Nick how freeing fun could be. Not until she’d stopped having it and gone back to work-only mode. But now, being able to tease Nick, actually having found a way to have it all, everything about herself felt lighter, as if she was walking on a cloud.

  Carolyn stepped out of Nick’s arms and waved her fingers in front of his face. “Perhaps I should try to produce a contract out of thin air?”

  “Produce a contract. Out of thin air. Here in the park?” He arched a dubious brow.

  She waved her fingers again, making a big production out of the movement. “I want you to know I’m serious, Nick. That this time I’m not hopping on any planes. Not running out of a diner. Not hiding in my workload.” Then she slid two fingers of one hand up her sleeve in a quick, nimble movement and produced the tiny black velvet box for the engagement ring he had given her all those years ago. Not a big magic trick, as far as tricks went, but hey, she would leave the great hocus-pocus to Nick. “This is the first half of the contract. I believe you have the rest. The part that fills in all the blanks?”

  His eyes widened. “You saved this?”

  She nodded, a glimmer of tears slightly blurring her vision. After she had given back the rings in the diner, she had held on to the box, never able to part with that little remnant of their past. “You’re not the only one who still had dreams, Nick. Who didn’t give up. I just put all that away, in the back of my dresser. And pretended I didn’t still hope.”

  “Oh, Carolyn,” Nick said, sweeping her into his arms again, the box crushed in her grip. “I love you. I always have.”

  “And I love you, too.” She lifted her lips to his, and they kissed, sealing the deal the only way Nick and Carolyn ever had. This kiss was sweeter than any before, because it brought their love full circle, had the taste of forever etched in their joining.

  Then Nick leaned down and picked Carolyn up, sweeping her off her feet. He pulled her to his chest, holding her tight, his smile wide and happy.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, laughing.

  “This time, I’m taking you to meet my family, because once you do, they’re not going to let you get away, either. First, though, we’ll stop at my house and pick up that ring. You’re right. I did save it. You’re not the only hopeless romantic here.” He grinned, carrying her all the way back to his SUV. “And I want to do this before you have time to file an appeal, Counselor. Just in case.”

  “I second that motion,” she said, kissing his neck, his lips, every part of Nick that she could reach. Then she noticed something and put a hand on his chest. “Wait, Nick, there’s something I forgot.”

  “What?”

  “Can we stay here and watch the sun set? I don’t want to miss the beginning or end of another day for as long as I live.” She twined her arms around his neck. “And I want to see every single one of them with you.”

  “Of course.” He set her down and found a good place on the grassy knoll for the two of them to see the day come to an end. Carolyn curled into the cocoon created by Nick’s arms, a
nd as the sun’s last rays cast their warmth over her skin, she opened her heart the rest of the way to the overwhelming evidence of how absolutely wonderful true love could be.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Little Cowgirl on His Doorstep by Donna Alward

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Romance.

  You adore a feel-good story! Harlequin Romance stories are all about real,

  relatable women and strong, deeply desirable men experiencing the intensity, anticipation and

  sheer rush of falling of love.

  Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin Romance every month!

  Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.

  We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com

  Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers, new releases, and more!

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  CHAPTER ONE

  HE HAS A face that could frighten small children.

  That was the first thing that sprang to Avery Spencer’s mind as she stared up at the imposing figure of Callum Shepard. With his stubbled face and long tangle of hair, he didn’t look anything like the clean-cut, charismatic groomsman she’d met just over a year ago. And definitely not the image of a doting dad, she thought with dismay. He stood with feet spread wide, one broad hand splayed on the edge of the door, glowering down at her like she’d committed a cardinal sin.

  Except if anyone was the sinner here, it was him. And she reminded herself of that fact to keep from being intimidated—as surely that was his intent. She felt the first tiny trickle of sweat sneak down her spine in the cloying summer heat. Everyone always said Alberta was a dry heat, but that sure wasn’t keeping her shirt from sticking to her back. It made her shift uncomfortably just at the moment she needed to be in absolute control. This could go so wrong in so many ways....

  “What do you want?” he asked sharply.

  Apparently he had also acquired the manners of a boor. How lovely. For a brief second Avery considered that making this trip might have been a colossal mistake. But then she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. No, it had been the right thing to do. At least after today there would no longer be any secrets or lies. She wouldn’t spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder wondering what would happen if he ever found out about Nell. Far better to face it head-on and get it over with.

  Besides, when it came down to brass tacks, Avery really believed that Nell deserved to know both parents. She swallowed, battling against the familiar wave of grief whenever she thought of her sister, Crystal. In this case, Nell deserved to get to know the one true parent she had left. Callum.

  “You don’t remember me, do you, Mr. Shepard?”

  His dark brows pulled together. “Should I?”

  That stung. After all, she remembered him, and he’d looked far different the last time she’d seen him, which was one year, one month and...what, five days ago? Not that she was counting, mind you. Back then his hair had been precisely cut, his face clean-shaven and he’d been wearing a suit with a single white rose in the lapel. Avery’s tongue snuck out and licked across her dry lips. She knew that because the moment he’d stepped into the hotel suite she’d looked up and her mouth had gone dry and her palms sweaty. Callum Shepard had been gorgeous. And when he’d smiled, her stomach had gone all swirly.

  Even when he’d looked right past Avery and his gaze had fallen on her sister.

  Now his hair hung in straggly waves down to his collar, he looked as if he hadn’t shaved in two days and his plaid shirt was only half tucked into old jeans. And smile? More like permanent scowl. The change was remarkable—and disheartening considering the circumstances. Not to mention incredibly intimidating.

  Being intimidated wouldn’t suit at all, not if she were to stay in control of the situation as she planned. “I’m Avery Spencer.” She held out her hand, determined to meet the task ahead with politeness and a modicum of grace.

  His face stayed blank and his hand stayed beside his thigh. Not much surprise that it didn’t sound familiar, she supposed. After all, he’d only had eyes for Crystal that weekend. He probably hadn’t given Avery a second glance. Why would he?

  “It doesn’t ring a bell, sorry.” And still he stood in the middle of the doorway. No invitation to come in, no nothing. Gatekeeper, lord and master of his own domain. She lowered her hand again, feeling foolish.

  “We met in Niagara Falls last year.”

  Ah, she thought with satisfaction. A flicker of something passed over his face. Avery swallowed and added, “At Pete and Elizabeth’s wedding.”

  His dark eyes settled on her, so intense it made her want to fidget. She clenched her fingers together and made herself remain still.

  “You were there?” he asked.

  If that was an attempt to make her feel insignificant, it succeeded. Was she so plain that she wasn’t even the least bit noticeable? The slightest bit memorable? Granted, she’d never been as beautiful as her sister and whenever they were together, Avery did tend to fade into the background next to Crystal’s perfect figure and pretty face. But confirmation that he didn’t remember at all...

  Ouch.

  “I was in the wedding party,” she explained, wishing she could just tell him her reason for showing up and get it over with. But she had to ease into it. Especially since she hadn’t really been afforded so much as a smile or welcome. This was going to be so much harder than she’d imagined, and she’d practiced the words in her head over and over on the flight from Toronto to Edmonton, and from the drive from Edmonton to Cadence Creek. Now those words didn’t seem to fit the situation at all.

  “You were?”

  Why did he keep questioning everything she said? Annoyance flickered and she struggled to tamp it down. She had to keep a lid on her temper. Calm and rational was the only way to get through this first meeting.

  “I was one of Elizabeth’s bridesmaids. You were Pete’s best man.” She tried a smile, hoping to soften him a touch. A slight breeze ruffled her blouse, offering a tiny bit of relief from the blazing heat. There weren’t even any shade trees to offer respite from the sun, just green and brown fields surrounding the rather plain farmhouse, broken only by a large barn and a couple of sheds.

  “Yes, I think I can remember that much,” he said, a touch impatiently.

  Avery looked over her shoulder, glancing back at the car she’d rented at the airport. So far Nell hadn’t made a peep—but that wouldn’t hold out forever. She was glad now that she’d chosen to leave Nell in the car, considering Shepard’s convenient amnesia about the weekend in question. But time was ticking. The window was rolled all the way down, but it was too hot to leave the baby in the car for more than a few minutes.

  She turned back, deciding they were getting nowhere and she might as well step it up. “You probably don’t remember me because you were pretty interested in my sister,” she stated plainly. “Crystal.”

  Something lit in his eyes. So he did remember. She wasn’t surprised. It was hard to forget Crystal Spencer once you’d met her. Pain flickered at the thought. Avery’s sister had been the brightest light in her life. Her death had been sudden and shocking, only a few days after giving birth to Nell. Avery had been plunged into darkness, losing her only real family.

  But the darkness only lasted fo
r a short time. Nell had become the new light in her life. Her saving grace.

  “I remember your sister,” he said, a touch of caution in his voice. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re knocking on my door...what did you say your name was, again?”

  “Avery,” she repeated firmly. “My name is Avery.”

  “Right. Look, if this is about Crystal, we had an understanding from the start. It was a weekend thing. No expectations.”

  Avery noticed he ran his hand through his hair, though, like he wasn’t quite as cool about everything as he’d first appeared. And Avery was quite aware that the terms of the weekend had been set out from the start. Crystal had made that abundantly plain each time Avery tried to convince her to try to find Callum. Each time Crystal had flatly refused to budge. She’d been determined to raise Nell on her own. She didn’t want some here-today-gone-tomorrow soldier as a father to her child. Especially since they barely knew each other.

  Avery had never judged Crystal for how she’d conceived Nell. But she had judged her for willingly keeping silent about her pregnancy. Avery still believed that Callum deserved to know, but she wished she could take back the things she’d said to her sister.

  “Crystal is dead, Mr. Shepard.”

  His hand dropped to his side as silence fell around them. Avery swallowed around the thickness in her throat. Saying the words never got easier.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, his voice a low rumble, and his gaze softened. It was the first sign of humanity she’d glimpsed in him.

  “I don’t know how else to put this, so I’m just going to say it,” she said, taking a deep breath and thinking a quick, silent prayer for strength. She was going to need it in the hours...in the days...ahead. “Crystal died shortly after delivering a baby. Your baby, Mr. Shepard. She’s sleeping in the car behind me, and she’s just over four months old.”