by Jaci Burton
“But why would they do that? I’ve heard you’re the best florist in Hope.”
She shifted, causing the material of her dress to ride higher on her thighs. He tried not to groan. “You did? Who told you that?”
“Deacon.”
“Really. You and Deacon were talking about my flower shop?”
“He saw us walking together the other day. Then he mentioned you handled the flowers for his granddad’s funeral several years back. He said you did a really nice job.”
She nodded. “That was very sweet of him. I was so sorry about his grandpa. Lovely man.”
“He was. So was his dad.”
“Yes. I wasn’t running the flower shop when his father died. That was before my time. Grammy Claire was still in charge back then. I know it was awful for Deacon to lose his dad at such a young age.”
“Yeah.”
“But he’s done great things with his life. He’s got the construction company now. His dad would have been so proud of him.”
Reid liked that Sam had such a positive outlook, that she didn’t seem to dwell on sorrow. “You’re right. He would be.”
“Just like your dad would be proud of all you’ve accomplished.”
Reid had always wondered what his dad would think of him owning his own business, and of him making his life in Boston. “I’d like to think so. He always told us we should make our mark on something, do whatever it was that made us happy.”
Sam didn’t say anything for a few minutes, so he figured their talk was over. He pulled up to the house and parked.
“And are you?” she asked.
“Am I what?”
“Happy.”
“Sure.”
She cocked her head to the side. “That doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement of your life, Reid.”
She opened the door and got out of his truck, leaving him sitting there wondering if she just didn’t get that he was content.
Or maybe he wasn’t really as happy as he tried to convince everyone.
He got out and joined her.
“I would have come around to open your door,” he said as he met her by the front porch.
“Sorry. I have a tendency to be independent. And I don’t date much, so I forgot the whole guys-open-doors-for-me routine.”
“I bow to your independence, but how about for tonight you let me open doors for you? Otherwise, Martha might smack me on the back of my head.”
“We can’t have that, can we?” She slipped her arm in his and nestled her body close, and Reid sure as hell had no complaints about Sam’s warm body against his. They walked up the stairs together, and she waited while he opened the front door for her to walk in.
He hadn’t wanted to do this whole couples dinner, but having a smart, sexy, beautiful woman like Sam on his arm tonight?
Maybe not a bad thing at all.
Chapter 10
THERE WERE WORSE things to do on a Saturday night than spending the evening in the company of some of your closest friends.
Reid had his brothers by his side, of course. And with his brothers came Sam’s friends Emma, who was married to Luke, and Des, who was married to Logan. Along with them were Chelsea and Bash, Jane, who was Emma’s best friend and married to Luke’s best friend Will. There was also Emma’s sister Molly and her fiancé, Carter. This group had always felt like family to Sam. She walked in the door and was immediately assailed by the smell of something . . . wonderful. What was it?
The doorway to the left led to the kitchen, the heart of the McCormack house, mainly because of Martha, the housekeeper and ranch manager and pseudo mother to the McCormack boys. Martha was in there with Des, who looked stunning, as always, her dark black hair piled high on her head. She saw Sam and came over to give her a hug.
“You look ravishing,” Des said.
“And you look beautiful. I love that dress on you. Aubergine is definitely a hot color this season.”
“Thanks. Logan just finished pouring champagne, complaining the entire time about wanting a beer. But he’s suffering for me tonight because I’ve wanted to throw a fancy dinner party, and he thinks I’m unhappy because we don’t live in Hollywood.”
Sam accepted the glass of champagne from Des. “But you’d rather live here than in Hollywood.”
“I know that, and even he knows that, but there’s always a part of him that thinks because I’m an actress I have this desire to live in LA. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. But if it gives me a win like this dinner party every now and then, who am I to complain?”
Sam grinned. “Good point. It smells amazing in here. Did Martha cook?”
“Absolutely not. She tried, but I told her she and Ben were guests tonight, so no cooking. I had the entire event catered. I flew in a chef from one of the finest restaurants in New Orleans. The menu is extraordinary.”
“I can’t wait.”
One of the caterers waved at Des. “Excuse me for a minute. I’ll catch up with you shortly. Head on into the living room. Everyone’s here.”
Sam wandered in to see Reid engrossed in conversation with his brothers, so she left him there and searched out Megan. She found her standing to the side of the room with Molly Burnett and Molly’s fiancé, Carter Richards. And Brady Conners, who worked with Carter.
She headed over to join them.
“Hi, Sam,” Molly said. “You look gorgeous tonight.”
“So do you. And you, too, Megan.”
“Thanks.”
“Hi, Carter,” she said.
“Hey, Sam. Do you know Brady?”
“I don’t think we’ve officially met, though I’m sure we’ve seen each other wandering up and down the street.” She held out her hand. “Hi, Brady. I’m Samantha Reasor. I own the flower shop. Everyone calls me Sam.”
Brady shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Sam.”
“I forced him to come tonight,” Carter said. “He spends too much time living over my shop, working on motorcycles. I figured he could use something to eat that wasn’t a microwaved meal or fast food.”
Brady frowned. “Hey, I eat at Bert’s, too.”
“Nothing wrong with Bert’s,” Megan said with a bright smile. “Though I have to admit I like to cook more than I like to eat out.”
“With your kitchen, who wouldn’t?” Molly asked, then turned her attention to Brady. “She has the kitchen of every woman’s dreams.”
“So I’ve been hearing.”
Sam counted the couples, and by process of elimination she determined Brady was obviously Megan’s date for the evening. Nice call, since Brady was fine-looking.
“Every man’s dreams, too,” Carter said. “Especially if she’s cooking for you.”
Sam laughed.
“I need a refill of my champagne,” Megan said. “Sam, would you go with me?”
“Sure,” Sam said, since Megan obviously needed a minute alone with her.
“Excuse us,” Megan said, then took Sam by the arm.
“So Brady Conners is your date tonight? Oh my God, Megan. He’s hot. Tall, lean, with those smoldering, dark good looks.”
They made their way into the kitchen, where one of the hired staff poured Megan a glass of champagne. “Indeed he is. But he hasn’t said but three words to me the entire night, and I’m pretty sure those words were ‘You look nice.’ ”
“So maybe he’s the quiet type.”
“Yes, I know he’s the quiet type. I mean, I know Brady. Everyone knows Brady. Or at least knows of him. He keeps to himself above Carter and Molly’s auto repair shop. He works for them during the day, then at night and on weekends he works on motorcycles. I see him riding his bike on weekends around town. Otherwise . . . nothing.”
“Well, you know there was that whole incident with his brother a year or so ago.”
Megan sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Yes. And I know it hit Brady really hard. But still, I just don’t know how to act around him.”
Sam rub
bed her friend’s arm. “Just be yourself, Megan. You’re bubbly and friendly, and I can’t imagine any guy not wanting to be with you. Try and have a good time with the hot guy, okay?”
Megan smiled. “I will. And you do the same. Speaking of, where is your hot guy?”
“I hope you meant me, and if you did, I’m right here.”
Sam turned to find Reid right behind her.
“Oh, hey, Reid,” Megan said, her face a bright pink. “If you’ll excuse me now, I’m going to find a closet and go hide in it for the rest of the night and hope to die of embarrassment.”
Reid laughed. “Don’t go hide. But Brady said he was looking for you.”
Megan’s brows rose. “He did? This is promising. I’ll talk to you later, Sam.”
Reid turned back to her. “So, your best friend thinks I’m the hot guy, huh?”
“Every woman thinks you’re the hot guy, Reid.”
“News to me.” He grabbed a glass of champagne and led her out of the kitchen and back into the living room. He bent to whisper into her ear. “But just in case I forgot to mention it, you are definitely the hot woman here tonight.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Do you always say the right things, or is this just your well-practiced polite company talk?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t a business function, and while Martha taught me to always be polite, you are definitely a hot woman.”
The room warmed up several degrees, especially with the way his gaze lingered on her. “In that case, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He was about to say more, but then Des and Logan came in. Des clinked her glass with a spoon. “Thank you all so much for being here tonight. I hope you enjoy the meal that’s been prepared by Gerard, our wonderful chef. If you’ll follow me into the dining area, we’ll get started.”
Reid offered his arm, so she slipped her hand in there. “We rarely eat in the dining room,” he said. “It’s usually the kitchen, or if we have a big to-do, it’s typically in the summer, so we’ll set up tables outside.”
She leaned into him. “Des has been talking about this dinner for weeks. She’s always on the go, and now that she has a break from filming or promoting, she wanted to do something special. She’s very excited about this party.”
“I’m glad for her—and for Logan. He misses her when she travels. I know he’s looking forward to her taking a break. And if this party makes her happy, then he’s all for it.”
They took seats at the long dining room table. Samantha couldn’t recall ever eating in here, and she’d been to the McCormack ranch many times. The dining room was huge, with a gorgeous crystal chandelier and a solid cherrywood table that comfortably sat everyone.
“This table is amazing,” she said as Reid pulled her chair out for her.
“My dad built it with my granddad a long time ago. My grandmother wanted something that would fit everyone—ranch hands and family included—for Sunday dinners.”
“This definitely suits.”
“My mother hated it. She called it old country hicksville. She wanted to replace it with something more modern. My dad wouldn’t let her. It was a big point of contention between them.”
Sam ran her fingers over the edges. “I can’t imagine wanting to replace something like this—something your father and grandfather built with their own hands. It’s such a stunning piece of craftsmanship.”
“Yeah, well, my mom didn’t much appreciate things like that. Or much of anything about living on this ranch.”
She felt the pain in Reid’s words and reached over to lay her hand on his. “I’m sorry.”
Reid shrugged. “Nothing to be sorry about. She’s long gone, and all our lives are better for it.”
Reid looked across the table to where Martha sat with her husband Ben and smiled. Martha smiled back, and Sam knew that the woman who really raised him—who truly loved him as a mother should—sat right there.
Sam knew all the McCormack brothers were grateful for Martha. So was she, because she knew all the McCormacks had turned out to be wonderful men. Largely in thanks to their father—and to Martha and Ben.
Dinner was an amazing array of food—from lobster bisque to gumbo to pan-seared, pecan-encrusted catfish with the most incredible rémoulade, and filet mignon as well. Sam was certain Des had made sure to include steak just for Logan.
“My head is spinning over all this food. Also, my dress might not fit after dinner.”
Reid wriggled his brows. “If you’re too full, I’ll be happy to help you out of that dress.”
She laughed. “So noble of you.”
“That’s me. Full of nobility.”
“You’re full of something, all right,” Luke said from his seat on the other side of Sam.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be minding your wife, and not my business?”
“My wife is talking to Carter, and your business is so interesting, what with you offering to remove Sam’s dress.”
Emma shifted her gaze and leaned around Luke. “Wait. What?”
Sam laughed. “That’s not really what he said.”
“That’s exactly what he said,” Luke said to Emma.
Fortunately, dinner was brought out, so the scandalous conversation Luke had overheard was put to rest, because the food was amazing. And by the time they made it to the final course—dessert—Sam was certain there was no way she could eat another bite. Except it was a choice of chocolate layer cake or cheesecake.
“I cannot eat another bite of food,” Sam said, trying to keep from groaning.
Reid leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Go ahead. I have a blanket in the truck to cover you up when I help you take that dress off.”
She shook her head and tried not to laugh. And ended up eating the cheesecake, because how could she not? It was creamy and delicious and she followed it up with coffee.
After, they all got up and wandered back to the living room, where after-dinner liqueur was served. Sam declined, so full she needed to step outside for some fresh air. She found Emma out there nursing a glass of water.
“You okay?” Sam asked.
Emma nodded. “Yes,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “I’m just so full that I needed to stand for a few minutes. Wasn’t that dinner amazing?”
“Incredible. I wish now I hadn’t worn such a tight dress. I’m going to be miserable the rest of the night.”
Emma laughed. “I know the feeling.”
“At least you’re wearing a dress that hides your full stomach.”
“Des warned me about the menu, so I thought ahead.”
“The dress is beautiful, by the way.” It was a coral color, with a full skirt. That’s what Sam should have worn. Something with a skirt to hide her stomach. Then she wouldn’t feel like every calorie she’d consumed was on display. Oh, why had she chosen this body-skimming dress?
“Thanks. And you look stunning. Believe me, Reid hasn’t taken his eyes off you the entire night.”
“You think so?”
“Oh, I know it. I’ve been watching him. And he’s been watching you. Like, constantly.”
So interesting. She hadn’t noticed that at all. She had to admit, the thought of Reid’s interest gave her stomach all kinds of flutters. She tried to tone it down, since they weren’t really a couple, but if he was interested, that meant they could at least have some fun together, right?
She and Emma went back inside. Reid was talking to Luke and Logan, so she and Emma made their way over there. Emma slipped in next to Luke, who put his arm around her waist. Logan and Reid were standing against the fireplace mantel, and the three men were talking heatedly about cattle prices, upcoming shipments, and stock, so Sam stayed back to listen for a bit. Reid saw her and smiled. Something about that lopsided smile of his made her quiver.
She didn’t want to interrupt him by moving in next to him, and he wasn’t her boyfriend—or, really, her date. So she went in search of Megan, but she didn’t
see her friend in the living room. Maybe she was in the kitchen getting a refill of champagne?
Hmm, not there, either. She wandered out to the front porch. Megan wasn’t there. She went back inside to look for Brady, but didn’t see him.
Maybe they had left. She thought about texting her, but that would be ridiculous. Megan was an adult, and Sam could talk to her tomorrow.
The front door opened, and Reid came out to stand next to her.
“I’m sorry. I got involved in a conversation—several, actually—with my brothers.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me. And I imagine you’ve missed being able to talk with them.”
He laughed. “Trust me. I don’t miss them.”
It was such a nice night for early fall. Still warm, no breeze. She took a seat on the porch swing. “So you’re telling me that they picked on you because you’re the youngest?”
He sat next to her and stretched out his long legs, sending the swing moving. “Mercilessly. Feel sorry for me?”
“Not in the least. I was an only child, and I would have loved to have a sibling or two.”
“You’re not missing anything, trust me.”
“Oh, you don’t mean that. You love your brothers.”
His lips curved upward. “Hey, I’m the one who moved to Boston, remember?”
She shifted to face him. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why the move?”
He looked out over the porch, into the darkness. “Opportunity, mostly. I got a good offer from a really great firm out there, so I jumped on it.”
“And you did it with no hesitation, no qualms about leaving Hope and your family?”
“Not at all. My parents had divorced. Luke was off the ranch, getting his career as a police officer off the ground. Logan had already decided he was going to be a lifelong rancher. I knew being an architect was what I wanted to do, and I didn’t think there’d be enough opportunity for me in Oklahoma.”
She arched a brow. “Nothing to build here?”