by Karen Kirst
A tall man with a goatee, accompanied by a sophisticated young woman with hair the color of chocolate and intelligent green eyes, rounded the pew.
“We should get this little princess home before she wakes up and demands to be fed.”
Nicole carefully transferred the infant to her father’s arms, tucking the blanket about her small body. “Josh, have you met Quinn Darling?”
Measuring blue eyes slid to his. He nodded a greeting. “Pleased to meet you. This is my wife, Kate.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Quinn shook her proffered hand. “That is one beautiful baby.”
“Thank you. We think so, too.” The smile Kate directed at her husband was at once peaceful and adoring.
At the look passing between husband and wife, Quinn experienced a twinge of jealousy. Thoughts of settling down and starting a family of his own had been plaguing him of late. Since accepting Christ six months ago, he’d begun to pray for a wife of God’s choosing. He wanted what his parents had—a loving partnership based on trust and true companionship—a rare occurrence in his high-society world where many marriages resembled business transactions.
“You’re the owner of the furniture store?” He addressed Josh.
“That’s right. Kate runs her photography business out of the same space if you’re ever in need of a photo.”
“No plans to hang one of myself on the wall, but I’ll keep it in mind for when my family visits. I peeked at your inventory through the window. Impressive selection.”
Nicole’s expression challenged him. “He’s crafted every single item in that shop by hand. The locals prefer his furniture to those available through mail-order catalogs.”
Hugging his daughter to his chest, Josh shifted uncomfortably. “Obviously, I can’t supply every item those large companies offer.”
Quinn aimed a wide grin at his assistant, letting her know the dig didn’t sting. “In business, competition is unavoidable. It isn’t always a bad thing.”
Her gaze slid away from his, but not before he caught the flare of displeasure.
Kate tugged on Josh’s sleeve. “We should go.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you around,” the other man said to Quinn.
As soon as the couple headed for the exit, a pair of flame-haired, green-eyed twins flanked Nicole. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” This from the one in green.
With a resigned sigh, Nicole said, “Quinn Darling, meet my younger sisters, Jane and Jessica.”
“I’m Jessica.” The one who had spoken grinned cheekily, jammed a finger in the other twin’s direction. “She’s Jane.”
“How do you do.” Jane, dressed in head-to-toe blue, spoke in a more demure fashion.
“Pleased to meet you both,” he said, unsure if he’d ever be able to tell them apart.
“Don’t forget me.” A petite young woman with a mass of white-blond ringlets crowded in beside the blue twin. She thrust out her hand. “Hi, I’m Megan. I’m the second oldest. That’s my husband over there, Lucian Beaumont.”
Quinn followed her gaze to a tall, distinguished man with olive skin and dark, wavy hair. Nicole hadn’t been kidding when she’d said the O’Malley family was extensive.
“We have another sister, Juliana, who lives in Cades Cove with her husband and young son.”
Shaking her hand, Quinn studied their faces. While Megan and the twins did not share the same coloring, they had the same cheekbones, nose and chin. Nicole looked nothing like them.
“Do you and Juliana look alike?” He posed the question to her.
Indefinable emotion darkened her eyes. “No.”
Megan shook her head, setting her curls to bouncing. “Juliana and the twins look very much alike. Nicole and I are the odd ones.”
The look Nicole shot her bordered on accusing. “You are not the odd one. You all have the same facial structure. I don’t look like any of you.” To Quinn, she said, “My mother assures me I wasn’t found in the vegetable patch. I have my doubts, however.”
The twin in green...Jessica, he thought it was, chuckled. “We like to joke that Nicole is a long-lost princess.”
“Jessica,” her twin warned with a frown.
“What? She certainly acts like it sometimes.”
Megan sighed as if she’d heard it all before. “You take after Grandma O’Malley. You have her hair and eyes.”
“Too bad she’s not alive to validate the fact O’Malley blood runs through my veins.”
The sisters fell silent, and Quinn realized he’d stumbled upon a touchy subject.
“Do you have lunch plans, Mr. Darling?” Jane asked.
“No plans.” He adjusted the Bible in his hands. “I had thought to dine at Plum’s Café, not realizing the establishment was closed on Sundays.”
“You must have lunch with us,” Jessica piped up.
“Yes, please do.” Jane’s smile was genuine.
He studied Nicole’s expression, frustrated when he couldn’t read it. “I’m not sure your sister would approve considering she’s now consigned to endure my presence on a daily basis. She’s already promised to help me this afternoon.”
“We have to eat first. You should sample Jane’s cooking,” Nicole said soberly. “And Jessica made pie for dessert.”
“I have a weakness for sweets.”
A single raven brow arched. “I’ve noticed.”
“Then it’s settled.” Jane clapped her hands together. “You’re coming home with us.”
Chapter Four
Quinn soaked in the serene beauty of their surroundings, the endless green forests on either side of the lane alive with birds and squirrels and other wildlife. Gardenia blossoms sweetened the humid air.
“I’m glad we chose to walk.” The twins had needed time to put the finishing touches on their meal. He looked over at Nicole strolling quietly beside him. He added content with silence to the list of her attributes. “Too much inactivity and I get surly.”
“We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
He laughed outright at her sarcastic tone. “How could I have forgotten you got a taste of my surliness? Although, that was mostly your fault.”
“My fault?” she gaped.
“If you hadn’t given me the worst headache in history, I wouldn’t have had cause to be.”
Stopping short, she crossed her arms and glowered. “You weren’t the only one with good reason to be upset. Never in my life have I been handled in such a degrading manner.”
Memories surged...the roughness with which he’d bound her wrists. His mother would be appalled.
Guilt pricking his conscience, he sobered. “For that, I am truly sorry. My only defense is that I was acting on faulty assumptions. Will you forgive me?”
Some of the starch went out of her. Her lowered eyes tracking the grass-smattered lane beneath her black boots, she nodded. “Maybe you could get someone to take you hiking in the mountains.”
He blinked at the sudden change of topic. “Are you volunteering?”
“Me? No. I don’t have that kind of free time. Caleb knows the high country like the back of his hand. I’m sure he’d be willing to take you.”
From what he’d observed of the couple that morning during church, the man would not willingly leave his expectant wife, not even for a day’s outing. Nevertheless, he said, “Maybe I’ll speak to him about it.”
“What did you do in Boston to stave off the surliness?”
“Are you familiar with the sport of fencing?”
“I have heard of it,” she said drily.
He smiled, silently reminding himself not to assume the locals were cut off from the world. They had access to books and newspapers. And he wasn’t the only out-of-towner to move here. People from all walks of life had passed through the town,
carrying with them stories of other places.
“I took up fencing a few years ago. My good friend Oliver and I practiced several times a week, and we entered competitions on a regular basis. That and swimming helped channel my energy. I enjoy people-watching, too, so I often strolled the city streets.”
Not only did he miss the competitions, he missed his outgoing, boisterous friend. As soon as he was settled, he’d extend an invitation. Always up for an adventure, Oliver was one of a handful of people who’d approved of Quinn’s plans. Since he wasn’t engaged or married, an extended trip to Tennessee wasn’t out of the question.
Nicole batted away a fly, nose wrinkling adorably. One look at the raven-haired beauty, and his friend would be instantly smitten. He wondered what his assistant would think of Oliver.
An uncomfortable feeling slid into his chest. The heat was suddenly too much. Shrugging out of his coat, he slung it over his shoulder.
“You never told me why you left a city full of unlimited opportunities to start over in our unremarkable town.”
“It’s not easy to explain.” He began walking again, and she fell into step beside him. “My family has been blessed. My great-grandfather Edward Darling founded Darling Industries, and it’s grown into a prosperous empire, for lack of a better word. We provide solid employment for a vast number of people. We’re in the position to fund many charitable works. That part of our life I am proud of. However, one doesn’t hold that particular position in society without having certain social responsibilities, ones I have grown exceedingly tired of in recent years.”
“You were required to entertain them?”
“According to my father, we have to coddle our current business partners and woo new ones in order to maintain our current level of success.”
Her gaze abandoned a bird’s nest in a nearby tree and fastened onto him. “What do you have against parties?”
He kicked up a shoulder. “I enjoy music and dancing and excellent food. I guess what bothers me is the shallow nature of it all. We weren’t vacationing with these people because they were family or close friends. It was for the sole purpose of insuring their continued support. I began to crave genuine relationships.”
Quinn thought of his last disappointment—Helene and the conversation he’d overheard between her and her friends—and how it had confirmed that a life of social climbing, the relentless pursuit of increased wealth, was not for him. “More than that, I needed to prove to myself that I could make it on my own. That I could accomplish something worthwhile apart from Darling Industries.”
“How did your parents take the news?”
Kneading the back of his neck, he winced. “I didn’t exactly prepare them. I waited until after I had already purchased the store.”
Dark brows lifted until hidden beneath the side sweep of her hair. “So it would be too late for them to try and talk you out of it?”
Perceptive went onto the list. “Partly, yes. I also acted quickly in order not to lose the opportunity. My father, especially, was blown away by my decision. Unlike my mother, he hadn’t seen the signs of my dissatisfaction. I suspect he thinks I will tire of small-town life and return within six months’ time.”
Her brow creased, and she would’ve spoken if a bundle of reddish-brown fur hadn’t ambushed her ankles.
He put a hand out. “Careful—”
“It’s all right. He’s a friend of mine.” Humor laced her voice as she bent and scooped up the wriggling dog.
Quinn watched, fascinated, as Nicole’s reserve melted away. Unmindful of her outfit, she snuggled the animal close to her chest, laughter as light as tinkling glass hovering in the still air as the dog attempted to lick her face. Without the armor in place, her radiance shone like rays piercing the clouds, her loveliness making his heart thump and his stomach twist uncomfortably.
Who was the real Nicole O’Malley? The lethal attacker with the killer aim? The distant duchess capable of giving a man frostbite with a single glare? Or the warm, alluring woman with soft eyes and a smile that promised dreams-come-true?
Quinn drew closer and, after letting the dog sniff his fingers, buried them in the thick fur. His scrutiny wasn’t on the dog, however. It was on Nicole’s face, waiting for—and dreading?—the inevitable change.
“What’s his name?”
“Cinnamon.”
He’d noticed her extra attention to Caleb’s horses yesterday morning. “You have a soft spot for animals and babies.”
“That’s because they don’t judge.” Twisting slightly, she glanced at the wide clearing that had opened up on their left and extended as far as the eye could see. “He belongs to my aunt and uncle.” In the distance, blue-toned mountains were framed against cerulean sky. A two-story cabin sat right in the center, surrounded by a large barn and outbuildings. Another, smaller cabin was tucked against the far left tree line. “Caleb and Rebecca live in the small one, and Uncle Sam and Aunt Mary have the large house. Rebecca’s younger sister, Amy, stays there with them. Josh and his wife, Kate, have a cabin behind the main house. Their property adjoins ours.”
“Family members that are also neighbors. That’s convenient.”
The guardedness rushed back, and he wondered at it.
“It can be.” With a brief kiss to Cinnamon’s head, she set him on the ground and watched pensively as he raced across the grass, diverted by a flitting butterfly.
At the decided lack of enthusiasm, he made to question her, but she headed him off. “We shouldn’t linger. Jane will worry the food might get cold.”
Quinn fell into step beside her, glad of the interruption. Her personal life was none of his business. In fact, he should probably limit spending time with her outside of the store. Maintaining a civil working relationship was paramount to success. Failure was not an outcome he was willing to explore.
* * *
Nicole watched as Quinn effortlessly charmed her mother and sisters. Seated diagonally from her at the head of the table, he answered their incessant questions with practiced ease, completely at home in their humble cabin in spite of the air of old-money clinging to him.
The black pin-striped suit coat, which he’d slipped into once again before entering their home, molded to the wide span of his shoulders like a second skin. He must have a personal tailor. He’d slipped the buttons free before easing his lean body into the scuffed wooden chair, giving her a glimpse of the silver-filigreed vest and crisp white shirt underneath hugging his torso.
Had he been born a charmer? Or had his skills been honed by his high-society life? Either way, he annoyed her.
She skewered a potato with more force than necessary, and it disintegrated into mush. Quinn’s vigilant liquid eyes focused on her. One brow lifted in silent question. Nicole mimicked his expression. The slow, impertinent smile that followed made her insides jittery. Not familiar with this particular reaction, she frowned at him, which only served to widen his smile.
Lowering her gaze, she concentrated on sipping the fragrant tea without spilling it.
“Won’t you miss living in Boston?” Across from Nicole, Jessica eyed their guest with open admiration.
Laying down his fork, he fiddled with the teacup’s handle. “I will miss my family. And my favorite Czech bakery. They sell the most delicious kolaches, pastries filled with cheese or fruit.” His expression turned wistful. “I’m at peace with my decision, however. I look forward to experiencing life in a rural, close-knit community.”
Nicole hid a smirk with her napkin. He’d soon learn small-town life wasn’t all lemon drops and roses.
Jessica looked at Nicole. “Our sister has talked about leaving Gatlinburg behind and starting fresh in the big city for years.”
Nicole restrained herself from kicking her under the table. It wasn’t that her dream was private—everyone in town was aware
of her plans. But Quinn was her boss. Now that he knew she intended to leave town, he could possibly decide to find an early replacement. A tremor of unease wound its way through her. She desperately needed the income.
Quinn was looking at her with a strange mix of surprise and disappointment. “Is this true, Nicole?”
Before she could formulate an answer, Jane leaned forward in her chair, auburn hair brilliant in the afternoon light streaming through the windows. “Tell him your plans.”
“I told you I was a seamstress.”
“Yes...I recall the conversation.”
“My goal is to open a boutique of my own in Knoxville.”
“When?” He sat motionless, good humor draining away.
“She was supposed to go in March,” Jessica piped up. “She refuses to tell us why she had to postpone.”
“I—”
Their mother aimed a reprimanding glance at her youngest daughter. “That is Nicole’s business, young lady. Don’t pester her.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Nicole attempted to gather her wits. No one could discover the true reason for the delay. “I—I will have the necessary funds eventually.”
Still unsmiling, Quinn sighed. “Emmett did not mention your plans. Your expertise will be missed.”
“I promise to give you ample notice of my departure.”
As if sensing her turmoil, he said, “I want you for as many days as I can have you.”
Nicole’s lips parted. Jessica giggled.
Red slashed his cheekbones as it sank in how his words had sounded, and he looked uncharacteristically uncertain. “I meant—”
“I know what you meant.” Dropping her napkin on the table, she stood abruptly and gathered her plate and silverware. “If we’re going to have time to look over the ledgers today I suggest we go. I have alterations to do later.”
“But you haven’t eaten dessert,” Jane protested.
Their mother rose, as well, smiling broadly at their guest. “I’ll send some with you. I’m sure you will want to take a break at some point.”
Nicole stumbled, nearly dumping her dish. Sure, she’d seen that speculative gleam in her mother’s eyes before, but in regards to her sisters. Not her. Surely she didn’t think she and Quinn would make a good match!