Have Gown, Need Groom

by Rita Herron

  Berta exhaled noisily as if she realized she’d lost his attention. “I guess I’ll just have to talk to Wiley myself.” With a shake of her head reminiscent of a mother hen with her feathers ruffled, she turned and stalked toward the office, her leopard-print purse banging her ripe hips as she strutted. Jake averted his thoughts—she reminded him of turkey on Wiley’s latest TV commercial. Jake had seen the early-bird special ad at breakfast and nearly choked on his coffee. So far, the commercial had worked though—the dealership had been swamped all morning with early Christmas shoppers hoping to save a buck. As clumsy with his sales technique as a rookie with a Glock, Jake had actually managed to sell two cars in spite of himself.

  Berta launched herself at Wiley and Hannah glanced at him, her blue-eyed gaze wary but full of something else—desire. Unwanted, even hooded, but he definitely saw the spark of sexual arousal in those vibrant blue eyes.

  Wiley suddenly wove an arm around Berta’s ample frame, whispering something that made the woman blush. Wiley certainly did know how to schmooze. Within seconds, Berta hurried inside the glass-enclosed offices, obviously ready to make a deal. He heard Wiley agree to meet her shortly and realized he’d been staring at Hannah. The fading sunlight dappled her hair and face with a soft glow, the darkening sky creating sultry shadows around her feminine curves.

  Not wanting Wiley to guess his intentions toward his oldest daughter, he scanned the parking lot for another customer but remembered they’d closed the lot. Determined to overhear if Wiley and Hannah discussed business, he spotted the string of Christmas lights Wiley wanted around the building, grabbed the ladder, climbed to the top and began to drape the colorful lights.

  Mimi sauntered inside to meet Joey. Through the front glass, Jake saw her plant a lip-lock on his mouth.

  “Jake, look who’s here!” Wiley yelled, ushering Hannah toward him.

  Jake stuck his finger with a tack and yelped.

  “Are you all right?” Hannah asked.

  Why was he forever getting hurt around this woman?

  “Fine.”

  “I’m not sure you should be up there, Mr. Tippins, not with your injury.”

  So, she’d reverted to Mr. Tippins again?

  He shot her a sexy grin meant to rattle her. Although, when her lips parted slightly, his own breath hitched. He tried to steady himself by inhaling, almost lost his balance and nearly toppled off the ladder. His legs swung wildly, his hands gripping the metal rungs in a deathgrip.

  Hannah and Wiley grabbed the ladder just in time to save him from falling on his face.

  “See what I mean,” Hannah said in that irritating professional voice.

  The streetlight flickered on, illuminating her golden hair; his gaze was drawn to her rosy mouth. Her father cleared his throat, and Jake realized Wiley was watching him with an odd look in his eyes. Did he know Jake’s true identity, or did he suspect Jake’s growing interest in his oldest daughter?

  “I think I can handle hanging a few Christmas lights, Doc,” Jake said. Actually there were hundreds of lights. “On your way to the hospital?”

  “I’ve already pulled my shift.” Hannah’s gaze tracked the enormous tangled vine of lights.

  “Decorating this place is a big job,” Wiley said in a booming voice. “But it’s your lucky day, here, Tippins. My daughters dropped by to help.”

  Hannah’s smile melted into a frown. “Actually, Dad, I—”

  “No, baby, this is perfect,” Wiley said, releasing his grip on the ladder. “Decorating for the holidays is a family affair with the Hartwells, right, Hannah?”

  Hannah nodded tightly.

  “You just stand here and help Jake. Alison’s hanging bows on all the windows. I’ll enlist Joey and Mimi to set up the sleigh exhibit while I talk to Berta.”

  Wiley ambled off, his jovial smile indicating his excitement over the family project. Jake suddenly felt like an outsider. Family affairs had never been his forte.

  Then again, he was only doing a job here. He hadn’t been invited to join the family, simply to hang some stupid Christmas lights. He’d take advantage of the opportunity to watch Hannah and Mimi with their father.

  Chapter Ten

  Hannah averted her gaze from Jake, the height of the ladder putting him at an awkward level; she either had to crane her neck to see his face or stare straight at his backside, which was definitely a mistake. His muscular physique was emphasized by the way the fabric of his khaki slacks stretched taut across his body, and it did strange things to her insides.

  “Hold that end for me,” Jake said, as Christmas music suddenly began to blare through the speakers. The cheery lyrics of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus did nothing to alleviate the tension thrumming between the two of them. The song reminded Hannah of her missing mother and her childish dreams of having her parents back together.

  What was wrong with her? She’d never been sentimental or dwelled on the past.

  Obviously that psychiatrist had planted the seed about her parents’ divorce in her mind. Now she’d have to figure out how to exorcise it just as she’d tried to do to the dream.

  Brushing aside the painful memories, Hannah grabbed the long cord, untangling the winding mass with shaky fingers. Jake looked almost as uncomfortable as she felt. Hadn’t he ever strung Christmas lights before, or did he think she’d come here to see him?

  “I want you to know I didn’t plan to do this today,” Hannah said.

  He draped a cord over the front entrance. “I thought your dad said you guys always decorate together.”

  “Mimi likes to but I…well, I thought I’d let them handle it this year.”

  “Avoiding me, Hannah?”

  The softly spoken question took her by surprise. A faint breeze stirred, bringing with it a whiff of his masculine scent. Hannah silently groaned and squinted through the light from the streetlamp to see him staring at her. His blatant look of sexual interest seared through her, heating her already warm face. “No.”

  “Then you’re just a Scrooge, huh?”

  Her temper bristled. “No, as a matter of fact, I intend to help decorate the tree in the ER tomorrow.”

  “Then you like this kind of stuff?”

  Hannah shrugged. “Mimi gets into the festivities more than me.”

  “She is pretty enthusiastic,” Jake agreed. “But you look like the picture of gloom. What’s wrong, Doc?”

  “Nothing.” Hannah glanced at the doorway and spotted Mimi and Joey kissing under a sprig of mistletoe. A moment of envy stirred within Hannah at Mimi’s innocent enthusiasm. Mimi seemed more Jake’s type. So why was Jake interested in her?

  “Maybe we should get in the swing of it the way they are,” Jake suggested.

  Hannah’s gaze locked with his, the heat crackling between them. Did he mean they should be kissing like Mimi and Joey?

  A half-cocky grin slid onto his face. “What do you say?”

  The faint hint of challenge in his voice resurrected the competitive nature she’d normally reserved for school. She’d been determined to make good grades and win respect, hoping to overcome being the butt of the other kids’ jokes. Deciding to beat him at his own game and prove to herself she wasn’t afraid, Hannah dropped the lights and retrieved another ladder, setting it up a few feet away. “All right, let’s light up this place. We’ll show them who has the most Christmas spirit.”

  Jake grinned as if he knew she’d purposely avoided his innuendo.

  A tingle of anticipation rippled up her spine at the promise of retribution in his eyes. There was something deeply alluring, albeit troubling, about her father’s newest employee. The drifter man could give her a great tumble between the sheets if she simply surrendered to the heat simmering between them, and she could barely resist his sexy smile and teasing overtures.

  But she had to resist him. Hannah always did what she should—well, except for not marrying Seth. She’d be absolutely crazy if she succumbed to temptation with Jake Tippins. He’d probably cli
mb out of bed afterwards and skip town before the sheets even grew cold.

  And when Hannah took a man to her bed, she intended him to stay there forever.

  TWO HOURS LATER, Hannah and Jake had finished stringing the lights. Hannah laughed as they jogged from car to car, attaching big red bows to the hoods. Mimi handpainted signs for the special red-ribbon sales with glittery red paint while Alison sprayed white snow on all the windows surrounding the offices and arranged glow-in-the-dark gold stars in clusters to form the shape of a larger Christmas star on the front door. Wiley had Joey busy rigging a bright red Mustang convertible into a sleigh with a carpet of artificial grass to simulate the lawn.

  Wiley plugged in the Christmas lights, illuminating the car lot with twinkling colors, the frame of the building outlined in dozens of bright red and green lights that blinked intermittently, seemingly in tune with the litany of Christmas songs piped over the speakers. As Jake stuck the last bow on a ’98 Fiat, he leaned against the car and folded his arms, his gaze traveling over the business establishment with a rueful shake of his head.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like this.”

  Hannah saw the laughter bubbling in his eyes and couldn’t contain her own amusement. “Dad always likes to do things up in a big way.”

  “It is colorful.”

  “That it is,” Hannah admitted with a laugh. “He might win the Tacky Light Show this year.”

  “I bet families will drive by just to let the kids see the lights. Probably cause a traffic jam.”

  Hannah smiled, imagining the array of colors through a child’s eyes. Young children would be enthralled. But when they grew older and the magic died, they would see her father’s overexuberance in a different light—the way the older kids had when they’d teased her.

  “I suppose he’s going to dress like Santa Claus and let the kids sit in his lap for pictures,” Jake said.

  “He does every year.”

  “Does he hire an Easter bunny for Easter?”

  “Yeah. He even has an egg hunt in the car lot with special discounts hidden inside the prize eggs. Oh, and he hides candy for the kids.”

  Jake nodded, thinking the man might be flamboyant, but he certainly appeared family-oriented. He also had tapped into some unique marketing strategies which seemed to be working. His smile faded as the real reason he’d come to Sugar Hill rushed back—had Wiley tapped into illegal business dealings as well?

  Mimi and Alison’s laughter echoed from the front door of the office as they scrutinized Alison’s artwork. He glanced up and saw laughter sparkling in Hannah’s eyes, and a tug of some emotion he didn’t recognize rose inside him. Earlier, Hannah had seemed distracted, even a little sad when she’d first begun helping him string the lights. Did the holidays make her melancholy or was she worried about Wiley, afraid he’d get caught?

  He’d been amazed at the good-natured ribbing the three sisters had indulged in while they divvied up the tasks. Teasing and laughter—not the screaming fights he remembered from his own youth. This oddball family worked together well and seemed to have fun doing it. Wiley had even commented that if Hannah hadn’t taken up medicine, he’d have handed her the business when he retired.

  His throat grew dry when he glanced into Hannah’s mesmerizing blue eyes, the sparkle of emotion in the depths twisting something deep inside him. He would destroy this family if he discovered Wiley was making his money through illegal means. And Hannah would never look at him the same way again.

  Hannah brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, aware Jake was watching the movement, the vein in his neck throbbing as he swallowed. His neck was long and thick, tapering into shoulders that were so broad they made her feel tiny. Why had she never noticed how sexy a man’s throat could be? Or how the simple act of swallowing could be so erotic?

  Laughter shrieked behind her and she clenched her hands by her sides and forced herself to remember that she and Jake weren’t alone, they were in a public place with her family surrounding them. Thank heavens. Joey and her father conferred in the parking lot, admiring the hundreds of sparkling lights, trying to decide if they needed another row along the sign announcing the name of Wiley’s establishment.

  “Look, you two, you’re standing under the mistletoe,” Alison said with a grin.

  Hannah and Jake both looked up to see Alison hanging a fresh twig of the greenery above them in the doorway.

  “Go on, you have to kiss him, Hannah,” Alison said.

  “Yeah, kiss him,” Mimi yelled.

  Heat crept up Hannah’s neck, but she turned and saw the flicker of desire and mischief in Jake’s eyes and couldn’t resist. She slid her hand behind his head, stood on tiptoe and kissed him. His lips were gentle, tentative, but grew firm as he deepened the kiss, the spark of hunger igniting in her body stunning her. When she finally pulled away, Mimi and Alison were both watching with grins on their faces. She tried to steady her breathing, while Jake simply studied her with a dark desire that sent fire rippling through her.

  Wiley sauntered over and slapped Jake on the back. “I’d say things look pretty darned good,” Wiley boomed. “I think you earned yourself a turkey dinner with us tomorrow, son.”

  Jake’s shocked expression would have been laughable if Hannah hadn’t felt panic swelling in her own chest. Her father never invited his salesmen to Thanksgiving dinner—he usually reserved the day for the girls. Even Mimi’s boyfriend Joey hadn’t been invited. Had Wiley seen the heated kiss?

  No, her father wouldn’t approve of her and Jake—would he?

  “Thanks, Wiley,” Jake said, snapping Hannah back to reality. “I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn’t want to impose on family. I still have plenty of that food you sent over.”

  Hannah heard an odd gruffness to his voice and wondered at the reason.

  “Nonsense, boy. You got yourself shot trying to guard my business, and you admitted you don’t have any family to speak of. We can’t let you stay home by yourself all day, now can we, Hannah?”

  Hannah hugged her arms around her middle. “Dad, don’t be so persistent. Jake may have other plans.”

  Jake quirked a brow sideways as if he realized she didn’t want her father inviting him.

  Wiley’s green eyes shot toward Jake, a bushy eyebrow arched. “Do you have plans, son? Got a lady friend on the side?”

  Jake’s jaw tightened, his gaze riveted on Hannah. “Well…no. But I certainly don’t mind spending the day alone. I can come over and do some stuff around here if you’d like—”

  The frown on Wiley’s face stopped Jake in his tracks. “Ain’t no employee of mine working on Thanksgiving. Now come on over in the morning. We’ll eat our fill and watch football on the tube all day. DeLito’s going to come, too. We’ll have us some male bonding time.”

  Joey was coming? Male bonding time? Maybe her craziness was rubbing off on her father?

  “All right,” Jake agreed.

  “The girls will gather early for coffee, and I’ll smoke a turkey in the smoker,” Wiley said. “Mimi will bring dessert. Hannah always brings these homemade rolls she makes. They just melt in your mouth, son. Alison will throw together some veggies from the freezer. You just bring yourself.”

  Hannah bit down on her lip—she never made homemade rolls. In fact, the last time she’d tried, she’d burned them so badly that smoke had filled the house, the smoke detector had gone off and the fire department had arrived and ruined the rest of the dinner when they’d opened the water hoses.

  “See you about noon.” Her father winked at her, then walked back toward the building where Mimi and Joey and Alison stood, adjusting the final touches to the entryway. Snow flurries began to drift from the sky, the whistle of winter biting in the air. Jake Tippins shoved his hands in his pockets with a frown. He looked as if he’d been cornered and didn’t know how to extricate himself. If Hannah didn’t know better, she’d think her father was actually trying to play matchmaker—to set her up with his newest
salesman.

  Ridiculous.

  Thanksgiving dinner was definitely not conducive to romantic notions. And Wiley simply felt compelled to pay off a debt.

  A sigh of relief escaped her. With her family surrounding them, they wouldn’t be alone for a single second. She’d be safe. Safe from temptation. Safe from the big man’s irresistible sexual draw. And safe from wanting his hot, wild kisses.

  Now, she had to go home and learn how to make homemade rolls before noon tomorrow so she wouldn’t look like a fool when she showed up empty-handed. And just as soon as she had the chance, she’d sit her father down and find out why he’d told such a ridiculous lie about her.

  AS SOON AS Jake left the car lot, he rushed to get the photos developed, then accessed the police database to cross-check for possible connections. Knowing the search would take a while, he fixed himself a frozen pizza and ate it while he scrolled through the information. Two hours later, he stuffed the remains of his dinner in the trash and stretched, annoyed that he hadn’t found anything substantial to tie DeLito or Wiley to the thefts. Yet.

  His gut instinct assured him he would, though—in time. But his instincts were in a tailspin over Hannah and her sisters and their involvement. His first inclination told him they were innocent, especially Hannah. Why would a respectable doctor involve herself in illegal affairs? Mimi and DeLito seemed pretty tight, although Mimi acted slightly ditzy, so he could see DeLito easily pulling something over her eyes. But if the sisters knew the truth, their close-knit family relationship would explain the motive for their silence. Being the oldest, Hannah had obviously fallen into the caretaker role and would protect her family, including her father, no matter what. Spending time with them on Thanksgiving gave him the perfect chance to watch them all together. He’d planned to go into the dealership early and snoop around, then drop by the house later in the day, but what a streak of luck—Wiley had saved him from inventing an excuse by his invitation.

  His mind turned to DeLito. Maybe his connection hadn’t been at the dealership during regular hours the past two weeks; maybe they met after the place shut down for the night. Maybe Wiley had no idea what transpired after hours, what DeLito was up to.