by Cindy Kirk
“Thank you.” Cassidy sounded pleased. “I like yours, too.”
Her fingers, the nails a vivid blue, flicked one of his daughter’s braids. “Did your dad do these for you?”
Esther dissolved in laughter. “Daddy can’t braid hair.”
“Grandma did it,” Ellyn said so softly Tim wondered if Cassidy heard. From the smile the hairstylist bestowed on his youngest—by two minutes—he figured she had.
“Stellar job.” Cassidy gazed thoughtfully at the braids. “It’d be extra pretty if you wove a ribbon through the braid.”
Esther’s eyes widened. “Can you do that?”
“It’s easy,” Cassidy said. “I do it all the time.”
“Your hair is pink,” Ellyn murmured as they continued down the walk to the edge of the road, where most of the cars were parked.
“Ellyn,” Tim said sharply.
Cassidy shot him a surprised look. “It’s okay. The tips are actually fuchsia.”
She pulled her attention back to the girls. “Since hair is my business, I change my color whenever I want. It’s kind of expected.”
“Could you make my hair purple?” Esther’s voice trembled with eagerness. “It’s my favorite color.”
An image of his mother’s face flashed before Tim. He had no doubt she’d burst into flames if either of her granddaughters appeared on her doorstep with purple hair.
Cassidy slanted a sideways glance at Tim. “I can do practically anything with hair. Now, tell me what kind of games you were playing downstairs. It sounded like so much fun, I thought about leaving the book club to join you.”
Tim had also been curious about the shrieks of laughter coming from the basement. From what his daughters described, it sounded like a Wii bowling-gone-wild session followed by an old-fashioned game of Twister.
Before he could ask any questions or even have a chance to visit with Cassidy, they were at his SUV.
Cassidy smiled brightly at the three of them.
“Safe trip home.” With a jaunty wave of her hand, she sauntered off.
Tim couldn’t help noticing how her hips swayed enticingly from side to side in those sexy silver pants.
“She’s pretty,” Esther declared, touching one of her braids.
“I like her,” Ellyn added, her little face serious.
“I like her, too,” Tim said then unlocked the car doors so they could begin their way down the mountain toward home.
* * *
Cassidy kept busy the rest of the week. Not working Saturday had caused her to schedule clients late every evening, except for the night she’d attended book club.
She’d enjoyed the discussion and the chance to relax. It struck her that most of her interactions with the other women had, up to this point, mostly been confined to work activities.
Oh, there had been the occasional parties tossed into the mix, but simply socializing with other women in a group had been outside her wheelhouse.
The book club had been pleasant and they hadn’t run out of things to discuss. Since the group included several doctors as well as physical and speech therapists, there had been a lot of medical talk...which she found fascinating. They’d seemed equally interested in her efforts to expand her business and garner some of the fun—and lucrative—wedding trade.
Now Saturday had rolled around again. She’d spent the entire day out of the salon. This time because of a wedding. Thankfully, it had turned out to be a beautiful June day with a cloudless blue sky and only the barest hint of a breeze. With temperatures in the low seventies, the day could not have been more perfect for an outdoor afternoon ceremony.
She’d arrived early for bridal-party hair and makeup. Moments before, she’d just retouched the hair of the wedding party while endless post-ceremony pictures were taken.
Dinner was next on the agenda, to be served in elegant style in one of the large white tents erected on the ranch property, followed by a dance with an open bar.
Cassidy had been invited to stay for the wedding and participate in the festivities, but she planned to leave now that the last of the pictures had been taken. The bride and her attendants would be on their own.
She packed up her bag of beauty supplies and slung it over her shoulder, then turned toward her car. Cassidy was so focused on skirting several groups of people it took her a moment to realize someone was calling her name.
Then a hand closed around her arm and she smelled him, that faint intoxicating scent of bergamot and sandalwood.
With her heart doing a salsa against her ribs, she lifted her head and gazed into Tim’s hazel eyes.
“You’re headed the wrong way.” Tim nearly groaned aloud at the comment. Smooth, Duggan, really smooth.
He told himself he’d been startled, surprised to see the pretty blonde making her way against the crowd toward the field where the cars were parked.
Tim had never considered he’d run into Cassidy at his cousin Veronica’s wedding. Not that he knew his cousin or her fiancé all that well. They were second or third relations once removed or something like that, but family was family.
“Tim.” She glanced around. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”
“I just arrived. My parents and the girls are around somewhere.” He took her arm and tugged her from the stream of humanity. “We planned to go to the ceremony together but a baby decided this afternoon was her time to be born. I told them I’d try to meet them at the reception.”
“Great suit.”
Tim glanced down. Dark charcoal pinstriped suit, white shirt and red paisley tie. Nothing special. Unlike Cassidy, who looked stunning.
His gaze slid over her slender form, clad in a sexy black dress with a revealing deep V and red heels. “You’re looking pretty spiffy yourself tonight.”
Spiffy. He stifled a groan. A sixteen-year-old could do better.
“I meant lovely,” he said. “You look very lovely.”
She gave him a wink. “I prefer spiffy.”
“Well, Miss Spiffy, I hate to tell you but you’re going the wrong way.”
“My duty is done.” At his apparently blank look, she continued, “Veronica’s and her attendants’ hair is now in their own hands.”
He frowned. “She didn’t invite you to stay for the reception?”
“She invited,” Cassidy quickly assured him. “But I’m considering other options.”
“By how you’re dressed, it looks as if you planned to stay.”
She lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “It’s been a long week. I’m not in the mood for socializing with a bunch of strangers.”
That wasn’t the entire truth. Cassidy had gotten a call from her mother, Crystal, that morning that had left her out of sorts. A call from an unexpected place: St. Louis, Missouri. Even worse, Crystal had asked for bail money, for her and her current “fiancé.”
It was drug charges—again—specifically possession with intent to distribute. According to her mother, the heroin had been planted. When Cassidy made it clear she wouldn’t be sending any money, the raging had started. Cassidy had hung up, but her normally sunny mood had turned overcast.
“I’m not really in the mood for socializing, either,” he told her.
Her lips turned up. “Well, then, I think you’ve come to the wrong place.”
Tim’s gaze slid across her face. The smile didn’t reach her eyes. She looked troubled, he realized. No, not troubled, sad. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her anything but bright and chipper. But then, he didn’t really know her that well.
“Come with me,” he said impulsively. “We’ll grab some dinner.”
She shook her head, not interested in facing his mother and her disapproving looks. Most days, Cassidy found Suzanne Duggan’s dislike of her rather humorous. This wasn’t
one of those days. Today she felt raw and vulnerable. “I planned to catch something quick then go for a run.”
“You run?”
His look of shock made her smile. She trailed her fingers down the side of her dress. “How do you think I keep this splendiferous figure?”
“And a fine figure it is.” Tim started to say more then realized that would be inappropriate. “Want company?”
Surprise widened Cassidy’s vivid blue eyes. “What about your parents and daughters?”
“I told them I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it tonight.” Tim stuffed his hands into his pockets. “My mother will be in her element, parading the girls around like trick ponies. I’d only be in the way.”
Knowing his mother, Cassidy was skeptical. This was a family affair. Suzanne would want her son, the prominent doctor, at her side.
Cassidy had a good idea what was going on here. He didn’t want to stay and was using her as an excuse. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to blow him off. “You’re hardly dressed for a run.”
“Back at you.”
The ridiculous retort made her laugh.
“C’mon, Cass.” His tone turned persuasive. “It’s been a really long day. The girls are safe and happy with my parents. I could use a break.”
It had been a long day for her, too. While Veronica was a nice enough woman, she’d been a demanding bride. Her attendants were cut from the same mold. When Cassidy added her mother’s call to the equation, a run was a necessity.
If Tim wanted to come along, well, she wouldn’t stop him. “Will you be able to keep up?”
He smiled. “Watch me.”
* * *
By the time they reached their vehicles, Cassidy had come up with a plan. Tim would stop home and change, then pick her up at her place. While the sun was still high in the sky, they’d drive to Goodwin Lake Trail. The popular trail started at eight thousand feet elevation and ended at a lovely lake. Using the lake as a turnaround point would give her and Tim a five-mile run.
As Cassidy pulled on her black running shorts, sports bra and purple tank, she wondered if this impulsive move was a mistake. She immediately dismissed the worry. They were friends and, after the distress of hearing from her mother, it would be nice to have someone to distract her.
It wasn’t as if Tim was an annoying chatterbox. They’d probably run and not exchange five words. But he would be there beside her.
Cassidy quickly realized she’d been wrong. From the time Tim picked her up, the popular doctor kept the conversation going.
As he relayed anecdotes about his girls and his parents, Cassidy began to relax. She and Tim were pretty equal in their running fitness and they settled easily into a comfortable rhythm on the gradual climb to the lake.
“How’d you hook up with my cousin?” Tim asked as the pristine Alpine lake came into view.
“Who?”
“Veronica.”
“Oh.” Cassidy realized she’d already put the bride into her “thank God that one is done” mental file cabinet. “I did the hair of one of her friends last year. She approached me.”
“You have my sympathy.”
Cassidy was enough of a businesswoman to at least pretend not to understand.
“I was never close to Veronica, but Sarah and she were tight.”
Back in high school, Tim’s sister had been a pretty, blonde dynamo all the boys drooled over. She’d died of leukemia while still in college. Until now, Cassidy had forgotten that Veronica and his sister cheered together. Going to sporting events hadn’t been part of Cassidy’s high school experience.
“I’d forgotten all about them being close.”
A shadow slid over his face. “Sarah had lots of friends.”
She wasn’t sure what made her continue the conversation, other than she found herself wanting to comfort him, yet not sure how. “You must miss her very much.”
“I do miss her.” A distant look filled his gaze. “Lindsey and I were always the quiet ones. Sarah kept life lively. She’d have loved the twins. I wish they’d had a chance to know her.”
Unexpectedly his voice grew thick with emotion and sadness darkened his eyes.
Way to go, Cassidy, she told herself.
“I love the names you picked for your girls.” Cassidy changed the subject a bit awkwardly. “Where did they come from?”
He blinked and the shadow darkening his eyes disappeared.
“Esther was named for my grandmother.” His smile reminded her of the sun appearing from behind a dark cloud. “Gram lives in Phoenix. She’s a spunky woman who says what she thinks. Ellyn was named after one of Caro’s sorority sisters.”
“You picked one name. Caro picked the other.”
“Exactly,” he confirmed. “Fifty-fifty, right down the middle.”
Cassidy thought, but didn’t say, that it seemed a bit too calculated for her. But then, what did she know? She didn’t have a husband or children. Didn’t really see that in her crystal ball for the immediate future.
But she’d gotten Tim’s mind off his sister and made him smile. Mission accomplished. Now she just had to keep that sexy smile on those incredible lips. “Is running what you do to relax?”
He nodded and picked up the pace to a jog. “Usually on a treadmill. The girls are too young to leave alone and I prefer not to get a babysitter unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“I imagine it’s not easy being a single parent.”
“I’m luckier than most. My mother took early retirement to help with the girls after Caro died. My dad adores them. Lindsey has playdates with them every week. I also have a neighbor girl who pitches in. Lots of help.”
Lots of help, Cassidy thought, but still a lonely journey.
“Are the girls why you don’t date?” It seemed a logical conclusion.
His expression turned serious once again. “It’s difficult for me to do anything that takes time away from them.”
“What about Jayne?” The question quite simply popped out. Perhaps it had been because the librarian had conveniently run into them at the street dance last week. “I’ve seen you two out together.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know why everyone is so determined to throw us together. Jayne and I are friends. Like you and me.”
Cassidy strove for neutral. “Do you kiss Jayne like you kissed me?”
Tim began to slow his pace as they approached the lake. “Jayne is like a sister to me.”
“I’ll take that as a no.” Cassidy wondered what madness made her keep pushing for more, for some sort of declaration that he found her sexy in a way he didn’t find Jayne.
Hadn’t he already made it perfectly clear he didn’t want her? Yet, there was a curious energy in the air that even he had to have noticed. Heck, the air practically sizzled whenever they were together. “You don’t think of me as a sister.”
He smiled, a quick flash of white that had her pulse picking up speed. “You sound pretty sure of that.”
“Just to put to bed any doubts...” Cassidy put a finger to her mouth, pulling his attention to her bright red lips and stopped. “I believe a test is in order.”
“Test?” His brows pulled together and puzzlement filled his eyes. “What kind of test?”
Abruptly, and without warning, Cassidy wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
For a second he stood frozen, stiff. Then, thank goodness, his arms slid around her waist and he kissed her back.
Cassidy let herself forget everything except the feel and the taste of him. The arms that held her so tightly were strong and muscular, the lips firm and seductive.
When Tim’s tongue swept along her mouth, she parted her lips and he immediately deepened the kiss. The heat that had ignited the second she�
��d kissed him turned fiery hot. As if he was there to save her from going under a third time, Cassidy tightened her hold on his neck.
Only a thin layer of clothes separated them, but she wanted to be closer, needed to be closer. She longed to feel his warm skin beneath her hands, slide her fingers along his muscles, taste the salty—
Tim jerked back and her daydream disappeared in a poof of disappointment.
“Someone’s coming,” he said in a hoarse whisper.
Because it seemed expected, Cassidy smoothed her shirt. She’d have touched up her lipstick—a smart woman always had a tube with her—but the voices Tim heard were now loud.
Two middle-aged couples, dressed fashionably—for the sixty-plus set—in walking shorts and sturdy shoes, stepped into view.
They looked familiar, at least the women did. But they weren’t her customers. If they had been, Cassidy would have remembered them. She had a good memory for the faces and names of her clientele.
“Tim.” The other woman uttered his name in a single breath, looking flummoxed.
It was the only word Cassidy could think of to describe the complete and utter shock on the gray-haired woman’s face as her gaze shifted from Tim to her. Her companion, a pretty redhead from the bottle, appeared only mildly curious.
“Paula. Emerson.” Tim’s voice was surprisingly steady. He shifted his gaze to the other couple. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“These are our old friends, the Lenzes, from our college days.” Paula’s smile may have been bright, but her gaze, when it landed on Cassidy, turned cool.
Introductions were quickly dispensed with and there were hearty smiles and comments about the invigorating walk and lovely scenery all around. Then Cassidy watched with some amusement as Paula Connors, Jayne’s oh-so-proper mama, began to dig for information like a badger going after a tasty rodent.
Chapter Six
Tim had nearly groaned aloud when Jayne’s parents stepped into the clearing. Though he had no qualms about skipping his cousin’s wedding to spend the evening with a friend, he knew Jayne’s mother would be all over him about his decision.
Jayne and the bride weren’t friends, had never been friends, barely knew each other. Still, Paula had intimated the last time he’d seen her that Jayne was simply crushed she hadn’t received an invitation to Veronica’s wedding. The implication had been clear. He should ask her daughter to the wedding.