His Band of Gold

by Melissa McClone

  Kelsey fed him another bite. He fed her. Back and forth. Again and again and again. They continued to feed each other the samples as if it were the most natural thing in the world. At that moment it felt natural and right and so many other wonderful things.

  She couldn’t explain it. She felt so comfortable with Will. Almost too comfortable for knowing him such a short time. Yet she could talk with him so easily. Open up and tell him things she’d only shared with family. Strange and disconcerting. Not to mention that kiss in the parking lot. Kelsey didn’t even want to start thinking about that again.

  Will reached over and brushed the edge of her mouth with his fingertip. “You have a little icing on your face.”

  “Thanks.” The spot where he’d touched her radiated with heat. She ignored the urge to touch it, ignored the urge to lick the icing off his finger. Talk about jumping into the fire. She needed to stand back, way back, or she was going to get burned.

  “So, do you have any favorites?” he asked.

  Besides you? She swallowed hard. Focus. Focus on the task at hand. “I love the chocolate.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I also liked the lemon.”

  “Faith doesn’t like lemon.”

  Kelsey felt as if he’d poured the pitcher of ice water on her face. She knew that about Faith. Why hadn’t Kelsey remembered? It was her job to remember such details. But with Will around it was easy to forget what her job entailed. Much too easy. She had to be more careful. No flirting, not even a hint of it, and definitely no more kisses. “I forgot.”

  “The banana is pretty tasty.”

  “Yes, it is.” Kelsey looked at two pictures in the baker’s portfolio. If Molly combined the two designs, it would be perfect for the theme Kelsey had in mind. “We could order a three-tier cake. Two chocolate cakes and one banana.”

  “You know, I liked the lemon, too,” Will admitted. “Why don’t we do a three-tier cake, but sneak in the lemon? Faith will never know as long as we serve her a slice of one of the other cakes.”

  He really was something special. Kelsey smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

  Will ate the final bite of the remaining sample. “Tastes even better.”

  She stared at his mouth, the corners tipped up in a smile, and remembered the taste of his kiss.

  But not as good as you.

  Chapter Seven

  February 6

  Three days later Kelsey sat across from Will at his dining-room table. Scattered between them were file folders, notebooks, magazines, lists, sketches of the reception room, a phone book, a cell phone, a laptop and a Palm Pilot. The wedding plans were coming together.

  “So, am I living up to your highly paid, highly qualified staff members?” Will asked.

  She hesitated, long enough to make him sweat. “Your eyes aren’t glassing over as much, which is quite an improvement.”

  “My eyes never glass over.” She raised a brow, and he grinned sheepishly. “Maybe once or twice, but for someone who’s never planned a wedding before, I’m doing great.”

  This she couldn’t believe. Not after all he’d done for Faith’s wedding. “What about your own wedding?”

  “Sara knew what kind of wedding she wanted since the time she was twelve and took care of everything. I didn’t do much except show up in a tux and say ‘I do.”’

  “Any regrets?”

  “No. It was the wedding Sara wanted.”

  What did you want? The question was on the tip of Kelsey’s tongue, but she managed to keep her curiosity from getting the best of her. More than once she’d felt her interest in Will go beyond client chitchat. Of course, their actions did, too. Kissing in the parking lot. Spending the night together on the couch. Feeding each other wedding cake. All those things went way beyond a business relationship. Yet it seemed right and normal, which made it even more odd. “So how does it feel?”

  Will furrowed a brow. “How does what feel?”

  “To finally plan a wedding?”

  The edges of his mouth turned up slightly. “It’s been…interesting.”

  Kelsey chuckled. “I suppose ‘interesting’ is a step above painful.”

  “I have to admit the cake tasting has been my favorite so far.”

  “Me, too.”

  Their gazes locked. She remembered staring into his eyes like this as she’d fed him a piece of cake, watching his lips close around her fingers as she pulled them—

  Will looked away. “I’m learning a lot, though I don’t know when I’ll ever have the chance to use the knowledge again. So, where’s the seating chart you’ve been working on?”

  Kelsey rose, walked to his side of the table and placed two pieces of paper down. “What do you think?”

  As he stared at the charts, Will’s scent surrounded her. Woodsy, spicy and oh-so-male. She felt a little dizzy and grabbed the edge of the table.

  He touched her elbow. “You okay?”

  “Fine.”

  “For a second you seemed to be in another world.”

  Yes, she realized, the land of good Will cologne. She let go of the edge. “I zoned out for a minute.”

  “You’ve been working too hard.”

  “We’ve been working too hard.”

  He smiled. She smiled back. “By the way, what’s the name of the cologne you wear?”

  “Cologne?”

  “Is it aftershave?”

  “I don’t wear any.”

  “Oh.” She gulped, feeling naked and exposed and oh-so embarrassed. “It’s just Cade’s birthday is coming up and…”

  Will’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “His birthday, huh?”

  Busted. Heat flooded her already-warm cheeks. No problem, Kelsey told herself. It could be worse. She wasn’t quite sure how, but…She cleared her Mojavedry throat and nodded.

  He stared at her, a wry smile on his lips. “Which one am I supposed to look at?”

  “Which one what?”

  “Which seating chart?”

  “Both of them.”

  What was happening to her? Embarrassing herself was one thing, but acting like a total airhead was another. So what if Will smelled good and it wasn’t man-made but his own natural scent and maybe a nice bar of soap or even his shampoo? So what if he knew she liked how he smelled, too? No big deal. She could ignore it. Ignore that her new standard of what a man should smell like had just been cemented in her mind and olfactory nerves.

  “Why are there two?” he asked.

  “One is for the wedding reception and one is for the anniversary party.”

  Will flashed her a here-we-go-again look, then studied the chart. “This is really detailed.”

  “The last thing you want are any big surprises on the big day so I try to be as detailed as possible to see how things will mesh.”

  “Is that why you were trying on the veil?”

  “What veil?”

  “At your office.” Interest gleamed in Will’s gaze. “You say you don’t want to be a bride yourself, yet you tried on the veil. Why?”

  “I wanted to see if the veil and wreath matched.”

  “Couldn’t you have just held them up together?”

  Yes, but she hadn’t. Kelsey wasn’t sure what had compelled her to try them on, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Will. He already knew too much about her. She was a private person, but something made it easy for her to open up to him. But not about this. She tilted her chin. “I wanted to see the full effect.”

  “And did you?”

  “I did.” She’d seen a whole lot more than that, too. It was if she’d been transported to another time, another place. Everything she’d never expected to feel—love, happily-ever-after, magic—had filled her office for that one moment. Her lips trembled with the urge to smile, but she didn’t. “Just part of the job.”

  He studied her, his eyes cool and contemplative. “It always comes back to the job.”

  “A wedding is serious business to the bride and groom.” Very seriou
s, Kelsey realized. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by foolish romantic notions and Will Addison. Strictly business. That’s all her relationship could be, all she wanted it to be. “Wait until you see the schedule I’m putting together. Talk about detailed. Timing makes or breaks a wedding reception. If it’s right, no one will notice, but if it’s off, guests know.”

  “I don’t get it.” Will raised a brow. “How can you put so much work into a wedding you don’t think will last let alone happen in the first place?”

  The way he looked at her made Kelsey feel as if she were disappointing him, and it bothered her. His feelings about her shouldn’t—make that, didn’t—matter to her. “I agreed to coordinate Faith’s wedding, and I’m doing it. What I believe about the situation doesn’t enter into it.”

  “Situation?” His eyes darkened. “We’re talking about two people who love each other and plan to spend the rest of their lives together.”

  “We’re talking about two people who’ll be lucky to make it to the ‘I do’ so don’t even start in on happily-ever-after.”

  Kelsey’s gaze locked with his. Stalemate.

  It was bound to happen over and over again. Their beliefs were too different. But that didn’t explain the heavy feeling in her stomach.

  She pointed to the charts. “Tell me what you think.”

  Will studied both of the seating arrangements. “Don’t seat Uncle Wayne so close to the bar, and make sure Hope and her kids are near an exit.”

  Kelsey scribbled a note on the anniversary seating chart. She wouldn’t need the other one. “That was too easy.”

  “How hard can it be to seat forty-eight people?”

  “You don’t want to know. Between the bride and groom, their friends and families.” A warning sounded in her head. “Have you mentioned any of our plans to Faith and Trent?”

  “No,” Will said. “Faith doesn’t want to be disturbed during filming. I’m doing exactly what she wants me to do, and a good job of it if I do say so myself.”

  “What about Trent?”

  “If it mattered to him, he’d be the one overseeing the wedding plans instead of me.”

  “What does that say about your future-brother-in-law?”

  “He’s a lot smarter than me.” Will grinned. “Don’t worry. Faith will call if she has any concerns.”

  He sounded so nonchalant, as if they were planning a surprise birthday party, not a wedding. Relaxed was one thing, but this…

  What-ifs swirled in her head. What if Faith hated the wedding? What if Trent hated it more? What if Faith didn’t even show up? Kelsey took a deep breath. “I wasn’t really worried before. A little concerned, but now…”

  Will gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Everything is fine. Faith trusts me. And you.”

  The only problem was, Kelsey didn’t trust herself. Not with Will around.

  “Thank you,” Kelsey said to the operator at the San Montico palace. Waiting for her call to be transferred to the royal suite, she shifted the phone to her left ear and laid on her bed. It was only noon, but she was tired. Kelsey wiggled her toes inside her wool socks to keep her blood flowing. A little energy was all she needed to get through the rest of the day.

  She had to admit she missed having her staff, but Will was doing the best he could for a guy clueless about the ongoings of a wedding. He had a lot of connections and contacts in the Lake Tahoe/Reno area. From arranging security to transporting guests from the inn to the ceremony and back to the reception, they had accomplished more than she thought possible this morning. But so much work awaited them, work they would do together.

  The more time Kelsey spent with Will, the better she got to know him. She liked what she was learning, too. He was a hard worker. He was also devoted to his family. And what a family. Will might say his family wasn’t perfect, but they were as perfect a family as she’d ever seen. She enjoyed being with his parents, too, even if it was only a brief stop to update Starr and Bill on the progress of the wedding plans. With parents like that, Kelsey couldn’t blame him for his views on love and marriage and happily-ever-after, but it was a red flag to her and all she knew to be true.

  Forget about how good he smelled or how good a man he appeared to be or how good he made her feel. His beliefs threatened her own. Any temptation to let her heart decide what to do about Will Addison was not allowed, not even for a moment.

  She had to forget about his kisses, his kindness, his warmth.

  She had to stop thinking of him as anything other than the brother of the bride, the person who was helping her coordinate Faith Starr’s wedding.

  Bottom line: Kelsey enjoyed his company and appreciated his input. She had to admit they made a pretty good team. But it didn’t—couldn’t—go further than that. As soon as the wedding was over…

  “Hello?” The familiar voice of her cousin, Christina, came across the line as if they were in the same room. She didn’t sound a continent and an ocean away.

  Kelsey smiled. “I hope I didn’t wake you, Princess.”

  “I was just getting ready for bed.”

  “A little early, don’t you think? It’s only nine over there.”

  “I said bed,” Christina replied. “Not sleep.”

  “Touché. Your message sounded strange.” With her fingertip, Kelsey traced one of the flowers on the floral-patterned duvet cover. “What’s up?”

  “Well…”

  The way Christina’s voice faded worried Kelsey. She sat up. “Is everything okay?”

  Silence.

  Oh, boy. This could only mean one thing—marital problems. Kelsey scooted off the bed. But that didn’t make any sense. Christina and Richard were the perfect couple. Meant—no, destined—to be together. If they couldn’t make their marriage work, there was no hope for anyone else. Kelsey paced back and forth until she couldn’t take it any longer. “Are you and Richard—”

  “We’re fine.”

  Thank goodness. She exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “What’s going on, Christina?”

  “I wanted to tell you in person, but the press has been sniffing around and since you aren’t coming…”

  If it wasn’t Christina’s marriage, what could it be? Uncle Alan? Aunt Claire? Kelsey was losing her patience. Damn high-tech phone. Where was a cord to twirl when you needed one most? “Tell me. Now.”

  “You’re going to be a godmother.”

  “A godmother?” Kelsey wet her lips. “I don’t understand.”

  “I’m pregnant,” Christina blurted. “With twins.”

  “Twins?” Excitement mixed with surprise. Feeling a bit light-headed, Kelsey sat. She missed the bed and hit the ground with a thud.

  “Are you okay?” Christina asked.

  Okay? Kelsey was more than okay. She laughed, and her heart swelled with joy. “I’m fine except next time you have good news like that, Princess, make sure I’m sitting down first.”

  That evening Will carried in a box of food his mother had delivered from the inn. As he placed the box on the kitchen counter, he noticed an expensive bottle of champagne tucked inside. Leave it to his mother. “Just great.”

  Kelsey glanced up from her notebook. Her eyes clouded with concern. “Is something wrong?”

  He hoped his mother would come to her senses over the letter she’d written. Obviously she hadn’t, and now she was taking things into her own hands. What a joke. Mom didn’t know Kelsey as well as he did, otherwise she would never be trying to push them together. Two people couldn’t be less suitable for each other than he and Kelsey. Not that he didn’t enjoy her company. He did. A lot. “My mother’s trying to play matchmaker.”

  “Excuse me?”

  He pulled out the bottle. Nicely chilled and ready to be opened. And Kelsey said he had nothing to worry about. To think she thought his family was perfect. What a laugh. “Look what came with our dinner.”

  “Your mother didn’t order it, I did.”

  “You did?”

  Kelsey nodded. />
  Images of an empty bottle of champagne, an uneaten dinner left cooling on the table and Kelsey sent his temperature rising. Forget about his mother. He had a bigger problem. Himself. Will cleared his dry throat. “Why champagne?”

  “I wanted to celebrate.”

  “Celebrate?”

  She nodded, pulled out two crystal champagne flutes from the box and batted her long, luscious eyelashes. “Care to join me?”

  A smile lit up her face. A smile directed straight at him. This could only mean…

  Oh, hell. She wasn’t celebrating. She was propositioning him. He should have known this would happen. It always did. No matter how hard women might say they weren’t interested in him. They couldn’t help themselves. Not even Kelsey.

  Let her down easy, he told himself. Don’t make a big deal out of it. But no words would come. He simply stared at her, an odd mix of apprehension and anticipation duking it out inside of him.

  She rose from the table and walked toward him. The sway of her hips seemed more noticeable. Her complexion glowed. And her eyes. It was as if a million stars had sprung to life in their depths. A ripple of excitement rushed through him.

  She picked up the champagne bottle. “There should be a chocolate cake in there from Molly Fitzpatrick, too.”

  And oysters for appetizers? How was he going to get out of this? Not that he wasn’t tempted. He was. More than he should be. But thinking and doing were two totally different things. And what about the wedding they still needed to plan?

  If anything happened…nothing would. Nothing could. She didn’t believe in anything he did. Not love or marriage or happily-ever-after. Not that he was looking for any of those things. He wasn’t, and she wasn’t, Will realized. Did that mean she was only after one night? His pulse pounded in his throat.

  She held the bottle and dried the neck with a towel. Back and forth. Back and forth. Will swallowed. Hard.

  “Of course,” she said, her voice seductive, “we’ll have to wait until we eat this delicious-smelling dinner first before we cut into dessert.”

  His gaze focused on her full lips. Desire hit him low and hard. It was as if Kelsey had flicked on a switch Will hadn’t known existed. Forget about cake, he wanted…