His Favorite Mistake (Baby Its Cold Out)

by Mary Eason

  She looked into his eyes and saw tears shimmering in the blue depths taking her breath away. He reached for her hand and placed the ring on her finger with a hand that still shook. As she looked from the three diamonds that glittered in the firelight, and then to the man who had had become her soul's mate, Reyna knew that from their friendship a very special love had developed. Theirs was a passion so strong that nothing would ever come between it ever again.

  The End

  The Book Of Love - Book One of Baby Its Cold Out Series

  Chapter One

  Had I known the fate waiting for me outside the safety of my house, I would have pulled the covers back over my head, dismissed the cat’s complaining entirely, and ignored the flood on the first floor.

  But then, I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen. After all this was Endsville, Colorado and in Endsville, nothing much ever really changes.

  I parked my beat-up Jeep in front of Love The Book bookstore that my family had owned for decades. It was barely September and already a record amount of snow had fallen leaving the roads treacherous. The snowplow had managed to pile up a stack of the wet stuff in front of the store.

  Somehow, I managed to maneuver my bad foot out of the Jeep without causing any further damage. The temperature outside bordered on reaching an all-time low. Most of the weathermen around the state agreed on one thing. This year had all the makings of being the worst winter in decades.

  I hobbled up the icy steps that needed deicing and fumbled with the lock on the door while trying to ignore the pain in my ankle. Mentally I ticked off all the things I needed to be doing today, other than going to the minor emergency center that is. There was the bank deposit, which was already late, followed by returning the wrong shipment of books that arrived late yesterday afternoon. I’d need to get them to the UPS store today if I had any chance at getting the right ones in time for Christmas. Oh and let’s not forget the travel section that had needed reorganizing for weeks now. This was my least favorite thing to do and the real reason why it had taken so long to work up enough gumption to attempt the task.

  After yesterday’s disaster, things had continued to snowball into what I liked to refer to as my morning from hell. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage to get even one of those much-needed chores accomplished with an injured ankle.

  The worst part of it all was poor Mr. Edwards was going to be disappointed again today. He’d been expecting his copy of the newly released mystery novel last week, and he wasn’t at all happy when I’d told him it was being delayed for another week. Now this. Two-dozen copies of the same romance novel from an author I’d never even heard of before. And judging from what I’d read of her work as I’d flipped through the pages last night, I wouldn’t be hearing from her again.

  I’d dreaded having to face Mr. Edwards today and tell him the bad news. The old guy wasn’t the most patient person around this small town.

  After the disaster with the romance novels, I’d completely forgotten to make the bank deposit. As it was, I’d need to close the store for an hour just to get to the bank on time. Otherwise, I’d have checks bouncing all over town.

  I just had time to flip the lights on and fire-up the coffeemaker for my first cup of much needed coffee when the bell above the front door announced the inevitable.

  “I’ll be right with you, Mr. Edwards,” I called out while silently hoping I’d find him in a bit more understanding mood this morning.

  Had he actually been waiting for me to arrive?

  Apparently, those mystery novels were the highlight of his life. He was fond of one particular author and had been reading through a series of the man’s books for more than six months now. Right around the same time I’d left my promising advertising career in New York behind to take over the running of the bookstore after my father’s heart attack.

  I’d been my parents’ last hope as scary as that sounds. I wonder what they would think about their future security if they could see the morning I’d just gone through.

  Okay, so technically the washing machine hose burst in my parents’ two-story home sometime last night. But that didn’t change the facts now did it? The entire ground floor had been standing in an inch or more of water when I woke up.

  Unfortunately, this was only the first disaster of the day. The second occurred when Albert, my mother’s ancient and somewhat arrogant cat, tiptoed downstairs from sleeping on my bed, which he’d pretty much decided was his own in spite of my constant challenges to this right. Albert took one look at the state of affairs down there and fled the scene at the first opportunity he found, which came when I opened the back door, ignored the snow and freezing temperatures, and screamed as loud as I possibly could into the semi dark country morning.

  After screaming a few more times, followed by stamping my feet just as many, I still didn’t feel any better and my problems hadn’t miraculously disappeared. At this point, I waded back inside the soaked house and called a local plumber. I pondered calling my brother Eric for help but thought better of it. Mostly because I couldn’t bear to hear another lecture from him on being more responsible.

  I reached his answering service who assured me Mr. Sinclair would be happy to help at a somewhat more reasonable hour. I was then informed that Mr. Sinclair could be at my place at such and such time if I met him at the door with a nice little check. I readily agreed.

  I spent several hours fuming and bailing water, followed by vacuuming, but the place appeared to be reasonably less soggy. It was then that I discovered Albert was missing. Apparently, he’d fled to higher ground.

  When I found myself standing on the ladder beneath my parents’ one hundred-year-old Live Oak tree, while reaching as far up as possible I could just to try to retrieve Albert from the limb he was hunkered down on, I suddenly remembered why Albert and I’d never become friends.

  He took a swipe at my hand with his nicely sharpened claws, sending me reeling backwards to avoid them and sailing through the air, landing on my hindsight.

  The lousy cat could just stay in the tree as far as I was concerned. But Albert definitely won this round.

  I’d known the second I put pressure on my ankle and felt the pain threaten to make me cry, I was in big trouble. It had begun swelling at an alarming rate. I said a few choice words and eyed Albert with enough contempt to send him higher up the tree.

  Once I’d wrapped the ankle, I decided there really wasn’t much else that could go wrong with this day, so I was pretty much home free.

  Boy was I wrong. This day had only just begun to go bad. I knew this for certain the second I hobbled back to the store and saw that the man standing at my counter waiting, and not very patiently I might add, was not Mr. Edwards at all. Not by a long shot. No sir. There was absolutely no way anyone could ever mistake this gorgeous hunk for the slightly stooped Mr. Edwards.

  For starters, the man leaning against my counter was at least a good foot taller than Mr. Edwards and about half Mr. Edwards’ age. He looked slightly puzzled at the display of romance novels I’d placed invitingly next to the front of the store, close to the register.

  Even from where I was standing, I could see he was in a different category entirely from Mr. Edwards and about ninety percent of the male population of Colorado.

  As I watched, he gingerly picked up one of those romance novels as if fearing it might bite him. He squinted at the provocative title, his lips actually moving. I could almost see the wheels turning as he shook his head, then ran a hand through his dark brown hair before replacing the book again. He’d probably wondered why anyone would choose to name their book, Your Every Desire. I had to smile.

  Of course, men like that didn’t understand the whole happily-ever-after, love-at-first-sight kind of thing. They didn’t need to. They were used to getting everything they needed on looks alone.

  Not that I had anything against good-looking men. In spite of his being dressed in a dark gray business suit of all things, it was
easy to see my puzzled intruder had a body to rival any one of my fantasies. In fact, he could have stepped from the covers of Your Every Desire.

  He certainly would know exactly what to say and do to set any woman’s heart racing. Mine had begun pulsing faster the second I saw him.

  I tried to bring my straying thoughts back to the world around me and out of places best left alone, especially when the answer to my extremely detailed list of requirements for a partner was standing right before my eyes.

  “Oh for crying out loud.” Now, I imagined I’d simply thought these things to myself. Unfortunately, when he turned my way and I came face-to-face with the most startling pair of gray eyes, I realized I hadn’t. I’d said them aloud.

  From my vantage point close to the magazine rack, I watched a slow smile play across his face. The man was gorgeous. And clearly, he’d guessed the real reason behind my outburst. He’d probably seen my reaction on a million different faces in the past.

  Well, at least my bad day was getting a bit more interesting, I thought. Until he spoke.

  “Hi there. I’m trying to locate the owners of the bookstore?” Even his voice was sexy. “Can you tell me how I might get in touch with them?” At my gawking silence, he tried another approach. “Boy, am I glad to see you. I was beginning to think no one actually worked here anymore.”

  As he stepped closer, I took a countering hobble backwards. His eyes lost some of their amusement. Obviously, this wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting.

  What was he talking about? I was the one in charge here, and this place was open seven days a week, without fail. I of all people should know. I’d added a couple of new frown lines each time I went over the less than profitable books.

  “What do you need to talk to them about?” I asked, without even trying to disguise my anger. Who did he think I was? The cleaning lady?

  “Well, that’s kind of between me and the Taylor’s, so if you don’t mind would you just let them know Grayson Stone stopped by to see them.” He reached in his pocket and retrieved a business card. “They can reach me at any of these numbers most any time,” he added as if he might be talking to some sort of simpleton.

  “Grayson...” I repeated the name, still not budging from my perch next to the magazines. I didn’t recognize him or his name, but I was pretty sure if my parents had ever mentioned it, I would definitely have remembered.

  “Yeah, my parents had some strange sense of humor, didn’t they?” He sent me another smile meant to win me over and get me moving. I decided I wasn’t nearly as attracted to him as I first believed. He should have kept his mouth closed.

  “Well, Grayson,” I emphasized the name in such a way that had his eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly. “As it happens, I don’t need to go get them for you because I’m them. I’m in charge of Love The Book now.” I had the fleeting satisfaction of seeing that smile disappear. Clearly, I’d surprised him.

  “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t understand. I was told by my assistant that the bookstore was owned by...” At this point, he was so unsure of himself he actually had to consult a rather expensive looking Blackberry to be certain he’d gotten the names correct.

  I waited patiently for him to verify his facts, knowing exactly what he would say next.

  “By a John and Melissa Taylor.”

  I gave him a flick of my hand. “Your assistant has obviously been given some out-of-date information, I’m afraid. I’ve managed the store for almost six months now.”

  He appeared even more puzzled. After a moment, the smile returned. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I doubt you. It’s just, well, you’ll forgive my saying, but you don’t look like you’re even out of high school yet. Are you sure you’re old enough to run a bookstore?”

  In the past, my friends and family had all told how lucky I was to have one of those youthful faces. On my best days, I could pass for eighteen. Today, without a trace of makeup, I probably looked about twelve.

  I had a sneaky feeling Grayson Stone’s comments were not meant as flattery. It was a deliberate attempt on his part to put me in my place. As much as I hated to admit it, it was working. I felt like the screw up my morning reminded me I was. “I’m sorry, was there something you actually needed, Mr. Stone? Or did you simply drop by to spread a little cheer. I actually have a very busy day ahead of me and as much as I might like to stand around chatting with you, I really don’t have the time.”

  At this point, I was feeling pretty good about myself. That almost sounded confident. I turned to leave with what I hoped would be some amount of grace. Regrettably, I barely managed a single step before almost falling flat on my face.

  So much for making a clean and dignified exit.

  I let out a yelp loud enough to put any banshee to shame, before the object of my frustration came to my aid.

  “Are you okay?” he asked when he reached my side, spotted my wrapped and swollen ankle, and knelt in front of me.

  Oh geez, he was a little too close for comfort. “I’m fine.” I tried to put some distance between us but the pain in my ankle had now kicked up another notch. I resisted the urge to cry like a baby. Instead, I reached out to him for support. At that moment, the last thing I was thinking about was how ridiculous I must look like in his eyes.

  “Here, let me help you,” he said as he picked me up. Grayson Stone carried me back through to the office where he put me gently down in my chair. His fingers went to work examining my injured ankle very thoroughly. His touch, however impersonal, had me squirming in my seat, reminding me that it had, after all, been more than six months since I’d been this close to a man. It reminded me of the vow I'd made to someone…oh yeah, God about save myself until marriage.

  I imagined what it would feel like to have those expert fingers move up my body just a smidgen higher. My face turned bright red at the thought of it, and my body instantly flushed with excitement. I let go of a shuddering breath.

  Grayson eyed my heated face, no doubt reading every single one of the reasons behind my uneasiness.

  “What happened? Did you fall?”

  “Huh?” I asked because I hadn’t really heard a thing he’d said. All of my focused attention was now on the movement of his most incredibly sexy lips. I imagined...well, the possibilities were limitless.

  “Your ankle. Did you fall?” When all I could do was nod, Grayson smiled and tried reassuring me. “I don’t think it’s broken, but you do need to have it looked at by a doctor.”

  “I’ll be fine. You can go now.” Those words came out rushed and at least one octave higher than my normal voice. I noisily cleared my throat. By this point, I would have said anything to get rid of him. His closeness was causing me a whole lot more discomfort than my stupid ankle.

  “Not a chance. I’m taking you to the clinic.” He stood, glanced around the office until he spotted my purse and keys, then he scooped me up in his arms again before I could manage to dodge his well-defined and extremely muscular arms.

  “Wait.” I attempted to get his attention as he headed out the front of the store and in the direction of one very expensive-looking Range Rover. “I can’t leave now. I have customers...I need to go to the bank.”

  My somewhat arrogant knight-in-shining-armor ignored the thick falling snow and icy steps as easily as all the things I needed to do. Grayson carefully placed me in the passenger seat of the Rover and proceeded to turn his back on me and walk away. Back to the store, where he turned the little open sign around to read closed. Then he locked the door.

  “Boy, it’s really coming down,” he said as he climbed behind the driver’s seat next to me.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  He spared me a look before pulling out of our parking lot. “Taking you to a doctor, Miss...”

  “Taylor. Lila Taylor. And I don’t need a doctor. I just need to stay off my ankle for a little while so...do you mind?” I arched a brow and pointed back toward the bookstore.

  “No, not usuall
y, Lila. I’m sorry, but you need to see a doctor about your ankle. So why don’t you just sit back and relax. Enjoy the ride, okay?”

  At his slightly condescending tone, I decided the pain in my ankle was much more favorable than enduring Grayson’s company for a single minute longer. I reached for the door handle just as he put the Rover in reverse. Unfortunately, he anticipated my move.

  “Uh-uh. I don’t think so.” He pried my hand away from the handle. “Come on, Lila, give me a break okay? Let me take you to the clinic just to make sure everything checks out. Just for my peace of mind.” When I couldn’t think of a valid reason to refuse, he added, “I’m going to do it anyway so you might as well relax, you know?”

  It was at this stage in our strange conversation that I felt my first real twinge of fear. After all, what did I really know about him except his name? And that sounded about as phony as a three dollar bill. He could have made it up. He might be anybody, including the next serial killer in training.

  “Look, I can drive myself to the clinic. I’m sure you must have better things to do with your day.” I smiled in what I hoped would come across as something close to reassuring. Unfortunately, I was in so much pain by this point, I probably looked as if I were smirking.

  “Nothing that can’t wait. Relax, Lila. I’m not really a serial killer.”

  That shut me up.

  Once Grayson pulled into the last remaining parking spot outside the minor emergency center, he proceeded to hop out of the SUV and pick me up again before I realized that was his intention.

  “Look, I can handle it from here, okay? Really. I’ll be fine. Thank you,” I added when the last part actually came out sounding like a growl. “Why don’t you go do whatever it is you were doing before...” I actually bite my tongue to keep from saying, before you decided to ruin my day. But then, my day was ruined long before he walked into my store.