Kate, who loved old movies, didn’t exactly like this rendition of High Noon in the hallway. At the far end stood Free and Tiger, both of them looking shocked when they saw Toby and Kate. Kate glanced at Toby. His steely eyes shot rage at the people who stood at the end of the hall. She’d never understood the saying “if looks could kill,” but she did now! Add that outfit—the red shirt, the leather pants—it was as though Errol Flynn, a movie-star hero, had stepped out of the film Captain Blood.
Only this was no movie-star hero. This was Toby Mancini, a real-life hero. Her Captain Blood. He gripped her hand defiantly, possessively, showing the world that she was his. He was so fierce, so dangerous and so knee-knocking good-looking, she had to squeeze her toes to stay grounded.
“What the hell are you doing with that bed-and-something woman?” Free shrieked.
Suzanne, Dennis and Verna—all holding wineglasses—ran out of the dining room and into the hallway. Stunned, the three of them skidded to a stop, looking first at Free and Tiger, then at Kate, Toby and Melanie. They kept swiveling their heads like spectators at a bizarre hallway tennis match.
A bizarre hallway tennis love match.
“She’s no bed-and-something woman,” Toby thundered, “she’s my woman.”
“His bed-and-breakfast woman,” Kate corrected, unsqueezing her toes so she could stand a little taller. “And, for the record, we were just making out against the refrigerator and we didn’t break it!”
There was a long pause, during which Suzanne asked Dennis if he’d mind refilling her and Aunt Verna’s glasses.
“And I love her!” Toby continued, pulling Kate close to his side. His arm wrapped around her, he stood spread-eagled, just like Errol Flynn in Captain Blood, defying the world to take him on.
Free swung her hair back as though she were starring in a shampoo commercial. “You love her?” she said sarcastically. She held up an envelope. “Then why did I just find this invitation to a romantic cruise—for you and I—in the mailbox?”
The spectators—Verna, Suzanne and Dennis—made an ominous “aah” sound. Like a group of dismayed Gregorion chanters.
Reinforced by their response, Free opened the invitation and began reading out loud. “One week in the Caribbean…for Free and Toby…from…” She glanced up, a look of feigned dramatic surprise on her face. “From Toby? That’s you, right?” She slipped the invitation back into the envelope, which she continued to hold high in the air. “And the answer is yes. I’ll go on the cruise with you. I’ll take you back.”
“After I just said I love Kate? And what about Tiger?”
The spectators murmured, “Ohh…”
Free swung her hair again and looked at Toby. “What did you expect,” she asked, “being gone all the time?” She suddenly went into high-drama gear. The sparkle of tears was evident twenty feet away. “I was left alone, day after day, night after night, yearning for you, crying for you. Then one day Tiger followed me into church and said he’d like to light my candles—”
“Baby,” Tiger interrupted, “you followed me into the Columbus Café and said you liked your eggs over hard, just like your men.”
“How dare you make up such a lie!” Free said, glaring at Tiger. “You took advantage of me, knowing I was lonely, missing my Toby.” She covered her face with trembling hands and sniffled loudly. “I love you, Toby. I want you back!” By now, she was crying so hard, the word “back” sounded like “ba-a-a!”
Kate watched Toby watch Free.
Verna, Suzanne and Dennis watched Free and Tiger, then turned to watch Kate and Toby.
Kate eased away, wishing she’d never gotten caught up in that kitchen moment where she’d admitted she loved him. Wishing she’d never opened her door the other night. Because there was no hope for Kate and Toby. He needed to work things out with Free. In a painful way, it reminded her of growing up, knowing her father’s first loyalty was always to her brother, never to Kate.
What did I expect? Kate Corrigan, the world’s greatest matchmaker, had set them back up. And she’d succeeded! Who was Kate to think she played a romantic role in all this? Free had the invitation…her arms were open…asking for Toby back.
She glanced at Toby, unable to decipher the look on his face. Was it pity for Free? Or was Free really getting to his misplaced sense of responsibility?
Folding her arms tightly around herself, Kate stepped back, wondering how she could make a graceful exit considering a crying Free and a confused-looking Tiger blocked the front door. Maybe Kate could bolt for the kitchen and hurl herself over the sink and out the window.
She was edging toward the kitchen, when someone grabbed her arm. “Don’t go,” Toby commanded. Kate tugged, but his grip was firm, rough. Like a pirate holding the object of his passion.
“I finished what I came to do,” she said, fighting to sound neutral. “You and Free are reunited.”
Suzanne swirled the wine in her glass. “I’m getting very confused as to who’s Free and who’s not.” She looked up at her husband and winked. “But when we get home tonight, I think I’m in the mood to be a little free myself.”
But Toby ignored her, and everyone else. Holding Kate’s arm, he said sharply, “It’s finally dawned on me. I’ve been afraid to connect in a relationship because my family was torn apart. I thought I’d lose it all again.” He looked at Free and knew she would never, never understand—had never understood. He looked again at Kate. “But families can come together. I’ve learned that from you and your mom, Kate. Love can heal, families can grow stronger!”
Verna yelped a small “bravo!” She and Suzanne clinked glasses.
Toby looked down the hall. “Free, that cruise invitation…”
Free started hopping up and down, obviously thinking she’d won.
“…is canceled,” continued Toby. “Just like our relationship. I wanted to patch things up so I could get this job promotion, but I’m tired of playing games, tired of relying on cunning tactics to seal the deal.”
“But don’t fret,” Verna interrupted with a smirk. “Maybe Tiger can take you on a road trip—to a bead convention or something.”
Toby looked back at Kate. “Right now, there’s nothing more important to me than to follow my heart.” His voice dropped to a husky urgency. “And to love this precious woman for the rest of my life.” He pulled her closer. “Kate Corrigan, will you marry me?”
Only a moment ago, she was ready to do a backward hurl. Now her heart was doing a forward flip. Kate Corrigan was playing the romantic lead? “But I’m the matchmaker,” she whispered haltingly.
Verna giggled as Free stomped out the front door with Tiger in tow. “I think I get the honor of being the matchmaker. This one, Kate, is my success!”
Kate’s concerns settled into the dark recesses of her mind as a hazy, sensuous aura surrounded her and Toby. No, not an aura. A feeling. Love? Toby’s expression stilled as he waited for her response.
“My beautiful, romantic Kate, the object of my heart’s passion…”
Kate let his words flow over her, smother her, warm her right through to the innermost corners of her soul. She reached up and touched his lips with her own. When they kissed, it was as though their souls, like two precious metals, soldered together, never to be apart. She pulled back and looked into his brown eyes, which glinted with promise. A lifetime of promise. She’d once told him she wasn’t good at facing things. Well, she was facing the rest of her life at this very moment and nothing, nothing in her life had ever felt more perfect.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Melanie, holding the pie as though it were soldered to her fingers, stepped forward. “And before anyone gets the wrong idea,” she announced matter-of-factly, “my daughter does not pay Toby for sex.”
Verna, always the one to keep her head together no matter what the circumstances, laughed full-heartedly. “Now that we have that settled,” she said joyfully, “let’s eat dessert and celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!”
> BR-R-RING-BR-R-RING.
Kate, sitting at the butcher-block table in her kitchen, looked at Toby and her mother. “According to the Captain Hook clock, it’s nearly ten o’clock. Customers rarely call this late. Must be Dad calling Mom.”
But Melanie, putting an empty pie tin into the dishwasher, didn’t head for the phone. “I think he’s calling you this time.”
Br-r-ring-br-r-ring.
“Me?” Kate asked, getting up. Crossing to the phone, she tossed a questioning look at Toby. “I think my dad has made more phone calls in the past few days than in his entire life!”
Melanie chuckled. “And he’s asked me my opinion on things twice.”
“Better watch out—next he’ll start doing laundry.” Kate picked up the receiver. “Beau’s Bed-and-Breakfast.” Pause. “Hi, Dad. Want to talk to Mom?” Pause. “To me? Okay.”
Toby, sitting on a stool next to the table, leaned back and watched the gamut of emotions that crossed Kate’s face over the next few minutes. Surprise, confusion and, finally, bewilderment. When she eventually spoke, her voice sounded soft, fragile. “I’d love to go to college. Thank you for that Christmas gift. No, you don’t need to send me a set of wrenches as well. Well, okay, if you insist.”
Even without his glasses, Toby saw the tears welling in Kate’s eyes. Tears of happiness and gratitude. She cleared her throat. “Maybe I’ll go to San Francisco State. I need to think this through, decide what degree will enhance my fledging restaurant career. You know how I’ve been wanting to expand my bed-and-breakfast business. Since Toby just got a great job offer tonight, we’re talking about adding a restaurant next door in a year or so.” Pause. “Yes, Toby. He owns the house next door. Yes, he got a fantastic job offer, which didn’t surprise anybody except Mom who thought he was really a…oh, never mind. Anyway, Dennis, Toby’s manager, said he’d never seen a man handle multiple crises as well as Toby did tonight. Who’s Toby? My fiancé, Daddy! After working a few more years in the software industry, he’ll quit and run the restaurant full-time.”
Whoa! Toby sat up. Not only did her father now know Toby’s history and dreams, he was also finding out this was his future son-in-law. Her father might be becoming new-age, but the man probably had some old-fashioned notions about a suitor asking for his daughter’s hand.
“Yes, I said ‘fiancé’,” Kate continued, a lilt in her voice. “I know, lately I’m just like Mom—full of surprises. Guess you’ll have to make a special trip here to meet him.”
Toby eased out a breath. He needed to relax. So what if he didn’t get to ask Kate’s dad for his daughter’s hand—at least her father found out about the engagement on the same night as everyone else, including Free and Tiger. Toby chuckled to himself. After Melanie had retrieved Mickey and Minnie for them, they’d taken off in the van. Perhaps the four of them were heading out on that road trip right now.
“So,” Kate continued, “want me to put Melanie—I mean, Mom—on the phone? Love you, too.” Kate handed the receiver to her mother, who acted as though she didn’t see it.
“Mom,” Kate whispered urgently, “it’s Dad.”
“But he asked for the wrong woman,” her mother answered.
“He asked for you!”
“No,” her mother said quietly, preoccupied with wiping a spot on the counter. “My new name is Scarlett, not Melanie.” She gave her daughter a conspiratorial wink. “Tomorrow I fly home and your father had better be ready to say goodbye to Melanie and hello to Scarlett O’Hara because I plan to take the South, and your father, by storm.” She accepted the receiver.
As her mother whispered and giggled on the phone in the background, Kate sat down next to Toby. “Scarlett! Can you believe the change in her? She’s grown incorrigible!”
Toby grinned. “Uh, I think your mother discovered her true inner nature—just as you did.”
“Look who’s talking, my wild, plundering pirate.” Kate grinned. “Questa casa non è un albergo. Right? This house isn’t a motel. But you got both, rolled into one!”
Toby looked into Kate’s eyes, wondering if the Caribbean was that blue, that sparkling. He guessed he’d discover the answer when they were on their cruise. “So,” he said teasingly, “is Kismet where I sleep tonight?” He looked at her with such desire, such intensity. “What do you want?”
“Kismet? I think fate has played its hand. Our room from now on is The Pirate.” Kate flashed him that impish grin. “And for the record, I want you.”
Toby smiled warmly. “You just said the magic words.” He stood and swept Kate into his arms, crushing her to him like a long-lost treasure. He carried her out the swinging kitchen doors and up the stairs, the pirate laying claim to the object of his passion, his love, for the rest of his life.
HARLEQUIN DUETS
ISBN: 978-1-4603-6412-3
IN BED WITH THE WILD ONE
Copyright © 2000 by Julie Kistler
IN BED WITH THE PIRATE
Copyright © 2000 by Colleen Collins
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In Bed with the Wild One & In Bed with the Pirate Page 31