Least Likely Wedding?

by Patricia McLinn

  And what all those sprawling and slamming and flailing parts wanted to do was wrap around him and hold on.

  “So, who’s your friend?” His question fluttered the hair by her ear.

  With a leer, it could have been a come-on, especially since she had a suspicion that the part of him next to her hip was growing more friendly every second. But the question was spoken with amusement beneath straightforward curiosity.

  “Huh?”

  Not exactly witty repartee, but it was the best she could do while she fought to banish that wrapping-and-holding urge at the same time she searched for the ability to breathe normally.

  “Your friend. The shadow you nearly took a header over.”

  She’d recovered enough oxygen to lever herself up by pushing against his chest. He grunted.

  “Sorry.”

  “No problem.”

  His voice belied the words. She had caused him a problem. She hoped the kind that had to do with his increasingly friendly anatomy, and not that she’d bruised or broken anything.

  “Thank you for saving me from—oh!” She got her first look at what had tripped her up. “You know, whoever’s dog this is shouldn’t let it wander around loose on a construction site. It’s dangerous.”

  “For the dog and people.” Rob muttered under his breath. Then he added in a regular tone, “Do you know him?”

  “No. But Chester’s been following me around all morning.”

  “Chester? You said you didn’t know him.”

  “I don’t. But I couldn’t call him Hey You, so I’m calling him Chester. He was here when I arrived, and every time I come out, there he is.”

  “Sounds like he knows you, even if you don’t know him—or is it a her?”

  “I haven’t asked.”

  Rob grinned. “City girl, huh?”

  “Polite,” she snapped back.

  Still grinning, he leaned over, extending his hand. “C’mere, fella.”

  The dog sidestepped closer to Kay. “The owner is definitely negligent,” she said. “He was incredibly thirsty.”

  Rob looked at her from under his brows. “You gave him water—anything else?”

  “Doughnuts. He was starving, the way he wolfed them down. What are you laughing at?”

  “Me? Not a thing. Huh. I usually have good luck with dogs. We had dogs when I was a kid, and they always obeyed me. Come, Chester.”

  The dog didn’t react. Who could blame him? Who’d want to respond to such a liar? Not laughing at me, my eye.

  “He doesn’t seem to know commands,” Rob said.

  “He does too. Watch. Chester, sit.”

  The dog sat. She gave Rob a smug look, and he laughed.

  “You know what they say about dogs resembling their owners? Well, you two gave me an identical look.”

  Kay felt something rising in her, like when she could hear a subway train pulling in, and she was at the top of the stairs but she had to catch that train or she’d be late, late, late….

  “That’s ridiculous. This dog clearly belongs to someone else. If you’ll excuse me, I have more work to do.”

  Kay had refused offers from Max and Suz and Annette for a ride to the meeting being held at Town Hall to accommodate Steve’s tight schedule. She’d wanted the walk to rehearse her ideas.

  Rob hadn’t offered her a ride. That wasn’t a surprise. Sure they’d had a fairly pleasant conversation about the dog. But that didn’t change his position. The less time they spent together the better.

  Inside the well-tended Town Hall, she found the elevator behind the stairs. The doors began to close in slow-motion. A long-fingered, tanned hand wrapped around one edge to halt them.

  Rob appeared. “What are you doing?”

  “Going to the meeting.”

  “You’d entrust your life to this antique? Most people take the stairs. Besides, the meeting’s on this floor.”

  She’d gone for the elevator out of habit. Buildings without elevators were in the same class as those without indoor plumbing as far as her parents were concerned. She’d have to keep that in mind when she called a real estate agent. Tonight, definitely tonight.

  “I asked Max to check, and that dog—Chester—doesn’t belong to any of his guys.” Rob directed her down a hallway. “Apparently they’re fond of it because only Nell and this dog have kept Miss Trudi’s cat Squid from terrorizing them full-time. They hadn’t seen the dog around until it started following you. And he’s going to keep following you since you’re constantly feeding him.”

  “I just fed him leftover cheeseburger I happened to have yesterday.”

  Her shoulder bumped his arm as he reached ahead in the narrow hallway to open the door. A polite gesture, but it didn’t leave much room for her to get by.

  “Leftovers you happened to have, huh? Guess leftovers happen when you buy three cheeseburgers for lunch.”

  She stopped, turned. “How did you—?”

  His face was about a breath away from hers, and that made his mouth so close she could taste it. She jerked herself into motion again as he said, his voice huskier than usual, “Welcome to small-town life. Not even your lunch order is private.”

  “You need to get big attention, so you need to go big.” Kay sat forward, her expressive hands sketching big. “I propose a gala. A gala like Tobias has never before seen.”

  Rob had the strangest feeling her hands imparted that shimmering sensation he’d experienced during the shoot without even touching him. Was it memory? From when he’d caught her from tripping over that dog at Bliss House, or just now, when she’d passed so close he could see the flecks of light in her eyes?

  “Tobias has never seen any galas.” Kay didn’t seem to hear his mutter.

  “Picture this: a floating orchestra on a raft playing for VIP guests as they are brought across the lake on a multi-decked sightseeing boat. As they approach the pier at twilight, a blaze of lights line the path to Bliss House.

  “At Bliss House there’s another orchestra playing, with soft spots bathing the facade and fairy lights in the gardens. There’ll be dancing, and at the stroke of midnight, the doors ceremoniously open. The guests are welcomed inside for a buffet supper. Salmon, and—what?”

  Glances shot around the table like a pinball machine gone mad.

  “I expect tweaking as we go along. I’m open to suggestions,” Kay said.

  “Well, dear,” started Miss Trudi, “one or two things occur to me.”

  “Try a dozen,” Rob muttered.

  “Twelve? My, my,” Kay said in a brittle tone. “Don’t hold back to spare me. Name them.”

  “There are no multilevel sightseeing boats on Lake Tobias, in fact, no sightseeing boats at all.” He held up one finger. “Bringing VIP guests from where? Presuming we have VIP guests. The resort across the lake isn’t going to let us crowd hypothetical VIP guests down their pier to this nonexistent boat for nothing.” Second finger went up. “A floating orchestra? Where are you going to get a raft that big?” Third finger. “And—”

  “It doesn’t have to be a full orchestra.”

  “And,” he resumed, “how will you keep them from freezing? It’s darned cold on that lake at night in October, even if the weather’s good.” Fourth finger. “How are these people getting up the hill to Bliss House? It’s a long climb. And if you’re thinking of driving them up, in what? Think of trying to get people off the boat and into cars, then out of cars at Bliss House. How are you going to entertain these VIPs while they wait?” Fifth and sixth finger. “You’re going to keep these people outside at Bliss House where it’s cold, in gardens that won’t have much blooming because it’s October in Wisconsin.” Fingers seven and eight. “Dancing? Outside? Where? And at the risk of repeating myself, this orchestra will also be freezing its, uh, fingers off. But I’ll wrap that in with the dancing and only count it as one.” Ninth finger.

  “And leaving them outside until midnight? Most of Tobias is asleep by midnight. Those who are awake are not thi
nking about eating salmon.” Ten, and cycling back to his left thumb, eleven.

  Then, emphatically, he raised his left index finger for a second time. “We cannot afford this. Not the boat, not the orchestra—no, two orchestras—not the buffet supper, not the salmon and not the VIPs.”

  Silence.

  The kind of silence that made your ears ring, your head pound and your heart wonder if your mouth had lost its mind.

  “Well, that was quite thorough. I certainly can’t complain that you held back.” Kay flashed a grin that twisted something inside him. Sure her ideas were as impractical as having Tobias host the Olympics, but that didn’t mean he had to savage them…savage her. And all because she electrified the air.

  “Sorry, I—”

  She waved off his apology. “If you’re right, there’s no reason to be sorry—and from the expressions around the table you are right. My ideas suck.”

  “Oh, now—” Annette started.

  Rob stopped her. “You’re right. These ideas suck.”

  “I suppose you can take the woman out of the city, but you can’t make her fit in the town. I’m sorry to disappoint you all.” Sounds of protest came from Annette and Suz. “I’ll be out of your hair in—”

  “Nonsense.” Miss Trudi’s crisp voice silenced the room as effectively as clapped hands in a well-trained classroom. “One does not achieve success by abandoning an enterprise at the first obstacle. Kay has brought us creative and exciting ideas. Yet they do not suit Tobias. We cannot, unfortunately, allow her time to discover naturally what elements are best suited to Tobias.”

  “I know how the project started, I poked around the house,” Kay objected.

  “That provides an introduction on which to build. Now we must provide a broader and more detailed understanding of Bliss House and of Tobias.”

  “That’s a great idea, Miss Trudi,” Suz said. “Sort of a crash course.”

  Miss Trudi nodded. “I can imagine nothing I would more enjoy than serving as guide and teacher for Dora’s granddaughter. Alas, lacking the ability to drive, I must forgo that pleasure. Suz, perhaps—oh, but you are new-come to Tobias.”

  “Right. What you need is a native,” Suz said.

  She got a beaming smile from Miss Trudi. “An excellent insight. We need a native to guide Kay in her exploration of Tobias.”

  Looks zinged around the table. Suddenly edgy, Rob planted his feet.

  “Steve, who could know Tobias better than you?”

  “Too busy with work, Miss Trudi. Otherwise I’d be honored.”

  “Of course, and with a new wife and your efforts on behalf of Bliss House it would be entirely too much to ask of you. Annette, you have even more duties for Bliss House, not to mention our dear Nell.”

  “I might be able to give Kay a morning or two. But…”

  “Thank you for that generous offer. Although it does seem that continuity would benefit Kay. Perhaps, Fran…?”

  “I’m in the same category as Annette. I have a few mornings, but negotiating with suppliers and scheduling planting takes most of my days.”

  “Oh, I know, Fran. We couldn’t ask more of you. And dear Max, you and your men labor to all hours. However, if you have time…?”

  Max shook his head. “No way, Miss Trudi. Sorry.”

  “But we need a native to show her around,” Suz said, a glint in her eye.

  This was a setup. A scam. A conspiracy.

  “Alas, since Rob is engrossed in a project—”

  “A compost bin,” said Steve, the traitor.

  “I nominate Rob as Kay’s guide,” Suz said.

  “An excellent suggestion,” said Miss Trudi, as if it had never occurred to her.

  “We don’t get along,” Kay protested.

  Miss Trudi talked over the scoffing snort that came from Steve’s direction. “I am certain that for the sake of Bliss House you will overcome that and see the benefits of this arrangement. Rob knows Tobias, is familiar with the workings of Bliss House, and has a finger firmly on the financial pulse of our endeavor.”

  “I haven’t lived here in years. I—”

  “I second the nomination of Rob.” Steve overrode him. “All in favor?”

  He didn’t vote, but the enthusiasm of the others made up for it. “Aye!” This group had never agreed on anything faster.

  “Opposed?”

  Every pair of eyes came to Rob. Including Kay Aaronson’s.

  He kept his mouth shut.

  “Do you want to start your in-depth Tobias tour now or tomorrow? You took off before we could talk.”

  Rob spoke from the car he’d pulled alongside her. Cobalt-blue. Nice lines, more reserved than flashy. Sort of like him.

  She’d love to send both of them into a demolition derby.

  Kay kept walking, leaning into the warm headwind. Another half block to Bliss House. “You’ll hold up traffic.”

  His car rolled, keeping pace. “What traffic?”

  He was right. Not another car in sight. It was eerie. She faced him.

  “I’ll find information about Tobias and Bliss House myself.”

  “Then Miss Trudi would come up with another scheme. Besides, the committee voted and the idea has merit.”

  His reasonable tone made her want to throw something at him.

  “Look, we both know there’s this—this thing between us. A thing you want nothing to do with, as you’ve made very clear. You don’t want to do this, and I don’t either. Especially not since you consider me an idiot.” Okay, so her ideas hadn’t fit. He didn’t have to hit her over the head—twelve times—to remind her she didn’t belong here. “So we tell them you showed me all over Tobias, but we go our separate ways. They’re happy and we’re happier.”

  “It doesn’t matter if we’re happier. The committee gave me a job, I’m doing it. I’ll meet you at Bliss House.” He drove on.

  She had half a block left to walk off a good thirty-block mad.

  Why did he have to be determined to fulfill the obligation the committee thrust on him? Who knew a do-the-right-thing mentality could be so damned inconvenient?

  She came around the corner of the wall that provided Miss Trudi’s quarters privacy, and there was Rob, leaning against his car.

  No financial analyst, past or present, had the right to look like that. Arms crossed over his chest emphasized its breadth. Rolled-back sleeves showed the power of his forearms. One foot crossed over the other drew attention to the long, sleek jeans-clad legs as well as where they met and—

  She shook her head to erase the image.

  “Get this straight,” he said. “I do not think you’re an idiot. I do think your proposals sucked. But I’m confident that when you’re educated—”

  She snorted inelegantly.

  “—about Tobias and Bliss House that you’ll have great ideas. I watched you at the shoot, and you’ve got more ideas than you know what to do with.”

  Nothing like a compliment to deflate righteous anger to an airless balloon.

  “It’s actually a sensible idea when you think about it,” Rob said, “and they made a good case that I’m the logical person to show you around.”

  Just what every girl wanted to hear—a guy was going to spend time with her because it was sensible and logical.

  “You should get to know the lakeside area,” he continued, “the restaurants, the lay of the land, how people in Tobias live. We’ll visit Town Hall, the hospital and library. I’ll make an agenda, so you’ll know what—”

  “No agenda.”

  The trouble with that protest, she realized after she voiced it, was that she hadn’t refused the entire idea, just the notion of an agenda.

  “We’ll start with a walk around town. That can’t hurt. And it looks like we have a volunteer to join us.”

  Chester trotted toward them.

  “He’s still here.” Kay didn’t know if she was disappointed the dog hadn’t found his way home or happy to see him.

  “Hey, Ches
ter,” Rob said in a low croon. “Here, boy.”

  The dog didn’t even look at him, but sat in front of her, clearing a half moon of dust and leaves with his wagging tail. “Hi, Chester.”

  “Since you’re clearly this dog’s favorite person, why don’t you check his collar for tags? He might be lost, and getting confused by the new name.”

  She’d assumed yesterday that the dog belonged to a worker, and responded because he liked her. But if it was hungry, she’d bought Chester’s affection with doughnuts and cheeseburgers, and then—admit it—had been pleased the dog preferred her to Rob. How pathetic was that?

  “All right, I’ll do the dirty work. You keep him distracted.” Rob had clearly misread her silence as hesitation to touch the dog.

  “Hey, Chester, can you believe he insulted you like that? Yeah, you’re right. He isn’t very bright. You’re not dirty. You’re well traveled.” The dog’s soft brown eyes studied her as if translating the words into its own language. “Did some moron desert you?”

  Rob was doing more than removing the collar; he patted the dog’s wind-ruffled fur and peered in areas not remotely near the neck.

  “No wonder you’re looking for handouts. It’s the logical and sensible thing to do. But I don’t have any cheeseburgers or doughnuts right now. Maybe somebody else—”

  “Hey, don’t encourage him to run off, not with the collar off. Chester, stay.” The dog gave him a disdainful over-the-shoulder glance. Rob sighed. “You better make it official.”

  “Chester, lie down.” He did. “Stay.”

  “There’s a number.” Rob tipped the tag to the light. “Got a cell phone? Try 262-555-2891.”

  She punched in the numbers. Her breath came out in a whoosh as a recording kicked in.

  “What is it?” Rob asked.

  She held out the phone so he could hear. Instead of taking it, he placed one large hand over hers and guided the phone to his ear. She extended her arm full length. It wasn’t enough. His warmth seeped into her.

  “Disconnected.” His tone carried more strain than the words warranted, but that was probably her imagination, because anything else wouldn’t fit his agenda.