“Oh, I almost forgot.” Colleen slid out from under him and ran across the parking lot to Bobbi’s minivan, parked three cars down. She retrieved the blue box and turned to face Matt, who had followed her. “I got muffins for your parents…kind of a thank you for putting up with me.”
Matt stood silent, his brow furrowed. He looked around at the shift workers getting in their cars and his forehead smoothed out. “That’s nice of you, Colleen.” With a tug, he extricated the box from her gripping fingers. “I should go.” He leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips. “See you tomorrow.” He strode off, shrugging into his jacket as he went.
Colleen slumped against the car. Well, that went well. Her gaze followed the tall figure until, seconds later, he disappeared around the building. A whimper escaped her lips. Breaking things off with Matthew Berk was going to be harder than she thought.
****
By the time Baby Ryan fell asleep and everyone said their goodbyes to Bobbi, Colleen would’ve paid a week’s salary to fall into a soft bed. The grandfather clock struck midnight as the family straggled in the front door and meandered down the hall and into the kitchen. Maggie and Colleen settled on the stools at the kitchen island as Rob poured milk on a bowl of cereal. Colleen propped her chin in her hand and watched her father with half-closed eyes.
“Got any red wine?” Mick moved around the room, opening cupboard doors.
Rob leaned against the counter, the bowl of cereal propped against his chest. He pointed with his spoon to a high cabinet next to the refrigerator, his mouth full.
“Geez, Dad, you and Mom turned into winos since you retired.” Wendy sat in Bobbi’s maple rocker, one foot moving her back and forth.
“It’s good for the heart,” asserted her father.
“You must still be on Honolulu time.” Colleen reached for a small piece of dark chocolate from the glass bowl in front of her. “I can’t believe you’re so awake.” She yawned and popped the chocolate in her mouth.
“We’ll take this into the den. How about it, Mags, want to watch a movie?”
“Sure, why not?” Maggie reached for a piece of candy. “You do look tired, Colleen. You should get some sleep.” She kissed Colleen on the cheek before disappearing into the den with her husband.
Rob put his empty bowl in the dishwasher. “I’m going to bed. Probably be the last good night of sleep I get for a while.”
“What about Becky? Do you want me to go pick her up?” Colleen straightened and looked over at her brother-in-law.
Rob stopped in the doorway. “No, thanks. She’s across the street at the Fox’s with their two-year-old having a pajama party.” He yawned and headed down the hallway. “Good night, you two.”
Colleen glanced over at her sister who had her palms in the air forming a cup. With a quick flip, Colleen tossed her a piece of candy.
“So tell me about this guy with the almond ranch.” Wendy peeled the foil wrap from the chocolate. “Does he have a brother?”
“No, he has a sister.” Colleen closed her gritty eyes and pictured Matt when she had first jumped out of the plane. The look on his face had been one of total shock. She smiled. He had looked so cute, all covered in mud, his blond hair slicked down from the rain. Her eyes popped open and she stared at the calendar on the wall. “Oh no! I have a date tomorrow tonight.” She looked at the clock with a jolt of alarm. “Yikes, I mean tonight.”
“Lucky you.” Wendy cupped her hands again.
“I can’t go out with him.” Colleen tossed a piece of candy as her gaze jerked back to the clock.
The candy rapped Wendy in the forehead. “Ouch! Watch your throw!” Wendy rubbed her head then settled back in the rocker to unwrap the candy. “Why can’t you go out with him? He sounds perfect.”
“He is perfect.” Colleen walked over to the window seat and peered out into the darkness. She could just make out the birdfeeder in the glow from the kitchen.
“So why can’t you go out with him?”
“Because…” Colleen studied her reflection in the window, her hair flat, dark circles under her eyes. She sat back down at the counter and fixed her sister with a stare.
“Becau-au-ause…” prompted her sister.
“Because he’s only thirty-two years old.” Chest tight, Colleen pounded her head off the counter. “I’m a cougar,” she wailed.
Wendy laughed so hard the rocker almost went over backward. “You…a cougar…” She gasped and started laughing again, which turned into a coughing fit. Wendy waved a hand in the air, eyes wide as she coughed.
Colleen handed her a glass of water. “It’s not funny, Wendy, and keep it down. I don’t want Mom and Dad in here asking questions.”
“Hey.” Wendy held the glass aloft, her blue eyes bright, “This is what Dad was talking about. Sometimes you need someone to talk to who understands where you’re coming from. You needed a sister…although I can’t really relate to the whole cougar thing yet.” Her lips widened and she started laughing again.
“Maybe I should have waited for the other sister.” Colleen gritted her teeth, irritation rolling through her body.
“No, no, I’m the right sister.” Wendy took a deep breath as she wiped her eyes with a tissue, “After all, Bobbi’s been married like forever, and I’m the same age as this guy—”
“That’s it!” Colleen gasped and jumped off of the stool. She grabbed her sister’s silk robe at the neck and pulled her halfway out of the rocker. “You have to go on the date with him.”
“What!” Wendy pushed away Colleen’s hand and sat, smoothing the front of her housecoat and tightening the belt.
“You heard me. When that man shows up tonight, he’s taking an age-appropriate McLachlan woman out on a date.” Squaring her shoulders, she fixed her sister with a master sergeant stare. “And that woman just happens to be you.”
Chapter Six
As he put the cover back on the Harley, Matt frowned. Although the temperature had risen during the day, the forecast called for temperatures to plummet after sundown. Matt had ridden in freezing temperatures before, but doing so probably wasn’t a good idea for a first date.
The sports car would be fun. He ran his palm across the hood, savoring the shine of a recent polish. A textbook lay on the passenger seat. He grabbed it and carried it into the house. As he passed through the empty kitchen, he glanced at the schoolhouse clock. Less than an hour to get ready. A pot simmered on the stove, emitting a wonderful aroma. He met his mother coming down the stairs.
“I made vegetable soup and rolls for supper, Matt. The meal should be almost ready.” Olivia rested her hands on his shoulders. “Are you hungry yet?”
“I won’t be home for dinner, Mom.” They stood eye to eye, his mother three steps above him.
She leaned in close. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain pilot we all know, would it?”
Matt pecked his mom on the cheek. “No secrets in this house, are there?”
“Wear your light blue shirt.” With her fingers, she brushed his hair back from his forehead and tilted her head as she inspected him. “It looks nice with your blond hair.”
Feeling like a ten-year-old at his mother’s fussing, Matt rolled his eyes and hurried up the stairs.
Thirty minutes later, Matt clattered back down the stairs as he tucked the light blue shirt into tan khakis. As he breezed through the kitchen his parents sat at the kitchen table, a bowl of soup in front of each of them. “Have fun,” they chorused as he rushed out the door.
****
Colleen stared out the sidelights of her sister’s front door at the empty street. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he realized he made a mistake asking me out. Maybe he forgot. She clenched her hands and pressed her nose to the glass just as the dark blue sports car pulled up to the curb. Colleen’s pounding heart jumped into her throat. “Yikes,” she squeaked as Matt unfolded from the driver’s seat.
He wore a light blue chambray shirt with tan khakis. His thick bl
ond hair ruffled in the breeze. If Wendy didn’t get down here soon…
“Wendy, hurry up,” Colleen shouted.
Matt looked up at the house.
She whirled and flattened herself against the wall. Her mouth dropped open.
Wendy sauntered down the steps, wearing a short denim skirt, high-heeled boots, and a tight red boat-necked sweater that left one shoulder bare.
“What? You couldn’t have dressed up,” Colleen hissed, “worn something appropriate?”
“This is dressed up,” Wendy snorted. “And what do you care? You don’t want the guy, remember?”
The doorbell chimed and Colleen slid down the wall to the floor. She covered her face with her hands, already wondering if she had made a big mistake in sending her sister out with Matt.
Wendy threw open the door. “Hey dude, you must be Matt.” She stuck her head around the door and looked down at her sister. Her red lips formed a perfect O and her eyebrows lifted toward her curls before she disappeared. “I’m Wendy, Colleen’s younger sister. Looks like I’m your date tonight, Matt. My sister was, um, detained.” She closed the door behind them.
Colleen pushed up the wall and peered through the sidelight. She watched as her sister looped one arm through Matt’s and laughed up at him as she sashayed down the walk. “Gosh darn that walk of hers.” Colleen’s stomach churned as Matt opened the passenger door for Wendy, who exposed a great deal of leg as she got into the car. She turned away from the couple in the sports car and leaned against the door, hands clutching her stomach.
“You’re doing the right thing, Colleen,” she murmured. Then why did it feel so wrong?
****
Matt shifted into first and pulled away from the neat, yellow ranch house with the manicured lawn. The attractive blonde chattered on. What had happened to Colleen? They had talked nonstop on their ride into town. When he asked her out to dinner, she hadn’t hesitated. So what had happened? She acted a little different at the hospital but he figured she was tired.
Minutes later, he pulled up to an Italian restaurant and shut off the ignition. He looked across the small space at the young woman who finally sat in silence. Short blonde curls framed a pixie face with flashing blue eyes and plump red lips. Although undoubtedly attractive, with her carefree demeanor, she reminded him of the girls on campus. “Something wrong?” Matt was puzzled at her silence.
Eyebrows bunched, Wendy stared at the restaurant. “When my parents visit Almendra they like to go here.”
Matt contemplated the dimly-lit restaurant and quiet surroundings. “Yes, it’s known for its fine cuisine and spectacular California wines.” When Wendy didn’t reply, he shot her a look. “Did you want to go somewhere else?”
Wendy raised one eyebrow. “Wel-ll, there’s this place I know about on Adams. It’s an Irish pub, and we could get some appetizers, a few drinks.”
An Irish pub? Not exactly what I had in mind but… Matt bobbed his head and reached for the gear shift. “Sure, fine, that’s great.” He backed out of the parking lot and took off toward the interstate.
After circling the pub twice, Matt spotted a car pulling out of a space two blocks away and zipped in behind it. Wendy clung to his arm as they walked into the lounge. He caught her eye as she said something, a broad smile on her face. “What?” Matt leaned toward her, unable to hear over the band’s dueling fiddles.
Wendy put her lips close to his ear. “I said…stopped in here last time I was in town. This place was really jumping.” She pointed to a group at a table at the end of the bar. “Hey, I know those guys.”
Matt followed her gaze. Four young women and three T-shirt-clad guys sat at a large square table, drinks and appetizers scattered on the table. As Wendy grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the group, he stumbled. They wove through the crowd of dancers.
“Wendy,” the group chorused when they caught sight of the blonde clinging to Matt’s arm.
Alarmed, Matt pressed back against the bar as the girls threw their arms around Wendy.
“What are you drinking, girlfriend?” A buxom redhead with a purple stripe through her straight hair eyed Matt up and down. “The usual?”
“The usual,” chirped Wendy as she leaned across the table and hugged a shaggy-haired young man.
Matt raised his eyebrows as Wendy made her rounds. Stopped in here once before and she has a usual and a group of best buddies?
The redhead whipped around. “One Cosmo,” she shouted into Matt’s face as a waitress hurried by. “Hi, sweetie,” she said at a lower decibel, “you here with Wendy?”
He slid further down the bar as he nodded at the redhead, who promptly turned back to the group and plopped down on a cushion.
Wendy grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the crowded banquette. “This is Matt, guys.”
“Hi, Matt.” They raised their glasses in his direction. “Sláinte,” they yelled as they upended their drinks.
The waitress arrived with a large glass filled with a pink liquid and set it down in front of Wendy. “What’ll you have, honey?” She smiled as she eyed Matt.
“Club soda.” Matt stuck his leg out from the table to prevent sliding off the seat.
The group moaned. “Have a Guinness, Matt.” A young man with a full head of thick black hair held up the pitcher in front of him. “It’s Ireland’s best beer.”
Matt held up a hand and smiled. “I’ll have to take your word for it. I’m the designated driver tonight.”
The young man shrugged and refilled his mug. “Okay, man, whatever you say.” He raised his glass. “Sláinte!”
“Sláinte!” everyone including Wendy responded and downed their drinks.
Determined to make the best of what appeared to be a long night, Matt settled back against the cushion. For the third time that night, he wondered what in the world he had done to scare off Colleen McLachlan.
****
Colleen sprawled on the couch in the den, the flickering images on the television the only source of light in the room. Bobbi, the baby, and the entire entourage had arrived home minutes after Matt’s car pulled away from the curb. After a brief flurry of activity, carrying gifts, flowers, and baby supplies into the house, the family settled down. By midnight, all had retired to their beds—all but Colleen, who couldn’t sleep if she tried. She stared at the artificial tree her sister had decorated in the days before the baby was born. Perfectly decorated, the tree glistened with blue and silver balls.
“This is silly,” Colleen said half-aloud. “It’s like I’m waiting up for her, which I’m not, I just can’t sleep.” She stared at the images on the muted television, her muscles heavy with dread. “I should go to bed.”
A car door slammed and Colleen jerked upright. She rushed to the front door and peeked through the window. Matt had one arm tightly around Wendy’s waist as she giggled and patted his face, talking nonstop.
“She’s drunk!” Colleen fumed as Matt’s hand gripped Wendy’s hip. “And he’s taking advantage. That rat!” She plastered herself back against the wall behind the door.
Her sister’s chatter suddenly stopped.
Colleen squeezed her eyes tight but the image of the goodnight kiss burned itself on the inside of her eyelids like the screen at an all-night drive-in theater. She didn’t even need to see the real thing. Why else the sudden silence? A moan issued from her lips, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.
The door eased open. “Good night.” Wendy leaned against the edge of the door.
Colleen heard her sister’s sultry tone and looked over at her sister’s bare feet, one foot wrapped around the other. Where are her boots? She pressed a hand against her belly to quell the sudden nausea.
“Good night.” She recognized Matt’s deep voice as he moved away.
“Hey, thanks for everything, dude,” called Wendy as she shut the door and leaned against it.
“You didn’t have to sleep with the guy,” Colleen hissed as she rose phoenix-like from the floor.
Wendy screamed and would have knocked over a flower vase on the hall table if Colleen hadn’t caught it.
Her boots dropped out of her hands and landed with a thud on the floor. “What are you doing there?” Wendy yelped and pressed one hand over her heart. The boat-neck sweater had slipped off both shoulders. “You like to scare me to death, girl.”
“Keep your voice down,” whispered Colleen. “You’ll wake the whole house and believe-you-me you do not want to wake the baby.” With slow steps, she led the way down the dark hallway into the kitchen where she flipped on the light over the sink. She turned and surveyed her sister as she wandered into the kitchen and flopped down on the nearest chair.
The nearest chair happened to be Bobbi’s maple rocker. Wendy put out a foot to stop the sudden rocking and moaned. “Make the room stop turning, would ya, sis?”
Colleen harrumphed and grabbed the coffee carafe. Good Time Wendy…always ready to party but can’t handle the repercussions. She filled the glass container with water and emptied it into the coffee maker. After spooning beans into the grinder, she tossed the coffee back into the cupboard and slammed the door with a loud bang, belatedly remembering the newborn sleeping just overhead. Clenching her hands into fists, she looked over her shoulder and studied the beautiful, young woman she had served to Matt on a silver platter.
Wendy leaned forward, face in her hands. Tiny moans escaped between her manicured fingers.
Colleen could have been standing at attention on the parade ground her limbs were so rigid with anger. What are you angry about? Your plan worked! Wendy had a good time. Matt obviously had a good time. She turned back to the coffee maker and with a deep sense of satisfaction—or was it vengeance?—pushed the button to grind the beans.
Her sister threw back her head and shrieked. “Hey, sis, would you cool it? I have just a bit of a headache here. Seems you’d be a little more sympathetic after I go out of my way to do you a favor—”
“Do me a favor?” Colleen whipped around. She couldn’t remember being this angry at her youngest sister since the time Wendy had taken the scissors to the tails of her Little Ponies collection. “I asked you to go out with him, not to—to—” Hands rolling in the air, she choked on the words.
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