The Little Maverick Matchmaker

by Stella Bagwell

  Swallowing the thick lump in his throat, Drew gently patted Dillon’s cheek. “I wouldn’t worry about your three friends at school. If they laugh, just ignore them. They don’t understand about you or Josselyn.”

  “But it makes me mad, Dad. Especially at Oliver. I’d like to jump on him and pound him real good. That would shut his big mouth.”

  Drew’s head swung back and forth. “No fighting, Dillon. That would only get you in trouble with the school principal and with me. Besides, you’d feel awful if you gave Oliver a black eye.”

  That thought planted a wide grin on Dillon’s face. “You really think I could?”

  Drew wanted to groan and laugh at the same time. He wasn’t about to admit that at Dillon’s age he’d gotten in trouble for fighting in the school yard. “Probably. But you’re not going to try it. In time Oliver will see that he’s wrong.”

  “Yeah. When he sees Josselyn is really going to be my mom. That’ll shut his trap up real good.”

  This would probably be the best time for Drew to explain to Dillon about love and marriage, he thought. And how it takes time for a couple to figure out if they want to be together for the rest of their lives. He could remind Dillon that a kid can’t just choose the mother he wants and expect everyone to magically be happy. But for tonight, he couldn’t bring himself to burst Dillon’s bubble. Tonight Drew was going to let the boy believe that Josselyn might truly become his mother.

  He patted Dillon’s cheek again, then straightened to his full height. “You’d better run along now and tell Robbie that you get to sleep over. He’s probably out on the stairs waiting for you to show up.”

  Dillon wrapped his arms around Drew’s legs and hugged him tight. “Thanks, Dad.”

  * * *

  Josselyn stepped back and studied the little table in her kitchen. Flowers, candles and her best blue-and-white-patterned china were ready and waiting for the meal of pot roast simmering in the oven. The table looked pretty, the cooking food was filling the cabin with delicious aromas, and the soft music playing in the background was the sort that made a girl want to lay her head on her man’s shoulder and dance until dawn.

  Satisfied that the kitchen was ready for Drew’s arrival, she walked into the bedroom and stood before the cheval mirror. The oyster-colored blouse with ruffles at the low neckline gave her skin an iridescent glow, while the green skirt swishing around her calves was flattering without looking overly dressed for an evening at home.

  Leaning closer to the mirror, she touched a hand to the hair she’d swept into a messy bun behind one ear. Her hand was trembling slightly and she realized she was nervous about Drew’s arrival. Which didn’t make sense. From the moment he’d called this morning to say he’d be out to see her tonight, she’d been eagerly waiting for this time to come and anxiously on edge to make their evening together extra special. To show him that they belonged together not for just a few weeks or even a few months, but forever.

  His knock suddenly pulled her out of her reverie and she whirled away from the mirror to hurry out to the living room.

  When she opened the door and saw him standing on the threshold, she didn’t hesitate. She threw herself into his arms and pressed kisses on both cheeks.

  “My, my! What a greeting.” He rubbed the tip of his nose to hers. “I should’ve gotten here sooner.”

  Laughing, she tugged him into the house and locked the door behind them. “Your timing is perfect,” she told him. “Dinner is ready to take out of the oven.”

  “When you said you’d be cooking I decided to bring wine. It’s red.” He held up a bottle. “I hope it goes with our meal.”

  “How thoughtful. You couldn’t have chosen better.” Looping her arm through his, she urged him toward the kitchen. “Come on. While I take everything from the oven, you can tell me about your day.”

  While she transferred the pot roast and trimmings onto a serving platter, he placed the wine on the table and collected two long-stemmed glasses from the cabinet.

  “My day was good. Just long,” he said as he uncorked the wine and tilted the bottle over each glass. “I had three new patients come in today. All of them in the early stages of pregnancy. You know, Josselyn, I’m beginning to think there is something in the water around here. I’ve never seen so many pregnant women—even in Thunder Canyon, where the population is far larger.”

  Smiling at his observation, she carried the food over to the table. “I told you—Rust Creek Falls is a magical place.”

  His short laugh was full of amusement. “Magical, huh? Nadine, one of my nurses, told me the story about Homer Gilmore spiking the wedding punch and the baby boom nine months later. You don’t need magic to pour a bottle of spirits into a punch bowl,” he said, then his eyes widened with sudden speculation. “Say, you were standing near the punch bowl at the school picnic when Dillon and I came up. Do you suppose someone had spiked it?”

  Josselyn laughed. “Drew, think about it. You didn’t drink any punch that day.”

  Clearly disappointed that his theory couldn’t be the answer, he said, “You’re right. I didn’t. Did you?”

  “Two cups of it.”

  Grinning, he snapped his fingers. “That’s it! The punch put some kind of spell on you.”

  She shot him a quizzical glance. “Spell? Why do you say that? Was I behaving strangely or something?”

  “No. But there was some sort of aura around you.” Snaking an arm around her waist, he pulled her against him. “It made me want to take you in my arms and do this.”

  Before she could ask him to explain this, he promptly showed her by planting his lips over hers.

  His kiss never failed to send her senses into orbit. Without even realizing it, she leaned into him and gripped the front of his shirt while her head spun with pleasure.

  When he finally eased his mouth from hers, she said, “Mmm. I would’ve never guessed you had that on your mind.”

  “I didn’t know I had it on my mind, either. Until later.”

  With a husky chuckle, she eased out of the circle of his arm. “You can show me what else you had on your mind—later,” she told him. “Otherwise, my meal is going to get cold and ruined.”

  “And we can’t have that,” he said. “Especially when I’m starving. Shall I light the candles for us?”

  “Yes, thank you, Dr. Strickland.”

  While he put a match to the two tall candles, Josselyn pulled a bowl of tossed salad from the refrigerator and placed it on the table with the rest of the food.

  “Thank you, Drew.”

  His gaze locked on hers. “Thank you, Josselyn. For the meal and so many other things.”

  He was looking at her as though she was something very, very special. As though she was the love of his life. Or was she misinterpreting the tender glow in his eyes?

  Don’t start questioning his every look or touch, Josselyn. He’s here with you now. Make that be enough.

  Deciding the voice in her head was giving her the right advice, she shoved the question out of her mind and reached for the platter of food. Offering it to him, she said, “Let’s eat. Or the roast really is going to get cold.”

  * * *

  “I’m impressed, Josselyn,” Drew said after he’d swallowed the last bite of blueberry pie on his plate. “Everything was delicious.”

  “Thanks, but I have a confession to make.” Rising from her chair, she began to gather the leftovers on the table. “I stopped by Daisy’s Donut Shop on my way home and picked up one of Eva’s pies. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t top her desserts.”

  He wagged a forefinger at her. “Naughty girl. That’s a punishable crime.”

  Laughing, she carried the armful of dishes over to the sink. “I had no idea a trip to the bakery was illegal. What’s the punishment?”

  He slipped up behind her and wrapped his arms arou
nd her waist. Nuzzling his nose against the side of her neck, he murmured, “You have to go to bed early.”

  “Without any TV? Oh, you’re really being cruel,” she teased, her voice growing huskier with each word that passed her lips.

  Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her toward him, then slanted his lips over hers. She immediately opened her mouth to invite him inside as she slipped her arms around his neck and pressed the juncture of her thighs to the bulge she now felt beneath the fly of his jeans.

  Lifting his head, he looked down to see desire was already fogging her green eyes. “Let’s forget about the dishes,” he suggested. “We’ll do them later. Much later.”

  She didn’t protest as he lifted her into in his arms and, pausing only to blow out the candles, carried her straight to the bedroom.

  A tiny night-light was burning in one corner of the room, and this time he could see the small space was neat, with everything in its place. Even the bedclothes were perfectly turned back, as though she’d been sure the two of them would end up sliding beneath them.

  At the side of the bed, he swiftly removed her clothing before dealing with his own. Once their garments were lying in a heap on the floor, he laid her on the bed, then stretched out beside her.

  When she rolled toward him, he gathered her close and allowed his hands to go on a slow, meandering exploration of her soft curves.

  “I’ve been thinking about this for days, Josselyn. Wanting you. Needing to be inside you,” he whispered against her lips.

  She said nothing. Instead, she kissed him deeply, her arm tight around his rib cage, her legs wound through his.

  The hungry contact of their lips went on and on until they were finally forced to break for air. While they both restored their lungs with oxygen, she tilted her head back far enough to look into his eyes. By then, Drew figured she could read everything that was going through his mind and his heart. It was a vulnerable feeling, but he was determined not to shy away from it, or the incredible emotions she was evoking from deep within him.

  “And this is everything that I’ve been needing, Drew,” she said, her voice thick with desire. “I want you so much. So very much.”

  For the moment that was all Drew needed to hear. Cradling her face between his hands, he kissed her once more, and with their lips latched together, she rolled to her back and tugged him along with her.

  Anchoring his hands on either side of her head, he positioned himself over her. Then, poised and ready, he looked down at her flushed face and the blond waves spilled upon the pillow.

  “Oh, Josselyn. Sweetheart. I can’t tell you how I feel. It’s all too jumbled up inside me. It’s all too good. Too precious to describe.”

  Her head moved slightly back and forth. “You don’t have to tell me anything. Just make love to me, Drew. Now. This very second.”

  Fighting to hold on to his self-restraint, he parted her thighs and entered her with a gentleness that belied the hot desire raging inside him. But as her warm softness enveloped him, his control vanished in a flare of white-hot flames.

  The next thing he knew he was driving into her at a frantic pace and she was meeting his every thrust, grinding her hips closer, even as her lips were making a hot foray across his chest and over his flat male nipples.

  Too good. Too utterly perfect.

  The thoughts were rushing through his head as he felt his body begin the arduous climb to the summit. And though he wanted to pause and catch his breath, to linger along the path and allow his hands and mouth to enjoy the pleasures of her sweet flesh, he couldn’t stop the hike to that spot where release awaited him.

  It arrived with a sudden burst of stars streaking behind his eyes, while the rest of his body felt as though it was melting and pouring into hers, leaving nothing behind but his beating heart.

  Grabbing her shoulders, he gripped her tight against him, and in the back of his spinning senses he registered her soft cry of release.

  “Josselyn. My sweet darling.”

  The words barely had time to slip out of him before she tugged his head down to hers and met his lips.

  The kiss was like dessert after a rich feast, and he allowed his lips to linger against hers until the need for oxygen caused him to lift his head and roll to one side of her.

  For long moments they lay quietly together, both of them waiting for their breathing to return to normal before either tried to speak.

  Finally, Josselyn pillowed her face against his shoulder and slipped her arm across his chest. Drew somehow found the strength to stroke her damp temple and tangled hair.

  “Are you ready to wash dishes?” he asked.

  She made a grunt of amusement, then snuggled closer to his side. “I’ll have plenty of time to do them after you go home. Right now I don’t want you to move.”

  He reached for the sheet and blanket wadded at their feet and pulled it over them. “I have a surprise for you. I don’t have to go home tonight. Dillon is having a sleepover with Robbie. Seems Mary wanted to treat the boys tonight.”

  Her head reared back as she stared at him, her expression a mixture of awe and delight. “You mean you’re going to stay here all night? You’re going to have breakfast with me?”

  She sounded like a kid opening a Christmas present and the idea humbled him greatly. It took so little to please her, he thought. So little to put that precious smile on her face. The one that filled his heart with warmth and joy.

  “That’s my plan. Except that breakfast will have to be fairly early. I want to be back at the boardinghouse before Dillon gets up. It might be hard to explain to him that his father has been away all night.”

  “No problem. I’ll wake you up long before sunrise,” she promised.

  Grinning at the joy on her face, he rubbed his cheek against hers. “I’m sure you will. Or even before,” he added coyly.

  She chuckled sexily and then her expression took a serious turn. “So does Dillon know you’re seeing me tonight?”

  Drew sighed. “He does. And he couldn’t wait to shoo me out the door. Before I left the boardinghouse this evening we—uh—had a little talk. Seems his friends at school have been teasing him about you.”

  “Me?” She sat straight up in the bed. “Why me?”

  Drew grimaced. “I hadn’t planned on telling you. But now...well, I think you deserve to know.”

  “Know what? If Dillon’s friends are saying that I give him special attention during library visits, then they’re wrong. I try to equal my time out between all the children.”

  Shaking his head, Drew reached over and traced a finger up and down the side of her arm. “It’s not that. Dillon has told them that you’re going to be his mother. And they’ve been laughing at him about it.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “Oh, yes.”

  She wiped a hand over her face, then turned a resigned look on him. “I’ve realized for a long time that Dillon wants a mother. It’s not like he tries to hide the fact. Or that he hasn’t made it clear that he has his sights set on me. But I never thought he’d be telling his friends about any of this.”

  “I didn’t, either. I thought it was something he only talked about to you and me. When he told me they were laughing at him, it was like a knife stabbed me right in my chest, Josselyn. I think—” Pausing, he shook his head. “I’ve always loved my son. I just didn’t realize how much I loved him until I met you.”

  “Oh, Drew.” Tears filled her eyes as she touched his cheek. “How can that be?”

  “I was dead before you, Josselyn. That’s the only way I can explain it.”

  Easing back down, she draped the top half of her body over his torso and rested her chin in the middle of his chest. Drew found himself looking into the depths of her eyes and his heart squeezed as tears pooled in the green orbs and threatened to spill onto her cheeks.

 
“You can’t possibly know how I feel about you,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “And Dillon.”

  Fear of his feelings and the future, their future, was suddenly trying to swallow him up. Tonight she was here in his arms, warm and giving. But what about tomorrow? What if all of this hope and happiness was suddenly jerked away?

  Oh Lord, he couldn’t think about that now. He couldn’t cower away from all that she was trying to give him.

  “Maybe you should tell me, Josselyn.”

  Chapter Twelve

  His hand was on her back, tracing warm circles up and down her spine and across her shoulder blades. How could his touch be exciting and soothing at the same time? It didn’t make sense. But then, falling in love in a matter of a few short weeks didn’t make a whole lot of sense, either, Josselyn decided. Yet somehow it had happened.

  After a long, charged moment passed without her uttering a word, he said, “You don’t have to tell me, Josselyn. Not if you don’t want to.”

  She pushed her fingers into his hair, loving the feel of it.

  “I do want to.” She drew in a long breath and blew it out. “I’m beginning to think of Dillon as my own little boy—my own son. And you—” She stopped long enough to press a kiss to the corner of his lips. “You’ve settled yourself right smack in the middle of my heart. I love you, Drew.”

  He stared at her, his expression mainly one of stunned fascination. “That’s what Dillon told me. But I took his words as a child’s wish.”

  A wan smile curved her lips. “Apparently Dillon is more observant than you are.”

  His gaze broke from hers and Josselyn could see he was having a hard time dealing with the confession of her feelings.

  “We haven’t been together all that long,” he reasoned.

  “Long enough.”

  His gaze returned to hers and hope fastened itself to every beat of her heart as she waited breathlessly for him to reply.