Lock, Stock, and Over a Barrel

by Melody Carlson

  He grinned. “I remember you saying you liked tiger lilies.”

  She greeted the girls, and then glancing at Ryan who was still chatting with Jake, she removed the arrangement of roses he’d brought, placing the tiger lilies in the prominent foyer table position.

  “Say, girls,” she handed the roses to Mattie, “you know your way around. How about if you find another spot for these? Maybe the bathroom or my office.”

  They hurried off and she remained in the foyer, listening as Ryan revealed to Jake that he was the old boyfriend. “We go way back. We first met more than ten years ago.”

  “That’s right,” she added. “So it was pretty shocking to see him after all this time.”

  Jake nodded. “Welcome to Appleton.”

  “And welcome to Daphne’s new digs,” Ryan said back.

  Now Jake glanced at her and she suspected by his expression, he was jumping to conclusions. He probably assumed she’d invited Ryan here in the hopes of securing her inheritance with a husband. She would have to straighten him out later.

  The next guests to arrive were Olivia and Jeff. Again Ryan made himself handy by opening the door and greeting Olivia like an old friend, even though he’d only just met her this afternoon. He also invested a fair amount of energy buddying up to Jeff. It was irritating to see how easily he was worming his way into her world. But even more aggravating was that a small part of her liked it. Had she learned nothing these past ten years?

  “Hey there, Mick,” Ryan cheerfully greeted Mick as he let him and Julianne into the house. “How’s it going, mate?” Daphne cringed to hear his bad attempt at an Aussie accent, but Mick took it in stride, joking right back at him and introducing him to Julianne, who looked stunning in a red-and-white sundress with her jet black hair pouring over her shoulders.

  “Just make yourselves at home,” Ryan told the two of them. “There’s some good eats in the dining room.” He put his arm around Daphne now. “This girl really knows how to put together a party.”

  Maybe that was when Daphne gave up. Really, what was the point of trying to stop Ryan from taking over? It was like attempting to hold back the tide. He seemed determined to run her housewarming, her friends, and maybe her life. Why not just let him?

  Except that she didn’t want to. Frustrated to the point that she was afraid she would explode on him, she pressed her lips tightly together as she extracted herself from his embrace. Then pretending she was needed by the caterer, she excused herself. Certainly with Ryan playing host, no one would miss her. In the solitude of the cheerful kitchen, she wiped down an already clean countertop and silently fumed.

  “Why aren’t you out there with your guests?” Truman curiously asked as he set a nearly empty veggie platter on the counter and began refilling it. “The food is all under control. And Katy is handling everything quite nicely. You really should be out there enjoying your guests, Daphne. That’s why you hired help, remember?”

  She gave him a guilty smile. “You’re absolutely right. I should be out there.” She waited for him to finish with the platter, then linked arms with him. “Would you care to join me in meeting my friends and neighbors, Mr. Walters?”

  He nodded. “You bet.”

  She could see that Ryan was not pleased to see her on Truman’s arm like this. But she decided to use this opportunity to introduce Truman to the guests he hadn’t met while he’d been helping Katy in the kitchen. As she led him around from guest to guest, she sang the praises of his store and catering business. “Truman is responsible for our food tonight,” she told Mrs. Terwilliger and the Millers from across the street. “It’s all set up in the dining room. Please, go on in and help yourselves.”

  She didn’t release Truman’s arm until the doorbell rang. “Excuse me,” she said as she hurried to the front door, thankfully beating Ryan for a change.

  “Happy housewarming.” Ricardo grinned as he handed her an oversized pottery pie dish, wrapped in a blue-and-white gingham towel. It looked and smelled like his famous Appleton pie inside.

  “Is this what I think it is?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I wasn’t sure what to bring to a housewarming. But it was still warm and I thought why not?”

  “This is perfection. But I’m not sure I want to share it. It would be yummy for breakfast tomorrow.”

  He laughed. “Do as you like with it. If you share it tonight, I’ll bring you another one tomorrow.”

  As more people arrived and the party grew livelier, Daphne tried to relax. Overreacting would only make matters worse. Putting on her best game face, she visited with her guests and showed them her house, attempting to utilize them to create more distance between herself and Ryan. But as the evening wore on, he became even more determined to usurp the role of her attentive companion. Whether he was bringing her a drink or talking about something they’d done in New York, he seemed intent on convincing the world at large that she belonged to him.

  However, something unusual happened as a result. The more he cozied up to her, the more she flirted—yes, she actually flirted—with every other eligible bachelor in the house. It was shameless and foolish, and she knew she’d regret it later, but she just couldn’t stop herself. Somehow she had to send a clear message to Ryan, and everyone else here, that she and Ryan were not a couple.

  “You did such a fantastic job on this house,” she was telling Willie, gushing in front of Ryan about how Willie had transformed the house into a showplace with his fine painting skills. “I never knew there was such an art to house painting.”

  “I’d call it more of a craft,” Willie said humbly. “But thank you.” He nudged her off to the side. “Can I show you something?”

  “Sure.” She gave him a big grin, as if they were about to go and have some secret tryst. Never mind that he was nearly her dad’s age.

  He led her back out to the foyer and pointed up. “I just noticed it, but didn’t want to say anything.”

  “What?” She looked up.

  “I missed that crown molding up there.” He shook his head. “Not sure how it happened, but I want to finish it for you.”

  “You know, I probably never would’ve noticed it.”

  “Oh, sure you would’ve. If the light was just right. Anyway, I can’t make it over for a week or so. Hope that will be okay. Or I can send one of my guys over and—”

  “No hurry.” She patted him on the back, fully aware that Ryan was watching her. “Thanks for even noticing it.”

  Now Olivia joined them. “I want to see what you did to the office. Without my help.”

  “Yes, I hope you’ll approve.” She excused herself from Willie.

  “So what’s up with Ryan and you?” Olivia asked as soon as the two of them were alone in the office.

  “I wish I knew.” Daphne shook her head.

  “He’s the one who broke your heart, right?”

  “Is it that obvious?” Daphne ran her hand over the desktop.

  Olivia shrugged. “Well, you’d told me about the guy from New York. And from what I can see, it looks like he’s still in love with you.”

  “He claims that he is.” Daphne sighed.

  “How do you feel about him?”

  Daphne considered this—how did she feel? “I’m not totally sure. At first I felt angry that he showed up like this. I felt like I hated him and wanted to kick him out of my house and my life.”

  “That seems pretty natural. After all, he did break your heart.”

  “But it’s like he’s softening me up now—and that’s irritating too.”

  Olivia looked skeptical. “I don’t think a person can be softened up unless she wants to be.”

  “You could be right. But it’s only a small part of me that’s softening. The rest of me feels hard and cold toward him. Just seeing him here tonight . . .�
� She lowered her voice. “Seeing him acting like he owns the place, owns me. Well, that sort of makes me mad.”

  Olivia nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

  “Hello?” Jake stuck his head into the office. “Private party?”

  “No, of course not.” Olivia waved him in. “Just some girl talk.”

  “Which is over now,” Daphne assured him.

  “Jenna told me I should see what you’ve done to your office,” Jake explained as he and Jenna joined them.

  “It was so cool to see where you actually write,” Jenna told Daphne with wide eyes. “Very inspiring.”

  “That’s right.” Daphne remembered. “You wanted to talk to me about writing. We should set up a time to do that.”

  “How about Saturday?” Jenna asked hopefully.

  “That sounds perfect.” Daphne nodded. “It’s a date.”

  “I’m going to go help Katy now,” Jenna said as she went for the door. “Mattie and I promised to help her with cleanup.”

  “You’ve got an awfully sweet girl there,” Daphne told Jake.

  He grinned happily. “Thanks. I think so too.”

  “She and Mattie were great help to me in sorting out this house. I never could’ve accomplished as much as I did without them.”

  “This house looks better than ever,” he told her. “You’ve made some great changes here and throughout the house, Daphne. Everything looks so much brighter and happier.”

  “Thanks to Olivia’s help.” She smiled at her friend, feeling relieved that Jake seemed to approve. She’d been worried that since he was managing the estate, he might complain about all the extra expenditures.

  Jake was walking around now, checking out the office. “And this space is much better too. It always seemed rather dark and gloomy in here before. But Dee said her eyes were so old that she needed the dimness in order to write.”

  “I might need to put up curtains or something for privacy someday,” Daphne admitted. “But for now I like the openness. And it’s pretty looking out on the yard.”

  “Maybe you could put up sheers,” Olivia suggested.

  “Good idea.” Daphne ran her hand over the smooth desktop, noticing that the girls had placed the red roses in here. They actually looked somewhat elegant on the sleek dark wood.

  “I got your e-mail,” Jake told Daphne. “I really like what you wrote.”

  Olivia’s brows arched with interest, but she said nothing.

  “I sent Jake a sample of my writing.” Daphne felt worried that Olivia might assume they were sending secret love letters or something equally scandalous. “For, uh, some critique. He’s my first reader.”

  “You started your novel already?” Olivia asked.

  “I’ve started writing. I’m not really sure that you’d call it a novel . . . per se.”

  “But at least it’s a beginning.” Olivia patted her on the back. “Good for you.”

  Daphne exchanged glances with Jake, but he just nodded. “Yes, good for you. I think you’re off to a brilliant start. I can’t wait to see more.”

  They returned to the living room where most people were congregated, but now Daphne’s dad took her aside, claiming he wanted to see Dee’s old bedroom. Once they were in the room with the door closed, he began to grill her.

  “I know that’s the same Ryan who broke your heart in New York. What I’d like to know is what is he doing here?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Did you invite him to visit here in Appleton?”

  “No, not at all. And I didn’t even invite him to the housewarming tonight. That was Mick’s doing.”

  “But Ryan is acting like he—well, like you and him, well, you know, like you’re a couple or something.” Dad was clearly flustered. “Do you want me to throw him out on his ear?”

  Daphne laughed. “No, Dad. Not just yet anyway.”

  “Well, I am relieved that you’re not interested in that buffoon.”

  “Buffoon?”

  He shrugged. “He seems a little full of himself. Right now he’s out there bragging to some of the guys, going on about all the sports stars he knows and how he travels all over the country and goes to all the pro ball games. As if he’s intent on impressing everyone.”

  She put an arm around him. “Well, I’m glad he hasn’t impressed you.”

  “So, you’re really not interested in him?”

  “The truth is, a tiny part of me is still interested, Dad. But trust me, the rest of me is so totally over him.”

  “I could throw him out,” he said again. “I could do it politely.”

  She grinned. “If I want him thrown out, you’ll be the first to know.”

  The night wore on and the hour grew later, and soon people began thanking Daphne for her hospitality and excusing themselves to go home. But Ryan, it seemed, was determined to stay on until the last guest had left. Feeling she was fighting a losing battle, she tried to simply grin and bear it. But as she told people good night, with Ryan by her side, she could see the questions in her friends’ faces. They all wanted to know what was up with her and Ryan.

  Dad and Karen were the last ones, besides Ryan, to go. And she could tell Dad was uneasy to leave her here alone with the “buffoon.” But she hugged them both, whispering in Dad’s ear not to worry, that she would handle it. And then it was only Ryan and Daphne in the house. Well, and the cats, which she hurried to let out of the spare room upstairs. She actually hoped that Ryan would be gone when they came back down. But there he was waiting expectantly at the foot of the stairs.

  “Well, you lasted to the very end,” she told him with narrowed eyes. “Does that mean you’ve won this round of the game?”

  “Game?” He looked at her with innocent blue eyes. “You think this is a game?”

  “What is it, then?”

  “It’s me trying to show you how much I care about you. I want you to know that I’m ready to stick around. And that I’ll do whatever it takes to win you back.”

  “Win me back? See, that sounds like a game to me.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean it to sound like a game.” He stepped closer to her, looking intently into her eyes. “I love you, Daphne. I never stopped loving you.”

  “Stop it right now!” She held up her hands, palms toward him. “Please, stop talking like that and leave, Ryan. Please, go home. I am exhausted and I cannot do this tonight.”

  He nodded, but there was a hurt look in his eyes. “I understand. I’m coming on too strong. I’m sorry.” He stepped back. “I’m going now. Good night, Daphne.” He tipped his head, and just like that, he left.

  Once again, she felt like crying. But this time she refused to let the tears fall. Instead, she threw herself into cleaning up. She put all her energy into putting the house back into perfect order. By the time she fell into bed, it was past two in the morning, and completely exhausted, she went immediately to sleep.

  Chapter 21

  The next morning, she slept in later than usual. It was nearly nine when she crawled out of bed and pulled on a rumpled jogging suit and went downstairs to feed the cats. But as she returned to the kitchen, she noticed that nondescript rental car, which was becoming way too familiar, pulling in front of the house. Ryan, now dressed casually in cargo shorts and a T-shirt, ambled up to the front door, carrying a coffee tray and a paper bag. Despite the urge to pretend like she wasn’t home, the thought of coffee and whatever was in the bag was appealing.

  “What do you want?” she demanded as she opened the door.

  “Good morning, sunshine. I thought you’d be all worn out today. And I remembered how we used to do this in New York. I went to the Red River Coffee Company and got your favorite breakfast bagel and a nice big latte.”

  “Thank you,” she said meekly as she le
t him into the house. “But don’t think you can bagel your way into my heart, Ryan Holloway.” She led the way into the kitchen and sat at the table. As he found plates for the bagels, she peeled the lid off her coffee and attempted to think of a polite way to hold on to her unexpected breakfast and send the delivery boy packing.

  But as they sat there, eating their tasty breakfast bagels and drinking their coffee, he continued to chatter cheerfully and it was hard not to be pulled in by his charm. After all, Ryan truly was likeable. People had always described him as personable and charismatic. And really, he hadn’t changed in that department. Plus, because of his job and his travels, he was interesting to listen to. Sure, he was a little full of himself at times. But she’d been fully aware of that character flaw ten years ago. Ironically, it was one of the things she’d been attracted to. Perhaps because it was so different from the way she was wired. Where she was always doubting her abilities or second-guessing her choices, Ryan plowed ahead, self-assured and confident.

  Was she wrong to be so set against him now? Was she just being childish? Or was she attempting to punish him, holding him off at arm’s length, penalizing him for his wrongdoings? Seriously, wasn’t this what she’d always hoped for? That Ryan would come crawling back to her, apologizing, announcing that he was divorced and free to marry, proclaiming his undying love, and promising to never hurt her again? Hadn’t that been her dream? Why was she so resistant now?

  And what about the conditions of her aunt’s will? Already a whole month had passed, and besides Ryan, she was no nearer to a serious relationship. Although she’d had some moments that seemed promising, she had yet to go out on an actual date. And some of the guys she was attracted to were not as available as she wished. Jake had his ex-wife to figure out. Mick appeared to have some kind of relationship with Julianne. Even Ricardo had Kellie eagerly waiting in the wings.

  The next eleven months would probably fly by fast. What if, at the end of this strange road, she found herself unmarried? What if, just one year from now, she was completely alone and penniless and homeless? What if she was forced to start all over again? Did she have it in her? And really, what would be wrong with living a comfortable life in this beautiful house with someone who adored her as much as Ryan seemed to?