Mr. Congeniality

by Sherry Lewis

  Dean nodded as if she’d given him a meaningful answer. “Sometimes sitting is good.” He shifted a little closer. “Sometimes not so good. If it’ll help to talk about it, I’m a pretty good listener.”

  She let her gaze drop to her feet. “I don’t think so.”

  “Okay.” Dean knew she wanted him to leave, but he still couldn’t walk away from the pain etched on her face. “Mind if I sit, then?”

  Her gaze flew back to his. “If you want.”

  He made himself reasonably comfortable on a rock next to hers. “I’m sure you’re dying of curiosity about the game. Our team won.”

  “Oh. Congratulations.”

  “Tyler deserves the credit. He did most of the work. I just showed up. The kids really like him.”

  That seemed to connect with Nessa. Her brow furrowed and her eyes didn’t seem so vague. “Did you really ask him to stay here?”

  “I did, and I think he’s going to take me up on the offer.”

  Nessa took another swipe at her cheeks with the back of her hand. “He’s lucky.”

  Dean stared at her in surprise. “Do you want to stay?”

  “More than anything.” Nessa glanced at a couple of loudly shrieking kids running past the grove of trees. “I like working with the horses, and I like living at the Eagle’s Nest.” She sent him a little half smile. “I even like you.”

  Dean laughed aloud. “Is it that painful?”

  She shrugged and bit back a grin. “Not really. Especially now.”

  “Why now?”

  “Because my dad’s leaving.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “I’ll bet you’re glad to hear that.”

  “Yes and no,” he said honestly. “I don’t like seeing your mom unhappy, and for personal and selfish reasons I’d like to see him go. But your dad seems like an okay guy, and I really don’t like seeing you sad.” He shifted on his rock to make himself more comfortable. “When did he decide this?”

  “A few minutes ago, I guess.” Nessa blew her bangs out of her eyes and rested her chin on her knees. “He’s going home because my mom won’t go back to Chicago with him. So I guess she’s the only reason he came.”

  Good thing Spence wasn’t anywhere around. Dean could have belted him for hurting his daughter like this. “Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. Maybe he has to get back. Maybe—”

  Nessa rolled her eyes at him. “Maybe he just can’t stand being away from his restaurant.”

  “I’m sure it takes a lot of time and energy. Until this summer, I never understood how much work it is to run your own business.”

  “Yeah, but you at least put it aside from time to time.” Nessa waved one hand toward the crowd in the park. “Like this. My dad would never have done this.”

  “Come to a community event?”

  “He might go, but he wouldn’t close down the business so everyone else could.” Nessa sighed softly and sent him a sad smile. “He probably wouldn’t have gone, either. It’s all about the restaurant for him.”

  “I used to be like that,” Dean admitted. “Nothing in the world was more important than baseball. Not my family. Not the woman who was in love with me. Not my friends.”

  “So you’re saying there’s hope for my dad?”

  Dean grinned. “There’s always hope. Unfortunately, it took an accident and losing my career to put things in perspective for me. Let’s hope your dad isn’t as hard-headed as I am.”

  “Fat chance of that. Look how hard he’s been trying to get my mom back.”

  Dean didn’t trust himself to comment on that subject.

  Nessa didn’t seem to expect a response. “You know why he wants her back so badly?”

  “I could name about a hundred reasons why I would,” Dean said. “You want me to start?”

  Nessa tilted her head and scrutinized his face thoroughly. “You really like her, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. More than like, actually.”

  “Are you serious about her?”

  Dean thought about dodging the question, but the moment was too special. Nessa deserved the truth. “Yeah, I am. But don’t worry. I’ve been trying to stay out of the way in case your parents decide to patch things up.”

  “They’re not getting back together.” Nessa unwrapped her arms from her legs and straightened each leg tentatively. “I think I always knew that, but I was hoping…you know?”

  Dean nodded slowly. “I think so.”

  “So, you want to know why he came after her?”

  “Why?”

  “So she could save the restaurant for him.” Nessa curled her lip and stood. She placed her hands on the small of her back and arched her spine. “I told you that’s what it’s all about for him. You know what else?”

  Dean was having a hard time not grinning like a kid. He wanted to find Annie and ask her if it was true, hear it from her own lips. He held his ground and shook his head again. “What else?”

  “He’s going to marry Catherine.”

  Dean’s smile faded. “How do you feel about that?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t care, I guess. I think maybe deep down I always knew that he would.”

  “Does your mom know?”

  “I don’t know, but I hope he tells her. I don’t think I should have to.”

  “Neither do I,” Dean agreed. His heart pounded and his hands grew damp. “So is it okay with you if I ask your mom to stay here? Maybe even to marry me?”

  “You’d better. She smiles a lot more when she’s around you, and I’ve started thinking that’s pretty cool.”

  Dean grinned from ear to ear. “There’s just one other problem. If your mom and I do get together, what will that do to you and Tyler?”

  Nessa tilted her head thoughtfully. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you two like each other. That’s pretty obvious to the rest of us. If you and Tyler both live here and your mom agrees to marry me, you’re going to be family—in a way. I just wonder if that will make it uncomfortable for the two of you.”

  Nessa laughed and shook her head. “You haven’t been paying attention lately, have you? Tyler and I liked each other that way for a while, but we’re more friends now than anything else. It’d be cool to be like cousins or something.”

  “Do you think Tyler feels the same way?”

  “I’m pretty sure he does. He’s out there right now chasing some blond girl around the park and trying to get her phone number.”

  For the first time in a long time, Dean felt joy in every cell of his body. Unbelievably, it seemed as if his life just might work out after all.

  DEAN SAT AT THE DINNER table and watched the stairs long after all the guests had retired for the night and the lodge had grown quiet. He listened to the sounds of the building at night—to the creak of boards, the hum of the refrigerator coming from the kitchen, the brush of leaves against the window, the muted chirp of crickets outside.

  Overhead, he heard a door open and close again, the soft sound of footsteps coming toward the stairs. He forced himself not to move until Annie had reached the bottom of the staircase, then leaned forward, struck a match and touched it to one of the candles he’d set up earlier.

  She wore a pair of short pajamas under her robe. She’d pulled her hair up on her head, but loose tendrils escaped and danced around her neck and shoulders. She was more beautiful than anyone Dean had ever seen in his life.

  Annie’s step faltered and her gaze flew toward the table. She smiled slowly when she saw him sitting there in his pajama pants and slippers. “I got your note. What’s this all about?”

  Dean blew out the match, struck another and finished lighting the brace of candles so that the light caught the bottle of champagne and fluted glasses. “Contract negotiations. I need a chef next season, and the season after that, and the season after that. I’ve decided to start looking now.”

  Annie’s quick smile made his heart race. “Is that right?”

  Dean nodded and removed th
e cork from the bottle. He filled both glasses and held one out to her. She took it, letting her fingers linger on his in an unspoken answer before he could ask the questions hovering on his lips. He forced his eyes from hers and made himself continue with his game plan. “I’ve talked Gary into becoming a limited partner next year. He’s done more than half the work around here, but he still won’t accept more than that. He recommends you highly—and besides, the guests won’t stop raving about the food. So are you interested in hearing my offer?”

  She took the seat he proffered and crossed her legs. Her robe fell open to expose the long, slim expanse of silky skin. “What offer?”

  Dean dropped into his own chair and tried to keep a straight face. “I’ll warn you first that my terms aren’t open to negotiation.”

  Annie sipped and set her glass aside. One sculpted eyebrow winged upward. “Go on.”

  “I think you’ll agree that they’re quite generous,” Dean continued. He slid to the floor and assumed the position on one knee. “In short, I’m prepared to offer you anything you want if you’ll agree to marry me. I love you, Annie. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  She touched his cheek tenderly and her eyes shimmered. “And I love you. More than you’ll ever know.”

  Joy practically knocked Dean off his knee. “So tell me, what do you need? I’m prepared to do anything you want.”

  Annie traced the line of his jaw with one hand. “I need to be with you. Besides, I’ve already turned down Spence’s offer and I called today to cancel my contract with the institute. I really don’t want to teach, and finding success at something I don’t want to do would be a hollow victory. And I can’t ignore what Nessa wants, or the needs of my own heart. So the bottom line is, I need a place to live and work and someone to share those things with.”

  Dean took both of her hands in his, lifted one to his mouth and kissed her palm gently. He reached under the table for the leather case he’d left there earlier. “You drive a hard bargain. So here’s my final offer. In here is the Eagle’s Nest’s new restaurant—at least it’s all the legal documents creating it and everything necessary to make it yours. Name it whatever you want. Do with it what you want. Cook whatever you want. It’s yours, and I’ll contract your services for the dude ranch. I’m not asking you to hitch your star to mine, Annie.”

  Annie’s eyes filled with tears and one slid onto her cheek. She touched the case reverently and her eyes filled with such love and gratitude, he thought he’d burst. “Are you serious?”

  “I’ve never been more serious.”

  “You’d give part of your business to me?”

  He grinned wickedly. “Well, you would have to contribute a couple of things to the partnership. Conjugal visits, for one thing. I’m not sure I can survive having separate bedrooms much longer.”

  Annie’s grin matched his. “Ah, now the negotiations are getting interesting.” She stood and tugged him to his feet with her. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she buried her face against his bare chest and kissed the scar on his shoulder. “What else?”

  “Absolute permanence.” He slid his arms around her back and murmured against her hair. “You need to know that I’m not even slightly interested in a temporary arrangement. Good, bad or indifferent, this is for the rest of our lives. It’s you and me. No third parties. No lying or cheating allowed.”

  Smiling softly, she lifted her chin and met his gaze. “I can live with that. But Nessa—”

  Dean cut her off with a kiss. “Is fine with the idea of us getting married and ready to tell you so first thing in the morning.” He trailed one finger along her cheek. “I know this is sudden, Annie. And if you don’t love me, I can live with that.” He pulled back and tried to smile. “I won’t like it, but I’ll get used to it. But if you love me, then say yes. Life’s short and uncertain. We could wait and hope for a better time, but there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever have this chance again. You and I both know how quickly life can change. I don’t want to lose this chance to uncertainty.”

  “Neither do I,” she whispered. “Or to fear.” She kissed his chin gently and shivers raced along his spine.

  “Do you really think we can make it?”

  “As long as we’re together? Absolutely.”

  “Then you’ll stay?”

  She smiled up at him and kissed him thoroughly. Her hands caressed his shoulders and trailed down his back to his waist. “Until the end of time.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-4049-0

  MR. CONGENIALITY

  Copyright © 2002 by Sherry Lewis.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  Visit us at www.eHarlequin.com