“Good assumption. I’ve always appreciated your above average observational skills.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
Instead of replying, he winked and curved his free arm through hers. “We should get a move on,” he said. “Before you freeze standing there. The walk will help warm you up.”
“I’m warm enough, but sure...let’s go,” Rachel said brightly. “We wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”
“Nope,” Cole agreed as they took off at a brisk pace. “That would be rude.”
“And she wouldn’t like having to wait, would she?” Ugh. She hadn’t meant to sound snide. “Based on what you said last night, that is, about her being determined once she makes up her mind.”
“Why, Rachel Merriday, are you calling my girlfriend impatient?” Cole’s body shook with silent laughter.
“Yes, actually,” she said, his amusement pushing her irritation to new heights. “I am.”
He let out a heavy-sounding sigh. “I’ll admit that her tendency skews toward the impatient side, but I find the trait rather endearing. Helps keep me on my toes.”
“You’ve always preached patience,” Rachel pointed out, disliking the mysterious Cupcake more by the second. “To me, anyway.”
“Yup, I have. You two are quite a bit alike in the impatience...determined department.” Cole guided her around a small group of folks gathered in front of the hardware store. “In a manner of speaking, our friendship has gone a long way in preparing me for this relationship.”
Rachel stopped and narrowed her eyes. “Are you implying that I’m a complicated woman, Cole Foster? Because if you are—”
One long, weighty look halted her words. Goose bumps popped up on her skin and a tremble passed over her as he, inch by inch, appraised the full length of her body.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she stammered.
“Ascertaining you’re still a female,” he said. “And you are. So yes, Rachel, you’re a complicated woman. As is my sister, my mother and every other woman I’ve ever known.”
Unable to regain her bearing, Rachel started walking again, though she had no clue where they were headed. Over her shoulder, she said, “I guess that means you owe me.”
He caught up to her, his long stride erasing the distance she’d created in no time flat. “Owe you for what?”
“Why, preparing you for this relationship, of course.” With a flip of her hair, she marched forward, refusing to look at him again so soon after her body had darn near melted.
Once again, he entwined his arm with hers. He slowed their pace down to that of a leisurely stroll. In a voice dripping with laughter, he said, “Oh, you have, and you’re right, I absolutely owe you. What’s your price?”
“We can start with ‘Cupcake’s’ first name,” Rachel said as they approached the local elementary school. Hmm. If they were having lunch here, did that mean Cole’s girlfriend was a teacher? “It’s becoming tiresome referring to her as a baked confection...or the generic ‘her’ or ‘she.’ So what gives, Cole? What’s her name?”
“Driving you crazy that you don’t know, isn’t it? There,” Cole said, nodding toward and then leading them in the direction of the school playground. “I’ll brush the snow off one of the benches and we can get settled.”
“Cole!” Rachel said, exasperated, and okay, a little crazy. “What. Is. Her. Name?”
“Uh-huh, driving you crazy. I bet,” he said slowly, “you’re coming up with all these excuses why I haven’t told you yet. One of them is probably that my family doesn’t approve.”
“Do they?”
“They like her just fine, Rachel.” He shrugged, causing a lock of black hair to fall on his forehead. Her fingers itched with the want to stroke it back into place. “But I can’t tell you her name.”
“You...can’t tell me your girlfriend’s name?” Rachel yanked her arm out of Cole’s and settled her hands on her hips. “Why in the world wouldn’t you be able to give me such basic information about the woman you’re seeing?”
“Why do you do that?” he asked instead of answering. “Repeat my statement in question form, as if ascertaining you heard me correctly? You know me well enough, or you should, to know I don’t say something unless I mean it.”
“Because what you’re saying is absurd.”
“Only because you don’t have the proper information.” Cole handed her the box of food. “Give me a minute here, and I’ll explain everything. Over lunch.”
It was a Thursday, but the playground was empty. Too cold and snowy for outdoor recess, apparently. Rachel shielded her eyes and turned in a circle, looking for the woman they were supposed to be meeting. No sign of Cupcake. Shouldn’t she be here by now?
“She isn’t here,” Rachel said, giving heed to the instinct she’d had ever since Cole’s phone call that morning. “She isn’t coming. She was never coming. Isn’t that right, Cole?”
Cole faced her, his expression serious. “No, she isn’t. I used meeting her as an excuse to give us some privacy, without Andrew’s presence.”
“I see.” Rachel counted to ten, slowly. “Why?”
“Because I need your help.”
“My help? What type of help?”
“See? You’re doing it again, making a question out of my statement.”
She tapped her foot once. Twice. And waited.
“It’s like this, Rachel.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “My mind is set on proposing to this woman I love, on Christmas day. But I’m experiencing some...let’s call them difficulties, in getting her to see our relationship the way I do. I need your help in romancing her, priming her, so to speak, so she’ll say yes.”
“Proposing? As in...marriage?” Rachel whispered, not caring in the least that she’d rephrased his statement as a question. “As in, this Christmas?”
“That’s my goal. And that’s why I can’t, or won’t, tell you her name. I want someone who doesn’t have any preconceived notions about...Cupcake.” He paused, as if weighing his words. The corners of his mouth curved into a tiny grin. “Yep, that’s what I need. Someone who can be objective in their advice, based on what I see in this woman, in what I tell them.”
Rachel swallowed, backed out of his hold. “And you’re afraid that if I know her name, I’ll...what? Somehow learn something about her that will hinder my ability to...help you woo her? By the simple virtue of having her name?”
“Exactly! Why, you might accidentally bump into her at the Beanery, or at Foster’s. If you don’t know her name, you won’t know it’s her, see what I’m getting at? Or you might hear some folks chatting, and if her name came up, you’d be all over that.” His smile widened in smug satisfaction, as if he were extraordinarily pleased with his explanation. “This way, you have to rely on the information I give you, so your viewpoint will be the same as mine.”
“I see.”
“I knew you would.” Cole grabbed Rachel’s hand and squeezed tight. “This woman is special. Every detail needs to be right. Just right. She deserves so much more than she knows, and I want to be the one to give her everything. And more.”
Wow. Just...wow.
“I guess I don’t understand,” Rachel somehow managed to say. “If you love her, and she loves you, why do you need any help? Especially mine?”
Turning away, Cole brushed the snow off the bench and gestured for her to sit. She didn’t. Just kept her mouth shut and waited for h
im to answer her question.
“She’s had...some problems with a few of her past relationships. And a rocky childhood, I guess you’d say. She has all these barriers because of both.” Cole shifted his gaze away from hers. “I’m afraid if I’m not careful, she’ll bolt. I can’t let that happen, Rach.”
“Oh.” His logic clicked solidly into place with a sickening thud. A tremble passed through her, and then another, before she found the courage to voice the obvious. “Her past sounds a lot like my past, doesn’t it, Cole?”
He nodded.
“So from your perspective, we’re both impatient, complicated women who share similar issues.” Moisture appeared behind Rachel’s eyes, threatening tears. She blinked them away. Fast. “That’s why you want my help in particular, correct? Because you think I’ll somehow have an inside track into how to get around these specific barriers?”
“That and the fact you’re my best friend.”
“Right. Best friend.” Well, at least he was honest. The throbbing in her temples returned. “I... This is a surprise.”
Cole watched her with a speculative gleam. The tense set of his shoulders, his jaw, his very stance declared how important this was to him. “I don’t need an answer right now,” he said. “I know I’m asking a lot, especially since this could potentially steal time you’d planned on having with Andrew. Ask whatever you want, take however long you need.”
Closing her eyes, Rachel tried to rationalize a way she could gracefully decline. She could use the Andrew excuse he’d just given her, but honestly, based on the happenings that morning, she felt fairly sure the majority of Andrew’s vacation would be claimed by work.
She could just say no. Simply state the prospect made her uncomfortable. Oh, God. This was...unthinkable. Her chest tightened with pressure and her throat closed. She so didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to help Cole—a man she’d once hoped would be her man—romance another woman into marrying him.
So, yes, she could say no. Should say no. But she’d left him once before when he’d needed her. Had taken off due to fear and complications and a host of other issues she’d never fully explained. Issues she still didn’t completely understand herself. She’d hurt him. Heck, she’d hurt them...not only what might have been, but their friendship.
No. She wouldn’t do that again. Despite how difficult this might be, she couldn’t turn her back on his plea. In that second, in no more than a single beat of her heart, Rachel gave in and accepted her fate. Fully, this time. Cole Foster and Rachel Merriday were friends. Forever friends.
“Okay, then.” Opening her eyes, she infused cheery and merry into her tone with all of her might. “Let’s see what we can do about getting you engaged. We’ll call it—” she paused, took in a gulp of air to center herself “—my Christmas present to you.”
He came to her then, hugged her so hard that she lost the rest of her breath. “Thank you,” he whispered, the warmth of his body easing into hers. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
Merry freaking Christmas, indeed.
Chapter Four
The second Cole returned to work that afternoon, he phoned his mother. With Rachel’s agreement in place, bringing his family into the picture became even more crucial. Fortunately, getting the entire Foster clan together on short notice hadn’t proved difficult. One small hint regarding his current personal dilemma had sufficed.
In no time at all, his mother had arranged a late dinner at Foster’s Pub and Grill, set for after the evening rush had ended. When Margaret Foster summoned her family, they came. No questions asked. Short of a local or national emergency, anyway.
Dinner had progressed smoothly enough, as Cole had kept the conversation firmly in the casual zone. Once the plates had been cleared and dessert served, unable to ignore the questioning glances from his mother and father any longer, he cleared his throat and dived in.
“So,” he said, “Rachel’s in town. She arrived yesterday.”
“Is that so?” Margaret asked with a small smile. “And how is Rachel?”
“Good. She’s...good.” Dang. This was going to be harder than he’d thought. “She brought a man with her. His name is Andrew and—” Cole cleared his throat again. “She mentioned that he might be thinking of proposing. I’m...ah...not too keen on that idea, actually.”
“Is that so?” his mom said again. “Why would that be?”
Five pairs of eyes regarded him curiously. A few of the gazes held amusement, as if they already knew Cole’s answer. Hell. Maybe they did.
“She barely knows him, for one thing.”
“Uh-huh. Any other reason?”
He was going to have to say it. He’d known that coming in, but that didn’t make the prospect any easier to choke down. “I’m in love with her,” he half growled. “That’s why.”
No one spoke for all of ten seconds. Then, “Is that so?” asked Cole’s father, Paul, repeating his wife’s words in an amused tone. “Can’t say that’s headlining news, son. We’ve known your feelings for Rachel for quite a while.”
Cole shook his head in mild exasperation, not really surprised. When had he ever been able to keep anything from his family? Not very often, and never for very long. “Well, in that case, maybe the rest of this will go easier.”
“The rest of what?” asked Reid, the eldest sibling. He, Cole knew, would be the hardest to convince. Reid followed the rules, all of them, whether the rules made a lick of sense or not.
“The rest of what I have to tell you.” At this point, Cole paused and sized up his family. He figured his best shot resided in Haley. His sister was a romantic, so convincing her shouldn’t be overly difficult. Even better, getting her on board would be a two-for-one deal, as Dylan—the middle brother—tended to side with Haley in most matters.
This was important. For decisions that required the entire family’s input, the Fosters followed the majority-vote-wins concept. Haley plus Dylan plus Cole was half of the battle won. Then, he’d only need to pull over his mother or father. It would likely be his mother, but with Paul Foster, you never could say for sure.
“It’s like this,” Cole said, focusing on Haley. “I believe that Rachel might have...similar feelings for me. I can’t let her marry another man without finding out if I’m right. But Rachel is stubborn and...well, to counteract that, I did something. And now I need help to see it through.”
Cole continued on, explaining what had occurred at the Beanery, and then earlier that day at the picnic. Haley’s mouth softened into a gooey smile the longer he talked, which was a positive sign, while Reid’s hardened into an uncompromising frown, which wasn’t. Though, Cole hadn’t expected anything else from his never-color-outside-of-the-lines big brother.
What he didn’t say, or even broach upon, was his lingering concerns over Rachel’s ability to commit, or his back-and-forth thoughts and feelings regarding her departure after his accident. Neither topic was up for public debate. They were issues for he and Rachel alone to discuss.
And they would, one way or another. Doing so was an integral part of his plan, just as important as discerning her feelings and determining if they could have the future he envisioned. But he had to proceed slowly, carefully. And he had to start somewhere.
Not one member of his family interrupted him as he spoke. He supposed they were balancing his words with what they knew about him, about Rachel. By the time he finished, his throat felt parched and heat had gathered on the back of his neck
. He loved his family. He’d relied on them throughout the worst moments of his life. He trusted them.
But damn if this didn’t feel as if he’d just stripped naked in front of them. Difficult, yes. Also, though, humbling and far too revealing for his peace of his mind.
“That’s everything,” Cole said to break the silence. Rather than their earlier amusement, his family now appeared disconcerted—if not downright shocked—by all he’d had to say. Well, that was fair. He’d dodged their questions regarding Rachel for years, and now, seemingly out of the blue, he’d made his feelings plain and had asked for their help. In one fell swoop, even.
“Let me ascertain I understand you,” said Cole’s father, his expression stern and serious. “You love Rachel, Rachel is here with another man, she now believes you’re in love with a local gal, and along with all of that, you’ve elicited Rachel’s agreement to assist you in convincing this other woman—a woman who doesn’t exist, I might add—into accepting a marriage proposal?” He paused, drew in a breath. “Is that about right?”
When his dad looked at him in just that way, Cole felt about five years old. Still, he managed to keep his voice calm and collected when he said, “Yes. That’s right.”
“Okay, then.” Paul’s steady brown eyes never left Cole’s. “That’s quite the plan you’ve arrived at here. It’s creative, if nothing else.” He paused again, as if considering the dilemma. “I’m assuming you’ve already thought through other possibilities?”
“Well, of course he has, Paul,” Margaret Foster inserted. “Cole never does anything without thinking every possible option through. You know that as well as I do.”
“Now, Margaret, our son is asking us to lie to a woman we all like,” his dad said in that patient, authoritative way of his. “I think a few questions are in order before we agree.”
“I am not in favor of lying to anyone, particularly to Rachel,” Reid said, his words clipped and distinct. “Really, what were you thinking? You want to have a relationship with this woman, right? Why would you head down that path by misleading her?”
Cole's Christmas Wish Page 5