“Now I understand why everyone gives the place such rave reviews.” His gaze shifted to Cindy. “I may have to make the time to visit in person.”
The intensity of his gaze almost had her taking a step back. This wouldn’t be the first time a man had paid her extra attention, and this was all for a good cause. “We’d love to have you. Are you busy next weekend?”
Mucky seemed startled by the question, or perhaps intrigued, but slowly his lips tipped north and his eyes twinkled at her. “Nothing I can’t change.”
“Perhaps,” Rose said casually, looking at Alan, “we could offer large donors a special private event with Mr. Peters.”
It took Alan a few moments to realize that was not a conjecture but a suggestion awaiting his response. “I think that could definitely be arranged. What did you have in mind?”
Without taking time to think, Rose volleyed back, “Perhaps a pre-festivities brunch?” When no one responded, she pressed on. “At the lake away from the strolling tourists.” This time Mucky’s head motioned slightly up and down.
“We can have Lily make her apfel kuchen,” Cindy chimed in, hoping to appeal to the man’s sense of exclusive privilege. “The dessert she doesn’t sell at the shop. It’s only for family and close friends.”
Mucky’s eyebrows inched slowly up into his hairline. Even Amanda eased her grip on Alan and leaned in closer to Cindy. Apparently he wasn’t the only one with a sweet tooth.
“How much?” Mucky directed at Rose.
Still smiling, her cousin straightened her five foot seven frame to level her gaze into the over six foot tall Mr. Mucky’s eyes. “Strong five.”
He nodded. “How many donors?”
Instead of the quick response, Rose hesitated a moment, and then, lips that had been pressed tightly together in thought, blurted out, “Top five. That will make a round table for six just the right size.”
A smile that could have won a national election for the guy bloomed across his face. With a curt nod of his head, she had her first serious donor. Later she’d have to ask Rose for how much since she wasn’t completely sure what had just been exchanged and didn’t think asking was considered good form.
“If you will excuse me,” leaning closer to Cindy so no one else could see, Rose winked, “I have a few more people to introduce Mr. Peters to.”
“I’d best make the rounds myself.” Mucky smiled down at her. “I look forward to seeing you next weekend.”
Cindy nodded. She had a feeling she might be doing that a lot the rest of the evening. Especially if Rose managed to use Alan and Lily’s baked goods to charm all of the patrons that easily.
“So your sister baked all these delicious sweets?”
Still stunned that she had a major donor for her wildlife project, she’d forgotten that she’d been left alone with clingy Amanda. “Yes. She runs the Pastry Stop in Lawford.”
“Well. There’s one little cookie here that I can’t seem to resist and my waistline is no doubt going to make me pay for it.” Amanda held up a spitzbuben. Didn’t matter, so many of the things Lily baked were addictive. “Too bad I already have plans for next weekend.”
Doing an actual fist pump instead of a mental one was probably another thing that would not be in good form. Instead, Cindy smiled and glanced across the room to Rose working a circle of women and poor Alan standing in the midst, nodding and smiling. Even though he seemed perfectly at ease, she could see the stiffness in his stance. She really owed this sweet guy. And so would all the animals that the new center would help.
“You really like him.” Again, Amanda caught her off guard.
“I’m sorry. I was distracted. What was that?”
Amanda’s gaze darted from Cindy to where interested donors were currently swarming around Alan and back again. She swallowed a muffled laugh and shook her head. “For what it’s worth, he’s a nice guy. Always has been. Did you know we actually dated a few times?”
She shook her head. In the grand scheme of things, she knew very little about Alan Peterson.
“That’s how I met his brother.” Rolling her eyes, she bit back a self-deprecating grunt. “I let my ex’s good looks sway me.”
What was wrong with Alan’s looks?
“My mother always said stay away from the charmers. Did I listen? Noooo.”
Alan could be charming. Look at him now. Even out of his comfort zone, he had all the women eating out of his hand.
“But,” she sighed, “c’est la vie. You’re probably a better fit for him anyhow.”
What? Her gaze shot up and over to Alan again.
“Oh, yeah.” Amanda nodded. “I’m not up for a cat fight.”
“Cat fight?”
“If you want him that bad, honey, he’s all yours. Besides, it’s obvious to any idiot the feeling is mutual.”
It is? Her mind replayed the last conversation with Rose and Mr. Mucky Muck. What had Amanda seen?
“Well,” Amanda opened her small purse and rummaged through, “I’m sure the festival will be a huge success for your cause.” She pulled out a checkbook and pen and scribbled on it. “Though the museum may not be happy the animals just got their donation.”
A check dangled in front of her and Cindy felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of the numbers.
“Just fill out whoever it goes to.” She patted Cindy on the arm. “I have to run. Be good to him, cause if you’re not, I’ll be back and next time I won’t give up so easily.”
Cindy stared down at the check. Her cousin had been right, coming here had been the smart thing to do. Not just for the money, but for Alan. Amanda had been right too. Alan and her were a good fit. A fit that deserved more time. Now she just had to make him see that. But how?
Chapter Fifteen
“I can’t believe anyone would pay sixty thousand dollars to have brunch with me.” The entire concept boggled Alan’s mind.
“Five anyones.”
“Well. Not all five paid that.”
“No, but close enough.” Cindy shifted the car into a higher gear and took off on the finally clear highway. “What I don’t understand is how anyone can live in the city like that. I think there are more cars in Boston than people in all of New England.”
“Every big city has its own charm, but you’re probably right about the cars.”
“I’m sure of it, and for the record, if I had it, I would.”
“Live in Boston?”
“Lord, no. I’m a country girl through and through.”
That thought made him smile. She really was. It was only one of the things he loved about her. Loved. He almost laughed at himself. Somehow in little more than a week he’d finished the book from hell, become a cat person, and fallen in love. Go figure.
“I meant,” she continued, “if I had sixty thousand dollars, I’d spend it to have brunch with you.”
“Fortunately for you, I come at a bargain price for friends and family.” All he had to figure out was how to sell himself to her as more than a seasonal friend of the family.
“I suppose that’s a good thing because I don’t have an abundance of cash floating around.”
He smiled and slid down slightly, leaning against the head rest. “The roads really are beautiful up here. As beautiful as the West Coast is, it’s a totally different vibe.”
“You should see it in the fall. The kaleidoscope of colors, the oranges, yellows, and reds are absolutely magnificent. I’m always so thankful that tourists spend a fortune to come and see the foliage in hopes of hitting during the right season and we get a front row seat for free.”
He liked that idea. A front row seat. Not just to the fall foliage, but to everything that happened around here. As far as small towns went, living in Lawford wasn’t anything like the archaic civilization he’d imagined when his grandfather had talked him into coming here to finish his book. People were nice. Friendly. Everybody cared about everybody. The smaller shops were more accommodating than any large box store. There were in
deed a few quirky things. Floyd’s barber shop was an interesting tale to tell. The General was certainly a colorful patriarch. Though Mrs. Hart was nothing like his own grandmother. Alan would have expected a by the book hard-nosed general to be married to a woman nearly as regimented and orderly as he must have been. Or perhaps, the polarity of their personalities explained why the relationship survived decades longer than that of his grandparents. And of course the Merry Widows club had a gaggle of interesting characters. But none of it mattered as much as the lovely veterinarian with a heart of gold and spine of steel. “We made a good team tonight.”
“Yeah.” She tapped her long fingers on the steering wheel. “We did. Though Rose really is the one who made it happen.”
“That girl is wasting talent working with historical objects d’art.”
“I can’t decide if she should be a party planner or a fundraiser, because she does both very well.”
“She certainly knows how to work a room. Not only do we have the five donors for brunch at the lake, but she got pledges from others in the room for almost $100,000 more.”
Keeping her eyes on the road, Cindy fished into the handbag at her side and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “Your friend gave me this.”
His friend? He unfolded the paper, immediately recognizing the name. “$5000. If I didn’t know any better I’d say she has a guilty conscience.”
“Really?”
Alan placed the check lightly on her purse again. “Let’s just say my brother did not live up to her expectations, and Amanda is not one to hang onto anything that doesn’t improve her prospects in life.”
“I’m sorry.”
“We all are. Some people are simply never happy with what they have.”
Cindy nodded. “I’ve met my share of those.”
“Now I’m the one who’s sorry.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be. At least I didn’t marry him.”
Suddenly Alan had an irresistible urge to break the neck of a man he’d never known. On the other hand, he should probably thank the character for having screwed up enough that Alan was now here in the company of this special woman and not the character.
“Traffic is really light.” Cindy turned off the highway and onto the main drag that would take them straight to Lawford and Hart Land.
“Wow. That went fast.”
“Always feels that way going home. I took every science class imaginable under the sun and have never figured out why that is.”
Alan had a pretty good idea that this evening, the reason had nothing to do with science or traffic, but the company. He’d enjoyed every minute of conversation, and his view of his date. Not that she’d considered it a date, but he liked the sound of it. “Would you think me silly if I said I wonder how the kittens are doing?”
Cindy laughed. “I’m sure they’re fine, but we’ll be home soon. You can see for yourself then.”
Home. Oh, he really liked the way that word rolled off her tongue. Maybe it wasn’t their home, or even his home, but still, the sound of it coming from Cindy held an irresistible appeal. And wasn’t that seriously nice.
***
“How long did we stand tonight?” Her shoes dangling from her fingers, Cindy walked barefoot toward Hart House. “Somebody needs to invent black-tie sneakers.”
“They have.” Alan stretched out his arm and snatched her hand in his. “I saw them at a wedding. Keds covered in silver sequins.”
“Now you tell me.” With every step, she waited for him to pull back his hand. By the time they reached the porch, she realized he had no intention of letting go and her heart did a little jig. His earlier comment about their making a good team replayed in her mind. She’d liked it when he’d said it in the car, and she loved it now even more.
Much to her surprise, the General and company were still on the porch playing cards. Then again, all night card games were nothing new at the lake, and she suspected, tonight in particular, everyone had to be curious how the evening had gone.
“Oh, good. You’re home. Tell us, how did it go?” Grams must’ve been filling in at the card table for somebody. “Did you make some connections?”
Alan squeezed her hand, but didn’t let go. Instead, he grinned at her, waiting for her to share the good news.
“You could say that. We have over $300,000 in pledges.”
“Oh, my sweet Lord.” Grams dropped her cards.
“Fiona, dear.” For the first time that she could remember, appalled, the General turned at his wife. “Your cards, dear, we can see your cards.”
The woman casually waved her husband off, pushed to her feet, and hurried up to Cindy. “Did I hear you correctly?”
Cindy bobbed her head. “Yes. There’s something else though.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Ralph scooped up the cards from the table.
“What in blue blazes are you doing?” The General looked at Ralph.
Ralph rolled his eyes. “We all know what Fiona’s holding, and right now nobody cares about the cards. We all want to hear about the money.”
“That’s right, dear.” Fiona momentarily flashed her husband a smile before returning her attention to her granddaughter. “What else is there?”
“We can expect five donors for brunch on Saturday with Alan.”
All heads turned to Alan.
“Heavy donors,” he added.
“Very heavy donors.” At least as far as Cindy was concerned, strong five, which she now understood to mean high five figures, was plenty heavy.
“I heard you pull up.” Lucy appeared with a box and Alan’s kittens. And no matter what the man claimed, they were his kittens. “They were perfectly well behaved, and absolutely adorable.”
“They look like the lot under the willow cabin,” Ralph mentioned, leaning over to scratch one behind the ear.
“Yes.” The General cleared his throat. “Tell us more about this brunch.”
While Alan retrieved the kittens, carefully checking each one out and taking a minute to love on one, then the other, Cindy filled everyone in on how the evening had gone and all the donations. She did, however, leave out Alan’s ex sister-in-law and her check. Why spoil the evening’s fun?
“I think it’s all marvelous.” Louise pushed to her feet. “And past my bedtime.”
“I’ll join you.” Thelma stood and stretched left then right. “So glad all went well. We knew you could do it.”
Ralph raised a brow at Thelma and Cindy wondered what that was all about.
“All right.” Thelma sighed. “Maybe Ralph knew you’d do better than I did.”
Louise cleared her throat.
“Fine. So I came in a little low,” Thelma huffed.
“A little?” Ralph teased.
“Wait a minute.” Cindy raised her free hand. “What is going on?”
Lucy let out a low chuckle. “Everyone’s got a ten spot on how much money you’d raise.”
“You bet on me!” Cindy couldn’t believe it.
“Well,” Lucy shrugged, “technically on both of you.”
Alan smothered a laugh, and Cindy couldn’t decide if she should be pleased or offended. “So who won?”
Their summer neighbor since Cindy’s childhood, Ralph flashed a toothy grin at her. “I may not have won, but I had you in for $500,000. You came close.”
That surprised the heck out of her. Maybe she’d been living in the country too long, but it simply hadn’t occurred to her that art patrons would be willing to drop that much money at a museum and have so much left over to save animals.
“I won.” Lucy handed Alan the box. “I may have shortchanged you a bit, but at $255,000, I was closest.”
“That’s only because I placed my bet on two fifty before you placed yours.” Louise turned to Cindy. “Not that it matters of course. What’s important is that you raised money for the poor animals.”
Holding the screen door open, Thelma nodded. “That’s right, all that matters is that you ac
complished what you set out to do.”
“That’s right.” Louise nodded at her friend.
A few feet behind her, Ralph stopped, shook his head at Cindy, and softly mouthed, “Fifty k. The woman is an underachiever,” and marched out the door.
Cindy almost laughed. If she’d known about the pool, she wouldn’t have gone much higher than ten k herself.
“Well,” Alan stood awkwardly by the door, “I should go too. Settle these guys in for the night.”
Cindy nodded. “I also need to get home. I have patients bright and early tomorrow.”
“Night dear.” Grams hugged her. “And good job.”
“Thanks.” Still smiling, she followed Alan outside and walking slowly, noticed the porch light turn off. Everyone had gone inside. “Thanks for coming, and helping. And, well, everything.”
He set the box down on the hood of his rental car and snatched her hand as he’d done earlier, threading his fingers in hers. “It was very much my pleasure.”
One of the kittens must have shifted, making the box move.
“You’d better get them home before they wake up and want to play.” As much as she’d rather stand here under the moonlight, holding hands with him, somewhere in her veterinarian’s oath it must have mentioned to put sleeping kitties before anything she might want.
“Mm,” he mumbled, then leaned in for a goodnight kiss.
The feel of his lips on hers made her forget all about the kittens, the mountain’s wildlife, the card games, and the bets. Her hand slid up his shoulder and around his neck. This was most definitely where she wanted to be.
The box shifted and bumped into Cindy’s hip seconds before a paw batted at her.
“So, this is what parenthood is like?” Alan released his hold on her and nudged the kitten back into the box. “I should go.”
She nodded. Words weren’t forming yet in her fogged mind.
“But I want a rain check.”
She nodded again. So did she.
Chapter Sixteen
The big day had finally arrived. Cindy was so nervous anyone would think her entire life depended on the success of the first annual Lawford Street Fair.
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