Stealing His Heart (McCormick's Creek Series Book 4)

by Jen Peters

  Chelsea smiled. “I remember that. But I wanted to let you know, ‘cause we’re friends and all, Brandt is mine.”

  “Oh? We’re back in high school?” She thought of Brandt and his kisses—Chelsea was dreaming.

  “Of course not. But you’re new here, and I’ve been chasing Brandt since the beginning of summer. I thought you’d like a heads up. Since you were all over each other in Sam’s parking lot the other day.”

  Raine stilled. Just another example of living in the fishbowl of a small town, but she’d have to learn to deal with it. Just like she was learning how to deal with this thing with Brandt. She really liked him. She liked his adventurous nature, his determination to succeed, his gentleness when she was hurt. And she really liked kissing him, even when she knew it wasn’t leading to anything more physical. But she shouldn’t take it any further, at least not until this grant business was finished.

  She finally shrugged. “Sure. It’s not like we’ve got anything going. In fact, I’m supposed to be keeping guys off my radar for a while.” No need to mention everything that had him firmly on her radar, despite her good intentions.

  “So…the whole town has you matched up as a couple, but you just went mountain biking for fun?” Chelsea’s eyebrows were up at her hairline.

  Raine grimaced. “I wouldn’t say that. But he dared me, and I wouldn’t back down.”

  Chelsea laughed, ending in a snort. “Same old Raine. Well, see you around. Are you coming to the barbecue?”

  “I’ll have to see. Don’t know my work schedule yet.” She also didn’t want to get pulled back into her old persona. But maybe some of her old friends would have changed, too.

  Chelsea nodded, then motioned to Raine’s puffy eye. “You might want to call in sick today.”

  By the time Raine got home, she knew Chelsea was right. She ached all over, had bruises in places she didn’t know existed, and her face was a mess. She popped some anti-inflammatories, laid down with an ice pack, and tried to focus on the Christmas tree contest and her grant proposal, and not on how good it had felt to have Brandt ministering to her.

  She couldn’t deny there was something pulling her toward Brandt that she’d never felt before. He was a mix of strength and challenge and soft heart—definitely more than just another guy to hop into bed with.

  She had no little voice whispering one way or the other, though. Did that mean exploring a relationship with him was a good idea, despite her earlier plan for herself? Or was it just the opposite?

  Chapter 14

  Raine hit snooze over and over on Halloween morning, finally tossing her phone to the other side of the room. It was a good thing she didn’t have very many morning shifts. When the annoying chime went off again, she dragged herself out of bed and managed to find the Stop button.

  She’d be late if she didn’t get a move on. Skip the shower, find a cute scrunchy for a ponytail, grab a glass of juice on the way out. Good plan, anyway.

  “Arrr! Raine, look at me! I’m a pirate!” Tyler jumped up and down as she entered the kitchen.

  “You sure are,” she said, still trying to get her voice to work. “Do you have a Halloween party at school?”

  “Uh huh. Mom made cupcakes.”

  Tori groaned from the corner, where she sipped a cup of coffee. “At midnight.”

  “And we get to have a parade for everyone!” Tyler shouted.

  “That’s awesome, bud, I hope you have fun. But I have to go now.” Raine poured orange juice and downed it quickly.

  “No, wait! You have to walk the plank. I need my sword!” Tyler dashed out of the room.

  Tori shrugged. “It’s Halloween. You have to expect it.”

  It wouldn’t help Raine get to work on time, though. She grabbed her purse and had one arm into her jacket as Tyler ran back in.

  “It’s the plank for you, matey,” he cried, poking her with the plastic sword. “Arrr!”

  “No, not the plank!” Raine put one foot carefully in front of the other and inched toward the door. “There are crocodiles in the water!”

  “You have to, or it will be ‘Off with your head!’” Tyler prodded her again.

  “I think you’re mixing up your stories there, but…oh no! The end of the plank! I’ve been killed by a pirate!” Raine took a leap through the door.

  “Arrr!” she heard from inside.

  She headed for work, thankful she was only checking groceries, not dealing with a classroom full of hyped-up kids all day.

  By the time three o’clock came, she was exhausted anyway, with no end in sight. The evening cashier had called in, and Raine couldn’t leave for another couple of hours. Checkout was busy—there were either a lot of people who put off buying candy, or else had eaten what they’d bought and needed more—and she was by herself while Sam turned into Santa.

  The other cashier finally came in, and Raine took off her apron with relief. “I’m off, Sam,” she told her Santa-suited boss as he handed out candy with his jolly Ho-Ho-Ho voice. “Have fun!”

  “Raine, no, please,” he begged. “Couldn’t you stay and help me with the kids? I’d forgotten how crazy it can get.”

  She looked at his anxious face behind the white beard and red hat, and gave in without a protest. She’d just have to see Tyler again when he came through the line.

  The giggles of the kids made up for her tiredness. Pirates, ghosts, and witches combined with Disney princesses and video game characters. Quiet thank-yous got lost in shouts of glory over getting a favorite candy.

  “Hey, Raine,” she heard. Chelsea held a young Spiderman’s hand.

  “Hi, Chelsea. And Spidey—have you caught any villains today?”

  The boy grinned and shot imaginary spider webs at her.

  “So this is Oliver?”

  Chelsea nodded. “Yup. And he’s totally awesome, even when he’s not being Spiderman.”

  Raine watched Oliver puff his chest out at his mother’s words. Raine couldn’t think of another time when Chelsea had built someone up with her comments—maybe she had grown up after all.

  Oliver asked Santa why he was there on Halloween, and Raine turned to the next costumed child. Ten minutes later, she cried, “Arrr! It’s Tyler the Pirate! With a mascara mustache tonight!”

  Tyler narrowed his eyes and pointed his sword. “Watch out, or you’ll walk the plank again, matey!”

  “No, not again! Anything you say, Cap’n!”

  Tori rolled her eyes and turned him toward Santa, who had stopped answering “why” and simply Ho-Ho-Hoed as he handed candy out.

  Raine jerked her eyes away from an approaching princess—Brandt had come into the store at a run. He dashed into an aisle and back again, arms full of bagged candy.

  She watched surreptitiously as she greeted children, and he went through checkout. Two days ago, she had told Chelsea there wasn’t anything going on between them. And there wasn’t—there couldn’t be, despite that parking lot kiss. Or the comfort on the bike trail.

  So why, with her well-planned intentions, was her heart was thumping out of her chest?

  She turned back to a little robot in front of her, but Brandt stopped on his way out.

  “Raine! Can you help me?” He looked at Sam, then over to his shop where kids were lining up, then turned back to her with desperate eyes. “I ran out of candy. I had no idea it was like this!”

  Sam handed out more taffies and said, “Go on, Raine, the first rush is over. I can handle this.”

  Raine followed Brandt across the street and through a swarm of parents and costumed kids. He unlocked the door, and she looked around. “Where’s your candy bowl?”

  “Huh? Just the bag.”

  Men. She grabbed a helmet off the rack and poured candy into it. “Here.” She thrust it at him between kids.

  They worked in tandem, Raine commenting on the costumes and Brandt handing out candy. She expected the usual “Trick-or-Treat!” from the kids, but some of the parents surprised her.

 
; “Oh, Raine, you’re helping Brandt—I heard about you two!”

  “Quite the PDA the other day, Raine.”

  “Figured you’d catch one quickly, Brandt.”

  They both retreated into silence amid the rustle of candy wrappers and treat bags. Raine wondered what he was thinking, if he was regretting ever meeting her. Or, like her, remembering the feeling of that parking lot kiss and the time on the trail.

  Chelsea and Oliver showed up, having made their way down the block and up the other side. Chelsea looked between the two of them and frowned.

  Raine knew exactly what she meant. “Friends,” she said pointedly.

  Chelsea nodded, Oliver said thank you, and they moved on.

  Raine glanced at Brandt, who was seriously focusing on the kids. She turned back to them herself, greeting a princess in a fluffy pink dress, but her mind didn’t stay there.

  Did they have to just be friendly competitors? Could there be a way to be something more?

  Chapter 15

  Brandt paused before he pulled into the driveway of his suburban childhood home. It was two-story brick with a tall front porch, and he had memories of scoldings for leaving his bike sprawled on the front grass. He was glad that his parents still lived in it, instead of selling and buying something ostentatious.

  They had updated the interior last year, though, and it still seemed unfamiliar to him. Marble entryway, hardwood through the living area, Italian tile in the kitchen.

  “Brandt, you’re here!” His mother rushed toward him, arms open for a hug. She wasn’t fat, but not lithe either. She felt comfortable and homey and made him feel loved. In Goldilocks’s words, just right.

  “I’m so glad you could come. Did you have a nice drive?”

  He kissed her cheek. “Traffic was the pits coming into Portland, but what’s new? Is Dad home yet?”

  “He just texted. Vaughn and Elizabeth are coming too.”

  Brandt raised his eyebrows. “Big brother is giving up a night of schmoozing for me?”

  His mother laughed. “Well, probably more because it’s Thursday and not a gala weekend anyway. Come on into the kitchen. I’ve got dinner from La Scala.”

  “What? No home cooked meal? I’m crushed!” Brandt splayed his hand on his chest.

  His mother nudged him sideways. “You know I haven’t cooked in years. I’d much rather spend time making my jewelry.”

  “I know, Mom. Didn’t expect anything else.”

  Twenty minutes later, Vaughn and Elizabeth had arrived, and they seated themselves around the table. Brandt’s father poured wine.

  “Quintessa? You know the way to my heart, Dad,” Brandt said. He sipped the rich cabernet sauvignon, savoring the hint of tapenade.

  “Sort of the point of having you here, isn’t it?”

  “One of the perks, anyway. Mostly it was just time to come up again.”

  They talked of Dad’s foray into owning a riverfront apartment complex, a dream he’d had for years, and the exquisite homes Vaughn had been listing lately, not to mention the new construction projects he was managing.

  Over risotto and mushroom ravioli, Mom talked about the thrill of getting her jewelry into a museum store. “Susan Malone from the Country Club introduced me to the buyer, who fell in love with my necklaces.”

  “That’s great, Mom,” Brandt said. “It’s nice to get recognition for your talent.”

  “Well, Vaughn’s talent,” Elizabeth finally spoke up, “is finding just the right properties to list, and just the right buyers to put in them. You should have seen his last one—over in Lake Oswego, a magnificent view of the lake with clean lines and tons of light. You could entertain a hundred people there. Which is what the buyers wanted, of course.” She looked over her wine glass at Brandt, then sipped slowly.

  He watched her, trying to imagine himself with a power-wife like her. He didn’t succeed.

  Dad eyed Brandt speculatively. “You know, you could do the same thing, son. You have a talent for matching people with what they need—you just needed to change the level you’re working at.”

  Brandt shrugged. “I like working with the regular people better. It’s fun to see them get something they didn’t think they could find, instead of clients who are so blasé about it all.”

  “But honey, couldn’t you have kept doing that instead of throwing it all away to fix bicycles?” Mom asked.

  “You know it’s more than that, Mom.”

  “He’s always liked grubbing around, Mom,” Vaughn put in. “Remember when he used to dig to China in your rose bed?

  Dad huffed and ignored his older son. “Real estate gave you a good solid base to launch all your adventures from, Brandt. All those trips to the Grand Caymans and the Alps and those awful red rock things you climbed in Utah. And yet you were still here and involved in the business. I still don’t understand why you had to change everything.”

  Brandt picked at his risotto. “Because I wanted more than once-a-year breaks from all of this. I wanted the outdoors as part of my life, not an occasional adventure.”

  “But your mother misses you.”

  He met his father’s eyes with determination. “And I miss her. And you. But I don’t want—”

  He caught his mother nudging Vaughn, who plastered an smile on his face. “Look, bro, you could be awesome at this. You’re giving up on a talent you have. I’ve got a lot of developments going on, and I could use some help with them.”

  Really? Vaughn wanted him back?

  “Besides,” his brother continued, “it’s not the same without you. You could have everything here and still go biking on weekends.”

  But Elizabeth had stiffened, and Vaughn’s smile never reached his eyes. Brandt lifted his eyebrows. “When was the last time you took two days off?”

  “We just spent a day in Astoria on the Hamilton’s yacht,” Vaughn protested.

  “Right. Hob-nobbing with possible clients, not sailing it yourself.”

  It was Vaughn’s turn to shrug. “That’s what I do. I don’t need to seclude myself halfway up the mountains.”

  “I should hope not!” Elizabeth muttered.

  “No, you’re happy living for work,” Brandt said. “But I’m not you. I don’t want the stress and the ulcers and the artificial life that comes with it.”

  “Boys!” Mom’s no-nonsense voice had both brothers turning to her. “This is a pleasant dinner. There’s no need to be rude. Or question Vaughn’s choices either.”

  “Sorry, Mom,” they said in tandem.

  Elizabeth chimed in. “Vaughn makes perfectly fine choices.” Vaughn shut her down with a glance.

  They talked of other things, and Brandt enjoyed the cinnamon and vanilla panna cotta for dessert. Not something he could get easily in McCormick’s Creek.

  There really was something to be said for his parents’ point of view. There were concerts here, beautiful parks, and a few biking trails not too far away. And a generous salary that would give him money for the quality of wine and food he enjoyed, plus the funds for big trips.

  He closed his eyes and thought of the mountains that overshadowed McCormick’s Creek, the other rivers that ran close by, the hiking and biking and kayaking. And the guys that seemed like brothers now—Javi, Justin, Mick.

  And then there was Raine.

  Independent, stubborn, challenging…did he like her or not? Brandt got muddled when he thought of her, so he turned his musings to his favorite section on Devil’s Run, a careful pass down the rocky slope to hit the flowy section at speed. He could feel the wind in his face, the vibrations under his feet…

  “And Jasmine would like to see you again,” His mom’s voice entered his consciousness.

  Brandt shuddered. On his last date with Jasmine, more than six months ago, she’d clung to him, begged him to take her out partying. And undoubtedly, eventually, she would expect him to marry her. At which time he was sure she would turn into a nagging wife who would probably play around on him.

&
nbsp; An image of Jasmine on Devil’s Hill made him laugh out loud. No way would she have Raine’s guts. She would have laughed in his face at the thought of getting on a bike and spending time in the woods with bugs.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He could only shake his head. He couldn’t tell them he had his eye on someone in McCormick’s Creek when he had no idea if anything could come of it. As much as Raine had courage and determination as well as beauty, she was also fighting him for the money he needed, and his business could fail if she won. He walled off his confusion about her and said, “Just thinking of Jasmine and how she’d fit in McCormick’s Creek.”

  Vaughn raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure she’d rather have you here than there.”

  “Exactly.” Brandt raised his glass and enjoyed another rich sip.

  Elizabeth and Vaughn finally went home, and Brandt went to bed in a newly decorated guest room. No more twin bed and sports trophies from high school—they’d been replaced by generic books and too many peach and navy blue pillows on the matching duvet.

  He woke early, the unfamiliar bed giving him fitful sleep. It felt like a hotel room, and he slipped into his shorts and sweatshirt for a run. Down the street and through the park, pushing himself until all he felt was the rhythm of his legs and the pounding of his pulse. The park was immaculate, full of well-tended grass and shrubs, but the city skyscrapers loomed not far off, and the car exhaust infiltrated his lungs.

  After a shower and breakfast, his father said, “Come on to the office with me, son. I’ll catch you up on what we’re doing.”

  The six mile drive was clogged with as much traffic as Brandt had expected, and the office was as busy as ever. His dad stopped to talk to an agent, so Brandt perused the sales board. A lot of high-value properties were listed, a good number of them waiting for closing. Agents’ names—half again as many as last year—marked in or out, and a dozen or more subdivisions in the works. The property development side had expanded tremendously.

  “Looking pretty good, right?” his father commented, standing close behind him.