by Ann DeFee
“What are you guys up to?” he called to the kids, who were playing in the family room.
“Nothing.” Colleen was the first to answer, but Patrick muttered something indecipherable. That wasn’t a good sign.
They were bored, and they were also excited about Christmas, but give a guy a break. Family togetherness could get really old. “Keep it down so Miss Campbell can sleep,” he yelled.
“Okay.” Patrick’s answer was accompanied by a giggle from Colleen.
This had all the earmarks of being a long couple of days!
HONEY WAS COZY AND COMFY snuggled down in the duvet. It couldn’t possibly be time to wake up. But what was that noise? And where was she?
This wasn’t her room at home, and it was too stark to be a ritzy bed-and-breakfast—there wasn’t a Ralph Lauren pillow in sight. Then it came back in a flash—the blizzard, the Santa rescue and, miracle of miracles, her Matt encounter. The racket she heard was children playing downstairs.
Honey rolled over and decided to sneak in a little nap. She was on vacation, so why not? Then she felt a cold nose and opened her eyes—Sweet Pea.
“Whatcha doin’?” Honey reached out to pet the pup and quickly discovered the room was as frigid as an igloo. There was actually frost on the inside of the window.
If she managed to dress without flash-freezing, it would be a wonder. And did she even own anything suitable for a power outage in a nor’ easter? Highly unlikely—Honoria Campbell was not an L.L. Bean kind of girl.
Honey tiptoed across the icy floor in search of the oversize robe Matt had lent her. Crap, being marooned in the Arctic was bad enough, but the worst of it was that most of her clothes were in a suitcase back at the car. God only knew when she’d be able to retrieve them.
She’d stuffed a pair of jeans, a Rhode Island School of Design sweatshirt and a pair of wool socks in her duffel. She wasn’t going to be dressed for success, or glamour or even seduction. But, hey, this was an extraordinary situation.
Last night she’d thought spending time with the De Luca family was wonderful. In the bright light of day, she wasn’t quite so sure, especially considering she still loved Matt. Oh boy, this was a recipe for disaster. If the snow would only stop, she’d be on her way—and sooner rather than later would be preferable.
This odyssey into her ex-husband’s life was so bizarre that even Hollywood wouldn’t believe it. Truth was stranger than fiction.
Sweet Pea thought Honey was playing a game when she made a mad scramble for her clothes. The dog bounced, barked and acted like a goofy golden. Honey had always wanted a dog, but her mother wouldn’t hear of it. And her condominium association had a no-pet policy. What else had she missed during her laserlike pursuit of a career?
Stop that! Second-guessing was not going to solve any of her problems. Honey peeked out the window, hoping to see that the blizzard had subsided. No such luck—the white stuff was coming down with a vengeance, obliterating the landscape.
Halfway down the stairs she was greeted by the cacophony of an active family. Colleen and Patrick were engaged in another bout of sibling rivalry. While it was hard to tell what they were arguing about, she couldn’t miss the words dummy and dipwad. M&M was banging on a drum set, and Sweet Pea had joined in the fun.
Her condo was pristine and quiet, so this type of chaos was unfamiliar. However, it did bring back her childhood dream of being part of a big family. How had life gotten so far off the path she’d once envisioned?
“Hi, Honey.” M&M abandoned her drum, raising her arms to be picked up.
Honey obliged, nuzzling her neck. The child smelled like a tantalizing combination of baby shampoo and talc. What was it about this place that turned her thoughts to home and hearth?
“Are you hungry?” Matt asked, holding up a spatula.
With his rumpled hair, dark stubble and black outfit he was enticingly male. Never mind that he was wearing a frilly apron. Some guys could pull off anything, and Matt De Luca was one of them.
“Yes. Can I help?”
“Nope. I have it handled. The coffee’s on the stove.” He gestured at an old-fashioned percolator. “I think I told you we have the appliances plugged into the generator. We can make do without everything else.”
Honey sniffed. The aroma of fresh-brewed java was inviting. This whole experience was making her feel as if she were on a camping trip. Not that she was an expert on the subject of the great outdoors. Her parents’ idea of roughing it was a three-star hotel without room service.
“French toast?”
“Sure.” Why not? Calories didn’t matter, not when you were in survival mode. And if she could make it through sharing a house with her first love—without jumping his bones—it would be astonishing.
Too bad Matt hadn’t sent any vibes that he was interested in her. Darn it!
“The weather report said the storm might go on for at least another day.” Matt indicated the portable radio on the counter. “Before this is over we’ll probably have more than two feet of new powder.” His expression said it all. They were well and truly stranded. There wasn’t a snowplow invented that could get through that mess.
“Has this happened before?”
“We’ve had blizzards, but nothing this bad. Good thing you’re here, and not out in that.” He nodded at the swirl of white outside the window. “We have everything we need to make it. I just hope the natives don’t get too restless.” The kids were squabbling over who was going to get the Scottie dog in Monopoly.
Honey was glad she’d been able to contact Bitsy—otherwise her friend would’ve eventually had the cops looking for her. Not that anyone was out and about in that weather.
“Come on, guys. Breakfast is ready.”
The family room was warm, the food was delicious and the company delightful, even if Colleen and Patrick were still arguing.
“Mind your manners,” Matt admonished, grabbing the empty plates and placing them in the sink.
“You guys have dish duty.” His command was greeted by a chorus of moans. “Our water heater isn’t on the generator, so we have to heat dishwater on the stove,” Matt explained.
“Does the oven work?” Honey asked.
“Yeah.”
“Do you think the kids and I could make cookies?” Where had that come from? She was so far from being Susie Homemaker it wasn’t even funny. Nevertheless, there were bound to be some recipe books, so it’d be a piece of cake—pun intended.
Their baking was successful thanks to a family effort. Colleen was a much better cook than Honey had expected, and of course, M&M ended up with dough in her hair. Matt and Patrick were marginally helpful, but everyone had a good time, and that was the point, after all. Sweet Pea even contributed to the effort by eating every scrap that fell on the floor.
“This was fun. I’m glad you suggested it,” Matt said.
The cookies were cooling, M&M was finally down for a nap, and the other kids had wandered off. For the first time all day, Honey was alone with Matt.
“Let’s sit down and talk,” he said.
Honey wasn’t sure she was ready for a serious discussion, so she stalled. “How about a cup of coffee?” She held up the percolator.
“Great,” he agreed. He was wearing that grin again.
“Come on. Sit down with me.” He tapped the seat next to him. “We have a lot to discuss.”
Who’d ever heard of a guy who wanted to talk? That kind of thing upset the natural order of the universe—didn’t it?
Honey acquiesced and sat beside him. But, if he wanted to talk, he could start the conversation.
MATT TWINED HIS FINGERS through hers. He didn’t know what had prompted him to suggest a discussion, other than that he was dying to find out if she was involved with anyone. But why would that matter? He was not interested in Honey Campbell. Her father was responsible for sending him to jail. Jail!
Still, he couldn’t resist rubbing sensual little circles on her palm. “Why don’t you start
by telling me what you’ve been doing since high school?”
Damn, he was nervous—but even so, he should’ve been able to come up with something a bit more intelligent. Asking her to synopsize the past fifteen years—talk about lame.
Honey shrugged. “I’ve spent my entire adult life concentrating on my career. I work a lot, but I don’t do much else.”
“Is there someone special waiting for you?”
“No.” She paused before continuing. “I’ve dated, but I haven’t found anyone special. Not since you.”
Matt wasn’t sure how to respond, especially since he felt the same way—and he was desperately fighting that emotion. Experience told him he knew it was a one-way ticket to “Heartbreak Hotel.”
But Honey pressed the issue. “How about you?”
“There’s no one in my life right now. Several years back I was engaged to a nice Italian girl. My mom was happy as a clam.” Matt groaned, thinking about his mother and her unabashed desire for more grandchildren. “My fiancée and I finally figured out we didn’t love each other, so we decided to break up. Now she has four kids and lives next door to her mother.
“Like I told you before, with everything I have going on around here, I haven’t had time for anything other than work and keeping track of the kids. I suppose I’m boring.”
“No, you’re not. You’d never be boring.” Honey decided this was the perfect opportunity to ask the big question. “Do you think we’d still be married if my parents hadn’t butted in?”
Matt shook his head. “I don’t have any idea. What I do know is that I loved you. I would’ve done anything to make it work. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be. Your parents thought you were pregnant, didn’t they?”
“Yes,” Honey said with a grin. “They quickly found out I wasn’t, and that really confused them. Their marriage is based on money and connections, so love is a fairly foreign concept to them. And it galled my mother no end that we got married by a justice of the peace. That, to say the least, isn’t proper deportment for a debutante. She’s really big on formal weddings. Although I suspect that even if we’d had a church wedding, complete with bridesmaids and a champagne reception, she still wouldn’t have approved.”
And that was the understatement of the century.
CHAPTER SIX
The years seemed to melt away when she smiled at him. Had it really been a decade and a half since he’d pledged to love her forever? For Matt, that vow had never gone away—it had merely faded to a persistent ache.
Was he brave enough to put his heart on the line? A smart guy wouldn’t go down that road again. And was this conversation really his idea? No wonder men shied away from the subject of relationships.
“I want to thank you for baking cookies with the kids. This is only their second Christmas without their mother,” he said, abruptly changing the subject.
“It was my pleasure. They’re great.”
Matt’s eyes lit up. “They are, aren’t they?” He was surprised by Honey’s reaction to being trapped in a house full of kids. She seemed to be enjoying herself.
How could that be? Honey was a high-powered businesswoman. She was used to dining in five-star restaurants, not chowing down on grilled cheese sandwiches or baking cookies with a bunch of rug rats.
Did he have a chance with her? That was up for debate, so he switched to a safe topic, the weather.
“The forecasters don’t know when the snow’s going to let up, but it won’t be anytime soon. They say this storm will probably be a record-breaker.” He was curious about her response to that news. It appeared they were destined to have an old-fashioned Christmas—truly old-fashioned—and Honey was going to be part of the celebration, whether she liked it or not.
“At least my friend knows I’m not out in the blizzard,” she said with a frown.
That didn’t sound like unbridled enthusiasm, but at least she was safe. Just the thought of what could have happened sent chills up his spine.
“Thank God someone found you. Where exactly did you leave your car?” The troubled look in her beautiful blue eyes made Matt want to kiss her silly—and that wasn’t going to happen.
“I don’t have a clue,” she said. “I hope the snowplow doesn’t destroy it when they finally get the okay to clear the roads.”
“Me, too.” Matt needed something to do with his hands. “Would you like a cup of tea?” he asked.
“That would be great.”
“I’ll put the kettle on.” He hopped up to put some space between them.
HONEY HID HER SMILE. MATT WAS nervous. Now wasn’t that interesting? “Christmas is in two days. Do you have everything ready for the kids?” She was sure he was on top of things, but if he needed help she was ready, willing and able.
He handed her a steaming cup of Earl Grey. Steeped just enough and with a hint of sugar, it was fixed to perfection.
“This is good,” she said, taking a sip of the fragrant tea. “I can’t believe you remembered how I like it.”
“There isn’t much I’ve forgotten about you.”
She recalled a lot about him, too—his smell, the taste of his skin and the way his hands had memorized her body. Suddenly she had to fan herself. “Do you find it hot in here?”
His grin was pure devilment. Oops—he always had been able to read her mind.
“No. Actually, it’s cold. And back to your question about Christmas—yes, I have it under control. Snow doesn’t stop Santa. I thought you knew that.” He waggled an eyebrow.
“That’s right,” Honey agreed with a giggle. Where had that come from? It’d been years since even a chuckle had slipped her lip.
“The only glitch is that I’m responsible for providing the church’s Christmas tree. I don’t know how I’m going to get it there, not with all this snow.”
“Don’t they have a tree they could use?”
“Their fallback plan is a pink retro monstrosity they have stored in the basement.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. It’s aluminum and even has its own spotlight.”
Honey laughed at the image. “Will the choir be decked out in go-go boots and hot pants?”
Matt laughed, too. “Wouldn’t that be a Christmas to remember? Too bad about the tree, though. I picked out a beautiful balsam last year, and I’ve been pampering it ever since. Not to brag, but I think it’s the perfect tree. Unfortunately, until the roads are passable, it’s going to stay right where it is.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Yep. But I can’t do anything about it.” Matt leaned his chair back on two legs. “Right now I have to go out and feed the horses.”
“Is that safe? You can’t see your hand in front of your face. Won’t you get lost?” Honey had heard stories about people venturing out in blizzards and not being found until spring.
“When I heard the storm was coming, I strung a rope from the barn to the back porch. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” Just thinking about something happening to Matt made her queasy. “If you get hurt, I’ll have to kill you.”
HOT DAMN! SHE WAS WORRIED about him. “Yes, ma’am.” When he touched her arm a spark of electric current almost fried his circuits.
“That’s, uh…” The rest of Honey’s sentence was interrupted by the sound of an argument.
“Uncle Matt, tell Patrick to stay out of my things!” Colleen was clomping down the stairs, accompanied by her brother, who was loudly proclaiming his innocence.
“You two deal with your own problems,” Matt instructed them. “I’m heading out to the barn. If you guys wake up M&M, I won’t be happy.” Much to Honey’s surprise, the combatants went to their separate corners.
“I’ll be back in about an hour.” He ran his finger down the side of her face. “If I’m not, don’t come out to find me. Promise?”
“I PROMISE.” AT BEST IT WAS A reluctant pledge, at worst a total lie. Who was she kidding? Of course she’d search high and low for him. She was besott
ed, she realized—now and forever. So what should she do about it?
“Go on, we’ll be fine. I’ll make some hot chocolate. You can have yours when you get back,” Honey said, knowing her perky smile lacked conviction.
MATT COULDN’T SEE A DAMNED thing. How could something as big as a barn go missing? Sheesh! Thank God he’d had the foresight to string the rope. If he hadn’t, the horses would’ve gotten mighty hungry, and he’d be in real danger of getting lost.
Snow was supposed to be soft, wasn’t it? This stuff felt as if it could scour the skin off his face. It was slow going, but by the grace of God he finally made it to his destination. Getting inside was another story. He’d exhausted every expletive in his repertoire before he managed to shut the barn door behind him.
The horses’ body heat had made the barn warm and cozy. It was one of Matt’s favorite places, so while he fed the grateful creatures and mucked out their stalls, he did some serious thinking.
When he and Honey were kids, they’d been knee-deep in teenage lust. The lust hadn’t gone away, at least not for him. Neither had the love. But now it was tangled up with respect for the woman she’d become. But should he really trust her with his heart?
She’d only been back in his life a day, and already he had some big decisions to make. Could he convince her they had a future? What would the kids think about having Honey in their lives? And the biggest question of all—was she ready for a warp-speed courtship?
HONEY ANXIOUSLY WATCHED Matt disappear into the swirling snow. Concern for him sent her Protestant work ethic into overdrive. She cleaned the kitchen, made the kids a snack and straightened up the family room.
Not only was she worried about Matt’s safety, she was scared stiff that she was falling in love with him all over again. Wait, amend that to she had fallen in love. In addition, the kids had quickly found their way into her heart. What was she going to do? She was smart. She was creative. She’d figure something out. So why was the Green Acres theme song playing in her head?