by Jennae Vale
“We’ve no way to pay ye.” Conall looked as grumpy today as he did yesterday as far as Amy could tell.
“I could use some help here in the shop. I’ve got lots of boxes to unload. I’ll pay you in clothing. How does that sound?”
“Verra good.” Gavin, at least, seemed pleased as he nudged his brother.
“Aye. Verra good.” Conall’s words were barely audible.
Amy turned and started walking to the back of the store. “Follow me.” She stopped in front of the men’s jackets and, after sizing up Gavin, pulled out a dark green wool jacket with a quilted flannel lining. “Try this one on.”
He removed his ratty old one and dropped it on the floor before taking the jacket she offered.
“Wow! You look amazing!” Did she just say that? “I mean it fits perfectly.” The jacket seemed to have been made for him. The color turned his hazel eyes a soft green, and the fit highlighted his lean frame. She grabbed a black jacket similar to the green one. “Conall, you try this one.”
Amy handed him the jacket without looking his way. She was mesmerized by Gavin, who seemed more than pleased with his new jacket. He was looking incredibly touchable. Heat rose from her midsection as she suppressed the urge to run her hand down his chest.
She picked up two warm sweaters, some flannel shirts and then moved to the pants racks. “What size pants do you wear?”
Two blank stares answered her question. “Okay, so you don’t know. Let me get my measuring tape.”
Amy did a quick measure of Conall’s waist and inseam. He seemed quite uncomfortable with her being that close. She awkwardly put her arms around his waist while he reached his arms up in the air. It was obvious to her that he wasn’t enjoying this and to be truthful, neither was she. She got a waist size as fast as possible. The inseam had them both squirming and before she could get a measurement she gave up in favor of a guesstimate. Gavin, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it as much as she did and she found herself blushing as she got the waist measurement while he held her shoulders with his hands. She knelt to get the inseam, but Gavin interrupted her efforts.
“Ye’d best no’ do that, lass,” he said, offering her his hand so she could stand.
“Oh…” Amy couldn’t help but notice the bulge that appeared before her eyes before she hopped to her feet. “Sorry.”
Gavin chuckled as Amy shoved the clothes she’d set aside into his arms.
“Ross, could you help them with the fitting rooms, please?”
Ross stood and walked back to the two curtained cubicles and motioned for them to enter. “Ye can try those on in here. If they fit, keep ‘em on.”
Amy fanned herself and let out a long, slow breath. The pheromones are strong with this one. She was so attracted to Gavin it was all she could do not to throw herself at him in front of Ross and Conall.
Standing by the front door, she looked across the square at Avery’s inn. “When you’re done here, you should go say hello to Avery across the street,” she called, keeping her gaze on the inn. Avery needed a man in her life and if she knew nothing else, it was that Avery Winters was attracted to Conall MacLure. Amy was pretty sure that a little nudge in that direction was all it would take to get them together. She looked back over her shoulder and was surprised to see all three men waiting for her. “Looks like everything fit. Let me get the price tags off and I’ll figure out how much time you’ll have to work to pay for everything.”
Amy totaled everything up while they waited and was tempted to add some time onto Gavin’s bill, but thought better of it. That wouldn’t be right. “Maybe you could help out in the stockroom this afternoon for a few hours and then tomorrow, too. That should cover everything.”
“I’ll bring them back later then,” Ross said.
Gavin smiled brightly in her direction while Conall merely grumbled his thanks and headed out the door.
Amy’s lips parted and a deep, sultry, “See you later,” emerged. She locked eyes with Gavin as a slow smile spread across her face. Once the door had closed behind them, Amy let out the breath she’d been holding. She hadn’t ever felt this way about a man and it was playing with her ability to maintain control around him. She hoped there was more to this than mere physical chemistry. There was for her. She hoped Gavin felt the same.
Chapter 4
Avery Winters stepped outside of her inn. The sidewalk had been shoveled by a local teen that she paid to do the job.
“Impressive,” she said, handing him an envelope with his pay.
“Thank you,” the gangly teen said.
“I’ll see you next time we have a storm.” She shielded her eyes from the bright sun shining on the white snow.
“That’ll be soon. There’s another storm coming in tomorrow.” He tucked his shovel under his arm, gave her a salute and wandered off down the street to shovel in front of the hardware store.
Avery glanced across the square to the ski shop, wondering if Amy was able to go for coffee. She was surprised to see Ross leaving with Conall and Gavin, who spotted her. He stopped and said something to Conall and Ross. They all immediately headed her way. She thought for a moment she might just run back inside, pretending she hadn’t seen them, but it was obvious she already had. She wrapped her arms around herself. It was chilly this morning and she’d come out without a coat.
“Hi, Ross. What are you doing out so early this morning?” she asked, through chattering teeth.
“These two needed appropriate clothing. How are ye?”
“Fine. Just making sure Ronny got the sidewalk shoveled for me. Where are you off to next?” She snuck a peek at Conall, who seemed to be staring at her and therefore caught her looking. He was definitely the sexy, brooding type.
“To the bookstore and then the bakery. Ye should join us.”
“Oh, I can’t. I’ve got things to do here at the inn.” A breeze blew her hair into her eyes and she brushed it away with a swat of her hand.
“They’re planning for the wedding today. Are ye no’ part of that?” Ross tipped his head, giving the impression that he was unsure of the answer.
“I am.” She checked her watch. “Oh, look at the time! I’m glad you said something. I’m supposed to be over there now.” She’d been so busy checking guests out of the inn this morning and making sure the sidewalk was shoveled that she’d lost track of time. “I really should go. It’s freezing out here and I need to get my jacket.”
“Mayhap we’ll see ye there.” Ross turned down the street and began walking away.
Avery gave a small wave goodbye as Conall and Gavin joined him. She was out of practice when it came to men and flirting, or men and anything at all. All of the eligible bachelors in Delight had been scooped up, including Justin who had moved to town last winter. He worked at the hardware store and had been her snow shoveler of choice when he’d first arrived, but nothing ever came of it and before long, an old girlfriend arrived in town and they were living together. It had been a sign from above that she should just focus on her inn and her friends and give up hope of finding a man any time soon.
The men were almost at the bookshop now and she was still watching them. Another breeze had her shivering from the cold and she hurried back inside to get her things. She wasn’t expecting any new visitors to the inn until the next day, so she had some free time to help with Crystal and Payton’s wedding plans. Truth be told, she was also looking forward to seeing Conall again.
“Does Avery work at the inn?” Conall turned up the collar of his new jacket to keep the biting cold from his ears.
“She owns it,” Ross replied.
“With her husband?”
“No. Her husband is deceased.”
“She’s a woman of wealth then.”
“Ye could say that. I doona really know much about that kind of thing. She’s a good woman and a good friend.”
Conall liked the sound of that. A good woman. He already had the feeling that she was. Seeing her this morning shivering in th
e cold as they spoke, he’d taken a good look at her. Not that he hadn’t already, but this time he noticed some things he’d missed. She was no young thing. He was five and forty and he guessed she was a bit younger than he was, a woman full grown. She had a soft, sweet face with blue, blue eyes and hair the color of golden honey that she constantly swept from her face. He liked the look of her and he liked that she seemed curious about him. He’d caught her as her eyes flicked in his direction more than once as she spoke with Ross. Conall thought he’d like to get to know her better, but he wouldn’t have time. Once they had located the Fletcher brothers, it was back to Scotland with all of them.
“This is Cassie’s bookshop.” Ross opened the door and warm air greeted them as they made their way inside. “Good morn to ye,” he said to the young lass behind the counter.
“Cassie’s not here.” She looked up from a thick book she was reading.
“I ken it. We all arrived in town together this morning. She’s next door at Rose’s bakery.”
The girl’s mouth made a snapping noise as she chewed and chewed on something.
“This is Gavin and Conall.” Ross pointed to each of them in turn.
“Hi,” she said before turning her attention back to her book.
“Did the boxes arrive?” he asked the girl.
“They’re in the back.” She never even glanced up from reading.
“’Tis a good book yer readin?” Gavin asked.
Her head lifted and she appeared irritated with the question. “Only if you’re interested in the history of the continent.” She made a face that told him she wasn’t.
Ross headed toward the back of the shop. Conall gave Gavin a shove.
“Sorry,” Gavin said, seeming mesmerized by the young lass with the book. “She’s an odd one,” he whispered to Conall.
Conall shooed him forward with his hand. They found Ross in a back room that was filled with boxes. Not wooden boxes, but boxes made from a thick papery material he’d never seen before.
“Ye can help me unload these and stack them over here.” Ross indicated a nearby table. “Separate the books into stacks by title. Doona mix them up.”
Conall lifted a box from one of the stacks and placed it by the table.
“Here. Ye’ll need this.” Ross handed each of them an item and showed them how it worked. “’Tis a box cutter. Be careful with it. The blade is sharp.”
“‘Twould be good in a fight,” Conall said, examining it carefully.
“’Twould be, but ’tis no’ what it’s meant for.”
They went to work opening each box and removing the contents and before long the table was completely filled with books. The covers were a thing of beauty. No plain leather-bound books here. These covers were all made with paper.
Ross picked up one of the books and held it up. “They’re called paperbacks.”
Gavin hadn’t said a word as they’d gone through the boxes. Occasionally he’d hold one up, shake his head and put it back on the table.
Conall knew exactly what he was thinking. Many of the books in the last box he’d opened contained books with covers of half-naked men wearing kilts and holding swords.
Ross must have read their expressions. “I ken what yer seeing. The first time I saw these books I was surprised. Cassie explained to me that they were romance books and that women of this time like a man in a kilt. We’ve made the town a prosperous place once again by playing the part.”
“How can ye play the part? Ye are who ye are.” Conall was puzzled by this.
“We promote the town as a Scottish village filled with Highlanders. It draws a lot of visitors who stay at the inn or the ranch and buy things in all of our shops. At first it was only me, but then Bear, Payton and Kade arrived, much as ye have, and they all help out as much as possible.”
At the sound of Bear’s name, Conall gave a sideways look to Gavin. “How so?”
“We have annual events like a Winter Festival, summer races, Highland games.” Ross placed a stack of books on the table as he spoke.
“Highland games?” Gavin seemed fascinated by everything he was learning about this town.
Ross cracked open another box filled with books. “Aye. A few months ago. ’Twas good fun.”
Conall exchanged puzzled looks with Gavin.
“Ye’ll see.” Ross grabbed a stack of books and indicated they should do the same. “We’ll put these on the racks and then go to the bakery to join Cassie and the others.”
Conall elbowed Gavin. He hoped at least one of the Fletcher brothers would be there. He wasn’t sure how they were going to handle the situation. Willingly or unwillingly, they couldn’t expect to take them in the midst of a crowd of those who knew them. They’d have to wait, but for now they could at least lay eyes on them.
The bakery was humming with the excited voices of those planning the wedding.
“Did I miss anything?” Avery asked as she entered Rose’s Bakery. This was the third wedding they’d planned this year, but it was still just as much fun, especially with this group.
“Not much. We’re just finishing up plans for the ceremony and we’re about to talk about the reception.” Crystal Stone was beaming as one would expect from the bride-to-be.
“You must be so excited. The wedding’s almost here.” Avery leaned down to Crystal’s chair and gave her a hug.
“I’m over the moon excited, but I’ve been busy with my new shop and with Hannah.” Crystal became very quiet for a moment. She latched onto Avery’s hand and closed her eyes. “There’s someone here for you.” Her voice sounded soft and dreamy.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Avery was uncomfortable with Crystal’s psychic abilities.
“I’m seeing someone who’s traveled a long, long way to get here. You two were meant to be.”
Avery blushed. She never enjoyed being the center of attention and now every one of her friends was eyeing her with various expressions ranging from happy to surprised. “Oh, I don’t know about that,” she stammered.
“I do. You’ll see. Just wait.” Crystal turned back to the others.
“Okay. If you say so.” Could she be talking about Conall? Avery viewed Crystal’s words with a good deal of skepticism, but at the same time she felt those butterflies Amy was always talking about.
The bell above the door tinkled and Ross came in followed by Conall and Gavin. “We’ve arrived, ladies. Ye can all relax now. We’re here to help.” He chuckled.
The small bakery was becoming overcrowded now that these three big men had entered. Avery and Cassie were familiar with the two newcomers, but the other women all stopped what they were doing and openly gaped.
Crystal jabbed Avery with her elbow. “Who’s this?”
“This is Conall and Gavin,” Cassie said, introducing them. “They arrived yesterday. It seems they found Avery and Amy broken down on the road and gave them a lift to the ranch. They needed a place to stay, so we’ve hooked them up with one of our cabins.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rose said, from behind the counter. “Can I get you something to eat? I’ve got some scones and I could make you some tea.”
Avery smiled. Rose’s answer to almost everything was a good scone and a cup of tea.
“Thank ye.” Gavin walked toward the bakery case and stood staring at all of the goodies lining the shelves. “It smells so good in here.”
“Nothing like the smell of sugar and bread,” Rose replied heading back behind the counter. “You can have whatever you like. I won’t limit you to scones.”
“Did you get everything done at the shop?” Cassie asked, catching Ross’s eye.
“Aye. These two are a great help. They’ll be helping Amy this afternoon.” Ross clapped Conall on the back.
Avery couldn’t help but notice how tall and broad-shouldered Conall was as he stood beside Ross. Darn those butterflies!
“I see you’ve got some warmer clothes on.” Cassie nodded approvingly.
“They look
good,” Avery said, forcing herself to get in on the conversation. “Amy has impeccable taste.”
“She does. You both look so handsome now. Not that you didn’t before, but now you look more up-to-date and warm as well.” Cassie helped herself to more tea from the large pot on the table in front of her.
"I thought Amy would be joining us,” Crystal said.
Avery took a seat from another table and squeezed in with her friends. “She’ll be here in a bit. She was waiting on Sue to come in, I think.”
“Sue’s out of town,” Cassie reminded her.
“That’s right, I forgot. Maybe one of the kids from the high school is going to relieve her.” There was a group of teens who made themselves available to all of the businesses in town when needed.
Another ring of the bell and Kirsten walked in. “Brrr…it’s getting breezy out there. Hi, everyone.”
“Hi, Kirsten. Where’s Bear?” Crystal asked.
“He’s over at the pub with Payton and Kade. He said something about letting us ladies handle the wedding plans.” She pulled up a seat and plunked herself down next to Crystal, giving her a hug and setting her purse and gloves down on the floor beside her.
“That’s probably for the best,” Rose said. She was putting together a plate of goodies for Gavin, Conall and Ross. “You boys come sit over here.” She motioned to a table set in the corner, close to the kitchen and away from the wedding planning.
Avery smiled when she realized what Rose was up to. The men would only be a distraction and keeping them at a distance would be very helpful to the wedding planners. “Maybe when you’re done eating you can go across and join the Fletchers.”
“I believe we will.” Ross sipped his tea. “Delicious, Rose.”
“It’s your favorite blend,” Rose replied.
“What do ye think, lads?” he glanced at Conall and Gavin.
“Verra good,” Gavin said, stuffing him mouth with what was left of a cinnamon roll.
“You’re going to be on a sugar high all afternoon,” Avery noted with a laugh.