PERFECT (13 page)

“They’re nice. A
little quirky.”

Tom laughed. “Yup.
That’s how I would describe them. Good hearts.”

“I also meet his
nieces. They’re adorable.”

The tea kettle
whistled. “That they are. Tom has his hands full with them.”

“Well, he’s doing
a great job.” She accepted the cup he slid across the island.

Tom’s right brow
rose slightly. “Sounds like you like the guy.”

“Sure. He’s nice,
but before you start planning our double wedding you should know it’s never
going to happen. Dylan and I discussed our little attraction to each other and
we decided to keep it friendly, for your sake.”

Tom splayed his
hands on his chest. “My sake?”

“Yes.” She
swallowed her sip of tea and nodded. “Neither of us is interested in a
temporary relationship or a long-distance one for that matter, and since we’re
going to see each other on occasions, like at your and Allison’s wedding—”

“Who you are
meeting tomorrow morning,” Tom interrupted her. “We’re having breakfast
together at Armell’s Country Kitchen before Allison starts work.” He pointed a
finger between them.

“Awesome. I can’t
wait.” Her friend’s eyes sparkled just thinking about his new love. She was
very happy for him, and she had to admit a bit jealous. She sat straighter on
the barstool. “Anyway, Dylan and I decided we didn’t want any tension between
us.”

“You talked this
all out?” Tom questioned over the rim of his mug.

“Yes. We did.”

“And you both
agreed?”

She nodded and
then she narrowed her eyes. “Why are you laughing?”

“Because it’s the
biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard.”

“It is not.” She
knew her retort sounded childish, but that was all she had at the moment.

“Do you mean to
sit there and tell me there wasn’t one time today that you wanted to lock lips
with Dylan again, like you did yesterday?”

She hesitated a
moment too long before declaring, “No.” The dozen times she had leaned toward
Dylan, longing to feel his strong arms around her and his soft lips pressed
against hers, had tripped up her tongue. “No,” she said again with more
conviction.

Tom held up two
fingers and intertwined them. “Two
no’s
mean yes.”

She sat her mug
down with a thud. “Thinking Dylan and I are going to get together is
pointless.”

“Why?”

“For one thing, he
lives here and I live a thousand miles away.” She slid off the stool, feeling
the urge to run from the room, but she kept her feet planted and her slowly
heating gaze latched on to Tom’s.

“One of you would
have to move,” he said, cocking and eyebrow.

“What would I do
with Sweet Grass?” She cleared her throat, knowing her pitch had risen. “I mean
really.”

“Sell it. I’ve
been thinking about taking on a partner.”

She blinked.
“What?”

Tom sat his mug in
the sink. “Look, I pretty much spend twenty-four seven at the restaurant. I
don’t know how Allison and I managed to get together in the first place. We’re
both in our thirties. We don’t want to wait. We want to start a family right
away. I don’t want to spend my life missing out on milestone events because of
the place. A few I understand. It happens when you run a business. But all?
No.”

“But you love the
Lone Grist Mill. It’s your dream.”

“It was my dream.
Now my dream is Allison and a family with her. People change. Dreams change,
Darcy.” He came around the bar and took her by the arms. “All I’m saying is if
you really, really like Dylan, give the relationship a chance. If nothing comes
of it, so be it.” He shrugged. “At least you’ll never wonder what if. And if
you fall in love, there will always be a way to work things out.” He kissed her
forehead. “I’m going to bed early for a change. See you in the morning.”

As the stairs
creaked under Tom’s weight, Darcy walked to the bay window overlooking the back
acres of Tom’s property. The pane edges were frosted with tiny crystals. She
really had enjoyed being dressed like a hard-headed cranberry marshmallow and
riding across the open fields behind a guy who made her heart sing. Dreams
change. Could she really let go of Sweet Grass?

Dylan dropped his
gear onto the back porch and shrugged out of his ski patrol jacket. The scent
of pot roast filled his nostrils and immediately his stomach grumbled. It was
nice to come home from work and know he didn’t have to cook dinner.

“Smells great,
Mom.” He entered the kitchen and stopped.

Jillian and Katy
sat at the table with their school books spread out in front of them. Christmas
carols played softly from the radio on the kitchen counter. Darcy stood at the
stove.

She turned around
with a gravy-covered spoon poised a mere inch from her full mouth and smiled.
“Hi.”

His heart did a
somersault.

“What are you
doing here?”

“I stopped by with
a rhubarb custard pie.” She pointed to the counter where a deep-dish pie sat.
“Your dad mentioned last night it was his favorite and Tom actually had some
rhubarb frozen. I had nothing to do today and was kind of bored, so I baked.
When I arrived, your mother asked if I could stay with the girls for an hour
and watch over the dinner she started while she and your dad ran down the
mountain for something.”

“For what?’

“I don’t know
actually. Maybe something to do with Christmas,” she whispered and nodded
toward the girls, who were being very quiet.

Dylan got the picture.
Darcy showed up, they knew what time he would be home, and Mom thought this was
an opportunity to show him what it would be like to come home to a real family
of his own. He got it. He longed for it. But Darcy wasn’t the one. They’d
decided together that a relationship between them was fruitless.

“Right. So,” he
said turning to the girls. Both sets of eyes shot from him to Darcy and back to
him. “Why are the two queens of noise so quiet?”

Darcy placed the
spoon on the caddy and wiped her hands on the filthy apron she wore. “Well,
Lilac asked me to stay for dinner.” Her brows knitted together. “I hope it’s
okay. I said yes.”

“Sure.”

A smile bloomed on
her rose-colored lips. “Thanks. I hate eating alone. Anyway, I told these two
if they do their homework, maybe, after dinner, we’d bake some cookies.” She
crossed over and smoothed a hand over both girls’ hair. “If it’s alright with
you?”

It was definitely
all right by him. When he dropped her off at Tom’s last night, they hadn’t set
a time to see each other again until Saturday when they were all going out to
Mini-Moose Point to cut down the Christmas tree. He had to work today and
tonight the Skype-call with Elizabeth was scheduled. He’d had a long list of
things he needed to ask his sister-in-law and hopefully his brother. He hadn’t
spoken to Bob in nearly a month. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Good.” She went
up on her toes a little.

That attraction
thing they had decided was not going to happen reared up. He could imagine
himself, walking into this scene—with a baby cradled in a bouncy chair—
gathering Darcy into his arms and planting a kiss on her full lips. A sampling
of the dinner to come would be mingled with her sweetness. He could feast on
her alone. Starting with the perfect ears she kept tucking a strand of hair
behind. Then biting his way down her tanned neck and across her bare shoulders
and lower—

He shifted his
stance, feeling the effects below his belt caused by imagining Darcy wearing
nothing but that apron. Naked.

His nieces were
sitting right there. Quickly, he retargeted his thoughts, glanced away from the
gorgeous woman in front of him and cleared the desire from his throat. “I’m
glad they’re getting their homework done. Tonight, at eight, they have their
Skype appointment.”

The girls cheered.
“We get to see Mommy and Daddy.”

“Oh,” Darcy said.
“I didn’t know. Maybe we should do cookies another night.”

“No. We want
cookies,” Jillian started the singsong, tapping her pencil on the tabletop, and
Katy chimed in.

Dylan splayed his
hand toward his nieces. “The queens of noise.”

“Okay,” Darcy,
chuckling, threw her hands up in the air. “I’ll bake a few cookies now, since
you’re busing doing your homework and then if your uncle lets us, we’ll do a
whole baking afternoon later this week.”

“Can we?” His
nieces hopped on their seats.

“I do need someone
to stay with the girls tomorrow night while I work at the lodge, if you’re
free. My sitter’s mother called and Willa has come down with a sore throat.
And, Mom and Dad are planning to go to that town meeting.”

“I’d love to.”

“Great.” He smiled
down at her, mesmerized by her beauty.

The girls cheered
in the background.

At that moment,
Lilac and Gray pushed through the backdoor.

“Well, isn’t this
nice,” Lilac rubbed her hands together.

“What’s that?”
Dylan challenged his mother to spill her guts.

“Having dinner
made for you.” She patted his forearm and crossed over to where Darcy retreated
next to the stove. “It smells wonderful, dear.”

“It sure does,”
Gray responded. “I’m starved. Shopping always does that to me.”

“Gray.” His mother
spun around and shot a glare from his father to the girls and back.

“Oh. You know what
I mean, son?” The older man clamped his shoulder, glancing at the girls.
“Buying oil and gas and man things.” Dad pumped up his arms.

Dylan purposely
creased his forehead. “Yes. Buying tools always gets me hungry too. Girls, are
you almost finished with your homework?”

“I need help with
my math,” Jillian said, wearing a frown.

“Gray, get on
that,” Mom ordered and pointed to the empty seat next to Jillian.

The older man
opened his mouth.

“Don’t waste the
energy,” Dylan cut him off.

“Believe me—after
thirty-six years, I know.”

“Dylan, can you
get the man things your dad bought and put them in our room.”

Jillian jumped
from her chair and put her hands on her slim hips. “We’re not allowed to keep
gas and oil in the house, Grandma.”

“Right, Mom. Good
catch, kid.” He winked at his older niece. I’ll put them out in the shed where
they belong.”

“Then wash up for
dinner,” Lilac ordered.

While finishing
the job of drying the pots and pans for Lilac, Darcy noticed her sides still
felt tender from laughing so hard. Dinner was fun. That was the only word she
could use to describe it. Her family was so dysfunctional. She never remembered
laughing this much at any family gathering.

She did notice
that Dylan had been a little reserved at first, watching her, but apparently
after seeing she thoroughly enjoyed herself and was not at all turned off by
his family’s antics, he loosened up and played the comic partner to his dad or
either of his two nieces.

Until the girls
had been instructed to get bathed and changed into their PJs before the Skype
call with their parents, she hadn’t thought all day about her life and her
problems back home. It wasn’t until Gray asked her about the status of the
situation, that she thought about Sweet Grass, and, surprisingly, for the first
time since the fire, she hadn’t felt like bursting into tears. Dylan and his
family had everything to do with that. They made her feel welcomed, and happy.

She finished
drying the last pot and stored it away when Dylan entered the kitchen, looking
all so yummy in a gray Henley thermo-shirt, faded jeans and wool-stocking feet.
His presence made the warm room that much cozier.

“You didn’t have
to do the dishes. I could’ve done them after the girls went to bed. That’s when
I normally get them done— when I’m not working. My sitter, Willa, usually does
them the nights when she’s watching the girls.”

“I didn’t mind,
really.” She hung the tea-towel over the oven’s door handle. “Willa is a pretty
name. It’s good you have someone like her to help you out.”

He leaned against
the counter. “For now. She’s a senior and plans to head off to college next
fall. So she’ll watch the girls during the summer, if Mom and Dad are traveling.”

“Wouldn’t your
brother and sister-in-law be back by then?”

He shrugged. “We
have no idea. I hope so, but you know how these situations are. I read or watch
the news every day and get so sick thinking my brother and Elizabeth are near
the hot spots.”

His hand rested on
the countertop and she reached out and covered it with her own. Her skin felt
cool against his, even though she’d just had them in hot water. “They’ll be
fine.” She looked up, reassuring him.

 “I keep telling
myself that.” His gaze burned a trail over her face. His chest expanded as he
drew in a deep breath and slowly he pulled his hand out from under hers and
stuffed both hands into his jean pockets. “I appreciate you watching the girls
for me tomorrow night.”