Rekindled Dreams (3 page)

“You work in a museum? Do you lead tours or something?”

She dropped her head into her hands. “You didn’t hear a word I just said. This is hopeless.”

Finn’s arm draped over her shoulders, and his body heated her side.

The sensation was delicious, and she wavered. This could work. Maybe they just needed a few question-and-answer sessions first.

“Don’t say that, Vena.” His words tickled her ear. “I need this to work.”

She turned and blinked at his closeness. Better looking than she remembered, his features had matured from boyish and handsome to honed and arresting. Her breath caught in her throat, and her skin tingled with awareness. Agreeing could play havoc with her heart, and the old Vena held back. But this opportunity was a dream come true. The new Vena couldn’t wait to experience Finn’s touch.

“Remember last night? You promised to say yes to anything because I was your hero.” His lips spread into a wide grin.

The cajoling smile demolished any of her reservations. “You’ve always been my hero, Finn. For a while, you’ll also be my fiancé.”

AS SOON AS VENA
said the words, butterflies attacked her stomach and her body surged with nervous energy.
What have I just agreed to?
She jumped up and walked to the refrigerator, pulling open the door. “Did any of those blind dates show up for breakfast?”

Finn slumped into a chair. “No, just lunch and dinner.” He glanced at the red-spotted mushroom clock over the sink. “It’s past ten o’clock. I was
gonna have some casserole.”

Her thoughts galloped to another type of meal—one involving her questing lips and warm, muscled skin and…Maybe she should have opened the freezer door. Faster way to cool off. “Not me. I want to make the cooking done by these mystery women last. Save those for dinner.” She rubbed her hands together. “Besides, I’m dying for a walk. Is Lottie’s Coffee Shop still in business?”

“You’re going out?” He turned in her direction, eyes wide. “Like, on the sidewalks?”

“Yes, Finn.” She walked two fingers across her flat palm. “I plan to walk outside, on public sidewalks, to get breakfast. I can’t snap my fingers and have Lottie’s materialize right here.”

He frowned. “But we don’t have our stories straight. You just pointed out how much there is to learn.”

“Great, join me.” She smiled and swept a hand at the back door. “We can talk on the way.”

He didn’t move. “I need a shower.”

Good, I can get my thoughts unscrambled.
“You have exactly ten minutes. Then adios, I’m out of here.”

“You’re sure not what I expected.” He ran a hand through his hair and hustled out of the room.

Vena walked to the coffeemaker and poured herself a second cup, gaze glued to the doorway Finn walked through. “So glad I’m not.” Enjoying some intimacy with Finn, contrived as it may be, was a priceless opportunity. One she never thought she’d have.

Maybe she’d finally get him out of her system and move past the fantasy.

Or maybe he’d be her fantasy come true. Nick’s face floated through her mind but she shoved it aside. An issue to be dealt with after vacation.

Vena strolled through the house and walked the length of the front porch, feeling the brisk mountain air on her cheeks. Movement helped her burn off the caffeine. The hem of her dress swished at her ankles, and she pulled her cotton shawl tighter around her shoulders. Living in Los Angeles made her forget how beautiful clear skies could be and how much she missed living within sight of the Rockies.

The screen door squeaked. Finn exited, locked the front door, and pocketed the key. Dressed in a crisp, white shirt and dark jeans, he stood in a wide stance and folded back the shirt cuffs.

She stole a glance at her pendant watch. Right on time. “All set? Let’s go.” She strode toward the wooden steps, eager to work off the excitement humming through her body.

“One more thing.” He grabbed her hand. “Do you have a ring we could pass off as your engagement ring?”

“
Oh.”At his unexpected touch, she jerked away her hand. Nick and the ring in her purse.

His gaze clouded. Then he shrugged and shook his head. “I didn’t think past the point of asking for your help.”

She held out both hands and glanced at the assortment of a half-dozen silver rings, focusing on anything except the crazy spike in her heart rate. “What’s appropriate for a pretend engagement? Not my birthstone…not the Celtic knot. Oh, perfect. This one was Nana’s, and she bequeathed it to me.” Slipping it off her right hand, she clasped it in her palm.

“Wait.” Finn touched her arm and slid his hand down to her fingers. He took the ring and slid it on the ring finger of her left hand. “There. If anyone asks if we’re really engaged—and, believe me, in this town, they will—I can say I slipped that ring on your finger.”

Vena’s heart warmed at the sight of his tanned hand placing the ornately carved, silver ring with the diamond chip onto her finger. As if that simple act brought the reality of their situation into focus, she sucked in a breath.
Don’t put too much importance on this. It’s only temporary.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. What will you tell people when I leave?” With surprise rushing her words, she turned and laid a hand on his forearm. “Oh my God, Finnian, what will you tell your parents?”

His hand clasped her elbow, and he guided her down the steps to the sidewalk. “Don’t worry. This is like putting on a costume at Halloween and pretending to be the person you always wished you could be.”

“I’ve always hated Halloween,” she grumbled, enjoying the tingle his fingers created on the sensitive skin of her arm. “What do we need to know about each other?”

“Ah, the stories.” His tone was light. “You’ll be meeting the backers and their wives at a dinner this weekend. We’ll learn the general facts about each other—jobs, music, books, movies, likes and dislikes. You know, the normal first date questions.”

She stifled a snort of disbelief. Maybe he was well practiced at first dates, but her last one was ages ago. “You make that sound easy. We haven’t even talked in a decade, but you expect to present us as a couple? I’m not so—”

“Shh.” He slid an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. “Don’t freak out, just smile.” Speaking through teeth gritted in a comical smile, he tightened his hold and slowed his steps. He leaned forward, his gaze swinging past her, and waved. “Hello, Mr. Tyler. Nice morning, isn’t it, sir?”

Vena turned her head and pasted on a weak smile when all she wanted was to curl into Finn’s warmth. The lean muscles against her side felt so good.

An elderly man sat on his front porch, reading the newspaper. He raised a hand in greeting. “Hello to you, young Quaid. How are Bridget and Phelan?”

“They’re fine. Taking a bit of a vacation.”

“Good for them. Hello, young lady. Have a nice day, you two.”

As they walked together, Vena tried not to notice how well their bodies fit together. His hip grazed her waist, and her head rested against his shoulder. They walked to the next corner and crossed the street. When they stepped up onto the curb, Finn dropped his arm.

She elbowed him in the side. “Should I be offended at not being introduced?” The only way to stay sane was to treat their engagement in a light-hearted way. To get through the next two weeks, they’d both need a good sense of humor.

“Remember, I wanted to stay at The Shamrocks until we had our stories straight.” Shaking his head, he jammed his hands in his pockets. “I debated about whether to remind him who you are, or wait to see if he noticed the ring. And I think that’s the best way. Why make things harder for ourselves by telling everyone we see?”

At the indecision in his voice, Vena laughed. “This is such a bad start. What happened to just ‘putting on a costume’ and pretending?” She glanced at his scowling face and regretted her teasing. This was important for him, and she truly wanted to help. “How about this? We don’t say a word to anyone in town. I’ll switch the ring back until we can act naturally around each other.” Which, in her case, might be never. “But go ahead and tell your business contacts we’re engaged. Will that help?”

Finn’s expression relaxed. “Right, the backers are the important ones. Everything else will fall into place, I know it will.”

“Good, now let me enjoy the scenery.” She slipped her hand through his arm, fought hard not to caress the inside of his elbow, and rested it on his forearm. “Just two old friends walking through the streets of our hometown. Nothing special about that.” Her thoughts contradicted her words. This walk was special; it represented a turning point. She was setting the pace with a man she’d previously only idolized. “Oh, I’ve missed hearing songbirds. Aren’t they glorious?”

Finn’s grumbled answer was unintelligible.

She scanned in every direction, hungry for details she could use at the museum. Not a step was taken that she wasn’t totally aware of the sexy man at her side. But she had to pay attention to the research. The building at the corner of Second and Poplar was still the town’s only hardware store.
Ah, there’s Eula’s beauty parlor right between the butcher shop and the bakery.

Excitement at the small town setting bubbled through her. “Walking down this street is like going back in time. Everything seems exactly the same.” She glanced across the street where an ancient barber’s pole turned sun-bleached stripes of pink and dirty white. “I’ll bet that pole is the same one since I was a little girl. And I can barely read Harry Dawson’s name painted over the door. Don’t you feel comforted knowing what stores we’ll find as we walk down the street?” She threw out an arm to emphasize her point. “This is history, right here in front of us.”

“This is just Dry Creek.” His gaze searched the area, and he shrugged. “Besides, Helena has its share of historic buildings.”

Before crossing the Great Northern railroad tracks, they turned right and pushed open the door of Lottie’s Coffee Shop. Scents of rich coffee and fresh biscuits wafted over them. Even though they’d arrived between meals, half the tables and booths in the restaurant were occupied.

“Head toward the back.” His voice was close to her ear. “There’s an empty booth.” Finn rested his hands on her hips and gave her a nudge.

As she walked the swirled linoleum tiles bordered by red leather booths, she spotted heads turning in their direction. Conversations hushed. Greetings were called out to Finn, and his casual remarks sounded from close behind her. She slid into the upholstered seat facing the kitchen, not ready to acknowledge the patrons’ scrutiny. Now, she better understood Finn’s reaction to the older man on the porch.

This engagement charade would not be easy to pull off with the entire town watching them.

With a final wave across the restaurant, he sat and then turned his smile her way.

Her heart flip-flopped. The man was certainly a charmer, and she wished his attention was more than just pretend. “You are quite popular. Should I be impressed?”

His grin tilted at a cocky angle. “Always.”

The only waitress, a teenage girl with wisps of blond hair clinging to her damp forehead, rushed to clear the dishes. “Coffee for both of you?” She waited for their nods, dropped menus on the table, and then dashed off.

Vena scanned the menu and then closed it. “I hardly ever have French toast, but I’m on vacation and I deserve a treat.”

Finn lowered his menu, eyes shining. “Is that your favorite breakfast?”

“So, now it starts? The lessons?”

“If we want to be convincing, we have to start now.”

The waitress returned with their coffee. “Ready to order?”

Finn laid down his menu and winked across the table. He turned to the young woman.

Vena saw his gaze flick to her name tag and then back to her face.

“Yes, Judy, we’re ready. The lady will have a small orange juice and French toast with syrup on the side. I’ll have the Denver omelet with sourdough toast and a large orange juice. And can you bring us a small pitcher of skim milk for the lady’s coffee?”

“Sure thing.” Judy wrote on her pad, scooped up the menus, and walked away.

Men had ordered for her in the past, so why did Finn’s manner send a thrill through her? “Nice touch, remembering I prefer milk to cream. And what clued you in to requesting the syrup on the side?”

“Something I saw in a movie once. I figured that’s the way everyone from California orders.” He grinned and rested a forearm on the table. “Was that okay?”

“Yeah, but don’t get cocky.” Playing the role of his fiancée could be such fun. “Breakfast is easy. Am I to assume you also ordered your favorite breakfast?”

With a wide smile, he leaned forward. “My favorite breakfast served in public.”

The devilish gleam in his eyes set her nerves tingling. To disguise her reaction, she leaned her forearms on the table and tilted her head. “Let me guess. The other menu contains only finger foods. A beautiful woman feeds you as you lie on a chaise like a Roman emperor.”

Finn threw back his head and laughed. “Good one. The girl I used to know would have blushed beet-red and never dared give such a sassy answer. What have you done with my shy, retiring Elfie?”

“She got tired of being ignored, so I got rid of her.” She reached across the table and clasped his hand, staring intently into his eyes. “Do me a favor and don’t use my old nickname. I am Vena now.”

“Sorry.” Finn sobered and squeezed her hand. “Give me more time to get used to this new Vena Fenton.”

“Okay.” She loosened her grasp and drew her fingernail in a trail along the back of his hand, gazing from under lowered eyelids. “You realize the old Vena would never have agreed to—”

He tensed and pulled away his hand. “Shh.”

“Excuse me, folks, here’s your order.” As she placed their food in front of them, Judy’s gaze was wide and flicked between them. “More coffee?”

She and Finn exchanged conspiratorial glances and nodded.

When Judy left, Finn leaned forward. “We need to be more careful about what we say and do around other people.”

“I can see that. But we still have to study.” She cut off an end of golden toast, dipped it in the small pitcher of syrup, and savored the bite of egg-covered bread. “This is great. Okay, so far this morning, I’ve learned you don’t worry about your cholesterol, you’re
at ease in politician mode, smiling and waving at those you meet, sometimes including a personal comment or two. You used the waitress’ name, which I’m sure endeared you to her forever.”