Runaway Groom (21 page)

She’d told him Keith was a keen train enthusiast and that he had a mile of 7 ½-inch gauge miniature railway track in his field and every year he turned it into a pumpkin patch. She’d said all the local kids loved it and Lily would too. Scott had found himself inviting her to come along.

It was the third time he’d invited her on one of his and Lily’s outings and just like at the party, Melissa had been relaxed with Lily without talking down to her. Today, on the train, although Lily had snuggled up with him in her loving way as they’d chugged to the pumpkin patch, she’d wanted to sit next to Melissa on the way back and he’d been left sitting behind them holding the pumpkin.

Not that she’d snuggled in with Melissa but she’d laughed. With her face shining, she’d giggled at something Melissa had said and watching Lily had filled him with a combination of absolute happiness tinged with regret. He couldn’t work out if the regret was to do with the fact Lily didn’t have a mother in her life or if he was finding it hard to share her with another person. They’d been a team of two for so long and seeing her laugh like that had unsettled him. He’d spent so many years focusing on just getting through one day at a time—learning how to be a dad to Lily, dealing with her health scares, managing all her therapies and protecting her from hurt—that he’d never entertained the possibility of settling down again. Never expected to find someone who might love Lily as much as he did.

The drive home was filled with off-key singing that made him and his perfect pitch shudder, but made him smile anyway. When they arrived back at the house and Lily had chosen exactly where on the stoop to put the pumpkin, he invited Melissa in for some spiced coffee to round out the fall afternoon.

“Would you mind if I gave Lily a present?” Melissa asked while they waited for the coffee to brew.

The question surprised him. “Um, I guess that depends what it is. What did you have in mind?”

She pulled a package out of a tote bag. “It’s a dress.”

A ripple of impatience washed through him. “We’re not all slaves to fashion, Melissa. Thanks anyway, but she doesn’t need a dress.”

“Yes, she does,” Melissa said firmly. “You’re a fantastic father, Scott, but you’re dressing Lily like a boy.”

“No, I’m not.” His voice sounded unusually loud and defensive. “She’s got jeans with pink on them.”

Melissa tilted her head, her smooth bob moving to brush her chin. “She has practical clothes and I get it. They’re easy to wash and they don’t need ironing but she needs a pretty dress or two and ribbons in her hair.”

“Ribbons? Jeez, Melissa, I’ve got more to worry about every day than damn ribbons in her hair.”

Her face filled with understanding but her gaze was determined. “How about we let Lily decide if she wants the dress or not?”

“She’s five and with the intellectual abilities of a three-year-old.”

“She’s a little girl first,” she said quietly.

Her words hit him hard in the solar plexus, making it hard to breathe and he crossed the kitchen so he could see Lily who was dancing to a DVD. She wore a hand-knitted sweater that his mom had sent her and jeans. With her short, easy-to-manage hair, it was hard to tell at first glance if she was a boy or a girl.

Nausea rolled his stomach. He’d spent five years fighting for his daughter to have the same opportunities as every other child. Was he culpable of the same sin he accused others of? Of seeing the Down syndrome first and the person second?

Hell no!
He knew he wasn’t but Melissa was right. He was dressing Lily androgynously and, truth be told, far more boy than girl.

He turned back to Melissa, running a hand through his hair. “I guess I feel uncomfortable with all that girly stuff so I’ve avoided it.”

“Well, you are a guy,” she said, smiling at him indulgently. “But you have a lot of great qualities so don’t beat yourself up. I’m happy to give you little-girl fashion tips.”

“How do I even tie a ribbon?” he asked, bewildered by the thought.

“I’ll show you,” she said, laughing. “I suggest you practice on a doll before you try it out on a squirming Lily.”

His heart swelled with something so much more than gratitude and appreciation that it took him a moment before he recognized it.

He was falling in love with her.

He waited for the thought to scare him rigid but it didn’t. It was warm and soft and wonderful. He reached for her, pulling her into him, loving the way she fitted against him and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re the most surprising woman, Miffy.”

She cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. “Only Lily’s allowed to call me that.”

He grinned down at her. “You’re nothing like the person I took you for the day I met you.”

Her eyes flickered with something unreadable. “Neither are you.”

Chapter Eighteen

Ben walked around Red three times, squeezing his injured shoulder as he went. Since Todd had ridden Red, she’d been garaged at the house and he tinkered with her constantly but he hadn’t taken her out for a spin. He was into his third week since the accident and he’d managed to drive automatic cars without any drama. Mind you, they had power steering and the roads out here were pretty straight. Red lacked the gentle touch on the body that a modern bike had, and as much as he wanted to ride her, he didn’t want to skid into an embankment at the first bend because his shoulder gave out.

“Ben!”

He turned to see Amy jogging over the gravel wearing jeans and a jacket, with a pretty scarf around her neck. Her legs looked good. Not that they hadn’t looked good when he’d first met her but the running had toned them up. He wanted to tell her that but it was dangerous territory. A bit like the question,
does my bum look big in this?
There was no right answer whichever way you came at it. He wished she could see herself through his eyes.

She arrived next to him, eyes sparkling and pink cheeked from the chill in the air. “So this is Red?”

“This is Red. Red, meet Red.”

She shot him a look. “You’ve never called me Red.”

“I do all the time in my head. It’s what I call my two favorite girls.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks got pinker. “I’ve never had a nickname before.”

She was a conundrum to him. Naive in so many ways and worldly in others. He couldn’t work her out.

“You’re not planning on riding her, are you?” she asked, her tone bossy-lawyer-esque.

“I was thinking about it.”

Her brows rose. “Like me, she looks heavy.”

“Jeez, Amy, you’re not heavy.” She winced at his sharp tone and he sucked in a steadying breath. “You’re healthy. There’s a difference and you have to start seeing that or you’re never going to be happy.”

He expected her to decry his statement but she gave him a wry smile. “I hate the fact that the exercise is working.”

Now he really didn’t understand her. “Why?”

“Because it means you were right and I’ve got no excuses not to do it.”

He put his arm around her waist. “I was right? Can you text me that so I have it on my phone to show everyone?”

Instead of telling him where to get off, she spun abruptly out of his arms and drew circles in the gravel with her shoe. “So tomorrow’s the Holzworth wedding and I’m on duty until after the photos so I was thinking maybe we could do something today. Like a fall picnic or go fishing?”

He liked the sound of that. “Good idea. Should we invite your parents seeing as they’re leaving on Sunday?”

The sound of car tires on gravel made them both look up. Amy made a sound at the back of her throat that was half squeal and half groan. Before he could ask, two cars had come to a halt and doors opened.

“Amy!”

Three women rushed toward her, arms wide open.

Amy managed a strangled, “Hi,” before receiving and giving hugs.

Meanwhile, three guys were getting out of the cars and unbuckling children from car seats.

Todd and Lisa ran from the house, their faces wreathed in smiles. “Girls, you made it,” Lisa said, hugging each one in turn.

All three women had long, straight brown hair with blond streaks and trim up and down bodies that lacked Amy’s lush curves. Close in age, they could have passed for triplets and all of them looked like younger versions of Lisa. None of them looked anything like Amy.

“How was the drive up, Cindy?” Todd asked.

“Long. Traveling with a baby is hard work. Holy crap, look at the size of this place.”

Amy’s throat was working and her large, gray eyes were the size of saucers, filled with a mixture of pleasure and dread. “What are you all doing up here?”

“Mom invited us.”

“Mom?” Amy swung her gaze to Lisa. “Why did you do this without mentioning it to me?”

“Don’t go all lawyer interrogation style,” Cindy said with a smile. “Relax, you’re on vacation.”

Lisa took the baby from one of her sons-in-law and bounced him in her arms. “I didn’t mention it because you have that wedding tomorrow and I thought you’d say no. I didn’t think that was enough of a reason not to take advantage of having us all here together for the weekend and besides,” Lisa hooked Amy with a look, “can you promise me you’ll be home for Thanksgiving?”

Ben watched Amy squirm and for the thousandth time, he wished she’d tell her family about her lack of a job.

“I promise to try, Mom.”

“Wow, Amy,” said another sister as a toddler pulled at her dress. “And this is your boss’s house? I guess it might make up for all those crazy hours you work. Man, I probably should have finished graduate school.”

One of the men slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her indulgently. “Heidi, you’d have hated working for a corporation.”

She picked up the toddler. “True. I just need more people to buy my nursing blouses so we can have a house like this.”

“You look different, Ames,” said the third sister who looked slightly younger than the others. “Good different, I mean. I like that scarf.”

“Thanks, Sally,” Amy said weakly. “Hi, Corey, Zac, Dan.”

“Hey, Amy.” Her brothers-in-law all gave a wave as they unloaded bags from the trunk.

“Does it have an indoor pool?” Heidi asked hopefully.

Amy, who’d lurched from indignant to passively accepting, seemed at a loss so Ben said, “No, but it does have a large spa.”

Six sets of questioning eyes suddenly swung toward him. He imagined he felt much the same as a kangaroo might when caught in the glare of a truck’s headlights.

“Who are you?” Sally asked, her brown eyes full of intrigue.

“This is Ben,” Amy said quietly.

“You’re Ben?” Cindy said on a rising inflection as she exchanged a look with Heidi and Lisa.

Something made Ben sling his arm around Amy’s shoulders as if she needed protecting. “That’s me.”

“You’re not quite who we were expecting,” Heidi said.

“Sorry about that. What you see is what you get,” Ben said, feeling the unintended insult from Heidi was more directed at Amy than at him.

“No wonder you’re taking vacation,” squealed Sally, punching Amy in the arm.

Amy’s cheeks went from pale pink to fire-engine-red in two-tenths of a second.

“Come inside, everyone,” Lisa instructed firmly as if her maternal instincts had just kicked in and she realized that Amy was under intense sister scrutiny. “Todd will give you a tour.”

“Hell, is that a vintage Harley?” Corey asked on seeing Red.

“Ben’s a biker,” Amy said firmly as if she’d just found her feet, “and that’s Red. She’s a 1957 Hydra-Glide.”

That’s my girl.
He gave the top of her arm a squeeze, not quite able to believe she’d actually remembered.

As everyone walked inside ahead of them, Amy held back. “Ben, I’m so sorry about this. My mom has this thing about having the four of us under the same roof whenever she can manage it. I’ve missed a few gatherings recently what with Jon—work and stuff and I guess she saw an opportunity and took it.”

He thought about his own family and how his mother probably would have done a similar thing given the opportunity. “No worries. It’s just a couple of days.”

She bit her knuckle. “I love my sisters but they can be pretty intense when they’re in the same space.”

“Amy,” Sally called from the veranda. “Stop hogging that Aussie hunk and bring him inside so we can grill him Sagar-sister style.”

Amy dropped her head onto his shoulder. “Oh, God, I’m sorry. It’s just they’re not used to seeing me with a...”

He heard the hesitation in her voice and he wrapped his arms around her. “Lover?”

She groaned. “It’s more like they’re not used to seeing me with a guy, period. I’m Amy the workaholic, the single sister, the one they love, envy and pity all at the same time. They’ve never seen me with a lover.”

“Well, they’re going to today. Let’s go show your sisters you’re not a woman to be pitied.”

“It’s going to involve soccer and board games.”

“I can do that.”

Her gray eyes filled with gratitude. “How come you’re so nice?”

The question made him wonder yet again about this guy Jonathon who he’d already tagged as a jerk. “You make it easy.”

Her shocked expression said she didn’t believe him and he really wished she would. When she’d resolutely told him she was a good lawyer, her self-confidence had sung but it seemed outside of her job, she didn’t recognize what she had to offer. It was like there was this needy little girl inside the competent woman.

Not knowing how else to show her, he leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth and then walked her into the house and in front of Cindy, Heidi and Sally, he kissed her again.

They cheered.

She blushed.

Todd and Lisa frowned.

* * *

Amy stepped into the well-lit Weddings That Wow’s warehouse and watched Ben putting the gleaming, vintage 1930s Rolls-Royce to bed. The Holzworth wedding reception was now in full swing and both of them were off the clock.

She couldn’t believe how sexy he looked in the period chauffeur’s uniform and the now-familiar rush filled her. There was definitely something about those brass buttons and a man in a hat. “How you doing?”

He looked up with a smile. “Good.”

She walked over to him. “Sure?”

“Yes.” The word came out flatter than usual and there was a definite edge to his voice.

She’d been surprised he’d agreed to work the wedding but when she’d questioned him earlier, he’d said Al needed a hand and he was helping out by driving the bridesmaids. Part of her had been secretly relieved that he’d agreed to do it. She hoped it meant he was getting over his own wedding experience. That he was moving beyond the legacy of Lexie. She could forgive the unknown woman her confusion about her sexuality, just not the way Ben had become collateral damage.

She thought about today’s bride—the smiling Janey. Swathed in swirling organza with a train streaming out behind her, she’d looked radiant and blissfully happy as she’d stepped out of the church with her newly minted husband on her arm. When Amy had seen her, she’d got a hitch in her chest—a combination of happiness overlaid with pride and a slight disbelief that she’d created the beautiful gown.

“How do you think it all went, Ben?”

He pulled a rag out of his pocket and rubbed at a smudge. “She ran pretty smoothly but there’s a knocking noise that needs checking out.”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “I wasn’t talking about the car. I meant the wedding gown.”

His green eyes studied her. “Are you pleased with the way it turned out?”

“Thrilled.”

“Then that’s what matters.” He moved away and polished the fender.

Disappointment slugged her.

Seriously
,
what did you expect him to say?
Great stitching
,
Amy?
Even if he hadn’t been jilted at his own wedding
,
he’s a straight guy so he’s not going to notice the art of a wedding gown.

She hated that she’d wanted some approbation from him, especially given that her mother and sisters had been so complimentary and Janey and Melissa had been thrilled. She quickly changed the subject. “I heard the bridesmaids doing some pretty outrageous flirting with you.”

He grinned. “Too much champagne.”

She stepped in close, wanting to take his mind off weddings and for that matter, bold and forward bridesmaids who’d looked stunning compared to her in her utilitarian black business suit. Battling the blush she could feel rising, she said, “I think all the flirting might have something to do with this uniform.”

He leaned against the car, taking her with him. “Is that so?”

She loved the gentle way he held her at the waist. Ben had only ever been caring and she trusted him implicitly. “Hmm, it may be. In fact, I might just have to live out my fantasy of the rich girl seducing the chauffeur.”

“Now there’s an idea.” He grinned down at her. “After all, there’s a lot of room in the back of the Rolls.”

A thrill shot through her and she lost the battle to hold back the blush, feeling her cheeks blaze hot.

He laughed and kissed her tenderly. “You almost did it. Good job, though, on telling me your sexual fantasies. Next level is sexting.”

Her mouth dried. “I don’t think so.”

He tilted his head. “It might be fun.”

That’s what Jonathon said.
“I just graduated to fantasies, Ben. Don’t rush me.”

He raised his brows at the snappish tone in her voice and panic set in, rippling through her in waves that he was going to push it.

Instead he wound one of her curls around his finger. “So back to this rich-girl fantasy. Does it start with her finding the chauffeur at the end of his shift?”

She slid his hat off his head and ran her fingers through his thick hair. “As the chauffeur, you’re totally at my disposal.”

“Yes, miss.”

She undid the buttons and slid the jacket off his shoulders. “Open the door for me, Armytage.”

He opened it with a flourish and then stood to attention, his knee-high boots shining under the lights. “As you wish.”

Westley.
Her heart sighed at the memory of the movie she and her sisters had watched more than three times. She sat down on the wide seat, inhaling the scent of leather. “I need some assistance with my...”
What?
They didn’t have seat belts in 1930s cars.

Ben poked his head inside the car. “With the driving rug, miss?”

Driving rug?
“Ah, sure, if you say so, Armytage.”

He sat down next to her and flicked a woolen rug over her knees. “You don’t want to get cold, miss.”

“Actually, Armytage, I’m feeling a trifle warm.”

His eyes sparkled at her. “May I help you off with your jacket, miss?”

“Yes, please.”

He eased her jacket off her and started undoing the buttons on her blouse one by one—kissing each bit of skin that became exposed before moving on to the next. She realized this was the first time he’d ever undressed her.