Unbridled (Unlikely Lovers) (7 page)

Cha
pter 7

Travis seemed pleasantly surprised to be invited to Miranda’s Christmas party. However, his expression quickly sobered when she gave him a quick overview of the guest list.

“Should I bring Shelley?”
Judging from his pained expression, this prospect was about as exciting as a root canal.

“
If you’d like. I thought you two had called it quits.”

“Not officially
. I could still ask her.” Travis hesitated, then shook his head. “No. It’s better if I come alone.”

Miranda wasn’t sure why
he thought that and didn’t particularly care. As she saw it, he had four choices. In addition to Tracy and Christina, Mary Beth and Dana were both single and about his age. Tracy was pretty, but Christina had her beat for beauty. Dana was cute and giggly, and Mary Beth was very nice, in addition to being totally hot, according to Rodney, who worked in Radiology. He always said he would marry her himself, if only his wife would let him.

The weeks leading up to the party were hectic, both at work and at home.
Heavy rain continued to fall on a regular basis, with the result that Miranda’s water pump and broom were in constant use. She put her Christmas tree up right on schedule, but was still engaged in the last-minute preparations when Travis came to the door with a bottle of wine and a heart-stopping smile.

“Merry Christmas!
” Grinning, he gave her a hug that almost made her forget she’d only invited him so he could meet her friends.

“Ye
ah, well, here, let me put that wine in the fridge.” Still reeling from the embrace and totally flustered at the thought of being alone with him, she turned away, pressing a hand to her chest as though it might calm her erratic heartbeat. She led the way to the kitchen, leaving him to follow.

“Is
Levi here? I’d like to meet him.”

Opening the refrigerator, she rearranged a few things and slid the wine bottle inside.
“No, he’s working this weekend. He doesn’t care for parties, anyway. Crowds bother him—especially people he doesn’t know very well.”

Levi
hadn’t visited much lately. He seemed happy, which was the most important thing, but the way he’d referred to his apartment as home still bugged her. She closed the fridge and stole a glance at Travis.

A
slow smile spread across his lips. “I guess that means I have you all to myself for a while.”

Miranda stifled a gasp, turning it into a cough. “
Funny thing about throwing a party. No one ever seems to show up on time. Obviously you don’t believe in being fashionably late.”

He shook his head slowly. “No point in that.
If someone goes to the trouble of having a party, the least the guests can do is not leave the hostess twiddling her thumbs.”

“No time for that yet.” She forced a laugh. “I’m
still cooking.”

“Gives
you something to do while you wait?”

“Something like that
.” She glanced around the room hoping a solution to the awkward moment would present itself. Then her hostess mode kicked in and she offered him a drink. “I’ve got hot cider, spiced tea, beer, wine, and stuff for mixed drinks.”

“Cider sounds good. Smells good, too.”

Ladling the cider into a cup, she passed it to him with hands that shook.

She
could hardly wait to see him snuggled up on the couch with Christina and hanging on her every word. As beautiful as Christina was, he might not even notice her lack of wit or that she couldn’t discuss her work. What
would
they talk about? Her breakup with Mark?

With that
cheery thought, Miranda went back to making sausage-cheese balls—doing her best to ignore the fact that Travis was standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe.

He
leaned against the counter, sipping his cider, no doubt oblivious to the temptation hanging above him. No one else would be there for at least another half hour. She could kiss him and no one would ever know. Hot, stolen kisses with Travis… She glanced down at the gooey mess of sausage, grated cheese, and biscuit dough she was mixing together with her hands.

My, how
romantic…

“So, which one of your friends are you trying to fix me up with?”

Miranda’s cat, Jade, strolled into the kitchen, her black coat gleaming and her tail waving gently. She looked up at Travis as though comparing him to some ideal, then took a few steps forward and sniffed at his pant leg before rubbing her head against him and purring. She turned to Miranda and blinked slowly.
Don’t fix him up with anyone,
she seemed to say.
He smells nice. Keep him for yourself.

Ignoring Jade’s apparent suggestion,
Miranda froze for an instant, her hands buried in the dough. “Whatever gave you that idea? You’re simply here as a friend of mine, just like everyone else.”

With a skeptical lift of his brow, he took anothe
r sip. “That’s crap and you know it. Just tell me which one and I’ll check her out.”

Miranda stared
at him for a long moment.
It’s me,
she wanted to say.
Are you happy now?
But, of course she didn’t. Jade gave her a disgusted look and sauntered into the living room. 

“Come on
,” he urged. “Admit it. It’s the only reason I get invited anywhere. No one can stand the fact that I’m not married.”

Could be because you
’re so dammed cute.

She heaved a sigh. “Actually, there are four
to choose from—Christina, Dana, Mary Beth, and my sister, Tracy. I’m not doing any matchmaking. I’m simply providing you with options.”

“
That’s one way of putting it,” he said grudgingly. “I’ve had enough blind dates to last a lifetime.”

Miranda felt relieved, but at the
same time, a bit let down. If he was that willing to meet them, he clearly had no interest in her whatsoever. “You see? It’s perfect. None of them even know you’re going to be here. I can introduce you to everyone, and you can take it from there.”

“Or not.
” He speared an olive with a toothpick like he wanted to kill it. “I’m not sure I’m ready for another failed attempt.”

“I only have this one party a year
. It was either that or take you to work with me—although we’d have had to meet Christina for lunch. She’s a lawyer.”

He grimaced.
“That’s about as bad as dating a doctor. Does she at least like horses?”

“No, but she
’s really pretty.”

“Yeah, well, looks aren
’t everything.” He popped the olive into his mouth and chewed it slowly. She never would have imagined that simply watching a man eat an olive could be quite so fascinating. The play of muscles in his jaw drew her eye, and then when he
swallowed
… “If they were, I’d have stuck with the doctor. She was real pretty too.”

Sighing, she
blinked away her carnal thoughts. “I don’t know what else to tell you. Just enjoy the food and the company and go home whenever you’ve had enough.”

And get the hell out of my life so I won
’t feel so dammed miserable every time I look at you.

She began
rolling the sausage mixture into balls and putting them on a cookie sheet. She didn’t realize she was throwing them down until Travis came around the table and put a hand on her shoulder. He was so close, the scent of his cologne won out over the aroma of the pastry-wrapped olives baking in the oven. Her chest tightened and tears stung her eyes.

“I
’m sorry, Miranda.” His voice was soft and deep, making her pulse race when he clearly meant to be soothing. “I know you’re only trying to help. I’ll keep an open mind when I meet your friends, but I can’t promise any more than that.”

“I never expected anything else
.” Miranda hoped her lilting tone sounded more cheerful than she felt. “I want you to be happy, that’s all.”

“And I appreciate that
. I probably shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

A
t least he acknowledged the fact that she
had
feelings. Nurses were supposed to be tough—like the one referred to in Daphne du Maurier’s
Rebecca
with “all humanity washed away by years of disinfectant.” Miranda was strong, but had managed to retain her humanity, and though she wasn’t easily hurt, it did happen now and then.

“It
’s okay.” She moved out from under his hand to put the tray in the oven and take out the olives. “But when I hear you going on about never finding the right woman, it makes me want to do something to help you.”

“I know that, and I promise I
’ll keep my mouth shut from now on. The trouble is, I know what I want, but it’s something I can’t have.” Travis paused, running a hand through his hair. “I just have to resign myself to it.”

“What is it you want
?” Miranda immediately wished she hadn’t spoken. It was none of her business.

“I
’d rather not say. I think it would be a mistake—one that I would regret for a long, long time.”

She
had no idea how to respond to that. Fortunately, a knock on the front door provided a welcome interruption. She held up her dough-covered hands. “Could you please get that?”

“Sure.” He seemed almost as relieved as she was.

Judging from the babble of voices coming from the front room, several guests had arrived at once. Travis must’ve found someone to talk to, because he didn’t come back.

Scared him off but good, didn’t I?

Tracy breezed into the kitchen with a plate of cookies. “Merry Christmas!” She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Who’s the hottie who answered the door?”

“That would be Travis
York,” Miranda replied. “He’s a farrier—shoes a lot of horses at Nigel’s barn. Nice guy, but he’s had some woman trouble lately.”

“
You mean you invited him to the party to help him find a new girlfriend?”

Miranda s
hook her head. “I am
not
matchmaking. He’s only here as a friend. If he hits it off with you or one of my buddies, then so be it.” She finished her speech with a flourish of a sticky hand, tossing the last sausage ball onto the pan.

Tracy
set the plate of cookies on the table and cleared her throat.

Miranda glanced up
to find her sister scowling at her with arms folded and foot tapping. “Looks to me like there’s a helluva lot more to it than that.”

Crossing to the sink, Miranda pressed her lips together as she washed her hands. Tell Tracy the
real
truth and she’d never hear the end of it. “No, there isn’t. Of course, he thought the same thing you did. He asked me who he was supposed to check out.”

“
Smart guy. Was I included on that list?”

“
Yes, you were—along with some friends from the hospital. Christina broke up with Mark, so she’s available too.”

“Poor Travis.”

Miranda stared at her with surprise. “What makes you say that?”

Tracy shook her head,
her lips pursed in disgust. “I’m surprised Mark stuck with Christina as long as he did. That is one high-maintenance woman.”

Which was true. “Maybe, but he might not like her.”

“He’ll be taken in by her looks. You wait and see.”

Miranda
didn’t think Travis was quite that shallow, but men were strange. They would insist they wanted a woman with a brain and latch onto a bimbo in the next heartbeat. Christina wasn’t a bimbo—far from it—but she was every bit as gorgeous as the average supermodel. “It’s out of my hands. I’m not going to try to influence him in any way.”

Tracy
arched a skeptical brow. “Yeah, right.”

“Seriously. He’s only here because I thought he could use some cheering up. If you’re interested, go talk to him.”

“And I’d have your blessing?”

Miranda frowned. “Since when do you need that?”

Tracy blew out a breath, visibly exasperated, although Miranda was at a loss to understand why. “Never mind. Need some help in here?”

* * * *

Travis figured out which one was Miranda’s sister almost immediately, but she was strictly off limits. No way was he going to take the chance of spending the rest of his life with the wrong sister.

The nurses were nice.
Too
nice. They deserved better than a man who saw them as the next best thing. Christina, on the other hand, was beautiful and shallow and still hung up on her ex-boyfriend.
Perfect.
She was a carbon copy of Shelley—though hopefully without the jealous streak. If he asked her out, the whole relationship could be over and done with in a couple of weeks. Travis could say he tried, and then Miranda could stop playing matchmaker and things could get back to normal between them—whatever
that
was. He wasn’t sure. Either way, he’d be right back where he started.