A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (22 page)

“He’s participated in festivals before, so he knows what all is involved, including paperwork and such.”

“All the better. Make sure you thank your friend for me.”

“You can thank him yourself at the festival. I’m sure you’ll want to take a ride.”

She paused. “You know what? I will definitely do that. Thanks for letting me know.”

“I figure it was the least I could do after the way you took on the bunting. I have to admit that when you first mentioned it, I didn’t see the importance. But now I think it’ll give the festival more of a party atmosphere and hopefully loosen up people’s wallets.”

Piper glanced away and worried her adorable bottom lip.

When she didn’t say a word, he suspected there was a problem. “Piper, what’s the matter?”

“It...it’s nothing.”

Something told him that even if she needed help, her stubborn pride would keep her from asking him, so it was up to him to drag it out of her. “Piper, what is it?”

“Really, it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Now, I am worried. You might as well tell me, because I’m not leaving here until you do.” He leaned back on the couch and folded his arms.

♥♥♥

W
hy did he have to be so difficult?

Piper really didn’t want to have to fess up that the quilting circle had turned her down when she’d asked about them doing the bunting. She knew it was her fault. She’d gotten caught up with the idea, and once she’d mentioned it to Joe, she’d dug her heels in about its importance. And now that the ladies were busy with other endeavors for the festival, Piper had been spending every evening tracing patterns and cutting out triangles to make her own bunting.

She glanced across at Joe, who appeared to have taken up permanent residence on her couch. Meanwhile, he was consuming precious time that she should be using to make more bunting. She’d already accepted that she wouldn’t be able to make enough on her own. They’d just have to make do with what she could make in the evenings.

Joe sent her an expectant look.

Oh, what was the point in putting it off any longer? She leveled her shoulders and lifted her chin. “The quilting circle wasn’t able to do the bunting.”

“Oh.”

“They were already obligated to complete a king-size quilt to be raffled off, as well as a few other things.”

“And why does this have you looking so worried?”

“I...I’m not. I actually have everything under control.”

His dark brows gathered. “What does that mean?”

“I’m making the bunting—”

“You’re what? All by yourself?”

“Yes.” She lifted her chin ever so slightly. Stubborn pride refused to let her admit that she’d taken on too much.

“But you said you were going to have a group of ladies do it. How can you manage it all by yourself?”

Piper’s chin lowered. “I’m doing the best I can.”

His gaze scanned the room, stopping on the old sewing machine she’d borrowed from her mother. He got to his feet and approached the table in the corner of the room. “This looks like a lot of work.”

It was, especially after being on her feet all day at the bakery, but what choice did she have? She refused to fail. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this. I’m sure you’ve got other things to do tonight—”

“I don’t have any other plans.” He continued to examine the stacks of colorful triangles and then fingered the white bias tape.

“Surely you must be busy. Aren’t you planning to launch your opening to coincide with the festival?”

He nodded. “But I’m running ahead of schedule.”

“That’s great.” She was truly happy for him, but how was she supposed to get him out of her apartment now so she could get back to work?

“How hard is this to make?”

“Not very. Most of the work involves cutting out the triangles.”

He picked up her pattern. “So you trace this on the material and then cut?”

“Pretty much. But I line them up carefully so they share the same edge. That way, I don’t waste any material and I have to cut less.”

“Makes sense. I think maybe I could handle that.”

“But why would you want to?”

He turned to her. “Because I want to help you. You aren’t in this alone. Remember, we’re a team?”

Her gaze met his. For a moment, she got lost in the intensity of his eyes. “Do you mean that?”

“I do. You should have come to me earlier. We would have figured it out together.” His voice was deep and soothing.

For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel alone. Sure, she knew everyone in town, but it wasn’t the same as having someone there for her, someone who cared what happened to her.

“Where do we start?” His question drew her out of her thoughts.

She glanced at the table, noticing the stacks of material all ready for her to start sewing. “How would you feel about tracing and cutting triangles?”

“Point out the material, and I’ll get started.”

She frowned, realizing that sharing the table could be problematic. It wasn’t a big table by any stretch of the imagination. And she didn’t have anywhere else to set up the sewing machine.

As though Joe could read her thoughts, he said, “How about I clear off the coffee table and work over there?”

She glanced at the table and back at him. “Are you sure you want to sit on the floor? I could...uh...”

“I’ll be fine. You stay at the table and start assembling things. I’ll do my best to cut some reasonable triangles.”

She helped him get situated. When her romance novels and cooking magazines were cleared from the coffee table, he dropped down to the floor and used the couch as a backrest.

He smiled up at her, making her stomach flutter. “See? I told you this would work.”

“Thank you. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me a thing. I’m doing this because I want to.”

She didn’t believe him. “I highly doubt you’ve been longing to spend your evening tracing triangles and cutting them out.”

“Don’t you know by now that I’d do anything for you?”

Her heart leaped into her throat. What was he trying to tell her? She had no idea, but it sure sounded good to her.

“We better get started.” His voice deepened. “Looks like we’ve got a lot to do.”

She swallowed hard and hoped that her voice sounded normal when she spoke. “How about some food? I can look in the fridge and see what I have.”

“No need. We’ll just order pizza.”

“Are you sure?” She felt like she should cook him something to repay him for helping her.

“I’m positive. What do you want on yours?”

“That’s easy. Pepperoni and mushrooms.” She paused, realizing that maybe she should have checked to see what he preferred on his pizza.

Before she could ask him, he said, “We’ll get half and half.”

This intrigued her. “What are you having on your half?”

“Veggies.”

“Really?” The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. When he gave her a puzzled look, she added, “It’s just, most guys I know love lots of meat on theirs. Are you a vegetarian?”

“There’s something I should tell you.”

That certainly didn’t sound good. “Tell me what?”

“The reason I no longer eat meat on my pizza, and lots of other things, is that when my father died of a sudden heart attack, my mother got worried about me. She insisted I go to the doctor. I didn’t think anything was wrong, but I went anyway to put her mind at rest. I figured after all she’d gone through living with my father that she deserved to finally have some peace of mind.”

Piper’s heart went out to him. He was such a good guy to look out for his mother, even after all he’d gone through. “You’re such a good son.”

He shook his head. “I’m not. Or I wouldn’t have left her behind with my father when I left home.”

Piper reached out to him and squeezed his hand. “She understands.”

There was a poignant pause. “Anyway, when I went to the doctor, I had the shock of my life. My blood pressure was up, and my cholesterol was through the roof. With my father’s heart issue, the doctor warned me what my future could be like if I didn’t change my ways.”

The pieces started to fall into place. “That’s why you go running every morning?”

He nodded. “I started after that wake-up call. And now I do it because I enjoy it.”

“And that’s why you didn’t want to keep eating the bear claws?” She felt absolutely awful for trying to force them on him.

He nodded. “I thought you wanted me to eat them to change my mind about selling your pastries in my coffee shop. I’m sorry if I handled that poorly and hurt your feelings. It was never my intention.”

She understood so much more about him now. “And your heart, is it okay?”

He nodded. “Stronger than ever now that I take care of it.”

“That’s good.”

Now that he was letting his guard down with her in a way that he never had before, she couldn’t help wondering where they went from here.

She had absolutely no clue, but she couldn’t wait to find out.

I
t was getting late...real late.

Yet, wild horses couldn’t drag Joe away.

They’d spent the rest of the evening talking as they worked. Their conversation meandered from this to that. Nothing serious and some of it making them both laugh. The only serious parts were about the plans for the festival and the eventual revitalization of the town square. He honestly didn’t care what they discussed. He just liked listening to Piper’s sweet voice.

Now, as she paused the sewing machine to stretch and yawn, he knew he should go. He didn’t want to, but she needed some rest. He gathered the bunting material and supplies into a neat pile in the middle of the coffee table.

When Piper didn’t seem to notice his cleanup effort, he said, “Time to call it a night.”

Piper paused the sewing machine. “Not yet. I want to get just a little more done.”

He got to his feet, finding he had a few sore spots after sitting on the floor for hours. “You have an early morning coming up. You need your rest.”

As though she hadn’t heard a word, she started the sewing machine. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He’d been wanting to touch her all evening. And now that he had, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to let go.

Immediately, the machine came to a stop. Her hand reached up and slid over his, sending his pulse racing. She switched off the sewing machine and stood. He should have moved, but his feet wouldn’t cooperate. When she turned to him, she was standing right in front of him, the perfect position for him to steal a kiss.

She tilted her chin up and stared deep into his eyes. “Thank you for this evening. You took a boring task and made it fun.”

“I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than right here with you.” It was the honest truth. She made his heart hammer with need. He tried to fight it, but he already knew it was a losing battle. Surely she could see the desire in his eyes, and yet, she didn’t turn away.

“I wanted to spend the evening with you, too.”

His heart collided with his ribs. Was that some sort of invitation for more? Or was it just hopeful thinking on his part?

They stood there for countless seconds. He kept second-guessing himself. He didn’t want to make any more mistakes where she was concerned. Should he kiss her? Was it what she was waiting for? He’d soon find out.

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. She gazed up at him with a spark of interest reflected in her eyes. He didn’t need any further invitation. His mouth pressed to hers. To his surprise, her lips didn’t move beneath his although her generous curves remained pressed to him.

His gut reaction was to show her how she turned him on, but his brain still worked enough to warn him not to move too fast and scare her off. With a concerted effort, he moved slowly and deliberately, coaxing her to let down her guard and let him in. She could trust him. He’d do his best not to hurt her again.

Her hands slipped up over his shoulders and wrapped around his neck as their kiss deepened. He wondered if she had any idea of all the crazy things she was doing to his body. His heart was pounding so hard he wouldn’t be surprised if she could hear it.

What was it about her that got to him like no one else did? She made him want to believe in love again. With her in his arms, it was like she’d healed the cracks in his heart, making it whole once more.

He wanted more of her—all of her. But he knew he had no right to ask that of her. None at all.

But as she kissed him back with her hands moving up over his shoulders, she didn’t seem to want to stop this either. Was that possible? Did she want to see where this would lead them?

He didn’t know, but he sure hoped so.

The kiss went on and on, until he just couldn’t take it anymore. He had to know if she wanted more. If not, he had to stop here.

With every bit of willpower, he pulled back ever so slightly and rested his forehead against hers. His breathing was deep and unsteady. His heart was pounding like crazy. “Piper, do you want me to go?”

Both of her hands wrapped around the back of his neck. Her fingernails scraped up over his scalp, sending a cascade of delicious sensations rushing down his spine. Instead of words, her lips pressed to his. A moan swelled deep in his throat. Did she know the way she heated the blood in his veins, making every part of his body needy? Or was that her intent?

Just as quickly as she’d met him kiss for kiss, she pulled back. With her fingers still threaded through his hair, she gazed up into his eyes. “Is that answer enough for you?”

He smiled and nodded. Talking was most definitely overrated.

He scooped her up in his arms and headed for the bedroom. He had the feeling neither one of them was going to get much sleep tonight. And it would be so worth it.

♥♥♥

“P
iper, did you hear me?”

With great effort, she dragged her gaze away from the window where Joe had just strolled by. “What did you say, Mom?”

Her mother glanced around as though to make sure no one was paying them the least bit of attention, and then she lowered her voice. “I was asking if you’d come up with some fantastic recipe for my cake. You know, if this goes well, you could possibly make the cake for your brother’s inaugural party.”