Forever After (Montana Brides) (20 page)

A dry laugh erupted from his throat. “And it would have been a mighty fine whack at that. Now take that wine outside before it gets warm.”

“I’m going. You’ve got five minutes then I’m coming back to annoy you.” Nicky sped along the hot paving stones in her bare feet. “Here’s the wine, dad. I’m going back to help granddad wheel the trolley out.”

Her dad looked up from the barbecue. “Cody, go and get Emily. Tell her lunch is nearly ready.”

Cody ambled off, muttering something under his breath.
 

Nicky glanced at Maureen, “What’s my brother all riled up about?”

“I haven’t got a clue. He’s been in secret discussions with Emily ever since she arrived. And he doesn’t seem too happy about whatever they’ve been talking about.”

Nicky watched Cody’s back disappear behind a potted plant. Emily must have swooped on him as soon as her foot hit the front door.
 

Maureen stared at her like she might be able to solve the puzzle of the century.
 

Nicky looked away and moved the bottles of wine into the middle of the table. Out of habit, she tilted her head forward, attempting to hide behind her long hair. But it had disappeared, along with her scheming sister and unimpressed brother. “I’ll go and help granddad with the food.”
 

She wasn’t going to tell anyone about their plans until it was completely over. And even then she didn’t think Maureen would appreciate the tight timeframe and limited emotional intelligence they were up against.

It didn’t matter where Nicky looked or what she said, Cody kept scowling at her. She stared back, not intimidated by all the male testosterone on display. Over the last few weeks she’d built up a natural immunity to men with more brawn than brains. Anyone would think it was a criminal offence to make a man realize how important a woman was in his life.
 

Cody pushed a slice of apple pie toward her. “Eat up, sis. You’re going to need all the sugar you can get soon. You, me and Emily are on clean-up duty.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. And the frown on his face told her he wasn’t much looking forward to the showdown either.

Her grandfather stared across the table. “How’s Sam been treating you?”

Nicky choked on the wine she’d just swallowed.
 

Emily’s mouth dropped open, and Cody sat back with a satisfied smirk on his face.
 

Clearing her throat, she speared a big hunk of pie onto her fork. “Fine.” Her granddad shot her a suspicious look.
 

She tried to distract him with a forced smile. “I’m halfway through the final report for the board of directors. That’s what I was doing at work this morning.” Her voice petered out to nothing at his raised eyebrow. Shoving a fork of pie into her mouth, Nicky chewed ferociously, staring at her sister for moral support.
 

“Dishes,” Emily squeaked, grabbing her half full dessert plate and lunging for Cody’s.

“Hey, I haven’t finished yet.” He moved his plate to the other side of him, stuffing another spoon of apple past his lips.

“Yes you have.” Emily moved around the back of his chair, following his plate like a lioness stalking her prey.
 

Cody flicked his plate to the right, dodging Emily’s arm as it swung around his shoulders. “You’ll have to move quicker than that if you want to get me out of here.”

“You’re acting like seven-year-olds,” Maureen scolded. “Emily, sit down and finish your dessert. And don’t get that high and mighty look on your face either, Cody. Your table manners were every bit as bad as your sister’s.”
 

Emily flounced back to her chair, ignoring the, ‘I told you so’ look from her brother.
 

Nicky glanced at her granddad.
 

He stared straight back. “Seems to me there’s an awful lot of huffing and puffing going on at this table.”

Nicky picked up her plate, determined to at least get Emily into the kitchen to find out what was going on with Cody. “It’s all hot air, granddad. Does anyone want a cup of coffee or a hot chocolate?”

Emily leapt at the chance to get away from their moronic brother. With drink orders placed, they headed toward the house to get everything ready.

“What have you told Cody,” Nicky whispered.

“I swear to God that man would have to be the thickest male to ever walk the planet,” Emily hissed. “He has no imagination whatsoever. He doesn’t think our plan will work, and he’s not going to be a part of it.”

“He’s not going to tell Sam is he?” Nicky yelped as two large hands landed on her shoulders.
 

“Stay right here you two,” Cody growled. “You aren’t going anywhere until I know you won’t do anything stupid.”

Nicky peered around his shoulders, straight into Maureen’s curious gaze. She ducked in front of Emily. “I’m not having a conversation about Sam in the middle of the backyard. Maureen’s got bionic hearing and I’m sure granddad can lip-read.”

“Fine. Into the house.”

Nicky looked at Emily. This was definitely not going to plan.

“Now.” Cody moved between them, wrapping his big paws around their waists. With an almighty shove he propelled them forward, scoffing at their attempts to get free. “I don’t think so. You’re not moving from the kitchen until we bury your nutty scheme.”

“There’s nothing nutty about it,” Emily scoffed. “The only person that’s got a problem with our plan is you. And guess what…we don’t need you.”

Cody glared at her. “I’m the only other person that knows about your plan. And even if you did need me, I wouldn’t be part of it. Sam’s my friend, and I don’t lie to my friends.”

“It’s not lying,” Nicky replied. “It’s sort of embellishing the truth.”

“You can’t embellish what doesn’t exist.” Cody threw his hands in the air, whacking his fingers against one of the glass pendant lights dangling above the kitchen counter. “Even the lights are out to get me,” he moaned, rubbing his hand against his jeans.

Emily stalked around Cody, throwing dishes into the dishwasher. “Don’t scowl at me like that you big bozo. It wasn’t my fault you thumped your hand.”

“I’m not scowling at you because of that. If Nicky doesn’t have another man interested in her, then inventing Mr. Perfect isn’t going to make Sam like her any better.”

 
“You’re surrounded by men every day at work.
 
There must be someone that wouldn’t mind pretending to be Nicky’s boyfriend.” Her big blue eyes frosted over. “Someone with a bit more imagination than you.”

Cody’s eyes flashed fire and his mouth clamped tight. “I’ve got imagination,” he ground out. “But I’ve also got scruples. If Sam doesn’t like Nicky there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

Nicky stamped her foot. “Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here,” she yelled.
 

Emily and Cody both looked over their shoulders toward the patio.
 

“Ssh. Keep your voice down,” Emily hissed. “These wooden floors and high ceilings make noise echo like you wouldn’t believe.” Giving Cody a pointed look, she said, “I’ve heard things going on in here that would make a grown woman blush.”

“Don’t look at me when you say that,” Cody yelled.
 

“Ssh.” Chorused Nicky and Emily.

“Well it’s true,” he ground out. “Nothing improper has ever happened in this kitchen.”

“Let me think,” Emily replied, tapping her finger against her lips. “I seem to recall a certain brunette called Jacinta Grey…” Cody’s neck turned red, and his gaze flew out the window. “Wasn’t there a certain cocktail party here last month when things got a tad hot and heavy behind the…”

“That’s enough,” he growled. “How did you find out about Jacinta?”

Emily crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Next time you’re down here, you want to try smooching your dates against a wall that doesn’t contain the intercom system. You were just damn lucky your grunting only came as far as the office, and there was nobody else in there except me.”

Cody’s six-foot-six frame lit up like a Christmas tree. He stared at the offending wall, presumably making a mental note to avoid that area for life.
 

Nicky glanced between her brother and sister. “Can we please get back to my nonexistent love life and off Cody’s bountiful one?”

“I’m not going to be part of your plan,” Cody said. “And if I was you I wouldn’t even attempt to fool Sam.” He turned the coffee machine on and grabbed some mugs. “You know where the beans and chocolate are. I’m heading back out to the barbecue for some intelligent conversation.”

Nicky sucked in a deep breath, watching his retreating back. “I think he’s right.”

“What?”

“He’s right. I think we need to go to plan B.”

 
“You can’t be serious? Plan A is fail proof. Take one emotionally rattled chief executive, the woman he’s seriously avoiding, one amorous suitor, and what do you have?”

“Disaster,” Nicky sighed. “A complete disaster.”

Emily tapped her fingers against the marble counter. “Are you sure? Cody’s got a warped brain when it comes to relationships, so I wouldn’t listen too hard to what he’s got to say.”

“But he knows Sam. And he’s right. If Sam ever caught wind of our plan he wouldn’t speak to me again.”

Emily shrugged her shoulders. “Okay. It’s your life. Plan B it is.”

As soon as she woke up, Nicky consulted the clothing spreadsheet Emily had given her. She clicked on Monday, and a picture of a pale pink dress popped onto the screen. Moving her cursor along Monday’s columns, various accessories appeared beside the dress.
 

Reaching into her closet, Nicky grabbed a pair of cream strappy heels, a pink crystal necklace that Emily assured her would help unblock Sam’s negative energy, and a cotton cardigan that was so delicate it was almost transparent.
 

She nearly missed the last column, positive it hadn’t been there when Emily had shown her the file. The last column was called ‘Daily Inspiration.’ Clicking her mouse over Monday’s entry, Nicky choked on a laugh. She read it again. ‘Smile, it’s the second best thing you can do with your lips.’
 

Some of the nervous energy twisting her stomach into knots disappeared. It was just like Emily to add a funny quote to lighten her mood. She needed it. The next two weeks were a last ditch effort to show Sam how perfect they were for each other. If it didn’t work, she’d be heading back to Denver and forgetting Sam Delaney ever existed.

Nicky glanced at her watch and nearly dropped her clothes. She had sixty minutes to have a shower, get dressed, scoff some toast, and make it into work. Sixty minutes until show time.
 

Sixty minutes until her lips started doing the second best thing in the world.

Sam glared at the bunch of flowers sitting on Amanda’s desk. Roses, daisies and lots of green leaves sat in a tangled mass of color waiting for Nicky. The courier had dropped them off fifteen minutes ago. He’d tried to read the card, but Amanda had been quick. She’d read his mind faster than he could read the card, and whisked the offending note out from under his nose.

If he breathed deeply he could smell the rich perfume of the roses wafting through his office, reminding him what an idiot he’d been last week. So he kept to shallow breaths and pretended the bouquet wasn’t there.

He bent his head, determined to put a long-legged blonde out of his mind. He had work to do; a contract on a new apartment complex in Billings to negotiate, a retirement village in Great Falls to plan, and a senior management team meeting to prepare for. A bunch of flowers wouldn’t distract him. Not even one with ten pink roses.
 

With a satisfied grunt he knew the guy wasn’t a keeper. Ten roses. He must be a cheapskate. Someone with romance on their mind would have sent an even dozen. And they would have been red. Deep red with no frilly daisies watering down the message.

His ears twitched with the ping of the elevator. High heels clicked along the polished floor. Concentrate, he told himself. Concentrate as if you’re performing open heart surgery and not rescheduling a contractors meeting. He could hear the smile in Amanda’s voice as she handed the flowers to Nicky. He heard the surprise in Nicky’s voice when she accepted them. He also heard the silence as she read the card.
 

Sam waited for Amanda to ask who had sent them. From his vast experience of the opposite sex he knew that women were naturally inquisitive, born to dip into the personal lives of the people around them without hesitation. He waited. And he waited some more.

He didn’t care about who had cut Nicky’s hair, he didn’t want to know about the incredible book Amanda had finished at the weekend and left on Nicky’s desk. And he didn’t need to know how hot it was supposed to get this afternoon. He wanted to know who had sent the damn flowers.

He looked up, trying mental telepathy to push Amanda’s mouth into asking what he wanted the answer to. His heart lurched. He took a deep breath, ignoring the heady perfume from the roses, concentrating entirely on the beautiful woman in the corridor.

Nicky’s blue eyes shone brightly from her happy face. Her pale pink dress floated around her sun kissed body in a whisper of silky fabric. With the flowers in her arms she looked like she was ready for a wedding.
 

He choked.
 

“Sam? Are you alright?” Nicky rushed into his office, a concerned frown on her face.

“I’m fine.” He loosened his tie. “Water went down the wrong way.”

She looked at his desk, her frown turning into a mischievous grin.

He glanced down. There wasn’t a glass in sight. Damn. He always had a glass of water sitting on his desk. Always. He felt his cheeks redden at the amused gleam in her eyes. “Nice flowers.”

Nicky smiled. “They are lovely.”

He couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t going to tell him who’d sent them. He wouldn’t let her out of his office until she told him. He needed to know. There had to be a sub clause in her employment contract, some important personal disclosure section he could enforce.