Читать книгу A Bravo For Christmas - Christine Rimmer - Страница 11
ОглавлениеDarius heard her, no doubt about that.
She knew by the way his big body went dead still, by the sudden sharp intake of his breath.
Run away, run away fast! shouted the internal voice of smart, practical, everyday Ava, who knew better than to issue blatantly sexual invitations to a man she’d always promised herself she would never be foolish enough to fall into bed with.
But she didn’t run away. Not immediately.
Instead, she compounded her own idiocy by turning fully toward him and looking him straight in the eye.
He gaped back at her, his expression pure deer-in-the-headlights. Clearly, she’d surprised him.
And not in a good way.
So then. In spite of what he’d said seventeen years ago, the last thing he really wanted was for her to finally say yes to him.
Her heart beat a sick, limping rhythm under her ribs as she accepted the fact that she’d just made a complete fool of herself.
Dear God, please let me sink right through this floor this very instant.
But God didn’t come to her rescue and suck her beneath the surface of the earth. The world kept on turning. Behind her, Janice continued scheduling volunteers—and Dare Bravo stared at her like she’d just sprouted horns and a long, forked tail.
Behind her, Janice dismissed the group. “All right, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving. See you all next Monday.”
Ava wheeled and made a beeline for her daughter. She had Sylvie in her coat, wool hat and mittens in seconds flat. Then, with a cheerful wave and a “Happy Thanksgiving!” she got the hell out of there.
* * *
“I don’t see why you won’t come with us.” Kate Janko ate a bite of mashed potatoes and gazed reproachfully across the dinner table at Ava. “The weatherman’s promised no more snow until next week. The roads will be clear for the drive tomorrow. Ava sweetie, everyone will be there.” There was Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where Ava’s parents, her brothers and their families would all be attending a big Janko family reunion over the coming Thanksgiving weekend.
“Mom, I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Ava said for the umpteenth time. “I’ve got a closing on Wednesday and an important open house on Saturday. It’s just not doable.”
“You work so hard, honey.” Her mother cast a wistful glance around Ava’s dining room, with its gorgeous built-in cabinets and art glass chandelier. Ava was proud of the cozy two-story bungalow she’d bought when she first returned to Justice Creek from California. It might not be large, but she’d restored it meticulously, keeping true to its Arts and Crafts style. “I just don’t see why you can’t take a few days off and be with your family for Thanksgiving.”
“Gramma, we just can’t,” Sylvie piped up. “We’re having Thanksgiving at Annabelle’s aunt Clara’s house. And then Saturday night, I’m going for a sleepover at Annabelle’s house.”
Kate frowned. “Aren’t you a little young for sleepovers?”
Sylvie puffed up her thin chest. “Annabelle’s too young ’cause she’s only six.” Every s had a soft, sweet little hiss to it. Sylvie had lost two front baby teeth, one in October and one just two weeks ago. “But I’m seven, and that is old enough.” She glanced Ava’s way. “Mommy said so. Right, Mommy?”
Ava hid a smile and gave her daughter a nod.
Kate opened her mouth to voice further objections. But Ava’s dad, Paul, put his hand over his wife’s. “Looks like our girls are staying home for Thanksgiving, Kitty Kat.”
Ava’s mother turned her hand over and gave her husband’s fingers a squeeze. They shared a glance both tender and fond. They still called the double-wide at Seven Pines home. And all you had to do was look at them together to know they still lived on love. “Well, I wish you would change your mind,” said Kate as Paul reluctantly took his hand back and both of them picked up their forks again.
“Sorry, Mom. But we just can’t get away.”
“We’ll miss you,” said her father.
“We’ll miss you, too,” Ava dutifully replied.
“May I please be ’scused till dessert?” asked Sylvie. “I ate everything, even my broccoli, and it was gross.”
Biting her lip to keep her expression appropriately serious, Ava turned to her daughter. “That you ate your broccoli is excellent. Broccoli is very good for you.”
“It doesn’t taste like it’s good for me. Chocolate tastes like it’s good for me.”
Ava bit her lip harder. Grandpa Paul made a faint choking sound as he tried not to laugh. Gramma Kate swatted him under the table.
Ava said, “Sylvie. What do you do when you don’t like the taste of your food?”
“I eat it or I don’t eat it,” Sylvie replied obediently. “If I don’t eat it, I don’t get dessert. But I’m not s’posed to say that I don’t like it because that is rude.”
“Very good. And saying that your broccoli is gross is the same as saying that you don’t like it.”
Sylvie wrinkled her nose but conceded, “Yeah. I guess so. I s’pose I am sorry.”
Ava nodded. “Excellent. You are excused. Clear off your place, please.”
Sylvie beamed a giant smile, displaying the wide gap where her baby teeth had been. She jumped up, grabbed her plate and trotted through the arch to the kitchen.
As soon as she was gone, Kate lowered her voice and asked, “Did you hear about Nick Yancy?”
Ava didn’t know Nick well. He was in his early twenties, a sweet cowboy and something of a star in the local rodeo. In the last few months, Nick and Jody Bravo, one of Darius’s half sisters, had become friends. Jody swore it was only that—friendship. But everyone thought Nick wanted it to be more, even though he was six or seven years younger than Jody.
And the bleak expression on her mom’s face alarmed her. “Did something happen to Nick?”
“Tractor accident,” said her father somberly.
“Oh, no. When?”
“They found him just this afternoon. The story is that a spring locking pin failed. He got crushed in a rollover. They rushed him to Justice Creek General but he died on the way.”
Ava pushed her plate away. “Now, that’s just all wrong.”
Her mom nodded. “He was a fine young man. They haven’t said yet when the service will be. I’m guessing this weekend sometime. We should be there.” Ava’s mom and dad had gone to school with Nick’s stepdad. “But we have the Idaho trip...”
Ava took the hint and volunteered, “I’ll go if I can possibly manage it.”
“That would be good.” Her dad reached across and patted her hand.
And her mom had tears in her eyes.
Nick Yancy, gone. Suddenly, that Ava had embarrassed herself with Darius Bravo didn’t matter in the least. A good man was lost. Life could be so cruel.
But then her mom said, “I saw that nice Ray Tucker at Safeway. He asked how you were doing.” Ray was a CPA now. Ava had gone out with him twice years ago, when they were both at Mountain High Junior College, before she married Craig. “I told him you were going great guns with the real estate, and he said to be sure to say hi to you.”
Ava knew where this was headed and didn’t like it in the least. She replied flatly, “If you see him again, tell him I said hi back.”
“He’s divorced now, you know. And I personally think he’s still carrying a torch for you.”
Ava leveled her sternest look on her mom. “Please don’t.”
“You should be dating. After what happened to poor Nick, it just brings it all home.”
“Mom, I know Nick Yancy was a great guy, and it’s awful that we’ve lost him so suddenly and so young. But it’s just wrong for you to use his dying as an excuse for your matchmaking.”
“I am not matchmaking.”
“Oh, yes you are.”
“I only meant that you never know what can happen, and you need to squeeze every drop of love and happiness from life while you can. Craig was a wonderful man, but it’s been six years and you’re still young, with so much to give. There’s no reason you can’t find a good man who—”
“Mom, can we just not go there tonight? Please.”
Her mother sighed and shared another meaningful glance with Ava’s dad. “I think you’re cheating yourself,” Kate said quietly at last.
“I’m very happy, Mom. I promise you. I have a brilliant, beautiful daughter, good friends and a loving family. I’m blessed with a fine house to live in. My business is booming. I don’t need a man to make my life complete.” As she spoke, she had a sudden, vivid image of Darius in his paper crown and pop beads. She felt her cheeks flame bright pink. Dear Lord, she would have to see him on Thursday at Clara’s house. How awkward was that going to be?
Better not to even think about it.
Her mother asked anxiously, “Honey, are you okay? You look a little feverish.”
“I’m perfect,” Ava said firmly, and she reminded herself yet again that what she’d said to Darius didn’t matter in the least. “Now, let me clear off. I’ll get the coffee going and dish up the apple pie à la mode.”
Her parents stayed until after Sylvie was in bed. As they went out the door, Ava pulled her mom back for a moment and pressed a check for six hundred dollars into her hand.
“Oh, honey. You don’t have to do that,” her mother protested softly.
“But I want to. Gas for the trip. And I know you’re going to send flowers for Nick Yancy from the family. This should help with that, too.” She’d been giving them money since she got her first babysitting job. At least now she could afford it. Back then, it had been tough to part with each and every one of those hard-earned dollars.
“You’re the best daughter I ever had,” said Kate, same as she always did when Ava helped her out a little.
And as always, Ava replied, “I’m your only daughter, so I’d better be the best.”
Kate grabbed her close for a hug. “Thanks, baby.”
“You’re welcome. Love you, Mom...”
* * *
Thanksgiving with the Bravos. It should have been great.
Ava had been looking forward to all the warmth and good times of a big family get-together—but minus her bossy brothers and her mother’s relentless attempts to get her to start dating again. However, no matter how often Ava lectured herself about keeping things in perspective, her own cringe-worthy behavior at the Blueberry troop clubhouse Monday afternoon had turned her anticipation to dread.
Through Tuesday and Wednesday and the first half of the big day itself, she kept up the internal pep talks. She told herself it was nothing. People said ridiculous things to each other all the time. She needed to get over it and move on.
And anyway, there would be a crowd at Clara’s. It should be easy to steer clear of Darius. Given time, they would both forget her over-the-top comeback to his silly, meaningless flirting.
She and Sylvie arrived at Clara and Dalton Ames’s house right on time at two.
Clara swung the door open, and the wonderful, savory smells of garlic, sage and roast turkey drifted out. She ushered Ava and Sylvie in and then enfolded each of them in a welcoming hug. “So good to see you.”
“You, too,” said Ava, admiring the garland of autumn leaves twined on the stair rail and the miniature pumpkins and gourds piled in a decorative bowl on the entry table. “Everything looks so festive, and dinner smells amazing.”
Judging by the laughter and chatter coming from the great room down the hall, the beautiful old Victorian was already packed with Bravos. Franklin Bravo, the family patriarch, had fathered nine children—four by his first wife, Sondra. And five more by his then-mistress and eventually his second wife, Willow. Of those nine Bravo siblings and half siblings, four were married now and three of those had children. All of them were expected for dinner today, so avoiding Darius should be no problem.
“Toss your coats on the bed in there,” Clara said, indicating the master bedroom off the front hall.
“Thanks.” Ava shrugged out of her coat.
She was just about to help Sylvie with the tie on her favorite red wool hat when her daughter cried, “Darius! We’re here!” and took off down the hall toward the tall, impossibly handsome man at the other end.
He wore a cream-colored sweater and black jeans, and even from the opposite end of the hallway, his eyes seemed bluer than usual. Damn him. Why did he have to be so good-looking? For a moment, she stared at him and he gazed back at her, and it was awful and wonderful, strange and exciting.
Sylvie skidded to a stop in front of him and wriggled in place, suddenly shy. “Hi.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Sylvie. Love your hat.”
“It’s red.” She pointed at the cluster of knit daisies over her left ear. “With flowers.”
“And very pretty.”
“Mommy ties it double for me so it won’t come undone.”
“Ah.” Darius shot Ava a glance full of humor—and something else that made her knees go weak.
“Would you please help me untie it?” Sylvie stretched her neck and pointed at the double-knotted bow.
“Let’s see here...” He dropped to a crouch in front of her and went right to work.
At the same time, the doorbell chimed and Clara turned to let in the next guest, her half sister Jody. Ava willed her pulse to slow the heck down and made herself stride over to where Dare knelt before her little girl.
Those big hands with their long, clever fingers made short work of the knot. He pulled one end of the bow, and it fell open. “There you go.”
Sylvie scooped off the hat, causing her caramel-colored hair to spark and crackle with static. She giggled, “I’m ’lectric!”
“You sure are.” Dare’s low chuckle set Ava’s nerves humming.
Sylvie stuck out her little hand and patted his rock-like shoulder. “Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome.” He rose as Annabelle Bravo, all plump cheeks, thick dark hair and big brown eyes, raced down from upstairs. With a quick wave at Ava, she reached the main floor and headed straight for her best friend. “Sylvie! Finally. Come on. Aunt Clara let me make a fort with blankets upstairs in a spare room. Kiera helped.” Kiera was Clara and Dalton’s toddler.
Sylvie shed her coat and handed it and the hat to Ava. “Can I, Mom?”
“Sure.” Annabelle already had Sylvie’s hand and was pulling her toward the stairs at a run. “Okay, you two,” Ava called after them. “No running in the house.”
Annabelle slowed. “Sorry, Ava.” The two girls giggled together and proceeded up the stairs at a slower pace, leaving Ava alone at that end of the hall with the one man she didn’t want to be anywhere near at the moment.
But then Clara and Jody, who had disappeared into the makeshift coatroom, emerged and came toward them.
Ava thought of poor Nick Yancy, Jody’s friend. “Jody! How are you?”
“Okay.” Jody didn’t look okay. Shadows rimmed her eyes, and her smile was forced.
Clara gave her half sister’s arm a fond pat and went on into the great room, while Ava wrapped Jody in a hug and whispered, “My mom told me about Nick. I’m so very sorry.”
Jody held on for an extra few seconds and admitted softly, “It’s awful. He was such a sweet guy. I still don’t really believe it...”
Ava murmured a few more soft condolences. She added, “I heard the funeral’s Sunday afternoon.” Her mom had called her yesterday with the information. “My parents know Nick’s stepdad, but they’re out of town for the holiday. I’m going to try to put in an appearance Sunday, represent the family...”
“That’s good of you, Ava. Nick and I had only been friends for a few months...” Jody’s voice trailed off as though she didn’t know quite what to say next.
Who did in a situation like this?
Ava took her by the shoulders and held her gaze. “If I can do anything. Anything.”
“Thanks. You’re a sweetheart.” Jody put on a smile.
Ava released her.
Jody moved on to Darius, who greeted her with open arms and a fond, “Hey, little sister...”
Ava saw her opportunity to escape him and grabbed it. She turned for the relative safety of the master suite—after all, she needed to stash the outerwear, didn’t she?
In the bedroom, she added the two coats and Sylvie’s red hat to the growing pile on the king-size bed. And then, stalling a little to give Darius time to wander back to the great room, she popped into the bathroom to smooth her hair and make sure she didn’t have lipstick on her teeth.
Her hair looked fine and her teeth were lipstick-free. But her eyes had a glazed sort of look and her face was flushed all the way down to the scoop neckline of her favorite cashmere sweater. Really, she needed to settle the heck down.
“Chill,” she whispered softly to her wild-eyed reflection. “Deep breaths.” She took her own advice, breathing slowly in and out through her nose, reminding herself that a good man had died on Monday and so what if she’d said something ridiculous to Darius. “Get over it. Move on.”
There was a soft tap on the door. “Ava? You all right?” Darius. Oh. My. God. Her face flamed anew. “Ava?”
She gulped to clear her clutching throat and called, “I’m great. Terrific.”
“You sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
“You sound strange.”
“Darius, I’m fine.”
“I’ll just wait here until you come out.”
She stifled a groan and glared at her reflection in the mirror and knew she had to stop being an idiot and open the damn door.
“Ava?”
She yanked it wide. “What?” she growled at him.
And he smiled that same slow, knowing smile he’d given her seventeen years ago right after he told her that someday she would say yes to him. “You look kind of flushed. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I am fine. You can go.”
He didn’t budge. “About the other day, I—”
“Oh, please.” She waved her hand so wildly, she almost hit her nose with it. “You know that was nothing.”
“No.” He said it way too softly. “I don’t know that, Ava. In fact, I’m thinking it was definitely something.”
“And I’m telling you it wasn’t and you should forget it.”
He leaned closer, bringing that scent of leather and wood shavings and something else, too, something wonderfully manly that she couldn’t quite name. “Forget it?” he spoke softly, almost a whisper, his breath warm across her cheek and his eyes like the sky when night comes on. “You offered to be naked. There’s no way I’m forgetting that.”
Her heart felt like it would explode from her chest and splatter all over the room. Her pulse pounded loud and hard in her ears. How could she be so over-the-top about this? You’d think she was fifteen again, the way she was behaving.
She needed to cut it the hell out right now, start acting like an adult, for crying out loud. Drawing her shoulders back, she stared up at him defiantly and reminded him in a calm, even tone, “Look. This is stupid. Plus, it’s all your fault. I mean, you’re the one who’s always flirting with me.”
“So are you telling me you finally decided to flirt back?”
“Darius. Please. Can’t we just forget what I said?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s branded in my brain.” He said that with real feeling—after which he grinned a slow, lopsided grin. “And we need to talk about it. In depth. At length.”
How did he make that sound so dirty? She glared. “No, we don’t.”
He kept right on grinning. “Yes, we—”
“Is this bathroom taken?” The voice of old Levi Kenwright, grandfather-in-law to Dare’s brother James, cut him off. The old man came toward them from the door to the hallway.
“All yours.” Ava flashed Levi a giant smile, zipped around the old fellow on the side away from Darius and escaped out the open bedroom door.
She joined the others in the great room. Clara poured her a nice glass of Riesling, and they toasted the season. Then Chloe took her aside. They firmed up the open house staging she would be dealing with tomorrow.
An hour into the party, she went upstairs to check on the girls, who had taken over a guest room. They’d gathered a number of chairs from other rooms and draped blankets between them. Ava heard them giggling together inside the makeshift fort.
“Anybody in here?”
“Just us!” Sylvie answered.
Ava got down on all fours and stuck her head under the blankets to find Sylvie, Annabelle and little Kiera sitting in a circle pretending to drink from empty pink plastic teacups.
“How’re you girls doing?”
“We’re having a tea party,” Sylvie replied.
“Ava!” cried Kiera gleefully. “Hi there!”
“Hi, Kiera.”
Kiera made lip-smacking sounds, so Ava leaned closer, and the little sweetie pressed her lips against her cheek.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” asked Annabelle sweetly.
“I would love one.” Ava crawled on in and joined their circle. Annabelle handed her a cup and a little plastic plate, and Ava proceeded to drink pretend tea and enjoy an imaginary cupcake. “Well,” she said, once she’d sipped and chewed for a couple of minutes. “That was delicious.” She pretended to blot her lips with an imaginary napkin. “And now, I must be on my way.” The fort was perfect for the three girls, but things got tight with a mom included.
“Bye-bye!” chirped Kiera brightly.
“Dinner soon,” Ava reminded them as she backed out the way she had come. “Don’t eat too many cupcakes.”
“Oh, Mom,” Sylvie scoffed. “They’re only ’maginary.”
“Well, all right then. Have as many as you like.” She emerged from the fort butt-first to find Darius leaning in the doorway to the upper hall.
Her heart did a silly forward roll, and her pulse went a little crazy. She shot to her feet. “This is getting ridiculous,” she muttered as she straightened her skirt and smoothed her sweater.
He didn’t say a word—probably because he knew if he spoke, the girls would hear him and demand that he crawl into their fort and have tea with them, too. Darius clearly had other plans. He stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
She should have jerked away, but she didn’t. It felt too delicious, his warm fingers pressing into her skin through her sweater, the little thrill of excitement skittering down the backs of her knees to have him so close, touching her. He pulled her from the room, and she went a lot more willingly than she should have.
“No,” he whispered for her ears alone once they were out in the upper hallway.
“No, what?”
“This isn’t ridiculous. This is fun.”
She almost giggled at that, which pretty much proved she was losing her mind.
“Come on,” he said.
“Where?”
“In here.” He ducked into the next bedroom, pulling her with him—and then shut the door. “Now. Where were we?”
She eased free of his grip and backed off a few paces. “I can’t believe I let you drag me in here.”
He folded those fine, hard arms across that broad chest and leaned back against the door. “Go out with me. Tomorrow night.”
“That is not going to happen.”
“Why not?”
“No dating. Not in this town. Not with our families.”
“Ava. What’s wrong with our families?”
She didn’t even want to go into it. But he just stood there blocking the door, waiting for an explanation. So she gave in and provided one. “They’re all up in my business, that’s what. I’ve been out twice with nice men in the five years since I moved back to town. The first date was with a perfectly pleasant software designer. Afterward, all three of my brothers got me aside and told me I could do better. They’re so overprotective they make me want to scream. Then a year ago, I tried again, with another Realtor who has his office in the same building as mine. Your sister Nell saw us together. Later, there was endless discussion of if we would go out again and wasn’t it great that I was finally seeing someone? That was when it came to me.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to go out with anyone. I like my life just as it is. I have the life I’ve always wanted, and I don’t need the hassle of going on dates and all that.” Was she overexplaining? Definitely. But now she couldn’t seem to stop. “And then there’s my mother...” Ava rolled her eyes so hard, she was lucky she didn’t fall over backward. “I don’t even want to get started on her. She’s a hopeless matchmaker.”
“Ava.” He said her name slowly, as though he enjoyed the way it tasted in his mouth. “You have to know that what you’re giving me here just sounds like a bunch of excuses for you not to have to take a chance with a guy.”
She really hated that he was pretty much right, so she dug up another objection. “Well, you have to know that my brother Tom hates you.” Tom used to work for Bravo Steelworks. It hadn’t ended well.
Dare studied his boots for a second or two, then glanced back up at her. “I wouldn’t say Tom hates me exactly.”
“But you have to admit he doesn’t like you very much.”
“Ava.” A weary little breath escaped him. “I don’t care what our families say. I don’t care what anyone says.”
“Well, I do care. I love them, all of them. Dearly. But they all think they know what’s good for me, and they simply don’t. I don’t want to go out because when I do, I never hear the end of it. So, well, if you and I were to, um, start seeing each other, I wouldn’t want anyone to know, okay?” She backed up and dropped to the edge of the bed behind her. “Actually, I would prefer it if you didn’t even know.”
A low chuckle escaped him. “You’re a difficult woman, you know that? You always have been.”
“Which only proves you should show some good sense and stop chasing me all over your sister’s house.”
“But I like chasing you.” God. The way he said that. Rough and low, with enough heat to make her feel she might burst into flame. He held her gaze for a long count of five. Electricity seemed to arc in the still air between them. “And I know you’re offering something. I just can’t figure out what it is.”
Her throat clutched when he said that, and she realized he was right. She did want to offer him something: herself. Just for the holidays, just between the two of them.
Was there any chance he would go for something like that—and if he would, did she really want to follow through on it?
As she considered the very real possibility that she’d lost her mind due to long-term sexual deprivation, Darius left off leaning on the door and came closer. She watched him approach, her skin all prickly with awareness, her breath coming a little too shallow and too fast.
The bed dipped slightly as he sat beside her. “All right,” he said. “If not dinner and a movie, then what?”
She turned her head, met his eyes—and put it right out there. “I just want a man for Christmas, okay? No strings, no dates, nobody else knowing about it. Just a Christmas fling. You, me and the holidays. And we’re over and done on January 1.”
