Page 80 of Mistletoe and Christmas Kisses
Charlie grinned. “Not exactly. I mentioned we had a guest for the holidays she might enjoy meeting. Both unmarried, attractive. I thought I would give it a go.” She ignored her husband’s amused snort. “Anyway, Kate said she had no wish to associate with Tanner Barkley, thank you very much. And, I never even mentioned his name to her!”
Adam sighed. “Please, Charlie, no more projects.”
“I don’t think Kate Peters needs my help. She seems to have a mind of her own.” And, lovely eyes filled with anguish.
Adam stiffened. “You didn’t invite her to your damned tree-decorating party did you? I already told Tanner about—”
“Of course, I invited her. I hate these things, even my own. Hellfire. Kate may throw a few sparks in and brighten this one a little.”
“Charlotte Chase, are you trying to kill me before I make it to thirty-four?”
“What’s wrong with helping two lonely people find love?”
“Didn’t seem like love to me, seemed like a bad case of hate.” He laughed and pressed a kiss to her brow. “True love? Tanner Barkley and Katherine Peters? Sweetheart, I think you’ve lost what’s left of your mind.”
CHAPTER2
Kate slid her spectacles into place, adjusted a curved arm behind each ear, and plunged into the ragged rows of numbers before her. Her mother kept the worst record book she had ever seen. Blotches of ink stained every sheet; the pages were wrinkled and torn. Figures miscalculated or simply left out. Nevertheless, it presented a creative challenge, much like designing bonnets did for her mother. Moreover, it kept Kate’s mind from dwelling on her disturbing predicament.
With a deceptively merry doorbell jingle and a deep laugh that brought forth images she’d assumed were dead, Kate’s disturbing predicament strolled into the millinery. Kate’s hand jerked, halting her rapid progress across the page.
“Why, thank you, Mr. Barkley. I didn’t know how I was going to open the door with this load of Christmas packages,” said a sweet voice Kate did not bother to connect to a face. He attracts them like flies to honey, or manure, Kate thought, and gripped the pen until her knuckles whitened.
“My pleasure, ma’am. I’ll just put them on the counter.”
Kate recorded the last set of numbers. She could not recall how she had arrived at them, but she saw them clearly, though they were a bit red-tinged. Three, six, nine.
“Mr. Barkley, surely you’ve seen a poinsettia before. From Charleston.” Kate heard the shuffle of leaves, an enticing laugh. “Takes a special...touch to keep them happy. Lots of darkness, a little pampering. Much like....”
Tanner laughed and the woman whispered, their voices overlapping, intertwining, becoming a mindless warble. Kate clenched her teeth and pressed down on the final curve of the nine. Ink spurted, dribbling from the tablet to mahogany. “Damn.”
“Tsk, tsk, Kat. Such language,” Tanner said, amusement riding high in his voice.
Kate dabbed at the spill, then rose, forcing a bland expression. For the benefit of the woman at Tanner’s side, she smiled. “Can I help you, Mr. Barkley?”
Tanner bent over the counter and poked at a taffy-filled cornucopia. After a moment, he cocked a chin naked of yesterday’s stubble and caught her gaze. Unwrapping a piece of candy, he popped it into his mouth and rolled the wrapper into a ball between his thumb and forefinger. He blinked, ridiculously long lashes brushing his skin, his jaw flexing as he chewed. “I hoped you could, Kat. I need ribbon.” He paused, considered, chewing slowly. “Red. About a yard.”
“Don’t tell me you need to purchase a lover’s trinket at this early date? Been in town, oh” —she tipped the watch pinned at her waist— “thirty hours.”
He shrugged his good shoulder and flicked the wadded wrapper to the floor. “Certainly, entertainment is hard to come by in this” —he glanced at the package-laden woman glued to his side, flashed a charming smile, then looked back at Kate, his smile thinning— “well, let’s just say I work quickly.”
His words were subtle, but the gleam in his eyes and the finger he skimmed along the counter were not.
Kate worked to keep her smile in place, felt it slip, and dropped her gaze. A tattered wool coat hung from Tanner’s shoulders, the sleeves dangling past his wrists. Strange. Tanner had always taken an almost feminine interest in his attire. “Nice clothing,” she said, pleasure flooding her as his lips flattened, leaving a rather setback look upon his face.
The woman at Tanner’s side released a sigh and swept a lock of white-blond hair from her face. She looked from Tanner to Kate and back again. Her gaze traveled to the top of Kate’s head, inches above her own, then settled on Kate’s spectacles. Kate understood what her appeased expression meant: no competition here. “You must be Katherine, Mrs. Peters’ daughter. She told me so much about you. I’m Mrs. Walker. Lila Dane. Of course, your mother has mentioned me. I’m her best customer.”
“Yes, certainly.” Katherine lifted her hand. “I’m sorry to have you wait, but I don’t know a thing about bonnets.”
Lila glanced at Kate’s ink-stained fingers and raised her gloved hand hesitantly.
Tanner laughed. “Shake it, Mrs. Walker. Don’t worry, the impudence won’t rub off. Thick skin holds it in.”
Kate shot him a sharp look. Hush up, you.
He arched a brow, the corner of his mouth kicking.
Again, Lila glanced between them, then back to Kate’s outstretched hand. She grasped the tips of Kate’s fingers, wagged once, and dropped the offensive digits as if they burned.