Page 31 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

The table was set for four.

Nash settled himself into a chaise lounge on the four-season deck behind the Matthews’ house while Brad handed him a beer. Leaning back, he relaxed, crossing his boots at the ankles and placing his Resistol on a nearby table. The winter evening was pleasant, a gift for this North Carolina January day. Warm days like this in the mountains were few and far between.

“Nice way to use the deck year-round,”

Nash said, glancing about. The covered deck had large windows secured around the perimeter, floor to ceiling, to keep out the cold and weather but still let in the view.

“Yeah. It’s a pain to install and uninstall the windows winter and spring, but it’s worth it when you can sit out here and watch the lake—even if it snows. That portable heater over there does the job of keeping things warm. Suzie and I love the fact that we can extend our home out here in all kinds of weather. Of course, in the summer, we live out here.”

The lake fanned out at the bottom of the hill in front of them and Nash took in the view. Across the lake, he could see the lodge Brad owned and where the benefit concert was to be held tomorrow evening. He hoped the nice weather stayed around for another twenty-four hours.

Nash leaned back.

“I imagine you do. Nice place.”

Brad sat a platter of steaks on the table.

“This was Suzie’s place. I lucked into it.”

Suzie sidled up and bumped him with her hip.

“Darned right about that.”

Stretching up on her tiptoes, she kissed her husband on the lips. Glancing at Nash, she grinned.

“Came looking for me, he did. Couldn’t resist me any longer.”

Brad reached behind his wife and pinched her on the backside. Suzie squealed and slapped Brad on the buttocks.

Nash watched their play and grinned. This was what he’d missed. His mama and dad used to play like that. His gut panged a bit thinking about his dad, gone now. He missed him and suddenly wondered if his mama missed this kind of playfulness. He was certain she’d have to. Obviously, the Matthews couple had a good thing going. If he were half as lucky, he’d welcome a relationship like that one day.

If the career didn’t get in the way.

Frowning, he peered out over the peaceful lake. Damn. He had sworn he would not turn somber this evening by brooding over the current state of affairs. He needed his career to take off and stay up. He was on the pinnacle. The Country Music Awards were weeks away and he was up for Male Singer of the Year. He had to concentrate on the music. A woman, one who came with expectations, longings, and plans for the future and commitment, were off the menu for a while. He would have to put his own longings for home and hearth out of his head a little longer. He was too new, too fresh in the field, to let the career slide.

He lived to play music. A woman would get in the way. At least that’s what Rick kept telling him.

The sound of boot heels clicking across the wooden deck brought him out of his musing.

Shit. A woman.

Not just any woman. A natural, fresh-faced beauty. Not like the sex-starved groupies he usually encountered backstage. He was glad of that. This woman was small town through and through, he could tell, and reminded him somewhat of Suzie.

And of home.

He gulped and while continuing his perusal, knew he was in trouble.

The simple floral dress she wore showed off her creamy shoulders. Red western boots matched the flowers in her dress. As she walked on into the room, she adjusted a red sweater wrap around her shoulders, weaving it through her arms. A simple beaded bracelet graced one wrist. Her hair, brunette with golden highlights, was caught up into a clip, wisps of gold and brown trailing either side of her cheeks. Dangling earrings framed her face.

Makeup—not a lot, just enough. And those lips, Lord help him, plump red lips that hinted of chili peppers and sweet release.

He glanced away and swore under his breath, then looked back.

“Nash,”

Suzie’s voice came from afar.

“This is my friend, Mary. She’s joining us for dinner.”

Rising, he set his beer on the table next to the chaise. His voice caught in his throat as he attempted to say a hello, but damn him, if it didn’t squeak out. Lifting a trembling hand, he offered it to her, and she tentatively placed hers in his.

Heaven. Her soft palm was small and tiny in his big rough one. He relished in the notion of protection and for a brief second, wanted to pull her into his body and guard her from anything and everything that might get between them.

Like life.

“Nash,”

she said, her voice a sweet, smooth caress.

“It is so nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure, ma’am, is all mine.”

Hell. Was it his hand that was still trembling or hers? At the moment, he couldn’t tell, although she seemed calm and collected, compared to his sudden, shaken demeanor.

Sit. They should sit.

Perhaps she’d join him on the chaise? No. Ridiculous. He glanced to a chair next to his.

Suzie moved between them then. Thank God.

“Why don’t you two sit and talk while Brad and I get dinner on the table?”

The woman turned to Suzie.

“Oh, may I help?”

What was her name again? Oh yes, Mary.

He looked to her eyes while she talked with Suzie. Blue. Sea-blue. It was the little temptress from this afternoon. Damn, she cleaned up nicely….

Suzie was adamant.

“Oh no! Now Mary, you and Nash are our guests. You know how possessive Brad and I are about our food prep. Nothing for you two to do except sit a spell and visit.”

She turned and crooked a finger at her husband.

“In fact, there are a couple of things we need to tend to in the kitchen. Brad? Let those steaks rest there and come help me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Brad grinned and tipped his head to Nash, who was unexpectedly grateful to be alone with Mary.

And scared shitless.

He turned to her. She said, “Sex.”

“What?”

“Oh, I mean. Shoot. I can’t believe I said that. It’s…”

He laughed.

“Well, I’ve heard lines in my day but that’s a first.”

Wide-eyed, she faced him.

“Oh no! That was not a line. That was Suzie. What she said. How she gets Brad to do things. Earlier. She told me. Sex.”

Nash chuckled again at the glob of words that just came out of Mary’s mouth. He angled his head to the side.

“Ah, I think I get it. Are you feeling better? That was quite a spill you took earlier in the kitchen.”

She swallowed and then licked her lips. Those red, swollen, sexy lips. “Oh,”

she said.

“Yes. I think.”

Nash grinned again. She was nervous. Hell, he was nervous. But nervous looked cuter on her than he suspected it looked on him. He leaned closer and whispered.

“It’s okay, Mary. I’m a little out of practice too.”

****

Mary wasn’t quite sure she remembered how to speak. Or sit. Her body frozen to the spot, she could only look straight into Nash Rhodes’ deep set and bottomless pit, brown eyes. Then she managed to say.

“Out of practice? You?”

She was trying to be sexy. She was trying to be suave and sophisticated. And she was trying to be herself all at the same time.

It wasn’t working, was it? Why did she think she could pull this off?

“I am.”

“You are?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Exhaling, she immediately felt better.

“Okay. Sorry, it’s just that it’s you. And you are, well, you’re Nash Rhodes so I assumed… Oh, never mind.”

Grinning, he took her hand.

“Look. Times like this are rare for me. I haven’t had a date—not that this is a date, mind you, let’s say the companionship of a woman—for nearly a year. Let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves. I’m glad you are feeling better.”

“Yes. Me too.”

There. She eked out one word, followed by another two.

“Good. How about you sit here,”

he motioned toward a chair.

“and I’ll sit there.”

He pointed toward the chaise.

“Sure.”

Her lips were unfreezing now.

He took her elbow and guided her to the chair, and Mary wondered if he thought she didn’t have sense enough to get there on her own. She was acting like a semi-mute idiot. He let go of her elbow and she sat, the butterflies in her stomach started to subside. Finally, she let out a long-held breath, watched him move to the chaise, and fold his long, lean body into it. He lifted first one leg, and then the other, on the leg rest. His denim-clad legs took up the entire length of the chaise and more. Nash crossed his ankles and Mary found herself perusing him from the tips of those ostrich boots all the way up to his leather buckled belt and western cut shirt—rolled up on his forearms to expose dark hair on tanned skin. Her gaze moved to his open collar, which revealed a wisp of black hair there too. His face was five o’clock shadowed and his tousled brown hair was ripe for running her fingers through. Then those chocolate brown eyes of his—she could easily get lost in them.

Again, she exhaled.

“So, you live here in Harbor Falls?” he asked.

Oh, conversation would be good. Of course. “Yes,”

she replied.

“Born and raised here. What about you?”

Good. That was good, Mary. Comment and then ask a question.

“I’m a Louisiana boy.”

But she knew that. She knew everything about him. Hearing him say “Loosiana”

like those deep southerners do, set her heart all atwitter though. Man, she liked that southern drawl. The butterflies were back again. Where were Suzie and Brad? She had hoped they would help ease some of this awkwardness.

Her internal dialog was going haywire.

“I’ve never been to Louisiana. What’s it like? You miss it?”

There. Get him talking about himself. That was something Suzie said men like to do.

“I miss it a helluva lot.”

He glanced off toward the lake.

“I’m from bayou country. Miss the fishing and the water. The people. In a strange sort of way, Harbor Falls reminds me of where I grew up.”

Her heart fluttered more. He liked Harbor Falls? A good thing, right?

“Harbor Falls is a great place to—”

Just then, Suzie burst back onto the deck.

“Oh, Mary. Nash? I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I have to tell you that there is something going on at the lodge and Brad and I need to leave for a while.”

Both she and Nash stood. Panic gripped Mary’s mid-section. “Oh, no.”

Please don’t leave me!

“I don’t know how long we’ll be gone. There is a rehearsal dinner for the McCreary wedding and half the staff didn’t show up for some reason. Brad and I have to go work.”

“Oh, but…”

Please do not leave me here with him alone!

Suzy removed two steaks off the platter to their dinner plates.

“The salad is in the refrigerator and there are fresh roles on the kitchen island. Please help yourselves, okay? And I am so, so sorry. Gotta run now.”

Then she was off.

Then back.

“Oh, and there is a chocolate torte in the fridge. Please eat the damned thing. I don’t need to add it to my hips.”

Then she was gone.

Mary stared at the back door. She was alone with him. With Nash. The thing she’d dreamed about forever. Now… Now what? All she wanted to do was run.

“So,”

his deep voice came from behind, and she could swear he’d taken a couple of steps closer.

“I guess we should eat that steak, right?”

Turning, she faced him straight on. He was smiling. And he was gorgeous. Sexy. Dangerous. And she felt…oh, so inadequate.

“We don’t have to. I mean, I know you didn’t come here to eat with me. I mean, since Brad and Suzie have to leave and all.”

His smile turned into a frown.

“No use wasting a good steak.”

So, it was about the steak, not the company. He didn’t want to be here, did he? She took a step in the reverse direction.

“It was truly nice to meet you, Nash, but I know you are busy and probably tired from your travels and so you don’t have to babysit me. I can just be on—”

He interrupted.

“Wait. So, you don’t want to stay and eat with me?”

“Oh, of course I do! It’s, well, I know that you really don’t want to spend time with me. I mean, I’m just, well… I know you weren’t expecting to have to entertain me and…”

He stepped closer.

“Mary, look. Let’s just sit and have a nice meal out here on this beautiful evening. Let’s enjoy the lake and the night and…”

And what else? No. She was not ready for this. For what else. For him. What the hell am I doing? Who am I kidding?

Her chest tightened. Had she breathed in the last two minutes? “I… I…”

Unexpectedly her stomach cramped, and she didn’t feel so good. Not a good sign. She laid a hand over her belly.

“Are you ill again?”

Yes, that was it. She was ill.

“I don’t know. I… I don’t feel so hot right now.”

“Perhaps you should go lie down then.”

She nodded.

“Yes. Yes, maybe I should.”

“I’ll help you up the stairs.”

“No!”

she said excessively loud.

“No, I mean, I’ll be fine. I’m not sure what is wrong with me lately.”

“And you passed out this afternoon, too, so perhaps you should see a doctor.”

She nodded and backed away, savoring her last look at him. Dammit, am I a fool or what.

“Yes, I will do that.”

She made it to the door.

“Nice to meet you, Nash. I’m sorry.”

Then she turned and ran through the kitchen and upstairs to the guest bedroom, locked the door behind her, and collapsed into a heap of self-pity and self-deprecation on the bed.

“I am such an idiot.”

A part of her wanted to call Barry. To hear his voice and feel comforted by someone familiar. Normal. Mundane.

“Shit,”

she whispered into the pillow, but didn’t pick up the phone. “Shit.”

****

Nash ate half a steak and didn’t bother with the salad. The chocolate torte was long forgotten. For all his nights of eating with the boys, he thought he’d enjoy eating alone for once, but he was wrong. Things kept tugging as his gut.

Instead of focusing on what those things were, he cleaned up his dishes, put away the food, and made his way down the hill toward the lake. He sat in an old Adirondack chair and watched streaks of red and silver cross the sky as the sun descended behind the mountain. The temperature soon grew too cool to sit there for long.

He gave up the sunset and ambled to the bus. Locking up, he headed toward his bedroom and shower in the back, peeling out of his boots and clothes along the way.

A few minutes later, hot water beat against the back of his head and he closed his eyes against the steady, rhythmic drone on his skull. His brain needed rest. His body too. Leaning into the shower wall, he let his mind drift. Mary’s face floated in and beckoned.

That face was going to nag him. Why, he wasn’t certain.

He didn’t blame her for the exit. He knew she was anxious. He was uneasy too. But he was drawn to her for some reason, and it wasn’t a good thing. That’s why he didn’t fight her leaving. As much as he wanted her to stay, to get to know her a little better, he wanted her to leave so the temptation wouldn’t be there.

He needed to get out of Harbor Falls soon as possible after the concert tomorrow night. This Mary, and the town, and its people, were trouble. They were quickly growing on him.

He didn’t need that kind of temptation messing with his head right now.

The water turned cool. He exited the shower, dried off, and sprawled naked on his bed. Hell. He was tired of sleeping alone.