Forever After (Montana Brides) (3 page)

After her stepmom and her children arrived on the scene, the carefree days of not worrying about what she was wearing were over. No matter how hard she tried, she’d never felt comfortable in Maureen’s world of high fashion and expensive accessories. And she’d tried really hard.
 

 
“I’m surprised you want me to help out, Granddad. What happened to all those male managers with steel running through their veins?”

Her grandfather glared at her. “Don’t get sharp with me young lady. It’s one of those idiots that caused this mess. Maybe more than one.” He led her inside and stopped in front of the staircase. “If I can’t trust the men I handpicked to realize there was a problem before it got this far, then I sure as hell wouldn’t trust them to find the culprit.”
 

“Move out of the way, you two. This suitcase weighs a ton.” Cody staggered up the stairs, cursing women and their clothes the whole way.

“I’ve got to go and get changed, granddad. I’ll see you soon.” Nicky kissed his cheek, and followed Cody.

She caught up with her brother just as he threw her case on the bed.
 

“Here you go. One remodeled bedroom, for one remodeled sister.”

She looked at her old room. The cream walls had been replaced with powder puff blue. Gold brocade curtains fell in soft folds around the windows, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. “I can’t fault Maureen’s taste. It’s beautiful.”

Cody grunted. “She damn near drove me insane with her twitter about colors and fabric. Every time I came near the house she wanted me to paint another strip of color on the walls to compare samples. I’m going on vacation next time she decides to redecorate.” Flexing his hand, a slow grin washed across his face. “Damn case nearly cut my circulation off.”
 

“That might account for the brain dysfunction, then,” Nicky laughed.

“Very funny.” Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he raised an eyebrow in her direction. “Tell me about Sam. What’s going on between the two of you?”

“Nothing,” she growled. “He’s employed me for six weeks to do an efficiency audit at head office.”

“Efficiency, my ass. I’ve known him for seven years. There’s something going on, and it hasn’t got anything to do with efficiency models.”

Walking across the room, Nicky unzipped her suitcase. Squashed between three pairs of shoes and four dresses was a pair of black pants. She yanked them out, frowning at the other suitcase beside the bed. “You’ll have to ask Sam because I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced up at the disbelieving look on Cody’s face. “And if you think there’s another reason why Sam brought me back here, then you’re wrong. I’ll be gone before you know it.”

 
“Sam’s my friend and a great guy. But he can be ruthless when he needs to be. I’d have to be a complete moron not to remember you high-tailing it to Denver after you’d finished working with him. I care about you, Nicky. Just be careful.”

Nicky had been careful last time, but she’d still ended up pregnant and heartbroken. Flicking the lid of the second suitcase open, she grabbed a pale apricot blouse off the top of the pile. Clutching her clothes in her hands she turned to her brother. “I don’t need to be careful. I need to be smart.”

Jamming his hands in his pockets, Cody moved toward the door. “You know where I am if you need me.” He paused in the doorway, listening to whatever was going on downstairs. “You’d better get changed fast otherwise mom’s going to start hunting for you.”
 

Nicky breathed a sigh of relief after he left. Heading toward the ensuite, she knew she didn’t have much time before she had to mix and mingle with Maureen’s friends. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she knew she’d need every second she could manage. The face staring back at her wasn’t an image of a professional, confident, woman. It was the face of a person coming head to head with a lot of uncomfortable demons she thought she’d left behind two years ago.

“I thought you’d done a runner back to Denver.” Sam stared at the transformed business executive standing in front of him. Her carefree fall of blonde hair had disappeared into a fancy braid hanging down her back. And the hot red suit that had done more for his sense of wellbeing than anything else over the last few days, had been replaced with black pants and a sleeveless silk top. She looked prim and proper, not like the carefree spirit that had surprised him on her front doorstep.
 

“What’s with the pants? I thought you’d knock them dead with your killer legs, not cover up like you’re preparing for war.”

Nicky’s nose pushed a little higher in the air. “For your information, Mr. Delaney, this is my professional look. It’s supposed to inspire confidence, not lust.”

Sam looked at her serious expression, and couldn’t help the grin slipping across his face. “It’s a family barbecue, not a job interview.”

“You’ve got no idea,” she muttered, not quite catching his eye as she tweaked the edge of her blouse.
 

Jamming his hands in his pockets, he stared at her mouth as she gently bit down on her bottom lip. “Well, from an entirely professional perspective, I like the color of your lipstick.”
 

Her face flushed a delicate shade of beetroot. “Ravish me Red.”

His heart thumped through his chest. “Excuse me?”

“The lipstick. It’s called, Ravish me Red.”

Sam took another hard look at the lipstick and hoped to God she chose a different color at work.
 

“Darling, you’ve made it at last.” Maureen made a beeline straight for her stepdaughter. “Your father’s helping Jordan McKenzie fix his tractor. He’ll be home soon.” Her gaze wandered over Nicky’s confidence inspiring outfit. The blank look on her stepmom’s face didn’t bode well for the professional look Nicky had hoped to achieve.

 
“Let’s get you both a drink and then I’ll introduce you to everyone.” Maureen gazed around the room, waving at a matronly woman sitting on a high backed French chair. “You’ll remember most of the people here, but some are new friends.”

Sam followed the two women as they moved through the house. Maureen looked as though she was ready to be photographed for a fashion magazine. Somewhere between the airport and her home she’d managed to change into a pair of cream pants and a long flowing tunic. Gold jewelry added a touch of polish to an outfit reeking of understated elegance. Without a hair out of place, or a spilt drop of wine from her crystal glass, Maureen managed to circulate the room with the efficiency of a general.
 

The color coordinated gathering of family and friends blended into muted tones of beige and cream, with a touch of navy and black to break the boredom. Apart from what he was wearing, there wasn’t a pair of jeans in sight. Hell, even he’d begun to feel a little underdressed without a jacket and tie on.
 

He should have known to expect nothing less of Nicky’s stepmom. Somehow he doubted there’d be plates of steak, burnt sausages, and buckets of potato salad thrown on a table in the backyard. Gourmet buffalo burgers, marinated chicken wings and wild rice salad served on china plates seemed a more likely scenario.
 

Taking a sip of wine, his gaze caught a flash of color darting out the French doors. Emily looked like a licorice allsort in her hot pink top and black leggings. A chunky yellow and orange necklace completed her outfit, and gave him a small measure of hope that someone in the room had a sense of humor as warped as his.

A woman with a tight pinched face walked toward them. “Are you going to tell me who the dishy man is, or do I have to wait for a wedding invitation before I know what my niece is up to?”

Nicky’s cheeks flamed redder than the suit she’d worn on the plane. “Aunty Valerie? When did you arrive?”

“I’ve been staying with Maureen and Gary for the last week. My flight back to New York leaves on Monday. Are you going to introduce me to your man?”

Aunty Valerie didn’t bat one eyelash extension as Nicky glowed beside him. “This is my boss, Sam Delaney, Chief Executive of granddad’s company.”

 
“Boss is it? My apologies for assuming Nicky had brought her latest beau for the family’s approval.”
 

A look that didn’t make him feel altogether comfortable slipped across her face. When the ‘ah ha’ moment registered, he knew he was in trouble. From the tip of her dyed blonde locks, to the toe of her cream heels, he knew he’d be in for a grilling.

“You’re not the same young man who broke Nicky’s heart two years ago, are you?”

“
Aunty Valerie,”
Nicky squeaked. “Would you please not go there? I’m working with Sam for six weeks at head office. That’s all.”

Aunty Valerie pulled her spine straight and glared at her niece. “Nicky Scotson, I’ve been your aunt for twenty-six years. You mark my words; make sure you know what you’re taking on with this one. It’s no wonder your stepmother’s in a flap. It takes a lot to rattle Maureen’s cage, but you’ve managed to put her in the biggest tizz I’ve ever seen.”

Maureen wasn’t the only one getting fired up. Sam’s blood pressure rocketed at the suggestion he’d left Nicky’s heart in shreds. There’d been nothing cold-hearted at all in his decision to run as fast as he could from the boss’s daughter. She’d been strictly off limits. But he’d still fallen head first into her big blue eyes and open arms like a moth sucked into a flame.
 

Aunty Valerie glared at him. Nicky looked as though she wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.
 

Something unexpected happened at the sight of Nicky blushing from embarrassment. He forgot how frustrating and contrary and downright distracting she could be. He forgot about everything except how hard she’d always tried to fit in. He knew how much it meant to her to be accepted into her family’s social circle. And how difficult that could be.

His arm snaked around Nicky’s waist, pulling her tight against his side. “You don’t need to worry about Nicky. I’m taking good care of her this time around.” Let the dragon make of that what she wanted, he thought, staring back at Aunty Valerie’s suspicious face.
 

Nicky’s body went as stiff as a board and her skin turned as white as the napkin in her hand.

Sam’s face set in a concrete smile. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a few things to do before dinner.”

The arc of a perfectly outlined eyebrow was the only indication Aunty Valerie gave that she knew she’d been ever so politely dismissed.
 
His impulsive streak would probably come back to bite him on the butt, but right now he didn’t care. The look on her surgically enhanced face had been priceless.
 

He started to move away, but Nicky’s feet stuck to the floor. Sam half lifted, half dragged her toward the backyard, getting her out the French doors before she wiggled free of his arm.

“Keep your mitts to yourself, Sam Delaney. Now half the family’s going to think there’s more to this visit than business.” She glared at his misbehaving body, her blue eyes turning to chips of arctic ice. “You’re my boss and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

He grinned at the stubborn frown on her face. “You should be careful the wind doesn’t change and leave you wrinkled for life.”

“Wrinkles are the least of my problems.” Nicky spotted an open bottle of wine. Filling a glass, she swigged it down her throat.
   

“Living a bit dangerously aren’t we?”
 

Looking over her shoulder, she hissed, “You have to promise me we’ll leave as soon as desserts over.”

“What’s the rush? I thought you’d be happy to catch up with your family.” He felt another grin tugging at his lips.
 

Her eyes zoomed in on his mouth. Pushing a stray lock of hair off her face, she took a deep breath. “In small doses. I need a decent sleep before I go head to head with most of the people in there.”

Hell, even he’d need to psych himself up to spend time with the bunch of people in the living room. They looked harmless enough, but sharing a venison burger and cold beer with Aunty Valerie and her cronies seemed like self-inflicted torture.

 
Cody and his licorice allsorts sister had the right idea. Make an appearance, and then get the hell out of the room as fast as possible. With her two step-siblings missing in action, it was up to him to get Nicky out of the house in one piece. “Dessert it is. But you’ll owe me big time.”

A small grin stole across her face as she reached for the wine bottle. “I’ll work extra hard at the office, boss.”
 

Plastered on a couple of glasses of wine seemed highly unlikely, but her grin had turned goofy, and Nicky had never been goofy. “You can work extra hard after you’ve had a couple of glasses of water.” He grabbed the bottle of wine, holding it well out of harm’s way. If he had to navigate her out of the house she’d better be standing on her own two feet, otherwise more people than Aunty Valerie would be wagging their tongues tomorrow.

 
Nicky looked through the French doors at the sound of a man’s voice booming across the deck. A soft groan escaped her Ravish Me Red lips.
 

With a crooked smile on her face, she watched her grandfather heading toward them. Whether she realized it or not, she moved half a step closer to him.
 

Half a step, and a whole lot of body heat closer.

CHAPTER TWO

Sam drove toward downtown Bozeman, and the apartment Nicky would call home for the next six weeks. As cheesecake and fresh fruit salad had been wheeled onto the patio, he’d nudged her out the front door, saving them both from another round of questions from her grandfather.

After three glasses of water, half a ton of pasta salad, and one bathroom stop, she’d pulled herself together enough to handle the barrage of questions from the people at the barbecue.

Nicky covered an enormous yawn with her hand, snuggling down further in her seat.
 

He cleared his throat. “I want to talk about something.”