Three Down the Aisle (7 page)

Since he appeared intent on pulling into her driveway not two days after lecturing himself on avoiding her, apparently his willpower sucked almost as much as his judgment.

Mike slogged through the mud, telling himself he wouldn’t stay long. He’d tell her that it was still too wet to plant the flowers they’d picked up last weekend, despite the sliver of sun that had finally worked its way through the clouds on Thursday afternoon and seemed to be struggling against this morning’s gloom as well. Then he’d leave. No big deal.

Famous last words.

He found her outside whacking at the rosebushes with an oversize pair of hedge clippers and a deadly gleam in her eyes. The sight of it horrified him on so many levels it had him tearing across the lawn to snatch the clippers away from her before she did any more damage.

She stared at him as if he’d gone mad. “Why’d you
do that?” she demanded indignantly. “Aren’t you the one who’s been carrying on about getting these bushes under control?”

He barely contained a groan. “Under control, not murdered in their sleep.”

She scowled at him. “I’m not murdering the damn bushes. I’m trimming them back.”

“Heaven save me from amateurs,” he murmured. “Where are your garden tools?”

“In the shed over there,” she conceded grudgingly, then followed him when he stalked off in that direction, still muttering.

“Whatever you’re saying about me, say it so I can hear it,” she said.

“You don’t want to hear this,” he retorted, yanking open the door and staring at the excellent collection of gardening implements. It was yet more testimony that Cornelia Lindsey had been an expert gardener who’d cared for the tools she used as well as she had for the garden itself.

“Ever heard of dusting?” he grumbled, as he found some first-class pruning shears.

Melanie glowered at him. “In the house. Not in a tool shed.”

“The same rules apply.” He shook his head. “Never mind. Just come with me. Try not to get in my way.”

“If you’re this charming when you’re teaching Jessie, I’m not surprised she rebels,” Melanie said.

There was a little too much truth in the observation, so Mike chose to ignore it. Instead, he led the way to the rosebush Melanie had been attacking. “Watch and learn,” he said as he began gently shaping the bush, snipping carefully so it would flourish, not wither and die.

“Why is that one bit different from what I was doing?” Melanie asked after watching him awhile. “It’s just going to take longer.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s one of those times when patience will be rewarded. If you chop at it the way you were doing, you’ll destroy it. See here? There’s new growth. And here.”

He showed her the markers he was using in making each careful cut. When he’d trimmed one entire bush, he handed the pruning shears to her. “Your turn.”

She accepted the shears gingerly, then frowned at the bush. She immediately reached for a branch and was about to lop it off, when he winced.

“What?” she demanded, shooting him a look of disgust. “It’s dead.”

“Not entirely. Look again.” He pointed to a nodule that would eventually produce new leaves. “See? If you cut above that, the new leaves will appear anyday now.”

“This is going to take forever,” she said, but she diligently cut where he’d told her to. “What about this branch?”

He grinned. “You tell me.”

She bent over to study it, giving him a very nice view of her lovely derriere. He was so absorbed he almost missed the quizzical look she was giving him as she pointed out where she thought she ought to cut.

“Looks good to me,” he said, enjoying the flash of triumph in her eyes. It was almost as bright as the sun that was finally beating down from a clear, blue sky.

She’d made several more careful snips without any need for his interference before she finally turned and frowned at him. “You could help, you know.”

“I am helping.”

“How?”

“I’m supervising. Without me watching over you, who knows how much damage you might do?”

“Very funny. How many rosebushes do you suppose there are in the yard?” she asked plaintively, wiping the perspiration from her brow and leaving behind a streak of dirt.

Mike had to work hard to resist the desire to brush away that streak on her forehead.

“Enough to keep you out of trouble for a good long while,” he said cheerfully. “How about some iced tea? Now that the sun’s back out, it’s hot out here.”

“I’m surprised you noticed, since you’re standing around in the shade doing nothing.”

He ignored the sarcasm. “Keep at it. I’ll bring you a sandwich along with your tea.”

“You trust me enough to leave me alone for ten whole minutes?” She feigned shock.

“Thirty actually. I’m going to pick up lunch in town.” He gave her a stern look. “And no sitting down on the job the minute my back is turned. I expect one more bush trimmed when I get back.”

“It’s my damned yard!” she shouted after him.

He laughed. “I know. That’s why you’re doing the work.”

The one good thing about keeping her good and mad at him, he decided as he headed into town to pick up lunch, was that even if he was tempted to kiss her, she’d probably slug him and pretty much destroy the impulse.

“You’re mean and arrogant and controlling,” Melanie accused as she sat next to Mike in the swing in the backyard, reveling in the welcome breeze off the bay. “I think I could hate you.”

“That’s nice,” he murmured, not sounding especially
distressed by the charges. He glanced sideways at her. “The yard’s starting to look good, though, don’t you think so?”

Melanie could barely turn around to follow the direction of his gaze. Every muscle in her body ached, including a few she hadn’t been aware of having. She tried to view it through his eyes. All she saw were a bunch of stubby-looking rosebushes. There were at least as many that were still growing out of control.

“Are you sure they’re going to grow back?” she asked. “Right now they just look denuded.”

He laughed. “They’ll grow back. You’ll have so many roses later this summer, the scent out here will overwhelm you.”

She regarded the garden wistfully. “Too bad I won’t be here for that.”

“Stay,” he said, not sure why he was so determined to change her mind when he knew the risks involved to his own peace of mind.

“I’ve already told you that I can’t.”

“No,” he said with exaggerated patience. “You told me you
won’t
, not that you
can’t
.”

“Same difference.”

“Not really. One’s a choice you’re making.”

Melanie sighed. It was true. She was making a choice to go back to Boston, but it was the only choice. That was home, and eventually she did have to go back there. This was an interlude, nothing more.

As if to prove that peaceful moments like this couldn’t last, the silence was split by the sound of a powerful car engine, then the cutting of the motor and an eruption of laughter.

“Oh, my God,” she murmured, recognizing first Ashley’s voice, then Maggie’s, then Jo’s.

Mike regarded her with consternation. “What?”

“My sisters,” she said, aware that she sounded as if disaster were about to strike. “They didn’t tell me they were coming.”

Amusement flickered in Mike’s eyes. “And that’s a problem because what? There are no clean sheets on the beds?”

“You know perfectly well that’s not the issue,” she grumbled, jumping out of the swing as if it were on fire. “I need to get out there before they…” Her voice trailed off.

“Before they see me?” he pressed.

“Yes, if you must know.”

“Ashamed of me?” he pressed, his expression suggesting the remark wasn’t made entirely in jest.

“Don’t be absurd. It’s just that they’ll make too much of you being here.”

He laughed. “So?”

“You don’t know my sisters,” she said grimly. “Stick around and you’ll see exactly the kind of inquisition of which they’re capable. You think Pam asks a lot of questions? Have I mentioned that Ashley is a highly successful criminal defense attorney? She never loses. She could cross-examine anyone and get them to admit to things they’d never even
considered
doing.”

“Ah, I think I’m starting to catch your drift. You think they’ll take one look at you and me, all sweaty and flushed, and assume we’ve been up to something besides gardening,” he said in a deliberately provocative way that made her palms sweat.

“Exactly,” she murmured, her throat suddenly dry.

He bent down and gave her a hard kiss that took her breath away. When he released her, she swayed.

“Why the hell did you do that? Didn’t you hear anything I said?”

“Every word,” he said, sauntering off just as Ashley, Maggie and Jo emerged from the house. “I figured since they were already staring out the window, they might as well get the whole show.”

Melanie clenched her fists at her side. “You’re a pig,” she shouted after him.

He merely waved and went on, leaving her to deal with the fallout. He really was a pig, albeit an incredibly sexy one.

Melanie sighed, then sucked in a deep breath and prepared to face her sisters.

“H
ere for three weeks and she’s already met the sexiest hunk in the entire Northern Neck,” Jo taunted Melanie Friday night after Mike had disappeared around a corner of the house.

“Sexy?” Melanie asked innocently, determined to minimize Mike’s attributes, determined not to get drawn into any discussion about him at all. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Oh, God, Jeremy blinded her,” Maggie lamented. “She’s ruined for life.”

“Worse, he robbed her of all feeling,” Jo added. “If a man kissed me the way that guy just kissed Melanie, I guarantee I’d understand the meaning of
sexy
. Who is he, by the way? Just in case I happen to bump into him while we’re in town, I want to be able to greet him by name and check out his kissing technique for myself.”

Melanie felt Ashley’s curious gaze on her, but avoided meeting her big sister’s eyes. Ashley had always been
able to read her better than the others. She fought to keep a perfectly neutral expression on her face.

“His name is Stefan Mikelewski, but he prefers to be called Mike,” she said grudgingly. “And if you do happen to run into him in town, I expect you to cross the street, if need be, to avoid him. You’re not to take it upon yourselves to cross-examine him, and you
most certainly
are not to experiment with kissing him.”

Jo laughed, looking triumphant. “Thought so. She is so into the guy.”

Melanie tried to ignore the teasing. “Why are all three of you here?” she grumbled. “I thought you were going to take turns. I also thought maybe you’d actually let me know you were coming.”

Ashley grinned. “Something you have to hide, sis? Say, a new relationship? Your protests so far are not all that convincing.”

Melanie glared at her big sister. “No, I do not have anything to hide, but there’s not enough food in the house to feed you guys and, frankly, I could have used a little fortification before facing even one of you, much less all three of you at once.”

“We decided you’d only tell us you were just fine and try to put us off if we called first,” Maggie told her. “Besides, Ashley wound up a court case yesterday, so she needed a break. I finished the food spread for the July issue of the magazine, so I was ready for a change, too. And you know Jo—she’ll go anywhere, anytime.”

“Are you saying I’m easy?” Jo inquired testily.

“No, we’re saying you’re energetic and fun,” Ashley soothed.

“Now, Mel, tell us all about the handsome Mr. Mikelewski who just snuck out of here to avoid meeting us.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Melanie insisted. “And he didn’t sneak out. He was already on his way out when you arrived.”

“Yeah, I always try to steam up the windows right before I walk out the door, figuratively speaking,” Ashley commented dryly. “You mean there’s nothing you want to share with us.”

“I mean I don’t know anything about him except that he’s a landscape designer and he’s livid that we neglected grandmother’s garden. I’ve taken more grief from that man than I have from anyone in my life, with the possible exception of Jeremy the scoundrel.”

“Is this Mike divorced? Married? Children? You don’t know any of that?” Ashley asked, looking horrified.

“He’s a single dad, and his daughter’s a bit of a handful,” Melanie replied, realizing that she was not going to get out of giving them a few tidbits about Mike to chew on. Otherwise they’d pester her to death or, worse, track Mike down for the answers they were after.

“Where’s his wife?”

“I have no idea. He doesn’t say much about her. She’s not here, I do know that much.” She was not going to tell them about the addiction. It was none of their business. It certainly wasn’t her story to share.

“Are you sure he’s not carrying the torch for the ex?” Maggie asked.

“I’m relatively sure of that much,” Melanie said. The real issue was whether he’d ever get past the resentment he felt toward the woman who’d put his daughter’s life at risk. “Although I suspect he still has some issues to work out.”

“Relatively sure? Issues?” Maggie echoed, looking dismayed. “You need to ask the man about these issues.
Don’t leave anything to chance, Melanie. Not again. Otherwise you’re liable to get in over your head the same way you did with Jeremy, then find out you missed some important truths.”

“Didn’t you hear me? Not if I assume there are unresolved issues between them. That’s warning enough for me,” Melanie retorted. At least it should be. However, every time Mike kissed her, the warning bells dimmed just a little, until now she could barely hear them.

“But then you might be losing out on the best single, totally available man in the region,” Jo countered.

“Not interested,” Melanie said firmly.

“Uh-huh,” all three of her sisters chorused skeptically.

“Blind and dumb,” Ashley added.

Melanie scowled at the lot of them. “Pizza or crab cakes?” she asked testily. “I’m starving.”

For a moment she thought her mention of food had fallen on deaf ears, but eventually Ashley took the hint.

“Crab, by all means,” Ashley said, then had to spoil it by adding, “and then a few more answers about the intriguing Mr. Mikelewski for dessert.”

Mike was still distracted when he picked Jessie up at school. He couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that he’d made a mistake kissing Melanie and then leaving her to explain things to her sisters, especially since she was already afraid they’d make too much of finding him there.

“Daddy, you’re not paying attention,” Jessie accused.

“What? Sorry, baby.”

“I said I got an A on my reading test. The teacher
said I was way ahead of everybody else in class. That’s ’cause you and me read every night.”

He gave her his full attention. “That’s because you work very hard at it,” he told her. “I am so proud of you. This deserves a celebration—what would you like to do tonight?”

“See Melanie,” she said at once. “I want to tell her about my test.”

“We’ll have to do that another time,” he said. “She has company.”

Jessie’s face clouded over. “What kind of company?”

“Her sisters surprised her this afternoon. They came all the way from Boston to visit.”

“We could still go,” Jessie said, her expression determined.

“Not tonight. We’ll tell her about the test on Monday, after they’re gone.”

“But I want to go
now!
”

Mike lost patience. “Jessica Marie, stop that right this second, or we won’t celebrate anything.”

She immediately fell silent, but a single huge tear rolled down her cheek. Mike was instantly assailed by guilt and the desire to take back his sharp words, but he settled on another tack.

“I’m sorry you’re disappointed,” he said quietly. “What about going out to dinner? We could go to the crab shanty and get a dozen crabs.”

“I don’t like crabs,” Jessie grumbled.

Mike had to struggle once again to hang on to his patience. “You do too like crabs. They’re your favorite, especially when you get to pick out the crabmeat yourself. You love hitting them with that mallet.”

“Well, I don’t want to do that tonight,” she said stubbornly.

Mike could see in her eyes that she desperately wanted to give in and say yes, but she would rather spoil her evening than say yes, now that she’d dug in her heels. He knew a lot about stubborn pride. It was a trait they shared.

“Okay,” he said at last, coming up with a way to make it easier for her to give in. “Then you can sit there while I eat. If you’re not hungry, you don’t have to eat a thing.”

“But it’s
my
celebration,” she protested.

He shrugged. “It’s up to you,” he said, pulling into the parking lot of the waterfront seafood restaurant that specialized in casual dining. It was a favorite of theirs because no one cared how messy Jessie was. No one could pick crabs neatly.

As soon as they entered, Lena Jensen greeted them with a huge smile. Lena had been running the place for her brother for thirty years. There wasn’t a person in town she didn’t know and very little gossip that didn’t reach her ears.

“It’s about time you came to see me, young lady,” she scolded Jessie. “I’ve missed you. Heard you did real well on a reading test today.”

Jessie’s eyes turned round. “How did you know?”

Lena winked at Mike. “My grandson’s in your class,” she reminded Jessie. “Not much at school or around town I don’t hear about.” She gave Mike a pointed look. “Heard you’ve been helping out over at Cornelia Lindsey’s cottage. That granddaughter of hers is a looker, isn’t she? At least, that’s what everyone is saying. I remember Cornelia bringing all those girls in when they were young. Can’t say I recall which was which, but all four of them were real beauties. It’s Melanie who’s here, is that right?”

Mike had only caught a glimpse of the others this afternoon, but it had been enough to know that Lena was exactly right. Each one was gorgeous. “Actually they’re all here. The others arrived this afternoon for a visit.”

“Well, isn’t that nice?” Lena said. “I imagine they’ll be in before too long. This was the first place they came whenever they hit town to visit their grandmother. It was a tradition I doubt they’ll break.”

Mike bit back a groan. He hoped she was wrong about that. Melanie would not be pleased to find him here.

“Daddy, are we gonna eat? I’m hungry.”

He glanced down into Jessie’s upturned face. All traces of her moodiness had vanished. “Lena, you can forget about the menus. Put in an order for a dozen steamed crabs for us, one soda and a beer. It’s a nice night. We’ll find our way to a table on the deck.”

“I’ll get the order in right now,” Lena said. “You’re in luck. It’s still early in the season, so supplies are low, but we got in some beauties this morning.”

Mike and Jessie made their way to the outdoor deck and chose a table with a good view of the mallards and gulls on the water. In another hour or two, the deck would be packed with locals and tourists, here for the excellent food and the spectacular sunset reflected off the inlet from the bay.

For now, though, Mike and Jessie had it to themselves. Lena brought their drinks, then hurried back to greet the next batch of customers.

“Daddy, do you think that duck is lonely?” Jessie asked plaintively, pointing to a female mallard drifting on the water apart from the others.

Mike gave the question the serious consideration Jessie expected before shaking his head. “No, I figure she’s
just taking a break. She’s probably been pestered all day long and needs some time to herself.”

Jessie nodded, her expression thoughtful. “That’s what I think, too.”

Mike studied his daughter closely and realized that she still wasn’t entirely satisfied. Something else was clearly on her mind. “Something bothering you, kiddo?”

“I was thinking,” she began, regarding him earnestly, “it would be fun to have sisters.”

Mike gulped. “Really? What on earth put that idea into your head?”

“Melanie has sisters. You and Miss Lena said so. And my friends at school have sisters and brothers, too. Sometimes they’re pests, but sometimes a pest is better than not having anybody around.”

“Are you lonely?” he asked, his heart in his throat. He’d convinced himself that they didn’t need anything more than what they had—each other. “I thought Lyssa Clayborne was your best friend. You two arguing or something?”

“Friends are different. They don’t live with you,” his daughter explained.

“Then you
are
lonely,” Mike concluded.

As if she sensed that she had somehow hurt his feelings, Jessie shook her head. “I’m just saying sisters would be fun—better than brothers, probably, but brothers would be okay, too.”

He grinned at her. “You think there’s a store where we can pick out a few?”

“No, Daddy!” she protested, giggling. “You can’t buy sisters.”

“Oh, right,” Mike said. “I forgot.”

“No, you didn’t. You were teasing me.”

“Only because I like hearing you laugh,” he said. “Sorry I can’t be more help when it comes to the sister thing.”

“That’s okay,” Jessie said, sounding resigned. “Maybe someday we’ll get a mom and some sisters.”

Eyes stinging, Mike turned away. It was thoroughly frustrating to discover that he couldn’t give his child one of the few things she really wanted. Feeling inadequate, he looked up just in time to spot Melanie and her sisters emerging onto the deck. She spotted him and halted in her tracks.

“Maybe we should sit inside. It’s cool out here,” he heard her tell her siblings, trying to jostle them back through the door.

Unfortunately, one of her sisters caught a glimpse of him and realized exactly what Melanie was up to.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she said to Melanie. “Perhaps we can join your friend and his daughter.”

She was past Melanie and across the deck before Melanie could react. Hand outstretched, she greeted Mike. “Hi, I’m Ashley D’Angelo, Melanie’s older sister. And this is Jo. Maggie’s back there, trying to convince Melanie that it’s too late to run.”

Mike grinned. “And why would she feel the need to run?” he asked, though it was perfectly obvious from the curious glint in her big sister’s sharp, intelligent eyes.

“You tell me,” Ashley suggested. “Maybe it has something to do with that kiss we caught when you knew we were watching.”

“Were you?” Mike asked innocently. “I had no idea.”

Ashley laughed. “You’d make a lousy witness, Mr. Mikelewski. You get this little tic at the corner of your eye when you lie.”

He deliberately rubbed his eye. “Must have gotten something in it. There’s a lot of pollen around. Maybe you should sit inside.”

“Not a chance,” she said, already maneuvering another table over to theirs. She frowned at him. “You could help with this.”

He shook his head. “I’m waiting for my cue from Melanie. She seems reluctant for this to happen.”

“She doesn’t trust me not to go poking around into your personal business,” Ashley said unrepentantly. “She’ll get over it.”

He laughed, liking her honesty. “Frankly, I’m not sure I trust you, either. She says you’re hell on wheels in a courtroom cross-examination.”

Ashley gave her sister a long, considering look. “Did she really? I wonder why she’d do that. I guess I’ll just have to work that much harder to catch you off guard, now that I know you’ve been forewarned.”