Wyatt paced to his front window and stared blankly at the maple tree in his yard. His temples throbbed. So much had happened lately, he hadn’t had time to assimilate it all. Yesterday, his father phoned to say his mother had called and they were getting together to talk. Wyatt’s trip to the mountains had paid off, after all. Maybe he wasn’t a stupid Cupid after all. Maybe this was a good sign. If his parents could come to terms, he, too, had a chance of mending things with Mackenzie. Jackson should have made it to her shop by now. Maybe Wyatt should have gone along to see how things worked out. He glanced nervously at the flickering candles he’d scattered throughout the house. He’d placed them in every room, anticipating Mackenzie’s wonder when she saw them. Surely, she would come to him… Soft music played on the stereo in the front room. Wyatt shook his head. If she didn’t show, he’d feel like the biggest fool for creat
Jackson Daniel Kingman glanced up and pointed across the room.“I can still see this place as it was back then… There was a long counter over there. I used to come by after work with my buddy and sit and drink cup after cup, just to watch her, just to hear her… It took me nearly three weeks to work up the nerve to ask Judi out. I knew I was a goner when she poured that cup of coffee in my lap.”“But… what happened?”“She tried mopping it up with a towel.”“No, I mean… Uhm… Why didn’t you two marry?” He shook his head.“It was a stupid thing, really.” His eyebrows furrowed.“We got into this stupid fight… The church double-booked us. I wanted to elope, but Judi wouldn’t hear of it. She had to have her church wedding.” Jackson paused, dragging his ragged hand over his face.“I thought she was getting cold feet… That she was stalling or something. All the churches around were booked solid for months.”“And what happened next?” Mackenzie asked.“My
With a scowl, Wyatt adjusted his sunglasses. Summer had hit the state with a vengeance, rolling in with record-breaking highs. The sun beat down on him. Heat shimmered off the road as he peered across at Mackenzie’s shop. He’d been a dedicated cynic for most of his adult life… So, how on the hell was he going to change into a true romantic overnight? Pacing the length of Benjamin’s office, while racking his brain hadn’t gained him anything but his partner’s frustrated glare. Wyatt had meant to escape to his favorite thinking spot, the roof, but lost in thought, he’d stepped onto an elevator headed for the street level. Wyatt exited, then kept walking. He hadn’t realized where he was headed until he arrived at this place. Somewhere along the way he’d lost his tie, and rolled up his sleeves. In spite of that, sweat soaked his shirt. All that walking, and he still hadn’t come up with a fail-proof, knock-her-socks-off kind of plan. He squi
A light breeze ruffled Wyatt’s hair as he paused inside the threshold of Mackenzie’s shop. So many memories… He glanced toward the space in front of the long counter, where he’d first laid eyes on Mackenzie, and closed his eyes.“Hi,” a friendly voice broke his reverie. A sturdy brunette approached, bearing a plate of sweet-smelling cookies. She extended the plate.“Would you like one?”“No, thanks.” She shrugged, then nodded toward a far corner.“We always provide a little something for our readers to nibble.” Wyatt followed her gaze to a cozy sitting area, furnished with numerous mismatched, but comfortable-looking chairs. Nearly a dozen women filled the area, all chatting at once. A center coffee table already held a tray with a pitcher and glasses of pink lemonade.“Our reader’s group,” the brunette supplied without his asking. He nodded, quite impressed. Not only was Mackenzie a knockout, she had a good head for business.“Is your
The constant murmur of voices mingled with the clink of silverware against fine china. Mackenzie set down her water glass and pasted on a brave smile for Kenneth.“What will I do until you get back?” He reached over to squeeze her hand.“You’ll be just fine. You’re tough.”“I wasn’t so much this week. I’m not usually so mopey.”“You had your moments. But were just moments. I saw fire in your green eyes. I know who you are.” Mackenzie pulled her hand from his to fiddle with her fork.“How long will you be away?”“I don’t know. But I’ll be back before you know it.” Her throat tightened.“I’ll miss talking to you, Kenneth.” His eyes warmed.“I’ll miss you, too. But you’re not getting rid of me. We’ll still see each other when I get back.” She nodded as sadness settled over her.“Mackie, may I ask you something?” The serious look in Kenneth’s eyes sent a ripple of apprehension through her.“Of course.” He scoo
“No! Absolutely not!” Mackenzie shook her head. “You can’t do that. You two love each other. You are the definition of true love…” She pointed to her mother. “You always said she was your Little Dove.” Serena took the handkerchief Hank offered. She blew her nose with a hardy blast. “It’s true, darling.” Her eyes glittered. “I’m sorry. We didn’t want you to find out this way. We were going to tell you and your brother sometime after the wedding. We didn’t want to spoil things.” “Spoil things?” Mackenzie’s throat burned. She blinked, but this time her tears refused to be tamed. They spilled down her cheeks in hot torrents. “My God! You’re ruining everything!” She was acting like a spoiled child as she turned, then ran from them. All Mackenzie wanted to do was throw herself onto her bed, then kick and scream until she had no breath left in her. How could they? Had the world conspired to prove to