CHAPTER THREE

      BACKING UP SLOWLY TO THE EDGE of the sidewalk, Eugenia Blue tipped her head and stared with satisfaction at the window display she’d spent most of the afternoon rearranging. Two mannequins wearing flowery summer dresses and wide-brimmed hats sat in an English garden complete with trellises, fake ivy and climbing roses. The plastic ladies leaned toward each other over a small round table, as if sharing a delicious secret. A porcelain tea set completed the picture.

      Not bad. Not bad at all. Less than a year ago she’d been holed up in a ridiculously lavish condo in New York, licking her wounds after a brutal divorce. Now she’d established not only a home but a business in small-town heaven, where no one expected her to host parties for lecherous business associates or threatened to withhold sex if she gained five pounds.

      She loved having her own shop. The hours were long but the freedom of being her own boss more than made up for it. Eventually she’d have to hire some help, but not until business picked up. Six sales a day wouldn’t pay the bills.

      Especially if she continued to raid her own stock. She looked down at her sweater set and gave a mental shrug. Who could resist cashmere? And in lavender, no less? Besides, creating such an eye-catching window display deserved a reward.

      “You’re looking pleased with yourself.”

      She turned. Joe Gallahan sauntered toward her, zipping up his light jacket against the late-morning chill. Her lips curved automatically as they always did whenever she saw Joe. With his slow, sexy smile and construction worker muscles, Joe could make any woman brighten. Though every now and then she did catch a hint of something dark in his eyes. Something more than sadness. Something that made her wonder how he’d ended up in Castle Creek.

      Something that was none of her business.

      “Hello, Joe. What brings you into town?”

      “The usual.” His smile turned wry and he nodded across the street at the hardware store. “Seems I spend more time at Cooper’s than at the motel these days.” He gestured at her window. “Looks great.”

      “Thank you.”

      “Still on your own here?”

      In more ways than one. “For now.”

      “Guess that means you don’t have a lot of spare time. I know how it is, trying to run your own business. But I’ll ask anyway. How about dinner some night?”

      Eugenia’s eyebrows went up and her jaw went down. According to the dressing room gossip she couldn’t help but overhear, Joe didn’t date much. Didn’t do much at all, besides work on that motel and play whatever sport was in season.

      With all the women in town dying to snag his attention, why ask her?

      He had to be twenty years younger than she was. If she had to guess, she’d say thirty-five. Flattering, to say the least. But though she liked Joe, and admired him for tackling a project like resuscitating the motel from hell, she had her sights set on someone else. Someone who refused to stand still in the crosshairs, but that was beside the point.

      “Are you asking me out?”

      An instant’s hesitation, followed by a warm smile. “Yeah. I am. You choose the restaurant.”

      It was a quick recovery. And a smooth one. But still a recovery.

      “Okay, so not a date. I don’t know what I was thinking, considering I’m old enough to be your mother. What did you really have in mind?”

      “Hey.” Joe moved in, rested his palms lightly on her upper arms. “I may not have come up with the idea, but I think it’s a damned good one. And no way you’re old enough to be my mother.”

      His chivalry would have made her feel worse if she hadn’t seen the sincerity in his eyes.

      “I appreciate that.” She backed up a step. “But I’d have to say no, anyway. I’m…interested in someone.”

      He lifted broad shoulders in a good-natured shrug. “If it doesn’t work out, maybe you’ll reconsider.”

      “Maybe I will.”

      A boisterous laugh on the other side of the street. They turned to see Harris Briggs shaking hands with an elderly man who’d obviously just come out of the hardware store, the plastic bag he gripped practically brushing the sidewalk, making him lopsided. She watched the genial exchange, watched as Harris made the other man laugh. Belatedly she turned back to Joe. And felt mortification heat her cheeks.

      “It’s no use,” she said, in response to his gotcha smile. “He refuses to forgive me.”

      “What’d you do?” He winced and held up a hand. “Strike that. None of my business.”

      “It’s all right. I bought him something, and he didn’t appreciate it.”

      “He didn’t like it?”

      “He claimed I insulted him. I think I offended his manhood.”

      “The gift didn’t happen to be blue, did it?”

      She frowned. “How did you know?”

      “Tiny, and in the shape of a diamond?”

      She gasped, and slapped him on the arm. “Not that. Don’t you need a prescription for—” He was laughing and she flapped a hand. “Never you mind. Point is, I blew it.”

      “You apologize?”

      “For all the good it did. I plan on trying again after closing today.”

      “No time like the present.” He looked back across the street. Eugenia grabbed for his arm but wasn’t fast enough.

      “Hey, Harris!” he called. “Got a minute?”

      Eugenia swallowed a tortured moan. Joe lowered his voice. “Tell me I called the right man over. Or is it Mr. Katz you have a crush on?”

      “Mr. Katz is ninety years old.”

      “Yeah, but I hear he takes vitamins.”

      That he could joke so casually about age after her embarrassing assumption made Eugenia feel better. Until Harris stepped up onto the sidewalk, looking like a lumberjack in his heavy boots, jeans and thermal shirt. Eugenia caught her breath and rubbed her suddenly damp palms against the insides of her sweater pockets.

      There was something about his size, his solidity, the strength of purpose and kindness in his eyes. He made her feel ultrafeminine. Safe.

      And frustrated as all get-out.

      He squinted at Joe, then at Eugenia, then back again. “What’s up?”

      “Just thought you should see what Eugenia’s done here. About time someone brought some style to State Street.” Joe beamed a roguish smile at Eugenia. “Guess I should get on over to Cooper’s before they sell