One Winter's Night. Brenda Jackson
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She tilted her head to look at him, and the first thing he noticed was her eyes. They were a chocolate brown and oval in shape. Then he was drawn to her hair, a beautiful shade of brown. The thick strands touched her shoulders and curled at the end. The coloring, whether natural or from a bottle, was perfect for her smooth, cocoa-colored complexion. And then there was that cute dimple in her chin, which was there even when she bore a serious expression.
“I’ve never been the adventurous type, but when my godmother passed away and left me enough funds that I could make a career change without going broke, I took advantage of it.”
He nodded. “So what were you doing before you became an event planner?”
“I was a veterinarian.”
“Wow. That was some career change.”
She smiled. “Yes, it was.”
He looked ahead, thinking that if she thought she would not have to explain why someone would stop being a veterinarian to become an event planner, she could think again. “How does a person go from being a vet to becoming a party planner?”
She pushed a lock of hair from her face and said, “Becoming a vet was my parents’ idea, and I went along with it.”
“Why?” He couldn’t imagine going to college for anything other than what he wanted to do in life. He did, however, know how a person could get their dream career waylaid, as in the case of his cousin, Ramsey.
Ramsey had always wanted to be a sheep rancher, and he’d gone to school to study agricultural economics. The only reason Ramsey had taken a CEO position at Blue Ridge Management after school, instead of going into farming, was to work alongside Dillon to keep the company afloat when their parents had died in a plane crash. But once Ramsey and Dillon had made it into a million-dollar company, Ramsey had turned full management of Blue Ridge over to Dillon to become the sheep rancher he’d always wanted to be.
Riley’s truck came to a stop at the traffic light, which gave him the opportunity to glance back over at Alpha just in time to see her gnawing her lips again and fidgeting with a sterling silver Tiffany bracelet on her wrist. Umm, it seems “why” was another uncomfortable question, he thought.
“I became a vet mainly to satisfy my parents. They own a veterinary clinic and figured I would join them and make it a family affair. I did so for a year, but discovered my heart just wasn’t in it. They knew it, but still, they weren’t happy when I decided to switch careers. However, they accepted that being an event planner was my calling when I put together their thirtieth wedding anniversary celebration.”
“Did a good job of it, huh?” he asked.
She looked over at him and the smile that touched her lips extended from one corner of her mouth to the other and was simply breathtaking. “Yes, I did a bang-up job.”
He laughed. “Good for you.” He paused a second and asked, “Are you the only child?”
It seemed to take her longer than necessary to answer. “No. I have a sister.”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment and decided to change the subject. “So what do you have in mind for our employees’ holiday bash next month?”
He listened as she went into the details. Some he was able to follow and some he could not. He was a visual person and couldn’t use her words to produce mental images. He needed to see actual photographs to get the full effect.
She must have detected such from the expression on his face. “I had prepared a PowerPoint for today. But since we’re meeting at the restaurant instead of your office, I—”
“Can still show the presentation. I called ahead and asked for a private meeting room.”
“That’s great. I have everything I need in here,” she said, tapping lightly on the messenger case in her lap.
That caused him to glance down. She was wearing over-the-knee boots, a cute, dark brown leather pair. He glanced back up to her face and saw she was looking out the window, studying the scenery they were passing.
“I never come this way when going to McKay’s.”
He returned his gaze to the road. “It’s a shortcut.”
“Oh.”
She got quiet again, and this time he decided to let the silence rule. He figured whenever she had anything to say, she would say it. In the meantime, he was perfectly satisfied to sit back and listen to Jill sing her heart out.
Alpha couldn’t stop the fluttering in her stomach as she continued to look out the truck’s window, trying hard to ignore the man behind the steering wheel. She would have to deal with Riley Westmoreland soon enough when they got to McKay’s. She should have known he was drop-dead gorgeous, given Dillon wasn’t bad on the eyes. And he seemed to be full of questions. At least he’d already asked two that she wished she could have avoided answering. The reason she had left Daytona was still too painful to think about and after the heated conversation she’d had with her parents last night, she preferred not to think of them right now, either.
Forcing thoughts of Daytona from her mind she saw that they were pulling into the parking lot of McKay’s. It seemed the weather was not a deterrent for people wanting to dine at the popular restaurant. The parking lot was full, and Riley had to drive around back to find a spot.
She flexed her hands, liking how the gloves were keeping them warm, and tightened the coat around her as she prepared to get out of the vehicle and confront the cold again. She glanced over at Riley. He wasn’t wearing gloves and it seemed the jacket was all he had. She couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you cold?”
He smiled over at her. She wished he wouldn’t do that because every time he did, he reminded her how long it had been since a man had smiled at her without her questioning his motives.
“Not really. Unlike most, I enjoy cold weather. For me, the colder the better.”
She sat there and simply stared at him. He had to be kidding. “Why?”
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “Not sure. I guess I’m too hot-blooded to be bothered.”
“Evidently,” she said under her breath. If he heard her, he didn’t let on. Instead, he opened the door to get out and she released her seat belt and opened her door to do the same. That’s when she went sliding and would have fallen flat on her face if Riley hadn’t acted quickly to catch her.
“I should have told you to be careful. The ice on the parking lot makes things slippery.”
Yes, he should have told her. But if he had, there would have been no reason for his arms to be wrapped around her or for her to be holding on to him for support, feeling the heat of a hot-blooded man so close to her. And that same male scent that had nearly driven her crazy on the ride over wouldn’t be doing a number on her.
“I think I can make it now,” she said, releasing her tight grip on him.
He kept a firm hand on her arm. “I’ll make sure of it.” He then swept her off her feet and right into his arms.
Two
Riley entered the restaurant carrying Alpha in his arms. The place was packed with a lunchtime crowd, and Alpha was certain she would die of embarrassment when a number of people watched them.
One man, who was on his way out the door, patted Riley on the back, chuckled and said, “You’re still sweeping them off their feet, I see, son.”
Riley grinned and replied, “Seems that way, Mr. Daniels.” Riley then glanced down at her. “You should be okay from here,” he said, putting her on her feet.
“Thanks.” She refused to look up at him, but out of the corner of her eye she saw him take a step back. He was probably wishing he was someplace else since she hadn’t cost him anything