Carter Bravo's Christmas Bride

He unlocked the gate at BCC and sailed onto the lot. Stopping the Lincoln in front of one of the bay doors, he climbed out and went around to the shop’s side door, where he turned off the alarm and let himself in. A button by the bay sent the accordion door rumbling up. He pulled the Lincoln into the open bay, got out again and shut the bay door. It was sunny out, but only in the midthirties, so he turned on the heat.

The Lincoln, which he’d customized in a number of pretty cool ways, needed a little fine-tuning. He needed to let all this worrying about Paige go. She would talk when she was ready to talk. And when she did, he’d be there to listen.

In the meantime, BCC was closed for Black Friday and he had the whole place to himself. He could get the Lincoln purring like a kitten and ready for the day trader from Boulder who’d commissioned it from him. And then he might even get started on the already cherry ’68 Shelby Cobra GT-500 Fastback that Deacon wanted pimped out with a whole new sound system and all the modern conveniences, including GPS. Deacon also wanted a rear spoiler, a modified grille and monster wheels with some really garish rims. It kind of seemed a shame to do that to a work of art like the Cobra. But Deacon didn’t pay him the big bucks to suddenly get squeamish over messing with the classics.

Carter had a killer sound system in his shop. He turned on the radio to a hard rock station. As ZZ Top roared out, he zipped up his overalls and got down to it.

He didn’t notice he had company until about an hour later, when he rolled out from under the Lincoln and headed for the inner door to the office and the little table in front of the window, where Paige kept one of those K-Cup machines. He had a nice hot mug of coconut mocha on his mind and had all but forgotten that he’d failed to relock the side door to the shop when he came in.

Whipping a rag from his rear pocket, he wiped the worst of the grease from hands and switched off the radio. He loved vintage Bruce as much as the next man, but sometimes a little silence was good for the soul.

As he turned for the front-office door, he registered movement out of the corner of his eye.

And then he saw her: Sherry Leland, his ex-girlfriend.

Sherry had taken the cover off the metal-flake candy-apple-red ’67 Firebird just back from the painter’s on Wednesday, and draped that killer body of hers across the hood.

“Hello, Carter.” She gave him one of her come-and-get-me smiles. The smile matched her outfit: a red thong, a Santa hat and sky-high stilettos.

It was a testament to how over Sherry he really was that his first thought had very little to do with her being nearly naked. His first thought concerned how those pointy heels of hers had to be screwing up the Firebird’s high-dollar paint job.

“Sherry,” he said and tried not to sigh.

“I thought you’d never come out from under that car.” She stuck out her plump lower lip in a sexy pout and tossed her long blond hair. “I’m starting to get kind of chilly.” She fluttered her eyelashes and glanced down at her bare breasts. Yep. She was chilly, all right. “Come on over here, baby,” she cooed. “Come here and warm me up.”

“Sherry, I...” He really wanted to ask her to please get off the hood and be careful while she was doing it. But showing concern for the paint job right at that moment would only send her through the roof.

Her pout started to get kind of pinched looking. “What is the matter with you? I missed you. I’m here in this smelly garage of yours practically naked and it’s all for you.” The big blue eyes suddenly brimmed with fat tears. “I’m here to get past this little problem we’ve been having. I’m here to prove to you how much I want to work things out.”

There was nothing to work out. They were done and she knew it, had been done for months now.

He spotted her black trench coat. She’d tossed it on top of the cover she’d whipped off the Firebird. So he stuck his rag back in his pocket, crossed to the coat, grabbed it and held it up for her. “Sherry, come on.”

She sniffled. “How can you be so cold? You’re breaking my heart. How can you do this to me?”

“Put your coat on,” he coaxed.

“Fine. Sure.” Sharp heels digging in, she scrambled off the hood. He tried really hard not to wince at the sight. She tossed her hair some more. And then she came at him, hands raised in frustration. “I hate you, Carter Bravo!”

“Sherry, there’s no point in—”

“Hate you!” And she hauled back and bitch-slapped him right across the face. That shocked him. She’d never physically attacked him before.

Then all the fight went out of her. She crumpled, burying her head in her hands. The sobs started.

He gently wrapped the coat around her. “It’s over,” he said quietly. “You know it is.”

She sobbed harder. “But I love you...”

He took her to the counter at the window between the shop and the office and whipped a few tissues from the box there. “Come on, now. Blow your nose.”

She snatched the tissues and swiped at her cheeks.

He said sincerely, “I’m sorry, Sherry. For everything. Let me drive you home.”

“Forget it.” With a furious sniff, she shoved her arms in the trench he’d draped on her shoulders and tied the belt, hard. Then she raked her acres of hair off her face and aimed her chin high. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He had no idea what to say next, so he said nothing. She wheeled on one of those pointy heels and stalked toward the side door, flinging it wide when she got there. That door was made of steel. It banged good and loud against the wall. “That does it, Carter. I am through. Finished. I hope I never see your face again.”

He kept his mouth shut. He had a feeling that even the sound of his voice right then could have her storming at him all over again. Uh-uh. Better to keep quiet and stand still.

At his extended silence, she fisted both hands at her sides, threw her head back and let out a yowl of frustration. A second later, she disappeared from sight.

Carter stayed right where he was, hardly daring to breathe, until he heard the Camaro he’d rebuilt for her start up. She gunned it and then roared from the lot. He gritted his teeth, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t run into anything, wouldn’t hurt herself or anyone else.

As the sound of the engine faded into the distance, he let himself breathe again. And then, reluctantly, he took a good look at the Firebird.

Yep. Dents and gouges all over that hood. Resigned, he whipped the cover back in place. Monday, he’d get it back to the paint booth and tell the customer he’d need a few more days before the car would be ready.

It would be okay. Sherry would get over him and eventually move on.

He just wished he knew what was wrong with him. He just wished he could someday find a sane woman to get involved with. His mother had it right about one thing. He’d always known that someday he wanted a family.

Well, the years were going by. And someday was starting to look a whole lot like never. But what the hell was a guy supposed to do? He’d tried over and over and it always ended up the way it had with Sherry. This time, he had zero desire to find someone else and try again.

Chapter Three

Paige had a great day shopping in Denver with Carter’s sisters and sister-in-law. She found a bunch of fabulous deals, giving her a serious head start on her Christmas list. The stores were all decked out for the holidays, and Christmas music filled the air, so the day really kind of put her in the holiday spirit. It was good to get out of town and it helped her achieve a little much-needed perspective.

She realized she needed to stop avoiding Carter. It wasn’t his fault if she’d suddenly started thinking she might be in love with him—might being the operative word.

It was a magazine quiz, for God’s sake. What fool took a magazine quiz seriously?

The next morning, there he was as usual when she came downstairs. Her heart leaped at the sight of his handsome face and sexy smile. She thought of how good he was to her and her sister, showing up to walk the dog and fix the breakfast even when she’d been avoiding him for days. That made her misty-eyed.

But Paige didn’t let a leaping heart or misty eyes keep her from trying harder that morning. She made an effort to join the conversation, remembering to thank him, to praise his cooking and his coffee. More than once, she caught him glancing her way, questions in his eyes.

She waited until Dawn went back upstairs to call Molly and make plans for their Saturday, before she said, “I’m sorry I’ve been moody the last few days. Hormones. They drive me crazy sometimes.” Yeah, it was a stretch. But not a total lie. She had been on her period.

“But you’re okay now?” He looked so hopeful.

She promised him that she was. He poured himself more coffee, sat down beside her—and his cell rang. It was Mona, already at the shop, with some unexpected issue that needed his okay.

He said he’d be right over and hung up. “Gotta go. You coming in today?”

“I wasn’t planning to.” Paige had Saturdays off. Mona took Mondays and they were closed Sundays.

He was already reaching for his jacket. “Talk later? We’ve got lots to catch up on.”

Paige answered him vaguely, “Yeah. Later. Sounds good.” Did that mean he’d be over that evening? Was she ready for that? And speaking of talking, she needed to talk to someone about all this, get her head on straight when it came to Carter—and keep it that way.

He clicked his tongue for Sally. “Come on, girl. Time to go.” Leveling those clear green eyes on her, he said softly, “Glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks.” She gave him her brightest smile.

Sally at his heels, he left through the back door. Biscuit watched them go from his favorite throw rug at the end of the snack bar, dropping his head to his paws when they were out of sight.

With a grim little sigh, Paige got up and started clearing the table. She was busy wiping counters when Dawn reappeared, fully dressed this time in jeans and a thick blue sweater patterned with a band of snowflakes across the front.

“Molly’s coming over in half an hour. We’re going to practice together for the Christmas concert.” They were both in the school band and in the orchestra, Paige on B-flat clarinet, Molly on flute.

Paige tossed the sponge in the sink—and made a decision. Dawn might be only eighteen, but she had a level head on her shoulders. Paige trusted her absolutely. Who better to confide in than her own sister?

Half an hour should be plenty of time.

Dawn was frowning. “You okay?”

Paige went ahead and answered honestly, “No, not really.”

Dawn leaned her head against the doorframe. “You’ve been acting strangely for days now.”

Paige marched to the table and pulled out a chair. “Got a few minutes?”

Dawn joined her, taking the chair next to hers. “Want me to call Molly, tell her to come later?”

“Nah. Half an hour should do it...” Where to even begin?

Dawn braced her chin on her hand. “I’m here. I’m listening.”

Paige waded in. “So, last Monday Carter and I went to Denver to meet with one of our biggest customers. We had to wait awhile to see him and Carter decided I needed to take this stupid quiz...”

Dawn made a sound in her throat, a little grunt of encouragement.

It was all Paige needed. She let the story pour out, about the silly quiz and how Carter answered all the questions for her and then announced that the quiz proved she was hopelessly in love with him. “I know it’s ridiculous. He was just giving me a hard time the way he loves to do. But all his answers? They were the answers I would have given. And since then, I can’t stop thinking about it. Can’t stop thinking that the stupid quiz was right, that I’m actually in love with him, with Carter of all people. It’s driving me crazy, Dawn.”

Dawn reached over and gently squeezed her arm. “I can see that.”

“So I want you to tell me the truth now. I want you to tell me that of course I’m not in love with Carter, that I’ve just gotten hung up on some meaningless magazine quiz and I need to let it go and move on.”

Dawn made a pained sound and looked away.

Hesitantly, Paige reached out and ran her hand down Dawn’s straight golden-brown hair. It was the same color and texture as their mother’s hair had been. Dawn also had their mother’s warm hazel eyes. “Dawn?”

Dawn looked at her then—and winced. “Really? I mean, seriously?”

Paige tried a laugh. It came out more like a sob. “Ridiculous, right?”

Dawn clapped both hands to her head, as though she was worried her brains might escape. “Ugh.” And then she dropped her hands to the table, slapping her palms flat. “Dude.” She rubbed the tender skin beneath her eyes. “I’m just not gonna lie to you. I think you need to get real, you know? I think it’s better if the two of you just face the truth.”

Paige’s stomach lurched and sweat bloomed on her upper lip. “Um, what truth?”

“You’ve always been in love with him.”

Paige gasped. “What the...? No. Uh-uh. Just no.”

“Oh, come on, Paige. He practically lives here. You work together and you’re best friends and he’d rather be with you than any of those smokin’-hot girlfriends he’s had. Paige, come on. Everybody knows—everybody but you and Carter.”

Paige slumped in her chair. “I don’t believe it. You think I’m in love with him.”

“I don’t just think it, I know it. And he’s in love with you.”

That had Paige scoffing. “Oh, please. Carter doesn’t do love.”

“Carter doesn’t admit love. It’s two different things.”

Paige let her head drop back and groaned at the ceiling, because honestly, how could this be happening to her?

“You actually wanted me to lie about it straight out.” Dawn sounded hurt.

Paige sucked in a fortifying breath and faced her sister. “I’m sorry. Come here.” She reached for Dawn, who resisted at first, but then swayed in her chair and finally let herself lean on Paige. Paige stroked her hair. “You’re incredible.”

“Yeah, right.”

Tenderly, Paige admitted, “Okay, I confess. Sometimes it’s a little scary to have such a brilliant and perceptive baby sister.”

“I wouldn’t have said anything,” Dawn muttered. “I never have. But you asked me straight out.”

Paige rocked Dawn a little, the way she used to do so often during that first terrible year after they lost Mom and Dad. “Please don’t be insulted, but I need to ask you not to tell him.”

“Of course I won’t tell him,” Dawn grumbled. “Have I said a word up till now?”

“No, you haven’t. You’re an angel.”

“Hardly.” She pushed free of Paige’s embrace and said, “You need to tell him.”

Paige only blew out a hard breath and slowly shook her head.

* * *

At 2:10 that afternoon, Carter was in his office off the shop studying engine schematics for Deacon’s Cobra.

Someone tapped on the door.

“It’s open.” Carter glanced up from his laptop as the door swung wide.

Murray Preble, one of Carter’s top auto parts vendors, stuck his head in. “Got a minute?”

“Sit.” Carter gestured at the empty chair across the desk. Murray closed the door before folding his long, thin frame into the offered seat. Carter frowned. Murray never shut the door when he stopped in to say hi. “Is this a secret meeting, Murray?”

Murray, who was usually a pretty cheerful guy, didn’t even crack a smile. “I guess you could say that. I need this to be just between you and me.”

Carter shut his laptop. “Is there a problem?”

Murray scraped his hand down his narrow face and smoothed his thick black hair off his forehead. “Well, Carter, it’s about Sherry.”

Sherry? Murray wanted to talk about Sherry—with the door closed? Cautiously, he asked, “What about her?”

Murray shifted in the chair. And then he straightened up and put it right out there. “I’m in love with her.”

This was news. And maybe good news. If Murray and Sherry got together, she would leave Carter alone. “Well, great. I hope you’ll be very happy.”

“See, that’s just it.” Murray hitched an ankle across the other knee and wrapped his long fingers around his shinbone. “I’ve been patient, I really have. But she just won’t believe that you’re never coming back to her.” Murray’s brow crumpled with his frown. “You’re not, are you?”

“Hell, no. It’s over with Sherry and me.”

Murray didn’t look encouraged. “She won’t give me a chance.”

“Murray. What do you want me to say? It’s over. I’ve told her several times. I don’t know what more to do.”

“She spent last night cryin’ on my shoulder over you.” Murray glowered at him. “I waited long enough, you know? Months. It’s time I got my chance with her. She’s...”

“What?”

“I’m telling you straight, Carter. Telling you more than you got any right to know. She’s a passionate person, as hotheaded as she is beautiful. I love that about her. I want all that fire directed at me.”

Carter put up both hands. “More power to you, buddy. I’m not standing in your way.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you are.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Carter. You are. You’re standing between me and my future happiness.”

“I don’t know what to say to you. Sherry and I broke up a long time ago. It’s as over as it gets. I don’t see how I can make it any more clear to her.”

“Move on, Carter.”

“I have moved on.”

“Choose someone new. As long as you stay unattached, Sherry can tell herself that you’re coming back to her and I don’t have a prayer of showing her that I’m the man she needs.”

Carter shook his head. “I’m sorry, Murray. I can’t help you with this. I hope you get through to her. But there’s no way I’m up for trying again with someone new anytime soon. As long as we’re putting it right out there, Murray, the truth is, I always make a mess of it with women somehow. I’m losing heart, you know? I’m about done.”

Murray jumped up. He turned to the side wall and stared at the Prime Sports and Fitness calendar hanging there. November had an image of a gorgeous woman’s back and shapely arms as she executed a lat pull on a Universal machine. “Well, how about Paige?” Murray asked without taking his eyes off the calendar.

It took Carter a moment to make sense of Murray’s question—and even then, he didn’t really understand it. “What do you mean, how about Paige?”

Murray faced him then. “I mean, why the hell don’t you just settle down with Paige? Everyone in town can see that you two are meant for each other. And come on, you practically live together already. You sure you’re not already with Paige and just keeping it a secret for some reason known only to the two of you?”

“Already with Paige? Have you lost your mind, Murray?”

“No, I have not. What I’ve lost is my heart. To Sherry. I want her to get over you and love me back.”

“And I sympathize with that. I would love for her to forget about me and be all about you. I’ve told her it’s over more times than I can count. I don’t take her calls or answer her texts or her emails. If she drops in on me, I send her away. I’ve done everything I can to—”

“No. No, you haven’t, Carter. You haven’t shown it’s over by moving on. And if you think about it a little, you’ll see I’m right. You and Paige are a great match. And frankly, if you choose Paige, Sherry will definitely wake up and smell the coffee. She’s always gone on about Paige, always believed that you’re secretly in love with Paige.”

Carter made a strangled sound. “Are you crazy? Of course I’m not secretly in love with Paige.”

Murray grunted. “Sherry would never admit it, but we both know she sees Paige as the rival she couldn’t beat.”

“Uh, we do?”

A firm nod from Murray. “You bet we do. So if you and Paige finally get together, finally couple up and admit what’s really going on between you, Sherry will have to accept that she’s never getting you back.”

Carter cleared his throat. “Murray.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Murray, but no. Just...no.”

Murray glared at him. “I’m only asking you to think about it.”

“There’s nothing to think about.”

“What is the matter with you?” Murray practically shouted. “Why can’t you see?”

“Murray, whoa. Chill.”

But Murray did not chill. “Open your mind, Carter!” He turned and flung the door open. “Open your mind and see the light.” Murray left, slamming the door good and hard behind him.

Carter stared at that door for several very long seconds. And then he shrugged and opened his laptop again and put Murray Preble out of his mind.

Or tried to.

Unfortunately, Murray’s weird visit stuck with him, made the Cobra engine schematics blur in front of him, made it so all he could think about was Paige.

“Open your mind!” Murray had yelled at him just before he slammed the office door.

Carter kept thinking about that. About his mind opening.

Opening like a door, a door that hadn’t really been there before. He looked through that new open door and saw everything he wanted: marriage and a family.

To a sane and even-tempered woman.

A woman like Paige.

Because Murray was right. Paige was perfect for Carter.

No. Of course, he wasn’t in love with Paige. He wasn’t in love with anybody. Carter had no intention of going to the stupid place, thank you very much. But now that he’d opened that door, he could clearly see that Paige was just about as good as it got for a man like him.

How come he’d never realized it before?

Paige was smart and fun, and he loved being with her. She was completely reasonable, no drama, not ever. He worked with her and he hung with her and her little sister was family to him. Even their dogs were best friends.

He couldn’t imagine his life without Paige. And to marry her and have kids with her...

Hot damn. That could work out. That could be good.

Carter got up from his desk and stared at the fine back and arms of Miss Superfit November as he worked out the kinks in the plan he was formulating.

Kinks like the fact that to have kids together, he and Paige would have to have sex with each other.

That could be weird. He’d never considered sex and Paige in the same sentence before—or wait. Scratch that. He had been attracted to Paige way back at the beginning. But then they’d decided to be friends without benefits and he’d accepted that.

So the idea of having sex with her didn’t gross him out or leave him cold. It had just always seemed like a bad idea to go there, to take the chance of messing up a great friendship—not to mention a successful business partnership.

However, now that he’d let himself consider the concept of Paige as a bed partner, well, it didn’t strike him as awful. He could get into it. He was sure that he could. And sex didn’t necessarily have to screw up what they had. If they got married, that would only make their friendship and business partnership stronger.

Oh, yeah. The door was open, all right, open wide and showing him everything. It all fell into place.

He didn’t have to be alone. He could get married and have a family, after all.

A family with his best friend.

A family with Paige...

Talk about huge.

Carter left BCC at a quarter after five that night. He’d planned to go home and shower, then take Sally and head over to Paige’s.

But after opening that door in his mind and seeing a family with Paige on the other side, well, he wasn’t quite ready to spend the evening with her. It was all too new and also a little bit scary.

He had to find just the right way to bring it up to her.

And he needed to find out for sure if they had the necessary physical chemistry together.

And hey. What if she just said no?

Uh-uh. He wasn’t ready to see Paige. He could blow this whole thing before it even got started if he didn’t handle it right.