Before We Kiss

He returned to his seat. “Telling him isn’t possible?”

“Apparently not. She wants him to propose.”

“You could tell him.”

Dellina smiled. “I could, and believe me, I’ve thought about. But every time I start to have the conversation with him, a voice in my head says Fayrene needs to figure this out on her own.” She glanced down. “I know this is going to sound weird, but it’s almost like my mom is there, giving me advice. So I listen.”

“Not weird,” he said. “Nice.”

Her smile widened. “Thanks. Because I don’t want you to think I’m really hearing voices. At least, not scary ones.” She looked at her notes. “Let me put together a list of everything we’re going to need to check out. Menus at Henri’s, of course. The various hotel venues, Castle Ranch, the obstacle course. Obviously the festival will happen without us checking on it, but everything else that can be tested, tasted and reviewed will be.”

“Do I get to ride the elephant?”

“I’m confident that can be arranged.”

* * *

SAM MADE A joke about Priscilla. Dellina was pretty sure she’d responded appropriately, although she wasn’t positive. She was still shaking, still fighting the fiery need that burned low in her belly.

When Sam had pulled her to her feet and held her, she’d nearly melted from the inside out. His hands on her body had reminded her of what had happened between them before. She’d actually had the thought that if they pulled the blinds at the big windows looking into his office, they could pick up where they’d left off right there.

Which was beyond insane. She wasn’t that girl. She was cautious and responsible. She didn’t bring strange men home and she didn’t have sex in people’s offices. Except when it came to Sam.

She drew in a breath and nodded at what she hoped was the appropriate place. She could do this, she told herself firmly. She could act normal and be a professional businesswoman. There was a lot at stake with this party. No way she was going to let her hormones and girl parts ruin a great opportunity.

So she’d pushed him away when what she really wanted to do was drag him closer and let him show her a good time. How strange that he was the one to rock her world...sexually at least. Couldn’t she have the hots for a nice, regular kind of guy? Like a plumber or one of Ryan’s friends? Did she have to go all slutty for a former football star with a fan club and who knows how many exes in his past?

“...talk about the lecture,” he said.

“We should,” she murmured, not sure what he’d been saying. Obviously something about the lecture.

He frowned. “You’ll pull some ideas together?”

“Of course. I’ll find people who are available and there will be a range of topics. We’ll narrow it down.”

“So, in two days?”

“Yes,” she said, figuring he was talking about their next planning session. “Let’s meet at my place. I’ll have charts and graphs for you.”

He grinned. “My favorite.”

“As long as there are numbers, too?”

“You know it.”

He waited while she collected her paperwork and then walked her to the front of the building. When they’d said goodbye, she walked outside and drew in a deep breath.

Talk about embarrassing, she thought as she headed for her car. When she got home, she was going to give herself a stern talking-to. Then she’d have some ice cream. Because there were very few problems chocolate chip cookie dough couldn’t solve, at least temporarily.

* * *

KIPLING GILMORE GLANCED toward the windows. Snow came down steadily, promising a good day of skiing tomorrow. So far he hadn’t done much more than mess around on the slopes and get back into fighting shape in the gym. But the rest of his team would arrive by the end of the week and then the training would get serious.

He used a towel to wipe the sweat from his face, then slowed the treadmill to a walk. Music pounded from the speakers in the hotel gym, but he kept his earbuds tucked in place. Not that his music was any better. The earbuds were his way of keeping the world at bay. At least while he worked out.

The post-Olympic whirlwind had finally slowed. Not that he was complaining. If the price of two gold medals was a round of media events, red carpet appearances and lavish parties all over the world, well, he was man enough to be willing to pay. Although he had tired of finding strange women in his hotel room. Fortunately the management at his hotel in New Zealand were determined to protect his privacy.

He stepped off the treadmill and headed for the exit. He would be back later for a second workout. Weights this time. What he did on skis required more than coordination and luck; it required strength, and he’d gotten lazy since the Olympics.

“Hi, Kipling.”

The greeting came from a sultry blonde in the hallway. Her skintight workout clothes showed that either Mother Nature had been extremely generous or her plastic surgeon had been willing to go larger than suited her frame.

Two years ago he would have paused to talk. Three years ago he would have been backing her into the closest private room and letting her have her fifteen minutes of fame. Now he simply nodded and walked on.

As he waited for the elevator, he checked his cell phone. He hadn’t heard from Shelby in a couple of days and that bothered him. His half sister had recently moved home to care for her dying mother. An admirable decision, but one that worried him. Mostly because it put her in close proximity to their mutual father.

Nigel Gilmore looked and sounded like a British diplomat. But he was also a brute with a temper. He was a man who enjoyed hitting women. Kipling had been saved by both his gender and his quickness. Early on, he’d learned how to duck. But Shelby and her mother weren’t so lucky. Kipling didn’t understand why some women stayed with men who beat them. He’d protected Shelby as best he could. His leap to the top of the pack had meant endorsement deals and money to pay for Shelby’s college. They’d vowed to never go back home.

But that had changed a few months ago when Shelby’s mother had been diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. She was in the last stages of her life and Shelby had wanted to be with her. Unfortunately that meant facing Nigel.

He didn’t like that he was half a world away from the small Colorado town where he’d grown up. He liked it even less that Shelby was there on her own.

He stepped into the elevator when it arrived, then exited on his floor. As he walked down the hall, he saw the window at the end. Snow continued to fall. Tomorrow would be a good day, he told himself. He would be back on the mountain searching for the ultimate goal—going faster than anyone ever had.

CHAPTER FOUR

FAYRENE STUFFED HER keys into her jeans pocket and headed for the front door. She was going to swing by Dellina’s to have yet another heart-to-heart with her older sister. She needed a plan to get Ryan to propose and Dellina was the best planner she knew. But before she could reach the door, someone rang the bell. She pulled it open a second later.

Mayor Marsha stood in the hallway of her triplex. Fayrene rented the bottom floor, mostly because it had a tiny yard. She liked seeing grass and flowers when she looked out her kitchen window. The upstairs units had a better view of the town, but she liked where she was.

Fayrene looked at the older woman. Of course she knew the mayor—everyone who lived in town did. But the other woman had never once come to her apartment.

“Hello,” Fayrene said cautiously. “May I help you?”

“I hope so,” Mayor Marsha told her, then smiled. “I understand you have a pet-sitting service.”

It was only then Fayrene noticed that Mayor Marsha was holding a leash in one hand. And at the end of the leash was a fluffy, adorable Pomeranian.

Fayrene immediately dropped to her knees. “Who is this?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Caramel.”

“Hi, pretty girl,” Fayrene said softly as she stroked the dog’s head.

Caramel’s button eyes widened as her face seemed to relax into an adorable doggy grin.

Mayor Marsha picked up a tote bag and handed it to Fayrene. “There’s a folder with instructions inside. Caramel is very friendly. She prefers people to dogs. She likes squeaky toys, bacon, Thai food and tummy rubs. It’s probably best if you don’t leave her home alone. She likes to be involved in what’s going on.”

Fayrene stood. Somehow she found herself holding the bright pink leash, along with the tote. Caramel gave a little spin.

“I didn’t know you had a dog.” She’d never seen the mayor with one before. Or heard her talk about one.

“This is a several-week commitment,” Mayor Marsha told her. “Will that be all right?”

“Sure. I have a few temp jobs right now, but there’s no reason she can’t go with me.”

Mayor Marsha gave her a few instructions about feeding Caramel, then mentioned the name of her vet. Before Fayrene could figure out what was happening, she found herself alone in her building’s hallway, facing a fluffy Pomeranian.

“Okay, then,” she said slowly. “I guess it’s you and me.”

Caramel gave another spin, as if expressing excitement.

Fayrene stepped back and pushed opened the door to her apartment. “Want to come in?”

Caramel walked into the apartment. She waited while Fayrene unclipped her leash, then set off to explore her new home. Fayrene unpacked her dog food and set out a bowl of water. She found Caramel on her bed, curled up in a nest of decorative pillows.

“Not the type to sleep on the floor?” she asked.

Caramel wagged her tail a little, as if to ask why anyone would choose the floor when there was a perfectly comfortable bed for the taking.

* * *

SAM ARRIVED AT Dellina’s place right on time. He’d walked, because Fool’s Gold was the kind of place where people walked instead of taking their cars. As he’d made his way to her house, he’d passed plenty of residents and a few tourists. The latter had mostly ignored him, but he’d seen the townspeople giving him the once-over.

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to acknowledge them or just keep moving. In Los Angeles, he’d managed to stay anonymous—which was what he preferred. Of course in Fool’s Gold no one seemed to care about his former career, so maybe it didn’t matter if people knew he was walking on the street.

Dellina opened her door before he could knock and grabbed him by the arm.

“You are going to be so impressed,” she said as she pulled him into the house. “I’ve been working my butt off and do I have a lot to show for it.”

Her enthusiasm made him smile as he followed her down the narrow hallway. They stepped into her office where charts and lists covered the walls. Which seemed safer than the infamous dry-erase board with Fayrene’s ongoing list of how to get Ryan to propose. But now that he knew the logic behind the brainstorming, he wasn’t worried. It turned out that Dellina had been exactly what she’d seemed that lone Valentine’s night. A sweet, sexy, funny woman who took him places he wanted to go again. She wasn’t married, a stalker or even secretly a man. All pluses in his book.

The only thing standing between him asking her out was the party they had to pull off and the knowledge that with his bad luck, however good things started, they were going to finish in disaster.

Dellina walked to the sheets tacked to the wall. She had on worn jeans and a T-shirt and was barefoot. While he liked seeing her in business attire, he had to say there was something appealing about worn jeans. The soft, faded denim molded to her curves in a way designed to make him think about—

“Here are the cost estimates,” she said, pointing to one of the lists on the wall. “It’s not complete and it will change, but it gives us a starting place.”

He reluctantly raised his gaze to where she pointed. “That’s why they’re called estimates.”

She flashed him a smile. “You’re such a numbers guy.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

She pointed at another list. “Our tasting schedule.”

She went on about food and maybe even wine, but he was busy thinking about another kind of tasting. One that involved his mouth and her body and lots of moaning.

In an effort to distract himself, he glanced at a list of what looked like craft projects. The word birdhouses had several question marks next to it.

“For the kids?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I can’t decide. A birdhouse can be built in a single day. The glue doesn’t take long to dry. We could finish them in the morning and then paint them that afternoon and the next morning.”

“Interesting.”

“Now the lecture series,” she said, pointing to the chair by the desk.

He sank onto the seat. She settled across from him and handed him pages she’d printed out on her computer.

“I think these are the most interesting so far. This man is an astrophysicist. He talks about the origins of the universe in terms laypeople can understand. He’s supposed to be funny and relatable.”

“Our clients aren’t the science types,” he told her.

“Well, I think he’d be really interesting, but I thought you might say that.” She handed him a second sheet. “What about a race car driver? He’s very successful on the Formula 1 circuit. I looked him up online and he has a few really funny videos.”

The car guy had more appeal, but Sam wasn’t feeling it. “How many women are interested in cars?” he asked. “Even racing? Taryn’s going to say it’s not anything she wants to listen to.”

Dellina sighed. “I can hear her tirade already,” she admitted. “Darn. I thought this was it.”

Sam raised his eyebrows. “Darn?”

She smiled again. “I don’t swear in front of clients.”

“A good policy.”

She stood up suddenly and hurried to the wall where she scribbled a few words. He studied the list and saw it was items she had to research or questions she needed to get answered. Like “Does Castle Ranch have a first aid kit?” and “Confirm none of the children have food or sunscreen allergies.” She was thorough, he thought, wondering why he’d resisted hiring her for so long. Sure their night together had ended badly, but she was good at her job and he respected that.

The sound of someone knocking on the front door was followed by a female voice calling, “It’s me.”

Dellina turned. “My sister Fayrene,” she said.

A petite blonde walked into the office. She was pretty, with hazel eyes, but what caught his attention was the small fluffy dog who walked next to her.

Dellina turned. “Hi,” she said, then nodded to Sam. “I have a client meeting.”

He rose. “Sam Ridge.”

Fayrene’s eyebrows rose. “One of the football players. Nice. Fayrene Hopkins. This is Caramel. She’s a Pomeranian.”

Dellina finished writing and faced her sister. Her gaze dropped to the small dog. “She’s adorable. Pet-sitting?”

“Yes. Oddly enough, Mayor Marsha brought her to me.”

“I didn’t know she had a dog.”

“Me, either.”

Dellina crossed to the small animal and let Caramel sniff her fingers. “You’re too cute for words,” she told the dog. “Can I pick her up?”

“Sure. She’s superfriendly and really well behaved.”

“Hey, pretty face,” Dellina said in a low voice. “You want me to pick you up?”

Caramel gave a little half jump as Dellina reached for her. Dellina snuggled her close, then laughed when the dog licked her chin.

Sam eyed the fluffball and wondered how much she would shed on his clothes. Although he had to admit, Caramel looked pretty cute. More teddy bear than dog. And she seemed to have a decent personality.

He’d never had pets growing up. His house had been wild enough with three kids and his not-quite-normal parents. A dog or cat wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Dellina’s cell rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. “I have to take this. It’s about another lecture possibility. I’ll be right back.” She handed Caramel back to Fayrene and ducked out of the room.

Fayrene looked at him.

Sam saw that the sisters had some similarities. The same shape to their faces and the set of their shoulders. Although Dellina was a few inches taller, which he liked. He remembered what he’d been told.

Fayrene took her sister’s chair and smiled at him. “So, you’re a man.”

Sam immediately glanced toward the exit. No conversation that started like that was going to go well, he thought grimly. Maybe he and Dellina could wrap up the rest of the details over the phone.

He cleared his throat. “Yes.”

Caramel wiggled free of Fayrene and jumped into his lap. Before he knew what was happening, she’d planted her tiny back feet on his thighs, her front feet on his chest and was staring at him expectantly.

“What?” he asked as he stared into round dark eyes.

“I think she wants you to hold her,” Fayrene said. “I’ve only had her a couple of hours so I don’t know everything she likes.”

Sam didn’t want to hold the dog, but he also wasn’t sure about her staring. He reached for her, not clear on how to pick her up. As his hands closed around her, he realized she was a lot smaller than she’d seemed. She was mostly fur. Her body was small, her bones slight. Jeez, he could crush her if he wasn’t careful.

But before he could figure out how to hand her back to Fayrene, Caramel had wiggled and shifted until somehow she was on her back, gazing up at him. Her expression held contentment and absolute trust. She relaxed against his arm, nestling her head in the crook of his elbow. He stroked her chest, then rubbed her little belly. She sighed and closed her eyes.

“She likes you,” Fayrene told him.

News that was both gratifying and terrifying.

“You’re one of Dellina’s clients, right?” Fayrene asked.

He nodded. “She’s planning an event for my company.”

“Great. And there have been a lot of women in your life?”

Sam’s head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

Fayrene grinned. “Groupies. Girls in hotel rooms. You know what I mean. You’re experienced when it comes to women.”

Sam shifted uncomfortably. What the hell was she asking?

“It’s about my boyfriend,” Fayrene told him.

“The mysterious Ryan.” He relaxed and thought of the dry-erase board with the Ten Ways to Get Him to Propose header. “There’s an obvious solution.”

“To what?”

“The proposal.”

Fayrene’s hazel eyes widened. “Okay. What is it?”

“Tell him you want to get married.”

Her mouth twisted in disappointment. “Like that is ever going to happen. I can’t just say I’ve changed my mind and want us to get married now.”

“Why not?”

Her gaze turned pitying. “Because he’s the guy. He’s supposed to propose. I want the romantic moment. If Ryan really loved me, he would know things were different. Or he wouldn’t be able to wait for me. He’d insist.”

Sam thought attitudes like that were one of the reasons the divorce rates were so high. “Unrealistic expectations and too much idealized fantasy about what it should be,” he muttered. “If Ryan loves you, he’ll respect you. Did you two agree to wait for a few years before getting married?”

“Yes.”

“Then every single day he doesn’t mention getting married, he’s showing you he loves you and wants what you want.”

“But I don’t want that anymore.”

“He’s a man, not a mind reader. He’s doing exactly what you asked him to do. Changing the rules now isn’t fair to either of you. This is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. If you can’t be honest about how you feel, how do you expect your relationship to last?”

Fayrene’s eyes narrowed. “You’re no help at all,” she told him, then stood and scooped up Caramel. The little dog settled easily in her arms.

“Tell him the truth,” Sam called after her.

Fayrene didn’t answer and seconds later the front door slammed.

Dellina returned to her office. “Did my sister leave?”

“Yes. I don’t think she was happy.”

Dellina didn’t look overly concerned as she settled back in her seat. “What did you say?”

“That if she wants to change the rules with Ryan, she needs to tell him directly.”

“Excellent advice.”

“Thank you.”

“Not that she’ll listen.”

“I got that.”

* * *

DELLINA ARRIVED AT Jo’s a few minutes before she was scheduled to meet her friends. As she walked into the bar, she saw Taryn and Larissa were already at a big table, along with Consuelo Ly. Taryn, as usual, wore something fabulous. This time a gray plaid sleeveless dress with a slim belt of the same material and some kind of foldy-draping across the front. The style was deceptively simple, but Dellina had a feeling the designer was a name everyone knew and that the dress had cost more than a vacation to Hawaii.

By contrast Larissa was in apple-green capris with a matching polka-dot T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and Dellina was sure she hadn’t bothered with makeup that morning.

Consuelo defied all fashion convention in her work uniform of cargo pants and a khaki-colored tank. All she needed was a bit of camouflage paint on her face to look like she’d stepped out of an action movie.

From Dellina’s point of view, they were all versions of exotic. Taryn with her upscale taste and glossy beauty. Larissa was the classic blonde bombshell with an athletic twist, while Consuelo was both stunning and powerful—combined in a petite package. By comparison, Dellina felt average. She had brown hair and brown eyes. She was sort of pretty, but nothing like them. She guessed she looked like what she was—a small-town girl. In a word—boring.

For the most part she was content with that, but every now and then she wondered what it would be like to be glamorous and sexy.

“Hi,” she said as she approached the table. She set down the ceramic container she held. “I hope this is what you were thinking of. Rakisha from Plants for the Planet swears it’s going to last.”

Taryn and Consuelo both stared at the dish garden Dellina had picked up on her way over to lunch. They’d all agreed to get Bailey a small gift to celebrate her new job with the mayor. Larissa touched a couple of leaves.

“Nice,” she said. “There’s dracaena, spathiphyllum and syngonium. Pretty and it will last even if she’s not great with taking care of it.”

Taryn winced. “You frighten me.”

“I know about plants. Big whoop.”

“It’s one thing to recognize them. It’s another to know their Latin names.”

Dellina grinned as she took a seat. Her friends were nothing if not entertaining.

Larissa pointed to Taryn’s dress. “Who designed that?”

“Oscar de la Renta.”

Larissa turned to Consuelo. “And who made your pants?”

Consuelo glared at her. “Hell if I know. I get them at a surplus store or online. They’re pants.”

Dellina leaned back in her chair. “I wish Jo served popcorn because this is like live theater.”

Larissa grinned at her, then turned back to Taryn. “We all know stuff.”

“I got that. But my stuff makes sense. Yours is weird.” She looked at Consuelo. “I know better than to diss anything you know.”

“Good.” Consuelo started to say something else, then looked up. “Bailey’s here.”

They all rose and clapped as Bailey approached the table. The other woman blushed nearly as red as her hair as she drew near.

“Stop, please,” she pleaded. “You don’t have to make a fuss.”

“We’re making a fuss,” Taryn told her. “You got a great new job. A fuss is required.”

They all hugged Bailey, then took their seats. Bailey thanked them for the plant. Jo walked over and stopped at their table.

“Congratulations on the new job,” she said. “Lunch is on the house.” She paused. “For Bailey. The rest of you can still pay.”

“Of course we can,” Taryn said with a grin. “All right. I think this calls for champagne all around.”

Bailey’s mouth parted. “It’s lunchtime.”