Lumberjack in Love (6 page)

Ami clutched onto Natalie fiercely. “You were the very best ladybug ever! I am so, so proud of you.” She buried her face in Natalie’s neck and sniffed. Little girl smell. Warm and sweet as honey. A pang fluttered in her chest. A pang of biological clock pain. She was in her thirties and unattached, with a string of crappy boyfriends in her past. Including a back-stabbing, disloyal son-of-a-bitch. Her chance for having one of these sweet little pumpkins was dropping dangerously close to zero. Oh well, she’d be the best auntie ever. Natty was a doll.

“Uh, Auntie Ami?” Natalie croaked from her tight embrace.

‘What is it, sweetie?”

“You’re smothering me. I can’t breathe.”

“Oh!” Ami leaned back on her heels and laughed. “Sorry about that, pumpkin. You are just so yummy I can’t get enough of your great hugs.” She stood up and sighed.

Rachel patted her on her back. “You okay, sis? You sure were weepy during the production of
Bugs, Bugs Everywhere
.”

Ami shrugged. “I’m fine. I was just so proud of my niece. She was awesome, and did a great job with her song, too.” She smiled at Natty who was licking a ladybug lollipop.

“Well, of course I’m biased since I’m her mom, but I agree. Natty was a star.” She cleared her throat. “But I still think you may have overreacted a bit. Why are you being so emotional? This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you didn’t come home last night, would it?”

Ami snorted. “Good try, sis. I know you are fishing for info. Not happening.”

Rachel brushed a strand of hair away from Ami’s neck and raised an eyebrow. “Nice hickey.”

Ami pulled her hair back over her shoulder. The hickey was on the side of her neck. If she kept her hair swept forward all day, it wouldn’t show. Too much. Unfortunately, she remembered every second Mr. Mountain Man devoured her with that love bite. The brush of his silky beard against her skin, the feel of his soft lips, the nibble of his teeth. She shivered. Who was she kidding? That had been the best night of her life, and not even
Bugs, Bugs Everywhere
was going to get her mind off Mr. Marcus Anderson.

She glared at Rachel. “Hickey? That’s just a bruise.”

Her sister giggled. “In the shape of Marcus Anderson’s lips? Nice.”

“Mom, can I get a chocolate milk at Bill and Bob’s?” Natty danced around the parking lot in her ladybug costume.

Rachel turned to Doug. “Honey, will you take Natty into the general store for a snack? I need to pump my sister for some more information. She’s being difficult this morning.”

Doug laughed and clasped Natty’s hand. He glanced at Ami’s neck and wiggled his eyebrows. “Looks like someone got lucky last night. In addition to me, that is.” He winked.

Rachel punched him on the arm. “Doug! Not in front of the ladybug!”

“Seriously, sis, back off. I don’t want to talk about it.” Ami took off for the entrance to the general store. Maybe consuming shitastic coffee would distract her.

Rachel seized her arm. “Just a minute. Why so sad? Marcus seems like such a nice guy. Sexy, too.”

Ami huffed out a long breath. “He is. Sexy, smart, and very thoughtful. I just…it’s not a good time right now for me to be thinking about guys in any sort of serious way. Not after Dan. One-night-stands are fine. Quick, fun, over in a flash. Anything more than that is just not in the cards for me.”

Rachel looked skeptical. “One night stand? You have never been that kind of girl. Are you serious? You get attached to guys in about ten seconds. You were planning your wedding to Dan on the second date.”

“Yeah. See where that got me! Unemployed and stabbed in the back. No more jumping into things. Not even if the guy is ridiculously sexy and wonderful in bed, and talented, and…you know. Just forget it.” She stalked toward the store with her sister right behind her. “He lives in the middle of the boonies, sis. Ticks. Snakes. Bears.”

Rachel laughed. “There are no bears here, Ami.”

“So you say.” As she walked into Bill and Bob’s, the scent of coffee greeted her. But not light roast, bitter, crappy beans-from-hell coffee. Dark roast. Rich. A little nutty. She stopped dead in her tracks and sniffed. A long, hard sniff, breathing in the delicious aroma.

Rachel slammed into her back. “What’s up?”

“Do you smell that?”

“What are you talking about, wing nut? It smells like coffee in here. It always smells like coffee. They have the pot on all day long.”

Ami shook her head. “No, no. Not this kind of coffee.” She followed her nose to the coffee cart and stopped in surprise. There was a new coffee machine. With a grinder. And a sack of organic, Fair Trade, Sumatran whole beans.

“Oh. My. God. What is this?” She leaned down to inspect the cart. Under the new coffee maker was a hand-made sign that said
Flatlander Coffee, 50 cents per cup
.

“Well, hello there, Miss Ami. I was hoping you’d stop by today. Thirsty?” Bill had a twinkle in his eye.

“Mr. Barker, is this for real? You have a new coffee machine? Real beans? That coffee smells so good. Holy Macarena! Can I try some?”

“You’d better be trying some, young lady. You’re the reason I got the darned thing.” Bill poured a cup of the rich brew and handed it to her.

“You got this whole thing for me? Are you kidding? I don’t even live here.”

“Well, maybe you’ll change your mind about that someday. It’s a nice place to live. I heard your brother-in-law mention you might apply for a job with the Children’s Museum. That’s a fine idea.”

Ami grabbed the glass bottle with fresh Vermont cream and added a few tablespoons to her coffee cup. One thing Vermont had going for it was the most ridiculously delicious cream she’d ever tasted. She took a sip of the coffee and sighed with pleasure.

“Oh my. That is heavenly.” She turned to Bill. “I don’t know what to say. You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble for me. Seriously. I’m sorry I’ve been complaining about your coffee so much. But this is wonderful.” She took another sip of the coffee and giggled.
Better than Starbucks.
“Thank you.”

Bill patted her gently on the back. “Don’t you worry. It was nothing. My vendor’s been trying to get me to upgrade for years. Got this thing for a steal. The other folks seem to like the new coffee, too.”

Ami couldn’t speak. She had a lump in her throat. These people were unbelievable. She wasn’t used to strangers being so kind. She wasn’t used to a community looking out for each other. And honestly, she wasn’t used to a man looking at her like she was the most beautiful, desirable woman on earth. The way Marcus had looked at her last night. The way he touched her…so reverently, so patiently. Pleasing her. Pleasuring her.

Dan had never once said I love you. He’d been harping about the fact that they were a great “team.” Her creative skills coupled with his business background were a “match made in heaven.” Only it hadn’t felt like heaven. Now she knew the difference.

When Marcus Anderson touched her, talked to her, gazed at her with those gorgeous blue eyes, she felt like a goddess. In spite of what she’d told Rachel, it hadn’t been just about the sex. He laughed at her jokes, teased her, was curious about who she was and what she wanted. But she hardly knew him, and she had never felt so raw and vulnerable in her life. She’d just lost her job. She needed to focus on getting herself pulled together, not on some sexy lumberjack who lived in the woods.

Time to slip the armor back into place. She was just feeling weepy because she’d barely got a wink of sleep all night, thanks to Mr. Sex Machine. She’d be back in Boston in a week. How hard could it be to avoid the mountain man for seven days?

Lumberjack In Love

At precisely quarter to twelve, Marcus pulled his truck into the McGuire’s driveway. He had a congratulatory bouquet of flowers for Natalie, an updated design for Doug and Rachel, and a proposition for Ami. He hoped to whisk the reluctant flatlander off for lunch at the Cranville Mill. For some reason, waterfalls made women swoon. He just liked the food.

Clutching the flowers, he knocked at the front door. Rachel opened the screen and gasped at the arrangement. “Flowers already? That must have been some night last night.”

He chuckled. “Actually, these are for Natalie. I heard she had her theatrical debut this morning. I thought she deserved some roses.”

“Oh, Marcus, thank you so much! Natty will be thrilled. That is so sweet.” Rachel took the flowers. “You are such a nice guy.”

Christ. Nice guy
. That was usually the kiss of death with women. However, since Rachel was Ami’s sister, perhaps it was a good thing. He’d proven last night he wasn’t
that
nice. More naughty than nice. And Ami had seemed to like it.

“Please, come in.”

Natty lay on the sofa with her new doll. She squealed when she saw the rose bouquet. “Is that for me?”

Marcus nodded. “Sure is. I heard you had a starring ladybug role today at school.”

“I did! Thanks, Mr. Anderson.” Natty cradled the flowers in her arms and buried her face in the blossoms. “These smell so good.”

Rachel laughed and tugged Natty’s braids. “The star’s fans are flocking to her side. Why don’t we put those in some water?” She turned to Marcus and winked. “Ami and Doug are on the back porch hanging out. If you’re interested.”

He blew out a long breath and headed to the porch. As soon as he saw the object of his lusty desires, he became tongue-tied. How to approach this without scaring her off? Looking too eager? She was laughing at something her brother-in-law said, and then her eyes glanced his direction. She looked happy, shy, embarrassed and nervous all at once. This was going be a challenge.

“Well, hello there stranger.” Doug held out his hand. “How’re you doing this morning?”

Marcus shook his hand. “Great. Just dropped off some flowers for your little ladybug.” He turned to Ami who was avoiding his gaze. “Thought I might steal Ami away for a bit and take her to the Cranville Mill for lunch.”

Ami jumped up and shook her head. “Um. Sorry, Marcus. But…uh…I was just about to go for a run.”

Doug barked out a laugh. “A run? Since when do you—”

Ami glowered at him. “Since now. I’m on a new health kick. Running every day.” She faced Marcus. “I’m sorry I can’t join you for lunch. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.” She bolted before he could get another word in.

Marcus plopped down on her vacant spot on the sofa and ran a hand through his hair. “She’s gonna be a tough one.”

Doug laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I have faith in you. She’s pretty gun-shy after that a-hole in Boston screwed her over. But if you’re really interested in seeing her…”

“I am.”

“Well, then, stick with it. She can’t run forever.”

“How long do you reckon she’ll last with her jog?”

“Five minutes tops. I don’t think she’s gone out for a run since she was on the high school track team.”

“How about we look over the designs for Natty’s playhouse while she works on avoiding me?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Marcus and Doug reviewed the tree house print-out and discussed the Red Sox’s chances for an hour. In the meantime, Ami had returned from her work-out, then announced the dogs needed some exercise and disappeared with Curly, Moe and Larry. When she finally returned from the walk, she mumbled something about shopping for dinner and escaped with her car keys. Forty minutes later, Marcus and Doug had surveyed the playhouse site and were back on the porch eating a snack.

Doug slouched in his chair. “How long do you think she can keep this up?”

Marcus grinned. “I’m gonna give her a couple more hours, then I’m planning a kidnapping.”

“That sounds good.” Doug nodded in agreement.

Rachel peeked her head in the room. “Did I hear someone say kidnapping?”

“Your sister is playing hard-to-get. I’m a patient man, but—”

“My sister had her heart broken, stomped on, stabbed, and crushed by a turd. You can’t blame her for being nervous.” She sank down next to Marcus on the sofa. “I think a kidnapping is a great idea.”

“I’ll nab her when she gets home.”

“Oh, Marcus, I love how you have flowers growing up the side of this playhouse.” Rachel examined the plans spread out on the table. “This is just adorable. It makes it look like a hidden garden shack or something.”

“I was inspired by thatched cottages in England. Thought it would be nice to have flowers or plants incorporated into the design.”

“That is precious. Natty will love it.”

“I’m hoping all the kids will love it. I’m about to order about a hundred climbing rose vines for my summer designs, including the children’s museum. All different colors.”

“Oh boy, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

The voice floated out from the kitchen. So, he finally caught Miss Flatlander’s attention. Should’ve started talking about flowers at the get-go.

“Why not, Miss Avoiding-Me-Is-A-Losing-Proposition? I thought you liked flowers.”

“I do. Flowers are great. Climbing rose vines for children’s playhouses are not. Mr. I-‌Can-‌Avoid-‌You-‌Longer-‌Than-‌You-‌Think.”

Marcus cleared his throat. “You know, it’s rude to scream back and forth like this. Why don’t you come onto the porch and we’ll discuss this like two professionals.”