Stranded With a Hero (11 page)

Chapter Three

The next morning Aaron sauntered into the kitchen yawning when he spotted Naomi in the adjoining family room. She was still in her sleep attire of loose T-shirt and gingham shorts, and she was bending over the Christmas tree in the corner. Aaron halted, blinking his eyes wider. Damn, Naomi had a great pair of legs.

He must have made some noise—possibly a drooling sound—because she straightened and whipped around, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Has Santa come early?” he asked.

She pushed her mass of loose hair off her shoulders and made a face. “No, but I have to get another Christmas tree. This one’s a dud. Look at all the needles it’s shedding.” She pointed to the green needles carpeting the floor beneath the tree. “The poor thing looks like it’s suffering from eczema.” She shook her head decisively. “We can’t have a tree like this on Christmas Day.”

Christmas trees weren’t things Aaron usually noticed, but on closer inspection, this tree did seem sickly and threadbare. “You wouldn’t have this problem with a plastic tree.”

As he’d half expected, her eyes glinted with indignation. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” She kicked at the fallen needles with a bare foot, her toe ring gleaming in the morning sunshine coming through the windows.

He grinned. “Where are you going to find a decent tree this close to Christmas? And what about the store?”

“Ally is covering the morning shift, so I’ve got until lunchtime to get a new tree.”

“You mean ‘we.’”

Her expression grew tentative. “Oh, you don’t have to. And you don’t have to help in the store today, either. You did plenty yesterday.”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Besides, how are you going to cart a tree home without a car?”

She blinked at him, and then laughed. “And how exactly would we cart a tree home in that Porsche of yours?”

Her chuckle sent a tingle through his veins like a gulp of champagne. He found himself wishing he could make her laugh again. “We could strap it to the luggage rack.”

Her face lit up and her shoulders shook. “You’re crazy!”

More laughter bubbled out of her, and he automatically took a couple of steps toward her, everything in him wanting to bask in her humor. Her infectious liveliness was as irresistible as ice cream on the Fourth of July. The urge to touch her swelled and burned. He wanted to run his fingers through her tousled hair, trace the curve of her cheek, press his mouth deep against hers. He pulled in a sharp breath, fighting his inconvenient cravings. What was it about this woman with her barefoot charm and Christmas obsession that captured his attention?

He couldn’t put a finger on it, except that she was the complete opposite of all the women he’d dated in the past seven years. Well, maybe “dated” was the wrong term. With his long hours and dedication to his career, he had little time or inclination for a proper relationship. But a man had needs, and so too, as he’d discovered, did a lot of women in the same situation. Women who were as driven and work-focused as he, women who were smart and beautiful but didn’t have time to date. Women who were more than happy to hook up with him without any further expectations beyond a night of good sex.

Naomi didn’t share that attitude toward men. Which was another reason he should steer clear of her. But he liked her a lot. He liked being with her, talking with her, even when they disagreed. And besides, he’d be leaving two days from now. There wasn’t sufficient time to do something he shouldn’t.

But what about one night? One amazing night with one amazing woman?
The idea pierced his logic and set his senses on fire. No one could deny the crackling chemistry between him and Naomi. He wasn’t seducing her so much as letting nature take its course. If he had only one night with Naomi, he’d make it the most incredible night of her life, a night they’d never forget.

But what about his promise to Luke to keep things platonic with Naomi? Hell. He couldn’t go back on his word. But he couldn’t turn off his attraction to her either. Things were getting too damn complicated.

Naomi walked purposefully to the kitchen and picked up the kettle. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We’ll drive to the store and borrow Ally’s SUV. I know the best Christmas-tree farm not too far away. We can be there and back in a few hours.”

Christmas trees? Is that what they’d been discussing? Aaron didn’t care too much about Christmas trees, but at least he’d have Naomi’s company for a few hours. Forty minutes later, they were heading out of Burronga in the borrowed SUV, Naomi at the wheel. Already the temperature outside was climbing, and the surrounding countryside of undulating hills covered in gray-green bush shimmered under the relentless sun. The news on the radio mentioned heat waves and brush fires, even a volcano erupting in the Pacific Ocean. The natural disasters barely registered with Aaron. He was too preoccupied with Naomi. She drove with enthusiasm, her window rolled down several inches, allowing the hot wind to swirl through her hair.

“Am I letting in too much heat?” she asked, glancing at him. When he shook his head, she said, “Ever since I came back, I can’t get enough of the heat. I feel as though I’ve been frozen for an entire year.”

She wasn’t alluding to her physical state so much as her emotional well-being, he felt sure.

“You look pretty thawed out now.” He shifted in his seat to face her more directly, enjoying the way the wind rumpled her long hair.

She chewed her lip a while as if she were deciding something, and then said, “I guess you know about me and Justin.”

The uncertainty in her voice made him hesitate for a second. “I know he’s a douche bag, and if he ever sets foot in these parts, he’ll have a very angry uncle to get past.”

She let out a choking laugh. “Luke’s a writer. He gets worked up sometimes.”

He was worked up, too, Aaron realized. About the sadness that stole into Naomi’s eyes from time to time, and the pain-filled expression on her face when she thought no one was watching her.

“You’ll get over him soon,” he said firmly, reluctant to dwell on her broken heart too long. He wanted to believe Naomi was resilient, that she was far better off without this Justin jerk.

“I know I will.” She nodded matter-of-factly as she steered the car off the highway and onto a narrow side road that led toward the nearby hills. “But Justin was the first man I fell in love with. The first heartbreak you suffer will always be with you, don’t you think, even well after you’ve recovered?”

Her sudden reference to love took him by surprise, and he remained silent, too startled to reply.

“Sorry,” Naomi said. “Didn’t mean to embarrass you by mentioning love.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Please, just ignore what I said.”

“No, I’m not embarrassed,” he said even as the tightening in his gut gave the lie to his answer. But despite his discomfort, something in him wanted to confide in her, if only to make her feel better. “The first girl I fell in love with was Britt Burdett in my senior year at high school. I thought we’d be together forever, but she dumped me without warning.”

On Christmas Eve, too. He’d saved up his money and bought her a silver bracelet engraved with their initials, planning to give it to her on Christmas Day. Instead, he’d spent the day moping in his bedroom, with his mother repeatedly offering him various snacks in a vain attempt to ease his pain. News of the breakup had quickly spread, and enduring everyone’s pity had almost been as bad as the split. The silver bracelet had sat hidden in his closet for some years, until one year he’d cleaned out his belongings and given the bracelet to Goodwill.

“I’m sorry.” Naomi’s eyes were soft with sympathy.

The breakup was a distant memory now, but he’d never fallen in love again, so maybe what Naomi had said about the first heartbreak staying with you was true. He didn’t want to believe it. Not for himself, but for her. He didn’t want to think someone sensitive and lovable like Naomi wouldn’t find love again.

“Don’t be. Britt wanted a jock who liked to party and have a good time. I was too nerdy for her.”

“Nerdy!” The look she flashed at him was a mix of surprise and disbelief.

“You didn’t know me in high school. I was a skinny teenager, and I was in Math League and chess club. Most people thought I was a nerd. Britt was new in town. She went out with me before she realized I was a nerd.”

Naomi shook her head. “Bet she doesn’t think you’re a nerd now.”

Aaron didn’t answer. Two Christmases ago he’d bumped into Britt in Mecklenburg. She’d been all over him, smiling and gushing, inviting him out for a drink. It wasn’t the first Christmas he’d been propositioned by girls who hadn’t looked twice at him back in high school, and he’d had no problem declining Britt’s offer.

“Don’t know about that,” he said, “but I’m proud to be a nerd.”

A big roadside sign loomed up, welcoming them to
Tumbalong’s Christmas Tree Farm
. They drove through the gates and pulled up alongside a row of parked cars.

Soon Naomi was absorbed in her task of finding the perfect Christmas tree. Aaron followed her as they traipsed past columns of trees, all of them seeming more than adequate to him, but none of them appeared to be right for Naomi. The sun beat down on him, causing perspiration to prickle between his shoulder blades, but Naomi didn’t appear to be bothered by the broiling heat, so determined was she to pick the right tree.

As she contemplated a Monterey pine, he was reminded of his father. Just like Naomi, Frank Cade was a Christmas-tree nut. When Aaron was younger, he and his sister would accompany him each year on his trip to select a tree. They’d be bundled up in coats and scarves, and afterward they’d get hot chocolate with marshmallows at the farm café. He’d enjoyed those trips when he was a kid. By adolescence, it wasn’t cool to be seen with your dad, let alone getting a Christmas tree. He’d gone with his dad on sufferance, and when he had escaped to New York, he finally got out of the ritual. Nowadays his dad took his two granddaughters with him, who were young enough to love it.

Aaron hadn’t gone Christmas tree shopping with his dad in over a decade. A strange regret came over him at this realization. When he got back to Mecklenburg this year, he definitely had to tell his dad about Naomi and her studious tree-hunting. Dad would get such a kick out of hearing about her.

“This is the one,” Naomi said, spreading her arms wide in front of the Monterey pine she’d been circling for the past five minutes.

“You sure about that? You haven’t seen every single tree on the farm.” When she appeared to be giving his flippant remark serious thought, he said, “Only kidding!” He waved the saw that the front office had provided. “Look, I’m ready to cut it for you.”

Grinning, she let him get on with the job. By the time he’d felled the eight-foot tree and dragged it to the road where a truck would transport it back to the parking lot, he was sweating freely, and his T-shirt was clinging to his back.

Straightening to wipe a forearm across his brow, he caught Naomi’s gazed fixed on him. Was that admiration in her eyes? Their gazes crossed, and she quickly looked away, her cheeks coloring. Aaron smiled to himself. So she’d been ogling him while he labored. Gratification bubbled up as he fought the urge to puff out his chest. Pity there wasn’t another tree he could cut down for her.

“While we’re here, I’ll buy you some miniature conifers,” he said. “To replace the ones I damaged.”

“Oh, good. I saw them for sale back at the office.”

She chose three potted conifers. Their Monterey pine was netted and carted back to their SUV, where he and Naomi strapped it to the roof racks. Then they were speeding back to Burronga, Naomi exclaiming over the time, her fingers tapping impatiently on the wheel. Back at Luke’s place, he hefted the tree into the house while she got rid of the old one. By then, it was almost noon, and they were both ruddy from their exertions and the heat.

Using both hands, Naomi lifted her hair off her neck and blew out her cheeks. “I need a shower. I stink like a pig!”

Like a clean, sweet-smelling pig, Aaron thought, and then his overactive imagination veered to an image of Naomi naked in the shower. His blood surged; his body stirred. He moved behind the kitchen counter before his body could betray his interest in her.

“We should have time for showers and lunch before we head to the store,” he said, checking his wristwatch.

“You’ve helped me more than enough. At the shop yesterday, the tree this morning.” She twisted her hair up, then let it fall around her shoulders. “I can’t drag you back to the store this afternoon, or I’ll feel really terrible for taking advantage of you.”

Resting his hands on the counter, he gave her a pointed look. “You can make it up to me by letting me take you out for dinner tonight,” he said, keeping his tone light and playful.

A line appeared between her eyes, making him fear she was going to turn him down again, but then she gave him a diffident smile.

“Okay.” She fiddled with a lock of hair, before she continued more firmly, “I mean, yes, I’d like that.”

“Good.” Aaron felt as if he’d sealed a multimillion dollar deal. “I’ll make reservations at Carlotta’s Bistro.” He fished out his cell phone, eager to find the number and make the call before she changed her mind.

“Carlotta’s Bistro?” She made a slight grimace. “It’s rather upmarket. Wouldn’t you prefer to go somewhere more casual?”

He didn’t. He wanted to take Naomi to the best restaurant in town and pamper her. He wanted their night to be something she’d remember, not a quick feed in a nondescript place. “I’m only here for two more nights, and I’m hoping Luke and Tyler get back tomorrow so I can see them before I go. So we only have tonight, and I’d like to take you somewhere nice.”

We only have tonight
. As he spoke, regret gnawed at him. His time with Naomi was finishing almost before it had begun. If they could only spend more time together, he could see them becoming fast friends. Okay, who was he kidding? His feelings were more than merely friendly. Luke had warned him off, and the reasons were all valid, but rationality couldn’t stop the leaping of his blood every time Naomi came near him. Couldn’t stop the mounting desire to fold her into his arms and kiss her breathless.