Read Online From Boss to Bridegroom by Karen Kirst - Free Book Online Page B

floors to operating ten looms at once.
    Why, then, was being reduced to Nicole O’Malley’s go-to boy so difficult to swallow?
    Because this is my store. I bought it with my own money, gave up everything I’ve worked for—upsetting a lot of people in the process—to start over in an unfamiliar place where I know no one.
    Neatly folding the paper sacks, he slid them across the counter. “Will there be anything else?”
    Lord Jesus, help me not to be prideful. Help me to win these people’s trust.
    The man squinted at his list. “Nope. That will be all.”
    Nicole informed him how much credit he had left and moved on to the next customer. Together, they worked through the line until the last person had been served. The clock chiming three o’clock split the weighted silence.
    Without a word, Quinn pivoted on his heel and stalked down the hall to the cramped, low-ceilinged quarters. He needed an outlet for his pent-up frustration. Since he couldn’t drop everything and go for a swim, going through the motions of making coffee would have to do. He was filling the kettle with water when Nicole peered around the door frame.
    â€œIs it safe to come in?” she said, cringing when he thumped the kettle down with more force than necessary.
    â€œEnter at your own risk.” Snatching the tin of coffee grounds from the shelf, he slammed it down.
    â€œEven if I come bearing gifts?” Emerald green skirts skimming the polished floorboards, she approached and slowly lifted her hand. Two peppermint sticks lay on her open palm.
    He looked deep into her luminous eyes. “Are you trying to tame my surliness with sweets?”
    â€œI am.”
    He glimpsed a flicker of compassion, almost imperceptible but there nonetheless, and the loneliness inside him receded a little. Two more attributes went onto the growing list.
Unpredictable. Kindhearted.
The second one was just a hunch and would need to be confirmed.
    Quinn accepted the offering only to hold one up to her lips, pressing gently. “I cannot be the only one to indulge.”
    Startled eyes stared back at him, confirming she wasn’t used to his brand of teasing.
You didn’t treat the women in Boston like this, though, did you?
a voice prodded.
Something in her manner provokes you to outrageousness.
    When she reached to take hold of the stick, her cool fingers closed over his, the contact unexpectedly comforting. Lowering his hand, he popped the sweet in his mouth and resumed the motions of making coffee.
    â€œThey do not trust me,” he said, pulling down two blue enamel mugs from the shelf. “They lack confidence in me.” He hoped she didn’t recognize his underlying hurt.
    â€œI don’t think Gatlinburg has seen anyone quite like you.”
    Pausing in scooping the grounds, he cast her a sidelong look, smiling a little at her attempts to eat the peppermint without becoming a sticky mess. “What do you mean?”
    â€œHave you looked in a mirror lately?” She waved her hand up and down. “You exude power and privilege, wealth most people around here can’t even begin to imagine. Your slick ways and your funny accent sets you apart. It’s painfully obvious you are out of your element.”
    â€œDon’t hold back, Duchess,” he said drily, “Tell me what you really think.”
    His ego sure was taking a bruising lately. His father would say it built character.
    â€œThat doesn’t mean they won’t come to trust you eventually. Are you a patient man, Quinn Darling?”
    Irrationally, his conversation with Shane Timmons came to mind. The sheriff was of the opinion that, while hard to get to know, Nicole would be worth the effort.
He wasn’t sure he agreed. Nicole O’Malley was not even close to what he required in a wife.
    She awaited his answer, calm and regal in her high-collared green confection of a dress, raven curls confined in a loose