Read Online What's Cooking? by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online
Authors: Sherryl Woods
Tags: United States, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, series, Contemporary Fiction, Harlequin Special Edition
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a little dance each time they brushed by each other, no matter how innocently.
She had to get him out of here soon, before she weakened and broke one of those vows she'd made him agree to respect not ten minutes earlier. How pitiful would that make her look?
66
WHAT'S COOKING?
When the doorbell rang, she raced to answer it, then realized she should have ignored it when she found Mel-anie and Mike on the doorstep. She had a hunch their arrival while Rick was here wasn't strictly happenstance.
"Go away," she told her sister.
Melanie simply laughed. "Don't want me to meet your company?"
"No, and how do you know he's here, anyway?"
"Mike heard it from a friend, who heard it when he went to pick up coffee this morning. I believe Rick was buying lattes and bear claws for two. I called Ashley, who knows everything going on in this family, and picked up a few more tidbits about the intriguing Mr. Flannery."
Maggie groaned. "Is there any little detail you've missed?"
"I don't think so, but I definitely feel out of the loop, since I haven't even gotten a peek at this hunk who chased you all the way from Boston. I am your sister, after all."
Maggie turned a beseeching look on Mike. "Can't you take her home? Isn't it time to pick up Jessie or something?"
"Jessie's over at Pam and Jeff's, playing with Lyssa," Melanie retorted. "She'll be fine for another hour or so."
"You're going to stay, aren't you?" Maggie muttered with a sigh of resignation.
Mike gave her a sympathetic look. "Was there ever any doubt?"
Melanie pushed past her. "Where is he? Hidden away in your bedroom?"
Maggie flushed to the roots of her hair. "Mel!"
67 67
Her sister grinned. "Ah, I hear the rattling of pans in the kitchen. Don't tell me you have a man who does dishes. Marry him now."
"I don't think marriage is on the table," Maggie said. "Come on, let's get this over with. Say hello, get a good long look at him and then go."
Melanie breezed by her and headed for the kitchen. "Oh, it smells wonderful in herfc. What did you make for dinner, Mags?"
"Rick cooked," Maggie said tightly. "Rick, this is my sister Melanie and her husband, Mike Mikelewski. They won't be staying."
Rick's expression went from dismay to relief in a heartbeat. Maggie could relate.
"Would you like some wine?" he asked.
Maggie groaned as Melanie immediately brightened.
"Sure. I'd love a glass," she said at once, pulling out a chair and settling at the kitchen table. Mike shrugged, then straddled the chair next to her.
Maggie remained standing. As Rick poured the wine, she gave him a surreptitious what-were-you-thinking look. He ignored her and sat down with the others.
"I didn't know Maggie had a sister living in the area," he said.
"Actually I lived in this house when 1 first came down from Boston in March," Melanie said. "Then I met Mike, and we got married a few weeks ago."
Pack's eyes widened. "Really? That fast? Maggie'd mentioned a whirlwind courtship, but that's faster than i'd realized."
Melanie nodded happily. "I think it had something to do with this cottage. When we were girls and our
68 68WHAT'S COOKING?
grandmother lived here, we always thought it was magical. It certainly seemed to work that way for me. I came here miserable and, voila, I met Mike and his little girl, and now we're deliriously happy."
Maggie kept her gaze on Rick's face as Melanie related the story. She was pretty sure he turned a little pale at the implication that Rose Cottage was somehow responsible for Melanie's marriage.
"I see," he said, then looked to Maggie for an instant, his expression quizzical. "Do you think this place has magical properties?"
"Actually, I think my sister is a bit of a romantic with an overly active imagination," she said flatly.
Melanie laughed. "Wait and see."
Maggie gave her a daunting look. "Do you honestly think Rick will stick around now that you've all but warned him that he's doomed to marry me if he spends another minute in this house?"
"You
She had to get him out of here soon, before she weakened and broke one of those vows she'd made him agree to respect not ten minutes earlier. How pitiful would that make her look?
66
WHAT'S COOKING?
When the doorbell rang, she raced to answer it, then realized she should have ignored it when she found Mel-anie and Mike on the doorstep. She had a hunch their arrival while Rick was here wasn't strictly happenstance.
"Go away," she told her sister.
Melanie simply laughed. "Don't want me to meet your company?"
"No, and how do you know he's here, anyway?"
"Mike heard it from a friend, who heard it when he went to pick up coffee this morning. I believe Rick was buying lattes and bear claws for two. I called Ashley, who knows everything going on in this family, and picked up a few more tidbits about the intriguing Mr. Flannery."
Maggie groaned. "Is there any little detail you've missed?"
"I don't think so, but I definitely feel out of the loop, since I haven't even gotten a peek at this hunk who chased you all the way from Boston. I am your sister, after all."
Maggie turned a beseeching look on Mike. "Can't you take her home? Isn't it time to pick up Jessie or something?"
"Jessie's over at Pam and Jeff's, playing with Lyssa," Melanie retorted. "She'll be fine for another hour or so."
"You're going to stay, aren't you?" Maggie muttered with a sigh of resignation.
Mike gave her a sympathetic look. "Was there ever any doubt?"
Melanie pushed past her. "Where is he? Hidden away in your bedroom?"
Maggie flushed to the roots of her hair. "Mel!"
67 67
Her sister grinned. "Ah, I hear the rattling of pans in the kitchen. Don't tell me you have a man who does dishes. Marry him now."
"I don't think marriage is on the table," Maggie said. "Come on, let's get this over with. Say hello, get a good long look at him and then go."
Melanie breezed by her and headed for the kitchen. "Oh, it smells wonderful in herfc. What did you make for dinner, Mags?"
"Rick cooked," Maggie said tightly. "Rick, this is my sister Melanie and her husband, Mike Mikelewski. They won't be staying."
Rick's expression went from dismay to relief in a heartbeat. Maggie could relate.
"Would you like some wine?" he asked.
Maggie groaned as Melanie immediately brightened.
"Sure. I'd love a glass," she said at once, pulling out a chair and settling at the kitchen table. Mike shrugged, then straddled the chair next to her.
Maggie remained standing. As Rick poured the wine, she gave him a surreptitious what-were-you-thinking look. He ignored her and sat down with the others.
"I didn't know Maggie had a sister living in the area," he said.
"Actually I lived in this house when 1 first came down from Boston in March," Melanie said. "Then I met Mike, and we got married a few weeks ago."
Pack's eyes widened. "Really? That fast? Maggie'd mentioned a whirlwind courtship, but that's faster than i'd realized."
Melanie nodded happily. "I think it had something to do with this cottage. When we were girls and our
68 68WHAT'S COOKING?
grandmother lived here, we always thought it was magical. It certainly seemed to work that way for me. I came here miserable and, voila, I met Mike and his little girl, and now we're deliriously happy."
Maggie kept her gaze on Rick's face as Melanie related the story. She was pretty sure he turned a little pale at the implication that Rose Cottage was somehow responsible for Melanie's marriage.
"I see," he said, then looked to Maggie for an instant, his expression quizzical. "Do you think this place has magical properties?"
"Actually, I think my sister is a bit of a romantic with an overly active imagination," she said flatly.
Melanie laughed. "Wait and see."
Maggie gave her a daunting look. "Do you honestly think Rick will stick around now that you've all but warned him that he's doomed to marry me if he spends another minute in this house?"
"You
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