Read Online What's Cooking? by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sherryl Woods
Tags: United States, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, series, Contemporary Fiction, Harlequin Special Edition
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waved him over. Despite the potential minefield joining Maggie's brother-in-law presented, Rick knew there was no choice. He crossed the room and dragged a chair over to sit at the end of the table.
"Jeff, Rick Flannery," Mike said. "Rick, this is Jeff, who owns the nursery in town."
Rick gave Jeff another look. After years in photography, he had an eye for faces. He recognized this one. "You're the blabbermouth," he said at last, more amusement than condemnation in his voice. "You were in the cafe when I was getting coffee yesterday."
Jeff grinned. "Guilty," he admitted.
"Uh-oh," Mike said. "Should I get out of the way before fists start flying?"
Jeff gave him a quizzical look. "Why would we fight?"
"Because I passed along what you told me. Melanie called Ashley for information, then dragged me over to Maggie's so she could get a firsthand look at Rick. Poor guy was squirming by the time we left." He turned to Rick. "Frankly, I'm a little surprised you're still in town."
"I don't scare off that easily," Rick said, though there had certainly been times in his life when last night's interference by a protective sister would have been more than enough to send him away.
Mike chuckled. "Brave words. You should be terrified. Remember, I've gone up against the D'Angelo sisters. Look at me now."
73 73
"Don't pay any attention to him," Jeff said. "He's as happy as a bull in clover. Melanie's the best thing that ever happened to him."
"True," Mike said complacently. "But Rick might not be as eager to settle down as I was."
Jeff hooted. "Eager? You? Please. Don't pay any attention to him, Rick. He was as gun-shy as a man can be." He grinned. "Sort of like you, I i nagine, if you've been able to resist all those gorgeous models this whole time."
Rick grinned at him, not surprised that even here in a tiny town in Virginia's Northern Neck his reputation had gotten around. He'd been on the pages of some of those supermarket tabloids and appeared on TV entertainment shows often enough to become a celebrity in his own right. And he'd discovered that a lot of men envied his proximity to some of the world's most gorgeous women.
"Who says I resisted?" he asked Jeff, in part because it was the kind of comment most men expected of him.
"Oh, please tell me I did not hear that," Mike said with a groan.
"Jealous?" Jeff asked. "Can't say I blame you."
"No, I am not jealous," Mike said. "I'm just trying to figure out how Melanie's going to react if she thinks her sister is involved with a guy who's worked his way through the fashion world with more than his camera lens."
"I can't.speak for your wife, of course," Rick told him. "But Maggie knows all about my past history. She's okay with it."
Both men stared at him incredulously. "Really?" Mike said. "You sure about that?"
They looked so skeptical, Rick was forced to recon-
74 74WHAT'S COOKING?
sider. Wasn't the truth a little murkier than that? Maggie knew about his past, but wasn't that one of the very reasons she didn't trust their relationship to last? Well, hell.
Acceptance of something that couldn't be changed was one thing. Obviously, though, it wasn't going to be quite so easy for her to pretend it had never happened, that it hadn't shaped who he was, or that it wouldn't affect his relationship with her. His love 'em-and-leave-'em reputation would hardly bolster her confidence that he was a good bet for her own transformation into a woman who was looking for stability and steadfastness from a man.
"Okay," he admitted at last. "She's probably not happy about it,"
"There you go," Mike said. "A reality check. Women love it when we recognize those. Makes 'em think we're sensitive."
Jeff nodded. "And speaking of reality checks, you and I need to get over to the Winstons and get those shrubs in the ground. I told her we'd be there by eight."
Rick glanced at the clock and noted they were already twenty minutes late. "Sorry I kept you."
"Not to worry," Mike said. "We're
"Jeff, Rick Flannery," Mike said. "Rick, this is Jeff, who owns the nursery in town."
Rick gave Jeff another look. After years in photography, he had an eye for faces. He recognized this one. "You're the blabbermouth," he said at last, more amusement than condemnation in his voice. "You were in the cafe when I was getting coffee yesterday."
Jeff grinned. "Guilty," he admitted.
"Uh-oh," Mike said. "Should I get out of the way before fists start flying?"
Jeff gave him a quizzical look. "Why would we fight?"
"Because I passed along what you told me. Melanie called Ashley for information, then dragged me over to Maggie's so she could get a firsthand look at Rick. Poor guy was squirming by the time we left." He turned to Rick. "Frankly, I'm a little surprised you're still in town."
"I don't scare off that easily," Rick said, though there had certainly been times in his life when last night's interference by a protective sister would have been more than enough to send him away.
Mike chuckled. "Brave words. You should be terrified. Remember, I've gone up against the D'Angelo sisters. Look at me now."
73 73
"Don't pay any attention to him," Jeff said. "He's as happy as a bull in clover. Melanie's the best thing that ever happened to him."
"True," Mike said complacently. "But Rick might not be as eager to settle down as I was."
Jeff hooted. "Eager? You? Please. Don't pay any attention to him, Rick. He was as gun-shy as a man can be." He grinned. "Sort of like you, I i nagine, if you've been able to resist all those gorgeous models this whole time."
Rick grinned at him, not surprised that even here in a tiny town in Virginia's Northern Neck his reputation had gotten around. He'd been on the pages of some of those supermarket tabloids and appeared on TV entertainment shows often enough to become a celebrity in his own right. And he'd discovered that a lot of men envied his proximity to some of the world's most gorgeous women.
"Who says I resisted?" he asked Jeff, in part because it was the kind of comment most men expected of him.
"Oh, please tell me I did not hear that," Mike said with a groan.
"Jealous?" Jeff asked. "Can't say I blame you."
"No, I am not jealous," Mike said. "I'm just trying to figure out how Melanie's going to react if she thinks her sister is involved with a guy who's worked his way through the fashion world with more than his camera lens."
"I can't.speak for your wife, of course," Rick told him. "But Maggie knows all about my past history. She's okay with it."
Both men stared at him incredulously. "Really?" Mike said. "You sure about that?"
They looked so skeptical, Rick was forced to recon-
74 74WHAT'S COOKING?
sider. Wasn't the truth a little murkier than that? Maggie knew about his past, but wasn't that one of the very reasons she didn't trust their relationship to last? Well, hell.
Acceptance of something that couldn't be changed was one thing. Obviously, though, it wasn't going to be quite so easy for her to pretend it had never happened, that it hadn't shaped who he was, or that it wouldn't affect his relationship with her. His love 'em-and-leave-'em reputation would hardly bolster her confidence that he was a good bet for her own transformation into a woman who was looking for stability and steadfastness from a man.
"Okay," he admitted at last. "She's probably not happy about it,"
"There you go," Mike said. "A reality check. Women love it when we recognize those. Makes 'em think we're sensitive."
Jeff nodded. "And speaking of reality checks, you and I need to get over to the Winstons and get those shrubs in the ground. I told her we'd be there by eight."
Rick glanced at the clock and noted they were already twenty minutes late. "Sorry I kept you."
"Not to worry," Mike said. "We're
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