Matching Mr. Right (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Series Book 1) (3 page)

He finished off his pie and then started on the éclair. After he had devoured every last crumb, he stood and threw a five on the table for a tip. “Ignore my questionnaire and set me up with a brunette. Probably should test out Jo’s theory.” He shot her a naughty grin then headed for the door.

***

Nick glanced at his niece as they drove to the bookstore. He was no expert, but something was wrong. Her face was scrunched up and she kept rubbing her stomach. “You okay there, Princess? ’Cuz if there’s going to be ralphing involved I’d rather you didn’t do it in my Porsche.”

Emily forced a smile. “I’m just excited.”

“I’d be excited too, to meet my favorite author in the entire universe. That Chester dude’s fun. I like him.”

Emily’s face brightened. “Me too!”

“You sure you’re feeling okay?” He pulled into a parking space.

“Yup.” Emily whipped off her seatbelt and opened the door.

Nick helped her out and then held her hand as they crossed the parking lot. Emily’s pace was especially pokey, so he scooped her up into his arms. “Come on, lead feet. Let’s get us a Chester book.”

When Emily tucked her head under his chin and closed her eyes, it confirmed it. The kid was sick. He turned back toward the car. “Maybe we’d better get that book some other time. When you’re feeling better.”

Emily’s little head popped up and she wailed, “Noooo! I
have
to get the new Chester book! Pleeeease Uncle Nick?”

“Okay, pipe down. So here’s what we’ll do. Pick up the book, get it signed, then get right back out. No messing around. Deal?” He held out his fist for a knuckle bump.

Emily’s face lit up a fraction as she fist-bumped him. “Deal.”

After he left his sister a voice mail telling her Em was sick and asking if he should take her to the doctor, Nick opened the door to the tiny bookstore.

It was crowded and smelled of leather and dust.

He withheld a curse at the long line ahead of them. Em was miserable. They needed to get the book as quick as possible. Craning his neck, he counted fifteen adults with at least one kid in tow waiting for an autograph.

He needed a plan.

When he spotted a harried looking mother with three kids, he considered playing on her maternal sympathies to get Emily a better place in line. But then he found their fast-track ticket.

  She was tall, blonde, dressed in designer clothes, talking on the phone, and ignoring her kid. Even better, her left hand, the one that held the phone, didn’t sport a wedding ring.

Nick slid past the others in line and moved beside her. “Hi.”

She glanced up, smiled, then hung up without saying goodbye. “Hello.” She glanced at his left hand splayed on Emily’s back, the one he’d purposely left there to display his own lack of wedding ring. “I’m Judith. And you are?”

“Nick. And this is my niece, Emily.” He accepted Judith’s outstretched hand and shook it. Her hand was much larger and cooler than Shelby’s dainty one he’d held the day before. “I’ve got a problem. Em here’s not feeling so good. I don’t know if she’ll be able to wait out this long line.”

Right on cue, Emily whimpered, “I
can’t
go until I get the new Chester book.” Em was good. He had to give it to her. They made a great team.

Judith glanced down at the kid beside her. “I’m sure Samantha wouldn’t mind letting you cut in front of us. Especially if Emily isn’t feeling well.”

The little girl, a miniature version of her mother in designer clothes, frowned. “Yes, I would. We’ve been waiting—”

Judith nudged the kid with her elbow. “It’ll be fine. So, Nick.” She eyed his suit. “What kind of job allows you time to play hooky with your niece?”

He figured he’d only have to keep up the small talk for about ten more minutes, and then they could get the heck out. Emily fell sound asleep and drooled on his shoulder as he talked with Miss Designer Shoes. When he glanced ahead to check their progress, his gaze landed on Shelby.

She
was author of the Chester books?

By day she helped people find love, and by night she wrote kids’ books? Something about that seemed a little . . . strange. But intriguing.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since he left her a few hours before. Too bad she was the white-picket-fence, kids-and-a-dog type, or he’d be tempted to tear up his contract and ask her out for real. But then his grandmother’s dying words, begging him to save Lori’s business, shut down that thought.

Shelby glanced up and saw him, then her forehead crumpled in confusion. He lifted his hand in greeting.

She sent him a deep frown before turning her attention back to the kid who stood in front of her. When Shelby smiled at the kid, her whole face lit up. She’d never smiled at him like that. Probably because he’d been acting like a jerk as he spied on her. He wanted to be her most challenging client, hopefully revealing all the tricks Shelby had in her toolbox.

But, man, he was a sucker for a cute blonde with a great smile.

***

Shelby forced her attention back to the sweet kid who stood before her. What was Nick doing and where did he get the kid who was asleep on his shoulder? His profile didn’t list any children, and the way the lady beside him smiled and flirted with him, it was obvious he needed no help whatsoever from her “little online service.” Maybe he really was a stalker. She’d have to ask Jo if she and Nick actually had that conversation about the salad at the café like he’d said.

She signed a book and slid it back to the little girl named Lauren. “Thanks for coming to meet me today. I hope you like the story.”

Lauren’s blue eyes twinkled with joy “I love everything Chester does. He’s the best. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Gotta love a kid with manners. After waving to Lauren’s mother, a new family moved in front of her.

Nick was next after them. She could feel the warm sweep of his eyes on her as she signed two books for the cute twins standing before her named Lilly and Lindsey. Nick had a way of studying her, as if he could see deeply inside, searching for her heavily guarded secrets.

It bugged.

When it was Nick’s turn, she didn’t bother to greet him. Instead she cocked a brow and waited for his explanation. She ignored the flip her stomach made as he stood in front of her looking like sin on a stick. Her inner bad girl begged for just one lick.

But Nick was a shallow, no-strings-attached kind of guy. The opposite of Greg. The man she’d waited two years for.

Nick beamed one of his big smiles. “Hello, Summer Sinclair. Seems you’re a woman of many hidden talents?”

“You too.” She slid her gaze to the child asleep on Nick’s shoulder. “Seems you forgot to add single parent to your profile.”

“This is my niece.” He nudged the sleeping girl on his shoulder. “Emily, wake up. Let’s get Shelby to sign your book.”

The darling, curly-dark-haired girl yawned and blinked like a baby owl. “Who’s Shelby?” The girl’s cheeks were unnaturally red, as if flushed with fever.

Alarmed, Shelby stood and reached across the table to lay the back of her hand on the child’s forehead. It burned under her touch. Nick had a very sick kid on his hands. Something like that had to cramp his style as he flirted with the obviously smitten woman behind him in line.

Shelby tucked a clump of stray curls that had fallen across the little girl’s forehead behind her ear, exposing the same startling blue eyes as her irritating uncle’s. “Poor baby. You’re not feeling so good, huh?”

Nick said, “Emily’s a huge fan and couldn’t be persuaded to stay home in bed where she belongs. Nice pen name by the way.” He leaned closer and whispered, “Kinda sexy.”

That did it.

She huffed out a breath and signed Emily’s book. She wanted Nick out of her face as quickly as possible. He was the epitome of the kind of man she usually avoided: all handsome, arrogant, and self-confident. Something her hormones were having trouble remembering they didn’t like. It’d probably be best if they didn’t work together.

As she handed the book to Emily, she said, “It must be tough to have such a smarty-pants uncle, Emily. I hope you feel better soon.”

Emily worked up a small giggle. “That’s what momma says about him too.”

“Traitor!” Nick’s warm smile proved he clearly loved the child. “Keep it up and I’m taking the cell phone back.” He slid another book from the pile. “I’d like one too,
Summer
.”

Before Shelby could refuse, a gorgeous, dark-haired, feminine version of Nick rushed to his side. “Sorry, I just got your message. I came as fast as I could.” She took Emily from his shoulder. “Come here, honey.” Then she turned and stuck her hand out to Shelby. “Hi, I’m Emily’s mom, Lori. We just adore your books. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you. So, Nick is your . . . brother?”

Lori nodded. “Yes. Are you two friends?”

Shelby said, “No,” at the same time Nick said, “Yes.”

Lori frowned at her brother. “What have you done now, Nick?”

Nick met Shelby’s gaze and winced. Suddenly he looked like a kid caught climbing through his bedroom window after curfew instead of his normal arrogant self.

“Nothing. Let’s go. See you, Shelby.” Nick wrapped his arm around his sister’s waist and tugged.

The sexy blonde woman behind them called out, “Nick, wait. Here’s my number.”

Nick stopped his hasty retreat. “Great, thanks.” He accepted the piece of paper and then sent Shelby a pained look. “Um . . . so I’ll call you?”

Her jaw clenched. If she weren’t in a store packed full of kids who looked up to her, she’d tell Nick to take a hike. “I’ll call you.
Please
don’t call
me
.”

CHAPTER THREE

“Asking for help when you’re in trouble is hard to do . . . especially for bad little monkeys.”

Chester’s Disastrous Day at The Zoo

Tired of sitting on the couch tapping away at her keyboard, Shelby yawned and stretched her hands over her head. She needed a break from Chester and his antics. Was it her imagination, or was Chester acting particularly naughty in this book? She might have to clean up his act a bit. Chester was starting to operate like Nick.

Worse, she hadn’t slept well the night before. Visions of Nick and his muscles from the Facebook pictures had bounced around her brain all night. Nick and Greg were the only men her body had reacted to in such a visceral way. Now she was even dreaming about the Neanderthal’s smile.

She’d call Nick later, tell him she wasn’t the right matchmaker for him, then give him a full refund. She wouldn’t want an unhappy customer as successful as Nick out there talking poorly about her, so maybe she’d offer to set him up on one meet for free before they went their separate ways.

The only good thing about her inability to sleep because of Nick, was that it helped her figure out how to fix her story.

A loud knock sounded on her front door.

She laid her computer on the coffee table and crossed to the entry. Standing on her tiptoes, she peered through the peephole.

No freaking way. It was
him
. And he looked like crap.

She didn’t think that was possible.

He wore the same suit as the day before, now rumpled, his jaw covered with day-old stubble. His hair was a mess, as if he’d been running his hands through it.

She picked up the bat she kept in the entry and yanked the door open. Thankfully a locked glass storm door still separated them. “Go away, or I’m calling the police.”

“Good. You’re home. I have an emergency.” He blinked at her as his smile grew. “You wear glasses? Cute.”

She forgot she had them on. And she was wearing dumpy sweats.

Nice.

Clutching her bat tighter, she said, “How did you get my address?”

“I know your cousin, Jake. We belong to the same climbing club. Small world, huh? Anyway, he gave it to me. And since you told me not to call . . .”

She breathed out a sigh and lowered the bat. If Jake trusted Nick enough to give him her address, then Nick wasn’t a horrible person. Just an annoying one. She unlocked the door so they wouldn’t have to yell through the glass and pushed it open. “So, you’re having a dating emergency?”

“No, it’s my niece, Emily. She’s in the hospital.”

Shelby’s anger instantly dissipated. “What’s wrong?”

“Appendix. They got her into surgery just in time last night. Em’s uncomfortable this morning, but mostly she’s scared of dying, leaving her mom all alone. Her father was killed while in the military, fighting overseas. Emily’s got issues.”

Issues? Only someone who hadn’t lost a parent, especially at such a young age, could call what Emily was feeling
issues
. It’s heartbreak. “I’d be happy to help Emily.
You’re
lucky I asked questions first before I beat you with my bat. I thought you were a stalker.”

“I’m not a stalker, Shelby.” He sent her one of his sexy grins. “But if you’ll help Emily, I’ll let you take a free swing. She’s inconsolable because she can’t find the book you signed for her. She had it with her when they admitted her, but it’s disappeared in the shuffle last night. Will you sign another for her? Please?”

The man said
please
? Would wonders never cease?

She held the door open wider. “Fine. Come in. And if you’ll wait while I change, I’ll deliver it in person. I have a little experience at being a kid in the hospital.”

Relief softened his face. “Thank you, Shelby. I owe you one.”

“And I won’t let you forget it.” She let go and the spring loaded door slapped closed behind him.

Nick looked ready to drop at any moment. She shouldn’t offer him anything because she really didn’t want to encourage him, but she had manners. Maybe he’d learn by example. “Have a seat. Want some coffee?”

He sighed and dropped onto the couch. “More than I want to draw my next breath.”

She beamed her sweetest, fake smile. “Too bad I’m out of arsenic, or I might have been tempted to arrange that.”

She left him on the couch and went to the kitchen to get his coffee. As she poured him a cup, she remembered he’d liked her chocolate chip cookies from their first meeting, so she grabbed two from the cookie jar and put them on a plate. When she returned to the living room, Nick was smiling and tapping the down arrow key on her laptop.