Matching Mr. Right (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Series Book 1) (8 page)

The pest clearly wasn’t going away, so she let him in and then made a run for it. She hadn’t gotten three steps before his long arms stopped her and swung her around to face him. He kept his eyes firmly on hers, never letting them wander lower. He was probably afraid of what he’d see. Or maybe he was waiting for her permission before he looked.

His hands gently gripped her waist, anchoring her in place. “Let’s get this part over with so we can get down to business. Okay?”

Her heart pounded. Why should she care what Nick thought of her legs? The repulsive view would serve him right for showing up unannounced at her house again. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She took a step back and held her breath.

Nick frowned as he studied her legs. He twirled his finger, indicating she should turn around.

“Oh, for goodness sake!” She crossed her arms and turned her back to him so he could get the full three-sixty view.

He made a choking noise. “Wow!”

Her stomach took a dive as she wrenched her chin over her shoulder. “What?”

“Your ass looks fantastic in those shorts.”

Despite her disgust with him, a smile tugged at her lips. She stifled her grin as a warm wave of relief flowed through her. She’d only shown a handful of people her legs, and after the sight of them, no one had ever had the fortitude to make a joke. Why did that make her feel better instead of wanting to punch him?

She flung a hand in the direction of the couch. “Show’s over, I’m going to grab a pair of sweats. Have a seat.”

Nick grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “So you have some scars on your legs, Shelby. They’re not off-putting, they’re just there. Some of my climbing buddies who have taken bad tumbles have Frankenstein scars that make yours look tame.”

“But mine are all over—”

He raised a finger to stop her. “What I hate most is the hurt you must’ve gone through when you lost your family and then had to endure all those surgeries alone. I’m guessing
those
scars are a lot uglier than the ones on your legs.”

The breath backed up in her lungs. She hadn’t expected tenderness from the caveman. Nick had surprised her once again.

She needed to leave before he saw her threatening tears. “Thanks. But it was a long time ago. Be right back.”

She closed her bedroom door, shut her eyes, and drew a deep breath. Nick was right. The guilt she’d suffered while lying in those hospital beds all alone, due to her careless actions, had been almost too much to bear. She’d actually hoped she’d never wake up after each of her surgeries, and when she did, it felt like just one more punishment she’d earned for her deed.

She opened her eyes and glanced at the tall mirror standing in the corner. She hated the sight of her legs, but slowly turned to view her rear end. Did it look good in her workout shorts? She’d never thought of her butt as an asset before. Tilting her head in consideration, she smiled. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. And maybe Nick wasn’t so bad either.

After she’d dressed and pulled herself together, Shelby walked into the living room. Nick struck a Warrior Pose in front of her TV. The last time she’d let him in her house he’d used her laptop without her permission, and now he was doing her workout program? The guy was as bad as Chester. Or he had a serious case of ADD.

“What are you doing?”

He mimicked the instructor’s move. “Yoga, apparently. How is this considered exercise?”

“It’s not as easy as it looks.” Shelby waited until Nick was standing on one foot with the other foot perched against his inner thigh and his arms stretched above his head, before she shoved him.

He landed in a heap on the carpet.

“See?” Laughing, she leaned over him for the remote. She hit the Off button just as his hands slipped around her waist. He yanked her on top of him, then rolled, pinning her under his big, hard body.

Lord, all those sculpted muscles weighed a ton. And his sexy eyes had a ring of dark blue surrounding the light part. Was everything about him pretty? And perfect? It was just so annoying.

“Say you’re sorry,” he growled.

The ten-year-old in her wanted to say “Make me,” but there was no doubt he could. “You want me to lie to you?”

“No.” His brow furrowed. “Say ‘uncle,’ then.”

Just as she was about to pull his hair, hoping to surprise him enough to find escape, Jo cleared her throat. “Do you need to be rescued Shelby, or are you two going to need a room?”

Did she need rescue? It was kind of nice snuggling up against Nick’s hard muscles.

No. He was just being a bully. “Help, please?”

Jo snorted. “I’ll go get the bat.”

“I’d have gone for the room.” Nick moved his mouth next to her ear, his warm breath sending heat racing to her nether regions. “According to your rules, now that I’ve seen your legs we can sleep together. I’d like that.”

Her stomach clenched. He’d probably look pretty darn good naked.

But she wanted Greg. Besides, Nick had to be teasing. He’d never want to have sex with her, especially now that he’d seen her legs. “Liar. According to your survey I’m not your type.”

“That used to be my type. Until I met
you
.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Before she could come up with a good retort, Jo returned with her weapon. “I’m counting to three . . .”

Nick hopped up and held his hand out for Shelby’s. She slapped it aside and stood on her own. “I’m not falling for that one.”

Turning to her roommate, who stood as if she were ready to hit one out of the park while glowering at Nick, Shelby said, “Thank you, Jo. I appreciate it.”

Jo tossed the bat onto the couch and then rolled her eyes. As she headed for the kitchen she said, “My parents are coming over in a few so I’m making breakfast burritos. Is
he
staying?”

Nick beamed a bright smile. “I’d love to. Thanks!”

Jo laughed. “Where do you find them, Shelby?”

When Jo retreated back to the kitchen, Shelby led Nick to the couch and motioned for him to have a seat. She moved the bat aside and drew a deep a breath to steady herself after Nick’s tempting proposition. “Now, start from the beginning. And why is it your job to find Beth a soul mate, Mr. Fix It?”

When Nick winced, she figured this was going to be good. Or very bad.

***

Nick berated himself while driving to his mother’s house. What had he been thinking? He’d asked Shelby to sleep with him? She was the marriage, two kids, and a dog type if he’d ever seen one. Besides, she’d hate him if she found out what he was up to.

But after feeling all her curves beneath him earlier, there was no doubt the sleeping together part would be incredible, but after that, one of them was bound to kill the other.

Nick chuckled as he recalled how she’d pushed him over. She couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet, and yet she’d gotten the better of him.

He ran a hand down his face. That shouldn’t make her even sexier to him, it should make him very afraid of her. No wonder she wrote about a bad little monkey, because that monkey named Chester should be named Shelby!

But hadn’t he told Emily just the other day how much he liked that monkey?

Nope. Shelby had a boyfriend, or a prince, or something. And its name was Greg. Thank God Shelby hadn’t agreed to sleep with him. He needed to be sure the opportunity never arose in the future. Mostly because he wasn’t sure he could say no if she actually wanted him. He wasn’t the house-in-the-’burbs and soccer dad she wanted.

As he pulled into his mother’s drive, he came to an abrupt stop. What was his mom doing up on a ladder cleaning out the gutters?

He leapt from the car, slapping his door shut behind him. “Get down from there right now. You’re too old to be on a ladder!”

“Too old?” His mom’s right brow popped up. Before he’d realized his mistake, a handful of wet, slimy leaves plopped down on top of him.

“Nice, Mom.” He wiped slime from his forehead. “That’s a move Emily would be proud of.”

“You’re right. Be sure to tell her.” His mother stuck her gloved hand back into the gutter and scooped out more goop.

The “old” remark had been a mistake, and admittedly, his mom was still a beautiful woman, but she
was
fifty-seven.

He blew out a long breath, searching for patience. “Come down and I’ll finish that for you.”

His mother chuckled as she climbed down the ladder. “Your timing, as always, is impeccable. That was the last of it.” When her foot hit the ground, she kissed his cheek. “But I’m entirely too old to put the ladder away, so you can do it. Are you hungry?”

He folded the ladder and hoisted it on his shoulder. “I just had breakfast at Shelby’s.”

“Ah.” His mother smiled knowingly as she removed her gloves.

Nick hung the ladder in the garage and then followed her inside the house. “What does ‘ah’ mean? And why don’t you hire someone to do the gutters? Or call me and I’ll do them.”

He took his usual place at the old kitchen table, the same sturdy wooden one that had been there his whole life.

“Oh, you’ll do it, huh? You mean you’d actually squeeze me into your twenty-four seven work schedule?”

He crossed his arms and stayed silent, refusing to get into that familiar argument.

His mom sighed as she opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of tea. “Never mind. I’m perfectly capable. Who do you think has been doing the gutters around here for the past twenty years? And I said ‘ah’ about Shelby because your father called this morning and told me what happened last night. I hope you were at Shelby’s house this morning apologizing?”

Lori came into the kitchen with an empty glass in her hand. “Nick apologized for something? This ought to be good.” She plopped down across the table from him.

They were doing it again, outflanking and outnumbering him. “It seems all I’m doing lately is apologizing to women. It’s getting old.”

“Women? As in plural?” Lori grinned. “Beth wanted you back, didn’t she? And you felt all bad, but not bad enough to knock down that big wall around your heart and give love a chance. Although I saw something in the way you looked at Shelby the other night at the book signing.”

His mom nodded. “Yes! I saw that too, at the hospital.” She turned to Lori, “Maybe Shelby will be the one. Emily would certainly approve of that.”

“Stop!” He held up his hands. “Sorry to burst your love bubbles ladies, but Shelby has her sights on some other guy. She and I are just friends.” Sort of. She probably wouldn’t say so, but he liked
her
.

“Well, friends is a fine place to start.” His mom patted his cheek. “Even your dad said you made a good-looking couple. That’s why he bid on your date last night.”

“No, he bid on Shelby because he’s a controlling bastard.”

His mom sat down. “Everyone else in the family has forgiven your father but you, Nick. He was trying to be nice last night. He thought Shelby was a lovely woman.”

He couldn’t sit any longer and stood to pace. “Why do you always give him the benefit of the doubt? He just did that so he could look like the perfect father in front of all those potential clients.”

Lori laughed. “The country club set doesn’t give a damn about being thought of as good parents. They’re more interested in sealing that next deal and who makes the most money among them. Be careful Nick, or you’ll become just like them the way you work night and day for the almighty dollar.”

Recalling how Shelby’s aunt treated her, and her uncle’s obsession that she marry just the right guy, weighed heavy on the side of Lori’s theory. Not the part about his working and making money, but about the good parent image. “Just because I work hard and make a good living does not make me one of them. I’ll never be like dad.”

His mom sighed. “You aren’t anything like you father, Nick. You’re a better person than he could ever be. He knows that, and he’s very proud of you. Why do you think your father has never remarried in the past twenty years? He figured out he’s not cut out to be a good husband, but that doesn’t make him a bad person, just a poor spouse. All he wants now is to be a part of his family’s lives. Including yours.”

Nick shook his head. “He gave up that right when he asked me to lie to you, Mom. I have to go.” He started for the door, but then remembered why he was there. “Lori, do you think Em would want to go to the Broncos game with me and Shelby tomorrow night?

Lori smiled. “Emily will be beside herself. I think she might be as much in love with Shelby as you are.”

“I’m not—”

His sister laughed and turned to their mother. “I told you. The man is completely dense when it comes to feelings. He never saw it with Beth, and now he can’t even recognize it in himself.”

“Don’t play your silly matchmaker games with me. I’m immune. I’ll pick Emily up in the limo here at five.” He slammed the door behind him to cut off any further ridiculous discussion.

It was futile to argue with them. Either of them. He wished his sister Rachel lived in town. She tended to side with him and helped even out the numbers. Except when the arguments were about his father. Nick was an island there. And he planned to remain one. Let the rest of them pretend their father wasn’t so bad. He knew the truth.

Strapping in, he started his car and backed out of the driveway. A week ago his life had been orderly and under control. Since the day he’d met Shelby everything had been out of sync.

But, admittedly, it’d been a nice change.

Maybe he had been working too much.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Chester really liked football. And Julie.”

Chester’s First Crush

Nick didn’t have time to get out of the limo before Shelby emerged from her house for the game on Monday evening. She’d dressed head to toe in Bronco’s gear, complete with an oversized jersey, well-worn jeans, orange tennis shoes with blue laces, and her blonde hair had slim streaks of the team colors. There was even a Bronco’s logo tattooed on her cheek. Did she go over the top like that because of what he’d told her about other women pretending to like football? Was this her way of saying “in your face?”

Shelby greeted Sam, her uncle’s elderly driver, as she slid inside the limo and then sent Emily one of her cute smiles. “Hi, Emily.”