Chapter Eleven
There was a knock on her door at exactly six-thirty.
Gotta love a guy who shows up on time.
No, she did not. She really needed to stop thinking of the L word and Colton in the same sentence.
A quick peek in the oven to check the steaks, and she hurried to the door, pausing to glance in the oval mirror on the wall. She had left her hair down; running a hand through it, she fluffed the wavy strands. It had a permanent kink because she’d kept it braided while working. Nothing ruined a delicious cupcake like finding a long, strange hair in it.
Maggie cursed herself for primping again. This is not a date, she reminded herself. No matter what Jamie, Lizzy, or anyone else thought.
It is not a date. It is not a date. It is not a—
She opened the front door, and there stood Colton dressed in dark, pressed jeans and a deep cobalt sweater that made his eyes impossibly bluer, and with a V-neck just deep enough to show a few manly strands of chest hair. His sandy-blond hair was long enough to just start the curl she knew it had when he grew it out. He had a sexy grin on his face and a bouquet of beautiful yellow daisies in his hand.
Crap, this might be a date.
He extended the flowers. “For you.”
“Thank you, Colt. They’re beautiful.” She took the bouquet, inhaling the soothing scent. “Yellow daisies are my favorite.”
“I know. I remember.”
She gazed up. He remembered? Once as children, they had been playing by the creek at his family’s ranch. The bank had been dotted with dozens of yellow daisies. She’d mentioned they looked happy, like the sun. Colton helped her pick every flower, telling her she should put them in her room so when the sky was cloudy she would always have the sun with her. Ever since then, daises had been her favorite.
“May I come in?”
Maggie realized she was staring stupidly, lost in thought.
“Oh yes, of course. Come in.” She stepped back to let him pass. “Dinner should be ready soon. I’ll just go put these in water. Make yourself at home. Would you like a glass of wine?” she called, going to the kitchen. She was babbling, she knew, but he’d shown up with flowers. This was supposed to be a friendly dinner. Friends didn’t bring each other flowers, did they? Lizzy had certainly never bought her any.
“Sounds great,” his voice sounded from the living room.
She grabbed a light green vase from a shelf and filled it with water. Placing the flowers within, she inhaled their fragrance once again. He brought her yellow daisies; she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
Placing the vase in the center of the table, Maggie grabbed the open bottle of red wine off the counter where she’d left it to breath. Taking two glasses down from the rack above the toaster, she filled them each. Wine and flowers. This was inching closer and closer to a more-than-friends dinner.
Her apartment was small, but perfect for one person. Gran had moved in after her husband died. Long before Maggie was ever born. Its location above the shop was an added convenience. Wine glasses in hand, Maggie came around the partial wall between the kitchen and living room to see Colton inspecting the place.
“You haven’t changed it much.”
No, she hadn’t. A few pieces of art. A picture of her mother, one of Lizzy, a new flat screen TV. The rest was just as Gran left it.
“It always felt like home. Didn’t seem right to change it.” She handed him a glass.
“Thanks.”
He took a sip, and she watched in fascination at the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed the red liquid. Oh damn. She was in trouble.
“Is this the famous Lizzy?” he asked, pointing to a picture of her and Lizzy, arms around each other, big grins on their faces.
“Yeah. That was our trip to Catalina Island a year ago.”
She stared at the picture. Lizzy had flawless, porcelain skin, smoky gray eyes, and strawberry blonde hair that women paid hundreds for the same look in Hollywood. As with everything on the woman, it was natural. She couldn’t help but compare her own mousy brown hair and dull green eyes to her best friend’s features. If she didn’t love Lizzy so much, she’d hate her.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“She’s okay, but she can’t hold a candle to you, Magpie.”
Wine glass inches from her mouth, she froze. She wasn’t ugly, she knew that, but men were always flocking to Lizzy. Her best friend was beautiful, inside and out. Whenever she compared herself, Maggie always felt lacking.
“What, you don’t think you’re beautiful?” he asked.
She shook her head, unable to form words.
Setting his glass down on the coffee table, Colton took a step, eliminating the few feet between them. Placing a hand under her chin, he brought her face up. Her heart started beating a fast tempo in her chest. Bright blue eyes stared into hers, reminding her of a soft summer sky. Sunshine and blue skies, daisies and Colton’s eyes. Sounded like a cheesy country song.
“You are beautiful, Maggie.”
Her heart beat so fast she was afraid she was having a heart attack. She gripped her wine glass so hard she was sure it’d break.
Colton’s hand stroked her jaw, then his fingers moved back to tangle in her hair.
She should stop him. This was only supposed to be a friendly thank you dinner.
When he gripped the back of her neck in a gentle hold, pulling her toward him, she knew she should really stop him, but she didn’t. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him. She leaned toward him, closing her eyes. They were a hairsbreadth apart; she could feel his warm breath on her lips. Almost there—
The timer on the oven buzzed.
Maggie pulled back, snapping her eyes open with shocked realization of what had almost happened.
Saved by the buzzer.
“Th-that’s dinner. I better get it before it burns.”
“Sure.” He smiled, yet looked disappointed.
Join the club, buddy.
Spinning on her heels, she hurried toward her tiny kitchen. She had been that close to finally knowing if Colton Denning tasted as good as he looked. Now, the moment was gone, and Maggie mentally kicked herself for getting caught up in it. She did not want to start something with this man.
Did she?
“Can I help at all?”
“No thanks.” She pulled the steaks from the oven. “It’s all ready. I just have to plate.”
“Smells delicious.”
He smelled delicious. Dammit. She was so mixed up right now.
Transferring the steaks to the waiting plates, she added the rice and carrots. As she came back to the table, she saw that Colton had grabbed her wine glass from where she’d set it on the counter and placed it at her seat. Sexy and sweet. He just didn’t play fair.
“Wow. It looks fantastic,” he said as she set a plate in front of him.
“Thanks. It’s nothing really. Just a mesquite lime marinade, some wild rice, and butter dill carrots.” She set her own plate down and took her seat.
Picking up his fork and knife, he cut a piece of the steak and placed it in his mouth. A deep groan rumbled from his chest as he closed his eyes and chewed. “Oh my God, Magpie. This is amazing!”
She felt heat rise on her cheeks, ridiculously pleased by his compliment. “It’s nothing really.”
“Smart, sexy, makes killer cupcakes, and she can cook? How the hell hasn’t some guy snatched you up already?”
It was a throwaway question. An innocent remark meant to be taken hypothetically, but it struck a chord. She tended to be drawn to losers. Steve the moocher, Marv the mama’s boy, Jess the “can’t we be friends with benefits” boozer, and a mess of first dates who thought dinner was a free pass to panty town. Not even if she ordered the lobster, losers. Then her last relationship had been a mess of lies and betrayals. Her luck in men ran like her current luck in life. Poorly.
“Sorry, did I hit a nerve?” he asked when she didn’t respond.
“No, it’s fine.”
He sat back in his chair. “Bad breakup?”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to talk about exes on a first date.”
“Is this a date, Magpie?”
Crap, why had she said that? It wasn’t a date. Isn’t that what she told Jamie and Lizzy? They disagreed, but still. Just because she wanted it to be a date didn’t mean Colton thought it was a date.
But, he brought her flowers.
“No—I didn’t—I mean, it’s not—”
“Because I want it to be,” he said, interrupting her stammering. “I want it to be a date. Don’t you?”
Did she?
Yes.
No.
Ahhhh!
She was going insane. Could she handle letting herself fall for Colton again and risk her heart breaking into a million pieces when he found someone new? He may call her beautiful and amazing now, but she knew who she was—a plain Jane, ordinary woman. How could a woman like her keep Colton’s interest when he was so…so…well, just look at the man. Way out of her league, and always had been.
“Why did you leave?” he asked softly.
“What?”
“Why did you leave after that summer and never come back?”
She glanced up. His dinner was half-eaten. She’d hardly touched hers. Those sexy lips turned down. His usual happy demeanor was gone. The teasing, flirtatious cowboy was nowhere to be seen, and in his place was a confused—and if she wasn’t mistaken—hurt, man.
“You barely spoke to me that last summer, and then you never came back until your grandmother died. You didn’t call, didn’t write. Did I do something to upset you?”
“Colt, no. Of course not.” His prissy girlfriend had.
“Then why did you leave without saying goodbye or staying in touch? I thought we were friends.”
Guilt swam in her belly. The delicious food she had cooked looked as appetizing as cow dung. She stared across the table at the man who was once her childhood friend. Those clear blue eyes held so much pain. His brow drew down, causing harsh lines to cross his handsome face. Had she actually hurt him by leaving and never saying goodbye? Remorse formed a solid lump in her throat, making it hard to swallow.
“I didn’t think you’d care,” she shrugged.
“That’s bullshit.” Anger replaced the pained expression on his face. “We were friends…best friends.”
“I was the annoying little kid who followed you around everywhere like a puppy.”
“Did I ever give you the impression I found you annoying?”
“Well, no, but people thought…”
“Thought what?”
She twisted her hands together as his voice rose. She hated seeing him so upset. Hated that she was the cause of it. “Some people said I was just an annoying little kid globbing on to you, and you were too nice to tell me to get lost.”
His jaw clenched. “Who said that?”
“Natalie,” she mumbled.
“Who?”
“Natalie,” she answered louder, getting angry herself. This was supposed to be a nice evening, and he was ruining it with almost kisses, date talk, and memories of the past. “Your perfect, cheerleader girlfriend, Natalie Brake.”
“Natalie? She told you I wanted you to get lost?” His brows rose incredulously. “And you believed her?”
“Well, no, not really. But she didn’t like me hanging out with you and…jeez, Colt, it’s ancient history. Can’t you just drop it?”
“No,” he said, a little louder than necessary. “Natalie is a bitch. Everyone knows that, even Natalie.”
“Then why did you go out with her?”
“I don’t know. We’re all idiots about dating at some point in our lives right?”
Yup, she had been a big idiot a year ago.
Colton stood, coming around the table. He placed a hand on the back of her chair, the other in front of her and leaned forward, boxing her in. His face was inches from hers. His warm breath whispered across her lips. It was slightly intimidating.
And completely tempting.
“Look, Maggie, you were my friend, one of my best friends. When you left and never contacted me I—I thought I’d done something to hurt you.”
He had. He started dating someone else.
“I felt guilty, then I felt angry that you never explained what I did.”
“You didn’t do anything,” she said softly.
“I know that now.”
“So…we’re still friends?”
He stared at her with such intensity she found she couldn’t look away. That sky blue gaze captured her, refusing to let her hide. And what a deliciously, sexy gaze it was.
“What I feel for you now feels like more than friendship, Maggie.”
Oh.
“You came back into town, and I thought we could be friends again, pick up where we left off. But after the other night, after spending time with you. I don’t think I can do just friendship.”
Oh my.
“So, I’ll ask again.” He leaned in closer until their noses were almost touching. “Do you want this to be a date?”
The air left her lungs. She couldn’t breathe with him so close. Couldn’t think. Could only utter the one word she kept locked inside ever since the day she came back to Peak Town and saw Colton Denning again. “Yes.”
“Good. Then it is a date.” A smile curled his lips. “Now, let’s talk about something more pleasant and finish our dinner.”
He leaned closer, gently brushing his lips over hers in the barest of kisses. Her entire body tingled from that one point of contact. His lips were soft, yet firm, delicious and addicting. She knew this one small kiss was just the beginning. Now that she had a taste of Colton Denning, she would need more. It was a terrifying thought, but as he pulled away from that too brief kiss, her body screamed, Yeehaw!