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Samantha rose. “The lights on the tree are flickering. I need to fix them.”
“Want some help?” Patrick asked.
“Thanks, but it’s happened before and I know what to do.”
As Samantha walked away, Claire sighed. “Come on, you guys. Don’t make her do it alone.”
“Reed?” Jenn suggested.
“Be right back.” Reed stood. He should have done this on his own. Proactive, not reactive. That’s how he handled things now, but around Samantha he felt a little unsure and awkward, reminding him of his high school days. It didn’t make sense.
Standing at the tree, she tightened the miniature bulbs.
“Can I help?” he asked.
“No, thanks.” She didn’t glance up. “I’ve got it under control.”
Reed wished he could say the same. He touched one of the crystal hearts on the tree. Time to pull himself together. Samantha shouldn’t have him reverting to his former insecurities. Okay, she was beautiful, but he’d dated beautiful women before. Must be guilt over bringing up Art. It couldn’t be anything else. “I wanted to apologize for what I said back at the table.”
“No need.”
“I’m still sorry.” He checked for a loose bulb on the string of lights. “I would never want to cause you any pain.”
“Now that’s a good one.”
Her bitterness surprised him. She’s the one who didn’t want him. Perhaps she was having regrets. “I know it was a long time ago, but we once meant something to each other.”
“Did we?”
“Yes, we did.” At least he had thought so.
She raised a shoulder. “All that was a big mistake.”
Just as he’d assumed, their time together had meant nothing to her. “A mistake,” he repeated.
“I knew you would agree.”
But he didn’t. Not really. Being with Samantha had been both the best and the worst time of his life. A time of wonder and love. A time of rejection and disappointment. But he wouldn’t call it a mistake. Perhaps a lesson learned. “Sam—”
“Found it.” She fiddled with the wires, and the lights stayed on. “No more flickering.”
Reed wished he could say the same thing about his feelings for Samantha. His emotions seemed to be flickering on and off, and he didn’t know how to fix that.
“The bride and groom want to be on their way, so let’s get all the single women on the dance floor for the bouquet toss,” the DJ announced.
“That’s my cue to get the bride her bouquet. Excuse me.” Samantha rose, grateful for a valid reason to get away from Reed if only for a few minutes. She’d been upset at his returning to Fernville, but now she was annoyed at him. She hated the pity in his eyes. His need to apologize for bringing up Art.
So she was a widow? It wasn’t by choice, but she’d learned to live with it. Because of Timmy, she’d had no choice.
Timmy. The thought of her son filled her with warmth. Like her own parents, Reed had made the wrong choice where his child was concerned. He hadn’t wanted to be any part of Timmy’s life. Or hers. She wondered if he ever had regrets. She wondered if her own parents did. Not that it mattered. She’d only been wanted and loved on their terms. She and Timmy were better off without them in their lives.
She picked up the smaller throw-away bouquet made with fire-and-ice roses and sprigs of pine and made her way through the crowded room to the dance floor. The sweet scent of the roses tickled her nostrils, reminding her this was a wedding not a wake. She was here to enjoy herself. No sense letting Reed Connors get to her. He wouldn’t be in Fernville forever. He didn’t care enough to cause problems. Time to stop overreacting. Didn’t she deserve a night out and some fun?
At the dance floor, Samantha handed the bouquet to a beaming Kelli. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Kelli sniffed the roses. “Make sure you stand where I can see you.”
“Okay.” But it was far from okay. Getting stung by a bee would be less painful than battling the other women for a chance at the bouquet, but Samantha wasn’t about to disappoint her friend. She stood on the parquet dance floor, trying not to get jostled by a woman dressed in a hot pink dress, who jockeyed for a better position.
“One, two…” Before the DJ reached three, Kelli tossed the bouquet over her right shoulder. The flowers soared through the air. A woman in a teal suit reached up, but was a second too late. The bouquet landed right in Samantha’s hands. She stared at the white roses with the red tips. Their coy scent wasn’t so sweet now, but Kelli was clapping and smiling. That’s the only thing that mattered.
Samantha clutched the bouquet to her chest and grinned at her friend. “I can’t believe my luck,” she said dryly.
As she walked off the dance floor, Mark removed the garter from Kelli’s left leg while men whistled and cheered. The DJ counted down again. On three, Mark fired the blue satin garter over his shoulder and into the crowd of bachelors. As the garter approached, the men backed away. The garter arced toward the floor when a hand snagged it out of the air.
“Whoever caught that wanted it bad,” Claire said.
She was such a romantic. Samantha knew better. “He probably had too much to drink and doesn’t realize what he’s done.”
As Reed approached, he twirled the garter on his finger.
Jenn raised a finely arched brow. “You caught the garter?”
“I promised Mark if no one tried to catch it, I would.” Reed placed the garter on his arm. “Wedding traditions mean a lot to Kelli, and Mark didn’t want her to be disappointed.”
Tears glistened in Claire’s eyes. “That is so sweet.”
Samantha couldn’t believe it. Reed sounded so much like the boy she’d known in high school she felt a tug on her heart.
“Would the pair who caught the garter and bouquet please join the bride and groom on the dance floor?” the DJ asked.
No, she couldn’t. A momentary panic sent her rising from her chair. Reed stood also. Mark waved at them; Kelli grinned. At least the bride and groom were happy about this.
It wasn’t a big deal, Samantha told herself as Reed led her back to the dance floor. One dance at a wedding in front of more than 150 people meant nothing. She repeated that to herself when he placed one hand on her shoulder and held her hand with the other. And repeated it again as they swayed to the music—a romantic ballad from one of the summer’s biggest movies.
It was only a dance.
Too bad it didn’t feel that way.
Reed’s arms weren’t around her pulling her close, but they might as well have been. His warmth and strength seeped into her. Shivery sensations shot through her. Dancing with him felt like second nature. A nature better left untapped, a little voice cautioned. But she ignored it. Samantha had been alone for so long, she’d forgotten how nice it felt to dance and be held. His gentle touch sent tingles up her arm and down to the tips of her black leather pumps. Nerve endings came alive. Her heart, too. It went against all reason, but she hoped this once the song was a long one.
Glancing up at Reed, her breath caught in her throat. Years ago, she’d dreamed of being on the dance floor with him at a wedding. Their wedding. But like all dreams, hers hadn’t come true. And she had one person to blame. She looked away.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ announced. “Let’s give the couple dancing under the mistletoe some encouragement?”
Guests tapped flatware against their glasses. Because of the clinking, Samantha assumed the DJ meant the bride and groom, but Kelli smiled and pointed toward the ceiling. Samantha didn’t have to look up to know what was above her and Reed. She’d been the one to hang the mistletoe on the dance floor.
Reed’s eyes darkened. “Shall we?”
No. That’s the last thing she wanted to do. Now or ever.
But one brief kiss was nothing more than a holiday tradition. And it would mean a lot to Kelli. One peck wasn’t about to set the town gossips’ tongues wagging. Or change anything. Past, present, future. “Why not?”
She waited for Reed to take the lead. He lowered his mouth to hers. The moment his lips touched her, sensation rocketed through her. Electric shock, chemical reaction, you name it—she felt it. Talk about a swoonworthy kiss. If Reed hadn’t wrapped his arm around her she would have fallen. She waited for him to back away but he didn’t.
Stop, she should stop.
But kissing him felt so good. So right. So perfect.
He wasn’t stopping. She didn’t want to stop, either. His taste intoxicated her, a dangerous elixir that should be marked off-limits. His scent hadn’t changed over the years and reminded her of the magical kisses they’d shared before.
Memories rushed back. Buried emotions, too. The years faded. The distance between them seemed to disappear.
More, she wanted more.
She leaned into him. Reed took the hint and pulled her closer. Her breasts pressed against his firm chest. Strong, he was stronger than she remembered. This wasn’t a boy holding her but a man. She wished he never had to let go.
For the first time in a long while, she belonged. She could be Sam. Not Samantha. Not Mom…
Timmy.
What was she doing?
She jerked away. Applause filled the room. Samantha didn’t want to guess what shade of red her cheeks were at the moment. Most likely the same color as the holly-red tablecloths or roses in Kelli’s bridal bouquet. Thank goodness the lights had been turned down.
The applause continued. Reed bowed. Not to be outdone, she curtsied. If he was unaffected by the kiss and the attention, so was she. No matter she had trouble catching her breath and her hands trembled. Never mind it was all she could do not to run to the nearest exit.
“Sorry,” Samantha mumbled as she made her way back to their table. “Too much champagne.”
“No apology necessary, though I think the champagne had little to do with it.”
She froze. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s called chemistry,” he whispered, and a shiver of delight inched down her spine.
“No.” She stepped away from him. “We simply got carried away.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
His words sent heat coiling within her. No, she couldn’t let this happen. Not here. Not with Reed. Not again.
She tilted her chin. “But it’s going to be the last.”
Chapter Three
After a restless night, Reed buttoned his coat and stepped out of Marabelle Bailey’s Fernville B&B. The mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked apple-cinnamon coffee cake disappeared when he shut the front door.
A light dusting of snow covered the sidewalks and tree branches. The chilly air reminded him of going to school on winter mornings like this—his boots crunching through the layers of snow and ice as he dodged snowballs thrown his way. Nerds, geeks and dweebs had made the perfect targets back then. Reed shoved his gloved hands into his jacket pockets.
A giant Christmas tree decorated with twinkling lights and large multicolored balls graced the town square. The Douglas fir towered over the garland-draped gazebo where musicians performed during the summertime. The scene was pure Currier & Ives, but Reed felt too much like Scrooge to enjoy it.
The ghosts of his past had been out in full force ever since the wedding last night. Catching up and spending time with his high school buddies had been good. He’d forgotten how much fun his friends were. But seeing Samantha after all these years and kissing her…
Something physical still existed between them. Something good. Kissing her had been better than he remembered. Better than any kiss he remembered. And this time he couldn’t chalk the feeling up to inexperience. Despite his fear as a teenager that no woman would ever want him, he’d had enough practice over the years.
If Samantha had shown him any interest last night, he would have been all over it. All over her. But she wanted nothing to do with him. He’d seen it in her eyes and heard it in her voice. Her rejection was more bittersweet than painful. A relief rather than a regret. And he wasn’t about to slink away without a word the way he’d done almost nine years ago. He was through being a loser. This time he would accept defeat and face her like a man. He would say goodbye, get the closure he should have gotten before and move on.
The insides of the shops surrounding the town square were dark except for the Fernville Coffee Shop and Fernville Flowers. A Closed sign hung in the window of the flower shop. Samantha stood on a ladder hanging something from the ceiling. She wore a pair of faded jeans and a gray sweater. Pink used to be her color of choice. No matter. Tastes changed over the years. What color she preferred to wear wasn’t his business. Saying goodbye was. He had two hours until he needed to leave for the airport. Better get to it. Reed knocked on the glass door.
Samantha’s gaze met his. No smile, no reaction at all. She climbed down from the ladder and walked to the door. Her hair was pulled back, but the style was more romantic than severe with stray tendrils framing her face. Too bad those did nothing to soften the rest of her. With the automatic movements of a robot, she unlocked the door and cracked it open. “A little early to be out and about don’t you think?”
The tightness of her mouth told him she didn’t want him here. He would make this quick. “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye last night.”
“That hasn’t stopped you before.”
Her words stung, but she was right. He had ended it badly before. Hell, he hadn’t even ended it. Just run away. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted to say goodbye this time.”
Only the cracked door separated her from him, but the silence seemed to increase the distance between them. He could hear the footsteps of someone behind him, the sound of a car’s engine idling nearby and the beating of his own heart.
“That’s all you want?” she asked.
He nodded.
She glanced back into the shop. Her hair was woven into a single braid. He remembered when she wore two braids. The style had been more sexy than childlike. He felt a twinge in his groin.
Don’t think about her. Don’t think about the past. Don’t think about anything except the reason you are here.
“Okay, goodbye.” She stared past him as if he were invisible. Funny, but that’s how he’d felt in high school around everyone but her. “Have a safe trip back to Boston. And have a wonderful life, too.”
The temperature had dropped more than a few degrees, and he couldn’t blame it all on the weather. She might as well have slammed the door in his face.
“Feel better?” Samantha asked.
Reed felt the same way he had the last time he saw her. All tied up in knots and wondering what the future held without her in his life. But this time Art wasn’t standing in his way. No one was. And if Reed truly wanted her, he was man enough to get her this time around. “No.”
She fiddled with the door lock. “What more do you want?”
He wanted to leave. He had to return to Boston, to his job. He had no time for a long-distance relationship, let alone an affair. But something held him in his place.
Why wasn’t closure enough, now that he had it? Because “goodbye” didn’t resolve what they had shared so long ago. She had been his first love, his first lover. And last night’s kiss had awakened both dormant feelings and memories. Good ones and bad. He realized this wasn’t about saying goodbye. Not at all.
Plump snowflakes fell from the sky, landing on the sidewalk and on him. “Sam…”
“It’s Samantha.”
“Samantha,” he repeated. “What happened during spring break—”
“Was years ago,” she interrupted. “Forget about it.”
