Winning Her Love. Harmony Evans

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ an arrangement, and I know you’re the best florist in town.”

      Vanessa ignored the flush of heat that spawned in her cheeks and began tying a large purple gingham bow around the vase in front of her. In addition to California poppies, the bouquet held a collection of white roses, baby’s breath and leafy sprigs of fresh ferns. She inhaled lightly—the fragrance seemed to infuse her troubled spirit.

      So he didn’t like flowers, but he wanted a bouquet for someone else. She hoped that Maisie, who was often nosy, would inquire who the lucky woman was. But to her disappointment, she didn’t.

      “As long as it’s not like mine,” Mrs. Barnell insisted. “Vanessa makes these special for me, and they’re different every day. She is truly a gifted artist.”

      Vanessa felt Gregory’s eyes trace the length of her shoulder-length dark brown hair. Goose pimples broke out on her arms under his careful inspection. She’d recently splurged at the salon and had her stylist add golden-brown highlights. She loved her new look. When he lifted his brow slightly, she knew he did, too. That pleased her, although she didn’t know why, and she almost smiled with satisfaction.

      He laid his fedora on the counter, stirring the air just enough to softly tickle the fine hairs on her arms.

      “I agree, Mrs. Barnell—she’s one of Bay Point’s greatest treasures.”

      Vanessa narrowed her eyes again slightly and tightened the bow with a dull snap.

       Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t we, Mayor?

      There was an awkward pause, and it seemed as though Gregory wanted to say more. His towering presence so close to her, with only the counter between them, was distracting in a way she didn’t understand.

      Vanessa sniffed lightly. Unless her sensitive nose was failing her at the moment, Gregory seemed to be wearing no cologne, and she almost sighed with relief. The musk of male skin was far more pleasing and would require a more careful inspection of him than discreetness would allow. She blushed at the thought, and the glass felt oddly warm against her lower abdomen as she braced herself against it.

      Yet Mrs. Barnell didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong, and Vanessa was grateful when she slipped her purse over one arm. She turned and regarded Vanessa.

      “That’s beautiful, dear. I’ll be on my way now.”

      Maisie’s toffee-colored skin was a striking contrast to the milky-white vase as she clasped her veined hands around it.

      “Need any help with that?” Gregory offered.

      Mrs. Barnell shook her head. “These flowers and the walk I take every day to get here are the reasons I’m still active. After my husband, Frank, died...”

      Her voice faded away, and she seemed lost in her thoughts. A few seconds later, she straightened her shoulders and looked Gregory up and down.

      “It’s a shame you’re not married.”

      Vanessa’s mouth dropped open slightly at Mrs. Barnell’s remark.

      Anyone overhearing the conversation and who didn’t know her would probably think Maisie was just some old busybody handing out commentary nobody wanted to hear on matters that were none of her business.

      But Vanessa knew better. The woman was the unofficial matriarch of Bay Point. Locals deemed anything she said either wacky or wise. Despite her eccentric personality, Mrs. Barnell was well respected in the community.

      Gregory dropped his hands and smiled patiently, as if he wasn’t at all shocked at her question.

      “Right now I think the town needs me more than I need a wife.”

      Mrs. Barnell nodded. “That we do, Mayor,” she agreed, a trace of wistfulness in her voice. She glanced down at the flowers. “But without love, even the most beautiful things can wither away and die.”

      Vanessa stepped around the counter and said nothing, refusing to let the old woman’s words infiltrate her heart. She knew what it was like to live without love, and she was surviving just fine. It was when she was in love that she felt as if she were dying.

      As she guided Maisie the short distance to the door, Gregory followed, as though he were afraid neither woman would make it. While she appreciated his consideration, it felt like an imposition, too. She wasn’t used to a man like him looking out for her, at least not without wanting something in return.

      She kept her eyes focused on the store window, where the name of her beloved shop, Blooms in Paradise, was gracefully scripted in frosted white letters on the glass. She opened the front door and a mildly warm breeze, tinged around the edges with the chill of an impending storm, rushed into the room.

      “It looks and feels like it’s going to rain any second,” said Mrs. Barnell, her teeth chattering slightly. “I’d better hurry.”

      Vanessa stuck her head outside. “It certainly does. Give me a call when you get home so I know you arrived safely.”

      When her friend was gone, she swiftly closed the door. The bell was still tinkling as she flipped the small plastic sign over from Open to Closed.

      Vanessa took a deep breath before turning and brushing past Gregory, and she could feel his eyes on her back. It warmed and seared her most pleasurably, spine to calves, making her want to run away, a sensory danger sign.

      She stopped in front of the two refrigerated cases that protected and displayed her inventory of flowers. Without turning, words tumbled out as if she were in a hurry, even though she had all the time in the world.

      “What sort of arrangement do you need, Mayor? If you want something simple, I can put it together for you now. If you want something special, I can have it delivered tomorrow.”

      She opened the door of one of the cases. The rush of air seemed unusually cold. As she reached in and switched off the fluorescent light for the evening, her nipples hardened.

      Vanessa knew she should have worn a padded bra underneath her outfit, but the sheer one was the only one in her collection that was clean. Besides, she’d opened the doors of her flower cases countless times all day, and her breasts had never reacted so obviously before.

      Stepping back, Vanessa shut the door and watched his reflection morph in the glass, flattening and changing before her very eyes.

      “I don’t need flowers, Ms. Hamilton. I need a favor.”

      Disappointment lodged in her throat. I knew it. At the same time, she was oddly euphoric that he wasn’t there to buy flowers for another woman.

      She quickly turned to face him, her navy maxi skirt swishing around her slim legs and calves.

      Gregory’s eyes dropped to her cowl-neck blouse. Even with a quick glance down, she could see that the white silky fabric had tented ever so slightly around her nipples.

      Her head snapped up and so did his glance, and she blushed.

      It’s not him. It’s the cold air! she told herself.

      Though her cheeks burned hot and his lips curved into a playful smile, she brazenly refused СКАЧАТЬ