The Mighty Quinns: Mac. Kate Hoffmann

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СКАЧАТЬ ARE YOU? Where’s Buddy? I need to talk to Buddy. When will he be back?”

      Luke MacKenzie grabbed a rag from the floor of the airplane hangar and wiped the grease from his hands. As he approached the counter, he studied the woman who had burst through the door just a few seconds before.

      Her dark hair was windblown and the color was high on her cheeks. His gaze dropped to her lush lips and perfect white teeth. Her expression, though tense with anger, did nothing to diminish her natural beauty. In truth, he hadn’t met anyone quite so beautiful in a very long time.

      Mac grinned lazily and walked up to the counter. “Which one of those questions would you like me to answer first?” he asked, leaning closer to her.

      Her scowl deepened. “Where’s Buddy?”

      “He’s in the hospital having his hip replaced.”

      The news seemed to take her by surprise and he detected a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. “Oh,” she murmured. “He did tell me that. When is he going to be back?”

      “About three weeks,” he said. “Maybe a month.”

      “And who are you?”

      “Luke MacKenzie,” he said. “They call me Mac.” He wiped his hand on his jeans and held it out. To his surprise, she took and shook it firmly. Mac held on for a few moments longer, enjoying the feel of her slender fingers resting in his palm.

      “Mr. MacKenzie, I—”

      “Just Mac,” he insisted, giving her hand another squeeze.

      She straightened her spine and met his gaze, then slowly tugged her hand from his. “Well, Mr. Just Mac, let me give you the 411 because obviously Buddy didn’t fill you in before he left. The next time Charlie Clemmons shows up and wants you to haul that ridiculous Marry Me, Emma banner all over the sky, you’re supposed to tell him no!”

      “And your name is...”

      “Emma,” she murmured. “Emma Bryant.”

      “Well, Marry-Me Emma, Buddy might be able to turn down two hundred dollars for an airborne marriage proposal, but I don’t have that luxury. As long as Charlie’s money is green, I’m gonna take the job.”

      “But you don’t understand. This has become an obsession with Charlie. And I’m not going to marry him. Not now. Not ever. So he can waste all the money he wants but I’m not going to change my mind.”

      “Maybe he’s in love,” Mac suggested.

      “And maybe he’s completely insane,” she countered.

      “Why don’t you want to marry him?”

      “Haven’t you been listening? He’s insane. He just won’t let go. It’s not healthy.”

      “Is there another reason you don’t want to marry him? Maybe there’s someone else?”

      She gasped, then fixed him with a glare that could melt steel. “That is none of your business! And if I were you, I wouldn’t listen to town gossip.”

      “There’s gossip? I’m afraid I’m out of the loop. I’ve got a few minutes. Why don’t you fill me in? Can I get you something cold to drink? I’ve got a Yoo-hoo back in the fridge.”

      She looked at him as if he’d just asked her to strip naked and join him in a round of “The Hokey Pokey.” “I’m sure you think you’re charming, and I’m sure that charm works on a certain element of society, but it’s not going to work on me.”

      “You didn’t answer my question,” he said.

      “You didn’t ask me a question,” she said.

      “Sure I did. I asked if there was someone else. A boyfriend or a fiancé? I could see how a stray marriage proposal might be problematic in that situation.”

      She really was a beautiful woman, Mac mused. Her short dark hair curled gently around her pretty face, enhancing wide eyes and a lush mouth that had been made to be kissed. She also had thick lashes that ringed her brilliant green eyes—eyes that seemed to see right into his soul.

      “Just don’t fly any more of his banners,” she warned. She spun on her heel and started for the door, but he called her name and she stopped and slowly faced him.

      “You know, the fastest way to get rid of the old guy is to take up with a new guy.”

      “You think I don’t know that? When you live in a small town like San Coronado, decent men are in short supply. Believe me, I’ve been looking.”

      “Maybe you haven’t been looking hard enough,” Mac suggested.

      She strode toward the door, but before she had a chance to pull it open, he spoke.

      “You could go out with me,” Mac said. “I’m new in town, and I haven’t met many people. It would be nice to have someone show me around.” He’d issued the request more as an experiment than an actual invitation. And as an excuse to keep her in the shop just a little bit longer.

      He found her quite fascinating, this stunningly beautiful girl who couldn’t seem to find a man. But now that he’d made the invitation, he wanted her to accept. “Let me get you that Yoo-hoo and we can talk over the particulars. Give me a chance to apologize for the whole banner problem.”

      She stared at him for a long moment. “You’re asking me out? On a date?”

      “Yes,” he said.

      “We just met. And I don’t think I like you.”

      “’Tis one thing to be tempted,” he murmured. “Another to fall.”

      “Do you really believe a little Shakespeare is going to make me swoon for you?”

      “Swoon? What does that mean?”

      “Look it up,” she said.

      “I left my dictionary in my other toolbox,” he teased. “Do you like Shakespeare?”

      “He’s only the greatest writer who ever lived.”

      “So where do you come down in the authorship issue? Are you a Stratfordian or an Oxfordian?” Clearly his question had taken her by surprise. He also noticed a bit of interest in her expression. “I just finished a new book on the subject.”

      “The Weight of the Words?” Emma asked. “I loved that book.”

      “We should get together and discuss it,” he said.

      Emma opened her mouth, then frowned, shaking her head. “Just don’t do it again,” she warned. With that, she walked out of the hangar and into the bright sunshine of the October day.

      “Do what again?” Mac shouted. “Ask you out on a date? Or fly that banner?”

      He strolled over to the door and stared out, hoping to catch one last glimpse СКАЧАТЬ