Rider's Kiss Read online

  “Then why are you so nervous?” She pointed to Victoria’s spastic hand and said, “Always a dead giveaway.”

  Too late, Victoria realized she had revealed more than what she’d intended. This was why she never told lies; she was just too lousy at it. She always got caught somehow. She decided it was time to come clean.

  She forced herself to stop tapping. “We’re adults now,” she explained, using her best grown-up voice. “Rider has a life of his own, and so do I. The time for crushes is over. Way over. There are other fish in the sea.”

  “And when was the last time you went fishing? Six months ago, if I remember correctly. George, wasn’t that his name? The guy with the comb-over, right?”

  George had been a guy she’d met at church. Nice guy, but boring to the extreme. His idea of a hot date was to listen to classical music and discuss politics. Not the worst thing to do, if you were sixty years old and heading toward retirement. “George was an okay guy,” she said, skirting the full truth.

  Reena grabbed another cookie and took a bite. “Oh joy, just what every woman dreams of, an okay guy.”

  “Fine, the man was duller than dirt. Happy?”

  “I’ll be happy when you’re happy. And you’re not happy, Victoria.”

  “I’m content. I have my health, and I have a job I love. That’s more than a lot of people have.” When Reena began to protest, Victoria shot right over her. “Really, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” Victoria smiled and hoped it was convincing.

  “Whatever. But just so you know, he’ll be home day after tomorrow.” She shrugged. “In case you were wondering.”

  “Thank you, but I wasn’t.”

  Reena laughed. “God, you suck at lying.”

  “Bite me,” she groused as she stood and started getting out ingredients to make the hors d’oeuvres.

  Reena stood and leaned against the counter. “You’re telling that to the wrong member of the James family.”

  “You’re incorrigible.” She handed her a knife and asked, “Now, are you going to help me with this wedding or what?”

  Reena took the knife. “Whose wedding?”

  “Rita Williams. Her family has a lot of money and a lot of friends, so I really want to wow them with my culinary skills. Sadly, I’m a little behind here.”

  “You have employees and a factory for this sort of stuff. Why don’t you do like most business owners? Sit back and direct.”

  “Pfft, I’ll never run a business that way. I’d be miserable.” Feeling unaccountably weepy, Victoria hugged her friend. “Thanks for caring about me.”

  “You’d be lost without me, and we both know it.”

  “True.”

  “Now, what am I chopping?”

  “We’re serving smoked mozzarella profiterole. It’s a blend of smoked mozzarella, cream cheese and fresh herbs in a delicious pastry. You garnish it with roasted red pepper. But I wanted to perfect the recipe first. So you’re going to be my guinea pig.”

  “Yum, I love being your guinea pig. Bring it on.”

  As they went about creating the tasty appetizers, Victoria’s mind strayed back to their previous conversation. Rider was coming home. Oh God, how was she supposed to keep the past buried and her feelings in check with him living in the same town? It’d been easier with him off in New York. She could almost forget about his dreamy sapphire eyes and ornery grin. Old insecurities resurfaced, but she was determined to tamp them down. She refused to cower and hide just because her high school crush was back. Victoria would damn well hold on to her newfound independence. It was much too precious to her to let latent feelings ruin it.

  The day flew by as Reena and Victoria baked. By the time they were finished, the sun had gone down. After promising to take Reena shopping and to lunch the following day for her birthday, Victoria walked her friend to the door.

  Victoria locked up and kicked off her tennis shoes with a sigh of relief. Exhaustion overcame her, and she was only too glad the day was at an end. Tomorrow would prove to be a long one. Shopping with Reena always wore her out. No one did extreme shopping quite like that woman. She had things to prepare for the wedding too. For now, she couldn’t even imagine anything beyond getting up the stairs and falling into bed. She’d figure out a strategy to avoid one very sexy Rider James tomorrow.

  Chapter Two

  After Victoria finished up work the next day, she closed up shop and headed for Reena’s house for their shopping trip. It was five o’clock in the evening, and she was worn out, but she’d promised Reena. Besides, a few minutes with her bestie was sure to perk her up. After she pulled into the drive of Reena’s yellow Cape Cod style house, Victoria shut off the engine and strode toward the porch. She noticed the front door was open, and as she’d done so many times in the past, Victoria tugged on the screen door and let herself into the foyer. She was about to announce her presence when she overheard voices coming from the kitchen.

  “Why not? It’ll be fun,” Victoria heard Reena say. “We can even double date if you want.”

  “Victoria?” a bewildered male voice said. “She’s not exactly my type, Reena.”

  Was that Rider? He was back already? She was sure Reena had told her he was coming home on Tuesday. Damn, what was Reena up to?

  “I wouldn’t say she’s your usual type, but she’s sweet, pretty and intelligent. Better than your usual type, if you ask me.”

  “See, that’s just it. No one asked you.”

  “You can’t tell me that you don’t find her at least a little bit intriguing. I know you better than that, big bro.”

  “She’s nice and all, but…”

  Rider’s words trailed off. To Victoria, he sounded completely uninterested. Her heart sank. She’d always suspected she would never have a chance with Rider, but having her suspicions confirmed sucked raw eggs.

  “Nice?” Reena asked, her voice sounding angrier. “Nice is how you describe Mom’s meatloaf. Certainly not my best friend.” There was a pause, then Reena said, “I know you’ve entertained a thought or two about her. You aren’t blind, Rider.”

  “Fine, I’ve entertained a thought, but that was years ago.” Rider said, digging himself in deeper with each word that spewed from his big mouth. “Besides, I like my women sexy, and Victoria is a far cry from sexy.”

  “God, you are so shallow. Victoria is a woman of worth. She’s more than a pretty package, you buffoon. She’s the whole package.”

  “Hell, if you’re so fond of her, then you go out with her.”

  “You know, one of these days some gorgeous guy is going to sweep Victoria right off her feet, and you’ll be left wondering how you could’ve screwed up so royally.”

  “Look, if she wasn’t always so covered up, then maybe I’d let you play matchmaker. As it is, every item of clothing the woman owns looks like something a spinster would wear. She doesn’t exactly dress like a single woman looking for a man. In fact, she tends to send out a lot of keep-off-the-lawn vibes, if you ask me.”

  Victoria’s shoulders slumped. Rider’s description of her confirmed her worst fears. He would never see her as a desirable woman. She would always be a plain Jane to him. Reena’s boring friend.

  Terrific.

  “You haven’t seen her in ages, so how would you know what she wears?”

  Good question. Victoria would love to hear the answer to that one too.

  “You’ve sent me pictures of the two of you, remember? From the looks of things, Victoria hasn’t changed much since high school. She’s always been a bit of a…nerd.”

  “Jesus, Rider, for such a ladies’ man, you can be real dense sometimes.”

  Victoria had heard enough. Time to give Rider James a piece of her mind.

  Without waiting to hear any more of Rider’s cutting remarks, Victoria strode into the kitchen. Reena and Rider turned toward her, both with the same horrified expressions on their faces. Oh, if only she had a camera, she could capture the moment for all time. What fun.

  “To answer the question hanging in the air, yes, I did hear every word.” She glared at Rider and said, “I wouldn’t go out with you if you were the last man on earth.”

  He stood and held up his hands as if in surrender. “Victoria, you don’t understand—”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I do.” She glanced at Reena, ignoring Rider completely. “Ready to go shopping for your birthday?”

  “Uh, sure.” Reena stood and grabbed her purse off the table in front of her.

  Rider was still talking as they left the kitchen. Victoria did her best to tune him out. To pretend she wasn’t actually breaking into a thousand pieces. Once they were in the car, Victoria let the tears fall. Damn it, why did she even care? Rider didn’t owe her anything. The crush she’d had on him was years ago. It shouldn’t hurt so much to hear him describe her as nerdy and spinsterish. His comments should not mean so much to her. The argument didn’t help her feel any better, though. The tears continued to fall regardless.

  Reena reached out and patted her thigh. “I’m sorry my brother is a thick-headed ass,” she said, her voice filled with understanding.

  Victoria angrily swiped at the tears. “No, it’s okay. It doesn’t matter what he says. Besides, it’s good to finally know the truth.”

  “What truth?”

  “That I never had a chance.” She put on her seat belt and backed out of the driveway. “Not then and definitely not now.”

  Reena buckled herself in and replied, “I suppose, but I know my brother.”

  Even though it wasn’t beneficial for her shredded ego to ask, curiosity got the better of her. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s just that Rider tends to lash out when he’s put on the spot, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s being honest.”

  “You’re saying he doesn’t really think I’m nerdy and spinsterish?” Victoria snorted. “Hate to break it to you, Reena, but that’s exactly what Rider thinks of me. It’s what most men think of me.”

  “Damn, I’m sorry, sweetie. I shouldn’t have interfered.”

  Victoria pasted on a smile for the sake of her friend. “Screw it.” She took the card she’d bought days ago out of the glove box and handed it to her. “It’s your birthday, and we’re going to have a fun day, even if it kills me.”

  “Damn straight,” Reena said as she opened the envelope and read the card. Her voice was a little shaky as she said, “In fact, I say the topic of men is off limits as of right now.”

  “Good idea. Now, let’s go to Sal’s. There’s a large slice of lasagna and hot buttery breadsticks calling my name.”

  “And chicken parmesan is definitely calling mine. That and a slice of Sal’s fantastic caramel cheese cake.” Reena made a humming sound. “God, I love that stuff.”

  At the mention of the delicious treat, Victoria’s mouth watered. “I don’t usually get dessert, but today I’m breaking tradition.”

  Reena slapped her on the arm. “That’s my girl.”

  Like so many other disappointments in Victoria’s life, she pushed Rider and his ugly words out of her mind. Instead, she focused on treating her best friend to a fabulous birthday. She could cry over her mutilated ego later.

  By the time Tuesday night rolled around, Victoria found herself sprawled on her living room couch, scarfing down a pint of rocky road ice cream. Pathetic. This morning she’d gone into work, hoping to forget about Rider, hoping for a fresh start. Instead she’d managed to forget her purse and laptop, which contained all her client information. Her day had started off bad and gone downhill from there. The icing on the cake had been when she’d learned that the Williamses’ wedding was off. The bride ended up with a bad case of cold feet. No wedding meant no reception, no fancy hors d’oeuvres and no recommendations from the Williams. Lovely.

  Her remedy for such a lousy day? Wallow in self-pity, eat herself silly and, for good measure, watch a chick flick. Victoria looked down at the spoon in her hand and sighed. She was going to have to run an extra four miles just to work off the calories she’d consumed tonight. A long hot soak in the tub, that was what she really needed. Anger rose up all over again. Anger at herself for caring what Rider James thought of her. Anger that his words hurt so much. She thought of the look on his face as she’d walked into the kitchen. The surprise and regret. Even after all the things he’d said, Victoria couldn’t help the excitement she’d felt at seeing him after all the years. He’d aged well.

  His broad shoulders and powerful arms filled out the long-sleeve navy-blue button-down shirt he wore, and the snug jeans emphasized his muscular thighs. Brown leather work boots completed the manly look. She’d never seen another man quite as masculine and virile as Rider. The wild mess of his black hair begged her fingers to sift and play. She’d always liked his messy hair. Victoria was glad he hadn’t gone with a neater style. Neat didn’t suit Rider. Conforming to society wasn’t his way. He’d always been the quintessential rebel in Victoria’s mind. He’d looked great, which made the words he’d spewed all the worse. Damn if her body didn’t respond with a rush of heat even now. Clearly she had no pride at all. Where Rider James was concerned, she was putty.

  The doorbell rang. In her heart, Victoria hoped it was Rider coming to apologize for his hurtful comments. When she heard Reena call out to her to open the door, Victoria’s hopes plummeted.

  Victoria grumbled at the interruption, secretly pleased to have company. She pushed off the couch and strode across the room, then unlatched the door. “Hi,” she said.

  Reena gave her a once-over and said, “You’re moping, aren’t you?” She pushed her way inside and shut the door behind her.

  “I’m allowed after the day I’ve had.” Victoria frowned. “How’d you know I was moping?”

  “Brenda called me,” she said as she glanced around the room.

  At the mention of one of her employees, Victoria made a mental note to thank the older woman. “Brenda is sweet, but she doesn’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”

  “She worries for good reason, if you ask me. Especially after the Williamses’ wedding fell through.” Reena sniffed the air and screwed up her nose in disgust. “It smells a lot like the locker room down at the gym.”

  “Yeah, well, I haven’t had time to clean up,” Victoria growled, then went back to her couch and her wallowing. “I’ve been a little busy.”

  “Busy moping. Yeah, I can see that.” Reena arched a brow and plucked the container of ice cream off the coffee table. “I think you’ve had just about enough sugar for one night. And you really need to go shower.”

  Victoria frowned. “Are you saying I stink?”

  “No, but the hot water will make you feel better.” She waited for her to stand up, but when Victoria didn’t budge, she crossed her arms over her chest and flatly stated, “I could drag you there if you’d rather, but I can’t guarantee the water will be warm.”

  Victoria weighed the merits of denying her, then decided it just wasn’t worth it. She stood. “I think I’m going to go shower.”

  “Good idea.” Reena held up the dripping cardboard carton. “I’ll just go put this away.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Reena replied as she headed for the kitchen.

  When Victoria reached the bathroom, she flipped on the light and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her tangled hair hung in messy clumps down her back, her mascara was smeared all over her cheeks and her clothes were wrinkled beyond repair. “I look like crap,” she mumbled. “Worse than crap.”

  She turned to the task of showering away the grime, hoping the hot spray and steam would make her feel loads better. By the time the water ran cold, she did feel a little more human. Once she finished, Victoria slipped into a clean pair of heather-gray cotton shorts and a white T-shirt. She tucked her hair under a towel and went to find Reena. She was surprised to see the living room tidied and Reena doing the dishes. When Reena noticed her, she pointed a soapy finger toward the table. “Sit while I finish this, then we can have a nice long talk.”

  Victoria pulled out a chair and dropped into it. “I don’t see what there is to discuss,” she mumbled.

  “How about your attitude, for starters? If you ask me, that’s a damn fine place to begin.”

  Instead of being offended, Victoria laughed. It sounded rusty, but still, it was something. Reena was always that way, making her smile when she really felt like crying. “I’m sorry for being such an ungrateful bitch. I’m lucky to have a friend like you.”

  “Yes, you are,” Reena said as she sat down across from her. “But that’s not the issue right now. The issue is, what are you going to do about my brother?”

  “Your brother?”

  “He’s the idiot who’s got your panties all in a twist, isn’t he?”

  “I had a bad day, Reena. I thought we already established that.”

  “You’ve never tried to eat yourself into a coma because you lost a client. No, this is because of the stupid things he said about you yesterday, right?”

  She firmed her jaw. “Rider has a right to his opinion. He and I aren’t friends, so whatever he says about me really shouldn’t bother me.”

  Reena’s eyes softened. “And yet it does.”

  Victoria slumped, feeling like the biggest fool ever born. “Yeah, it does. I hate myself for it too.”

  “It’s because you still have feelings for him.”

  “I shouldn’t, though. I mean, it’s crazy to carry a torch for a guy all these years. I think they call that obsession.”

  She snorted. “It’s not like you’re a stalker, Victoria. And you haven’t exactly put your life on hold waiting for him to come running.”

  “If he’d only stayed in New York, damn it.”

  “Seeing him again is bringing it all back, is that it?”

  She shrugged. “I just don’t get it. I feel like such a dolt. I’m an intelligent, successful businesswoman. So why am I reacting like a teenager with her first heartbreak?”

  “Maybe because for you, the feelings go deeper than attraction.”

  “You’re talking about love.” Victoria shook her head. “No, it’s not possible to love someone you’ve never spent five minutes with. This is desire, nothing more. A lot of which can be attributed to Rider’s bad-boy nature. Let’s face it, plenty of women are attracted to the outlaw type, and your brother is definitely wicked.”