Special Order Groom Page 3

  “Now, Crystal, admit you’re glad to see me.”

  “I don’t think telling lies is honorable.”

  He vaulted over the sofa back to stand in front of her. “I’m glad to see you,” he said softly. “I’ve thought about you a lot.”

  Her heart froze, suspended like a cold rock in her chest. “You have not,” she said weakly.

  “I have. How could I forget you?”

  She couldn’t stand it any longer. Common sense told her she didn’t want to know, but her foolish heart was already crying to know the answer. “Why didn’t you take me to the prom?” she asked on an anguished whisper.

  “I wanted to. I was looking forward to it.” He reached up, finally snagging the red Chinese sticks and removing them so that her hair fell to her shoulders. Laying the sticks on the sofa table, he pulled her into his arms. “I couldn’t,” he said, brushing a kiss against her lips. “I just found myself in a position I couldn’t extricate myself from,” he murmured against her mouth, before tasting deeply of her.

  He pulled back and his words brushed her lips. “Crystal, I tried to talk to you a hundred times after the prom, and you ignored me every time. You wouldn’t return my calls. Never replied to my notes—which, by the way, I saw torn up in the trash after we cleared out our lockers. You didn’t attend our graduation night party, and I knew then that you’d avoid me at any cost.

  “And you did, didn’t you, Crystal? And today I’ve just teased you a lot to keep from scaring you off again. I didn’t want to lose you then—” but I can’t have you now, he finished silently.

  Crystal clung to him as if there were no tomorrow. There were no family members waiting on her, no birthday dinner with just her relatives woefully eyeing the carefully counted candles on her homemade birthday cake. She was seventeen again, and nothing would ever come between her and Mitch. Nothing.

  “What was it?” she asked on a gasp, feeling his thigh part hers and push against the serviceable dress she’d worn to work.

  “I can’t tell you,” he said. “All I can tell you is that I wish it had been you I was with that night.”

  Stunned, she stared up into his eyes. He ran a thumb lightly over her lips. “Why can’t you tell me?”

  “The reason is confidential. I would be breaking Kathryn’s confidence to tell you.”

  Splinters of jealousy flew into her heart. “I was never sure how Kathryn got to be part of our big night. When did the two of you get to be such good friends?”

  “She had a problem that she came to me for help with.” Mitch gazed at her, his expression longing. “I can say no more than that. You have to trust me, Crystal. I wanted to be with you.”

  A long moment passed as she weighed whether she really wanted to ask the question that popped into her mind. Most likely, she didn’t want to know. “Did you kiss her?” she asked, her face flaming as soon as she said the words.

  After a moment, he gave a single nod. Crystal’s heart shattered all over again. There was nothing else she would ask, because he’d given her the answer she needed. He’d made love to her the night before; she’d thought their shared first time meant something.

  But he’d kissed Kathryn the very next night.

  “I have to go! I have to get out of here.”

  She flew to the front door and outside before he could stop her. Sprinting across the street, she noted that her house was brightly lit, which was unusual. Her family was usually very energy-conscious. But she had to get away from Mitch and their past and the pain, and she couldn’t stop to admire how pretty the house looked with all the lights bedecking the evening.

  She threw open the door and slammed it behind her, gulping air as she realized she’d left her hair ornaments at Mitch’s, so that her usual snug do was a tousled mop. Her lips had been kissed of lipstick and felt larger than normal. She had to get her makeup on and her hair up before her family’s sharp eyes noticed—

  “Surprise!”

  Crystal screamed as it seemed a hundred people leapt out at her from behind sofas and curtains and tables. Her hand flew to her throat and then to her uncustomarily mussed hair.

  The added shock was too much for her already skittish blood pressure. Before Crystal could stop herself, she slid to the parquet floor in a faint.

  Chapter Four

  Crystal thought she was waking from a nightmare when she opened her eyes to see Frank Peters staring down at her. “Are you all right, Crystal?” he asked.

  Even in their high school days, Frankie had been a menace. Girls weren’t safe in his car. He was too darn handsome for words, and he by golly knew it.

  She wanted no part of him. “I’m fine,” she whispered. Now go away, nightmare.

  Lincoln Lark, who’d once held the record for most yards rushed in a season for the Lover’s Valley Vikings, tried to help her to her feet. “Let me carry you,” he offered. “I’ll put you on the sofa.”

  Lincoln hadn’t come by his record by accident. He rushed for yardage the same way he rushed for women. Crystal wanted no part of him, either, having seen him snap the back of homely Penny Parson’s bra while she was fishing around in her locker. He’d laughed uproariously at her yelp of surprise and pain. Crystal hadn’t thought the “turtle snap” was very funny. “Go away, Lincoln,” she said, as gently as possible, giving him a little push. “I can get up by myself.”

  “Aw. You’re always saying you can do everything by yourself, Crystal Jennings.” Barney Fearing was the third head that clouded her vision. “Only woman in Lover’s Valley who’d have three strong, handsome men offer to help her, and stubbornly stay lying on her back just to show everybody how independent she is. Come on, you old party pooper. Can’t believe you hit the ground at your own surprise party.”

  She eyed Barney, her gaze narrow. He was always less tolerant of her than the other high school guys, possibly since they’d once gotten into a water-balloon-throwing contest and she’d hit him square in the zipper so that he’d gone around for a couple of hours looking like he’d peed his jeans. Not only that, but the balloon had hit him hard enough to send the color rushing from his face. The girls had cheered her, but Barney had been respectful of her aim after that. He’d begun treating her like a kid sister he had to protect.

  He wasn’t acting so brotherly now. She frowned at him.

  He ogled her legs. “If you don’t get up, I’m going to forget I’m a gentleman and look up your dress. When you faint, Crystal, you show a maximum amount of skin.”

  She gasped, and either he pulled her to her feet or she shot there by furious propulsion.

  “Jes’ kiddin’,” he said with a toothy grin.

  But she’d gained her feet only to come face-to-face with Mitch. Crystal stifled a moan, wondering if she’d pass out again.

  “Here, Doc,” Barney said. “This is the most hardheaded woman in all the valley. Got a cure for that?”

  The room became still as night. Crystal flushed cold all over. Not a single soul in the room was unaware that Mitch had dumped her. Fascinated curiosity captured everyone’s attention.

  He eyed her coolly, assessing, most likely, the mark he’d left on her unruly hair and swollen lips. “Haven’t seen one in the Physician’s Desk Reference,” he said maddeningly. “Hardheadedness isn’t something that necessarily demands a cure, though. And should the patient want to be cured, that would require a doctor of psychology. It’s not my field.” He winked at her, playing to the audience.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, exasperated with his audacity.

  He shrugged. “When you fainted, Mom called me over to check you out. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” She’d been completely fine until he’d stormed back into her life. “I’ve never fainted before. Never. You needn’t have bothered yourself on my account. I’m sure it was just an allergic reaction to something.”

  He grinned at her.

  “Come on,” Barney said, hauling her into the great room. “You’ve got abou
t a hundred old chums here to talk to. You don’t have time to have a panic attack. Me and Frank and Lincoln’ll take care of you in case you start getting woozy again.”

  Crystal groaned inside. She felt physically ill. But her mother and Uncle Martin and Aunt Elle were beaming like sunshine, delighted with their surprise party, and she’d be damned if she’d disappoint them. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at all of the guests crowded into the great room and flowing across the hallway into the parlor. “Thank you all so much for coming,” she said loudly. “What a wonderful surprise!”

  Then she went over and kissed her family, with her three over-eager knights at her side.

  Mitch, she noticed when she glanced over her shoulder, merely leaned up against the door she’d fainted against, his grin as irritatingly wide as a canyon.

  MITCH HUNG AROUND, even though his medical services were no longer required. Aunt Elle pressed a drink into his hand, and Martin managed to get him into a discussion about the skin on Martin’s upper arm that had turned brown in an odd-shaped patch. Mitch recommended a specialist for him to see, and then Bess spirited him into the kitchen so she could thank him for the roses displayed on the table.

  “Crystal doesn’t know you sent them,” Bess confided. “We didn’t have a chance to tell her.”

  “That’s all right.”

  She didn’t say anything to that, and Mitch suddenly wondered why he’d been lured into the kitchen, away from the guests. Away from Crystal. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, wondering if she perhaps had a reason for keeping him in here with her.

  “Well, you could put some olives on top of those crackers with the spread on them, and arrange a little garnish beside that cheese ball.”

  He glanced in the direction she indicated. Tiny olive slices sat atop different types of spread, and perfectly placed rows of crackers lay waiting beside a tempting cheese ball. His lips folded. “You’ve already done that, Bess.”

  She looked up, her attention clearly elsewhere. “Oh, you’re right. How silly of me.”

  “Can I carry them out to the guests for you?”

  “Oh, no, Mitch. You just sit right down here and make yourself comfortable.”

  He sat but decided Bess had a motive. “Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

  “Why, no!” She gave a high laugh. “I just haven’t seen you in so long I thought I’d allow myself to monopolize your time for a little while. Neighbor’s privilege, you know.”

  Through the serving window, he could see Crystal being squired around the room by Frankie, Lincoln and Barney. She now wore a feisty red dress with a short, knife-pleat skirt that swayed gently just above her knees when she slow-danced to the three-piece band on the patio. After Crystal had sufficiently gained her footing, Elle had spirited her upstairs to give her a “birthday present,” which turned out to be the hot red number and matching sparkly heels. She’d pulled her blond hair up into a glamorous fall of curls and applied siren-red lipstick to her sweet, heart-shaped lips. The severely professional Crystal had disappeared with a wave of Elle’s nimble fingers. He had to give them credit: Elle and Bess on a manhunt for Crystal was a formidable quest. One of those unsuspecting but eager lunkheads drooling on Crystal would find his finger skewering a wedding ring if he wasn’t careful.

  He shook his head. “So this isn’t a surprise party as much as open season for Crystal.”

  Bess’s fingers hesitated over the cucumbers she was paring. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “The knights invited to pay court to your daughter.”

  She gave him an innocent look. “I have no idea of your meaning, Mitch. We merely invited everyone who was still in Lover’s Valley who was Crystal’s age and our acquaintance.”

  None too smoothly, Frankie put his hand at the small of Crystal’s back, only to collide with Barney’s hand, which was already there. Both men jerked their hands away from Crystal and glared at each other. Lincoln took advantage of this break in bodily possession to claim Crystal for a dance. Mitch grinned at the pained look on Crystal’s face, though it was instantly replaced by a polite smile.

  He shifted on the chair and snagged a cucumber from the neat row Bess had sliced. She smacked his hand without rancor and continued cutting.

  “You look very nice, Bess.” It was the truth, but he could tell his compliment flustered her. She wore an elegant dress of blue silk, long-sleeved and to her knees, perfect for church.

  “Don’t flatter me, Mitch. It’s not my big night,” she told him, her tone brisk.

  “Well, maybe I should go tell the bride—I mean, the belle of the ball—how nice she looks.”

  “No!” The line of cucumbers she’d been nervously slicing fanned into disorder as her head jerked up. “I mean, don’t go just yet.”

  Grabbing a cracker off the round plate, he popped it into his mouth, trying to figure out what Bess really wanted. After a second, he had it. “I get it. You don’t want me around Crystal. Why didn’t I see that?”

  “Not necessarily, Mitch,” Bess said, her tone lacking conviction. “We let you have half an hour with her while the band was unloading and the guests arrived.”

  “Oh, I see. And now I shouldn’t monopolize her because the other guys need a shot at her, right?”

  Bess pursed her lips. “Any person who is being honored with a party in his or her honor makes certain every one of the guests has a moment of his or her time,” she informed him huffily.

  “And technically, I’m not a party guest.”

  “No, technically you’ve already had your moment with Crystal this evening,” Bess reminded him. “This isn’t personal, Mitch, it’s simply good etiquette. Besides, I haven’t seen you in ages. I didn’t even know you were in town until…until we saw you at Crystal’s shop.”

  He tapped the older woman lightly on the hand, which had ceased chopping the cucumbers. “You’ve chosen bachelors number one, two and three. I’m not part of the equation.”

  Bess sighed and shoved the vegetables into a bowl. “I’m not matchmaking, Mitch. If I were, I’d make certain any good male with decent financial prospects was within reach of Crystal. I’m keeping you in here with me because you’re trouble.”

  “Why am I trouble?”

  She smacked the knife down onto the counter. “I may be old, Mitch McStern, and I may not have a medical degree, but anyone with two eyes in their head could see the fit Crystal was in when she returned from your house. Why, she practically flew in here like demons were after her! And,” she said, wagging a finger at him, “don’t think I didn’t notice that Crystal’s lip gloss was on your lips when you came rushing over to attend to her faint.”

  He rubbed quickly at his lips, but they felt the same as always.

  “I thought so,” Bess said softly. “Guilty, Mitch, guilty.” She took a deep breath. “You understand that you can’t play with her heart now, don’t you, honey? There’s no way I can allow it. If her father was alive, I’d have him speak to you, but as it’s just me and you’ve brought up the subject, I’ll have to be blunt. Your senior year romance put Crystal off dating for a long time. She never did let her heart go into anything after that. Now she lives other people’s dreams. This time,” Bess said, tapping Mitch on the chest, “you stay away. Please. She shouldn’t have to lose another thirteen years of herself just because you’ve blown back into town.”

  “Bess, it was your—”

  “I’m sorry, Mitch.” Her large hazel eyes filled with tears. “You say I’m husband-hunting for Crystal. I say, you’re right. Is that so wrong, Mitch?” She swallowed, her lips moving convulsively. “She is the child of my heart, my only child. Is it so wrong that I want to see her happily married like her father and I were? Is it wrong to want that for my daughter, my only child, the light of my existence? Did you ever think about her name, Mitch? Crystal Star. Some people might think that was silly. Some might think it was hoity-toity.” She exhaled, shaking her head. “In my eyes, she is as
beautiful as crystal, as radiant and special as a mystical star.” A measure of time passed before she spoke again. “I’ve been patient with Crystal all these years, knowing her heart was shattered. But a mother sometimes has to provide the nudge. I don’t think I’d be doing my duty by my daughter if I didn’t act in her best interests. She’s thirty years old tonight, Mitch. If I could put it in a box, I’d give my only child lifelong happiness for her birthday—and true love. Can you offer her that?”

  They stared at each other for a long time. Bess’s gaze didn’t falter. Mitch shook his head.

  “I’m glad we had this talk,” he said.

  “So am I.” Bess went back to arranging a tray. “I don’t need you out there making the other guys suffer by comparison.”

  Mitch grinned at her. “Give me the knife. I’ll practice my surgical skills on those cherry tomatoes.”

  She sniffed and scooted knife and tomatoes his way. “I’ve got enough vegetables set back for canning that I can keep you in here chopping all night.”

  He laughed out loud. “I might as well stick around and see which sheikh Crystal chooses.”

  “Don’t interfere,” Bess said, pointing her finger at him again.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he agreed, pointing right back at her, imitating her bantam stance.

  Bess sighed, but it was rueful. “The day I laid eyes on you when you first moved here, I knew you were trouble, Mitch McStern. I said, that boy’s gonna be a real heartbreaker.”

  “No, ma’am,” he assured her. “I’m a heart-fixer. Says so on my medical degrees.”

  “We’ve already had enough excitement this evening with Crystal fainting. You just sit in here, son, before you get my blood pressure up so high I end up busting a valve.”