He understood, a relief, and about the sweetest thing she’d ever heard. The more she got to know Blake, the more she liked him. She fought the urge to pull him close and admitted to herself that she was in worse trouble than she’d realized. It was time to pull back before she made a huge mistake. “I think we need to—” The chiming doorbell cut her off. “That’s Rose.”
Her sister blew in like a wind-whipped flower. The strands of hair across her face and pink cheeks only made her prettier. “Some homecoming this is. I didn’t expect wind and rain, but it is mid-April.” Her eyes widened and she cut herself off. “Hi,” she said, staring at Blake in the happy coat. “I’m Rose.”
“Blake.” He nodded. “Believe me, I don’t usually dress this way.”
Her lips twitched. “Good to know. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard about you.”
“Yeah?”
Vi felt his curious glance. Not wanting him to get the wrong idea, she jumped in. “I told Rose about Gran and Malcom inviting us to dinner that first night and about the accident.”
His attention was on her sister. “What else did she tell you about me, Rose?”
The tom meowed and butted her sister, and she picked him up and cuddled him. “Hi, Mr. T,” she cooed. “Did you miss me while I was away?” He wanted down and jumped out of her arms. “Vi’s been close-mouthed. She hasn’t told me much, at least not as much as I’d like. I was going to find out more about that tonight, but I didn’t expect to see you.”
“It was a surprise to me, too,” Vi said, arching her eyebrows Blake’s way. “You never said what brought you all the way over here.”
He shrugged. “I was out riding in the area and got stuck in the downpour. End of story.”
“But your house is on the other side of town. Why cycle all the way out here?” Vi asked.
“It wasn’t something I consciously thought about. I wanted to test a new bike before I placed an order for the stores. Figured I’d ride part of the trail and then head back. Turns out, it’s a terrific bike. I was enjoying myself too much to stop, so I kept going.”
As explanations went, his fell short, but Vi didn’t want to question him in front of Rose. “His wet clothes are in the wash and the spare shirt he brought got wet. It’s in the dryer. That’s why I invited him to stay for dinner, if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course. But be forewarned, Blake, I’m going to talk about my trip and share some photos.”
“I don’t mind. Vi mentioned you were at a spa.”
Rose nodded. “In Cancun.”
“My sister likes to go down there for the same thing.”
“Oh? Which spa? Is she down there now?”
“I don’t know the name, and no, she’s on bedrest. She’s carrying twins and her doctor doesn’t want them to arrive for another three to four weeks.”
“Boys, girls, or one of each?”
“One of each.”
“That’s exciting, but stuck in bed? Poor woman.”
“It’s rough, but she’s doing all right. I thought sure you’d be with your husband tonight.”
Rose’s turn to shoot a questioning look Vi’s way. “Plans change. He’s at a medical convention till tomorrow night.”
Vi watched closely as Blake interacted with her beautiful sister. Any man in his right mind would’ve flirted with her even if she was married. Not Blake. He was friendly but not overly so and basically behaved himself, when she’d thought sure he’d at least show her the sexy smile he sometimes flashed. “Hey, you guys,” she said. “Let’s figure out what we want for dinner. I checked several websites and want your input.” She sent the links to their phones
It didn’t take long to decide, and some minutes later she placed the order. “The food should be here in thirty minutes.”
“That’s fast. While we wait, I’ll show you both some photos I took.” Rose yawned. “It’s three hours later in Cancun. Is there any more coffee?”
Shortly before the food arrived, Blake’s tee dried. During the meal, the three of them talked about the grandparents and Rose’s plan to visit Caroline the following morning. “We’relooking forward to seeing each other,” she said and promised to keep them informed about whatever she found out.
By the time they finished the meal, the rain had shifted to a light drizzle. While Blake loaded the freshly washed clothes into the dryer, Vi saw her sister out.
“I like him, Vi. He seems like a great guy,” she said in a voice too soft to carry. “Be nice to him.”
