SOS Marry Me!
SOS Marry Me!
Melissa McClone
Stranded with the bad boy…For wedding-dress designer Serena James, nothing less than perfect will do–and that applies to finding Mr. Right! Her pilot, Kane Wiley, doesn't meet any of the criteria…apart from being drop-dead gorgeous! Kane feels most at home in the skies.For this drifter, no commitment means freedom. But while flying Serena to a wedding convention, Kane is forced to perform a crash landing! They might be chalk and cheese, but, stranded together, there's no denying the chemistry. And it's going to be a while before their SOS is answered….
The Wedding Planners
Planning perfect weddings…
finding happy endings!
It’s the biggest and most important day of a
woman’s life—and it has to be perfect.
At least that’s what the Wedding Belles believe, and
that’s why they’re Boston’s top wedding-planner
agency. But amidst the beautiful bouquets, divine
dresses and rose-petal confetti, these six wedding
planners long to be planning their own big day!
But first they have to find Mr. Right….
This month:
SOS Marry Me!
by Melissa McClone
Designer: Serena’s already made her dress,
but a rebel has won her heart….
And don’t miss the exciting
wedding-planner tips and author
reminiscences that accompany each book!
Melissa spills the beans about her own wedding dress:
“I was a practical bride on a budget—a mechanical engineer who couldn’t conceive of spending tons of money on a dress I would wear only once. But there was a secret romantic in me, a woman who wrote romance novels on her lunch hour and dreamed of feeling, for one special day, like Grace Kelly or Princess Diana or Cinderella.
Never mind, I told myself firmly as I went shopping. It’s only one day. It’s only one dress.
I visited store after store. I found practical gowns. Budget-priced gowns. I tried on dress after dress. And staring in the mirror, I never saw the bride of my romantic longings smiling back at me.
Nearing desperation, I went to a bridal boutique a coworker had recommended. The gowns I tried on were far from practical, and not one was on sale. But finally, as I was zipped and hooked and buttoned into what must have been my hundredth dress, I turned to the mirror and saw…a bride. Me. The girl of my romantic dreams. The woman who was ready to pledge her life to one special man.
Only one day. Only one dress.
I bought it.
As I wrote SOS Marry Me!, I thought about the friend who helped me find my gown and the woman who designed it. She knew what was important to brides. And so does my wedding-dress-designer heroine, Serena James.
Hear all about Melissa’s latest news at www.melissamcclone.com And for more wedding fun check out www.harlequin-theweddingplanners.blogspot.com.
SOS Marry Me!
Melissa McClone
TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON
AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG
STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID
PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND
For my own Belles: Shirley Jump, Myrna Mackenzie,
Linda Goodnight, Susan Meier and Melissa James.
Talented Harlequin authors and amazing friends!
Special thanks to: Missoula County Detective David Brenner,
Idaho County Sheriff Larry Dasenbrock, Virendra Gauthier,
John Frieh, Virginia Kantra, Michael Leming, Dru Ann Love,
Mike Mooney, Anne Ryan, Tiffany Talbott and last, but not least,
Carol Hennessey, Jen Hensiek and Le Ann Martin
with the Clearwater National Forest.
I take full responsibility for any mistakes and/or discrepancies!
Planning perfect weddings…finding happy endings!
In April: Sweetheart Lost and Found
by Shirley Jump
Florist: Will Callie catch a bouquet
and reunite with her childhood sweetheart?
In May: The Heir’s Convenient Wife
by Myrna Mackenzie
Photographer: Regina’s wedding album is perfect.
Now she needs her husband to say I love you!
In June: SOS Marry Me!
by Melissa McClone
Designer: Serena’s already made her dress,
but a rebel has won her heart.
In July: Winning the Single Mom’s Heart
by Linda Goodnight
Chef: Who will Natalie cut her own wedding cake with?
In August: Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed!
by Susan Meier
Accountant: Will Audra’s budget for the big day
include a millionaire groom?
In September: The Bridegroom’s Secret
by Melissa James
Planner: Julie’s always been the wedding planner—
will she ever be the bride?
Serena is a top wedding-dress designer for
the Wedding Belles. Here are her tips on
how to pick the right dress for your big day:
Don’t visit too many bridal boutiques on the same day. Trying on wedding gowns should be a fun experience, not a chore! Do invite a trusted friend or your mother to go with you to offer opinions and support. But try to discourage the entire bridal party from trooping along. Too many opinions may only confuse you. Ultimately, it’s your day, your dress and your decision.
Stark white, diamond white, ivory and champagne are a few of the “whites” used for wedding-dress fabrics. Try on different shades of white to determine which one flatters your skin tone and hair color best.
Discuss the type of wedding you are having and your dress budget with the sales consultant before she brings you dresses to try on. If money is an issue, ask about bridesmaid dresses that can be worn as wedding gowns. They can be quite lovely, but less expensive.
Try on all the gowns the sales consultant suggests. Dresses look very different on the hanger than on a bride. Don’t forget that your dream gown might not fit your body type, so it’s a good idea to try on a variety of styles to see how they look on you.
Take at least two pairs of comfortable shoes with different heel heights to the final dress fitting. If the hem isn’t exactly right, you won’t freak out and you’ll be good to go for your wedding day.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
“I’LL go to the bridal show,” Serena James announced. “I’ve always wanted to visit Seattle.”
Not that she cared where she went as long as she could get out of town.
Four of her coworkers at The Wedding Belles, a Boston-based full-service wedding planning company, turned surprised looks in her direction. Oops. Serena tried not to grimace. Had she sounded too enthusiastic for a woman with a devoted boyfriend?
“That is, if no one else wants to go,” she added with a forced smile.
“Well, darlin’,” Belle Mackenzie, owner of The Wedding Belles, purred in her distinct Southern drawl. A beautiful woman with coiffed silver hair and a generous glossed smile, she gave the best hugs this side of the Mason-Dixon line. “That’s sweet of you to offer. We do need a little positive publicity after the Vandiver wedding cancellation fiasco, and the show’s sponsors would be delighted to have one of the country’s up-and-coming wedding dress designers fill in at the last moment.”
This was going to work. Satisfaction filled Serena.
“But you usually avoid bridal shows,” Belle continued. “Are you sure about this with all you have going on?”
“I’m sure,” Serena answered, hoping to sound willing but not desperate. “Besides, there really isn’t anyone else.”
Belle drummed her French-manicured nails on the mahogany table. “That’s true. We all seem to have an extra serving or two on our plates.”
“Well, whoever goes to Seattle—” Callie Underwood, florist extraordinaire, brushed a lock of dark blond hair off her face “—I want them to take my wedding gown to the show.”
The other women gasped.
“You’re getting married in just a few weeks,” Belle said.
“November 22 to be exact, as Jared keeps reminding me, but we need to show brides that The Wedding Belles is still one of the premier wedding planning companies in the country, if not the world,” Callie explained. “That means showing off what we do best, everything from Natalie’s delicious cakes to Serena’s stunning designs. Serena’s entire spring line is beautiful, but my custom gown is her latest and most exquisite creation.”
“But it’s your wedding dress,” Serena said. “I made it to fit you, not some size zero model. Anyway, I wouldn’t want to risk getting makeup or runway stains on the silk.”
“That doesn’t mean you couldn’t display the gown on a mannequin in the booth.”
“What if something happens to the dress?” Regina O’Ryan, a gifted photographer, asked.
“Nothing will happen to it.” Callie winked across the table. “Isn’t that right, Serena?”
“Not if I’m the one who goes to Seattle.” Serena appreciated her friend’s vote of confidence. She wouldn’t let Callie down. “I’ll make sure the dress comes back.”
“Seattle is on the other side of the country.” Regina, her brown eyes as bright as the flash on her ever-present camera, leaned toward her. “Did you and Rupert have plans for that weekend?”
Serena gritted her teeth at the mention of her boyfriend’s—make that ex-boyfriend’s—name, but her smile remained steadfast. “He’s been traveling a lot himself. He won’t mind.”
At all.
She hadn’t spoken to him in months. Not since he’d dumped her in April after The Wedding Belles’ assistant, Julie Montgomery, had announced her engagement to Matt McLachlan. Serena still hadn’t figured out how to tell people.
Things like this didn’t happen to her. Serena lived a charmed life. She was used to getting what she wanted. She’d wanted to get married and start a family. She’d thought she’d found the right guy except that she’d been too focused on the end result to realize he hadn’t been so right after all.
“We don’t have any plans,” she added.
“You got the last good man, Serena,” Natalie Thompson, a young widow with mischievous eight-year-old twin girls, said. The petite blonde sighed. “After Julie, Callie and Regina. Pretty soon, we’ll have another Belle’s wedding to plan. I can already guess the cake you’ll want. Chocolate with orange-flavored fudge filling.”
The baker, who called herself a cake fairy, brought in slices for the Belles to try every time she made samples for brides to taste. That Natalie remembered her favorite flavor touched Serena.
“And I know the flowers.” Callie’s green eyes twinkled like the white mini decorator lights she used with yards of tulle and garlands of blossoms. “White dendrobium orchids, green roses, green cymbidium orchids and white and green parrot tulips.”
White and green. One of Serena’s favorite color combinations. She shouldn’t be surprised. Callie knew her tastes so well.
A cake. Flowers. Serena’s friends had her perfect wedding figured out. The only thing missing was…the groom.
A weight pressed down on the center of her chest. She thought of the nearly completed wedding dress hanging in her hall closet. Okay, she had been foolish, tempting fate by starting on the gown before she had a ring. But who could blame her?
Her relationship with Rupert Collier had proceeded right on schedule. They’d dated a year, met and liked each other’s families and talked about the future, about creating a family together, which was what Serena wanted most of all. Becoming engaged had been the next obvious step. She’d started work on her wedding dress because she’d wanted time to get every stitch and every detail exactly right. She’d chosen the fabrics and design with the same care with which she’d chosen Rupert Collier. Not only smart, gorgeous and rich, but also ideal husband and father material. Everything she’d been looking for in a man, everything her friends expected her boyfriend to be, everything her parents wanted her to marry.
Until, impatient for a ring after dating exclusively for so long, she’d brought up the M-word. Marriage. And suddenly her perfect boyfriend wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. He’d accused her of being too selfish and too self-reliant to make a permanent commitment. Oh he’d wanted to keep seeing her, she remembered bitterly. They looked good together and his boss liked her. But he’d wanted to take a serious step backward in the commitment department. Maybe, he’d suggested, they should start dating other people, too. Serena had said no, thinking he only needed a push to get their relationship back on track. Rupert had said goodbye. Proving once again that if she didn’t do what others wanted, she wouldn’t get what she wanted.
His parting words had stung.
You don’t need me, Serena. You don’t need anyone.
In the months since, she’d come to realize he was right. They were better off without each other. She didn’t need him. She hadn’t loved him the way a woman should love the man she wanted to marry. She hadn’t wanted him as much as she liked how he’d fit into her plans. So much for her perfect dress. Her perfect groom. Her perfect life.
She forced herself to breathe. A setback, yes. A total failure, no. Serena James didn’t fail.
Regina grinned, as if she’d found the perfect Kodak moment to capture with her camera. “Rupert will have to adjust his travel schedule once you get married.”
Serena’s stomach roiled. Her temples throbbed. She hated keeping secrets from the women she cared most about in the world, women who were more like family than coworkers, but what else was she supposed to do?
Julie had been thrilled about getting engaged. The other Belles were excited to be giving her a dream wedding. Serena couldn’t let her bad news affect everyone else’s joy. When Callie had fallen in love with Jared, Serena hadn’t wanted her breakup to take anything away from the couple’s happiness. And after Regina and Dell’s marriage had become a love match, Serena couldn’t find the right time to tell everyone she’d been dumped.
Now wasn’t the right time, either.
Natalie and Audra Green, the company’s accountant, were down on men. Telling them the truth about what had happened would only reaffirm their belief that Mr. Right didn’t exist. Serena wouldn’t do that to her friends. They’d already faced too much disappointment and heartache.
Besides, her friends expected more from her. Everyone did. Serena worked hard on her polished image, kept a positive attitude and was always there in a pinch. People counted on her. They expected her to find Mr. Right.
That was exactly what she intended to do—find someone to give her the perfect love, family and life she dreamed about. Just because she’d been wrong about one man didn’t mean her one true love wasn’t out there somewhere. Maybe even in Seattle.
“So about the bridal show—” Serena leaned back in her chair “—what else do I need to bring with me in addition to the wedding dresses?”
Kane Wiley ducked around the business jet’s engine to place his bags in the plane’s exterior storage compartment. His breath steamed in the November air.
“Is that all you’ve got?” his father, Charlie, asked.
“Yep.” Not only for this flight. All Kane owned—besides the business jet itself—could fit into two bags. He traveled light. And liked it that way.
“I appreciate your making the trip, son.” Wearing faded jeans, a black turtleneck and down vest, Charlie looked younger than his fifty-six years, even with his salt-and-pepper hair.
“Just hold up your end of the deal, Dad.”
“I will.” Charlie picked up a box containing soda, water, ice, boxed lunches and a plate of cookies and brownies. “I will leave you alone. No more questions. No more badgering you to come home.”
Home. That was a good one. Kane nearly laughed. There hadn’t been a real home to come back to since his mom had died suddenly from a heart attack three years ago and his dad had quickly remarried…and divorced. Now his father looked poised to make the same mistake again.
“But—” Charlie pushed the box of food through the doorway of the cabin “—I still expect a card or e-mail or phone call at Christmastime.”
“I can manage that.” Easter and Father’s Day, too. Even his dad’s birthday. Kane would do anything to get away from Boston and never have to return. He didn’t want to watch his father woo and wed yet another woman who could never take the place of his mother.
“Just remember, I love you, son. I’m here if you need me. For anything. Money, whatever.”
Kane nodded once. He glanced at his watch. Damn. “Where is she?”
“Belle?” Charlie asked.
Kane fought the urge not to wince at his dad’s newest “friend’s” name. “The one I’m flying to Seattle.”
“Serena will be here,” Charlie said. “Traffic is always bad at this time.”
Norwood Airport was twenty-five miles north of Boston. That meant she could be really late. Kane wanted to get in the air.
“Try smiling, son,” Charlie said. “You might have fun. Serena James is a beautiful young woman.”
“There are lots of beautiful women out there. No need to settle on just one.”
Though a cross-country romance might not be too bad. As long as it was over by the time they returned home.
Charlie shook his head. “You just haven’t met the right woman to love yet.”
“I meet lots of women.” Kane grinned. “Love them, too.”
Charlie frowned. “I mean the forever kind of love. The kind I had with your mother.”
And with his second wife.
And with what’s-her-name. Belle.
Forever was a joke. And love—the kind his dad was talking about—was nothing more than a pretty word for convenient sex and companionship.
A white van pulled through the gate and honked its horn.
Charlie turned toward the sound. “They’re here.”
“Great.” Kane had been hoping “they” would be a no-show.
A woman with silvery-blond hair and a beaming smile drove. She waved. Her passenger held a cell phone to her ear and wore dark, round sunglasses that hid much of her face.
The van stopped. The driver’s door opened. The older woman, wearing brown pants and a colorful jacket, slid out gracefully.
“Good morning.” She greeted Charlie with a handshake. The woman stepped toward Kane, extending her arm. “You must be Kane.”
He shook her hand, noting her warmth and strong grip. She was different from his mother and his ex-stepmother. Older. Maybe even older than his father. That surprised Kane. “You must be Belle.”
“I am.” Her voice sounded like honey. Deep South honey. Slow and sweet. “I appreciate your flying Serena to Seattle.”
Of course she did, especially with his father picking up all the associated flight and fuel costs.
“Kane’s happy to do it,” Charlie answered. “Aren’t you, son?”
Kane nodded. He would be very happy once this trip was behind him and he’d be flying away for good.
“Well, we’d better get busy then.” Belle opened the van doors and pulled out a box. “We have boxes to load. Brochures, favor samples and portfolios. Plus linens, flower arrangements, a cake and gowns.”
Belle’s eagerness to help surprised Kane. “O-kay.”
“You still have to meet Serena James, our wedding dress designer,” Belle said. “She’s finishing up a phone call. No doubt talking to Rupert.”
Kane bit. “Rupert?”
“Her boyfriend.” Belle’s ever present smile widened. “The two are practically engaged.”
So much for a little romance in Seattle. Ring on the finger or not, Kane didn’t mess around with another man’s girl.
The passenger door opened. He focused on the woman exiting the van. She was, in a word, stunning. Long blond bangs fell over her forehead, but her hair didn’t touch the collar of the jacket in the back. The short cut looked hip and trendy, just like the woman herself.
She wasn’t tall, five-six if he was being generous and subtracted the heels on her brown leather boots. Even with her long wool coat, he could tell she had curves in all the right places.
He liked what he saw. She was exactly his type. Kane blew out a puff of breath that hung in the cold air. Old type, he corrected with a frown. He’d given up on blondes.
Her hair color coupled with the way she dressed reminded him of a former girlfriend, Amber Wallersby, who had been sexy as hell, but also a spoiled, pampered princess. She’d wanted him to stop flying his grandfather around on his private jet and take a boring desk job at one of her father’s companies so he could pamper her in the manner to which she’d become accustomed. Kane had almost agreed, almost been taken in, until he’d seen that she might have been gorgeous on the outside, but was all show and zero substance on the inside.
Was Serena James the same?
Not that he was in any position to find out. Or care. Still they would be spending several hours flying west together. No sense starting off on the wrong foot.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m your pilot. Kane.”
Serena didn’t extend her hand. She removed her sunglasses and glanced up at him. Clear, sharp eyes met his. He hadn’t expected such directness or such stunning blue eyes.
“You’re Kane Wiley?” Serena sounded surprised, almost as if she disapproved. “Charlie’s son?”
“In the flesh.”
“Do you see a family resemblance?” Charlie asked.
She glanced between the two men. “Not really.”
“Oh, I do,” Belle said. “Like father, like son. Both of you are quite handsome.”
Charlie beamed.
Kane rocked back on his heels. He wasn’t anything like his father. He didn’t need a woman in his life—not on a permanent basis, anyway. And unlike his father, Kane’s loyalty was hard to earn and his disapproval slow to fade.
“The eyes are the same,” Serena conceded. “Maybe the chins, too.”
The way she studied him made Kane uncomfortable. “We’re running late. Let’s get your stuff on board.”
Serena glanced at Belle.
“Is something wrong, darlin’?” the woman asked. “Did you get a chance to say goodbye to Rupert?”
“Um, no.”
Pink tinged Serena’s cheeks.
Interesting. Kane wouldn’t have thought her the blushing type. She seemed too cool and collected, but maybe leaving her “practically a fiancé” had rattled her.
“Would you mind if the gowns went in the cabin, Mr. Wiley?” she asked.
“It’s Kane, and no, I don’t mind.”
The relief in her eyes was almost palpable. “I’ll put them in the cabin.”
“I’ll load them.”
“I don’t mind doing it,” she said.
“That’s okay. I’d rather do it myself.”
Serena eyed him warily. He waited for her to say something to challenge him. He was surprised when she didn’t.
“You can put the food in the galley if you want,” he offered. “It’s in a box near the door.”
“Fine.”
Not fine if the tightness around her mouth was anything to go by. At least she didn’t pout like Amber. Though he’d bet Serena could work wonders with that full bottom lip of hers.
As he removed several long, bulky white dress bags from the van, he heard his father.
“Kane prefers doing things on his own,” Charlie explained.
“So does Serena,” Belle added. “She likes being in control.”
“Then the two of them should get along fine.”
Nope, Kane realized. The exact opposite. Flying with two captains in the cockpit was a recipe for disaster because neither wanted to give up control. And that meant one thing. It was going to be a really long flight to Seattle and back.
Serena had a checklist for her Mr. Right: polite, attentive, articulate, smartly tailored. All qualities her parents had taught her to value. All qualities Rupert had possessed in spades.
All qualities Kane Wiley lacked.
She unfastened her seat belt and moved back to where he’d secured the gowns.
What had Belle gotten her into?
Serena checked each of the dress bags. She repositioned three of them. Not much, but she felt better taking control. That is, taking care of her dresses. That was her job even if Kane didn’t seem to realize that.
The man was arrogant and rude, the polar opposite of his kind and generous father, who epitomized a true gentleman. If not for the price of the flight—free, thanks to Charlie—and the ability to personally oversee the transport of the gowns, Serena would have found another way to Seattle. But any extra money The Wedding Belles had was going into a fund to pay for their cherished assistant, Julie’s, wedding next June. They couldn’t afford to be too choosy after losing money on the Vandiver cancellation and the negative publicity that had followed.
She thought about how much Julie and Matt were in love. Her other friends, too. Serena would find the same kind of love, the same kind of forever love, they had found. All she needed was her Mr. Right. One who didn’t just look good on paper, but whom she could love, too.
Looking out of a window, she caught a glimpse of Kane as he performed his preflight walk-around. Light glinted off his sun-streaked light brown hair that fell past the collar of his dark leather jacket. A jacket that emphasized his broad shoulders.
Talk about Mr. Wrong.
Some women might find him good-looking. If they liked tall, classically handsome guys with chiseled jaw-lines, square chins, sharpened noses and intense brown eyes.
Serena didn’t object to any of those things, exactly. She just preferred them packaged in a suit and tie, and paired with a short, styled haircut and clean-shaven face. She didn’t want a man who looked as if he’d rolled out of bed, bypassed the razor and brushed his fingers through his hair as an afterthought.
He glanced up at the plane, at the window she stared out of to be exact. His gaze met hers. His eyes, the same color of her favorite dark chocolate, made her heart bump.
Uh-oh.
She hurried back to her seat, sank into the comfortable leather club chair and fastened her seat belt. The temperature in the cabin seemed to rise even though the door was still open. She removed her coat, picked up her sketch pad and fanned herself.
What was the matter with her? Of course, she hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Or eating, either. One good meal, and she’d feel better.
She’d like to take a bite out of Kane.
“Hot?”
Her sketch pad fell onto her lap. She looked up.
Kane stood at the entrance to the plane. The interior suddenly seemed smaller. He appeared larger. She gulped.
“Excuse me?” Serena asked.
“Are you hot?”
“I—I…” Something about him made her flustered and tongue-tied and heated. She didn’t like the feelings, either. “I’m a little warm.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He closed and latched the door. “Are your dresses okay?”
Serena heard the challenge in his voice. She raised her chin. “They are fine. Now.”
The intensity in his dark eyes sent heat rushing through her veins. She sucked in a breath. Looked away.
“Seat belt fastened?” he asked.
Not trusting her voice, she nodded.
“The same rules apply on this flight as your typical commercial flight,” Kane explained. “When we reach cruising altitude, you can visit the lavatory or help yourself to whatever you would like in the galley.”
“No flight attendant?”
“Not unless you want to fly the plane while I serve you lunch and a beverage.” He pointed out the exits and where the oxygen masks were located. “If we lose cabin pressure, place the mask over your nose and mouth and breath normally. Did you bring a laptop?”
“No.” She’d wanted to escape from the constant pretending of her life in Boston. Her prying friends, her fake phone calls…even e-mail was a hassle these days. “Just my cell phone. I know not to use it during the flight.”
“Even if you miss your boyfriend?”
She tried not to cringe, but the thought of lying to a total stranger left a bitter taste in her mouth. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Not using your cell phone or missing him?”
“Either.”
At least that was the truth.
“If you need anything,” he said, “let me know.”
Serena could just imagine his reaction if she asked for, oh, a bag of pretzels and a fiancé. She bit back a smile.
No matter how desperately she wanted to maintain her image with her friends and family, she would never ask someone like Kane—someone so obviously wrong for a woman like her—to help in her quest to find a new Mr. Right and one true love.
That was something she could do on her own. And would.
CHAPTER TWO
“THE doors will open in ten minutes,” announced a feminine voice over the convention center loudspeakers.
Ten minutes? Kane scanned the large hall, balancing the gold-wrapped box he’d promised to deliver to Serena. He’d thought he had more time.
Little-Miss-I’m-In-Charge Serena had sounded really upset when she’d called and asked if the box was still on the plane. When Kane had finally found the package in the tail-cone baggage compartment and brought it over, she’d told him she’d be right out. But he was already there, wasn’t he?
And—admit it—he’d been curious to see the blonde in action. Curious enough to volunteer to deliver the box himself.
Man, was he sorry now. This wedding stuff gave him the heebie jeebies.
He might as well be standing in the middle of a wedding nightmare. Instead of fire, heat and screams, this place reeked with flowers, tulle and as much pipe organ music as the soundtrack of some cheesy Dracula movie.
A woman dressed in black with spiked red hair, flushed cheeks and a clipboard in her hand raced up to him. “Are you a fashion show model?”
“No.”
“Where could they be?” Her face scrunched, then, as she studied him, brightened. “Would you want to be one of the models?”
Kane pictured himself dressed up like a penguin and escorting models in white dresses down a runway. He didn’t mind models, but the other stuff…Not his thing. “No, thanks.”
With a frustrated sigh, she ran down the aisle and disappeared out of sight.
She wasn’t the only one in a hurry. Exhibitors rushed around, putting finishing touches on their booths and applying their lipstick. Kane didn’t see many men, not like yesterday when he’d dropped off Serena to set up, but a few guys remained. This seemed like the last place any male would choose to spend an hour. Let alone a day. Or two.
Once, he might have thought about settling down someday, but now, after all he’d seen, Kane knew better.
As he searched the booths, every company seemed to have the word wedding somewhere in its name and everything looked sort of similar. He felt lost and out of place.
“Kane.” He turned to see Serena waving at him. “Over here.”
Relieved, he walked across the aisle to her booth. Whatever panic he’d heard in her voice wasn’t visible on her face, looking fresh and rested with expertly applied makeup.
That’s right, dummy, look at the lipstick. Keep your eyes on her face. She is so not your type.
But man, she looked good in that dress.
Her gaze was intent on him. “You made it.”
“With minutes to spare.”
“Minutes?” Serena asked.
“A few. Were you getting worried?”
Kane already knew the answer was yes. She seemed to keep a tight hold on her responsibilities, on pretty much everything within her sphere of influence. He happened to be the exact opposite, taking things as they came. It was probably a good thing she had an almost-fiancé. Because the way she looked, he could have been tempted into a fling. And the last thing he wanted or needed in his life was a cool blond control freak with a thing for weddings.
Serena took the box from him. “I wasn’t worried, but I was getting a little impatient.”
“Not the patient type?”
“Waiting for someone to come through can be hard.”
“Sometimes.”
But he wouldn’t mind waiting right there. He didn’t have to want to spend the rest of his life with her to enjoy the view. What man with blood running through his veins wouldn’t want to look? Her brown and blue dress clung in all the right places. The hem fell above the knee, and her high heels made her legs look long and sexy. She defined “it” girl.
He didn’t know whether to envy that Rupert fellow or pity him. Serena James was the type who knew how to make a guy roll over and beg. And Kane didn’t sit, stay or play dead for any woman, no matter how hot she looked in heels.
“I do appreciate your bringing this over.” She walked toward a linen-covered table with one of the elaborate floral arrangements she’d brought with her in the center. Candles in silver holders sat on either side. She tossed a smile his way. “Thank you.”
Her gratitude sounded genuine. Kane couldn’t tell whether she was sincere or not, but he was willing to play nice. “You’re welcome.”
The gentle sway of her hips and the swirl of her dress hem around her legs captured his attention. The lingering scent of her light floral perfume filled his nostrils.
Serena opened the box. “Now all I have to do is set these things out and the table will be ready.”
The table already looked finished and fancy enough to him. A little too fancy, but probably what the monkey-suit, bouquet-tossing set expected. “What’s in there?”
“Chocolate.” As she unwrapped each item, she placed the pieces of candy on an oval beveled-edged mirror setting on the table: three chocolate truffles shaped like three-tiered wedding cakes, small gold and silver boxes tied with ribbon, oval and heart-shaped engraved chocolates packaged in a gold base and wrapped with tulle and a ribbon, gold and silver engraved foiled coins. “No wedding is complete without something chocolate.”
“I don’t care much for weddings, but I like chocolate.”
Her eyebrows rose at his not-so-subtle hint, but she tossed a coin his way.
He unwrapped the gold foil and took a bite. Good stuff. “Aren’t you having any?”
“I don’t sample the merchandise,” she said in her cool, controlled voice.
Yeah. Right. Probably one of those salad-and-rice-cake types who wouldn’t let herself eat a piece of candy. Too bad. She had a sweet little body, but he’d rather see a woman enjoy a meal with dessert than starve in order to fit into a smaller size.
She hid the box underneath the linen tablecloth–covered round table displaying a four-tiered white-iced wedding cake decorated with real flowers cascading down from the top like a colorful pink and white waterfall. “All done.”
He’d say so. Judging by this booth, The Wedding Belles was a high-class, high-end operation. From the neatly stacked full-color brochures to the maroon leather embossed photo albums, everything shouted “money.” Including Serena herself.
Kane leisurely finished his chocolate, surveying the booth. He noticed a stack of boxes. Board games, actually. Who would have thought to make a game out of getting married? Playing that sounded more like torture than fun.
A burgundy upholstered chaise longue sat at a right angle to a row of headless mannequins in white—the Wedding Shop of Horrors. “Looks like someone went furniture shopping last night.”
“We contracted with a rental store here in Seattle who delivered all this yesterday.”
“You must have worked all night.”
She pushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Just doing my job.”
“Don’t you design the wedding dresses?”
“Each of us helps out where we can,” she said. “That’s why working for The Wedding Belles is such fun.”
Fun? Serena never seemed to stop working. She moved through the booth adjusting swags of rich yellow fabric draped on the boring white panels separating each of the exhibit areas.
Didn’t she ever slow down or rest? Even sitting on the flight she’d been working on something. He didn’t know how she did it.
“Everything looks good,” he said.
“Good won’t cut it. Brides are the pickiest people on this planet, next to their mothers.” She straightened a stack of brochures. “Everything needs to be perfect.”
“Nothing’s ever perfect.”
“Then you’ve never attended a wedding put on by The Wedding Belles.” Kneeling, she realigned the hem of one of the wedding dresses. “Or worn one of my gowns.”
“No offense, but I don’t look my best in a train and heels.”
She smiled up at him.
He smiled back.
Now this was more like it.
“Do you need anything?” he asked. “Breakfast? Coffee?”
Me.
“Thanks, but I already ate and my coffee is stashed where I can get to it easily.” Standing, she peeked at her watch. “You might want to get going. The doors are going to—”
“Welcome to the Northwest Fall Bridal Extravaganza,” the voice over the loudspeaker announced.
“Uh-oh. You didn’t make it out in time. Watch out.” Serena smoothed the skirt of her dress. “We’re about to be overrun by the bridal brigade commanded by mothers and supported by best friends, sisters and cousins.”
Within seconds, chattering, laughter and even shrieks filled the large hall as if someone had turned off the mute switch on the remote. Packs of women ran past him.
“Where are they going?” he asked.
“The first fashion show.”
Had he agreed to model, all those women would have been running to him. Wonder what Blondie would say to that? A smile tugged on his lips.
Two young women walked up to her with questions about the cake on display.
The once empty aisles and booths were now crowded with women lugging ten-pound bags of bridal literature. Lots of women. Young ones, old ones…mostly young ones. Good-looking, too.
And engaged, Kane reminded himself. He didn’t do engaged women. Or even almost-engaged women, like Serena.
“Mom.” A twenty-something woman with chestnut hair wearing a green baby-doll style dress rushed into The Wedding Belles’ booth. “This is it. I have to have this dress.”
“We’ve been here two minutes and that’s the third dress you’ve said that about,” the mother said.
“Mo-om.”
Serena was speaking to two other women, but that didn’t stop the mother from interrupting the conversation.
“How much is this wedding gown?” the mother asked.
“I’m sorry, but that dress is not for sale,” Serena explained. “It will be worn at a wedding on November 22.”
The daughter’s collagen-injected, shimmery pink lips puckered like some kind of bizarre human-hybrid fish. Kane grinned to himself. Maybe this was the Northwest version of bridezilla.
“Could you make one like this for my daughter?” the mother asked, not-so-subtly showing off her designer purse and iceberg-sized diamond ring.
Despite the interruptions, Serena smiled pleasantly. “I can create something just as beautiful for her. With your daughter’s lovely figure, an asymmetrical A-line gown would be stunning. A cutaway skirt, even. And champagne embroidered lace would be a wonderful accent with her coloring.”
The bride tossed her artfully streaked hair. “We’d pay you extra for that dress on display.”
Kane would have told the mother to take her money and…Well, go someplace else.
“If you are interested in our gowns, we have a couple of samples here that can be sold off-the-rack.” Serena’s smile never wavered as she motioned to the photo albums on the table. “You might also want to make yourself comfortable and glance through the portfolio to get a taste of all our designs.”
“We might come back later.” The mother looked down her surgically designed pert nose. “Or not.”
The words didn’t seem to faze Serena. “I’ll be here.”
The way she handled herself with the appearances-are-everything, I-can-buy-whatever-I-want attitude impressed Kane. He only hoped she wasn’t cut from the same cloth. Not that it meant anything to him if she were.
As the bride stomped away, more women fawned over the dresses. Serena answered their questions not only promoting her gowns, but the services provided by The Wedding Belles, especially when it came to full-service destination weddings.
She was in her element. Glowing, sparkling, radiant.
Kane slowly backed away. He liked watching her, but this wasn’t the place for a single guy intent on remaining that way.
Serena gave a quick nod his way. He was surprised she’d noticed him leaving. He was also surprised he liked her noticing.
Uh-oh. Not good. Very bad actually.
Serena James might not have a ring on her finger, but avoiding her was the smart thing to do. The right thing to do, even if he spent another night in his hotel room alone watching television. On second thought, maybe he could find a bridesmaid, sprinkled among the brides and their mothers, here with something on her mind besides marriage.
Maybe all the shiny fabrics and chocolate would put her in the mood for satin sheets and room service. And maybe that would get his mind off a certain “practically engaged” someone.
He glanced back at Serena.
Or…maybe not.
“Thanks for dinner, Malcolm.” Malcolm Rapier was Serena’s friend and former classmate from design school. She kissed his cheek, expertly avoiding his twist to meet her mouth. “It was great catching up with you.”
“Sure you don’t want to go to the party?” With his boyish grin, he looked more like one of his models than the rising star of men’s formal wear design. “I’d love to show you off.”
Serena was tempted. Talk about a looker in a stylish black suit he’d designed himself and multicolored silk tie. Almost as handsome as Kane. Where had that come from?
“I usually enjoy being shown off, but I didn’t sleep much last night.” Going out wasn’t a good idea when she wanted to yawn. Not to mention her feet ached.
“Understood. Return of bridezilla tomorrow.” He laced his fingers with hers, his hands warm and smooth like the fabrics he dealt with every day. “But if you change your mind, call me. I’ll send the limo back.”
“You’re too sweet.”
Unlike her pilot. The pilot, she corrected.
“No, you’re too sexy and look great on my arm.” Malcolm twirled her to him as if they were dancing and pulled her against him. “Any chance you’d leave Boston for Seattle?”
Serena knew exactly how the game was played…Normally she would concede, but she didn’t like the way Kane kept intruding on her thoughts. She wanted to prove to herself the pilot had no effect on her.
She looked up at Malcolm through her eyelashes. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Oh, Serena, my muse, can’t you imagine the beautiful formal wear we could create together? Paris, Milan, New York. Nothing could compete with us.”
“You’re right about that.” But Serena wanted more than that kind of partnership. She wanted true love—marriage and children. She eyed Malcolm subjectively, as if inventorying the pieces of her next design. “Would this be strictly a business arrangement?”
He lowered his mouth to her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. “Do you think I’d ask you to relocate across the country just for a job?”
Maybe she was going a little too far here. Okay, Malcolm and she would make a stunning pair. They shared common interests and enjoyed each other’s company. Yet if she were at all interested in pursuing a relationship with him, why couldn’t she get Kane out of her mind?
His smile widened. “You’re thinking about it.”
Not really. At least not with him. She shrugged.
“You are.” Laughing, Malcolm caressed her cheek with his fingertip and kissed her forehead. “Until tomorrow, my soon-to-be Seattle love and partner.”
With that he walked out of the revolving door to hit whatever hip parties were happening that night. She wasn’t sad to see him go.
Serena’s heels clicked on the marble floor of the hotel lobby. Even after the long day at the bridal show, she felt reenergized though her body’s internal clock was running three hours ahead.
The first day of the Northwest Bridal Extravaganza had been a hit, an “in the park home run” to quote one of the Seattle show’s organizers. Tomorrow might just be a grand slam. Serena already felt like an all-star.
“What would Rupert say?”
She recognized the voice and stopped, annoyed that Kane had not only been on her mind, but was now here. He sat at a nearby table with a pint of beer in his hand, looking totally comfortable and at ease. In his jeans and long-sleeved black T-shirt, he had that carefree, I-don’t-care-what-you-think, sexy style down. Not that she thought he was sexy. Her type of sexy, that was.
Oh, she’d once been tempted by bad boys, but her sister’s experience had made Serena immune to their charms. Her sister, Morgan, had fallen in love with a guy who’d had women calling him day and night. He had no steady job nor seemed to want one. Morgan had moved in with him anyway and then married him, claiming he loved her and would change. He hadn’t and didn’t. Serena had been the one to pick up the pieces when his infidelity destroyed the marriage and left her pregnant sister devastated and alone. Their parents still hadn’t forgiven Morgan for falling in love with the wrong man and “ruining” her life.
“What do you mean by that?” Serena asked.
He motioned to an empty seat.
She really shouldn’t.
She really wanted to.
Kane pushed the chair out from the small round table with his foot. “You can buy me a drink for this morning.”
Her mouth curved. “You already have one.”
“I wouldn’t mind another.”
She did owe him for dropping off the box on time, even if he had waited until the last possible minute. She sat, grateful the moment her bottom hit the leather chair and she was no longer standing.
“Oooh,” she moaned.
His brows lifted. “You’re easily satisfied.”
She flushed. “I should look into designing a high heel that could be worn for fourteen hours straight without causing foot pain.”
“I meant the guy. For a woman who’s practically engaged, you seemed pretty chummy with Mr. Suit.”
Each time Serena heard that phrase—practically engaged—she felt as if another heavy bolt of fabric had been stapled to her shoulders. And right now she didn’t like the judgmental tone of Kane’s voice. He didn’t know her. He knew nothing about her. “Are you a pilot or a chaperone?”
“Pilot. Unattached. But if you were my girl—” his gaze traveled over her with lazy appreciation “—I sure wouldn’t want you having dinner or cozying up with another man.”
Tingles shot through her and she sat straighter. Her reaction had everything to do with being tired and nothing to do with him. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not your girl, isn’t it?”
“A damn good thing.”
Serena winced. She wasn’t used to such rudeness or honesty. She didn’t know what to say. That left her more than a little flustered. She could always be counted on to find the right words or do the right thing.
“Let me guess,” he continued. “Your boyfriend is a carbon copy of the guy you were with.”
“Malcolm Rapier is the guy’s name, and he’s a little like Rupert.” Only better. Malcolm was a better dresser than her ex. “He’s a fellow designer and a friend.”
“Who wants to be more than a friend.”
It wasn’t a question. “And you know this because…”
“I’m a guy.”
“And guys know everything.”
“You said it.” Kane raised his glass.
“Malcolm likes pretty things,” she said.
Kane took a swig of beer. “Things?”
“Women.” She didn’t know why she was wasting her time explaining things to him. “Malcolm likes to be seen escorting attractive women around. You know, arm candy.”
Which was probably why he wanted her to move to Seattle. A built-in date to take to social functions. Not exactly the strongest foundation for a lasting relationship.
Kane’s mouth quirked. “Modest, aren’t we?”
“You asked.”
“I did.” A beat passed. “So Rupert—”
“Doesn’t worry.” The words tumbled from her lips. Not exactly a lie. Her ex-boyfriend didn’t care what she did. “There’s no need.”
“You’re a one-woman man.”
“Yes, I am.” When she had a man. “I’ve never understood people who play the field.”
“As long as the individuals involved know what’s going on, I don’t see a problem with it.”
“That’s because you’re a guy.”
“Women play the field, too,” Kane said. “Otherwise, it would get mighty lonely out there.”
“Were you lonely tonight?” she asked.
“No.” He swirled his glass. “I had dinner with a lovely bridesmaid who had only one thing on her mind.”
“What was that?”
“Becoming a bride.”
Serena laughed. “You don’t want to get married?”
“Nope,” he said. “Marital bliss isn’t for me.”
She wasn’t surprised. He didn’t look like husband or daddy material. But if a woman were looking for a temporary lover instead of something more permanent…
“What do you want?” Serena asked, curious.
He got a faraway look in his eyes. “Freedom.”
She’d never known freedom in her entire life. She was always working toward something, fulfilling an obligation or meeting a responsibility. “I’m sure that must be nice.”
“You should try it sometime.”
Temptation sparked. And then she thought about her parents. She couldn’t do anything to upset them. “Not my style.”
“Mr. Suit is your style?” Kane asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Too bad.”
“Not for Mr. Suit.”
He nodded then stopped. “Except for Rupert.”
“Ah, yes. Rupert.”
“Women like you need to open your eyes,” Kane said. “The perfect guy could be right in front of you, but if he wasn’t your ‘style’ you’d walk right by and miss your chance.”
“Love will find a way.”
Kane studied her. “You really buy into all this wedding stuff, don’t you?”
“Completely,” she said.
“Well, then.” He raised his glass to her. “I’m sure you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.”
“You, too,” she said. “A juicy piece of eye candy like yourself must have women falling at your feet.”
“Pretty much.”
A smile erupted across Kane’s face. The effect—devastatingly charming. Serena moistened her lips, trying not to stare.
“Juicy, huh? Thanks.” He placed his empty glass on the table. “It’s not often I get a compliment from an esteemed piece of arm candy.”
“It’s not often I give them.” Uh-oh. She was flirting. But she kind of liked how it felt. “Do you want that drink now?”
“I’ll take a rain check.”
A twinge of disappointment ran through her. Ridiculous.
Serena was just having a little fun. Nothing more. She knew what she wanted to find. It sure wasn’t Kane Wiley.
CHAPTER THREE
THE next afternoon, Kane eyed the altocumulus clouds to the west. No immediate danger there. The weather service had issued an icing advisory at high altitudes, but they’d be flying below the problem. His plane was only certified to forty-five thousand feet. Still he wanted to get in the air.
As soon as his passenger got off her damn pink cell phone.
“Yes, Belle,” Serena said. “Both the local paper and the magazine took photos.”
“Hang up,” Kane ordered. “Time to go.”
Serena held up a single, slim finger in response: One minute.
He’d already given up more than a minute.
Back at the convention center, photographers had swarmed The Wedding Belles’ booth, snapping pictures and jotting down quotes from Serena. She really was some kind of hotshot in the wedding world.
Kane had suffered the commotion as well and as long as he could. He could see success was important to her. Anyway, his dad was paying for his time. Complaining wasn’t going to get him anything but a headache.
But after the Suit had shown up, eager to shower Serena with congratulations and kisses and who knew what else, Kane’s patience had evaporated. He wasn’t a clocks-and-schedules kind of guy, but the weather system pushing down from Canada wasn’t waiting while Serena played kissy-face with her designer buddy.
Now Kane was waiting again. The plane had been fueled. He had loaded their food and luggage, filed his flight plan and completed his walk-around. It was time—past time—to go.
“Get in the plane.”
She raised her index finger again, like a dog trainer hushing a barking pooch.
Kane bit back a growl and grabbed her phone.
“She’s got to go,” he said into the tiny receiver. “She’ll call you later.”
He switched off the phone and tossed it into the plane, onto her seat.
“What did you do that for?” Lines creased Serena’s forehead. “I was only on the phone for a couple of minutes.”
“Try twenty,” he corrected.
Serena opened her mouth then pressed her lips together. She entered the plane. He followed her.
“A couple storms are brewing with a low pressure system off the Pacific.” Kane locked the door. “There’s weather in Canada that’s moving south.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“You were on the phone.”
Serena removed her coat. Took her a pad out of her bag. Sat down.
Kane recognized the silent treatment. The way her eyes avoided his. Amber used to do that. So did a lot of other women. He wouldn’t let Serena make him feel guilty. Not when she should be apologizing to him.
“The weather shouldn’t affect us,” he said. “But keep your seat belt fastened in case we hit any turbulence.”
She buckled herself up. “Not a problem.”
“There’s food in the galley, but be quick about it because of the—”
“Turbulence,” she finished for him. “I will, and, Kane…”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry for taking so long.” Her gaze captured his, her big blue eyes apologetic. Appealing. Not like Amber at all. Not like any other of the women in his life. “I know you delayed our departure back at the convention center, and I really appreciate that, but I was excited. I wanted to share the news of all the good publicity and photo ops with my friends.”
He grunted. “No worries.”
Kane lied.
He was worried plenty. Not about the weather. He was a good pilot. Surface wind speeds were acceptably low, and the system coming in was moving slowly enough that it shouldn’t be a problem.
His reaction to her, however, was a whole other story.
Kane was upset at her. Serena stared out the small window at the overcast sky.
Even though he’d accepted her apology, she could tell he didn’t like being made to wait. She didn’t like waiting, either. Time to make it up to him?
Not necessary, a voice in her head whispered.
He’d been a jerk.
He’d grabbed her phone.
He’d hung up on Belle.
Kane had explained all that. She could forgive his impatience to get in the air. She wasn’t quite as ready to let go of his brusque rejection last night.
Then it’s a good thing I’m not your girl, isn’t it?
A damn good thing.
Serena bit her lip. Kane hadn’t even let her buy him a beer. He’d wanted a “rain check.”
Not that she cared. Not much anyway.
Unless his wanting a “rain check” was his way of seeing her in Boston. Maybe it was time to find out.
They hadn’t hit any turbulence. Now that they were at cruising altitude, Serena unfastened her seat belt and went to the galley that reminded her more of a refreshment center than an actual kitchen. Still the efficiently designed space made it easy to pour a cup of coffee, find two freshly baked cookies and put them on a napkin. She carried everything to the cockpit.
Payback? Or peace offering?
Either way, she didn’t want to owe Kane anything.
“I brought you a snack,” she said.
He glanced back. “What?”
“Coffee and chocolate-chip cookies.” He liked chocolate, she remembered. “I, um, owe you a drink, remember? There wasn’t any cream—”
“Black is fine.” He took the food from her. “Thanks.”
Okay, she was done now. “I’ll be going back.”
“Come on up,” he said at the same time.
Kane motioned to the other seat. “Sit up here for a while.”
Serena stared at the high-tech-looking instrument panel with a small computerlike device between the two pilot seats. Not a lot of space up here.
She glanced at the cabin. Safer, back there.
“Plenty of room,” Kane said. “This baby’s simple enough for one pilot, but it can be flown by two.”
“I can’t fly.”
His attractive mouth curved. “But you can sit, right?”
She crawled into the seat and peered out the window. The one-hundred-and-eighty-degree view took her breath away. Clouds blanketed the sky as far as she could see. She couldn’t tell where the ground was or where the sky ended. Forget about locating the horizon. “Wow.”
The word described how she felt inside. Every nerve ending tingled. Her insides buzzed.
Being up here, cocooned in the small cockpit with Kane and cut off from the earth below, made all her problems seem a world away. A world she wasn’t in any hurry to return to.
“Fasten your seat belt,” he said.
The harness-style seat belt went over her shoulders and around her waist. She had trouble buckling it. Kane reached over to help her. The warm skin of his hands brushed hers, sending tiny shocks down to the tips of her fingers.
Nothing. It meant nothing. “I’ve got it.”
“Sure?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure about anything. Still she nodded and clipped the buckle in.
“Most of the weather is behind us,” he said. “It should be smooth flying. We might even make up some time.”
“Good.”
But it wasn’t. Not really.
Serena wasn’t ready to return to Boston. She wanted this time, a time with no lies, no expectations to uphold and no responsibility a little while longer. The bridal show in Seattle had been stressful, but also successful. Coming off that high, she was still literally flying, and she’d never felt such freedom as she did now.
Was that what Kane liked? The freedom? The ability to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted? She could definitely understand that appeal now.
She glanced his way. “So…do you like to fly?”
He gave her a look.
Okay, dumb question.
Serena would try again. “How long have you been flying?”
“Since I was sixteen. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.”
“Why did you choose to be a charter pilot and not an airline pilot?”
“I thought about doing the corporate gig, but it’s too much like working for a bus company. My grandfather bought a business jet. When he offered me a job as his personal pilot, I jumped at it. I flew for him for six years, until he got sick.” Kane’s mouth tightened. “He doesn’t travel anymore.”
Her chest tightened. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? I got my hands on this plane for next to nothing and my grandfather’s instructions were to make my own way in the wild blue yonder. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Serena envied his go-where-the-wind-carried-him attitude. She’d planned out her entire life. Rarely did she go out to eat without reservations.
“How often do you fly?” she asked, wanting to learn more about him. Something about Kane Wiley intrigued her in a way she’d never felt before.
“All the time.” He patted the yoke. “This baby isn’t only how I make my living. It’s where I call home.”
“Home.” She thought about her painstakingly decorated flat in Boston. “You and me. We’re very different.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
Serena nodded.
He was rootless, a wanderer, free. She was tied down by her business, responsibility, expectations.
But at this moment, for as long as it could last, Serena wanted to enjoy the flight and this time with Kane, in spite of their differences and because of them. She wanted a taste—a nibble really—of what his life was like.
“You’re such a free spirit,” she said.
“I like to go where I want to go.”
“And Boston?”
“A layover,” he said. “Nothing more.”
“Isn’t your family there?”
“My dad.” Kane pushed a couple of buttons. “We don’t always see eye to eye on things.”
“My sister is like that with my mom and dad. That’s made things…difficult.”
For all of them.
“What about you and your parents?” he asked.
“I get along fine with my folks.”
She’d made sure of that.
“Lucky.”
Serena nodded. But feeling lucky had nothing to do with her parents and everything to do with the sexy man sitting next to her. She held back a sigh.
A button lit up on the instrument panel. Kane immediately noticed it. Sat straighter. Furrowed his brow.
Her heart jolted. “Is something wrong?”
“Nope, but I need to take care of that light.” He studied the instrument panel. “Would you mind going back to the cabin and fastening your seat belt?”
“Sure.” She unbuckled the harness and squeezed out of the seat. “I’ll see you later.”
He nodded, pulling out some kind of manual.
Serena returned to her seat and buckled her seat belt. Leaning back, she blew out a puff of air.
What had she been thinking? Doing up there?
That warning light had been a sign, a reminder that she was better off earthbound. She needed to get her head out of the clouds. Being up in the air was a dangerous place. And being with Kane…
She didn’t want any turbulence in her well-planned life.
Why was engine number two’s damn fuel filter light on?
Kane stared on the instrument panel. He reset the circuit. The light remained on.
Interesting.
He had dealt with this before and knew what to do, but with Serena on board, he glanced at the flight procedure’s manual to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.
Okay. Just as he remembered. One fuel filter light. No problem. He would wait and see what happened next.
The usual chatter filled the radio airwaves. Nothing to worry about.
Kane focused his attention on the instrument panel. Everything was looking good.
The other fuel filter light popped on.
His stomach knotted in about a hundred different ways.
Two fuel filter lights meant fuel contamination. Damn. The plane had been filled with bad gas.
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Melissa McClone
Stranded with the bad boy…For wedding-dress designer Serena James, nothing less than perfect will do–and that applies to finding Mr. Right! Her pilot, Kane Wiley, doesn't meet any of the criteria…apart from being drop-dead gorgeous! Kane feels most at home in the skies.For this drifter, no commitment means freedom. But while flying Serena to a wedding convention, Kane is forced to perform a crash landing! They might be chalk and cheese, but, stranded together, there's no denying the chemistry. And it's going to be a while before their SOS is answered….
The Wedding Planners
Planning perfect weddings…
finding happy endings!
It’s the biggest and most important day of a
woman’s life—and it has to be perfect.
At least that’s what the Wedding Belles believe, and
that’s why they’re Boston’s top wedding-planner
agency. But amidst the beautiful bouquets, divine
dresses and rose-petal confetti, these six wedding
planners long to be planning their own big day!
But first they have to find Mr. Right….
This month:
SOS Marry Me!
by Melissa McClone
Designer: Serena’s already made her dress,
but a rebel has won her heart….
And don’t miss the exciting
wedding-planner tips and author
reminiscences that accompany each book!
Melissa spills the beans about her own wedding dress:
“I was a practical bride on a budget—a mechanical engineer who couldn’t conceive of spending tons of money on a dress I would wear only once. But there was a secret romantic in me, a woman who wrote romance novels on her lunch hour and dreamed of feeling, for one special day, like Grace Kelly or Princess Diana or Cinderella.
Never mind, I told myself firmly as I went shopping. It’s only one day. It’s only one dress.
I visited store after store. I found practical gowns. Budget-priced gowns. I tried on dress after dress. And staring in the mirror, I never saw the bride of my romantic longings smiling back at me.
Nearing desperation, I went to a bridal boutique a coworker had recommended. The gowns I tried on were far from practical, and not one was on sale. But finally, as I was zipped and hooked and buttoned into what must have been my hundredth dress, I turned to the mirror and saw…a bride. Me. The girl of my romantic dreams. The woman who was ready to pledge her life to one special man.
Only one day. Only one dress.
I bought it.
As I wrote SOS Marry Me!, I thought about the friend who helped me find my gown and the woman who designed it. She knew what was important to brides. And so does my wedding-dress-designer heroine, Serena James.
Hear all about Melissa’s latest news at www.melissamcclone.com And for more wedding fun check out www.harlequin-theweddingplanners.blogspot.com.
SOS Marry Me!
Melissa McClone
TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON
AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG
STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID
PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND
For my own Belles: Shirley Jump, Myrna Mackenzie,
Linda Goodnight, Susan Meier and Melissa James.
Talented Harlequin authors and amazing friends!
Special thanks to: Missoula County Detective David Brenner,
Idaho County Sheriff Larry Dasenbrock, Virendra Gauthier,
John Frieh, Virginia Kantra, Michael Leming, Dru Ann Love,
Mike Mooney, Anne Ryan, Tiffany Talbott and last, but not least,
Carol Hennessey, Jen Hensiek and Le Ann Martin
with the Clearwater National Forest.
I take full responsibility for any mistakes and/or discrepancies!
Planning perfect weddings…finding happy endings!
In April: Sweetheart Lost and Found
by Shirley Jump
Florist: Will Callie catch a bouquet
and reunite with her childhood sweetheart?
In May: The Heir’s Convenient Wife
by Myrna Mackenzie
Photographer: Regina’s wedding album is perfect.
Now she needs her husband to say I love you!
In June: SOS Marry Me!
by Melissa McClone
Designer: Serena’s already made her dress,
but a rebel has won her heart.
In July: Winning the Single Mom’s Heart
by Linda Goodnight
Chef: Who will Natalie cut her own wedding cake with?
In August: Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed!
by Susan Meier
Accountant: Will Audra’s budget for the big day
include a millionaire groom?
In September: The Bridegroom’s Secret
by Melissa James
Planner: Julie’s always been the wedding planner—
will she ever be the bride?
Serena is a top wedding-dress designer for
the Wedding Belles. Here are her tips on
how to pick the right dress for your big day:
Don’t visit too many bridal boutiques on the same day. Trying on wedding gowns should be a fun experience, not a chore! Do invite a trusted friend or your mother to go with you to offer opinions and support. But try to discourage the entire bridal party from trooping along. Too many opinions may only confuse you. Ultimately, it’s your day, your dress and your decision.
Stark white, diamond white, ivory and champagne are a few of the “whites” used for wedding-dress fabrics. Try on different shades of white to determine which one flatters your skin tone and hair color best.
Discuss the type of wedding you are having and your dress budget with the sales consultant before she brings you dresses to try on. If money is an issue, ask about bridesmaid dresses that can be worn as wedding gowns. They can be quite lovely, but less expensive.
Try on all the gowns the sales consultant suggests. Dresses look very different on the hanger than on a bride. Don’t forget that your dream gown might not fit your body type, so it’s a good idea to try on a variety of styles to see how they look on you.
Take at least two pairs of comfortable shoes with different heel heights to the final dress fitting. If the hem isn’t exactly right, you won’t freak out and you’ll be good to go for your wedding day.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
“I’LL go to the bridal show,” Serena James announced. “I’ve always wanted to visit Seattle.”
Not that she cared where she went as long as she could get out of town.
Four of her coworkers at The Wedding Belles, a Boston-based full-service wedding planning company, turned surprised looks in her direction. Oops. Serena tried not to grimace. Had she sounded too enthusiastic for a woman with a devoted boyfriend?
“That is, if no one else wants to go,” she added with a forced smile.
“Well, darlin’,” Belle Mackenzie, owner of The Wedding Belles, purred in her distinct Southern drawl. A beautiful woman with coiffed silver hair and a generous glossed smile, she gave the best hugs this side of the Mason-Dixon line. “That’s sweet of you to offer. We do need a little positive publicity after the Vandiver wedding cancellation fiasco, and the show’s sponsors would be delighted to have one of the country’s up-and-coming wedding dress designers fill in at the last moment.”
This was going to work. Satisfaction filled Serena.
“But you usually avoid bridal shows,” Belle continued. “Are you sure about this with all you have going on?”
“I’m sure,” Serena answered, hoping to sound willing but not desperate. “Besides, there really isn’t anyone else.”
Belle drummed her French-manicured nails on the mahogany table. “That’s true. We all seem to have an extra serving or two on our plates.”
“Well, whoever goes to Seattle—” Callie Underwood, florist extraordinaire, brushed a lock of dark blond hair off her face “—I want them to take my wedding gown to the show.”
The other women gasped.
“You’re getting married in just a few weeks,” Belle said.
“November 22 to be exact, as Jared keeps reminding me, but we need to show brides that The Wedding Belles is still one of the premier wedding planning companies in the country, if not the world,” Callie explained. “That means showing off what we do best, everything from Natalie’s delicious cakes to Serena’s stunning designs. Serena’s entire spring line is beautiful, but my custom gown is her latest and most exquisite creation.”
“But it’s your wedding dress,” Serena said. “I made it to fit you, not some size zero model. Anyway, I wouldn’t want to risk getting makeup or runway stains on the silk.”
“That doesn’t mean you couldn’t display the gown on a mannequin in the booth.”
“What if something happens to the dress?” Regina O’Ryan, a gifted photographer, asked.
“Nothing will happen to it.” Callie winked across the table. “Isn’t that right, Serena?”
“Not if I’m the one who goes to Seattle.” Serena appreciated her friend’s vote of confidence. She wouldn’t let Callie down. “I’ll make sure the dress comes back.”
“Seattle is on the other side of the country.” Regina, her brown eyes as bright as the flash on her ever-present camera, leaned toward her. “Did you and Rupert have plans for that weekend?”
Serena gritted her teeth at the mention of her boyfriend’s—make that ex-boyfriend’s—name, but her smile remained steadfast. “He’s been traveling a lot himself. He won’t mind.”
At all.
She hadn’t spoken to him in months. Not since he’d dumped her in April after The Wedding Belles’ assistant, Julie Montgomery, had announced her engagement to Matt McLachlan. Serena still hadn’t figured out how to tell people.
Things like this didn’t happen to her. Serena lived a charmed life. She was used to getting what she wanted. She’d wanted to get married and start a family. She’d thought she’d found the right guy except that she’d been too focused on the end result to realize he hadn’t been so right after all.
“We don’t have any plans,” she added.
“You got the last good man, Serena,” Natalie Thompson, a young widow with mischievous eight-year-old twin girls, said. The petite blonde sighed. “After Julie, Callie and Regina. Pretty soon, we’ll have another Belle’s wedding to plan. I can already guess the cake you’ll want. Chocolate with orange-flavored fudge filling.”
The baker, who called herself a cake fairy, brought in slices for the Belles to try every time she made samples for brides to taste. That Natalie remembered her favorite flavor touched Serena.
“And I know the flowers.” Callie’s green eyes twinkled like the white mini decorator lights she used with yards of tulle and garlands of blossoms. “White dendrobium orchids, green roses, green cymbidium orchids and white and green parrot tulips.”
White and green. One of Serena’s favorite color combinations. She shouldn’t be surprised. Callie knew her tastes so well.
A cake. Flowers. Serena’s friends had her perfect wedding figured out. The only thing missing was…the groom.
A weight pressed down on the center of her chest. She thought of the nearly completed wedding dress hanging in her hall closet. Okay, she had been foolish, tempting fate by starting on the gown before she had a ring. But who could blame her?
Her relationship with Rupert Collier had proceeded right on schedule. They’d dated a year, met and liked each other’s families and talked about the future, about creating a family together, which was what Serena wanted most of all. Becoming engaged had been the next obvious step. She’d started work on her wedding dress because she’d wanted time to get every stitch and every detail exactly right. She’d chosen the fabrics and design with the same care with which she’d chosen Rupert Collier. Not only smart, gorgeous and rich, but also ideal husband and father material. Everything she’d been looking for in a man, everything her friends expected her boyfriend to be, everything her parents wanted her to marry.
Until, impatient for a ring after dating exclusively for so long, she’d brought up the M-word. Marriage. And suddenly her perfect boyfriend wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. He’d accused her of being too selfish and too self-reliant to make a permanent commitment. Oh he’d wanted to keep seeing her, she remembered bitterly. They looked good together and his boss liked her. But he’d wanted to take a serious step backward in the commitment department. Maybe, he’d suggested, they should start dating other people, too. Serena had said no, thinking he only needed a push to get their relationship back on track. Rupert had said goodbye. Proving once again that if she didn’t do what others wanted, she wouldn’t get what she wanted.
His parting words had stung.
You don’t need me, Serena. You don’t need anyone.
In the months since, she’d come to realize he was right. They were better off without each other. She didn’t need him. She hadn’t loved him the way a woman should love the man she wanted to marry. She hadn’t wanted him as much as she liked how he’d fit into her plans. So much for her perfect dress. Her perfect groom. Her perfect life.
She forced herself to breathe. A setback, yes. A total failure, no. Serena James didn’t fail.
Regina grinned, as if she’d found the perfect Kodak moment to capture with her camera. “Rupert will have to adjust his travel schedule once you get married.”
Serena’s stomach roiled. Her temples throbbed. She hated keeping secrets from the women she cared most about in the world, women who were more like family than coworkers, but what else was she supposed to do?
Julie had been thrilled about getting engaged. The other Belles were excited to be giving her a dream wedding. Serena couldn’t let her bad news affect everyone else’s joy. When Callie had fallen in love with Jared, Serena hadn’t wanted her breakup to take anything away from the couple’s happiness. And after Regina and Dell’s marriage had become a love match, Serena couldn’t find the right time to tell everyone she’d been dumped.
Now wasn’t the right time, either.
Natalie and Audra Green, the company’s accountant, were down on men. Telling them the truth about what had happened would only reaffirm their belief that Mr. Right didn’t exist. Serena wouldn’t do that to her friends. They’d already faced too much disappointment and heartache.
Besides, her friends expected more from her. Everyone did. Serena worked hard on her polished image, kept a positive attitude and was always there in a pinch. People counted on her. They expected her to find Mr. Right.
That was exactly what she intended to do—find someone to give her the perfect love, family and life she dreamed about. Just because she’d been wrong about one man didn’t mean her one true love wasn’t out there somewhere. Maybe even in Seattle.
“So about the bridal show—” Serena leaned back in her chair “—what else do I need to bring with me in addition to the wedding dresses?”
Kane Wiley ducked around the business jet’s engine to place his bags in the plane’s exterior storage compartment. His breath steamed in the November air.
“Is that all you’ve got?” his father, Charlie, asked.
“Yep.” Not only for this flight. All Kane owned—besides the business jet itself—could fit into two bags. He traveled light. And liked it that way.
“I appreciate your making the trip, son.” Wearing faded jeans, a black turtleneck and down vest, Charlie looked younger than his fifty-six years, even with his salt-and-pepper hair.
“Just hold up your end of the deal, Dad.”
“I will.” Charlie picked up a box containing soda, water, ice, boxed lunches and a plate of cookies and brownies. “I will leave you alone. No more questions. No more badgering you to come home.”
Home. That was a good one. Kane nearly laughed. There hadn’t been a real home to come back to since his mom had died suddenly from a heart attack three years ago and his dad had quickly remarried…and divorced. Now his father looked poised to make the same mistake again.
“But—” Charlie pushed the box of food through the doorway of the cabin “—I still expect a card or e-mail or phone call at Christmastime.”
“I can manage that.” Easter and Father’s Day, too. Even his dad’s birthday. Kane would do anything to get away from Boston and never have to return. He didn’t want to watch his father woo and wed yet another woman who could never take the place of his mother.
“Just remember, I love you, son. I’m here if you need me. For anything. Money, whatever.”
Kane nodded once. He glanced at his watch. Damn. “Where is she?”
“Belle?” Charlie asked.
Kane fought the urge not to wince at his dad’s newest “friend’s” name. “The one I’m flying to Seattle.”
“Serena will be here,” Charlie said. “Traffic is always bad at this time.”
Norwood Airport was twenty-five miles north of Boston. That meant she could be really late. Kane wanted to get in the air.
“Try smiling, son,” Charlie said. “You might have fun. Serena James is a beautiful young woman.”
“There are lots of beautiful women out there. No need to settle on just one.”
Though a cross-country romance might not be too bad. As long as it was over by the time they returned home.
Charlie shook his head. “You just haven’t met the right woman to love yet.”
“I meet lots of women.” Kane grinned. “Love them, too.”
Charlie frowned. “I mean the forever kind of love. The kind I had with your mother.”
And with his second wife.
And with what’s-her-name. Belle.
Forever was a joke. And love—the kind his dad was talking about—was nothing more than a pretty word for convenient sex and companionship.
A white van pulled through the gate and honked its horn.
Charlie turned toward the sound. “They’re here.”
“Great.” Kane had been hoping “they” would be a no-show.
A woman with silvery-blond hair and a beaming smile drove. She waved. Her passenger held a cell phone to her ear and wore dark, round sunglasses that hid much of her face.
The van stopped. The driver’s door opened. The older woman, wearing brown pants and a colorful jacket, slid out gracefully.
“Good morning.” She greeted Charlie with a handshake. The woman stepped toward Kane, extending her arm. “You must be Kane.”
He shook her hand, noting her warmth and strong grip. She was different from his mother and his ex-stepmother. Older. Maybe even older than his father. That surprised Kane. “You must be Belle.”
“I am.” Her voice sounded like honey. Deep South honey. Slow and sweet. “I appreciate your flying Serena to Seattle.”
Of course she did, especially with his father picking up all the associated flight and fuel costs.
“Kane’s happy to do it,” Charlie answered. “Aren’t you, son?”
Kane nodded. He would be very happy once this trip was behind him and he’d be flying away for good.
“Well, we’d better get busy then.” Belle opened the van doors and pulled out a box. “We have boxes to load. Brochures, favor samples and portfolios. Plus linens, flower arrangements, a cake and gowns.”
Belle’s eagerness to help surprised Kane. “O-kay.”
“You still have to meet Serena James, our wedding dress designer,” Belle said. “She’s finishing up a phone call. No doubt talking to Rupert.”
Kane bit. “Rupert?”
“Her boyfriend.” Belle’s ever present smile widened. “The two are practically engaged.”
So much for a little romance in Seattle. Ring on the finger or not, Kane didn’t mess around with another man’s girl.
The passenger door opened. He focused on the woman exiting the van. She was, in a word, stunning. Long blond bangs fell over her forehead, but her hair didn’t touch the collar of the jacket in the back. The short cut looked hip and trendy, just like the woman herself.
She wasn’t tall, five-six if he was being generous and subtracted the heels on her brown leather boots. Even with her long wool coat, he could tell she had curves in all the right places.
He liked what he saw. She was exactly his type. Kane blew out a puff of breath that hung in the cold air. Old type, he corrected with a frown. He’d given up on blondes.
Her hair color coupled with the way she dressed reminded him of a former girlfriend, Amber Wallersby, who had been sexy as hell, but also a spoiled, pampered princess. She’d wanted him to stop flying his grandfather around on his private jet and take a boring desk job at one of her father’s companies so he could pamper her in the manner to which she’d become accustomed. Kane had almost agreed, almost been taken in, until he’d seen that she might have been gorgeous on the outside, but was all show and zero substance on the inside.
Was Serena James the same?
Not that he was in any position to find out. Or care. Still they would be spending several hours flying west together. No sense starting off on the wrong foot.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m your pilot. Kane.”
Serena didn’t extend her hand. She removed her sunglasses and glanced up at him. Clear, sharp eyes met his. He hadn’t expected such directness or such stunning blue eyes.
“You’re Kane Wiley?” Serena sounded surprised, almost as if she disapproved. “Charlie’s son?”
“In the flesh.”
“Do you see a family resemblance?” Charlie asked.
She glanced between the two men. “Not really.”
“Oh, I do,” Belle said. “Like father, like son. Both of you are quite handsome.”
Charlie beamed.
Kane rocked back on his heels. He wasn’t anything like his father. He didn’t need a woman in his life—not on a permanent basis, anyway. And unlike his father, Kane’s loyalty was hard to earn and his disapproval slow to fade.
“The eyes are the same,” Serena conceded. “Maybe the chins, too.”
The way she studied him made Kane uncomfortable. “We’re running late. Let’s get your stuff on board.”
Serena glanced at Belle.
“Is something wrong, darlin’?” the woman asked. “Did you get a chance to say goodbye to Rupert?”
“Um, no.”
Pink tinged Serena’s cheeks.
Interesting. Kane wouldn’t have thought her the blushing type. She seemed too cool and collected, but maybe leaving her “practically a fiancé” had rattled her.
“Would you mind if the gowns went in the cabin, Mr. Wiley?” she asked.
“It’s Kane, and no, I don’t mind.”
The relief in her eyes was almost palpable. “I’ll put them in the cabin.”
“I’ll load them.”
“I don’t mind doing it,” she said.
“That’s okay. I’d rather do it myself.”
Serena eyed him warily. He waited for her to say something to challenge him. He was surprised when she didn’t.
“You can put the food in the galley if you want,” he offered. “It’s in a box near the door.”
“Fine.”
Not fine if the tightness around her mouth was anything to go by. At least she didn’t pout like Amber. Though he’d bet Serena could work wonders with that full bottom lip of hers.
As he removed several long, bulky white dress bags from the van, he heard his father.
“Kane prefers doing things on his own,” Charlie explained.
“So does Serena,” Belle added. “She likes being in control.”
“Then the two of them should get along fine.”
Nope, Kane realized. The exact opposite. Flying with two captains in the cockpit was a recipe for disaster because neither wanted to give up control. And that meant one thing. It was going to be a really long flight to Seattle and back.
Serena had a checklist for her Mr. Right: polite, attentive, articulate, smartly tailored. All qualities her parents had taught her to value. All qualities Rupert had possessed in spades.
All qualities Kane Wiley lacked.
She unfastened her seat belt and moved back to where he’d secured the gowns.
What had Belle gotten her into?
Serena checked each of the dress bags. She repositioned three of them. Not much, but she felt better taking control. That is, taking care of her dresses. That was her job even if Kane didn’t seem to realize that.
The man was arrogant and rude, the polar opposite of his kind and generous father, who epitomized a true gentleman. If not for the price of the flight—free, thanks to Charlie—and the ability to personally oversee the transport of the gowns, Serena would have found another way to Seattle. But any extra money The Wedding Belles had was going into a fund to pay for their cherished assistant, Julie’s, wedding next June. They couldn’t afford to be too choosy after losing money on the Vandiver cancellation and the negative publicity that had followed.
She thought about how much Julie and Matt were in love. Her other friends, too. Serena would find the same kind of love, the same kind of forever love, they had found. All she needed was her Mr. Right. One who didn’t just look good on paper, but whom she could love, too.
Looking out of a window, she caught a glimpse of Kane as he performed his preflight walk-around. Light glinted off his sun-streaked light brown hair that fell past the collar of his dark leather jacket. A jacket that emphasized his broad shoulders.
Talk about Mr. Wrong.
Some women might find him good-looking. If they liked tall, classically handsome guys with chiseled jaw-lines, square chins, sharpened noses and intense brown eyes.
Serena didn’t object to any of those things, exactly. She just preferred them packaged in a suit and tie, and paired with a short, styled haircut and clean-shaven face. She didn’t want a man who looked as if he’d rolled out of bed, bypassed the razor and brushed his fingers through his hair as an afterthought.
He glanced up at the plane, at the window she stared out of to be exact. His gaze met hers. His eyes, the same color of her favorite dark chocolate, made her heart bump.
Uh-oh.
She hurried back to her seat, sank into the comfortable leather club chair and fastened her seat belt. The temperature in the cabin seemed to rise even though the door was still open. She removed her coat, picked up her sketch pad and fanned herself.
What was the matter with her? Of course, she hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Or eating, either. One good meal, and she’d feel better.
She’d like to take a bite out of Kane.
“Hot?”
Her sketch pad fell onto her lap. She looked up.
Kane stood at the entrance to the plane. The interior suddenly seemed smaller. He appeared larger. She gulped.
“Excuse me?” Serena asked.
“Are you hot?”
“I—I…” Something about him made her flustered and tongue-tied and heated. She didn’t like the feelings, either. “I’m a little warm.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He closed and latched the door. “Are your dresses okay?”
Serena heard the challenge in his voice. She raised her chin. “They are fine. Now.”
The intensity in his dark eyes sent heat rushing through her veins. She sucked in a breath. Looked away.
“Seat belt fastened?” he asked.
Not trusting her voice, she nodded.
“The same rules apply on this flight as your typical commercial flight,” Kane explained. “When we reach cruising altitude, you can visit the lavatory or help yourself to whatever you would like in the galley.”
“No flight attendant?”
“Not unless you want to fly the plane while I serve you lunch and a beverage.” He pointed out the exits and where the oxygen masks were located. “If we lose cabin pressure, place the mask over your nose and mouth and breath normally. Did you bring a laptop?”
“No.” She’d wanted to escape from the constant pretending of her life in Boston. Her prying friends, her fake phone calls…even e-mail was a hassle these days. “Just my cell phone. I know not to use it during the flight.”
“Even if you miss your boyfriend?”
She tried not to cringe, but the thought of lying to a total stranger left a bitter taste in her mouth. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Not using your cell phone or missing him?”
“Either.”
At least that was the truth.
“If you need anything,” he said, “let me know.”
Serena could just imagine his reaction if she asked for, oh, a bag of pretzels and a fiancé. She bit back a smile.
No matter how desperately she wanted to maintain her image with her friends and family, she would never ask someone like Kane—someone so obviously wrong for a woman like her—to help in her quest to find a new Mr. Right and one true love.
That was something she could do on her own. And would.
CHAPTER TWO
“THE doors will open in ten minutes,” announced a feminine voice over the convention center loudspeakers.
Ten minutes? Kane scanned the large hall, balancing the gold-wrapped box he’d promised to deliver to Serena. He’d thought he had more time.
Little-Miss-I’m-In-Charge Serena had sounded really upset when she’d called and asked if the box was still on the plane. When Kane had finally found the package in the tail-cone baggage compartment and brought it over, she’d told him she’d be right out. But he was already there, wasn’t he?
And—admit it—he’d been curious to see the blonde in action. Curious enough to volunteer to deliver the box himself.
Man, was he sorry now. This wedding stuff gave him the heebie jeebies.
He might as well be standing in the middle of a wedding nightmare. Instead of fire, heat and screams, this place reeked with flowers, tulle and as much pipe organ music as the soundtrack of some cheesy Dracula movie.
A woman dressed in black with spiked red hair, flushed cheeks and a clipboard in her hand raced up to him. “Are you a fashion show model?”
“No.”
“Where could they be?” Her face scrunched, then, as she studied him, brightened. “Would you want to be one of the models?”
Kane pictured himself dressed up like a penguin and escorting models in white dresses down a runway. He didn’t mind models, but the other stuff…Not his thing. “No, thanks.”
With a frustrated sigh, she ran down the aisle and disappeared out of sight.
She wasn’t the only one in a hurry. Exhibitors rushed around, putting finishing touches on their booths and applying their lipstick. Kane didn’t see many men, not like yesterday when he’d dropped off Serena to set up, but a few guys remained. This seemed like the last place any male would choose to spend an hour. Let alone a day. Or two.
Once, he might have thought about settling down someday, but now, after all he’d seen, Kane knew better.
As he searched the booths, every company seemed to have the word wedding somewhere in its name and everything looked sort of similar. He felt lost and out of place.
“Kane.” He turned to see Serena waving at him. “Over here.”
Relieved, he walked across the aisle to her booth. Whatever panic he’d heard in her voice wasn’t visible on her face, looking fresh and rested with expertly applied makeup.
That’s right, dummy, look at the lipstick. Keep your eyes on her face. She is so not your type.
But man, she looked good in that dress.
Her gaze was intent on him. “You made it.”
“With minutes to spare.”
“Minutes?” Serena asked.
“A few. Were you getting worried?”
Kane already knew the answer was yes. She seemed to keep a tight hold on her responsibilities, on pretty much everything within her sphere of influence. He happened to be the exact opposite, taking things as they came. It was probably a good thing she had an almost-fiancé. Because the way she looked, he could have been tempted into a fling. And the last thing he wanted or needed in his life was a cool blond control freak with a thing for weddings.
Serena took the box from him. “I wasn’t worried, but I was getting a little impatient.”
“Not the patient type?”
“Waiting for someone to come through can be hard.”
“Sometimes.”
But he wouldn’t mind waiting right there. He didn’t have to want to spend the rest of his life with her to enjoy the view. What man with blood running through his veins wouldn’t want to look? Her brown and blue dress clung in all the right places. The hem fell above the knee, and her high heels made her legs look long and sexy. She defined “it” girl.
He didn’t know whether to envy that Rupert fellow or pity him. Serena James was the type who knew how to make a guy roll over and beg. And Kane didn’t sit, stay or play dead for any woman, no matter how hot she looked in heels.
“I do appreciate your bringing this over.” She walked toward a linen-covered table with one of the elaborate floral arrangements she’d brought with her in the center. Candles in silver holders sat on either side. She tossed a smile his way. “Thank you.”
Her gratitude sounded genuine. Kane couldn’t tell whether she was sincere or not, but he was willing to play nice. “You’re welcome.”
The gentle sway of her hips and the swirl of her dress hem around her legs captured his attention. The lingering scent of her light floral perfume filled his nostrils.
Serena opened the box. “Now all I have to do is set these things out and the table will be ready.”
The table already looked finished and fancy enough to him. A little too fancy, but probably what the monkey-suit, bouquet-tossing set expected. “What’s in there?”
“Chocolate.” As she unwrapped each item, she placed the pieces of candy on an oval beveled-edged mirror setting on the table: three chocolate truffles shaped like three-tiered wedding cakes, small gold and silver boxes tied with ribbon, oval and heart-shaped engraved chocolates packaged in a gold base and wrapped with tulle and a ribbon, gold and silver engraved foiled coins. “No wedding is complete without something chocolate.”
“I don’t care much for weddings, but I like chocolate.”
Her eyebrows rose at his not-so-subtle hint, but she tossed a coin his way.
He unwrapped the gold foil and took a bite. Good stuff. “Aren’t you having any?”
“I don’t sample the merchandise,” she said in her cool, controlled voice.
Yeah. Right. Probably one of those salad-and-rice-cake types who wouldn’t let herself eat a piece of candy. Too bad. She had a sweet little body, but he’d rather see a woman enjoy a meal with dessert than starve in order to fit into a smaller size.
She hid the box underneath the linen tablecloth–covered round table displaying a four-tiered white-iced wedding cake decorated with real flowers cascading down from the top like a colorful pink and white waterfall. “All done.”
He’d say so. Judging by this booth, The Wedding Belles was a high-class, high-end operation. From the neatly stacked full-color brochures to the maroon leather embossed photo albums, everything shouted “money.” Including Serena herself.
Kane leisurely finished his chocolate, surveying the booth. He noticed a stack of boxes. Board games, actually. Who would have thought to make a game out of getting married? Playing that sounded more like torture than fun.
A burgundy upholstered chaise longue sat at a right angle to a row of headless mannequins in white—the Wedding Shop of Horrors. “Looks like someone went furniture shopping last night.”
“We contracted with a rental store here in Seattle who delivered all this yesterday.”
“You must have worked all night.”
She pushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Just doing my job.”
“Don’t you design the wedding dresses?”
“Each of us helps out where we can,” she said. “That’s why working for The Wedding Belles is such fun.”
Fun? Serena never seemed to stop working. She moved through the booth adjusting swags of rich yellow fabric draped on the boring white panels separating each of the exhibit areas.
Didn’t she ever slow down or rest? Even sitting on the flight she’d been working on something. He didn’t know how she did it.
“Everything looks good,” he said.
“Good won’t cut it. Brides are the pickiest people on this planet, next to their mothers.” She straightened a stack of brochures. “Everything needs to be perfect.”
“Nothing’s ever perfect.”
“Then you’ve never attended a wedding put on by The Wedding Belles.” Kneeling, she realigned the hem of one of the wedding dresses. “Or worn one of my gowns.”
“No offense, but I don’t look my best in a train and heels.”
She smiled up at him.
He smiled back.
Now this was more like it.
“Do you need anything?” he asked. “Breakfast? Coffee?”
Me.
“Thanks, but I already ate and my coffee is stashed where I can get to it easily.” Standing, she peeked at her watch. “You might want to get going. The doors are going to—”
“Welcome to the Northwest Fall Bridal Extravaganza,” the voice over the loudspeaker announced.
“Uh-oh. You didn’t make it out in time. Watch out.” Serena smoothed the skirt of her dress. “We’re about to be overrun by the bridal brigade commanded by mothers and supported by best friends, sisters and cousins.”
Within seconds, chattering, laughter and even shrieks filled the large hall as if someone had turned off the mute switch on the remote. Packs of women ran past him.
“Where are they going?” he asked.
“The first fashion show.”
Had he agreed to model, all those women would have been running to him. Wonder what Blondie would say to that? A smile tugged on his lips.
Two young women walked up to her with questions about the cake on display.
The once empty aisles and booths were now crowded with women lugging ten-pound bags of bridal literature. Lots of women. Young ones, old ones…mostly young ones. Good-looking, too.
And engaged, Kane reminded himself. He didn’t do engaged women. Or even almost-engaged women, like Serena.
“Mom.” A twenty-something woman with chestnut hair wearing a green baby-doll style dress rushed into The Wedding Belles’ booth. “This is it. I have to have this dress.”
“We’ve been here two minutes and that’s the third dress you’ve said that about,” the mother said.
“Mo-om.”
Serena was speaking to two other women, but that didn’t stop the mother from interrupting the conversation.
“How much is this wedding gown?” the mother asked.
“I’m sorry, but that dress is not for sale,” Serena explained. “It will be worn at a wedding on November 22.”
The daughter’s collagen-injected, shimmery pink lips puckered like some kind of bizarre human-hybrid fish. Kane grinned to himself. Maybe this was the Northwest version of bridezilla.
“Could you make one like this for my daughter?” the mother asked, not-so-subtly showing off her designer purse and iceberg-sized diamond ring.
Despite the interruptions, Serena smiled pleasantly. “I can create something just as beautiful for her. With your daughter’s lovely figure, an asymmetrical A-line gown would be stunning. A cutaway skirt, even. And champagne embroidered lace would be a wonderful accent with her coloring.”
The bride tossed her artfully streaked hair. “We’d pay you extra for that dress on display.”
Kane would have told the mother to take her money and…Well, go someplace else.
“If you are interested in our gowns, we have a couple of samples here that can be sold off-the-rack.” Serena’s smile never wavered as she motioned to the photo albums on the table. “You might also want to make yourself comfortable and glance through the portfolio to get a taste of all our designs.”
“We might come back later.” The mother looked down her surgically designed pert nose. “Or not.”
The words didn’t seem to faze Serena. “I’ll be here.”
The way she handled herself with the appearances-are-everything, I-can-buy-whatever-I-want attitude impressed Kane. He only hoped she wasn’t cut from the same cloth. Not that it meant anything to him if she were.
As the bride stomped away, more women fawned over the dresses. Serena answered their questions not only promoting her gowns, but the services provided by The Wedding Belles, especially when it came to full-service destination weddings.
She was in her element. Glowing, sparkling, radiant.
Kane slowly backed away. He liked watching her, but this wasn’t the place for a single guy intent on remaining that way.
Serena gave a quick nod his way. He was surprised she’d noticed him leaving. He was also surprised he liked her noticing.
Uh-oh. Not good. Very bad actually.
Serena James might not have a ring on her finger, but avoiding her was the smart thing to do. The right thing to do, even if he spent another night in his hotel room alone watching television. On second thought, maybe he could find a bridesmaid, sprinkled among the brides and their mothers, here with something on her mind besides marriage.
Maybe all the shiny fabrics and chocolate would put her in the mood for satin sheets and room service. And maybe that would get his mind off a certain “practically engaged” someone.
He glanced back at Serena.
Or…maybe not.
“Thanks for dinner, Malcolm.” Malcolm Rapier was Serena’s friend and former classmate from design school. She kissed his cheek, expertly avoiding his twist to meet her mouth. “It was great catching up with you.”
“Sure you don’t want to go to the party?” With his boyish grin, he looked more like one of his models than the rising star of men’s formal wear design. “I’d love to show you off.”
Serena was tempted. Talk about a looker in a stylish black suit he’d designed himself and multicolored silk tie. Almost as handsome as Kane. Where had that come from?
“I usually enjoy being shown off, but I didn’t sleep much last night.” Going out wasn’t a good idea when she wanted to yawn. Not to mention her feet ached.
“Understood. Return of bridezilla tomorrow.” He laced his fingers with hers, his hands warm and smooth like the fabrics he dealt with every day. “But if you change your mind, call me. I’ll send the limo back.”
“You’re too sweet.”
Unlike her pilot. The pilot, she corrected.
“No, you’re too sexy and look great on my arm.” Malcolm twirled her to him as if they were dancing and pulled her against him. “Any chance you’d leave Boston for Seattle?”
Serena knew exactly how the game was played…Normally she would concede, but she didn’t like the way Kane kept intruding on her thoughts. She wanted to prove to herself the pilot had no effect on her.
She looked up at Malcolm through her eyelashes. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Oh, Serena, my muse, can’t you imagine the beautiful formal wear we could create together? Paris, Milan, New York. Nothing could compete with us.”
“You’re right about that.” But Serena wanted more than that kind of partnership. She wanted true love—marriage and children. She eyed Malcolm subjectively, as if inventorying the pieces of her next design. “Would this be strictly a business arrangement?”
He lowered his mouth to her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. “Do you think I’d ask you to relocate across the country just for a job?”
Maybe she was going a little too far here. Okay, Malcolm and she would make a stunning pair. They shared common interests and enjoyed each other’s company. Yet if she were at all interested in pursuing a relationship with him, why couldn’t she get Kane out of her mind?
His smile widened. “You’re thinking about it.”
Not really. At least not with him. She shrugged.
“You are.” Laughing, Malcolm caressed her cheek with his fingertip and kissed her forehead. “Until tomorrow, my soon-to-be Seattle love and partner.”
With that he walked out of the revolving door to hit whatever hip parties were happening that night. She wasn’t sad to see him go.
Serena’s heels clicked on the marble floor of the hotel lobby. Even after the long day at the bridal show, she felt reenergized though her body’s internal clock was running three hours ahead.
The first day of the Northwest Bridal Extravaganza had been a hit, an “in the park home run” to quote one of the Seattle show’s organizers. Tomorrow might just be a grand slam. Serena already felt like an all-star.
“What would Rupert say?”
She recognized the voice and stopped, annoyed that Kane had not only been on her mind, but was now here. He sat at a nearby table with a pint of beer in his hand, looking totally comfortable and at ease. In his jeans and long-sleeved black T-shirt, he had that carefree, I-don’t-care-what-you-think, sexy style down. Not that she thought he was sexy. Her type of sexy, that was.
Oh, she’d once been tempted by bad boys, but her sister’s experience had made Serena immune to their charms. Her sister, Morgan, had fallen in love with a guy who’d had women calling him day and night. He had no steady job nor seemed to want one. Morgan had moved in with him anyway and then married him, claiming he loved her and would change. He hadn’t and didn’t. Serena had been the one to pick up the pieces when his infidelity destroyed the marriage and left her pregnant sister devastated and alone. Their parents still hadn’t forgiven Morgan for falling in love with the wrong man and “ruining” her life.
“What do you mean by that?” Serena asked.
He motioned to an empty seat.
She really shouldn’t.
She really wanted to.
Kane pushed the chair out from the small round table with his foot. “You can buy me a drink for this morning.”
Her mouth curved. “You already have one.”
“I wouldn’t mind another.”
She did owe him for dropping off the box on time, even if he had waited until the last possible minute. She sat, grateful the moment her bottom hit the leather chair and she was no longer standing.
“Oooh,” she moaned.
His brows lifted. “You’re easily satisfied.”
She flushed. “I should look into designing a high heel that could be worn for fourteen hours straight without causing foot pain.”
“I meant the guy. For a woman who’s practically engaged, you seemed pretty chummy with Mr. Suit.”
Each time Serena heard that phrase—practically engaged—she felt as if another heavy bolt of fabric had been stapled to her shoulders. And right now she didn’t like the judgmental tone of Kane’s voice. He didn’t know her. He knew nothing about her. “Are you a pilot or a chaperone?”
“Pilot. Unattached. But if you were my girl—” his gaze traveled over her with lazy appreciation “—I sure wouldn’t want you having dinner or cozying up with another man.”
Tingles shot through her and she sat straighter. Her reaction had everything to do with being tired and nothing to do with him. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not your girl, isn’t it?”
“A damn good thing.”
Serena winced. She wasn’t used to such rudeness or honesty. She didn’t know what to say. That left her more than a little flustered. She could always be counted on to find the right words or do the right thing.
“Let me guess,” he continued. “Your boyfriend is a carbon copy of the guy you were with.”
“Malcolm Rapier is the guy’s name, and he’s a little like Rupert.” Only better. Malcolm was a better dresser than her ex. “He’s a fellow designer and a friend.”
“Who wants to be more than a friend.”
It wasn’t a question. “And you know this because…”
“I’m a guy.”
“And guys know everything.”
“You said it.” Kane raised his glass.
“Malcolm likes pretty things,” she said.
Kane took a swig of beer. “Things?”
“Women.” She didn’t know why she was wasting her time explaining things to him. “Malcolm likes to be seen escorting attractive women around. You know, arm candy.”
Which was probably why he wanted her to move to Seattle. A built-in date to take to social functions. Not exactly the strongest foundation for a lasting relationship.
Kane’s mouth quirked. “Modest, aren’t we?”
“You asked.”
“I did.” A beat passed. “So Rupert—”
“Doesn’t worry.” The words tumbled from her lips. Not exactly a lie. Her ex-boyfriend didn’t care what she did. “There’s no need.”
“You’re a one-woman man.”
“Yes, I am.” When she had a man. “I’ve never understood people who play the field.”
“As long as the individuals involved know what’s going on, I don’t see a problem with it.”
“That’s because you’re a guy.”
“Women play the field, too,” Kane said. “Otherwise, it would get mighty lonely out there.”
“Were you lonely tonight?” she asked.
“No.” He swirled his glass. “I had dinner with a lovely bridesmaid who had only one thing on her mind.”
“What was that?”
“Becoming a bride.”
Serena laughed. “You don’t want to get married?”
“Nope,” he said. “Marital bliss isn’t for me.”
She wasn’t surprised. He didn’t look like husband or daddy material. But if a woman were looking for a temporary lover instead of something more permanent…
“What do you want?” Serena asked, curious.
He got a faraway look in his eyes. “Freedom.”
She’d never known freedom in her entire life. She was always working toward something, fulfilling an obligation or meeting a responsibility. “I’m sure that must be nice.”
“You should try it sometime.”
Temptation sparked. And then she thought about her parents. She couldn’t do anything to upset them. “Not my style.”
“Mr. Suit is your style?” Kane asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Too bad.”
“Not for Mr. Suit.”
He nodded then stopped. “Except for Rupert.”
“Ah, yes. Rupert.”
“Women like you need to open your eyes,” Kane said. “The perfect guy could be right in front of you, but if he wasn’t your ‘style’ you’d walk right by and miss your chance.”
“Love will find a way.”
Kane studied her. “You really buy into all this wedding stuff, don’t you?”
“Completely,” she said.
“Well, then.” He raised his glass to her. “I’m sure you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.”
“You, too,” she said. “A juicy piece of eye candy like yourself must have women falling at your feet.”
“Pretty much.”
A smile erupted across Kane’s face. The effect—devastatingly charming. Serena moistened her lips, trying not to stare.
“Juicy, huh? Thanks.” He placed his empty glass on the table. “It’s not often I get a compliment from an esteemed piece of arm candy.”
“It’s not often I give them.” Uh-oh. She was flirting. But she kind of liked how it felt. “Do you want that drink now?”
“I’ll take a rain check.”
A twinge of disappointment ran through her. Ridiculous.
Serena was just having a little fun. Nothing more. She knew what she wanted to find. It sure wasn’t Kane Wiley.
CHAPTER THREE
THE next afternoon, Kane eyed the altocumulus clouds to the west. No immediate danger there. The weather service had issued an icing advisory at high altitudes, but they’d be flying below the problem. His plane was only certified to forty-five thousand feet. Still he wanted to get in the air.
As soon as his passenger got off her damn pink cell phone.
“Yes, Belle,” Serena said. “Both the local paper and the magazine took photos.”
“Hang up,” Kane ordered. “Time to go.”
Serena held up a single, slim finger in response: One minute.
He’d already given up more than a minute.
Back at the convention center, photographers had swarmed The Wedding Belles’ booth, snapping pictures and jotting down quotes from Serena. She really was some kind of hotshot in the wedding world.
Kane had suffered the commotion as well and as long as he could. He could see success was important to her. Anyway, his dad was paying for his time. Complaining wasn’t going to get him anything but a headache.
But after the Suit had shown up, eager to shower Serena with congratulations and kisses and who knew what else, Kane’s patience had evaporated. He wasn’t a clocks-and-schedules kind of guy, but the weather system pushing down from Canada wasn’t waiting while Serena played kissy-face with her designer buddy.
Now Kane was waiting again. The plane had been fueled. He had loaded their food and luggage, filed his flight plan and completed his walk-around. It was time—past time—to go.
“Get in the plane.”
She raised her index finger again, like a dog trainer hushing a barking pooch.
Kane bit back a growl and grabbed her phone.
“She’s got to go,” he said into the tiny receiver. “She’ll call you later.”
He switched off the phone and tossed it into the plane, onto her seat.
“What did you do that for?” Lines creased Serena’s forehead. “I was only on the phone for a couple of minutes.”
“Try twenty,” he corrected.
Serena opened her mouth then pressed her lips together. She entered the plane. He followed her.
“A couple storms are brewing with a low pressure system off the Pacific.” Kane locked the door. “There’s weather in Canada that’s moving south.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“You were on the phone.”
Serena removed her coat. Took her a pad out of her bag. Sat down.
Kane recognized the silent treatment. The way her eyes avoided his. Amber used to do that. So did a lot of other women. He wouldn’t let Serena make him feel guilty. Not when she should be apologizing to him.
“The weather shouldn’t affect us,” he said. “But keep your seat belt fastened in case we hit any turbulence.”
She buckled herself up. “Not a problem.”
“There’s food in the galley, but be quick about it because of the—”
“Turbulence,” she finished for him. “I will, and, Kane…”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry for taking so long.” Her gaze captured his, her big blue eyes apologetic. Appealing. Not like Amber at all. Not like any other of the women in his life. “I know you delayed our departure back at the convention center, and I really appreciate that, but I was excited. I wanted to share the news of all the good publicity and photo ops with my friends.”
He grunted. “No worries.”
Kane lied.
He was worried plenty. Not about the weather. He was a good pilot. Surface wind speeds were acceptably low, and the system coming in was moving slowly enough that it shouldn’t be a problem.
His reaction to her, however, was a whole other story.
Kane was upset at her. Serena stared out the small window at the overcast sky.
Even though he’d accepted her apology, she could tell he didn’t like being made to wait. She didn’t like waiting, either. Time to make it up to him?
Not necessary, a voice in her head whispered.
He’d been a jerk.
He’d grabbed her phone.
He’d hung up on Belle.
Kane had explained all that. She could forgive his impatience to get in the air. She wasn’t quite as ready to let go of his brusque rejection last night.
Then it’s a good thing I’m not your girl, isn’t it?
A damn good thing.
Serena bit her lip. Kane hadn’t even let her buy him a beer. He’d wanted a “rain check.”
Not that she cared. Not much anyway.
Unless his wanting a “rain check” was his way of seeing her in Boston. Maybe it was time to find out.
They hadn’t hit any turbulence. Now that they were at cruising altitude, Serena unfastened her seat belt and went to the galley that reminded her more of a refreshment center than an actual kitchen. Still the efficiently designed space made it easy to pour a cup of coffee, find two freshly baked cookies and put them on a napkin. She carried everything to the cockpit.
Payback? Or peace offering?
Either way, she didn’t want to owe Kane anything.
“I brought you a snack,” she said.
He glanced back. “What?”
“Coffee and chocolate-chip cookies.” He liked chocolate, she remembered. “I, um, owe you a drink, remember? There wasn’t any cream—”
“Black is fine.” He took the food from her. “Thanks.”
Okay, she was done now. “I’ll be going back.”
“Come on up,” he said at the same time.
Kane motioned to the other seat. “Sit up here for a while.”
Serena stared at the high-tech-looking instrument panel with a small computerlike device between the two pilot seats. Not a lot of space up here.
She glanced at the cabin. Safer, back there.
“Plenty of room,” Kane said. “This baby’s simple enough for one pilot, but it can be flown by two.”
“I can’t fly.”
His attractive mouth curved. “But you can sit, right?”
She crawled into the seat and peered out the window. The one-hundred-and-eighty-degree view took her breath away. Clouds blanketed the sky as far as she could see. She couldn’t tell where the ground was or where the sky ended. Forget about locating the horizon. “Wow.”
The word described how she felt inside. Every nerve ending tingled. Her insides buzzed.
Being up here, cocooned in the small cockpit with Kane and cut off from the earth below, made all her problems seem a world away. A world she wasn’t in any hurry to return to.
“Fasten your seat belt,” he said.
The harness-style seat belt went over her shoulders and around her waist. She had trouble buckling it. Kane reached over to help her. The warm skin of his hands brushed hers, sending tiny shocks down to the tips of her fingers.
Nothing. It meant nothing. “I’ve got it.”
“Sure?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure about anything. Still she nodded and clipped the buckle in.
“Most of the weather is behind us,” he said. “It should be smooth flying. We might even make up some time.”
“Good.”
But it wasn’t. Not really.
Serena wasn’t ready to return to Boston. She wanted this time, a time with no lies, no expectations to uphold and no responsibility a little while longer. The bridal show in Seattle had been stressful, but also successful. Coming off that high, she was still literally flying, and she’d never felt such freedom as she did now.
Was that what Kane liked? The freedom? The ability to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted? She could definitely understand that appeal now.
She glanced his way. “So…do you like to fly?”
He gave her a look.
Okay, dumb question.
Serena would try again. “How long have you been flying?”
“Since I was sixteen. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.”
“Why did you choose to be a charter pilot and not an airline pilot?”
“I thought about doing the corporate gig, but it’s too much like working for a bus company. My grandfather bought a business jet. When he offered me a job as his personal pilot, I jumped at it. I flew for him for six years, until he got sick.” Kane’s mouth tightened. “He doesn’t travel anymore.”
Her chest tightened. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? I got my hands on this plane for next to nothing and my grandfather’s instructions were to make my own way in the wild blue yonder. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Serena envied his go-where-the-wind-carried-him attitude. She’d planned out her entire life. Rarely did she go out to eat without reservations.
“How often do you fly?” she asked, wanting to learn more about him. Something about Kane Wiley intrigued her in a way she’d never felt before.
“All the time.” He patted the yoke. “This baby isn’t only how I make my living. It’s where I call home.”
“Home.” She thought about her painstakingly decorated flat in Boston. “You and me. We’re very different.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
Serena nodded.
He was rootless, a wanderer, free. She was tied down by her business, responsibility, expectations.
But at this moment, for as long as it could last, Serena wanted to enjoy the flight and this time with Kane, in spite of their differences and because of them. She wanted a taste—a nibble really—of what his life was like.
“You’re such a free spirit,” she said.
“I like to go where I want to go.”
“And Boston?”
“A layover,” he said. “Nothing more.”
“Isn’t your family there?”
“My dad.” Kane pushed a couple of buttons. “We don’t always see eye to eye on things.”
“My sister is like that with my mom and dad. That’s made things…difficult.”
For all of them.
“What about you and your parents?” he asked.
“I get along fine with my folks.”
She’d made sure of that.
“Lucky.”
Serena nodded. But feeling lucky had nothing to do with her parents and everything to do with the sexy man sitting next to her. She held back a sigh.
A button lit up on the instrument panel. Kane immediately noticed it. Sat straighter. Furrowed his brow.
Her heart jolted. “Is something wrong?”
“Nope, but I need to take care of that light.” He studied the instrument panel. “Would you mind going back to the cabin and fastening your seat belt?”
“Sure.” She unbuckled the harness and squeezed out of the seat. “I’ll see you later.”
He nodded, pulling out some kind of manual.
Serena returned to her seat and buckled her seat belt. Leaning back, she blew out a puff of air.
What had she been thinking? Doing up there?
That warning light had been a sign, a reminder that she was better off earthbound. She needed to get her head out of the clouds. Being up in the air was a dangerous place. And being with Kane…
She didn’t want any turbulence in her well-planned life.
Why was engine number two’s damn fuel filter light on?
Kane stared on the instrument panel. He reset the circuit. The light remained on.
Interesting.
He had dealt with this before and knew what to do, but with Serena on board, he glanced at the flight procedure’s manual to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.
Okay. Just as he remembered. One fuel filter light. No problem. He would wait and see what happened next.
The usual chatter filled the radio airwaves. Nothing to worry about.
Kane focused his attention on the instrument panel. Everything was looking good.
The other fuel filter light popped on.
His stomach knotted in about a hundred different ways.
Two fuel filter lights meant fuel contamination. Damn. The plane had been filled with bad gas.
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Melissa McClone
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: Stranded with the bad boy…For wedding-dress designer Serena James, nothing less than perfect will do–and that applies to finding Mr. Right! Her pilot, Kane Wiley, doesn′t meet any of the criteria…apart from being drop-dead gorgeous! Kane feels most at home in the skies.For this drifter, no commitment means freedom. But while flying Serena to a wedding convention, Kane is forced to perform a crash landing! They might be chalk and cheese, but, stranded together, there′s no denying the chemistry. And it′s going to be a while before their SOS is answered….