Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (22 page)

“You’re probably driving
her
crazy, asking about it all the time.”

Seb snorted and flashed a devilish grin. “She loves it.” That was his twin, all right. Arrogance and charm, all rolled into one appealing package. A light dawned on Seb’s face. “Hey, why don’t
you
ask her? She’d probably tell you.”

“No way,” Theo said shaking his head. “I’m not getting in the middle of this one. Just quit bugging her and she’ll cave.”

“What makes you an expert on women all of a sudden?” Seb asked. Good question. Nothing, other than the fact that he was learning to read Avery Newbridge like a book.

Theo coughed into his hand as he saw Lexie heading toward them.

“He’s plotting with you, isn’t he?” she demanded of Theo, foot tapping on the floor.

“Um,” he said, stalling.

“You two,” Lexie said huffily, but she didn’t look angry.

Seb snared her around the waist and pulled her close. “You have to marry me. Now.”

“Why? So you can get your paws on my recipe? No, thanks.”

“Because we’ve been talking about it for weeks. Because you promised me I wouldn’t have to wait for you. Because I’m tired of not being married.”

She gave him a coy half-smile. “Well, here’s some news that will make you happy. I invited my parents out. They’re coming on Friday.”

Seb looked stunned. “Are you saying—”

“Yes.”

Seb’s expression was one of indescribable happiness. “Done. I’ll arrange everything.” Then he kissed her so passionately that the entire restaurant stopped and turned to stare. Once things had settled down and Lexie had disappeared back into the kitchen, Theo turned to him.

“What’s done?” he asked.

Seb smiled. “Did you happen to bring a suit with you to Star Harbor?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Because Lexie and I are getting married next weekend.”

“I’m really happy for Seb,” Jimmy Bishop shouted over the noise from his boat’s motor. “Lexie’s great, and he deserves to be happy.”

“She’s good for him,” Theo shouted back. “I think he’s crazy for trying to plan a wedding on such short notice, but he doesn’t care. He wants her, bad. Told me he’ll be back on Thursday to finalize the plans for everything.” Theo shook his head. “By the way, thanks again for taking me out.”

“No problem, man. I got the time and I’m happy to help with the research for the book. I’m just sorry that your brothers didn’t want to join us.”

“Cole’s on duty, and I never know where Val is.” Theo turned to look back at Star Harbor as Jimmy swung the small vessel—a twenty-foot motorboat—out into Vineyard Sound. The day was mostly cloudy, the weak sunlight casting a gray pall over the little town. Still, it looked beautiful from a distance, blanketed in white, boats bobbing up and down in the harbor.

As was typical in wintertime, the water was choppy, so as Jimmy drove the motorboat beyond the shoals, Theo leaned back against the cabin wall, happy to be inside and out of the brisk wind. He took the photocopies of the two maps out of his shoulder bag. One was from the book about the wreck, and the other from the cartography book.

“What’s our position?” he asked.

Jimmy checked his GPS. “I’m showing 41N 37′ 21.46″ by 70W 17′ 43.20″. We on target?”

“Yep.” He patted the cartographer’s map. “These old-timers really knew their craft. Now let’s compare this map to the one from the
Lorelei
book.” He studied the two for a moment and pointed to a spot. “I think this is it. What do you think?”

Jimmy glanced over. “Looks about right. So you want me to go east for what? Two miles?”

“That’d be great. Then we can head back west toward the mouth of the sound to check out the other area.”

“You got it.” Jimmy motored east, while Theo’s gaze scraped the shoreline and scanned the waters. They made it to Star Harbor Point in a few short minutes. At four in the afternoon, it was almost low tide, and Theo could see the entrance to the caves at the base of the cliff. Speeding on, they made it to the end of the wreckage site, then circled around to view the other end. Jimmy also took him to the mouth of Vineyard Sound, where the strip of land between Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod was at its narrowest. It was interesting to see the place where
the ship had been moments before wrecking. Theo could almost imagine the dark, stormy night, the captain’s struggle with the too-heavy ship, the crew’s desperate attempts to stave off an accident, and the certain death a shipwreck would bring. Madly, he jotted down notes—snippets for scenes, bits of dialogue that popped into his head, and evocative descriptions of the water. After an hour, he had a good bit of material. When Theo gave him a nod, indicating that he’d seen enough, Jimmy turned the boat to head back. It was growing dark, and the wind was picking up.

“Get what you needed?” the big man asked, just as they entered the calmer waters of the harbor.

“Yeah,” Theo said, making a few more notes in his book. “Quite a bit. Thanks again for taking me out.”

“No problem, man. Hey, you want to grab a beer? I promised Emma I’d be back for dinner before the tree lighting, but I don’t need to be home until six-thirty.”

Theo checked his watch. Five o’clock. He could spare an hour. “You bet. And I’m buying.”

CHAPTER 19

After docking the boat, Theo and Jimmy walked down the pier to the Rusty Nail. The tavern was quiet and Theo guessed that most folks were home with their families, about to have dinner before heading out to the Green. Just like Jimmy was planning to do. Jimmy and Emma. Seb and Lexie.

Suddenly, family life seemed hugely appealing, and he found himself thinking about how he’d gladly pitch his unstructured existence in San Francisco for a shot at that kind of happiness.

He’d miss San Francisco for sure; aside from the pretentious clique he’d become a part of, the city’s laid-back attitude was perfect for him. But for the right woman he’d be willing to leave it behind. And he had a suspicion that the right woman was Avery. If only he could convince her of that fact.

“Gentlemen,” Andy greeted them as they walked up to the bar. “How goes it?”

“I’m good, Andy, thanks,” Theo responded. “Kind of dead tonight, huh?”

“Lots of people home early for the lighting. But the regular crowd’s here,” Andy said, nodding surreptitiously at Don Rathbone, a notorious drunk who was sitting in a corner with some other fishermen. Don was married to a woman who’d been in Theo’s high school class, Margo Mabley. He thought he’d heard somewhere that the two of them had a kid.

“Just took Theo out on the Sound. Research for his new book,” Jimmy said, sliding his big body onto one of the bar stools. “He promised me a beer for my services.”

Theo laughed and sat down next to him. “That I did. Draw him whatever he wants, Andy. And please put it on my tab.”

Jimmy didn’t need to ask what was on tap. “Sam Adams, please.”

“Same, Andy, thanks.”

Andy nodded. “I enjoyed your reading last week at the library.” He finished pouring the beers and placed the ice-cold drafts on the bar.

Theo tipped his glass up to Jimmy’s. “Cheers.” Then he turned back to Andy. “I enjoyed being there. And besides, it was a friendly crowd.”

Jimmy coughed into his hand. “Except for someone who got up and left before the questions even started.”

Andy didn’t even need to ask whom they were talking about. “She’s got a mind of her own,” he said. “Best to tread lightly.”

Just then, Val and Cole walked through the door.

“Thought you might be here,” Val said. He clapped a hand on Theo’s shoulder in greeting, then slid onto the bar stool next to him. “Seb went back to New York a half-hour ago, but not before he gave me and Cole a list of stuff to take care of for the wedding this weekend.”

“We thought we’d head over here for a drink before we tackled the list,” Cole said.

“Glad you did.” Theo gave him a smile. “Can’t believe Seb’s getting married.”

“I know,” Val said. “I’m just glad he found someone so good for him.”

“I think it’s great,” Jimmy said before taking a big swig of beer.

“So what’s going on with you and Avery?” Andy asked bluntly, undeterred by the interruption.

“Less than I’d like,” he admitted.

“Aw, poor Professor,” Cole said, slapping him on the back as he moved around to take a seat next to Jimmy. “Didn’t you plan out the seduction in advance?”

Theo didn’t join them in their laughter, but Cole’s words resonated with him. This was one thing he hadn’t masterminded. At least, not so far.

Though he and Avery had shared an incredible night together, Avery was obviously struggling with what had happened between them.

The men had moved on to a new topic—ice fishing—but Theo didn’t join in. He leaned toward Val, whose advice he’d always relied upon.

“If you’re serious about Avery, you need to convince her that you’re the one for her,” Val said softly, without even waiting to be asked.

“I’m not sure I can,” Theo admitted. Getting her to open up, even a little, had been a huge challenge. And now that they’d been intimate? Well, that had just served to further complicate things.

“Sure you can. Anyway, you’ve already done the hardest thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Realizing that you’ve turned into the kind of man who can appreciate her worth. The rest is a cakewalk.” Then Val took a deep drink of the beer Andy had placed in front of him.

Theo was silent, realizing his brother had spoken the truth. It had taken being in Star Harbor for him to begin to understand that the self-satisfied pseudo-intellectual he’d become could in no way compare with the introspective, unself-conscious guy he’d once been—and was rapidly becoming again. Why, he’d been happy to escape his passionless existence in San Francisco even before meeting Avery. Now, all he could think about was the woman with the shimmering sunrise hair and a fiery temper that came out only when he goaded her. And he loved doing it. Loved watching as she lost her tight rein on her emotions, and loved knowing that he was the cause.

Val was right—about everything. Avery was the woman that he’d finally fallen in love with, but he wasn’t so sure that admitting he’d changed was the tough part. It seemed to him that convincing Avery that it was okay to let him in and love him back was going to be a lot tougher.

He thought he’d been so clever in his pursuit of Avery. Little did he guess that it would backfire. Sure, he’d finally gotten her into bed, but he wasn’t content with just possessing her body. He wanted the whole package, and he was man enough to acknowledge it. In times past,
he would have masterminded a plan so clever that she’d have no choice but to fall for him. But any kind of plotting with respect to Ms. Newbridge just made him vaguely disheartened.

He took a long drink and lost himself in the banter of the bar, wishing he were with Avery instead. At some point, Jimmy went home to dinner, but he stayed on.

Before he knew it, it was time for the tree lighting. Thanks to his preparations for his excursion with Jimmy, he was already warmly dressed for the evening outside. Together, he and his two older brothers walked to the Green, where they joined the large group gathering. The gas lamps that lined the square were lit, and while they provided a dim light, it wouldn’t be enough to overshadow the enormous balsam fir that Luke and some of the other townspeople had set up smack dab in the middle of the great lawn. Even unlit, it was gorgeous, full and tall. Not-so-surreptitiously, Theo glanced around the crowd, hoping to find Avery.

There she was, about thirty yards away, her glorious mane spilling down over her shoulders. So she was back to wearing that big puffy coat again? He wondered if it had anything to do with his comment about the jacket that she was wearing the night before. Realizing it was ridiculous to try to read anything into her sartorial decisions, he focused on his approach.

He
was here. Watching her. Waiting for her. Though Avery couldn’t see him, she could feel him, his hot eyes prickling the back of her neck. She wasn’t ready to talk. Not yet. Last night had been overwhelming in more ways than one, and she needed time to get her bearings without the whole town watching them. Tightening her grip on Kate, she steered her closer to the tree and away from wherever Theo Grayson was skulking.