Secretly Yours: A Christian Valentine's Day Romance (Riverbend Romance Novella Book 1) (2 page)

“Then I guess I’m dead. Whatever.” It wasn’t a matter of wanting to or not. Madison was right. Any female with a pulse would want to. That was the whole reason she’d said no.

That and disbelief he’d really changed. A youth pastor? Not the Nick Harrison she’d once known.

~*~

Nick paced the living room of his small apartment. Didn’t take that many steps to get from one end to the other. Out the window, early January continued her barrage. The wind carved falling snow into drifts that stretched toward the other side of the street, as though to escape the reach of the street lamps. The temperature had plummeted to fifteen below Celsius since night had fallen.

She’d said no. She hadn’t even been overly nice about it.

Probably served him right. High school memories had dimmed due to the partying he’d done for a few years, but somewhere in there he remembered pretending to be interested in Lindsey to get even with her best friend Sarah. Once Sarah had gotten his intended message, he’d ditched them both.

He’d all but forgotten Sarah in the intervening years, but Lindsey’s blue eyes, filled with hurt, had lingered.

Lindsey Solberg. A chef. Madison said she’d asked her sister to consider catering the Valentine’s banquet the youth were planning for a fundraiser for their missions trip at spring break. He didn’t need to win Lindsey in a day. They’d both returned to Riverbend. Both were single. Madison surely wouldn’t have doled out her sister’s number if she were married. Besides, Lindsey would have made sure he knew.

So, yes, single. How could he convince her he was different than her memory? That he’d changed? Become a Christian, gone to seminary, and served the Lord with all his heart at River of Life Church?

He’d win her over. Little gifts. Notes. He’d do the whole secret admirer thing while keeping any face-to-face meetings strictly business. For a while.

Now, what could he start with?

~*~

Lindsey trudged up the walk to the 50s-style split-entry she shared with her half-sister and step dad. Every time she’d glanced out the window of the Water Wheel all day long, she’d seen snowflakes fluttering by. The cold gray waters of the Sandon River flowed just beyond the patio that, come summer, would be full of patrons enjoying both the food and the view from the historic building.

All of Riverbend seemed hushed today beneath the half-meter of snow that had fallen in the past few days. The snowplow steadily churned up one street and down the next, pushing the heavy snowfall into the center of the roadways. It took a four-by-four to make a left turn anywhere in town with that center pile higher than many vehicles.

Perfect days for leaving Greg’s car parked and walking to work, though it took a good half hour. She’d be just fine not getting behind the wheel again until spring.

Lindsey pushed the door open and entered the shelter of the drab house. She’d move out of Greg’s place in a heartbeat, but she couldn’t bear to leave Madison behind again. Not now that their mother was gone. Her sister needed her.

“Hey, there was something for you in the mailbox!” Madison slid down the wood-toned vinyl hallway into view.

That kid ran and slid everywhere. So much energy.

“Oh? What’s that?” She unwrapped the scarf and shrugged out of her coat, hanging both on a hook. Then she unzipped her tall boots and wiggled her toes. Frozen, but they wouldn’t likely fall off. She shoved her feet into furry pink slippers. Moving back to Riverbend in the dead of winter had been a dumb idea. For many reasons.

“No stamps or postmark, so somebody must have put it there in person.” Madison brandished a package wrapped in brown paper and tied in twine from above the railing in the living room.

Reminded Lindsey of the song from the Sound of Music movie. Intriguing. A surprise was definitely one of her favorite things, too. Oh, wait, the music was really playing. She chuckled. “Good choice of soundtrack, Madison.”

Her sister beamed. “I thought so. I’ve been home for over an hour, so I had lots of time to figure out how to give this to you.”

Lindsey climbed the few steps to the main floor of the house. “So, are you going to hand it over or not?”

Madison swept a bow, handing the package over. “Here you go, ma’am.”

The paper crinkled in Lindsey’s hand. Something soft, not in a box. Her name was scrawled across the package with a black marker. Bold. What could it be? And from whom?

“Open it already!” Madison rocked on the balls of her feet.

Lindsey slipped the string off the package and parted the tape along the edge. She pulled the paper back until something pink and fuzzy was revealed. She lifted it up. A pair of cable-knit mittens? That was sweet, but where had they come from?

A piece of paper drifted to the floor, and Madison pounced then unfolded it. Her eyes widened and she clutched the paper to her chest. “Oh, how romantic!”

The drama team didn’t know what they were missing without her sister. Lindsey held her hand out until Madison relinquished the note.

The paper appeared to be from a memo pad, pink with red hearts around the edges. She raised her eyebrows. Seriously?

Dear Lindsey,

Cold hands, warm heart.

Secretly Yours.

She turned it over. Nothing. No hint of the sender.

“I bet it’s from Pastor Nick.”

Lindsey dipped her head to glare at her sister. “I bet it isn’t.” Nick Harrison wasn’t a romantic kind of guy. Not the Nick she remembered, for sure. Get a girl’s hopes up, then dash them. Maybe it
was
him. Maybe he was doing it again.

Chapter 3

All bundled up, Lindsey left the restaurant into another cold, dark evening. If only Greg would put new tires on his old car, but he’d simply dismissed her concern saying she’d just forgotten how to drive. Being as he wasn’t completely wrong, she hadn’t pushed it. Still, it would be nice to drive to and from work… at least if Greg let her use the car. Yeah, wouldn’t happen anyway.

A man in a fluffy down jacket and a knitted toque and scarf straightened from where he’d been leaning against the patio post. “Lindsey?”

The panic disappeared as quickly as it had surged, replaced by wariness. Seriously. What was Nick doing here?

“Can I give you a ride home?”

Half an hour walking down slippery sidewalks, some not even shoveled, freezing to death. Three minutes in a warm car. Walking sounded good.

He chuckled. “Promise I won’t bite.”

A gust of wind blasted past the edge of the restaurant, whipping her coat and hair.

She was being ridiculous. “Whatever.” Whoa. That had been rude. Lindsey took in a long breath and let it out slowly. “Thank you. But why are you here?”

He held her arm as they descended the few steps to the parking area. “I wanted to talk to you.”

The nerve. Lindsey pulled away. “I’ve already said no.”

“Madison tells me she’s asked you to consider being the lead cook for the Valentine’s Day banquet.” He opened the passenger door of a compact black car.

Lindsey closed her eyes for a second as she slid into the upholstered interior. He must think her a total idiot. Of course he wanted to talk about the banquet, not about taking her out. She waited until he’d rounded the car and buckled himself into the driver’s side. “Yes, she mentioned it. Did she over-step?”

Nick turned the key in the ignition. “Not at all. We’d talked options at our last banquet committee meeting.” He grinned. “Your sister thinks a lot of you.”

Yeah, and she seemed to think a lot of Nick, too. Plus determined to get them together.

“I did talk to my boss. I was afraid he might see it as conflict of interest.” Maybe even hoped it.

He shot her a sidelong glance as he backed out of the parking spot. “And?”

She shrugged. “He wants to approve the menu, to be sure it represents the Water Wheel well. He’ll provide ingredients at cost to help with expenses.”

“Oh, that’s awesome!”

“Yeah. So, I guess we need to talk.”

Nick’s grin widened as he turned north on River Way.

Great. She narrowed her gaze at him. “About the banquet.”

His smile didn’t dissipate. “Of course. What else?”

Lindsey’s jaw tightened. “I’m not going out with you.”

“So you said on the phone.”

And he’d accepted it just like that? Then why did he keep grinning? He didn’t add up. She brushed her hair from her cheeks with a mittened hand.

“Those look warm.”

Nothing showed on his face but a passing interest in a pair of knitted mitts.

“They are.” Should she poke a bit more? Why not? She held up both hands. “A gift from a secret admirer.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.” Wind blew snow across the front of the car. A good evening to have a ride instead of walking.

“Well, congrats. I should’ve guessed there was someone in your life.”

“A secret admirer, by definition, is someone I don’t know.”

He chuckled. “Oh, you probably do know. A pretty woman like you… lots of men must be lined up for your attention.”

“I’m back in Riverbend for Madison’s sake. Her father—” No. Nick didn’t need the family history.

“Condolences on the loss of your mother. It’s been hard on your sister.”

Of course, he already knew. He was Madison’s youth pastor. Too strange. “Thanks. Yes, it’s rough for her.”

Rough for Lindsey, too, even though her mom had lingered in a coma for months after the accident. And Greg, who’d never been the most stable man, had been floundering ever since. Madison should have been able to count on her father, but it hadn’t happened.

“When can we get together and talk about the menu?”

Lindsey’s thoughts derailed. Why was she doing this again? To please her sister, right? To help give Madison the opportunity to go on a missions trip. Not so she could see Nick Harrison a dozen times between now and Valentine’s Day.

Definitely not that.

“Want to go for coffee and we can talk about it now?”

She shook her head. Too much like a date. She didn’t want to be seen in public with him. People would get ideas. She became conscious of his gaze on the side of her face.

“I’m sorry I make you so uncomfortable.”

He’d noticed? That probably meant she was being rude, but she hated how unsettled he made her feel. It was disconcerting to think that she’d never gotten over her high-school crush. If she’d been comparing guys to Nick all these years, most of them should have come out ahead. He’d been such a jerk.

He wasn’t one now. Probably. She should give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Want to come in for a few minutes? I’m not sure if Greg’s home, but Madison’s there. We can make some preliminary plans.”

“I’d love to.”

Yeah, she’d just bet he would.

~*~

Nick held the door for Lindsey as they entered her house. This was even better than he’d hoped. To be here when—

“Linds! You’re home.” Madison skidded down the hallway and grabbed the banister above to keep from sliding past the steps. “Oh, hi, Pastor Nick.” Her eyes gleamed. “Guess what?”

Nick helped Lindsey off with her coat and hung it on a vacant hook. He couldn’t help grinning as she tossed the fuzzy pink mittens into a basket.

“What, Madison?”

Lindsey sounded tired. Maybe his idea to ambush her after work hadn’t been the best. Well, he’d done it, and he was here now. Invited in, no less.

“You got another package today. See?” Madison held up a brown box.

Lindsey glanced up, her cheeks flushing. Or maybe it was just the chill from the wind outside. “That’s nice. Madison, Nick is here to go over the menu for the banquet. Do you have any ideas of what you’d like?”

“Open your gift first.”

She shrugged as she ascended the steps. “It can wait.”

“No, go for it,” Nick said, unable to help himself.

She pivoted on the top step and stared him in the eyes, pretty much at his eye level. “Why?”

Uh. “Don’t you want to see what’s in it?”

“Come on, Lindsey.” Madison shook the box.

“Fine. I’ll open it. Please put on water for tea, Madison.”

“In a sec. I want to see.”

Lindsey took the box, slit the tape, and opened it to reveal a small box of chocolates. She glanced at the pink paper on top then set both on a chair.

Nick didn’t need to see the paper to know what it said.

Dear Lindsey,

You are as sweet as candy.

Secretly Yours.

“Ooh, chocolate!” Madison clutched her hands together. “Are those the ones with peanut butter? Those are your favorite.”

Ah, something he’d have to keep in mind for another time. Unless that would give away his identity. Hmm.

Lindsey turned to him, box extended. “Here, want a chocolate?”

“Oh, I shouldn’t. Those are from your secret admirer.”

She narrowed her gaze. “How do you know?”

“Just a guess by the fact you didn’t know from whom. Besides, you told me you’d already gotten something from a secret admirer, so it seemed a safe guess.”

“Ooh, is it you, Pastor Nick?” Madison batted her eyelashes.

He laughed. “Go put the tea on, girl. Let’s sort out this menu.” He took a few steps toward the dining room table.

Madison jumped in his path and poked him in the chest with her forefinger. “I bet it is you.”

“Hey now, if I wanted to date your sister, I’d just come right out and ask her. No need for games.”

“Unless she said no the first time.”

Lindsey’s voice broke in. “The teakettle, Madison, if you will.”

When Madison flounced back to the sink, Lindsey gave Nick a searching look. He must’ve passed the test because she grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the counter and took a seat at the table.

“So, what do you have in mind for the banquet?”

Chapter 4

“Dude, the teens and I have totally got this covered.” Jared leaned forward and pressed both hands on Nick’s desk. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“I’m not worried, exactly…” Well, maybe he was. Nick hadn’t known the other guy more than a few months, but he was a drama major at the community college, and the presentation was for credit.