Four Christmas Matchmakers Read online

  Pushing aside his private fear that her potential employer might already be asking way too much of her, he nodded. “Right.”

  Seeming to catch his reservations, she murmured reassuringly, “I don’t think it’s going to take more than two hours, max. Which means all you are going to have to do is watch over them and feed them dinner, and then I’ll be back here in time to put the girls to bed. And get things ready for school tomorrow morning. So it should all be fine.”

  That wasn’t really the point, he knew. She was setting a dangerous precedent with her potential new employer that would, if continued, leave her little boundary for a private life. He had lived that way with the Wranglers, giving every ounce of his energy to being the star pitcher and famous Texas “personality” they had needed and wanted him to be. No request was too big or too small; he had done them all. In the end, at great cost.

  And it was no path to happiness.

  Not that he expected she would listen to him if he tried to explain how the combination of unchecked ambition and celebrity could rob you of your soul. Never mind how hard it was to figure out who you really were at heart when the fame faded away, as all fame eventually did.

  “Cade?” Misunderstanding the reasons behind his apprehension, she said, “You already said you wanted to continue to help out this evening...” She looked at him peculiarly, as if wondering if she had gotten that wrong.

  “And I will,” he told her firmly. “I’ll even ask one of my sisters to help out, just to make sure we have enough hands on deck. But are you sure this is the boundary you want to set with HITN, right out of the gate?”

  She went into the mudroom and came back with her winter coat and scarf. “They were clear the job requires me to be flexible and able to rise to whatever the challenge of the moment happens to be.”

  Cade understood the unpredictability of work life, and performing well, no matter what the situation. He helped her with her coat while she put her arms in the sleeves.

  Her eyes glittered with excitement. “And to make sure whomever they choose is up to the task, they will be giving both me and my competition a new challenge every day or so for the next week or two.”

  Well, that was one way to spend the Christmas holidays, Cade thought wryly.

  She folded her pretty scarf in half, placed it around her neck and then slid the ends through the loop. “HITN will decide which one of us gets the new TV show based on our performance under pressure.”

  He had never seen her so amped up. Noticing a section of her hair was caught in the scarf, he reached over to lift it free. The thick strands felt just as silky and feminine as he remembered.

  Fingers tingling, he dropped his hand. “And you really, really want this,” he guessed, wanting her to have her heart’s desire, too.

  Her grin widened. “I do.”

  Cade knew, from painful personal experience, that sacrificing literally everything for a job was the kind of mistake that could be very hard to come back from. But this wasn’t his life, it was hers, so... “Then I’ll do everything I can to help you,” he promised.

  For a moment, she looked a little surprised. As well as very touched. “Thank you!” Joy emanating from her, she moved into his arms and gave him an exultant hug.

  The feel of her lithe body pressed warmly against his brought back so many memories. All of them good. Taking them right back into the past. When they’d still been together, and in that sense, so much happier. Before he knew it, he had given in to impulse and wrapped his arms around her, too.

  Feeling zero resistance, he lowered his head. Her eyes closed. Then she drew in a soft, welcoming breath, and their mouths met.

  Chapter Four

  Allison knew she shouldn’t be kissing Cade, never mind surrendering to the warm, sure pressure of his mouth in a way she never had before. But she couldn’t help it. She was so happy and excited. So ready for more. In her life, her work and, most especially, her heart.

  But that didn’t mean he was the one for her now, she mused, as he cupped her face in his hands and ever so slowly deepened the kiss. Any more than he had been the one for her when they had broken up eight years before. And yet there was a part of her that wanted him as much as he seemed to want her, wanted to be as lost in him as she had ever been.

  Had there not been four children on the premises and work for her to do, who knew what might have happened. But the responsibilities were there, and she was not as reckless with her heart as she once had been, so...

  Hand to his chest, she wedged distance between them and tore her lips from his, pretending for the moment it was all his doing, when she knew just the opposite was true. Like bees and blossoms, when in close proximity, they could not stay away from each other. Which was why she had taken pains to stay out of his orbit for the last eight years. “Whoa there, slugger,” she said.

  Another mistake. Slugger had been the endearment she had used when they were together.

  Feeling more guilty and aroused than ever, she flushed. “I’m sorry.”

  “For kissing me?” he asked in disbelief.

  Ignoring the tingling of her body, Allison pulled herself together. “That shouldn’t have happened. I let myself get carried away.”

  His sensual lips curved up at the corners. “Right.” He clearly didn’t believe her for one red-hot second.

  Waving an airy hand, she cut him off with an indignant huff and took pains to clarify. “That was about the job. My excitement.”

  Another telltale lift of his dark brow. His gaze drifted over her lazily, lingering on the tautness of her breasts before leisurely cataloging her throat and face, returning to linger, even more seductively, on her eyes. “Oh, I got it,” he drawled.

  Which, of course, wasn’t the way that sounded, either. Willing the desire welling inside her to go away, Allison slung her workbag over her shoulder and gathered up the shipping box she’d been sent, holding it in front of her like a shield. If only she hadn’t felt the depth of his desire, too. “So, you’ll be all right with the kids?”

  He watched her, his expression inscrutable now, then reached for his phone. “I’ll be great. Although—” Cade looked up from the text he was currently sending “—you may want to tell them what the new plan for the evening is before you go, so they aren’t thrown off guard by the change in situation this evening.”

  Allison winced. What was wrong with her? The kids—not the job she was hoping to get—were supposed to be her main priority this evening!

  She’d like to blame it all on Cade. But she knew she couldn’t do that. For the first time in her life, her ambition was starting to get ahead of her. In ways she didn’t particularly like. Was this the way it had been for Cade when he’d been aiming his sights on major-league baseball? And how ironic that the tables would now be turned and she would be the one with her priorities all out of whack...

  Saying a silent apology for her momentary selfishness, Allison forced herself to get back to the duties she had undertaken for the weekend, so that her exhausted, overworked friend might have a little time alone with her husband overseas while he got his big technology sales award.

  “Of course.” Determined not to let anyone down, she went to find the kids, who were still playing Candy Land in the living room with Zeus lounging nearby, watching them. The girls barely looked up as she explained she had a work thing she had to go do.

  “Daddy is always going to work,” Amber remarked, unsurprised.

  “But he takes a suitcase,” Jade added calmly.

  “And his computer,” Sienna supplied.

  Allison patted her workbag, glad this felt normal to them. “I’ve got mine, too,” she said. As well as her cameras.

  “Are you going to be gone a bunch of days like he always is?” Hazel wanted to know.

  Allison shook her head, beginning to feel guilty for deserting them and leaving them
in Cade’s capable hands. Even if it was only for a few hours. “No, I’ll be back tonight, in time to help you get ready for bed. And here to see you off to school tomorrow morning.”

  The girls squinted at Cade, who had strolled in to join them, his expression still inscrutable. “Do you know how to order tacos?” Sienna asked.

  “Because when Daddy makes dinner, he always gets us tacos and sopaipillas,” Amber said.

  Cade grinned. “I do,” he said. “And not only that, I have another surprise for you, because one of my sisters is coming over to have it with us!”

  Clearly, he wasn’t taking any chances, Allison thought, doing her best to become poker-faced, as well. “Thanks for stepping up,” she said, admiring him for that.

  He walked her to the door, then proceeded to carry the box to her car in a move that suddenly began to make it seem like a date. “Don’t look so surprised.”

  Allison couldn’t help it. In the past, their roles had been reversed. He had been the one always dashing off to do something to get ahead in his career. Now she was the one. And more surprising still, he was apparently okay with it.

  “It’s the new me,” she said flippantly, then climbed behind the wheel and, aware the clock was ticking, drove away.

  * * *

  “Lovely presentation,” Tripp Taylor, the programming director, said via Skype when Allison had finished making the entrée from the Chef Express home-meal service. The fit fiftysomething executive, with cropped silver hair and glasses, wore an open-collared shirt and blazer.

  “Only one problem,” the producer, Laurel Grimes, said. A decade younger than her boss, the pretty brunette was wearing a trendy silk shell top and fitted jacket.

  Allison couldn’t imagine what that would be, as she looked down at the two plates she had prepared. They were absolutely perfect.

  “You added flourishes that weren’t in the kit,” Laurel said.

  Allison blinked. “You mean the fresh herbs and the touch of cream and Dijon in the yogurt dill sauce?”

  “As well as the lemon slices and freshly ground black pepper instead of the packaged pepper flakes that were enclosed,” Tripp remarked, referring to his own copy of the cooking instructions included with the meal kit they had sent her.

  Laurel nodded. “We need you to stick to the script, Allison. Adding additional ingredients makes it seem as if the dinners aren’t okay on their own. Chef Express is never going to go for that. And since they are going to be a major sponsor for the new show, the show’s host is going to have to understand and adhere to that.”

  “Of course.” Allison could feel herself flushing in embarrassment. Why hadn’t they given her a heads-up about that?

  “Now, on to the branding,” Tripp said.

  The interview went downhill from there.

  Fifteen minutes later, Tripp and Laurel told her they would be in touch with her new challenge soon. And that was that.

  Aware time was wasting, Allison packed up the two meals she had prepared and quickly loaded her dishes into the dishwasher. Taking the food with her, she headed out to her car and over to Sarabeth and Shawn’s house.

  Cade’s sister Jillian was just getting ready to leave as Allison walked in. “Hey!” The botanist and antique rose expert engulfed her in a hug.

  Jillian had helped Allison pick out the new landscaping for her cottage. And the truth was, Allison had always loved all of Cade’s family. Luckily, none of them held their breakup against her.

  Allison returned the hug, reveling in the sisterly affection. “Thanks for helping out with the girls tonight.”

  “Are you kidding?” Jillian stepped back, beaming. “I owe you, after all the business I got when you mentioned my roses on your blog postings.”

  “How could I not? They are the best in the state!”

  They exchanged grins that reminded Allison how much she missed spending time with Cade’s family. Pushing away the sudden wave of nostalgia, she drew a quick, enervating breath. “And speaking of the quadruplets...” She cast a glance around. “It’s awfully quiet.”

  “They’re asleep,” Cade said.

  “Already?” Allison set her bags on the foyer table and slipped out of her coat. “It’s only seven thirty!”

  He nodded, admitting, “They were exhausted.”

  “As well as messy after their dinner of tacos and sopaipillas.” Jillian laughed. “So I ushered them through their showers and into the pajamas while Cade did the dishes. Then we all sat down to listen to him read a story, and before he got to the end of The Night Before Christmas, their eyes were closing. So we tucked them in. And now,” Jillian said, pulling on her own coat, “I really have to go because I have a date waiting for me.”

  So that was why she was wearing a skirt and sweater instead of her usual jeans. “Anyone special?”

  “I won’t know until I meet him.” Jillian grinned. “It’s a fix-up.” She headed out.

  Allison turned back to Cade, feeling a little bereft she had missed what sounded like a very nice evening with the girls. She had always thought she was happy not having kids, but now she was beginning to wonder if that were a mistake. If a happy life also meant having a very full life. Instead of one that was just well-ordered and peaceful.

  “Do you think it would be okay for me to check in on them?” Allison asked. “I mean, I don’t want to disturb them...” Especially when she had no idea how soundly they slept.

  The tiniest smile played around the corners of his chiseled lips as he locked eyes with her. “I’m sure it will be fine.” He touched her arm lightly. “I’ll go with you.” Quietly, they mounted the stairs. The dehumidifier made a soothing white noise in the hall. The girls’ bedroom doors were all open. All four were indeed sound asleep. Amber was surrounded by so many stuffed zoo animals it was hard to see where she was in her bed. Jade was clutching one of the baby dolls they had intended to take swimming that afternoon. Sienna’s loveys were scattered across the foot of her bed, and she was curled up on her side, grasping her pillow. Hazel was snuggling the Christmas elf and wearing a red-and-white-striped stocking cap much like the one they had seen in the storybook Cade had read them before bed.

  “They look so sweet and peaceful,” Allison whispered, as she backed out into the hall.

  Cade nodded, clearly as touched as she. “Don’t they,” he murmured.

  “Where is Zeus?”

  Cade winced in chagrin. He motioned for her to follow, stopping a moment later in the doorway of Sarabeth and Shawn’s bedroom. The black Lab had put himself to bed, too, in the tufted dog bed positioned at the foot of their four-poster bed. The pooch was snoring softly.

  Allison’s heart went out to the aging Labrador retriever. He’d had a heck of a day, too. She shook her head fondly. She’d never considered herself a dog person, but Zeus was making her doubt that attitude. “He’s really out, too,” she observed softly.

  Looking relaxed and at ease, with his shirt open at the throat, his sleeves rolled up to just the elbow, Cade offered, “If you want me to wake him...”

  Allison shook her head. The truth was, if the girls had a crisis, she might need him. “No. He can sleep here tonight.”

  She and Cade backed out of the room as soundlessly as they had come in. Chivalrously, he promised, “I’ll come over first thing to feed and walk him, then.”

  Grateful for all his help, Allison smiled. “I would appreciate it.”

  They headed back down the stairs.

  “Did you have dinner?” he asked.

  She shook her head. The weariness from such a long, eventful day had her starting to drag a bit. “I assume you did.”

  “I figured I’d wait for you. Go and get you something if you hadn’t eaten yet. Or—” he lifted one broad shoulder in an indolent shrug “—cook you something.”

  “You...cook?” When she’d known him, he�
�d been loath to spend any time in the kitchen if she was there to do it for him, which, when they’d been living together, she usually had been.

  His gaze drifted over her appreciatively. He seemed to be contemplating putting the moves on her once again. “You’d be surprised what I can do these days,” he murmured huskily.

  May-be...

  On the other hand, flirting with him was dangerous. How well she knew that. She forced herself to cut the repartee and be serious. Well mannered. After all, she owed him. If he hadn’t helped her out tonight, she might not have been able to do the impromptu job interview. She adopted an impersonal tone. “I was going to eat some of the food I prepared. It made enough for two. So you’re welcome to some...”

  Even though she had yet to figure out a way to make herself immune to his charm.

  “Sounds good,” he said.

  The heat of his smile made her tingle. “You don’t know what we’re having yet.” There she went, teasing him again.

  He followed her into the kitchen. “I remember how much I loved your cooking.”

  And she remembered how much she used to love him.

  * * *

  Cade studied the wistful expression on Allison’s face. Something was clearly bothering her. “How did the interview go?” he asked. She’d been practically walking on air when she had rushed out of there. Now she seemed pensive at best.

  Frowning, she got the covered containers out of the fridge. Began portioning food on two plates. “Not as well as I had hoped.”

  She put a plate into the microwave and pushed the dinner reheat button, then moved to get out the silverware.

  His heart going out to her, Cade filled two glasses with ice and water. “In what sense?” he asked.

  Allison used potholders to get the first plate out of the oven and set it on the island. She slid in the second plate, then turned the microwave back on. “Well, first of all, I screwed up the food-prep portion of the interview.” Briefly, she explained.