Page 29 of Coveted By the Bear

It became abundantly clear that Sadey McCreedy was a miracle worker.

“Thank you,” I whispered, turning again to look at the unfamiliar girl looking back at me through the mirror.

Sadey smiled into the reflection. “Of course. You don’t have to worry about tonight, you know. I’ll be there, and Caleb will be there. Brian will be there, too. You’ll already know half the people at the table.”

“It’s not you guys I’m worried about. It’s your dad.”

Sadey shrugged. “He’s not so bad. He’ll be honest about what he is thinking, but his thoughts are never cruel. To me, he is a big teddy bear.”

“That’s because you’re his daughter, though. I am a thorn in his town.”

“You’ll be fine. I promise. I’d better go before Caleb shows up to pick you up. He has been in the worst mood lately.”

I helped her gather all of her beauty supplies into a bright pink tote bag and followed her to the front door.

“I’ll see you in a little while,” she said. She turned and grabbed my hand. “Do you want me to sit beside you at the dinner table?”

“Please,” I said, more grateful for her thoughtfulness than I could ever express. The idea that Sadey would be there as a buffer did actually make me feel a lot better.

Caleb arrived just half an hour later. He pulled his Ford to a halt in my front yard and I rushed out the door before he could blast the horn. He was already getting out of the truck and didn’t see me until he was at the stairs of my front porch.

“Hey,” I said shyly.

He glanced up at me, and his look of deep thoughtfulness turned to one of surprise. Shock, really. “Wow,” he said softly.

His hand lifted slowly as he took in my dress and, not knowing what he intended, I placed my hand in his and used him to help me down the stairs. He recovered quite nicely…though he was probably just throwing his hands up in shock that I had used a brush on my hair. He opened the door to his truck and waited for me to climb in before he shut it and leaned against the open window.

His eyes were earnest and clear and his face so close to mine. “Mira, you look beautiful.”

Heat crept into my cheeks and traveled to the very tips of my ears. He was waiting for me to respond, but all I could do was look into his impossibly blue eyes and fight the urge to move a strand of blond hair, which had lifted gently in the breeze, behind his ear with the tip of my finger.

When it became apparent I had frozen lamely into place and wouldn’t offer a response other than the dumb smile that inched embarrassingly across my lips, he pushed off the door and strode to the driver’s side. I cast my eyes heavenward and puffed air out of my cheeks in frustration.

When he climbed in, I cleared my throat. “Sadey came over to help me get ready. She did all of this.”

“She did?” he asked, his golden brows winging up. He turned the engine over and it roared to life.

“Your sister is really nice,” I said over the noise.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “She’s the best of us.”

I smiled because she had said the same about him.

It was cool outside but not enough to run the heat. Caleb seemed to prefer to drive with his windows down no matter the weather. Did he feel as trapped as me in small spaces? Perhaps that was the new animal inside of him. As we crawled slowly down the rough road toward the front gate, I held my hair at the nape of my neck to keep it from whipping in the breeze and losing its curl. He noticed the movement and pulled to a stop.

“You can roll the window up if you’re worried about your hair,” he offered.

I hesitated. I didn’t want him to think I was a girl who cared about such things. Because I wasn’t. But I did want to look presentable for Mr. McCreedy.

Caleb seemed to realize my dilemma. “Best you do it so Sadey doesn’t lynch me for ruining all of her hard work.”

I tried to roll up the window but the lever was stuck.

“Here, let me,” he said, leaning over my lap and jerking the lever a couple of times before it wised up and moved under his will.

I breathed as lightly as I could. I looked down at the musculature in his arm, easily visible under his thin, gray, cotton shirt and the strain against the window lever. His body was so close to mine, I could feel the heat, and my stomach clenched inwardly. The tops of my breasts fought for air and space against the bust of the dress, and when he straightened up, he froze in place and seemed to notice them, too.

His eyes lifted to mine, and I could see tiny flecks of green in them. I wondered if anyone else had seen those tiny specks of unexpected color but me. A piece of me wished I was the only one.