Her Hometown Hero(26)

Martin kept speaking, but Spence wasn't listening anymore. This had all  been a setup-a setup that he'd fallen into quite nicely. So why wasn't  he angry? Why wasn't he storming from the house? Why wasn't he reading  his father the riot act?

Because the setup had worked-at least for him.

Though the meddlesome five were the ones who'd started everything, the  feelings Spence was developing for Sage had nothing to do with his  father or her grandmother. They were all-male feelings, and he wanted  Sage to know exactly how much he liked her.

"Oh, if Sage knew about this, you would all be toast," Spence said,  realizing that he'd better never, ever tell her. She'd skin them all  alive, and especially him for going along with the scheme.

"I've known little Sage since she was a small child. I'm sure she would be thrilled to be a part of our family," Martin replied.

"Whoa! Slow down there, Dad. Don't start planning the wedding just yet. I  can't even get the girl to go out on a date with me." How he hated to  admit that.

"Well then, you have to try harder."

Spence turned to find Eileen and Bethel in the doorway, both with identical expressions of frustration on their faces.

"What?" He'd been saying that a lot lately.

And why? Had he entered an alternate universe or something? Was this  Tag-Team-on-Spence Day? He expected his brothers to join in on the  ribbing next. They probably had built-in radar and were on their way  there now.

"If you want her to go out with you, you have to make her want to,"  Bethel said. "A lady wants to be courted, to be treated like she's the  crown jewel and like you have eyes for no other woman but her."

"I've never had a problem getting a date before, but suddenly the one  woman I want to take out would rather change bedpans than accept an  offer from me. I've sent her flowers, told her she's beautiful, made it  more than clear that I des-" Oops.

"We may be older than you, sweetie, but we're not stupid. We know when  there's chemistry between a man and a woman. Were you going to talk  about desire?" Bethel asked, and Spence shifted uncomfortably in his  chair. This conversation was going from bad to worse.

"No, ma'am," he muttered, and his father and the two women laughed as he shifted again.

"Well, if you want to get her to accept a date, you need to be more  romantic. Yes, flowers are nice, but they're unoriginal. You have to  show her that you're putting real effort into it," Eileen said a bit  dreamily.

"Effort?"

"Yes, son, effort," Martin said. "I know you don't usually have to work so hard, but isn't Sage worth it?"

"Of course," Spence replied. "She's more than worth it."

"Then prove that to her. Prove that she's worth you using your brain along with your charm," Martin told him.

"Give her the world in the palm of her hand, show her there's still magic in dating," Bethel said, her eyes misting over.

"This isn't helping," Spence grumbled. They were talking in riddles. He  needed definitive answers on how to get the girl. A handbook with all  the plays diagrammed, maybe.

"Be her Prince Charming," Eileen added.

Was that supposed to make a lightbulb suddenly turn on over his head? It  sure as heck wasn't working. But as he stared at the three people in  the room with him, his thoughts began spinning. Ahh. Yep. Looked like  the light had kicked on, after all.

If one thing was for sure, it was that Spence would make a hell of a Prince Charming.





Green and red, gold and silver, garlands and lights-this was no hastily  tricked-out break room. The hospital had gone all out to make this a  Christmas party that wouldn't be forgotten. Was that an advantage of  living in a small community?                       
       
           



       

Sage stepped into a meeting room that had been completely transformed  into a holiday ballroom. The decorations were placed carefully enough to  satisfy even her stringent requirements, candles were burning bright,  and the smell of Christmas pine, cinnamon, and cloves drifted through  the air.

"You are stunning."

She gasped to find Spence behind her, and it took several seconds before  she could breathe again. He was resplendent in a black tux with a  bright red tie and a sprig of holly on his lapel.

"I could say the same about you," she said, smiling shyly as she lost herself in his eyes.

"I think red is my new favorite color after seeing that number on you."

"Here you are, Sage." Almost in a daze, she turned to find a man approaching with a drink. Who was he? Oh! Her date.

"Thank you, Ted. I'm parched," she said, accepting the glass and taking a  deep drink. She only hoped the alcohol level was at least eighty proof.

"I found our table. Would you like to sit down?" he asked, ignoring  Spence completely. If she were Ted, she'd do the same. Her date paled in  comparison with the guy. All the men in the room did, actually.

"Sage, you are breathtaking."

She turned again, a genuine smile coming to her lips as Martin approached with Eileen on his arm.

"This lovely woman leaves me in the dust," Sage said as she gave each of them a hug.

"Don't be silly. I was just happy to be invited," Eileen said with a giggle.

"Is my grandmother here?" Sage asked. "She didn't tell me whether she was attending."

"No," Eileen replied. "Martin invited us both to come with him, but she wasn't feeling very well."

"She's not well? She didn't say anything to me. I should go and check on  her." What had happened? Her grandmother had seemed fine half an hour  ago when she's spoken to her on the telephone.

"There's no need to rush off, darling. She just said her feet were tired from all the dancing we did last night."

"If you're sure . . ."

"I'm positive. If you rush out of here, your grandmother would have my hide. You don't want me to get into trouble now, do you?"

"Of course not, Aunt Eileen," Sage said. "We were getting ready to sit  down. Would you like to join us?" Please join us, she added silently.  She had a feeling it was going to be difficult to keep a conversation  going with her date if she was left on her own.

"I'd love to join you," Martin said, and the four of them went to Sage's  table. "We'll just move the seating around." He grabbed a waiter and  had him move some place cards.

She stood at the table, giving Ted the opportunity to hold out her  chair. When he simply sat down, she was subconsciously disappointed.  Yes, it was old-fashioned of her, but she'd always been taught that a  man held out his date's chair, never sitting before she did. When Martin  did the proper thing by Eileen, Sage smiled.

Then Spence was there again, his hand on the back of her chair, a smile  also on his face. "Ladies first," he whispered seductively against her  ear, the warmth of his breath making her heart flutter. Ted didn't seem  to notice, the clod.

"Thanks," she murmured as she took her seat and picked up her napkin.  When Spence sat on her other side, she knew tonight was going to  challenge her self-control.

"Oh! If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back." Ted jumped up and rushed over to a couple who'd just entered the room.

Sage watched as he laughed at something the man said, and then the two  of them walked over to the liquor bar, leaving the woman the other man  had entered with standing alone. She didn't seem upset-she was obviously  used to being abandoned like that.

"It looks like your date has other things on his mind," Spence said, leaning in too close for her comfort.

"This is a social event. It's perfectly fine to be socializing."

"It wouldn't matter if the building started falling down around us-I  still wouldn't leave your side," Spence said softly, his deep drawl  giving her goose bumps.

"Well, then, you must not be that social-or you just don't have any  friends." She knew she was being a bit catty, but she refused to feel  bad about it.

"I just know when I have a good thing. And I don't let it go."

"Is that a warning, Spence?"

"It's a promise, Sage."

"Oh no. Will the hackneyed lines never end?"

"Sorry, doll, but it happens to be the truth. I've decided I like you,  and instead of just flirting and cornering you in exam rooms, I'm going  to say what I think and feel. I want you-and not just for one night."                       
       
           



       

The sparkle in his eyes told her he was truly enjoying himself. The leap in her libido told her she was in deep trouble.

"And the past few weeks-what was that?" As he hadn't once been holding  back from her, she couldn't imagine what he had planned with this new  challenge.