Nicholas hardly seemed like a reliable source.
"He's only interested in any woman for one night," Juliette said at last. "And I'm not interested in bloodying my heart trying to convince him otherwise."
Nicholas got down off the horse. "Want to talk?"
She looked at him. Was he kidding?
"I know it's odd to me to, but women like to tell me their troubles," he said. "I don't sleep with half as many women as people think I do."
"I'm not that gullible."
He gave her a roguish grin. "It's not always about sex. Women find me easy to talk to. I think it's because of my momma, she made damned sure that Xander and I knew that women were more than just sex objects," he said.
Nicholas was so easy going, so accepting of his charm and his faults. Not for the first time she wondered why she hadn't been attracted to him instead of Wyatt. "Life would be easier if we could control who we fall for."
"It sure as hell would," Nicholas said.
Falling into step beside her as she walked back to Lavender House.
"So … "
"I'm not going to talk about Wyatt with you," she said. She wasn't entirely sure she could put what she felt into words anyway. But talking about him with one of his half-brothers … well that didn't seem cool. "It's just not my way."
"Fair enough," Nicholas said. "What's in that Lavender stuff you handed out at the Boots and Bangles shindig?"
"Why?" They had received a few calls on their order line that the lotion was nice and people were ordering the bigger 8-ounce tube.
"Just asking. Seems like it was more than scented lotion," he said.
Damn. Was he having a reaction? Ariana's scar was continuing to fade but what if that wasn't the way the lotion worked for others.
"It's a special formula Ariana came up with," she said. "Is it bothering your skin?"
"Exact opposite. See this scar," he said, lifting his hand and showing her an old one on his wrist.
"Yes?"
"It used to be more pronounced. I think the lotion is making it fade. Just wanted to know if that was what y'all intended?" Nicholas said.
Juliette's worries about the lotion evaporated. "It's a happy side affect."
"Hell I'd market the crap out of it," he said. "You wouldn't be able to make it fast enough if people knew it could improve the look of scars."
"Well, that's nice to hear. But we aren't going to be making any claims about the lotion right now," she said as they got close to the barn at Lavender House.
There was a pick-up in the driveway … Wyatt's. Nicholas got on his horse and tipped his cowboy at her.
"See ya later," he said, riding away.
Juliette came closer to the house and found Wyatt waiting for her on the front porch.
"What did Nicholas want?" he asked.
"Hello, to you too, Wyatt," she said, trying not to notice how good he looked his faded jeans and Kelly's Boots logo tee. "He wanted to talk about our lotion. Why are you here?"
"Trey and Ariana invited me for dinner," he said.
They did? She opened the front door. "Well, come on in."
"No."
"No?"
"I waited for you. Wanted to make sure it was okay if I stayed for dinner?"
"Sure is. We're going to have to see each other Wyatt. Whiskey River isn't that big of a town. Trey and Ariana are a couple now … "
"If you're sure."
"I'm not. Have you changed your mind?" she asked. Damn, why couldn't she play it cool with him?
He sighed and took her hand drawing her away from the door and the open windows. "I am trying to do the right thing, Juliette."
She looked at him. Really looked at him. He seemed tired. She wondered if he was sleeping any better alone than she was. But she didn't ask. She'd already thrown herself at him twice; it was time to move on.
"Then let's get inside and have dinner, Wyatt. Wouldn't want to tempt you into doing anything you don't want to do."
She heard him cuss under his breath. Her little dig hadn't made her feel better. She had to stop this. To let it go.
"I'm sorry," she said. "You were being nice and I-
"You were being human."
She nodded.
She opened the door and walked into Lavender House very aware that Wyatt-no, Trey's brother-was behind her.
To make him just Trey's brother. He had no other connection to her than that.
Really. He didn't.
Chapter Eight
‡
Chloe had made coq au vin for dinner and Juliette noticed the look on Ariana's face when she realized that her matchmaking plans had failed. It was Chloe's night off and she had gone to San Antonio to meet up with a friend from cooking school. So it was the four of them.
Sitting in the dining room of their Victorian house had made her wish she were back in the early 1900s. That way she wouldn't have been expected to make conversation with Wyatt. But the truth was she'd had a hard time keeping her eyes off him. He was pleasant enough but she knew what he looked like naked. And kept getting these really uncomfortable flashes of his chest every time he moved.
Wyatt and Trey both looked out of their element, talking about the ranch while she and Ariana went into the kitchen to clean up the dinner plates. Juliette felt like this night was never going to end.
"I am so sorry. I thought if you two were together it would make things better but this is awful," Ariana said.
"It's fine. We are both pretending we never saw each other naked so it's bound to be awkward."
Ariana laughed as Juliette had intended for her to. She just had to smile and pretend that she was okay with this. "Oh, Nicholas stopped by earlier to let me know that the lotion is fading his scars too. I think we are on to something, maybe we should see about getting it tested by the FDA and then marketing it as a miracle cream."
So far not too much had come of the gift bags they'd distributed. She was a bit disappointed in that. She'd had a lot of hope that the Gala was going to change thing. Looks like she was wrong twice.
"Really? That's great about Nicholas. I'm sort of reluctant to have the FDA in our business. From my experience once you start labeling something ‘miracle' you have a lot of hoops to jump through and our customers experience will change as well."
"Good point. I didn't think about that," she said. "I was just hoping for more word of mouth on the lotion. Right now it looks like my gamble didn't pay off."
Ariana patted her on the back. "It will. These things take time. Nicholas just noticed it and he's a guy. Maybe other people will start to as well."
Ariana had a point. Juliette got the chocolate mousse that Chloe had made from the fridge. "Guess she wasn't taking any chances on you burning dessert again."
"Not all of it was burnt," Ariana said picking up two of the desserts and heading back to the dining room.
As soon as Trey saw the dessert he started laughing. "A dessert worthy of your cooking skills."
"You might not get one if you keep talking," Ariana said putting the desserts on the table.
Trey put his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap and kissing her. "You know I love all your skills."
Juliette stood in the doorway watching her cousin and the man she loved. She wanted that.
Wyatt cleared his throat and Juliette realized he had been watching her. She felt the heat of a blush climbing up her cheeks and ignored it. Handing his dessert cup to him. She sat down next to him at the table as Ariana took her own seat but Trey kept hold of her hand as they ate dessert.
"Thanks for dinner, ladies, but I've got to get home," Wyatt said as soon as he finished the last bite of his dessert.
Trey and Ariana were still eating so Juliette got up. The mousse was delicious, and if she had the patience to cook she'd try to make it herself, but she knew she didn't. There was a reason why they had employed Chloe. Neither she nor Ariana could cook. She wanted to leave Ariana and Trey alone. They clearly wanted to be.
"Finish your dessert, I'll see Wyatt out." She was more than ready to be alone with Wyatt, talk to him by themselves.
"There's no need-"
"I said I'd see you out," she said, getting to her feet. Watching Ariana and Trey together convinced her to take at least one more chance on getting Wyatt to change his mind.
He shrugged and walked out of the dining room and she followed him. "Really? I can't even walk you out at the end of the night?"
"I was trying to keep things from getting weird."
"Too late," she said.
"It is, isn't it? I had hoped by playing it cool the night of the gala we'd be able to still see each other but this was one strange dinner," he said.
"Agreed. You know if you'd stop running from me, this wouldn't have to be so odd," she said. "I'm not saying we should hook up or anything but maybe we could hang out and try to be friends."