Rescuing The Reluctant Groom (Windy City Romance 5) Read online

  Harper and recipes? The whole thing felt surreal.

  How comforting, to be caught up in the everyday rhythms of a home filled with love.

  When Selena first moved to Chicago, her apartment quickly became a refuge. After the crowded rooms of her past, she’d never wanted a roommate. The space of her three room apartment in Wrigleyville felt luxurious. With so few possessions, she hardly knew what to put in the closet or her private storage space in the basement. She painted the walls, strung curtains and bought her first big screen TV. Living alone felt private and peaceful.

  Then she met Seth. Her whole life changed. The two of them talked about living together, but the conversations were casual. Time passed and that didn’t happen. Sleepovers? Sure but moving in together posed problems. He lived near his job and she lived near hers.

  Maybe the distance between them was just another sign this was never meant to be. Her younger sister Sofia talked a lot about buena suerte. Either you had good luck or you didn't. But in Selena's book, people made their own luck. Her parents had taught them this.

  “Are we ready to ride?’ Harper broke into Selena’s thoughts by clapping her hands. Bella ran to grab a jacket.

  “Have a good time,” Connie called out as they exited the kitchen.

  Outside, fifty-five degrees felt a lot better than the twenty degrees back home. Selena cast a lingering glance at the courtyard. Maybe later. Within minutes they were in the car, Bella secured in her carseat in the back.

  Instead of taking the parkway downtown, Harper chose Abercorn. “The street runs through town so you'll get a real feel for it.” As she drove, she pointed out the various areas.

  “These trees!” Abercorn was shaded by huge live oaks, dripping with moss that seemed to almost touch the cars. The frozen streets of Chicago faded from her mind. She was here to forget. Finally they reached Forsyth Park, the longest park Selena had ever seen. It took a while to find a parking space so Harper drove around the green expanse, giving Selena a chance to see more. The gorgeous fountain shone through the shadows under the huge trees. Finally a parking space opened up and Harper wedged the SUV into a space near a band shell.

  Unsnapping her own belt, Bella waited eagerly in the back seat until Harper scooped her out. Arms wind-milling, the little girl ran toward the other children. “I don’t need you to push me on the swings. Just watch.”

  “We’ll be sitting right on this the bench, okay Bella?” Harper called after the rambunctious little girl. Bella joined a clutch of children waiting their turn.

  “Hard to believe she can pump herself on those swings. But I’m all for it.” Harper settled onto a bench between the play area and the beautiful fountain Selena had seen in more than one travel photo.

  And to think she was here. She took a seat next to Harper. “This is so gorgeous. It’ll be a while before they turn on Buckingham Fountain in Chicago.”

  Carefree travelers snapped selfies in front of the gargoyles and water sprites that were part of the iconic Savannah fountain. While Harper kept her eyes on Bella, Selena took in the scenery.

  “What a nice life you have here, Harper, so carefree and cozy.”

  Harper’s glance veered back to her, but only for a second. Bella was clearly her main concern. “Wasn’t always this way. Things started out pretty rocky. Bella was a handful and so was her father. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to throw in the towel and head back to Chicago.”

  Lips pulled to one side, she shook her head. “Back then, procrastination was my middle name. I'd gone through so many jobs after graduation. When Cameron took me on as a nanny, I became determined to see this through, especially after I met Bella. Then I had to stick with it.”

  “And in the end you got the guy. You created your own good luck.”

  “Guess so but it wasn’t easy. I’d been dumped by my long-term boyfriend Billy. Nothing was going right. But this position...” She nodded toward Bella, pumping like crazy on one of the swings. “I wouldn’t let myself fail. She needed me.”

  “McKenna said Bella had a feeding problem at the beginning?”

  “Right. And she’s still a little squeamish about some food, but she’s put that behind her. I’m really proud of her.”

  “You sound so motherly, Harper.”

  Harper smiled mysteriously. “Amazing, right?”

  “Do you want children of your own some day?” Stupid question to ask a Kirkpatrick.

  “Yeah, I sure do. How about you?”

  “If I can give them a good life, of course.” No crowded bedrooms with mattresses on the floor for her. Selena’s stomach twisted at the thought. “I have mixed feelings about child care.”

  “Did you have a lot of babysitters when you were growing up?”

  The warmth in Harper’s eyes eased open a door Selena had closed firmly behind her. “Harper, I grew up in the migrant worker camps. That’s how my family survived. It wasn’t unusual for my parents to take us with them to the field during the day or a packing plant at night. They had no choice.”

  “Oh, Selena. Honey, I never knew.”

  Maybe this was a day for leaving past hurts behind. “My youngest brother, Domingo, died from exposure to fertilizers. He was only two. My mother was never the same.”

  Harper’s green eyes deepened to river stones. Why had Selena brought this up now? The Kirkpatrick family and the Ruiz family were as different as night and day. “I’m sorry, Harper. I never should have mentioned...”

  The carefree screeches of the playing children were probably all Harper knew—a life of swing sets, tidy classrooms and the same smiling teacher the entire year.

  “Selena, I always knew you were a tough cookie. Seth never mentioned any of this. Wait a minute. Does he know?”

  Stomach shifting, Selena didn't want to ruin this beautiful day by talking about the past. “It’s not exactly date conversation, Harper.”

  “Seth is more than a date, Selena. You two have been together for a while. Why are you holding back? It wasn’t until I learned about Cameron’s family life that I knew I could love him.” Harper’s cheeks flamed, another Kirkpatrick trait. “At least, if the relationship is serious, a couple should have no secrets.”

  Secrets? “Oh, but I wasn’t holding back on purpose...”

  “But Seth would want to know this. He’d never think less of you, Selena, trust me. I know my brother that well.”

  Had she blocked Seth out? Selena wanted to forget her past but to be truly close to a man, she might have to share it.

  Harper’s words settled over Selena like the fertilizer she’d feared as a child. Her throat swelled until it was hard to swallow. “When did you become so wise, Harper?”

  The bright sun bounced off Harper’s curls when she shook her head. “Oh, no. Not me. You’re the smart one, Selena. And you’ll come through this. But you have to lift the veil, right?”

  “Maybe I’m just too proud to tell him what it was really like for me growing up. He knows I went to school on grants and so did my entire family. He never asked any questions.”

  “Probably never occurred to him. And I’m not saying this is why he hasn’t moved your relationship along. I just know that meeting Cameron’s family helped me understand him better. It made me love him more.”

  Selena was speechless. Harper had given her so much to think about.

  “My brother can be a total idiot sometimes. I don’t know why Connor and Mark can’t slap some sense into him. They both got married and wanted a family, pretty much the norm. “

  “Maybe that’s not on Seth’s agenda. Hard to say what’s normal.” Selena had tremendous respect for other people’s choices.

  “For most people. I hate to see you suffer because of my stupid brother. He sure kept us laughing when we were growing up. Connor was so serious about being the oldest in the family. But Seth? He was always cracking jokes.”

  Memories flooded Selena’s mind. One Halloween they went to a costume party with Seth dressed as a tub
e of toothpaste and she was the brush. “You can squeeze me any time tonight,” he’d whispered, always lots of fun. And underneath that, chemistry off the charts.

  Dates with Seth were like that...one glance, one comment and they both had the same thing in mind.

  But a marriage had to be more than that. More than just physical.

  Harper considered her with those hazel eyes that could turn moss green, just like McKenna’s. “A husband has to be a partner in every way, Selena. I think that’s Seth but I’m beginning to wonder.”

  Selena gulped and sucked in the humid Savannah air. Time to put on her big girl pants. “I’m at decision-making time, Harper.”

  Suddenly Bella left the children and dashed toward them. “Hey!” she called out before hurtling into Harper’s arms. “Can I get some loving?”

  The last was delivered in the sweetest tone. Harper’s arms closed around Bella and tears swelled in Selena’s eyes. A tight hug and Bella was gone.

  “That’s new.” Harper shook her head, smiling. “I think she saw it on TV.”

  “Adorable. Maybe we should all ask for what we want.”

  “Wish life were that simple.” Seth’s baby sister reached over and squeezed Selena’s hand. “You’ll do the right thing.”

  Plans were formulating in Selena's head. She was going to help Seth do the right thing too. The boy would never know what hit him.

  “Bella, take your turn,” Harper called out. Standing in line for the slide, Bella bobbed up and down like a jumping jack. The kid had ants in her pants, as Seth’s mother would say. “Maybe I’m lucky that Cameron had been single for a while. He had time to date after his wife passed away.”

  Selena had heard the sad story of Tammy, Bella’s mother, killed in a tragic accident when Bella was only two. Life could be so unfair.

  Jumping up, Harper stretched. “I should ask Bella if she has to use the restroom. She always forgets when she’s playing.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait here.” Taking out her phone, Selena checked her text messages. A warm shimmer ran over her skin. That surge of excitement every time something popped up from Seth made her crazy. These must have come in while she napped with her phone off.

  Stopped at the hospital today. Looks like you’re MIA. Miss you.

  Twenty minutes later. McKenna says you’re on vacation. Glad to hear it.

  That one made her chuckle. Was McKenna poking the bear?

  But it felt good to hear from Seth.

  Just when she thought he’d forgotten her.

  Number three. Weather’s crummy here. Where are you anyway?

  He still felt he had the right to ask? Selena snorted so loud that a passing woman glanced over. A rogue breeze sent the fountain spray her way, the droplets chilling Selena. He was so very wrong. She flipped to the next message.

  I’m thinking about you. Hope you’re thinking about me too. Love ya.

  Crazy thing about her boyfriend, well her ex-boyfriend. He could add that to any of his messages. “Love, Seth.” But he couldn’t say those words to her directly.

  She had to stay in his face. Her fingers flew. The phone should have caught fire from the comments she typed in. Told him just how warm the day felt on her skin and other parts of her body. How amazing that smoke didn't pour from the small keyboard.

  Finally, she jammed the phone back into her shoulder bag with a pleased smile. Tipping her face to the sun, she tried to get back in the zone. What a wonderful day. The sound of splashing water reminded her she was far from Chicago, away from the man who drove her crazy. And now the shoe was on the other foot. She flexed her bare toes in her sandals. Time for a pedicure.

  When Harper and Bella returned from the restroom, the three of them left the park and walked up along Bull Street, where jewelry and gift items sparkled in the windows.

  “Can I have a new purse, Harper?” Bell pressed her nose to a window where beaded evening bags glittered.

  “You don’t even use a purse yet.” Harper tugged a length of Bella’s dark hair playfully. “What would you put in it?”

  Lips pursed, Bella thought about it. “My phone?”

  “You don’t have a phone.”

  Mischief sparkled in Bella’s eyes. “You could get me one.”

  “You are a minx, you know that?” Harper led Bella away from the window.

  The youngster’s nose wrinkled. “What’s a mink?”

  Selena almost busted out laughing.

  “The word is minx and it means stinker. That’s you.” Harper touched a forefinger to Bella's freckled nose.

  Instead of being insulted, Bella looked pleased. The two were such a natural pair. Of course they had a future together, although Cameron and Harper weren’t engaged. Yet.

  Was Selena expecting too much from Seth? Uncertainty gnawed at her along with Harper’s comments. Had she been keeping things from Seth? Would that really affect their relationship? Not watching where she was going, Selena tripped but Harper’s quick save kept her from falling.

  “You have to watch these cobblestones. They’ve been here for ages and the roots of the trees have pushed them up.” Harper glanced at the time on her phone. “We should probably head back now. Cameron will be coming home.”

  The soft glow on Harper’s face when she mentioned Cameron’s name made Selena turn away. Toes throbbing from her near fall, she followed Harper to the car. Once upon a time she carried that happy glow because of Seth and maybe she still did. The man had his good points. No matter how hard she battled those memories on the way back to the mansion, they wove through her mind like the Spanish moss hanging from the trees overhead.

  “Cameron has plans for us tonight,” Harper told her as they pulled into the garage. “Nothing fancy but he’s taking us out for dinner. In fact, he’s taking us out tomorrow night too for Valentine’s Day.”

  “Oh, boy.” Bella’s eyes were as big as the huge hibiscus in the garden. “Me too?”

  “Yes, you too. That okay with you, Selena? Cameron asked his mom to come in for Valentine’s Day. Kind of a family gathering.” Harper paused. “You’re practically family, at least in my book.”

  That old odd-woman out feeling surfaced again, no matter how hard Selena tried to beat it back. “I feel like I’m crashing your party, but thank you for including me.” Last year she’d spent Valentine’s Day with Seth and they’d gone to one of Chicago's fine Italian restaurants. This year she probably would have been home watching a Netflix film with a quart of chocolate chip ice cream she definitely didn’t need.

  “We’re glad to have you.” Getting out of the SUV, Harper opened the back door and Bella climbed out.

  “Yay! We are going out for dinner,” Bella echoed in a sing-song voice. After everything she’d heard about Bella’s feeding disorder, Selena was delighted by the little girl’s excitement. Eager to shake her funk, she grabbed Bella’s hand and together they skipped through the side yard.

  A little while later, the yapping of the dog announced Cameron’s arrival. Selena and Harper were talking quietly in the kitchen and Connie had left for the day. Scrambling from the sofa, Bella scurried from the TV room and threw herself at her father’s legs when he came through the back door.

  “Some day, you’re going to knock me right over.” Cameron swung Bella up into his arms. Was there anything as sexy as a dad caring about his child?

  “Oh, Daddy.” Bella tucked her head under her father’s chin.

  Stooping, Cameron gave Harper a kiss. “Miss me?”

  “Always. Say hi to Selena.”

  Cameron had to tear his eyes away from Harper. They were so preciosa together. “Hey Selena. Did you have a rough trip?”

  “Not at all. And we had a great afternoon at Forsyth Park.”

  Cupping her small hands on either side of Cameron’s face, Bella said, “Daddy, I saw the prettiest purses in the store today. Can I have one?”

  Cameron and Harper shared a glance. Like two parents. Like partners.

  “What are
you going to put in that purse, darlin'?” Cameron’s attention circled back to his daughter.

  “A phone?” Bella squeaked out. “Harper said so.”

  “Oh she did, did she?” Cameron gave Harper a glance that could melt marble.

  Giggling, Harper wagged a finger at Bella. “I did not. You better explain.” What fun they had together.

  “We can talk about this another time.” Cameron put Bella down. “Don’t want to be late for our reservation at Pearl’s. Who feels like some hush puppies?”

  “Me, me! I want some!” While Bella clapped, Pipsqueak danced around the kitchen, barking the entire time. Selena rushed upstairs to freshen up and change into her black pants and quilted jacket over an animal print top. By the time she made it downstairs again, Cameron and Harper were both wearing jeans and sweaters.

  “We love Pearl’s because we get to watch the sunset over the marsh,” Harper told her as they drove down Victory Parkway.

  Selena was seated in back next to Bella. “Will we see pelicans tonight?” Bella piped up.

  “I asked for a table at the window,” Cameron said.

  Sure enough, when they were seated at a window table for four, two pelicans were perched on the dock that wrapped around the restaurant. “Oh my goodness,” Selena sighed and sat back. “How peaceful.”

  “High tide.” Cameron nodded at the water lapping the marshes below. “If the tide were lower, you’d see a lot of gray mud and crabs scuttling around.”

  “Ew, Daddy. Yuck.” Bella pressed both hands to her mouth.

  “Sorry, sweetie, but you know it’s true.”

  Selena loved Lake Michigan but the marshes had a wild beauty. “Not a bad seat in the house is there?”

  Harper’s eyes swept the view with obvious appreciation. “We come here pretty often. Bella enjoys it and the food is really good.”

  The waitress brought their menus.

  Selena found out a lot that night. Her first discovery was that she loved hush puppies served with honey butter. Looking totally pleased with herself, Bella split one of the small balls open and did a pretty good job slathering it with the topping. Both Cameron and Harper seemed to hold their breath but Bella began to nibble. Their trepidation was no doubt an old habit that might take time to break. From what Selena understood, the little girl hadn't eaten anything but cereal until she was four. That had been Harper's greatest challenge.