younger sister, convinced that Miranda, though beautiful, had no feminine wiles to rely on. But this time she’d gone too far. She could have at least warned her, so she could have been prepared instead of acting like a shell-shocked victim at the front door. Miranda still hadn’t completely recovered from the shock, but she’d recovered enough to speak to Ariel. And she couldn’t wait until she got her alone.
“What a surprise to see Max,” she said, giving her sister a pointed glance.
Ariel turned on her warmest smile. “Is that his name?” She held out her hand. “I’m happy to meet you.”
“And now if you’ll excuse us,” Miranda interrupted, taking Ariel firmly by the elbow. “We’ve got to check on something.”
“Oh, I don’t...” Ariel couldn’t refuse without making a scene, and Miranda made the most of it by hustling her back out in the snow behind the house.
“How could you?” Miranda sputtered the moment they were alone, snow flakes falling on her head.
“How could I what? I swear to you on Grandpa’s bible, I didn’t know who he was. He comes in to the store at five o’clock tonight and says he’s never been to a sugaring off party. What was I supposed to do, ignore him?”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing. I should have known you were up to something. I’m surprised you didn’t invite the whole store full of customers.”
Ariel chewed her lip thoughtfully as if she wished she had.
“What was he doing in the store?”
“Exchanging his long underwear.”
“And I suppose you didn’t recognize it?”
“Of course not. I sell a ton of long underwear. And even if I did recognize the underwear and the Southern accent, what’s wrong with inviting him to our party? You told me yourself he wasn’t an ax murderer.”
Miranda sighed. “Did it occur to you that if I’d wanted to invite him to the party, I would have?”
Ariel shivered in the cold air. “Could we continue this discussion later? I’m freezing.” With that she plowed through the swiftly falling snow to the sugar shack, Miranda at her heels. Without speaking, they each took a long wooden spoon and stirred the thickening syrup. Miranda took several deep steadying breaths before her heart slowed to a normal rate and her knees stopped shaking.
“You have to admit he’s very attractive,” Ariel said with a sidelong glance at her sister.
“I admit it, he’s very attractive,” she conceded.
“And he’s definitely interested in you.”
“How do you know that?”
“I saw how he looked at you.”
“I saw how he looked at me, too, just like he looks at everyone else. He works on top of this mountain, as I told you, without any people around. So when he’s around people, he looks at them more intently than other people do, that’s all. So don’t go making something out of nothing. I have no room in my life for men, and no time, either. And neither does he. You should see how he lives, completely self-sufficient and independent.”
“Yes, you told me. But you didn’t tell me he was gorgeous and to-die-for. And I’m telling you that if you don’t get back in there Mavis and Lianne, and half the other unmarried women in town, are going to be all over him.”
Miranda widened her gaze in mock horror. “Oh, no. You mean I’ll lose the last eligible man to ever cross my threshold? What do you suggest, that I invite him out here to watch the syrup harden?”
Ariel nodded enthusiastically. “Now you’re catching on.”
“If I’m catching on, don’t you think he’ll catch on, too?”
Miranda’s words hung in the air even as Ariel looked up from the pot, her gaze fastened on the door of the sugar shack and on the man who’d appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Carter,” she gushed, “you’re just in time to watch the syrup harden. If you’ll excuse me...” And before Miranda could protest, her traitorous sister had disappeared through the open door and slammed it shut behind her.
Automatically
“What a surprise to see Max,” she said, giving her sister a pointed glance.
Ariel turned on her warmest smile. “Is that his name?” She held out her hand. “I’m happy to meet you.”
“And now if you’ll excuse us,” Miranda interrupted, taking Ariel firmly by the elbow. “We’ve got to check on something.”
“Oh, I don’t...” Ariel couldn’t refuse without making a scene, and Miranda made the most of it by hustling her back out in the snow behind the house.
“How could you?” Miranda sputtered the moment they were alone, snow flakes falling on her head.
“How could I what? I swear to you on Grandpa’s bible, I didn’t know who he was. He comes in to the store at five o’clock tonight and says he’s never been to a sugaring off party. What was I supposed to do, ignore him?”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing. I should have known you were up to something. I’m surprised you didn’t invite the whole store full of customers.”
Ariel chewed her lip thoughtfully as if she wished she had.
“What was he doing in the store?”
“Exchanging his long underwear.”
“And I suppose you didn’t recognize it?”
“Of course not. I sell a ton of long underwear. And even if I did recognize the underwear and the Southern accent, what’s wrong with inviting him to our party? You told me yourself he wasn’t an ax murderer.”
Miranda sighed. “Did it occur to you that if I’d wanted to invite him to the party, I would have?”
Ariel shivered in the cold air. “Could we continue this discussion later? I’m freezing.” With that she plowed through the swiftly falling snow to the sugar shack, Miranda at her heels. Without speaking, they each took a long wooden spoon and stirred the thickening syrup. Miranda took several deep steadying breaths before her heart slowed to a normal rate and her knees stopped shaking.
“You have to admit he’s very attractive,” Ariel said with a sidelong glance at her sister.
“I admit it, he’s very attractive,” she conceded.
“And he’s definitely interested in you.”
“How do you know that?”
“I saw how he looked at you.”
“I saw how he looked at me, too, just like he looks at everyone else. He works on top of this mountain, as I told you, without any people around. So when he’s around people, he looks at them more intently than other people do, that’s all. So don’t go making something out of nothing. I have no room in my life for men, and no time, either. And neither does he. You should see how he lives, completely self-sufficient and independent.”
“Yes, you told me. But you didn’t tell me he was gorgeous and to-die-for. And I’m telling you that if you don’t get back in there Mavis and Lianne, and half the other unmarried women in town, are going to be all over him.”
Miranda widened her gaze in mock horror. “Oh, no. You mean I’ll lose the last eligible man to ever cross my threshold? What do you suggest, that I invite him out here to watch the syrup harden?”
Ariel nodded enthusiastically. “Now you’re catching on.”
“If I’m catching on, don’t you think he’ll catch on, too?”
Miranda’s words hung in the air even as Ariel looked up from the pot, her gaze fastened on the door of the sugar shack and on the man who’d appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Carter,” she gushed, “you’re just in time to watch the syrup harden. If you’ll excuse me...” And before Miranda could protest, her traitorous sister had disappeared through the open door and slammed it shut behind her.
Automatically
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