The Marriage Recipe by Michele Dunaway Page B

and start pairing her with Colin. That would be bad, especially since her stay was temporary.
    Besides, she didn’t like him in a romantic sense. Maybe she had long ago. But now, not one bit. Although she had just flashed him messages across the night. Chalk that up to being one of the many mistakes she’d made with Colin Morris. Well, no more. She’d make it perfectly plain they were going to keep everything professional. She’d straighten out this crush nonsense. Tomorrow, they’d clear the air.

Chapter Four
    By ten minutes to noon, Rachel was a basket case. She’d never been so nervous. She wiped her palms on her chef’s jacket, smearing the white icing that had attached itself to her fingers.
    It probably didn’t help her psyche, either, that she hadn’t slept well. She’d read a book until almost midnight because she’d had insomnia. Then, when she’d finally fallen asleep, just about every dream had been of Colin Morris. They’d been children in one, playing down at the creek. They’d been high schoolers in another, dancing cheek to cheek at the prom they’d never attended. The last dream had been the most erotic, and Rachel blushed, thinking of what she’d done in that one.
    She grabbed a tray of pastries, used her hip to push open the kitchen door and carried the tray out to the display case by the cash register. She was putting out the various pastries her grandmother had baked. Within two days, Rachel planned to have everything in the display case be her own wares.
    She busied herself with setting everything inside, bending over to rearrange the pumpkin bread she’d placed there at eleven. Already, half of it had been sold.
    Her mind drifted back to the last dream, the one that still haunted her. In it, Colin had looked exactly as he had in his office—minus all his clothes. And she and Colin hadn’t been in his office but in a bedroom, on a bed. Naked and intertwined.
    She’d woken up in a hot sweat, breathing heavily. So much for not liking the man. If her very realistic dream was any indication, she wanted to jump him. She was interested in him, at least sexually. Not good. She had to get those lustful urges behind her.
    Rachel completed reorganizing the same moment legs clad in expensive suit pants suddenly appeared in front of the display case. She pulled back slowly, careful not to whack her head on the top of the case.
    The object of last night’s lust stood there, a grin covering his face and immediately sending shivers throughout her body. Last night she’d kissed him. Sure, only in her subconscious, but having the flesh-and-blood Colin standing a mere countertop away was throwing her equilibrium off in a manner she had never experienced.
    â€œHi,” he said.
    â€œHey,” Rachel said, ignoring her grandmother’s pointed interest even though she was ringing up a customer. “Kim’s busy, so I can seat you. Will anyone be joining you?” Rachel reached for the menus.
    He shook his head. “Actually, I know I said we’d talk, but the judge has made his decision on one of my cases, and I have to run over to the courthouse.” Colin glanced around the diner, which was packed with the noontime prime-rib-craving lunch crowd. Rachel followed his gaze, recognizing most of the diners as locals who came and ate here a couple of times a week. “I phoned in and have a takeout order. Do you have a minute?”
    â€œI guess.” Not that there was anywhere private at Kim’s to talk.
    Colin seemed to sense this, as well. He hesitated. “I won’t be finished with the paperwork until about four today. Could we meet for dinner? I’d like to discuss your matter further. The partners met and we’re taking you on as a client.”
    Relief swept over Rachel, vanquishing the apprehension she’d felt when Colin had mentioned dinner. This wasn’t a date. Just a lawyer-client