Connor had been shocked, and yes, a little hurt, when he’d learned Helen had left Harmony Harbor with Arianna’s mother. She’d been gone almost two weeks now, and his shock and hurt had morphed into anger. He was the one who had to stand by and watch Arianna sleepwalk through her days. Whenever he stopped by her office at the town hall with coffee and doughnuts, she’d say she was fine when she clearly wasn’t, and then she’d send him on his way with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. He didn’t understand how Helen could have left her on her own. Sure, she was an adult. But she was an adult who had only recently gotten back on her feet.
And if all that weren’t bad enough, Helen had left without telling him goodbye. Sure, they’d been on opposing sides during the last week of the mayoral race—in a way, he supposed they still were—but dammit, he’d loved the crazy old lady. And he’d thought she’d come to love him too. All Arianna would tell him was that Helen was on a month-long vacation in the sun.
He didn’t buy it. It didn’t make sense. Days before she’d left, Helen had bought her precious emerald-green BMW. Who does that? He ignored the voice in his head that said someone with dementia did. Dementia or not, he didn’t believe Helen would. And not only had she left town, but Jenna had left too.
Arianna had insisted she go, while Connor had insisted she stay. He’d thought he’d had her convinced, but apparently his older brother was more convincing than him. He and Logan weren’t speaking at the moment. Connor supposed he didn’t blame his brother for wanting his fiancee by his side. Still, Arianna was all alone.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Which was why Connor crouched on the frozen grass at the side of the house on the corner of Holly and Ivy at eight in the morning. From careful surveillance—his own—he knew that Arianna left for work at precisely eight forty-five every morning. “Okay, little guy, this is a tough assignment, but you’re too cute to fail. It’ll be love at first sight for both of you. All you have to do is keep her company,” he said to the four-month-old cream-colored puppy he’d rescued from the shelter. An older man had brought the little guy in just as Connor had been leaving empty-handed.
The dogs they’d had that day at the shelter were older and bigger, and given the video that had gone viral, he knew dogs made Arianna nervous. So the pup was perfect. The old guy had been heartbroken he had to give him up, but it was either the pup left or his wife did. The older man said it hadn’t been an easy decision.
Connor tucked a dog bone, a small teddy bear, a squeeze toy, and a leash beside the sheep’s wool bed in the box. Then he placed a powder-blue blanket over the puppy. He patted its head. “Showtime, buddy. Don’t be scared,” he said as he fitted the lid on the box. He pressed his eye to one of the holes he’d made in the lid. “I’m still here, and in a couple minutes you’ll meet your new mommy. She might not give you the warm-and-fuzzies right away, but trust me, she’s a softy under that coat of armor.”
Connor tucked the card from Arianna’s secret admirer under the bow and then picked up the box. He hoped she liked the puppy as much as she’d seemed to like the cape he’d left for her the morning of the election.
His dress shoes slid across the frozen ground, and he jostled the box in his fight to stay upright. “It’s okay, buddy,” he whispered as he regained his footing. Crouched down so she wouldn’t see him, Connor placed the box on the front porch, slid it closer to the door, and then reached up to ring the bell. He kept his finger on the bell for a few seconds too long and then whipped around, slipping and sliding his way to the big oak tree in the middle of the yard. He hid behind it, counting down the seconds in his head. No matter how warm he’d tried to make the puppy, he didn’t want to leave him out there for more than a minute or two.
He peeked around the tree. “Come on, Arianna. Come on.” If she didn’t show in the next sixty seconds, he’d ring the bell one last time. His shoulders relaxed under his black wool coat when he heard the door opening. He pulled his head back behind the tree and then leaned against it, smiling at the thought of her face when she caught sight of the adorable pup. He wished he could risk taking another peek but was afraid she’d see him. He didn’t want her to know he was her secret admirer.
He heard her whispered “What the heck?” and waited for her reaction to seeing the dog. “No, no way.” She groaned and then cursed loud enough for him to hear her.
What the hell? He’d never heard her swear before. Seriously, who could look into the puppy’s big brown eyes and not fall in love?
“You’re a hard-ass, Arianna Bell,” Connor said under his breath, and then rubbed the back of his neck when another thought came to him. Maybe she wasn’t. Maybe she hadn’t only been afraid of dogs who were big enough to gnaw on your head but adorable puppies too. Now what was he supposed to do? Definitely not let her discover he was her secret admirer, that’s for sure.
“Mrs. Ranger, did you see who left this box on my front porch?”
Connor’s gaze shot to the house across the road. Sure enough, Irene Ranger was out scraping the ice from her car with a clear view of him behind the tree. He could tell by her half smile that she saw him.
“I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t. Is it from your secret admirer?” Mrs. Ranger asked.
Connor sagged against the tree in relief that she hadn’t outed him.
“Yes, and I’ve decided I don’t want one anymore.”
“Why? What did he give you this time?”
“This.” Connor pictured Arianna cuddling the dog to her chest and knew it was the exact moment she’d fall in love. He couldn’t resist sneaking a peek and carefully poked his head from behind the tree.
What the hell? She was holding the puppy straight-armed in front of her. He pulled his head back around, trying to come up with one good reason why he shouldn’t run across the lawn and rescue the dog. A reason that didn’t involve him keeping his secret-admirer identity intact. And that’s when he remembered why he’d wanted her to have a pet in the first place. Whether she’d admit it or not—and clearly, she was on the not side—she needed someone to love her unconditionally, someone for her to love in return. And since she wouldn’t let that someone be him…
When he gave some more thought to what he’d just witnessed, he decided it could be viewed as a positive as much as a negative. After all, she’d actually picked up the dog. And apparently she’d continued to see both the occupational and physical therapists at North Shore General because she was able to hold the puppy in the air. Who knew, maybe she was re-creating the “Circle of Life” moment from The Lion King.
“My secret admirer doesn’t know me as well as I thought. And he mustn’t be on social media, or he would have seen the video that clearly shows I hate dogs. Which probably means Mr. O’Malley is my secret admirer.”
Connor sighed. It looked like he’d be getting a new roommate in the not-so-distant future.
Mrs. Ranger laughed. It sounded like she was standing at the front gate. “Maybe he knows you better than you think. You used to love my Yorkie Bella.”
“Until she nearly bit off Serena’s finger.”
Connor bowed his head.
“Right, I forgot about that. But Bella was getting old and wasn’t used to having little girls around. You don’t have to worry about that with this little guy. All you have to do is look in his eyes to know he’s—”
“He peed on me!” Arianna shrieked, cutting off Mrs. Ranger, who sounded like she was choking on laughter.
Connor covered his face with his hands, swallowing a groan.
“Oh my, let me help,” the older woman said, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. He heard the gate open and the sound of her footsteps running up the walkway. He poked his head from behind the tree. He wanted Mrs. Ranger to take the dog when she went home, and Connor would pick him up at her place. As though she sensed him watching her, Mrs. Ranger put her hand behind her back and waved him off before reaching for the box. Arianna disappeared through the open door.
Connor put his phone to his ear, letting his assistant know he’d be delayed. “Yes, Mom, I know you expected me to show up every morning at eight, but I had something important to do. Don’t worry. I’ll be there in plenty of time for my meeting with the planning commissioner at ten…Technically, Hazel is still the mayor, so it makes sense she gets to keep the office. I’m not too worried about looking like I’m in a position of power…No, my office isn’t that small. Arianna’s office is the same size.” And just like that he came up with an alternate plan to bring the woman he loved back to life. Like he’d done by entering the mayoral race, he’d make her angry enough to encourage her competitive spirit and drive.
“You know what, Mom? You’re right. I’ll give Hazel a call and let her know that Arianna and I will be moving into her office first thing tomorrow.” His mother had no idea that Hazel had offered them the office last week, and they’d both refused. “Are you kidding? I’ll be taking Hazel’s desk, not Arianna. No way am I giving up the view of the harbor. We’ll find a nice, tiny desk for Arianna and stick it in a corner, a dark one.”
* * *
The wind practically whipped the door to the community center out of Arianna’s hand. Sadly, the turkey hat remained firmly on her head. She considered tossing it and blaming the wind, but she couldn’t do that because Finn and Olivia Gallagher’s six-year-old daughter, George, had made it especially for her to wear today, and the child was supposed to be here. Arianna was almost positive that Connor had put the little girl up to it yesterday when he’d given his entire family a tour of his office.
Just thinking about the man made her blood boil. Arianna’s secret admirer and Maura weren’t in her good book either. It felt like the world was conspiring against her. Over the past two days she’d somehow found herself sharing her grandmother’s house with a dog that kept her awake half the night howling until she brought him into bed with her.
She’d called everyone she knew, but no one wanted a puppy. Even when she’d lied and said he was trained and really, really cute. Well, he was cute. He just wasn’t trained. And every time she turned around, he was gnawing on something, and it was never his bone or his toys or food. Yet despite how bad it was to share the house with a mischievous puppy, it was far worse sharing an office with Connor.
He spent most of the day lording it over her from behind his massive mahogany desk surrounded by beautiful mullioned windows and a gorgeous view of the harbor front, while she sat in a dark corner at a desk she was positive had been requisitioned from a 1930s schoolroom. If that wasn’t bad enough, Maura and Hazel seemed to forget she was just as much provisional mayor as he was and not his flipping secretary. She couldn’t believe that almost a month before she’d imagined herself in love with the man.
Her boiling blood must be having a positive effect on her strength because she pulled the door shut relatively easily. Now that she was inside the building, she could hear the loud hum of voices mixed with laughter, and her nerves got the better of her.
The new owner of Holiday House, Evie, had come to Arianna the day after Glamma had left for California with the idea that they host a free Thanksgiving Dinner at the community center. At that point Arianna had barely managed a couple hours of sleep, and the idea of hosting a dinner for half the town had been beyond her. It hadn’t been beyond Connor, who’d happened to overhear the conversation when he’d arrived at her then-office with coffee and doughnuts.
He’d glommed onto the idea immediately, believing it was the perfect way to mend the rifts of the campaign and bring a sense of belonging and togetherness to the town. He was right, of course. The churches and the town council had contributed as much as they could; Connor covered the shortfall.
So Arianna had no choice but to agree to cohost with him and help serve and clean up, even if she was terrified she was going to make a complete fool of herself in front of what sounded like a thousand people. She’d gained some strength in her upper arm, but she still didn’t have much of a grip to speak of, and her fine-motor skills were still about the same as those of a toddler.
But she’d promised Glamma when they’d spoken this morning that she’d come. They couldn’t talk for long. Supposedly her mother had become tightfisted, at least where long-distance phone calls were concerned. Arianna planned to send a cell phone to her grandmother and put her on her plan. At least they could talk without her mother monitoring their phone calls. Then Arianna would know for sure if Glamma really wanted to be there.
She took off her coat and glanced at the lone spare hanger on one of the many metal coatracks that lined the hall. She was glad no one was around because hanging a coat on a hanger wasn’t as easy as everyone thought. Stretching up on her toes, she tossed her coat over the top of the rack. Self-consciously, she tugged the sleeve of her sweater over her compression bandage and then took a restorative breath before following the noise to the double doors.
The smile she’d pasted on her face faltered when she entered the packed and overheated room. And it wasn’t only a case of nerves that caused the smile to fall from her face. It was the fact that everyone seated at the tables looked like they were almost finished with their meal. She looked around to see if it was just at this end of the room. It wasn’t. Anger vanquished what was left of her nerves, and she marched to where the volunteers were now preparing to serve dessert.
“Hey, partner, nice hat. Where have you been? We were getting worried about you,” Connor said, giving her one of his panty-melting grins. He wore a chef’s hat and an apron over a white shirt and jeans, which should have ensured he looked like an idiot and all panties stayed firmly in place. Instead, he looked delicious. Clearly her anger was making her delirious. But if he thought the grin would work on her and she’d forgive him, he was oh so wrong.
“Sorry I’m late, Evie,” she said to the dark-haired woman a few places down from Connor. “Someone put the wrong time on my calendar.”
“Really? The time was right on mine. I actually got here an hour early. I helped with the setup, didn’t I, Evie?” Connor said, holding Arianna’s gaze.
“Yes, and you were a big help, Connor,” Evie said, offering Arianna a smile. “Don’t worry about it. Grab an apron and—”
“Get over here, partner. There’s lots of room beside me. I’ll show you how it’s done.” Connor winked, gesturing to the pumpkin pies in front of him.
“There’s a reason why there’s room beside him, Arianna. He’s a little aggressive with the pie knife. You’re probably safer down here with us,” Sean called from the other end of the long line of tables.
“I should be okay, thanks. And I need a word with my partner.”
“Maybe it’s you who should be careful, son. Those sounded like fighting words to me.” Sean chuckled.
“No worries. I’m armed and dangerously sweet and tasty.” Connor held up a can of whipped cream and waggled his eyebrows at her as she came around the table, drawing laughter and groans from the other servers.
Arianna gave him a look and then moved in beside him. “I’m onto you, partner,” she said out of the side of her mouth.
“Come on, you don’t really think I’d put the wrong time on your calendar, do you?” he said as he put down the can and turned to get an apron off one of the carts behind him.
“It’s more your mother’s style, but I wouldn’t put it past you.” She shivered when his warm hand curved around the nape of her neck. “You would do anything to win, and don’t bother denying it.”
“As long as it was legal and didn’t hurt anyone, you’re right. I would. Now put your hand here so I can tie your apron,” he said, holding her hair against her head.
She did as he asked, a little startled when, after he knotted the ties at her neck, he reached around her waist. “It’s okay. I can do it.”
His head dipped, his lips grazing her ear. “You forget I share an office with you.” He finished tying the bow at her waist and then straightened, smiling down at her. “I can’t believe you wore that thing,” he said, and flicked the paper turkey’s head.
“I promised George.”
“See. You proved my point. You don’t hate kids. You love them. Just like you don’t hate dogs. Here.” He took out his phone, and before she could stop him, he took a picture. He looked down at the screen and laughed. “We need to take another one. You look like you’re planning to murder someone.”
“I am. You.”
“You know what they say: Hate is just love in disguise.”
She thought it was a good thing his phone pinged as the last word left his mouth, drawing his attention to the screen instead of her. Because she was afraid her expression might give too much away.
“George thinks you look great in the hat. She says if the Gazette takes a picture of you to let them know she made it. The kid’s something else,” he said with a grin, looking down when there was another ping. “What did you name your dog? She has a bet with her friends. And here’s a hint—because, from the look on your face, I can tell you haven’t named him yet—they think you’ll go with a Christmassy name since he was obviously an early Christmas present.”
Mrs. Ranger had been unable to babysit the puppy yesterday, so Arianna had taken him to work with her. He’d been a hit with the youngest generation of Gallaghers, every last one of them, and there were quite a few. Arianna was just happy he hadn’t bitten anybody. Truth be told, she was quite proud of how he’d behaved. He did have some adorable moments.
“Of course he has a name.” She lied because when she’d called the dog dog during the Gallagher-clan visit yesterday and they’d discovered the puppy didn’t have a name, they had been horrified. “It’s…Humbug,” she said, drawing a pumpkin pie toward her. She glanced down the table to see what size slices everyone was cutting.
“So what, that makes you the Grinch?” Connor asked.
“It does.” And without her grandmother here and with the year she’d had, Arianna thought it apropos.
“I don’t believe you. Just like I don’t believe you don’t like kids and dogs.” He leaned in to her. “Just like I don’t believe you don’t lo—like me.”
She pretended she didn’t hear him and picked up the knife with her left hand. After several months of it, using the wrong hand to cut was beginning to feel normal. Except she needed her other hand to hold the pie plate.
Connor took the knife and plate from her. “Sorry. I don’t trust you with a knife,” he said, surprising her by letting her lack of response to his lo—like comment go.
Lately he seemed to be all about pushing her buttons, and he’d just pushed the biggest button of all. No matter how much he drove her crazy, she couldn’t deny she still had feelings for him. Given the way the majority of women in town responded to him, she should probably cut herself some slack. The man was easy to fall for; it was falling out of love with him that was hard.
“All right, if you had your heart set on being the pie cutter on our team, I’ll be the plater and the whipped creamer.”
He must have mistaken the expression on her face as disappointment that he’d taken the knife from her. Well, it wasn’t like she planned to correct him, at least about that. “Those aren’t even words, and we’re not partners or a team. We’re opponents, competitors.”
“You’re looking at it all wrong. Sure, we’re both going after the same job. But right now our mandate is to repair the rift our campaigns created in town. By working together, working through our differences, we’ll show the people of Harmony Harbor that they can too. Events like this one are perfect. They bring people together. There’s proof.” He pointed the can of whipped cream at the table across from them. “It took four people to pull those two off each other at the last protest march on Main Street, and now they’re breaking bread together.”
“Actually, I think they’re fighting over the last bun.”
He grinned. “Still, you have to admit it’s a major improvement over beating each other senseless with our campaign signs.”
“Well, Thanksgiving is pretty much over, so—”
“Babe, we have the biggest, bestest almost-month-long event of all time just around the corner—Christmas.”
“Bah humbug.”