Chapter Three

Lady, have you got a lot to learn.

Thin auburn brows creased over pretty blue eyes only proved there was a seed of doubt in there somewhere. Maybe all the seed needed was a little nurturing.

“Could we head to Saks now?”

Shane suppressed a chuckle at the way she scooted out of the seat. He threw back the last swallow of his coffee and followed. By the time they reached the Fifth Avenue store, Eden's back thankfully didn't stand so ramrod straight as he held the double doors open.

“I need to get a small gift for Leah. To thank her for coming tomorrow.”

“What'd you have in mind?”

She stopped in the middle of the entrance chewing on her bottom lip. “I'm not sure. Her tastes are totally opposite to mine.” Eden glanced up. A thoughtful expression softened her features. “Kind of like you and Brad, I guess.”

“Sounds like my kinda woman,” he teased, wiggling his brows until she laughed.

“Yeah, you'd probably like her. She's a little out there. Enjoys a good party and falls in love at the drop of a hat.” Eden spread her arms and gazed down at herself. “She repacked my suitcase so don't get used to the new look. These are her clothes.”

He couldn’t resist a long gaze at her length. “She's got good taste.”

“She should.” Eden headed toward the jewelry gallery. “She shops like a maniac. Your arms would be full of parcels faster than you could say, 'charge it'.”

“No-o-o, thank you. I prefer the simple life.”

“Then that's one thing we agree on.”

A brilliant curtain of hair swung over her shoulder as Eden turned and graced him with a contented smile. Shane's footsteps stuttered. The breath hitched in his lungs, and his stomach dropped to the floor.

The strange sensation ended as fast as it had begun.

Must've been bad coffee.

Yeah, the coffee. That had to be the reason.

He caught up to Eden in two strides. A pale polished nail tapped her chin as she studied a silver necklace set displayed on the counter.

In the glass cabinet below, a chunky link of gold caught his attention. “You said Leah's a little out there. What about this bracelet then?”

Eden's gaze followed his finger to the gold circlet, which looked like a miniature belt complete with glittery buckle.

“Yes! It's perfect. She'll love it.”

At her small squeal, an attendant came over and quickly removed the item from the cabinet for their approval. While the woman boxed up the bracelet and rang in the sale, he watched Eden's delicate hand brush over the glass countertops as she perused the sparkling wares.

“So, should you be picking something up for a special lady?”

Her attempt at indifference failed miserably and Shane couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nope.”

“No one has grabbed your romantic cowboy heart yet?” She fluttered her eyelashes.

The dramatic action caught him off guard. A grin widened his lips. Well, damn! There is a bit of playfulness in there after all. “Cowboy, huh?”

“Well, uh...” Pink tinged her cheeks as Eden averted her gaze.

Before he had time to delve further into this new attribute, he watched her awkwardness fall away to stunned silence.

“Eden? You okay?”

“They look just like my mother's.” Her voice barely hit whisper level.

He moved beside her and looked through the glass case to a pair of soft-textured, old-fashioned ivory cameos.

“May I show one to you?” the attendant asked.

“Please,” Shane said when Eden remained distractedly silent.

The moment the salesclerk placed the cameo in her hand, Eden's finger quivered over the raised features and delicate gold frame. “It's identical.”

“It's lovely,” Shane agreed.

The reverent awe in the smile she aimed at him brought the strange sensation back to his chest and stomach. A fullness that didn’t disburse even when she looked away.

“My mom used to wear her cameo every Sunday. I always thought it the most beautiful object in the world.”

“What happened? Did she lose it?” He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, getting his answer in the shallow mask of pain marring her heart-shaped face.

“No. She died when I was twelve. We buried it with her.”

Damn. “Eden, I'm sorry.”

Her arm stiffened beneath his hand.

“No, don't be. I just...” Her brows creased. “I just hadn't thought of it in years.” Her index finger slowly circled the frame. “I hadn't really thought about her in years.”

The added words beneath her breath didn't slip past his ears. “You should have the cameo,” he said, trying to keep his tone light. “Hey, like something old and new for your wedding, all at the same time.”

“You're right.”

Her smile returned full force and nearly blew him right off his feet. How could she say she didn't believe in romance when she stood there before him smiling like that and in love with a cherished memory?

“Let me,” he insisted, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.

“No.”

The hand on his arm was firm though her smile still held.

“Thank you, but no.”

Shane conceded, something in her demeanor telling him she needed to do this herself.

The attendant wrapped each item in the department store's signature box tied with a silver ribbon. Though she accepted the offer to have the bracelet delivered to her hotel room, Eden kept the cameo close, placing the small box securely in her purse.

A thin layer of snow covered the ground as they made their way back onto the sidewalk. Cutting through Rockefeller Center, he noticed her step was lighter since her find at the jewelry counter. The crisp breeze played with her long auburn strands and her laughter teased his ears as they stopped to watch the antics of young ice skaters on the large outdoor rink. A new buoyancy radiated from her. One Shane found rather appealing—not that he would cut in on a friend's girl, of course.

But if things had been different...

Immediately, he erased the thought from his head and instead focused on his ward's longing expression. “Wanna give it a go?”

With a lifted hand, she shaded her eyes against the bright sun. “Excuse me?”

Shane nodded toward the ice. “Skating. We could rent skates.”

Her smile teetered. “No, no. It's been years.” Eden vaulted from the wall they'd stopped at.

By the anxious look on her face, he figured she’d probably landed on her butt once too often as a kid. Maybe her mask of controlled independence came from no one being there to pick her up. Maybe she gravitated toward Brad because they’d both had to rely on themselves growing up.

Maybe he should stop theorizing on things that didn't concern him and catch up with her. “Where would you like to go now?”

Her gaze scanned the area as she slowed her pace. “I should probably get back to the hotel.”

Fluffy snowflakes floated down, one landing right on her nose. Shane chuckled at the way her eyes crossed to stare at it before rising to the cotton-filled sky with a childish grin.

So much potential. Did she know how much potential she held to shine?

Again, his mind wandered. Who was the woman before him? The crisp, efficient businesswoman getting married in an executive lounge? Or a sexy, playful... “Snow angel.”

“Pardon?” She shined up at him, her cheeks glowing apple red in the brisk February air.

Her smile stole his breath, or was it the wind—in all honesty, he wasn't sure. “You look like a snow angel.”

The words popped out the same way his hand came up of its own accord to wipe away a snowflake from the corner of her eye. As if in slow motion, his fingers brushed down her cool cheek to push back a windblown strand of hair before sliding slowly down the length, mesmerized by the dark reds and golds threading like glistening filament through his fingers.

The boundaries of his vision closed in on the woman before him. When his gaze found hers, the most beautiful eyes stared back at him, silver flecks reflecting in their wide blue depths.

The shrill of a cell phone cut into the hazy bubble surrounding them. Eden jumped back, confusion etched in frown lines on her face as she fought with her small purse to retrieve the phone. Her gaze flicked over the screen then back at him for a brief moment. “It's Brad. Maybe he's done early.”

Keen as a pin, the hopeful edge to her voice burst the bubble, effectively bringing Shane back to his senses. He turned away to wipe a shaky hand over his face. What the hell had he been doing?

“Brad! Hi. Yes, yes, he's taking good care of me.”

Shane turned back to find a brilliant blue gaze flicker toward him, and that unusual wind came again to rob him of breath. At the rate he was going, he didn't think he could handle this strange weather much longer.

“What? Oh, okay. Yes, of course I understand. Fine, I'll see you later then.” She snapped the phone closed and dropped it back into her purse. “They're still working on the merger problems.”

“Let me guess, he's pushed back dinner?” What an idiot. He’d give up a meeting to spend time with a woman like Eden any day of the week—what was Brad’s problem?

“No, cancelled. Brad thinks it will be an all-nighter.”

Shane had half a mind to go over to that meeting and knock a little common sense into his friend. The man needed to seriously get his priorities straight.

He felt Eden's gaze on him and turned to find her lips tilted up along with her chin.

“What's with the face?” she asked.

Shane held a hand out in confusion. “You're telling me you're okay with this?”

“Why shouldn't I be?”

“I don't know, because you're getting married tomorrow.” He scraped fingers along his jaw. “And from what I understand, you haven't seen each other in over two weeks.”

“You're focusing on the romance angle again, Shane. Brad is good at his job. It's not my place to tell him when to work and when not to.”

In silent agreement, they continued their way back to the hotel.

“Speaking of jobs, what will you do after you're married? Are you transferring here, or will Brad be the one moving?”

“Well, we spend a fair amount of time in each city so moving doesn't really matter. Keeping both places will save on hotel bills and expenses.” Her head tilted as though she were contemplating the idea.

Shane rubbed the back of his neck in bewilderment. “In other words, you haven't discussed it yet?”

“Of course we have,” she admonished. “We, uh, just haven't decided on a strategy yet.”

“A strategy?” Shane laughed at the absurdity of her words. “I'll tell you something. If I was married, I'd expect to live with my wife, not to mention hope she'd be home most nights for supper and a little cuddling by the fire—if you know what I mean.”

If possible, her cheeks grew even redder. He knew he shouldn't tease her, but he couldn't understand how two people who planned to spend their life together, arranged or otherwise, had no concept of actually being together.

Hmm, maybe all Eden needed was a little lesson in what a real marriage entailed. The knowledge couldn't hurt, and if looked at the right way, might even benefit Brad, too, in the long run. And though he wasn't an authority himself, he knew of a few people who would definitely fit the bill.

“Brad's delay is probably a good thing, gives me a chance to catch up on some work,” Eden commented as they reached the Hilton's front entrance.

Not if I have anything to do about it. “You're going to waste your free time in the Big Apple working?” he taunted with a grin.

Her laughter came out in misty puffs. “You sound like Leah.”

“She sounds like a smart lady.”

“Well, thank you for taking me around this afternoon. I guess I'll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

With a contemplative gaze, he stared at the hand she held out. When he moved to take it, her hand fit perfectly into his larger one, the heat baking his palm in decadent sensuality. Even so, Shane held fast, not quite finished with her yet. “What about dinner?”

A twist of her lips gave way to a lift of one slender shoulder. “I'm sure they have room service here.”

“If you remember to order it.”

She gave him a shrewd glance.

“I know Brad, remember?” And you’ve proven you’re too much like him. “When he's caught up in his work, everyday things like meals and laundry usually get forgotten.”

“I never forget to do my laundry,” she replied with a jerk of her chin.

Encouraged by the tilt of her lip hidden behind the mock affronted tone, Shane squeezed her hand. “Ah-hah. So you do forget to eat.”

“Maybe occasionally,” she reluctantly agreed.

Ah, a concession—now we’re making progress. “Tell you what, why don't I take you to dinner? At least I'll know you're fed, and my conscience will be cleared that I took care of you for Brad.”

“I don't need to be taken care of.”

She tugged her hand backward, but he held fast. “Everybody needs to be taken care of sometime.”

“Not everyone,” she noted brusquely.

“Fine, everyone needs to be fed sometime.”

A heavy breath puffed out her silky bangs. “Okay, you got me on that one.”

“I know a great little place that makes delectable home-style dinners and amazing apple pies for dessert.”

Chewing her lip, she dropped her gaze to her jacket. “I don't know. I'd have to change clothes first.”

“No need.” He squeezed her hand. “Trust me. You're perfect just as you are.” A flash of surprise crossed her face before a stern mask covered her emotions.

“All right,” she finally conceded, her hand tightening around his in challenge. “I'll agree to a quiet, early dinner if you promise to drop me back here immediately afterward so I can get some work done.”

“As soon as you're ready to leave, I'll bring you back.” He held up two fingers against his head. “Scout's honor.”