pale, creamy skin. The top of the dress cupped her breasts and fit to her narrow waist before flaring slightly at her hips. It was a very feminine, sweet dress. With her long blond hair falling in soft waves to her lower back and her general gorgeous-girl-next-door looks and easy smiles, she was so unlike the polished city women at the top of their corporate game in law, real estate, marketing, and sales of all kinds, that he could only shake his head in wonder. He’d bet Jocelyn didn’t have a single pantsuit in her closet.
Why was he drawn to this woman? This woman he knew next to nothing about and who he had nothing in common with?
Then again… he glanced at her house. Maybe there were layers upon layers of things he didn’t know about her that he’d find fascinating and familiar. He was definitely used to spending time with women who were from old money. He didn’t visit them at home, but he could imagine some of his clients having stately old mansions that sat at the back of humongous lawns and had gardens overflowing with flowers behind them. Along with stone cherubs dotting the property and wrought ironwork that was older than his grandfather.
Jocelyn took in his expression as he looked up at the house.
She smiled. “I inherited it from my grandparents. My great-great-grandparents lived here, then my great-grandparents, then my grandparents. Now they live in a small, much easier to care for townhouse about ten blocks away.”
“This is…”
“Surprising?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She laughed, and he thought of the comparison to wind chimes again. The sound was light and happy and soothing. He focused fully on her, forgetting about the house.
“The house has been paid off forever, so I only have to come up with the money for the utilities. And the repairs. I was the only one who wanted to take on the upkeep. It’s gigantic and… old. There’s lots of issues with pipes and electric and creaky floorboards and leaky roofs. But our family has a ton of great memories in this house, and there was no way I could let it go.”
Grant felt himself frowning. “How do you take care of all of that?”
She shrugged. “Myself, when I can. Favors, when I can’t. Pinching pennies when that doesn’t work.”
“You have people who can do some of that stuff for you?”
She nodded. “I’ve lived in this town all my life. I know everyone. And I’m an amazing baker. You’d be surprised what people will do in exchange for free cookies.” She peered up at him, a tiny crease between her eyebrows. “Actually, you probably would be surprised.”
He was aware of how short she was when she stood looking up at him like that. When he’d kissed her just before, it had been obvious. He’d had to bend, and she’d had to stretch. But tasting her, touching her, absorbing her little gasp and then moan had been at the forefront of his mind then.
“Why would I be surprised by that?”
“You don’t really like cookies.”
He lifted a brow. “I don’t?”
“You never get cookies from the bakery. Or cupcakes.” Her frown deepened.
“I come to the bakery at seven thirty in the morning,” he pointed out.
“You could get them and eat them later.”
She seemed offended that he’d never bought cookies or cupcakes. And she’d been paying attention to what he bought. Maybe she knew everyone’s order. That wouldn’t surprise him actually. Appleby was a very small town, and the bakery seemed to have a lot of regulars. As she’d said, she’d lived here all her life. Still, he liked that she’d paid attention to his order.
“Remember what I said about if I got to know you I’d want to stay around?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I was pretty sure if I ate your cupcakes, I’d never want to stop.”
Did ate your cupcakes sound as dirty to her as it did to him? He hoped so. Because it was true. In the sex sense and the cake sense. There was something about this woman that made all kinds of warning signs flash for him.
Yet here he was.
Jocelyn smiled at him then. And the warning sign flashed even brighter.
But did he turn around and get back in his car?
No, he did not.
“So you were avoiding the good stuff at the bakery because you were afraid of it?” she asked.
That was so true. On so many levels. He nodded. “Definitely.”
“You might not want to come into my kitchen, then,” she said. “I’m trying something new tonight,