Shoved (Moonlit Lake Matchmaker #4)

Chapter 7

STORM

Mesmerized, I stared into dazzling blue eyes—the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen—a mixture of shades that seemed to swirl and shift like a kaleidoscope. I couldn’t look away, even though I knew I should. I couldn’t tell what this woman actually looked like because all I could see of her were her eyes. And they had me enthralled.

I reached up to brush snow off her cheek, and time seemed to stand still. Even through my glove, I felt a surge of energy move through my fingertip and up my arm at the touch of her skin. I sucked in a breath. Unable to move. Unable to breathe. Afraid that if I did, she’d disappear. Afraid that maybe this was all a dream.

With all this snow, I’d decided to take a walk to introduce myself to the other businesses near my office, and see if anyone needed help shoveling. Jasper said I needed to get out in the community more to show people I was here. Reacquaint myself with the townspeople.

This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Not that I was complaining. I hadn’t felt this intense of an attraction to a woman since… well, ever.

Another clump of snow fell from the snowbank above us, falling just inside the collar of my coat. A shiver ran down my spine, bringing me back to the present. Not a dream.

“Uh. Sorry. Are you okay?” I slid to the side to roll off her.

She sat up in the snow and adjusted her stocking hat. “Oh… I, Uh…I’m fine. Good thing we have so much snow to cushion the fall. But if it weren’t for all this snow, we wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place.” She stood and brushed the snow off her jeans and coat.

Once she was up, I recognized her as the woman who ran into me at the cafe. “I don’t know. Seems like disaster has a way of happening whenever you’re around.” I dusted off my jacket. “At least this time there wasn’t coffee involved. You know, if you’re trying to get my attention, there are better ways of going about it. You don’t have to keep throwing yourself at me.”

She gasped. “Why, you—I don’t know why I bothered to help you.”

“I think I’d have been better off if you hadn’t.” I’d hoped that by joking and making light of the situation, it wouldn’t be so awkward for both of us, and we could laugh it off.

Apparently, I missed the mark.

As soon as the words left my lips, her anger exploded in front of me. She pushed my chest with both hands and shoved me into the snowbank. “And you can stay there till spring for all I care.” She brushed her showy mittens together, spraying snow into my face. “Now that’s poetic justice.”

The fiery red-headed beauty stomped back into her flower shop, leaving me in the snow, wondering what in the world just happened.

Before I could even pry myself out of the snowbank, along came my furry escape artist. She tugged on my coat, as if to say I didn’t belong there and needed to get up.

“I’m working on it, Lu. Just give me a sec.” Once I was upright, I brushed myself off.

“So much for going out and meeting the neighbors, making a good impression. I’d say that was an epic fail. Wouldn’t you, Lu?”

She agreed with a bark and a wagging tail. Then she tugged my pant leg, nudging me down the sidewalk.

“Okay, you’re right. I may have blown it with that neighbor, but there are others.” Even though my words were true, I felt the sting of disappointment. I didn’t even know this woman. Why did it matter that I put my foot in my mouth and offended her?

As Lulu and I walked past the flower shop, Message in a Blossom, I slowed to peek in the window. Just getting a feel for the place, part of my neighborhood research. It was all lit up and decorated for Christmas. Every inch of the place. When I saw a flash of red hair walk past the window, my heart flipped. I ducked behind the snowbank so she wouldn’t see me. That’s when I noticed her shovel. She was so angry she never finished clearing her sidewalk.

I picked it up, finished her sidewalk, and worked my way down the block, clearing a path for all the businesses. Call it my community goodwill effort. People did stop to talk to me while I was doing it, too.

Jonesy, at the hardware store, was also shoveling snow, and welcomed me back to town.

Thelma was grateful for the help shoveling in front of her cafe. “Oh, bless you, Storm Rhodes. My young help hasn’t made it in yet. And it’s too much for my old body to handle.” She watched from the step as I cleared a path to her door. “I’ll return the favor by spreading the word that you’re just down the street. About time we got our own lawyer in town.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it. Just want to help where I can and let people to know I’m here to stay.”

“Once they start seeing you around town like this, they’ll be flooding your office. Believe me.”

“That’s the hope. I like to be busy.” I waved to her and continued down the sidewalk.

Jasper was out shoveling in front of his and AJ’s restaurant, Aurora’s. “Hey, Storm. I didn’t expect to see you out here working up a sweat.” He looked down at Lulu glued to my side. “Guess I don’t have to ask how your research mission at the pound went.”

“She pretty much glommed onto me and wouldn’t let me leave without her.”

Jasper smirked. “You looked her in the eyes, didn’t you? What did I tell you?”

“You didn’t tell me what would happen if I did.”

“Didn’t I? Oops.” Jasper chuckled, leaning against the handle of his shovel. “Junior taught me that. You know how Medusa could turn men to stone by looking into her eyes? Puppies have a similar power, but it’s to get you to do whatever they want. Like that Jedi mind trick, getting someone with a weak mind to do or believe what you tell them. Puppies are Jedi masters, for sure.”

“And apparently we’re the weak-minded.”

“You’re catching on.”

I pushed my shovel and tossed another scoop onto the bank. “Figured now was as good a time as any to try to conjure up some goodwill with my neighbors.” I almost tell him about my strike out with the florist, but I decide to keep that tidbit to myself. No need to give my little brother any more ammunition.

“Genius idea. I wonder where you came up with that.” He put his finger to his chin. “Oh, yeah. Me. No wonder it’s so brilliant. Are you getting a positive response?”

“For the most part. Thelma said she’d spread the word at the cafe. That’s pretty much all I need.”

“Yep. Once news hits that channel, it’s everywhere.” He smacked his hands together, with the top hand sliding away like a jet taking off.

True. News, and especially gossip, spread faster than the speed of light in this town, and the Moonlit Reflections Cafe was the center of it, along with the town social media page.

“I better get going if I’m going to make it back to my office before the rush. See ya, Jas.”

“Later.” He waved and continued scraping his sidewalk.

Once I worked my way through both sides of my block, I brought the shovel back to the flower shop and stabbed the shovel into the snowbank, where its owner would easily find it. This time when I peered into the window, those beautiful blue eyes were looking back at me. I brought my hand up to wave, but she turned her back on me and continued what she was doing.

It was just as well. Even though I was attracted to her, I wasn’t interested in a relationship. I didn’t do commitment unless it was committing to take a case. My focus was on getting my practice going. I felt a nudge against my leg. And on my dog. Couldn’t forget her. Dating was nowhere on the list.

The dates that I typically went on were just casual. I was always upfront about that from the start. Half of all marriages ended in divorce, and that’s not even counting all the failed relationships that didn’t even make it to the altar. The odds weren’t good.

The image of the red-head just inches from me, wide-eyed and breathless, kept looping through my mind. Maybe it had been too long since I’d been on a date, but would the fiery florist would be interested in a holiday fling?