The Rich Girl Goes Wild

Chapter Two

Mac watched Ashley’s perfectly bowed, lightly glossed and achingly kissable lips pucker ever so slightly before she made a visible effort to shift her features into a pleased expression. If he hadn’t been staring at her mouth he would have missed it. He pulled a sardonic grin.

Then he realized that for the exceedingly proper Miss Ashley to show even that much displeasure meant she must be heaving with it on the inside. Now, he knew he wasn’t that distasteful. Mud washed off, for saints’ sake.

She pulled herself up and flashed him a brilliant smile that he suspected would have knocked him to his knees if it had been a little warmer around the edges and had reached her deep-lake blue eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t know in advance about your arrival. You would have received a much warmer—er—hospitable reception.”

He smirked. Things certainly didn’t need to get any warmer between them. “No worries, sunshine. The less pretenses, the better, as far as I’m concerned.” The pretenses of dating had landed him in this nightmare in the first place.

His mood sobering, he turned to Harrison. “Do you have a minute, or are you on your way to the office? I know you’re the big boss, now, but you do still work Fridays, right?” They needed to get their story down so no other surprises threatened this so-far perfect escape from Stephanie and her attempt to use outright lies and scandal to land herself a MacDougal.

Harrison put a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “Boy, you must be tired. I’m not going in to work today. Remember I told you that Juliet, Nathan and I are heading down to the amusement parks in southern California for two weeks? I couldn’t wait any longer to take my little man to Disneyland.”

Mac ran a hand down his cheek, wiping off dirt stuck to his whiskers. “That’s right.” He was tired. Had been since he’d discovered his family intended to use the situation with Stephanie to force him to settle down.

He couldn’t. His heart was seared with the oath he’d made on the worst day of his life, and he wasn’t about to break it for the likes of Stephanie Thorton-Stuart. Even though Harrison was leaving, Mac had come anyway because he wasn’t here for a social visit. He was here to hide.

Thankfully not noticing Mac’s seriousness, Harrison chuckled. “I think Juliet is about as excited as Nathan. She’s never been there before, so she’s vowed to hit every attraction in the place. Nathan will probably sleep through half of it.”

A surprisingly soul-wrenching envy that his friend’s true love was alive and kicking broadsided Mac. Only practice kept him from doubling over with the ache. His throat constricting, he asked, “Nathan’s…two now?”

Still oblivious, Harrison grinned and his chest swelled up, definitely the proud pop. “Two and cute as all get out. We don’t have to leave until later this morning, so you’ll get to meet Nat and his gorgeous mama. Assuming, of course, they ever get their act together and come down here for breakfast.”

Ashley, who had been watching the conversation with a look that left no doubt that the wheels were noisily turning within her beautiful and clearly not so empty head, offered, “Why don’t I go up and inform Juliet about your guest while you take Mr. Wild to the kitchen. He claims to be in dire need of sustenance.”

Pushing away the pain he’d lived with for over a decade, Mac regrouped and returned her volley. “I’m in dire need of a lot of things, sunshine.”

She smiled, but it was still tight around the edges. “Harrison will take care of you, I’m sure.”

He wanted to say that there was no way in hell Harrison could take care of what she put him in mind of, but she turned crisply and headed back toward the front of the house. Mac settled for a soft whistle through his teeth and murmured, “Holy haggis.”

Harrison laughed and pulled him by the arm in the opposite direction, saying in a soft voice, “Come on, Mac. Better men than you have tried to get a rise out of that one.”

Unable to take his eyes off the sexy sway of Ashley’s retreating backside beneath her straight, cream skirt, Mac said, “But you know I’ve never been able to resist a challenge, Harrison old man, especially if I’m told it can’t be done.”

“Yes, but Ash is in a class by herself when it comes to single-mindedness.”

Mac jerked to a stop just inside the large, French Provincial-style kitchen. Maybe Ashley was in a class of two. Stephanie was proving to be very single-minded, also. Damn her scheming heart.

Heedful of the petite, gray-haired woman in a serviceable, light gray dress busily cooking pancakes at the professional range top, he said darkly, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Harrison patted the small woman on the back as he went by. “Good morning, Marie.”

She turned and gave him a genuine-looking smile that lit up her olive-skinned face and dark, almond-shaped eyes. “Good morning, Mr. Rivers.”

“Marie, this is a good friend of mine—” Harrison indicated to Mac “—Mac, ah, Wild. He’s going to be staying here for a month or so. Don’t let him charm you into making him some haggis, or any of the other bizarre stuff he has a penchant for.”

Mac gave Harrison his best glare. “I do not have a penchant for haggis.”

“You’re always mentioning it—”

“It’s a family saying.”

Having never met a cook—either short-order or gourmet—he didn’t like, Mac smiled at Marie, hoping his pearly whites could wipe away from her mind the image of having to prepare sheep intestines. “I’m of Scottish descent. Though my family can’t seem to get it through their heads that living in America since the colonial days pretty much makes us Americans.”

His charm working, the older woman beamed at him. “It’s a pleasure to have you here, Mr. Wild, and I’ll gladly cook you anything you wish. Just let me know far enough in advance so I can purchase ingredients if I need to.”

His stomach rumbled in anticipation, but Mac assured her, “You won’t have to do anything special for me, Marie. I can tell by the way this kitchen smells that I’ll be more than happy with what you normally prepare.”

Harrison peered over Marie’s shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’re making Nathan pancakes again. You made them for him for dinner last night. The kid is going to turn into one.”

She laughed. “That baby couldn’t be anything but an angel, and today our angel is getting mouse-shaped pancakes in honor of your trip.”

Mac’s mouth started to water. “Ooh, if I go shower, can I have one?”

“Just wash your hands. You can have as many as you’d like.”

Mac grinned at her and made for the sink. “You’re my new best friend, Marie.”

She giggled and dismissed him with a wave, but she dumped a ton of batter on the griddle.

Harrison said, “Just eggs are fine for me, Marie.”

Mac washed and then sat down across from Harrison at the breakfast table, careful not to dislodge any dirt in Marie’s clean kitchen. Being in good with the cook could make a man’s life very pleasant. Double-checking to make sure she was too far away to hear, he said, “I can do Environmental Specialist.”

“It seemed right up your alley.”

“Come to think of it, it is. Too bad I have a billion in acquisitions and mergers to oversee or I might actually try it out.”

Harrison’s eyebrows went up. “So you finally broke the big ‘b’ barrier?”

“Yep. Last quarter.” Mac realized he’d puffed out his chest like Harrison had done at the mention of his son. Deep inside, Mac would have rather been a proud papa, but without Kate, that wasn’t going to happen. His business would be enough. “It’s been a real bear to hold on to, though. I’d gotten heavily involved in high-tech.”

“As well you should, seeing as all those neat gadgets let you do your job while on the back of your mountain bike, or hanging off a cliff…”

Or dodging paternity scandals. Harrison didn’t say the words, but Mac knew he was thinking them. His friend had stepped up and taken responsibility when he’d found out he’d fathered a child. But at least he’d actually had sex with the woman.

The bitterness simmering in Mac since his family had sided with Stephanie started to boil. “It’s past time for my family to accept that I have no intention of ever settling down, Harrison.”

His friend gave him a level look. “Kate’s been gone for a long time, Mac. She’d want you to—”

“I know exactly what she wanted me to do, and I swore I’d do it,” he snapped, the wound as raw as ever. But not wanting his friendship with Harrison to suffer, he reeled himself back in and after a moment, blew out a rueful breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just that this has all turned into such a mess. I never even slept with Stephanie. I took her out a few times, to make my folks happy, but it was clear from the get-go she was looking to set herself up for life in the manner in which she’s become accustomed.”

“Do you think she’s pregnant?”

Mac snorted. “No. She wouldn’t risk her figure just yet.”

“Then how does she think she’s going to get away with claiming she is?”