Sweetheart Bride

“Yes, he sure is,” Callie whispered to Brenna. “If you don’t go for him, I just might have to.”

“Go ahead,” Brenna said, inhaling a deep breath. “Ours is a working relationship.” She ignored the little green monsters of jealousy laughing in her head.

“Yeah, and we all believe that,” Callie retorted. “I was just teasing about my going after him. But the way he looks at you, I think you have a definite shot.”

* * *

Nick surveyed the crowd. The tough crowd. He hadn’t expected this many people to show up. But this was a small town with a big grapevine. No need for online networking here. This network moved through clotheslines and crab traps and church prayer chains.

He was a stranger in a strange land.

Then he looked up and saw Brenna sitting there on the front row, prim and proper and prepared, wearing a pretty spring dress and cute little blue sweater. She gave him an encouraging, questioning smile.

Showtime.

“Hello, everyone,” he said in a loud calm voice.

The whispers died down as people settled into their seats.

Nick took a breath. “I’m Nick Santiago. I’ve been here for a while, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to talk to very many of you. I’m supervising the renovation of the Dubois mansion, locally known as Fleur House.”

Applause followed that introduction. Nick grinned at that.

“I wanted to let you know what this means for your community.”

“Yeah, what does it mean?” came a shout from the back.

“Jobs?” someone else asked.

The conversations started up again, a mixture of English and Cajun-French that turned into chaos. Nick tried raising his hand, but they were off and running, taking his initial explanations and creating little detours that rippled like a swamp wake.

“Excuse me!”

Nick watched as Brenna stood up and clapped her hands.

“Mr. Santiago is doing us a favor by bringing us here tonight. Let’s show him that famous Fleur hospitality by listening, please. He’ll be glad to answer any questions when he’s finished.”

The room went quiet.

Nick gave Brenna a grateful glance, then started again.

“Last spring, my client bought Fleur House and the surrounding gardens. Because I’m an architect and on retainer for this particular client, he commissioned me to oversee the renovations. I’ve been here a few weeks now, and I’ve seen some of you riding by the house. I know you’re wondering who this man is and what’s going on with all the construction.”

He took a breath and drank a sip of water from the cup Brenna had put on a table. “I can’t tell you who the owner is yet. He’s a very private man with a very public obligation. But I can tell you about me. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. My parents still live there.” He stopped, glanced at Brenna, prayed she wouldn’t see his doubts. “I’ve always loved old buildings. That is my specialty, restoring old neglected places and making them new again.”

“We’re glad to have you.”

Nick nodded at the robust man who’d shouted that out. “And I’m glad to be here. So we will get serious about putting the final touches on the house now that the toughest parts of the renovation are finished. I’ve hired Brenna Blanchard to oversee some of the decor for the house, mainly the artwork. My client loves art and buys several pieces a year. Brenna will pick some of the main pieces for the house.” He glanced at Brenna and smiled. “She is highly qualified.”

“And she’s an artist, too,” someone called out.

Surprised, Nick took another sip of water. “Really? She left that off her résumé.”

While Brenna shifted in her seat and looked down, another person said, “She don’t like to brag.”

Everyone laughed at that. But Nick made a note to ask Brenna about her hidden talent. Was it coincidence that she was also an artist? Did he dare tell her he used to paint? That was a lifetime ago. It didn’t matter much now.

“So, what other talents do we have in this room? We’re a little behind on the renovations, so I need some extra hands. I’ll need some extra construction workers—both experienced and nonexperienced. I’ll need a couple more electricians and plumbers, and journeymen to add to my team. I’ll need a qualified house inspector. I have a list of positions here on the table. Please feel free to take the information. Even though I have a team from Texas, I’ll still need a lot of locals to help. I’ll be back here tomorrow at noon to accept applications. Mainly, I’m here to make Fleur House fresh and new again so that we can show it off to the community and to tourists and visitors, too.”

Everyone clapped, then Brenna stood up. “Now, if you have any questions—”

* * *

An hour later, Brenna shooed the last person out the door, then turned to Nick. “Welcome to Fleur.”

He ran a hand over his hair and laughed. “I’m exhausted.”

He did look adorably exhausted. She had to keep her fingers from brushing through his dark hair. “And hungry, I imagine.”

“Yes, I am.” He started gathering his notes and shoved them into his briefcase. “I didn’t realize that until now, however.”

Brenna waffled like a frog on a vine, then finally turned to him. “You’re invited to my daddy’s house for chicken perlo. It’s my mama’s recipe, but Papa has perfected it. It’s always good on a crisp fall night.”

“That sounds great.” He touched her midback and guided her toward the door. “How did I do?”

Brenna didn’t have to hide her reaction to that. “You were great. I had no idea you’d be able to offer people jobs. I guess I never asked.”

She’d been too concerned about herself even to think of that. Once she’d been hired, she did her usual thing. She began to obsess about being perfect.

He gave her an indulgent smile. “I have my own crew, but we always try to hire locals and now that we’re down to the wire, it makes sense. I should have explained that to you.”

Interesting. “So you do this a lot. Find a house, renovate it and move on?”

“Sí. That’s my job. My client keeps me busy year-round. He’s mostly into industrial real estate, but he sometimes buys estates and renovates them. He’s bought and sold some incredible homes.”

More and more information. But she wanted to know more about Nick right now. “Is he your main employer?”

Nick held the door for her. Outside, the fall night held a hint of winter. While the winters here were mild, it was beginning to be chilly enough to wear a light jacket.

Brenna only had a light sweater. She shivered.

“I work for several different people, but mostly for him, sí.”

And that was the end of that.

She shivered again. Then she felt Nick’s hands on her arms, felt the warmth of his soft wool suit jacket enveloping her shoulders. “You’re cold.”

And you are seriously...hot.