Moonlight Kiss

storage area. She wore jeans and a plain pink T-shirt. Her long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, and if he wasn’t mistaken she was barefoot. He wondered why she didn’t seem to hear him but then noticed earphones. She paused and bobbed her head and shoulders to the beat and then did a cute little wiggle thing while snapping her fingers. Lifting her arms she hummed for a minute, sang a word here and there. She did a shimmy to the left and then to the right. She bobbed and weaved, started singing again as if she couldn’t help herself. Reid grinned but then reminded himself that nothing about her was amusing. Still dancing but a little bit more subdued she opened the flaps on the top of the box. “Addison?” he called out, but she must have had the music turned up pretty loud because she didn’t respond.

“Oh!” her soft, throaty exclamation of delight teased his senses and he smiled, forgetting for a moment how pissed he was at her, and he stood rooted to the spot. She lifted up a wedding veil and examined it tenderly, cooing over the pearls and details. She stood in the soft lighting, looking so damned pretty that his blood stirred. She bent forward and pulled out some tissue paper, letting it flutter to the floor, and then examined another veil, handling it with care before putting it on a linen-covered display table. “Oh, pink rosebuds!” she said with a sense of wonder that for some reason Reid found super-sweet but somehow sexy. He decided it was time to make his presence known.

He started clumping across the room toward her. “Addison?” he said, but she started bopping her head again before bending back into the box. Finally he walked closer and tapped her on the back.

“Eeeek!” She quickly stood up and then stumbled backward, tripping over the edge of a round Oriental rug and she fell, landing on her butt with a grunt. The veil she clutched went flying upward and fluttered to the floor with a light clink.

“Oh, crap. Are you okay?” Reid towered over her while she blinked up at him.

“How did you get in here?” She tugged the earbuds out and gave him a decidedly unfriendly stare.

When she ignored his outstretched hand he crossed his arms across his chest. “The front door was open.” He tilted his head in that direction.

“Well, we’re closed,” she said shortly. “I thought I’d locked it.”

Reid understood her anger. She’d thrown herself at him and he’d responded, but he hadn’t called her since that night. For a second he felt like an ass. Then he remembered the picture of her kissing a long-haired, leather- clad rock star.

“Well?”

Reid looked down at her. “I need to talk to you.” Her feet were indeed bare. Peach-tinted toenails seemed to beg for his touch. “You’re barefoot,” he said without thinking. Her delicate feet looked even more feminine next to his big clunky boots.

“I have a blister from my shoes,” she explained, but then shook her head as if clearing it. “What do you want, Reid?”

I want to know why you were kissing Rick Ruleman.

“Well?” Her chin came up in defiance but then she seemed to catch herself. When she put her palms on the floor and pushed upward he saw her wince, and some of his anger faded.

“Are you okay?” He held his hand out but she ignored it once more.

“Just . . . sore. I’ve been doing a lot of bending and lifting.” She sliced her hand through the air. “As you can imagine.”

Reid nodded and he knew the polite thing to do would to be to tell her how great the shop looked, but he didn’t. “About this thing with my sister . . .”

“I’m sorry, Reid, but I did my research and Sara is onto something. Barn weddings are popular. With Wedding Row in place she would really develop a thriving business. I had to be honest.”

“Honest?” He all but growled the word, making her eyebrows shoot up. “Do you even know the meaning of the word? Look, I know you just do what you want . . . take what you want.”

“Excuse me?” Her eyes widened, but he kept on talking.

“And this shop is a fun little distraction while you hide out here in Cricket Creek from your . . . indiscretions.”

“Indiscretions? Who even says that?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Really?” she asked flatly. “Enlighten me.”

“Let’s not go there. But listen. My sister doesn’t have money to play around with, unlike you. I asked you to discourage her from sinking her retirement into this little game, and you had to go and do the direct opposite. Were you trying to get back at me? Is that it?”

Addison blinked at him.

Reid knew he was being an ass but he was fueled by anger and jealousy. “Well?”

“You seem to already have all of the answers,” she answered tightly, but her voice shook.

“No, I don’t. That’s why I’m here.” For the first time Reid noticed slight shadows beneath her eyes. What was keeping her up at night? Guilt?

Addison gave him a level stare and then swallowed hard. “For the record, I don’t owe you any explanations. And I’m not about to defend myself. But here are the facts: If you’re referring to my supposed affair with Rick Ruleman, that was fabricated either by his camp to fuel his bad-boy image or by Garret to get big ratings for his reality show. A show I would have no part of because I value my privacy and my reputation. The picture that keeps showing up of me seeming to kiss Rick was taken at my engagement party to his son. It was completely innocent. And the funds to open this shop came from my own personal investments. I have a degree in business and I’ve been taught well by my mother, who I’m sure you’re familiar with, since you seem to have been digging into my personal life. I know a thing or two about money.”

Oh . . . shit. “Addison . . .”

She held up her index finger. “Oh no, please allow me to finish. And as for your sister’s risk in hosting wedding receptions?” She tapped her chest. “I am prepared to be an investor in the renovation of the barn. In fact, I have talked to several of the shop owners in Wedding Row and they were all interested in helping to get this off the ground. Here’s another fun fact: Sara’s own wedding is going to be virtually free because we’re taking the opportunity to showcase our shops. The gown, the cake, catering, tuxedoes, flowers . . . you name it. Jason Craig was even willing to throw in most of his labor for renovating the barn in exchange for having his wedding to Madison Robinson on your farm. It’s called bartering, and, according to Sara, I understand farmers still do a lot of that.”

Addison walked over to a desk and picked up a sheet of paper. She tapped the side of her cheek. “Let’s see. I have Mia Monroe’s wedding on the list. I assure you that it will be quite an affair. Maggie McMillan, the real estate lady in the corner shop, said that her son, Tristan, and Savannah Perry are interested as well. She even offered to add a link on her Web site to help book weddings with out-of-town clients. All of this, and we haven’t even advertised. It’s all just word of mouth.” She tilted her head to the side. “Was there anything else you wanted to know? I’m kind of busy.”

Speechless, Reid looked at her. Although he towered over her even more than usual in his work boots with her being barefoot, he suddenly felt very small.

“Nothing more? Super.” She pointed to the door. “Oh, and just a simple a word of advice: Don’t believe everything you read and don’t listen to gossip. I’m just sayin’.” She abruptly turned her back on him and reached into the box of veils.

Reid stood there for a moment, wondering what in the hell to do. Sorry wouldn’t even begin to cut it. He thought the best thing to do would be to simply leave, but when he saw the slight hitch of her shoulders Reid thought she might be crying. Shit.

Reid simply could not stand to see a woman cry. His mother knew it and so did Sara and they weren’t above using tears to their advantage, but this was different. He had made Addison cry. He had to make her stop. After clearing his throat he said, “Addison?”

She went very still but failed to turn around.

“Listen . . .”

Addison whirled around so fast that her ponytail looked like a helicopter blade. “No,