Heating up the Holidays

thought it was Brad. It looked like Brad, but his golden brown hair was flattened down and parted on the side. And what the hell was he wearing?

Her gaze skimmed over black-rimmed glasses whose hinges appeared held together by tape. A white dress shirt with half a dozen pens sticking out of the pocket. Black dress pants that were hiked up way too high on his waist which showed off the dreaded white socks/black shoes combo.

He walked toward her and she realized it was indeed Brad. He stopped in front of the counter and smiled. “Hi, Toni. Hi, Jayne.”

“Is that you, Brad?” Jayne asked, squinting at him.

“Sure is. How do you like my new look?”

“It’s, um, interesting,” Jayne said, clearly trying to be diplomatic.

“What do you think?” he asked Toni.

“You look kinda…nerdy.”

Instead of appearing insulted, he smiled. “Perfect. That’s how accountants are supposed to look, right?”

“So this is for a costume party?” Jayne asked with a laugh.

Brad shook his head. “No. It’s for a date.” He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a gift card. Toni instantly recognized it as the one he’d bought just an hour ago-dinner for two at Sea Shells. He set the card on the counter and pushed it slowly toward her. “You wanted an accountant-you got one. Have dinner with me.”

Warmth rushed through Toni at the gesture. It was funny and annoying and romantic and ridiculous, and to her horror she felt the word yes rush into her throat. She forced it back and fixed him with a stern stare. “I’ve heard of makeovers, but this is definitely a makeunder.”

Looking confused, he pushed up his taped glasses. “Isn’t this what accountants look like?”

“Yeah-in comic strips and cartoons. You look like you got attacked by a copy of The Nerd’s Complete Guide to Bad Fashion.”

“Is that so? Well, at the last accountant convention I attended, this is what I wore and I was the height of fashion. Really. I mean that.”

“Uh-huh.”

He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, you’re the one who wanted an accountant. I’m just trying to be accommodating.”

“I was actually thinking more along the lines of an accountant who might wear an Armani suit.”

“According to The Nerd’s Complete Guide to Bad Fashion, accountants don’t wear Armani. They wear high-water pants and pocket protectors.” He pointed to the array of writing implements in his shirt pocket. “And always carry bandages in case their pens stab them in the boob.”

A giggle escaped her and she coughed to cover it. “You’re not an accountant.”

“Oh, yeah?” He leaned closer and flashed her a naughty grin. “Wanna see my assets?”

More than I’ll ever let you know. “Keep talking like that and I’ll report you to the IRS.” She pushed the gift card back toward him.

“So even though you said you wanted an accountant and I’ve turned into an accountant, the answer is still no?”

“Correct.” Although she had to give him props for ingenuity. Not that she had any intention of telling him that, of course.

He leaned back and stared at her through those ridiculous glasses and she had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. “What would you say if I told you you’re a hard woman to please?”

“I’d say you were right.”

He muttered something under his breath about women being fickle-hearted creatures then retrieved his gift card and slipped it back in his pants pocket. “No argument here. Well, I guess I’d better go. I have um, accounting-type things to do.”

“You mean like tax returns?” Toni asked.

“Yeah. Stuff like that. See ya.”

How unfair was it that even dressed in high-water pants, the man looked utterly delicious? As soon as the door closed behind him, Jayne planted her hands on her hips and shot Toni The Look.

“I guess you’re wondering what that was all about,” Toni said, ignoring The Look and reaching for another centerpiece.

“Actually, I was able to connect the dots pretty well. What I want to know is how you could possibly turn him down! Did you not see how sweet that was? How romantic? Obviously the guy is totally into you. When’s the last time a man made such an effort?”

Since she couldn’t remember if any man had ever made such an effort, she merely shrugged.

“If I weren’t so in love and so knocked up, I’d have dinner with him. What are you, made of steel?”

“Titanium,” Toni corrected, although, given how tempted she’d been to accept his invitation, she had to wonder if it was true.

“Well, just remember that even titanium can melt if exposed to hot enough temperatures.”

“Noted. Why don’t you start on the Chamber of Commerce piece while I finish boxing these centerpieces?”

“Fine,” Jayne grumbled, her lower lip sticking out in a pout. “I’ll do that while you box centerpieces and regret letting that beautiful man get away.”

“No regrets,” Toni said with a smile, but even as the words left her mouth she wondered if they were true.

Forty-five minutes later, Toni was just adding a bright red satin bow to a poinsettia for her latest customer when the bell above the door jingled. She glanced that way, noting the tall man dressed in jeans, a denim shirt and a ten-gallon hat whose brim shadowed his features. Smiling, she handed the woman the plant then turned toward the man. And froze as recognition hit her.

“Howdy, ma’am,” Brad said in a slow drawl, his lips curving upward in a smile. He then touched the brim of his hat and nodded a greeting to Jayne.

Jayne shot him a grin. “Don’t tell me-she said she’d rather date a cowboy than a firefighter.”

“That’s the truth,” Brad replied in his exaggerated drawl. He stepped up to the counter and slapped down the dinner gift card in front of Toni. With his eyes gleaming at her, he said, “Thought I’d mosey on over here and see if I couldn’t convince you to share some vittles with me.” He pushed back his hat and gave her a sexy smile that she suspected could actually melt titanium. “Whattaya say, little lady? Have dinner with me. If you do, I’ll dazzle you with some of my cowboy wisdom.”

Dammit, she was having a hard time resisting this. God knows if he really were a cowboy, she’d take him up on his offer in a snap. But he wasn’t. So she crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a skeptical look. “Cowboy wisdom?”

“That’s right. Such as, don’t squat with your spurs on.”

Toni considered, then nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Always drink upstream from the herd. If you’re riding ahead of the herd, look back once in a while to make sure it’s still there. Never slap a man who’s chewing tobacco.” He gave a solemn nod. “Yes, ma’am, words to live by.” He pushed the gift card closer to her and lowered his voice. “Have dinner with me.”

The heat in his eyes, the intimacy in his tone, touched something deep inside Toni. Something she didn’t want touched. Especially not by him. For three years she’d never once wavered from her resolve to avoid firefighters. Had never been even remotely tempted to do so. The fact that she was now so sorely tempted confused and irritated her. And actually scared her. And on top of that, the timing was all wrong. She simply didn’t have time for this. For him. For anyone.

She pushed the gift card back. “Look, I appreciate the effort you’ve put in here, but-”

“So have dinner with me.”

She had to force herself to shake her head. Force herself to say, “No. Thank you, but no. And I recall the rest of our earlier conversation. Please don’t show up here dressed as a circus clown. This is very flattering, but the answer is still no.”

He heaved a sigh and slipped the gift card back in his pocket. “Well, as they say on the ranch, if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.” He tipped his hat, then without another word, turned and