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John watched Rachel as Annie kissed Dylan’s cheek. A gentle smile lit Rachel’s face and her eyes filled with tears.
He picked up a napkin and handed it to her.
“Thanks.” She wiped her eyes and smiled through her tears.
The wobbly breath she took told him more about what she felt than her words could have. She cared deeply about her friends and believed in love. It was a dangerous combination for a man who was trying to keep away from single women.
She left the napkin on her lap and turned toward him. “Was it hard to find a babysitter for Bella?” A soft blush skimmed along her cheeks. “I know I’m changing the subject. But if I keep watching Annie and Dylan I’m going to cry again. There are only so many tears I can manage before my face goes red and blotchy.”
Her face was already red and blotchy, but she still looked beautiful. “Mrs. Daniels, my housekeeper, is looking after Bella tonight.”
“Did you talk to her about the letter she sent to The Bridesmaids Club?”
John chose his words carefully. “Bella was worried about me. She thought I was sad because I don’t have a wife. And before you ask why I’m sad, I’m not. Bella thinks that if I don’t smile, then I’m unhappy. I have to work on making sure I don’t frown so much.”
“You’re doing it now.”
“What?”
“Frowning.”
John lifted his hand to his face and his frown deepened.
“You could always get Bella more involved with other children. Then she wouldn’t have time to worry about you.”
“She already does ballet class.” A cheer rang out from inside the bar and John glanced over his shoulder. Another bride-to-be had just walked past the window, dressed in a veil with a bouquet in her hands. It was just as well Bella wasn’t here. She would have been grilling each of the brides about what their dresses looked like and how many bridesmaids they had.
“What about a different type of program?”
He turned back to Rachel.
She sat forward and rested her elbows on the table. “She could join a drama club? The local library runs a wonderful program. Some of the children in my class already go to it.”
The whole idea of Bella visiting Bozeman Elementary School was to get her used to being in a classroom. After Christmas she’d be going to school, settling into life in Bozeman like any other child. He hadn’t thought joining other after-school programs would be worthwhile.
“It might be too much.”
“It’s only once a week. It would give Bella another opportunity to meet children that will be in her class.”
“She’s met you. That’s got to be just as important?”
“Except I’m not going to be her teacher. I’m a substitute teacher at the moment. Jackie Reynolds will be teaching Bella.”
John felt his frown deepen. When he’d met with the school’s principal, he’d been very clear about why he was sending Bella to school once a week. He wanted her transition into the local school to be as easy as possible. Part of that transition involved placing her in the classroom that she’d be in after Christmas. Putting Bella in a classroom with a different teacher wasn’t what he’d had in mind.
“Don’t worry about Bella,” Rachel said. “Jackie is a great teacher. I’m sure they’ll get along fine.”
John’s mind was working overtime and coming up with answers he wasn’t comfortable with. Bella liked Rachel. His daughter needed a tutor for the next two months. If Bella couldn’t have Rachel for her teacher in January, then he’d do everything he could to make sure she became Bella’s tutor now. He didn’t know what she earned, but it had to be a lot less than what he was willing to pay.
Rachel glanced across the table and smiled at something Annie said.
He took a deep breath and ignored the warning buzzing inside his head. Spending more time with Rachel would be a big mistake. But his daughter needed a tutor and Rachel was the obvious choice. If he could convince her to take the teaching job, Bella would be happy and he’d have one less thing to worry about.
He had a lot to do over the next few weeks. With two big contracts still being negotiated and Christmas almost on their doorstep, he’d be spending less time at home than he would have liked. Any spare hours that he had would be spent with Bella.
There wouldn’t be time in his life for anyone, including a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman who thought that billionaires didn’t eat pizza.
CHAPTER THREE
Rachel was sitting at one of the tables at Annie and Dylan’s wedding reception. The newlyweds were dancing their first waltz of the night. She smiled as Dylan spun Annie into a very unwaltz-like move.
Their wedding had been beautiful. Pastor Stevens had officiated, saying some of the loveliest words she’d ever heard. More than once, she’d glanced across the church at John, watching his reaction to the simple vows that had been spoken. She’d thought about him and the card his daughter had made, for longer than she should have. Bella seemed to be happy around her dad. She smiled and laughed and did all of the things a normal eight-year-old would do. But there had to be something missing in Bella’s life for her to want to find a bride for her father.
Rachel hadn’t worked out what was missing, and she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to try. She’d enjoyed John’s company last night, maybe a little too much. He’d seemed to enjoy her company, too, and had looked almost disappointed when she’d gone home with her friends.
But with a wedding the next morning and a bride who was stressing about every last thing, leaving Charlie’s Bar and Grill early had been the best thing she could have done.
Rachel saw her friend Molly move around the dance floor. She was taking photos of Annie and Dylan. They would be beautiful images, capturing everything that was special about today.
“It will be our turn to dance soon.” Tess sat in an empty chair beside Rachel. Her pale blue dress, an exact replica of Rachel’s, fell in soft folds around her legs. “They look so happy.”
Rachel nodded. “It’s been an amazing day. Has Logan decorated their car, yet?”
“They finished what they needed to do about ten minutes ago. I’m not sure Dylan’s going to appreciate the tin cans and balloons attached to his get-away car.”
The get-away car was a Porsche. Logan had decided that Dylan needed to start his married life in style. So he’d replaced Dylan’s truck with a silver Porsche and made sure that the hotel they were staying in had secure parking. Tomorrow morning, the newlyweds were flying to Ireland for their honeymoon.
The song that had been playing ended and Tess stood up. “Come on, twinkle toes. Let’s find Jeremy so that you can show everyone what a star you both are on the dance floor.”
Rachel jumped to her feet and looked around for the groomsman she’d been partnered with. She loved dancing, and Jeremy, after a little bribery, had agreed to practice with her. After six weeks of intensive dance therapy, he’d perfected the waltz and foxtrot as much as he was ever going to.
Tess smiled. “Logan’s walking toward us with Jeremy. Sally’s already on the dance floor and Molly’s putting her camera down.”
Rachel looked at Tess and sighed. Tess’ extra height definitely came in handy when she wanted to look around a crowded room. Rachel wasn’t exactly short, but at five-foot-four, her friends all towered over her.
As soon as Jeremy was close enough, he swung her into a turn. Rachel’s skirt billowed around them and she laughed at the cheeky grin on his face. She squeezed his hand and smiled. “Are you ready to dazzle all of the adoring young women here?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Make me look good.” And with that last remark, they were off. Jeremy stepped into the 1-2-3 pattern easily, waltzing his way around the dance floor like a seasoned pro.
Even though he looked relaxed, she could feel the tension in his shoulders and arms. “Relax. You know what you’re doing. Enjoy the moment.”
Jeremy’s shoulders dropped a little, but he was still holding himself ramrod straight. “It’s easy for you to say,” he whispered. “You haven’t got Debbie Adams staring at you.”
“I take it Debbie is the girl you’ve been dating?”
“Was dating. She decided there wasn’t a future for us.”
Rachel could hear the disappointment in his voice. “I’m sorry. I know how much you liked her.” Whenever Debbie’s name had come up in a conversation, Jeremy changed the subject and blushed beet red.
“It doesn’t matter.” He glanced at Rachel and sighed. “Okay. It does matter, but I’m trying hard to hide it. Will you do me a favor?”
“Is this on top of making you three batches of triple fudge brownies and a Christmas cake?”
“That was for taking dancing lessons with you. This is more important.”
“You want a dozen cupcakes, too?” Rachel teased.
Jeremy shook his head. “No, but if you’re feeling sorry for me, you could always throw some in. This is about Debbie. If you see her walking toward me, come and save me.”
Rachel was having a hard enough time staying away from John. Keeping Jeremy and his ex-ladylove in sight, as well as John, would be a challenge. “You might have to dance with me more often.”
