Love wasn’t supposed to be a part of the deal…

Even a famed matchmaker like Nolan Madaris’s great-grandmother can’t get it right every time. Nolan, the notorious fun-loving ladies’ man, could never connect with someone as straitlaced as tech whiz Ivy Chapman. Yet the scheme Ivy proposes is tempting—they can pretend to be a couple, just long enough to satisfy their families.

But someone forgot to clue in their hearts

What happens, though, when Ivy’s plan to get her relatives off her back has an unexpected side effect: getting her into Nolan’s bed? Houston’s number one womanizer may have found the only one who can truly satisfy him, body and soul. But with a man from Ivy’s past determined to be part of her future, both she and Nolan will have to decide what’s fake, what’s real and what’s worth fighting for...

Also by Brenda Jackson

The Protectors

FORGED IN DESIRE

SEIZED BY SEDUCTION

LOCKED IN TEMPTATION

The Grangers

A BROTHER’S HONOR

A MAN’S PROMISE

A LOVER’S VOW

For additional books by

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson,

visit her website, www.brendajackson.net.

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Best Laid Plans

Brenda Jackson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08235-8

BEST LAID PLANS

© 2018 Brenda Streater Jackson

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To the man who will always and forever

be the love of my life and the wind beneath

my wings, Gerald Jackson, Sr.

Special thanks to LaSonde Jones, Dana Ross, Aquanetta Powell and Samantha Miguez for naming the newborn Madaris twins—Landon and London.

Special thanks to Joyce Snipes for naming

Ivy Chapman’s perfume, Forever You.

To all my readers who waited patiently

for a new Madaris novel, this book is for you.

In memory of my fur baby Yorkie,

who passed away during the writing of this book. Mookie, you are deeply missed.

I have found the one whom my soul loves.

—Song of Solomon 3:4

Praise for

New York Times bestselling author

Brenda Jackson

“The only flaw of this first-rate, satisfyingly sexy tale is that it ends.”

—Publishers Weekly, starred review,

on Forged in Desire

“[Jackson’s] signature is to create full-sensory romances that deliver on the heat, and she duly delivers…. [S]ure to make any reader swoon.”

—RT Book Reviews on Forged in Desire

“Leave it to Jackson to take sizzle and honor, wrap it in romance and come up with a first-rate tale.”

—RT Book Reviews on Temptation

“Brenda Jackson is the queen of newly discovered love… If there’s one thing Jackson knows how to do, it’s how to pluck those heartstrings and stir up some seriously saucy drama.”

—BookPage on Inseparable

“This deliciously sensual romance ramps up the emotional stakes and the action…. [S]exy and sizzling.”

—Library Journal on Intimate Seduction

“Jackson does not disappoint…first-class page-turner.”

—RT Book Reviews on A Silken Thread, 4½ stars,

Top Pick!

“Jackson is a master at writing.”

—Publishers Weekly on Sensual Confessions

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Praise

PART ONE

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

PART TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

EPILOGUE

Extract

PART ONE

“You often meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it.”

—Jean de La Fontaine

PROLOGUE

Christmas Day

NOLAN MADARIS III took a sip of his beer while standing on the balcony of his condo. Leaning against the rail, he had a breathtaking view of the exclusive fifteen-story Madaris Building that was surrounded by a cluster of upscale shops, restaurants and a beautiful jogging park with a huge man-made pond. The condo where he lived was right across from the water.

The entire complex, including the condos, had been architecturally designed, engineered and constructed by the Madaris Construction Company that was owned by his cousins Blade and Slade. For the holidays the Madaris Building, surrounding shops, restaurants and jogging park were beautifully decorated with colorful, bright lights. It was hard to believe a new year was just a week away.

When Nolan had arrived home from his cousin Lee’s wedding, he hadn’t bothered to remove his tuxedo. Instead he’d headed straight for the refrigerator, grabbed a beer and proceeded to the balcony for a bit of mental relaxation. But all his mind could do was recall the moment his ninety-something-year-old great-grandmother, Felicia Laverne Madaris, had finally cornered him at the reception that evening. She was a notorious matchmaker, and he’d been avoiding her all night. Her success rate was too astounding to suit him—and she had calmly warned him that he was next.

He was just as determined not to be.

Nolan, his brother Corbin, and his cousins Reese and Lee had all been born within a fifteen-month period. They were as close as brothers and had been thick as thieves while growing up. Mama Laverne swore her goal was to marry them all off before she took her last breath. They all told her that wouldn’t happen, but then the next thing they knew, Reese had married Kenna and today Lee married Carly.

What bothered Nolan more than anything about his great-grandmother setting her schemes on him was that she of all people knew what he’d gone through with Andrea Dunmire. Specifically, the hurt, pain and humiliation she had caused him. Not to mention her cunning, scheming and underhanded manipulations. Yes, it had been years ago and he had got over it, but there were some things you didn’t forget. A woman ripping your heart out of your chest was one of them.

Andrea had meticulously plotted and carried out her plan while conspiring with her cousin to do so. He had learned a hard lesson he would never forget. As a result, he would not allow anyone—not even his great-grandmother—to manipulate him into doing anything he didn’t want to do. If he wasn’t on board, then to hell with it.

Nolan knew in his heart his great-grandmother’s intentions were good. He could even believe that she might have a golden thumb where matchmaking was concerned. But his feelings about being manipulated and controlled by anyone, including Felicia Laverne Madaris, wouldn’t change. He intended to resist, defy and oppose whatever trick, tactic or scheme her pretty little mind conjured up with every fiber of his being.

His cell phone rang. Recognizing the ringtone, he pulled it out of his pocket and answered, “Yes, Corbin?”

“Hey, man, I just wanted to check on you. We saw you tear out of here like the devil himself was after you. It’s Christmas and we thought you would stay the night at Whispering Pines and continue to party like the rest of us.”

Whispering Pines was their granduncle Jake’s ranch. Nolan took another sip of his beer before saying, “I couldn’t stay knowing Mama Laverne is already plotting my downfall. You wouldn’t believe what she told me.”

“We weren’t standing far away and heard.”

Nolan shook his head in frustration. “So now all of you know that Mama Laverne’s friend’s granddaughter is the woman she’s picked out for me.”

“Yes, and we got a name. Reese and I overheard Mama Laverne tell Grandaunt Marilyn that your future wife’s name is Ivy Chapman.”

“Like hell the woman is my future wife.” Nolan had never met her and didn’t intend to. “All this time I thought Mama Laverne was plotting to marry the woman’s granddaughter off to Lee. She set me up real good.”

Corbin didn’t say anything and Nolan was glad because for the moment he needed the silence. It didn’t matter to him one iota that so far, every one of his cousins whose wives had been selected by his great-grandmother was madly in love with their spouses and saw her actions as a blessing and not a curse. What mattered was that she should not have interfered in the process. And what bothered him more than anything was knowing that he was next on her list. He didn’t want her to find him a wife. When and if he was ready for marriage, he was certainly capable of finding one on his own.

“You’ve come up with a plan?” Corbin interrupted Nolan’s thoughts to ask.

Nolan thought of the diabolical plan which his cousin Lee had put in place to counteract their great-grandmother’s shenanigans and was guaranteed to outsmart Mama Laverne for sure. However, in the end, Lee’s plan had backfired.

“No, why waste my time planning anything? I simply refuse to play the games Mama Laverne is intent on playing. What I’m going to do is ignore her foolishness and enjoy my life as the newest eligible Madaris bachelor.”

He could say that since, at thirty-four, he was ten months older than Corbin, who would be next on their great-grandmother’s hit list. “By the time I make my rounds, there won’t be a single woman living in Houston who won’t know I’m not marriage material. Especially one Miss Ivy Chapman,” Nolan added.

Corbin chuckled. “That sounds like a plan to me.”

“Not a plan. Just stating my intentions. I refuse to let Mama Laverne shove a wife that I don’t want down my throat just because she thinks she can and that she should.”

After ending the call with his brother, Nolan swallowed the last of his beer. Like he’d told Corbin, he didn’t have a plan and wouldn’t waste time coming up with one. What he intended to do was to have fun, as much fun as any single man could possibly have.

A huge smile touched his lips as he left the balcony. Walking into his condo, he headed for his bedroom. Quickly removing the tux, he changed into a pair of slacks and a pullover sweater. The night was still young and there was no reason for him not to go out and celebrate the holiday.

As he moved toward his front door, he started humming “Jingle Bells.” Let the fun begin.

CHAPTER ONE

Fifteen months later...

NOLAN CLICKED OFF his mobile phone, satisfied with the call he’d just ended with Lee about his cousin’s newest hotel, the Grand MD Paris. Construction of the huge megastructure had begun three weeks ago. Already it was being touted by the media as the hotel of the future and Nolan would have to agree.

This would be the third hotel Lee and his business partner, DeAngelo Di Meglio, had built. And knowing Lee and DeAngelo like he did, Nolan expected the Grand MD Paris to open its doors on time in two years with fanfare and the likes of a presidential inauguration.

Nolan’s company, Madaris Innovations, would provide all the electronic and technology work for the Grand MD Paris; some would be the first of its kind anywhere. All high-tech and trend changing. It would be Nolan’s first project of this caliber and he appreciated Lee and DeAngelo for giving him the opportunity.

After getting a master’s degree at MIT, Nolan had begun working for Chenault Electronics at their Chicago office. Chenault Electronics was considered one of the top ten electronics companies in the world. The owner, Nicholas Chenault, was a family friend and had taken Nolan under his wing and had not only been his boss but his mentor as well. After eight years working for Chenault, Nolan had returned to Houston to start his own company.

Nolan leaned back in his chair. He had returned from spending two weeks in Paris just yesterday. In a way, he regretted being back in Houston. Before leaving, he had done everything in his power to become the life of every party, and his reputation as Houston’s number one playboy had been cemented. In some circles, he’d been pegged as Mr. One-Night Stand since most of his dates were one-night stands. Now that he was back, that role had to be revived.

It hadn’t taken him long to discover the life of a Casanova was pretty damn taxing and way too demanding. The nights of mindless, emotionless sex with women whose names he barely remembered wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. He only hoped that Ivy Chapman’s grandmother and his great-grandmother were getting the message—he had no intentions of settling down anytime soon. At least not in the next twenty-five years or so.

Unfortunately, it seemed nothing was deterring Ivy Chapman.

Nolan picked up the envelope on top of the stack on his desk. He knew what it was and who it had come from. He recalled getting the first one three months ago and he had received several more since then. He wondered why Ivy Chapman was still sending him these little personal notes when he refused to acknowledge them. All of the notes said the same thing... Nolan, I would love to meet you. Call me so it can be arranged. Here is my number...

Nolan didn’t give a royal flip what her phone number was since he had no intentions of calling her. He would continue to ignore Miss Chapman and any correspondence she sent him. No matter what, he refused to give in to his great-grandmother’s matchmaking shenanigans. He refused to be manipulated.

Tossing the envelope aside, he picked up his cell phone to call his family and let them know he was back. He had slept off jet lag most of yesterday and hadn’t talked to anyone other than his cousin Reese and his brother Corbin. Reese and his wife, Kenna, were expecting their first baby in June and everyone was excited.

Nolan ended the call with his parents, stood and walked over to the window to look out. Like most of his relatives, he leased space in the Madaris Building. His electronics company was across the hall from Madaris Explorations, owned by his older cousin Dex.

He loved Houston in March, but it always brought out dicey weather. You had some warm days but there were days when winter refused to fade into the background while spring tried emerging. He was ready for warmer days and couldn’t wait to spend time at the cottage he’d purchased last year on Tiki Island, which was on the Galveston Bay. He’d hired Ron Seamore as the property manager to handle the leasing of the cottage whenever he wasn’t using it. So far it had turned out to be not only a great investment, but also a splendid getaway place whenever he needed a break from the demands of his job, life itself and yes, of course, the women who tried demanding his time.

The buzzer sounded and he walked back over to his desk. “Yes, Marlene?” Marlene was an older woman in her fifties who’d worked as his administrative assistant since he started the company three years ago.

“There’s a woman here to see you, Mr. Madaris. She doesn’t have an appointment and says it’s important.”

Nolan frowned, glancing at his watch. It wasn’t even ten in the morning. Who would show up at his office without an appointment and at this hour? “Who is she?”

“A Miss Ivy Chapman.”

He guessed she was tired of sending notes that went unanswered. Hadn’t she heard around town what a scoundrel he was? The last man any woman should be interested in? So what was she doing here?

There was only one way to find out.

“Send her in, Marlene.”

“Yes, Mr. Madaris.”

Nolan had eased into his jacket and straightened his tie before his office door swung open. The first thing he saw was a huge bouquet of flowers that was bigger than the person carrying them. Why was the woman bringing him flowers? Did she honestly think a huge bouquet of flowers would work when her cute little notes hadn’t?

He couldn’t see the woman’s face for the huge vase of flowers, and without saying a word, not even so much as a good morning, she plopped the monstrosity on his desk with a loud thump. It was a wonder the vase hadn’t cracked. Hell, maybe it had. He could just imagine water spilling all over his desk.

Nolan looked from the flowers that were taking up entirely too much space on his desk to the woman who’d unceremoniously placed them there. He was not prepared for the beauty of the soft brown eyes behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses or the perfect roundness of her face and the creamy cocoa coloring of her complexion. And he couldn’t miss the fullness of her lips that were pursed tight in anger.

“I’m only going to warn you but this once, Nolan Madaris. Do not send me any more flowers. Doing so won’t change a thing. I’ve decided to come tell you personally—the same thing I’ve repeatedly told your great-grandmother and my grandmother—there is no way I’d ever become involved with you. Ever.”

Her words shocked him to the point that he could only stand there and stare at her. She’d crossed her arms over her chest and stared back. “Well?” she asked in a voice filled with annoyance when he continued to stare at her and say nothing. “Do I make myself clear?”

Finding his voice, Nolan said, “You most certainly do. However, there’s a problem and I consider it a major one.”

Those beautiful eyes were razor sharp and directed at him. “And just what problem is that?”

Now it was he who turned a cutting gaze on her. “I never sent you any flowers. Today or ever.”

* * *

IVY CHAPMAN STARED at the man who had the gall to make such an outlandish statement. Of course he’d been sending her flowers. His name had been signed on every card. She’d got one bouquet after another over the past three months. And the card always said the same thing. Ivy, I would love to meet you. Call me so it can be arranged. Here is my number...

“What do you mean you didn’t send me any flowers?”

Dark eyes filled with agitation bored into her. “Just what I said. I haven’t sent you any flowers.”

“Are you or are you not Nolan Madaris?” She asked the question, although she knew the answer. Over the past year his face had appeared often in the Houston newspapers as one of the city’s most eligible bachelors.

“Yes, I’m Nolan Madaris. At least one of them. I’m the third. My father is the second and my grandfather is the first. However, I can say with a degree of certainty that they didn’t send you any flowers either.”

Ivy frowned. “Look at the card. If it didn’t come from you, then who did it come from?”

The man had the nerve to scowl at her before snatching the envelope off the flowers and opening it. A frown spread across his lips before he glanced back at her. “Regardless of my name being on this card, I didn’t send these flowers or any others you might have received, Miss Chapman. However, I might know who did, and it’s probably the same person who’s been sending me little notes from you.”

Surprise lit her eyes. “What little notes? I haven’t been sending you any notes.”

“You haven’t?” he asked, retrieving a small envelope from his desk and handing it to her. “Is this not from you?”

She took the envelope, opened it and pulled out the note card inside and read it. Moments later, she shifted her gaze back to him. “Certainly not.”

He nodded. “I believe you. And just so you know, I’ve received several personal note cards over the past three months, supposedly from you. Just like you received those flowers, supposedly from me.”

Ivy paused to collect herself. It was crystal clear they’d been played. “Who on earth would...” She stopped midsentence, when a person immediately came to mind. “My grandmother.”

“And my great-grandmother,” he said.

“Ms. Laverne?” she asked as her gaze moved to the wall on the other side of his desk where a huge portrait of the woman she knew to be Felicia Laverne Madaris hung.

“You know my great-grandmother?”

“Yes,” Ivy said, returning her gaze to his. “She and my grandmother have been good friends for years. I’m told their friendship began when Nana got her first teaching job out of college.”

He nodded. “You are aware they want to matchmake us?” he asked her.

Yes, she’d been aware of it but had chosen to ignore it. “Yes, but I never thought they would go this far.”

“Well, obviously, they did,” he said, throwing the card he’d been holding down on his desk. “I don’t know about you, Miss Chapman, but I won’t put up with this,” he said in a tone filled with anger. “I refuse to be manipulated and will be dealing with my great-grandmother for her part in this.”

Ivy felt so embarrassed by how she’d stormed into his office ready to give him hell. She should have known better. Men who looked like him didn’t pursue women who looked like her. She was definitely not his type, if the tabloid pictures of him with his many, many women were anything to judge by. That fact should be obvious to his great-grandmother and her grandmother.

“I intend to deal with my grandmother as well. I just don’t understand. Of all people, my grandmother knows the last thing I’d want is to be involved with a man like you.”

His gaze narrowed. “And what exactly is ‘a man like me’?”

Did he really want her to spell it out for him? In that case, she had no problem doing so. “Mr. Madaris, you have quite a reputation around town. There obviously isn’t a commitment bone in your body. No woman in her right mind who’s looking for a serious relationship would look your way.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. A very broad, very firm, very fine-looking chest, she couldn’t help but notice. “And are you looking for a serious relationship, Miss Chapman?”

“No, and of all people my grandmother should know that. Good day, Mr. Madaris. I apologize for bothering you.”

She turned to leave with as much dignity as she could muster after such an embarrassing encounter. The reality of the situation was that they’d been played by two crafty old women. “Hey, wait a minute. And just what am I supposed to do with these flowers?”

Ivy turned back around, met his gaze and lifted her chin. She tried ignoring that dark penetrating gaze that seemed to see to the heart of her. “The same thing you can do with those cards that I didn’t send. Trash them.”

She paused and looked at the flowers. “On second thought, they are way too pretty to be trashed.”

And they were. A huge assortment of white lilies, blue delphiniums, alstroemerias and yellow roses in a beautiful ceramic vase. “I suggest you drop them off at a hospital or nursing home. That’s what I did with all the others. Or you can give them to your great-grandmother.”

And with that, Ivy turned and walked out of his office.

CHAPTER TWO

IVY CHAPMAN HAD insulted him, and very few women did that. In fact, Nolan couldn’t name one who ever had. He should feel delighted, downright overjoyed that his strategy had worked and she’d thought he was a two-bit womanizer. However, something was keeping him from being filled with over-the-top excitement. Probably the realization that he’d been conned by his great-grandmother.

He’d told Corbin over a year ago that he refused to come up with some elaborate plan to counteract his great-grandmother’s shenanigans. There was no plan that could outsmart Felicia Laverne Madaris. Rather, he was simply going to enjoy life—and women—to the fullest. A strategy aimed at deterring the woman his great-grandmother had selected as his bride.

He figured sooner or later Miss Chapman would get wind of his womanizing ways and come to the conclusion that he was a man incapable of ever committing to any one woman. The most logical thing for her to do would be to put up as much resistance to a Madaris-Chapman match as he would be doing. That’s why those notes had annoyed the hell out of him. It seemed no matter how many women he became involved with, she was determined not to go anywhere. Now he knew that hadn’t been the case at all and his strategized efforts had worked.

So why was it bothering him that she was thinking the very thing he’d wanted her to think about him? Maybe his agitation was due to the mere fact that he found Miss Chapman attractive. She had nice features, including a gorgeous pair of eyes and nice-shaped lips. Both her eyes and lips could definitely captivate a man. His only question was why was she dressed so conservatively? And why would his great-grandmother assume, given his taste in women, that he would be interested in her?

He was used to beautiful women who considered themselves fashion divas. They not only dressed to impress but dressed to possess...namely a man’s heart if given the chance. And he knew for a fact none would be caught wearing the buttoned-up-to-the-neck blouse and the long skirt Miss Chapman had worn. Nor would they have put a pair of low-heel pumps on their feet. Most women, for business or otherwise, wore stilettos to showcase their legs.

She hadn’t been wearing any makeup. However, he thought she had beautiful skin without the use of any. He’d also noticed there hadn’t been any polish on her fingernails, no rings on her fingers, no bracelets on her wrists and no necklace around her neck. But she had worn a pair of gold hoop earrings in her ears.

He couldn’t help but be curious about Ivy Chapman. Was she a woman who didn’t have a problem not being cut from the same cloth, and wasn’t trying to impress anyone but herself? If that was the case, he found her rather unique.

But if that wasn’t the case and she was nothing more than an uptight, straitlaced businesswoman who was a man hater as well, then she was the type of woman he stayed away from. But regardless of what type of woman she was, he would stay as far away from her as he could, mainly because his great-grandmother assumed she was the perfect woman for him.

But still, his curiosity about her wouldn’t go away and he decided he would Google her and find out more about her. He suddenly realized he looked like a damn fool sitting there with a huge vase of flowers staring him in the face while he gave Ivy Chapman far too much thought. It would be just his luck for one of his many relatives who worked in the building to show up and see the huge bouquet. He would never hear the last of it. Especially, if they got wind of the story behind them. He pushed the intercom button.

“Yes, Mr. Madaris?”

“Marlene, please step into my office and bring the rolling cart with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Moments later his administrative assistant opened his office door and rolled the metal cart in as he’d instructed. “Take these flowers and have them delivered to one of the hospitals in the area.” He refused to give them to Mama Laverne like Miss Chapman had suggested. His great-grandmother deserved a harsh scolding and not any flowers.

“All right.”

After Marlene left his office, Nolan Googled Ivy Chapman. The photo on her website looked just as conservative as the real thing. Her hair was in that bun thing again and those same earrings were in her ears.

She owned a cybersecurity business, Cyber-Tech Securities. And it was described as “a unique technology company, specializing in moving the twenty-first century into the twenty-second.” She stated her occupation as a cybersecurity analyst. In other words, she was a legal hacker.

He had to admit she and her business were impressive. Cyber-Tech Securities was linked with some of the best in the business, including Intel and Texas Instruments. But what he’d found most impressive was that she’d begun her career with the government, working for the Department of Homeland Security.

He noted a wealth of community work and charity affiliations. She’d even established a college scholarship foundation named after her grandfather who, like her grandmother, had been a well-known educator in the city. Her foundation awarded numerous scholarships each year.

She was twenty-six, with a degree in technology engineering from MIT. Very remarkable, indeed. They had attended the same university. However, their paths would not have crossed due to the eight-year difference in their ages.

She’d only been in business for two years, but she’d been able to snag several lucrative contracts.

Nolan pushed back from the computer, impressed. More than impressed. She wasn’t a plain Jane as he’d originally thought, but a techie. There was a difference, and someone like him who owned an electronics company and had been enamored with technology all his life understood the difference. To reach the level of success that Miss Chapman had and in such a short period of time meant she’d worked hard and pushed to the side anything she’d considered nonessential or frivolous.

Growing up, his life had been centered around computers, so his choice of a profession wasn’t a surprise to anyone, especially not to his family. As a kid, he’d have rather spend time indoors messing around with computers than outdoors playing with other kids. He’d been the proverbial geek, with glasses and all. He hadn’t minded since he’d been happy and everyone had pretty much left him alone, except when he and his cousins had gone to Mama Laverne’s house, where she taught them to cook, or to Granduncle Jake’s Whispering Pines, where he’d bonded with Corbin, Reese and Lee and, more important, discovered how important it was to have a social life.

He wondered if Ivy Chapman had a social life. Drawing in a deep breath, he figured that her social life or lack of one wasn’t his concern. But the issue of his great-grandmother meddling in his affairs was. He glanced across the room to the wall where a huge portrait of said meddler hung.

Felicia Laverne Madaris was the matriarch of the family. Having borne seven sons, his grandfather Nolan being one of them, Mama Laverne had taken over the running of their ranch with her sons after her husband, Milton, died. All her sons were still alive except for Robert, who had been killed in the Vietnam War.

Mama Laverne had insisted that each of her grands and great-grands hang this particular portrait of her in their places of business and in plain view. She sat looking regal, dressed in her Sunday best with a huge dressy hat on her head, and she appeared to be looking directly at the viewer with those shrewd eyes and all-knowing smile. It was known by every member in the family that she liked giving orders, and she expected them to be carried out. Regardless. Well, he had news for her. He had no intention of allowing her to butt into his affairs. Namely, his romantic life or lack of one.

Nolan reached for his phone and then decided telecommunications with Mama Laverne wouldn’t do. He needed to see his great-grandmother in person and look her in the eyes to make sure she had a clear understanding of where he stood and what he would not tolerate.

He stood and headed for the door. He would have it out with Mama Laverne once and for all.

* * *

“WHAT DO YOU mean Nolan Madaris isn’t the person who was sending you those flowers?”

Ivy glanced across the desk at her best friend, Tessa Hargrove. She had left Nolan Madaris’s office and come straight here, to Tessa’s property management office. She and Tessa had been best friends since high school, and although they’d gone to different colleges, their close friendship had remained intact.

Their friendship surprised some people. While in school, Ivy had few friends and was considered a geek because of her deep love of science, math and computer technology. Unless they needed her tutoring services, she was ignored by her classmates...until Tessa transferred to the school in their junior year.

Tessa had been ignored as well but for a different reason. Because of Tessa’s beauty, the other girls saw her as a threat and treated her as such. So, Tessa and Ivy, as different as night and day, had become the best of friends.

“It was so embarrassing,” Ivy said, covering her face with her hands. “I practically stormed into his office, carrying that huge vase of flowers and told him not to send me any more. Only to discover he wasn’t the one sending them. His great-grandmother was.”

A confused expression appeared on Tessa’s face. “His great-grandmother? I don’t understand. Why?”

“As part of a matchmaking scheme. But what has me so angry is that my own grandmother was in on it.”

“Ms. Helen?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“By practically doing the same. While Nolan’s great-grandmother was sending me flowers, my own grandmother was sending Nolan notes from me.”

“Ms. Helen actually did that?” Tessa asked in a voice that clearly said she was having a hard time believing such a thing.

“Yes, Nana actually did that.”

“What did the notes say?”

Ivy took a sip of coffee. “The same thing the card on the flowers said. That I would love for us to meet and the note was signed with my phone number.”

“Yet he didn’t call.”

“Nor did I call him. I don’t know why his great-grandmother and Nana think we make any sense as a couple. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I told him that because of his reputation around town as a womanizer, there’s no way I’d want to be linked with him.”

Tessa’s eyes widened. “You actually told him that?”

“Yes. But then he probably thought something similar about me not being his type, but for a different reason. I’m sure he saw me as most men do, as a techie queen.”

“You are not a techie queen.”

“Most men think so and you know it.” And until Damien Fargo, she hadn’t cared what they thought. She’d been fooled enough to think he was different. That he could see beyond her in-depth knowledge of scientific and digital technology and accept her for who she truly was. He’d pretended to and then, like every other guy, he’d proved he hadn’t liked a woman with a brain; one who was smart enough to think for herself and who didn’t hang on to a man’s every word. In the end, he’d tried changing her into the woman he had wanted her to be. When that failed, he had dumped her for someone else.

“You know my opinion on what most men think about your love for science, math and technology. As far as I’m concerned, they only wish they could be as smart.”

Ivy smiled. Tessa had always been her champion, lifting her up when others—especially men—tried putting her down. “Now, back to Ms. Helen. I just can’t imagine her doing such a thing.”

“Well, she did. I saw proof. He had one of those notes I supposedly sent him right on his desk. I read it. It was Nana’s handwriting. He and I were set up.”

Ivy sighed, rubbing one of the gold hoop earrings she wore between her fingers. “I thought about it on the drive here, wondering why Nana would do such a thing, and could only come up with one reason.”

“And what’s the reason?”

“She’s getting older and unfortunately for her, Dad didn’t settle down and marry until his late thirties. Nana was nearing sixty when I came along, her one and only grandchild. I guess she wants to live long enough for me to give her a great-grandchild.”

Tessa nodded as if following her logic and agreeing that had to be the reason as well. “What are you going to do?”

Ivy released a frustrated sigh. “I’m going to pay my grandmother a visit. She should be home soon from her exercise class. I was so mad when I left Nolan Madaris’s office. You don’t know how tempted I was to go straight to that gym and confront her. I came here instead to cool off.”

“And I’m glad you did.” Tessa then leaned toward her. “So tell me, Ivy. Is Nolan Madaris as handsome in person as he looks in the newspapers?”

Ivy shrugged. “I didn’t notice.”

“Liar.”

A smile touched Ivy’s lips because she had noticed, even when she hadn’t wanted to. He’d looked so tall and commanding while standing behind his desk. What she’d almost found too distracting was the dark stubble on his jaw like he hadn’t bothered to shave that morning. “Okay, I’m lying. I couldn’t help but notice. And yes, he looks just as handsome in person. Doubly so. Too much for his own good if you ask me.” No need to mention that he smelled good, too. Her senses had been filled with the subtle, masculine scent of his cologne the moment she’d walked into his office.

“My kind of man.”

Ivy took a sip of her coffee thinking, yes, Nolan Madaris would be Tessa’s kind of man, but he wouldn’t be hers. Although she’d arrived at his office angry and ready to chew him out, her anger hadn’t stopped her from noticing how good-looking he was. After all, techie or not, she was still a woman who could appreciate a handsome man when she saw one.

She figured Nolan Madaris was at least six-two or six-three. And his skin was a stunning coppery brown. Although his eyes had stared her down almost the entire time, she thought the dark coloring of his pupils was his most valued asset. He had that wow factor, which was probably why he was so popular with women. And she knew just the type of women he dated. The sleek, sophisticated type, draped in jewelry with her hair perfectly styled. A woman whose mind was filled with passion and romance instead of scientific knowledge and data.

Ivy noticed Tessa was staring at her. “What?”

“If what you said earlier is true—about the reason Ms. Helen wants you to hook up with Nolan Madaris, and she’s teamed up with his great-grandmother to make it happen—I can’t imagine her stopping now. Look how long she’s been trying to get the two of you together.”

Ivy recalled that it had started right after her breakup with Damien, nearly two years ago. Her grandmother had come by her apartment the following day to find her a total mess. Nana had told her to wipe the tears from her eyes because Damien Fargo wasn’t worth it. Helen Chapman had then told her that she hadn’t met the man she would one day fall in love with and marry but that his name was Nolan Madaris.

Of course Ivy had thought her grandmother was joking, but when Nana kept dropping Nolan Madaris’s name at every turn, Ivy couldn’t help wondering why her grandmother could believe such a thing. The only answer Nana would give her was that it was meant to be. Well, she had news for her grandmother. It wasn’t meant to be.

Like most people living in Houston, Ivy knew of the Madaris family. They were a large family, all highly successful and wealthy. She had graduated from high school with Victoria Madaris, who’d been one of the popular girls. Unlike some of the other mean-spirited girls at school, Victoria had always been nice to her and Tessa and would speak to her when the other girls would not. For that reason, she’d always liked Victoria. And Victoria had even invited them to her huge party when they’d graduated from high school, but Tessa had been out of town visiting her grandmother that weekend and Ivy hadn’t wanted to go alone.

Then there was the fact that the matriarch of the Madaris family, Nolan Madaris’s great-grandmother, Felicia Laverne Madaris, was a good friend of her grandmother’s. According to Nana, their friendship began over sixty years ago when Nana was fresh out of college. Her first teaching job was at one of the local elementary schools, and one of her first students was Ms. Laverne’s oldest son, Milton Madaris Jr.

Nana remembered ten-year-old Milton as a holy terror of Long Pine Elementary School, and Ms. Laverne had to come to school quite often because of her son’s misbehavior. Over the following years, Nana had also taught Milton’s younger brothers Lee, Nolan and Luke, and they’d been just as much of a handful as Milton. Working together, Nana and Ms. Laverne had been able to turn those behaviors around somewhat.

A half hour later Ivy was pulling into her grandmother’s driveway. Before getting out of the car, she sat there for a moment while memories flooded her mind. The huge two-story Victorian-style home had always been her refuge; a place she’d loved to visit and found comfort in doing so. Thanks to her grandmother and grandfather, there had been so much love radiating inside those walls. Love that she’d desperately needed.

Her parents had divorced when she was twelve and as far as she was concerned, it had been twelve years overdue. No child should have been exposed to such constant fussing and back-and-forth bickering as she had. There had been a fifteen-year difference in her parents’ ages. It was a known fact that her father, Dr. Ivory Chapman, had enjoyed his life as a bachelor and highly respected physician, and hadn’t been in a hurry to settle down and marry. When he’d decided to do so, he’d been in his late thirties and wanted a young wife—one who would easily bend to his will. He’d thought thirty-year-old Reba Andrews, a nurse at the hospital, would be the perfect woman. He’d discovered too late that Reba had no intentions of bending to anyone’s will but her own.

Ivy had drowned out her parents’ constant bickering with her books and her love for computers. She had also escaped the dysfunctional madness by coming to this house to visit her grandparents every chance she got. Both had been educators and had encouraged her to read. They had even converted her father’s old bedroom into a library just for her. They’d also encouraged her love for technology and would take her to tech conventions every year. Her grandparents had shown her how a loving couple could live in harmony with each other and had tried shielding her from the ugliness they’d known she experienced at home.

After her parents’ divorce, the real battle between her parents began with her caught in the middle of a custody battle. In the end, the judge awarded them joint custody. Six months of the year with each parent. She was certain that neither truly wanted her, but had used her to get back at the other. Graduating from high school and leaving for college had been liberating and seeing her parents only during the holidays had suited her just fine.

As if Dr. Ivory Chapman hadn’t learned his lesson the first time around, her sixty-five-year-old father was dating a younger woman. This time it was someone he’d met at a club. When she had talked to him last weekend, it was obvious he was quite smitten. He’d even told her he was thinking of marrying the thirty-two-year-old and retiring so they could become world travelers. He’d sounded happy and she’d told him she loved him and had wished him the best.

Her mother had remarried two years ago and moved to Florida. Ivy liked her stepfather, Harnett Clemmons, and whenever she visited them she saw how happy her mother was. She loved her parents and was glad they’d each found happiness, although with someone other than each other.

Her grandfather had died five years ago, and Ivy still missed his presence whenever she came here. Nana, who’d retired years ago after over forty-plus years as an educator in Houston’s public school system, had been the one constant in Ivy’s life, which made this conversation hard. Why would her grandmother do such an outrageous thing as send Nolan Madaris those notes? Only Nana could answer that question and explain her actions.

She got out of the car, walked to the door and, using her own key, let herself inside. Placing her purse on a table in the living room, she called out to her grandmother. She didn’t get a response; however, she knew for certain she was home since her car was parked out front. Moving toward the kitchen, Ivy figured Nana was in the backyard tending to her garden.

Moments later she came upon her grandmother busily snipping away at her prized rosebushes. Without saying anything, Ivy just stared at her and all the love she could feel for any one person came flowing through.

They’d always had a close relationship, which made it difficult to get mad at her about anything. But this wasn’t about just anything. This crossed the line. Nana usually gave Ivy advice only when asked. Ms. Laverne must have somehow convinced her sensible grandmother to take part in her schemes.

“Nana?”

Helen glanced up at her granddaughter and smiled. “Ivy? I wasn’t expecting you until later.”

She and her grandmother had made plans earlier in the week to have dinner later today and take in a movie. “Yes, but we need to talk.”

“Oh? What about?”

“I think you know. I paid a visit to Nolan Madaris this morning to return his flowers, only to discover they hadn’t come from him at all. And then imagine how I felt when he showed me a note I had supposedly written him.”

Her grandmother smiled. “So, the two of you have finally met?”

“Yes, but that’s not the issue here. Why did you let Ms. Laverne talk you into doing something so outlandish?”

Her grandmother shook her head. “Laverne didn’t talk me into anything. It was both our idea and one we decided to execute. You and young Nolan were taking entirely too long to suit us.”

Ivy tilted her head to stare at her grandmother, certain the woman was an impostor who’d taken over her nana’s body. She recalled when Tessa and her family had discovered one of her elderly aunts had the first stage of dementia. One of the signs was changes in mood, personality or judgment. She could certainly attest to the fact that her eighty-year-old grandmother’s actions were out of character.

“I am in my right mind, Ivy,” her nana said, as if reading her mind.

Ivy drew in a slow, deep breath. “If that’s true, then we definitely need to talk.”

“I agree,” Nana said, placing the snippers on a nearby table and tugging off her work gloves. “It’s almost lunchtime. I made some chicken salad this morning. Go ahead and start on the sandwiches. I’ll be there in a minute to make the tea.”

Ivy nodded and turned to go back inside the house. Her grandmother was going to do more than make a pitcher of tea. She had a lot of explaining to do.

CHAPTER THREE

“SO WHAT DO you plan to do?” Corbin asked his brother.

“For starters, pay Mama Laverne a visit. I’m on my way there now,” Nolan said, getting off the interstate onto the ramp that would take him to what used to be the Madaris family homestead, Whispering Pines.

Years ago, the Madaris brothers had signed their shares of the ranch over to their youngest brother, Jake, keeping only an investment interest. That act of faith and show of confidence from the brothers had made Jake determined to make Whispering Pines succeed. And he had. It was listed as one of the largest working ranches in Texas and produced some of the highest-quality Texas longhorn cattle for the buying public.

“Good luck. Be prepared for her to twist things to the point where it will confuse your mind.”

As far as Nolan was concerned there was nothing that could be twisted and nothing to be confused about. He and Ivy Chapman would not get together. Under no circumstances would he allow his great-grandmother to interfere in his life like she’d done the others. He didn’t care about her success record. “There will be no confusion. I plan on letting her know where I stand on the matter and that I refuse to be a pawn in her game of nonsense,” Nolan said.

“By the way, you never did say what you thought about Ivy Chapman when you saw her today. Is she pretty?”

Corbin’s question immediately made Ivy Chapman’s image flare to life inside his brain. He vividly recalled how she’d unceremoniously placed those flowers on his desk. Before she’d learned the truth about the sender of them, she had looked mad, annoyed, fit to be tied. And pretty as sin. Then after finding out the truth, she appeared embarrassed, disconcerted and slightly humiliated—and still pretty as sin.

“Yes, she’s pretty but that means nothing.”

“It doesn’t?”

“No. If you’ve seen one pretty woman, then you’ve seen them all.”

“Hey, speak for yourself, Mr. One-Night Stand.”

“Whatever. You just better hope I’m able to stop Mama Laverne in her tracks or, dear brother, you are next,” he reminded Corbin.

Moments later, after ending his phone conversation with Corbin, Nolan drove through the gates of Whispering Pines. The twenty-four-hour security guard posted at the entrance had become a permanent fixture after his granduncle Jake Madaris married Hollywood actress Diamond Swain many years ago. The media and paparazzi had tried more than once to get on the private property and disrupt their lives.

He had checked with his parents to verify that his great-grandmother was here at Whispering Pines. Jake was Mama Laverne’s youngest son and she stayed with him at least six months out of the year and rotated the other six months among her other five sons.

When Nolan brought his car to a stop in front of the sprawling hacienda-style ranch house, he was greeted by Jake’s nine-year-old son, Granite. From all the pictures he’d seen of his granduncle Jake from when he’d been Granite’s age, anyone could see that Granite Jacob Madaris was the spitting image of his father. Whereas his twelve-year-old sister, Amethyst, was the spitting image of Jake’s wife, Diamond. Both Granite and Amethyst were tall for their ages, which couldn’t be helped since Jake stood way over six feet tall and Diamond was barely short of six feet. Unless you knew Granite was only nine, you would assume he was much older because of his height.

Nolan still found it hard to believe that his ranching-loving granduncle, whom everyone thought would never remarry after a disastrous first marriage, had engaged in a secret love affair with Hollywood actress Diamond Swain for almost two years before Jake had finally announced it to the family. So far Jake and Diamond’s marriage was one of the few Madaris weddings that Mama Laverne hadn’t manipulated. His great-grandmother had been just as shocked as everyone else to learn about Jake and Diamond’s marriage. That was one of the reasons Nolan considered Jake his hero. Anyone who could pull anything over on Mama Laverne deserved a medal.

“Hi, Nolan! You plan to stay awhile?” Granite asked after trotting over to meet him.

“No, just for a few hours,” he said, grabbing Granite around the neck in a playful hug. “Where is everyone?”

Granite smiled up at him. “Dad’s inside the house working on the ranch books and Mama Laverne is inside, too. But I don’t know what’s she’s doing.”

Probably busy tending to other people’s business, Nolan thought.

“Mom and Amethyst left this morning to go shopping in Los Angeles, along with Syneda and Remi,” Granite said. “They won’t be back for a couple of days.”

Syneda was the wife of his older cousin Clayton, and Remi—short for Remington—was their daughter. “Sounds like they’ll be doing some serious shopping,” Nolan said.

Granite chuckled. “They will. Mom said it’s a mother-daughter trip, but she promised to bring me something back.”

Nolan nodded. “How is school going?”

He knew both Granite and Amethyst were homeschooled by a private tutor. “School is great, but I’m glad it’s spring break. We get two weeks instead of just one.”

Nolan figured when you were homeschooled, your parents could make the rules. “You got a lot planned for those two weeks?”

Granite bobbed his head up and down grinning. “Yes. I’ve been helping Dad with roundup every morning. And he’s going to take me to see Luke at his rodeo school for lessons next week.”

Luke was his cousin who’d been a rodeo star and was now the owner of the Luke Madaris Rodeo School in Oklahoma. “Sounds like it’s going to be a fun trip.”

“It will be. Just me and Dad. No girls allowed.”

Nolan was about to respond when the front door opened and there stood his granduncle Jake Madaris. He admired his granduncle, not just for outsmarting Mama Laverne with his marriage to Diamond, but simply for being an all-around wonderful granduncle who loved his family, especially all his nieces and nephews, and he showed it in everything he did. Jake was not only a dedicated rancher, but he was also a highly successful businessman and one hell of a financial adviser. Over the years, Jake had made a number of wise investments on behalf of the entire Madaris family. Even if Nolan never worked another day in his life, thanks to Jake he could live a very wealthy and prosperous lifestyle.

“Dad! Look who’s here,” Granite said with excitement in voice.

Jake Madaris smiled at his son. “I see. Nolan, what a nice surprise,” Jake said, leaving the doorway to give his grandnephew a huge bear hug. “What brings you to Whispering Pines in the middle of a weekday?”

Nolan didn’t hesitate in answering. “Mama Laverne.”

Jake, Nolan noted, couldn’t hide the humor in his eyes when he said, “Must be serious.”

“It is.”

There was no need to tell Jake anything. Everyone was still shaking their heads in amazement as to how Mama Laverne had outsmarted Lee and pulled off his marriage to Carly. And everyone knew that he was next on the list.

“Come on in. She’s out back on the patio shelling peas.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

BY THE TIME Ivy was finishing up making the sandwiches, Nana entered the kitchen and said, “Today is a beautiful day. I hope there will be many more like it, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Ivy decided to keep her answer short. She really didn’t have much to say by way of small talk until her grandmother explained a few things.

It didn’t take long for Nana to make the tea. Ivy put the plates with the sandwiches on the table. When she’d arrived, she hadn’t thought about eating, but when Nana had mentioned she’d made some chicken salad, Ivy couldn’t prevent her stomach from reminding her she’d missed breakfast. The reminder of why she’d done so brought everything, especially why she was here, back to the forefront.

She waited until Nana was seated and had said grace for the both of them before asking, “Nana, why would you think Nolan Madaris and I would make a good couple?”

“Because you will.”

Ivy shook her head. “No, we won’t. There is nothing about the man that interests me.”

“Then you need to take a second look. I haven’t seen him recently, but last time I looked he was stopping feminine hearts all over the place.”

“Well, he won’t be stopping mine. Nana, you read the newspapers like I do. I’m sure you’re aware every time Nolan’s name appears in print, which is quite a bit. Usually it’s the society column detailing his latest conquest—usually a debutante or some sophisticated lady. I have enough sense to know I am not his type.”

“Of course you are.”

Ivy tried to rein in her temper that had never, ever been directed at her grandmother before. She bit into her sandwich and then took a sip of her tea before asking, “Do you think I’m so lacking that I can’t find anyone on my own, Nana? That you have to invite men to call me?”

“No. And we’re not talking about any man, Ivy. We are talking about a man who I believe will one day be your husband.”

“He will not be my husband. Have you forgotten that I never, ever plan to get married?”

“We will see.”

Ivy couldn’t do anything but stare at her grandmother. She’d never known Helen Chapman to be so illogical. Deciding to try another tactic, she took her grandmother’s hand and said in a softer tone, “Look at me, Nana. Nolan is used to dating real pretty girls. Girls with capital Gs printed on their foreheads for gorgeous. I’m not chopped liver but I know my limitations.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

Nana pulled her hand away, picked up her sandwich and took a bite. Then she took a sip of her drink before saying, “The only limitations you have are the ones you place on yourself, Ivy. Regardless of what you think, you are pretty. You are gorgeous. Contrary to what you evidently believe, being smart and intelligent doesn’t make you unattractive.”

“Yes, but it makes me oblivious to stuff most women find important. Like their looks and clothes. I like who I am just fine.”

“And you should. Earlier you asked if I thought you lack something and I told you no. What I didn’t say was that I think because of that Damien fellow, you’re denying yourself a chance to meet a nice guy. One who will think you’re beautiful, both inside and out, and who you’d want to marry.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “Even if I was the least bit interested in ever getting married, which I am not, why would I want to marry a man like Nolan Madaris? A better question to ask is why would he want to marry a woman like me?”

“Because you were made for each other. Why can’t you see that?”

“And why can’t you see that we aren’t and that I’m not his type?”

“Quite the contrary. Laverne and I think you and young Madaris are a perfect match.”

A perfect match? She had to be kidding. “Nana, I want you to promise me that you will drop this whole thing. If you only knew how embarrassed I was after going into his office to give him those flowers back, only to discover he hadn’t sent them at all. And then to find out he thought I’d been sending those notes to him. You can’t imagine how humiliated I felt.”

“There was no reason for you to feel humiliated about anything. Our goal was to finally get the two of you to meet and we were successful in doing that.”

Ivy took a sip of her tea. Yes, they’d been successful in achieving that. But she had no intentions of seeing Nolan Madaris again and there was no doubt in her mind he had no intentions of ever looking her up either.

Ivy decided she would no longer argue that point with her grandmother because she could see it would be a total waste of her time. She figured when Nana and Ms. Laverne saw their antics had failed, they would soon realize that as well.

* * *

NOLAN FOUND HIS great-grandmother just where Jake said she would be. On the patio, shelling peas. She looked up the moment he stepped through the French doors, which as far as he was concerned, dispelled the notion that she had a hearing problem. Everyone knew Felicia Laverne Madaris heard just what she wanted to hear.

“Nolan, this is a surprise.”

He doubted it. He had a feeling she’d been expecting him. “Hello, Mama Laverne.” He walked over to her, leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but there’s a reason for my visit.”

She smiled up at him. “Is there?”

He shook his head, thinking she had the gall to look innocent. “Yes.” He slid into an empty chair to face her. As soon as he sat down she shoved a handful of pea pods into his lap, directly onto his pair of Giorgio slacks.

“While you’re here you might as well make yourself useful,” she said.

He drew in a deep breath and began shelling peas. Doing so reminded him of years gone by when she’d made all her great-grandsons do this very thing, the day before their mandatory cooking class with her had started. At the time he’d resented learning how to cook, but now he appreciated her for caring enough to take the time to teach all of them. And there had been so many of his cousins learning at the same time. It had been about more than cooking, though, which he now saw. It had taught them how to get along not only as cousins but to form relationships that were, in most cases, closer than brothers.

To know Mama Laverne was to love her, although at the moment he wanted to strangle her. He would never actually harm a hair on her head. Not a single strand. Not this ninety-something-year-old woman whose hands were a lot older than his, yet moved with a quicker precision than his while shelling peas. Years of experience and a demand of discipline.

She was the reason all seven of her sons had grown up to be God-fearing men. Even after losing her husband, she hadn’t given up. She had been there for her sons, their children and now her sons’ grands. She was the glue that held the Madaris family together. She was the backbone. She had a heart of gold. She thought of others before she thought of herself...maybe too much at times. She was the epitome of a strong woman.

But did that give her the right to interfere in their lives like she’d been doing lately? Hell, it hadn’t been lately; it stretched all the way back to his grandparents’ generation. He knew the stories were more fact than fiction. Wasn’t it time for her to stop the foolishness? Take a much-needed break? Did she not think they were capable of selecting their own mates if and when they desired one? And shouldn’t it be when they were ready to make the move and not when she thought they were ready?

“So, I take it you got something to say, Nolan.”

He glanced at her. Yes, he had a lot to say and would make sure that no matter how frustrated he was with her that he would give her all the respect she deserved. “You had no right to send Ivy Chapman flowers and let her think they were from me.”

“They were from you. Eventually you’ll get the bill. I told your aunt Sarah to hold off sending it until I told her to do so.”

Nolan was too stunned to say anything for a moment. His aunt Sarah, his cousin Reese’s mom, owned a florist shop in the Madaris Building. Mama Laverne had flowers sent for a full three months to a woman he didn’t know and intended for him to pay for them.

Without saying anything, he placed the peas he’d shelled into the container on the table and the remaining pods back in the pail they’d come out of. He stood, brushed off his slacks and began pacing the floor, reining in his escalating anger.

He wasn’t certain how much time passed before he finally stopped and said, “No matter what you say or do, nothing will ever develop between me and Ivy Chapman.”

“If you say so.”

He frowned. “I not only say so, I mean so. She’s not my type.”

“You don’t know your type.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said you don’t know your type, obviously. You thought Andrea Dunmire was your type and she proved you wrong.”

“That was years ago, and I’d like to think I’ve matured enough to know what type of woman is good for me and what type woman is not. You know that old saying about learning from your mistakes. Well, trust me, I learned from mine.”

He had been wrong in thinking Andrea was his chosen one. The one he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. That day she hadn’t clicked off her cell phone as she’d thought and he had heard her conversation with her cousin, he had felt a deep pain in his heart when she’d said she was only putting up with him, his touches, his kisses and sex with him to give her cousin a clear path to Blade. And what was so sad was she hadn’t denied anything when he’d confronted her. The pain of her betrayal and manipulations had been deep.

“How have you learned from your mistakes?” Mama Laverne asked him, cutting into his thoughts. “By deciding never to give your heart to any woman again? That’s not learning from your mistakes, Nolan, that’s giving in to them.”

He tried to hold his anger at bay but found it hard to do so. “Whatever way that I decide to handle my business, Mama Laverne, is my business.”

“Whatever way you decide to handle your business is a moot point now that you and Ivy will be spending time together.”

He shook his head. His great-grandmother was so sure that crazy scheme of hers had worked. He had no problem bursting her bubble. “I like my life just the way it is.”

“You mean dating all those women around town? Trying to make Clayton’s and Blade’s past reputations as womanizers look like those of choirboys in comparison? Oh, I’ve heard all about you, Nolan. I read the papers, you know. I’m aware of each and every time the name Madaris shows up in print. I know you’ve become a skirt chaser of the worst kind. What you do is your business just as long as you’re aware of one thing.”

“Which is?”

“You’re messing up my timeline.”

Her timeline? Now he’d heard everything. “I’m sure Corbin will be glad to hear that.”

“Corbin isn’t next on the list.”

Her words gave Nolan pause. “He’s not?”

“No. I decided to skip over Corbin, Emerson, Chance and Adam for the time being. Victoria is next.”

“Victoria?” he said in disbelief. She had to be kidding. Victoria, his twenty-six-year-old sister, was no more ready to be any man’s wife than he was ready to be any woman’s husband.

“Yes, Victoria.”

Nolan couldn’t believe this. He refused to believe this. He had to talk to someone. Hell, he needed to alert the entire family. Definitely warn Victoria. No one would agree to this. Victoria, who’d been named after their deceased paternal great-grandaunt, was the first female Madaris born in their generation. No one would agree to her being pushed into marriage. They would finally see that Mama Laverne had gone too far in her matchmaking schemes.

“Victoria won’t be getting married,” he said. As her oldest brother, he was protective of his sister. As were all his cousins and brothers. That protection went doubly so for his baby sister, Lindsay, who was attending college in Florida.

“Don’t worry about Victoria, Nolan. The guy I have in mind will do right by her. Just like I believe in my heart that you will do right by Ivy.”

Nolan had heard enough. Coming here had been a total waste of his time. He walked back over to his great-grandmother. He loved her to pieces but at that moment he was more frustrated and annoyed with her than ever for sticking her nose into his business. For trying to manipulate his life. “Mama Laverne, I’m only saying this once more,” he said with as much respect as he could muster. “Ivy Chapman is not my type, and she made it pretty clear today that I’m not hers. There isn’t—and never will there be—anything between us. Please stop concerning yourself with my love life or my lack of one.”

With nothing else to say, Nolan turned and left. He ran into his granduncle Jake on his way out. “How did it go?”

Nolan shook his head. “She thinks she has her plans all laid out with no room for error. She even had the nerve to tell me in so many words that I was wasting her time because she needed to move on to Victoria.”

A surprised look touched his granduncle’s face. “Victoria? What happened to Corbin, Adam, Emerson and Chance? They’re older than Victoria.”

“She’s skipping them to marry Victoria off. It’s time for the family to step in and do something, Granduncle Jake.”

“Something like what?”

Nolan shrugged massive shoulders. “I don’t rightly know. I need to get away for a while and think about it. Friday morning I’m leaving for my place on Tiki Island and plan to be there a week. When I return I’m calling a family meeting.”

CHAPTER FOUR

IVY MENTALLY AWAKENED from the ringing of her phone. Without opening her eyes, she reached for her cell phone on her nightstand. There was no doubt in her mind it was past the time she usually got out of bed, but when you were your own boss and worked from home, you had the luxury of sleeping late. Especially after putting in additional hours to finish a project from hell earlier than expected. And she planned to sleep the rest of the day since she didn’t get into bed until daybreak.

“Hello,” she said in a groggy voice.

“Congratulations!” a bubbly feminine voice said. “You’ve won a week for two on Tiki Island.”

Ivy slowly opened one eye. They had to be kidding. She never won anything. Pulling herself up in bed, she pushed back the hair from her face. “I won?” she asked, hoping she was speaking with a live person and not a recording.

“Yes. You’ve won a week for two in a beautiful beach cottage.”

“For two?”

“Yes, so you can include your husband, boyfriend or significant other,” the bubbly woman said.

Ivy frowned. She had none of those, but she did have a best friend. It would be a great girls’ trip if Tessa was available to go with her. More questions began flooding her mind, like how had she been selected? She didn’t recall entering any type of contest. “How did I win?”

“Your name was selected from a list of customers who frequent Altamonte Dry Cleaners.”

Ivy nodded, thinking that explained things. Since she hated ironing, she would drop her things by the cleaners every Thursday. “Is there a time frame that I have to take the week?”

“You can take it as soon as you like, but it must be taken within the next thirty days.”

Thirty days? That wasn’t much time, Ivy thought, rubbing a hand down her face. She would love to get away now before beginning her next project for Wonderbelly, a cyberware company in Boston. It would be nice to go somewhere and relax for seven days. If Tessa wasn’t available on such short notice, then she could take her grandmother with her. But then she doubted she would get much rest if she did. Even after their little talk a few days ago, Nana was still tossing Nolan Madaris’s name out whenever she got the chance. Take yesterday for instance. Nana had asked if she’d heard from him. Why would she hear from Nolan Madaris? Obviously, her grandmother refused to accept that the plan she and Ms. Laverne had concocted had backfired.

She truly hoped Tessa could go with her, but she would go alone if she had to. “Can I claim my prize and go to Tiki Island starting this week?”

“Yes. We can deliver the winning voucher to you or you can pick it up at our office.”

“Where is your office?”

The woman quoted an address that was less than ten miles from where Ivy lived. “I’ll stop by.”

“All right. Everything you need to know will be in the paperwork you’ll receive with the winning voucher. Again, congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Ivy couldn’t help smiling when she hung up the phone. Seven days on Tiki Island was a dream come true. She’d heard rental property there was pretty expensive and couldn’t wait to tell Tessa. She hoped her best friend would be able to join her.

She had reclaimed her comfortable position in bed when the phone rang again. Thinking it was the bubbly woman calling her back for some reason, she shifted in bed, grabbed her phone and said, “Is there something you forgot to tell me?”

There was a pause as if the person was surprised by her question. And then a masculine voice she remembered all too well said, “Yes. I’m sorry for how I treated you when we were together.”

Ivy drew in a sharp breath not believing Damien Fargo had the audacity to call after all this time. “Too late for an apology now, Damien,” she said and hung up.

* * *

“HELLO, NOLAN. I saw I missed a call from you.”

“You missed several, Victoria,” he said, frowning. “Where are you?”

“New Orleans. I flew here for a job interview and I’ve been busy preparing. What’s up?”

Nolan’s frown deepened. “New Orleans? You’re thinking about moving to New Orleans?”

“If I get the job.”

“Why? There’re plenty of job opportunities here in Houston.”

“Yes, but in New Orleans I won’t have to worry about being treated differently because my last name is Madaris.”

Nolan didn’t say anything, not sure he liked the idea of his sister taking a job in another town. Another state.

“And before you say anything, Nolan Madaris, remember you moved to Chicago after college.”

“That’s different.”

His sister chuckled. “Always is when it comes to the guys in the family. I always get treated differently because I’m a female.”

Her words reminded him why he’d called. “Well, there is one person who intends to treat you as an equal.”

“Who?”

“Mama Laverne. I went to see her yesterday and she informed me that after she marries me off, instead of moving on to Corbin, Adam, Emerson or Chance, that you’re next.”

“Me?”

“Yes, but don’t worry about it. I plan to call a family meeting to deal with her meddling.”

“Hold up, Nolan, call one on your behalf if you’re so inclined, but not mine. I have no problem with our great-grandmother finding a husband for me. It frees up my time in doing so because I know Mama Laverne is going to vet him to the nth degree.”

Nolan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You want a husband?”

“Not really, but if Mama Laverne says I’m next, then I’m not going to buck the idea. Hey, she has an astounding track record.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Maybe for you it’s not but for me it is, so if she wants to find a husband for me, let her at it. I have no problem with it. I welcome her doing so. And if I were you, I wouldn’t buck her either. Lee tried and look what happened. We all thought Lee would best her at her own game and we were wrong. Besides, Lee is madly in love with Carly. They are a perfect match. Remember that.”

Nolan didn’t need to remember anything. He’d just returned from Paris, where he’d spent time with the happy couple. It was obvious to everyone Lee adored his wife, but like he’d told Victoria, that wasn’t the point. If she wanted Mama Laverne to control and manipulate her life, then that was her business. However, he had no intentions of letting her control and manipulate his. As far as he was concerned Victoria had been duly warned.

A short while later Nolan ended the call with his sister, knowing he needed to get away more so than ever. Although there was no need to call a family meeting for his sister’s sake, he still needed answers as to how to handle his great-grandmother. Unlike his sister, he wasn’t satisfied to let Mama Laverne make decisions on his life. Earlier, he’d got a call from his property manager to say his house on Tiki Island was ready for his arrival. Marlene had cleared his calendar, which wasn’t hard to do since he’d originally planned to remain in Paris for an additional week anyway.

He was about to head out and grab lunch when his phone rang. He recognized the ringtone. He smiled as he picked up the phone. “Hi, Gramma Bessie.”

“Hi, Nolan, how are you doing?”

“Fine. What about you?”

“I’m doing fine as well. However, I need a favor.”

“Anything for you, Gramma Bessie.”

“Can you take me to visit your great-aunt Caroline? All I need is to get dropped off there. Your granddaddy will pick me up on Sunday evening.” Caroline was his grandmother’s sister who lived in Andrews.

“Sure. When?”

“Friday. We can leave that morning.”

That’s was the opposite direction from Tiki Island. If he dropped his grandmother off at his great-aunt Caroline’s, that meant he wouldn’t get to the island until late that evening. He sighed. “No problem. I’ll take you.” This was family after all.

* * *

DAMIEN FARGO LEANED back in his chair and snapped the pencil he’d been holding in half. Ivy intended to be difficult, which meant he had to come up with another plan.

“I hope you don’t anticipate any problems.”

He glanced at the man sitting across from his desk. For a moment, he’d forgotten about his presence. His mind had been reeling with the fact that Ivy Chapman had hung up on him. He’d figured she would still be upset. Most women would. But hadn’t he begun the conversation with an apology?

He thought it best to give the man his undivided attention and answer his question. “No, I don’t anticipate any problems. She might be a little mad with me now, but I know how to work her. She’ll be putty in my hands again in no time.”

The man nodded slowly. “See that she is.”

CHAPTER FIVE

IVY STEPPED OUT onto the huge porch and stretched. She’d finally unpacked and was ready to relax. The porch swing looked inviting, and she could see herself sitting in it a lot during the next week while reading. This time it would be pleasure reading and not for business. In fact, she didn’t want to think about business at all this week. She was here to enjoy herself and intended to do just that.

Tessa couldn’t come with her since this was the weekend she was to go visit her aunt in Austin. More than once Ivy had taken the drive with Tessa to share the driving and for company. However, lately Tessa had found it a lot easier to fly. Her best friend had racked up a lot of frequent-flier miles doing so, especially now since her aunt was showing signs of dementia.

Ivy had felt a little bad about not inviting Nana, so she had called her a couple of days ago to see if perhaps she wanted to join her this week. However, Nana had made plans to join a group of senior ladies for a weekend trip to attend a gospel revival in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her grandmother had been taking such trips for a couple of years now. At first Ivy had been concerned about a group of older women traveling alone together. The families of the other ladies voiced the same concern and decided to pool their moneys together and hired female chaperones to travel with the group. Nana and the ladies didn’t like the idea of chaperones and often referred to the younger women as their traveling companions.

Ivy glanced around, deciding she liked the place. It was on a private road and secluded from the other homes. It looked just like a beach cottage with its wooden frame painted a pristine white. What she liked the most, besides the huge front porch, was the stone walkway that led to a private area of the Galveston Bay.

The inside of the house was gorgeous with its two bedrooms, both king-size suites with private baths. It was a split bedroom concept and both faced the ocean with floor-to-ceiling windows. There were marble floors throughout, with a cozy living room and an eat-in kitchen with a wide breakfast bar.

When she’d arrived that morning, a huge gift basket that included bottles of wines, an assortment of cheeses, bread, fruits, chocolate and snacks had sat on a table in the living room with a welcome note. She had parked her car inside the detached garage, which made it easier to bring in her luggage, as well as the items she had stopped by the grocery store for and purchased. She wasn’t a big eater, so the food should be enough to last the week she would be here. Other than eat, sleep, read and drink wine, she didn’t plan to do much of anything else. It was time off she otherwise would not have taken if she hadn’t won this trip and for that reason, she intended to get the most out of it.

And she intended to put that call from Damien out of her mind. She couldn’t believe he’d called after all this time...and to apologize. It was too late for that now. His leaving Houston and moving to New York had been best for the both of them. Her feelings had been raw and she couldn’t imagine them in the same city and running into each other. She’d been given time to get over him and she had. Whoever said “Out of sight and out of mind” knew exactly what they’d been talking about.

Refusing to let thoughts of Damien ruin her week here at the cottage, she moved across the porch to sit on the swing. She smiled, thinking how nice it was here. Even the weather was agreeable. Since this was March the weather was still cool. Too cool for her to think about taking a swim today. However, the good news was that forecasters had predicted the coming days would be nice and sunny. She figured all those students on spring break whose destination was the beach next week would appreciate that.

The first thing she’d done after arriving and unpacking had been to take a nap. Now she was up, well rested and ready to explore what would be her private place on the island. Getting up from the swing, she stretched before going inside the house. After grabbing a light jacket, she moved toward the kitchen. Moments later she was outside and happily walking toward the bay.

* * *

IT WAS LATE evening when Nolan pulled into the drive. He could have arrived sooner, but when he’d got to his great-aunt Caroline’s house, he decided to hang out with a few of his cousins that he hadn’t seen in a while. Then there was the fact that his great-aunt had cooked a mouthwatering meal as well as his favorite dessert of peach cobbler since she’d known he was coming.

Deciding not to put his car in the garage for the time being, he got out of it and looked around. He loved coming here and had known he’d wanted to buy it the first time the Realtor had shown it to him. Less than an hour’s drive from Houston, it was one of those places he could get to in a reasonable time. He often regretted having decided to list it as a rental because it wasn’t always available for him to use whenever he wanted. Instead of getting into his SUV and driving here on Friday nights and staying the entire weekend whenever he felt like it, now he had to check with his property manager to make sure no one had rented it.

At least he’d got here before dark. He intended to build a fire in the pit, pour a glass of scotch and chill for a minute. He had talked to Corbin during the drive here and his brother hadn’t been surprised with Victoria’s attitude. The women in the family seemed to be more accepting of Mama Laverne’s interference in their lives than the men. It was apparent that Victoria had it in her head Mama Laverne would hook her up with a love match made in heaven.

Entering the house, he lifted a brow when he saw the huge basket sitting on a table in the living room. That was thoughtful of Ron to do that and he wondered if it was something his property manager had begun doing for all renters. If so, such a kindhearted gesture would definitely have renters returning.

Nolan walked over to the basket, grabbed an apple, rubbed it against the thigh of his jeans and then bit into it. It was good. Sweet and juicy, just the way he liked his apples. Leaving the living room, he went into the kitchen and saw a can of coffee, bags of chips and a case of bottled water on the counter.

When Nolan opened the refrigerator he discovered it fully stocked as well. He smiled, thinking his property manager had definitely outdone himself. Was he vying for more than just the 15 percent cut he was getting? Ron’s contract was up for renewal in a couple of months. Was that the reason he’d gone out of the way to make sure Nolan had everything he needed? Bread, eggs, butter, milk... Although he wasn’t sure why Ron had purchased the 2 percent kind. But he had redeemed himself with the wine coolers.

Nolan smiled while thinking not only would his property manager’s contract get renewed, but the man might even get a raise on top of it. Tossing the last of the apple in the trash, he grabbed a bottle of water and had taken a huge swig when suddenly the back door opened and someone gasped. He swung around and nearly choked on the water.

The one woman he hadn’t expected to see for a long time, if ever, was standing before him. Ivy Chapman. And from the expression on her face it was quite obvious that she was just as shocked to see him as he was to see her. He tried not to notice how different she looked now compared to a few days ago. Her hair was no longer tied in a knot on her head, but flowed wildly around her shoulders in thick yet soft-looking curls. Her hair styled this way made her mocha-colored face appear rounder, her cheekbones higher and her neck more slender.

She was still wearing her glasses, and like before, he thought the eyes behind the frames were beautiful. Mesmerizing. And those glasses seemed tilted on a cute little nose. Today she was dressed far more casual with a pair of cutoff jeans and a clingy T-shirt. Both showed off luscious curves and a gorgeous pair of legs. With legs that looked like hers, he thought wearing a long skirt to cover them was such a waste.

“Why are you here?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.

He leaned against the counter, trying for it not to be so obvious that his gaze was raking her up and down to get a good view of her legs and admiring her sexy lips. “I’m here because I own the place.”

CHAPTER SIX

IVY STARED AT NOLAN, hoping she hadn’t heard him correctly but a part of her knew she had. How in the world had Nana and Ms. Laverne managed to pull this off? She didn’t have to ask herself why they’d done such a thing, because she already knew the reason. They assumed she and Nolan were perfect for each other but they were so wrong on that account.

And why did Nolan appear taller than he had that morning at his office? Now she had to tilt her head nearly all the way back to look up at him. And why was she noticing that he was even more handsome than before? Instead of a business suit he was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a pair of roughed boots. And why was his lean waist, firm stomach, perfect tight abs and muscled shoulders showing in a well-defined way through the cotton material of his T-shirt? Her senses felt overloaded.

“I can’t believe this,” she said, pushing away from the door to cross the room and sit down at the table. All she could do was shake her head at how easily she’d been conned. “I should have known. I never win contests.”

“A contest?” Nolan asked.

She nodded, feeling like a fool. “This was Nana and Ms. Laverne’s doing.”

“That I believe,” he said, clearly putting the pieces together.

Ivy was grateful for that. There was no doubt in her mind that he was just as outraged and disgusted as she was. “Thanks.”

“How did you get here?” he asked, finally moving from where he was standing to join her at the table.

“I drove.”

“Where’s your car? I didn’t see another vehicle in the yard when I arrived.”

“I put it in the garage.” She released a frustrated sigh. “I honestly didn’t suspect a thing. I got a call early in the week that claimed I had won a week’s stay here from a contest run by a dry cleaner that I frequent.”

His brow lifted. “What’s the name of the cleaners?”

“Altamonte Dry Cleaners.”

He nodded slowly and then said, “That part explains things.”

“How?” She wanted to know.

He leaned back in the chair and she tried not to notice how good he smelled. He was wearing the same cologne as before. “Altamonte Dry Cleaners is owned my grandaunt Pearl’s side of the family. She was an Altamonte when she married my granduncle Lee.”

Ivy’s eyes widened. “Her family would help your great-grandmother with her matchmaking scheme?”

He chuckled and she tried to ignore how the sound seemed to vibrate across her skin. “In a heartbeat. For them it would be like history repeating itself. I understand that they conspired with Mama Laverne years ago to marry their only daughter off to Granduncle Lee. So yes, there’s no doubt in my mind if Mama Laverne called on them to help carry out her plans, they would have done what she asked them to do.”

Ivy found his statement astounding. “But why?”

His lips tightened into a frown. “You know why. Because my great-grandmother has everyone convinced she is an ace at matchmaking with a 100 percent success record that she can’t go wrong. But what Mama Laverne and her adoring believers fail to realize and accept is that there’s a first time for everything. Even failure. Just because she’s had great success in the past doesn’t mean anything about the future.”

“I agree. That’s what makes everything they are doing so annoying. Did you mention to your great-grandmother you were coming here today?”

“No.”

“Then how would she know how and when to put her plan into action?” Ivy asked, trying to break eye contact with him. The intensity of the dark eyes staring back at her was unnerving. She’d noticed the anger in his features was slowly easing and she was trying to let hers do the same. Somehow they needed to replace anger with action. There had to be a way to effectively combat Nana’s and Ms. Laverne’s foolishness. As far as she was concerned, they had gone too far this time, involving others to participate in their nonsense.

He shrugged those massive shoulders and she found that unnerving as well. “I mentioned my plans to several family members,” he said. “I can only assume she got wind of it and came up with a plan.”

“Did you not get a chance to talk to her since we last saw each other?”

Frustration appeared in his features. “I talked to her. That same day. But it was like what I was saying was going through one ear and going out the other. Did you talk to your grandmother?”

“Yes. I asked her to stay out of my affairs, but it’s obvious my request went in one ear and out the other, also.” She released a frustrated breath. “I can’t believe after our conversation that she went along with setting us up like this. And what angers me more than anything is knowing it might not be their last time.”

“Make no mistake. It won’t be their last time. It might be your grandmother’s first time trying her hand at matchmaking, but my great-grandmother considers herself an old pro with years of experience. She’s not about to let up. It doesn’t matter what we tell them, they’re determined to have it their way.”

After taking a deep breath, Ivy stood. “Well, I refuse to be a pawn in their foolishness. I’ll start packing to leave and will be out of your way. Again, I am so sorry for the intrusion. I would not have come here if for one minute I’d thought winning that contest was a sham.”

He stood as well, and again she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. “There’s no need to apologize since it wasn’t your fault.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m invading your privacy,” she said, moving from around the table.

“I guess you’re the reason my refrigerator is stocked and why there’s a welcome basket on my living room table.”

She nodded. “Afraid so. I stopped by that market a few miles up the road and picked up a few things.”

He nodded. “And here I thought that perhaps my property manager was bucking for a raise. Two percent milk should have tipped me off.”

She arched a brow. “And what’s wrong with 2 percent milk?”

“Nothing, if that’s what you like to drink. I prefer whole milk. I grew up on it. The Madaris family used to run a dairy back in the day in addition to raising cattle.”

Good Lord, she hoped he hadn’t noticed how she was hanging on to his every word. She loved the sound of his voice. It was deep and husky.

“At least let me pay you for those items,” he offered.

She waved off his words. “No, I won’t accept anything from you. Besides, I got to enjoy the bay for a little while. I just finished a major project and wanted to relax a bit before starting a new one.”

“Tell you what, I’ll give you my property manager’s contact information. Give him a call and let him know what other week you’d be available and I’ll make sure you get it, on me.”

She was surprised by his offer. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Sure you can. It’s the least I can do. I insist.”

“Thanks. I was so excited about winning that I followed the instructions to the letter without getting suspicious about anything.” That made her ask, “How did they get the key?”

She watched him stroll to the counter to retrieve the water bottle he’d placed there earlier. “My mom has a spare key,” he said.

Why was she noticing how sexy his walk was and how good his backside looked in his jeans? “Your mom? Please don’t tell me she was in on it, too.”

“She had to be,” he said, grabbing the water bottle, turning around and leaning back against the counter. “It makes perfect sense now.”

“What does?”

“My gramma Bessie claiming that she needed to be taken to her sister’s home in Andrews this morning, which delayed my arrival here by at least eight hours since my great-aunt insisted I stay for lunch. That had to be part of my great-grandmother’s plan as well. Had I left Houston when I had originally planned to do so, then we would have arrived here at the same time. They deliberately delayed my arrival, making sure I didn’t get here until after you’d arrived and had got settled.”

Ivy shook her head. And she thought she had it bad trying to keep Nana in line. “I don’t envy you one bit. I only have to put up with my grandmother. However, from the sound of things, your great-grandmother has a legion of conspirators ready to assist her. How can you put up with your family being so...?” Ivy tried her best to come up with a word that would hit the mark but wouldn’t offend him.

“Intrusive,” he supplied.

“Yes,” she said, fighting back a smile as she pushed her eyeglasses up. “Intrusive. I would think that instead of enabling her, at some point someone would have taken your great-grandmother aside and had a little talk with her about...” Again she tried coming up with a word that was noncritical.

“Minding her own business,” he said. “You can say it. Trust me, it won’t hurt my feelings.” He then took a gulp of water from the bottle.

“To mind her own business,” she said since he’d invited her to do so. She felt a stirring in her stomach as she watched him when he placed the bottle back down and wiped any lingering liquid from his mouth with the back of his hand. Why did seeing him do something like that affect her?

She pushed back those sensations, refusing to let them overwhelm the feminine side of her. There was no place for them here now, and definitely not with the man standing across the room from her. No matter how handsome he looked, and he did look handsome. “I honestly don’t get it. I’m sure you’re capable of choosing your own wife.”

“Just like I’m sure you can choose a husband.”

His words reminded her of Damien. She had honestly thought he was the one, but he had revealed his true self eventually. Considering her parents’ marriage, she figured it was best she had learned that before saying “I do.”

“I don’t plan to marry. Ever,” she said, knowing a cutting edge was in her voice.

From the lifting of his brow she knew he’d picked up on it. “Any reason why?”

Strands of curly hair danced in her face and she brushed them back before saying, “My reason doesn’t concern you.”

* * *

SHE WAS RIGHT, Nolan thought. Her reason didn’t concern him. “Sorry—it’s none of my business.” The sooner she left, then the sooner he could begin enjoying his week here. Alone. Without any interruptions. He definitely needed a break from women. All women. Even those in his family who were supporting his great-grandmother in her shenanigans.

But he was forced to admit for the most part, under any other circumstances, he could see himself becoming friends with Ivy. But they weren’t. Instead, they were victims of manipulation of the worst kind. He would place the blame where it rightly belonged, and that was at her grandmother’s and his great-grandmother’s feet.

Giving in to his curiosity, he asked, “Does your grandmother know you’re antimarriage?”

“Yes, she knows.”

Nolan frowned. “Then why would she waste her time trying to get us together, knowing you feel the way you do?”

She released a frustrated breath. “I guess she’s hoping I’ll change my mind. I honestly believe your great-grandmother has convinced her that we are supposed to get married and have lots of babies. She’s said so many times.”

That sounded just like Mama Laverne. “That won’t be happening,” Nolan said with strong conviction in his voice.

He wasn’t antimarriage like she evidently was by any means. He knew for a fact that true love did exist for some people. All he had to do was look around during any Madaris family gathering to see that for himself. Most marriages in the Madaris family were strong, solid and based on love, and lasted a lifetime.

His parents’ and grandparents’ marriages were good examples, as well as those of his other family members. The only exception had been Jake’s first marriage. But from what he’d heard, the marriage had been doomed from the beginning since the woman tried making Jake into something he wasn’t.

Nolan’s major problem was his great-grandmother trying to shove the woman she’d chosen for him down his throat. When and if he ever married, it would be to a woman he selected and not one who’d been selected for him.

“I can’t wait until Nana gets back to town.”

He discovered that looking at her chest instead of her legs was just as bad. He liked the way her blouse fitted. “Where is she?”

“She went to Lake Charles for the weekend to attend a gospel revival.”

“Umm, so did my great-grandmother. If they’re together, then you know what that means. They’ll work on the next plan when they get wind that this one didn’t work.”

“They’ve got to be stopped,” she said, all but stomping her foot. He thought she looked cute when she did that.

“Any ideas on how to do that since talking sensibly with them doesn’t seem to work?” he asked her.

“None that I can think of.” She checked her watch. “I need to pack up now and leave before it gets dark. I’ll be seeing you.”

He nodded. “Drive safe.”

When she left the kitchen, he drew in a deep breath, refusing to feel bad that she was leaving. He could do the decent thing and leave since she was here first, but he did own the place and there was no reason to give up his week for her. But he could invite her to stay the night and leave in the morning. It was an hour’s drive back to Houston and it would be dark before she got there. And he did have two bedrooms.

“I got it!”

He quickly turned around. She had returned to the kitchen and stood there with a huge smile that stretched across those lips he’d been mesmerized by earlier. “You got what?”

“An idea on how to best Nana and Ms. Laverne. And I think it just might work.”

She had him curious. “What is it?”

“It means there has to be a lot of pretending on our part.”

He lifted a brow. “Pretending about what?”

“In order for the plan to work we need to pretend to be lovers.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

“I THINK YOU need to explain just what you mean, Ivy.”

Good Lord, Ivy was certain he thought she’d lost her mind. Maybe she had, but the one certain thing was that something had to be done to stop Nana and Ms. Laverne. While repacking, the idea had come to her as clear as glass. Her grandmother and his great-grandmother wouldn’t let up until they thought they’d accomplished their goal. In that case, let them believe that.

“Ivy?”

“Yes?” She couldn’t help noticing how his voice sounded even deeper and huskier and how nice her name sounded off his lips.

“I think you need to explain what you meant.”

Yes, she did need to explain. Otherwise, he would think she was stone crazy. First of all, she knew that she didn’t have the look or style of a woman he would take on as a lover. But she would worry about that later. It would be a work in progress. “Okay. But you need to promise you’ll keep an open mind.”

He didn’t reply and the look he gave her at that moment all but said he wouldn’t be promising anything but she couldn’t let that look deter her. “I suggest that we sit down and share a glass of wine while I tell you. I really could use something to relax me right now.”

She really could. Normally she didn’t get this excited unless it had to do with a project she’d been working on and had discovered a technological breakthrough.

“Okay. I’ll get the glasses,” he said, moving toward the kitchen cabinet.

Nerves suddenly tightened her stomach. As far as she was concerned, it wasn’t too bad of an idea. At least she’d come up with something. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She hoped that he believed that. “And I’ll grab the wine.”

She left the kitchen to grab a bottle from the welcome basket. By the time she returned, he had placed two wineglasses on the table. In his hand was the wine opener. “Let me,” he said, reaching for the bottle.

She gave it to him and then sat down at the table. She watched as he filled both their glasses. “Not too much,” she said when she thought he’d poured enough. “I still need to drive.”

He put the wine bottle down before easing into the chair across from her. “So...?”

She took a sip of her wine. He was staring at her expectantly, waiting to hear what she had to say. What if he thought her idea was the stupidest, most insane thing he’d ever heard? “We already know that once Nana and Ms. Laverne get wind their plot failed again, they’ll put their heads together to come up with another plan, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I suggest we be one step ahead of them. Let them assume their plan worked. That when we got here, although we were upset about it, we discovered we’d give it a try anyway. Trust their judgment so to speak.”

He kept staring at her and she wondered what he was thinking. “Go on,” he finally said.

“Our job is to do everything in our power to convince them their plan worked for this week and we decided to begin dating. That means that we will need to do what regular people who are dating do while getting to know each other. Going to dinner. A movie. Walks in the park. Those sorts of things.”

He didn’t say anything and the room got quiet. He just sat there and stared into his drink. She wondered if already he saw her plan as a failure because it was quite obvious she wasn’t the type of woman he dated and no one would believe that he would. He liked flashy women and she didn’t have a flashy bone in her body.

Men found her too techie to be desirable. Even Damien had admitted that. Most men saw her brain and passion for her work as turnoffs rather than turn-ons. Boring instead of interesting.

“And how exactly is that besting them? Sounds like we’ll be giving in to them,” he said, lifting his gaze to stare over at her.

“We won’t be giving in to them. We’ll just let them assume that we are and that’s the beauty of the idea. Let them think what they want, but we will know the truth. Then when they think we should be planning for a wedding, we will tell them we tried to develop a relationship but discovered we weren’t compatible.”

She paused to give her words time to sink in before saying, “What we’re dealing with are two women determined to marry us off. As long as we fight them on that, they will continue to come up with these crazy ideas to get us together. And from what I can see they will stop at nothing. However, if they think we gave in to what they see as their best-laid plans, and then ultimately reached the conclusion that there’s no way we can spend the rest of our lives together, then I think they will accept our decision.”

When he didn’t say anything, Ivy asked, “So, what do you think?”

* * *

IN TRUTH, NOLAN didn’t know what to think. He knew any further talks with Mama Laverne were out of the question. He’d tried it and she had completely ignored what he’d said. He’d thought about calling a family meeting when he discovered her matchmaking schemes that involved Victoria. However, after talking with his sister, who welcomed their great-grandmother’s interference into her life, he knew calling such a meeting was pointless. He had to figure out a way to handle her himself. Fight his own battles. He was on his own. He looked at Ivy. Or was he?

He knew Ivy was waiting for him to say something, so he told her the truth. “I’m thinking.”

And he was thinking, considering her plan. At least it was a plan, something he had refused to implement himself. Instead he had dated a lot of women to give Ivy the impression that he wasn’t husband material. That ploy had worked at least, but from what Ivy had shared with him, she didn’t intend to get married. Ever. So unbeknownst to him, the strategy hadn’t been needed.

“Tell me again what we have to do,” he said. Already he could see problems arising. Mama Laverne could see through mud, so there was a good chance she would see through this ploy.

“We’ll hang out together on occasion. Pretend we’re dating. And to make things believable you’ll have to stop dating other women for a while.”

She’d spoken as if she assumed him doing so would be a hardship. Little did she know how wrong she was about that. “For how long?” he wanted to know.

“It will depend on us and when we think we’ve had enough time to convince them. This is the end of March, so I think breaking up before the summer would work. By then they should be convinced that we really gave a relationship between us a try and things didn’t work out the way they’d expected.”

Nolan wished it could be that easy. “I know my great-grandmother. She would expect us to hang in longer than that. Otherwise, she’ll think it’s something she could fix.”

He could tell from the frown on Ivy’s face that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. He had to be up-front with her. She wasn’t dealing with just anyone, but with a ninety-something-year-old woman who was determined to see each of her great-grands married before she took her last breath.

“Trust me, it’s going to be hard to convince Mama Laverne that she made a mistake about us.”

Ivy threw up her hands in frustration. “So what are we supposed to do? Give in and let them control our lives? I refuse to do that, Nolan.”

She stood and he watched her pace. He tried to keep his gaze from roaming over her and found it difficult to do so. It was also difficult to think about how she was wearing the hell out of those cutoffs. Way too sexy for his peace of mind. It was obvious that she was agitated and he understood the feeling. Under any other circumstances her plan would be doable. But they were dealing with Felicia Laverne Madaris who couldn’t easily be outsmarted. He and his cousins had learned that the hard way over the years.

She stopped pacing and turned to him. “Are you saying there’s nothing we can do but continue to allow ourselves to be manipulated?”

“Pretty much.”

“And you’re going to settle for that?” she snapped. “Why don’t you just be honest and admit that you don’t like my plan and the reason you don’t like it.”

Nolan frowned. Had he missed something? Why was her anger now directed at him? And what was she talking about, all but accusing him of having an ulterior motive for not wanting to go along with her plan?

“Would you like to explain what you’re accusing me of?” he said tightly.

She came back to the table and placed her hands palms down and leaned closer to him as if she demanded his attention. She didn’t have to demand it because she had it. He noticed the way the mass of curly hair on her head was sliding over her shoulders. Her glasses seemed off center on her nose and he was tempted to reach out and straighten them. But she was already fired up and there was no need to add kerosene to the fire.

“I read the papers. I see photographs of the kind of women you date. The women constantly on your arm,” she said. “I’m well aware of the type of women that claim your attention. And it’s quite obvious I’m not like them. I don’t even come close. I know that. But can’t you put those types of women aside for less than eight weeks and pretend you could settle on someone like me?”

Settle on someone like her? Nolan was stunned into silence. As far as he was concerned, any woman she had read about or seen him with was all flash and no substance. Although he didn’t know everything there was to know about Ivy, he believed she was right in saying that she was not like them. Personally, he saw that as a good thing.

“The type of women I date have nothing to do with why I have doubts about your plan working. I know my great-grandmother. The only way we can pull it off is if we’re totally convincing. And the only way to do that is for us to pretend we’ve fallen hard for each other.”

He paused for a moment and then added, “But then on the other hand she could use that same premise against us. If she thinks we fell hard for each other in the beginning that would make her more determined to save our relationship when we decide to go our separate ways.”

Ivy came to sit back down at the table. “Unless you did something I would consider unforgivable.”

He raised a brow. “Like what?”

“Like if I was to find you in a compromising position with a woman.”

Her suggestion made him angry. “You want people to believe I betrayed you?”

“Why not? It wouldn’t bother me if you did.”

He leaned toward her over the table. “But it would bother me. It will bother my family. It will bother anyone who knows me. What you’re suggesting will be a direct hit on my character.”

“You, a man who doesn’t believe in getting serious with any one woman. Who is known around town as Mr. One-Night Stand? A bona fide womanizer? Are you saying you don’t play women?”

“That’s exactly what I am saying. I don’t play women. I date them. And when I do, I make it clear where I stand. I don’t do serious relationships nor am I looking for one. I make that understood up front. If there’s a communication problem, it’s not on my end, so there shouldn’t be a woman out there who has the right to feel cheated on by whatever I do.”

He stood and leaned over the table, wanting to make sure he had Ivy’s absolute attention. “Your plan calls for me to engage in what will appear to be a very serious relationship with you, and then you want to end things when you catch me cheating. That won’t work because if and when I ever decide to get involved in a serious relationship with a woman I would never betray her.”

“It will only be pretense, Nolan. You and I will know the truth.”

He glared at her. Did she not understand the lasting effect of what doing something like that, pretense or otherwise, could do to his character? Did she think most men wouldn’t have a problem doing something like that? He wondered what type of men she associated with.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said in a tight voice. “Come up with another unforgivable act. Infidelity is off the table.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at him. “Fine. I’ll come up with something else.”

“You do that.”

As they continued to glare at each other, he wondered if she understood what he’d told her about his great-grandmother’s expectations. Just saying they were involved wouldn’t be good enough to appease Felicia Laverne Madaris. She was a “show me” person and was used to displays of open affection, something that was in abundance in the Madaris family. There was no faking that. Could she handle it?

He sat down and leaned back in his chair, still holding her gaze. “So, if I agree to go along with your plan, assuming you come up with an acceptable reason for breaking up, how far are you willing to go to be convincing?”

She lifted a brow. “What do you mean? We won’t be sleeping together if that’s what you’re getting at,” she said in a firm tone.

A smile touched his lips. “I didn’t think we would be. But we need to give the impression we are.”

She frowned. “Why? Your family doesn’t know me. For all they know I might be someone who plans to save myself for marriage.”

“They might not know you, but they do know me, and my family wouldn’t believe I’d be serious about a woman and not sharing her bed.”

“Which means?”

“Which means to make things look real, whenever we’re out in public there needs to be hand-holding, touching, whispering sweet nothings in your ear and kissing.” Heat invaded his midsection at the mention of them kissing. At that moment her tongue swiped across her bottom lip.

“Kissing?” she asked in a low voice, like it had taken everything within her to say the word.

He looked into the eyes staring back at him and took note of their color. They had darkened. But then he was certain his had as well. “Yes, kissing.”

She lifted her chin. “I don’t kiss in public.”

“I do. So I guess that’s something you’ll need to take into consideration, Ivy Chapman. In fact, just short of making love, kissing is one of my favorite things.”

Nolan thought the scowl on her face was priceless. “Sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear but now is the time to be honest. And since I’m in such an honest state, I might as well come clean and say that regardless of what you might think, Ivy, I think you are sexy as hell.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

IVY NEEDED TO take a drink of her wine. Not a sip, a full gulp, but she took just a sip instead. This idea of pretending to be lovers was hers, but it seemed she hadn’t thought through all the ramifications. Maybe he was just messing with her.

“I take it you don’t believe me,” Nolan said.

Of course she didn’t believe him. Sexy? Her? Please. It wasn’t that she thought poorly of herself but she knew most men didn’t see her that way. They couldn’t get beyond the fact that in most cases, she found computers more fascinating than men. If he thought she would fall for the kinds of lines he fed the women he normally dated, well, she had news for him. She wasn’t that hungry. “You don’t believe yourself, Nolan, so can we get serious and decide what we plan to do?”

He took a sip of his drink, and continued to stare at her. “I’m being honest with you, Ivy. I can only give your plan real consideration if I think it will work. Like I told you, I have my doubts.”

“Just because you don’t think we can make it look real enough.”

“Yes.” A smile touched his lips. “But only on your part.”

“My part?”

“Yes. There’s no doubt in my mind I will be able to make it look real. But the question of the hour is will you go along with me whenever I do so?”

Ivy frowned. “There will have to be limitations on any public displays of affection,” she said, negotiating. She didn’t like how he was complicating things.

* * *

“LOOK, IVY, I believe your plan has merit but it has to be our best-laid plan.”

“Our? Does that mean you’re going to do it?”

“Only if I think we can get a sure win out of it. Otherwise, we’ll be wasting our time. Are you willing to do whatever needs to be done to convince everyone we are truly serious about each other? And before you answer, I know about your limitations. To rest your mind, we won’t be sleeping together. We’ll just give the impression that we are. The only persons who will know that we aren’t are you and me.”

Why did he make it sound like they would have a little secret? And why did the thought of sharing a secret with him suddenly make her feel giddy inside? Snap out of it, her brain admonished. Remember, this is not the man for you, no matter what Nana thinks. Didn’t Damien prove that she was better off without a man? They deliver fake love before the very real heartbreak. But she would admit it was hard to remember the bad Damien while sitting across from a man who looked so darn good. Billboard model, tall, dark and handsome personified.

Nolan waved a hand in front of her face and she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Now that I have your attention,” he said, looking at her with an intense expression on his face, “will you answer my question?”

Ivy hoped the reason she had his rapt attention wasn’t because she’d been caught drooling. She swallowed deeply before asking, “What was your question?”

“When do we start?”

Suddenly she felt like she was on the edge of her seat. Was that excitement? Or was it anxiety? There was no room for either. They were on a mission to free themselves of the interference of two people who thought they had some God-given right to run their lives under the pretense of knowing what they needed and what was best for them.

“I guess now is as good a time as any,” she heard herself say. “Nana and Mama Laverne know because of their manipulations that we’re here together.” She couldn’t believe what she was about to suggest. “It might look suspicious if I go back to the city right away.” He took another sip of his wine. She watched him, thinking how perfectly his mouth fitted the rim of the glass. She’d been drawn to his mouth a lot tonight; especially when the subject of kissing had come up.

“I agree. Hand me your phone.”

“Why?”

“Because it would look rather odd if we didn’t have each other’s phone numbers. Don’t you think?”

Yes, he was right. She stood and pulled her phone out of her pocket to hand to him. “Here.” Moments later his phone rang.

“Now I have your mobile number and you have mine. And to make our affair believable, especially since there’s no doubt in my mind there are allies out there who will report to Miss Chapman and Mama Laverne of our activities, I think it would be best if you stayed here.”

“Just for the night, though,” she clarified.

“No, for the week.”

The bunched nerves inside Ivy’s stomach kicked. “For a week?”

“Yes, a week. You had originally planned to do that anyway, before you discovered we’d been set up, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” She nervously licked her bottom lip. “But...”

“But what?”

“Where will you be?” she felt the need to ask.

“I’ll be right here with you.”

* * *

NOLAN THOUGHT THAT if the situation wasn’t so serious, he would find the look on her face downright amusing. In just the short time he’d been with her, he had noticed several things. Like how her brows would bunch tight when she was annoyed by something, how she would push curls away from her face when she wasn’t sure about something, how she would lick her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue when she became nervous. Then there were the times she would push her eyeglasses back on her face whenever they slipped down that cute little nose of hers. The gesture usually preceded a strong rebuttal. He didn’t mind. Women who thought it would be in their best interests to agree with anything he said irritated him. It was as if they couldn’t speak or think for themselves. Obviously Ivy had no such hang-ups.

“Mama Laverne will expect it. Trust me. I know how her mind works. We mustn’t forget that our goal is to make her assume her plan is working, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then sharing this place for a week is what we’ll need to do. The sooner we can convince her we fell in love, the sooner we can convince her we’ve fallen out of love.”

He saw the uncertain look on her face and on cue she pushed a few wayward curls back from her face. He’d been tempted to do it. “I promise not to bite, Ivy. This plan that we pretend to be lovers was your idea. I agreed with the stipulations you put in place. But I’ve stated more times than I cared to that in order to make it work we have to make our fake relationship appear believable.”

He scrubbed the back of his neck, trying to keep his frustration with her at bay. She couldn’t have things both ways. “In case you haven’t noticed, this place has two bedrooms, split concept with each suite having its own bath. You will have your space and I’ll have mine.”

“I know that, Nolan, but what will we do together for a week?”

“Whatever you had planned to do without me being here and I will do likewise. But at some point we need to set aside time to get to know each other.”

“Why?”

He was surprised she would ask that. “Because after a week everyone would expect us to know something about each other and, trust me, Mama Laverne will grill me and there’s no doubt in my mind your grandmother will do the same.”

She nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

“You know I’m right.” He stood and stretched his limbs, suddenly feeling exhausted. He wasn’t sure whether the cause was from taking time out to play tennis with his cousins earlier today or from verbally sparring with her. “I need a good night’s sleep, so I’m going to bed.”

“To bed? But it’s only seven and it’s still daylight outside.”

“Not for long. Besides, I think my body is still on Paris time. I had just got back the day before you came to my office.”

“What about dinner? Aren’t you hungry?”

“No. I’m still stuffed from when my great-aunt fed me earlier today. I assume you will be here in the morning when I wake up.”

“Yes, I’ll be here.”

He nodded. Before heading out of the kitchen, he glanced over at her and said, “Good night, Ivy. See you in the morning.”

“Good night.”

As Nolan strolled out of the kitchen toward the bedroom he would be using, he hoped like hell that their plan worked. He was tempted to look back at her before opening the door to his bedroom, but he fought the temptation. His only involvement with Ivy would be of the pretend kind and it was best that he remembered that.

CHAPTER NINE

THE SOUND OF someone humming brought Ivy awake. She glanced at her clock and saw the time was just a little past seven. It took her a minute to remember where she was and why. Tiki Island. Pretend lover of Nolan Madaris.

The week vacation she thought she’d won had been nothing more than a setup thanks to her grandmother. Frowning, she pulled herself up in bed and grabbed for her phone to call her grandmother. It was time to put her and Nolan’s plan into action, and Helen Chapman was about to get an earful from her.

After Nolan went to bed it was as if she was alone in the cottage and she appreciated that. She had needed that time to reflect on all that had been said since she’d returned from her walk on the bay to find Nolan in her kitchen. It was really his kitchen, she reminded herself.

As soon as the bedroom door had closed behind him last night, she had grabbed a bag of chips and an apple from the welcome basket. She had heard his shower going while making a ham sandwich and a glass of iced tea.

The breeze off the Galveston Bay had relaxed her while she sat outside on the patio to eat. The quiet peacefulness gave her an opportunity to mentally rehash her conversations with Nolan. He had been right. Pretending to be lovers had been her idea and she needed to own it. It had taken another walk on the bay after her meal to finally accept that the plan she’d come up with would work if, like Nolan said, it was believable. More than anything she was determined that it would be.

“Hello?”

Her grandmother’s voice sounded soft, almost like a whisper in her ear. “Nana, this is Ivy.”

“I know, dear. I recognize your voice.”

“Then you know why I’m calling.” Ivy paused for a minute and then asked, “Nana, how could you? Why on earth would you and Ms. Laverne set me and Nolan up again?”

“You’re calling him by his first name. That’s good.”

“Excuse me?”

“The last time we talked about him, he was Mr. Madaris. Now he’s Nolan and I think that’s a good sign.”

Ivy shook her head. “There is no sign. Nana, we need to talk about this.”

“We talked already, dear. Remember?”

“Yes, I remember but you didn’t listen.”

“You’re right. I didn’t listen because I know what’s best. Where are you, by the way?”

“I’m still on Tiki Island. Nolan was kind enough to allow me to stay a couple of days. I appreciate him for not blaming me for what happened.”

“Of course he wouldn’t blame you. And where is he?”

“Not sure. He’s around here somewhere. I’m just waking up. Luckily, this place is plenty big enough for the both of us with the two bedrooms and private baths. Split concept. I doubt if we’ll run into each other much while I’m here.” She figured her grandmother was frowning about now. That’s probably not what she wanted to hear.

“Who’s doing the cooking? Not you I hope.”

Her grandmother knew of her dislike of kitchen duties that required more than putting cold cuts between two slices of bread. “We’re on our own.”

“What a pity. Nolan is a great cook. He’s also a nice man.”

“Whatever. We will talk again when I get back, Nana. If you keep this up, I’m going to think you’re not in your right mind.”

“I’m in my right mind,” her grandmother assured her. “In the end you are going to thank me.”

Ivy doubted that. “We’ll talk, Nana.” She heard the sound of humming again and realized the noise was from the television mounted on the wall in the living room.

“We’ll see. Enjoy your time on the bay.”

And then her grandmother hung up on her. “Oh, you are so wrong for that, Nana. You are wrong for all of this,” Ivy muttered, easing out of the bed. She thought about what Nolan said regarding them getting to know each other. That meant spending time with him and she’d rather not do that. She didn’t like admitting it but heat would curl in her stomach whenever she was around him. She smiled when an idea came into her head. Instead of spending time with him, she would text information to him. All he needed to know was stuff like her favorite foods, music, movie, color and pertinent facts like that. She would suggest that he did the same. Ivy smiled, convinced that would work.

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