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.”