The Engagement Arrangement Read online

  Erin laid her head on their mom’s shoulder. “I love you.”

  They ate dinner, which was another amazing thing because who knew dress shopping could work up such an appetite? Brenna cleaned her entire plate of salmon and asparagus tips, then had cheesecake for dessert. By the time they got back to the house, she needed to walk off dinner. She hugged Erin, who had to leave for home, then went upstairs and changed out of her dress and into a pair of shorts and a tank top before slipping into her tennis shoes. Even though the sun had set, it was still oppressively hot. There was no breeze and the humidity was high. It wasn’t even like she was moving at a fast clip, just needing to walk.

  She’d meant to discuss her ludicrous fake fiancé plan with her mom and her sisters tonight, but they’d been so busy discussing everything else, it hadn’t come up.

  Or maybe she was just a coward, and the whole idea was stupid and she should give it up.

  She should do just that. Forget the thought of pretending to have a fiancé, and go about her business as a successful single woman. Finn had been the one to suggest that, and he was probably right.

  Though she could already picture Allison’s smug expression that she’d have to live with for four freaking days. Brenna had been married to Mitchell before. She knew from experience that he wasn’t someone to brag about.

  Still, they’d been divorced for four years. What exactly had Brenna done with her life since then?

  Not much. She’d moved back home, where she still lived. She worked at the winery, which she’d been doing when she was married to Mitchell. And . . . and . . .

  And nothing.

  She looked around at her surroundings, realizing that for some reason she’d ended up at Finn’s place. His lights were on, so he must be home. She hesitated, thought about turning around and heading back to the house. Just as she did, she caught sight of him walking up the path from the other side. She couldn’t exactly hide from him since he’d already seen her, so she continued her walk, hoping he wouldn’t think she’d been coming to his place. Which maybe she subconsciously had been for reasons she couldn’t fathom.

  “Out for a stroll?” he asked as he stopped in front of her.

  “Yes. I had a big dinner that I’m walking off.”

  “I hope you didn’t have a date. I frown on my fiancée going out with other men.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Funny. I went shopping for a wedding dress for Erin.”

  “Jason told me they moved up the wedding. It’ll be tight.”

  “We’ll get it handled.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  She looked at him, realizing he had a rifle at his side. “What are you doing? Squirrel hunting?”

  “No. Taking a walk. I heard some noises out by the pond so I took the rifle to check it out.”

  She peeked around him. They sometimes got trespassers since their property butted up against public land where hunters or kids might wander. “Find anything?”

  “No. But I’ll keep an eye out.”

  Brenna knew the family liked having Finn on this side of their land because he kept an eye on potential trespassers. He’d already run off teens several times who’d come out to party in the woods. Nothing like a tall, lean, but well-muscled badass carrying a rifle to scare the bejeezus out of you and keep you from thinking of ever doing it again.

  “It’s a good hiding place to hang out,” she said as she continued to walk.

  Finn slung the rifle over his shoulder and walked with her. “Yeah? You’ve been there?”

  She shrugged. “I did my share of partying there when I was a teen.”

  “In the woods. Over there.”

  “Of course. Didn’t have to leave the family property, and it was easy to sneak my friends in over the property fence. Plus . . . easy access to wine.”

  He slanted a grin at her. “Aren’t you the sly one?”

  She shrugged. “I had my moments. And some fun. Until the night Dad caught us.”

  “I definitely want to hear that story.”

  They had made their way to the pond. There was a bench with a comfortable back, so they took a seat there. She was glad she remembered to put bug spray on before she left the house so she wouldn’t get eaten up by mosquitoes.

  “I was seventeen. It was me and William, the boy I was dating, then my friend Rachel and her boyfriend, Oliver, and four other friends. I snuck three bottles of chardonnay from the cellars and stored them in an ice chest in the woods, then met my friends at the fence. They climbed over and we ate chips and drank the wine, laughed and had a great time. Got totally blitzed on that chardonnay, too. And then Rachel and Oliver decided they wanted to go skinny-dipping in the pond.”

  He motioned with his head. “This one?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I didn’t think that was a good idea since the moon was full and it was too light out, but we were all drunk so we decided to go for it. I was down to my underwear when Dad walked to the edge of the pond.”

  “Oh, Christ. What happened?”

  “Everyone grabbed their clothes and scattered, including William, leaving me standing there to face my dad, alone in my underwear.”

  Finn winced. “That had to be awkward.”

  “Like you would not believe. He turned away from me and told me to get dressed, then he walked with me to pick up the bottles of wine we’d left in the woods. He informed me that I owed him for the wine, and he wanted to know the names of everyone who’d been there with me besides William and Rachel, both of whom he already knew. I wasn’t about to snitch on my other friends.

  “The next morning Mom called William’s and Rachel’s parents to let them know what had gone down. I was mortified.”

  “That’s rough. How did your friends react?”

  “Rachel was okay. William broke up with me and said I snitched on him, which of course I didn’t.”

  “And your other friends?”

  “Oh, they were fine since they didn’t get in trouble, but I got grounded for a month. Like, home-from-school-and-straight-to-my-room grounded. With no phone or TV privileges.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Then I got banned from the winery for three months. That hurt more than getting grounded.”

  “I’m sure it did. Lesson learned, though, huh?”

  “Yeah. I learned not to skinny-dip during a full moon. And not to get my wine from the family winery.”

  He tilted his head back and laughed, his full, sexy timbre vibrating all the way from his chest. Lord, she could listen to that laugh all night long.

  “You’re a feisty one, Brenna. I never knew you had a wicked streak.”

  “That was in my youth.”

  “Oh, in your youth, huh? So, what? You’re old and wise, now?”

  “Wiser. I learn from my mistakes.”

  He tilted his head to study her. “Like your ex?”

  She stared out over the pond. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

  “Sometimes talkin’ about things helps you put them in the past.”

  “Oh, trust me, he’s well in the past.”

  “Right. That’s why I’m your pretend fiancé.”

  She wagged her finger at him. “Not yet you aren’t. And only for four days.”

  “I’m very hurt by you shutting me out, Brenna. After we get married we need to work on our communication skills.”

  She laughed. “Yeah. I’ll put that high on my list.” She stood. “I’m going to walk.”

  He got up. “I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  The way he smiled at her could light up the sky. It made her heart flutter, threw her off balance, and she did not like being off balance.

  “I’m just going to head back to the house. There’s no need.”

 
“You’re avoiding me.”

  She patted his shoulder. “Now you’re getting the hint. Good night, Finn.”

  He gave her a knowing grin. “Night, Brenna. When you fall asleep tonight, think of me.”

  She rolled her eyes and walked away, taking the path that led toward the house. By the time she made it back she definitely felt better. She walked up the steps to the porch and went inside, up to her room, and closed the door.

  After stripping off her clothes, she climbed into bed and grabbed a book to read, but damn if visuals of a sexy Irishman didn’t invade her thoughts.

  Get out of my head, Finn. I don’t want you there.

  She tried to focus again, but his easy smile was right there, his gray eyes studying her intently whenever she spoke. She couldn’t help but think about the way he walked with such predatory grace, his incredible mouth, all that silky hair just begging to be tugged on while he was inside her, thrusting deep—

  Dammit. She tossed the book on her nightstand, slid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

  Now she was hot. So. Damn. Hot.

  She blew out a breath and willed her body to cool down. Her body did not comply.

  Finn had been living on the property for more than ten years. Why was he front and center in her mind now? Why was she completely and inexplicably in lust with him all of a sudden, out of nowhere?

  She knew what she had to do to get him out of her head. Go on a few dates with some new guys. Maybe even get into a relationship, and then she could banish Finn from her thoughts. There was nothing like the focus of a new guy to get her attention off someone who was strongly on her mind. And Finn was most definitely in her thoughts lately. Like, all the time.

  And she didn’t want him there.

  After this farce of a fake engagement was over, that was exactly what she’d do. She’d go find some guys to have some fun with, and then Finn would be out of the picture for good.

  Easy enough. Now she had a plan and she could get back to her book.

  CHAPTER

  • • • • • •

  five

  FINN HAD LOVED building things since he was old enough to hold a hammer, when his da had brought him into his shop to let him tinker and play with discarded pieces of wood. When he was six, he’d built his first birdhouse. When he was ten, Da had let him build a new house for the dogs by himself. He’d built all kinds of things, learning something new every time. His da had been a master woodworker. When he was fifteen, he’d helped carry Da’s coffin to the gravesite, knowing he’d never stand shoulder to shoulder with his father in the woodshop again.

  Three years later he’d lost his mum, then left Ireland to live with Maureen and Johnny and their three daughters. Sure, he’d known Maureen Bellini. She’d often traveled to Ireland to visit with his ma, even when he’d been a small boy. Maureen and his mother had a close friendship—a lifelong one, according to Ma. It had helped that he at least knew who she was when she’d come to the funeral and offered to give him a home with her family when he’d had no one left.

  But, still, a hell of a whirlwind for a kid consumed with grief and loss. But the one thing his da had taught him was never to feel sorry for himself, to pick himself up and carry on. A lesson he’d always held on to. Because he might have only had his parents for a short while, but he knew he’d been loved, so what the hell did he have to feel sorry about?

  The best way to honor his parents was to do well in life, and he figured he’d done that. He had master carpentry skills, though he’d never be as good as his father. But he had also taught himself how to make a damn fine whiskey. His da would be proud.

  Today he finished the last wall in the addition, then began to create the shelves that would line one of the walls.

  “Do you like sweating or is this some form of self-torture?”

  He turned and grinned at Jason, Erin’s fiancé and one of his best friends. “Sweat’s good for the soul.”

  “That’s what I try to tell myself when I’m doing pregnancy checks on cattle in ninety-degree heat, like today.”

  Jason stepped into the building and Finn wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, you stink, man. You must have been doing ranch calls today.”

  “Everybody gets their turn, and this was my day for it.” Jason looked around the oversized space that would soon be the new storage building for the wedding business. “It’s looking good in here. Lots of space.”

  “They need it for all their arches and props and whatchamacallits they use for the weddings.”

  Jason laughed. “Yeah, those things.”

  “You here to see Erin?”

  “Nah. I called her on the way over. She told me she’s busy today. She and her sisters are going over invitations after work and she doesn’t have time for me. She said she’d see me when she got home. So I dropped Puddy off with her so Agatha and Puds could hang out, and she’ll bring both the dogs home. I thought maybe you, me and Clay could go have dinner and play some pool tonight.”

  “Good plan. I’m just about to finish up here. You talk to Clay?”

  Jason nodded. “Yeah, he’s gonna meet us at the pool hall. I have a change of clothes in the truck so I’ll shower here.”

  “Okay. I’ll put things up here then go shower and change and then meet you at the house.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Jason left and Finn cleaned up his work area, put away his tools, then headed to his place. He stripped off the clothes that were sticking to him like a second skin and went straight into the shower. The semicool water felt great pouring over his head and body, washing away all the sweat and dirt that clung to him. He put on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then added his going-out boots before making his way to the main house.

  He walked in through the back door, never needing to knock. Louise was in there making dinner. He leaned in to take a deeper smell of whatever was in the pot on the stove.

  “Something smells good.”

  “Chicken for tomorrow night’s dinner since everyone is scattered tonight.”

  “Oh, good. It’s my favorite.”

  She nudged him with her elbow. “Everything is your favorite.”

  He laughed. “That’s true.”

  “You’re going out tonight?”

  “Yes, ma’am. With Jason and Clay.”

  “You boys behave.”

  “I always behave.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Sure you do.”

  He kissed her on the cheek, because Louise and her husband, Marcus, were as much family to him as the Bellinis. Louise had kept him well fed through the years, and Marcus was a handyman on the property, so he’d continued his education on woodworking with him. Finn was indebted to both of them.

  He made his way down the hall. Brenna was coming down the stairs, so he paused. She was wearing a sundress and sandals, the dress swishing around her gorgeous legs.

  She frowned. “You’re dressed up.”

  “You mean I’m clean.”

  “Same thing.” She made it around the foot of the stairs and stopped in front of him. “Where are you headed?”

  “Dinner and to play some pool with the guys.”

  “I see.” She studied him. “What guys?”

  “Jason and Clay.”

  “They should keep you out of trouble.”

  He laughed. “Yeah? Why would you think that?”

  “They’re both engaged. That means no picking up women.”

  “Hey, they’re the ones who are engaged. I’m not. Except fake engaged to you.”

  She shook her head. “Only for four days, remember?”

  “Right.” He picked up her hand and rubbed it between his. “Unless you want me to remain faithful to ya, in which case I’ll be on my best behavior tonight.”

  She frowned. “Why would I care what you do?”
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  “Because you like me, Brenna Bellini. And you don’t want me to kiss other girls.”

  She jerked her hand away. “Go. Kiss other girls. I don’t care.”

  But she did care, and he saw it in the flash of anger in her beautiful eyes.

  “Who’s kissing other girls?”

  Honor had come out of her office.

  “Not me,” Finn said, giving Brenna a wink.

  Brenna waved her hand. “Not like I care what he does.”

  She walked away, leaving Finn and Honor standing there.

  “What was that all about?” Honor asked.

  “She likes me. She just doesn’t realize yet how much.”

  Honor looked down the hall where Brenna had disappeared. “Oh, really.”

  “Yup. We’re even going to be engaged next week.”

  Honor blinked, then her eyes went wide. “Wait. What?”

  “Oh, she knows all about it. In fact, it’s her idea. You should have her tell you about it.”

  “I definitely will.”

  Jason came down the stairs along with Erin, then looked over at Finn. “Hey, you ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Have fun,” Erin said as she came down the hall, stopping to give Jason a kiss. “But not too much fun.”

  Jason laughed. “I’ll see you at home. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  They headed out the door. Finn looked back, realizing that Brenna had returned and was standing outside on the porch with her sisters, watching them. Watching him.

  He smiled.

  * * *

  • • • • • •

  THE MEETING WITH the prospective bride and groom went well. After touring the grounds and discussing their needs and what Bellini Weddings could provide, along with the budget and a taste of Red Moss Vineyard wines, the couple booked their wedding for September of next year and paid a deposit.

  After the couple left, they went over wedding invitations. Erin had narrowed it to a few, but they all easily chose one favorite. Then, they decided they’d go out for pizza since Louise and Marcus had the night off.