Winning the Single Mum's Heart

At the mention of his family, something curious flickered in Cooper’s brown eyes but he said, “I’ve joined a surgical team at Children’s. Top-notch group with a great rep.”

Of course they were. Children’s was a fabulous facility. “Congratulations.”

No doubt he was the top recruit and they’d paid him a fat bonus to join their team. Cooper had been the number-one student in the entire medical school, something that had driven Justin crazy. Cooper was always one or two points ahead of his strongest competitor, her late husband. She knew without asking that he’d enjoyed the same success in his residency program and subsequent practice.

Dr. Cooper Sullivan was the single most brilliant human being she’d ever met. In fact, there was nothing he couldn’t succeed at if he tried. It was as if he had golden boy encoded on his DNA. The only problem with Cooper was his attitude. He expected to win. He expected to be the top and he didn’t back off until he was. The same attitude extended to his love life. She wondered if he’d ever dated a woman because he liked her rather than viewing her as trophy for his shelf. She’d known Justin loved her for herself. Cooper had seen her as a challenge, a Mount Everest to conquer. Cooper Sullivan was not her kind of man. That is, if she was looking for a man, which she most assuredly was not.

By now the wedding guests crowded the dance floor, moving to the energy of a fast track. Belle Mackenzie, the matronly blond owner of the Wedding Belles and Natalie’s boss, floated amongst them, occasionally speaking into her headset as she made sure every detail of the wedding went off without a hitch. Belle’s warm, Southern style and true love of people was what made the Wedding Belles a success. Not a woman to miss anything, she was certain to have noticed that her cake designer was paying an inordinate amount of attention to a darkly handsome guest.

“I really should be going now.” Natalie stood, glad her knees were no longer made of wet noodles.

He caught her hand. “Dance with me first.”

She pulled back. “I’m not a guest.”

He grinned. “I am.”

Before she could protest further, he swept her into his arms and onto the dance floor. For a nanosecond, annoyance ruffled her feathers. The arrogant man never considered that she might not want to dance with him. To his way of thinking, every woman longed to be in the arms of Dr. Cooper Sullivan.

But Natalie swallowed her protest and went along with the dance. After all, he was Justin’s long ago friend and, as much as she hated needing help, he’d been there for her today. His quick reaction had probably kept her from fainting and disrupting a very nice wedding. Even though Boston was his home city, he’d been gone a long time. Perhaps, he’d been relieved to find a familiar face among the new acquaintances. The least she could do was dance with the man.

She loved to dance, had been on the dance squad in high school, and had taken jazz and tap for years. Justin had promised to learn ballroom dance with her as soon as his residency was completed. She was still furious with him for having procrastinated about the lessons, just as he’d procrastinated about most things, including taking out life insurance.

One thing Justin hadn’t put off was spending. If he or she had wanted something, no matter how expensive, he’d charged it. According to Justin, all residents lived on credit, knowing they would soon be making tons of money. She’d believed him. As a result, she was still paying off the mountain of debt, one month at a time.

“This is a nice surprise,” Cooper muttered as he gazed down at her with his “I’m hot” smile.

She supposed he was. Okay, he really, really was. Dark, dark hair, black spiky lashes that drew attention to brilliant eyes and a proud, sculpted face would make any movie star jealous. He looked like a model or something.

He danced pretty well, too, if she’d admit it, moving with a fluid, confident rhythm as he guided her effortlessly around the floor.

On the first whirl, he held her at arm’s length and made small talk. On the second whirl, he pulled her against his chest, trapping her hand in his. Natalie couldn’t help breathing in the clean, crisp, woodsy essence of him. The wool of his jacket rubbed tantalizingly against her cheek. She hadn’t been in a man’s arms in a very long time, and she’d always loved the wonderful differences between the male and female physiques. Hard to soft. Strong to delicate. Big to petite. Later she’d remind herself of all the reasons why she was permanently off the male species.

When the music ended she tried to step back. Cooper held on. She raised her eyes to his, saw a challenge there.

“No need to rush off. It’s been a long time. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Natalie glanced around the crowded dance floor where she spotted Belle chatting up the mother of the groom. Her boss lifted a wineglass in her direction along with a finely penciled eyebrow. Lovely. Now Belle would be asking questions about the handsome hunk with whom Natalie had been dancing. Belle was a die-hard romantic, a natural inclination given her business of coordinating the most beautiful weddings in New England.

She was also one of the greatest Southern ladies of all time. Belle Mackenzie had given Natalie this job, encouraged her to stand strong when the storms of life had nearly swept her under, and had been a motherly shoulder to cry on in times of distress. Natalie adored Belle, so much so that she wanted to live the rest of her life as Belle did, as an independent woman in charge of her own life. No man need apply. There was no opening for romance at the Thompson house.

“I’m supposed to be working,” she said.

Still, Cooper made no move to release her hand. She gave a gentle tug. He held fast, an enigmatic smile tilting those aristocratic lips.

“Nothing for you to do.” He nodded toward the bride’s table before smoothly sweeping Natalie back into his arms.

Blame it on the insulin reaction, blame it on the romantic swirl of bridal lace and the clink of champagne glasses, but Natalie could no more resist dancing with Cooper than she could conduct the Boston Pops.

After all, what he’d said was true enough. Her glorious creation was being whittled to nothing as guests came back for seconds, murmuring over its deliciousness. There wasn’t anything for Natalie to do until the reception ended except enjoy the compliments.

Cooper’s strong fingers clasped her much smaller hand against his chest. She felt the rhythmic beat of his heart, noticed the hard contours of his athletic torso. Though she tried not to think of Cooper as an attractive man, with the number of interested female glances coming his way as a constant reminder, she was failing miserably. She resented the feelings. Resented the reminders that she was a passionate woman alone. Especially she didn’t like the idea of betraying Justin’s memory with his once close competitor.

“Tell me about your new job,” she said, frantic not to notice Cooper’s muscular thighs brushing hers or the tingle of awareness that rushed from her own thighs upward.

He gave her a lazy smile. “I’m boring. Tell me about you.”

Boring? She doubted there was anything boring in Cooper’s life.

She, on the other hand, was quite ordinary and content to be so. A Friday-night poker game with the other Wedding Belles, a little gossip, Sunday afternoons in the park with her kids.

“Working. Taking care of my girls. Not much else.”

“And the cakes?”

“Oh, yes. Lots and lots of cakes.”

“Sweet,” he said and they both laughed.

“How, or perhaps I should ask why, did a diabetic choose to be a cake decorator?”

“Fairy,” she corrected.

“Ah, yes. Cake fairy.” His eyes twinkled. “It suits you.”

“My girls think I should wear a Tinkerbell costume with wings and a tutu.”

A wicked gleam. “Now that I’d like to see.”

“I’ve actually thought about it. For kids’ birthday parties, I mean. They would love it.”

He laughed down at her and something low in her belly reacted. She hadn’t felt this way in more than two years. Feminine, attractive, womanly.

The shock of it caused her to misstep.

“Sorry,” she said as a blush warmed her neck and cheeks. Hopefully, Cooper would blame the stumble for her sudden fluster.

“No problem. You need to rest anyway after that insulin reaction. I shouldn’t have kept you out here so long.”

As if reluctant to break contact, he held on to her hand and led her toward a white linen-clad table. Still stunned at her unexpected reaction to his very male nearness, Natalie followed without resistance.

“Something to drink?” he asked.

As she sank into a chair, she nodded. “Water would be great. I’m hot.”

Cooper inclined his head with a wicked smile. “I’d have to agree.”

Her flushed skin grew redder. How long had it been since she’d even thought of herself as an attractive woman? As a hot babe?