“It’s true,” Sam said, downcast. “I just came along for the ride, and to see the two of you suffer. Then you decided to make Ty suffer, and that seemed like even more fun. But it’s not so much fun anymore,” he groused.
“It’ll be worth it when we see Ty heading up the altar path,” Frog said, exhorting his friends to action. “Shake on it, fellows. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
* * *
TY WAS SO annoyed with his friends and a certain sexy redhead that when Daisy Donovan slid up under his arm in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office, all he could do was muster up an unenthusiastic, “Hi, Daze.”
She gave him a friendly enough squeeze, but where Donovans were concerned, it was like being in a boa constrictor’s grip—you knew it wasn’t going to end well unless you could get away fast.
The tempestuous brunette bombshell had no inclination to remove herself from his side. “So much man, Ty Spurlock, and somehow, all I ever feel for you is sisterly emotions.”
“That’s what they tell me. What’s on your mind?”
She laughed, hot allure practically snapping sparks his way—which meant Daisy wanted something.
“You.”
“I’m not available.” His gaze lit on Jade heading into Madame Matchmaker’s comfortable, cheery, pink-fronted shop, and his stomach bottomed out. What could Jade possibly want with Madame Lafleur?
No doubt it was just a simple visit. Madame Matchmaker and Mssr. Unmatchmaker—Cosette and Phillipe Lafleur—had offices right next to each other, connected internally by an arched door that could be locked for privacy when they had clients. Phillipe and Cosette had been married for fifty years, bickered constantly, loved each other like mad and had recently decided they were going to unmake their own marriage. This decision had BC residents in a twist, not certain whether the matchmaking/unmatchmaking services still had good karma. Cosette kept a book of all the matches she’d put together—and of the “mismatches,” only one was recorded in her book: that of Mackenzie Hawthorne’s marriage to Tommy Fields. Tommy had left Mackenzie for a twenty-year-old, and since Ty had been responsible for bringing Tommy to Cosette’s attention to make the match, he’d felt compelled to bring a replacement to BC for Mackenzie: Justin Morant.
It was a match made in heaven. But since Ty knew that Cosette’s matches didn’t always go off as planned, he worried about Jade slipping into the pink shop with the scrolled lettering on the window that read Madame Matchmaker Premiere Matchmaking Service. Where Love Comes True.
He didn’t want love coming true for Jade, at least not with anyone but himself.
“I really am a rat bastard,” he murmured, and Daisy said, “What?”
“Nothing.” He looked down at the brunette attached to his arm. “Did you say you needed something, Daisy? I have to be somewhere.”
“I want you. Remember?” She smiled at him, a veritable temptress with something on her mind.
Stepped right into that, and now he was almost afraid to ask. “You just said you have sisterly emotions for me. Can you be more specific about this ‘want’?”
She glanced at the jail, which was buried deep inside the courthouse, just the way Sheriff Dennis liked it. “Going to see the sheriff about something?”
He’d forgotten all about seeing Sheriff Dennis once he’d spotted Jade. It almost didn’t bear thinking about what pink-haired Cosette and his sassy redheaded darling might be dreaming up between them.
It certainly didn’t bear thinking that Jade might be chatting with Cosette concerning Sam. Sam, my friend, who I brought here, Ty reminded himself. “Nothing set in stone.”
“Good. Because I have a problem. And I need your big, strong muscles and wise mind to help me.”
She beamed up at him, daddy’s little girl, who’d never heard the word no in her life. Ty cleared his throat.
“What, Daisy?” He couldn’t wait to get away and make an unscheduled visit to Phillipe, see if he could figure out what was going on behind the arched doorway of the two shops. Maybe the door would be open, and he could listen to what Cosette and Jade had up their dainty sleeves.
“I need a man,” Daisy said. “And you’ll do just fine.”
“What are they doing?” Jade asked, peering through the white slats at the window of Cosette’s private sanctum. She couldn’t see Daisy and Ty; Cosette had a much better vantage point. “If I know Daisy, she’ll be kissing Ty before he even knows it’s happening.”
“I don’t have a great view.” Cosette strained her femininely plump body a little harder to peer out. “But it looks like Daisy’s plastered all over him. She wants something.”
Jade backed away from the window, telling herself it didn’t matter. She shouldn’t care. She plopped into a pink velvet antique chair and waited for Cosette to give her a further bulletin.
“Ah, there goes the kiss,” Cosette said. “I knew Daisy would hit her mark.”
Jade shot out of her chair, mashing the slats flat in her hurry to see what she really didn’t want to see. But all she saw was Ty striding away from Daisy, who watched him from in front of the small courthouse as he crossed the street. Jade snapped the blinds shut before he could catch her spying.
“Gotcha!” Cosette laughed delightedly, taking the pink chair opposite as Jade returned to hers.
Jade stared at her friend. “You mean Ty and Daisy weren’t kissing?”
Cosette looked coy. “Of course not. That would never happen. But what do you care?”
“I don’t.” She did. Terribly.
“My girl, it’s no use protesting. That’s no way to catch a man. It’s very American to be hard to get, and with some men that works. However, Ty’s leaving soon. You don’t have time to set traps.”
Jade wrinkled her nose. “Let’s talk about why I’ve come to see you.” It would be best to get Cosette off the topic of trapping Ty. She had no idea how badly the man annoyed Jade.
It annoyed her even more that Cosette could tell that she did care if Ty kissed Daisy, or anyone.
“You can talk about whatever you like,” Cosette said pleasantly. “In your mind, you’ll still be thinking about Ty.”
Jade drew a deep breath, telling herself to be patient with her older friend. “I assure you, I’m not thinking of Ty.”
“Did I hear my name?” Ty appeared in the arched doorway, broad-shouldered and fine, and Jade’s breath caught in spite of her wishing it wouldn’t.
“Why would we be talking about you?” she asked, giving Cosette the don’t-say-a-word eyeball.
“Why wouldn’t you be?” He walked in and lounged on the prim white sofa across from their pink tufted chairs, eyed the delicate teacups on the table, ready for tea, and the pink-and-white petits fours invitingly arranged on a silver tray. “I saw you two spies. You’re leading Jade down a bad path, Madame.” He laughed, pleased with himself, a big moose with way too much confidence.
Jade scowled. “Everybody spies on Daisy.”
“Of course we were spying on you!” Cosette said. “Jade had just told me how very handsome you looked today.” She smiled hugely. “You don’t mind if we ladies checked you out, do you, Ty?” Cosette rose with a distinctly coquettish air. “If you will both excuse me for