Читать книгу: «Happy Mother's Day: Ready for Romance / Ready for Marriage»

Make time for friends. Make time for

Debbie Macomber

CEDAR COVE

16 Lighthouse Road

204 Rosewood Lane

311 Pelican Court

44 Cranberry Point

50 Harbor Street

6 Rainier Drive

74 Seaside Avenue

8 Sandpiper Way

92 Pacific Boulevard

1022 Evergreen Place

1105 Yakima Street

A Merry Little Christmas

(featuring 1225 Christmas Tree Lane and 5-B Poppy Lane)

BLOSSOM STREET

The Shop on Blossom Street

A Good Yarn

Susannah’s Garden

(previously published as

Old Boyfriends)

Back on Blossom Street

(previously published as

Wednesdays at Four)

Twenty Wishes

Summer on Blossom Street

Hannah’s List

A Turn in the Road

Thursdays at Eight

Christmas in Seattle

Falling for Christmas

Angels at Christmas

A Mother’s Gift

A Mother’s Wish

Be My Valentine

THE MANNINGS

The Manning Sisters

The Manning Brides

The Manning Grooms

Summer in Orchard Valley

THE DAKOTAS

Dakota Born

Dakota Home

Always Dakota

About the Author

DEBBIE MACOMBER is a number one New York Times bestselling author. Her recent books include 44 Cranberry Point, 50 Harbor Street, 6 Rainier Drive, and Hannah’s List. She has become a leading voice in women’s fiction worldwide and her work has appeared on every major bestseller list. There are more than a hundred million copies of her books in print. For more information on Debbie and her books, visit www.DebbieMacomber.com.

Happy Mother’s Day
Ready for Love
Ready for Romance Ready for Marriage
Debbie Macomber

featuring Ready for Romance and Ready for Marriage

www.mirabooks.co.uk

Ready for Romance

For Jessica,

who caught the wedding bouquet first

Prologue

Jessica Kellerman looked both ways, then slipped around the corner of the Dryden four-car garage. She flattened her body against the wall and moved cautiously, one infinitesimal step at a time. It was vital no one see her.

Evan’s vehicle, a fancy sports car, was parked just outside the garage—and in direct view of the house. She needed to be quick.

Squatting down by the side mirror, she withdrew a bright red tube of lipstick from her pocket, opened it and heavily outlined her lips. She took a soft white rag from the pocket of her jeans, wiped his mirror clean, then kissed it. The imprint of her mouth was left in bold red.

Jessica sighed with satisfaction as she carefully opened the door on the driver’s side and crawled into the front seat. The mirror over the dash was next. Her heart was pounding hard, but it wasn’t entirely due to her fear of being discovered. Her heart rate tended to accelerate whenever she thought about Evan.

There wasn’t a man in all of Boston who could compete with Evan Dryden. To think she’d lived next door to him all these years and hadn’t noticed until recently how gorgeous he was! As far as Jessica was concerned, he was the handsomest man in the universe.

She remembered the exact moment she had realized her destiny. She hadn’t been the same since. The Dryden estate, Whispering Willows, was next to her own family’s, and she’d often spent time in the huge oak tree spying on the two brothers. Damian was in law school now and Evan in college. Being an only child, Jessica had to invent her own amusement, and spying on the Dryden brothers had always been great fun.

She’d been sitting in the tree one day when Evan had walked to the pond and stood on the footbridge tossing rocks into the water. His back was to her and she held her breath, wondering if he’d seen her hiding in the thick foliage.

She must have made a sound, because he turned abruptly and stared into the tree.

“Jessica?”

She didn’t dare move or even breathe.

He stared upward and the sun cut across his shoulder, highlighting his handsome features. It was then that she realized Evan wasn’t just an ordinary boy. He was an Adonis. Perfect in every way.

After that, she started having dreams about him. Wonderful dreams about Evan falling in love with her. Dreams about marrying him and having a family. It seemed so … so right. About a week later, she’d decided that fate had thrown them together. They were meant for each other. The only problem was that Evan had yet to make this discovery for himself.

Jessica had recently turned fourteen and Evan was much older. Six whole years, but it might’ve been a hundred for all the notice he gave her.

That was when Jessica decided she had to take matters into her own hands. She was a woman of the world, and when a woman knew what she wanted, she went after it. It, in this case, was Evan Dryden.

Jessica soon discovered that she wasn’t nearly as dauntless as she would’ve liked. She must have phoned him ten times, and each time he answered, she lacked the courage to even speak, much less tell him about her undying love. Each call had ended with her slamming down the receiver in frustration.

She’d always been better at expressing herself with the written word, so she’d taken to writing him love notes, pouring out her devotion. She let her best friend read one of these notes, and Emily said it was the most beautiful love letter she’d ever seen. Unfortunately, Jessica hadn’t found the courage to sign her name.

This latest trick, planting kisses on his rearview mirror, was sure to accomplish what nothing else had. He’d know it was Jessica and he’d finally come for her, and together they’d ride into the sunset in his sports car.

Outlining her lips with a fresh coat of brilliant red, Jessica was about to kiss the inside mirror when the car door was flung open.

“So it is you.”

Her heart sank all the way to her knees. Slowly she looked over and her eyes connected with Damian Dryden’s. He was taller than his younger brother, dark and handsome in his own way. She was certain the day would come when some girl would feel as strongly about him as she did about Evan.

“Hello,” she said, pretending it wasn’t the slightest bit out of the ordinary for her to be sitting in his brother’s car kissing the mirrors.

“You’re the one, I’ll bet, who’s been phoning at all hours of the night.”

“I’ve never called past ten,” she denied heatedly, then realized her mistake. It probably would’ve been best to pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about.

“The notes on Evan’s windshield have been from you, too, haven’t they?”

She could’ve denied that, but it wouldn’t have done any good. Feeling trapped in Evan’s car, she swung her legs around and gingerly climbed out. “Are you going to tell him it was me?”

“I don’t know,” Damian said thoughtfully. “How old are you now?”

“Fourteen,” she said proudly. “I know Evan’s older, but I was hoping he’d be willing to wait for me to grow up so we could get married.”

“Married!”

Damian made the word sound ludicrous and Jessica bristled. “Just wait until you fall in love,” she challenged. “Then you’ll know.”

“You aren’t in love with Evan,” he said gently. “You’re too young to know about things like that. You’re infatuated with him because he’s older and—”

“I most certainly do love Evan,” she flared, shoving the lipstick in her pocket. She wasn’t going to stand there and let him ridicule her. She might be only fourteen, but she had the heart of a mature woman and she’d made her decision. Someday she would marry Evan Dryden, and Damian would not stand in her way.

“I’m sure my brother’s flattered by your devotion.”

“He should be. The man who marries me will see himself as the luckiest man in the world.” Her words were fed by pure bravado.

Damian laughed.

Jessica had been willing to overlook his earlier statements, but this was unforgivable. Hands on her hips, she glared at him with all the indignation she could muster, which at the moment was considerable.

“You might be older than Evan, but you don’t know anything about love, do you?”

Her question appeared to amuse him, and that only irritated her further.

“When a woman makes up her mind about a man, nothing can change the way she feels. I’ve decided to marry your brother, and not a thing you say or do will have the least effect, so save your breath. Evan is my destiny.”

“You’re sure about this?”

At least he had the courtesy to wipe the grin off his face.

“Of course,” she said confidently. “Mark my words, Damian Dryden. Time will prove me right.”

“Does my brother have a say in this?”

“Naturally.”

“What if he decides to marry someone else?”

“I…I don’t know.” Damian had zeroed in on her worst fear—that Evan would get married before she had a chance to prove herself.

“There’s something else you haven’t considered,” Damian said.

“What’s that?”

He grinned. “I just might want to marry you myself.”

One

Jessica Kellerman’s moment of reckoning had arrived. For the first time in ten years she was about to face the Dryden brothers. Evan didn’t concern her. She suspected he wouldn’t even remember what a nuisance she’d made of herself. Then again, he just might. But Damian was the brother who worried her most. He was the one who’d caught her red-handed—or at least with red lipstick in her hand. He was the one who’d mocked her and suggested her devotion to his brother was a passing fancy. Now she was forced to face him and admit he’d been right. She sincerely hoped Damian would have the good grace not to dredge up the past.

Swallowing her dread, Jessica walked into the high-rise office building in the most prestigious part of downtown Boston. The building was new, with a glistening black-mirrored exterior that towered thirty stories above the ground. The Dryden law firm was one of the most distinguished in town, and in Boston that was saying something.

Jessica’s footsteps made tapping sounds against the marble floor in the lobby. Although she’d been in this part of the city often—the university wasn’t far from the business section—this was the first time she’d been inside the impressive building.

She was nervous, and for good reason. The last day she’d spent any time with either of the Dryden brothers she’d been caught kissing rearview mirrors.

Looking back, she knew she’d been a constant source of amusement to the brothers and their parents, as well as her own. Young love, however, refused to be denied. Risking her family’s exasperation, Jessica had diligently sought Evan’s heart all through high school. It wasn’t until Benny Wilcox asked her to the graduation dance that she’d realized there were other fish in the sea. Sweet, attentive, good-looking ones, too. Yes, Evan had been the man of her dreams, the one who’d awakened her to womanhood. She held her love for him in a special place in her heart, but was more than willing to forget the way she’d embarrassed herself over him, praying he did, too.

Although Jessica had let her infatuation with Evan die gracefully, neither set of parents had. Particularly Lois and Walter Dryden. They thought Jessica’s feelings about Evan were “cute,” and they still mentioned it every now and then, renewing her embarrassment.

When Walter Dryden heard that Jessica had recently graduated from business college with a certificate as a legal assistant, he’d insisted she apply with the family firm. In the beginning Jessica had balked, but jobs were few and far between just then, and after a fruitless search on her own, she’d decided to swallow her pride and face the two brothers.

She was warmly greeted by the receptionist, who gave her a wide smile. Jessica smiled back, hoping she looked composed and mature. “I have an appointment with Damian Dryden,” she said.

The woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties, with large blue eyes and a smooth complexion, glanced at the appointment book. “Ms. Kellerman?”

“That’s right.”

“Please have a seat and I’ll let Mr. Dryden know you’re here.”

“Thank you.” Jessica sat in one of the richly upholstered chairs and reached for a People magazine. She’d dressed carefully for this interview, choosing a soft dove-gray suit with a tailored jacket. The buttons were made from mother-of-pearl with flashes of deep blue and white. She wore high heels, hoping to seem not only professional, but sophisticated. Her glossy brown hair was sophisticated, too, cut in a flattering pageboy. She’d grown up, and it was important Damian know that.

Jessica hadn’t even scanned the magazine’s contents page when the elder Dryden brother appeared. She’d seen Damian often from a distance, but this was the first time they’d actually spoken in years. She’d forgotten how tall he was, with broad shoulders that tapered to slim hips. She remembered how much he enjoyed football as a teenager, and how expert he was at tackling the opponent. From what she recalled about Damian, he preferred to tackle problems head-on, too. She knew him to be aggressive, hardworking and ambitious. He’d taken over the law firm upon Walter Dryden’s retirement three years earlier, and the firm, which specialized in corporate law, had thrived under his leadership.

“Hello, Jessica. It’s good to see you again,” Damian said, stepping forward.

“It’s good to see you, too.” She stood and offered him her hand.

He clasped it with both of his own. He wasn’t an especially large man, and at five eight she wasn’t especially small, but her hand was dwarfed in his. His grip was solid and strong, like the man himself.

“I’ve come to talk to you about a position as a legal assistant,” she said. The direct approach would work best with Damian, she felt.

“Great. Let’s go to my office, shall we?”

She was struck by the rugged timbre of his voice. It was deep, firm, exuding confidence. Little wonder Damian was one of the most sought-after corporate attorneys in Boston.

He motioned her to be seated, then walked around the mahogany desk and took the black leather chair. He tilted it back slightly, conveying ease and relaxation.

Jessica wasn’t fooled. She sincerely doubted that Damian knew how to relax. His mother, Lois, had often voiced her concern about her elder son, complaining that Damian worked too many hours.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” Jessica said, crossing her legs.

“It’s my pleasure.” He rolled a pen between his palms. “I understand you’ve graduated from college.”

She nodded. “I have a degree in early American history.”

The motion of the pen between his palms stopped and a frown creased his brow. “Unfortunately we don’t have much call for historians here at the firm.”

“I understand that,” she said quickly. “About halfway through my senior year, I realized that although I love history, I wasn’t sure what I planned to do with my degree. I toyed with the idea of teaching, then changed my mind.”

“And you want to be a legal assistant now?”

“Yes. I was dating a law student and I discovered how much I enjoyed law. You see, we often did our homework together. But rather than register for law school and invest all that time and effort, I decided to work as a legal assistant—sort of get my feet wet and then decide if becoming an attorney is what I want to do. So I went to business college and got a certificate.” She said all this in an eager rush. “Your father suggested I come and talk to you,” she added, winding down. She opened her purse and produced her certificate for his inspection.

“I see.” The pen was in motion again.

“I’m a hard worker.”

Damian smiled fleetingly. “I’m sure you are.”

“I’ll work any hours you need, even weekends. You can put me on probation.” She hadn’t meant to reveal how much she wanted the position, but despite her resolve, she couldn’t keep the anxiety out of her voice.

“This job means a great deal to you, doesn’t it?”

Jessica nodded.

“I think,” Damian said casually, “you’re still infatuated with my brother.”

He spoke as if it had been only a few days since she’d all but thrown herself at Evan. Heat radiated from her cheeks. “I … I don’t believe that’s a fair statement.”

Damian smiled shrewdly. “You’ve had a crush on Evan for years.”

“I’ll admit I used to, but that has nothing to do with my applying for a position here.” She closed her mouth and collected her composure as best she could. She should’ve known Damian wouldn’t conveniently forget their encounter all those years ago.

“It’s true, though, isn’t it?” Damian seemed to take delight in teasing her, which infuriated Jessica. She clamped her mouth shut, rather than argue with the man she hoped would employ her. “I was there the day you put kisses all over his rearview mirror, remember?”

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded.

“I watched you look at him with those big worshipful eyes. I’ve seen plenty of other women do the same thing since, all gazing at my younger brother as though he were an Adonis.”

Jessica’s eyes widened at the use of the term. That was exactly the way she’d viewed Evan. A Greek god.

“It’s true isn’t it, or are you going to deny it?”

Jessica’s mouth refused to work. She opened and closed it an embarrassing number of times, not knowing how to respond, or if she should even try.

Cathy Hudson, her best friend, had claimed it wasn’t a good idea to apply for work with a family who knew her so well. Jessica was about to concede that Cath was right.

“I did have a schoolgirl crush on your brother at one time,” she said, “but that was years ago. I haven’t seen Evan in … heavens, I don’t remember. Certainly no more often than I’ve seen you. If you believe my past feelings for Evan would hinder my performance as a legal assistant, then there isn’t anything more I can say—other than to thank you for your time.”

Damian’s smile was slightly off kilter, his eyes bemused as if, despite himself, he’d admired her little speech. Slowly a look of sadness crossed his face. “Evan’s changed,” he said. “He isn’t the man you once knew.”

“I’d heard from my mother that he’s been unhappy recently.” She didn’t know the details and hoped Damian would fill in the blanks.

“Do you know why?”

“No.”

Damian gave a soft regretful sigh. “I might as well tell you, since you’ll find out soon enough yourself. He was in love, possibly for the first time in his life, and it didn’t work out. I don’t know what caused the rift, and neither does anyone else, not that it matters. Unfortunately, though, Evan can’t seem to snap out of his depression.”

“He must have loved her very much,” she whispered, watching Damian. She could tell that he was genuinely concerned about Evan.

“I’m sure he did.” Damian frowned, apparently at a loss as to how to help his brother, then shook his head. “We’ve ventured far from the subject of your employment, haven’t we?”

She straightened and folded her hands in her lap, wondering if Damian would take a chance and hire her. She was a risk, fresh out of school, with no job experience.

“You’re sure you want to work here?” he asked, studying her with a discerning eye.

“Very much.”

Damian didn’t immediately respond. His silence made her uncomfortable enough to want to fill it with something, even useless chatter. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said breathlessly. “In your eyes I’m a love-struck fourteen-year-old.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say to convince you I’ve grown up, and that nonsense is all behind me, but I have.”

“I can see that for myself.” A glint of appreciation sparked in his eyes. “As it happens, Jessica, you’re in luck, because the firm could use another legal assistant. If you want the job, it’s yours.”

Jessica resisted vaulting out of the chair and throwing her arms around Damian’s neck to thank him. Instead she promised, “I won’t let you down.”

“You’ll be working directly with Evan,” he replied, still studying her closely.

“With Evan?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No … No, of course not.”

“Just remember one thing. It doesn’t matter how many years our parents have been friends. If you don’t do your job and do it well, we don’t have room for you here.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to keep me on if I didn’t pull my weight,” she said, trying hard not to sound defensive.

“Good.” He reached for the intercom and glanced at her. “When would you like to start?”

“Now, if you want.”

“Perfect. I’ll ring Mrs. Sterling. She’s Evan’s personal assistant, and she’ll show you the ropes.”

Jessica stood and extended her hand. “You won’t be sorry, I promise you.” She pumped his hand enthusiastically until she realized she was overdoing it.

Grinning, Damian walked around to the front of his desk. “If there’s anything I can help you with, let me know.”

“I will. Thank you, Damian.”

She hadn’t meant to call him by his first name. Theirs was a professional relationship now, but it was difficult to think of him as her boss. A personal bond existed between them, but until this interview Jessica hadn’t been aware of it. To her surprise she found she had no such problem regarding Evan.

She and Damian walked out of the office together and down the corridor to a door with Evan’s name engraved on a gold plaque.

Damian opened the door and allowed her to precede him. Jessica’s gaze fell on Evan’s personal assistant. The woman was middle-aged, with sharp, but not unattractive, features. She seemed to breathe efficiency. One look and Jessica was confident this woman could manage Evan’s office and the entire law firm if necessary.

“Mrs. Sterling,” Damian said, “this is Jessica Kellerman, Evan’s new legal assistant. Would you show her around and make her feel at home?”

“Of course.”

Damian turned to Jessica. “As I said earlier, come to me if you have any problems.”

“Thank you.”

“No, Jessica,” he said cryptically on his way out, “thank you.”

Mrs. Sterling rose from her chair. She was a small round woman, barely five feet, a stark contrast to tall and slender Jessica. Her salt-and-pepper hair was cropped short, and she wore a no-nonsense straight skirt and light sweater.

“I’ll show you where the law library is,” Mrs. Sterling said. Jessica glanced toward the closed door, wondering if Evan was in. Apparently not, otherwise Damian would’ve made a point of telling his brother that Jessica would be working for him.

The personal assistant led the way out of the office and down the hall. The library was huge, with row upon row of legal volumes. Long narrow tables with a number of chairs were scattered about the room. Jessica knew she’d be spending most of her research time here and was delighted by how pleasant it was. She noticed the faint scent of lemon oil and smiled as she saw various potted plants set here and there, including a speckled broad-leaved ivy that stretched across the top of one large bookcase.

“This is very nice.”

“Mr. Dryden has worked hard to make sure our work environment is pleasing to the eye,” the woman remarked primly.

“Damian’s like that,” Jessica murmured.

“I was speaking about the younger Mr. Dryden,” came the surprised response.

“Oh, of course,” Jessica said quickly.

By the end of the first day, Jessica felt as though she’d put in a forty-hour week. She’d been assigned a small desk in the corner of the outer office, a computer and her own phone. Mrs. Sterling seemed to feel it was her duty to keep Jessica occupied with a multitude of tasks, which included taking lunch orders, organizing file cabinets and hand-delivering messages throughout the office.

Just when she thought she wouldn’t even lay eyes on Evan her first day, he breezed in, stopping abruptly when he saw her. He was as tall as Damian, at least six-two, with chestnut hair and dark soulful eyes. In Jessica’s opinion, it wasn’t fair that any one man should be so breathtakingly handsome.

“Julia!” he exclaimed, as though he’d stumbled upon a treasure. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s Jessica,” she corrected him, refusing to be offended by his failure to remember her name. “I’m here because I’m working for you now.”

“Your brother hired Ms. Kellerman as your new legal assistant,” Mrs. Sterling explained.

Evan came forward, gripping Jessica’s hand in his own. “This must be Christmas in July! Why else would Damian present me with such a rare gift?”

“Christmas in July,” Jessica repeated, having a difficult time not laughing. What she’d heard about Evan was true, she decided. He was a flirt, but such a pleasant lighthearted one that it didn’t seem to matter. She knew he wasn’t serious.

“There are several matters here that need your attention,” Mrs. Sterling said stiffly from behind Evan.

“I’ll be with you in a few minutes,” he said.

“That’s fine,” Mrs. Sterling said. “Just don’t leave before these letters are signed, and while we’re at it, there are a few items we need to discuss—when you have time.”

“I promise to get to the letters first thing,” he said as if he had no interest beyond studying the young woman who stood before him. “Just put everything on my desk and I’ll look through it before I leave.”

“You won’t forget?”

Evan chuckled. “My, my, how you love to mother me.”

“Someone has to look after you,” his personal assistant said, her eyes crinkling above a bright smile.

Jessica watched in amazement as Evan charmed the older woman. Mrs. Sterling had been the picture of cool efficiency until Evan walked in the door. The minute he did she turned into a clucking mother hen. Before Jessica had a chance to analyze this reaction, Evan grinned. “You love me, Mary, and you know it.”

“It’s just that you’ve been a bit forgetful of late,” Mrs. Sterling said with a concerned frown. She reached for a stack of letters and leafed through them. “It doesn’t hurt to offer you a little reminder now and then, does it?”

“I suppose not,” Evan said and, taking the letters with him, walked into his office as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Have you been working on the brief for the Porter Corporation?” Mrs. Sterling asked, following on his heels.

“The Porter Corporation,” Evan repeated as if he’d never heard the name before. “It’s not due anytime soon, is it?”

“Yes, it is,” the personal assistant said, and Jessica heard a hint of panic in her voice. “First thing Friday morning.”

“I’ll have it ready by then. What day is this, anyway?”

“Mr. Dryden, you’ve got to start coming into the office before closing time!”

“Don’t you fret. I’ll have everything ready the way I always do,” he said as he ushered his personal assistant out the door. He paused when he noticed Jessica and winked. Then the door closed and Evan disappeared.

Mrs. Sterling shook her head. “Mr. Dryden’s been going through some … difficult times lately,” she told Jessica.

“How long has he been without a legal assistant?”

“Quite a while now. He didn’t seem to think he’d need one. Damian’s cut his work load and, well, things just haven’t been the same around here.”

Jessica was leaving for the day when she came across Damian. Looking dignified and businesslike, he was talking to his personal assistant. A few silver hairs at his temple added a distinguished air. He made a striking figure, and she wondered briefly why he hadn’t married. Tagged onto that thought came another. One that took her by surprise. She realized she was happy Damian hadn’t married.

He must’ve seen her in his peripheral vision, because he straightened and walked toward her. “Well, Jessica, how’d your first day go?”

“Very well.”

“Mary isn’t working you too hard, is she?”

“Oh, no, she’s great.”

“Mary’s one of the best personal assistants I’ve ever worked with. She may be a bit abrupt, but you’ll get used to that.” He was walking with Jessica now, their steps matching, his hands clasped behind his back. Mary was abrupt, perhaps, Jessica mused, but not with Evan.

“I’ll always be grateful to you for taking a chance on me,” she said conversationally.

Damian’s smile was rueful. “You may not be thanking me later. My brother can be a handful, but if there’s ever been someone who could get him back on the straight and narrow, it’s you.”

“Me?” she asked, not understanding.

Damian broke eye contact and glanced away. “Everybody needs to be looked at with wide worshipful eyes now and then, don’t you think?”

“Ah …” Jessica didn’t know how to respond. One thing was becoming abundantly clear. Damian hadn’t hired her because of her high test scores at business college.