More Than Cookies (The Maple Leaf Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Four
          
    “And that is how I got the nickname Beam Me Up Scotty.”
    Sage laughed, but it didn’t sound genuine to her. Did it sound genuine to Scott? She didn’t want to be rude. He seemed like a perfectly nice guy. The problem, however, was that she hadn’t stopped thinking about Orion since she’d left his room at the hospital. How could a woman forget those piercing blue eyes, that thick crop of jet-black hair, that dark scruff of a beard around some crazy wonderful lips? She’d tried to scrub his image out of her mind as she got ready for her date with Scott, but she just didn’t have soap that powerful.
    “Do you want another drink?” Scott motioned to her empty wine glass.
    Sage looked up to meet his gaze. He had friendly brown eyes, a nice smile, a clean-shaven face, and short, blond hair. He was dressed appropriately for a first date on a summer night in Vermont—clean jeans and a green polo shirt he’d tucked in. The man had even dug out a brown leather belt. He was almost too neat and pretty to be a police officer in Sage’s opinion. A little too clean-cut. Not dangerous enough. Not I-could-kick-your-ass enough. In fact, she was certain she could beat him in an arm-wrestling match with little effort.
    Now I’m just being mean.
    Scott was fine. He’d taken her to St. Jamesbury’s attempt at fine dining: The Golden Maple. It was her that was wrong. Who got hung up on a man one had only known for a few hours? A man one had found bleeding in the house one planned to buy. A man one knew absolutely nothing about.
    Except that he was a chainsaw artist.
    Except that he had a daughter.
    Except that he was divorced… and it didn’t sound as if he was too happy about that fact.
    Except that he was quite possibly the hottest guy she’d ever seen in real life.
    She puffed out a breath of air, slowly deflating her lungs as she searched her brain for a polite yet quick way to end this date.
    “I’m all set.” She tapped her wine glass. “Dinner was fabulous.” That was true. Her chicken marsala had been cooked to perfection. It was better than her mother’s, and Joy Stannard knew how to cook chicken better than anyone.
    “Would you like some dessert?” Scott arched a blond brow as he asked the question. Did dessert mean sugar or sex? Or both?
    Normally, Sage would agree to sugar and sex. She wasn’t above simply scratching an itch, but tonight… tonight it didn’t feel right.  
    She smoothed the front of the green cotton sundress she wore. “Umm… actually, I think I’m full.” And ready to go home.
    Scott’s shoulders slumped a bit. “Okay.”
    Sage reached across the table and rested her hand on his forearm. “Look, Scott, you seem like a magnificent guy.”
    “But?” He drummed the fingers of his free hand on the table as he arrowed the full force of his stare at her.
    Maybe he is a little tougher than I gave him credit for. She could easily see a suspect crumbling under his brown-eyed gaze now.
    “But I don’t think there’s a spark here, do you?” She gestured with her hand between them. He had to feel the lack of fire too, didn’t he?
    “I think we haven’t given this a chance yet.” He put his hand over hers on his forearm and lightly stroked her fingers. “I think we shouldn’t make a decision until we’ve had a second date. What do you say?”
    A reasonable request. Undoubtedly. But even now her brain was wandering to Orion. Was he all alone at the hospital? Did someone bring his daughter by to see him? Was his friend he called taking good care of his father who obviously needed overseeing for some reason? Was he in pain?
    Was he thinking about her?
    “I have to go, Scott. It was a true pleasure meeting you. I mean that. Let me pay for my half here.” She dug in her purse for her wallet.
    “You wound me, Sage,” he said. “Maybe this didn’t go exactly as I’d imagined it, but my mother raised a gentleman.” He took the check and slid his credit card