“Especially my family.” He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. “Look at them.”
His sisters and nieces had their faces pressed to the glass. When they saw Nate was looking at them, they made hearts with their fingers.
Ellie held back a laugh. She loved his family. She especially loved how much they loved Nate. “They’re very sweet.”
“Sweet isn’t the word I’d use to describe them.” He groaned. “Mrs. M is here. I was hoping Michaela wouldn’t go down for her nap, and she’d be stuck at home.”
Ellie’s grandmother was smack-dab in the middle of Nate’s family, introducing herself to his sisters and nieces. Obviously having the same thought, Ellie and Nate hurried to the patio door, opening it to say, “Don’t shake her hand.”
“Don’t mind them,” her grandmother said, and held up her hands. They were covered in red plaid gloves that matched her kilt. Sadie must have gotten her to wear them. Their grandmother couldn’t tell fortunes when wearing gloves. Agnes looped her arms through two of Nate’s sisters’. “Now don’t you think autumn is a lovely time for a wedding?” she said, winking at Ellie and Nate.
Nate shut the door, turned, and strode off the patio.
“Where are you going?” Ellie called after him.
“For a ride.”
“Okay, but don’t you think you should change first?”
He shook his head. “Unlike what you, Jeannie, and her friends seem to think, I’m not commando under this thing. I have on bike shorts.” His eyes narrowed at her. “What do you have on?”
“Unlike you, I went the traditional route,” she teased in hopes of lightening his mood.
“Are you seriously telling me you have nothing on under your skirt?” He stalked back to her.
As he got up close and personal, she saw that his eyes were almost completely black. Maybe teasing him wasn’t such a good idea, she thought, when, in response to the heat in his eyes, she felt a little warm herself. But it was better than him looking like he wanted to tear someone’s head off. Now he just looked like he wanted to tear her skirt off, which she would have been on board with if they didn’t have an audience.
Sadie opened the door and stepped onto the patio. Her eyes were wide, and she looked a little panicked. “Ellie, what are you doing out here?” Sadie glanced from her to Nate. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Yes,” Nate said at the same time that Ellie said, “No.”
“Ah, okay, I’ll just leave you to it. But please don’t be too long. Ellie, Spencer is here, and he wants to talk to you.”
“Not happening,” Nate said.
“Nate, I have to talk to him. There’s too much riding on this.”
“No, you don’t,” he said.
“Ellie’s right, Nate. She has to talk to him. He’s obviously here for a reason.” The phone in Sadie’s hand pinged. She glanced at the screen. “Abby’s on her way.”
“Tell her it’s fine. She doesn’t have to come. I’ve got this. I won’t let everyone down. I promise.” Ellie placed a hand on her stomach, which was churning at the thought of talking to Spencer for the first time in more than a year. Taking a calming breath, she reached for the patio door.
A heavy hand came down on her shoulder. She glanced back at Nate. His fierce don’t mess with me expression was back on his face. If she wanted to ensure Highland Falls didn’t lose its chance of being named Most Romantic Small Town in America because of her, the last thing she needed was Nate anywhere near Spencer.
She smiled, saying in her over-the-top cheerful voice, “Go take that ride. I’ll be fine.” His eyes moved down her body. “I was joking, Nate. I’m not commando,” she murmured in hopes that Sadie, who was standing close to her, wouldn’t hear.
“He thinks you’re commando?” Sadie asked with a laugh. “No wonder he looks like that.” Her cousin patted Nate’s arm. “Trust me, Ellie would never…Okay, it’s not that she would never go commando, because she has done it before.”
“Sadie,” Ellie grumbled.
“Well, you did. Someone dared you that one summer at the parade, and you were never one to pass up a dare. She even went skinny-dipping in the middle of the day. And then there was the time she—”
“All right, you’re done now.” Ellie opened the door and pushed Sadie inside ahead of her. “Honestly, Nate, I’ll be fine. You deserve a break after having to fend off the ladies today.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He lifted his chin to indicate that she should go inside.
“All right, but you have to promise you’ll be on your best behavior. No growling or snarling or saying anything that makes Spencer fear for his life,” she warned him.
He smiled.
“That is not comforting, Nate. You look like a wolf.”
This time when he smiled there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. Then he bared his teeth and snapped them before leaning in to her and whispering a line from “Little Red Riding Hood” in her ear.
Her cheeks heated, and she lightly elbowed him in the stomach. “You’re getting me back for teasing you about being commando, aren’t you? Well, it worked. So we’re even. Seriously though, Nate, as much as I’d love you to scare Spencer away, I need him to feel welcome and to sell him on Highland Falls. And I can’t do that if I’m worried what you’re going to say or do.”
His gusty sigh warmed her ear. “Fine. I’ll behave.”
“Thank you.” She opened the patio door and walked inside with Nate on her heels. “It would be helpful if you did your behaving over there.” She pointed to the kitchen, well aware they were the focus of everyone’s attention, including Spencer, who was sitting with a group of women at one of the tables.
It’s now or never, Ellie thought, and she walked across the dining room without seeing if Nate was doing as she asked. Her throat suddenly dry, she swallowed a couple of times while surreptitiously wiping her sweaty palms on her kilt. As she approached the table, she forced a welcoming smile on her face.
Spencer stood—he was tall, but not nearly as tall as Nate—and moved to hug her. She took a step back and stuck out her hand instead. “Hi, Spencer.”
He took her hand between both of his, casting an apprehensive glance behind her. Ellie barely bit back a groan. She glanced over her shoulder. Nate stood in front of the table directly across from them. His arms were folded over his massive chest, and his equally massive biceps flexed. Ellie gave him a seriously? look. He raised an eyebrow and gave her another of his wolfish smiles, which made her think of what he’d whispered in her ear. She shook her head with a laugh, and some of her nerves disappeared.
“Don’t mind Nate. He’s just overly protective.”
“What about the rest of them?” He nodded behind her.
Once again, she glanced over her shoulder. Chase and Nate’s brothers-in-law now stood with him, mirroring his stance. Knowing her grandmother, she’d filled his family in on who Spencer was. “They’re harmless.” At least compared to Nate they were.
“Good to know,” he said just before he winced. Ellie was about to pull out her phone and text Nate when she realized he wasn’t the reason for Spencer’s wince. “Hello, Mrs. MacLeod. It’s nice to see you again,” he said when her grandmother joined them.