Page 1 of Mateo & Nicole
1
Nicole (Nikki) Reynolds
Nikki wrung her hands as she stood before the larger-than-life house. She shouldn’t be here. What had she been thinking, coming to Copper Creek? If anyone knew that she’d practically stalked Mateo to find out where he lived, they’d probably out her and send her packing.
The fact of the matter was that she’d moved to Colorado Springs five years ago, shortly after Paxton was born. She hadn’t known what had happened to the hottest guy in high school after herthenbest friend had left him at the altar, but now she did.
Mateo Palmer had moved from Montana all the way down to Colorado—probably to escape the memories of his past. He’d done well for himself. Apparently, he’d managed to do well enough that all his siblings wanted to follow him. And they all livedhere.
Was it so bad that Nikki followed Mateo on social media and discovered he’d be looking to hire a few people as his ranch expanded? She didn’t think so. Cooking was a passion of hers, and if he was looking, it felt like fate.
A lump formed in her throat as she attempted to come up with what she might say to him. She needed a new job.
Desperately.
Her divorce had landed her with practically nothing. No place to stay, no job to provide for herself and her son. The worst part was that she’d come here on a whim. She’d driven all the way down from Colorado Springs on a wish and a prayer that Mateo wouldn’t hold her past friendships against her.
Stomach roiling with her own sour memories, Nikki took a step toward the house. She’d come all this way. That was a lot of gas money. She had to at least try to convince him to hire her; otherwise, this trip was for nothing.
Her hand trembled as she lifted her fist to knock on the front door. She squeezed her eyes shut as she shifted her weight from one foot to the next, pleading with herself to stay still. What was the worst thing that could happen?
Mateo could glare at her and scream at her to leave his property, that’s what. They might have been friends before, but now? She wasn’t sure. It had been nearly a decade since they’d last seen each other. And she’d been friends with the woman who had cheated on him and left him at the altar on their wedding day.
She spun around to leave just as the door opened. One of Mateo’s younger siblings stood there. She was young. Maybe early twenties? Her large, nearly violet eyes filled her pretty face, framed by black, luscious hair. She was breathtakingly beautiful, much like her brother. “Hello?” she asked.
“I’m sorry. This was a mistake,” she mumbled. There were cars parked in and around the property. They might have guests. She hadn’t been sure, but the moment this young woman opened the door, she could hear the laughter and chatter in the background.
Geez! She should have just sent Mateo a message through their social media.
“It’s fine,” the woman said with a smile. “Who did you need to see?”
Nikki shifted again, hating just how much she didn’t belong. Where each and every Palmer looked like Latino or Latina royalty, here she was short with too many curves and dull brown eyes that matched her hair.
Growing up, she hadn’t cared what others thought about her appearance. Caroline was the only one who mentioned it. But then, her friend had always been the long-legged, blonde beauty that was fit to grace the covers of magazines. To Caroline, a woman’s worth was closely related to her appearance.
It was just one of many reasons why they hadn’t spoken in over six years.
The woman still stared at Nikki, curiosity shining in her eyes. She tilted her head, studying Nikki as if she recognized her but couldn’t place her. That was to be expected. The woman was several years younger than Mateo.
Before Nikki could make an excuse and dart away, the woman pulled the door open. “Everyone is out back. I’m sure you could find who you’re looking for.”
Everyone? There was definitely a party going on. But if there were several people here, maybe Nikki could ask Mateo her favor without an audience. People were bound to be distracted.
She chewed on her lips and glanced over to her car—her only means of escape. It was now or never. She had to do this for Paxton. It wasn’t about herself anymore. It hadn’t been for five years.
Nikki nodded. “Thank you.”
The woman ushered Nikki into the house and through to the back, where the double doors were propped open. There were a few people visiting in the kitchen, plucking at chips and popping them in their mouths. Nikki recognized another member of Mateo’s family simply by the way he looked as though he’d stepped down from the heavens. He flashed her a smile and a spark of recognition entered his features.
She’d always been bad with names, but this sibling was older. She wanted to say his name was Rowan or Roman. Something like that. He shifted his attention to the woman leading the way. “Izzie. You want me to get Mateo?”
Izzie glanced over her shoulder at him with confusion. “Why?”
Before he could say more, Nikki stepped closer. “I can go if he’s not available. It looks like you’re having a party?—”
Izzie’s focus snapped to her, and she waved a hand. “It’s just a barbecue. It was too nice of a day not to enjoy it.” She popped her hip out and seemed to study Nikki closer. “You need to see Matt? He’s probably helping with the puppies.”
Nikki nodded, her throat dry. She knew that’s what they specialized in here. Mateo’s social media focused more on the ranch than his personal life. She didn’t even know if he had a girlfriend, but she knew that they were expecting a litter of puppies any day now.
