Page 2 of Mateo & Nicole
Izzie’s smile broadened. She glanced over at her brother once more. “I’ll get him.”
Her brother’s focus didn’t stray from Nikki even as she moved from the house and out onto the porch. There were more people than she’d expected. At least two dozen, if not more. If this was a small get-together, she didn’t want to know what a big party was.
Hovering on the back porch, she took in the couples chatting as they milled around or were seated at the card tables set out on the lawn. The smell of burgers filled the air, along with the mild scent of spring. Her eyes scanned the yard until they landed on Mateo, and she froze.
He stood speaking to a couple who were seated on a picnic blanket a little ways away from the crowd of people nearby. He held a bundle in his hands as he spoke.
That smile of his could light up the world if the stars had gone out. He looked like he’d been carved out of marble and brought to life. Nikki looked away, hating how her crush was so easily rekindled. No one had compared to him when they were in high school. Back then, he’d been muscular as he worked alongside his parents at a ranch in Montana. He’d been a football star, too.
Every girl in school fawned after him, and most of the guys were jealous of the attention he got. But it wasn’t just his looks that drew people in. The man had a certain charisma that couldn’t be shaken. Even after Caroline had left him at the altar, he’d picked himself up and moved on.
“Nicole? Nicole Reynolds, is that you?”
She jumped, stifling a squawk that wanted to burst from her throat at his arrival. Before she had a chance to get her wits about her, he pulled her in for a hug. Nikki blinked, stammering as she attempted to pull back from him.
Mateo didn’t seem to notice as he stepped away and laughed. “What are you doing in Copper Creek?”
Her heart leaped into her throat. There was no sign of animosity in his stare. He wasn’t judging her for being friends with the woman who had broken his heart. Maybe her request would actually pan out. She offered him a shy smile and folded her arms. “I… er… I wanted to…” She shut her eyes tight and forced herself to show some degree of confidence. Straightening her shoulders, she stared up at him and lifted her chin, seeing as he was a full head taller than she was. “I need a job.”
His brows lifted, his smile fading but only a little. “A job…” he drawled.
She nodded. “I noticed you were looking for a cook.”
Just like that, his smile returned. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the porch. He eyed her up and down, making her feel more vulnerable than if she’d been standing there stark naked. “I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”
Fighting the urge to run out of there screaming, she swallowed hard and nodded. “I went to culinary school. For about a year, I was working in a bakery in Colorado Springs. But four years ago, I left that job.”
“And for the last four years?” he asked.
Why did everything he said seem to sound so sensual? She was losing her ability to think straight.
Nikki cleared her throat, choking back what she was going to admit. She wasn’t sure if he’d give her the job knowing she had a kid. The position offered room and board. Not a fully furnished apartment. “My husband—ex-husband— didn’t want me working.” It was true. Dennis didn’t like the idea of her working when she had a kid—even though the kid wasn’t his. He’d said he was a provider and provide he did.
Thinking back on it, she wondered if it was just one more way for him to control her.
Shoving that thought aside, she forced a smile she prayed made her look more confident. “I’m ready to get back to work.”
His eyes surveyed her, drilling, probing as if he might be able to read her thoughts. What was he thinking? Was he curious about Caroline? This little interaction must be like the worst kind of blast from the past. His lips quirked upward, and he raked a hand through his hair. “So, in the last ten years, you went to culinary school, got married, and now you’re… here.”
She motioned around them. “And in the last ten years, you’ve made a name for yourself as a renowned sheepdog breeder.”
He cocked his head to the side and chuckled. “It’s nice to see you again, Nicole.”
“Nikki,” she reminded. Nicole was what Caroline insisted on calling her. Nikki was what she was always called by her other friends in school and she thought it suited her better than Nicole.
“Nikki,” he said, his voice smooth as silk.
Her heart thrummed at the sound of her name on his tongue.
“You’re familiar with the requirements of the job?”
She nodded.
“And you think you can meet them.”
“I know I can,” she said steadier than anything she had said up to this point. “You won’t regret hiring me. I guarantee it.”
He chuckled. “Is that so?”
