A Little Dare

Shelly stilled in her task and looked at Ms. Mamie. She couldn’t help but grin at something so ridiculous. “Why would people think Dare is trying to woo me?”

“Because he is, dear.”

The grin was immediately wiped from Shelly’s face. Woo her? Dare? She shook her head. “I think you’re mistaken.”

“No, I’m not,” Ms. Mamie answered matter-of-factly. “In fact, me and the ladies in my sewing club are taking bets.”

Shelly raised a brow. “Bets?”

“Yes, bets as to whether or not you’re going to give him a second chance. All of us know how much he hurt you

before.”

Shelly’s head started spinning. “But I still don’t understand why you all would think he was wooing me.”

Ms. Mamie smiled. “Because it’s obvious, Shelly. Luanne tells us each time he sends you flowers, which I understand is once, sometimes twice a week. Then, according to

Clara, who lives across the street from you, he comes to

dinner every evening and he takes you out on a date

occasionally.” The woman’s smile widened. “Clara also

mentioned that he’s protecting your reputation by leaving your house at a reasonable time every night so he won’t

give the neighbors something to talk about.”

Shelly shook her head. “But none of that means anything.”

Ms. Mamie gently patted her hand. “That’s where you’re

wrong, Shelly. It means everything, especially for a man like Dare. The ladies and I have watched him over the years

ignore one woman after another, women who threw

themselves at him. He never got serious about any of them. When you came back things were different. Anyone with

eyes can see that he is smitten with you. That boy has

always loved you, and I’ll be the first to say he made a

mistake ten years ago, but I feel good knowing he’s trying real hard to win you back.” She then grinned

conspiratorially. “It even makes me feel good knowing that you’re making it hard for him.

Making it hard for him? She hadn’t even picked up on the fact that he was trying to win her back. Shelly opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, deciding that she needed to think about what Ms. Mamie had said. Was it true? Was Dare actually wooing her?

That question was still on her mind half an hour later when she pulled out of Ms. Mamie’s driveway. She sighed

deeply. The only person who could answer that question was Dare, and she decided it was time that he did.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Dare placed a lid on

the pot of chili he’d just made. He had tried keeping himself busy that afternoon since thoughts of Shelly weighed so

heavily on his mind.

He knew one of the main reasons for this was that AJ would be spending the weekend with Morris and Cornelius, which meant Shelly would be home all alone, and Shelly all alone was too much of a temptation to think about. He sighed

deeply, wondering just how much longer he could hold out in his plan to prove to her that what was between them was more than sex and that he cared deeply for her. For the

past three weeks he had been the ardent suitor as he tried easing his way back into her heart. The only thing about it was that he wasn’t sure whether his plan was working and exactly where he stood with her.

He paused in what he was doing when he heard his

doorbell ring and wondered which of his brothers had

decided to pay him a visit. It would be just like them to show up in time for dinner. Leaving the kitchen, he made his way through the living room to open the front door. His chest

tightened with emotion when he looked through his

peephole and saw that it wasn’t one of his brothers

standing outside on his porch, but Shelly.

He quickly opened the door and recognized her

nervousness. A man in his profession was trained to detect when someone was fidgety or uneasy about something.

“Shelly,” he greeted her, wondering what had brought her to his place.

“Dare,” she said returning the greeting in what he

considered a slightly skittish voice. “May I come in and talk to you about something?”

He nodded and said, “Sure thing,” before stepping aside to let her enter.

His gaze skimmed over her as she passed him, and he

thought there was no way a woman could look better than this, dressed in a something as simple as a pullover V-

neck sweater and a long flowing skirt; especially if that skirt appeared to have been tailor-made just for her body. It

flowed easily and fluidly down all her womanly curves.

He locked the door and turned to find her standing in the

middle of his foyer as though she belonged in his house,

every day and every night. “We can go into the living room if you like,” he said trying not to let it show just how much he had missed being alone with her.

“All right.”

He led her toward the living room and asked, “Are you hungry? I just finished making a pot of chili.”

“No, thanks, I’m not hungry.”

“What about thirsty? Would you like something to drink?”

She smiled at him. “No, I don’t want anything to drink. I’m

fine.”

He nodded. Yes, she was definitely fine. He didn’t know another woman with a body quite like hers, and the

memories of being inside that body made his hands feel damp. The room suddenly felt warmer than it should be.

He inhaled as he watched her take a seat on the sofa. He, in turn, took the chair across from her. Once she had gotten settled, he asked. “What is it you want to talk to me about, Shelly? Is something wrong with AJ?”

She shook her head. “Oh, no, everything with AJ is fine. I dropped him off at the Sears’s house. I think he’s excited about spending the weekend.”

Dare nodded. He thought AJ was excited about spending the weekend as well. “If it’s not about AJ then what do you want to talk about?”

His gaze held hers, and she hesitated only a moment

before responding. “I paid a visit to Ms. Mamie today to check on her ankle. I’ll be her home healthcare nurse for a while.”

Dare nodded again, thinking there had to be more to her visit than to tell him that. “And?”

She hesitated again. “And she mentioned something that I found unbelievable, but I was concerned since it seems that

a lot of the older women in this town think it’s true.”

He searched her features and detected more nervousness than before. “What do they think is true?”

Dare became concerned when seconds passed and Shelly didn’t answer. Instead, she moved her gaze away from his to focus on some object on his coffee table. He frowned

slightly. There had never been a time that Shelly had felt the need to be shy in his presence, so why was she now?

Standing, he crossed the room to sit next to her on the sofa. “All right, Shelly, what’s this about? What do Ms. Mamie

and her senior citizens’ club think is true?”

Shelly swallowed deeply and took note of how close Dare was sitting next to her. Every time she took a breath she inhaled his hot male scent, a scent she had grown used to and one she would never tire of.

She breathed in and decided to come clean. Making light of the situation would probably make it easier, she thought, especially if he decided to laugh at something so absurd. She smiled slightly. “For some reason they think you’re

trying to woo me.”

His gaze didn’t flicker, but remained steadily on her face when he asked. “Woo you?”

She nodded. “Yes, you know—pursue me, court me.”

Sitting so close to her, Dare could feel her tension. He also felt her uncertainty. “In other words,” he said softly, “they

think I’m trying to win you over, find favor in your eyes, in

your heart and in your mind and break down your

resistance.”

Shelly nodded, although she didn’t think Dare needed to break down her resistance since he had successfully done that a month or so ago. “Yes, that’s it. That’s what they

believe. Isn’t that silly?”

Dare shifted his position and draped his arms across the back of the sofa. He met Shelly’s gaze, suddenly feeling hungry and greedy with an appetite that only she could

appease. He studied her face for a little while longer, then calmly replied. “No, I don’t think there’s anything silly about it, Shelly. In fact, their assumptions are right on target.”

She blinked once, twice, as the meaning of his words sank in. He watched as her eyebrows raised about as high as they could go, and then she said, “But why?”

Keeping his gaze fixed on hers, he asked. “Why what?”

“Why would you waste your time doing something like that?”

Dare drew in a deep breath. “Mainly because I don’t

consider it a waste of my time, Shelly. Other than winning

my son’s love and respect, winning your heart back is the most important thing I’ve ever had to do.”

Shelly swallowed, and for the first time in weeks she felt a bubble of hope grow inside her. Her heart began beating rapidly against her ribs. Was Dare saying what she thought he was saying? There was only one way to find out. “Tell

me why, Dare.”

He leaned farther back against the sofa and smiled. His

smile was so sexy, so enticing, and so downright seductive that it almost took her breath away. “Because I wanted to