Page 12 of My Mail Order Valentine

"What?"

"I don't want a wife."

I say this a little louder than I should, and everyone turns to look at me. I see dismay in Elena's face before she's pulled away by a group of firemen who are off duty.

"I don't know what else to do, Captain."

"Well, she's here. Why don't you give her a chance?"

Why don't I give her a chance? Maybe it's because I dislike change. Maybe it's because my life was turned upside down when Evie entered it, and I don't want to do that to my daughter. Maybe it's because I'm afraid.

"Can't your wife find her somewhere to stay?"

"She's right where she needs to be, Hunter. Stop fighting this. She's a sweet woman and was very excited to finally meet you."

"Yeah, thanks for dropping her like a hot potato and rushing off. You owe me big."

I shouldn't be talking to my Captain this way, but we're friends, so I can get away with it. He just laughs and walks away. He points to where all the men are probably sweet-talking my woman. Wait. Where did that come from? I can't stand here and think about her and her beautiful eyes anymore, but deep inside, I know I have to get her away from the attention of all these men.

It takes me a bit to push away the men surrounding Elena. She's smiling, which makes her look radiant. The smile vanishes when she spots me, and that makes my heart hurt a little bit.

"Are you ready?" I ask her, a harsh tone in my voice.

She purses her lips and then puts on a fake smile. I know it’s fake because her eyes are not lit up like they were just a few minutes ago.

"I think you might be off the hook, Hunter. These wonderful gentlemen were all very gracious and gave me their phone numbers. Before you know it, I'll be married to a firefighter."

She brushes the pieces of paper in front of my face, and I grab them, tear them up, and toss them in the garbage can. I'm not sure what just came over me, and I'm afraid to look Elena in the eyes, but she's laughing as she gets into my truck.

I'm going to have to have a talk with these damn fools that work with me. I stomp all the way to my truck and get in. Once again, the ride is tense, and I don't know what to think aboutmy own actions. One thing I won't forget is how beautiful Elena looks when she smiles. Maybe if I were nicer to her, she'd smile more often.

We arrive at Perfect Brews. The place is packed, but I'm sure Carly, the owner, will sit with us and help us figure things out.

"Wait till I get you. The sidewalk is slippery."

"Okay."

I go around and open her door. Her face is pink from the cold, and I'm glad we're going inside, where it's warm. I make her grab onto me, and we walk together to the establishment's door. I open the door for her, and she walks in before me.

There's one table open, and she goes for it. I look around and find Carly and wave her over. We both sit down, and I take a look at Elena's face to gauge her mood. I don't know what to say, so I blurt the first thing that comes to my mind.

"The pastries are really good here."

"Oh, yeah. I ate here yesterday."

"What did you have?"

"Does it really matter?" She snaps at me.

Thankfully, Carly picks that moment to approach us.

"Hey Elena, I see you found your groom. How are things going?"

I tense up. Elena has already made friends in this town, and it's only been twenty-four hours.

"Carly, can you spare us a few minutes?"

"Yeah, sure."

---