Page 27 of Stealing Kisses

Teddy is fun.

He delighted in everything he did. He made working side-by-side enjoyable.

And while Teddy never complained about the workload, he finagled Baylin into eating breakfast and sharing cups of coffee each morning and stopping for lunch — seated at the kitchen table instead of her normal sandwich on the go — every afternoon. He forced her to slow down, to pay more attention tothe world around her…things like spending extra time grooming the horses and feeding the other animals, chatting all the while because, as Teddy put it,They thrive on conversation, too.

Best of all, in the evenings, he never left her side…begging for basic jobs to help cook dinner, demanding she let him wash and dry and put away the dishes while she sat at the kitchen table, tending to paperwork on her laptop. Then they’d move into the parlor, where Teddy would con Baylin into setting aside her computer or bills or spiral full of chores and tasks and obligations. She’d work on her quilt projects while he read or watched sports on TV.

Those were the only moments Teddy grew quiet, yet their silence never grew awkward or strained. In three short days, they’d settled into a routine together, a peaceful, happy, and all too domestic one.

“He might not be allthatbad,” Baylin said to the mirror late Thursday afternoon. They’d spent the entire morning writing words and phrases on the decorated cookies and packaging them in treat bags with Valentine tags and satin ribbon bows. Teddy had been a huge help. “But he’s not staying, either.”

She reminded herself of that fact no less than a thousand times each day, and she’d put the mantra on a continuous loop in her mind while she’d showered and dressed for the Valentine’s Dance, a pre-party to the Sweetheart Festival.

“Let’s get this thing over with,” Baylin said, still talking to her reflection. She exhaled a deep breath and applied Strawberry Shock lipstick with a swipe of shiny gloss on top. She fluffed her long, loose waves and finished with a hairspray fly-by. Then Baylin adjusted the belt of her long-sleeved wrap dress, stepped into and zipped up knee-high, nude-colored patent leatherboots, and headed downstairs to fetch her favorite winter coat: a fantastic, long, vintage-styled, fit-and-flare sheepskin shearling coat in cognac brown, complete with a luxurious hooded collar that folded down into a dramatic lapel, which kept her very warm in addition to looking fabulous.

Hands down, getting dressed up was the best part of the many community dances, banquets, and fundraisers held in Green Hills throughout the year. She loved socializing with friends at those events, of course, but Baylin hung out with them on a regular basis, and ninety-nine percent of the time they wore jeans, a t-shirt or flannel, and their oldest, most comfortable pair of tennis shoes. No, for Baylin, donning a magnificent dress, killer stilettos, and fur-linedhaute couturejacket was for herself…one hundred percent self-indulgent and pure fun.

An appreciative whistle reached Baylin before she’d descended the stairs enough to see the source of the catcalling. When he came into sight, her heart skipped a beat.

Teddy Gwenn cleaned up well…too well.

“You just happened to have a suit in your duffel bag?”

To her pleasant surprise, Baylin’s voice didn’t betray the quiver she felt.

“Not exactly,” he answered with a guilty grin. “I found a men’s shop in town yesterday.”

“Henry’s,” Baylin said. “It’s been a staple in Green Hills since the 1940s.”

“The owner, Elijah Davis— What a nice guy! He and his daughter helped me pick this out.” Teddy crossed one foot over the other and performed a rather debonaire spin to show off his new clothes. “Not bad, huh?”

“It’ll do,” Baylin allowed, sweeping past him to get her coat, determined tonotlet on just hownot badTeddy looked.

The Davis family — with the exception of Daniel, who graduated from Green Hills High School when Baylin had beenin junior high, but whom everyone in their small town knew and loved, abandoned the family trade to become a fireman — carried the reputation of being excellent clothiers, and Elijah was particularly famous for knowing how to make a body look its best. They’d surpassed their own high standard in dressing Teddy.

“I appreciate them working with me on zero notice to pick out something I can use a lot down the road. I mean, this suit is perfect…fits me to a tee.”

That it does.

Elijah and Jessica must’ve squealed with delight when they saw him walk into the store.

Brown herringbone fabric, a classy yet casual hue, almost walnut in color, looked to be high quality, which meant it wasn’t inexpensive, was a perfect choice to complement the traditional, two-button coat style and trendy but polished, slim cut. His tie and pocket square — a playful design of flowers and birds in vibrant shades of reds, bright canary yellow, and soothing browns on a warm, peachy-coral background — mimicked Teddy’s peppy yet stable disposition. The rich whiskey-colored leather, lace-up dress shoes added an elegant, dapper element to the ensemble. Together, the new pieces of his wardrobe teamed up to create something one hundred percentTeddy: unique, effective, and eye-catching. One could toss inheart-stoppingfor good measure…if one was so inclined.

Hope you’re ready, Cupid. It’s going to be a busy night…

Teddy Gwenn would be quite a hit at the Valentine’s Dance.

“What do you call this?” Teddy asked, pointing a finger at Baylin’s outfit with an admiring eye.

“A dress?”

“That’s notjusta dress,” Teddy replied before helping her slip on her coat. “What color would you call that?”

“Red?”

“To say you are beautiful in thatred dressis the understatement of the year.”

“The year’s still young,” she argued. Baylin punctuated her clipped rebuttal by pushing Teddy out the door, locking it, and proceeding to her truck.

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