GARRETT ANDERSON
"No," said Garrett. "Sorry."
"My daughter wanted to be a zucchini, but the parade already had too many. She settled for orange, but says it makes her complexion look terrible."
Garrett laughed.
"It was nice to meet you," said Mira. "I'm off to find my orange and finish arranging the bake sale table."
"Nice to meet you, too."
After Mira left, Garrett searched the crowd. He saw lots of vegetables and fruits, but there wasn't a copper zucchini among them.
Mike hadn't wanted to be in the parade, but Natalie needed him to watch the little tomatoes. He had dressed in overalls and a red cap for a gardener look, but only after he'd learned that Garrett would be dressing as a squash.
"Hey there, handsome," a voice drawled behind him. "What's a nice squash like you doing in a place like this?"
He turned around and met the dark eyes of petite woman dressed in high heels and little else.
Well, the skimpy blue halter and matching shorts, or panties depending on your version of short, may have counted as clothing.
From his vantage point, he could see the tops of her breasts—hell, any more cleavage and the shirt would be unnecessary.
The dark-haired woman was pretty, if you liked full lips and an upturned nose and too much mascara.
His thoughts flashed to Natalie and how she looked this morning, rumpled and braless and beautiful. His heart pounded just thinking about her.
"I should go grocery shopping more often," the woman said, smiling, her peach lips puckering. "I've never seen such large...produce before."
Garrett jerked his thoughts away from Natalie. His gaze narrowed at the woman's blatant innuendo.
"My name's Marline," she purred. "And you're Garrett Hart, the animal doctor. I saw you on television. Single?"
"Single what?"
She did a giggle-snort that other men must have found attractive. It made Garrett wince.
"Single as in not married, you silly."
"No, I'm not married."
"Yet," she said, fluttering her eyelashes. "Sooner or later, it happens to all of you men. You find the right woman, honey, and the ol' hormones gear up. Boom! You have a new bride."
Marline trailed her fingers up Garrett's yellow squash costume until her gleaming red nails rested on the hole where his face was. He glanced down at her hand and then at her.
"You sound as if you have experience," he said.
She wasn't the least insulted. She fluttered her eyelashes again, did another giggle-snort-hee-hee and said, "Been down the aisle three times, handsome."
And you could be number four her gaze told him when she looked at him coyly. He backed up a step.
"I have to go ... somewhere," Garrett said. Anywhere.
"No, you don't. If you're Head Squash, I'm your little gardener, honey. I walk next to you in the parade."
"Garrett?"
Garrett whipped around so fast, his vegetable body bumped into Natalie. "Hello, honey," he said as he awkwardly wrapped his arm around Natalie's shoulders. "Did you come to give me a good luck kiss?"
Natalie's expression turned incredulous. "What?"
"Well now, Natalie, seems you and Garrett are becoming good friends," said Marline.
"Yes," said Garrett. "We are."
Natalie's gaze asked him a question he didn't want to answer verbally, so he bent as best he could in the costume and lightly brushed her lips.
Her sweet scent filled him as her warm lips slid like satin over his. He couldn't get his arms completely around her and had to settle for putting his hands on her shoulders.
He angled his thumb across the sensitive hollow above her collarbone and felt the tiny shudder that went through her.
He pulled back, and Natalie looked up at him, dazed.
"I'll meet you at the head of the line," said Marline with a sniff. Then she sashayed away.
"I can't stop thinking about you."
She reached up to touch his face. "I think about you all the time, too. And I'm not sure what to do about that."
***|***|***|***|***
GARRETT ANDERSON
Garrett made it through the one-mile walk despite the itch that had started between his shoulder blades and the sweat trickling down his back and legs. Thank goodness he had worn shorts or he'd have collapsed from the blazing heat.
He waved with his right hand to the crowds gathered on the sidewalks of downtown Mirror Falls.
Marline had clasped his left hand and was sashaying her gelatin rear end for all it was worth.
If ever there was a person who could come on to squash, it was Marline, Garrett thought. He would happily throttle her if one more produce innuendo dropped from her lips.
She'd even rubbed against his bulky costume in the area where his thigh was located and batted those mile-long fake lashes at him.
"Garrett, honey," she purred as they stepped into the library's parking lot—the end of the parade line, thank God. "Why don't I fix us a little dinner tonight at my place? You like good home cookin'?"
"As flattered"—Garrett choked a little—"as I am with your offer, Marline, I'm not at liberty to pursue a relationship."
Marline rolled her eyes. "Little Natalie will bore you to tears. She hasn't dated a man since her husband died. I bet she doesn't remember what to do with a real man." Marline tapped the squash in the area of his crotch. "But I do."
Natalie hadn't dated anyone in four years.
So he had been the first man to touch her since her husband had died.
Pure male satisfaction that surged through him. Natalie was his—for now.
He glared down at Marline, knowing he couldn't look very formidable as a squash, but he raised his eyebrow for effect anyway. "Natalie keeps my attentions just fine, Marline," he said. "As for pleasing me, she's more woman than any man knows what do with."
"Hmph." Marline spun on her spiked heels. If she intended to sashay away, the effect was ruined when she stepped too hard on the cement.
Garrett heard a distinct snap and saw the heel fly off Marline's left shoe.
The loss of the five-inch heel caused the woman to stumble forward. Luckily a school bus was parked close enough for her to ungracefully clutch its side.
As she leaned heaving against the bus...a small feminine chuckle caused him to turn around.