My Lucky Groom (Summer Grooms Series) by Ginny Baird Page A

capturing her in his
gaze. “Yes.”
    A light breeze rippled over them, and Ventura’s heart
stilled. If it had been only the two of them, she wasn’t sure what might have
happened next. By the look in Richard’s eyes, it would have been a kiss.
    The car made its way back down, music and lights swirling
around them. Then they were sky-bound again, rising and falling over and over
together. Richard snuggled her in and held her close and Ventura’s heart beat
faster as Richard’s warmth beside her provided comfort and stability in the
night. Suddenly, the Ferris wheel jerked to a halt, startling Ventura. “What
are they doing?”
    Richard held her tighter. “Letting people off.”
    The kids’ faces fell. “Aw,” they said together, obviously
not ready for the ride to end. And they weren’t the only ones. Ventura could
have stayed here all night.
    There was a loud squeak; then their compartment started to
lower.
    “Going down,” Richard announced.
    I most certainly am ,
Ventura thought, stunned by the revelation. Going
down and falling fast.

 
    The moment they got home, Richard and Ventura readied the
kids for bed. They were exhausted from all the fun, and both dropped off to
sleep immediately.
    “Ventura,” Richard said as they quietly crept down the
stairs. “About the Ferris wheel…”
    She halted on a lower step and gripped the railing. “You
don’t have to say anything.”
    “I know, but I shouldn’t have. I got carried away, I guess.
The day…the bike ride …the river.”
    Ventura met his eyes. “Richard, you didn’t do anything
wrong.”
    “No, but I wanted to.”
    “Richard…”
    “Ventura,” he said sincerely. “I think you’re terrific. Wonderful in about a million ways. But the thing is, you’re
employed here.”
    “I know.”
    “Which means…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m making a
total mess of this, aren’t I?”
    “No.”
    He turned toward her, nearly pinning her to the railing, and
Ventura’s pulse raced. Oh, how she wanted him to take her in his arms and kiss
her, the way he’d seemed to want to on the Ferris wheel. The way he appeared to
need to now.
    “I understand you’re involved with someone,” he said, his
voice gravelly.
    “Charles,” she said weakly.
    “That’s just another reason this is wrong.” He pursed his
lips and turned away. When he looked back at her, there was a sad resignation
in his eyes. “I don’t want to lose you as a nanny. Elisa and Ricky would be
devastated.”
    “I don’t see how anything’s changed,” she said, when in
truth she knew that everything had.
    “Can I call you a cab?”
    “That would be a good idea.”

 
    “Ventura? What are you doing?” Mary asked, striding into the
room and dropping her big floppy hat onto the bed. Ventura sat on the sofa with
a whole box of fortune cookies on the coffee table before her. She’d cracked open
nearly every one.
    She kept pulling crescents apart and examining their slips
of paper. “Looking for something.”
    “But I thought you said the ones from the grocery store were
no good? The special ones came from Chinese take-out?” Ventura nodded toward the
kitchen, and Mary peeked around the corner, spying two huge grocery bags from Zen’s
stuffed to the brim. Mounds of broken fortune cookies littered the kitchen
table, stacks of fortunes piled high.
    Mary drew a breath and came and sat beside Ventura on the
sofa. “Okay. What’s going on?”
    Ventura looked her way. “Did you know that nine out of ten
of these are repeats?”
    “Well, no. Not specifically. But I guess now that you say
so, it makes sense. It’s like a Magic Eight Ball, right? There are probably a
set number of responses. Predictions. Whatever.”
    Ventura set her jaw. “But in fourteen years there’s a single
fortune I’ve only gotten once.” And this hadn’t been for lack of trying.
Ventura had probably opened more fortunes cookies than any other girl on planet
Earth. She’d convinced