Maverick for Hire. Leanne Banks

into the window, she applied the red lipstick then turned to Nick. “Does it look okay?”

      “Yeah,” he said. “It’s nice,” he said. “Very nice.”

      At that moment, he felt her gaze on his and with her mouth uplifted, she was close enough...to kiss. Nick blinked. Weird thought. At the same time, he couldn’t help inhaling her sweet natural scent. Cecelia really didn’t need lipstick. She didn’t need anything. She was pretty just the way she was. Unfortunately, she was competing with women who packed a lot more in their arsenal. At the same time that he knew he was helping her to attract a man, Nick felt reluctant about tampering with her natural beauty.

      Cecelia sighed. “I guess we’d better head back to the bar so you can see that red lipstick isn’t going to make a bit of difference in whether I get a date or not,” she said and led the way through the door. “Haven’t you heard that expression about putting lipstick on a pig? Not that I’m a pig, but I’m just me. Plain ol’ Cecelia.”

      “You don’t look like plain ol’ Cecelia to me,” Nick said. “With a little more makeup and some different clothes, you could look like a model in an advertisement.”

      Cecelia rolled her eyes at him. “Because makeup and different clothes make so much sense when I spend most of my time dodging sawdust, stomping past nails and screws and yelling over construction equipment.”

      Nick shook his head. “You have a point, but you agreed to this experiment,” he said as he opened the door to the bar.

      “Yeah, yeah,” she said and followed him to one of the few empty tables.

      “Let me get you a beer,” he said.

      “Thanks,” she said and drummed her fingers on the table. “How long do I have to wear this war paint?” she asked.

      “The rest of the night,” he said firmly. She shot him what looked like a combination smile and snarl and he headed to the bar to get their drinks. Nick got stopped along the way by a pretty girl from Idaho and started flirting. Humming after getting her number, he headed over to the table Cecelia had nabbed for them, but stopped when he saw a man chatting with her.

      He watched her slice her hand through the air and say no. The man appeared to walk away reluctantly. Nick walked the rest of the way to the table and sat down with the drinks. “What was that about?”

      “Some guy came up. I didn’t know his name. He asked if he could buy me a beer,” she said and took a sip. “I told him no. I don’t know who he is.”

      Nick groaned. “Cecelia, you don’t just cut a guy off at his knees when he offers to buy you a beer.”

      “But I didn’t know him,” she said. “He could be an ax murderer. Or married.”

      “I’m not sure which is worse,” he said, rubbing his chin. “But you’re trying to get a date, so when a guy offers to buy you a beer, your answer should be yes.”

      Cecelia frowned. “What if I don’t want a beer? Or what if I don’t like the way he looks?”

      “Too bad. You have to at least give the guy a chance.” Nick shook his head. “This is going to take more work than I planned.”

      “I’m not sure it’s going to work, period,” she said.

      “You put on the lipstick and a guy approached you. You can’t deny that, can you?”

      Cecelia nearly squirmed in her seat. “No,” she said in a low voice. “And I’m not wearing this lipstick to work.”

      “A deal’s a deal,” Nick said. “You agreed to try my plan in order to improve your nonexistent love life.”

      Cecelia squinted at him. “You are hard on my ego.”

      “I am not. You’ve got everything you need to make the guys come after you. You just need to learn a few tricks, and I can help you with that. Day after tomorrow, I want to take a look at what’s in your closet. Do you even own a dress?”

      Cecelia dropped her jaw. “Of course I own a dress. A black one for attending funerals.”

      “Oh, Lord, I can imagine that’s a hot number,” he said and waved his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “Day after tomorrow.”

      “If this is so important, then why are we waiting?” she asked.

      Nick smiled. “Because I have a date tomorrow night.”

      “Of course you do,” she said and took a sip of water. “What have I gotten myself into?”

      * * *

      Two days later, a knock sounded on her door and she opened it to Nick. “Hi,” she said. “How was your date?”

      “The food was okay,” he said, squinting. “Chewy chicken, but she tried.”

      “How soon did you leave after dinner?” she asked.

      “Ten minutes,” he said.

      She shook her head. “Oh, Nick, that was harsh.”

      He shrugged. “I fixed a leak under her kitchen sink.” He stepped inside her room. “Show me your closet.”

      Cecelia winced as she led him to the small closet in her room. She opened it and he immediately began to fan through her clothes...flannel shirts, jeans, jeans and more jeans. Jackets, jackets and more jackets. He paused at her long black dress and sighed then flipped through several more hangers.

      “I’m not seeing anything that has a hem above your ankles except this funeral dress,” he muttered.

      She shifted from one foot to the other. “Dresses and skirts aren’t practical in my line of employment.”

      “Well, you need at least a couple,” he said bluntly.

      “That’s ridiculous. I’ll freeze,” she said.

      “Wear boots and stockings, like other women do,” he said and shrugged again.

      She frowned. “I don’t have the budget for a new dress.”

      “I do,” he said. “So either you pick it out or I will.”

      She scowled. “I don’t have to time for shop for a dress.”

      “Then you’ll get whatever I choose,” he said.

      “Okay, okay,” she said. “I’ll go into town next week.”

      “How about now?” he asked.

      She sputtered and crossed her arms over her chest. “I have things to do.”

      “Like what?”

      “Tomorrow I have to get up early to help with the kids’ soccer games,” she said.

      Nick tapped his watch. “It’s five-fifteen,” he said. “I know you’re not planning to go to bed before nine. Come on. Let’s go to Kalispell. If we get moving we can knock this shopping off the list and be back in no time.”

      “Won’t everything be closed?” she asked, uncomfortable at the prospect of trying on dresses for Nick.

      “They have a new department store that stays open till nine. Come on. Let’s go.”

      “You are really determined, aren’t you?” she asked.

      “I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. Plus I don’t want Rust Creek Falls to lose you just because we need to wake up a guy or two. I have a goal to get you a date. Or two. Or three,” he said. “We can grab a burger on the way.”

      Cecelia joined Nick in his pickup truck and they squabbled over which radio station for a few minutes. Nick wanted to listen to college football and she wanted some music to calm her nerves. She was starting to wonder if she’d made a mistake by agreeing to follow Nick’s advice to get a man. She sure