The Book Nook
Author: Raindrops on Roses
Rating: PG-13
Category: Humor, Romance
Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, Viacom, et al.
Spoilers: None
Author's Note: All of the titles used in this story are titles of actual novels. Here's a list, with their corresponding authors:
The Seduction of Sean Nolan, Treva Harte
MacKenzie's Mountain, Linda Howard
Sarah's Child, Linda Howard
Love With a Scandalous Lord, Lorraine Heath
Meredith's Wish, Karen Lee
The Thief's Mistress, Gayle Feyrer
His 1-800 Wife, Shirley Hailstock
The MacLean Groom, Kathleen Harrington
Dangerous Attractions, Colleen Easton
Impossible Dreams, Patricia Rice
Forbidden Heart, Felicia Mason
The Very Virile Viking, Sandra Hill
Sarah MacKenzie opened the door to the small bookstore. She was running low on reading material, and needed to stock up. She loved this cozy store, with all of its nooks and crannies stuffed full of all types of books, from old, musty tomes to the latest bestsellers.
She particularly enjoyed it on days like this--a chilly winter day, with a light blanket of snow outside. There were overstuffed chairs toward the back, and the owners encouraged customers to settle down with their purchases and rest before braving the weather once more. It was quite a drive from Georgetown to McLean, but Mac saw it as worth the trip.
Pulling off her gloves and brushing the snow from her hair, Mac smiled at the elderly man stocking the shelves. "Good afternoon, Miss. We just received a new shipment yesterday, if you'd like to see the selection."
"No, thank you, Mr. Hunter. I'll just browse for a while. Do you need any help?" Mac asked.
"No, no, that's quite all right," Mr. Hunter replied. He was about to say more, when a young woman scurried toward him.
"Grandpa! I told you to ask me if you needed something on the higher shelves!"
"Julie, I'm not a invalid," he said patiently. It was obviously an argument they had had before. "I'm sorry, Miss MacKenzie, if you'll excuse us..." The two disappeared through a side door.
Smiling, Mac made her way toward the back of the store. This was where she indulged one of her few guilty pleasures--bodice-rippers.
Mac blushed, recalling the one time Harm had almost caught her reading a romance novel. She remembered having an erotic dream--about the admiral, of all people--but what really stuck with her was the adrenaline rush as she kicked the book underneath her sofa. Harm had looked at her strangely, but fortunately, hadn't asked any inopportune questions.
Turning her attention to the stacks of books before her, Mac reached out and ran her fingers across the well-worn spines. Time for one of her favorite games--finding the most ridiculous titles she could.
'The Seduction of Sean Nolan,' she read. 'Uh-huh. Sounds thrilling,' she thought sarcastically. She smiled,
seeing MacKenzie's Mountain and Sarah's Child side-by-side. 'And they're by the same author, too,' she thought amusedly. Love With a Scandalous Lord was next. 'Ooh, shocking.' Meredith's Wish brought a sad smile. Her friend had broken off her engagement with Mac's commanding officer a few months earlier; Mac still hadn't gotten an explanation from her. And she certainly couldn't ask the admiral!
The Thief's Mistress caught her eye. She remembered Harriet suggesting it to her a few weeks ago. She marveled at Harriet's ability to find free time for pleasure reading. Pulling the book from the shelf, she opened it to a random page. "Wow," she murmured. It did seem good--and she had only read two paragraphs! Tucking the book under her arm, she continued down the aisle.
A bell jingling and a cold rush of air caught her attention. Another customer had entered the shop, but Mac paid it no mind. She continued her game. His 1-800 Wife. She wasn't even going to ask. The MacLean Groom. She smiled sadly. 'If only...' Mac shook herself out of her thoughts. As if to chide her straying thoughts, her gaze landed on Dangerous Attractions, Impossible Dreams, and Forbidden Heart.
Sighing, she looked up to the next shelf. "The Very Virile Viking?" she read aloud, grinning. "This is definitely the winner," she giggled.
She turned the corner to head for the cash register--and ran straight into a tall, strong body. "Oh, no," she groaned, seeing the books she had gathered tumble to the floor.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I should've--Mac?"
"Admiral?" Mac dropped to her knees, scrambling for her intended purchases.
"Here, let me help you," he said, crouching to pick up a book.
Mac blushed, and her thoughts once more drifted to forbidden areas. The view certainly wasn't helping much.
AJ raised his eyebrow. He had never seen Mac quite so flustered; it was rather amusing. "So, Mac, what are you doing in McLean?"
"I--well--I--uh..." Mac stuttered. She composed herself, then said, "I've run out of books to read, and I like this store, so I decided to spend an afternoon here."
"Ah. I see," AJ replied. "I enjoy this shop myself," he said, gesturing to the book he was planning to purchase. He held out his hand to help Mac to her feet. She took it gratefully, biting her lip at the jolt that went through her at the contact.
"Thank you, sir," Mac said.
"No problem, Mac." He smirked. "The Very Virile Viking, hmm?"
Mac reddened. "Oh, God..." she groaned. AJ just laughed.
"Would you like to go to lunch? There's a great restaurant just down the street." AJ knew that he shouldn't have asked as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
Mac smiled. "I'd love to, sir. As long as you don't comment on my choices in reading material."
"Well, I won't do that, as long as you don't call me 'sir'."
"All right... si--Ad--"
"The name's AJ, Sarah."
Mac smiled warmly. "Deal, AJ."
