Love Enough For Two (Love Inspired) by Cynthia Rutledge

in such a hurry to get off the phone. “Is she as pretty as her mother?”
    “She’s blond.” Matt hoped Sierra wasn’t lying on her floor in need of medical attention while he was wasting time exchanging inane comments with his father. Still, past experience had taught him, it did no good to rush his dad.
    “Ditzy?”
    “No, she’s not. And that’s why I’m concerned. It’s not like her not to show.” Matt heaved an exasperated sigh. “Do you have the address or not?”
    “Let me think.” Silence filled the phone lines for several long heartbeats. “I don’t have the address but I can give you directions. The house is an old Victorian just off Santa Barbara Street on Arrellaga. Tall hedges all around. You can’t miss it.”
    Matt pictured the area in his mind. Arrellaga was close to downtown. He calculated the time it would take to get there. Not long, if he caught the lights and drove over the speed-limit.
    “Thanks,” Matt said. “I appreciate the help.”
    “Just one question,” Dix interjected, before Matt could click off. “Do you like the girl?”
    Matt thought for a moment. “At this moment I’d like to throttle her. Does that count?”
    His father’s robust laugh resounded over the phone lines. “Tells me all I need to know.”
    The dial tone sounded and Matt swore softly. He was glad someone found this whole situation amusing because he didn’t.
    Not for one minute.

Chapter Ten
     
    S ierra popped a leftover chocolate petit four into her mouth and sighed. Her mother really did fabulous things with pastries.
    Grabbing a dishrag, Sierra moved to the refrigerator surface for a final touch-up. She glanced up at the clock on Libby’s kitchen wall.
    Almost midnight. If she were Cinderella, she’d be just about to turn back into a scullery maid.
    Glancing down at her faded blue jeans and well-washed UC Santa Barbara Gauchos T-shirt, Sierra smiled ruefully. Tonight she didn’t need to change back because she’d never gotten to be a princess. Despite her best intentions and a new dress, she’d ending up chucking her plans and staying home to help her mother.
    If only I hadn’t stopped by Libby’s house…
    After dropping Maddie off for an overnight play date with a friend, Sierra had swung by Libby’s to borrow some shoes. Instead of some sleek black pumps, she’d found her mother and Libby in the kitchen frantically trying to fill a last-minute order.
    In addition to being Libby’s housekeeper, Peggy Summers also ran her own up-and-coming catering service. Business had really taken off right before last Christmas and the hectic pace had continued into the summer. Usually Sierra worked side by side with her mother but since she and Libby had switched places, assisting with the catering had become Libby’s responsibility. Unfortunately this last-minute crisis demanded far more than just two sets of hands.
    Apparently the original caterer had backed out at the last minute, leaving the hostess in the lurch. The frantic woman had offered Peggy twice the going rate if she could step in. Though Libby let Peggy use her kitchen any time she needed it, Sierra’s mother had been hoping to save enough money to one day have her own catering facility. The income from this job would go a long way toward helping Peggy achieve that goal.
    That’s why Sierra had pulled on an apron and pitched in without even being asked. By eleven, they were in good shape for the next day’s event.
    Libby had been exhausted and Sierra had sent her to bed, saying one person could easily do the rest of the clean-up. Her mother, who’d have to be up at dawn tomorrow, had offered to stay but Sierra had sent her home, too.
    Sierra didn’t mind the job or working alone. She’d always enjoyed taking something messy and making it shiny and new again. In fact, she’d probably had more fun spending the evening in the kitchen than she’d have had at the party, even with a handsome man at her side.
    She stilled and the