Blush Duo - Marriage Under the Mistletoe & The Christmas Inn (24 page)

She hadn’t noticed him yet, her attention focused on the cell
phone in her lap. She seemed so alone, her expression sad. He had a sudden urge
to protect her from whatever made her feel so bad.

She turned, her eyes aimed directly at his. “I went looking for
you, but Amanda said you were in a meeting.”

“And I was looking for you earlier so you could attend the
meeting. All part of you being my assistant,” he said, hoping she’d explain what
she’d been doing in this room.

“Well, we’re together now.” She closed her cell phone, a hint
of amusement capturing her eyes as she continued to look at him. Was she teasing
him? The idea had its appeal.

What he wouldn’t give to be able to sit down beside her and
talk about anything and everything except work. How long had it been since he’d
had a conversation that wasn’t about the inn, its operation or its guests? And
why did it suddenly matter to him?

That odd, totally unexpected feeling he’d experienced when
she’d agreed to stay and be his assistant had left him perplexed by how easily
she’d slipped into his life, his thoughts—and now she was making him want for
things he hadn’t missed before.

When she’d told him she wasn’t married, that her brother had
made up the story to get her a reservation, he’d been so damned glad he’d wanted
to get up and dance. Marnie had turned his life on its end, and he was thankful
for the distraction.

“This is an awesome room,” she said, her gaze sweeping over the
dazzlingly lit space, and coming to rest on the silver-and-blue tree.

“It is. Someone told me you were checking the windowsills for
dust. Is there a problem? Or did Mary enlist your help?”

“No. I…I thought that while I was waiting I’d come in here and
check it out. When you run a hair-and-aesthetics salon, checking for dust and
dirt, straightening piles of magazines becomes automatic. Sorry if I caused you
concern.”

Her answer made sense and she seemed perfectly sincere. She was
here, and she was trying to be helpful, and he could use her knowledge to
improve the operation. “Forget it.”

“I have a few notes from my visit to the spa. I’ve been
checking email on my cell phone while you finished your meeting.”

“Why don’t we go to my office and you can fill me in on your
spa experience?”

“I’d love that, but I need to make a call first. Do you mind?
I’ll just be a couple of minutes.”

“Not at all,” he said as he got up and started for the door.
“I’ll be in my office.”

As he left the room, he spotted Brad Parker coming down the
hall. Brad wasn’t one of his favorite guests, too much of a bragger, but Luke
appreciated the repeat business. “Hello, I hope your stay is going well.”

“It is. My wife and I are just about to go into Wakesfield for
a little lunch and shopping.”

Brad looked distracted, and wanting to offer assistance, Luke
said, “Can I help you with anything?”

“No, I thought I’d look for a book in the library, something to
read,” he said. Brad Parker didn’t strike Luke as the kind of man who read
anything beyond the sports section of the newspaper.

“You’ve come to the right place. The library has lots of
reading material.”

Brad glanced past him, a preoccupied look on his face.
“Thanks.”

Luke turned and watched him go down the hall toward the
library, Jack’s words playing through his mind. Had Marnie and Brad arranged to
meet in the library? Was Marnie’s excuse about making a phone call simply a
cover while she waited for Brad? Rolling his shoulders to ease the sudden
tension he felt there, he went to his office and closed the door.

* * *

M
ARNIE
 
COULD
 
FEEL
 
THE
 
HEAT
rising through
her body as she sat glued to the chair in the library, surrounded by the
breathtaking Christmas decorations. Luke suspected her of something, and she’d
nearly been tripped up over the dust business.

He must have spies everywhere because she’d only checked a
couple of surfaces before sitting down near the tree to take in the sheer beauty
of the room. She loved all the decorating and baking that came with the
Christmas season. No wonder her mother was bugging Scott to know where she was.
This time of year she normally spent all her free time at her parents’ house or
out Christmas shopping with her mother.

Last week she’d decorated her salon to look like Santa’s
workshop and all her clients loved it, as did the children coming in for new
haircuts for the many Christmas concerts and recitals taking place around town.
But she had to forget about Christmas for the moment.

Just before Luke arrived, she’d had a text message from Scott
asking her to call him right away. Could it be that Advantage Corporation had
reversed their decision about the sale?

Her brother answered on the first ring. “Marnie, how’s it
going? How many of the questionnaires have you finished?”

She turned away from the door, and moved to stand by the
window. “Three so far. Don’t worry, I’ll send them to you soon.”

“Well, get a move on. Advantage wants to finish up earlier than
planned.”

“Scott, I need more time.”

“I’ve got Mom breathing down my neck about where you are. I’ve
got Advantage looking for results right away—as in yesterday—and you want to
hang out at the inn and do some more navel gazing,” he said, his disbelief on
overdrive.

“I can always quit,” she threatened.

“No, don’t do that! Just get a move on. How’s it looking,
anyway?”

She lowered her voice. “For your information, I’m pretending to
be the manager’s assistant so that I’m not seen as a woman on the make, after
somebody’s husband. Then I had to correct your lie about us being married, and
if I’m not careful, I could still be asked to leave. So now would be a good
time,” she said.

“A good time?”

“To thank me for saving your precious hide where Advantage is
concerned.”

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

Was there a slight hint of condescension in his words? There
better not have been. “And if that’s not enough, the manager doesn’t trust me,
and the staff are reporting to him every time anyone sees me do anything
suspicious.” She peeked behind her to be certain no one had entered the room.
“They’re probably watching me now.”

“Did you tell the manager you were working for me?” Scott
asked, his tone stiff.

“No. But I had to tell him you and I are brother and sister not
husband and wife. And thanks for making him think I’m a complete nutcase.”

“What did he say?”

She chewed away at her new nail polish. “Not much.”

“Why do you care what the manager thinks of you? You’re there
to do a job, and there’s been a…a small problem which you took upon yourself to
fix. But everything is fine, isn’t it?”

“Sure, Scott. Everything is peachy, and I’m doing the survey
work as fast as I can. Which reminds me, I’m expected in the manager’s office.
I’ve got to go.”

“And you’ll call me this evening and give me an update?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Well, you may have lots of time to think because there’s a
blizzard headed your way.”

Great! All she needed was to have Luke discover what she was
doing there, and be unable to make her escape because of a snowstorm. As soon as
she was finished in Luke’s office, she intended to find a gas station. If she
had to leave suddenly, she’d need a full tank of gas. “Thanks for the
warning.”

She slammed her phone closed and stared out the window. “Damn.
What next?”

“Some things never change, Marnie.”

She whirled around at the sound of Brad’s voice. Had he been
standing there all along, hidden so she couldn’t see him? “What are you doing
here?”

“I’m a guest, remember? Was that your brother on the
phone?”

Did he overhear her talking about the questionnaire? He
couldn’t have. She’d been too far from the door, and she’d kept her voice down.
“No.”

“What are you doing here during this week? Are you
married?”

“No, I’m not,” she said. “I’m working for the manager for a
couple of days.”

“What about your salon?”

She didn’t want to have this conversation. “I have to go.”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Suit
yourself.”

“And it would be a good idea if we made a point of avoiding one
another. I don’t want any trouble with your wife.”

“Agreed.”

She ducked past him, wondering what it was that she’d ever seen
in him, how she could have ever thought she loved him. Marnie felt sorry for
Cindy. Loving Brad was a losing proposition, at least in her experience.

When she reached the door to Luke’s office, she knocked and was
greeted by his welcoming voice telling her to come in. “Thanks for waiting,” she
said.

“As I was leaving the library, I saw one of our guests, Brad
Parker, heading that way. Did you see him?”

Did he suspect that she and Brad had a connection? “Yes, but
only for a moment.” She sat down in the chair next to his desk, close enough to
touch him.

He frowned, but didn’t say anything.

To fill the awkward silence, she grabbed onto the first topic
that came to mind. “My partner, Shane, and I co-owned a spa and salon called
Total Elegance for ten years.”

“And what was your area of expertise?” he asked.

“I was a hairdresser.”

“It won’t be easy to end that relationship, will it?”

She met his gaze and saw the sincerity in his eyes…and
something more. “No, it won’t be easy to leave, and that’s part of why I need a
little time to be sure that selling is right for me. We’ve agreed to everything,
I simply haven’t signed the papers. Shane wants to move on with his new bride.
They’re in love and he wants to make her happy.”

“Do you feel you’re in the way?”

Did she? “Yeah, a little. Selling my half of the salon has left
me feeling a bit lost. It was so much a part of my life all those years.”

“I know how it feels to care about a place, about a business.
That’s how I feel about this inn.” His voice held a hint of melancholy. “The
owners have never spent a day here, but they make all the major decisions on the
financial viability of the inn, while I’ve put my heart and soul into this
place.”

Marnie could see the passion in his eyes, a passion she wished
she felt for her shop. “If only I felt as strongly about my business as you do
about the inn.”

“But you don’t.”

She drew in a deep, cleansing breath. “No, I don’t. Isn’t that
weird? I didn’t sign those papers because I was afraid I might miss the salon,
but hearing you talk about the inn…that’s how I should feel.”

“Then, there’s your answer. You’ve made the right
decision.”

It felt so good to share her feelings with him, to hear him
endorse her decision to sell. He may be a stranger, but she appreciated his
opinion all the same. “Thank you for saying that.”

“I was just telling you how I really feel,” he said, leaning
toward her, his arm resting on the corner of his desk.

He was close enough to kiss her. “Thanks,” she murmured,
hyperaware of his lips, the cleft of his chin and the rise and fall of his chest
beneath his cotton shirt.

He took her hand in his, and interlaced his fingers with hers,
sending a jolt through her. A day ago, she would’ve been happy with flirting and
casual sex, but now she wanted—no, needed—to be with him, to share her feelings
with him. To find the kind of intimacy that didn’t revolve around bedroom
gymnastics.

She’d never felt this way before and it frightened her. How
could she have dated all those other men, nearly married Brad and never felt
this kind of need, this sense that she had finally found the right one?

“I believe we’re going to make a good team,” he said, his
breath hot on her cheek, forcing her heart to beat harder.

“Did you want to hear about my spa experience?” she asked,
fighting to resist his mouth and what it offered.

Leaning closer, he kissed her gently, slowly, deliciously while
his fingers traced the skin of her neck. She had wished for this sort of kiss
all her life. This man—whose heart beat beneath her fingers—could, if he chose,
claim her body and soul.

He eased away from her. “I’ve wanted to do that since you
arrived here. Even when I still thought you were married.” He gave her an
apologetic smile.

His kiss left her wanting more of him, and she scrambled to
regain her composure. This was moving way too fast for her. “Would…would you
like to hear about the spa?”

“If you’d like to tell me, I’m ready to listen,” he said, his
eyes on her.

Her head spinning, her heart thudding from the loss of his
touch, she swallowed hard.

She tried not to fumble her words as she went over her
assessment, all the while fearing that he might be upset when he heard what she
had to say. But he didn’t seem to be bothered by the negative things she said
about the spa. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, tented his fingers over his
lips and studied her. “Is that all?”

She felt lost, discarded, missing his closeness. “What do you
mean?”

“I wondered if there was anything else you had to tell me.”

Was he talking about Brad? He couldn’t be, and there was
nothing to tell there, anyway.

Oh…God…in her eagerness to show him how smart and capable she
was she’d rhymed off the survey points on the questionnaire she’d filled out for
Advantage. Guilt began its slow assault on her mind. How could she be sitting
here kissing this man while she still held her heartless little secret?

What if he’d had a mystery guest before, and then been
confronted with the results? If he’d refused a promotion it might have resulted
in the company sending someone to check up on him. What if he knew she was doing
a survey because he recognized the points she’d listed? Or what if the cleaning
staff had found the notes in her room....