Spring River Valley: The Winter Collection (Boxed Set) (24 page)

“My flight was delayed.”

“Yes, I understand. But check-ins after six
p.m. require confirmation of late arrival. Someone called the number on your account and was told you had already checked in, so your room reservation was cancelled. The room has been given to someone else.”

Emerson gaped. Jared groaned. He’d already seen her temper once, and he didn’t want her throwing anything else.

“Who would have told— Oh. You called my home number. My friend is there babysitting my cat; she must have said I’d already checked in. Damn. You guys don’t waste any time, do you?”

“Unfortunately due to the Ad Expo, we’re booked solid, and there’s a waiting list. We had to take the next available reservation for any open room. I can have one of my concierges try to find you a room in a different establishment, but that could take some time.”

She sank to the bed, the boot still dangling from one hand. “You must be kidding.”

“I’m so very sorry, ma’am. Because of our proximity to the convention center, we book up very quickly any time there’s an event held there.”

“This is New York City, there must be a million hotels…”

“Yes, ma’am. And I’ll be happy to help you book one, but it will take some time.”

“You can hang out here in the mean time,” Jared said. The words came out without much thought. It seemed natural to offer the woman a place to stay for a couple of hours. “I’ve got a dinner meeting, so I’ll be out for a while. Stay here and relax until they find you a room.”

“That’s very generous of you, Mr. Barton,” Valdez said.

“I couldn’t… I can go to the café for a few hours.”

“I can have your luggage put in storage until we make other arrangements,” Valdez said.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Stay here. It’s not a big deal.”

Her gaze bounced from the security guard to Valdez to Jared. “I promise not to throw anything at you.”

“It’s a deal. Stay here, relax, watch TV, take a shower if you want. I’ll be gone most of the evening, so it’s no problem.”

She eyed him skeptically when he mentioned a shower. Maybe that was going too far, but he really didn’t care if she hung out in his room. He’d have his laptop and his wallet with him, so even if she was
a cat burglar, she wouldn’t be stealing anything of value. “Are you sure?”

He grabbed a shirt from the closet and put it on, tucked his wallet into his back pocket and retrieved his coat and his laptop case. “I don’t mind at all.”

“I would be happy to provide the two of you with vouchers for free room service for this evening,” Valdez said. “Ms. Bartoli, please order anything you like, and I will have every person I can find working on this problem. We will have you a room in another hotel in a few hours.”

“Thank you, all, very much. I appreciate it. Mr. Barton, are you a hundred percent sure you don’t mind?”

“Call me Jared, and no, I don’t mind at all. Make yourself at home. Guys, thanks for your help here. I’ve got an appointment I can’t be late for, so catch you all later. Emerson…mi casa es su casa.” Jared showed Valdez and the security guard out. He waved to the pretty brunette, who still eyed him a bit suspiciously, but at least she’d settled down. He didn’t mind her rattling around in his room while he was gone, and he might not have minded her rattling around while he was there either. In fact, he secretly hoped she would still be there when he got back.

Emmy let out a long, slow breath as the door closed behind the formerly naked guy. Her face burned, and she held her cold hands to her cheeks to help cool her embarrassment. Not only was he gorgeous, he was a good sport and a really nice guy. And she’d thrown a bottle of bubble bath at his private parts.

“Oh my God.” She dropped her head into her hands and wondered if she should laugh or cry at the way her day was going. She couldn’t even unpack or take the bath she’d been longing for. At least she could kick back, order some dinner, and watch television for a few hours, then she’d have to schlep all her stuff to some other hotel, hopefully not too far away, before she could get that good night’s sleep she needed so desperately.

She repacked her purse, retrieved the bubble bath from the bathroom floor, and tucked the bottle into her carry on. Had she really thought a bottle of liquid soap would stop a pervert? Good thing she didn’t have pepper spray. That would have been a real disaster.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since the granola bar she’d scarfed down while waiting in the airport. “Free room service shouldn’t go to waste.” She found the menu in one of the drawers and dialed the kitchen. Shrimp scampi, Caesar salad, and chocolate mousse for desert would stop the day from being a total loss.

She flipped channels while she waited, lounging in the reclining chair in front of the TV since she couldn’t bring herself to lie on Jared’s bed. How could she not have noticed someone was in the room when she arrived? Her curiosity got the better of her, and she began to snoop, just a little. The closet door and the bathroom door had been closed when she came in, so she hadn’t seen his luggage neatly tucked behind the sliding doors. His clothes, a couple of pairs of dress pants and some razor-creased shirts, hung at one end of the closet. A pair of dress shoes and a pair of sneakers sat on the floor in the closet, perfectly aligned with each other. Two ties hung from a special hanger. In the bathroom he’d laid out a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a miniature bottle of mouthwash. He’d hung the towel he’d used to…cover himself and folded a damp washcloth at the corner of the sink. A small shaving kit sat neatly at one end of the counter.

“Wow. The guy is tidy.” She had to wonder if he was gay. That would explain why he hadn’t seemed self-conscious about his nakedness and why the room was spotless.

Emmy shrugged. If that was the case, she didn’t feel so self-conscious about hanging around in his room. Maybe she could sneak that bath after all, but it would have to wait until after dinner.

Room service arrived in record time, and Mr. Valdez called to tell her the search for another hotel room was still in progress, but she got the idea it wasn’t going very well. Just great. There had to be something nearby. Granted the Ad Expo was a big deal, but could every room in every hotel around the Convention Center be booked?

She watched a sitcom while she ate and moaned in delight over the mousse. The rich chocolate crème helped make up for her discomfort and put her in the mood to indulge herself a little more. Jared had said he wouldn’t mind if she took a shower and that probably meant a bath as well, and he did have the big Jacuzzi tub. It wasn’t like the hotel charged for water, so she wouldn’t be running up his bill if she just took a quick soak.

She skillfully extracted a clean outfit out of her luggage without disturbing much and grabbed the bubble bath from her carry on. She locked the bathroom door securely and started running the hot water. The scent of lilacs soon filled the room, and bubbles rose in shimmery peaks around the faucet. Trying not to picture Jared’s toned, tan body, Emmy stripped and dipped her toe into the water.

“Ahhh! This is what it’s all about.” She sank into the tub, groaning in ecstasy, and let the bubbles form around her body. She’d be quick, just a businesslike scrub, a few minutes of restful soaking, and then she’d be out and dressed long before he returned from his dinner meeting.

She woke an hour later to the sound of someone pounding on the bathroom door.

* * * *

Jared didn’t have to wonder if Emerson was still in his room when he got back from his dinner meeting. The television was on, and the remains of a sumptuous meal sat on the small table near the window. Her luggage lay on the bed along with her purse and her coat, and the deadly pair of high-heeled brown suede boots lay next to the dresser.

The bathroom door was closed, but he didn’t hear water running, so he busied himself by hanging up his jacket and stowing his laptop case in the closet. “Hey, Emerson, I’m back,” he called through the bathroom door just so she wouldn’t be startled by his presence and throw something at him again. He took off his shoes, placed them in the closet, and settled in the chair to watch television.

Ten minutes passed, and she didn’t appear. She also hadn’t answered him.

He checked his watch. Had she gone out and just left the bathroom door closed? But her purse was still here. Would she leave it unattended? And where would she go? He’d passed the vending machine alcove and ice dispenser on the way to the room, and he hadn’t seen anyone there, so she hadn’t gone for a snack run. Judging by the dirty plates, she probably wouldn’t have needed anything to eat.

He waited a few more minutes then crossed to the bathroom door and knocked gently. “Emerson? Are you in there?”

No answer.

He chanced jiggling the door handle and wasn’t sure if he was relieved or concerned to find it locked. He knocked again, a little louder. “Emerson? Are you okay? It’s Jared.” This was getting embarrassing. What if something had happened to her? Could she have slipped and fallen on the wet tiles? Maybe she’d eaten something that made her ill?

He pounded on the door. “Emerson!”

“Oh, God, I’m sorry. I’m okay. I’m okay,” came the startled reply.

Jared let out a loud sigh and relaxed against the door. “You had me worried.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be right out.”

He stepped back, and a second later the door opened. Her wet hair streamed around her in wild ringlets. Flowery scented steam escaped the room in a cloud as she stepped out—unfortunately, fully dressed.

“I fell asleep in the tub. So sorry.”

“No problem. I just thought…maybe you’d gotten hurt or something.”

She sidled by him, a bundle of clothes in her hands. “The tub is outrageous, I had to try it, and I guess I just dozed off. It’s been a long day.” The
aroma of lilacs enveloped him as she passed by. He breathed in the luxurious feminine perfume and briefly wondered what it might be like to run his fingers through her riot of dark, wet curls.

“Any word on your room?” he asked after he shook himself out of his momentary daydream.

She sighed as she stuffed clothes into her luggage. “Nothing. I’m going to go down to the front desk to find out what’s going on.”

“Would you like me to go with you?”

“Oh, no, thanks, that’s okay. You’ve been really nice about all this. I’m so sorry about the bottle. How is your…nose?”

“It’s fine. You have a good arm. Have you played any professional ball?”

She laughed. She was cute when she laughed. “Hockey’s my game. You should see me with a stick.”

“Not without protective gear, thanks.”

“I really am so—”

“Stop apologizing. No harm done.”

“Oh, let me get those dishes out of here.” She hurried past him again and grabbed the plates. “I’ll put them outside. It’s getting kind of late. You probably want to get some sleep.”

“I’m not in a hurry. Look, leave your stuff here, no sense lugging everything down to the lobby until you know where you’re going.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. I hope I didn’t make you late for your meeting.”

“Nope, I made it.”

“I guess you’re in town for the Expo too.”

“Yeah. I had to come all the way here to present a campaign to a client whose headquarters are ten miles away from our home office. It’s sort of stupid.”

Her eyes widened. “Right! Same here. Only the opposite. I’m here to see pitches from companies who could drive to our offices. It’s silly. Who are you pitching to? Somebody big?”

Jared took the chair by the window and watched Emerson as she continued to stuff clothes and toiletries into her bags. Before, she’d been dressed in dark pants and a wine-colored button-down shirt, but now she wore sweats and a sweater that made her look younger, prettier, and much more relaxed. Her hair seemed to get curlier as the moments passed. “Define big. I’m pitching to TCL Trucking, they’re the largest—”

“The largest carrier of commercial goods in the Appalachians. Oh. My. God. I work for TCL.”

“No.”

She nodded, her jaw dropping. “Yes! What company are you with?”

“DenMar Reese out of Buffalo, but believe it or not, I live in Spring River Valley which is where TCL is located…and I guess you know that, since you work for them.”

“I live in Stanton, right next door, but I have lunch at Colette’s probably three times a week.”

“Did you hear about the fire?”

“Yes! Did they open back up yet?”

“Last week. I used to bartend at Colette’s before I got the job at DenMar. But I worked nights.”

Emerson sat on the bed. “That’s too funny. I’ve bet we’ve met before and never knew.”

“Probably. Well, we would have met tomorrow anyway. How weird is that?”

“It’s like fate.”

“Do you believe in fate?”

“Sometimes. I guess I should now. Wow… So show me your pitch.”

Jared raised a brow. “Now?”

“Sure. Might as well… Well, I mean, unless you want to go to bed—I mean
sleep
not bed. Oh, god. Go to sleep. Why don’t I just get out of your hair and you can get some sleep?” She’d turned pink again. The blush made a scatter of cinnamon freckles stand out across the bridge of her nose.