Stockings and Suspenders (19 page)

Carolyn Rosewood

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

Lost In a Snowstorm

Nita squinted into the swirling snow
and tapped the GPS again, as if doing so would make the damn thing pick up a
satellite signal through the blizzard. She
really
should have written
down the directions to Aunt Susie’s new house in the wilds of Portage County.

Wiping condensation off the driver’s
side window Nita tried not to think about the questions and accusations
awaiting her. The first Christmas spent with her family in several years was
more likely to resemble a reality TV show than the model for a Norman Rockwell
painting. Explaining why she’d ended her five-year marriage wouldn’t be easy,
especially now that Gabe’s arrest had made national news.

Why was she doing this? They didn’t
even know she was coming. The last phone call with her mother had ended with
Nita saying she’d think about coming to dinner. She could turn around right now
and go home and no one would be the wiser.

You can’t hide from them forever,
coward.

The tires skidded so she eased off the
accelerator. The snowfall was getting thicker. She could barely see the yellow
line in the middle of the road. As usual, the weather forecasters were just a
bit off the mark. This morning they’d assured everyone the really bad snow
wouldn’t start until tonight. If she’d known it would be this heavy by late
afternoon she’d have left her apartment earlier.

A street
sign
loomed ahead and Nita leaned forward, straining to read it. She slowed the car,
cursing under her breath when she realized it wasn’t the street she was looking
for. Where the hell was Jamestown Lane? Google maps had showed it to be no more
than one mile past Chamberlain. Surely she’d come that far by now? She’d exited
the freeway nearly twenty minutes ago and passed Chamberlain shortly
thereafter. Had she missed the street?

Pulling over to the side of the road
she fiddled with the GPS again. Nothing. Nita banged her fist on the steering
wheel and tried to fight back growing frustration, but the events of the past
six months were still too raw. What else could possibly go wrong? A sham of a
marriage, a job she’d really loved gone because the firm folded, and now this.
She couldn’t even drive two counties over without fucking it up.

Nita inhaled deeply and willed herself
not to cry. She’d shed enough tears for the life she once had. Right now she
needed to figure out where she was. Opening her cell, she waited for bars to
show up, and when they didn’t she snapped it shut and threw it onto the
passenger seat. Perfect. Lost in a snowstorm. They could put that on her
tombstone after they found her frozen to death in her car.

The compulsion to turn around and go
home was strong. Which was worse? Spending Christmas Eve alone or facing her
family? Not much of a choice, really. At least home had a fake fireplace and
plenty of rum for the eggnog. The only thing waiting for her on Jamestown Lane was an evening of endless questions and humiliation.

As Nita watched the snow, an
unexpected wave of homesickness for Chicago washed over her. Chicago had been
home for the past seven years and she’d fallen in love with it. But Gabe was
still in Chicago, released on bail and waiting for his trial. She should have
moved farther away than Ohio. Like China, perhaps.

Watching the snow fall against a
darkening sky would be the perfect setting for her latest favorite fantasy, two
sexy men worshipping her body. Nita laughed. Like that was going to happen
anytime soon in real life. Her sex life had died long before her marriage
ended. Gabe hadn’t touched her in the last eighteen months of their marriage.
But wasn’t Christmas Eve supposed to be a time for miracles? Maybe a couple of
hot policeman would come along and rescue her.

She reset the GPS again and silently
begged it to pick up a signal. Then she tried her cell one more time. No bars.
She couldn’t call anyone and she had no idea where Aunt Susie’s house was. The
easy thing to do would be to turn around and go home.
So sorry, tried to
make it but the snow was too thick. Maybe next year?

As her gaze swept the woods lining the
road, wondering again if she’d simply passed Jamestown Lane without seeing it,
she glimpsed a light through the trees. A house? Maybe they had a landline, or
a computer so she could look at a map?

Or maybe they’re backwoods ax
murderers and your picture will be in the paper by New Years?

A gust of wind shook the car and Nita
hugged her elbows. She couldn’t just sit here, and if she went home she’d hate
herself for it in the morning. It was cowardly not to face her family. They
already knew the story. The entire country did. Maybe, just maybe, they’d be
sympathetic for once? She pictured her tiny apartment with the while walls and
rented furniture. The thought of being alone in that box on Christmas Eve was
too depressing.

She backed up, looking for a driveway.
There it was, barely visible through the tree line. Her tires crunched on
gravel as she turned onto it and inched forward. The path curved twice before
the home loomed out of the woods, nestled among pines and oaks. Smoke curled
from the chimney and soft light spilled from the windows.

Nita pulled up next to an SUV, feeling
like an intruder. They were probably in there having dinner and trimming the
tree. She should go back the way she came and look for the road, and if she
didn’t find it, return home. If she left now she’d make it back to the freeway
before dark and be home in time to watch,
It’s a Wonderful Life.

“Great,” she whispered. “Christmas Eve
alone, with a bottle of eggnog and a movie that makes you cry.”

Turning off the ignition, she grabbed
her bag and opened the car door. As she stepped out into the powder she hoped
it wouldn’t ruin her sexy new boots. The snow was at least three inches deep
already and still falling. It stung her face as she made her way up the path to
the porch.

The smell of fresh bread wafted past
her nose as she reached for the doorbell. It conjured up a mental image of a
woman wearing a Christmas sweater, wisps of hair escaping from where she’d
tried to pin it out of the way, and children with jelly on their faces dancing
around her, asking when they could open just one present.

The life she’d never have. The life
she’d once imagined with Gabe.

Before she rang the buzzer the door
opened and a man leaned casually against the doorjamb. “Hi there,” he said, the
sound of his voice slipping over Nita like satin. Her clothes suddenly felt too
tight. “You look lost.”

Nita couldn’t help staring. His
chestnut hair fell in soft waves, framing a chiseled face with a dusting of
stubble on his chin. The lashes framing his dark eyes were longer than hers.

“Lost?” She couldn’t seem to form a
coherent thought. The snow must have frozen her brain. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

He opened the door wide, sending the
aroma of warm bread and cinnamon out into the cold. Her stomach rumbled. She
hadn’t had anything to eat since early this morning.

“Come on in.”

“I don’t mean to intrude.” As she
stepped past him the scent of Aramis tickled her nose. “I can’t get a signal on
my GPS or my cell.”

He closed the door, crossed his arms
and leaned against the wall. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and
his eyes twinkled with merriment. Nita listened for the sound of his wife, or
the children with sticky hands and excited faces, but all she heard was a clock
ticking and the wind outside.

“May I use your phone?” It was all she
could do to ask a simple question. Looking into this man’s eyes made her knees
wobbly and her panties moist. She must really be desperate to get laid if a
stranger could turn her on in the space of thirty seconds.

“Afraid my cell is acting up too. Must
be the storm.”

“Internet?

He shook his head. “That’s down too.”

Shit. Now she’d have no choice but to
go home.

“But you’re welcome to stay for a
while and get warm. It’s wicked cold out there.”

“Yes, it is. And it’s getting dark. I
have to go. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

“You’re not bothering us.”

Us
.
That meant the little wife and kiddies were here somewhere. How unfortunate,
because as her eyes roamed over his broad shoulders, muscled forearms and long
legs, her nipples tingled and her clit throbbed. A wave of jealousy, so strong
it made her flush, swept through her. His wife was a lucky woman.

Time to get the hell out of here
before she made an ass of herself.

“Cameron, where did you say you put
the… oh, hello there.”

Nita blinked at the gorgeous man who’d
appeared from around the corner.

He stuck out his hand. “I’m Alex.”

She stared at it, wondering what she
was supposed to do. What the hell was the matter with her? Swallowing, she
shook his warm hand. He held onto hers for longer than was necessary, but she
wasn’t afraid or repulsed by the gesture. In fact, she didn’t want to let go.
His eyes were the most unusual shade of green she’d ever seen, almost like
jade.

“Are you staying for dinner?” he
asked, his eyes twinkling.

“I can’t.”

Cameron took a step toward her,
uncrossing his arms. “Are you sure, Nita? It’s Christmas Eve, after all.”

Chapter Two

It’s a Wonderful Life

Nita jerked her hand out of Alex’s
grasp and took a step back. Her heart hammered and a buzzing sensation
assaulted both ears. She tried to swallow but her mouth had gone bone dry. How
the hell did he know her name? What the fuck was going on here? She shook her
head as she eyed the door. Both men stood between her and escape.

“I’m sorry. That was stupid of me,”
said Cameron. “We saw the story on CNN about your ex. What he did to you was
really shitty.”

Nita looked from one man to the other,
unsure what to say. If she started talking about Gabe she’d probably cry.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” asked
Alex, crossing to the sideboard. “You look like you could use a drink.”

Nita glanced around the room as she
sunk into the nearest armchair. A black leather sofa and loveseat framed the
fireplace. An enormous Christmas wreath featuring pinecones and holly hung
above the mantle. She watched the flames for a moment, desperate to collect her
thoughts.

The Christmas tree in the corner had
to be ten feet tall. The snowfall and darkening sky through the window next to
it created a postcard-perfect backdrop. Atop was the most elaborate angel
ornament she’d ever seen. Her iridescent wings shimmered in the candlelight
that bathed the room. The old-fashioned ornaments on the tree reminded her of
the ones she’d admired on her Nanna’s tree.

Wooden tables that looked as though
they’d been carved out of pine dotted the room, each one holding a golden candelabrum,
blazing with light. A big screen TV dominated one wall. Nita choked back a
laugh when she realized the movie currently playing. Bobby Anderson and Jean
Gale, playing George Bailey and Mary Hatch as kids, talked about coconuts and
the National Geographic Society.

“Don’t tell me it’s your favorite
too?” asked Cameron.

Alex handed her a tall glass. “It’s
eggnog, with a little rum, of course. It’ll help take the chill off.”

Her stomach rumbled again as waves of
hunger swept through her.

“I’ll check on dinner,” said Cameron,
rising.

“I haven’t eaten all day,” she said.

“Neither have I,” said Alex. “I’ve
been saving it for Cameron’s cooking.”

Nita tasted the drink. Eggnog mixed
with rum, just like he said. The frustration at being lost started to melt away.
Alex’s eyes bored into hers, and a rush of warmth spread through her. Had he
put something in her drink? Fear shot through her like hot pokers. She eyed the
door, debating whether to run.

“Your face is flushed. It’s really
warm in here. Let me help you with your coat.”

She stood. “I have to go.”

Alex closed the gap between them and
Nita sucked in a sharp breath at the tenderness in his eyes.

“Nita, I hate it that you’re afraid of
me. I swear on my father’s grave we mean you no harm. Please stay for dinner.”

What was it about those eyes that held
her spellbound? Was she completely out of her mind? She’d never done anything
so impulsive or reckless in her life. It shocked her to realize she loved the
idea of having dinner in a cozy home in the woods with two gorgeous strangers.

She handed her glass to Alex, shook
off her coat, then took back the drink. “Thank you, Alex. I’d love to stay for
dinner.”

Alex hung her coat on a hook by the
door. Nita took another sip, letting the rum warm her insides and relax her
frayed nerves. “I don’t usually drink much.”