Baby It's Cold Outside (6 page)
Read Baby It's Cold Outside Online
Authors: Addison Fox
A lot.
What his grandmother lacked in subtlety, she made up for in good manners and a smooth ability to set anyone at ease. With a broad smile, she gestured their new arrival forward. “Sloan, then. Please come on up here.”
A light pink blush crept up Sloan’s face, but she stood and moved through the room toward the podium. Walker only felt a brief moment of guilt while watching the sexy glide of her hips as she walked toward the podium in jeans that molded to her firm ass.
“What’s your grandmother up to?” Mick’s voice nudged him out of his daze.
Walker reluctantly dragged his eyes away from the luscious view and turned toward his friend. “I suspect she’s about to make the entire town feel bad about itself.”
“What?”
Walker nodded toward the podium. “Just watch.”
“Welcome to Indigo, dear. Please tell the folks a bit about yourself.”
The flush crept higher, turning Sloan’s cheeks a warm pink that only made her glow under the bright lights that spotlighted the front of the room where the town council sat in a row behind the podium. “Hello, everyone. My name is Sloan McKinley.”
“And what brings such a lovely young woman like yourself to Indigo?”
“I’m here visiting my best friend, ma’am.”
Ma’am
.
.
Walker knew his grandmother’s old-fashioned notions about respect and courtesy just shot to attention at that one.
“You mean you’re not here to compete in next week’s games?”
“Oh no, ma’am. I’m here to visit Grier.”
Walker groaned inwardly as
the look
descended over his grandmother’s face. He’d spent his entire adult life in receipt of it, that look that said Sophie Montgomery knew far better and was about to poke her nose in exactly where it did
not
belong. “Perhaps Mary, Julia and I can change your mind.”
the look
descended over his grandmother’s face. He’d spent his entire adult life in receipt of it, that look that said Sophie Montgomery knew far better and was about to poke her nose in exactly where it did
not
belong. “Perhaps Mary, Julia and I can change your mind.”
At that suggestion, a loud chorus of wolf whistles went up from the various bachelors scattered throughout the room.
His tolerance for his grandmother’s antics evaporated at the obvious interest in Sloan displayed by the bachelors of Indigo. His gaze shifted to her and the small, confused smile riding her features didn’t quite say uncomfortable, but it didn’t exactly broadcast pleasure at the sudden show of testosterone-laden appreciation.
Nothing could have prepared Walker, though, for what came next.
Sloan McKinley smoothed her hands over her sweater, planted a large smile on her face and turned sweetly toward his grandmother. “I’m not easily convinced, but you’re welcome to try.”
His grandmother let out a great whoop of laughter and pointed toward the audience. “It looks like you’re going to give the bachelors of our fair town a run for their money, whether you compete or not.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome, Mayor Montgomery. To show my appreciation, I’d love to get to know everyone. I’m staying over at the Indigo Blue with Grier and we’d love it if you all came on over and joined us in the lobby for a few drinks.”
Another loud round of whistles went up and Walker could only imagine the line that was going to form around Sloan McKinley.
With a sideways glance at Mick, he folded his arms across his chest. “Looks like we’re headed over to the Indigo Blue for a drink.”
Mick’s eyes never left the back of Grier’s head. “Bring it on, buddy.”
Sloan wasn’t sure what had possessed her to invite the entire population of Indigo, Alaska, to join her for a drink, but she never regretted acting on impulse and wasn’t going to start now.
She’d already been introduced to about twenty more people as she’d made her way back across the room from the podium to gather her coat. Sophie had clearly seen drinks as a fitting end to the meeting and had struck her gavel before Sloan had even left the stage.
“What are you thinking?” Grier whispered as she kept a smile firmly planted on her face.
“It just came out. Let’s call it good instincts.”
“But the entire town, Sloan?”
“You wanted to meet people. This is a good way to tell them your side of the story. Besides, people get a hell of a lot nicer once they’ve had a few drinks in them.”
Sloan didn’t miss Grier’s frown as she bent down to retrieve her purse from underneath her seat. She also didn’t miss the conversation that drifted in their direction from several rows away.
“Like buying us off’s going to help.”
“Her friend sure seems to think so.”
The first voice piped up again. “She’s awfully persistent. You’d think she’d realize by now we don’t want her here. The poor little orphan who thinks she’s entitled to something that’s not hers. Her father clearly could not have cared less about her. First anyone heard of her was the reading of the will.”
Sloan’s back stiffened as the words floated toward her. Although the speakers weren’t quiet, the women weren’t broadcasting their conversation either and Sloan suspected they were unaware their comments had been overheard.
But she
had
heard. And if Grier’s frozen position as she leaned down for her purse was any indication, she’d heard, too.
had
heard. And if Grier’s frozen position as she leaned down for her purse was any indication, she’d heard, too.
Sloan couldn’t stop the wave of nausea that filled her as she immediately found herself back in her parents’ kitchen on Thanksgiving.
Those low tones, dripping with false sympathy, smacked far too closely of Betsy and Mary Jo. The dulcet cadence of their words suggested the object of their comments should be scraped off the bottom of a shoe. A warm flush crept across her face and, unlike the slight embarrassment on the stage of the town hall, this had a distinctly different feeling.
Like she was ready to do battle.
Kate Winston came up behind the two women, rapidly shrugging into her padded winter coat. Her voice was stern, but her eyes were focused on Grier. “Come on, Trina, Sherry. Let’s get out of here.”
Unwilling to leave the subject alone, Sloan turned toward the trio of women. The panic that had immobilized her in her parents’ kitchen, making her unable to defend herself to her mother’s friends, fled as her concern for Grier took over. “You sure? It sounds like you’ve all got something to say. There’s no time like the present.”
Grier stood up, purse in hand, and reached for Sloan’s arm. Ignoring the tight grip that suggested she shut the hell up, Sloan kept her gaze level with Kate as she tried to avert her eyes.
“She’s not welcome here,” one of the women added.
Before Sloan could answer, Kate grabbed the redhead’s arm in a gesture surprisingly similar to Grier’s. “We’re leaving, Trina.”
“But you were just—”
“Leaving. Come on. Now.”
The pack of women who’d surrounded Kate Winston when she’d sat down followed her out of the room. None but the redhead, Trina, spared them a backward glance.
Was this really what Grier was dealing with up here? “What the fuck is wrong with them?”
Grier dashed at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t know and I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“But, Grier. This is ridiculous. You didn’t write your father’s will. Hell, you didn’t even know the man existed.”
“She did.”
Sloan caught the misery in Grier’s tone. “She did what?”
“She did know my father. Because he was
her
father. Each and every day of her damn life.”
her
father. Each and every day of her damn life.”
“But—” Before she could finish the thought, the large man with the three-day scruff of beard walked up to them. Sloan didn’t miss the concern he focused on Grier as his gaze searched her face.
“Everything okay?”
The stiffening of Grier’s spine was the only indication she was rattled, but her tone was calm and cool as she turned toward the man. “Everything’s fine.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
With that, Grier slammed her purse over her arm and marched determinedly toward the door.
The gesture was so out of character for her friend that Sloan didn’t know what to do except follow Grier’s retreating form. She tossed a small, apologetic glance toward the guy as she wended her way out of their row of chairs.
As she turned to offer him one last contrite smile, his friend walked up behind him.
The breath caught in her throat as her gaze once again locked with his. Heat suffused her, even as the harsh winds of early December wrapped around her body from the open door.
With one last glance, Sloan turned her attention to Grier. And wished like hell the big guy with the shoulders would choose to spend his evening in the lobby of the Indigo Blue.
Chapter Four
F
irmly pushing aside the unpleasant moments churned up by Kate’s bitchy friends, Sloan went into full-on hostess mode the moment she and Grier returned to the Indigo Blue. She’d play the room, introducing herself to everyone and flashing them her biggest, warmest smile. The one that said Sloan McKinley was both full of girlish charm as well as a damn good time.
irmly pushing aside the unpleasant moments churned up by Kate’s bitchy friends, Sloan went into full-on hostess mode the moment she and Grier returned to the Indigo Blue. She’d play the room, introducing herself to everyone and flashing them her biggest, warmest smile. The one that said Sloan McKinley was both full of girlish charm as well as a damn good time.
Ha.
Fuck Trevor Stuart Kincaid the Fourth and the rest of the Scarsdale assholes who thought she was over the hill
and
a blight on their little high society.
and
a blight on their little high society.
“Do you really think this will work?”
Sloan stood at the bar next to Grier, surveying the townspeople as they filled up the lobby of the Indigo Blue. “Of course it will.”
“But you invited the entire town back to the bar to drink for free on your tab.”
“Only the ones who were at the town hall.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure they called their friends who weren’t there to come on down.”
Sloan shrugged, unwilling to be deterred. She had a freaking trust fund, for God’s sake. It was about damn time she put some of it to good use. “We’re mixing with the locals.”
“It is sort of like Kate’s friend said. You’re bribing them.”
“Grier! I am not.”
“You are, too. And it’s not very . . .” Grier’s voice dropped off as the two large men from the town hall came through the lobby doors.
“Friends of yours?” Sloan couldn’t keep the interest out of her voice. She was still surprised Grier had been so cold and unfriendly to them, but she couldn’t hide the burst of pleasure that the two men had come to the hotel anyway.
“Not exactly.”
“Who are they?”
“Two of the three town grandsons.”
Sloan ran through Avery’s comments from earlier over wine. “
They’re
the grandsons?”
They’re
the grandsons?”
“In the flesh.” Avery came up to them from the other side of the bar.
“And the competition’s for them?” Grier asked, her gaze never leaving the men.
“Well, let’s make no mistake about it,” Avery added drily. “The competition’s for their grandmothers, who have visions of great-grandbabies. But yes, they’re the reason why it’s held each year.”
“What do the bachelorettes compete for?” Sloan wondered aloud as she tried to be discreet in her observations.
“The competition’s actually in two parts. The day is a test of skill for the women. You shoot fake skeet birds, carry pails of water down Main Street. There’s even a mini-Iditarod. It’s presumably to see if you could survive in Alaska.”
“You shoot a lot of birds, Avery?” Sloan couldn’t resist teasing.
“Don’t you know it. Anyway, then in the evening, things switch to the guys. There’s a bachelor auction and dance for the women to bid on the men.”
“What do you do with them?” Grier’s eyes widened and Sloan couldn’t help but giggle.
“It’s not a bordello, Grier.”
Avery laughed at that one. “No, far from it; although, what happens at the auction stays at the auction, if you know what I mean. But no, the proceeds go toward a town fund for needed items. They’ve given scholarships out of it, helped out a family who had a fire. Lots of different things. It’s for the good of the community.”
“That’s rather nice,” Sloan added, impressed the grandmothers had found a way to make their little hobby useful.
Before she could ask any more questions, Sophie Montgomery approached and asked for a moment of Grier’s time. As Sloan watched her friend move to the end of the bar with the mayor, a shot of pride filled her that her plan was working out so well.
Pleased Grier’s community inroads were moving along, she turned her attention back toward the two men. With a glance toward Avery, she said, “The grandmothers can’t get those two married off?”
Avery leaned over the bar and refilled Sloan’s wineglass. “I think it’s a matter of neither of them wanting to, despite their grandmothers’ best efforts.”
“Who’s the third one?”
“He doesn’t live here anymore.”
The tightening of Avery’s voice put Sloan on high alert and she deftly ignored the two men who seemed to have taken over the hotel lobby with their very presence. “Where does he live?”
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