The Christmas Inn (17 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

S
HE
’
D
NEVER
DEFIED
HER
MOTHER
, not openly at least. What a sad thing to have to admit at
the age of thirty-five. But that had been her life…so far. She’d always
complained about her family running her life, her brothers’ interference, but
Luke had made her realize that she had
allowed
her
family to control her life.

She was aware that her family was especially protective of her,
all because they were concerned about her health, but their concern after her
accident had become a habit of constantly weighing in on her life and how she
lived it. Still, she hadn’t fought back or stood up for herself—until she’d
decided to sell her salon.

It was time to call her mother.

When Eleanor McLaughlan answered, there was impatience in her
voice. “Honey, you haven’t called me all week, and I was worried. Scott said you
were coming home today, and I’ve been waiting. Have you forgotten what day this
is?”

“Christmas Eve.”

“Where are you? Your brothers and their families are due here
later this afternoon. I need you. I have your Mrs. Claus outfit all ready. We
agreed—”

“We didn’t agree, Mom. You just assumed I’d show up.”

There was a moment of silence in which Marnie suddenly wished
she could simply pack up and go home, erase the flat line of her mother’s lips
and once again be the person in the family whom everyone could always rely
on.

“Well, yes, of course your father and I have expectations of
you, and your brothers do, too. You’re part of this family, and part of our
Christmas tradition. Have you forgotten we’ve got everyone coming over after
church tonight, and you’re the one who leads the Christmas singing?”

“No, of course I didn’t.”

“Then, tell me what’s going on with you. Why did you leave home
without saying anything to your father and me? How am I supposed to host our
Christmas party without you? And what’s this about you selling your
business?”

Guilt made her stomach pain and her head throb. She’d let her
mother down by not doing what was expected of her. How easy, how completely
automatic, it would be to utter the words that would appease her mother—to go
home to her old bedroom at her parents’ house over Christmas, and get the
requisite cashmere sweater and Guess bag.

How easy and how awful.

And it would continue to be that way for as long as she allowed
it. If she didn’t take control of her own life, she’d soon be booking a room at
her parents’ seniors residence so she could continue her daughterly duties.
Visions of her and her parents playing cribbage or bridge or some other game
popular with the retired set popped into her mind.

She might not be an athlete, and she hadn’t graduated from
college, but she shouldn’t have to do her family’s bidding. She was a successful
businesswoman who had earned the right to make her own decisions. “Mom, I won’t
be home for Christmas,” she said.

“You what!” Her mother’s voice held a mixture of anger and
disbelief.

“I’ve been away trying to figure out what I want to do with my
life now that I’ve sold my business. And I think… No, I’ve
found
what I want to do.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” her mother said, indignantly. “Why
don’t you wait and discuss it with the family when you get here?”

“Mom, what I do with my life has to be my decision.”

“Why are you acting so…so unlike yourself, honey? Why didn’t
you postpone your decision to sell your business until we had a chance to talk
it over with you?” she asked, her voice taking on that familiar tone suggesting
that once again Marnie hadn’t quite reached the goal set for her.

“I’ve met someone.” Marnie swallowed against the flood of
feelings engulfing her. She wished Luke was beside her, to offer support. But
Luke didn’t know she loved him.

She closed her eyes, letting her feelings for Luke wash over
her, a smile forming on her lips. “I’m in love for the first time in my life.
Genuinely, truly in love with a man who has a little boy.”

Eleanor gasped. Marnie could picture her fingers flying to her
throat, clutching her single strand of Mikimoto pearls, her look of shock as she
peered over her half-glasses at Dad. “But, Marnie, how could this happen so
fast? How do you know him? Where does he live? What does he do for a
living?”

“Mom, slow down. His name is Luke, and he’s—”

“Why not bring him here for Christmas? The family needs to meet
him.”

“He can’t come, because he runs an inn, and he has to be here
for Christmas. And I want to be here with him and his son, whose name is Ethan.
I’ve been staying at his inn, and there was a snowstorm, and I helped him out.
His best friend and his wife had a baby during the storm.”

“What an emotional time for you, honey, but maybe that’s all
this is. Simply an emotional reaction to the circumstances?” she asked, her
voice warm and soothing, the implication clear. The only daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. McLaughlan could not possibly be right about something they had no input
on.

Her fingers tightened around the phone. “No, Mom. It’s not like
that at all. I love him. Please understand. I’ve never felt like this.”

“Marnie, you know your father and I worry about you, and want
you to be happy, but are you certain about this? I mean it’s so fast. You’re
often so quick in your decision making, and sometimes it’s had a negative
influence on your life.”

She wished her mother could behave differently toward her, just
this once. She knew it wasn’t going to happen, and it made her very sad. She
closed her eyes, steeling herself against her mother’s disappointment. “Mom, I
won’t be there until probably the day after Christmas. I’ll call you.”

“By all means,” her mother said, her words stiff.

Marnie got off the phone, awash in sadness. Why did every
important conversation with her mother leave her feeling inadequate? Why
couldn’t her mother try to be happy for her?

Her cell phone danced in her hands causing Marnie’s heart to
pound. This call was bound to be from her father, her mother’s trump card when
it came to getting Marnie to do her bidding.

Instead, it was Scott. It had been a long time since she’d
welcomed a call from him. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Marnie, I’ve got good news,” Scott said.

“Good news for you or for me?”

“For you. Advantage Corporation has decided not to go through
with the survey after all.”

“Well, I have news for you, too. I decided not to turn in the
results.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because it felt too much like spying on someone I care about.
I couldn’t do it. I was going to tell you today.”

“That’s it? So, you’ve been sitting up there surrounded by
luxury, enjoying a great vacation? Is there something you’re not telling
me?”

“It’s a long story. Mom can fill you in on the details.”

“You’ve been holding out on me, haven’t you?”

“It doesn’t really matter. I won’t be home today.”

“Do Mom and Dad know?” Scott sounded shocked.

“Yes. I just got off the phone with Mom.”

“What did she say?”

“Oh, you know. The usual stuff.”

“Well, I guess there isn’t much more for me to say. One great
thing came out of all this, though. Advantage wants me to make a proposal for
their next major ad campaign.”

“Did they say any more about their plans for the Mirabel?” she
asked.

“They’re on their way there now.”

“On Christmas Eve? You’ve got to be kidding. Who does business
on Christmas Eve?”

“Welcome to a new world of decision making, my dear
sister.”

“Does Luke know?”

“The manager? I assume so.”

Why hadn’t Luke said anything? What if he didn’t know? “I’ve
got to go.”

“Wait! When will you be back in town?”

She couldn’t think about that now. She needed to get to Luke.
“Soon, I hope. Talk to you later.”

“Merry Christmas, Marnie.”

“Yeah, you, too,” she said. It might not be a merry season for
Luke, and she had to find him. “I’ve got to go.”

* * *

L
UKE
HAD
TRIED
TO
WORK
on his cost projections for next year, but his mind
wouldn’t cooperate. All he could think about was Marnie, why she’d rushed off
and hadn’t returned. He was pacing and worrying about her when the office phone
rang. Relieved to have a distraction, he answered.

“It’s Angus McAndrew here. I need to speak with Luke
Harrison.”

Oh…no. “Speaking.”

“We’ve been going over the financial reports you sent us, and
we’d like to meet with you. I realize it’s the holiday season and all, but this
can’t wait. We have a board of directors meeting the first week of January.”

Luke’s stomach tightened in anticipation of the board’s
decision. “When would you like to meet?”

“We’re on our way up from Boston now, and we should be there in
a couple of hours. I have my accountants and acquisitions people with me.”

“Are you planning to put the inn up for sale?”

“Yes, that will be part of the discussion.”

Anger toward this man who could be so uncaring not to see what
he was doing to Luke’s life, not to mention the lives of all his staff, wiped
all other thoughts from his mind. If there was even the slightest chance that he
could convince McAndrew to let him make a counter offer, he’d do it. But he
needed money to make a bid for the inn, and that meant finding a backer. “I’ll
be here,” he said.

The conversation ended with the usual pleasantries, and he
couldn’t wait to get off the phone. He twirled his steel pen in his fingers.
He’d try his father first. He might know someone interested in financing the
purchase.

His father’s cell phone went immediately to voice mail, and he
left a message. As he hung up, someone knocked on the door. He rose to answer
it. Marnie stood there, her eyes wide. “Oh, Luke, something’s happened,” she
said, a frown drawing her eyebrows together. She slid into his arms, hugging him
close. Love swelled through his chest: love and need and want and all the
emotions he’d ever felt for a woman, as he enfolded her in his arms.

“I just got off the phone with Scott. The people from Advantage
Corporation are on their way here.”

“I know. They called here a few minutes ago.” He continued to
hold her close, to soak in the feeling of her in his arms, a wave of yearning
sweeping through him.

She rubbed his back as she nestled her body against his. “What
did they say?”

“They’re coming to talk about the inn, about selling it.”

“No. Does that mean you still have a job?”

He tightened his arms around her, seeking reassurance. “I
assume so, but it will ultimately be up to the purchaser, and they may bring in
their own manager. Or Advantage might offer me a job at another one of their
hotels.”

“Where would that be? I mean, would you have a chance at a job
somewhere else around here?”

“They have a group of boutique hotels spread out all over the
world. It could be anywhere they have a position they think I could fill,” he
said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

She gazed up at him, her eyes searching his. “Would you
move?”

He shook his head. “I can’t leave here. My life is here. Ethan
loves it here, and these people are my family.” He had no other family, none he
could count on, at any rate.

“Maybe they’ll decide not to move you until they have a
buyer.”

“That’s possible.”

“Is there another option? Anything else we might be able to
do?”

He eased out of her arms, aware of the anxiety in her eyes, and
wished he had another choice. “Unless you have a couple million or so dollars
hidden away somewhere, there’s not much we can do. The owners will be here soon.
They’ll look over the facility, probably offer me a position elsewhere, then
leave and go home to their families for Christmas.”

“We have to come up with something.” She began pacing the room,
her hands on her hips, her firm breasts pressing against the soft fabric of her
white T-shirt. His body hardened. He wanted to make love to her. And not the
slow and easy kind of loving, but the kind that left them both panting and
wanting more.

“Marnie, stop pacing for a moment,” he said. “I have something
to ask you.”

She stopped. “I’m listening.”

Determined not to let her duck the question this time, he took
her hands in his. “The last time I saw you, you needed to do something before we
could talk about us. Did you get it done?”

“I did.” She searched his face. “I talked to my mom, and I had
an epiphany, you might say.”

“Don’t do this to me, woman.”

“I…” Her fingers wrestled with his. “This is probably not the
time or the place, and you have so much on your mind right now.”

She was driving him crazy. “Out with it.”

She squeezed his fingers as a smile blossomed on her face. “I
love you.”

He ran his hands up her arms, along her neck, savoring the feel
of her skin beneath his fingers, anxiety circling his mind. “You love me?” he
asked. “How can you be sure?”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I
T
WAS
DÉJÀ
VU
ALL
over again.

A few minutes ago in her room with her mother as her only
witness, she’d confessed to loving Luke Harrison. Then she’d traipsed down here
expecting him to be overjoyed.

She’d expected him to say that he loved her, too. By the way he
held her, by the look in his eyes, she believed he felt the same as she did,
that they were meant to be together. She had imagined that Luke’s feelings for
her ran as deep and as strong as hers did for him, but she’d confused lust for
love.

That’s all this was really about.

If only she’d kept her big mouth shut. In her silly rush to
tell him, she’d never entertained the possibility that he’d be less than
thrilled with her confession.

She’d taken the stupid-in-love approach, and confessed her
feelings to a man who obviously didn’t share them, and she’d been too intent on
her dream to see what was right in front of her.

She was aging, growing old and desperate. She was desperate
enough to think that a man as handsome as Luke might find an unemployed
hairdresser with chipped nails and an overprotective family loveable.

Had she really expected him to say those three little words
after only three days of knowing each other, during which their opportunities
for intimacy had been thwarted by everything else going on?

Her cheeks glowed red. Tears of humiliation pricked beneath her
lids. She turned away, feigning interest in an impressionist painting of water
and trees on his office wall. Messed up water and trees, messed up like her.

Concentrate on the gentle scene in the
painting. Take a deep breath. Get your act together and figure out how to
get out of this room without making another blunder.

“Marnie, look at me.”

She had no intention of facing him. She had her pride to
consider. “I have to get back to my room.”

He turned her around and slowly tilted her face up to his. “You
can go to your room after I’m done.”

Not “I’m sorry.” Not one whisper about love, about anything
remotely related to an intimate relationship. Just a direct order—like she was a
member of his staff.

She wasn’t going to let him boss her around. Not a chance. She
raised her eyes and stared directly into his.

Would she never learn? Her mother and her family were right.
Her impulsive behavior had resulted in regret, again.

She gently disentangled herself from him. She needed to get
away. Away from the humiliation of believing in something that would never be.
“I’ve got to pack.”

“Is this your answer? To run away whenever you’re faced with
real feelings?” he demanded, leaping past her and blocking the door.

“Please don’t pretend to care, and don’t worry about my bill.
As you said yourself, you have Scott’s credit card.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

She didn’t answer him, nor did she look him in the eye. She
seemed to be studying the front of his shirt.

“Marnie, do you have any idea what your words mean to me?”

Her gaze slowly moved up his shirtfront. “My words were a
mistake. Forget I said them.” She moved to one side, making it plain she planned
to escape past him.

He stepped in front of her. “Not so fast. You haven’t answered
my question.”

“Your question. I make a complete fool of myself and you’re
worried about me not answering your question.” She snorted, and this time her
eyes locked on his.

Her beautiful green eyes, luminous with suspicion, searched
his, as passion welled up in his heart, shattering his reserve. He struggled to
find his voice, his heart drumming in his chest. His brain wouldn’t function; he
couldn’t find the words to say what he so desperately needed to say.

His hands holding her arms began to tremble. He cleared his
throat. “Marnie, I love you. That’s why I was so surprised when you said it. And
yes, I’m sure I sounded like I didn’t believe you or didn’t feel the same way,
and I’m sorry if what I said hurt you.”

Her eyes closed, and two small rivulets of tears trickled
slowly from beneath her lids, meandering down her cheeks. But it was her sigh,
so filled with longing and raw emotion, that was his undoing. He pulled her
against him, holding her chin in his eager fingers, his lips moving over hers.
His mouth brushed hers, hesitating on the sensitive skin at corner of her mouth,
eliciting her sudden intake of breath. He took her head in his hands and kissed
her lips, the heat of her body fanning the fire already threatening to burn out
of control.

She returned his kiss, her body seeking his, pressing into his
erection and forcing a groan of pleasure from him. He trailed his lips along her
jaw toward her ear, relishing in the soft tenderness of her skin. His hands
cupping her head, he eased her face back, tilting it up so that he could look
straight into her eyes. “Marnie, I love you. I loved you the moment I met you on
the front step. I didn’t recognize it as love because I was too wrapped up in my
own selfish concerns to acknowledge my feelings, which shows you just how dumb I
can be. But from the first—that instant I saw you—you’ve been all I can think
about.”

Again her incredible green eyes searched his, a slight smile
tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I was so sure you didn’t like me. You were
kind of rude, you know.”

“Why do you think I delivered your dinner that night?”

“I don’t know—all that was going through my mind was that you’d
see my pink bustier.”

He laughed in a way he hadn’t laughed for a very long time.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

He inhaled her scent, clinging to the moment, wishing they
could stay like this forever. “You know those yellow shoes caught my attention
first, but you really had me going with that pink bustier. You wouldn’t be
wearing it now, by any chance, would you?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but today’s offering is a standard C-cup
utility model.”

“I’ll take whatever you’re offering.” Giving in to the
happiness her smiling face held for him, he kissed her mouth again, lingering,
alive in the moment. He was no longer alone, but held in his arms the one person
he’d found who could relight his life.

She sighed deeply and her body arched to conform to his. “I
meant it when I said I love you. But standing here like this is driving me
crazy. Could we take this somewhere? Maybe my attic abode?”

“We can take it anywhere you want,” he said, his arms circling
her waist, happiness bubbling through him. He kissed her again and again,
wanting more of her with each taste.

A gentle tap on the door startled both of them. “Are we doomed
never to have a moment alone?” he moaned as he moved her away from the door,
keeping her body as close to his as possible. “Who is it?”

“It’s Amanda. I’m sorry, but I need to speak to you. It’s
urgent.”

Marnie took a seat in the guest chair near his desk while Luke
opened the door. He threw her a knowing glance. “Come in.”

Amanda entered the office, a worried frown on her face. “There
are three men in business suits waiting in the library. Were you expecting
them?”

“Did they give their names?”

“They did, but I didn’t catch them. One of them passed me
this.” Amanda gave him a business card with Angus McAndrew’s name on it.

“The CEO of Advantage Corporation is here,” he said.

“They’re here already?” Marnie asked, a slight tremble in her
voice.

“So it appears.” He turned the card over in his hands, his mind
racing over how the meeting would go, who the potential purchaser was, what his
future role would be.

“Who are these people?” Amanda asked, her worried look
switching from Luke to Marnie and back again.

“This man who gave you the card runs the company that owns this
inn.”

Amanda’s eyes widened. “The owners? What does that mean? Why
are they here today of all days?”

“Let me talk to them and see exactly what’s on their
minds.”

“Do you want me to show them in?” Amanda asked.

“No, I’ll meet them in the library in a couple of minutes.”

He closed the door behind Amanda before turning to Marnie.
“Whatever happens in the next couple of hours, I’m not letting you go, so don’t
get any crazy ideas about packing your bags again,” he warned, kissing her.

“They’re a bunch of mean-spirited grinches to show up here at
Christmas and drop bad news in your lap.”

“So the sooner I meet with them, the sooner we can get back to
our first Christmas together.”

She put her arm around his waist, the warmth of her body his
defense against his dread. “How can you be so calm?” she asked.

“Because I have you now.” Luke let the air he’d been holding in
his lungs escape in a long, tired sigh. “And as much as I’d like to continue
this, it’s time for me put my manager hat back on.”

Marnie’s hands rested on his chest, her expression one of
determination. “I’ll be here when you need me.”

“I’m lucky you dropped into my life when you did.”

“Dropping in is a specialty of mine. Don’t forget to call when
you’re done.”

“I’ll call you the second they’re gone.”

“I’ll be waiting.” She stepped out of his arms, and went to his
desk to jot down her cell-phone number. Bringing it over to him, she said, “I’ll
probably be in my room, but just in case I’m not, here’s my number.”

He studied the piece of paper in his hands, a sense of calm
settling over him. “You’ll be the first person I’ll call.”

She gave him the thumbs-up. “It will all work out, you’ll
see.”

“Based on what?”

“Based on the fact that we love each other, that we’re going to
deal with things together from now on, and that includes the three suits sitting
in the library.”

“Gotta love these feisty women,” he said, kissing her hard on
the mouth, his lips claiming hers, his body hardening. Then he released her and
watched her leave the room.

Staring at the door, he wished he could let them stay out there
a little longer to cool their heels, but he would only be postponing the
inevitable. With a heavy sigh, he pulled on his tie and jacket, smoothed his
hair and went down the hall to the library.