The Christmas Inn. Stella MacLean

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СКАЧАТЬ looked…anxious, a little upset.” His squint was quizzical. “Are you friends with the Parkers?”

      “No. No, I… We were just talking,” she mumbled, struggling to remember if either she or Brad had raised their voices.

      She didn’t want any reports going back to Luke about her behavior at the bar. He was already far too paranoid about her being here alone. Learning that she’d had some sort of interaction with one of his precious getaway couples could wreak a whole lot of havoc. And she was definitely not into havoc.

      Jack hesitated. “Can I get you anything?”

      “No, I’m waiting for Luke. He must have been delayed.”

      Upset and out of sorts over her altercation with Brad, she took a good big sip from her glass of wine and gave the drink menu the once-over as she planted a pleasant expression on her face and offered up a prayer that Luke Harrison would make an appearance soon.

      * * *

      LUKE SIGHED AS HE LISTENED to Jack describing a woman at the bar, a description that fit Marnie McLaughlan perfectly. Why had he agreed to meet her there of all places? Why had he agreed to have dinner with her? “Yeah, that’s her.”

      “Still no indication as to when the husband’s arriving?” Jack asked, over the din of the bar.

      “None, and I talked to her not that long ago.”

      “And what did she say?”

      “Not much. It’s a long story. I wish her husband would show up.”

      “Might be a good idea. She just had a pretty heated discussion with the Parkers before they left for dinner. I can’t be sure what it was about, but she and Brad definitely knew each other.”

      Luke groaned inwardly. He couldn’t have Marnie involved in anything having to do with the guests until her husband arrived. He had a lot riding on the next few days.

      He glanced at his watch. He’d agreed to meet her at the bar and he was already late. “I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

      “You don’t have to do that. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

      “I invited her to dinner.”

      “You did what?”

      “You were the one who encouraged me to have her as my guest for dinner, remember?”

      “True. And maybe that’s the answer…until the husband shows up. I’ll see you when you get here.”

      Luke got up from his desk, leaving behind his operating-cost projections for the first quarter of next year, and adjusted his tie. When he entered the bar, Marnie was sitting by herself, reading the drink menu, her slim legs creating a smooth, enticing line from the hem of her short skirt to…bright yellow three-inch high heels. Who wore yellow shoes with a black dress? Who looked that good in yellow shoes and a black dress?

      Jack was polishing glasses, his gaze locked on Marnie. A quick survey of the room showed him that all the men were watching her. The success or failure of the Christmas Getaway event appeared to rest on one sexy woman who didn’t seem to notice any of the attention directed at her.

      Steeling himself for any questions she might have around his earlier behavior and her earlier argument over why she needed a husband here with her, he strode toward the bar. She caught sight of him, a smile lighting her face and warmth shining in her clear gray-green eyes. All he could think about was how attractive she was, how the dress fit her body like a glove.

      A beautiful, sexy woman was waiting for him—Luke Harrison. It had been three years since anyone had waited for him. He sucked in a breath as he struggled to remember why he’d been so annoyed with her. “Sorry I’m late,” he mumbled as he slid onto the bar stool beside her.

      “That’s okay. I’m glad you’re here.” She took a sip of her wine.

      “Why? Did something happen?” he asked, hoping she’d give him her side of the story around the Parkers.

      “No. It’s nothing. I’m just not used to being stared at.” She gave him an apologetic smile as her fingers pleated the napkin under her half-finished glass of wine.

      With this beautiful woman’s eyes focused solely on him, he couldn’t think of an intelligent word to say. And if that wasn’t enough, he suddenly felt awkward, out of his depth. “Why don’t we go to my office before we go to dinner? I need to talk to you about something.”

      She wrinkled her perfectly smooth brow. “If you’d like.” She slid off the stool and waved to Jack who waved back, and then winked at Luke. “But if your concern is over my room, I’m quite happy with it, and I’m really looking forward to having a spa treatment tomorrow.”

      His thoughts rattling around his mind like marbles in a tin can, he followed her from the bar, mesmerized by her walk, and the curl of hair snaking down the nape of her long neck.

      You need to get out more, date a few women.

      When they reached his office, he closed the door and moved quickly to sit behind his desk. He needed to be behind his desk, otherwise he’d be tempted to touch her, and touching her was out of the question.

      “Ah, we have a problem,” he said, forcing himself to get straight to the point.

      “A problem? With what?” she asked, looking completely perplexed and totally endearing.

      For a few minutes he considered backing out of his decision to find out what was going on with this woman and her reservation. But tomorrow was the first day of an event that was critical to the success of the inn’s winter season, a season he’d spent thousands of dollars of his advertising budget on, and he couldn’t let it be jeopardized.

      His conversation with Jack made it even more urgent that he find out what was going on with her. “You’re aware that this Christmas Getaway event is starting tomorrow, and those couples signed up because they want to have a stress-free Christmas vacation, right?”

      “Yes, you explained all that.”

      “Your reservation is for two people.” He cleared his throat to ease his nervousness. “Will your husband be joining you tomorrow?”

      “My husband?” she asked, her expression one of complete disbelief.

      “Your reservation is made out in the name of Mr. and Mrs. Scott McLaughlan.”

      She choked. “What?”

      Why the surprise? Had she planned all along to come without her husband and now she’d been found out? Was she meeting one of the other guests? Surely not Brad Parker. He and his wife seemed so happy when he met them at the reception desk earlier. But if there was something going on between Brad and Marnie, it might explain why she insisted on staying here.

      He pulled the reservation from the pile of papers on the corner of his desk. “See, there it is.” He pointed to the names on the reservation. “We’ve been heavily promoting this package. Your husband would have been informed when making the booking that it was a couples event.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ