All a Cowboy Wants for Christmas. Judith Stacy

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ deeper, richer. His eyes looked darker. The heat he gave off pulled her closer, as if she were bound to him, unable to break away.

      “What else are you offering?” he asked.

      A spark of heat forced its way through her muddled thoughts.

      Had he just made an indecent proposal?

      Marlee replayed his words in her mind. Good gracious, he had.

      Of all the nerve. How dare he? Anger, outrage—something—raced through her. She should slap his face and stomp out of his office, and never speak to him again.

      But what about the money for the musical group? The festival? The town of Harmony that was counting on her?

      Well, she would have to give him a piece of her mind later—which she certainly would do.

      Marlee tamped down her feelings and looked at Carson across the desk.

      “If you weren’t aware, Mr. Tate,” she told him, “I’m currently in the employ of Mrs. Lillian Montgomery of Philadelphia, where I perform social and business duties with the utmost efficiency and competence, having been trained at the Claremont School for Young Ladies.”

      “The Claremont School for Young Ladies, huh?” Carson reared back in his chair.

      “It’s a very prestigious institution,” Marlee assured him.

      “I’m sure it is.” He shook his head. “But I’ve got Drew to handle my business, and I don’t have a need for social help, whatever that is.”

      “Oh, but you do,” Marlee assured him. “Your home isn’t decorated for Christmas. I could do that for you—and in good taste.”

      “I don’t need my house decorated,” Carson said.

      “I could purchase gifts for everyone on your Christmas list,” she said.

      Carson shook his head. “I don’t give Christmas gifts.”

      “You don’t give gifts?” Marlee blurted the words out.

      He sat forward. “How about cooking? Are you good at it?”

      Cooking? Who said anything about cooking? Why would he mention it?

      “How about scrubbing and washing?” he asked.

      She kept her belongings neat and organized, but Mrs. Montgomery employed servants who did the heavy cleaning.

      Marlee’s spirits dipped considerably. If her cooking and cleaning skills were what it took to convince Carson to give her the money she needed, the Christmas festival was doomed.

      “My request for a donation is made in the spirit of Christmas, and for the betterment of Harmony,” Marlee said. “I think you’re missing the point.”

      “No, I believe you’re the one missing the point,” Carson told her.

      Not a hint of a smile showed on Carson’s face. His expression hardened. He exuded a toughness, a strength that she hadn’t seen before. Marlee knew she was gazing at a man who knew how to drive a hard bargain, to force a deal to go his way, to get the upper hand and keep it. She imagined other, less hardy men cowing down, giving him his way.

      Yet something inside Marlee seemed to rise up, anxious to take him on.

      “I run a business, not a charity,” Carson told her. “The gifts I give folks in Harmony are jobs so they’ll have money in their pockets, food on their tables. I bring new business to this town so it will grow, so more families can have better lives. I work hard at that. Very hard. And I’m not about to give away a hundred dollars so that a bunch of people can come here and sing songs.”

      Marlee’s anger boiled over. She shot to her feet. “How can you claim to care about the citizens of Harmony when you have no real idea what’s at stake?”

      “I assure you, Miss Carrington, I know exactly what’s at stake,” he told her. “One hundred of my hard-earned bucks.”

      “This isn’t about you, Mr. Tate, or what you want,” Marlee said, glaring down at him.

      Carson lurched from his chair and circled the desk in three quick strides to stand next to her. The force of his presence mere inches from Marlee nearly overwhelmed her, but she stood firm, refusing to give him the upper hand by backing away.

      “I always get what I want,” he told her.

      He was close, so close. The scent of him as strong, luring her nearer with its familiarity—a familiarity she wouldn’t give in to this time.

      Marlee gazed up at him. “Don’t even think about kissing me again.”

      Carson’s expression shifted, as if the hunger that had come over him now threatened to consume him—and suddenly all Marlee could think was that if he didn’t kiss her again, she couldn’t stand it.

      Goodness, what was she thinking?

      Forcing aside her feelings, Marlee narrowed her eyes at him in what she hoped was a threatening glare.

      “I want my gun back,” she told him.

      “When you’re all riled up like this?” he asked, and uttered a little laugh. “I don’t feel like getting shot right now.”

      “You’re despicable,” she told him.

      Marlee reached for her market basket. Carson snatched the cookies from inside.

      “I never said I didn’t want the cookies,” he told her.

      “Oh!”

      Marlee stomped out of the office and slammed the door behind her.

      Chapter Eight

      She’d failed. Completely and miserably.

      Marlee hurried along the boardwalk, Carson’s words still ringing in her head. He’d refused to donate to the Christmas festival, and nothing she’d said had changed his mind—she hadn’t even instilled a moment’s hesitation in him.

      Except when she’d mentioned kissing her again.

      “Oh, dear …” Marlee fretted as she continued on her way to—well, she didn’t know where she was going. Nowhere, really. She just needed to walk, to keep moving, to somehow deal with her encounter with Carson.

      And put off the inevitable.

      She’d have to go to Mrs. Tuttle’s home and confess that she’d failed at getting Carson to donate the money to bring the Laughlin Singers to Harmony. Marlee cringed at the thought. The mayor’s wife, her cousins, the women at the meeting, the town merchants had put their faith in her, and she’d let them down.

      Marlee’s steps slowed, recalling how the mayor’s wife had cautioned her that Carson would be difficult to convince. Everyone in town knew he was focused heavily on his business. СКАЧАТЬ