SNOWFIRES

by Caroline Clemmons

  “Without a date?” She shuddered at the thought of standing alone in a ballroom to welcome in the New Year while around her couples embraced. “No, thanks.”

  “You can’t sit and pine for Trent for ten days. As my grandfather used to say, ‘Fish, cut bait, or get out of the boat.’ You better decide what you want from life and from Trent. Then, let him in on it.”

  Holly left the country club and went home. She walked into the kitchen and straight to the phone. She dialed Trent’s number.

  “Please answer.” She disconnected on the tenth ring. “Grrr. Everyone but him in the civilized world has an answering machine or voice mail.”

  Maybe he’d gone somewhere else. What if he’d left on a trip of his own? After all, he’d heard Grandpa talk about the trip to Hawaii. Trent probably had his own plans.

  A streak of jealousy shot through Holly. What if he’d invited a woman with him? Someone who didn’t mind gamblers or have issues trusting them?

  An hour later, she tried again. He must have left town. “That’s it. I give up.”

  Laura was right, Holly couldn’t sit and pine for Trent. She had no idea whether they had a relationship or, if they did, whether either of them wanted it to continue. If she’d lost him, she’d face it and move on.

  Somehow.

  She gathered up her clothes, books, and presents and threw them into her car. At the last minute, she loaded Christmas decorations into the trunk. By the time she got to the lake it would be late, so she’d pick up groceries and a tree tomorrow. Then she drove toward Lake Texoma to spend Christmas alone. She had decisions to make.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Trent checked the rings. Perfect. A large diamond with a swirl of smaller stones on each side in a platinum band. The wedding band’s vee of diamonds fit perfectly into the engagement ring. The set was unique, fitting for a unique woman.

  The salesman smiled. “She’s a lucky woman, sir.”

  Trent shook his head and slipped the box into his pocket. “Not nearly as lucky as me.”

  He changed his mind about how his luck was running ten minutes later when his car’s transmission went out at a busy intersection.

  Twenty-four hours later, Trent cursed delays. At least he’d located Holly. Maybe. He’d be in a hell of a pickle if Joe Bob had guessed wrong and she wasn’t at the lake cabin.

  He held a piece of paper so he could read it as he drove. “Yeah, Lake Texoma’s on the right.” He frowned. “Big tree, turn left by the mailbox shaped like a bass.”

  “Big bass?” He shook his head at the giant green fish on a post. “Damn, didn’t believe that one until I saw it.”

  He turned left then looked at the paper again. “Okay, turn right at a blue house. What kind of blue house? Big? Small? Sonofabitch, these have to be the worst directions in the world.”

  His frustration level grew with each mile. He’d missed the turnoff from Highway 75 and wound up in Oklahoma. By the time he’d turned around and found the right road, he’d lost an hour.

  He pounded his steering wheel. “People! I need a street sign here. I need house numbers. Anybody here live in the real world?”

  Snowfall had started and the sky was darkening. If he didn’t find this place soon, he was afraid he would be totally lost and marooned in the middle of nowhere. He was already royally pissed at the halfassed, lamebrain directions Joe Bob had given him.

  Thank heavens, Trent spotted a small blue house and turned right onto a road marked with a ‘No Outlet’ sign. He consulted the paper. “Two miles ahead on the right.”

  He punched the trip button and watched it roll over to one-point-eight miles. Sure enough, up ahead on his right he saw a large house where the road ended. Hot damn and hallelujah!

  He whipped into the carriage drive. Had to be the place from Holly’s description. It was the largest house he’d seen and it sat on a bluff overlooking the lake. Besides that, there were no other houses around. As he got out he noticed Holly’s silver Lexus under the carport.

  He’d found her. Relief swept through him. Not only had he found the house, she was really here. His hands shook as he started to push the bell, and he looked at the door as his stomach coiled in knots again. Oh, no, he had that nerd-at-the-prom-queen’s-door feeling again. His hands were sweating like it was July instead of December. He scrubbed them on his jeans then rang the bell and waited.

  When the door opened, Holly wiped moisture from her face with her sleeve and he saw she’d been crying. Aw, hell, that made him feel worse. He wanted to scoop her up, but he’d planned this carefully and didn’t want to screw it up.

  She was wearing jeans and a blue sweater that matched her beautiful eyes. She’d left her shoes somewhere and had on fuzzy footie things the color of her sweater. Her beautiful hair was down and messy, like she’d been asleep or in the wind.

  Her eyes widened in question. “Trent? C—Come in.” She stood back to let him enter but they stood on the entry tile.

  He spotted a crooked Christmas tree and dangling lights. Boxes of decorations were stacked nearby with a few wrapped gifts.

  She followed his gaze. “I bought a tree, but I can’t get it straight, and the lights are all tangled.” She patted her hair and he figured wrestling with the tree had messed it up. He wanted to reach out and bury his fingers in the golden strands, but he bided his time.

  He saw confusion in her eyes as she realized he’d arrived at this house on what must be the last road on the planet. “How did you find me? Why—why are you here?”

  He shoved his shaking hands into his back pockets. “First, I’ll take the part about how I found you. It was hard, let me tell you. I had to call damn near every hotel in Maui before I found your grandparents. They told me if you weren’t at the house you must be here. Then Joe Bob gave me the world’s worst set of directions over the phone.”

  Trent risked letting her see how his hands trembled by displaying the piece of paper containing his instructions from Joe Bob.

  She shook her head as if to clear it. “But, Trent—“

  He held up his hand. “Nope, still my turn. I have had way too much trouble the past two days not to relate all of this.” He flashed his most charming grin. At least, he hoped it charmed her. “Can we sit down or do I have to do this standing up?”

  She shook herself a bit, as if she still couldn’t believe he was there. “Sorry, come over by the fire.” She led him to one of the sofas. “Here, let me take your coat.” While he looked around and sat down, she took his jacket somewhere.

  The flagstone entry led from a step down into a huge living room the width of the house. This one room was larger than his apartment. In a massive fieldstone fireplace on one wall a fire crackled. Paintings hung on the wall opposite the fireplace between some arches, except for a few shelves that held what looked to him like antiques.

  Two sofas faced each other near the fire. Groups of chairs and tables were scattered around the room. He figured the place could hold a hundred people for one of those parties where everyone stood around and tried to balance food on little plates. Through one of the arches at one side of the living room, a dining room opened and he spotted a kitchen behind it through another doorway.

  To his left, a wall of windows gave a perfect panoramic view of the lake broken only by large live oaks, red oaks, and bare trees and shrubs he couldn’t name. He’d thought the house sat on a bluff, but the back sloped gently downward toward the lake. Red earth showed in patches through the dormant grass, and a red beach lined the shore.

  When she came back and sat beside him, she appeared a little breathless from hurrying.

  He nodded toward the window. “Nice view, but back to my story.” He took a deep breath. This was tougher than he’d imagined. “I rushed out of the plant Wednesday”—he looked at her—“on an important errand. No sooner had I taken care of that, satisfactorily I think, than the jalopy went haywire. Terminal. Kaput.”

  “What did you do?” She smoothed her hair and he saw s
he’d brushed it when she’d disappeared with his jacket. Ah, and she’d applied fresh lipstick to her luscious lips.

  Buoyed by her hurried efforts to primp for him, he smiled. “After an incredibly long wait with people honking and flipping me off, the tow truck arrived and hauled the car and me to a dealership.”

  She touched his hand. “What a terrible thing to have happen. And you missed the Christmas party.”

  Her touch almost wiped out his train of thought. He gave himself a mental slap. “Yes, and by this time it was late and I was hungry. They fed me a hot dog while we haggled over the price of a new car for a hour or two.”

  He turned toward her. “Let me tell you, when your car has just been towed in, it definitely weakens bargaining power.”

  She sniffed and smiled. “I’ll bet they were no match for the Pirate Macleod.”

  “Damn straight. But when I drove off the lot, I went by your place to show you all my day’s purchases. Your house was dark and no one answered. When I got home I called and got an answering machine.” He met her beautiful cornflower gaze. “You didn’t call me back.”

  “Oh.” She blushed. “And I was mad at you for not having an answering machine, but then I never thought to check my own messages.”

  He took her hand. “So, does that mean you called me at some time recently?”

  She nodded and chewed at her freshened lipstick.

  He wanted to brush his lips across hers. Instead, he asked, “How recently?”

  She sniffed. “Yesterday. I—I wanted to talk to you.”

  “That’s usually why people call.” He pulled her near. “Why did you want to talk to me?”

  “To tell you I missed seeing you.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “And ask why didn’t you speak to me for the last thirteen days?”

  “Thirteen? You know exactly how long it’s been?” Dear God, it had seemed like years since he’d held her.

  “Precisely. You told me to get lost when the Amberfield people walked out. You never spoke to me again except for business.” She straightened and looked at him. “No phone calls, no visits, no dinner, no—no anything. Why?”

  He’d missed being with her. And he really needed that anything part. He pulled her into his arms. “I can answer that question by combining it with number two from earlier. You know, the why am I here one?” He cradled her in his arms. Cuddled in his embrace was right, perfect.

  She nuzzled into his neck. “Start talking, sailor.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” He inhaled the sweet vanilla scent of her. “Much as I hate to move, I have to show you something.”

  He released her so he could stand, then took her hand. “Come let me show you my latest purchase.” He led her to a window that overlooked the drive.

  She parted the drapes and leaned her face to the glass, then turned toward him. “The big white SUV is yours?”

  “Yeah. I wanted it to be as close to a white charger as possible.”

  He knelt on one knee before he took her hand. He’d forgotten to open the ring box, but he held it up. “Princess, I know I have faults and there’s not a man alive good enough for you. But I love you, and if you’ll marry me, I promise to do my best to make you happy.”

  She pulled him up, laughing and crying. “Forgive me for doubting you.” She threw herself into his arms.

  “Can I take that as a yes?” He waited, hoping she’d repeat the words he’d said to her. He needed to hear them. Wouldn’t believe until she spoke those three words.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, I love you. Yes, yes, yes.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “Now come sit down and show me the ring.”

  Holly had never been so happy. He loved her. After she’d refused to trust him. Not only did he love her, he wanted to marry her.

  He opened the box. “If you don’t like them, I can exchange them. You could come with me.”

  She gasped at his choice of rings. “They’re perfect. Oh, Trent, I love you. I’ve been miserable these past two weeks.”

  He slipped the engagement ring onto her finger then cupped her face. “Me, too, honey, which is the last part about why I stayed away. I decided if I failed, I shouldn’t have you. You should have a man who can give you the life you’re used to and deserve. I vowed not to touch you if I couldn’t be that man. I decided if I failed again I’d walk away and never see you again.”

  Men. He hadn’t a clue what she needed. Him. She’d finally realized she only needed his love. No conditions, no qualifications.

  “And what about me? What about what I want?” She smacked him on the arm. “Did you think of that? I deserve to have the man I love, and that’s you.”

  He smiled and rubbed his arm. “Sorry. But if I’m the man you want, you have me. And I learned I couldn’t bear the thought of a future without you in it.”

  She remembered her purchase this morning when she’d gone for groceries and the Christmas tree. “Let me give you your present since you’ve given me mine.” She hurried to the stack by the tree and brought him a wrapped box.

  He blinked then smiled. “You got me something?” He looked like a little boy, emerald eyes flashing. For a few minutes he stared at the box as if he were afraid to touch it. “You, um, you got me a present?”

  She thought of the green sweater that exactly matched his eyes. And the sexy black briefs with the red lip print design. And her black lingerie she’d bought to wear for him.

  “I have others for you at home that I bought a couple of weeks ago. This one isn’t that great, but it’s the best I could find at the little town near here.”

  He took it reverently. “Gifts, plural? I can’t remember the last time I had even one present for Christmas. This may be a first for me.” He untied the ribbon with such care and awe it broke her heart.

  He’d missed so much in life, but darned if she wouldn’t make it up to him for the rest of their lives. And she’d make sure he had lots of presents from now on. She’d do her best to see he never felt alone or abandoned from this day forward.

  He laughed when he saw the box. “An answering machine. You’re a treasure, Princess.”

  Oh, and after those awful things she’d said. She touched his face. “Trent, I’m sorry for telling you I couldn’t trust you because you gambled. Grandpa and Laura told me you were right. I thought about it a lot and I know I overreacted, and I know you’re not a gambler like Dad was.”

  She sighed and leaned against him. “It’s taken me a while but I realize everything in life involves risk. If I’m afraid of ever taking a chance, I won’t experience life at its fullest.”

  He slid his arms around her. How wonderful to have him hold her again. She could hardly wait to show him the king-sized bed in the master bedroom here. And the whirlpool tub in the bathroom.

  “Princess, for so many years I depended on no one but myself. I thought that’s the only way to be safe. Imagine my surprise when I found out I not only work better with others, I enjoyed myself more. Here’s the risk thing again—it’s worth risking someone letting you down to benefit from others helping you.”

  He kissed her nose and nibbled toward her ear. “Or sometimes all we need is a duo, like the two of us.” He shifted her onto his lap. “I promise you, Princess, I will never do anything to jeopardize our welfare. Okay?”

  She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “I told you I’ve been thinking a lot. Today I realized that trust is a part of love. I thought mine had died, but you resurrected it. I do trust you, Trent, with my love, and for life.”

  “Thank you, Princess. I’ll do my damndest never to give you reason to regret loving me.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I’ve fought my attraction to you for so long. It’s good to hold you as I’ve wanted to since the day I first met you.”

  She leaned back to look into his eyes. “Really? Since the first day?”

  He nodded. “You haunted my dreams and intruded on my waking thoughts. Played hell with my concentration.”

  So, he had
wanted her from the first, too. “I was intrigued beyond belief from the moment I saw your photo, the one with you standing in an office, but the ocean was in view through a window behind you. I read that first article about you in the Today’s Business magazine.”

  She sighed. “You looked so handsome—but rakish and dangerous. I could believe you really had been a pirate complete with cutlass and skull and crossbones flag.”

  “Well, I’m your pirate or businessman or whatever. And I’m grateful we’re getting married so I can be yours officially for all the world to know.” He brushed his lips across her cheek and sent more heat spiraling to her core.

  “When I was hung up about the gambling thing”—he started to interrupt but she put her fingers to his lips—“I thought I could have an affair with you and make do until we had our fill of one another. But then when you shut me out after the Amberfield deal fell through, I knew I could never be happy without you, that I’d never get my fill of you.”

  “Me neither. It was hard not to give in and call you or come see you. I thought about you constantly. I’m sorry I hurt you, Princess, but I believed it was in your best interest.”

  “It wasn’t.” Oh, dear, she was tearing up. And she never cried. Almost never. “Promise you’ll never shut me out again.”

  “I promise. And you won’t let rumors upset you. If you hear something bad, come and ask me about it, okay? I’ll be honest with you, I give you my word.”

  “I know it was stupid to hold a grudge against you before I gave you a chance. I didn’t want to believe Geneva, but she was so adamant that you’d caused my dad’s heart attack by taunting him. As soon as I got to know you, I knew you would never be so cruel.”

  “Thank you, Princess. And did you find out what really happened that day?”

  She nodded. It hurt to think her stepmother could have been so uncaring. “Marnie finally confided in me because she saw Geneva was trying to come between you and me. In a fury, I confronted Geneva. Poor Dad. For all his faults, he loved us. She even admitted she’d told Dad she was leaving and taking my sisters, that she’d make sure he never saw them again.”