And then she saw it—her beautiful engagement ring, on which she knew very well he’d spent altogether too much money. It hung from a branch a foot from her face, spinning and sparkling on a short length of red satin ribbon. “Oh!”
He pressed his cheek to hers. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart. It sounded really good coming out of his mouth. “Carter...” She turned her head and kissed him—a short, sweet one. And then she took the ribbon off the branch and eased the end from the loop that held it to the ring.
When she had it free, he took it from her, caught her left hand and slipped it on. “Looks good,” he said, his voice just gruff enough to make happy tears scald the back of her throat.
She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him again, a slow one this time, tangling her tongue with his, sighing when he reached down and pulled her in good and close so she could feel how much he wanted her, even with no actual cavorting likely again for hours and hours.
When he lifted his head, he asked, “Rocky Mountain Christmas?”
“Oh, yes, please.”
* * *
They shopped and then shopped some more—well, Paige shopped. Carter went with her into just about every festively decorated store. He carried her bags for her and didn’t complain once.
They ran into lots of friends, two of his brothers and three of his sisters, all of whom congratulated them when Paige showed off her ring. At a little after two, they met up with Dawn and Molly, who both squealed in delight at the sight of the ring.
All four of them were hungry, so they went to Carter’s half sister Clara’s restaurant, the Library Café, where they ate club sandwiches with steak fries. Carter had a beer and Paige, Dawn and Molly all had cappuccinos because they were the perfect drink for a cold, clear almost-winter day.
Carter dropped Paige and the girls off at the house at a little before five. He wanted to check in at BCC and he hadn’t thought to bring a suit over, so he would return to his house to get ready for the Holiday Ball. He left Sally with Paige.
Sally was a sweetie. She kept Biscuit company. The two of them would sniff every inch of the backyard together. Inside, they spent most of their time sprawled on the kitchen floor side by side, drooling on chew toys.
Paige and the girls got to work primping for the big night. They showered and did each other’s hair and helped each other get that smoky-eye look just right. Molly and Dawn gave Paige a bad time about the bruise on her neck, but both assured her that, once she’d dabbed on concealer, you couldn’t even see it. Paige pinned up her hair and wore a vintage ’50s emerald-green taffeta creation. The dress was ankle-length, sleeveless, with a draped collar, a fitted top and a giant full skirt. She’d found it on Etsy and fell hard in love with it, one of those dresses Christina Hendricks might have worn to the office Christmas bash on Mad Men.
The girls had already gone off with their friends when Carter arrived. He looked fabulous in his dark suit and he whistled at her and made her spin around so he could admire her ’50s splendor from all sides.
And then he took her in his arms and he kissed her.
She clung to him and he didn’t seem to mind. “You look so handsome.” She brushed her fingertips through the short, coarse hair at his temple. “And I feel so happy...”
“Merry Christmas to us.” And he kissed her again.
Right then she believed with all her yearning heart that it was all going to work out for them, that their test-run Christmas engagement could lead only to a walk down the aisle and happily-ever-after.
* * *
All the lights were blazing at the white, red-roofed Haltersham Hotel. Twin rows of beautifully decorated trees lined the walk up to the famous front portico where the ghost of Olivia Haltersham was still said to wander sometimes late at night. The frail and unstable Olivia had been the pampered wife of steel magnate Thor Haltersham, who had built the hotel back at the turn of the twentieth century.
Carter passed the car keys to the valet and ushered Paige between the glowing trees and up the walk to the wide front steps. She gave her short black velvet cape to the coat-check girl. They followed the crowd up a series of pink marble steps, beneath a heavily carved mahogany arch and then down a wide hallway to the entry hall that led to the ballroom with its giant windows topped by elegant fanlights. Those windows offered breathtaking views of the mountains. Accented in gorgeous dark woodwork like the rest of the old hotel, the ballroom’s burnished floor gleamed in the light of the original Tiffany stained-glass chandeliers.
It was a magical evening, Paige thought. She danced with Carter, both of them laughing and swaying to the beat, having a great time. And when the band played slow songs, she went into his arms, her taffeta skirt rustling softly against the dark wool of his trousers.
He whispered such lovely things in her ear. He said she was beautiful and he’d always liked dancing with her—never more so than now, when he knew he would get to go home with her and stay the whole night.
Whenever they took a break, they were instantly surrounded by friends and family. Paige didn’t mind at all being hugged and congratulated by Carter’s siblings and half siblings. More than one friend said how they’d always known the two of them would end up together. Carter grinned and complained that he’d had to use all his powers of persuasion to get Paige to give him a yes. Paige laughed and said she’d tried her best to resist him.
Carter said, “In the end, I convinced her to give me a chance.” He pulled her in closer, brushed a kiss at her temple and Paige couldn’t help thinking that the evening had turned out just about perfect.
But perfection never lasts forever.
At a little after midnight, Paige and Carter were standing near the ballroom’s gorgeous old rosewood bar, chatting with Carter’s youngest sister, Nell. Carter had just told a silly joke. The three of them were laughing—and, then, in the space of an instant, Carter’s face went blank and his eyes went flat.
Paige frowned up at him. “Carter, what...?” She let the question die unfinished because by then she’d spotted the problem.
Sherry.
Carter’s ex, in a tight red velvet dress that showed off her lush curves, came right for them. She had her blond hair piled up high, tumbling in little curls along the graceful column of her neck.
Carter caught Paige’s arm and pulled her behind him. He did it so fast, Paige didn’t think to protest. Sherry kept coming, her wide red lips a grim slash and her eyes sparking fire.
The outspoken Nell remarked, “Oh, come on. Seriously?”
Carter sent his sister a quelling look as Sherry stopped short in front of him. He took a crack at civility. “Hi, Sherry. Merry Christmas.”
But his ex wasn’t having it. Sherry tossed her golden head. “You don’t have to look at me like that, Carter. You don’t have to put Paige behind you like that. I’m not going to do anything.”
Paige wasn’t sure she believed her. The blonde was a human explosion just begging to happen. Still, it felt more and more wrong to hide behind Carter, to peer over his shoulder as if he were her shield in case the bullets started to fly.
So she stepped out into the open and took his arm.
“Paige,” he warned darkly. But at least he didn’t try to drag her behind him again.
She aimed a smile at Sherry and said the first mundane thing that popped into her head. “Beautiful party, don’t you think?”
Sherry never once took her gaze off Carter. “I only want to say that I hope...” She seemed to lose her train of thought. Her eyes had started glittering, filling with tears. One got away from her and trailed down her cheek.
Paige slid a glance at Carter. He looked miserable. Paige knew he saw the big scene coming. He hated big scenes and he had no idea how to keep this one from happening.
Paige tried, “Listen,
Sherry. This is neither the time nor the place to—”
“Please.” Sherry sniffed. She tipped her chin toward the art glass chandeliers overhead and announced furiously, “I hope you’ll be happy, Carter. Very, very happy. Congratulations to you both. Long life and...a big family and everything you ever wanted.”
Carter said carefully, “Thank you.”
Sherry turned to go. Paige dared to hope that the worst was over—until Sherry threw her head back and let out a wild cry. Then she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing.
That was when Murray Preble materialized out of the crowd. “Sherry, I’m here,” Murray said, his voice low and gruff, his eyes hot with passion. “I’ll always be here.”
Sherry sobbed all the louder and started walking—straight into Murray’s open arms. “Oh, Murray,” she cried. “It’s happened, just like I always knew it would. He’s with Paige now. Hold me, Murray. Help me. Please...”
Murray cradled her close and whispered something in her ear. Then he gazed over her golden head straight at Carter and gave Carter a slow, solemn nod. Carter didn’t nod back. He stared at nothing, his eyes a million miles away.
Tenderly, Murray tucked a thick blond curl behind Sherry’s ear. “Come on, now, honeycup, it’ll be all right. Just give it time and you’re gonna be fine.” He turned her and ushered her toward the exit. She clung to him, staggering in her high heels like a crash victim reeling away from a horrible accident, until they disappeared through the open doors.
As if on cue, the music started up again.
Nell groaned, “Honeycup? Did he just call her honeycup?”
Carter muttered, “Murray’s a good guy.”
“Yeah. But...honeycup?”
“Looks like it worked for her. She went with him, didn’t she?” Carter took Paige’s hand. “Let’s dance.”
She hung back, worried about him. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t really seem all right. His tawny eyes were distant. “Dance with me.”
What else was there to do but let him lead her onto the floor?
They danced a couple of fast ones and then the band started playing a Christmas ballad. He pulled her close and wrapped both arms around her. They swayed to the music.
Eventually, he asked, “You okay?”
She pressed her lips to the side of his throat and breathed in the scent of his aftershave. “I am. I’m having a wonderful time.”
He nuzzled her ear. “I hate big scenes.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Look at it this way. It’s over and she’s gone. There’ll be no more drama tonight.”
* * *
Half an hour later, Paige left Carter chatting with one of their customers from Boulder. The ladies’ room in the entry hall had a line out the door, so she went looking for a better option.
The clerk at the front desk sent her down a hallway that branched off the lobby on the opposite side from the one that led back to the ballroom. It was a narrow hallway, and rather dim. The milk-glass wall sconces gave only muted light and the carpet was thick underfoot, muffling sound. The sign for the restrooms glowed greenish way down at the far end. And the holiday music from the ballroom? It seemed to be coming from some other dimension.
It really was kind of spooky. Paige shivered a little and a nervous giggle escaped her. People often claimed that the Haltersham was haunted. She might run into frail Olivia’s ghost. Or the ghost of that woman who’d jumped from an upper floor back in the forties when she learned that her fiancé had died on the beach at Normandy...
She’d almost reached the green glow of the Ladies’ Room sign when a woman’s voice behind her said, “Paige. Wait a moment. I’ve been hoping for a word with you.” Soft, cool fingers closed around her arm.
Paige stifled a thoroughly ridiculous shriek and froze in midstep. Turning her head slowly, not sure what to expect, she found herself staring into the ice-blue eyes of Carter’s mom, Willow.
“Willow!” She eased her arm free and pressed her hand to her racing heart. “You surprised me.”
“I’m sorry.” A charming smile lit up Willow’s face. “I really didn’t mean to startle you.”
What was she doing here? She hadn’t been in the ballroom—had she? If she had, wouldn’t she have said hello, at least? And Willow had always avoided town events. No one had mentioned she was coming tonight.
“I had no idea you were here,” Paige blurted. “We didn’t see you in the ballroom,” she added unnecessarily.
But she never knew what to say to Willow. Carter’s mom made Paige nervous. Who knew what went on in Willow’s mind? She always seemed a little antisocial, somehow, as though she didn’t really like other people all that much. She stayed in the mansion her husband had built for his first wife. And when she wasn’t at the mansion, she traveled the world.
Willow laughed her sexy, husky laugh. She wore a clingy, calf-length black dress, low-cut, with spaghetti straps, and she looked absolutely stunning in it. “I only wanted you to know how happy I am for you and Carter. My son’s a lucky man and I know you two are going to be as wonderful together as you’ve always been—only more so, of course, now that you’ll be truly together in the fullest way.”
Well, that was nice. Wasn’t it? “Thank you, Willow. We’re...very happy.”
“I’m so glad.” She caught Paige’s arm again. Paige resisted the impulse to jerk free. “And please say that you’ll let me give you an engagement party.”
What? Willow never gave parties. Did she? “I, um...”
“I really want to do this, Paige. Say that you’ll let me. We’ll do it now, during the holidays. So romantic, to be engaged at this beautiful time of year. A dinner party, at my house, two weeks from tonight. I’ll take care of everything. I promise to make it special. All you have to do is say yes and give me a guest list. I’ll see to the rest. It can be as large or as intimate as you’d like it to be. What do you say?”
Who are you and what have you done with the real Willow Bravo? “Well, that’s so...kind of you.”
“Good. It’s settled, then. Two weeks from tonight.”
“Ahem. Well, we should talk it over with Carter, don’t you think? If you’ll just hold on for a quick minute while I duck into the ladies’ room, we can go talk with him about it now.”
Willow waved a hand. The huge diamond Frank Bravo had given her when he finally married her sparkled aggressively even in the gloomy hallway light. “Oh, I’ve already spoken with Carter. He’s totally on board.”
“Um. He is? He never mentioned a party to me...” And if she didn’t get into that restroom soon, she was going to embarrass herself. “Just...” She held up a finger. “One minute. Promise. I’ll be right out and we can go find Carter.”
Willow gave her another radiant smile and a tiny nod. Paige took that for agreement and darted beneath the glowing green sign, shoving the door wide and rushing through.
All the stalls were empty. She ducked into the first one, slammed the door shut and eased her aching bladder just in time. Once that was taken care of, she washed her hands and hurried back out to rejoin Carter’s mom.
The dim hallway was deserted. “Willow?”
No answer. Willow had vanished as mysteriously as she’d appeared.
Chapter Nine
“You’re serious?” Carter didn’t get it. And he really didn’t like it. “My mother was here, at the hotel, tonight?”
“Yes. Just now. In a hallway off the lobby. She stopped me on my way to the ladies’ room.”
“I thought she was in Palm Springs...”
Paige shrugged. “Well, if she was, she’s not anymore.”
Dread tightened his stomach. Was this about the property? Had his mother told Paige about her insane marriage-incentive plan?
That would not be good. He needed to be the one to tell Paige about that.
Soon.
“Come with me.” He took her hand and led her out of the ballroom and over to one of the long sofas that lined the walls of the entry hall. They sat down. “Now, tell me what happened.”
“It was weird. She popped up out of nowhere. She said how happy she was for us and that she wants to give us a dinner party at the mansion to celebrate our engagement. She wants to do that two weeks from tonight. She said that you’re already ‘on board.’”
“What else did she say?”
“What do you mean, what else?”
“Who knows?” he lied. “With my mother, you never do. So, that’s all she said, then?”
“That’s all—and are you on board for a party at the mansion?”
“How could I be on board? I haven’t seen her or talked to her since...” About then, he realized he’d never told Paige that he’d had a drink with his mother on Thanksgiving Day. If he mentioned it now, Paige would wonder why he hadn’t said anything about it before. She’d want to know why Willow would have asked him to come visit her alone that day.
He wasn’t ready to go there. He just wasn’t.
Paige prompted, “You haven’t seen her since when?”
“A while. It’s been a while.” That sounded lame. He waited bleakly for Paige to demand when, exactly, a while might have been.
But she let it go. She fiddled with her necklace of emerald-green stones and chewed on her plump lower lip. “Don’t be offended, but your mother’s so...strange, Carter.”
“Tell me about it.” He hooked his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She leaned into him with a sweet little sigh. “Don’t let it bother you, okay? Just forget all about it. I’ll deal with her.”
Paige pulled back and scrunched up her face at him. “Wait a minute. What does that mean, forget all about it?”
“It means you don’t have to worry. I’ll get us out of it.”
“Carter, no. I never said I wanted to get out of it.”
Carter Bravo's Christmas Bride Page 12
