by Jaclyn Hardy
“So, what style are you going with? One story? Two?”
Stuart glanced at Heather before answering. “It’s two stories. Ranch style.”
Getting any more out of Stuart was going to be impossible now that Dad had him talking houses. Heather was grateful for the salad that was set in front of her because it gave her something else to concentrate on. Stuart was hiding something, and she was determined to figure out what it was.
Stuart could have hugged Heather’s dad for showing up when he did—which he wouldn’t because that would just be weird. The fact that he was a butcher was going to come out a lot sooner than he’d hoped, and there wasn’t much he could do about it. Stuart knew that the interruptions that kept popping up would only work for so long.
The storm hadn’t improved at all in the time they’d had dinner. Stuart was stuck for the night. He sighed and turned from the window to go check on a room reservation. Heather still sat at a table with her family. But then most of the dinner crowd hadn’t moved either. There wasn’t much else to do while they were stuck here.
He wove his way through the tables and out of the front desk. “Hey, Rachel. It’s quite a crowd here, tonight.”
She smiled. “Isn’t it great? I’d worried that this place would be empty for Christmas with everyone traveling out of town.”
“Well, now they have a fancy place to stay. Why go anywhere else?” Stuart cleared his throat. He still hadn’t gotten over the crush he’d had on her since first grade. “Speaking of which, I don’t suppose there’s a spot for me anywhere here?”
Her smile turned to a frown. “I’m sorry, but we’re totally booked. But hold on. Let me see what I can do.”
“Even a corner and a blanket would work for the night.”
Rachel shook her head. “We’re not that desperate yet. We have a couch or two.”
Stuart chuckled. “That sounds much better.”
“I’ll get you some blankets. While you’re waiting, do you think you could find Patrick? I figure while everyone is here, we might as well play a little music.”
“I can do that.” He left the front desk and wandered toward the kitchen. Several cooks sat at a table eating their dinner, while a few others still stood at the stoves. “Hey, has anyone seen Patrick?”
“Pretty sure he’s down in the cellar checking on the furnace,” one chef said. Lance? Something like that.
“Thanks.” Stuart turned and headed for the cellar. He’d come to the mansion a few times as a teenager, and he still couldn’t believe the changes that had been made in this place. They’d cemented the walls and floor to prevent flooding and mold and added electricity.
Patrick crouched next to the furnace muttering to himself.
“That bad, huh?”
“We have a full hotel, and the pilot decides to go out.” Patrick glanced back at him. “What are you doing out in this storm?”
Stuart crouched down next to him. “Saving damsels in distress.”
Patrick laughed and turned a knob. “Sounds exciting. Who’s the lucky girl?”
“I’ll give you one guess.” Stuart picked up the lighter that lay on the floor. He’d had to fix the pilot light for his mom a few times.
“No way.”
“Yup.” Stuart pushed the reset button and held it while Patrick lit the pilot. A few clicks and a whoosh. Perfect. “There you go.”
“If Rachel asks, I was the one who fixed this.” Patrick shut the door to the furnace and stood.
Stuart wiped his hands on his jeans. “Got it.”
Patrick grabbed a couple of cans of hot chocolate and handed them to Stuart before grabbing two more. “So, how’d you manage to run into her this time?”
“Snowstorm. I decided driving home would be a bad idea, so I headed this way. She’d managed to get herself stuck in a drift, so I pulled her out.”
“And I don’t suppose you told her what you do for a living yet?” Patrick turned the lights off to the cellar and walked up the stairs.
Stuart snorted. “No. We always seem to be around her family, and I don’t want them all hating me.”
“Are they all vegetarians?” Patrick asked, surprised.
“No, just her.”
“So what’s the problem?”
Stuart set the cans on the shelf next to Patrick’s. “I took too long. Now I’ll just look like a complete liar for not saying anything sooner.”
Patrick shrugged. “I figure if she’s as amazing as you think she is, she’ll figure out how to deal with it.”
“I doubt it.” Stuart heard Rachel laugh in the lobby. “Oh, man. I forgot why I came to find you. Rachel wants to put on a small concert. She needs help getting everything set up.”
“I was about to go suggest the same thing.” Patrick left the kitchen and found Rachel in the lobby. “Your errand boy just remembered what he was supposed to tell me. Did you get everything moved?”
Stuart laughed. “I may have forgotten, but I did save your hotel by restarting the pilot light.”
“Fair enough.”
“Would you two stop?” Rachel laughed. “Everyone heard concert and had everything moved within minutes. We just need to get the equipment set up.”
“That’s my cue.” Patrick waved to Stuart and headed for the ballroom.
The couch called Stuart. It was the first time in a long time he wouldn’t need to wake up early for work, and he looked forward to a good night’s rest. But he knew that as soon as the music started up, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He went to the ballroom to see if there was anything he could help with, but Rachel had been right. Everything was pretty much ready to go. Some of the crowd had pulled their chairs close to the stage so they could watch her perform, but there was still plenty of space for dancing.
“Nothing like an impromptu concert for Christmas.” Heather’s voice pulled Stuart’s attention away from the stage.
“I don’t think Rachel wants us to be bored while we’re stuck here.” Stuart replied.
Heather glanced between Stuart and the stage. “So, what’s the history with you two?”
“We’ve been friends since grade school.”
“And how long did you have a crush on her?” Heather’s eyes danced as she waited for an answer.
Stuart looked at her in surprise. It was that obvious? Probably. “Since high school. But Patrick is perfect for her. I can almost forgive him for snatching her away. But she kinda had that effect on everyone around her. I can name several others in this town who felt the same way.”
Heather smiled. “She seems really nice. And her voice is beautiful.”
Christmas music started up and Rachel sang “White Christmas.” Some danced while others sat there listening to Rachel’s mesmerizing voice. Stuart glanced over at Heather. She was caught by the spell as well, it seemed.
He leaned close to her ear. “Want to dance?”
Heather blinked and looked over. “I don’t even know how to dance to this song.”
Stuart stood and held out a hand for her. She took it, sending a shiver through him. He led her out to the dance floor and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “The thing about Christmas songs is that you can dance however you want.”
“So you chose the waltz?” Heather raised an eyebrow.
“Why not?” He let go and twirled her in a circle before bringing her back in. “See? Perfect.”
Heather blushed. “You dance pretty well for a small-town guy.”
Stuart held his heart. “You insult me. I’ll have you know, I learned from the best.”
“Oh? You took dance?”
“If you call learning to waltz in my grandma’s living room taking dance, then yes. She insisted on teaching all of us.” Memories of summer nights at her house flooded his mind. “She studied dance at Juilliard and traveled the world before marrying my grandpa and settling here.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.” Heather pulled away as the song ended. “Did she ever regret leaving the sta
ge?”
Stuart shrugged. “Probably. But she never admitted it. She always said marrying a farmer and raising a family was her next big adventure.”
Heather shook her head. “You’re just this huge ball of surprises. You know that, right?”
She had no idea. Only if she found out that one big thing, she wouldn’t think it was so cool. “Pretty much. Now, would you like to rock around the Christmas tree with me?”
The concert went on for another two hours before people started drifting off to their rooms. Stuart jumped in and picked up the other end of a table to help Patrick. He was staying here for free tonight so he needed to pay it off somehow.
“Great concert as usual.” Stuart set his end down and went to get the next table.
“I’ll never get tired of hearing her sing,” Patrick said. They moved the table into place and then went for the chairs.
Within minutes, everything was done, and the hotel employees left as quickly as they’d come. So much for paying for a place to stay. He wiped his forehead and picked his jacket up off the floor. The lobby had emptied out as well, which was a good thing since he’d be sleeping there that night.
Rachel came out of the kitchen. “Oh, hey, there you are. I was just coming to find you. I wondered if you wanted us to set up a cot in one of the conference rooms instead. It’ll be loud in the morning and I want you to be able to sleep.”
Stuart hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. There won’t be any meetings here in the morning. Besides, you’ll be warmer in the smaller room.”
“Good point. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d prefer that. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sleep in, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Rachel handed him a key. “Perfect. Take the first one on the left. There’s more space in that one.”
“Thanks.” Stuart grabbed his blankets and pillow and went to find the room she was talking about. The conference table in this room took up quite a bit of space, but he didn’t mind. He used two blankets below him and one for on top. Once that was set up, he checked the vents to make sure they were open. Now all he needed was a toothbrush and he’d be set.
The lights in the lobby had been turned down low, but Rachel still sat at the desk staring at the computer.
Stuart cleared his throat. “Do you have a spare toothbrush? If not I’m sure I can survive.”
“Yes, we do. They’re—hmm.” She looked through the shelves under the desk. “I bet we have more upstairs in the hall closet. I’ll go get them.”
“No, it’s fine. I can grab them. Closet at the end of the hall?”
Rachel handed him another key. “Thank you. Think you could grab me a handful?”
“Of course.” Stuart took the stairs two at a time and walked past all of the of the rooms. The key to this lock was an old-fashioned brass key. Rachel must have kept the original locks up here. He’d been out here a few times over the years, and he’d always been amazed by the architecture. He’d modeled some of his own blueprints after this hotel. He grabbed a handful of toothbrushes and a toothpaste, then grabbed another couple of blankets so he wouldn’t freeze. He had to juggle everything to close the closet door and lock it, but he finally got it.
He turned to head back downstairs and came face-to-face with Heather. “Oh, hey. I figured you were asleep by now.”
She lifted her own toothbrush. “Apparently we were both thinking the same thing.”
“I guess so.” Stuart showed her his handful. “Except I have a few more than you do.”
Heather laughed. “Brushing once isn’t enough for you?”
“Nope. I’m very serious about dental hygiene.” Stuart grinned.
“Need some help?” She pointed at the blankets.
Stuart thought of saying no, but he couldn’t pass up the chance to spend more time with her. “Sure. But don’t you need to brush your teeth?”
“Nope, just got done. Let me drop this off in my room and then I’ll grab those.” She hurried down the hall and came back a moment later. “So do you always stockpile hotel supplies?”
“I asked Rachel for a toothbrush and she asked me to get others. The blankets are for me, though. I figure I might as well save them up for my house.”
Heather raised an eyebrow. “I see.”
Stuart stopped at the front desk and set the supplies down. “I grabbed more blankets. I hope that’s okay.”
Rachel nodded. “I’m already feeling guilty you’re sleeping on the floor. Take whatever you need.”
“Thanks.” Stuart continued to the conference room and set his blankets on the makeshift bed. “You can just set them there. I’ll lay them out.”
Heather turned away and walked over to a bookshelf full of games. “This is an interesting addition to a conference room.”
“I guess they figure even big city executives need to play games sometimes too.” He pulled out a card game. “Want to play?”
“Sure it’s okay? I mean, we wouldn’t want to mess with cards for big city executives.” Heather continued down the row of games. “They have quite a collection here. This must be another game room or something.”
“Or they want these games out of the hands of the younger kids.” Stuart picked up another deck of cards. “Ever played Nerts?”
Heather raised an eyebrow. “Nerts?”
“That’s what my family calls it at least. It’s like a competitive version of Solitaire.” He handed one of the decks to Heather.
“Uh, okay.”
Stuart sat at the end of the table and pointed to the chair to the side of him. “Okay, set it up like Solitaire and I’ll set up mine.”
Once they were both done, Stuart held up a card. “Have you played Speed?”
“Yep.”
“Awesome. This is a mix of the two games. You can play on my piles or yours. The goal is to be the first one done with all of your cards. Got it?”
Heather nodded, her face the model of fierce determination. “Let’s do this.”
“Go!”
The flipping of cards and slapping them down on the table were the only sounds in the room until Stuart set his last card down.
“Done!”
“No!” Heather kept going until she was done. “Let’s do it again.”
Stuart chuckled. “I think I just created a monster.”
“You have no idea.” Heather gathered all the cards and separated them out. “Best two out of three?”
“Sure.” Stuart checked the clock. It was just past midnight. Normally he’d have been in bed a few hours ago. He should have felt guilty leaving his dad to work at the butcher shop in the morning, but he was here sitting with a beautiful woman playing a card game his grandpa had taught him years before. And if he could have stopped time, he would have stayed right there.
Heather held up a card. “Ready?”
“Yep. Go.” Stuart flew through his cards, but Heather was the one to slap her last card down first.
“Ha! I did it!” Heather danced in her chair before stopping suddenly. She cleared her throat “Sorry. Our family might have a slight competitive streak.”
Stuart took the cards. “Unfortunately for you, so does mine. We’re tied. Now it’s time for you to go down.”
Heather’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that.”
“Go.” Stuart set cards down as quickly as he could. The numbers went up and down and piles filled up. He set down the last card and cheered at the same time Heather did. “No, I won. See? I put down the nine.”
“Nope, sorry. I’d already put mine down right here.” Heather pointed at another pile. “I won.”
Stuart shook his head. “You still had another card.”
“No, that went there.” Heather leaned forward. “I won.”
“That’s it. We have to have a tie-breaker.”
Heather raised an eyebrow. “I beat you fair and square. I won two out of three.”
“I’m not so sure about that. See, I
put my card down at the same time.” Stuart pointed at his card. “Unless you’re afraid you’ll lose . . .”
Heather’s eyes lit up as she grinned. “Never. Another round?”
Stuart gathered up the cards to separate them again. “Okay, but then we should probably get some sleep. I’m not used to being up this late.”
“Really?” Heather asked, surprised. “It’s what, midnight?”
Not the way he’d wanted to bring up work. “Hey, I like my beauty sleep. It takes a lot to look this good.”
“Ah, so that’s your secret.” Heather took her cards from him. “I’ll have to remember that while I’m trying to study for my exams.”
“You don’t need it. You’re already beautiful enough as it is.” Stuart looked up from shuffling his cards and caught her blush. “Er, sorry. That was cheesy.”
Heather held up a card. “Cheesy, but sweet. Ready?”
“Prepare to go down.” Stuart slapped down his card and the last game started. His shuffling hadn’t done good things for his deck. He still had three left when Heather put hers down. “Wow.”
“And that’s what happens when you challenge me.” She stood and stretched. “Thanks for the fun night. I needed something like this.”
Stuart scooted his chair back and moved over to the office door. “You’re welcome. I did too.”
Heather was just inches from him. If he tipped her chin up . . . Instead he brushed a strand of hair from her face. She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. Stuart hesitated long enough for her to step back, disappointment etched in her face.
“See you around.”
“Hey, wait.” Stuart caught up to her. “Want to hang out tomorrow?”
Heather brightened. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, depending on what the weather does, we could go to the diner in town. But if the snow is bad enough, we could hang out here. There’s a pond between here and Rachel’s ranch that we could ice skate on.”
“I guess I have to pray that it keeps snowing tonight.” She went up on her toes and kissed Stuart on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
Stuart stood in the center of the dark lobby as Heather ran up the steps to her room. The feel of her soft lips on his cheek sent a rush of emotions through him, and he knew that the next time he had the chance to kiss her, he wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.
