Hell on Heels Christmas

by A. P. Jensen

“Yeah, with a right hook!” Max bellowed and demonstrated, nearly hitting his son in the face.

  One of her nephews was trying to open a beer and none of the men were paying attention. Sophie had her hands on her hips as she tried to tattle on her cousin, looking around for her mom, the only one capable of controlling everyone at once.

  “Uh, Holly, not that I judge or anything but I think you’re kids a bit young to be an alcoholic,” Regan said.

  Holly sighed and went over to her younger son who couldn’t be older than six and did the same slap upside the head his brother had been treated to earlier. Regan winced in sympathy and wondered if Valerie taught Holly that move.

  “Luke, what did I tell you about this drink? It’s not cream soda!”

  Missy glared at her sister who looked so unconcerned and casual. How could she be having breakfast with her ex as if she did that every day? For that matter, how could she just stroll into White Mist and show up in their mother’s house after the grief she put them through? No one seemed to care where Regan spent the past ten years or with whom. She knew Regan better than people realized and she couldn’t help but think only something bad would force Regan to come back to White Mist after all this time.

  Missy heard a cell phone ringing upstairs. Regan was talking to Angel and Missy was torn between protecting her daughter from Regan and trying to find out what her sister was doing all these years. Curiosity won over and she dashed up the stairs and picked up the cell in Regan’s bedroom before the caller could hang up.

  “Hello?” Missy said.

  “Regan! Where are you? We’ll send a limo to wherever… or a jet depending on how far you’ve gone.”

  Missy gripped the phone tighter. What the hell was this about? “Who is this?”

  A pause. “Who is this?”

  “I’m Regan’s sister.”

  “Regan has a sister?”

  Missy grit her teeth. “Who is this?”

  “I’m Daniel Martin’s personal assistant.”

  Missy frowned. The guy on the other end of the phone had a French accent and sounded like he was saying “Danielle.”

  “Martin?” Missy repeated.

  Why did that name sound so familiar? She suddenly had a snapshot in her mind from a Forbes magazine cover several months ago. A Frenchman who expanded his hotel chain from France to the States. Ice blue eyes and slick blonde hair. Gorgeous.

  “Yes. Daniel Martin as in The Martin Hotels. Geez, you must live in the boonies.”

  Missy stiffened. “I’ve heard of The Martin Hotel chain but what does Daniel Martin want with Regan?”

  “Well, she turned everything upside down by leaving. Daniel’s desperate for her to come back to her position.”

  “What position?”

  “Regional Director of Hotel Operations for Martin Hotels.”

  Missy nearly dropped the phone. “Excuse me?”

  “Daniel was an idiot but she didn’t have to leave the company, just him. Everything is so out of whack. She just walked out.”

  “Why would she walk out?”

  “She didn’t tell you?”

  She was close to yelling at the irritating man on the other end of the phone. “No.”

  “She caught him doing his secretary.”

  Missy frowned. “So?”

  The man choked. “So? Geez, you guys aren’t close, are you?”

  That struck home and she tightened her hold on the phone. She was missing something. Regan wasn’t a prude so why would she care if she walked in on her billionaire boss screwing his secretary?

  “Whatever Martin does shouldn’t concern Regan.”

  “It does when they’re engaged.”

  “What!” Missy shrieked.

  “Well, was. Regan walked in on him and then just walked out of the building. Didn’t even get her stuff from their penthouse from what I heard. No one knows where she went. Even Daniel’s tried to call her and that’s just not normal for him so if you’ll get her on the phone I’ll send the company jet for her.”

  Missy hung up the phone and stared at it for several seconds noting the shocking number of voicemails, emails and texts on the screen. She stomped down the stairs to the kitchen and saw Regan showing Angel how to throw a right hook.

  “You’re engaged to a billionaire?”

  All talk in the kitchen stopped. Regan looked at Missy and saw her phone in her hand.

  “Snooping?” Regan said, trying to hide how pissed off she was. Where did Missy get off thinking she could search through her phone? “Guess I’m not hard up for money after all, huh, sis?”

  Missy flushed and held up the phone. “I just talked to Daniel Martin’s assistant, you know, your boss and fiancé?”

  Regan could feel everyone’s eyes on her, even the kids. Damn Missy loved to make a scene. She had a way of making Regan look as bad as possible.

  “He’s not my fiancé.”

  Holly lowered her voice and elbowed Regan. “If he’s a billionaire, why not?”

  Regan folded her arms across her chest and looked at Missy. “Since you seem to know everything, why don’t you tell everyone?”

  For the first time, Missy looked uncertain and a tad ashamed. “It’s not my business.”

  “Really?” Regan said sarcastically. “You thought answering my phone was your business. You think mom can’t take care of herself and that you have to protect her from me?” Her insides burned with anger and shame. “You haven’t changed at all. I don’t know why I came back here.”

  Regan walked past her sister, snatched a coat from the peg by the door and stuffed her feet into her mom’s rubber boots as she walked outside. The air was cold but pleasantly so. Crisp and fresh. She belted the coat and started down the sidewalk which was littered with candy wrappers. What possessed her to drive to White Mist? She had been in such a daze after walking in on Daniel that she’d gone on autopilot. She collected her car from Jean-Charles in Virginia and drove straight to Montana. She hadn’t thought what would happen once she reached here. She just knew she had to get away from New York.

  Her footsteps took her two blocks to a street lined with cars. A man sat on a wooden chair on a porch and waved. Tears sprang to her eyes and she began to run. The man stood as she approached and she went into his arms without a moment of hesitation.

  “Welcome home, baby,” he rumbled.

  Chapter Four

  When Regan pulled back she stared up at an older version of Brooks. Uncle Al aged in the time she’d been away and his hair was completely white now but he was still handsome as ever.

  “Uncle Al.”

  “I always knew you’d come back.”

  She laughed as she wiped away her tears. “You did?”

  “Course. You and Brooks can’t exist on the same planet without being together.”

  Her smile faded. “That was a long time ago.”

  He shrugged. “Eh, what do I know? I’m just an old man who wants both of you to be happy.”

  Because she knew he meant it, her smile came back. He pulled out a second wooden chair which was usually reserved for Aunty Paula and lit a cigar. The familiar smell of tobacco roused fond memories of her long chats with him. How she’d wished he was her real father.

  “Now honey, tell me what you’ve been up to.”

  She blew out a breath. “I just left my fiancé because I caught him cheating on me with his secretary.”

  Bushy brows rose. “That so?”

  His calm always had the same effect on her. She was hyper, obsessive and compulsive. Al was calm and understated… and nothing else. He never raised his voice and although he didn’t carry a gun, Al’s word was law in White Mist.

  “I worked for him too. I was Regional Director of Hotel Operations.”

  She heard the pride in her voice and Al let out a stream of smoke.

  “That musta been a good job.”

  Six figures had been nice. Traveling always made her feel less confined and it kept the restlessness that was so
much a part of her at bay for years. So many envied her job and fiancé that she convinced herself that she was happy when she wasn’t. She would have counted these past years wasted if it wasn’t for the connections, money and experience she gained.

  “You don’t look mad,” Al observed.

  She shrugged. “We’re good business partners but I don’t love him.”

  “Gotta have love.”

  She crossed her ankles. “Guess so.”

  “So you left him and now you’re here.”

  “Yup.”

  “What you looking for?”

  She glanced sidelong at him. “Nothing.”

  “Brooks’ divorced.”

  “I know.”

  “How?”

  “He told me.”

  Al grinned. “My boy doesn’t waste time. I’ll give him that much.”

  “He wanted to talk.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing.”

  “Between Brooks and you it’s never nothing.”

  “It is this time.”

  “Did you do everything you wanted?”

  She nodded. “And more.”

  “So you came back because you’re done wandering.”

  “I don’t think coming here was a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  “I have too much history here. I haven’t punched anyone since I was in Europe and someone tried to get fresh with me but once I step foot in White Mist it’s like I never left.” She considered and then muttered, “Missy’s a pain in my ass.”

  Al chuckled. “I’ve never seen two sisters more different. Oil and water.”

  “Max and Missy have kids. It makes me feel damn old.”

  He reached over and grabbed her hand. His veiny hands twined with hers and she felt at peace for the first time since she left White Mist ten years ago. They rocked in their chairs and she realized she’d left the house in her sheep sweats.

  “You’re not old. They are.”

  She laughed and it felt good. “That’s true.”

  Al turned her hand in his and examined her bruised knuckles. His eyes danced. “I heard about this.”

  “Good thing my brother in law’s a police man, huh?”

  Al shook his head. “You need a man to keep you out of trouble.”

  “Nah. I’m good.”

  “I missed you, Regan Lee.”

  The simple statement went straight to her heart and she sucked in a breath and felt tears gather in her eyes. “I missed you too. You don’t know how much.”

  “I’m glad you’re back.”

  A beautiful silver truck pulled into the drive and Regan glared as Brooks got out. He walked up the porch and leaned on the railing facing them.

  “Hey pop,” he said.

  “Hey yourself. Look who came to see me. My long lost daughter.”

  Al ignored the warning squeeze from Regan.

  “I was just telling her that you were divorced,” Al said brightly.

  “I told her that too.”

  “She just left her fiancé so she’s free too.”

  “Uncle Al!” Regan protested and pulled her hand from his as he chuckled.

  “I just want that to be out in the open,” Al said and rose from his chair. “You come by anytime, Regan Lee. I need to head down to the shop to help Paula with the store.”

  “I can walk with you,” Regan offered.

  “If you come to the shop like that, Paula will have a heart attack.”

  True. And staying away from Aunt Paula was high on her to do list despite her apology for what she said all those years ago. Regan watched Al walk down the steps and stroll down the street, a trail of smoke marking his progress to the shop.

  “So you left the billionaire.”

  Regan folded her arms across her chest and glared at Brooks. “Yeah. So?”

  “Were you going to mention it?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  “So you’re not planning on forgiving him if he comes crawling?”

  Regan snorted. “Not a chance.”

  “Good. Want to see my house?”

  She blinked at the change in subject. “You have a house?”

  “Yup. Five minutes away from your mom.”

  “Maybe I should go back to her house,” she hedged, not wanting to spend any more time in his company than she had to.

  “Missy’s still there.”

  Her jaw locked. Damn him for knowing her so well. “I guess I do have time to see your house.”

  She climbed into the extra-large passenger seat of his truck and ran her hands over the leather and wood console. She almost drooled. The tiny, expensive cars Daniel favored had never impressed her but this Ford was so beautiful she was a hairsbreadth away from moaning. When the powerful engine rumbled beneath her she sucked in a breath. She didn’t look at him because she knew he was thinking of the first time they made love. It had been in Uncle Al’s truck and she had a soft spot for them ever since.

  “You forgot to mention your fiancé when you did a rundown of your accomplishments since you’ve been gone.”

  His voice was cool and even but she heard the bite in his words. What right did he have to be mad about that? She hadn’t married Daniel like he married Allison. She shrugged, knowing it would piss him off.

  “I forgot.”

  “You forgot,” he said flatly.

  “Yup.”

  “Well, did you forget anything else like kids?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said just to be a smartass.

  His hands tightened on the wheel and they rode the rest of the way in silence. Regan sat up as Brooks drove into a community that didn’t exist when she left ten years ago. The houses had nice sized lots and the homes were well taken care of. The streets weren’t lined with cars since they were further from town. Brooks pulled up to a white house with gun metal gray trim and parked the truck in the garage beside a SUV.

  They walked through the garage to the kitchen and she stopped. The house was so open that from where she stood she could see the front door, stairs and living room. The house wasn’t filled with clutter. It had the bachelor basics- a large flat screen TV and a massive leather couch. Regan could see touches here and there of his mom trying to make the house more of a home. As she kicked off her boots she could feel the warmth coming through the wood floors. Light poured in and she stood for several seconds in silence.

  “This is great,” she said.

  “You like it?”

  She nodded because she was so taken with his house. The design was so simple and practical but it called to the small town girl inside of her. This wasn’t like the penthouse she lived in with Daniel where she’d never felt at home. Here she felt she could put her feet up and fall asleep on the couch. It just had that feeling. This was a family home. It was spacious, clean and homey. The wood floors creaked beneath her and she admired the light that filtered in.

  “This is kinda big for just you, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. I like it though.”

  She ran a hand over his countertops and peered closer. “Did you do this?”

  “Yup. I do a bit here and there in my spare time.”

  “It’s gorgeous.”

  She went to peer out of one of the windows. The houses weren’t as close as they were where her mom lived. If she lived in White Mist she would definitely settle here. More privacy, more space but still close enough to walk into town or walk to her mom’s… She stopped her thoughts and looked up. Brooks was standing not five feet away, arms crossed over his broad chest.

  “You look the same,” he mused. “You’re the same height and you’ve filled out some. Your hair isn’t pink but you know I always liked your natural color.”

  His voice brushed intimately over her and she suppressed a shiver.

  “I can’t read your eyes like I used to but I know when you’re near. It’s a six sense I never got rid of. I was so stunned to see you on Halloween I couldn’t take Kerry’s kids trick or tr
eating after. Just seeing you wrecked me.”

  Her eyes went wide with shock. She told herself to stop him from saying anything else, to walk away but she was rooted to the spot. Every word out of his mouth was steady, strong and honest. There was no charm in his words, no secret motive. She was so used to innuendos and looking for ulterior motives that Brooks speech left her defenseless.

  “I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with you and you left White Mist without a word to me. I never got over it.”

  “I don’t know what to do,” she forced herself to say. “I can’t change anything. I said I was sorry-”

  He closed the distance between them in three aggressive strides. He grasped her arms and dragged her up against him. She gasped as their bodies made contact and she was engulfed in the smell of man, leather and pine. His eyes were so clear she could see an image of herself in the green.

  “I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry. I gave you the time you needed. I want you to give us a chance.”

  She was sure her heart stopped. Her body went from numb to hot to cold in the space of a few seconds. He couldn’t be saying this. He just couldn’t. This was crazy. What man would want a girl that left him after he proposed ten years ago? She stepped away from him. He let her go but watched her with unwavering focus. She held up her hands up in an effort to keep his madness away.

  “Brooks,” she began slowly. “I think you need to take your meds, whatever they are.”

  “This isn’t funny, Regan.”

  “I know! You’re freaking me out!”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” she shrieked and waved her hands wildly. “Is this town stuck in a time warp or something? You’re saying you want to get back together with someone you haven’t seen in ten years! I’m not the same girl you knew!”

  “And I’m not the same guy you knew.”

  “Exactly! We can’t just pick up where we left off! What makes you think this will work?”

  His eyes locked on hers. “Because you make me feel the same.”

  Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t say anything to that. She could see it on his face how serious he was. The muscles in his jaw locked and she could see the rigid tension in his body. He was barely holding himself together. He let out a strangled sound.