Madison tore her eyes away from Cole. “What do you mean?”
“You know, he’s hot…”
“He’s okay.” Madison blushed. Yes he was, but discussing that with Blake might be blurring the professional line a little.
“Okay, maybe you don’t think so…” Blake pinched her crimson cheek. “But ninety-nine percent of the women out there do, and yet, the man never gets laid.”
Madison lost her grip on the handle and fought to regain her balance. She hadn’t been expecting that. Talk about crossing the professionalism line. At this point, she knew too much about him already. She wasn’t sure how much more she wanted to hear. She coughed.
“Sorry, forgot I was talking to a chick.” Blake laughed.
Chick?
“Let me put it another way, he doesn’t date—ever.” He shrugged. “Makes no sense to me.”
“That is strange.” Madison frowned. Her curiosity peaked. “So, you two have been friends for a long time?” The pair didn’t seem likely.
“Since college. We were roommates.” Blake helped her off of the metal bar at the top of the learner’s slope. Children and a few awkward adults littered the hill. “He had a girlfriend then, but since they broke up in junior year, he’s only dated a handful of women, and only once or twice.”
That part wasn’t surprising. He was a player. Just as she’d thought. He’d himself admitted he wasn’t the marrying type.
“I always thought he was upset when she called off the engagement, but I think it’s long overdue to get over it.” Blake shrugged. “Okay, stand with your feet shoulder width apart.” He grabbed her shoulders and positioned her on the hill.
Engagement? He’d been engaged?
“Earth to Madison.” Blake waved a hand in front of her dazed look.
“Oh sorry, what were you saying?”
Blake stood back and studied her. He folded his arms across his chest and glanced at her above his sunglasses. “Do you want to learn to ski or do you want to learn more about the photographer you think is okay?”
Madison looked toward the ski slope where Cole dashed down the hill with ease. So, he’d been hurt. That would explain the aversion to marriage. According to Blake, he wasn’t the playboy she’d pegged him to be either. Skiing was definitely the safer option.
* * * * Cole paced the ski lodge foyer a few hours later. The heat radiating from the big stone fireplace made him sweat in his crew neck sweater and leather jacket. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and checked his watch. Madison was three minutes late. Please don’t let her reconsider. Her acceptance of his dinner proposal had surprised him, and he hoped she wouldn’t change her mind. He smiled remembering the look of fear on her face at the top of the ski hill earlier that day. He had to give her credit though, she was brave. She’d impressed the hell out of him on the snowmobile, racing both him and Blake to the lake and back. Evidently, she liked speed…at least in motorized vehicles. He suspected she was far more cautious with her heart.
The sound of heels on the wooden staircase made him turn. He smiled at the sight of her descending the stairs. Dressed in a black pencil skirt and knee-high boots, she looked incredible. His breath caught in his throat as he gave a small wave.
She cradled her cell phone against her shoulder as she slid her purse over her arm. She smiled and waved as she approached. “Okay, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I get back to Staten Island.” Sorry, she mouthed to him.
No problem , he mouthed back.
“Okay, bye. Love you too.”
Cole’s heart stopped. Love you too. Who was she talking to? His eyes lowered to the floor,
and he fought the urge to ask as she hung up the phone.
“Sorry. My mom.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s near impossible to get her off of the phone.” Relief flowed through him. Her mother. Thank God. He didn’t want to have to steal her from some other guy. But if he had to, he would. That he knew for sure. “No problem.” He gestured toward the door. “It stopped snowing, and the restaurant is a few blocks, do you mind if we walk?”
Madison shook her head. “Not at all.”
“Great.” Cole smiled and held the door for her.
“Wow, it is beautiful here in the mountains. Do you spend much time here?” Madison slid
her hands into her leather gloves as they descended the steps of the lodge.
“During the four years in college, we spent every Christmas break here, but since graduating
I’ve only been here a couple of times. Only when Blake is competing.” Cole shrugged. He turned
to her with a gleam in his eye. “So, what do you think of our Bachelor number three?” Madison grinned and studied the icy sidewalk beneath her feet. “He’s interesting. Definitely
different from the first two.”
Cole laughed. “That’s for sure. He is a great guy though. His grandparents raised him after
his parents died in an avalanche when he was a child. They were hiking, here in Whistler.” Cole
lowered his voice.
“Really?” Madison frowned. “That’s awful. I’m surprised Blake doesn’t have an aversion to
this place because of that.” She shivered.
“Yeah, it’s strange, but he said when he’s here on the slopes he feels closer to them.” “I guess I can understand that.” Madison nodded.
Cole stopped. “Here we are.” He held open the front door to the restaurant and stood back to
let her go inside ahead of him. The Edgewater Lodge was located on the outskirts of Whistler
Village next to a beautiful frozen lake. Decorated in white lights and candles, the atmosphere
was rated one of the most romantic places to dine in Canada. There was something magical
about a restaurant at the top of a beautiful mountain, miles away from everyday life. “How did you know about this place?” Madison asked as a waiter guided them to a secluded
booth near a window.
“Thank you.” Cole nodded to the waiter as he pulled out a chair for Madison. “I asked some
of the locals where I could find a nice place to take a special lady.” Cole smiled. His source of
information was Blake, who was busy teaching nighttime snowboarding lessons to teens. Despite
his playboy image, Blake had a heart of gold. He spent most of his spare time volunteering at the
lodge, offering free skiing and snowboarding lessons to tourists.
The waiter reappeared with a bottle of red wine. “Compliments of Blake Ford.” He set the
bottle down and left.
“That was nice of him.” Madison said.
“He’s a great guy. Wine?” Cole poured her a glass, not waiting for a response. “It was a
rhetorical question.” He laughed. He’d just assumed her answer.
“Thank you.” She sipped her red wine.
Cole stared at her hands on the glass. Small and slender, yet strong and soft. An irresistible
combination. He reached forward to touch one. She stiffened at the contact, but didn’t pull away.
Good sign.
“Tell me more about your family. Are they still in California?” He leaned forward, resting
his elbows on the table.
“My parents are.” She nodded. “My father is a human rights lawyer and my mom never
worked outside of the home after my brother and I were born. She insisted on staying home with
us, and Dad agreed it was the way it should be. They’ve been married for almost forty years.”
Madison toyed with the stem of her wine glass with her free hand.
“And you have one brother?” Cole traced a finger along her thumb, daring to tighten his grip
on her hand.
“Yes, Jake. He lives in Europe with his wife Melanie and their two young boys. Colin is six
and Marcus is four. I don’t see them often, but we keep in touch.” Madison said. “And you? Any
ot
her siblings?”
“Nope, just Mel and I, our mom raised us on her own. She lives in a senior’s home in
Florida, and I fly down to visit every few months.” He shrugged and looked sheepish. “I was
supposed to be there this week.”
“You canceled a visit with your mom for this assignment?” Madison clucked her tongue.
“You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I’m sure if she met my travel companion, she would understand. Besides, I plan to spend a
few weeks in Florida in the New Year with her. Right now, traveling with a beautiful woman
from one winter wonderland to the other sounds like the perfect holiday season to me.” Cole
stared into her eyes. Man, she was beautiful. He resisted the urge to tell her. Take it slow with
this one. It was difficult when her pretty lips beckoned to be kissed. “So, do you enjoy working
at Women’s World?” He took a sip of wine and studied her.
She lowered her eyes to the table and took a minute to respond. “Um—yes and no.” “How so?”
“I love the industry and editing used to be a passion of mine…”
“But…”
“Now I’m ready for more challenges. Writing assignments mostly.” She pushed a stray lock
of hair behind her ear.
“That’s why you accepted this less than ideal assignment?” That would explain it. Why else
would she have agreed to interview her ex-husband for an article on New York’s most eligible
bachelors? He admired her ambition. This couldn’t be easy for her. No wonder she hadn’t been
exciting about this whole thing.
“I guess.” She nodded. “I’ve been asking Damian for a writing assignment for months, so
when the opportunity presented itself…” She shrugged one shoulder.
“You couldn’t refuse.”
She nodded.
The waiter approached their table and announced the evening’s special of roasted chicken
and seasonal vegetables, which they both ordered. He collected their menus, refilled their water
glasses and left.
“Your real passion is writing?” He remembered the few paragraphs he’d read on her laptop a
few days before.
“Yes.” Her eyes came alive at the mention of it. They met his. “I recently finished a novel.”
She glanced through the window.
“Seriously?” A novel? That was impressive. He could barely write a letter. His creative
ability ended at photography.
She nodded.
“That’s fantastic. Have you submitted it to a publisher?”
“Yes, and waiting for a reply is torture.” She laughed, and her shoulder’s relaxed. She
sipped her wine and licked the liquid from the rim of the glass.
Cole leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “No, torture is sitting this far away from
you.” So much for not being forward. He paused, waiting for her reaction.
She smiled and cocked her head to the side. “There’s room on this side for both of us.” Her
voice was low as she moved in further on her side of the booth, leaving enough room for him to
join her.
The gesture surprised him, but he was up in a flash. He slid in next to her and wrapped one
arm around the back of the booth, turning to face her. “I know you said you wouldn’t kiss me
again, but I’m not sure I can let that happen.” His face lowered, and he brushed a strand of hair
away from her cheek.
Her eyes met his in the candlelight. “What are you waiting for?”
* * * * The December sun shone through Madison’s window the next morning, and she awoke feeling fresh and revived long before her alarm went off. This was their last day with bachelor number three, and she had to admit she was disappointed to leave this wonderful winter village. She stretched and tossed the covers aside. She opened a package of coffee and started the maker. Pulling back the curtains to the window, she sat on the window seat, drawing her legs up beneath her. Looking at the mountains she sighed.
The night before had been nothing short of magical. After dinner they’d taken a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the village, enjoying the festive sights and sounds. Cole had revealed more about his career ambitions and had been genuinely curious about her passion for writing. She could no longer deny the feelings developing for her colleague. He was nothing like she’d pegged him to be. When he’d walked her to her room the night before, his eyes had revealed his desire to continue the night inside her room, but he’d kissed her and said goodnight. It had taken most of her strength not to invite him inside, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. For now, they were still co-workers first and foremost. Maybe once they finished this assignment that could change. She smiled at the thought.
Her cell phone vibrated on the desk near the bed. She picked it up and smiled. Samantha. “Hello.” Madison curled up on the bed and leaned back against the pillows.
“Hi Madison.” Samantha said. “How are you?”
“Good. I tried calling your cell phone last night, but it said you were out of the calling area?” Madison examined her chipped toe polish. Maybe she would get a pedicure. She had time. Blake wouldn’t be out of bed until at least one after a late night of partying.
“I wish.” Samantha laughed. “No, Mason flushed my cell phone down the toilet last night. I’m still within the calling area, my phone isn’t.”
Poor Samantha. Madison shook her head. Her friend’s hands were certainly full with those boys. “How’s work?”
“I honestly don’t know how you handle these acquisitions.” She huffed.
“Oh no. Damian is making you do them?” Madison cringed. She doubted Samantha had as much sympathy for the hopeful writers, and she hoped she wasn’t crushing too many dreams.
“Yes, hurry back.”
“Have you found any decent submissions at least?” Maybe her friend would experience better luck than she had.
“What do you think?” Her friend gave a dry laugh.
“That bad?” Madison took her compact and tweezers from her purse. She cradled the phone against her shoulder and plucked a few stray hairs from her eyebrows.
“Worse. So, how are you?” Concern filled her tone.
“Good…great actually.” Madison was unable to conceal her happiness.
“Really?” Samantha sounded hesitant to believe her.
She couldn’t blame her friend for being skeptical. A week ago she’d been pegging this assignment as the worst thing that could ever have happened. Now, she was less pessimistic. She still dreaded the fact she would be seeing Kurt again for the first time in almost three years, but the rest of the assignment was going smoothly so far. She touched the bump on her forehead. Okay, except for that. “Yes, really.” She recalled an image of the horse-drawn sleigh.
“What’s with the change of heart? Ten days ago, I was afraid of leaving you alone for fear of finding you hanging from your shower rod.”
“I know. Sorry about that.” She hated worrying her friend. Samantha had enough to worry about with three rambunctious boys.
“What’s changed?”
“At first this assignment felt like a train wreck, and Cole—he was something I didn’t want to deal with, but now—I don’t know, the mountains and the sights and sounds of Christmas…” Madison rambled. A smile spread across her face as she stretched her legs out in front of her on the bed.
“Oh my God. You’re falling in love with Cole.” Samantha said.
“No!” Madison shook her head. “No, I’m not.” Was she? No, of course not. That would be ridiculous. She barely knew Cole. “It’s just the holiday season. You know, all the Christmas festivities.” Madison shrugged and pulled a blanket over her bare legs.
“No it’s not. You hate the season. Cole Harris is responsible for thi
s change of mood. You are one hundred percent head over heels for the man.” Her friend’s tone left no room for argument.
Madison sighed. “I’m not in love…I just like him.” It was futile to fight with Samantha, the one person who knew her better than she knew herself. She recounted the events of the previous evening.
“And after all that wining and dining, he didn’t try to sleep with you?” Samantha sounded shocked.
Madison laughed. “Nope. He was a perfect gentleman. I mean I could tell he was dying to ask if he could come inside my room, but he resisted that natural male jerk-ish impulse.”
“Well if you won’t fall in love with him, step aside, I just might.” Samantha laughed. “I am still jealous that you got this assignment. I mean, other than the ex-husband issue, it’s a fantastic piece. Christmas festivities, traveling, gorgeous, successful men. Speaking of gorgeous, successful men, how was Nathan Harper?” Samantha’s tone took on a dreamlike quality.
Madison laughed. “As perfect as you can imagine. He’s better looking in person, and a great guy with humble beginnings.” Madison couldn’t wait to write about the men she’d met so far. Blake would be the biggest challenge, but she was learning, there was more to him than his playboy persona.
“I’m so jealous.”
“I do have a surprise for you.” Madison remembered, seeing the edge of the Gucci bag sticking out of her open suitcase.
“Please tell me its Nathan wrapped in a big bow.”
“I’m not sure Mike would appreciate that.” Madison smiled. Her friend was joking. Samantha wouldn’t trade her husband for any man. Madison envied the love and commitment her friend had in her relationship. “But, it does have the NH initials embroidered on it.”
“No way. Seriously? How did you…?”
“Don’t ask. You owe me though.” Samantha would never believe how she’d come to get her Christmas present. She shook her head and shivered at the memory.
“I think we’re even. Do you know how hard your job is?”
“Fair enough.” Madison laughed.
“Definitely hurry back. I want my present. Shit, my next appointment is here.” Samantha lowered her voice. “Yes Sophie, tell her I’ll be with her in a moment.” She told her assistant. “I gotta go, call me again soon.”
“Okay, but before you go, did I mention I’m staring at beautiful snow covered mountains from the window of a five star lodge?” She couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease her friend.
Mistletoe Bachelors Page 9
