The Christmas Groom

by Taylor Hart

  He laughed bitterly. “Ya know, I thought it was all fun today, doing the dance of getting people to buy your stuff. I …” He looked at her for a second and then back to the road. “I thought this might be fun tonight too, but the more I get into this night, the more I think you’re just playing me. Sky too. And I don’t like it.” Now he was rounding onto I-215, turning toward north Salt Lake City.

  “Where are we going?”

  He snorted. “You and I certainly aren’t going anywhere if you’re getting married in three days, are we?”

  She was stunned at the force of this man, at the way he took charge of situations, at the reckless speed he was still going. She felt helpless. She didn’t know what to say, so she said what she should have said in the first place. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. I …” To her horror, tears spilled onto her face.

  They got off the freeway, still moving far too fast.

  “Stop!” She shouted.

  “No,” he said forcefully.

  “My parents died in a car wreck on this canyon.”

  For the first time since getting into the car, she felt it slow down.

  Angrily, she wiped at her tears.

  He slowed even more and then turned the car into one of the strip mall parking lots. There was a Denny’s in the parking lot where he pulled in and parked.

  She wiped more tears from her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have agreed to this. I shouldn’t be dragging anybody into my life.”

  Letting out a long sigh, she felt his hand on hers. “Are you all right?”

  Sucking in a breath, she tried to push down the emotions she felt rising to the surface.

  “I’m sorry about your parents.” He sighed, actually sounding sincere. “You know, we don’t live in the Wild West. I don’t know what’s happening between you and Sky, but you don’t have to marry anyone you don’t want to marry these days.”

  She shook her head, trying to clear her eyes. “I know.”

  “Well,” he said, his voice softer and teasing, “unless there’s an arranged marriage to save your family from financial disrepair. It’s a Jane Austen kind of thing, I’m guessing.”

  Now, she actually smiled. “Kind of.”

  When he pulled his hand back, she sort of wished he hadn’t.

  Sucking in a long breath, she shook her head. “I look awful. I can’t go anywhere like this.”

  After a beat, Nathan turned off the car. “I think you’re suitable for Denny’s.” Their eyes met, and she saw what she’d seen earlier: the facial hair grown out to the perfect level, the deep blue of his eyes, the smell of the cologne, and the kind smile. “I mean, you’re an engaged woman anyway. I don’t have to impress you, right? Let’s just go talk as friends.”

  She nodded. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  Chapter 6

  After getting settled into their booth and ordering, Nathan watched her.

  Even though she’d been crying, Storm was beautiful. Her blond highlights, rosy cheeks from the cold, and somehow still perfect, red lipstick accentuated her natural beauty.

  She took off her coat and sweatshirt to reveal a simple black spandex shirt underneath, and he saw she was clearly fit. Obviously she still worked hard and trained. He averted his eyes from the fact that she was filled out in all the right places too.

  Attraction pulsed through him. Even though she was fit, she wasn’t like one of those bodybuilder kind of girls. She was incredibly feminine.

  “So let’s talk about your company.” He cleared his throat and went into lawyer mode without even meaning to.

  A smile tugged at her mouth. “I wanted to do something, build something that I believed in.” She sighed. “Even though it’s clearly not working out.”

  “What’s not working out? It looks like you have great products. Though your website could use help.”

  She frowned.

  “Hey, just giving you sales tips.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”

  He laughed.

  “It’d be amazing if someone would pick up my brand. Someone big, ya know? That would give me a chance to sell a lot. Invent some other products to go with the line.” She cocked her head to the side. “I’ve been talking to an investor who lives in Park City, but he keeps putting me off.” She tugged the silverware out of the napkin and laid it to the side, using the napkin to wipe under her eyes.

  “So tell me about Sky.”

  “You really want to hear all of this?”

  Leaning back into the chair, Nathan thought about how much he really did. He shrugged. “What can I say? I have a couple of days before I go to Jackson. Why not have a distraction from my life?”

  “But you’re here to ski.”

  He smiled. If only this girl knew how many problems he could juggle at once, but she didn’t. She knew nothing about him. That was part of the initial pull to her in the beginning. If he wanted, he could be anybody to her. He didn’t have to be “the senator’s son” or “the boss” or anything. He liked just being the guy who sold an outrageous amount of merchandise. “Don’t worry. I’ll get my skiing in.”

  Leaning forward, she sipped at her ice water. “Okay, if you like complicated, messy distractions, you might like this story. I grew up in Midway. It’s about twenty miles north of Park City. When I was five, my parents were killed in a car crash in the canyon.”

  Nathan’s guilt resurfaced unpleasantly. He’d just been driving like a crazy person in that canyon. He hadn’t realized how it might affect her.

  She paused. “So my grandfather raised me. He loved me. And he loved his ranch. The ranch is where my parents are buried. We have a family plot there.” She shrugged. “I …”

  “What?” he pressed.

  “My grandfather and I would ride horses from our home, through the forest, to the family graveyard every Sunday. We’d talk to Mama and Daddy. It’s going to sound strange …” She trailed off again.

  “I like strange.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “I do.”

  “I’ve always felt close to my parents even though they are dead.”

  He blew out a breath and tapped his fingers. “That’s not strange.”

  “It’s not?”

  He shook his head. “I think it sounds nice.”

  “When I got to be a teenager, I’d randomly go by myself to the graveyard if I was having a tough time. Grandpa used to say I talked with my parents more than most teenagers.”

  He smiled. “What does this have to do with marrying Sky?”

  She sighed. “When I was in sixth grade, I started skiing as part of my P.E. curriculum and took to it like ‘a fish to water,’ my grandfather used to say. I joined the ski team in junior high and high school. Sky was on the ski team with me. Our mothers had been friends all through high school and up until my mom died. After both of them got married, they used to dream we’d get married. There’s this picture of them holding us on their knees. It really is like we had an arranged marriage or something.”

  He didn’t find this memory of hers so nice, but he nodded anyway. “Hmm.”

  She waved a hand. “Anyway, his folks live in Midway, and it was really them who made sure I got to and from practice. Sky and I become good friends. Nothing more. He was always interested in other girls. He was kind of a player actually. But we were friends. To be honest, I was interested in him back then.” She exhaled. “Grandfather always told me I didn’t have to marry him though.”

  “Your grandfather sounds like a good man.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut briefly. “He was. He was an amazing man. I always knew he loved me. He died six months ago.”

  Without thinking, he reached across the table and took her hand, gently squeezing it. “I’m sorry.”

  More tears threatened in her eyes, but then she pulled her hand back and wiped them away. “Ugh. I haven’t been this emotional about it all for a while, but now I’m so mad at him.”

  Not
expecting this reaction, Nathan was even more drawn in. “Okay.”

  Taking the napkin, she gently made little rips in it, carefully tearing it apart. The server brought their food, momentarily interrupting the conversation, and then refilled their water. Neither of them moved to eat the food.

  “Tell me why you’re mad at your grandfather.”

  With a deep breath, she said, “My grandfather was a very traditional man.” She picked up her fork and began cutting up her pancakes. “He attended church every week. He read the Bible every day. He believed his land, the land he inherited down through generations, should never be separated. He liked things to happen a certain way.” She dumped syrup on her pancakes and then took a bite, closing her eyes for a brief moment. “Oh my gosh, these are so good. I haven’t really eaten for a couple of days.”

  Slightly worried about her and her eating habits, he picked up his own fork and dug into his eggs, taking a bite and circling his fork in the air. “Continue, please.”

  After taking another bite, she answered. “After my parents passed, he went to an attorney and put together a land trust. I was only five, but he put in the trust that if I was to ever get the land, it had to stay together, and I had to be married.”

  Realization dawned on him. This was why she was marrying Sky—because of the land.

  “My grandfather was a sentimental man too. He and my grandmother had been married on Christmas, and my parents were married on Christmas. He felt in order for me to have the land, I should be married by Christmas Day of the year I turn twenty-five, which just so happens to be this Christmas. It sounds crazy, right?”

  Nathan shoved in a few more bites, digesting this information. It wasn’t in his wheelhouse to deal with land trusts, estates, or anything like this. He was corporate law. Contract law. But he did have a few attorneys in his practice who dealt with this stuff.

  “Why are you looking like that?” Storm asked.

  “What?”

  She frowned and took another bite, chewing slowly. She took a sip of water before continuing. “Like the gears in your head are spinning.”

  His father had always told him he could tell when he was thinking, plotting, or coming up with some type of strategy. Grinning, he shrugged. “I was just thinking about your situation.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, so I didn’t even realize my grandfather had put this into place. I don’t know if he just didn’t want to tell me or didn’t think it was relevant or what other reason he could have had for leaving out a major thing like this.” She sighed. “The funny thing was…I remember him saying he needed to clear up some stuff with the attorney when I turned twenty-five.” She shook her head. “But he never told me what. But last week, the attorney informed me about all of the restrictions. I shelled out over one thousand dollars for the attorney to hire a guy in Salt Lake who specializes in land trusts. I just found out yesterday that the guy can’t really help me. He says the trust holds. He says these issues are complicated, but if I don’t get married on Christmas Day, the land will be gifted to the BLM.”

  Nathan’s mind was racing with possibilities and questions. “So your grandfather gave it to the BLM because he doesn’t want it subdivided?”

  Storm shrugged. “Apparently.” Pushing her food away, she took another sip of water. “The attorney said the BLM will start maintaining it.” She looked defeated. “I have a guy and his wife and their family who help keep the ranch going. What will happen to them? I have horses and animals. I have the home I grew up in.” Tears rose again, but she held herself together. “But it’s all considered part of the homestead, so everything, along with the land, will go to the BLM. I can’t lose it.” Determination filled her eyes. She scoffed. “The funny thing is that I was in a serious relationship for a year. Before everything fell apart.”

  “With Sky.”

  She looked at her legs and nodded. “Yes. Then I hurt my knee. Had to have surgery. Quit the team. And Sky … cheated on me.” The last part she said quietly.

  There weren’t any more tears, Nathan noticed, in speaking about the old boyfriend. But he could see the pain. “So now you’re marrying him?”

  She shook her head and laughed—not a happy laugh, but still. “Man, who knew you would get to go on a date with a chick with so much baggage, huh?”

  He gave her a sad smile. The truth was she had no idea about the kind of baggage he’d dealt with in his life. “I think I can handle baggage.”

  “Really?” Her eyes narrowed.

  “What?”

  Her lip tugged up into a smile. “You know, I’m sitting here telling a complete stranger about all my problems. Now you know everything about me, but I know nothing about you.”

  He leaned back into the booth, unable to believe how much he was enjoying himself even though Storm had serious problems. He mulled over everything he knew about her. She’d grown up with heartache, but she’d pursued her passion. When it didn’t work out, she’d tried to make a go of her business which was founded on a solid product. It was admirable. “I’m not as interesting.”

  She blew out a breath. “Right.”

  “True.” He nodded and took a bite of food. “My life is pretty boring.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  For some reason, maybe because she was getting married anyway and maybe because he found her highly intriguing and attractive, he told her. “I think you’re pretty amazing. First of all, anyone who can rise to Olympic-level competition has to have a lot of persistence. Anyone who can come out of an accident and find another way to use her passion, for instance through developing your products, also gets props for being a step above the others in my book. You’ve gone through hard things and you keep pushing. You’ve got grit.”

  He liked that she blushed. She wasn’t like the women he’d dated around the political scene—the kind who went to all the right schools, were connected to all the right people, said all the right things. The kind who looked good because they’d had the surgery to fix their nose or fix other parts of them. No, this girl was homegrown, hometown, and beautiful. Hardworking. Smart.

  Getting involved in this wasn’t his plan, but he had to ask. “So can you marry him, divorce him, and keep the land?”

  She sighed. “There’s a clause I have to be married for two years. If I divorce after that, I can keep the land.”

  “Okay. So it’s in name only.”

  “Sky will only agree to it if he gets to move in, and we act like a married couple.” Her cheeks reddened.

  He blinked, processing what she was saying. “Well, so what’s the plan?”

  She looked baffled and let out a nervous laugh. “You just heard the plan.”

  “You’re really going to marry him and act like it’s a real marriage?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t have a choice. Plus, it’s what my mother always wanted.”

  He didn’t want to push her. Honestly, he didn’t know if he should get much more involved with this woman after all. “Well, I guess I’ll take you home.”

  A wicked glint leapt into her eye. “Hey, you’re not bailing on me early, are you?”

  He frowned. “Do you want to continue the date? Well, where can I take you in Salt Lake you haven’t seen? Temple Square Christmas lights? I’ve heard they’re beautiful.”

  She shook her head. “You can’t take me anywhere in this city I haven’t been.”

  “Okay.”

  She stood. “But I don’t want to sightsee. I want to go night skiing. Are you in?”

  Chapter 7

  What the heck was Storm doing, taking this gorgeous guy, obviously rich, obviously capable—he sold more than triple what she usually sold on any given night—skiing? She was getting married in three days. Granted, it wasn’t a real marriage, but it was probably more real to Sky than to her. She thought of Sky and the triumph in his eyes earlier. Too bad he hadn’t always cared so much if he was loyal to her.

  “So what is the deal with Sky?” Nathan asked as if rea
ding her mind.

  They were sitting on the ski lift, rising to the top of Snowbird. Most of the holiday skiers on the slopes right now were younger, in their teens and early twenties. He was a good skier, though, so she wasn’t worried. But she didn’t want to talk about Sky. “Um, I told you. We’ve known each other most of our lives.”

  He touched her arm, startling her. “Storm, don’t you think we’re beyond small talk? I mean, you’re having an arranged marriage in three days. Just give it to me straight. You said he cheated on you, so why are you marrying him?”

  She felt herself blush. “In high school, he dated the prom queen, Tricia Simpson.”

  “Tricia Simpson.” He tsked his tongue. “She sounds horrible.”

  Smiling, she continued. “I guess I never really got over feeling unimportant. When we were both on the US ski team, we finally got together.”

  “You’re leaving something out.”

  “I caught him.” She shook her head. “I have a strict no-intimacy policy until marriage. I thought he was fine with it. Then one night, before my accident, I went to his hotel room. I had a key he’d given me. I used it. He was …”

  “What?”

  “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we broke up.” She sighed. “After my accident, I came back here. A couple of months later, he moved back too.” She shrugged. “We haven’t been together since then, but I was close to taking him back the night my grandpa had a heart attack.” She thought of that night, finding him in his chair in front of the television when she and Sky walked in. She’d frozen, and Sky had handled everything. “That was six months ago, and Sky has been by my side ever since. He’s helped with the ranch, with my business, and he’s even scored me some shoots for magazines.”

  Nathan looked away, blowing out a long breath. “The friend.”

  “What?”

  Nathan shrugged. “Nothing. I … well, my brother is an actor, and I was talking with him the other night about the character in a movie who is the best friend who sneaks in and inevitably gets the girl.”