The Christmas Inn

by Stella MacLean

  Startled, at first she didn’t know what to do, but feeling his arms tighten, she hugged him back. What a wonderful feeling! How she missed this now that all her nieces and nephews were older. Feeling the warmth of the little boy’s body and breathing in his little-boy scent, she felt a strong sense of missing out on life....

  He sprang out of her arms. “You help me some more?”

  “Sure. But why don’t we go inside for a bit first?” she asked, the evening air cooling rapidly.

  “No!” He pushed his lips out in a pout. “I don’t want to.”

  She had begun to shiver and tucked her chin into the top of her jacket. “But it must be time for you to eat,” she offered, hoping to encourage him to go in with her. She got up, stretched her legs and moved toward the patio doors. “Why don’t you come with me?” she asked, glancing over at the sound of the door opening. Henry barked and ambled toward the door, slipping past the man back-lit by the light of the room behind him.

  Luke Harrison stood there, his face in partial shadow. “Oh, it’s you.”

  “Yes, I went out for a walk around the property and discovered Ethan playing with his dump truck.” Why did she feel nervous? Was it the detached tone of the man’s voice? Did he think she was trying to kidnap his son?

  “One of the serving staff told me a strange woman was out here, so I came to check.”

  “I’ve been called a lot of things, but until now ‘strange’ hasn’t been one of them,” she said, making an attempt at humor. After her previous encounter she wanted to make a better impression this time around, if only to ease his concerns over her being here alone.

  Moving toward her, he chuckled, a deep, sexy sound that made her body tingle. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’re strange.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Thanks for being here with Ethan. I got called to the phone and meant to return sooner than this.”

  Ethan had moved to stand between them, his head tilted back, staring up at them. “He’s going to be an engineer when he grows up,” Marnie said.

  “Or a dump-truck driver.” Luke glanced down at his son, then back at her. “I want to apologize for the way I behaved when we first met, but I was concerned about whether you’d enjoy your stay here with us. I don’t normally rent that room, and certainly not on such a special occasion. How is it, by the way?”

  She remembered the bump on her head, but didn’t mention it in case he tried again to convince her to move to the Chancellor Inn. “It’s…cozy.”

  “That’s one way of describing it,” he said, picking Ethan up in his arms and nuzzling his rosy cheek. “You’re cold, little buddy.”

  “I’m hungry,” Ethan said.

  “Maybe it’s time to go inside. Want to come?” he asked her, making her feel included, part of his world.

  “Sure.” She followed them inside, and was surprised to find the lobby bustling with activity. The first seating for dinner would begin momentarily, and the bar across from the dining room was filled with guests, most of them older than she was, all of them laughing and talking together.

  Luke carried Ethan to the office and stepped back, inviting her to enter the room first. “Have you met our housekeeper, Mary?” he asked, nodding to a woman seated at a tiny desk near the back of the room.

  “Nice to meet you,” Mary said, extending her hand in welcome.

  Marnie shook hands with her. “Nice to meet you, too,” she said, taking in this woman’s open, direct smile. She liked her immediately. “I’m looking forward to my stay here. And my room is—” she let her gaze drift to Luke—and only one word came to mind “—gorgeous. Though a little small,” she added, eliciting a smile from him as he lowered Ethan to the floor.

  “I’ll take Ethan for his dinner and maybe I’ll see you later,” Mary said, giving Luke a long sideways glance before taking Ethan by the hand and leading him out.

  “I’m hungry,” Ethan announced again on his way out the door.

  “How does mac and cheese sound?” Mary asked.

  “Yes!” Ethan could be heard racing down the hall despite Mary’s warning to slow down and wait for her.

  “He’s a sweet little boy. He and I had a great time outside.”

  “Thanks again for watching him. I don’t usually leave him alone like that, especially at this time of the evening.”

  “Not a problem. You and your wife must be so proud of him.”

  Luke’s eyes swept her face, and his expression faltered. “My wife died three years ago, around this time, actually.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know.”

  “There’s no reason you should.”

  Her heart went out to him. How hard it must be to lose the one person you loved, especially at Christmas, and be left to raise a child alone. She searched for something appropriate to say, but realized that he was past being helped by words of sympathy. No wonder his eyes looked so haunted.

  He smoothed his hand over his hair. “Would you—” He stopped as if he remembered something. “Would you like to have dinner with me this evening?”

  He smiled his son’s smile, and Marnie was captivated. “I would.”

  “Then why don’t I meet you in the bar around nine? We could have a drink and talk—” He shrugged. “Talk about anything you want.”

  He seemed uneasy. Why? Surely he had his pick of women who would happily go to dinner with him. “I would love to have dinner with you.” She waited to see if he’d say anything more, and when he didn’t she headed for the door, sucking her stomach in, hoping to appear thin and beautiful in spite of the fact that she was still wearing the same pair of jeans she’d been napping in only a short time ago. “See you soon,” she said.

  Marnie was nearly bursting out of her skin. She had a date with the most gorgeous man she’d ever met, and that was the truth, pure and simple.

  A real live date. Wonders never ceased.

  She literally skipped up the first flight of stairs. Belatedly, she realized that she had exactly one dress with her that would be suitable for a date—a little black dress that was still in the bottom of her suitcase. And one pair of canary-yellow heels to wear with it.

  CHAPTER THREE

  A HALF HOUR LATER MARNIE stood at the entrance to the bar, trying not to look at her feet. She had bigger problems, she noted, as she held her head high to keep the V of her dress from puckering. The few times she’d donned this dress she’d worn her Victoria’s Secret push-up bra to take up the slack created by her less than impressive “front bumpers,” as her brothers used to call them. But the bra in question was resting peacefully back in her underwear drawer at home.

  As for what was on her feet, there was nothing she could do about that particular issue, either. She’d packed her only pair of high heels, prepared to look different and sexy.

  She had different covered, all right.

  When she entered the bar, some of the men stopped talking and watched her walk past them. Sliding up onto a bar stool, she quietly assessed the bartender. He was a man around her age, she guessed, and the hairdresser in her wanted the opportunity to restyle his hair, shorten the top, maybe....

  He came over to her immediately, and with a welcoming smile planted his hands on the bar. “What can I get you this evening?”

  He had a pleasant voice, and his manner put her immediately at ease. “Chardonnay?” she asked, feeling good about herself, all because she was about to have a glass of wine while waiting for her date. So maybe it wasn’t a regular date, and maybe there’d only be one, but one was better than none.

  “Coming right up,” the bartender said, snapping open a bar fridge under the counter behind him. She peered up at the ornate carving on the wood framing the bar. It looked like a stag and a dove.

  A woman dressed in a bright red top and black pants sat down on the stool next to her. “Do you mind?” the woman asked, her blond hair—a good color job, Marnie noted—swaying around her high cheek bones and sparkling blue eyes.
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  “Not at all. I’m Marnie.” She smiled, happy to have someone to chat with while she waited for Luke.

  “I’m Cindy. So nice to meet you.”

  “You, too. Are you staying at the inn?”

  “Yes. It’s our fifth wedding anniversary. My husband and I were married here in Wakesfield just before Christmas five years ago. The minister from the local Episcopalian church married us. I wanted a church wedding so much, and my husband was willing to go along.” She adjusted the neckline of her red top. “You know how men are about weddings. They’d just as soon go to a justice of the peace, but I wanted a big wedding.”

  “I did, too, once,” Marnie said, drawn to this woman’s openness.

  “Are you married? Are you taking part in the Christmas Getaway event?”

  Marnie tucked her naked ring finger out of sight. “No, but the getaway sounds like fun.”

  “When we heard about it, my husband and I were thrilled. He doesn’t usually take this much time off so close to Christmas, but I talked him into it. One of the couples we met this afternoon is also here celebrating an anniversary.” She glanced toward the door. “I don’t know what can be keeping my husband. Even though we’re on holiday, he’s calling his office, but it shouldn’t be taking this long.”

  Glad to be off the hook on the marriage thing, Marnie leaned forward wondering where her drink was. She noticed that her dress was gaping open, and she pushed her shoulders back. “Where does your husband work?”

  “He owns a business in Boston. And he’s always so busy, I worry about him.”

  “It takes a lot to start a business these days, but it’s even harder to make a success of it.”

  “Don’t I know it! I’d like to start a family, but my sweetie feels we’re not ready. He says after he hires one more salesperson, we’ll be able to concentrate on starting a family.” She smiled wistfully at Marnie. “Do you have children—”

  “One California Chardonnay.” The bartender interrupted their conversation, his gaze sharp as he placed the wineglass on a Christmas napkin in front of Marnie. “Are you staying at the inn?” he asked.

  Sweet relief! Saved by a drink. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Nice spot. I’ve never been here before, but it’s really lovely,” she said, happy to chat with him rather than answer questions that would raise the issue of her being here alone. She’d have to be careful to keep a low profile while she worked on the questionnaires.

  “You’ll love it here, trust me. Isn’t that the truth, Cindy?” he asked, taking the drink order of the woman sitting next to her—a dry martini.

  “It is. We’ve come back here on our anniversary the past two years. And Jack’s the best martini maker in the state. I had my first martini right here at this bar on my wedding night.”

  “I remember that night. The entire inn was booked for your wedding,” Jack said, taking down a bottle of gin from the shelf at the back of the bar.

  As he moved down the bar to prepare the martini, Marnie watched him, searching her memory for some of the questions she’d need answered in order to complete the bar section of the survey.

  Cindy gave him a grateful smile when he returned. “Thank you,” she said, reaching for the glass.

  He placed the napkin in front of her as she took the glass. “Enjoy.”

  Jack turned to another customer, leaving Marnie to observe the efficient way he moved, mixing drinks while keeping up a flow of conversation with the patrons. He certainly knew his job, she mused, watching him as he loaded a blender with ingredients from the fridge and the counter in front of him.

  “Is this bar always this busy?” she asked Cindy.

  “Yes. And I’m sure Jack has a lot to do with it,” she said, her voice trailing off. Again her gaze moved to the door. “What could be keeping my husband? I’d like you to meet him.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be along soon,” she offered to ease the woman’s obvious anxiety. “Do you live in Boston?”

  With a huge smile, Cindy answered. “We live in Boston. I’m a kindergarten teacher, and I love it. The four- and five-year-olds are so cute.”

  “Like Ethan?”

  “Oh, you’ve met him already? Isn’t he the sweetest little boy? And so sad that he lost his mommy.”

  “Yeah. It must have been hard for his dad, too.” Marnie checked her watch, wondering where Luke could be.

  “I see we’re in the same boat.” Cindy nodded at Marnie’s watch. “We’re both waiting for the men in our lives.” Cindy smiled at someone behind Marnie. “And here’s mine now.”

  Marnie turned on her stool and nearly fell off. Coming toward them was Brad Parker, the man she’d nearly married eleven years ago. The man who told her he couldn’t marry her because he didn’t want a wife who put her career first. What he really meant was he couldn’t give up the playmate he’d stashed away in an apartment in downtown Boston.

  For about ten seconds Marnie considered walking out of the bar to avoid him. But she hadn’t done anything wrong, unless you counted falling in love with a loser. A love that died the evening she’d grown suspicious of his frequent business demands and followed him across town to his girlfriend’s place. She’d nearly turned her brothers loose on him, but she decided that he wasn’t worth it.

  She watched, waiting for his phony smile to come her way, as she knew it would. Brad could never resist sizing up the women in any room he entered. And sure enough, after a smile tossed his wife’s way his eyes swerved to her. The muted light of the bar was still bright enough to expose the sudden blanching of his skin and the rigor mortis smile claiming his handsome features.

  “Marnie, this is my husband, Brad Parker. Brad, this is Marnie.” Cindy looked from Marnie to her husband, her face beaming.

  Feeling nothing for the man standing in front of her, Marnie waited for Brad to say something to smooth over the awkward moment, something Brad was very good at when he wanted to be. If he used his usual technique, he’d make some remark about where they might have met, and she’d take her cue from him.

  He hesitated. Then he moved in between them, his arm going around his wife’s shoulders as he stared at Marnie. “Do I know you?” he asked.

  “You look familiar,” she said, her smile easy, despite her shock at seeing him and his refusal to at least acknowledge her.

  “I’m often mistaken for other people. Don’t know why,” Brad said, his cautionary gaze fixed on Marnie.

  Leave it to Brad to take the coward’s way out, but Cindy clearly loved her husband, and Marnie wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. She forced a smile. “Probably that’s it.”

  There was a long pause during which Brad waved the bartender over. “I’ll have a double bourbon.”

  Cindy finished her drink in one long swallow, and placed the empty glass on the bar. “Honey, I’m going to the ladies’ room, but I’ll be back, and then the three of us can have a drink together.”

  “I’ll be right here, waiting for you,” Brad said, pulling her hard against him and kissing her on the mouth.

  Marnie waited until Cindy left the bar. “Brad, I—”

  “What are you doing here?” Brad asked, as he looked her up and down.

  For years she’d dreamed of meeting Brad somewhere and calling him out on his scandalous behavior, but not tonight. Tonight she intended to rise above all the pain that he’d caused her.

  But as she gazed into his eyes and saw not a hint of remorse for what he’d done the words spilled out. “I’m here to enjoy myself, and that means staying away from you. Remember me? I’m the woman you almost married. Let me see, it was just a couple of weeks before our wedding day as I remember it, and you and…what was her name?” She frowned to cover the hurt she was feeling inside. “You had an urgent meeting in her bedroom. I believe she was a lawyer from the law firm your company dealt with—Mary Ellen something or other.”

  He downed his drink. “Marnie, I’d really appreciate it if you’d not mention this in front of my wife.”

&n
bsp; “Give me a little credit,” she snorted.

  He glanced past her, frowning as he twirled his empty glass. “We’re here for the Christmas getaway, or whatever the hell they call it.”

  “Trying for a few brownie points? Is she catching on to your story? The one where you pretend to be so busy at work that you can’t be at home with her?”

  “Your bitchiness is showing,” he muttered.

  She caught the bartender watching her, bringing her back to her senses. “Brad, I want you to know that as angry as I was back then, I now realize that marrying you would have been the biggest mistake of my life.”

  “Okay, so can we leave it there?” he asked, anxiously glancing around.

  “Is everything okay?” Cindy asked, appearing around the corner of the bar and startling them both.

  “Everything’s just fine, darling.” He put his arm around Cindy, towering over her. “I’ve got a surprise for you. I was saving it for tonight.”

  “What’s that?” Cindy asked, her face turned up to his.

  “We’re going back to our room and ordering champagne, followed by room service, followed by a little rug time in front of the fireplace.” He winked at Marnie behind his wife’s back.

  Cindy blushed and smiled sheepishly at Marnie. “I’m sorry, but can we have a rain check on the drinks? I’m sure we’ll see each other again during our stay. Maybe you and your boyfriend can have dinner with us some evening.”

  “Sounds lovely,” Marnie said, dredging up as much sincerity as she could muster.

  “Then it’s settled. Maybe you and I could go into Wakesfield to shop tomorrow?”

  “Maybe,” Marnie said, making a mental note to steer clear of both of them.

  “Let’s go,” Brad said urgently.

  Cindy giggled and linked her arm through his as they moved off toward the door, and Marnie immediately started planning how to stay clear of Brad and Cindy for the remainder of her stay. Since they were here on their anniversary they wouldn’t come down early for breakfast, she figured. As for lunch, she’d be sure to arrive early and sit at a table for two, and for dinner she could always order room service—whatever it took to avoid them.