The Christmas Inn

by Stella MacLean

  “Yes, and a few other things.”

  “I’ve had a few things on my mind, as well,” he said, smiling up into her eyes as he pushed his body up into hers, forcing a gasp from her lips.

  “If my plan works, you’re going to owe me big time when this is all over,” she said, reaching to undo his shirt.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  HE CUPPED HER HEAD in his hands, and drew her down into a deep, demanding kiss that had her moaning with delight as she hurried to unbutton his shirt. Desire, hot and insistent, claimed her, drawing the air from her lungs in a long sigh of need. Running her hands down his body, she reached the zipper on his pants.

  A buzzing sound came from somewhere near her side, distracting her. “Wouldn’t you know?” she groaned, and rolled off him, retrieving the cell phone.

  When she answered, the cheery voices of Scott, Liam, Gordon and Alex rang in her ear.

  “Would it be asking too much for you guys to work on your timing a little?” she teased.

  “Did we catch you in the act?” Liam said, his loud laugh filling the line.

  “They heard about Luke. I didn’t tell them, I swear,” Scott said over the din. “But between you and me, I believe their curiosity over your new boyfriend was what got them on this conference call.”

  She glanced at Luke who had climbed to a sitting position beside her. “Who is it?” he whispered.

  “My brothers,” she whispered against his ear.

  He smiled and began playing with the hair at the nape of her neck, driving her insane with desire.

  “Are you there?” Scott asked.

  “Yes, and I’m delighted to call this meeting to order,” she said.

  “First things first. When are you going to come home? We miss you and want to see you. It won’t be Christmas without you, sis,” Liam said.

  “I second that,” Gordon chimed in.

  “The sooner the better,” Alex offered. “Scott and Mom have filled us in about your man who’s keeping you away from us on Christmas. You realize you’ll have to deal with us when you finally do return.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  “So, what’s up? What’s so urgent that we have to hold a conference call on Christmas Eve?” Scott asked.

  “I have an investment opportunity for you. It’s a beautiful inn near Wakesfield in upstate New York. It’s presently owned by Advantage Corporation, and they’ve put it up for sale.”

  “So what’s your connection to it? How did you get involved and how did you do it so quickly?” Gordon queried.

  “Luke, the present manager, and I want to buy it, and we want to form a partnership.” His intimate gaze moved lazily over her, and the love and pride in his eyes delighted her.

  “You’re in love after only a couple of days with a man none of us have met, and you want us to help you buy an inn without anyone in the family seeing it first, or doing any sort of appraisal?” Liam asked, incredulously.

  “Did I say anything to any of you when you decided you’d found the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?” she countered, compressing her lips in annoyance. Why did they always behave this way?

  “But Scott says he’s a widower. How do you know he’s not just on the rebound?” Gordon asked. “We don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “And what will you do about your plans for the inn if he suddenly develops cold feet? You remember what happened to my best friend, Louie, after his wife passed away. He hooked up with a woman, only to change his mind a few months into the engagement.” Liam’s words were hurried.

  “Yeah, and add that to your track record with men,” Alex said, and she could picture him shaking his head, counting himself out. Worse still, his words were met by a long stretch of silence from the rest of them.

  Did that mean none of them approved of what she wanted? Had they ganged up on her yet again? She remembered those other moments when her brothers didn’t approve, how defeated she’d felt facing their arguments against what she’d wanted.

  Would their attitude ever change where she was concerned?

  With her gaze locked on Luke, she organized her thoughts. The worst that could happen was that they would refuse her request, and if they did, she’d find money somewhere else. She wasn’t going to let her brothers ruin their plans.

  “Look, I’m offering you a great chance here to be part of a new business venture of mine. This is a great inn. It’s got a solid clientele. Luke is the manager and he’s a good manager and he’s got years of experience. If we don’t buy this inn we’ll buy another one. But we would prefer to pool our management experience and make The Mirabel the best inn in the area, even the country,” she said in a heated defense of her plans.

  “Sounds great, but what’s the deal? Do you get half ownership for putting up half the money? And do you need a contract with this guy?” Gordon asked.

  Anger burned her throat. Why couldn’t they see what this meant to her? “Okay, here’s the deal. I know that you four have seen my life to date as your personal preserve, a place all of you felt you had a right to interfere whenever you wanted, all in the name of giving me advice you believed I needed. But what you seem to have forgotten is that I successfully ran a beauty salon for years, borrowed my own money for the business and sold my share at a good price. All without your involvement.”

  “We wanted to help you with the salon but you didn’t tell us until it was a done deal,” Alex complained.

  “That’s my point exactly. I had to go behind your backs to do what I wanted.”

  “Sis, we didn’t mean it that way,” Liam said, to the tune of the other brothers’ muted agreement.

  “It’s not about what you meant, but about how it affected me. Every time I ever went to do something—from buying my first car to choosing who I wanted to date—you guys jumped in with all sorts of unsolicited advice. I realize it all started with my health, but just because I’ve spent time in and out of hospitals doesn’t mean you have to treat me like I’m someone who needs your constant input. I’m thirty-five years old, for heaven’s sake!”

  She looked to Luke for reassurance. He squeezed her shoulders and smiled encouragingly.

  “We didn’t intend to make you feel that way,” Scott murmured, his tone contrite. “We love you.”

  “You’re our little sister,” Liam chimed in.

  “Well, I’m not your little sister anymore. I’m a grown woman with plans, and if you guys want to prove you want to change, you can start now.”

  “What do you say, men? Do we take this opportunity to trust Marnie’s good judgment?” Gordon asked.

  “Well…I’m still in need of a little convincing,” Alex said. “This inn has to be worth a few bucks, my guess is a couple of million. Are we ready to split that among the four of us? If we’re going to treat Marnie like any other investment, and not our sister, we’ll also need to know what plans they have for the inn.”

  “Just so you know, Luke and I would be willing to look at other sources of funding to make up any shortfall.”

  They all began speaking at once, and after the noise died down, Scott said, “We’re ready to talk about your plan, and of course we’ll have to see the proposal in writing, and the price you settle upon once you’ve put in the offer. We’ll also need to meet Luke. What’s his last name?”

  “Luke Harrison.”

  “And what do you know about him, beyond his personal appeal, obviously?” Alex asked.

  “You’ll have to wait until we come to Boston to find out. Until then I want you four to think seriously about this. I’m fed up with your attitude where I’m concerned. Put your money where your attitude is, no strings attached, or I’ll go elsewhere.”

  Aware of the silence on the other end of the phone, she sought Luke’s reassurance. He immediately put his hand in hers, his touch warm and intimate. “I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but I deserve a chance to be happy like you guys, don’t I?”

  “You do,” Scott affirmed.
>
  “Absolutely,” the others chorused, much quieter now.

  She imagined them texting one another while she waited, and whatever they were saying had to be pretty lengthy, given how long it seemed since they’d spoken to her. She could almost hear the comments that would be made around the dinner table tonight in her absence. “Hello, anybody home?”

  “Marnie, tell you what. We’ll agree to fund your venture on one condition,” Scott said.

  Her gaze flew to Luke. He tucked her under his arm, holding her close, and her confidence came flooding back. “What’s that?”

  “You and Luke have to come to Mom and Dad’s the day after Christmas. We need to meet your new family.”

  “But only to meet him. No trial by the brotherhood, promise? No grilling him about his sports-team likes and dislikes, no arm wrestles.”

  Luke laughed.

  “Is that him we hear in the background?”

  “Yes.”

  “Put him on,” Alex said.

  “Not until you promise to behave yourselves.”

  “Marnie, we won’t do anything to Luke. We only want to welcome him to the brotherhood,” Scott teased to grumbled assents from the other three.

  She held the phone out to Luke. “They want to talk to you, but if they give you any trouble—”

  “Leave them to me. I’ve always wanted a few brothers of my own, and this lot will probably do,” he said, chuckling as he took the phone.

  Marnie listened to Luke’s side of the conversation, which seemed to consist mostly of “yes” and “no” and “love to.” But if his eyes were an indicator of what her brothers were saying they hadn’t managed to offend him. She let out a long sigh of relief and snuggled closer to him, listening contentedly.

  “They want to speak to you one more time,” he said, looking so handsome and adorable.

  She took the phone. “Okay, what is it now?” she asked, trying to maintain her usual snappy dialogue when it came to the fearsome four. Yet she was still a little worried, as they’d never given in like this before.

  “We’re going to see you in two days’ time. We’ve also arranged to take your man to a hockey game in Boston in January, so you can relax. And now, Mom and Dad are waiting for us to get started on our Christmas Eve dinner, so we’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Alex said. “And Marnie, merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas,” the others chimed in.

  “Merry Christmas, and see you soon—”

  A huge lump rose in her throat, tears pricked her eyes. She wouldn’t be there to celebrate with them, and suddenly she felt so guilty. She was torn…then she felt Luke’s hands massaging her shoulder, his fingers so gentle. She glanced his way to see his eyes focused solely on her.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  She held the phone against her chest, her heart thudding so hard she was sure her brothers could hear, but they’d understand. She had finally found the man for her, and the life she’d been searching for, and she had no intention of ever letting anything come in the way of her happiness.

  “Tell Mom and Dad I’ll call later this evening.”

  “Got it,” Scott said. “See you soon, Marnie. And merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas,” she said, and clicked her phone closed.

  “We can leave for Boston right now, if you want,” he offered.

  “But Ethan needs to be here. Santa’s coming tonight,” she said.

  “Santa will be wherever Ethan is, trust me.”

  As tempting as the idea was, she couldn’t do that. As lonesome as she was right now, she would never do anything to ruin Christmas for Ethan or for Luke, or for the staff here at the inn.

  She took a deep breath. “No, I want to spend Christmas here with you.”

  * * *

  LUKE WAS FASCINATED by Marnie’s conversation with her brothers. His few minutes of conversation with them had made it clear how much they cared about her. He also understood what able adversaries they’d be if anyone ever tried to harm their little sister.

  All of it left him wishing he had a family like hers, that he had a brother or sister he could call, especially now at Christmas, when he had so much happiness to share, and Ethan needed family. He hadn’t heard a word from his parents but they were probably on their way to Australia.

  “What now?” she asked, swiping at her damp cheeks, her face turned to the tree. Leave it to Marnie—the woman he loved was too proud to let him see her tears.

  “Turn around,” he whispered. “Look at me.”

  She turned her head to meet his gaze. “Defending my right to choose the man in my life is not easy for me. I have a spotty record where men are concerned, and my brothers never miss a chance to remind me.”

  “Your brothers love you.”

  “So they got to you, too,” she said, doing a passable mobster imitation.

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “They did. You’re one lucky woman to have a family who cares so much.” He pulled her close to him, reveling in how good she felt in his arms. “And since I’m about to spend the rest of my life with you, your spotty record is history. I’m going to see to that.”

  “I’m really looking forward to watching you.” She blinked back tears. “And these are tears of joy, I might remind you.”

  He wanted to make love to her more than anything, but Ethan was bound to come roaring through the door any minute with Mary in tow. He settled for kissing her, feeling her body melt into his. But once he started, he couldn’t resist the touch of her hands on his chest, her breath on his lips, the heat of her body pressed to his. He nuzzled her neck, and let his hands roam over her breasts taking pleasure in her sudden gasp. Breathing hard, he stroked her hair, the light from the Christmas tree highlighting the glow in her eyes. “Starting now we are going to have a life together. That means I want you to share your feelings with me, the good and the not so good.”

  Her fingers played with the gold chain at his neck. “Expressing my feelings has always been a bit difficult for me.”

  “But I want to know how you feel, how I make you feel. Promise me?”

  Her voice thick with emotion, she murmured, “I promise.”

  He heard the door open, followed by Ethan’s animated chatter, and moved back, pulling Marnie to a standing position. “Darn, and we were just getting started.”

  “The other member of the family has arrived.” She eased away and peeked around him, looking for Ethan.

  Mary entered the room, a look of surprise on her face. “You both look so…natural there in front of the tree, but I’m afraid I have to run. One of the guests spilled wine on the carpet in his room, and we’re really busy with getting all the guests settled and the Christmas getaway activities going.”

  “Not a problem, Mary, and thank you so much for babysitting Ethan. Marnie and I’ll take it from here. I’ve got Francine’s sister coming to look after Ethan during dinner tonight.”

  “Oh, that’s the other thing I needed to tell you. She called while you were meeting with the people from Advantage to say she’s ill. I could come back and stay with him if you like.”

  “Absolutely not. You’re here all the time as it is. Leave it with me. I’m sure there’s someone in the village who’s available.”

  “Dad!” Ethan tossed his winter jacket on the floor by the door, and raced over to the tree, his face alight with enthusiasm, his cheeks a bright pink.

  Luke picked up his son, his cool cheeks and scent of outdoors filling his nostrils. “You’ve been outside playing, haven’t you?” he asked.

  Marnie pulled Ethan’s hat off his head, smoothing his curls.

  Ethan leaned back in his father’s embrace. “I made a snowman. He’s this big, with a carrot for a nose.” Ethan spread his arms wide, bumping Marnie’s cheek.

  “Hey, easy there, big guy.” Luke’s eyes met Marnie’s.

  “No damage to report,” she said, grinning as she took Ethan’s fingers in hers.

  Ethan frowned. “Why
you not go outside with me?”

  “I was talking with your daddy. I’ll go the next time, I promise.”

  “Now?” Ethan asked, his head coming to rest on his father’s shoulder, filling Luke with an unfathomable ache. How was it that until Ethan’s arrival in his life, he’d believed he had experienced all love had to offer? Yet loving Ethan was so different, so intense—an all-encompassing love that never failed to surprise him.

  “It’s time for dinner and bed, my man,” Luke said, holding his son close.

  Ethan lifted his head off his father’s shoulder, squinting as he pulled at his father cheek. “Can I have mac and cheese?” he asked.

  “Don’t you eat anything else?” He hitched Ethan farther up into his arms.

  “Hot dog?” Ethan asked, pulling at his father’s nose.

  “I can make either,” Marnie said.

  “Mac and cheese it is,” Luke said, lowering Ethan to the floor.

  Luke and Ethan followed Marnie into the kitchen where Ethan promptly climbed into his favorite chair and watched expectantly as Marnie moved about the space.

  Oh, man, how I miss this.

  Emotion clogged Luke’s throat. He scrubbed his face to prevent Marnie from seeing the tears threatening to overcome him.

  Who’s the one hiding their emotions now?

  Thankfully, Marnie was busy at the stove. He settled into a chair at the table and soaked up the comforting feeling of having her there with him, moving about the kitchen as she fixed Ethan’s dinner.

  Marnie placed Ethan’s plate in front of him and sat down at the table across from Luke.

  “What are you going to do about a babysitter for tonight with Francine’s sister ill?” she asked as they watched Ethan devour his meal.

  Checking his watch, he was appalled to discover that the Christmas Eve dinner would be starting in less than an hour and he didn’t have a babysitter. “Oh, no, I forgot! Let’s see. I have a list here of possible sitters.” He reached behind him to a drawer where he kept the phone book, and began to scan the list.

  “Why don’t I stay with Ethan?” Marnie asked.

  “Don’t you want to go to dinner with me?”