SNOWFIRES

by Caroline Clemmons

  And she did, seconds later as she rushed toward the conference room. He was about to enter and waited for her.

  His gorgeous green eyes twinkled. “Morning, Miss Tucker. Hectic day?” He guided her into the room ahead of him with a hand at her waist.

  “Good morning, Mr. Macleod. Yes, it’s been a little rushed.” She took her place at the table. Was it her imagination that everyone stared from her to Trent?

  Lila Brewster, Trent’s secretary, passed out an agenda and Gordon Williams filled everyone in on the disastrous Amberfield meeting—as if they didn’t already know about it.

  Trent stood. “Gordon did a great job with Amberfield, but the weather betrayed us by stranding me in the panhandle. I’m the unknown in the company and they wouldn’t commit without me present. Here’s my plan to woo them back.”

  Holly’s mind wandered. She examined the face of each person present. Some people made notes, some nodded as Trent spoke, others merely listened in rapt attention. All seemed in agreement with Trent’s plan.

  With a heavy heart, Holly suddenly realized her father had been wrong. The people gathered here represented the heart of the company and each one appeared in awe of Trent. They agreed with his plan. She’d been wrong to fight him.

  And now she knew Trent hadn’t caused her father’s heart attack. Maybe Dad’s heart had failed from the knowledge he’d lost everything. Whatever the cause, she had to relinquish assigning blame and move on. Forcing herself to concentrate, she turned her attention back to Trent’s presentation.

  And just in time. “Miss Tucker, do you have employee records to demonstrate our low accident rate?”

  Holly nodded and sorted through the stack in front of her. “Yes, I have those figures available. We’ve gone nine months without an injury that required more than on-site first aid. No more than two injuries a year required a doctor’s visit in the past five years. One accident with a faulty crane last year required a worker’s hospitalization. It was due to a defective part in the crane’s manufacture and no fault was found with Marvel.”

  “Excellent.” His green gaze met hers and the heat of it shocked her.

  Good heavens, no one could mistake that look for casual interest. It about melted her panty hose.

  “Thank you.” She looked at her notes, unwilling to risk visual contact any longer. Listening to his presentation, she kept her eyes focused anywhere else but on him.

  After another thirty minutes, he asked, “Anyone have a question or comment about this or anything else?”

  When no one spoke, he dismissed the meeting. Holly stood with others and prepared to leave.

  “Oh, Miss Tucker, may I have a minute?”

  Lila, who had worked for Holly’s father for twenty years before Trent came, smiled and patted Holly’s arm as she passed. Holly returned her greeting then caught Gordon Williams’ knowing look as he moved by. With a frown for Gordon, she turned to face Trent. “Of course.”

  When everyone else had left, Trent closed the door. “Thanks for not openly opposing me on this.”

  With a flush of embarrassment, Holly recalled her earlier objections. “I—I realize I was wrong to speak against you. Obviously everyone else thinks your ideas are good.”

  “And you, do you think they’re good?” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  His touch sizzled through her. She stared at his chest lest she give herself away. “I’m not sure, but my job is to take care of the employees and not to acquire contracts or customers.”

  “Holly, I know we disagree on some things, but your opinion means a great deal to me.” He tilted her chin to make her meet his gaze. Darn those emerald eyes.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Trent. You’re a gambler, like my dad.” She had a surprising need to burrow into his chest and cry. What was that about? She never cried.

  His finger caressed a line along her jaw. “If I had children or a wife, I wouldn’t gamble with my family’s welfare, no matter what the stakes. Can you understand the difference?”

  She took a deep breath. “All I know is you could lose everything. Trent, we could all lose everything.”

  “Please trust me.” His hands cupped her face.

  “Trust doesn’t come easy for me. I-I think I’ve used up my lifetime quota and might be out from now on.” Too many times she’d been betrayed. Never again, buster, no matter how those green eyes twinkled and mesmerized.

  “Right now I’ll settle for this.” He lowered his lips to hers.

  She should push him away, but she wanted this kiss too much. Kissing didn’t mean she approved of his plan, didn’t mean she trusted him. It only meant he was a major hunk and she was a healthy woman with needs. Right?

  Oh, she hoped so.

  As if by their own volition, her arms slid around him. He deepened the kiss and pressed her against the table.

  His hand caressed her breast through her silk blouse. She thought of the wrinkle that would cause and pulled away.

  “We must be crazy. Anyone could come in and catch us.” She buttoned her jacket to conceal unmistakable fabric creases around her left breast. There was nothing she could do about the flame of desire burning inside her.

  To make her point, the door opened and Lila peered around facing. “There’s a call on two from Denton at Amberfield.”

  With a wink for Holly, Lila closed the door. Dear Lord, did everyone know what was going on between her and Trent?

  He straightened his tie and buttoned his jacket. “I’d better take the call in my office where I have all my notes.”

  She grinned and patted his arousal. “Might want to compost that lodge pole before you leave the room.” Then she turned and raced to her office.

  ***

  Holly straightened the napkin on her lap and gazed around the familiar dining room while the waiter placed her salad in front of her. From where she sat she had a perfect view of the sunset over the golf course’s park-like vista. “Thank heavens you talked me into this.”

  Laura’s dark hair fell in a perfect line to touch the shoulders of her yellow sweater set. “After your first day back from Icelandia and a hard day at the salt mines, you need a relaxing dinner in great company.”

  Holly grinned. “That would be you.” Though Laura didn’t work, she remained sympathetic and supportive of Holly’s job. Laura’s father was a top-notch lawyer and made more money than even Laura and her mother could spend. Which was fortunate, because Laura had neither the inclination nor a particular skill for employment.

  Laura took a warm bread stick from the basket. “I’ll bet there were stacks of things piled up waiting for your magic touch.”

  Holly wanted to use her magic touch on Trent’s skin. “Too true. I only missed three days of work, but you’d have thought it was a month. Lucky I have that new assistant who actually knows how to follow instructions.”

  The waiter set a fresh margarita—her second—in front of Laura and she toyed with the straw. “When I thought of you stuck in the back of nowhere, I about died. I tried to picture what you’d be doing, but it blew my mind.”

  Holly shrugged. “Well, you’ve been there so you know it’s not the action capitol of Texas.”

  “Why people live in a place like that is beyond me. Who wants to be surrounded by cows and endless plains?” Laura’s snorting laugh was her least attractive feature and, apparently boosted by alcohol, she chortled far too loud.

  Holly leaned forward. “Shhhh, Laura. People are staring at us.”

  Laura wiped her eyes with her napkin. “I can’t help myself. You snowed in at your grandparents with Trent Macleod. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall.” She licked salt from a spot on the glass rim then sipped on her drink. “Let’s see, you drove down on Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving and came back yesterday. My gosh, an entire week in the boonies. Really, what on earth did you do?”

  Holly had wanted to be honest with her friend, but Laura couldn’t have kept a secret under penalty o
f death. She decided to stick with the truth, as far as she could without revealing too much. “Well, the men talked business and Grandma and I cooked and read. And you know my grandparents love to play gin rummy.”

  “Ohmygod. Death by gin rummy.” Laura laughed again and the couple at the next table glared.

  “It wasn’t that bad; it was only a few days. Besides, I’m back to my same old schedule now.”

  “Three extra days in Siberia. I don’t know how you can stand that ranch, especially at this time of year. It’s so isolated. That time I went with you I thought we’d been banished to another planet.”

  Holly smiled and forked a bite of salad. “You didn’t mind the foreman as I remember.”

  Laura blushed. “Now there was a hottie.” She sighed. “If only he could have strung two sentences together.”

  “Hmmm, it seemed to me you weren’t interested in talking to him.” Holly took another bite of her salad and watched for her friend’s reaction.

  Laura rewarded her by glancing both ways to see if anyone had heard. “Holleeeey! You promised not to mention that little lapse into lunacy. Although he certainly knew how to make me feel all woman and sat-is-fied with a capital S.” Laura took a large gulp of her drink. “But we were talking about you and the Macleod hunk.” She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Holly. “You’d better watch that man. He’s likely sizing you up for Mrs. Macleod.”

  Holly laid down her fork. “Now you’re insane. Why would you say such a thing?”

  “Honey, why not? You are one of the prettiest women in town. You have that gorgeous house that’s worth beaucoups of money. You can get him entry straight to this crowd, and you can definitely make his position at Marvel more secure.”

  Dread swept over Holly. “So, you think no one would want me for myself, huh?”

  Laura rolled her eyes. “Holly, you’ve been my best friend as long as I can remember. Do you think I don’t know you’re truly the nicest person alive? Of course, any man would be more than lucky to get you. But look where this guy’s from.”

  She leaned forward as if imparting a secret. “Remember that article we saw? He was poor—they were vague about why or how bad—and determined to make his mark in business. He’s after the main chance, Holly, so be careful of him.”

  Holly stared at her plate. “He, um, he seems pretty nice. Brusque, but not unfair.”

  Laura’s voice sounded triumphant. “Aha, something did happen while you were away.”

  When Holly raised her face, Laura gloated. She nodded. “I knew it! You hated the man when you left, and now you’re defending him. Come on and spill it. What happened?”

  Holly had to think fast to get her friend on another track. “N-Nothing. And I’m not exactly defending him. It’s just, well, after spending some time with him, um, away from the office, um, at my grandparents, I see that he’s not all bad. Even though his way is different from Dad’s, I believe he’s dedicated to making Marvel stronger. We see things differently, but he’s not a bad person.”

  Laura raised an eyebrow. “Um-hum. So, did you sleep with him?”

  Heat flooded Holly’s face and she knew she must be a fiery red. Now she was the one who glanced around to see if anyone had overheard. “How can you ask that? Laura, I was with my grandparents, for heaven sakes.”

  “Phfft.” Laura nodded sagely. “Yeah, so was I when I jumped their foreman’s bones.” She pointed a fork at Holly. “I’m telling you, Holly, watch out for this guy—he’s going to use you to get his foot in this door.” She gestured around them to the dining room of the exclusive country club.

  Sudden anger suffused Holly. “He doesn’t need me for anything, Laura. Trent Macleod can do whatever he wants.”

  “Probably true, but I think he’s out to do you.”

  Feeling near tears again, Holly confessed, “He’s another gambler, Laura.” She stabbed at her chicken. “Not like Dad with all his trips to Vegas and Tahoe or his weird schemes, but a gambler all the same. I can assure you that because of that one thing he and I are going nowhere together.”

  “A gambler? Ah, Holly, I’m sorry.” Laura cut a piece of steak and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm, he doesn’t look the type. How does he gamble if he doesn’t do Vegas? Horses?”

  Holly took a deep breath. “Business. He has gambled everything on making one deal work.”

  “Gosh, Holly, business is always a gamble. Getting out of bed is a gamble.” Laura shrugged away Holly’s concern. “So’s staying in bed for that matter.”

  Hearing her friend echo Trent was like a stab to the heart. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  Laura’s eyes widened. “Okay, okay, sorry. I see this has upset you, but I think you’re more interested in him than you admit.” She looked around as if searching for a new topic and her eyes went to the poster advertising the upcoming Winter Wonderland Ball this weekend. “Guess what? Rob Vincent finally asked me to the Ball.”

  “Laura, that’s great.” Holly smiled and leaned forward. “Does he know you’ve decided to become Mrs. Rob Vincent by June?”

  Laura shook her head then smiled with a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes. “Not yet. I’ll break it to him slowly.”

  “So how’s that going?” Rob’s mom had picked out the daughter of a friend for her son and constantly tried to throw barriers between Rob and Laura.

  “His mother is backing off a little. I wish she’d move to Australia. Or maybe Mars. That is one mean woman.” She speared another bite of food. “Who’s taking you? I hope you’re not going with Stan. He is so shallow.”

  Holly almost laughed. Laura wasn’t that deep herself, for all her good heart. “I hadn’t planned to go. Since Dad only died in September, I’m not sure I should attend the ball this year.”

  “Holly, that’s archaic. You can bet Geneva will be there, probably shopping for her next husband if she hasn’t already started. Besides, your father would be the last person to want you to molder in mourning.”

  “That’s true, but it’s only two days away.” Holly pushed her entrée around on her plate. “We’ll see.”

  Laura’s take on Trent’s interest in Holly had knotted her stomach and she’d lost her appetite. Is that what everyone would think? Would they be correct?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Trent rapped his knuckles on Holly’s office doorframe and hoped the speech he’d practiced worked. “Everyone but the janitors and us have left for the weekend. Shouldn’t we knock off, too?”

  Holly glanced at the thin gold watch on her slender wrist. “Time got away from me again. I wanted to get caught up.”

  He propped a shoulder against the doorway and gave her what he hoped was a charming grin. “I won’t tell the CEO if you leave something undone on your desk.”

  She smiled and pushed the papers on her desk into a folder. “Thanks, but I suspect he’d find out anyway. You can be sure Lila would.”

  He chuckled. “You’ve got that right. Lila knows all there is to know about everything and everyone. She should be CEO.” He depended on Lila, and thanked heavens the efficient whirlwind appeared to like him—or at least accept him.

  His remark caused Holly’s smile to deepen. She pushed the folder to the corner of her desk. “Maybe you’re right, I’ll just leave and throw caution to the wind.”

  “Can I buy you dinner?” Please say yes. Damn, he was the high school nerd asking the most popular girl in school on a first date.

  She bit her lip and looked wary.

  “Food? Surely you plan to eat dinner.” He held out his hands, turning them from up to down. “See, no strings are attached to these.”

  “You’re crazy.” She took her purse from a drawer. “Okay, where are we eating? Since you’re buying, I’m giving you fair warning I’m starving.” She took a gray coat from the rack.

  He held it while she slid it on. “New coat?”

  She sent him a disgusted look. “Old coat. The other one is at the cleaners.”

  He laughed
, remembering her gathering eggs and other activities in the barn. “Not surprising.”

  She turned out the lights and closed the door. “You locked up your place?”

  “Yep, all buttoned up. Let’s get some chow.”

  “Is that what you called food on ship?” She looked up at him.

  He tried for an innocent, up-to-nothing look on his face. “No, I thought that’s what Texans called food. Chow. Grub. As in let’s chow down, partner, or why don’t we’uns git us some of that there grub?”

  Her laughter lightened his fatigue. “What kind of chow are we going for?”

  He rubbed his stomach and hammed it up more. “I’ve a powerful craving for Tex Mex, Ma’am. Can’t get enough of that stuff. Want to suggest someplace?” He guided her to the parking lot. “Whoa, two cars. I live closer than you do. Why don’t we leave your car in my apartment parking lot and then use my car to go eat?”

  She looked at his used economy coupe. “This is what the CEO drives?”

  Usually he made no apologies for his lifestyle, but with her he made an exception. “Hey, just like Popeye says, ‘I yam what I yam.’ No use trying to fool people. I bought this car cheap because of its age. I’ll replace it when I’m sure things will work out at Marvel.”

  She laughed. “Okay, sailor, why don’t we leave your car in your apartment parking lot and go in mine? You can drive.”

  “Done deal. You remember where I live in case we’re separated in traffic?” He hoped she wouldn’t use this as a way to back out.

  “Yes, it’s just a short ways, isn’t it? I’ll follow you.” She climbed into her car.

  He shut her door then jogged to his vehicle. It ground and he had to coax it. “Come on, come on you old bucket. This is important.”

  The ignition finally caught and he pulled out of the parking lot. True to her word, she pulled into traffic behind him and stayed a car length off his bumper. At his apartment building, he parked in his assigned slot and locked his car in record time before he walked to her Lexus.

  She hopped out and called, “Chinese fire drill.” Leaving her door open, she hurried to the passenger side and climbed in.