By Firelight

by Janice Maynard

  She choked on a sip of burgundy. “Is this your version of a pep talk? Dr. Phil, you are not.”

  He sighed. “No one ever appreciates good advice.”

  “What advice? All you’ve told me is that getting fired wasn’t my fault. And like any guy, you managed to bring up sex in the process.”

  He shrugged. “Sex makes anything better.”

  She smiled then. A full-blown, appealing curve of her lush lips. “I’m willing to let some naughty talk distract me from my sucky life.”

  “Just talk?” he asked hopefully. “Or something more hands-on?”

  She studied his face. He wondered what she was thinking. Chances were, nothing nearly as X-rated as the images galloping across his brain. Unfortunately, his question went unanswered. She leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “So, tell me about Daniel Reynolds. What do you do when you’re not being Santa Claus?”

  He abandoned the previous topic reluctantly. “I’m the Department of Defense police captain at Fort Wainwright. We do road patrols, post security. How visitors are processed at the front gate, how deliveries are vetted, stuff like that.”

  “So you’re in the army?”

  “No. Actually, it’s a civilian position. I was in the army after college. . . for six years. When I got out, I found a job at Fort Irwin in California. Worked my way up to police lieutenant. This job opened back in the spring. I applied and moved here six months ago.”

  “Sounds like interesting work.”

  “I think so.”

  “But don’t you miss being at home?”

  “My dad was in the military, too, so I don’t really have a home base, although my parents are retired and live in Florida. I love Alaska. Relocating here for the foreseeable future hasn’t been a hardship.”

  “How do you know Hazel and Roy?”

  “We met in town one day. I hate staying in hotels and motels for more than a few nights. In the beginning, the job at Fort Wainwright was temporary, strictly on a month-by-month basis. So I didn’t want to buy a house right off or rent a generic apartment. I threw myself at Hazel and Roy’s mercy and they cut me a deal. I did all their yard work during the summer and fall, and they gave me a room at a drastically reduced rate. They’re getting older, so they appreciate having someone around to do odd jobs. It’s worked out really well.”

  He lifted a hand and indicated to the waiter he’d like the check. “I want you to know, Hallie, I’ll help you as much as I can in the next two weeks. At least with getting breakfast on the table before I have to go to work in the mornings.”

  Her jaw dropped slightly and confusion filled her deep blue eyes. “Breakfast?”

  He grinned as he signed the credit card slip. “Yeah, breakfast. You know . . . the second B in B and B.”

  She waved a nonchalant hand. “How hard can it be? I doubt there will be too many people booking stays at a B and B in Alaska in December. I have a whole packet of stuff to look at this evening . . . meticulous instructions Hazel and Roy mailed me a week ago. I’m supposed to call them if I have questions. We’d planned to touch base when they got to Seattle, but their flights were delayed a day and a half, and I was gone before they arrived.”

  “I see.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine. Especially since we don’t have guests tonight. I kept meaning to go through all the info they gave me before I left, but there was so much to do getting ready for the trip . . .”

  He got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Um, Hallie . . . have you even taken a look at the reservation ledger?” Hazel and Roy refused to use computers. The books were kept the old-fashioned way.

  Hallie frowned and shrugged. “Well, not yet. You whisked me away to the school, and then I took a nap, and then we left . . . Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  He took a deep breath. “You have fifteen guests checking in tomorrow. And they’re staying through Christmas Eve.”

  Two

  Hallie had never fainted in her life. Well, except for that one time when she gave blood on an empty stomach, but that didn’t count. Her vision went fuzzy, and she took several deep breaths. “Fifteen people?”

  She’d had some hazy notion of dusting the occasional bookshelf and catching up on her reading for the next two weeks. B&Bs in the middle of nowhere were not the same as high-end hotels. The occupancy rates were minimal, especially outside of tourist season. Right?

  Daniel took her cold hands in his and rubbed them gently. “Take a deep breath. You’re a pro, remember? You can do this with your eyes closed. You know the hospitality industry inside out.”

  But that was just it, Hallie lamented inwardly. She didn’t, not really. All she knew were the rigorous schedules that kept her big hotel running smoothly. She knew how to deal with an irate guest and a malfunctioning AC unit. She knew how to pacify a wealthy rock star whose suite was still being cleaned and prepared. She knew how to handle squabbles among the housekeeping staff. But she sure as heck didn’t know how to entertain fifteen people in a four-thousand-square-foot bed-and-breakfast. Good Lord.

  She yanked her hands away from Daniel’s comforting grasp, mostly because she wanted so much to cling to his strength. Time to find her backbone. This B&B was her problem. Not his.

  Clearing her throat self-consciously, she grasped at straws. “By breakfast, I assume you don’t mean tossing a waffle in the toaster?”

  He winced. “Not quite. Hazel is legendary for her spectacular breakfast spreads. There’s a red and green loose-leaf binder on the kitchen counter where she has all her recipes. Muffins, quiches, fruit salads . . . you name it. I think she even has meal plans that she rotates every five days, so guests don’t get tired of the same thing.”

  “Five days . . .” Hallie’s throat was dry. “Excellent.”

  The expression on Daniel’s handsome face was troubled. “You do know how to cook, right?”

  She waved a hand. “Of course,” she said airily, her heart thumping. “Who doesn’t?”

  Over the next half hour, she waited to get struck by lightning for her bald-faced, unrepentant lie. Hallie Prentiss had been known to ruin strawberry Pop-Tarts, for God’s sake. The inside of her microwave oven saw more action than a Vegas hooker. If it couldn’t be nuked, she didn’t eat it. Not at home, anyway.

  She followed Daniel out to the car, her pulse racing. Fifteen guests. Arriving tomorrow. She was in deep trouble.

  The outside air took her breath away . . . literally. Even dashing from one warm spot to the next required bracing against a jolt of subzero air. But on the upside, the infinite night sky was black velvet spangled with a million stars she’d never been able to see back in Seattle.

  She had assumed they were going straight home, but Daniel took an unfamiliar turn, and she didn’t challenge him. After a few minutes they wound up a small hill. She saw the sign for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Sheesh. Who would voluntarily go to school here?

  Daniel parked in an empty lot and touched her arm. “Hop out.”

  Her eyes telegraphed incredulity over the edge of her muffler. “No thanks.”

  He touched her cheek gently. Even without gloves on, his hands were warm. How did he do that? His grin was wry. “Come on, Hallie. Be a sport. You won’t be sorry.”

  She yanked the scarf away and half turned in her seat to face him. “If you think we’re going to indulge in some kind of kinky, arctic, sex-on-the-hood-of-your-car thing, you’re insane.”

  He laughed out loud. “I appreciate your inventive mind, but I think it’s a little early for sex.”

  Since the clock on the dash read ten p.m., she had to assume he was talking about the length of their relationship and not the hour. Reluctantly, she rewrapped her face in its protective coating and climbed out of the car. It’s not cold. It’s not cold. It’s not cold. She’d taken plenty of those power-of-positive-thinking workshops, but at the moment, the theory didn’t seem to be working—at all.

  Daniel drew her into his embrace, he
r back to his chest. With the multitudinous layers of clothing between them, she couldn’t actually feel his heartbeat, but hers went wild.

  She did her best to act as if it were no big thing that a large, handsome man cuddled her in a decidedly romantic fashion with his muscular arms tucked beneath her breasts. He was just doing his duty as a Boy Scout, that’s all. Keeping her from “death by freezing.”

  His cheek brushed hers as he pointed. “Look. Over there. Keep watching.”

  She turned her gaze in the direction he indicated, and her breath caught in her throat. An arc of shimmering light stretched across half the sky. As she watched, the color deepened and intensified, first emerald green, then shadowy blue, then a mix of both with hints of pink.

  She was awed and humbled. “Daniel . . .”

  His warm breath teased her ear. “The northern lights. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

  She was mute. Words couldn’t convey what she felt. She’d read about this phenomenon—even knew the scientific explanation. But nothing had prepared her for the reality of the experience.

  In a corner of her mind, she was amazed that somehow the cold didn’t seem too bad right at this moment. Not with Daniel’s arms cradling her and the sky a palette of soft, swirling colors.

  She wasn’t sure how long they stood there. The show went on and on, each minute different from the last. Hallie lost herself in the magic.

  Finally, Daniel squeezed her waist. “Come on. We’ve got to get you home and warm you up.”

  * * *

  Daniel could think of several titillating activities that involved himself and Hallie frolicking in a hot tub. But aside from the absence of a handy tub, tomorrow was a big day for his new landlady.

  He drove in silence, enjoying her company completely comfortable with the lack of conversation. Hallie was a very easy woman to be with.

  When they returned to the little town of North Pole, the streets were mostly empty. But Christmas lights abounded, brightening the dark and bringing a feeling of cheer. The candy cane light poles still made him grin. He stifled a yawn. “It’s nice, isn’t it? Makes it easy to get in the holiday spirit.”

  He glanced at Hallie as he spoke, but she was staring straight ahead, her expression pensive.

  She sighed audibly. “You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not really in that frame of mind.”

  “Because you just lost your job?”

  She closed her eyes briefly and then looked at him. “That’s part of it. But it’s a long story, and I’m not in the mood to talk about it right now.”

  Her words were firm. He had to respect her boundaries. “Okay. But I’ll be around if you change your mind.”

  She was yawning by the time they pulled into the driveway of the inn. He hustled her to the door, unlocked the house, and scooted her inside, pausing only to turn up the thermostat.

  Hallie was the picture of exhaustion. But she projected an air of determination even so. “What time is check-in tomorrow?”

  “Three o’clock. Don’t worry. I know Roy and Hazel had all the rooms completely prepared before they left. I’ll do a quick peek before I head off to bed just to make sure.”

  “Thank you. I’m going to get that envelope of instructions they sent me and read it page by page before I go to bed. With the time difference, it’s too late to call them tonight, but if I run into any questions, I can get in touch with them first thing in the morning. I’ll be ready. Don’t you worry.”

  “I never doubted you.”

  When she shrugged out of her coat, he swallowed hard. He’d known her less than twenty-four hours. Not since his college days had he contemplated bedding a woman on such short acquaintance. He felt like he and Hallie had jumped forward several steps at once.

  She pulled pins from her hair absentmindedly, almost as if she’d forgotten he was there. Her simple movements weren’t meant to be provocative, but he felt himself getting hard.

  Her hair was lovely, every bit as dazzling as the northern lights. But instead of blues and greens, her silky blond waves were shot through with gold and amber. He badly wanted to bury his face in those soft tresses while he buried his aching erection deep inside Hallie.

  She yawned again. He realized ruefully that while she was clearly ready for bed, she wasn’t in any shape for sex. Which was probably a good thing, because if she had shown the slightest bit of interest, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to do the gentlemanly thing and wait.

  He turned out the lights in the foyer, leaving the nearby living room illumined only by the Christmas tree. It was damned romantic. But Hallie was unmoved. He was pretty sure she didn’t even look once in that direction.

  Reluctantly, he acknowledged defeat. It would have been really nice to cuddle on the sofa and get to know Hallie a little better. But it wasn’t going to happen tonight. The tree lights were on a timer and would go off in a half hour or so . . . with no one curled up on the nearby couch to comment on the lateness of the hour.

  He hung his jacket and scarf on the bear-tree coatrack and turned to face her. Was he the only one in the room feeling a wave of sexual tension? Oh, hell. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  He took her in his arms, sans coat, and covered her mouth with his. He lingered over the kiss a good thirty seconds, long enough to recognize the moment when she actually moved her lips against his. Long enough to feel her soft, warm breasts pressed to his chest. Then he peeled himself away from temptation and skedaddled for his room.

  * * *

  Hallie was shocked to realize she had slept eight hours straight through. When she crawled into bed the night before, bundled in a warm flannel nightgown and thick wool socks, she’d been sure she would lie awake for hours thinking about her new responsibilities and Daniel’s amazing kiss.

  Instead, she’d been comatose in seconds. And she had awakened feeling rested, refreshed, and optimistic. Getting up in the dark was not unique to Alaska. Hallie often worked odd shifts at the hotel. She had taught herself to use a warm shower and lots of caffeine to get going in the morning. Today would be no different.

  She threw on jeans and a pink angora sweater and headed for the kitchen. She felt a little guilty that it was already past eight, because Daniel was a paying guest and she owed him breakfast.

  Unfortunately for her reputation as an innkeeper, he had beat her to the punch. The coffeepot was sputtering nicely. Not only that, he’d apparently dashed out to the local grocery store for fresh doughnuts. He smiled when she came in but didn’t speak.

  She sat down across from him at the table and bit into a delicious circle of cinnamon and sugar. “Oh,” she moaned. “This is incredible. Why can’t I just serve these for breakfast?”

  Daniel had a funny look on his face. He seemed to be preoccupied with watching her chew.

  She finished the last bite and took a quick sip of coffee. “Don’t worry,” she said hastily. “I’m just kidding. I’ll follow Hazel’s recipes to the letter. But you have to admit, these are fantastic.” So much so that she ate a second one. After all, it was winter in Alaska. Who was going to notice if she put on a pound or two?

  She carried her dishes to the sink and then turned on the XM radio that sat on the counter, tuning it to her favorite news channel. War, death, and mayhem as usual.

  Daniel put both of their cups in the dishwasher. “Do you mind if I change it to Christmas music?”

  What could she say to such a simple request? “Not at all.” Wow. She was getting good at this lying business. Dean Martin started singing about his favorite things, and Hallie’s eyes filled with tears. Damn.

  She turned quickly, but Daniel had already noticed her distress.

  “Hallie,” he said urgently. “What’s wrong?”

  She tried to think up a plausible story. Ripping open old wounds wasn’t going to accomplish anything. But when he rubbed a hand down her arm and gazed at her with clear concern, she lost it.

  Daniel folded her close as she blubbered all over his clean shir
t. She hadn’t cried once in the last few weeks . . . stiff upper lip and all that. But now her misery reached critical mass. He let her weep, not saying a word. Even a less perceptive person would have realized that this wasn’t all about losing a job.

  After a few minutes, he grabbed a tissue and wiped her face. “Feel like talking?” he asked softly.

  She looked at the clock. “Don’t you have to go to work?”

  “I’m the boss.” He brushed a strand of damp hair from her cheek. “Coming in late is one of the perks.”

  He took her hand and tugged her toward the living room. It was still dark outside, but the tree beamed its multicolored cheer. Oddly, for the first time, Hallie found herself comforted by the sight.

  They sat down, and Daniel rested his arm behind her on the sofa. “Do you hate Dean Martin?” he deadpanned. “Is that it?”

  Hallie blew her nose in the napkin, embarrassed as hell. “That was my mom’s favorite song. She died of a heart attack last January.” The words came out calmly, the sadness a little less acute than it had been moments before. “My dad passed away when I was six. I’m an only child, so now it’s just me.”

  Daniel was quick on the uptake. She could see in his face that he grasped at least a portion of what she was feeling. He touched her cheek in a brief caress. “I’m so sorry, Hallie. This first Christmas without her was going to be tough no matter what . . . right?”

  She shredded the napkin between trembling fingers. “I thought I was handling things pretty well. But I guess I was pouring even more time than usual into my job.”

  “So when you were let go, it must have felt like having the rug pulled out from under you.”

  She nodded slowly. “Yeah, it did. I know this sounds crazy, because it was a huge hotel with a really large staff, but we were kind of like a family. The manager had been there for twenty-five years. He was nearing retirement. Everyone thought I was going to step into his shoes.”

  “And instead, it all went to hell.”

  “Not one of my better years, that’s for sure.” She sucked in a big breath and exhaled slowly.