Christmas With the Kings, Kings of Montana Bonus Book

by Vanessa Bartal

  Chapter 15

  Somehow PJ evaded him for the rest of the day. Ethan wasn’t sure, but he thought Grant may have been helping her, either purposely or not. All he knew was that wherever PJ was, Grant was, and neither of them was talking to him.

  On Christmas Eve, he woke with a sense of panic. His visit was almost at an end. PJ wasn’t talking to him. Chrissy was breathing down his neck, and when he arrived home he would have to start looking for another job. He lay in his comfortable guest bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time. Something good had to happen today. At the very least he needed to figure out what to do about Chrissy and make some inroads with PJ.

  When he got out of bed, however, a different problem resolved itself. Almost as soon as he stepped out of his room, Cam caught his attention and asked to speak to him. Ethan knew it must be serious because Cam led him to his office across the snowy courtyard, waiting to speak until the door was closed.

  “How’s Belle doing?” Ethan asked, thinking Belle’s continued displeasure was the only thing that could cause such a confidential conference.

  “You know Belle,” Cam said, waving his hand dismissively. “She doesn’t handle change well, especially when it involves changing long-standing plans or disrupting her work. She’ll come around eventually and be excited about the baby. I think. I hope.”

  “She will,” Ethan said confidently. Belle might be a nutty control freak, but she had a big, soft heart, and she loved Cam very much. Eventually she would get on board with the baby plan. “She’ll probably have the nursery renovated and the baby’s preschool picked out by the time New Year’s is over.”

  “She was looking at preschools on the internet last night,” Cam said, smiling widely. There was no doubt in Ethan’s mind about whether Cam was happy over the baby news. He was practically glowing. “That’s sort of what I want to talk to you about. Belle’s not going to be able to travel as much to New York. When she gets too far along and then for a while after the baby arrives, she’s going to be stuck here. We both know what that’s going to be like.” Cam paused while he and Ethan shuddered. A cooped up Belle wasn’t pleasant for anyone to imagine. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since you revamped my office. For a long time now, I’ve needed an office manager. Having you here would go a long way toward easing Belle’s temporary transition away from Manhattan. I know your job is pretty fancy and important, but I was wondering if you might consider…”

  “I’ll do it,” Ethan said, interrupting him before he could make the job offer.

  Cam paused, looking at him in surprise. “You do know I was going to ask you to move to Montana and work here for me and Belle, right?”

  Ethan nodded.

  “You’re not stupid, Ethan, but I feel the need to drive this point home; Montana isn’t Manhattan. It’s not for everyone. Winter has only just begun. There’s not a lot of nightlife, there’s no sushi. It’s just us and the cows.”

  “I’ll do it. I want to live here.”

  “You’re sure?” Cam asked.

  Ethan laughed. “Cam, you made the offer. Why are you surprised that I’m accepting?”

  “I thought I would have to be persuasive and beg if need be.”

  “You can still beg,” Ethan said. “In fact, I’d sort of like to see that.”

  Cam laughed, looking relieved. “Maybe later.” He sat back templing his fingers under his chin. “Does this have anything to do with PJ?”

  Ethan sighed. “Yes and no. PJ has been the catalyst for a closer examination of my life. I don’t like the person I am in New York, and I’m ready for a change. But as it stands now, she won’t talk to me. And for the last couple of days she and Grant have been inseparable.”

  “Grant won’t leave Kentucky, and PJ won’t leave Montana. I wouldn’t worry too much about them. Why won’t she talk to you?” The question “what did you do to her” was unspoken but implied.

  “It was a misunderstanding of epic proportions,” Ethan said. “I’m desperate to try and make amends, but I can’t get close to her.”

  “I might have the perfect solution,” Cam said. “It’s something so romantic that it melts Belle’s heart every year. We’ll hook up the sled and you can take her for a ride. My brothers and I will distract Grant, and you can kidnap her if need be.”

  “I might have to. I think she hates me.”

  Cam spread his hands on the desk. “If you’re moving to Montana, you’ll have a lot of time to win her back.”

  “I suppose,” Ethan said, feeling uncharacteristically gloomy.

  “Buck up,” Cam said. “The sleigh ride is foolproof, and I promise we’ll keep Grant distracted. It’s about time we pulled one over on a Honeywell.” He rubbed his hands together as if he was enjoying the prospect a little too much.

  Ethan had no idea what the brothers did to distract Grant, but whatever it was it worked because he was nowhere in sight when he stepped off the porch and saw PJ waiting for him in front of the sleigh. The sleigh itself was beautiful, like something from a Christmas movie, complete with leather straps adorned with jingling bells. The exterior was black, the interior lined with red velvet. There was a plaid lap blanket lying on the seat. The horses were perfectly groomed and noble as they awaited their passengers. But all of that paled in comparison to PJ.

  Her hair was down, hanging well past her shoulders, and covered on top by a creamy knit cap. Her grey suede boots were knee high and her scarf looked hand knit. Her cheeks were red from the cold, as were her lips. Ethan’s gaze fastened there and lingered as he walked toward her. She would never pass for a New York fashion plate, but he found her perfect in every way.

  “Thanks for agreeing to do this with me,” he said. He wanted to reach for her, to kiss her, to get down on his knees and beg for another chance, but he didn’t do any of that. Instead he smiled as he held out his hand to her, helping her into the sleigh.

  He took the reins exactly as Josh had showed him that afternoon. He was such a novice that the brothers made him spend the afternoon practicing how to drive. Ethan found it humorous that they had handed over a truck without a care but spent hours teaching him how to drive a team of horses around their ranch.

  “This is lovely,” PJ said, sounding as swept away as Ethan hoped she was.

  “You’re lovely,” he said sincerely, turning to look into her eyes lest she doubt his sincerity. He didn’t want her to think he was using a line--not on her, not ever.

  Now it was her turn to drop her gaze to his lips. The look was quick, but he saw it, and he smiled. Maybe she hated him, but she didn’t hate his kisses. Somehow, he had to use that to his advantage.

  They had just started to move when the plan fell apart.

  “Wait, wait, I’m coming with you.”

  Ignoring Chrissy who was yelling from the porch, Ethan attempted to speed up the horses. But either he was doing it wrong or the horses ignored him because even though Chrissy was navigating the shin-deep snow in her too-high heels, she somehow managed to catch up with them, forcing Ethan to move over until PJ was squished.

  “Whew, I almost missed you guys,” she said.

  Ethan was just about to tell her to shove off when the horses belatedly responded to his earlier command, picking up the pace until they were in a near run, the sleigh skimming so fast it barely touched the snow.

  “Whoa,” he called, pulling on the reins just as he’d been taught, feeling a bit like Santa, but the horses took their own sweet time slowing down. By the time they did, the sleigh was too far from the house, much too far for Chrissy to walk in her stilts.

  “So, Suzanne, now that I have you here, I can ask you some questions,” Chrissy said, peering around Ethan to look at PJ. Unbelievably, she took out a pen and paper, prepared to write even though it was cold enough to freeze both her ink and her hand. “What prompted you to write your first novel? Rumor has it that Belle read your short story in a magazine and personally contacted you to become an author. Were you resistant to
that idea? If so, why? Why are you so protective of your privacy? What are you trying to hide?” She paused, her hand hovering in midair over her paper.

  For a few seconds, PJ simply stared at her in confusion until at last she spoke. “You’re not a nice person, and I don’t like you. There. I said it.”

  “Be that as it may, I can promise you a good write up. That’s more than you’ll get from some people. I heard the editor of Rolling Stone is a fan and dying for an interview. They’re notorious for digging up dirt. Better to give me the scoop and save yourself the hassle.”

  PJ looked helplessly at Ethan. “Why does she think I’m Suzanne Rey?”

  “Oooh, you’ve really got that doe-eyed innocent act down pat. I can answer this one for you,” Chrissy said. “It’s because I know Ethan. He’s ambitious and shallow—no offense, Ethan—and he wouldn’t be caught dead with some nothing farrier from the sticks. I also know Suzanne Rey lives in Montana. Call it a hunch, call it deductive reasoning, whatever. The point is that I knew before I came here that the author was somehow connected to the King family. Now I know I was right. So, how much do you get paid per book? Because some people speculate that your first contract was a record breaker.”

  “Chrissy,” Ethan said, his voice tight. “We did not come out here tonight to discuss Suzanne Rey, and you weren’t invited on this trip. Let me figure out how to turn these horses around, and then you are going to go home and stay there. And leave PJ alone.”

  “Please, Ethan,” Chrissy laughed. The sound was as brittle as the icicles forming on the nearby trees. “You know that’s not going to happen. I always get what I want. I got this far, didn’t I? Even though it meant I had to put up with dating you for the last two months. Believe me, I’ve earned this interview. You are boring.”

  She flung the words as if they were the worst insult in the world. Ethan was more embarrassed than hurt. Why did PJ have to be privy to this? PJ, on the other hand, was laughing.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to regain composure by pressing her mitten over her mouth. “This is just the most bizarre thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t not laugh at it.” As proof, she giggled again.

  The sound, so pure, innocent, and happy, made Ethan laugh in return. “If you want the truth, it’s the most bizarre thing that’s ever happened to me, too. My life isn’t this interesting in Manhattan.”

  “No, it’s not,” Chrissy added. “It’s boring. You’re boring.” The way she angrily drew out the word only added to PJ and Ethan’s hilarity. If he didn’t know better, he might think Chrissy was purposely trying to make them laugh. “I am freezing,” she added. “Can’t you make this thing go any faster? Stupid horses.” She glared at them before lunging for the reins.

  Ethan had predicted her, though, and wisely moved them out of her reach. “So help me, Chrissy, try that again and you’re walking home.”

  “I can’t walk home from here,” she said. “I’ll die of hypothermia.”

  “I’m trying to picture that as a bad thing,” PJ said. “I really, really am.”

  Ethan snickered again and Chrissy glared at him. He was just beginning to think all wasn’t lost with this miserable ride when there was an ominous cracking noise. To their right, a large ice-covered branch dropped from a nearby tree, startling the horses who jumped and lunged. Another noise followed. Ethan couldn’t place what it was at first, and then he saw the team of horses turn sharply toward the house and run away, leaving the sleigh and its riders stranded in the snow and ice.