“You realize that’s sexist, right, Dad?” Carla asked. “What about Sloan? And you?”
Her dad shrugged. “It’s four against two. That means the odds favor one of you ladies messing up. And I’m too charming for that.”
“No one is going to be mean because they answer to me,” Annie assured her. “Do you think Danielle would come to me?”
Maggie studied her daughter, in Sloan’s arms because he’d picked her up again. The little girl looked comfortable and Maggie thought if it was her, she wouldn’t willingly leave the safety he offered. But that wasn’t the question.
“You’ve raised four children and I don’t have to tell you how unpredictable they can be. Give it a try. But please don’t be offended if she’s shy.”
“You’re right about unpredictable. Raising these troublemakers prepared me for anything.” The older woman walked over to her son and held out her arms to the little girl. She went willingly and Annie cuddled her close. “You are a sweet girl.”
“Sometimes yes, sometimes no,” Maggie qualified. “But my mother would tell you that she’s always perfect.”
“Your mother is very fortunate to have a grandchild.” She gave her four children a look. “I’m still waiting.”
Sloan cleared his throat. “I think it’s time for dinner, don’t you, Maggie?”
She wanted to laugh but didn’t. He so clearly wanted a distraction. “Everything is ready. If you’ll all have a seat in the dining room, I’ll put the food out.”
“I’ll help.” Sloan’s expression pleaded to be kept busy.
“That would be great,” she said. “You can settle Danielle in her high chair.”
“Remind me to ask about you knowing how to do that,” Annie said. “But would you mind if I put her in?”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
Maggie found herself liking these people a lot. Meeting them explained how Sloan was so down-to-earth in spite of all his money and the playboy reputation. This family would never let him get too full of himself. It would be so much easier if she found him annoyingly pompous and egotistical.
Dinner went better than she’d hoped, and it seemed everyone was having a good time. When they finished eating, Sloan and his mother offered to help her clean up and wouldn’t take no for an answer. They were rinsing off dishes while the other Holdens played with Danielle.
“It’s so nice that you didn’t have to stay in a hotel while working on the resort,” his mother said.
Sloan was looking at Maggie when he answered, “There’s definitely an upside.”
Annie glanced between them, a pleased look shining in her eyes. “You’re a lucky man. Finding someone as pretty and wholesome as Maggie is a plus.”
“You mean, finding my bed-and-breakfast,” Maggie clarified.
Dishcloth in hand, Annie stood with her back to the sink. “No, I meant you. I like you very much.”
“That’s awfully nice of you to say.” Maggie recalled Sloan telling her how much his mom had been hurt when he’d split from his wife. This woman wore her heart on her sleeve, and part of his commitment avoidance had to do with protecting her.
“I’m not that nice,” Annie teased. “We could be good friends. You’re the sort of person I could grow fond of, Maggie.”
She met Sloan’s gaze, waiting for him to jump in and warn this woman not to get attached. That the two of them had agreed not to get serious. He remained conspicuously silent as he carefully watched to see how she would react.
“I appreciate you saying that.”
“It’s the truth. I tell it like I see it. And what I see is that my son hit the jackpot with you.”
“We’re just friends.” Maggie put a finer point on it. “Friendly.”
“Are we that generic?” His look and tone clearly said he was irritated at the bland description of what they were.
“Yes.” She turned away from the flash of protest in his eyes. “We have pie for dessert.”
Maggie knew he was thinking that he’d been in her bed and that made them more than friends. But his family didn’t need to know about that, because neither of them was willing to take it to the next level.
Her problem was that since sleeping with him, she was a little less sure about not wanting forever after.
* * *
“Mama go bye-bye?”
“Yes, love.” Maggie stooped to her daughter’s level. “Mommy’s going to a party.”
“Me bye-bye?” Her eyes grew big, hopeful.
“Not this time, sweetie. You’re going to have fun with Aunt Josie.”
Her friend was standing by for a possible tantrum. “We’re going to have a good time, cutie. We’ll watch Frozen for the billionth time.”
“Maybe you can talk her into a SpongeBob video.”
“And hell might freeze over. No pun intended.” Josie laughed. “If anyone can do it, Elsa can.”
Tonight was Sydney and Burke’s engagement party. She and Sloan had both been invited and were going to ride together. He’d pointed out that carpooling was the “green” thing to do. It was hard to argue with that even though she’d wanted to.
Just then he walked into the kitchen and her heart nearly stopped beating. In his dark suit, snow-white shirt and red tie he was so handsome she could hardly breathe.
Danielle toddled over to him. “You go bye-bye?”
He looked at Maggie. “How does she know? Is it the suit?”
“Must be.” She smoothed the front of her black dress. It was a lace column with a peplum and cap sleeves. Simple and elegant. The four-inch heels were new, too, and the whole ensemble was way different from her everyday work clothes. “She doesn’t miss much and figured something was up by the way I’m dressed.”
Sloan didn’t say anything. He just looked her up and down and stared. It was a good stare, the kind a man gave a woman when he enthusiastically approved of what she was wearing. And how much he wanted to take it off.
“Say something, Holden,” Josie prompted.
“First I have to make sure I didn’t swallow my tongue.” There was a glow in his eyes. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Her brain was shorting out from the vibe he was giving off and heating her hormones to the boiling point. But she finally recovered enough to say, “You look very nice, too.”
“Thanks.”
“I guess we should go.” She stooped to her daughter’s level again, not easy in the tight skirt. “Give mommy a hug.”
“Hug.” Danielle moved into her arms and pressed her head to Maggie’s chest.
“Good one, baby girl. Mommy loves you.”
“’Ove you.” She walked over to Sloan and held out her arms. “Hug?”
He bent down and grabbed her up, tickling until she was giggling hysterically. “’Bye, Shorty. Be nice to Josie.”
Watching the big man and little girl made something shift inside Maggie. It wasn’t him, but the fact that her daughter had initiated the hug. The fact that she’d automatically gone to him for a goodbye had Maggie’s maternal instincts humming protectively.
“You two have fun,” Josie said. “Be home by the stroke of midnight or that really expensive car he drives could turn into a pumpkin. And I don’t think orange is his color.”
Sloan opened the front door and settled his palm at her waist, letting her precede him. They made it outside without Danielle having a meltdown, but that was where the good news stopped. This was starting to feel an awful lot like a date. It would probably be better when they got to the party and she could mingle.
The drive didn’t take long, so there wasn’t too much time to fill with small talk. It also made for only a short period of trying to ignore the awareness sizzling between them. Before she knew it, Sloan drove into the Blackwater Lak
e Lodge parking lot and pulled into a space. He turned off the car, then got out and came around to open her door. But she’d already done it, so he offered his hand.
She took it and that was an error in judgment. His palm was warm and wide, strong and secure. The brief touch made her ache to be in his arms again.
She cleared her throat. “The lodge is lit up like this is a grand reopening or something.”
“You must have seen the banner over the front door.”
“It’s pretty hard to miss.” An uneven spot on the parking surface made her wobble in her high heels, and he took her elbow to steady her.
“You okay?”
“Fine. Just not used to these shoes.”
“They’re probably not very comfortable, but I meant what I said at the house. You look incredible tonight.”
They were just walking under an outside light and she saw the intensity in his gaze. Knowing she was wanted was intoxicating, but too much of it impaired common sense and that was never a good thing.
“Here’s the lobby.” Thank goodness, she thought.
Automatic doors whispered open and they walked inside. There was a new wood-plank floor with an area rug and leather chairs for conversation in front of the smooth stone fireplace. Walls were newly painted a pale gold and held framed photographs of the lake and mountains. Maggie recognized the pictures from the front window of April Kennedy’s photography studio.
She pointed them out to Sloan. “I like to see a business utilize local work.”
“Me, too,” he said. “We’re doing that with labor and materials for the resort. I’ll keep this in mind when we start planning the decorating phase.”
There was a notice directing them to one of the lodge’s banquet rooms. Walking down a cushy carpeted hallway after passing the registration desk, they heard the sound of voices drifting to them, indicating they were headed in the right direction.
They stood in the doorway and checked out the room. Tables set for dinner and covered with flowers and candles were off to the side. Overhead lights were set on romantic and contributed to that mood. People stood around talking and most had drinks in their hands. Maggie was just about to excuse herself and go mingle on her own when Sloan slid his arm around her waist.
“Let’s go congratulate the happy couple,” he said, indicating Burke and Sydney standing at the far end of the room.
His breath stirred her hair and tickled her ear, sending sparks dancing through her and she was simply swept along.
Sydney was already smiling happily, but it widened when they approached. She looked from Sloan to Maggie and one dark eyebrow rose. Apparently she approved of what she saw. “Well, well... So the two of you are officially an item now.”
“No, we just rode together. And congratulations on your engagement.” Maggie deliberately changed the subject.
“Really? Not an item?” Burke shook his cousin’s hand. “I’ve heard rumors that your bachelormobile actually had a car seat in it. With a certain little girl strapped in.”
“That’s true.” Sloan didn’t look the least bit needled by the statement.
Maggie waited for him to clarify and when he didn’t, she said, “It’s not what you’re thinking. Josie couldn’t watch her that day and Sloan was doing her a favor by bringing Danielle to me at the café.”
“I know what you’re doing,” Syd said. “That was code for ‘it’s really new and just for us.’”
“And I think you two are high on romance and seeing it where there isn’t any.” Again Maggie looked at Sloan to refute the claim, but he just shrugged.
“We’re very happy,” Syd confirmed. “And we do want everyone else happy, too. So after the wedding, at the reception, I’ll make sure to throw you the bouquet.”
“That’s not necessary—”
“Congrats, you two. We’re going to get a drink now.” Sloan took her hand in his and led her to the bar set up in a back corner. “What would you like?”
“For people to stop assuming we’re together.” A vision of her daughter holding out her little arms to Sloan ran through Maggie’s mind. It was the cutest thing ever yet had so much potential for pain.
“I meant, what would you like to drink?”
“Wine. White.”
He gave their order to the bartender and put some bills in the tip jar when the drinks were ready. Then he handed her one before picking up his scotch. He touched the rim of his tumbler to her glass. “Here’s to the happy couple.”
Just then Dr. and Mrs. Adam Stone walked up beside them. “And speaking of happy couples...” Jill smiled at them as if they were particularly bright. “I heard you two are dating. Adam and I think that’s wonderful.”
Her tall, good-looking husband nodded. “I don’t listen to rumors as a rule, but you’re here together, and that elevates gossip to it-must-be-true status.”
“Not really,” Maggie said. This man had delivered her daughter. He knew the emotional trauma and tragedy she’d gone through and the toll it had taken on her pregnancy. She couldn’t let him get the wrong idea. “We carpooled tonight. That’s all.”
“So this isn’t a date?” Jill looked disappointed.
“No, it’s not.” Maggie felt as if she’d just spit in Cupid’s eye.
And the rest of the evening went pretty much the same way, even though she finally managed to mingle and separate herself from Sloan. His family was there and were completely charming to her again. When the party was winding down, she was more than ready to leave. They rode back to the house without either of them saying a word. He parked in the driveway beside her SUV and turned off the car. The interior was dark, the only illumination came from the front-porch light.
“You’ve been awfully quiet—”
“I have to tell you something—”
They both spoke at the same time and, ever the gentleman, Sloan said, “Ladies first.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “About us... I’ve changed my mind. I can’t take it one day at a time any more and wait to see what happens. I know what can’t happen.”
“And that is?” Wariness laced the words.
“Sleeping with you again. I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Everyone thinks we’re dating. That we’re a couple.”
“What we are is no one else’s business.”
“That’s true except when it comes to my daughter.” She glanced at the driver’s seat, but his expression was hidden in shadow. “She’s too little to even realize this, but you’re becoming a father figure to her. I first noticed it when your family came to dinner.”
“What? How?”
“They were strangers invading her world and she was uneasy about the situation. She moved to you for protection. It was instinctive.” She took a breath. “And tonight when we left, she insisted on giving you a hug, too.”
“It was sweet.”
“Yes. And also evidence that she’s getting attached to you. But you’re not going to stay, and when you’re gone it will break her heart.”
“You can’t know for sure what I’m going to do,” he protested.
“I can. Your life isn’t here in Blackwater Lake. If it were, you wouldn’t be renting a room from me.”
“That’s not what this is about. You’re putting up one more wall to protect yourself.”
His tone challenged her to push back on that assertion, but there was no point. “You could be right, but that doesn’t change anything. In spite of what the whole town thinks, we’re not dating. And like you once said, it’s good to have things spelled out. So I need to tell you that I’m closing the door on anything personal between us. Sleeping with you was a mistake and it can’t happen again.”
“That’s a problem, Maggie.” He shifted toward her and a shaft of porch lig
ht showed the dark passion in his eyes. “Every morning I see you at breakfast and want you. Before dinner each night I hope the wanting has gone away, but it’s only stronger.” He stared at her. “And I dare you to deny that you feel the same way.”
“You’re wrong,” she lied. “But this isn’t about you and me. It’s about Danielle. She has to come first. I’m all she has to protect her and I will not risk her being hurt. Please, Sloan, I’m asking you to keep your distance.”
“I don’t think I can live in your house and honor that request.” His voice was oddly calm, like the eye of a storm.
“Then, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. According to the rental agreement you signed, I have discretion to do that.”
“It’s a shame you feel you have to use that contract. I guess it’s a good thing that Blackwater Lake Lodge is back in business. I’ll move there tomorrow morning.”
That was for the best, and what she’d hoped he would say. But Maggie hadn’t expected the words to hit her heart like a sledgehammer.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning Sloan booked a suite at Blackwater Lake Lodge and started packing his things. He was going to miss this room, the house—Maggie. This move didn’t make him happy, and part of the reason was that he was always the one who walked away from a relationship, not the one who was given his walking papers. If he said that out loud, Maggie would tease him about his ego, and the thought tightened like a fist in his chest.
He wanted to fight her decision to distance herself from him. She said that was about protecting her daughter and was probably part of it, but her reasoning felt an awful lot like an excuse not to take a chance. Almost certainly, if it wasn’t Danielle, Maggie would have found another reason to push him away.
His suitcase was open on the tufted stool at the foot of the king-size bed, and he threw his leather bag filled with toiletries into it. Before he could start emptying the dresser, there was a knock on the door, and hope that it was Maggie with a change of heart jumped into his mind.
But when he answered, the disappointment at finding Josie there was immediate. “Hi, what’s up?”
The Widow's Bachelor Bargain Page 17