Grace almost excused herself to go and find the man, but she thought better of it. In her current frame of mind, she wanted to tell Riley off, but that wouldn’t help anyone. She hated to see her friend hurting like this, but if she was honest with herself, she would admit she also hated that Riley was threatening her chance to have the job and home she’d always wanted.
There was no way Grace could afford to buy the Snowflake Inn right now. She had money put aside for a business, but not nearly enough for one of this magnitude. The money that she had inherited when her parents died was well invested, and Grace knew there was enough for her to buy a small business. But twenty acres of prime real estate? Not likely. And if she had to take a guess, she could imagine that if Riley forced Corrine to sell, he’d want her to sell for top dollar.
She hated him already.
It didn’t matter that this was all just conjecture. Grace had a gut instinct that this man was going to be the reason she lost her dream.
“Grace? Are you all right?” Ben asked.
“Huh? What?” she asked. “I’m fine. Why?”
“You look pretty fierce over there.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just thinking about this whole situation, and it doesn’t seem fair that we’ve done all this work for nothing.” The look of devastation on Corrine’s face almost made Grace regret her words, but she wasn’t going to take them back. It was the truth. They had made plans for this place—plans for the holidays—and in a matter of hours, Riley Walsh had marched home and ruined them all.
“It’s not a done deal yet,” Ben said. “Right, Corri?”
Corrine forced a smile. “No, it’s not over yet.” She didn’t have much conviction behind the words.
“Okay, no more of this depressing talk,” Ben said. “Grace, this soup is amazing! It’s perfect for a cold winter day.”
She beamed at the praise. “Thank you. I was hoping you’d like it. You’re my ultimate food critic.”
“Me? Why?” he laughed.
“Because I know Corrine is a fabulous cook, and you’ve been eating with her for years. So if you like what I’m making, then I know I’m doing a good job.”
“Oh, you’re sweet,” Corrine said. “I think I got bored with cooking years ago. I stopped getting creative and stuck with the basics. It’s wonderful to think about having such a creative force in the kitchen. I think guests are really going to enjoy that.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.”
They spoke about menus and Ben’s ideas for the cottages and kept the conversation light. However, the sound of the front door opening and closing seemed to kill the mood.
Riley walked into the kitchen and stopped short at the sight of the three of them around the table. Corrine jumped up to make him a plate. “Are you hungry? Grace prepared some wonderful soup and sandwiches—”
“No thanks,” he said a little gruffly. “I stopped in town on my way here and ate.”
If Grace didn’t already have negative feelings toward him, she would have now. How dare he eat in town when she had prepared a damn masterpiece for them! Ben must have sensed her thoughts because he reached out and placed his hand over hers. She glanced at him and tried to smile, but she couldn’t help glaring at Riley over the insult he had no idea he had issued.
Corrine seemed a little deflated but came back to her seat to finish her meal. Ben looked back and forth between the two women and tried to make the extremely awkward moment a little less…awkward.
“So, Riley,” Ben said as he stood and walked over to shake Riley’s hand, “it’s good to see you. Come and sit with us while we finish our lunch and get me caught up on where you’ve been.”
While Riley wasn’t keen on talking about his last months in the service, he had plenty of other stories he could tell, and his service life seemed like the only topic safe to discuss. He noticed Grace wouldn’t even look at him, and his mother seemed a little nervous. Great, less than a day home, and he’d already managed to disappoint everyone.
Taking a seat, he focused on Ben and told him about his travels and the hell of war. Because they were in mixed company who happened to be eating, he chose to leave out the more gruesome details and instead focused on his day-to-day life.
“I’m sure you’re glad to not have to go back to that,” Ben finally said when Riley was done.
“I would have gone back, but after this last tour, it wasn’t ever going to happen. I didn’t want to be a desk-job kind of guy.”
“So what are your plans?” Ben asked hesitantly.
Riley shifted uncomfortably in his seat and felt all three of them suddenly staring at him. He cleared his throat. “Um…well, I have a couple of friends in Virginia I was hoping to go see, and another couple living in Florida who I plan to visit too. After that, I’ll be honest with you, I’m not sure.” He looked directly at Ben. “Do you still have the construction business?”
Ben shook his head. “No, I sold that about four years ago. That’s a younger man’s game. Like I told your mother, I much prefer working with the land. I should have had a landscaping company.” He shook his head again. “Hindsight and all that.”
“Well, you’re doing that now,” Riley said with a small smile. “The grounds look great.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” He smiled back at the younger Walsh. “I still do some carpentry around here, minor repairs and that sort of thing.”
“Everything really looks great, Ben. Honestly. I know I haven’t even scratched the surface on what’s here, but it looks better than I remembered.”
“Ben works very hard,” Corrine said, her voice laced with pride. “I don’t think I could have managed without him.” She looked at Ben and saw the effect her words had on him. “I mean…”
Ben placed his hand over hers. “Thank you. You’ve let me live out the career path I should have taken, so really, we’re helping each other out.” They gazed at one another until Grace cleared her voice.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but we’ve been sitting here way longer than we should have, and I know there are things to do.” She lifted her plate and turned to Corrine. “I made the list we talked about. It’s on the counter. If you’d like, we can take a ride into town and shop.”
“Actually,” Ben interrupted, “I need to hit the home improvement store for some supplies. If it’s okay with you, Grace, I’ll take Corrine and get what you need.”
“Oh,” she said, feeling a little displaced. The last thing she wanted to do was be stuck here with Riley. Grace had a feeling that, if left to her own devices, she was going to get into a heated exchange of words with him and make the situation even worse. But one look at Ben and Corinne, and she couldn’t possibly object. “That’s fine. I’ve got plenty to do here.”
She had nothing.
“Well, the least we can do is help with the cleanup before we go,” Corrine said, but Grace stopped her.
“No need. I’ve got this. You guys are doing me a favor by getting all of the kitchen stuff for me.”
“If you’re sure…”
Grace nodded. “Positive. You two go and shop. I’ve got a fabulous dinner planned, so just make sure you’re back in time.”
“You know I can’t wait,” Ben said with a smile as he placed a hand on Corinne’s back and escorted her from the room, leaving Grace and Riley alone.
Grace didn’t even pretend to be cordial. She went about clearing away the dishes and setting them in the dishwasher before putting the leftover food in the refrigerator. Riley sat in his seat and watched her every move. She wanted to scream for him to leave, but instead she used every ounce of her self-control to keep doing what she was doing and pretend he wasn’t there.
“It’s killing you that I’m still here, isn’t it?” he finally said, and she nearly jumped out of her own skin.
“Sheesh, you scared me,” she
said, willing her rapidly beating heart to calm down. “Actually, I had forgotten you were even here. Which leads me to ask—why are you still here?”
“Where should I go?”
There was a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. She must have smirked because she heard Riley laugh. “Something funny?” she asked.
“You,” he said simply. “Your face is an open book. There’s no way you could possibly play poker.”
“My face is not an open book,” she snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really? You’re going to stand here and tell me you weren’t just thinking of a colorful retort to my question of where I should go? That you weren’t dying to tell me exactly where you thought I should go?”
There was no way to hide her guilty blush. Dammit. “Fine,” she said defensively. “You’re right. I was thinking of several options for where you should go, but I decided to keep them to myself. Things are awkward enough around here today without me adding to them.”
“Give it your best shot, Red,” he said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Excuse me?”
“Go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind. I prefer it when people are honest. I don’t like to play games. If you have something to say to me, then say it.”
“It’s not necessary, Riley,” Grace said as she turned around. And screamed. “Seriously?” she cried. “How did you move so fast?” He was right behind her, and she had to press her back against the refrigerator door to keep an inch of space between them.
“Military trick. Can’t let the enemy know when you’re approaching.”
“I’m not the enemy here,” Grace said, hating the slight tremor in her voice.
“Neither am I,” he said with ease and then laughed at the look on Grace’s face. He placed a finger under her chin to force her to keep looking up at him. “Open book,” he teased. “Now, are you sure you don’t have something to say?”
For just a moment, Grace had forgotten she was supposed to be mad at him. For just an instant, when she turned around and saw how close he was, she wanted to press closer to him like she had been this morning in the park. But once he opened his mouth, all of the reasons she hated him came flooding back.
With more bravado than she actually felt, Grace shoved his hand away from her face and did her best to stand a little taller. But since Riley was over six feet tall and she barely reached five foot five, she’d have to stand on a damn chair to make a difference.
“Fine, you want to know what I’m thinking?”
“Sweetheart, I already know what you’re thinking. I just want to see if you have the guts to say it out loud.”
His arrogance simply added to her anger. “I think you’re a terrible son.” Riley arched a brow at her words. “That’s right,” she said, the tremble still there. “A. Terrible. Son. You have no idea what your mother has been going through. All the time she was in that rehab facility, she not only had to battle for her recovery, but she also battled depression.”
“What?” he asked with disbelief. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Grace found the strength to shove past him so that she could move around the room. “Every day, that place was flooded with family members coming to visit, and every day, she sat by herself.”
“Why? Where was Ben?”
“He was here making sure that the inn was being taken care of. It damn near killed her to close this place for eight weeks. She was scared she’d lose clients and that the season would be ruined. Luckily, the community rallied around her, and they’ve all been doing free advertising for her since she’s been home.” She paused a moment and took a drink of water before continuing.
“Her progress was slow because her heart wasn’t in it, and not once, not once,” she added for dramatic effect, “did her son bother to call to check on her recovery.”
“I was in the damn hospital myself!” he shouted. “How the hell was I supposed to call her while I was unconscious?”
“Don’t be obtuse, Riley,” she snapped back. “She didn’t know you were in the hospital, but maybe if she had, it would have given her a reason to get stronger faster. She would have had something to work toward.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Thank God you’re a cook and not a psychologist.”
“No, the most ridiculous thing I ever heard was you telling your mother she needed to sell her childhood home, her livelihood, so you could walk away with a clear conscience.”
“I never said that!”
“You didn’t have to!” she yelled back. “News flash, Ace: your mother already knows you don’t want anything to do with this place. She may not have made peace with it, but she knows it, and since you’ve been back, you’ve made sure you hammered the point home. No one’s asking you to stay, hotshot. But why should she have to give up what she loves to do and the only home she’s ever known when you’re not asking her to come with you?”
“I never said—”
“Oh, shut up,” Grace said with disgust and walked out of the kitchen. Riley was right behind her and grabbed her by the arm. She immediately pulled out of his grip. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she spat out. “You show up here with no warning and try to turn your mother’s world upside down for your own selfish reasons.” She looked at him with contempt. “Uncle Sam would be so proud.”
Riley didn’t let her take even one step away from him before he grabbed her, spun her around, and had her pinned against the wall. Grace’s breathing was ragged and so was his. He felt rage at her words, and not because she was wrong, but because she was right. As he took in her ivory complexion, he noticed that her green eyes were wide as she looked up at him. “I’ve had just about enough of the insults and name-calling,” he growled.
“You were the one who said you wanted honest,” she reminded him, her chest heaving against his.
He nodded. “I’m used to arguing with men who just say what’s on their mind and move on. You made it personal.”
“This is personal to me,” Grace said firmly. “Corinne is my friend, and this is now my home. Your arrival here has not only upset someone who means the world to me, but you’re also threatening where I live. So you see? Personal.”
“You’ve only been here six weeks, Grace. It’s not like you’ve put down roots here. Go home to your parents, your family. It’s not like you’re homeless.” The look of utter devastation on her face told him he had just said something horribly wrong. She shoved at his chest to get away, and Riley saw the tears welling up in her eyes. He cursed himself, but he didn’t move. He whispered her name and smiled as she shoved at him again while cursing him.
Not sure of what else to do, he wrapped her in his arms. Two things instantly occurred to him: one, she felt really, really good there, and two, she’d stopped struggling. He whispered her name again along with an apology.
“Why did you have to come back now?” she said, her voice muffled against his chest.
“Tell me what I said to upset you.”
Grace looked up at him with disbelief. “Everything you’ve said since you arrived has upset me.”
Riley shook his head. “Just now. Tell me what I said just now that upset you.” He wiped the tears on her cheeks away with his thumbs while he waited for an answer.
“I lost my parents ten years ago in a boating accident. I had just graduated from high school. We didn’t have a large family, and there really wasn’t anyone there for me. I literally lost everything. I took my inheritance and the money from their life insurance, and I vowed to make something of myself. I went to college and culinary school and eventually found myself working in New York.” Taking a cleansing breath, she continued. “I had worked and studied so hard for so long that when I finally had the chance to get away for a couple of days with some friend
s to go skiing, I jumped at the chance. And then I lost everything again.”
“What happened?”
“It had been a long time since I’d gone skiing. I was overconfident in my abilities. I was on an expert run when I basically should have been on the bunny hill. I fell. Badly. I broke my leg in four places. By the time I got through surgery and rehab, I no longer had a job or a home.” She shrugged and tried to break free of his embrace, but he held on to her. “I took a job as a cook at the rehab facility because it came with free room and board.”
Riley cursed himself. So basically he had hit every sore spot. She was an orphan and homeless without this job. Dammit. He was about to apologize when Grace started talking again.
“I sympathized with your mom when I met her because just a few months prior, that had been me. I felt like I was the only one there with no one coming to visit me. I’m sure it wasn’t the case, but it sure felt like it. We gravitated toward each other and found we had a lot in common.” She looked up at him, her green eyes shining with unshed tears. “She’s willing to sell this place to give you peace, but what does that leave her?”
If a gun were pointed at his head, Riley couldn’t have answered that question. Not only because he honestly didn’t know what to say, but because the woman looking up at him was so damn beautiful that she simply stole his breath. He knew the instant Grace stopped thinking about their conversation and noticed he had moved just a hint closer. Her eyes widened slightly, and she lightly licked her lips, and he nearly groaned out loud.
Riley knew Grace was beautiful. Hell, it was one of the reasons he kept following her. She intrigued him, and he couldn’t seem to help himself. But now, with her standing here in his arms? Everything about her called to him. So he did the only thing he could do.
He kissed her.
Chapter 4
The moment Riley’s lips touched hers, Grace was a goner. For all of their harsh words from moments ago, she couldn’t have recalled one of them to save her life. His lips were firm but gentle on hers, and as his hands skimmed up from her waist to the swell of her breasts, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. When those large hands came up and gently caressed her face and then lingered there, she all but purred.
Mistletoe Between Friends / The Snowflake Inn Page 16