by Karen Booth
Joy couldn’t imagine finding a reason to put Alex off, even when logic said she should. That smile had done something to her. It had left a chink in her armor. “Please. Come in. You must be freezing. It’s horrible out there.”
He shook snow from his hair and stomped his boots on the foyer rug. “Yeah, the forecast isn’t looking good.” His eyes dipped south, then returned to her face. “It’s much nicer in here.”
A vaguely familiar tingle zipped through her. Was he flirting with her? Was Prince Charming making the moves? A breath of cold air crossed her shoulders and she realized then that the top of her robe had gaped quite significantly. It wasn’t a full-on wardrobe malfunction, but it wasn’t far off. She quickly covered up and re-cinched the tie. Embarrassment covered her from head to toe.
“Can I make you a cup of tea?” She wasn’t sure what else to offer the man who’d showed up at her door again.
“That would be great, but I was hoping we could call my doctor together. I’ll feel a lot better about things if you just talk to him.”
“So I don’t have to go anywhere?”
“Nope. You can do this from the comfort of your own home.”
My own home. If only. “Okay. Do you want to have a seat in the living room while I run upstairs and get dressed?”
“You don’t have to change on my account. I think you look pretty amazing just as you are.”
There it was again—that flirtatious lilt to his voice. Or maybe he was just one of those men whose every comment came off with an edge of innuendo. Regardless of whether he was trying hard or not, she had a deep desire to comb her fingers through his hair, if only to learn whether it was as thick as it looked. It’d been more than a year since she’d been with a man, and that one had been a deeply disappointing kisser—weak lips and a hesitant tongue. If a man was going to kiss her, she wanted him to go for it. Send a message. Alex looked like he could knock a woman off her heels with a single kiss. And here they were, all alone in this big beautiful house, she in a near state of undress.
“You’re sweet, but I think it would be best if I was wearing something that more closely resembled clothes. I’ll be right back.”
She turned and darted up the stairs, mumbling to herself, “What in the hell are you doing? Why did you let him inside? That was really, really dumb. We’re going to call his doctor? At night? How weird is that?”
Learning firsthand how adept Alex was at talking her into something, she needed to remain on her toes. She also needed to remain calm and allow him to leave of his own accord. Making a stink was a good way to arouse suspicion, and she didn’t want to give him any reason to decide she was acting strangely or quite possibly didn’t belong in this house. For all she knew, he’d call the police. Surely a guy as thorough and conscientious as Alex wouldn’t even hesitate to turn her in if he thought she wasn’t on the up-and-up. She had to do her best to appear to belong here. She had to make things seem as normal as possible, then hope he would leave so she could return to her sad, but relatively safe existence where she still got to sleep in an amazing bed.
Dressed in far less revealing pajama pants, tank top and hoodie, Joy hurried back downstairs. As she turned the corner for the living room, she saw the glow and heard the crackle of a fire in the hearth. She hadn’t bargained on Alex making himself at home. “Oh. You built a fire.”
“Well, yeah. Look at it out there.” He tossed his head toward the long wall of the living room, where the windows soared to the top of the cathedral ceiling and stood in single file like soldiers. The night sky was a midnight blue, dotted with fat, glowing snowflakes. “That’s half the point of having a mountain house. To build a roaring fire when it’s snowing.”
Except that building a fire created a wisp of smoke that trailed from the chimney, letting anyone who might happen to drive by know that someone was staying there. Sure, it was a long shot, but if that person knew the Marshalls and decided to stop by or call Mariella to ask how long she’d be in town? That would be very bad. She not only didn’t make a habit of lighting the wood-burning fireplaces, she’d been careful to use as few lights as possible. “Um. Sure. It’s very nice.”
“I thought so.” He plopped down on one of two sprawling sectional couches, each covered in plush tapestry fabric in shades of taupe and rust. He pulled out his phone. “Come. Sit. We’ll call the doctor.” He patted the sofa cushion right next to him.
This was officially the strangest situation Joy had ever been in, but she’d be lying if she’d said she didn’t want to sit close to him without a car’s center console between them. “Okay.” She carefully took the seat next to him. It was impossible not to fixate on his warm and masculine smell, or just how big his hands were as he cradled the phone.
The screen came to life, showing a tiny picture of the two of them in the bottom corner. She couldn’t help but notice that they looked cute together, even when he was dressed nicely in a black sweater and jeans while she was in her PJs. “A video call?”
“Well, yeah. He’s probably going to want to see you. I figured this is easier.”
Another face popped onto the screen, a face so familiar that Joy had to blink several times to be certain she was seeing who she was seeing. Holy crap. This was no regular doctor. This was Dr. David, the doctor who made a living on the TV talk show circuit. He was the guy every network called when there was a big health scare and people needed someone impossibly good-looking to talk them off the ledge. “Alex? Are you seriously calling me from Vail? Shouldn’t you be hitting the slopes?” Dr. David asked.
Oh, great. Alex isn’t just a guy with a super expensive car and a house in Switzerland. He’s on a first-name basis with celebrities. What world am I living in, anyway?
Alex laughed. “I’ve been doing some of that, but I was calling because I have a friend who might have hit her head. I was hoping you could talk to her.”
He tilted the phone in Joy’s direction, and she had no choice but to wave and say, “Hi. I’m the friend. I’m Joy.”
“Hello, Joy. I’m Dr. David.”
Well, duh. Another wave of embarrassment hit her. She was sure his first question was going to be why her cheeks were flaming red. “Hi, Dr. David.” She did her best to pass it off as if she chatted with ridiculously famous people every day.
“Tell me what’s going on,” he said.
Joy glanced over at Alex. He looked so uncertain and worried, it made it hard to know what to say. He was concerned about her. That was why he’d come back. This revelation was sweet, but dangerous. Joy needed to be invisible right now, not attracting attention.
* * *
Alex listened as Joy told the story of the near-accident. With every word out of her mouth, he felt exponentially guiltier. She’d really, truly been in harm’s way and it had all been his fault. He quite literally could have killed her. He could have ended the life of this beautiful woman. The weight of that sat squarely on his shoulders. Call it his biggest fear, but ever since he’d been a kid, he’d worried about making a choice that would lead to an irreversible mistake. If he hadn’t decided to go for a drive, Joy wouldn’t have ended up in the snowbank.
As reluctant as she’d seemed to accept help, he would have to insist on whatever Dr. David’s orders were. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Dr. David was nodding and writing down some notes. “Okay, well, it sounds to me like you’re going to be okay. It doesn’t sound like you’ve sustained any kind of serious injury.”
Joy sighed and her shoulders dropped in relief. “Oh, good. Thank you.”
“That being said, you should not be alone over the next 24 hours. If something crops up, you’ll need help to get to the nearest medical center.”
Now Joy didn’t seem quite so happy. “I’m staying by myself right now, but it’s not a big deal. You said it yourself. It sounds like I haven’t sustained any
real injury.”
“But I can’t be certain of that without examining you myself. I think it’s best if Alex stays with you if his schedule allows.”
The ramifications of that sank in quickly, but Alex knew David was right. She shouldn’t be alone. Just to be on the safe side. He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to her. “I’m on vacation, so I have nowhere else I need to be. I’m happy to do it.”
“We’re supposed to get a lot of snow tonight,” Joy pled. “You could get stuck here.”
Again, this was not the sort of reaction Alex was used to. Most women did everything they could to spend time with him. It wasn’t a boastful bit of information; it was merely the truth. “That’s quite literally the last thing I’m worried about right now.”
“I’m sure you two can work it out,” David said. “Call me at this time tomorrow and let me know how the patient is doing. And Alex, if you need anything in the middle of the night, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll have my phone right by the bed.”
“Thanks so much. You’re a real lifesaver,” Alex replied. “We’ll call you tomorrow.” With that, he ended the call.
Joy sat back on the couch and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m fine. Really, I am.”
“I know. I know. I still think we have to play it safe.”
She twisted her lips and tucked her leg under herself.
“We could play cards. Or watch TV. Or talk. You must get lonely living in this big house by yourself.” It occurred to him then that he’d assumed that since she was alone, she’d always be alone. “Oh, wait. Do you have someone coming to stay with you? For the holidays? A boyfriend? A husband?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Is that your way of asking if I’m taken?”
He wasn’t convinced it had been a bad approach. He shrugged and kicked off his shoes. Might as well make himself comfortable. “Well? Are you?”
“No. I’m not. I’m too focused on my career for a man right now anyway.”
Judging by the generosity of the friends who were letting her stay in their house, Joy must have a pretty big and successful career. “What do you do? No. Wait. Let me guess.” He studied her face, trying to keep his eyes from drifting to her other pleasing features like the graceful slope of her neck, her long legs. She was definitely serious. Focused. But she also had this girl-next-door vibe that was not only super sexy, it wasn’t entirely congruous with being a bigwig. “Entrepreneur. You started some company that went through the roof. Organic cosmetics or maybe yoga wear?”
She shook her head. “You couldn’t be more off base if you tried.”
“Well, you’re definitely a huge success, whatever it is that you do. That’s pretty obvious.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m a huge success, but I get by.”
She was modest. He liked that. Most people in his circles were eager to rattle off their pedigree and accomplishments, whether they’d worked hard for them or not. Joy was a lovely change of pace. “Oh, come on. You’re spending time in this huge house all by yourself. You obviously have some very successful friends, and in my experience, successful people attract other successful people. Plus, you just have that air about you.”
She narrowed her skeptical eyes. “That air?”
Alex let out a frustrated sigh. He wasn’t doing particularly well for himself. Nothing he said seemed to be clicking. “You seem very comfortable here in a home like this, that’s all. That’s a sign of someone who’s had some success.”
Joy pulled her leg up and set her foot on the edge of the couch. Her toes were painted a deep red that made his pulse race. She was certainly a beguiling creature. She rested her chin on her knee and cast a thoughtful look at him. “What about you? What does Alex Townsend do?”
Part of him wanted to ignore her reply and circle back to her. She hadn’t really answered his question. She might have an even greater sense of humility than he’d realized. Or perhaps there was stress and strain involved with her occupation, and now that it was the holidays, she simply wanted a break, a concept with which he was intimately familiar. After all, she was staying in this big house all by herself at Christmas. If anything said, “I need to be alone,” it was that. “I work in finance. Investments. It’s my family’s business, but I’m running it right now. It’s not the most thrilling career, but it’s what my family has always done.”
“Are you close with your family?”
“I’m very close with my brothers. We all work together. My dad retired last year and put me in charge, but he’s not doing a very good job of being a retired person.”
“Has to keep his nose in everything?”
It was a constant point of friction, the most difficult part of Alex’s day. As the oldest Townsend son, he’d always been heir apparent to Townsend & Associates Investments. He’d looked forward to the day when his father would finally step aside and let Alex take the reins. Unfortunately, his dad second-guessed him constantly, especially now that Alex was putting his own stamp on the company and changing things, making their operation more modern and more equitable among the employees. “Yeah. You could say that. I keep hoping it’ll get better. It’s only been a little more than a year since I took over.”
“Sometimes parents can be overbearing. Mine were not happy when I decided to go to culinary school.”
“So you’re a chef? I wasn’t that off base.”
“You’re were pretty off base.” She nodded. “At the moment, my focus is baking.”
“Hold on a second. You’re Joy Baker, the baker?” He couldn’t hold back his grin. There was something extremely adorable about this revelation.
“Yes, although I’m not sure why that is so funny. I’m classically trained. Cooking is my passion. My grandmother instilled that in me.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make light of it.”
“Well, it’s important to me.”
Alex was again having a hard time not smiling. He loved her fire, and how nice it must be to have a family connection to a career that didn’t involve money and was rather related to something homey or creative. “So if it’s so important, why didn’t you parents approve?” She averted her eyes, and Alex fought his first inclination, which was to think that a woman was hiding something when she looked away. It had become a habit, one he was desperate to be rid of. He wanted to trust. He truly did.
“They thought I’d never make enough money, which isn’t exactly wrong. It isn’t always a high-paying line of work. But I’m not in it for the money. I’m in it because I love doing it.”
Joy was a breath of fresh air. He had to admire her bravery. She’d gone against her parents’ wishes to pursue her passion, and she’d clearly done very well for herself. He wished he felt so strongly about something. “I think that’s fantastic. It’s very impressive.”
“You know, you didn’t say anything about your mom. What does she do?”
It felt as though the air around him had gone flat, which was too bad considering how sparkling their conversation had just been. “She passed away when I was in college.” Even years later, the guilt over not being there when his mother died was immense. She’d suffered greatly and Alex had been hundreds of miles away in New York.
“I’m so sorry.”
The pity in Joy’s voice was a mixed blessing. It was genuine, and he appreciated that more than anything. So much in his life no longer felt real, not since Sharon had betrayed his love with lies. But he also didn’t want Joy to feel sorry for him. He wanted her to see him as strong and capable, not weak or vulnerable. “Tell me more about your parents. What do they do?”
Joy closed her eyes for a moment. “You know, maybe this is a conversation best left for another time. I’m feeling pretty tired. I should probably head up to bed.”
Was that deflection? Or was she truly tired? Ale
x couldn’t arrive at a conclusion. Stop with the paranoia. She’d been through a lot tonight, all of it set in motion when he’d lost control of his car. “I hope you don’t have a headache.”
She shook her head and got up from the couch. “No. I feel fine. Truly. I’m just tired.”
“Okay. Sure. Where do you want me to sleep tonight? I can crash on the couch if that’s best.”
“Don’t be silly. There are a bunch of bedrooms upstairs. You can stay in the first one on the left in the hall upstairs. I’m two doors down from that.”
She’d been sure to leave some space between them, which Alex had to respect. He was a strange man staying in her house. It would set any woman on edge. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I’m also wondering if it would be all right for me to move my car into the garage. No telling how much snow we’ll get tonight.”
“Oh. Of course. The door is to the left after you walk through the entry. I believe one of the bays is empty.”
“Thank you so much. Good night.”
“Sleep well.” With that, Joy left him to his own devices.
Alex found the garage with little trouble and opened the door. The wind had picked up considerably, and the snow was already drifting in the driveway. There were three or four inches on the ground, and although his Bugatti had a lot of firepower, it wasn’t a huge fan of the snow. It took a bit of convincing to get it into the garage. He grabbed his gym bag from the back seat. At least he’d have clean underwear and some toiletries.
He shook off the cold when he got back inside. He wasn’t sure he’d ever gotten himself into a more bizarre situation. He couldn’t bring himself to be upset about it, however perilously close the incident with the car had come to hurting her. At least he had a temporary interruption to his very dull and lonely Christmas vacation.
Still, there was something about Joy that wasn’t quite right, and that worried him. However much he hated walking around with his defenses up, he couldn’t be the guy who could be fooled more than once. In his position, with a vast personal fortune and a professional reputation to maintain, he had to be leery of everyone. The one time he hadn’t been careful, it had nearly destroyed him. If the unthinkable had happened and he’d married Sharon, his former fiancée, the woman who duped him into thinking not only that she loved him, but that they didn’t need a prenuptial agreement, his face would’ve eventually been splashed all over the cover of tabloid magazines. Half of his money would’ve been gone.