Stranded: A Winter Romance Duet

by Samantha Chase

  In that instant, Beckett knew he could spend an entire lifetime staring into her eyes and never get enough. She was beautiful and when she went to pull her hand away from his, he held on. His name was a mere whisper on her lips and he almost groaned at the sound of it. He wanted her in the worst way but he knew that it was too soon. Her feelings for him were too raw and too negative for him to really convince her that he wasn’t such a bad guy.

  Hope cleared her throat. “Um…thank you,” she said quietly, her hand still in his. “For coming to get me. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get out of there on my own and I had no idea how far I’d gotten from the house or how far I was from the road.”

  Beckett wanted to remind her that she never should have left, that her rash decision could have cost her her life. That’s what he wanted to do. That’s what G.B. James would do. But as he continued to look down into her eyes, something inside of him softened. “You’re welcome,” he said gruffly and was rewarded with a smile.

  Chapter Five

  Hope was the first to look away as she scrambled to her feet. She nervously looked around but was at a loss for what to do with herself.

  “Norma made us some hot chocolate,” Beckett said and gestured to the tray beside him. “She also mentioned that you had some cookies with you. Or was that just a rumor?” His lips quirked as he watched her walk across the room and out into the entryway.

  With the large bag in her hand, Hope strode back into the room. “Not a rumor,” she said and sat down in the chair beside him, unzipping the bag. “I had brought enough to share with Tara’s whole family so we have quite the variety to choose from.”

  With no other way to do it, Hope pulled out each tin, all eight of them, and then remembered the one that was in her purse. Without a word, she jumped up and found her purse by the front door, carried it back into the study and pulled out the last tin. Beckett’s eyes were as wide as his smile as he watched her.

  “How many people are in her family?” he joked.

  “I have no idea but after the way things went with Ted last week, there was no way I was sharing any more with him. This is everything I prepared.”

  Beckett eyed the pile of cookie tins and then Hope and then the tins again. “How many cookies would you say you made? Total. Including what you brought to the office over the last couple of weeks.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “You don’t want to know.”

  “I do! I’m curious. Come on. Fess up.”

  Hope sat down and leaned back in her chair and did the mental math. “Okay, I made twelve different kinds of cookies and made about four dozen of each so that’s…”

  “Over five hundred cookies,” Beckett finished for her.

  “God do I hate math,” she sighed and reached for her mug of hot chocolate. “It makes my brain hurt.”

  “Mine too.”

  They sat in companionable silence while Beckett helped himself to the first tin of cookies. “God, Hope, how do you do it?” he asked with a sigh. “I’m not normally someone who goes crazy for sweets but these are like crack.”

  “Ted says the same thing.” As soon as it was out of her mouth, she remembered her anger toward her brother and, in turn, her anger at Beckett. Primly, she faced the fireplace and sipped on her hot chocolate.

  “I’m guessing by the sudden silent treatment that we’re back to being adversaries.”

  “We never stopped,” Hope said quietly. “And thanks to you, my brother took off and left me here.”

  It was pointless to argue. Beckett knew he had pushed, no more than usual, but he had pushed Ted into doing something drastic. He just didn’t think he’d take it out on his sister. Although Beckett knew all too well what it felt like to be betrayed by a sibling, he hated seeing Hope suffer the same fate.

  “He could have taken you with him,” Beckett said after several long minutes of silence.

  “I’m not going to discuss this with you. Ted and I rarely argue. Never have. The only thing that seems to put us at odds is his job.”

  Beckett turned in his seat and faced her. “What is it that you find so offensive about his job? Ted seems to enjoy it and he’s really good at what he does.”

  Hope put her mug down with a little too much force and some of the chocolaty liquid spilled over. “Are you sure you want to know?” she asked and Beckett nodded. “Ted works a ridiculous amount of hours. He has no personal time for himself and for all of the time he puts in, he still struggles financially. You don’t compensate him for all of the work that he does because you’ve put him on a salary rather than an hourly wage. Of course, that works in your favor so I’m not really surprised.”

  “And…?”

  “Just because someone works for you doesn’t mean you own them. Employees are entitled to their weekends, holidays, and time with their families. You’ve made it so they have to choose and if they choose their lives, you threaten them with their jobs.”

  “That’s not…”

  “That’s exactly what you did earlier with Ted. Tell me, is he fired? If he comes back tomorrow as he said he would, are you going to let him walk back in here and go back to work?” She didn’t let him answer. “No. You won’t. Ted will show up here and apologize and beg for your forgiveness but it won’t matter. You’ll fire him and you won’t even feel bad about it. It will be Jerome all over again.”

  “Okay, what is it with you and Jerome? Was he your friend?” Beckett asked with impatience.

  “No. I had only met him once but he was incredibly sweet and Ted told me that he was working for you because he needed the insurance because his wife was ill. But you don’t take the time to know these things about your employees. They’re just numbers on a page to you. You don’t take note of who they really are or what’s important to them. They’re meaningless to you unless they’re sitting at a desk and doing work for you.”

  “That’s a little harsh.”

  “Am I lying?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Seemingly unwilling to answer right away, Beckett took a sip of his beverage and looked into the fire. “You know, Hope, sometimes things aren’t always what they seem.”

  She snorted with disbelief.

  “It’s true. I used to run my business in a very different way. But you know what happens when you’re too nice to people?”

  “They actually like you?”

  He laughed softly. “No. They take advantage of you. Or steal your car and leave you stranded.”

  Hope glared at him. “That was a low blow.”

  “Doesn’t make it any less honest,” he said with a shrug.

  “Say what you want, but the fact still remains that you are a bit of a tyrant where your employees are concerned and I’m surprised that you don’t have more turnover.”

  “There’s enough turnover,” he said blandly, “but I don’t see that as a bad thing. To me, that means that I’m weeding out the weaker ones and am left with the ones with a strong work ethic.”

  “Or the ones who are too scared or can’t afford to be unemployed.”

  “Whatever works.”

  Hope stared at him, wide-eyed. “What could have possibly happened to you in your life to make you this way?”

  Without looking at her, Beckett stood and finished his hot chocolate. “I’ve got some work to do. Dinner is at six.” And with that, he left the room.

  Hope sat back and slowly finished her own drink while thinking about Beckett. The fact that he had jumped up and left so quickly told her that she’d touched on a nerve. Something had indeed happened to make him this way. And if her gut was telling her anything, it had to do with his family, which would completely make sense from all of the things he’d shared with her.

  Placing her mug down on the tray beside his, she stood and took it to the kitchen in hopes of talking to Norma. Maybe she could unlock some of the mystery as to why Beckett was the way that he was.

  Sure enough, Norma was in the kitchen washing vegetables.
She looked up and smiled when she saw Hope standing in the doorway. “How are you feeling? Warmer, I hope.”

  “Much,” Hope replied and placed the tray on the counter next to the sink. “Thank you for the hot chocolate. It was delicious.”

  “You are more than welcome.” She was silent for a moment while she finished her task, then shut off the water. As Norma reached for a dish towel to dry her hands, she turned toward Hope. “If you don’t mind my asking, what were you doing wandering around in the snow like that?”

  Awkward. Deciding to go for the brutal truth, Hope took a steadying breath. “Honestly? I was walking to the road in hopes of getting a ride to a hotel. I had called for a cab but they weren’t sure if they’d get here. I knew the roads would be more manageable than that winding driveway so I just thought I’d speed up the process and meet them.”

  Norma tsked at her. “There are plenty of rooms here. Why would you go to another hotel?”

  “Because I don’t want to be here. I came here to get my brother and after arguing with Beckett, Ted took off with my car and left me here.”

  “Beckett?” Norma asked, a look of amusement on her face.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Mr. James.” Hope cringed at the thought of this woman being offended by her use of Beckett’s first name. Knowing him, he probably expected everyone to be formal with him, even in his own house.

  “No, no,” Norma chuckled. “I’m just surprised that you called him Beckett.”

  “I’m confused. What am I supposed to call him?”

  “His family calls him Gabriel.”

  “Gabriel?” Hope mimicked and then it hit her, there was the “G” in G.B. James. The man was infuriating. How many other names was he hiding? “When he introduced himself to me several weeks ago, he said his name was Beckett.”

  “Oh, he’s gone by that one too, but those of us who’ve known him since he was little, know him as Gabriel.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “Since he was a baby,” Norma said with a hint of pride. “I’ve known the James family for a very long time.”

  Jackpot! “Why doesn’t he talk to his family?”

  Norma turned away and began moving the vegetables over to a cutting board. “You know how family can be.”

  Hope moved until she was standing opposite Norma, facing her. “Yes, I do know how family can be but it seems to me like Beckett has a lot of trust issues because of his family and it’s affecting his entire life. Do you think they’ll ever reconcile?”

  “You care for him,” Norma said, placing her hands on the butcher block, a serene smile on her face.

  “What?! No…no,” Hope said but even she didn’t believe her own words and then sighed. “It’s…it’s complicated. When I met Beckett, I didn’t know who he was. What I did know was that I hated G.B. James. It wasn’t until I got here today that I realized they were one and the same.”

  “It seems to me that if you liked Beckett, it shouldn’t matter that he’s also G.B. James.”

  Hope shook her head. “It’s not that easy. It’s like he is two different people. The man I got to know and went out with was sweet and funny and charming. And then I saw him with my brother and it was like someone had flipped a switch.” She shook her head again. “I don’t know for sure who he really is but I’m thinking it’s the control-freak-office-tyrant.”

  Norma laughed and began to chop the vegetables. “Miss Cooper…”

  “Hope,” she corrected.

  “Hope…I’ve known that man his entire life. He has his reasons for being the way that he is. That’s not to say that I agree with it. I think he’d feel a whole lot better if he learned to relax more and work less.” She chuckled. “Although if I live to see that day I might think that I was hallucinating!”

  “Can’t you talk to him?” Hope asked. “Can’t you convince him to be a little more…flexible? Forgiving?”

  “Oh, I’ve tried. Believe me.” Norma stopped her task again and looked around the kitchen. “There was a time when this house was filled during the holidays with the entire family. I used to love to decorate and cook and bake…everything was so festive! Now, though, it’s just a sad shell of its former glory. I miss those days. I miss the chaos and the laughter and…the people.” She sighed. “Look around this place; Christmas is less than a week away and you’d never know it around here.”

  “It is kind of depressing,” Hope agreed. “So he doesn’t even put up a tree?”

  Norma shook her head. “Not in almost six years. The first few years after his father died, everyone else still came but it wasn’t the same. And then…” She sighed again. “Then everyone stopped coming.”

  “Do you live here full-time?”

  “Pretty much. Although I’m not needed the way I used to be.”

  “Do you have any family close by that you’re going to spend Christmas with?”

  “I do, but I always feel guilty leaving him here. I invite him to come with me, but he always declines.”

  “When do you leave?”

  “Oh, I only leave for a couple of hours. Even though he says it doesn’t bother him to be alone and that Christmas isn’t a big deal, I can’t stand it for him. Nobody ought to be alone on Christmas.”

  Hope agreed. “I feel the same way. When Ted told me that he had to come here to work, I was devastated. We just lost our parents a couple of months ago and we only have each other. With him working, I was going to be alone. I was heading to Knoxville to be with a friend when I had to make a detour to come here.” She shared the story of Merry’s accident. “I didn’t expect Ted to act so impulsively and just leave me here. I just hope he comes back tomorrow and maybe I can salvage my own Christmas.”

  Norma turned and looked out the window. “This storm seemed to come out of nowhere. I was watching the weather report and I don’t think it’s expected to let up anytime soon. I’d be surprised if your brother actually could get back here.”

  “Please don’t say that,” Hope said dejectedly. “I don’t think I could stand it if I were stranded here. No offense.”

  Norma chuckled. “None taken.” She studied Hope for a minute. “Just a word of advice to you; don’t judge Beckett too harshly. You obviously saw some good in him, which is more than I can say for most people. You may be the one who breaks through that wall he’s built around himself.”

  “I don’t think so,” Hope said and took a step back. “Maybe if he had been honest with me up front about who he really was, but he wasn’t. He lied to me.” She shook her head. “That’s a big no-no in my book.”

  “He’s really not all that bad, Hope. Trust me. Spend some time with him. You’ll see.”

  Taking her own turn looking out the window Hope sighed. It wasn’t like she had much of a choice. With the way that the snow was coming down, she was going to have nothing else to do but spend time with Beckett James.

  She only hoped that she didn’t end up regretting it.

  ***

  At six o’clock sharp, Beckett sat opposite Hope at his dining room table. It was big enough to seat twenty and now that they were there, he couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it looked.

  “What?” Hope asked. “What’s so funny?”

  He gestured to the table. “I guess I should have asked Norma to set us up someplace else. This table is a little, shall we say…large, for just two people.”

  Hope laughed too. “Whew. I thought it was just me!” She looked down at their plates that were filled with roast beef, red skinned potatoes and grilled asparagus and sighed with appreciation. “Is there someplace else to eat?”

  Beckett stood and picked up his and Hope’s plates. “Follow me.”

  She did and was surprised when they were back in the kitchen. Norma’s eyes went wide at the sight of them.

  “That table is too big for two people,” Beckett said and put the plates down on the much smaller farm-style table. “Have you eaten yet, Norma?”

  “N…no,” she said,
seemingly stunned.

  “Well, make up a plate and join us,” he said and held out a chair for Hope and then went back to the dining room to get their glasses.

  Hope watched in amusement as Norma made herself a plate and sat down at the table. “Tell me this isn’t the first time he’s done this?” she asked.

  “Never,” Norma whispered. “Even when he’s here all by himself, he always eats in the dining room.

  Hope wasn’t sure what to make of that so she chose to keep quiet. A minute later, Beckett strode back into the kitchen and placed their drinks down. “Norma? What can I get you to drink?”

  “Um…”

  Without waiting for a response, he walked over to the stove and put on the tea kettle. “What was I thinking? You usually have tea with your meals, right?”

  “Um…”

  The whole thing was a bit comical to Hope, and confusing. The poor woman was clearly confused by her boss’s behavior and it seemed to her that Beckett was either trying really, really hard to change her perception of him or he had hit his head on something. The thought almost made her laugh so she opted to start a conversation. “How’s your hand?”

  Beckett shrugged and began to cut into his roast beef. “It’s a little painful, but I think I’ll live,” he said with a wink. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  She blushed at his comment. “That wasn’t what I was thinking. Much.”

  “You have a very expressive face, Hope. It gives you away every time.”

  Now that she had that tid-bit of information, she made a mental note to be a little more aware of herself. “Anyway, did you get any work done?” She hated even bringing it up, but she wasn’t sure what else to talk about.

  “Not really. Most of what I had planned dealt with the numbers and that’s Ted’s area of expertise. Mostly I’m looking at the plans and the drawings and seeing what it is that I can do on my own.”

  “Or you could take this as an opportunity to actually rest and not work,” Norma said.

  Beckett placed his silverware down gently and smiled. “Haven’t we had this discussion a hundred times before? And hasn’t my answer always been the same?”