Merry and Bright(30)

As proven by the loaded silence.

“I realize you’d like me to just leave,” he said. And he’d love to do that. Hell, he missed LA already. He was wet and cold and hungry, and as far as he could tell there was no food in his immediate future. No four-star hotels, either. Nothing but wide open spaces and the utter lack of civilization.

He was on a whole other planet. “I’ll freeze to death out here, Hope, you know that. You don’t want my death on your hands, do you?” Okay, stupid question. She’d welcome his death and stomp on his grave.

He’d met her for the first time two years ago when she was leaving Los Angeles. She’d come to Edward’s office to say good-bye, but Edward had been in a meeting and hadn’t bothered to come out—the guy wasn’t big on family.

The last time Danny had seen Hope was three months ago when she’d needed money. Once again, it’d been Danny to deal with her, and he’d laid out the terms that Eddie had insisted on—the terms not in her favor.

Danny had looked into Hope’s eyes as he’d done Edward’s dirty work and felt like a complete jerk offering her such a crappy deal. Knowing he could lose his job, he’d shut the file, gone against his duties, and advised her not to sign.

But she’d signed anyway.

“Letting me die out here will only make things worse,” he said now. “Come on, Hope. Open up.”

“Just leave.”

He wished he could. But he had a job to do and that was to protect Edward’s investment. Didn’t matter that Edward was a miserly ass who got his jollies over lording it over people, one of those people being his own sister. What mattered, unfortunately for Hope, was that Edward now held the loan on both the land and the B&B itself, and after her extension request, now wanted the situation assessed.

Which is where Danny came in.

Not the most comfortable situation, given that his rental car was truly stuck. Turning away from the front door, he stared out into the nasty storm knowing he had two choices: beg some more, or strike out on foot back to his car where he could run the motor for heat until he ran out of gas. Neither option appealed, but he had a feeling that no amount of begging would work, so he stepped off the top step and into the snow.

Shit, it was cold.

Behind him the door whipped open. “Are you crazy?” Hope demanded to know. “You really will freeze to death if you walk back to your car.”

“So you’re going to let me in?”

She seemed to gnash on her teeth over that one. She was wearing snug hip-hugging jeans that were frayed at the waist and hem, and torn over one knee. Her long-sleeved v-necked tee revealed sweet curves, and proof that she was chilled. “It’s going to cost you,” she finally said.

Yeah, he was getting that. “I’m willing to pay your rate.”

“For rat bastards, it’s double.”

He looked into her stubborn, beautiful face and saw that she meant it. “Fine. Double.”

“Did I say double? I meant triple.”

Her eyes were intense, protective, and dammit.

Hurt.

And wasn’t that just the crux. Edward was such an ass. So determined to rise from the gutter from which he’d been born, he was perfectly willing to walk over his own family. Even worse was the knowledge that Hope was trying to do the same, trying to change her life and circumstances, and was getting a bad deal.

But she wasn’t his job. God-damn, he really hated when his morals bumped up against the source of his income. “Just name the price, Hope.”

She shoved her long bangs off her face and thought about it.

How any woman could look so sweet and soft, and yet be so fierce, was beyond him, but somehow she pulled it off.

“You might want to consider that I’m standing here with my wallet open and you need the money,” he pointed out.

Okay, not his smartest move, reminding her that she was in trouble; he knew it even before her eyes chilled and her mouth tightened.

She had a pretty mouth.

Not that he was noticing. “Look,” he said quickly. “The roads are bad, there’s no other hotel nearby, and I’m stuck. Whatever you want.”

“I want a better termed loan.”

“Except that.”

She looked at him, proud and desperate, and he felt a crack in his armor.

Not good.

“I’d do it if I could,” he said quietly.

“Would you?”

“In a heartbeat.” He shifted and lowered his voice. “I asked you not to sign—”

“Don’t.” She pushed him back a step and pointed at him. “Don’t. I’m well aware that I screwed this up, and no one else.” A sigh escaped her, and once again, she shoved her hair back. “You can have a damn room.”

“Thank you.”

“Just get inside.” She shut the door, behind him this time, still looking deceptively soft and sweet. “You’re shivering like a pansy-assed little girl.”





2


Hope easily kept busy for the next hour, meaning she paid no attention whatsoever to her unwelcome houseguest.

Or pretended to pay no attention . . .

The only meal she served at the B&B was breakfast, but she did offer drinks in the evenings. Tonight they served eggnog to go with the festive decorations she was still working on, and in the living room people intermingled, having a good time.