Merry and Bright(40)

His booted feet crunched closer in the snow. A steady gait. A sure gait.

Slowing . . .

Stopping.

But the touch of his hands pulling her up to him never came. Nor did the feel of his mouth taking hers.

“See, you’re not the only one who can control yourself,” came his rough whisper in her ear.

Her eyes whipped open in time to catch a view of the back of him as he vanished around the corner of the building.

And it was a very nice back.

She let out a low, shaky breath. City rat bastard had a sharp wit, she’d give him that. And a good ass.

And far too much of that control she suddenly wished he didn’t possess at all.





Danny thought he’d be chomping at the bit to get back to LA, but there was a certain charm to the wilds of Colorado, a sort of . . . quiet calm that he liked.

Truthfully? If it wasn’t for the unfairness of Hope’s situation, he might have really enjoyed himself out here.

The thing was Hope was a smart woman. She’d updated all the parts of the building that she’d had to for the place to run. And according to the business plan she’d outlined for Edward, she had a clear order of what she wanted to do with the place as the money came in.

Except the money wasn’t coming in.

And like most of the other problems she had, it wasn’t her fault. She was paying too much on the loan to her brother. She could get a better deal, she needed a better deal.

He got online and downloaded her brochure. As he’d clearly told her, she wasn’t charging enough. Plain and simple. She needed to up her prices and needed to tout herself as exclusive and luxurious, both of which she had the means to be within her disposal with only a minimal amount of work on her part. She already had the first-class chef—herself—and the gorgeous setting. All she needed were those cosmetic changes: some paint, some silk sheets and down comforters to go with . . . His fingers worked the keyboard, bringing up new research on successfully run B&Bs . . .

His cell rang.

“So,” Edward said without preamble. “Did she agree to the new loan?”

In that moment, Danny had never hated his job more. He really needed that change. “I was hoping you’d rethought things.”

“I don’t rethink.”

“Yeah. Right.” Danny shook his head. “Okay, you know what? That was me. I’ve rethought things. I’m not going to do this for you, Edward.”

“You handle my money. Doing so is your job.”

“Not anymore, it’s not.”

There was a sharp pause. “Are you quitting?”

Danny drew a deep breath. “Yes.”

“Because of this loan?” Edward asked in disbelief.

“She’s your sister.”

“Step,” Edward said. “Stepsister. And I’d recall on my own mother, you know that.”

It was true. Edward had never made a secret about the kind of man he was. But if Danny stayed, he’d become the same. “I’m done, Edward.”

“What the hell is going on up there anyway?”

“A lot of thinking.”

“Sounds like it. What are you going to do that’s better than this job?”

“I’m going to start an accounting firm.” A small one, for small businesses, where he could help and maybe even make a difference instead of ruin people. “Accounting and financial services.”

“Come on,” Edward said on a laugh. “You love big money as much as I do, you big CPA geek.”

Yeah, he did. Or had. But big money meant dealing with people he didn’t always like or respect, and in return, he would turn into someone he didn’t like or respect, either, he felt it.

“If you walk away,” Edward warned, “we’re done. No crawling back when you decide you miss my millions.”

“I won’t miss it.”

“Is this Hope’s doing? Because she has that effect on people. Trust me, she drives them crazy. Just come back, and—”

“I’m snowed in. And she’s not driving me crazy.” Well, she was. She really, really was, but in a good way. “Good-bye, Edward.”

“Hey, you tell her she still has to pay. I’ll come up and get that money myself if I have to. You tell her that.”

Danny hung up and looked at himself in the mirror over his dresser. Hair neat. Glasses in place. Shirt pressed and tucked in.

Jesus. He really was a f*cking CPA geek.

Well, he’d just made a huge life change, he could certainly make a few more. He untucked his shirt, then laughed at himself. Wow, what a rebel. Shaking his head, he made his way downstairs. Lori had asked him to come back down, promising him a surprise in the living room, a surprise he sincerely hoped had something to do with the smell of something delicious baking. Stacking wood for two hours had made him as hungry as he’d ever been. Or maybe it was quitting his job.

Or maybe it was a certain stubborn, proud B&B owner who stirred him up in both a very good, and very bad, way.

He heard the banging, then turned the corner into the living room.

Hope stood on a six-foot ladder, wielding a staple gun and hanging a string of Christmas lights. She wore her usual, a long-sleeved tee and hip-hugging jeans. This time she’d added a tool belt to the mix, which was strapped around her waist and immediately made him hot for some reason. She had an iPod strapped through one of her belt loops, earphones in her ears, a Santa cap on her head.