Her Christmas Billionaire (The Joy of Christmas Series Book 1) Read online

  “He’s also a good friend. He was actually my friend before he became a pilot. We go way back.”

  Hannah gave him a curious look. “So, you knew him back in Prep school? Did you race each other’s horses?”

  “Ha-ha, very not funny,” Blake said. “Despite what you think, I did not grow up with money. Dirt poor actually is how I started out in life.”

  “Really?”

  Uh oh. Hannah seemed genuinely interested.

  “So, we better get these decorations ready. They aren’t going to walk out on their own like the nutcracker.”

  Hannah threw him surprised look. “I won’t even ask how an anti-Christmas person can know anything about the Nutcracker ballet.”

  Blake chuckled. “We made an animated film of the Nutcracker about six years ago,” he said.

  “So, you didn’t always hate Christmas then?”

  “Hate is a strong word,” he said, once again side stepping her not so subtle grilling.

  Hannah shrugged, giving up for the moment. But he wasn’t fooled. She’d find a way eventually to ferret out his Christmas trauma.

  They made their way back into the sitting room and began to unwrap the ornaments. Blake was especially careful with them, having been warned by Hannah how precious they were.

  He was carefully setting down a particularly endearing ornament. It was a pinecone to which green and red glitter had been glued, though over the years the glitter had rubbed off in places. Clearly a homemade ornament, he imagined a young Hannah diligently dipping the pinecone in glue and rolling it in the colorful glitter with that gleeful laugh she still possessed. He was about to ask her about her ornament making skills when he heard a squeak of dismay from across the room.

  “It’s broken. How could it be broken?” she lamented sadly.

  Blake felt the pain in her voice and imagined it must had been a particularly sentimental piece. He knew that feeling all too well. “What is it, Hannah?” he asked softly.

  “It’s our angel. Gram and I made her when I was eight years old. We’ve had it on the top of our tree every Christmas since until…”

  Blake rushed to Hannah’s side. He felt a sudden need to comfort her and protect her, as illogical as that sounded. He took the angel from her hand and examined it. He could see the fine workmanship in the embroidery of the angels’ gown thought it was old and faded now. The hand painted, porcelain face of the doll was cracked but the fine, white hair of the angel was still intact. He was certain someone in the art department at his company could repair it. However, he knew better than to suggest such a thing. Not now, anyway.

  He put his hand over Hannah’s and tried to ignore the jolt of energy that passed through him at their touch. “I’m so sorry, Hannah.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes glassy with tears and gave him a brave smile. “I can’t blame you for this one,” she said, still trying to put in humor in the situation.

  “Put it aside for now. We’ll see if we can fix it later, okay?” He took the angel from her grasp as set it carefully on the table away from the other decorations.

  “Okay,” she said softly. He could hear the wistful defeat in her voice. It was then that he realized, it was more than the angel that was broken; it was her heart over losing her grandmother.

  “Let’s take a break, okay?” he asked her in a soft voice. “We’ve got enough done for now.”

  She looked up at him, her face naked with emotion. His heart jumped just a little in his chest. How hadn’t he noticed before? Hannah was beautiful. Her unruly dark curls, her sweet lips now turned downward in sadness, and those soulful blue eyes told a thousand stories. How had he ever missed it?

  ~

  Blake Bradley was a man of many talents, none of them which Hannah had admired since the second he had steamrolled her over on the street. Until now. Who was this sweet, kind-hearted man who’d stepped into Blake’s body? This was definitely not the rude man who’d plowed her over with the snow on Main Street early this morning.

  Just now, she’d looked into his eyes and felt as though she’d dissolve into a puddle, like thawing snow on a warm afternoon. He was melting the cold darkness she’d felt in her heart since losing Gram, the bleak heartache that Henry never understood. Somehow, Blake instinctively understood. Her heart softened towards him, despite her battle to protect it from opening up again. Well, as long as she kept him at a distance, her heart would be fine. He was leaving tomorrow, right?

  “The Shepard’s pie should be ready. Let’s go eat. I think we’ve done enough Christmas stuff for the day. I know you’re probably had your fill.”

  Blake fell in step next to her as they returned to the kitchen.

  Like I said, I’m here to help you, Hannah. Whatever you need.”

  Whatever she needed? How about what she didn’t need? She didn’t need to be thinking about how sweet and handsome Blake Bradley was, especially since he was leaving tomorrow, especially because he lived in LA, a city she wouldn’t dip a toe in after coming home to Love Valley. But his sweet voice, that spicy aftershave and those gorgeous green eyes were throwing her off her game. She knew what she needed to do. Time for a re-group and strategize. She was going to have to pull out the big guns for this one.

  After they ate, they attempted to put the lights on the tree, however at least half of them weren’t working.

  “But the boxes were so well insulated,” Blake insisted.

  “Perhaps they’re just faulty. I’ll go get more tomorrow. Why don’t we call it a night? I’m sure you’re tired from traveling, and I’ve been up since nearly sunrise. I’m exhausted.”

  She didn’t want to let on that she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since she’d returned home to Gram’s Inn. Everything about Clearview was igniting memories every time she turned around. And although the memories were happy ones, she missed Gram so much it made her heart hurt.

  As she scrubbed her face and slipped into her flannel jammies, she was amazed at what a difference a day makes. She was almost ashamed of the way she’d treated Blake when they’d ran into each other this morning. He’d been such a gentleman, he tried to help her and he’d been incredibly kind tonight. He’d even cleaned up after dinner, refusing to allow her to help.

  Henry had never lifted a finger to do anything when he came for dinner, just sat on the couch and watched sports while she scrubbed pots after spending hours cooking dinner for him. She was beginning to think she’d dodged a bullet in that breakup.

  If she was being completely honest with herself, she knew she was lucky to be rid of Henry. He was a dud in every sense of the word. Why hadn’t she seen that sooner? She should have been the one to dump his lazy butt.

  Come to think of it, she’d been the crazy one to even want a future with him. What had she been thinking? Oh yeah. She’d been thinking that her life was lonely and empty without Gram, that her biological clock was ticking and that she needed to fill the hole in her heart, in her life with something. Henry certainly hadn’t been the answer. She ought to thank him now for preventing her from making a colossal mistake.

  She turned back the covers on her bed and took a minute to look over the photo of her and Gram that had sat on her nightstand since she was nine years old. A tear fell down her cheek. “I wish you were here, Gram,” she whispered.

  A sudden knock on the door drew her attention. That could only be one person. She wiped her eyes and slid out of bed, donning her trusty terry cloth robe before answering the door.

  “Yes?” she said, cracking the door just a hair. It suddenly dawned on her she was sharing her home with a complete stranger.

  “Sorry, Hannah. I just need some towels. I didn’t see any in my room.”

  Hannah opened the door to see Blake dressed down in a tight tee shirt and sweat pants looking hotter than any man dressed for the gym should look. Speaking of gyms, he must have spent a lot of hours in one because up close and personal, she could clearly see underneath that shirt he was fit and a fiddle with s
leek muscles covering his broad chest.

  Blake cleared his throat and Hannah, realizing she’d been ogling his muscles stepped back and nearly tripped on the edge of the woven carpet that covered most of the wood flooring in her room.

  “Careful now,” Blake said as he grasped her arm to steady her. “You haven’t been enjoying a hot toddy in here while I’m alone in my room with ice water?”

  Her skin sizzled where Blake had touched her arm. She’d never felt chemistry like this with any other guy. “What? No!” It took Hannah a second to realize he was joking with her. She could feel the burn rising in her cheeks. Thank goodness the light was dim in her room, and Blake couldn’t see her flaming pink cheeks.

  Blake let out that belly chuckle she’d heard earlier in the day and it warmed her even more. “If you say so,” he said with a glittering wink.

  “I thought I put towels in your room. Sorry, I’ll get you some. And there is brandy in the back of the top cabinet on the right of the sink in the kitchen. Just don’t tell Mary I know about it.”

  “I’ll keep your secret safe,” he said with a playful grin. “I’m good with the towels for now.”

  She retrieved a stack of towels for him from the linen closet in the hall way and handed them to him. Their fingers touched as he grabbed the stack from her hands. Electricity flew between them again, like a lightning strike on a lake. Their eyes met for one moment in the dim hallway.

  They stayed there, looking at one another, their fingers touching, unable to tear their eyes away from each other as time seemed to stand still. Somewhere in the house, Gram’s cuckoo clock went off, the bird chirping to what she thought was probably ten o’clock. She jerked her hand back instinctively, letting out a little huff as she did.

  She took a step back, trying to regain self-control. Blake stared at her in the still quiet of the night. She met his gaze, saying nothing. There didn’t seem to be a need for words between them.

  “Good night, Hannah,” Blake finally said, breaking the oddly peaceful silence between them. “Sweet dreams.”

  Hannah felt an involuntary smile, however small, sidle across her lips. “You too,” she said with a calmness that belied the rapid beating of her heart.

  They both turned and went to their respective rooms. An excitement coursed through her veins settling into a sweet peace as she settled in under the covers. And that night, Hannah slept more soundly than she had in the last two and a half years.

  Chapter Seven

  Blake woke early the next morning with a bounce in his step and a lightheartedness he had not felt in years. He showered and dressed quickly. A part of him didn’t want to admit how much he was looking forward to seeing Hannah again, but another part of him could barely contain the desire to break out in song from excitement. Just the thought of her sassy smile and long dark hair sent his heart sailing. It had been a long time since a woman had made him feel that way.

  He’d almost forgot it was the Christmas holidays, until he’d bounced down the staircase and ran smack dab into the ginormous tree that stood staring at him, naked and angry, if a tree could do such a thing. A part of him was surprised the tree had not fell over in the night and crashed through the pretty bay window of the sitting room. He was glad it hadn’t.

  Not only would that have crushed Hannah’s Christmas excitement, but he would have been the one cleaning up the mess. Not his idea of fun for today. On a day like today, feeling like he was walking on clouds the last thing he wanted was a tragically dead Christmas tree. He made a note to ask advice on securing the monstrous tree when he went into town today to get new lights for Hannah.

  “Good morning!” came her sweet voice behind him. “Want a cup of coffee?”

  Blake turned to see Hannah standing behind him in jeans, cowboy boots and a bright red sweater with a snowman embroidered on the front. She looked radiant.

  “I’d kill for a cup of Mary’s coffee,” he said.

  “No murder will be necessary! There’s plenty to go around,” Mary called out from the kitchen.

  Blake didn’t imagine Mary missed much of what was said or done at Clearview Inn. He joined Hannah at the breakfast table as Mary poured him a steaming cup of coffee. “I’m so relieved. I’ve been seeing enough of the good red since I arrived to Love Valley. I don’t think I’ve been to a town that has more Christmas spirit.”

  He didn’t miss Hannah’s double take at him. She passed him the creamer as her eyebrows raised with surprise. “I thought you didn’t like Christmas?”

  He scrunched his nose up. “A tiny bit is okay.” He reached for one of Mary’s bacon cheese muffins. “I could stand nearly anything with Mary’s coffee and bacon muffins to give me sustenance,” he said, bestowing Mary with a wink.

  Mary beamed at him. If only Hannah was that easy to please. He was working on it. “Thank you, Blake,” Mary said, wiping her hands on her apron.

  “Just speaking the truth,” Blake told her.

  “Well, fill up. We’ve got lots of hard labor to do today,” Hannah said. “Unless you’re leaving?”

  Did he detect a slight concern in her voice? Honestly, he’d been so busy feeling happy this morning, he’d forgot all about calling Nathan. Of course, he still didn’t have a phone, which funny enough, he was finding quite liberating.

  “I’ll have to call Nathan. I’ll see if my new phone has arrived when I go into town to pick up new lights,” he said. “But I’ll definitely be here to help you with whatever you need, Hannah.”

  Blake waited for Hannah to offer her phone but she seemed too busy devouring a muffin, while Mary set down plates of bacon, eggs and country style hash browns for each of them. “Thanks, Mary!” he said, eyeing the breakfast made for a team of lumberjacks.

  “Just let me know when you’re leaving so I can plan… um, everything.”

  Blake stabbed a forkful of hash browns. “Everything?” He took a bite and savored some of the best home cooking he’d ever eaten.

  “Yeah, I mean all the decorating and stuff. I’ll dig out the ladder and tools we need to put the lights up outside while you go to town. Hopefully, we can get that done before you, you know, leave.”

  Did he detect a hint of sadness at his eminent departure? Quite frankly, he didn’t know how he felt about leaving either. And that thought, the reluctance to leave after only one night at Clearview Inn gave him pause. He shrugged and dug into his breakfast, not wanting to examine any deeper meaning to his desire to remain in Love Valley.

  He’d travelled a lot of miles to get here yesterday, so naturally he wasn’t up for another trek back to LA and then a hunt to find a new place to spend Christmas. That was it, he decided. Maybe he could stay another night just to rest up and find another home to rent before flying off into the sunset. It was settled. No need to analyze why or who for that matter. He shoved away any doubts about leaving or staying out of his mind.

  Best to not think on it at all.

  ~

  Hannah watched Blake through the front window as he pulled out of the driveway. She refused to even acknowledge the inexplicable sadness she felt at the thought of him leaving. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was praying that the General Store was still out of phones, the phone towers collapsed, and a blizzard was headed to Clearview so there was no possible way that Blake could leave. Then, she felt guilty for wishing for such travesty on the town, especially at Christmas. Had she lost her mind?

  She turned back to the ornaments they had laid out last night, remembering Blake’s kind understanding at her grief over her and Gram’s broken angel. How had she not seen what a sweet man he was when she’d first met him? She knew she could have had a bit of a chip on her shoulder after Henry’s assessment of her appropriateness as a wife, but Blake was innocent. She shouldn’t have blamed him for Henry being a doofus.

  She smiled as she looked up at the huge tree she’d chosen, remembering Blake nearly being swallowed by the tree as he dragged it through the parking lot and miraculously onto the
bed of his truck. And he’d done it all so good humoredly too.

  “What is so funny? What has Ms. Hannah Carter so chipper this morning?”

  Hannah turned around at the sound of her best friend’s voice. “You are the responsible one, aren’t you?” she said to Charlene. “Just what were you thinking sending Blake here?”

  Charlene slipped her scarf off and hung it on the coat rack in the foyer adjacent to the sitting room. “Are we on a first name basis now?” she asked with a teasing smile. “I thought he was handsome, he was in need of a place to stay, and he had no wedding ring on.” Charlene shrugged as if she was completely innocent.

  “Don’t even try and pull that clueless look on me. It won’t work.”

  “Do you know who he is?” Charlene asked, her hands clearly hiding something behind her back pocket.

  “He’s Blake Bradley from LA. He owns a company that makes cartoons. At least that is what he told me,” Hannah said.

  “He owns Animation Magic Inc. The biggest Animation company in the world. They not only do computer animations, and animatronics, they have a division that produces movies, writing, voice overs, the works. He also owns another movie studio that produces some of the best Indie films around. And he owns patents to all sorts of cameras and robotics.”

  Hannah examined her palms as if they were the most interesting thing she’d ever seen in her life. “And am I supposed to be impressed with all that? What does that mean to an Inn keeper with a house that has bad plumbing and needs a new roof?”

  “Blake Bradley is a billionaire, sweetie.”

  Hannah almost spit out the coffee she’d just sipped. “What?”

  Charlene pulled out a newspaper she’d been hiding behind her back. “I thought I recognized him when I saw him at Eddy’s. Then, I picked up the Denver paper and boom! There he was on the cover!” She held up the front page so Hannah could see it.