Her Christmas Billionaire (The Joy of Christmas Series Book 1) Page 7

  Blake patted her hand before pulling away to stretch. “Just as I suspected. A town named Love Valley would have earned that title.”

  “Actually, there is a legend behind the name. At least one the town likes to tell to the tourists,” Hannah said.

  Blake tilted his head toward hers and raised his eyebrows in question. “Oh? Pray tell.”

  “Well, originally, Love Valley was said to have something magical in the air, a pure, natural concoction made from Love Valley’s mountain air and the fragrance of the Violet Bliss, a rare flower that only lives in the valley where the center of town was settled. Legend has it that the potent combination is especially intense at Christmastime and entices people to fall in love. Sort of like nature’s love potion.”

  Blake gave her a heart stopping grin. “Is that so? Sounds like an old wives’ tale to me.”

  Hannah couldn’t move as she looked into Blake’s intense green eyes. She could smell his spicy cologne mixed with his own fresh scent, while the hot chocolate scent teased from his lips, enticing her to bend down and… she pulled back.

  “Do you believe the legend?” he murmured, not taking his eyes off of her face.

  “I suppose there is only one way to find out,” she said.

  “Oh yeah? How is that?”

  “Stick around for the festival and see what happens. To the couples,” she clarified. Why was Blake suddenly making her so nervous?

  “The couples?” he said, leaning over so closely she could almost feel his five o’clock shadow rub against her cheek.

  Again, the heat of a blush crawled up her cheeks. She hoped he didn’t notice. “Yes, anyone who might have had an interest in each other over the last month or two. Or even over the last year. Come Christmas Eve, at the festival when all the couples come together to celebrate, the magic of Love Valley will be at its most potent. That is when couples in Love Valley will make their vows of love to each other. According to legend,” she added. Her hands twisted together nervously, seemingly with a mind of their own.

  “Well, heck. I just may have to stay then,” Blake said in a low sultry voice.

  And for the first time in her life, Hannah wondered if the old legend was true.

  Chapter Nine

  Blake wasn’t sure what was happening. One minute he was sitting all cozy and comfy next to Hannah; the next minute she was jumping off the couch like a canon and telling him something about being tired and making it an early night. What? It couldn’t have been later than eight o’clock.

  He hopped off the couch and followed her to where she stood under the archway to the foyer. She hesitated as he took long strides towards her, trying to get to her before she bolted like a scared rabbit in a field to be lost forever.

  “It’s so early,” he said.

  She stretched as if to fortify her excuse. “I know. But it’s been a long exhausting day. I’m really tired,” she said, inching a step back.

  He watched her, the formidable Hannah Carter, now a bounding bunny running from him. He didn’t stop to think why as his gaze suddenly fixated on an object above the arch she stood under. He didn’t remember seeing it the day before or even today but there it was, beckoning to him like an angel leading him to the light. A mistletoe hung directly over Hannah’s head. It could be a coincidence, but Blake had long stop believing in coincidences.

  He settled in comfortably in front of her and let a mischievous smile form across his face. “Hannah?”

  Her cheeks were flushed pink as she dared to look him in the eye. Heaven help him, she was as beautiful as she was intriguing. Despite her pink cheeks, she raised her chin, as if in defiance of her body’s reactions. “What?” she asked, a smirk trying to form on her face.

  He reached out and took her hand, separated her index finger and pointed it above her head. Her gaze followed as the electricity zapped between their hands.

  “Mistletoe,” he said softly.

  She looked back at him, her face rife with accusation. “Did you put it there?”

  He shook his head in the negative. “I thought you did,” he said.

  “I did not!”

  Her protest seemed a bit overly strong, but he ignored it. “I heard it’s bad luck to defy a mistletoe,” he said, letting his hand slide away from hers. “May I?”

  Her eyes widened, and he thought she might refuse him, though she inched closer to him. With a shy smile, she nodded her head in acceptance. Blake slid his hand down over her dark curls and let his fingers rest on the soft flesh of her neck.

  Before he knew it, their lips had locked together in a soft kiss. Her lips were warm and soft against his; he felt something inside of him roar to life, a sensation, a feeling that had lain dormant for far too long. He felt the exhilaration of happiness and the simple pleasure of a kiss. However, fleeting it might be, the message was there, loud and clear.

  He felt like his insides were going to mush and stars were flashing on and off inside his head. Then, he opened his eyes and realized it was just the blinking Christmas tree lights. Or was it?

  Hannah drew back, and took a step away from him. “So, no bad luck then?” she said.

  He let his mouth move into the most infinitesimal smile. “No bad luck,” he agreed.

  He didn’t let the very small amount of guilt effect his delight in kissing Hannah, despite the lie. He’d never heard any stories about mistletoes and luck. But he’d say this, he didn’t think kissing Hannah was going to give him any bad luck either. He shrugged it off. He needed some good luck for a change. And looking at Hannah, who stood so deliciously sweet in front of him, he couldn’t believe that she would bring anything to him but good luck. He’d take it.

  “Well, I really am tired,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Blake gave her a nod. “In the morning then. Sweet dreams, Hannah Carter.”

  ~

  Hannah stared at the clock on the nightstand next to her bed. It read eight fifteen in the evening. Eight fifteen! Even as exhausted as she was, she couldn’t fall asleep before ten. What had she been thinking? Oh, right. She hadn’t been thinking at all.

  She kicked off her boots and turned on the old TV that sat on the dresser across from her bed but the screen was dark gray. She wasn’t much of a TV person, and she hadn’t got around to signing up for cable. Out here in the boondocks of Love Valley, it was hard to get a signal for any public channels. It was just as well. After that kiss, she didn’t think anything could keep her attention beyond two seconds.

  The quiet in the house was unsettling. She could hear Blake’s movements down the hall in his room as the rest of the house listened. How could she bear this for two more hours? A tiny bit of guilt assuaged her as she thought of how she left Blake in the sitting room afterwards. He was probably pacing his room, trying to figure out why she was so unhinged. It was only a kiss, after all.

  Yeah, and Blake was only a guest. Oh no! She’s kissed her guest! Wasn’t that against the rules of an Inn keeper? Wasn’t that a violation of some oath of caring for guests? She was sure she had broken some sort of law or rule. Nothing that felt that good could be legal.

  She had to do something. She’d have to apologize to Blake and make it clear, she could not get involved with a guest. It wasn’t appropriate. He’d understand, right? It would be simple, right? She’d go over right now and tell him before she put on her pjs. She’d just lay out the facts and that would be that. He was probably thinking the same thing.

  The sound was so faint, she wasn’t sure if she’d actually heard the knock on her door. “Who is it?”

  Immediately after the words escaped her lips, she felt the mortification sink in. Did she just ask that? Who else could it be?

  A pause. “Um, Blake. Were you expecting someone else?”

  Of course, he pounced on her ridiculous question. “Oh, yes. My secret love usually visits me at this time,” she said with heavy sarcasm.

  “I guess I’m on time then,” he said when she opened the doo
r.

  The heat on her cheeks only maddened her more. “Ha-ha, aren’t you funny?”

  “Am I interrupting?” Blake asked.

  Okay, she’d play along. “No, he’s gone now.”

  Blake seemed to be enjoying the joke immensely at her expense. “Out the window as a bat?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “He must be some sort of demon or vampire to leave without using the door,” he said.

  “I was kidding. I thought that would be obvious,” she huffed. How could this man drive her crazy with his kiss one moment and make her want to strangle him the next?

  “I thought my joke would be obvious too,” he reasoned.

  Hannah gave him a saccharine smile. “Don’t quit your day job.”

  Blake winced as he put his hand on his heart dramatically. “Ouch!”

  Hannah gave him a covert once over. He was barefoot and had removed his sweatshirt, wearing only his jeans and a tight blue tee shirt that left little question that he definitely worked out at the gym. Like every single day.

  She raised her eyes back to his face, giving him her best poker face when he smiled at her knowingly. Okay, Mr. Billionaire, so you have a nice physic. There is no reason to flaunt it.

  “Is there something you needed? New towels, perhaps? A toothbrush, soap?” she gave his tousled dark hair a glance. “A hair brush maybe?”

  He absently ran his hand through his hair. “I was doing calisthenics in my room, since there is no gym here from what I gather.”

  No wonder his biceps were standing up. But that was nothing compared to his beautiful face and vivid green eyes. Except maybe that deep voice that reverberated down the hallway.

  “I wanted to talk,” he said.

  That was the last thing she expected him to say. Him or any man on earth for that matter. What man knocked on your door at night because he wanted to talk? She narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay… here?” She realized she didn’t sound convinced and as a matter of fact, she wasn’t.

  “We could go downstairs,” he offered.

  “Okay. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five.”

  She slid on her slippers and shrugged a hoodie on. She could feel the cold seeping into the house as the temperature dropped outside. She made a mental note to check the weather report for any storms that may be headed their way. Had the last one missed them? Hit them? She wasn’t sure. The last couple of days seemed to be removed from reality. When she arrived downstairs, Blake was heating up some milk on the stove.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I’m really craving another hot chocolate.”

  “Sounds great to me. The temperature is rising. I should turn up the furnace,” she stood up.

  “I can help you with that later,” he said. “I need to tell you something.”

  She braced herself for his excuse and regrets about kissing her. Clearly, she wasn’t the type for any man, loser or billionaire.

  “It’s about Christmas. Why I can’t… why it is…” he stumbled on his words.

  “Why you don’t like it?” she offered.

  He shrugged. “That is as good a way to put it as any, I suppose.”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation,” she said. Of course, she immediately wanted to kick herself under the table. Obviously, she wanted to know.

  “I know but since I’m here and could stay for the foreseeable next few days at least, I thought I’d explain. My wife…” he began.

  Oh no! He had a wife? And he’d kissed her? And she’d kissed him! She put her hand over her mouth, mortified.

  He waved his hand at her. “No, no, no,” he said. “It’s not like that,” he paused, his expression solemn. “She died in a car accident four years ago. On Christmas Eve.”

  For once in her life, Hannah was speechless. She reached out and laid her hand on Blake’s arm. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “No wonder it’s hard for you.”

  He laid his hand over hers. “Thanks. But I know it’s time I let go. It was very complicated, you see. I was a workaholic. I was supposed to spend Christmas with my wife in Europe skiing, but I got too busy with work and told her to go on. Little did I know, she was having an affair with one of my best friends. They were together when their car crashed in Alberta, Canada. She hadn’t even bothered to go on the vacation we’d had planned. I never would have known if they hadn’t…” his voice trailed off.

  Hannah was at a lost. “I’m so sorry. That must have been a hundred times harder to lose them both in such a way.”

  “It wasn’t her fault. I was never there for her. I was always working and she was this really wonderful girl. Of course, someone else would take notice of how lonely she was; I just didn’t think it would be one of my closest friends. I don’t blame them though. I blame myself. If I’d been a better husband, they’d both still be alive today.”

  Hannah shook her head. “You don’t know that. We never know how long we have. We just have to make the most of the time we have.”

  “And I didn’t before she died. Nor in the last four years since. I need to change that.”

  “You still have time,” Hannah said. “Don’t you have family? Parents, siblings you could spend the holidays with?”

  “I’m an only child, and my parents are long gone. They both died young.”

  Hannah’s heart went out to Blake. She’d had no idea how much he’d lost. No wonder he hated Christmas. “I’m so sorry, Blake,” she said quietly.

  Blake turned to face her and took both her hands in his. “I know you’re sad about your grandmother passing away.”

  Hannah’s gaze fell downwards. “I am,” she admitted. “She raised me. I haven’t seen my real Mom in years. She is a stage actress and lives in Europe. I don’t even know who my father was. Gram was the only family I had left.”

  “I’m so sorry. `I know it’s hard, believe me I do. But I can see you are trying to hang in there and still celebrate Christmas. You’re doing the right thing. I admire your strength.”

  Hannah met his eyes. She couldn’t help the small smile that broke across her lips. “Thanks. But it’s hard. Especially being back here. It’s my first Christmas back to Clearview since Gram…well, it makes me sad, despite all the wonderful memories.”

  “I know. Maybe we can make some new ones this season. I just wanted you to know why I don’t celebrate Christmas anymore... I figured I owed you that. You’ve been very kind letting me stay here with my grinchy attitude,” he said with a soft chuckle.

  “And you’ve been very kind helping me out when it must have been so painful for you to be in the middle of all this Christmas cheer.” Before she thought it through, she laid her hand over his cheek. “I’m so sorry. This all must have been so hard for you.”

  He put his hands over hers and gazed at her lovingly. She could barely breathe as his piercing blue eyes met hers, boring into her very soul.

  A sizzling sound pierced the air.

  At once, Blake pulled back, and ran off to the pot of milk just in time before it boiled over. He pulled the saucepan off the burner and turned it off. “Sorry, boiled milk makes such a mess.”

  He took two cups out of the cabinet and set them down on the counter. “All this Christmas cheer has been good for me. You’ve been good for me, Hannah. You’ve made me feel something again.”

  Oh shoot. Did he just say something about feelings? They could definitely not go there. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Not when he was leaving so soon… tomorrow, the next day… well, someday he was leaving.

  “Um, feel something?” she asked, just to be sure she heard him correctly.

  Blake gave her an adorable dimpled smile that almost melted her concern. “You made me feel a hint of Christmas joy again. I’d forgotten. Thank you.”

  She shrugged nonchalantly. All this feeling talk was giving her the heebie-jeebies. She was used to guys who grunted when you asked them the simplest questions. She wasn’t used to a man who actually communicated.

  “You’re welcome,” she said. “
How about some hot chocolate now?” Boy, did she sound like a jerk or what?

  “Hot chocolate sounds good. Where do you keep the cocoa and sugar?”

  “I’ll get it.”

  Hannah pushed off of her chair, glad to be able to do something active rather than sit there and try to interpret all the things Blake had just told her. She went to the pantry and pulled out the canister of sugar, and stacked the can of cocoa on top of it. She turned around and ran smack dab into Blake.

  “Sorry,” he said, wrapping his hands around her arms to steady her. “I was trying to help.”

  Once again, Blake was so close she could smell the fresh scent of soap on his skin and the mint of the toothpaste he’d brushed with earlier. She glanced up to see those full lips that less than an hour ago had been pressed against hers in a sweet kiss.

  “I’m good,” she finally said, taking a step back.

  She let Blake make hot cocoa while she moved to a safe distance at the breakfast table and made small talk. Once they’d finished their hot chocolate, she excused herself to bed, not wanting to linger and face the chance of a more emotionally charged conversation.

  She didn’t want to share her memories with Gram or her heartache at losing her two years ago. She didn’t want to create that sort of bond with Blake. Besides, how could she be with a man who hated Christmas? Even thought he had good cause, it could never work. She had to celebrate Christmas, even if it hurt without Gram to share it with. The bottom line was Blake was leaving, going back to his life, whether tomorrow or next week, and she was staying in Love Valley. This is where her life would always be. And his was in LA. End of discussion.

  She’d made the decision before moving back to her home town that nothing would ever tempt her to move away again. The Colorado mountains, their forests and rivers, and Love Valley were all part of her heart and soul. She’d realized that when she returned.