The Millionaire's Christmas Wife

“We thought Gideon would be out of the running after that, but then he surprised us and said he’d gotten married. He hadn’t mentioned he was even engaged. How did you meet?”

“We met briefly at a party, then soon after at his brother’s wedding.”

“Love at first sight?”

Denise smiled at Joanne’s girlish tone. “Yes. It caught us both by surprise.”

“Did you have a beautiful wedding?”

“We eloped.” Denise toyed with her napkin. “We tried to talk ourselves out of it, but really couldn’t come up with any good reasons not to do it. Neither of us is impulsive, so we amazed ourselves by going through with it.”

“No regrets?”

“None.”

“How do you feel about making your home here?”

“It’s beautiful.” Was that a vague enough answer?

Joanne cocked her head. “Gideon said you were excited about it.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Come back, Gideon. Don’t leave me here with her.

“Are you looking forward to using the trails?”

“I haven’t been on skis for years.”

“Really? Gideon said you were a fanatic, like him.”

“Oh, I am. I am.” She was going to kill Gideon. He couldn’t have remembered that detail to pass along to her? “I’ve just been so busy with my job. It’ll be wonderful having the course right outside our door.”

“Do you think you’ll have children soon?”

Finally, something she could answer. “We won’t wait too long.”

“I imagine not. Especially since you want four.”

Denise almost choked. Four? The strikes were piling up against Gideon fast. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and have twins,” she said. “It runs in the family.”

“Well, I’ve been watching you since got here, both of you. I can see you love each other. It’s plain as day.”

It is? “He’s a wonderful man. The best I’ve ever met. He’ll take good care of your land.”

“Yes, both Ed and I feel good about him. And I’m very glad he finally brought you along. We wouldn’t have decided without meeting you, too. We couldn’t understand why he waited so long to bring you. Almost as if you didn’t exist!”

Imagine that. “Have you had other offers?” It wasn’t a question Denise would have asked if Gideon had been there, but she hoped a woman-to-woman talk would yield information he didn’t have yet.

“Not yet. Ed and I know we’re being overly protective of what we built, but we’re both worried that someone will come in here and make a ritzy place out of it. We figure celebrities have enough playgrounds. This has always been a place for families to come. Wholesome and affordable.”

“That’s Gideon’s goal, too,” she said quickly. Maybe too quickly, since Joanne’s gaze sharpened.

“You know,” Joanne said, resting her chin in her hand, “you look familiar.”

Denise’s mouth went dry. “Do I?” she asked lightly.

“Do you live around here?”

“I live—lived in Sacramento.”

“You’ve moved to his cabin in Chance City?”

“At the moment we’re splitting our time, at least until a decision is made about The Trails. I have a company in Sacramento. There’s lots to work out at the beginning of a relationship, isn’t there?” she asked lightly.

“Would I know you from your business?” Joanne asked, obviously not about to give up.

“It’s doubtful. I own a temp agency, domestic and clerical help.”

The woman shook her head. “We meet with other owners of recreational facilities now and then, but generally in Reno or Tahoe, so I don’t think we’ve run in the same circles. We don’t get to Sacramento often.” She perked up. “Do you know Jake McCoy? He’s from Chance City. He’s a regular here, although he hasn’t been here yet this season.”

She recalled some McCoy brothers being at the bachelorette party and wedding, but not Jake specifically. “I’ve only just started meeting people from Gideon’s town,” she said vaguely.

Joanne looked past Denise then. “I’ve got a customer. Be right back.”

“Restroom?” Denise asked.

“Out the door, to the right, then another right,” Joanne said as she left.

Denise followed more slowly. She needed to come up with some safe topics to divert the conversation. Her gaze landed on a magazine rack by the door, filled with just about every entertainment magazine and tabloid currently published. So, for all that Joanne Baker was against turning her place into a celebrity haven, she loved to read about them, apparently.

After Joanne returned, Denise tried to lead the conversation, learning in great detail about the woman’s children and grandchildren through constant questioning. Finally she needed a break from the constant tension, so she asked to go for a walk, needing to avoid talking, realizing there were really no safe topics. What information Gideon had and hadn’t given Joanne, plus Joanne’s interest in celebrity gossip, were dangerous for Denise. All of Gideon’s plans could be destroyed if she gave a wrong answer, a suspicious answer.

Joanne stayed behind. Denise stuffed her hands in her pockets and headed out, happy for the cold weather to clear her head. She stood in the middle of the parking lot trying to envision the hotel in the setting Gideon had planned.

A vision came to her, a perfect picture of how the hotel should look, which direction it should face, how deep, how wide, how tall it should be. Built of logs, she decided, like his cabin.

She scrounged in her purse for the pad of paper she always carried and started drawing. She was still standing there when two snowmobiles zipped down the mountain as if racing.

She used her hand to block the sun and focused on the speeding vehicles. Gideon would certainly drive at that speed, but Ed? Her question was answered when they came to a stop at the top of a snowbank near her.

Gideon’s face was red from the cold and wind. He shoved up his goggles, and his eyes sparkled. He grinned.

She climbed up the bank and hugged him, enjoying his exuberance, happy to see him, thrilled not to face any more personal questions from Joanne.

“Miss me?” Gideon asked, looking way too pleased by her forwardness.

“A little.” She’d surprised herself. She wasn’t known for spontaneity.

“Hop on,” he said as Ed took off toward the building.