The Millionaire's Christmas Wife

“What do you think?”

“My assistant decided you’d be a good kisser.”

“And what’s your opinion?”

“That you exceeded expectation.” She didn’t know why she was being so honest with him. Maybe she shouldn’t flatter him, shouldn’t let him know how much he turned her on. She’d just slipped into the role of his wife—his adoring wife—as if born to it.

“Same with you.” He moved back a little more. “It complicates things. I knew it would.”

“Honesty works for me, Gideon. I can handle anything but silence. I hate silence. Tell me the truth, whatever it is. Don’t ever make me guess.”

“Deal. Shall we get on the road?”

She put a hand on his arm. “Maybe we should talk about what I want out of this arrangement, in case you want to change your mind.”

“Okay.”

“I want credit,” she said. “And a piece of the action if I’m the one to find you a partner.”

He stared at her for a good long time. She’d made her decision. Nothing he said would sway her. She could be a part of his success, if he let her. She didn’t know how much give he had, or even if he would compromise. He might accept her input on the hotel, but on anything else? She didn’t know yet.

“You’ve got about an hour in the car to convince me,” he said, then gestured toward the door. “After you, Mrs. Falcon.”

She took that as a hopeful sign.

Chapter Four

Denise counted cars in the parking lot when they pulled into The Trails. Two massive snowstorms had hit the area since Thanksgiving, creating a solid base, making for good cross-country skiing, yet the parking lot was about half full, maybe a hundred cars.

“Is this the usual number for a Saturday?” she asked, unbuckling her seat belt.

“I don’t know. The season just started. The last time I was here, the cattle were being trucked out.”

“If this is it, I can see why they’ve only eked out a living all these years. How much do they advertise?”

“Not much. Mostly they depend on repeat customers. The Bakers are good people but not great businesspeople. They wanted to raise their children here, and they needed a business to sustain them enough to do that. I think they would tell you they have no regrets.”

“You haven’t said if you have competition.”

“They’ve let it be known they’re interested in selling, but I don’t know specifically if there are others. I would assume so, although it can’t be easy finding someone to meet their requirements who can also afford to buy.”

“Why the Christmas Eve deadline?”

“I asked that. Ed and Joanne just smiled at each other. I’m assuming it’s sentimental.”

She eyed him. He was dressed much like he had been when he’d come to her office the day before. She figured he knew a suit and tie wouldn’t be helpful dealing with this couple. She’d also dressed appropriately, including snow boots. “You really are a risk taker, even to the point of risking all the capital you’ve grown and protected all these years.”

“Not getting any younger.” His grin seemed a little reckless to her, a little dangerous. He was a fascinating combination of the kind of men she’d dated when she was known as Deni and those she dated now, but she found herself drawn more to the edgier side of him. He wouldn’t back down from anything that mattered to him. She liked that. A lot.

“Didn’t you take chances starting your business?” he asked. “It’s an unavoidable part of success. Some people have the nerve for it and some don’t.”

“I hadn’t looked at it that way.” She glanced out the windshield and saw a woman climb the steps to a building at the far end of the parking lot. “Are the Bakers expecting us?”

“They’re expecting me.” He pointed ahead. “There’s Mrs. Baker on the porch. Joanne. She’s sixty-eight. Ed’s a year older. They’re both fit and sociable, and look about ten years younger.”

“Anything else? I’m sure, as your wife, they would expect me to know more about them than that.”

“I can’t—Oh, they celebrated their fiftieth anniversary recently. They have two daughters.”

Gideon opened his door. “Ready?”

Denise climbed out. She grabbed the paperwork while he brought the scale model. She was nervous, she realized, feeling it in her chest. She’d been exposed to so many unusual situations while growing up that she rarely felt nervous or uncomfortable in any setting. But she didn’t want to mess this up for Gideon—or herself. Too much was at stake. For him and for her. She had something to prove, too. She’d successfully built a business, but to also help build a hotel? Yes, she wanted that. Passionately.

“What will happen to your adventure business if you take this on?” she asked.

“I’ll run it from here. I already have someone in mind to take charge of it until The Trails is up and running.”

They reached the building. Joanne Baker had spotted them and was waiting, smiling. “You have the model! I can’t wait to see it. Hello, Gideon,” she added with a laugh. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m just so anxious to see your plans.” She stuck out her hand toward Denise. “Hi, I’m Joanne Baker.”

“Denise Falcon.” Saying it out loud for the first time caught her off-guard. It felt even more strange than hearing Gideon call her Mrs. Falcon, because he always gave it a sexy lilt.

“Well, finally, you brought your wife! I’ve been dying to meet you,” Joanne said. “He’s told me so much about you.”

He had? Not according to Gideon. Denise gave him a look, and he shrugged.

“I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you, too,” Denise said.

“Oh, look at me. Your hands are full, and I’m gabbing. Come in.” Joanne held the door for them. “Ed! Gideon’s here. And he’s brought a surprise.”

The building was multipurpose—ticket booth, ski equipment rental and a small dining room where they sold hot beverages and prepackaged, made-fresh-daily sandwiches. Their conference room was behind the counter and had a window where they could watch for customers. Joanne brought in a carafe of coffee and plate of cookies that looked homemade.

They all examined the model, with Gideon adding more information to fill in the complete picture. Although the Bakers would technically have no say in the final plans, Denise knew that Gideon wanted them to see he would be a good steward of their land.

“Where will you live after you leave here?” Denise asked.

“We’re moving to Arizona, of course,” Joanne said, frowning as if bothered by the question. “To be near our daughters and our grandchildren.”

Yeah, Denise should’ve known that. What else had Gideon not said?

Ed offered to lead Gideon by snowmobile around the property, to see it in operation, but didn’t include Denise. Gideon gave her an apologetic look, then left. She wanted to handcuff him to a chair so that he could answer the bombardment of questions that would undoubtedly come.

“More coffee?” Joanne asked. “Or maybe you’d like tea instead? I’m sorry I didn’t ask that.”

“I’m good, thanks. Gideon told me you just celebrated your fiftieth anniversary.”

“We went to Hawaii. Our kids and grandkids came, too. That was what made us antsy to get this place sold and move to where it’s warm. Our old bones have had enough of the cold.” She leaned her elbows on the table. “We were so sorry when Max Beauregard died. We liked him and his wife so much, even though they weren’t what we expected as the people who would become the new owners. They were very down to earth, for all that they had so much money you couldn’t count it, don’t you think?”

“Yes. Very down to earth.”