Kristin Hardy - Her Christmas Surprise

Her chin came up at his words. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing more than it sounds like. I’d hope you know about it. Bradley is your fiancé, after all.”

“Ex-fiancé,” she said, with a bit more of an edge.

Interesting. “Ex? When did that happen? Before the feds showed up or after?”

She flushed and turned to take the bag and the coffee carrier Darlene handed her. “I’m not sure it’s any of your business.”

“This entire mess is my business whether I want it to be or not. You and Bradley are the whole reason I’m here.”

Her stare was bland as she walked over to the ledge that held sugar and creamer and spices. “For what, our wedding? How touching.” She sifted a bit of cinnamon over her latte before taking a drink of it.

“Don’t be cute. There’s trouble and you know it. My mother called me to help out.”

“Who, Bradley?”

“Both of them.”

“The only way to get Bradley out of trouble is to find him.” She put the cover back on the cup.

“So why don’t you?”

“Find him?”

“You’ve got to have an idea where he is.”

“I haven’t a clue. Anyway, you’d probably do better at finding him than I would. You’re another one who knows how to leave and stay gone, from what I hear.”

“And now I’m back.”

“So you are.” She set the muffin bag in the middle of the carrier and turned toward the door. “And now I’m gone.”

He followed her outside. “Back to New York? Doesn’t seem like it would be too much fun right now.” He’d caught sight of the lurid headlines in the airport. Contempt had had him ignoring the scandal sheets with their blurred paparazzi pictures or he probably would have seen Keely. That was where the brittleness came in, he was guessing.

“It’s none of your business where I go. The engagement’s off. I’m done with Bradley. And the rest of you. If it weren’t for your brother, I wouldn’t even be back in this town.”

Just as Bradley was the reason he was back. Irritation pricked at him. “Tell me where Bradley is and we can all go home.”

“I told you, I don’t know.”

“You can’t really expect me to believe that.”

“I don’t care what you believe.”

She moved to turn away but he captured her free wrist in his hand. Her skin was smooth under his fingers, and impossibly soft. “Not so fast. We need to talk.”

She turned on him. “We don’t have anything to talk about.”

“Oh, I think we’ve got plenty.”

For a breathless instant, they stood, toe to toe, gazes clashing. The seconds ticked by, then abruptly, surprisingly, her eyes darkened. Desire punched through him, sudden and unexpected.

Deliberately, she glanced down to where he held her. “Let me go.” Her voice was icy calm.

He wondered if she had any idea how hard her pulse was thudding against his fingers.

Well, well, well, he thought, Keely Stafford wasn’t nearly as cool as she tried to pretend. It hadn’t been his imagination. There was heat under that calm, composed exterior.

“All right.” He was surprised at the effort it took to make his fingers release her. “For now,” he said.

“For good,” she countered. “I’ve had enough of you Alexanders to last me a lifetime.”

“You haven’t had me.”

“You’re the last one I need.” Her voice was low.

“Maybe,” he said, leaning closer and brushing one fingertip over her chin just to feel her skin. “But don’t think you’ve seen the last of me.”

“Go to hell,” she snapped, and walked away.

And he stood and watched her go.

Chapter Three

It was infuriating, Keely thought the next morning as she did a flip turn at the end of the lane in her parents’ indoor pool. He’d put his hand on her and she’d just stared at him like some idiot. Not like some idiot, like some ditzy thirteen-year-old staring at the football captain. So maybe Trey Alexander—excuse her, Lex—exuded a rough kind of charm, but she wasn’t about to let it work on her. One Alexander brother had been enough.

One Alexander brother had been too much. Men, in general, were too much for her just then. She stroked rhythmically, trying to let the soothing slide of water wash away the tension. There was nothing to put a person off relationships quite like walking in on their fiancé in flagrante delicto. Every time she closed her eyes she could see it. How long had it been going on? How long had he been running around behind her back, making love with another woman? Or other women, plural. How many of them had there been?

And had he ever come to her bed from another’s?

In a swift, fluid movement, she pushed up out of the pool. It would be a long time before she trusted her judgment again when it came to men. It would be a long time before she gave herself a chance to.

Keely rose to walk toward her towel and found it held by a tall, sandy-haired man with a bemused smile. “Need this, pumpkin?”

She grinned at her father. “I’d give you a hug but I’d get you all wet.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Carter Stafford said, wrapping the thick, white towel around her and giving her a quick squeeze. “I’m working from my home office today.”

“Is that why the khakis?” she asked, squeezing him back. Above them, light danced on the ceiling where it was reflected by the surface of the water.

“Nope, I wear those pretty much every day. The perks of being the boss.” He winked.

“You still like it, don’t you?” She stepped away to towel off her hair.

“Beats working for a living.”

“Speaking of work, I should get over to the shop and help Mom.”

“You could just relax, you know. You’ve been here less than a week.”

“And this is one of the busiest seasons of the year.” She hung the towel around her neck. “Especially with her being out tonight.”

“Can I help it if this is when my company scheduled the Christmas party?”

Her lips twitched. “You are CEO.”

“You think they ask me about these kinds of things?” He snorted. “Besides, I know your mother and her business. There’s never a good time, especially at the holidays.”

“It’s a good thing that I’m here to fill in, then, isn’t it?” Keely said over her shoulder as she walked through the French doors that led into the main house.

He followed her. “Why don’t you come with us, instead? Give me a chance to show you off.”

She shook her head. “The town tree lighting is tonight. People will be in a buying mood, so we’ll want the shop open.” Not just for flowers, but for the gift area where they sold ornaments and cards, jewelry and the kinds of foolish, pretty things that made Christmas morning surprises.

“All for the sake of the shop, eh?” Carter asked. “Nothing to do with the fact that you’ve never missed a tree lighting yet?”

“Nothing at all.”

“I see. Maybe we should stay here and go with you. After all, I am CEO, as someone just pointed out to me.”

“And as such you have responsibilities.” She grinned. “You’re just going to have to tough it out and go swill champagne and caviar with the other swells. I’ll hold down the fort.”

“You’re supposed to be taking a rest cure,” he scolded.

“If I just sat around, I’d go nuts. I’m kind of like my parents that way. Got to be useful.”

“You had to start working too soon,” he said, his smile fading a bit.

“Dad, everyone works in high school and college.”

“You, of all people, shouldn’t have had to.”

She flashed a smile and rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “It was good for my character.” She waggled her eyebrows and did her best Groucho Marx imitation. “And I am nothing, if not a character.”