Winter's Embrace (6 page)

Chapter Four

Winter rushed around helping everyone pack and get
ready to leave. Personally, she couldn’t wait to get off the ship and never
look back. She’d been the one that walked away from Stone’s explanations, but
his ability to lie while looking so sincere shook her and she’d seen all she
needed to know.

Once she got her tour group to the airport, she was
done. Most were going to Dallas-Fort Worth, but a few others were headed
elsewhere. Beck was going to New York and Stone was flying to Montana.

Grabbing her carry-on bag, she headed out the door,
putting on a relaxed, cool facade. Smile though your heart is breaking, wasn’t
that some corny song? Didn’t matter, it would soon be over.

The announcement on the PA indicated that their deck
could leave the ship. Beck smiled at her when she exited her cabin. Stone also
smiled at her. She pushed past him and hurried to help Oliver and Emma Stout.

Winter took a deep breath and led her group off the
ship, onto a bus and to the airport. After she settled the Stouts in chairs
near the gate, she hid in the ladies room.

Looking into the mirror, she examined her face. The
reflection confirmed her feeling of being worn and tired and if she looked
hard, she could see the start of a few fine lines. She was a coward, hiding
from Stone, but it was self-preservation.

Once on the plane,
Winter
calmed. Other than being hit in the head by a few backpacks, it was uneventful.
Home was where she belonged.
A place for her to lick her
wounds and regroup.

* * * *

Two days later, she walked into work and was shocked
to find the contents of her desk packed up into a small box. Everyone
scrutinized her as she helplessly scanned the office. “What’s going on?” she
asked her co-worker, Lindsay.

Lindsay shrugged. The boss’ door opened and
Winter
was immediately summoned.

Mrs. Wagner’s face was filled with anger. What could
have happened? She hadn’t even been here.

“Sit for a moment,
Winter
.”
The older woman gestured for her to take a seat in one of the hard-backed
chairs in front of her desk. “I’m sorry, but we have to let you go.”

Stunned,
Winter
stared at the
woman. She interned at this office and had worked here since. It was her second
home.

“We got quite an earful from a Miss Mimi Spence about
your improper conduct. Really,
Winter
, I would never
have believed it of you. Getting involved with not only one, but two of the
guests is outrageous. If I hadn’t been sent the pictures, I would never have
believed it. What were you thinking when you had your bra waving off the
balcony?”

“It—that’s not what happened.”

“Save it,
Winter
. Miss Spence
has a very powerful father and we can’t afford to lose business. You know how
hard we work to make ends meet around here.”

It was final. She wouldn’t get a chance to defend
herself. It was absolute and so wrong. Standing, she nodded to Mrs. Wagner. She
stepped out of the office and the room became deathly silent. Swallowing hard
she grabbed her box and, without a goodbye, marched out of the agency.

After putting her box in the trunk, she sat in her car
with the air-conditioning blasting. The car had gotten hot in the short time
she was in her office. Not her office anymore. Why? Why would Mimi go to such
lengths to get her fired?
Two men?
What the hell?

A sob bubbled up to the surface as she wondered if her
traveling expenses would be covered. A stupid thought. She knew from the stares
that her so-called friends from work were only co-workers. Now she was alone.
The travel agency had to protect its reputation, what could they really have
done after the accusation? Breathing in deeply, she sighed. Working overtime
without pay didn’t equal job security.

* * * *

Crestfallen, she examined her rapidly depleting
checking account and it made her sick inside. It had been two months since
she’d been fired. Still she’d had no luck finding a job, and it was not for the
lack of trying. Mimi’s father had somehow gotten word out that she was not
re-hirable.

Times were tough all over, she understood that, but
when companies wouldn’t even consider her application it became
spirit-breaking. She sent her resume everywhere, but the answer was always the
same, and each rejection put her into panic mode. How could Mimi be so
spiteful?

Tonight was Halloween and she didn’t even have enough
money to buy candy for the kids. The plan was to sit in the dark house, making
it look as though no one was home. Usually she sat outside with a big bowl of
candy greeting the kids and their parents. It was just as well. She didn’t want
to have to face any of them. It had become rapidly apparent that all her
friends were of the fair weather variety. Trouble came and they all flew away.
It stung both her heart and her pride.

Funny thing, she’d done everything right. She had
saved for a rainy day, but not for rainy months. She always started work early
and left late, she paid her bills on time, volunteered when needed, yet in the
end it counted for nothing. Sometimes life wasn’t fair, but she had to play
with the hand she was dealt. Taking a deep breath, she felt wilted, wishing she
knew the rules to the game.

The setting sun was an array of pinks and purples and
she had a spectacular view out her upstairs bedroom window, but she wasn’t in
the mood. She’d tried so hard to be optimistic and not to wallow in self-pity,
but tonight she felt defeated.

It grew darker and darker. Winter went back downstairs
and slumped into a ratty, yet comfy chair away from the window, but she could
still see the little ones running up and down the street in their bright
costumes. Loneliness invaded her. Being an outcast was humiliating.

The doorbell rang, echoing in the still house,
startling her. Somehow she missed seeing someone come to the door. She ignored
it but it rang repeatedly. Why didn’t they just go on to the next house?

Finally, she jerked the door open, took one look and
tried to close it again. Unfortunately, Stone had put his foot in, so the door
wouldn’t close.

“Treats for tricks?”

“Go away, and it’s ‘trick or treat’ not ‘treats for
tricks’.”

“I’m not leaving until we’ve talked.” Stone pushed the
door open and she didn’t have the strength or will to keep him out.

“I’m not in the mood for visitors.” She walked back to
the chair she’d been sitting in, sank down into it and pulled an old quilt over
her.

“Why is it so dark in here?”

“I don’t want any trick or
treaters
coming to the door.”

In the shadows,
Winter
could
see the confusion on Stone’s face. He looked as handsome as ever and in another
time,
she would have thought he looked good enough to
eat, but not now.

“I lost my job and I didn’t have enough money to buy
candy. I have nothing and I am nothing. So why don’t you just leave?”

Stone took a couple long strides toward her. He
studied her face, making her uncomfortable.

“I just heard about your job, honey. I’m so sorry. I
feel as though it’s my fault. That’s why I’m here. I came to offer you a job.”

Winter scoffed at him.
“A job as
what, a bed warmer?
Or maybe you need someone to do your laundry?”

As he knelt in front of her, Stone’s face softened. “I
happen to need a travel agent.” He took her small hand in his.

Looking down at their hands,
Winter
wanted to grab on to him. He seemed to be a port in her very long storm but she
shook her head gazing into his eyes. “It wouldn’t be right. I’ll figure
something out.”

His concern almost broke her down. Quickly, she
glanced away, afraid that he would somehow suck her in. “Why are you in town
anyway?”

“For you.”
He
withdrew some papers from his jacket pocket. “Here’s the job offer.” Stone
stood up and put them on the table next to her chair. “The job is legit. I just
wanted to help.”

Too stunned to speak, she clasped her hands together
trying to hide her trembling. “It was nice of you to think of me, but I’ll be
all right.” She tried to smile at him, but she failed miserably.

“No pressure.” Stone leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“I’ll call you in a couple days. Just think about it, please?”

A lump formed in her throat and she nodded as she
watched him let himself out.

Chapter Five

The snow glistened like fairy dust in the sun and the
clouds overhead promised even more. It was not something that she was used to.
Fortunately, she had warm clothes from the Alaskan cruise. She could hardly
afford a cup of coffee these days.

Winter said a quick prayer for happiness. The long
driveway to the ranch house looked longer now that she was out of the cab but
she’d insisted that she wanted to get out there. The last few days had been a
whirlwind and she needed to catch her bearings.

The suitcase weighed her down as she trudged up the
drive. The snow was hard packed, but it still made walking hard. She wondered
what Stone would say since she’d told him that she’d be on a later flight.
There was no way she could do the whole airport thing of acting happy.

This wasn’t her choice it was a necessity. She thought
she’d be sad to leave her hometown behind, but it felt freeing to walk among
people who didn’t judge her. By the time she’d left, the gossip had grown into
a story of her with two men at the same time. It hurt since she’d known her
neighbors all her life.

The cold stung her nose and cheeks and the promised
snow began to fall. The temptation to stick her tongue out and try to catch a
snowflake grew stronger with each step. Someday she would be carefree enough to
do it. At least she hoped so.

The wind began to blow and she bowed her head as she
struggled to walk. She heard the vehicle before she saw it. The snow was really
coming down, but eventually she caught sight of a red truck coming down the
drive. It slowed and came to a stop.

Stone jumped out of the truck, grabbed her suitcase,
opened the door for her and helped her inside. The sweetest cherub sat in the
back seat with curly, black hair and gray eyes like Stone’s. Her little mouth
bowed into a smile, revealing her dimples. Stone never mentioned a child. For a
second she wondered if the child was the reason Stone had married Clare, but
looking at the little girl, she had to be only four or five.

“My name is Rachael. Daddy said we were going to the
airport to meet a pretty lady.”

The driver’s side door opened and closed. “This is the
pretty lady. Rachael, this is Winter James.”

 
“You are a
pretty lady, just like Daddy said!” Rachael clapped her
mittened
hands.

Winter smiled at the girl then locked gazes with Stone
waiting for an explanation but he just gave her a boyish shrug and turned the
truck around.

“Do you
knowed
how to make a
snowman?”

Turning around, she shook her head. “It doesn’t snow
much where I come from.”

A frown graced Rachael’s face. “No snow angels? No
snowballs? How about sledding?”

“No, never.”

“Daddy,
Winter
has been
robbed. No snow. That’s just not right, Daddy. We need to do snow with
Winter
.”

Stone looked over his shoulder and grinned. “You’re
right,
Winter
did get robbed and I’m sure you can be a
big help in teaching her about snow.”

“Of course, I’m the only snow princess around!”
Rachael giggled. “Let’s do it.”

Stone’s gloved hand reached out and took hers. “I
think we need to thaw
Winter
out. She looks like an
icicle.”

Rachael laughed.

Winter wasn’t sure how she felt. Stone never once
mentioned a daughter and it was one more thing that she couldn’t trust about
him. Well she’d be in one of the other houses on the ranch. The rest could be
figured out later. That’s what he had told her when she accepted the job, and
foolishly, she hadn’t asked for details. Obviously, he’d left a lot out.

“The house is lovely! I’ve never seen a front porch so
big.”

“My daddy made it. He’s like superman, except he can’t
fly. Oh, and he can’t change in a phone booth and—”

“Let’s get into the house.” Stone jumped down, came
around, and opened
Winter’s
door. He practically
lifted her to the ground. Rachael clapped her hands waiting for her turn.

“Come on,
Winter
, you have to
meet Snoopy!” Rachael ran ahead and opened the door.

Snoopy was not a small beagle. He looked more like a
Great Dane as he bounded out of the house, knocked
Winter
to the ground, and proceeded to lick her face, preventing her from getting up.

Stone grabbed
Snoopy’s
collar, and pulled him off her. His lips twitched.

“Snoopy? How about
Marmaduke
?
Help me up and don’t you dare laugh.”

“Yes ma’am.” Stone bent over and picked her up into
his arms.

“Put me down!”

“Nope,
Marmaduke
might eat
you.”

“Come on!” Rachael called from the front door. “She’s
going to be extra hard to thaw if you stay there.”

Winter laughed and relaxed in Stone’s arms. What could
happen with that little cherub around?

“Can I be the flower girl?”

Shocked,
Winter
looked at
Rachael.
“For what, sweetheart?”

“For you and Daddy's wedding.
You'll wear white and I can wear pink. Daddy said it was a done deal.”

That low down snake! How was she supposed to tell this
hopeful child that her father made things up? Winter pushed at Stone to let her
down. “This is such a wonderful house you must love living here.”

Rachael bobbed her head up and down, her dark curls
tousling. “We'll make cookies together, you can read me bedtime stories, and
the best part of all is that I'll have a mommy just like the other girls!”

Instantly, she thawed inside and out. “You have a
wonderful daddy.”

Rachael's gray eyes saddened. “It's not the same. He's
a boy.” Her bottom lip quivered.

Stone walked into the massive great room, carrying
three mugs. “This should thaw you out.”

He took one glance at Rachael and quickly set the mugs
down. “What's going on?”

Rachael flew into Stone's arms. He gathered her to him
and stood up. He stared at
Winter
over Rachael’s head.

The coldness in his stare startled her and she
realized Montana wasn't a good idea. Why didn’t she have an alternative plan?
She bit her bottom lip so hard she tasted blood. He lied. He lied about
everything. He didn’t once mention a daughter and now she was supposed to marry
him, and be Rachael’s mother? How did she get herself into this situation? The
answer was easy enough: she trusted Stone.

Hearing Rachael’s little sobs, her heart squeezed and
she wished she could tell the girl that everything would be all right, but she
couldn’t. Stone stared at her accusingly. She’d been there only a half hour and
her life was in chaos.

Her heart dropped as she stood and grabbed her coat,
hat, and mittens. They were still damp from the snow, but they were all she
had. Without looking back,
Winter
opened the front
door and walked out of the warm house into the bitter cold.

How could he have told his daughter all those lies?
Disappointment erupted through her as she remembered all the time she’d spent
over the years thinking about Stone. She was a fool, simple as that. He
promised her a job, transportation, and her own house.

Walking toward the pasture, she realized that he had,
at one time, promised to love her. Her face became painfully cold as she leaned
against the pasture fence, glancing at the lone horse. He was
a beautiful
buckskin. At least he looked happy. His life
probably hadn’t been full of broken promises.

She suddenly kicked the fence post so hard her foot
throbbed, but it was easier to concentrate on an injured foot than a broken
heart. The house was beautiful. Rachael said that her daddy had built it. Now
she wished she’d never seen it. Dreams could have been made in that house, but
not with a man she couldn’t trust.

Damn Stone. Why? He could have told her about his
daughter when he came to see her on Halloween. Why keep her a secret? What a
mess. Now what? She was so exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

All her life she’d been the good one, the
understanding one, and she finally admitted it wasn’t working for her. She
needed to grow a pair and stand up for herself. Tired of being everyone’s
doormat, she vowed to stand strong. For now on, her life was hers and she
wasn't going to let the opinions of other's dictate how she behaved. She was
literally starting over and would make her own decisions.

It grew too cold to stay outside and she was half
surprised that Stone hadn’t come after her. Her heart squeezed painfully. She
didn’t have a job or a place to live and being broke wasn’t the worst of it.
Having Stone lie and stab her in the back brought her to her knees.

The only recourse was to demand her job and house, but
God, she hated confrontation. Unruly travelers she could handle, but real life
scared her.

The buckskin came to her and head-butted her shoulder.
“I know. I have to go inside. I just don’t know what to say or how to act.”

The buckskin pushed her shoulder again. “Okay, you’re
right. I can’t stand out here all day.”

Turning toward the house, waves of sadness washed over
her. She’d brave it out until her first few paychecks, and then she’d leave.
Why had Stone gone to so much trouble? He seemed interested in her at first,
then
he flirted with other women. Perhaps other women
weren’t stupid enough to uproot their lives by relying on his promises.

Anger replaced her sadness. No more pity parties. She
was made of sterner stuff, she hoped. It was something to strive for at least.

* * * *

Stone watched her from the front window. He finally
got Rachael down for a nap. Actually, she cried herself to sleep because
Winter
didn’t want to be her mommy. It tore his heart in
two, but it was all his doing.

What had he been thinking? When he used his daughter
to entice
Winter
, he’d hit bottom. It seemed like a
great idea at the time. Maybe he was reading too many books to Rachael that all
had happy endings.

Winter walked toward the house and as she got closer,
he could tell by the grim set of her mouth she was upset. It was his fault and
he didn’t have a clue how to fix it. Would she even believe the truth?

The door opened and a frozen
Winter
walked inside. She didn’t even glance at him as she removed her coat, hat, and
gloves. Standing there, she appeared lost.

“Can I get you a cup of tea?”

She turned and glared at him. “No, but a big, old, cup
of truth would be nice.” She walked to the fire and warmed her hands. Finally,
she turned and stared at him and it felt as though she were boring holes in
him.

He suddenly didn’t know what to say.

“Is there even a job or is that a lie, too?”

“There's a job. You’ll be the head of the travel
department.”

Winter’s eyebrows rose. “Just how many people are in
the department?”

Stone looked away.
“Just you.”

“What about the house I was promised?”

The desolation in her eyes caused his stomach to
clench. “There is or will be a house. It’s just not finished yet, and with it
being so cold, we haven’t been able to work on it much.”

Winter took a step toward him. “You offer me a job
when there really is no job and you offer me a house that isn’t even built. Is
there even a salary?” Her shoulders sagged as she frowned.

“I’m sorry?”

“Is that a question? The Stone I knew would never have
done something like this. Is it some kind of joke? This is my life you’re
playing with. I sold everything I had. Oh God. I’m going to be sick!”

Running to the bathroom, she slammed the door closed.

Stone ran his hand over his face. He loved her and he
needed her. There hadn’t been a day that he didn’t miss her. Now it was just a
big mess, but he could find a way to win her love again. Most likely, she hated
him. He just didn’t want Rachael hurt by his stupidity.

Hell, he could kick
himself. All he wanted was
Winter
in his life, and in
his bed. He’d thought about her and their lovemaking every day for the last ten
years while he’d been living in his own private hell, and now his actions had
dumped both Rachael and
Winter
into hell with him.

The wind blew strong
across the frozen Montana landscape. The darkness of the clouds indicated they
were in for a storm. Somehow, it didn’t concern him as much as the storm inside
his house.