Page 4 of Jagger

“Yes, this woman doesn’t understand I can’t rent her a room. She has no identity and two credit cards were denied.” Mark was almost as harried as the mysterious woman was. “That is not allowed in this resort. It’s against our very strict rules.”

The guy was actually schooling me in the regulations of the resort? Was he kidding me? Now I was past being irritated, moving into full-blown rage.

“You know what, Mark? I’m certain we can make an exception,” I told him. I wasn’t typically the kind of man who gave a shitabout someone, but I could tell by the woman’s pinched face she was in dire straits.

“As I told the woman, we’re booked. Solid. Not one room to be found,” Mark insisted. The young man was glaring at me as if I was the problem.

I resisted snapping at him, trying to learn from Shephard by taking the high road. “Our potential guest has a name. Now talk to me. What about our cabins? Are they all filled?” He was a complete asshole as far as I was concerned.

The woman turned to me, her brow furrowed. “I can’t afford a cabin. I just…”

“Mommy. I’m hungry.” The little girl continued tugging on her mother’s jacket, even stamping her feet for emphasis. I could tell whoever the mother was, she was doing her best to remain calm.

“Honey. I’ll get you some graham crackers in a little bit,” she said.

Graham crackers?

Mark snapped a hateful look at me. “Let me check.” His fingers flew across his computer’s keyboard and I made a mental note to rake the shithead over the coals later. “Yes, the Wyoming cabin is available. But it’sveryexpensive.”

Her face fell.

He was telling me this as if I didn’t know? The resort’s accountant? I was close to being livid, which wasn’t good for anyone. “We’re comping her the cabin for as long as she needs.”

“But sir?—”

“Don’t ‘but sir’ me,” I interrupted. “You heard me. You work for me. Remember? Not the other way around. Make it happen. Identification or not. It’s on me.”

“Yes, sir,” Mark said, but he wasn’t a happy camper.

As if I cared.

The woman appeared shocked, but her expression changed quickly into more than a slight hint of anger. “I don’t take charity. Thank you very much, but I’m not that kind of woman.”

I could tell she was the kind of person who didn’t appreciate anyone providing assistance. “A storm is coming.”

“I’ll go to another hotel,” she said.

“The two other inns are completely booked given the damn season and the upcoming snow event. It’s late and your daughter is hungry. Accept my generosity. I don’t usually offer any.” I started to turn away until she touched my arm.

As soon as she did, a huge jolt of current rushed through every cell in my body. Shock followed, the kind that caught my breath in my throat.

“You didn’t need to do that,” she said more softly this time.

“It would appear you needed a little help. I have the ability to make that happen.”

“Mommy. I’m so hungry. Pwease.”

The little girl was now begging, which struck at the heartstrings I hadn’t known I had any longer. I rubbed my eyes, already hating what I was about to do.

“Why don’t we grab some dinner? The chef makes a tasty cheeseburger.” I was shocked by how generous I was being. I was the Fox brother who argued against a single freebie.

“Mommy. A cheeseburger.”

“No, Cally. We can’t do that.” Cally’s mother was at the point of losing some sense of control. I could tell from her face and by her body language.

“Nonsense,” I told her. “I was going to grab a bite and I hate eating alone.” It was just a lie since I preferred being entirely alone.

The woman’s face as she peered at me yanked at something else, desire that I’d long since thought dead. She was also distrusting, questioning whether I was a good guy or bad guy.

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