Page 18 of My Surly Valentine

Okay, heispossessive.

A slow, sinister smile overtakes Fern’s narrow face.

Please don’t let this turn nasty,I silently think to myself. Several of the men I was forced to chat with at New Year’s Eve were quick to get angry. I can’t stand the thought of another fight.

“Axton!” We all jump, the tension breaking as we look toward a man rushing toward us as fast as he can with his noticeable limp.

“Thank Christ you’re here,” the older man puffs. “There’s a problem with one of the ski lifts, and we need somebody your size. Should take less than ten minutes.”

Axton glances at me, and I nod. “Go. Help him. I’ll be in the lobby.”

He squeezes my hand, then nods to Fern. “You. Think you can manage to get her inside before she catches a chill? I’ll be right back.”

He leaves, and Fern hurries me into the lobby of the chalet. I don’t think it’s concern for my warmth that propels him. It’s his fear of Axton.

He leads me over to a banquette by the window and we sit, awkwardly facing each other. “So.” His lips are a straight line, his eyes flat. “Slumming it with some of thelocal color, are we?”

“Axton and I are together, if that’s what you’re getting at.” I desperately hope my words are true. There hasn’t been any concrete talk of the future, but I’m hopeful.

Yes. I’m not just deluding myself. There’s something between us. I can feel it.

“All men sow their wild oats,” Fern murmurs. “Yet most of us stay out of the public eye when we do so. And ladies…they just don’t.”

I want to say,Ick. Instead, I just ask sweetly, “I assume it was you in that helicopter?”

His chin lifts. “Of course. You know how I hate traffic.”

“Why did you come here?”

I’m not sure what to make of the look he gives me, his face is so utterly bland. He’s only twenty-nine or so, yet his light brown hair already looks to be fading to gray. Everything about him is lifeless, except for his dark blue eyes. They’re sharp and piercing.

“Miss Anderson?” A server appears, politely holding out a mug. “Coffee, with just a little milk. Mr. Turner didn’t want you to be chilly.”

“Thank you.” I blow on the steaming coffee before taking a small sip. How sweet of Axton to call the restaurant. “See, Fern, this is what I really crave. Comfort. Care. Someone who knows what I want to do for a living and supports me in it.”

Fern blinks at me in shock. “What – you actuallywantto work outside your dad’s business?” He snorts dismissively. “You have no idea what it’s like in the real world. You would never succeed in your own career without your father’s name behind you.”

“I already have. And it has nothing at all to do with…whatever Dad does.”

He stares at me for what feels like a full minute. “You don’t pay any attention to your father’s business?”

“No. His business is not my business.”

“Even though he could make you part of the company?”

I barely stifle a laugh. “Dad would never offer me anything beyond a receptionist position. Or maybe office manager. But the real point is, it doesn’t interest me in the slightest.”

He reaches out to pat my hand, as if I were a child. “Don’t be selfish, Hazel. As an only child, and a daughter at that, you have to think of the lineage. Marry well and produce sons to take over the company.”

My mouth actually falls open. He’s speaking as if our families were the Vanderbilts or royalty or something, not just a bunch of self-important businessmen.

I stare out the window for several moments, at the gorgeous snow topped mountain. “Hope Peak is absolutely gorgeous,” I murmur, trying to collect myself. “Since I can work anywhere, I’d rather stay where it’s truly beautiful.”

“That’s why I had to choose you,” Fern continues. “You’re my mother’s bet for the most attractive children. Not to mention, when our fathers merge their companies, my family’s shares are going to go through the roof.”

My skin crawls from the thought of it. I take another sip of my coffee, as a smile slowly tilts my lips. “That’s never going to happen.”

“It has to.” Fern looks at me, scandalized. “Your father has already decided. Did he not discuss this with you? It’s already all been planned and arranged.”

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