Page 59 of The Last Resort
When Joe finally did make it out of the lodge, he skipped down the front steps and all the way across the parking lot, whistling a happy tune as he went. As his truck disappeared from sight, a suspicious Rachel turned to Matthew. “Just how big of a tip did you give him?”
“My father always says money and fair words are enough, but he is a billionaire, so cash does tend to speak the louder of the two. Joe has a wife and three kids who all want to go to Disneyland this Christmas. I gave him a check that covers their airfares.”
OMG. That’s not a tip, that’s …“Matthew!”
Without another thought, she stepped into his embrace and planted a warm kiss on his lips.Oh, whoops. I shouldn’t have done that.
She went to pull away, but Matthew had already slipped his arm around her waist and was holding her to him. He kissed her back and she gave up the fight. He was just that good of a kisser. And she wanted him so very badly.
I’ve missed your touch. Missed everything about you.
When they eventually drew apart, her lips were still tingling. Her mind was lost in his bedroom-luring brown eyes. Matthew offered her a gentle smile. “Am I still the villain in your book?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes, but you’ve moved further along on your redemption arc, and I’m now eagerly looking forward to your big moment of atonement.”
He was one man she might find it in her heart to forgive. Matthew wasn’t like her flaky ex or her scheming father. He’d hurt her, but he’d owned his mistake.
And he’d given a local tradesman a generous tip.
She rested her head against Matthew’s chest and gave a happy sigh. “And just think, we have hot water and heating.”
He took her by the hand and led her back inside. “Come on, let’s get some more work done before you disappear into the shower and are never seen again.”
That unexpected but most welcome surprise kiss had hopefully seen a reset in their relationship. He and Rachel were no longer enemies, andfingers, toes, and everything else crossedthey were on their way back to being friends.
He didn’t like being the villain in her story. He wanted tobe her hero. And he wanted to be more than friends. But when it came to Rachel, Matthew had come to accept that patience was something he was going to have to master.
He’d heard all about the stupid mistakes his two brothers had made when it came to winning at the game of love, and he was determined not to do the same. If Rachel could trust him once more, then to his way of thinking the battle was half won.
Now he just had to show her that there was a lot more to him than Matthew Royal billionaire architect.
Rachel lingered longer under the shower than she should, but she didn’t care. She loved her creature comforts. A privileged upbringing had spoiled her for rough-and-ready living.
She took her time drying her hair, enjoying the sweet sensation of standing half naked in a warm room. It also gave her the opportunity to think about a certain hot man who was in the room next door, and exactly where they stood with one another.
Wandering back into her bedroom, she dressed at a leisurely pace. Tonight it was her turn to cook dinner. Mexican chicken and vegetable rice was her go to for a quick meal. She’d just pulled on her socks when her phone rang.
“Hi, Kellie.”
“Hey, you. I’m glad you’ve got cell signal. I hear the boiler spat the dummy last night. Dan says it was probably the lodge ghosts making clear their opinions about the new resort. How’s it going?”
“Just working through the figures and the old blueprints.Matthew took a look at my proposal which incorporates the original building, so I guess we are making some headway. Oh, and get this, his family has its own communications satellite, so we are not cut off from the world.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
She’d already decided not to tell her sister about their father’s phone call. Kellie had enough to deal with, and she didn’t need the added pressure of knowing that the pressure for money had switched from her to Rachel.
“I’m calling because we weren’t sure if you were aware that there is a snowstorm due to come through the mountains tonight. It will start out as a small flurry, then we’ll get a huge dump.”
A snowstorm? She’d tick that off on her bingo card. Thank heavens the boiler had been fixed.
“Is there anything I need to do to prepare?”
Kellie’s laugh trickled down the line. “Actually you’re pretty much already hunkered down. You have food. The boiler is fixed. The only thing I would suggest is to make sure all your electrical items are fully charged, and keep a flashlight handy, just in case the power goes out.”
Oh crap. Stuck in the dark in a creepy old ski lodge doesn’t sound fun.
“Okay, will do. I’ll let Matthew know.”
