Chapter Twelve
The mountain was pristine white; even the dark green pines were covered in snow. Bailey could’ve stood there for a whole day; drinking it all in, listening to the silent music of the woods; become one with nature as Grandpa Joe always said.
“Poppet? My goodness, my girl, what are you doing here?”
Bailey startled at her grandfather’s gruff voice behind her. She hadn’t heard the door open. She walked into his embrace and hugged him—and couldn’t let go. Guilt sat heavy on her shoulders and had been keeping her awake for the past week. Whatever she had done, she couldn’t undo. She could make amends in subtle ways, but confessing was out of the question, especially to her grandfather.
She’d had the most amazing night with the two men who had been responsible for his downfall. There was no way to justify that.
But she couldn’t shake off the memories. The recollection of the two nights with Carter, Chance . . . and Lucy wouldn’t fade. They’d done the same to Lucy. It had been insanely hot and still made her long for more.
Holy shitballs, neither of us could walk properly for days.
New Year’s Eve would forever be ingrained in her memory for the rest of her life. Carter and Chance couldn’t get enough and had turned them into limp noodles and twisted them like pretzels, well into the New Year—with the added assistance of an aphrodisiac to keep them hard.
“Bailey? Poppet, what’s the matter?” Grandpa Joe prodded as she finally pulled out of his arms.
She smiled at the endearment. He’d always called her that. He ruffled her hair.
“I missed you and I needed to get out of the city for a bit,” she skirted the question with a loving smile.
His sharp gaze travelled over her face. She tried not to flinch, knowing how worn out she looked. Sleep had become her enemy for the last six days.
“Come inside. It’s freezing out here.”
The cottage had an old-world charm with the mullioned windows. The stark whiteness of the little squares appeared brilliant against the rustic red brick facade of the walls. The inside was warm and welcoming with a roaring fireplace. It was a comfortable home with large rooms and a kitchen any chef would drool over. This place had been her grandmother’s hideaway. It had been a tradition for them to spend at least one weekend a month in the mountains—away from the demands of the hotel.
They were reminiscing about her visits during school holidays when there was a knock on the door.
“Suddenly, I’ve become very popular,” Grandpa Joe grumbled as he went to open the door. He preferred the seclusion of the cottage but because he was so loved by everyone in the community, he had visitors all the time.
“Gollywock, my boy, it’s good to see you.” Bailey was surprised at the joy she detected in his voice. It had to be someone he loved. “It’s been too long. Come inside and meet my poppet,” he beamed as he stepped back to let in the tall, dark-haired man.
Bailey was gobsmacked and could only stare openmouthed at man who was regarding her with a reticent look. She snapped her mouth closed when she noticed his lips curve in amusement. She pressed her thighs hard into the chair to quell the desire to fling herself in his arms and suck on that goddamned gorgeous mouth of his.
“Carter, my boy, I’m not sure if you’ve formally met my granddaughter? This is Bailey. Poppet, this is—”
“Carter Gibbs. Yes, Grandpa, I know.”
Joe appeared confused as he gazed questioningly between the two people who seemed to share a connection. A smile played over his face. With a satisfied nod, he thumped Carter on his back.
“Take a seat, my boy. I’ll get you some coffee,” Grandpa Joe chatted nonstop with Carter while he poured the coffee and handed him the steaming mug before he sank into his comfortable lazy boy chair next to the roaring fire. Bailey listened quietly to Carter’s low rumble as he replied to the constant volley of questions.
“What a start to the New Year,” Grandpa Joe beamed, spreading his arm to indicate the two of them, “With my two most favorite people in the world.”
What the fuck? Grandpa is cooing over Carter like he is a long-lost son.
“Time out, Grandpa. What the devil is going on here?” She finally exploded.
Grandpa Joe blinked at her questioningly. “What do you mean, Poppet?”
“This is Carter Gibbs. From Gibbs & Hutton Incorporated,” she said. Her lips flattened in annoyance.
“I’m aware of that, my girl, but why are you so upset about that?”
“Grandpa! He’s the one who took your life away from you; who caused Grandma’s death and the reason why you’ve secluded yourself in this remote cottage for the past five years!”
Grandpa Joe glanced at Carter, even more confused than before.
“Whoever told you that?”
Bailey opened her mouth to respond and then snapped it shut with a frown on her face. No one had actually told her that, come to think of it. She’d made her own assumptions when she’d heard who had taken over the hotel and converted it into a modern ski resort.
“Poppet, Carter saved us. Your grandma and me. We were too old to carry on. The pressure and the constant hard work had taken its toll on us over the years, especially on Alice. She didn’t want me to tell you at the time because she was worried that you would offer to buy us out, stretch yourself too thin and follow the same path as we did.”
“You should have! I wouldn’t have thought about it twice,” Bailey exclaimed, shattered by what she was hearing.
Grandpa Joe shook his head. “We didn’t want that, poppet. We loved that old place but it had become a burden, financially and emotionally. It cost us more money to keep fixing it than we made from revenue and we didn’t enjoy it anymore. We wanted to spend our last years in peace and quiet.” He gestured around the cottage. “Here, in the place she loved more than the hotel.”
He leaned forward with his expression earnest and loving. “Alice wanted you to achieve your dreams, poppet. She knew how much you loved the challenges. She wanted you to reach all your goals. She’d be over the moon to know just how well you have done that.” His eyes watered. “I miss my old girl,” he said somberly.
“She had a heart condition,” he smiled at Bailey’s gasp, “another thing she didn’t want you to know. We knew her time was near, poppet, which is why we sold our place to Carter. His generosity and friendship meant so much to Alice at the time.”
“Generosity?”
“It doesn’t matter, Bailey. What matters is that your grandmother got her wish and she was happy when she died,” Carter interjected.
“Grandpa?” Bailey ignored him and prodded the older man for an answer.
“Carter paid well over market value for that old place. In all honesty, it was falling apart and wouldn’t have remained standing for more than two or three years.”
“It didn’t bother you that he wrecked it and built that ghastly glass and aluminum monstrosity in its place?” Bailey asked in shock. She’d made so many wrong assumptions over the years.
Grandpa Joe’s laughter boomed around them. “Of course not, poppet. Like I said, the place was doomed as it was. You have to remember; it was built in the 19th century and had stood its place in time. It was time to let it go.”
Bailey slumped into the chair and battled to overcome the implication of what she’d just heard. It meant that Carter wasn’t the loathsome, ruthless money shark she’d always deemed him to be. He wasn’t unscrupulous either, but kind and gentle. He was a highly successful businessman and she couldn’t hold it against him.
“Let’s go for a walk, Bailey,” Carter suggested quietly. His voice cajoling her with smooth, deep vibrations that reached deep inside her soul.
She stared at him, enamored by his rugged appearance, dressed in jeans, a dark red sweater and boots. He shrugged into his thermal jacket and held out his hand. Her fingers itched to reach out and push the rebellious hair back from his forehead. His blue eyes darkened as he watched her tongue wet her lips.
Bailey had no reason to deny him and allowed him to pull her out of the chair. He assisted her into her dark purple Denali thermal jacket.
“We won’t be long, Joe,” Carter assured the old man who stood watching them with a pleased smile on his lips. It made Bailey groan silently. She’d seen that look a couple of times. Her grandparents had always tried to play cupid for her.