Chapter 1

“One damn woman,” Danny muttered under his breath as he poured a glass of wine from the decanter on his desk. “How can one woman cause me this much of a headache?”

Todd, his business partner, shrugged from his chair across the desk. “Isn’t this why you’re still single? I know it’s why I’m single. Women are too much of a hassle, man. I’ve been telling you this for years.”

Danny nodded absently, sipping his wine and glaring at the map on his monitor. He’d been working on his new luxury hotel and spa expansion for the last three years, spreading his business up and down the east coast. The plan was to be finished by next summer, but the events of the last few weeks had put him at a complete standstill, all because of one woman. She lived in a small town north of Saratoga Springs, New York, and owned the perfect splotch of land he’d been looking for to build a getaway spa for corporations and other elite businessmen and women. There were multiple hiking trails and access to parks and lakes, but the woman in question refused to sell her land—any of it. The only structure on the whole property that Danny had seen was her sad little inn and a storage shed.

“Did you double the offer?” he asked Todd. He hadn’t dealt with this particular woman yet but had left it to Todd. His usually successful business partner had hit wall after wall with her. “The investors aren’t going to like if we have to back out.”

The land the inn sat on wasn’t the only chunk Danny—or his investors—was after. She owned most of the forested land to the north, and if she ever gave up her claim to it, the land would go to the state and Danny and his company would have to jump through legal hoops to develop it. If it was sold to Danny, however, he could do what he pleased with it, even selling off bits at a time. This was the final property that would solidify the deal as well, and if he couldn’t get the land, he worried the investors he’d spent so much time convincing to back him would take their money and go to his competitor.

“I did—tripled it, even—but she won’t budge. Think she knows we’re short-changing her?” Todd tugged at his tie to loosen it.

“Not unless she’s had the land appraised in the past year, and we never found any evidence of that,” Danny said with a heavy sigh. “As far as I know, she’s not looking to sell to anyone else, either. She just needs the right incentive.” He ran a hand over his black, spiked hair and pursed his lips, debating his next move. “Janet!”

A blonde in a tight, pencil skirt and low-cut blouse poked her head in the door. “Yes, Mr. Stone?”

“Get me a car. I’m taking a trip.”

“Of course, Mr. Stone. When were you wanting to leave?’

“Tomorrow morning.” He checked his schedule on his cell. “Todd, think you can handle the office for a few days?”

Todd smirked. “As if I don’t do it already. Where, may I ask, are you going?”

“Westbend,” he answered. “I’m going to meet with this woman and convince her of the great deal she’ll get if she sells her land by the end of the year. Maybe if I can sweet-talk her in person, we can get this taken care of and plans will be back on track by the new year.”

“Sir, they’re calling for a snowstorm this weekend,” Janet informed him, pulling up the weather report on her tablet and turning it to show him.

He waved it off and downed his glass of wine. “Tomorrow’s Thursday,” he mused, staring at his schedule. “Go ahead and book me a room at this inn through the weekend, just in case, but I’ll probably be back before it hits.”

“Very well, sir,” Janet said and hurried away in her strappy high heels.

Danny and Todd leaned forward to watch her leave, and the first sighed, knowing he was going to miss at least one night with his assistant. “This woman better have a good reason for doing this to me—or you, since you couldn’t convince her to sell,” he grumbled as he sat down in his chair and searched through the files on his desk for the latest proposal. “Probably old and worried about losing her treasured memories of the past. Did you ever talk to her on the phone?”

Todd laughed. “Nope, all e-mails so I could track her response easier, or lack thereof.” He glanced out the office door again. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Janet’s well taken care of, too,” he added. “You could always just settle down with her and be done with it.”

“She’s good for a romp, but not what I have in mind as a wife,” Danny argued. “She’s a cutthroat woman at heart. She’d marry me one day and take everything I had the next. I enjoy being filthy rich after working so hard to get here, and no woman is going to change that.”

“Eventually, you’ll need someone to take over this company,” Todd warned him.

Danny’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything. He’d dated numerous women in the past, but after hitting thirty, he’d slowed down and given up on finding a suitable wife. None of them fit the perfect woman he had in mind. None of them gave him the sense of home he secretly longed for. He wanted a woman who was beautiful and smart but who wouldn’t ruin his life after a month together. Someone strong, but not someone who changed him. Janet was smart and great in bed, but he saw the glimmer of greed in her eyes. Danny was not going to deal with a woman who thought she could waltz into his life and make off with the empire he’d built from the ground up. His name was already on the map for his current chain of hotels, but these new luxury hotels and spas would make him millions in the years to come. He was changing the way the business elite traveled, and nothing was going to slow him down.

His desk phone buzzed and he hit the page button. “Yes, Janet?”

“I have a car scheduled to pick you up at eight in the morning outside your penthouse, Mr. Stone,” she informed him. “Also, there was a call from your parents earlier. I didn’t know if you’d had a chance to return it.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek, pushing down the guilt. “No, I have not, but please do it for me and let them know I’ll be traveling for the next few days.”

“Your mother specifically asked about the holidays and if you would be home this year, sir.”

Danny groaned and sagged in his leather chair. “Of course she did. Tell her my latest projects will keep me away again, and I’ll be sure to send flowers.”

“Very good, sir,” Janet replied, and Danny swiveled in his chair, back and forth, and then again as Todd sniggered at him from across his desk.

“What’s so funny?” Danny finally asked.

He shrugged and stood, buttoning his suit jacket. “Nothing, just wondering when you were home last.”

Danny loosened his tie and turned all the way around in his chair to find the small framed photograph of him and his parents on their farm in Iowa. “Seven years,” he said quietly as his gaze lingered on the proud looks on his parents’ faces. “Seven long years.”

“One of these years, you might actually go home for the holidays.”

“Aren’t you going home?” Danny said stiffly as he turned to glare at Todd.

Todd waved and left Danny’s office. “Keep me apprised of the situation so I can give the investors the good news. See you in a few days,” he called back, and Danny was left alone in his large office overlooking the busy night streets of New York.

The view from up here was not one he would have in Iowa, living on his parents’ farm and working as his dad did, barely making ends meet. Their farm was still alive and running only because Danny sent them money to pay off the land and give them peace of mind so they could retire. Anytime he talked to either parent, they wanted to know when he would visit, or worse, if he’d be moving back home. This was his life now, and they had yet to accept it, but he was happy here in his top-floor corner office, running one of the finest, upscale hotel chains on the east coast, and he was not giving it up for the farm life he’d left behind for a reason.

That was what he told himself every morning when he looked in the mirror and saw the old Danny fighting in his eyes. The man he was before he came to the city. He’d built this company with his bare hands, the same way his dad had built their farm. One day, his parents would see that all he worked for was worth his time away from home. Away from them and the small-town life he grew up with.

“Sir?” Janet poked her head in the door. “I’m heading home for the night unless there’s something else you need.”

He eyed her tight skirt clinging to her thighs and held out his hand. “There’s always something more I need from you,” he replied, hunger growing as she sauntered into the room, her hips swaying, and took his hand. “You should know that by now.”

“Oh, I do,” she purred and lifted a hand to unbutton her blouse. “One day, you’ll have to admit we have more than just office sex between us.”

Danny smiled, even though he knew that day would never happen. Janet was perfect for office sex and nothing more. If she pushed too hard, he’d just have to fire her and find another assistant, maybe a man so he wouldn’t have to worry about this happening again. For now, he’d let her think what she wanted as long as she did her job and he got laid. Tomorrow morning, he’d be off to Westbend, using his charm to convince an old widow to sell him everything she owned.

***

The car picked Danny up at eight o’clock on the dot, and they were out of the city as the first storm clouds appeared on the western horizon. His driver, Greg, shook his head. “Sir, we might want to reconsider this trip.”

“It’s just some clouds,” he muttered, barely giving them a glance before turning back to the papers in hand. “We’ll be fine. One night, tops, if she signs on the dotted line without too much of a fight. I booked us through the weekend just in case, but don’t get too comfortable in town.” He stared at the number at the bottom of the page—nearly a million dollars for land worth triple that much, but he was sure the old woman didn’t know that.

All he needed was for her to sign and he’d be back home, ready to ring in the new year knowing he would finally be able to start construction on the last plot of land and make his investors extremely happy and rich. He pushed his reading glasses further up his nose as he skimmed the newest proposal Todd had sent him early this morning, making sure everything was in order. There was no time to waste, and it was bad enough he had to endure a five-hour road trip to ensure this woman gave in.

“I think we’re here, sir,” Greg announced through a stifled yawn.

Danny set the papers aside and pinched the bridge of his nose to clear the headache blooming as they passed an old wooden sign reading ‘Westbend.’ The town had one main street and maybe three stoplights. The sidewalks bustled with holiday shoppers and tourists taking in the sights of the small-town festival, and stalls with vendors calling out their wares lined the streets and sidewalks. He read a hanging banner as they passed. The Winter Festival took place from December 12th until Christmas Eve.

“Great, her place is probably going to be packed,” he groaned. It was only December 15th and a Thursday, but he knew what that meant. More people were likely to pour into this small town this weekend, probably starting tonight if they wanted to beat the possible storm brewing.

“This is a nice place,” Greg remarked as he followed the slow line of cars through the center of town.

A statue stood tall in a small park that split the road, a couple with three dogs sitting by their sides. He didn’t know much about this town or its history, but the statue was a nice touch, something his own small town in Iowa had. Shops stretched along both sides of the street—candy stores and bakeries, a few small diners, and only one bar Danny could see. The place was quaint, and a strange pang filled his stomach. He had grown adept at stomping out homesickness, but being here dragged it back out into the light. He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze away from the familiar scenery to stare straight ahead. There wasn’t time to deal with his emotions, not with this deal so close to closing—or falling through altogether.

“How much further to the inn?” he asked, shifting in the back seat, ready to get out and stretch his legs.

“Few minutes, sir,” Greg announced. They turned off the main street and drove up and out of the small town.

The road wound around a park with signs designating hiking trails and directions to a lake, creeks, and several local tourist attractions, which was why Danny needed this woman’s land. She had private access to these spots, which was what he wanted to advertise to his future clients. Luxury in nature. If that was what the people wanted, then that was what he would strive to make happen.

“Here we are, sir,” Greg announced as he parked the car outside a tall, three-story house that looked more like a transformed barn than an inn. “That’s a hell of a nice inn.”

Danny peered out the window, admiring the architecture of the building. “Didn’t think it was this big,” he muttered. “They must have updated at some point and forgot to include new pictures.” Maybe I won’t be tearing this place down after all. Could definitely use this as the main entrance, he thought, seeing the potential of the place he’d assumed would be old and tired-looking.

“I’m going to check in at my room in town,” Greg said after he climbed out of the car and opened Danny’s door. “Just call me when you’re ready to leave tomorrow, sir. I think I might check out the festivities.”

Danny stretched his back and noticed the weariness on Greg’s face. “Make sure you have some time to rest up, too. We might just stay all weekend if the woman doesn’t kick me out after signing over her inn.”

Greg’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thanks. I was hoping we’d have a chance to enjoy a short vacation.”

Danny patted his shoulder. “I think you deserve it. You know, for the record, Greg, I do consider you to be someone I truly trust.”

“No need to get sentimental,” he said with a crooked grin.

Danny laughed with him. “Really, though, I know I’m a bit rough around the edges, but if you ever notice me not acting myself, taking it out on you or anyone else, you have my permission to yell at me. Todd has quite the ego, and I worry, sometimes, it’ll rub off on me in the wrong way.”

“Yell at you, sir?” he asked with a raised brow.

“Maybe correct me loudly, how’s that?” he suggested and walked around to the trunk to grab his bag. There were no cars in the parking lot except for an old, rundown Bronco, and he frowned. “Guess everyone’s in town for the festival.”

“Must be,” Greg agreed, grabbed Danny’s overnight suitcase, and handed it to him. “Anything else, sir?” He watched him curiously.

Danny reached for his wallet and pulled out a hundred. “Dinner’s on me. Maybe you can find something at the festival for your wife, too.”

“I can’t take this,” he argued, but Danny shoved it in his jacket’s chest pocket.

“Take it.”

“Why do you let everyone think you’re a rotten bastard, sir?” Greg asked with a smirk. “I know you worry you’re turning into one, but I think you’re safe.”

Danny stared at him and chuckled quietly. “When I first started out on my own, I was nice—too nice. Got taken advantage of and lost everything. In this game, you have to be a rotten bastard or people walk all over you. Call you in the morning, I hope.”

“Unless that storm hits,” Greg warned with another look at the sky.

He watched the darkening clouds but wasn’t worried about snow. He had a different battle to fight, one waiting for him just inside those double doors. Once Greg was back in his car and headed down the drive, Danny picked up his suitcase and walked towards the doors. He pushed one open and stepped into a very warm and cozy foyer. The walls were painted a deep red with soft browns for accent. The hardwood floors beneath his feet were old and very well taken care of, but when he really looked at the place, the front desk was falling apart and several doors appeared to have seen better days. He stepped further in and saw an outdoor patio with a railing fallen over.

Curious, he left his bag at the front desk since no one had come to greet him and walked back outside to the massive front porch that appeared to wrap around the main building. The gutters were overflowing with leaves not removed during the fall season, and the roof had several patches of loose shingles he could see from the ground. The old wooden siding was also loose around the windows, and the steps leading off the front porch around to the side didn’t look safe to walk on.

“Maybe that’s why no one’s here,” Danny grinned. If the place was in financial straits that Todd or he didn’t know about, this woman was sure to take the deal he offered. “Can’t even handle the upkeep anymore, the poor dear.”

His spirits lifted, he walked around to the front again and inside. He heard music playing somewhere in the inn and moved past the foyer to a large, open living room with a huge antler chandelier hanging in the center. Balconies wrapped around the other two stories, and he saw the doors to guest rooms as he stepped further inside. Chipped paint on several walls drew his attention, along with dinged-up doorframes. A fire roared in the massive, stone, see-through hearth, but all the couches and chairs, save one, were missing their cushions and were shoved to the side.

Danny scratched his head, looking for the source of the music, when he heard a woman’s voice curse loudly as something heavy thudded to the floor.

“Damn piece of shit! I knew I should’ve thrown you out months ago,” the woman ranted, sounding nothing like the old grandma Danny had pictured. Maybe she just worked here. He followed the sounds of her grunting and walked into a room with shelves lining the walls, overflowing with books, and a heavy armoire on its side in the middle. “That’s it, you’re getting burned, thrown right into the damn fire—”

“Hello?” Danny knocked on the doorframe.

The woman jumped and turned with a curse, glaring at him. “Who the hell are you? How’d you get inside my inn?”

“The front door was open,” he said, taking in her extremely casual dress with narrowed eyes. “Do you work here?”

“The front door was locked,” she snapped.

“I'm pretty sure it was open. So you do work here?” She wore a black tank top and an over-sized black cardigan with black and gray yoga pants that stopped just below her knees and thick, fuzzy socks. He grinned at the ensemble and the way every inch of clothing showed off her fantastic curves. He hoped, no matter who this woman was, that she was available. Peeling those tight yoga pants off her body would be a perfect way to spend his first—maybe his only—evening in town.

“Why are you even here?” she asked sharply, still not answering his question. She pulled the band from her hair, and the long black hair trailed down her back until she pulled it back together in a quick braid that hung over her left shoulder. “Well?”

“I have reservations for tonight and the weekend,” he informed her, not trying to hide his annoyance. “Where’s your manager or the owner?”

With her hands on her hips, she stared him down. “You’re lying.”

“About which part?”

“The reservations. I don’t open the inn during the holiday season—haven’t the past three years,” she said and walked around the fallen armoire. “So if you don’t come clean and tell me why you’re breaking into my inn, I’ll call the dogs, and they don’t like strangers.”

Danny didn’t budge. “I have reservations,” he argued, then leaned back as the rest of her words clicked. “Wait, you said your inn. This is your inn?” Damn Todd for never talking to this woman on the phone! She is definitely not old.

“Yes, it is, which is how I know you can’t have reservations here.” She raised her fingers to her mouth to whistle, and he wasn’t in the mood to be mauled by dogs. He pulled out his wallet and the printed confirmation page Janet sent over with the car this morning. She snatched it out of his hand and read over the page. “Damn it,” was all she grumbled before she pushed past him in a fury and stormed towards the front desk.

Danny followed close behind and watched her walk around the old wooden desk and type at the computer, a very old model with a motor that whirred, clearly on its last legs. “Am I able to stay here or not?”

She shot him a look that suggested she might start throwing things at him, so he clamped his lips shut and waited. “They were supposed to fix the system last year, but they didn’t,” she muttered to herself with an angry sigh. “Your reservation is real, but I’m not open.”

“Why not? Aren’t the holidays one of the best times of season for you to do business?”

“Personal reasons,” she answered stiffly and handed him his confirmation page. “There’s another inn off Main Street—not as good as mine and I’m pretty sure they had bedbugs a few months ago, but I’m sure it’ll suit you just fine. I’ll make sure the money is refunded to your card.”

Danny took the page back from her and the truth about why he was there was on the tip of his tongue, but when she stepped out from behind the counter, he swallowed the words. Her sharp blue eyes were filled with so much pain it startled him… pain and bitterness. He’d been around plenty of women in his lifetime, but none of them ever rendered him speechless with one look. Widow… she was a widow. That was all he knew about this woman, and for some reason, Danny knew if he left this inn, he’d lose his chance to convince her to sell. But coming right out and telling her the truth in such a blunt way would not go over well. No, he had to play this just right. He needed to find a way to lift this burden from her and see about helping her out of such a dreary place that seemed to make her so unhappy. Use his charm Todd was always going on about. All he had to do was figure out the reason for her not wanting to sell and convince her that selling would be the best thing for her. If things went well enough, maybe he’d even manage a few exciting nights out of the deal. His mental gears turning, he glanced around the inn, trying to think of a reason for her to let him stay.

“You’re really going to send me to an inn with bedbugs?” he asked as a plan formed in his mind.

“Look, I tear this place apart over the holidays, and I’m not exactly up to being a hostess.” She waved her hands down at her casual dress. “I’m sure as hell not going to cook for you and make up your bed.”

Danny’s groin tightened at the mention of a bed, imagining tossing her into one and following her down. He rubbed a hand over his face to compose himself and glanced around the foyer, nodding slowly, taking in all the work that needed to be done. This was his way in. “What if I offered you a deal?” He needed her to say yes. If he left the inn now, he’d never get another chance to convince her to sell to him. If she wasn’t willing to open her inn for the holidays, maybe she was closer to the edge than he originally assumed.

“A deal,” she repeated flatly. “Like what?”

“The place looks like it could do with some repairs, and I’m quite the handyman,” he said with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Why don’t I do some work for free and you let me stay here? Just to sleep. I can fend for myself if I have to.”

She burst out laughing, and his smirk faded. “You, a handyman?”

“Don’t let the sports jacket fool you,” he assured her. “Come on, it’s a good deal.”

She tapped her chin in thought as she walked around him, her fuzzy socks causing a smile to break out on his face again. “Why are you in Westbend? Alone?”

“I am alone,” he confirmed. “Just thought I’d have a nice, quiet holiday away from the city.”

“You only booked through the weekend,” she stated.

He shrugged, mentally kicking himself. “I have tentative plans to stay longer.”

She reached the spot in front of him again and tossed her braid over her shoulder. A glimmer of curiosity and something he couldn’t put his finger on showed in her eyes. “Fine, deal. Welcome to the Fairbanks Inn. Get your bag, I’ll show you to a room.” She turned on her heel and marched towards the stairs off to the side of the main desk.

Danny grabbed his small suitcase and followed her upstairs, admiring the view of a well-toned ass in those yoga pants. At least she’s not an old woman, he thought to himself as they reached the second floor. It might be easier than I thought to get her to hand over the inn. One night with her, and he’d sweet-talk her into signing, give her enough money to retire early and do what she wanted instead of taking care of a rundown inn all by herself.