Mistletoe Magic by Fern Michaels (50)

The ride up the mountain to Eagles Nest was quite unique to the area, Hannah learned. She and William traveled in an enclosed snow coach, which he explained to her was an MPV, a multiple-passenger-vehicle type of sleigh with skis. They were pulled by a small, tractorlike contraption, and Hannah was delighted when she learned that the snow coach had heat. What she didn’t know, and William had neglected to tell her, was that Eagles Nest was one of the highest fine-dining restaurants in North America, at almost twelve thousand feet. She’d never been so high on a mountain in her life and wasn’t sure if she was a wee bit frightened or just a little bit excited at the thought that she might see Liam at dinner.

Inside, she was greeted by a young man dressed in an elegant black suit, though he wore a Stetson on his head, which kind of ruined the image for her. But she remembered what part of the country she was in and knew this was accepted as normal. She tried not to laugh.

The restaurant itself was beautifully decorated for the holiday. Several giant spruce trees were placed throughout the rooms, all decorated with bright-colored lights and western ornaments that blended perfectly with the western decor. Hand-hewn beams and what appeared to be furniture made from wine barrels gave the place a rustic ambience. Eagles Nest was inviting, to say the least. Several wood-burning fireplaces throughout made it comfortably warm, and the stone floors and exposed wood beams added to the frontier flavor. Sheepskin throws were tossed casually over the backs of sofas and chairs. Hannah found herself wanting to curl up and get comfy, but maybe another time. Tonight’s dinner was all about business. She’d dressed with that and warmth in mind.

She wore her black tights and boots with a dark green wool skirt and matching sweater. Her burgundy coat, along with a matching scarf and gloves, completed her ensemble. She’d need a warmer coat if she lived here, but this would do since she only planned on running in and out of the cold; she certainly had no plans to frolic in the snow. Though she had to admit, it might be fun. It was the cold she didn’t like. If only you could have snow without the cold.

The dressed-up cowboy, as she thought of him, led her to a small room that overlooked the mountain. A table for six was set, yet there was no sign of Max or anyone else. The cowboy must’ve seen her look of surprise. “They’re outside at the wine bar. Would you care to join them?”

“No thank you; I’ll stay inside if that’s all right,” she said politely.

“Of course. What may I bring you to drink?” the cowboy asked.

Hannah had a brief flash of dipping beer from a trough and offering her horse the first sip but tried to erase the image from her mind as quickly as it came. Maybe she was suffering from a bit of altitude sickness. It wasn’t like her to have such bizarre thoughts. She did have a quick wit, but this wasn’t witty. This was nuts!

“Your drink, ma’am?” Cowboy repeated.

“I’ll have a glass of white wine,” she said, and gave him her sweetest smile. “Is that proper here?” she asked, exaggerating her Southern accent a bit.

Cowboy smiled. “It’s mighty proper, ma’am. Now, if you will excuse me.”

He’d gotten her joke or dig or whatever one wanted to call it.

Hannah sat down at the table, not caring if it was rude. She was tired, and hungry, and really thought this dinner might be a quick bite, business discussed, then she could call it a night. Max Jorgenson was going to get a piece of her mind. She’d no more had the thought when the man himself walked through the doors that led to the outdoor wine bar.

“Hannah, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you. A couple of ski bums caught me and I couldn’t get away.”

She stood up and offered her hand. This was a business dinner, not a social gathering. “That’s perfectly fine. It gave me a few minutes to admire the view.”

“Please, sit down.” Max pointed to the chair she’d just vacated. “I know you’re tired, and with the time difference, I apologize, but I wanted to give you the heads-up as soon as you arrived.”

Max sat in the chair across from her. Apparently, it was just going to be the two of them for dinner. Her heart sunk a bit when she realized the large table must be part of this semiprivate room. He wore dark slacks, a turtleneck, and a ski jacket with his name sewn on the breast pocket. She had to remind herself he was a world-famous Olympian. Of course people would want to pull him aside and talk to him about his gold medals. Which reminded her of a promise she’d made.

“I know this isn’t the right time, but is it ever the right time?” she asked but didn’t wait for him to answer. “Today, the young man in the limo, Terrence. He was so kind, and sweet. He mentioned he’d lost his mother, though I do not recall if he mentioned how recently. He has a younger sister, Tasha.”

“Of course I know Terrence and Tasha. He works for the limo service at the resort. Though I was unaware that his mother had passed away.”

“Apparently, Tasha has high hopes for the Winter Olympics,” Hannah explained. “Terrence wants to find a good coach for her. He said she was extremely talented. Though I know absolutely nothing about the sport, I am a good judge of character. If Terrence says his sister has talent, I am inclined to believe that she does.”

The cowboy brought her wine and placed it on a napkin in front of her. She took a sip, then continued with her story. “He’s working here in hopes . . . he didn’t say this, but I believe he’s hoping you’ll see Tasha ski and possibly coach her. If not, is there someone you would recommend? I’ll take care of the costs personally.” Hannah took a deep breath, then another sip of wine.

“You remind me of Grace,” Max said. “A soft heart.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Hannah replied.

“As it was meant.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Do you have someone in mind? I would love to be able to help those two kids, especially this time of year.” She couldn’t believe she had just said that.

Camden might be onto something with this holiday stuff. Maybe Hannah was getting a bit soft in her old age. Of course she wasn’t that old, but still.

“I will personally invite Terrence and Tasha to the party we’re having Sunday evening. I’m lighting up a couple of the trails. Ella’s all excited this year. She’s at that age where everything is fascinating to her.”

“I can only imagine,” Hannah said for lack of a better response. She knew that Ella was around three or four, and that was about it. “I really am serious, Max. If Tasha shows signs of talent, I want to . . . sponsor her, or whatever they do these days. In addition to all the stock Dad left me, I’ve got millions in the bank just sitting there earning a paltry bit of interest. I’d much rather see some of that money used to help Tasha’s career if she’s anywhere near as good as Terrence says.”

“I will take care of your request, I promise. If Tasha really wants to ski, I’ll train her myself. Ella’s not interested yet. Patrick’s stepdaughters, Amanda and Ashley, love to ski, but I don’t think they’re interested in a career. I need something else to do besides run this crazy resort. Speaking of that, I want to give you some of the details, but Liam is late. Seems he got stuck in the Hummer, and I had to send Patrick to pick him up. That’s why I’m running behind. I should have told you. If you want to call it a night, I’ll certainly understand. I know Liam would, too.”

“No,” she practically shouted. She lowered her voice. She didn’t want Max to see how excited she’d gotten at the mention of Liam’s name. “This is important. We need to get started as soon as possible. I’m not here to play,” she added.

“I take it you didn’t open the box Mandy gave you?”

The box! She’d forgotten all about it when she’d arrived at the condo. After having her coffee and talking to Camden, she’d taken a long bath, then had to rush to make sure she was ready promptly at eight o’clock. She hadn’t wanted to keep William waiting outside her door.

“No. I’m sorry I didn’t get around to it. I was a bit rushed,” she explained.

“No worries. You can open it later.”

The cowboy returned to the table just in time to greet Liam and another man. When she saw him, her entire being filled with happiness. “Ms. Ray, Max, sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get that damned Hummer to move.”

“Patrick is the resident Hummer expert. I’m sure he can take care of whatever it needs,” Max said.

“Now that we’re here, let me introduce Patrick to you, Hannah.”

She stood and held out her hand, “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” he said, then they all sat down. Liam sat next to her, while Max and Patrick sat across from them. Perfect arrangement, she thought excitedly.

“Patrick is the one who discovered the money missing from The Snow Zone. That’s our biggest ski shop. Stephanie, his wife, is the manager, but since they’ve had little Shannon, she hasn’t wanted to work too much, and I can’t say that I blame her. Candy Lee, her assistant, has taken over Stephanie’s position until she goes back to college after the New Year. She’s worked for me since she was in high school. I trust her implicitly, so we can rule her out.”

Liam wore a dark gray sweater over a chambray shirt. She saw that he still wore the jeans he’d had on earlier, but he’d added socks and boots. And she’d seen him remove a heavy-duty black parka when he came inside. He wasn’t really dressed for this kind of weather, either. She liked that about him, too. He wasn’t a wuss. She’d dated a few of those and had vowed never to do so again.

“And where do I come in? You said you’re being hacked. How do you know this, and what’s being messed with?” Liam asked.

“All of the bank accounts associated with The Snow Zone. Every other day there is a wireless transfer. And apparently, the bank believes it to be legitimate. I’ve contacted the fraud unit, so they’re aware of what I suspect, but at this point they’re telling me there isn’t anything they can do since the transfers appear legit,” Patrick explained. “Max, Grace, Stephanie, and I are the only ones with access to the bank accounts. And I know for a fact that we’re not ripping Max off.”

Did Hannah detect a trace of defensiveness in Patrick’s attitude, or was he simply at a complete loss, just as Max appeared to be? She watched him as Liam continued with his questions.

“Of course you’re not, don’t even go there,” Max said, shaking his head.

“When did the first transfer take place?” Liam asked. He pulled out the iPad he’d tucked inside the back of his jeans. His fingers moved across the touch screen so fast, Hannah could see why he was so skilled. He didn’t waste a second. “And how much was taken?”

“Exactly one month ago today,” Patrick said.

“And it was twenty-five thousand dollars,” Max said.

“Whew! That’s a pretty hefty sum,” Liam said, as his finger continued to fly across the touch screen.

“What about new employees? Do you perform background checks? Anyone you’ve hired who might have a bit of computer knowledge they forgot to mention on their job application?” Hannah asked. Though she’d left her laptop in the condo, she did have a small pad and pen in her purse. She removed it and started taking notes. When she saw Liam smile, she said, “I’m a pen-and-paper kind of girl.” As soon as she said it, she wished she could take it back. She wasn’t a girl at all. She was a grown woman and didn’t want to come off as some sappy, lovestruck kid. But he didn’t know that, so she felt she was safe for now.

She would definitely have to think about that word, but not now. Later. When she had time to truly contemplate what was going on in her head. It had to be altitude-related, didn’t it?

“We hire dozens of people. Almost daily. Most of them are seasonal, here to work and ski for free. It’s the skiers’ way. They come from all over the world. We do a basic background check, drug testing, but that’s it. People come and go so often, I sometimes wonder why I even bother,” Patrick said.

“Because you’re the general manager and it’s part of your job. And you’re damned good at it, so don’t start blaming yourself,” Max insisted. “This could happen to any business, especially one the size of this one.”

“How much do you take in daily? Just at The Snow Zone,” Hannah asked.

Patrick looked at Max. “You really want me to give her the figures?”

“Of course I do. We can trust Hannah and Liam, and it’s not like I’m cheating the IRS, for crying out loud!” Max seemed a bit ticked that Patrick wouldn’t want to give them the financial figures.

Patrick removed a pen from his pocket, scribbled something on his cocktail napkin, then slid it across the table for both Hannah and Liam to see.

“Okay, so we are talking big, big bucks. Whoever is doing this knows that, compared to this”—Hannah tapped her index finger on the cocktail napkin—“twenty-five thousand dollars is pocket change. To the resort. To them, most likely, it’s a small fortune.”

“So what can we do to catch whoever is doing this?” Max asked.

Liam spoke first. “I’ll need to get into your system, which should be pretty simple since we’re not talking about an entire floor of servers or anything like it. It shouldn’t be hard to track. I’ll want to set up in The Snow Zone, if possible, since that’s where the shop’s main computer is located. If not, I can access it by other means.”

“I can work as extra holiday help,” Hannah said. “The sad part is, I know absolutely nothing about ski equipment, or skiing, for that matter.”

“We could send you in as a live model,” Liam suggested. “You’ve certainly got the looks and build for it. You could wear a new ski suit every day, entice the customers to purchase whatever you’re wearing.”

Hannah was glad the lighting in the room was dim because she could feel the heat rising to her face. A model? And he thought she had the looks and the body for such a job? She didn’t know whether to laugh or call him a sexist for eyeing her up. Though she’d certainly had her eyes on him.

“Hannah?” Max asked, “would you be willing to do that? I agree with Liam. It’s actually a fantastic marketing idea. If sales increase, I’ll make sure to do this again. So, what do you say?”

“That’s fine, but I have one favor to ask.” She knew she was about to come off as silly, but what the hell, she was about to become a model, and she was a blonde. “If anyone, and I mean anyone, lays a hand on me, I want your permission to knock the shit out of him.”

All three men looked at her as though she’d lost her mind, then they all started laughing. Softly at first, then it got a bit louder, and a bit louder still. So loud, in fact, that Cowboy returned to the table with another man whom Hannah guessed to be the manager.

“I take it that means yes,” Hannah said, then stood up, letting them know she was truly ready to leave.

They all nodded and watched her as she stormed out of the room.

Liam was the first to get up and follow her. “Hannah,” he called out when he saw her enter the ladies’ room. “Wait.”

She stood at the sink and splashed her face with cold water. The door creaked open slowly. She didn’t look to see who it was because she was too pissed to care. She tossed another handful of cold water on her face. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Was she supposed to prance around in some stupid ski costume and let the customers cop a feel just because they could?

“Hannah?” Liam came up behind her, and she practically jumped out of her skin.

“This is the ladies’ room, you idiot! Get out!”

“Calm down, Hannah. You’ve mistaken the guys’ reaction. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

She grabbed several paper towels and rubbed them against her face. “Then fill me in. I have never felt so degraded in my life! I am a professional, a freaking attorney, not some, some . . . hot-looking chick who needs perverts pawing all over her.”

“And we all agree with you. You’re not that kind of woman; I mean, you’re hot, but not in that way.” He stopped, as though trying to piece together what he really wanted to say, and it wasn’t coming out right. “Look, no one meant to offend you. And I certainly didn’t mean to imply anything . . . bimbo-ish.” He raised his eyes to meet hers. “God knows you’re anything but that, Hannah. Trust me, you’re . . .” He couldn’t say what he really wanted to say. Not now. Way, way too soon to be having the kind of thoughts he was having.

“I’m what? Go on, I can take it.”

“Okay, but remember this is coming from me as a man, and not a professional. You are gorgeous, Hannah Ray, you’re built better than most models, and, yes, I looked, and, no, I am not sorry.”

Well, she didn’t have a snappy comeback for any of that, so she said what came naturally. “Thank you. I think,” she said. “I’d better get back to the table. I am so hungry I could eat a bear.”

“Me, too,” Liam said, and opened the door for her. He stood beside the door. “Ladies first.”