Kitabı oku: «His Proposal, Their Forever»

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The hourly chime of tower bells rang through the Piazza del Duomo. Bailey Cole raised her face to let the Florence sunshine kiss her cheeks.

Glong. Glong. D-ding-a-ting-glong.

Not bells from the famous tower, her cell phone ring tone.

Bailey opened her eyes. Not Italy. Home.

Her home. Haley’s Bay, Washington.

She rubbed her face, trying to wake up.

The phone kept ringing.

A glance at the digital clock made her blink: 5:45 a.m. Too early for a social call. Something must be...

Flynn. Bailey’s heart slammed against her chest. Air whooshed from her lungs. Her brother in the navy had mentioned going somewhere in his email last week.

Please let him be safe.

She reached for her phone on the nightstand, read “Grandma” and her phone number on the screen.

Bailey’s chest sank with the weight of a flag-draped coffin. She fumbled for the talk button. “Grandma? Is everything okay?”

“Your aunt Ida Mae called. Told me the craziest thing. Said there’s a construction crew set up in front of the Broughton Inn.”

Not Flynn. Bailey released a breath. “Did you say a construction crew?”

“They’ve been moving things out of the inn and loading them into a big truck since late last night.” The words flew out of Grandma’s mouth faster than her homemade molasses cookies disappeared from the jar. “Equipment is parked on the street. A bulldozer and a crane with a wrecking ball.”

Bailey sat straight, the covers falling to her waist.

“What’s Floyd Jeffries trying to pull? I just saw him two days ago. He didn’t mention any construction, and a wrecking ball sounds more like demolition. He knows owners can’t touch a historic building without approval.” She scrambled out of bed. “He practically wrote the preservation laws.”

“Maybe he forgot.”

“No way.” She turned on the lamp, waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. “I took over the historical committee from him. He knows every single rule and regulation.”

“He could be expanding the owner’s apartment now that he’s in a relationship.”

“Floyd didn’t mention his girlfriend moving here. She’s half his age and most of their relationship has been online. Something’s going on. I need to find out what. Fast.”

Bailey pulled her nightshirt over her head and took a step. Her foot twisted, then slid, jamming into the bedpost.

A sledgehammer pain sliced through her big toe. She sucked in a breath. Tears stung her eyes. The phone slipped from her hand. She swore.

“Bailey?” Her grandmother’s voice carried from wherever the phone had landed. Lilah Cole had been a widow for the past fifteen years, and her grandchildren had become her focus. “Are you okay?”

Hell, no. Bailey was naked, her mangled toe throbbing. She picked the phone off the bed. “I’m getting dressed. Trying not to panic over the twenty-five thousand dollars’ worth of artwork inside the inn.”

She hit the speakerphone button and placed the cell phone on the dresser. She opened the top drawer. Panties and bras. Second drawer—pajamas. Third drawer, empty. She had been so into her new painting this week she hadn’t done laundry.

She wiggled into a pair of underwear, then put on a bra, trying not to cry out and worry Grandma. “Floyd might be struck stupid by Cupid, but he loves the inn.”

“So do you. I know you’ll straighten him out.”

“Gotta go. I’ll call you later.”

Bailey bunny-hopped on one leg to the bathroom. Clothes overflowed from the hamper. Paint-splattered white, long-sleeved coveralls hung on a hook. She gave the fabric the sniff test. The cotton smelled of paint and solvents. Oh, well, this was what she’d planned to wear today while she worked. She dressed.

Clean panties and bra. Dirty coveralls.

Could be worse, right? A glance in the mirror brought a tell-me-I’m-still-dreaming cringe. Nope. This was pretty bad.

She didn’t look sleep-rumpled sexy. More like bizarre, deranged scarecrow. Her wild hair stuck up every which way. Bet she’d freak out folks around town if she carried a broom this morning.

Okay, maybe not, but she would likely scare them, broom or not.

She combed her fingers through the tangles and twisted her hair into a messy bun. A slight improvement, but getting to the Broughton Inn was more important than looking good. So what if she ended up being tonight’s gossip at the Crow’s Nest, the local dive bar? Wouldn’t be the first time or the last. Bailey took a step.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch.” She stared at her aching foot turning blue. Her toe was swollen. Not bee-sting swollen—hot-air-balloon swollen.

Forget regular shoes. Her monster toe would never fit inside. Her oversize fuzzy slippers would have to do.

She shoved on the right slipper, then maneuvered her aching left foot inside the other. A jagged pain sliced through her toe, zigzagged up her foot.

Bailey hopped to her desk, using the wall and doorways for support. She grabbed the Broughton Inn files in case Floyd wanted to argue about what he could do to the inn, shoved them and her purse into a yellow recyclable shopping bag covered with multicolored polka dots. The colors matched the paint splatters on her coveralls. The newest trend in low fashion. Yeah, right.

Bailey hobbled to the door, walking on the heel of her bad foot. Not easy, but she had to get to the inn. Driving was her only option. She rehearsed a quick strategy.

Don’t panic.

Don’t burst in, acting as if she owned the place.

Most of all, don’t piss off Floyd.

Logic and common sense, not to mention laws, would prevail. But she was prepared to do battle. No one was touching the Broughton Inn or the artwork inside.

Bailey was a Cole. Stubborn, unrelenting, ready to fight.

* * *

Early Thursday morning, Justin McMillian stood outside the Broughton Inn, McMillian Resorts’ newest acquisition. Slivers of sunlight appeared in the dawn sky like fingers poking up from the horizon, wanting a piece of the night. He wanted to take what was his today.

This past winter’s remodeling fiasco in Seaside on the Oregon coast had destroyed his parents’ confidence in Justin and his two sisters’ ability to take over the family company. The project had gone over schedule and over budget due to hidden foundation issues. His parents had blamed Justin, Paige—one of the company’s attorneys—and Rainey, an interior designer, when two different inspectors hadn’t seen the problem. That fact hadn’t stopped his parents from threatening to sell to the highest bidder and firing their three children if the next project didn’t run smoothly.

But today, Justin’s mouth watered with the taste of success. His parents would be apologizing long before the new Broughton Inn opened next year. This project would be different from the Seaside one. His parents would see how capable he and his sisters were, and McMillian Resorts would show Haley’s Bay what luxury and first-class service were about. Something his family had perfected over the years with both small and large properties.

“Loaded and ready to go, boss.” Greg, Justin’s driver, motioned to the semitruck parked on the street in front. “Never seen so much junk. Loads of outdated furniture and way too much artwork for such a small inn.”

“Floyd Jeffries didn’t have a clue how to run a boutique hotel.”

“Good thing we do.”

We. McMillian Resorts. Unless his parents followed through on their threat. That was not. Going. To. Happen. “Text me when you reach the warehouse.”

“Should take me three hours or so to reach Lincoln City, depending on traffic.”

“Drive carefully. I don’t want the artwork broken. We can sell the better stuff to local galleries.”

Greg adjusted the brim of his Seattle Mariners cap. “Raw eggs could be loose in the cab and wouldn’t break when I’m driving.”

“Let’s not test that theory.”

Greg stared at the old inn. “Quaint place. Suz and I honeymooned here.”

“Cozy, maybe, but a dinosaur. With those million-dollar views, the new inn will be the crown jewel in our hotel portfolio.”

“Hope so.” Greg took a picture of the inn with his cell phone. “Better hit the road.”

Greg glanced at the inn again, then he headed to his truck.

Interesting. Justin had never known the driver to be sentimental.

Wyatt, the site foreman, walked up, adjusted his gloves. “We’re ready. Say the word and we’ll fire up the engines.”

“It’s time.” Nothing beat the first morning on a new job, except the last day. Justin rubbed his hands together. “Tear her down, boys.”

With whoops and hollers, his crew jogged to their equipment. Engines revved, filling the early morning air with noise. The crane hopped the curb and headed for the inn. Next came the bulldozer.

Finally. Over the past year, Justin had spent every free moment developing plans for a new Broughton Inn, even though he’d been unsure whether Paige could pull off the deal with Floyd Jeffries. They’d approached him last year with an offer that Floyd turned down. But Paige had achieved the impossible by not giving up and closing the deal.

This project would prove he and his sisters could run the company as well as his parents. Better. The three of them had grown up living in hotels. They knew the business inside and out.

A dog barked.

Huh? Justin shouldn’t be able to hear a dog. Except the equipment had stopped moving. Engines had been cut off.

“What the hell is going on?” he yelled.

Wyatt pointed to the inn’s porch where someone stood by the front door, hands on hips and a pissed-off frown on her face. “That woman.”

Was that a woman with a yellow shopping bag hanging from her shoulder or an escapee from the circus? She wore painter’s coveralls, but the color splatters made her look as if she’d been caught in a paintball battle.

“Where’d she come from?” Justin asked.

“No idea.”

“The woman must be some sort of nut job. A disturbed bag lady or a history fanatic. I’ll see if she has demands.”

“Demands?” Wyatt asked.

“A woman doesn’t step in front of a wrecking ball unless she has a death wish, or wants something. Given the crazy way she’s dressed, my money’s on the latter. Call the police in case I’m wrong and she’d rather meet the Grim Reaper.”

Justin walked toward the porch. He didn’t want his crew near the woman.

“Stop. Don’t come any closer.” Her voice sounded more normal than he’d expected. “You can’t tear down the inn.”

Her hands moved from her hips to out in front of her, palms facing Justin, as if she could push him away using The Force.

Demands. Justin knew a few things about women, though his ex-wife might disagree. He kept walking. Given the crazy lady’s appearance, he knew how to handle her. He flashed his most charming smile, the one that got him what he wanted most every time, whether for business or pleasure.

“Hello there.” In two steps, Justin stood on the porch. He softened his voice. “Can I help you?”

A jade-green gaze locked on his. Wow. Talk about a gorgeous color. Her warm, expressive eyes made him think of springtime.

“I’m looking for Floyd.” Her voice rose at the end; her words weren’t a question but had a hint of uncertainty.

Hell. She must not know about Floyd selling out. Not Justin’s problem. Eyes aside, he didn’t know why he kept looking at her. Clothes, hair, demeanor. Not his type didn’t begin to describe what was wrong with the woman.

A brown dog barked and ran figure-eight patterns around the bulldozer and crane. Where had the animal come from?

“Oh, no. That poor dog is so skinny.” Her compassion surprised Justin. “Catch him. He looks like he’s starving.”

Oh, man. The guys still ribbed him for the time he shut down a demo for a missing ferret. Stupid thing took five and a half hours to find.

“Please,” she said, her eyes clouding.

Demands and a plea. Tropical-storm-strength pressure built behind his forehead. Easy jobs must be handed to worthier men. “Have you seen the dog before?”

“No.” Her gaze remained on the animal. The dog ran around and barked. “But I don’t see a collar. Could be a stray. Or lost.”

Justin wasn’t about to chase the dog on open ground, but he couldn’t have the thing running around the site inside the safety fencing. That would be too dangerous.

He glanced at Wyatt, who stood on the grass between the porch and the equipment. “Give the dog a leftover donut.”

“No chocolate.” The words exploded from her mouth like a cannonball. Worry reflected in her eyes. “That’s bad for dogs.”

Justin didn’t know that. He’d never had a dog or any kind of pet. His parents allowed guests to bring dogs and cats to the hotels, but had never let their children have an animal, not even a goldfish.

“Fine. Nothing chocolate. A sandwich, maybe,” he said to Wyatt. Justin wanted to get back to work. These stupid delays were killing him. “Then get the dog out of here.”

While he got rid of the woman. A McMillian team effort. That was the way things got done at their company. Each person did his or her part. The effort led to success. But when one didn’t do what was expected, like his ex-wife, the result was failure.

He faced the woman. “Where were we?”

“Floyd Jeffries. Do you know where I can find him?”

“Belize.”

Her nose crinkled. “Floyd never mentioned a vacation.”

“Floyd might not share his personal life with customers.”

“I’m not a customer.” She raised her chin. “I’m his partner in the gallery.”

Gallery. Justin’s headache ramped into a cyclone. That explained the artwork on its way to Oregon, the splattered coveralls and Green Eyes’ odd smells. “You’re an artist.”

“Painter.” She gave him a strange look. “If Floyd’s away, what are you doing here?”

“I’m the inn’s new owner.”

She flinched as if his words punched her. No clown makeup was needed to make her eyes look bigger. Any larger and they would be twins to her gaping mouth. The caricature was complete. All she needed was a dialogue bubble over her head to star in her own comic strip.

She took half a step back. “Floyd sold the inn?”

“We recently closed on the deal.”

“Where’s the artwork?” Her words shot out as if catapulted. “The textiles, paintings, sculptures?”

“Gone.”

Her face morphed into a look of horror, a worst-news-ever-face. “Where?”

The raw emotion in the one word drew him forward. She looked desperate. Of course she was. Junk or not, the art pieces he’d seen must have taken hundreds of hours to make. If someone made off with a set of his blueprints that took half that long, he’d go ballistic. Ridiculing the woman no longer seemed cool. If anything, he wanted to give her a hug.

He forced himself not to step closer. He...couldn’t. She was a stranger, a nuisance. “The inn’s contents were part of the purchase agreement.”

She bit her lip. Trying to decide what to say, or buy time? For what, he didn’t know. She blinked, then wiped her eyes.

She’d better not, not, not cry. His sisters always pulled that stunt. His ex-wife, too. Taryn had blamed him for their marriage failing, saying he loved his work more than her. She hadn’t understood that his job paid for everything, including their house, her shopping sprees and the numerous trips she took to Portland and Seattle while he was away at a site.

His sympathy well was drained. Not a drop of compassion remained. No way would he let this woman manipulate him. Time to send overwrought clown lady on her way. He handed her his business card.

“Talk to Floyd. Call my office for his contact information.” Justin’s voice sounded distant, unemotional, as intended. “You need to leave now so we can get back to work.”

She grabbed the porch rail, gave him a this-isn’t-over look, then sat. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Of course not.

Justin should have known she wouldn’t make this easy, but a one-person sit-in? “We have a schedule to keep. It’s time for you to go.”

“You can rephrase your request over and over again, but my answer will be the same. I’m not letting you touch the inn, let alone destroy the second-oldest building in Haley’s Bay.”

Attitude poured from the woman as easy as milk from a carton. Too bad hers was sour. “I’ve called the police.”

Neither her gaze nor her facial expression wavered. If he wasn’t on the receiving end of her stare, he might have been impressed by her backbone.

“Good.” That attitude of hers wasn’t letting up. “Because you’re stealing.”

Justin laughed. The woman had nerve. He had to give her that. “I have a contract.”

“So do I. You may have bought the inn, but not the rest.”

“Okay, I’ll bite.”

“The artwork doesn’t belong to Floyd or the inn. He sold the pieces on consignment for local artists like me.”

“The inn’s contents belong to us per the deal—”

“The artists had contracts. Nontransferrable contracts.”

She talked faster as if her nerves were getting to her, and her words were making him wonder what the hell was going on here.

“I see the Oregon plates on your equipment. I hope whatever truck you were loading earlier isn’t headed across the bridge toward Astoria.” She leveled him with a stare. “Given the value of the artwork, the theft qualifies as a class-B felony. But I’m sure the police can place blame where it’s due and make the necessary arrests.”

The woman could be telling the truth or she might be delusional. Could this be nothing more than a ruse to stop the demolition? “Floyd never mentioned the art didn’t belong to the inn.”

“Due diligence, Mr....?”

“Justin McMillian.” Her vocabulary told him she knew something about business. Her know-it-all manner annoyed him like the sound of nails on concrete, but her point made his hope sink. Had Paige cut corners in a rush to get the deal closed? Their parents had put so much pressure on them it was...possible. He held out his arm to shake hands. “McMillian Resorts. And you are?”

The woman pursed her lips, making her look haughty and naughty, a dangerous combination. This one was trouble.

After leaving him hanging a moment too long, she shook his hand. “Bailey Cole.”

Warm, rough skin. Not unexpected, given that she worked with chemicals. Up close, she was kind of pretty with her pink cheeks and full lips. She might look halfway decent cleaned up.

Bailey removed the bag from her shoulder. “I’m happy to provide copies of the contracts to prove rightful ownership of the art. I have the information right here.”

Paperwork? Crap. So much for her being delusional. The foundation mess in Seaside wasn’t looking so bad now. At least they’d finally completed that project and had a viable hotel in a desirable market. But if what she said was true, he and his sisters were in trouble. His parents would never let them run the company. Hell, his mom and dad would probably refuse to pay bail.

Time to regroup. Get Greg back with the truck. Call Paige to find out if this Cole woman’s story checked out. Justin glanced around but didn’t see any of the crew. He texted Wyatt.

“I’ll call the artists to pick up—”

Justin cut Bailey off. “The artwork will be back shortly.”

Her jaw jutted forward, hard as granite. “You do know that transporting stolen property across state lines carries additional charges.”

She might be an artist and the poster child for What Not to Wear, but this woman was no delicate flower swaying in the wind. She was a tree, solid and unmoving, firmly rooted in the earth, a sequoia. A good thing they had chain saws in the truck.

“The artwork is in Washington.” He hoped.

Sirens sounded. Blue and red lights flashed.

Good. The police would get her off the property—no chain saws needed—and his team could get back on schedule.

A young, tall uniformed officer got out of his police car and straightened his hat. He took long, purposeful strides toward them.

Justin smiled at the guy who would save his day.

The officer stopped on the walkway in front of the porch. His attention, including a narrowed gaze, focused solely on Bailey Cole. The woman must be a known troublemaker in town to receive such scrutiny from a cop.

“What the hell are you doing, Bailey? And what’s wrong with your foot?”

Justin noticed her knee was bent so her foot didn’t touch the porch. No wonder she’d wanted him to go after the dog.

“You’re not here to give me a hard time.” She stood. A grimace flashed across her face. “I’m not the one who called you. This guy did, even though he stole the artwork from the inn.”

The officer looked at Justin. “Is this true?”

Justin’s smile hardened at the edges. He should’ve known she’d try to pin this on him, but he needed to keep his voice respectful. “My company, McMillian Resorts, bought the inn from Floyd Jeffries. The contents of the inn were included in the property’s purchase. She’s trespassing.”

“What part of consignment don’t you understand?” Bailey’s hands returned to her hips, elbows pointed out. “The artists retain ownership and Floyd only received a commission if a piece sold. The artwork wasn’t his, so it couldn’t be included in the sale. Thus, it’s been stolen.”

The pursed lips returned, distracting Justin from her accusation. He needed to focus. She hadn’t called him a thief exactly, but she was walking the line. She was still on his property. Her violation was clear. They needed to move this along.

He glanced at the officer whose face looked skeptical. Strange, but the guy had similar coloring to Bailey. Dark hair and green eyes.

On the lawn, Justin’s crew gathered within listening distance. No sign of the dog. The donut or sandwich must have worked. Progress. Time for more.

“We can discuss the return of the art—if necessary—once she’s escorted off my property.” Justin might not know the whole story behind the gallery, but he trusted his sister to have negotiated a legally binding contract on the building and its contents.

“Not yet,” Bailey said. “I’m here to protect my property and the inn, Grady. His construction permit did not go through the historical society’s approval process.”

She knew this how? Justin looked from Bailey to the cop, noticed the “Cole” name tag on the officer’s chest.

“I’m Grady Cole. Bailey’s my sister. She knows more about the approval process than anybody in town except Floyd Jeffries.”

Siblings. This was not Justin’s day. No matter. This project was not going to hell on his watch.

The crew moved closer, cutting the distance in half from where they’d stood before. He couldn’t show any weakness or worry. Not in front of his guys.

“No problem.” Justin removed the paperwork from his back pocket. “I have a permit.”

“We’ll see.” Grady flipped through the forms, not once, but twice before frowning. “This permit is from Long Beach. The approvals, too.”

“Yes, that’s where I was told to go.” Justin’s headache throbbed. Holding back sarcasm was becoming harder. How long was this going to freaking take?

Bailey’s smile widened. If she’d been a cat, canary feathers would be hanging from the corners of her mouth.

A knot formed in Justin’s stomach. Crap. She knew something he didn’t. “I checked the paperwork myself. We’re good.”

“You used the Long Beach zip code, not the one for Haley’s Bay.” Grady returned the papers. “This permit isn’t valid. The town’s municipal office must be used for projects within the city limits. You’re also missing an approval stamp from the historical committee, since this property is on its registry.”

The knot wrapped around the donut Justin had eaten for breakfast. “No problem. Floyd told me to go to Long Beach to get the permit. I’ll head over to your town hall and get that and approvals right now.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not that simple,” Grady said.

Warning lights flashed. A cement roller pressed against Justin’s chest. A vise squeezed his brain.

Bailey opened her mouth as if to speak.

He raised his hand, cutting her off. He didn’t want Miss Know-It-All telling him why his must-succeed project was grounded. He wanted her gone; more than that, he wanted her to tell him this was a giant misunderstanding and they could work it out in the next two hours. And then smile.

Not gonna happen. “Once I have the permits, I’ll be free to work on my property.”

“Not exactly, Mr. McMillian.” Her gaze remained on his, unwavering. More sure of herself with every passing minute, but maybe—if he wasn’t stretching it—she was sympathetic, too. “Broughton Inn is on the Federal Register of Historic Places.”

“I know. I also know private owners are not bound by any restrictions if they want to improve the property.”

“Not bound by restrictions only if federal money—grants—haven’t been attached to their property.” The confidence in her words matched the determined set of her chin.

The knot-entangled donut in his stomach turned to stone. He had spoken to the former inn owner, taken notes, confirmed each detail about what being on the historical register meant for improvements and teardowns. The ticking-clock time frame of Floyd Jeffries wanting to close the deal was looking suspect. “We were assured—”

“Floyd lied. You got taken, Mr. McMillian.” Bailey pulled out files from her bag and handed one to Justin. “If you don’t believe me, check these papers. They’ll prove federal and state monies are attached to the Broughton Inn. Some are old, before Floyd’s time as owner.”

Justin noticed his crew creeping closer to the porch. The men had cut the distance in half twice, no doubt curious. He didn’t blame them. This was their livelihood, too. He wouldn’t let them down or allow Bailey Cole to screw up this project any more than she had.

He opened the folder, eager to prove her wrong. Except...

The first page listed the inn’s grant awards. Not one, several. Federal and state funding had been provided to the inn.

His neck stiffened, the cords of muscles tightening and coiling like electrical wire. He turned the pages, one after another. Each was a death knell to his plans for the inn, smothering his hope for success, throwing the resort company’s future ownership in doubt.

It now made sense why Floyd gave them only forty-eight hours to make a decision about purchasing the inn. The man had been trying to pull a fast one. Not trying, succeeding. Damn.

Talk about a crook. Paige, everyone at McMillian Resorts, had been duped. If Justin couldn’t fix this, his parents would sell the company and ride off into retirement without a second thought to their three children who had spent their lives living and working at the family’s hotels.

Not about to give up, Justin straightened, handed back the papers. “We were not provided this information. I would appreciate copies at your earliest convenience.”

“I’ll get those to you as soon as I can,” Bailey said.

Grady took the file out of his sister’s hands. “I’ll have copies made. You need to get off your feet.”

“I will.” She ground out the words as if clenching her back teeth. “I have to return the artwork first.”

“So, what’s the approval process so we can begin our project?” Justin asked Grady.

The officer looked at his sister. “That’s Bailey’s expertise.”

Great. She was the last person who would offer help, but too much was at stake for Justin not to ask. “Care to enlighten me on the steps?”

“Gladly.” She leaned against the railing, but her casual position didn’t match the sharp, predatory gleam in her eyes. “First the intended project plans must be presented to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.”