Stormy Passion (34 page)

“
Well, he's quite a catch,”
Brenna admitted. She had lost her chance a long time ago so why not
be happy for Carol? She seemed to be very nice, so it was becoming
difficult to hate her. “But I always knew he'd be successful ...
his mother wouldn't allow less.”

“
I've met the lady.” Carol
rolled her eyes. “She's something else. Thank God she likes me. I
just try to agree with everything she says.”

“
You're probably better off
agreeing,” Brenna said, being careful not to give anything away.
She realized Carol evidently had wealth and could fit into River
Run's society. Something Mrs. Rothschild had said Brenna would
never accomplish.

A shuffle of feet in the hallway caught their
attention. “Here she is!” Lisa pushed open the office door and
entered the room followed by Taylor.

“
Brenna, wait till you see
how they've decorated the town for the festival. It's better than
Christmas. We're going to have a fantastic time.” Lisa stopped
chattering long enough to take off her coat. “I can't
wait!”

“
Hollow Ridge is having a
festival, too?” Carol looked at Brenna.

“
We have one every year,
but I'm afraid we don't get quite the advertising that Asheville
does. I think you'll enjoy it.”

Brenna's attention went back to Lisa. Her
unruly brown hair framed her chubby face, and her hazel eyes
glistened with excitement. She knew her sister couldn't stand not
being a part of the excitement, but some things had to wait. Brenna
tried not to look at Taylor. That had almost gotten her into plenty
of trouble this morning.

“
You are going to the
festival, aren't you?” Lisa persisted.

“
Yes. But that is tomorrow,
and I have a ton of things to do today. And so do you, I might
add.”

“
Oh, Brenna,” Lisa said,
making her sister's name sound like a groan.

“
I don't want to hear it.”
Brenna held up her hand. “Work comes first, then
playtime.”

“
Carol.” Taylor's deep
voice filled the room as he spoke. “I thought we could go skiing
this afternoon.”

Brenna noticed that Taylor hadn't looked her
way either. His dark brows knitted with a frown. The wind had
tousled his hair and his black ski jacket set off his broad
shoulders perfectly. There was an intriguing strength about him
that hadn't been there before, but he still held an attraction for
her. That was something she couldn’t deny. The air filled with
electric sparks when Taylor entered the room.

“
Sounds like fun.” Carol
stood up and smiled at Brenna. “It was nice talking to
you.”

Brenna returned her smile. She saw Taylor's
jaw tighten. She had the feeling he was dying to know what secrets
she'd divulged to his fiancée.

“
Can I go?” Lisa's pleading
eyes rested on Brenna.

“
Not today.” Brenna wanted
to shake her sister. Why didn't Lisa understand Taylor was out of
their life and that he couldn't possibly want a child tagging along
behind him? She didn't want her sister hurt when Taylor walked away
from them. “I need your help around here.”

“
But, Brenna!”

“
I really don't mind,”
Taylor said as he finally focused his attention on her. “That is
unless
you
have some objections.”

Brenna raised her brow a fraction. So he was
determined to make her look like the bad guy in her sister's eyes.
Well, he was dealing with a different person than he was used to.
His ploy wouldn't work. “But I do mind. We are not on vacation and
I'm short-handed.” She drew her gaze away from Taylor, and then
turned to Lisa. “I promise that we'll go tomorrow.”

“
I couldn't find another
place to stay,” Taylor told Carol as they walked toward town to
pick up their skis.

“
Good. I never understood
why you wanted to go somewhere else. This quaint inn is perfect.
There is such a warm feeling at the inn.”

Taylor knew he had to tell Carol
something--but not the truth. “I know I've been a little grumpy.
But as I told you last night, Brenna and I didn't part on good
terms the last time I saw her.”

“
You said something about a
friend, but you didn’t say what.”

“
Brenna dumped a friend of
mine when we were in school. And I didn't appreciate it and told
her so.”

“
I see.” Carol nodded her
head. “But that was a long time ago, Taylor. I’m sure she's
changed. Perhaps you should let the past rest.”

If only Carol knew
.

“
I guess you're right,”
Taylor finally said.

“
Besides, I like it here,
and I like Brenna, too. But, you know, she seems out of place.
She's too charming to be stuck way out here in this small town. I
bet she would have men falling at her feet back home.”

“
I can remember one,”
Taylor mumbled as he felt the muscle tighten in his jaw. “I'm sure
she's broken a few men's hearts by now.”

“
Perhaps you're right.”
Carol pulled off a mitten and took his hand. “Maybe someone broke
hers, and that's the reason she lives way out here.”

“
Have you ever thought that
maybe her boyfriend or husband brought her to Hollow
Ridge?”

“
Well, she didn't say
anything about having either while we were chatting. But then I'm a
stranger to her.”

Taylor really didn't want to talk about
Brenna at all, but before he could stop himself he was asking,
“Just what were you talking about? You appeared to be in a serious
discussion when I came in.”

“
Probably because we were
talking about you.”

“
Oh?” Taylor turned his
head toward Carol. Brenna wouldn't dare tell her she was once
engaged to him. Would she?

“
You should see the
expression on your face.” Carol laughed. “Don't worry, she didn't
divulge any of your dark secrets. I wanted to know what you were
like back in school.”

His brows jerked in surprise. “And what did
she say?”

“
Not much really. She said
you were smart, and she always knew you would succeed in business.”
Carol clutched his arm tighter as her foot slipped on a patch of
ice. “Oh, she also said all the young girls had been dying to date
you.”

Taylor breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, not
all.”

They neared the service station in town where
he had left their skiing equipment. Taylor talked with Joe while he
waited for the transportation the mechanic had arranged to take
them to the slopes.

It was a damn pain not having a car!

Once they were at Devil's Mountain, Taylor
escorted Carol over to the bunny slopes where she would receive her
first ski lesson. He paid the instructor, then gave Carol a quick
kiss before skiing over to the lifts. He was anxious to get in the
fresh air and stretch his lazy muscles. He’d been trying to find
relaxation when he planned this trip, but that wasn’t to be. He
felt every tense muscle in his body.

He'd be glad when Carol could ski beside him.
He knew he didn't have the patience to teach her, so he’d hired the
very best instructor. She’d have a much better time with the
instructor, or so he’d convinced himself...

How quickly he'd forgotten about Carol this
morning. He was simply letting his hormones overrule his head. Yet
this morning when he'd been with Brenna, it had seemed like old
times. But it was just that ... old times.

Carol. He needed to keep thinking of Carol.
She'd make him a perfect wife. He tried to picture their beautiful
home and Carol taking care of their children, but the picture
wouldn't come. So what was the problem?

He was the problem.

His mood darkened as he waited impatiently
for the chair lift. This trip wasn't turning out like he'd planned.
Every woman who walked by reminded him of Brenna, and he was
beginning to think he'd lost what sanity he had left. He expected
to see Brenna jump out at him at any second. He'd been damned
stupid to even think of kissing her this morning. She had changed.
The shy girl he'd known a few years ago had disappeared. Now, she
was a woman, and the years had enhanced her features. Her
confidence showed in the special tilt of her chin when she stood
her ground this morning with Lisa. He smiled as he remembered the
defiance in her eyes last night when he'd been rude in the dining
room. He had the feeling if he’d been alone, she wouldn’t have been
so polite.

But where had it all gone wrong?

That question stuck in his side like a thorn.
She had loved him, he knew that, but after her parents were killed
in a scandalous murder Brenna had become withdrawn. He had tried to
be there for her. Perhaps, he didn't try hard enough. He'd been up
to his ears in a bank merger and had spent many nights working
late. He should have said ... to hell with the bank. Is that when
she had turned to someone else? A thousand questions darted through
his mind.

He was a man obsessed.

Arriving at the top of the mountain, the cold
air surrounded him, whistling in his ears. He planted his ski poles
and adjusted the goggles over his eyes. The sky had begun to change
to a light gray and the clouds appeared heavy with snow.

Just before he shoved off, Taylor thought he
heard Brenna, and he turned around only to find two young ladies
talking. His mind should be on Carol, but it wasn't. And that fact
bothered him ... a lot.

Taylor spent the rest of the day exerting his
energy against the snow. He skied the slopes with vengeance, trying
hard to extract the black-headed angel from his soul, his heart,
and hopefully his life.

Chapter Four

After Brenna's meeting with Carol, the rest
of the day went by normally. There were meals to plan and cleaning
to do, and laundry--there was always laundry to wash and fold and
put up.

The evening meal had been served and the
guests were finishing their dinners. Now was a good time to make
her announcement.

“
Ladies and gentlemen,”
Brenna announced, then waited a moment for everyone to stop
talking. “We have an extra-special surprise for our guests tonight.
We will have two horse-drawn sleighs parked out front in about ten
minutes. For those of you who would like an old-fashioned treat and
a spectacular view of our town. Bundle up, and I'll meet you out by
the front gate.”

The excited chatter followed her as she
walked through the hallway. “Lisa,” she called to her sister. “Run
up stairs and get our heavy winter coats and don't forget the
gloves.”

Brenna proceeded into the kitchen where
Geraldine was putting up pots and pans. “Well, it looks like you
had a good idea,” Brenna said before picking a tea cake off a
silver tray and taking a bite.

“
Child, all my ideas are
good.” Geraldine chuckled.

“
Nevertheless, I appreciate
your sons providing us with this entertainment. Especially since
it's so cheap.”

“
I can't imagine why we
didn't think of such a thing until now.”

“
Me either.” Brenna washed
the cake down with some cold milk. “I'm looking forward to getting
out. I've never been on a sleigh ride before,” Brenna said wiping
off her milk mustache. “Are you coming?”

“
Heavens sake no.”
Geraldine slipped the apron over her head and laid it on the back
of a chair. “I'm goin' to get a hot cup of coffee, put my feet up,
and rest these here weary bones.” Pulling out a chair, she said,
“I'll ride the sleigh home tonight.”

Brenna laughed as Geraldine propped her feet
on the opposite chair and let out a long sigh. She left the cook
with a hot cup of coffee and went back to the foyer to meet her
sister.

Lisa waited by the front door, holding the
coats in her arms and peeking out the window. She turned around as
Brenna approached. “Are you going skiing tomorrow?”

“
I thought I would,” Brenna
answered as she took her gloves and coat.

“
Good.” Lisa smiled. “You
don't ski much anymore.”

“
I know. But I promise we
will have fun. Tomorrow after breakfast, I'm going to take the rest
of the day off. I don't remember the last time I took a break.”
Brenna slipped on her silver fox coat and buttoned the front. She
had loved the fur from the first moment Taylor had given it to her.
Frowning, Brenna thought maybe she shouldn't wear the coat, but it
was the warmest thing she had so she brushed aside her doubts.
Besides, he probably wouldn't remember the thing. After all, that
had been four years ago, she thought as she pulled on her
gloves.

Moving out to the porch, she watched as her
guests filed into the vehicles. Brenna waited to make sure everyone
had a seat before she stepped up to the last sleigh.

When she placed her foot on the step, a deep
voice said, “Here grab my hand.”

Brenna's head swung up, and all she could see
were those damn blue eyes. Dressed in a beige cashmere coat and a
white silk scarf that hung casually around his neck, Taylor leaned
over and waited for her to take his hand. She had tried her best to
stay away from him, but now she was touching him and remembering
this morning when they had started to do more than just touch.

Taylor wasn't smiling. As a matter of fact,
he was frowning at her, which left Brenna wondering what she'd done
this time. Was he remembering, too? As she held up her hand, she
realized it wasn't a look she had seen before.