Snowed In With A Billionaire

“If you’ll stop criticizing my footwear choices, I’ll let you drive me up.”

“Deal.”

“The code is 6274.”

He punched in the numbers and the tall wrought iron gate pulled back behind a towering stone pillar topped with a craftsman light fixture. The car crept ahead, but with this much power under the hood, he was careful not to gun it. The house was impressive as they approached, with tall windows peeking out from under at least a dozen gables, supported by honed timber trusses. The roof was blanketed in snow, the exterior clad in cedar shakes and trim. This gorgeous mountain lodge could likely sleep twenty people comfortably.

“Beautiful home you have here. It reminds me of my place in Switzerland. Of course, the skiing over there is better, but I wanted a quick getaway this Christmas, so my house in Vail seemed like the right choice.”

“Oh. Um. This isn’t my house. It belongs to friends of mine.”

“Who are your friends? Maybe I know them.”

“Uh. The Santiago family? They’re letting me stay here for a while.” Her voice was a bit shaky and unsure. Maybe she really had been hurt in the fall.

“Hmm. I don’t know them. You’re staying here by yourself?”

“Well, yes. Wanted some time to myself. Life gets crazy.” Joy collected her things and opened her car door. “Thank you, again.” She turned back to him only this time, there was a momentary connection difficult to ignore.

“Of course. It’s the least I can do.” Something about this wasn’t right. “Hey. Is it okay if we exchange numbers? I want you to be able to call me if you aren’t feeling well.”

She pressed her lips together like she was trying to escape a deeply uncomfortable situation. “How about I just take your number?”

Fair enough. “Sure thing.” He rattled off the digits and she put it into her phone, or at least he thought she did.

With that, she climbed out, closed her door, and scaled the grand sweep of stone stairs leading up to the front porch. Joy was tall, her legs long and lithe, but she looked tiny compared to the massive wood double door. She keyed her way in and as soon as she disappeared inside, he put the car into Reverse and backed up. Her sweet fragrance lingered—an aroma like spun sugar. It’d been months since he’d been on a date with a woman, and even just a few minutes with Joy was going to haunt him. He had a sense she was holding back or hiding something.

Hopefully, it wasn’t that she’d been hurt in the accident.

Two

Joy flipped the dead bolt and collapsed against the door. That had been entirely too close a call. When Rafe Marshall, Mariella’s son, had said she could stay in the house, he’d been explicit about one thing—no one could know she was there. His mother would kill him if she found out he’d given sanctuary to someone who’d dared to quit her employ, and the Marshalls knew a lot of people in Vail. A lot of very wealthy, powerful people. People like Alex.

Thank goodness she’d been quick enough to say that the house belonged to the Santiago family. Santiago was Mariella Marshall’s maiden name, and luckily did not ring a bell with Alex. Joy despised these little white lies, but she was deeply concerned about her future in the culinary world. Mariella Marshall could kill her entire career, everything she’d worked so hard for, with one or two well-placed phone calls.

Joy raced to the window and pulled back the heavy gold tapestry drape, peeking outside. The red of Alex’s taillights glowed in the dark as his car cleared the gate. As soon as the wrought iron barrier completed its trip back across the driveway, she felt as though she could breathe. He was gone. Unbelievably hot Prince Charming had flown the coop. And that was a good thing, however disappointing it might seem. She’d been lonely since she’d come to Colorado. She hadn’t had a single in-person conversation that hadn’t revolved around working at the bakery. Some time with a personable, good-looking man would have been welcome. It would have been wonderful, actually.

Not for you, she reminded herself as she dropped her bag, traveled down the hall, and walked upstairs to the bedroom she’d been staying in. Rich guys were just asking for trouble. She’d met her fair share working in the restaurant world. Whether it was wealthy owners, investors or customers, men with money were too accustomed to getting whatever they wanted, when they wanted it. Joy was too bullheaded to ever put up with that.

If anything, having a man make demands sent Joy running in the opposite direction. Case in point, her hometown ex-boyfriend. He hadn’t had money, but he’d always had control. Getting away from him had been a harrowing experience. It still wasn’t over. Money and her car were obstacles, but he was the big reason she couldn’t go home at Christmas. There were no secrets in her small town. He always found out when she returned, and then he’d start circling in on her. It was best to stay away, however sad and lonely it made her to not be with her family.

Joy removed her work clothes, turned on the shower and stepped inside, closing the glass door behind her. The spray was the ideal temperature, with the perfect amount of water pressure to soothe her aching muscles. Baking was hard work, physically exhausting, possibly even more so than being a chef. Taking a mile-long hike up a mountain and ultimately landing in a snowbank had been a less-than-ideal way to end her day. She felt every bit of it.

Even though this house had unlimited hot water, she decided she couldn’t spend her entire evening in the shower. She climbed out, curled her toes into the plush bath mat, and wrapped herself up in the fluffy white towel. Everything in this house was the finest quality. Every element was chosen with an eye for luxury and comfort, and she would’ve been lying if she’d said that she didn’t appreciate every second of it.

Mariella’s daughter Elana’s bathroom was a perfect example—marble-topped vanity with custom cherry cabinetry, a shower with a waterfall head and shimmery glass tile. There was even a towel warmer. Joy didn’t use it often. It was more of a treat, which was a silly notion, but Joy didn’t want to get too accustomed to this life. She wouldn’t have it for long.

She grabbed her robe from the hook and towel-dried her hair, studying herself in the mirror. Some days it was a necessary reminder of who she was and what she was. She was Joy McKinley, a hardworking girl from Ohio. She did not come from a house like this, nor would she live in a house like this. Pipe dreams didn’t get anyone anywhere. Hard work did. She most definitely was not Joy Baker, invited guest of the Marshall family and woman perfectly at home staying by herself in a sprawling estate. She’d only let Alex believe those things because she was covering her tracks and he was nothing more than an acquaintance. A ridiculously sexy one, but a stranger nonetheless.

The security system control panel on the bathroom wall dinged. Joy jumped. Someone was at the door. Her pulse took off in a sprint. Anyone who arrived on her doorstep had already passed through the gate. Had someone from the Marshall family arrived without their key? Had Mariella Marshall invited friends to stay here, leaving Joy to explain herself and hightail it out of there? She jabbed the button for the security camera. Alex came into view in pixelated black and white. Relief washed over her, followed by a jolt of excitement. But why was he back?

“Hello?” she asked into the intercom.

“Hi. It’s Alex. From before. The car? The hill?” He was so adorable, talking into the doorbell instead of looking up at the security camera.

“Yes. I remember.”

“I got halfway home and I had to turn around. Are you sure you’re okay?”

She waited to answer. She really wanted to invite him in. She wanted to have a real conversation. If he didn’t want to talk, she could just stare at him for a while or maybe she could convince him that a brief make-out session with a stranger was totally normal. “I feel fine. I think.”

“See? That’s a problem. I think I should call 911. This could be serious.”

“No. Please don’t do that.”

“Can you come to the door and talk to me?”

He was the most insistent man she’d been around in a long time. “Fine. I’m coming.” Down the stairs she thundered. She opened the door but quickly remembered she was wearing a bathrobe and nothing else, and stopped herself from flinging it wide open. She greeted him by poking her head out through the narrow opening. “I’m fine.” The soft amber glow from the porch lights made him even more movie star handsome. It was going to hurt to tell him to go away.

“It doesn’t seem like you should be by yourself right now,” he said.

“I told you I’m fine.” Except that she wasn’t entirely sure she was. Her neck still felt tight, even after that long shower, and she had a headache brewing.

He pursed his lips and looked down at the ground for a moment. “I think you should see a doctor.”

“That’s not necessary. I just need to get some sleep.”

“Are you positive you didn’t hit your head? If you have a head injury, it could be a bad idea to go to sleep.”

Good God, he was persistent. “It was snow. Nothing hard to hit my head on.”

He moved his face closer to hers, studying her. The breath hitched in her throat. He had a really sexy mouth. Totally worth kissing. What if they ended up having that make-out session after all? “It seems like your pupils are pretty dilated.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that. It’s not like I can see my own eyes right now. Nor do I even know what it means if they are, in fact, dilated.”

“Can I please come in for a moment? I promise I’m not wielding an axe.”

She sighed and opened the door wider, the brutally cold air rushing in behind him. The snow was coming down even harder now, which she hadn’t thought possible. “Have you ever noticed that murderers don’t carry an axe, they wield it?”

“It just occurred to me that I shouldn’t have used axe-murderer terminology. I’m sorry. I swear I’m a good guy.” His smile was extra convincing. Alex wasn’t a threat, although she might pass out from how blindingly perfect his mouth was.

Joy couldn’t imagine finding a reason to put Alex off, even when logic said she should. That smile had done something to her. It had left a chink in her armor. “Please. Come in. You must be freezing. It’s horrible out there.”

He shook snow from his hair and stomped his boots on the foyer rug. “Yeah, the forecast isn’t looking good.” His eyes dipped south, then returned to her face. “It’s much nicer in here.”

A vaguely familiar tingle zipped through her. Was he flirting with her? Was Prince Charming making the moves? A breath of cold air crossed her shoulders and she realized then that the top of her robe had gaped quite significantly. It wasn’t a full-on wardrobe malfunction, but it wasn’t far off. She quickly covered up and re-cinched the tie. Embarrassment covered her from head to toe.

“Can I make you a cup of tea?” She wasn’t sure what else to offer the man who’d showed up at her door again.

“That would be great, but I was hoping we could call my doctor together. I’ll feel a lot better about things if you just talk to him.”

“So I don’t have to go anywhere?”

“Nope. You can do this from the comfort of your own home.”

My own home. If only. “Okay. Do you want to have a seat in the living room while I run upstairs and get dressed?”

“You don’t have to change on my account. I think you look pretty amazing just as you are.”

There it was again—that flirtatious lilt to his voice. Or maybe he was just one of those men whose every comment came off with an edge of innuendo. Regardless of whether he was trying hard or not, she had a deep desire to comb her fingers through his hair, if only to learn whether it was as thick as it looked. It’d been more than a year since she’d been with a man, and that one had been a deeply disappointing kisser—weak lips and a hesitant tongue. If a man was going to kiss her, she wanted him to go for it. Send a message. Alex looked like he could knock a woman off her heels with a single kiss. And here they were, all alone in this big beautiful house, she in a near state of undress.

“You’re sweet, but I think it would be best if I was wearing something that more closely resembled clothes. I’ll be right back.”

She turned and darted up the stairs, mumbling to herself, “What in the hell are you doing? Why did you let him inside? That was really, really dumb. We’re going to call his doctor? At night? How weird is that?”

Learning firsthand how adept Alex was at talking her into something, she needed to remain on her toes. She also needed to remain calm and allow him to leave of his own accord. Making a stink was a good way to arouse suspicion, and she didn’t want to give him any reason to decide she was acting strangely or quite possibly didn’t belong in this house. For all she knew, he’d call the police. Surely a guy as thorough and conscientious as Alex wouldn’t even hesitate to turn her in if he thought she wasn’t on the up-and-up. She had to do her best to appear to belong here. She had to make things seem as normal as possible, then hope he would leave so she could return to her sad, but relatively safe existence where she still got to sleep in an amazing bed.

Dressed in far less revealing pajama pants, tank top and hoodie, Joy hurried back downstairs. As she turned the corner for the living room, she saw the glow and heard the crackle of a fire in the hearth. She hadn’t bargained on Alex making himself at home. “Oh. You built a fire.”

“Well, yeah. Look at it out there.” He tossed his head toward the long wall of the living room, where the windows soared to the top of the cathedral ceiling and stood in single file like soldiers. The night sky was a midnight blue, dotted with fat, glowing snowflakes. “That’s half the point of having a mountain house. To build a roaring fire when it’s snowing.”

Except that building a fire created a wisp of smoke that trailed from the chimney, letting anyone who might happen to drive by know that someone was staying there. Sure, it was a long shot, but if that person knew the Marshalls and decided to stop by or call Mariella to ask how long she’d be in town? That would be very bad. She not only didn’t make a habit of lighting the wood-burning fireplaces, she’d been careful to use as few lights as possible. “Um. Sure. It’s very nice.”

“I thought so.” He plopped down on one of two sprawling sectional couches, each covered in plush tapestry fabric in shades of taupe and rust. He pulled out his phone. “Come. Sit. We’ll call the doctor.” He patted the sofa cushion right next to him.

This was officially the strangest situation Joy had ever been in, but she’d be lying if she’d said she didn’t want to sit close to him without a car’s center console between them. “Okay.” She carefully took the seat next to him. It was impossible not to fixate on his warm and masculine smell, or just how big his hands were as he cradled the phone.

The screen came to life, showing a tiny picture of the two of them in the bottom corner. She couldn’t help but notice that they looked cute together, even when he was dressed nicely in a black sweater and jeans while she was in her PJs. “A video call?”

“Well, yeah. He’s probably going to want to see you. I figured this is easier.”

Another face popped onto the screen, a face so familiar that Joy had to blink several times to be certain she was seeing who she was seeing. Holy crap. This was no regular doctor. This was Dr. David, the doctor who made a living on the TV talk show circuit. He was the guy every network called when there was a big health scare and people needed someone impossibly good-looking to talk them off the ledge. “Alex? Are you seriously calling me from Vail? Shouldn’t you be hitting the slopes?” Dr. David asked.

Oh, great. Alex isn’t just a guy with a super expensive car and a house in Switzerland. He’s on a first-name basis with celebrities. What world am I living in, anyway?

Alex laughed. “I’ve been doing some of that, but I was calling because I have a friend who might have hit her head. I was hoping you could talk to her.”

He tilted the phone in Joy’s direction, and she had no choice but to wave and say, “Hi. I’m the friend. I’m Joy.”

“Hello, Joy. I’m Dr. David.”

Well, duh. Another wave of embarrassment hit her. She was sure his first question was going to be why her cheeks were flaming red. “Hi, Dr. David.” She did her best to pass it off as if she chatted with ridiculously famous people every day.

“Tell me what’s going on,” he said.

Joy glanced over at Alex. He looked so uncertain and worried, it made it hard to know what to say. He was concerned about her. That was why he’d come back. This revelation was sweet, but dangerous. Joy needed to be invisible right now, not attracting attention.

* * *

Alex listened as Joy told the story of the near-accident. With every word out of her mouth, he felt exponentially guiltier. She’d really, truly been in harm’s way and it had all been his fault. He quite literally could have killed her. He could have ended the life of this beautiful woman. The weight of that sat squarely on his shoulders. Call it his biggest fear, but ever since he’d been a kid, he’d worried about making a choice that would lead to an irreversible mistake. If he hadn’t decided to go for a drive, Joy wouldn’t have ended up in the snowbank.

As reluctant as she’d seemed to accept help, he would have to insist on whatever Dr. David’s orders were. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Dr. David was nodding and writing down some notes. “Okay, well, it sounds to me like you’re going to be okay. It doesn’t sound like you’ve sustained any kind of serious injury.”

Joy sighed and her shoulders dropped in relief. “Oh, good. Thank you.”

“That being said, you should not be alone over the next 24 hours. If something crops up, you’ll need help to get to the nearest medical center.”

Now Joy didn’t seem quite so happy. “I’m staying by myself right now, but it’s not a big deal. You said it yourself. It sounds like I haven’t sustained any real injury.”

“But I can’t be certain of that without examining you myself. I think it’s best if Alex stays with you if his schedule allows.”

The ramifications of that sank in quickly, but Alex knew David was right. She shouldn’t be alone. Just to be on the safe side. He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to her. “I’m on vacation, so I have nowhere else I need to be. I’m happy to do it.”

“We’re supposed to get a lot of snow tonight,” Joy pled. “You could get stuck here.”

Again, this was not the sort of reaction Alex was used to. Most women did everything they could to spend time with him. It wasn’t a boastful bit of information; it was merely the truth. “That’s quite literally the last thing I’m worried about right now.”

“I’m sure you two can work it out,” David said. “Call me at this time tomorrow and let me know how the patient is doing. And Alex, if you need anything in the middle of the night, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll have my phone right by the bed.”

“Thanks so much. You’re a real lifesaver,” Alex replied. “We’ll call you tomorrow.” With that, he ended the call.

Joy sat back on the couch and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m fine. Really, I am.”

“I know. I know. I still think we have to play it safe.”

She twisted her lips and tucked her leg under herself.

“We could play cards. Or watch TV. Or talk. You must get lonely living in this big house by yourself.” It occurred to him then that he’d assumed that since she was alone, she’d always be alone. “Oh, wait. Do you have someone coming to stay with you? For the holidays? A boyfriend? A husband?”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Is that your way of asking if I’m taken?”

He wasn’t convinced it had been a bad approach. He shrugged and kicked off his shoes. Might as well make himself comfortable. “Well? Are you?”

“No. I’m not. I’m too focused on my career for a man right now anyway.”

Judging by the generosity of the friends who were letting her stay in their house, Joy must have a pretty big and successful career. “What do you do? No. Wait. Let me guess.” He studied her face, trying to keep his eyes from drifting to her other pleasing features like the graceful slope of her neck, her long legs. She was definitely serious. Focused. But she also had this girl-next-door vibe that was not only super sexy, it wasn’t entirely congruous with being a bigwig. “Entrepreneur. You started some company that went through the roof. Organic cosmetics or maybe yoga wear?”

She shook her head. “You couldn’t be more off base if you tried.”

“Well, you’re definitely a huge success, whatever it is that you do. That’s pretty obvious.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m a huge success, but I get by.”

She was modest. He liked that. Most people in his circles were eager to rattle off their pedigree and accomplishments, whether they’d worked hard for them or not. Joy was a lovely change of pace. “Oh, come on. You’re spending time in this huge house all by yourself. You obviously have some very successful friends, and in my experience, successful people attract other successful people. Plus, you just have that air about you.”

She narrowed her skeptical eyes. “That air?”

Alex let out a frustrated sigh. He wasn’t doing particularly well for himself. Nothing he said seemed to be clicking. “You seem very comfortable here in a home like this, that’s all. That’s a sign of someone who’s had some success.”

Joy pulled her leg up and set her foot on the edge of the couch. Her toes were painted a deep red that made his pulse race. She was certainly a beguiling creature. She rested her chin on her knee and cast a thoughtful look at him. “What about you? What does Alex Townsend do?”

Part of him wanted to ignore her reply and circle back to her. She hadn’t really answered his question. She might have an even greater sense of humility than he’d realized. Or perhaps there was stress and strain involved with her occupation, and now that it was the holidays, she simply wanted a break, a concept with which he was intimately familiar. After all, she was staying in this big house all by herself at Christmas. If anything said, “I need to be alone,” it was that. “I work in finance. Investments. It’s my family’s business, but I’m running it right now. It’s not the most thrilling career, but it’s what my family has always done.”

“Are you close with your family?”

“I’m very close with my brothers. We all work together. My dad retired last year and put me in charge, but he’s not doing a very good job of being a retired person.”

“Has to keep his nose in everything?”

It was a constant point of friction, the most difficult part of Alex’s day. As the oldest Townsend son, he’d always been heir apparent to Townsend & Associates Investments. He’d looked forward to the day when his father would finally step aside and let Alex take the reins. Unfortunately, his dad second-guessed him constantly, especially now that Alex was putting his own stamp on the company and changing things, making their operation more modern and more equitable among the employees. “Yeah. You could say that. I keep hoping it’ll get better. It’s only been a little more than a year since I took over.”

“Sometimes parents can be overbearing. Mine were not happy when I decided to go to culinary school.”

“So you’re a chef? I wasn’t that off base.”

“You’re were pretty off base.” She nodded. “At the moment, my focus is baking.”

“Hold on a second. You’re Joy Baker, the baker?” He couldn’t hold back his grin. There was something extremely adorable about this revelation.

“Yes, although I’m not sure why that is so funny. I’m classically trained. Cooking is my passion. My grandmother instilled that in me.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make light of it.”

“Well, it’s important to me.”

Alex was again having a hard time not smiling. He loved her fire, and how nice it must be to have a family connection to a career that didn’t involve money and was rather related to something homey or creative. “So if it’s so important, why didn’t you parents approve?” She averted her eyes, and Alex fought his first inclination, which was to think that a woman was hiding something when she looked away. It had become a habit, one he was desperate to be rid of. He wanted to trust. He truly did.