A Very Crimson Christmas (Crimson, Colorado 4) (3 page)

Her friends looked skeptical but didn’t argue with her.

“Whatever you need, we’re here,” Katie said. “Promise you won’t go forward alone.”

Natalie gave a jerky nod and wiped her fingers across her cheeks. “I’m going to make this right.” She just hoped she could do it before her life blew up any more than it already had.

* * *

Liam walked out the front door of Ruth’s house later that night, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. He’d brought her home after she won several rounds of bingo. He’d promptly fallen asleep in her bedroom’s big recliner as they watched reruns of
I Love Lucy
. She was fast asleep when he’d woken up a few minutes ago.

It was almost midnight as he pulled his phone out of his coat pocket. Several texts had come through from his latest ex-girlfriend, asking to see him again. Gretchen had called herself his girlfriend, although they’d only dated a couple of weeks before he’d ended things. Liam hadn’t allowed himself to have a serious girlfriend since—well, since Natalie had chosen Crimson over him.

Seeing her boy had been like a swift kick to the gut for Liam. Long ago, he’d imagined himself as the father of Natalie’s children. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago. He looked over his shoulder at the dark house. Liam’s chest tightened at the thought of Natalie curled up asleep inside. He tipped back his head, marveling at the amount of stars in the sky above him even as his lungs burned from the frosty air. He’d forgotten that about Crimson, both the hollow cold of night and how clear the sky could be without the city lights in the distance.

As he turned for his SUV, he noticed a light on in the workshop that sat at the barn across the driveway. He started toward it, then noticed a woman’s frame silhouetted in the window. Natalie.

He watched her for several minutes, her hair pulled back in a messy bun and wearing a faded chambray shirt rolled up to her elbows. Memory sparked in his mind, and he smiled as he headed for the door to the barn’s workshop.

Natalie didn’t notice him come in and he realized she had earbuds in her ears as she hummed softly along with music he couldn’t hear. She held a pair of needle-nose pliers in one hand as she twisted a thin wire held under a bright light. After a moment, she reached for a bead from a case in front of her. She glanced up, and her gaze crashed into his.

She screamed, slapping one hand to her chest as the earbuds ripped out of her ears. Her fingers upended the jar of beads, which went flying in all directions.

“Sorry,” Liam said, although he wasn’t sorry to not be the only one in the room with a racing heart, even if it was for an entirely different reason. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” That much was true.

“What are you still doing here?”

“I fell asleep watching TV with Ruth. Someone put a blanket over me.”

She took several deep breaths, her chest rising and falling in a way that made his mouth go dry. “I check on her before I go to bed each night.”

“You’re not in bed.”

“So observant, Liam.”

“And you’re wearing my shirt.”

At this, her gaze dropped. “Was this old thing yours?” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’d forgotten.”

He didn’t bother to call her out on the lie. “It was my favorite.”

“Want it back?”

“It looks better on you.” He crouched down and began collecting the scattered beads from the floor. “As I remember, most of my clothes did.”

She also picked up beads, and Liam found the silence oddly companionable. That was until the waistband of her jeans slipped down her hips and he got a flash of creamy skin again. He forced his thoughts away from her and focused only on reaching for the last of the beads.

But as he came around the table and straightened, he found himself directly in front of Natalie. She stood totally still, her hand holding steady the bowl of beads. He dropped the ones he’d collected in and interlaced his fingers with hers, drawing his thumb along the calluses on the pads of her fingers.

“How long have you made jewelry?”

“A few years now,” she whispered with a self-deprecating smile. “I don’t sleep much and it relaxes me.”

“You have talent.”

“It’s just for fun.”

He let out a bark of laughter. “I don’t believe that for a minute. When was the last time you did something just for fun?”

Her mouth tightened as she looked deep into his eyes. “You were the last thing I did just for fun, Liam.”

Despite how wrong it was, he wanted to be that for her again. He smoothed back the hair from her face and leaned forward. She closed her eyes, but instead of taking her mouth the way he wanted, he kissed the edge of her lips, then the tiny birthmark on the side of her temple. Her skin was as soft as he remembered, and she smelled like everything that had ever been good in his life.

When she turned her face toward his, he couldn’t resist anymore. He claimed her mouth, gently exploring her with his lips and tongue. She opened for him and he delved in, reveling in the feel of her in his arms once again.

Before things became too heated, she pulled away. Liam nearly groaned, but he took a step back. One thing he knew for certain about Natalie was that if he pushed too hard and too quickly, she’d only retreat further.

“My life isn’t simple anymore,” she said quietly.

“I don’t want to be a complication.”

She took a breath and raised her hand as if to touch him before pulling away. “I think I know what happened to Ruth’s money.”

He stiffened.

“I didn’t take it. I promise.”

“Tell me everything.”

She shook her head. “I can’t until I know for sure.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you’ll have to trust me.” She dropped her gaze to the floor, then back to him. “Please, Liam.”

Trust her? The last time Liam trusted Natalie it had been with his heart, and it ended up crushed into a million pieces. But in the quiet of this evening, he didn’t want to fight. Right now he remembered all the reasons he’d first been attracted to her, how she’d pulled him to her in a way no woman had before or since.

“I’ve rented a house outside of town for a month. You have that much time to get this figured out, but you have to promise me that no more of Ruth’s money will go missing in the meantime.”

She gave a small nod. “Don’t you usually stay in Aspen when you visit?”

So she had kept track of him, at least a tiny bit. The knowledge gave him a rush. He’d always stayed in the nearby town using the excuse that it was more to his taste than homey, quaint Crimson. The real reason was standing in front of him. He had never trusted himself to be so close to Natalie, hadn’t wanted to chance running into her around town. Now he realized how foolish that had been. Even if she wasn’t standing in front of him, she had never been far from his mind, no matter what he’d told himself.

“I wanted to be closer on this trip. If she weren’t so stubborn, I’d have her living with me now. Or in the room at Evergreen I get billed for every month.”

“I thought you knew about her arrangement there. Really I did. But she loves this place. It’s her home.”

He shook his head. “I’ve never understood the concept of home.”

“What do your parents think of you looking at Crimson as a headquarters for the new company?” She bit down on her lower lip as she waited for his answer, a gesture of concern he recognized from long ago.

It took him a minute to follow her words, as her teeth tugging against that full mouth distracted him. “I haven’t mentioned it to them.”

“They won’t like it.”

“This company is mine,” he told her. “It’s none of my parents’ business where I locate it.”

“You’ve had a lot of success, Liam. You’ve accomplished so much in the past ten years.”

“Have you kept track of my career, Nat?” The thought gave him another jolt of adrenaline.

“We do get news in Crimson. Donovan Enterprises is kind of a big deal. A Fortune 500 software company.”

It was also the company his father had founded, and Liam was reminded every day that he was lucky to be riding the family coattails. Even when the innovations and products he’d spearheaded had led to much of the company’s recent success. That’s why this new venture was so important to him and why his father didn’t know anything about it.

“Plus Ruth brags about you to anyone who will listen.”

“She does?”

“Ruth is very proud of you. Being your nanny, helping to raise you, was special to her. I’m sure she’s going to take full credit for convincing you to bring more jobs to Crimson.”

That got his attention and not in a good way. “I said I’m considering Crimson,” he clarified. “Nothing is decided yet.”

“I know.” She smiled. “She’ll take credit anyway.”

“You really care about her?”

She nodded. “Of course. She’s a wonderful person.” Her smile faded. “My relationship with my mother has never been great. It means a lot to me, and to Austin, to have someone like Ruth in our lives.”

She was right, of course. His nanny had been a huge bright spot in his life when he was a kid, even if he hadn’t appreciated it at the time. She’d helped raise his father then come back to work for his parents when Liam was six. Even as a young kid, his mom and dad hadn’t had time for him. Ruth always had. A little voice inside him said Natalie might fall into the same category, but he silenced it before he had no choice but to listen.

He took a step back and forced himself to focus on why he’d come to Crimson in the first place. “I’m here for Ruth, Natalie. I’ll give you time because she seems to trust you. But she’s my priority. I won’t let anyone take advantage of her and I’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure she’s okay. Remember that.”

Her gaze shuttered and Liam cursed himself for pushing her away so quickly, even when he knew it was the right thing to do.

“Got it.” She gave him a mock salute. “I’m expendable if it comes to that. Nothing much has changed on that front, so I won’t get confused.” She turned back to her worktable. “I work an afternoon shift at Evergreen tomorrow. If you want to be here while I’m gone, Ruth would appreciate the company. Otherwise, I can take her with me.”

All superficial business. That’s what he wanted from his relationship with Natalie, so why did it irritate him to have her speak so curtly? “I’ll be here,” he answered, unwilling to give away his feelings. If she could shut him out so easily, he could do the same.

“Good night, Liam.” Her hand reached out for the pliers once again. Liam wondered if he imagined the slight tremble in her fingers.

She was dismissing him, much like she’d done back in high school. Fine. He couldn’t care less. He turned, forcing himself not to look back at her, and walked out into the night.

Chapter Three

L
iam was up for an early run Monday morning despite the layer of frost and temperature that made his lungs burn. The way he was huffing air as he got back to the house he’d rented reminded him that Crimson sat at an almost nine-thousand-foot altitude, tucked high into the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

He’d acclimate within a few days, he told himself as he came into the large, modern kitchen overlooking the valley below. Sun bounced off the snow that blanketed the trees and mountainside, almost blinding in its brightness. It looked like a picture postcard for a winter wonderland. He wiped his forehead on the back of his jacket sleeve and reached for a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

“I made coffee,” a voice said from behind him.

“You still on central time, too?” He turned to his assistant, Tanner Black, who was frowning at the screen of a laptop he carried into the room.

Tanner was a few years older than Liam and had been his right-hand man for almost four years. Liam’s father had a habit of taking his bad moods out on the people who worked for him. The first time Liam had seen Tanner, the other man had intervened when Michael Donovan was in the midst of a tirade that had brought a young secretary to tears. Who knew what the woman had done—not gotten Michael’s coffee order exactly right, answered the phone on the third ring instead of the second. When Michael went off, nothing rational seemed to matter.

Liam had been about to step in when Tanner, a junior project manager at the company, had come forward and given Liam’s father a stern lecture in his no-nonsense way. Tanner had been fired on the spot, but Liam had rehired him just as quickly. He knew how valuable it would prove to have someone in his corner who wasn’t afraid of Michael Donovan.

Tanner had quickly become indispensable to Liam. He was a great project manager, a forward thinker and one of the few people in the company Liam trusted implicitly. He’d helped every step of the way with the new company and understood why Liam needed to break off from the “father ship,” as he referred to Donovan Enterprises.

“Sleep is overrated.” Tanner placed the computer on the counter and filled a mug with coffee. He wore a charcoal-gray suit with a tailored shirt and red tie. Even in the mountains, Tanner insisted on dressing for business. “All things are possible with enough coffee as fuel. Don’t forget the Skype meeting today with the investors. You need to lock these guys up so we can move forward with a development plan for the new app.”

Liam nodded. “No problem. They won’t want to miss this opportunity.”

“Because your father pushed them out before the last stock split at Donovan Enterprises?”

“That’s one of several reasons.”

Tanner lifted a blond brow. “Do you have a plan for breaking the news to dear old dad?”

“Not yet.” Liam grabbed a muffin from the box on the counter and bit into it, the texture moist and the flavor out of this world. He looked at the name imprinted on the box, Life is Sweet. He remembered the small downtown bakery from his time in Crimson but didn’t remember the shop offering anything like this.

“It’s good, right?” Tanner asked with a smile. “You should try one of her cookies. I half fell in love with the woman who runs the place because of the way she bakes.”

“And...” Liam prompted.

“And it doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous.”

If Liam had a quarter for all the women Tanner “half fell in love with,” he’d have the money to fund his new company all on his own.

“Why didn’t you tell me Crimson was such a great town? Whenever we were in Aspen, you went out of your way not to spend time here.” Tanner snagged a muffin. “I think it has a great vibe.”

“Good,” Liam answered, “because I want you to look into headquartering the new company here.”

Tanner’s mouth dropped open. “I meant a great vibe for a weekend away. You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? I bet the town will offer incentives, the location will attract the kind of people we want working on the GPS software and it keeps us far away from Donovan Enterprises.”

“And...” Tanner used the same tone Liam had a few minutes earlier.

“And I told my nanny part of why I was staying in town was because I might start the company here.”

“Bold move.” Tanner broke off a piece of muffin and popped it into his mouth. “Are you serious?”

“I’m serious about making her believe it could happen.” Liam took a long drink of coffee, not wanting to admit how much the idea of once again calling Crimson his home appealed to him.

“Got it. How was bingo?” Tanner asked with a smile.

“A rocking good time.” Liam spun the laptop around and logged into his email.

“Is there anything more you want me to check out regarding where your nanny is spending her money or who’s taking it?”

Natalie’s soft “please” came to Liam’s mind, along with her big melted-chocolate eyes. Eyes that were haunted and hiding something. “Not yet.” He let out a small laugh as he checked his in-box for new messages. “I’ll be damned, word does travel fast from the bingo hall.”

“Can you translate that sentence into English?” Tanner asked, pouring himself more coffee.

“What time is the investor call?”

“Noon eastern time.”

Liam nodded, flipping the laptop shut. “I’m going to have breakfast with one of the Crimson town council members. He wants to talk about my plans for headquartering LifeMap here.”

Tanner whistled. “Are there any secrets in Crimson?”

“Sure,” Liam answered as he walked toward the master suite. “They just don’t stay secrets for long.”

* * *

He walked into a homey restaurant near the center of town a half hour later, trying to ignore the excessive amount of holiday decorations strewn up and down Main Street. Or maybe they just felt excessive to Liam. He’d never been a fan of Christmas, but Crimson clearly embraced the holiday with lights and garland strung between shops and ornaments and other trimmings hanging from every window.

He looked around the oversize Christmas tree at the front of the restaurant to see Jason Crenshaw at one of the side tables. Jase had been one of the first kids Liam had met when he came to Crimson in high school. Back then, Jase was tall and lanky, a little on the nerdy side, a straight-A student and president of almost every club at the school.

Liam had liked him a lot, but at that point in his life, he was more interested in getting in trouble to hack off his parents than getting good grades, so he and Jase had gone in different directions.

Jase stood as Liam approached and reached out his hand for a hearty shake. He was still tall, at least a couple of inches over Liam’s own six-two, but he’d filled out and looked every inch the perfect representative for a town like Crimson.

Almost immediately, an older waitress came over with a coffeepot. “Drive over from Aspen, hon?” she asked, pouring steaming liquid into Liam’s mug then freshening Jase’s cup.

Liam glanced between the waitress and Jase, who shrugged. “I’m staying in Crimson,” he answered.

“Is that right? I didn’t mean any offense. But we’re a beer and burgers town. You look more the steak and fancy wine type.”

“I like beer,” Liam muttered, wondering why the woman’s assessment of him grated on his nerves. He’d put on a button-down shirt, black trousers and a dark leather jacket for this meeting, and as far as he could tell he didn’t look much different from Jase.

“Ruth Keller was Liam’s nanny for years,” Jase told the waitress.

Her eyes lit up. “The one bringing all the jobs to Crimson?” She gave him a maternal pat on the shoulder. “Breakfast is on the house for you.”

“That isn’t necessary,” Liam answered quickly. “I haven’t made a final decision. There’s a lot that goes into—”

“So you’re not starting your company here?”

Jase shook his head but smiled. “Let’s not jump the gun, Mary. We’re meeting this morning to discuss the possibility. It’s great they’re even considering Crimson.” He tapped his menu. “I’ll have the breakfast burrito with green chili, hash browns on the side.”

The waitress nodded and turned to Liam.

“I’ll have the same.”

She leaned toward Jase. “Do I buy him breakfast now or later?” she asked in a whisper that Liam could clearly hear.

“I’ll take care of the bill this morning,” Jase answered.

Satisfied with that answer, she turned from their table.

“Is there some kind of news alert in this town that everyone subscribes to?” Liam asked when she was out of earshot. “I’ve never seen something spread so quickly.”

“That’s Crimson for you.” Jase dumped a packet of sugar into his coffee. “Even if you don’t know your own business, chances are someone else can fill you in on the details.”

“How do you stand it?” As much as he was in the public eye for his job, Liam liked to keep his private dealings close to the vest. That seemed impossible in a town like Crimson.

Jase shrugged. “Keep my nose clean for one. I also know that people have good intentions for the most part. You get used to it.”

“You’ve done well here.” Liam stirred creamer into his coffee. “Of course, I think you would have done well anywhere from what I remember about your track record in high school.”

“Crimson is home for me. Always has been.” Jase watched Liam over the rim of his coffee mug. “I have to say I’m surprised to hear you’re in town for an extended stay.”

“I want to make sure Ruth gets the care she needs. She doesn’t have any family of her own.”

“Makes sense,” Jase said with a nod. “She talks about you like you’re her own flesh and blood. Are you really considering Crimson as a company headquarters?”

Liam looked around the restaurant before answering. There was a mix of customers, from families with young children, to a couple of tables of older folks, to men clearly dressed for a day on the slopes. The mood was friendly and open, much like he’d found throughout the town. His feelings about Crimson from years ago were jumbled, but he couldn’t deny that the present-day atmosphere was appealing.

“If we can make it work, I’d give it a go. But you should know this new company has nothing to do with Donovan Enterprises. My father and his money won’t be involved. I don’t know if that impacts your interest in us.” He watched Jase closely, waited for the disappointment that his father wasn’t backing LifeMap to flicker across the other man’s face. When it didn’t, Liam felt the tension ease out of his shoulders. “I’m courting investors now and hope to have financing secured by the end of the month. That’s another reason I’m in Crimson. The guys who own the venture capital company we’ve been working with are coming to Aspen to ski in a couple of weeks. I hope to meet with them in a more relaxed setting and close the deal.”

“If the deal means jobs and revenue for Crimson, I’m all for it. It’s not a sure thing on the town’s end, though. There are a couple of old-school locals on the council. They’d like to see Crimson revert back to how things were in the fifties—one stop sign in the middle of town and all that. But several of us have other ideas for the future of the town.” He leaned closer. “You should also know I’m planning on running for mayor next year.”

“This would be a damn good feather in your campaign cap.”

The waitress brought their plates at that moment. “Hope you like your green chili hot,” she said to Liam as she slid a dish with a football-size burrito smothered in green sauce in front of him. “We do things spicy here in Crimson.”

He couldn’t help but return her grin. “I like it spicy,” he answered with a wink.

She laughed. “You’ll fit in here, hon. Even if you do look like a smooth talker.”

Liam shook his head. “You have an uncanny ability to compliment and criticize in the same breath. That’s quite a skill.”

“Thank you, sweetness. I pride myself on it.”

“I love this town,” Jase said when she’d walked away again. He forked up a big bite of burrito. “It’s my home. Yes, I want to win my bid for mayor, but even more I want what’s best for Crimson.” He pointed the utensil at Liam. “If this deal works out, are you planning on sticking around longer?”

Liam took a bite of his own burrito as a way to buy himself a little time to think about his answer to that question. The idea of headquartering his new company here was just something he’d thrown out to appease his former nanny. Two days ago, he’d had no intention of spending more time in this town than was absolutely necessary. He had to admit the thought of starting LifeMap here held some appeal, even beyond making his father furious. But he couldn’t quite forget the past or how badly things had ended for him in Crimson once before. Although his anger and resentment felt as though they’d gone through a process to dull them, take down the harsh edges. He reached for the pain but couldn’t quite grasp it.

What he could remember with great detail was the way Natalie had felt in his arms last night. “There’s a long way to go before any decisions are made. I hadn’t really planned on considering Crimson as a headquarters, so we have other locations in the running, as well. I’m willing to consider this town if it can offer what we need.”

“What exactly is it you need, Liam?”

The word
home
popped immediately into Liam’s mind. A place where he was more than just his last name or his bank account. He focused instead on the company. “LifeMap needs to attract talented, smart people. I’m going to need a team of programmers as well as marketing experts. I want to invest good money in my intellectual capital and build a company that will attract those kinds of employees. The location will be important and I’d rather not do a new build. If I can renovate something or find a spot that’s move-in ready I’d be thrilled. That’s where you’re at a disadvantage. Bigger cities have a lot more to offer.”

“I can set you up with a commercial Realtor later today. If this moves forward, we can start talking about incentives from the town. We’re small, but we mean business.” He took another sip of coffee. “If you need a contractor to oversee renovations, they don’t get any better than Logan Travers. He came back to town last year and focuses mainly on residential and historic buildings downtown, but I’m sure he could give you some great advice. Do you remember him?”