Free The Christmas Inn by Stella Maclean

concern?” she asked in
disbelief.
    He nodded sheepishly. “A lone single woman during this sort of
event can’t help but stand out.” He shrugged. “This must sound silly to you, but
appearances count when it comes to creating a romantic experience such as the
one we have planned for this week.”
    The heated exchange between herself and Brad came back to her,
and she suddenly had a flash of realization. “The bartender called you, didn’t
he? To report on me?”
    He nodded. “Jack has a lot going on this week, as well. His
wife is expecting their first child and she’s due any day. But I’ve gotten way
off topic.”
    So Jack told on her. If she had simply walked away from Brad,
surely Luke wouldn’t be so anxious to keep her hidden. “That’s okay, and a new
baby is always exciting,” she said.
    “Would you be willing to pretend to be my assistant until your
husband arrives? During our Christmas Getaway event, many of the staff will work
longer hours than usual. With you here, I’ll be able to offer them at least a
few hours off, which means you’ll be too busy to attract any of the guests’
attention.” He gave her the cutest look, nearly making her forget that she was
here under false pretenses.
    She had no idea why he was so anxious for her to stay, but
clearly he was, and she wanted to stay, especially with the added bonus of
working with him. Whatever else she did, she’d make sure she didn’t go anywhere
near Brad or his wife, which would ease Luke’s concerns.
    By helping out around the inn, she could also do her
questionnaire work without being noticed. “Let me sleep on it, and I’ll give you
my answer tomorrow. How’s that?”
    “Great. In the meantime, what about dinner? The getaway event
doesn’t officially start until tomorrow.”
    Dinner was out of the question tonight. She was only hungry for
the chance to ream Scott out. Food could wait. Besides, if she got really
hungry, she had trail mix in her backpack. “If you don’t mind, I’m a little
tired. I think I’ll just go to my room.”
    She’d been so determined not to feel anything while Luke
talked, not the surprise, the hurt or the embarrassment, brought on by the
actions of her brother. And to add insult to injury, there had been the run-in
with Brad. She swallowed hard and clenched her hands to steady herself.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. You don’t have to eat
with me if you’d rather eat in your room. Why don’t I get the chef to send up
some dinner?” Luke said.
    Why not? She’d probably be ravenous when she got done yelling
at Scott. “That would be wonderful.”
    “Despite what I’ve said here this evening, I would’ve been more
than pleased to have dinner with you.” His smile touched her heart, making her
wish that she could tell him the truth about her, about why she was there in his
beautiful inn.
    “Thank you.” Before she succumbed to his brilliant smile and
the promise of what the evening might have offered her—if not for her brother’s
behavior—she got up and left the office, not stopping until she was in her room
with the door locked behind her.
    * * *
    F INALLY FREE TO EXPRESS her frustration, Marnie
pounded her fists into the bed, and felt the hot sting of tears. To think that
her brother had done this to her, embarrassed her this way, was too much for her
to handle. Scott had to have known what was going on at the inn, and he’d let
her come up here anyway to deal with the consequences.
    And humiliate herself in front of the one man she’d met in
years who truly seemed like a decent guy.
    Her fingers fairly danced over the keys of her cell phone in
her rush to reach Scott. He answered on the first ring.
    “How could you do this to me?”
    “Hello, Marnie, and what did I do to you?”
    “You registered me as one half of a couple, using your name,
and I just spent a humiliating hour being grilled by the staff and the manager
over the fact that I’m here