Chapter Five
Five
Leslie walked into the Ghanis Hotel and glanced around.
She shouldn’t have been surprised that Sloan was staying at the most elegant hotel in Wasilla or that he would want to dine at one of the most exclusive restaurants.
She had dined at the Elderbrae a few times with her father, who claimed nobody could cook a steak to perfection like they could.
Pausing, she took in the hotel’s Christmas decorations.
A huge Christmas tree stood in the middle of the lobby.
It had to be at least twenty feet tall, was beautifully decorated and surrounded by more than a hundred beautiful red poinsettias.
On both sides of the ring of poinsettias were life-size polar bears on their hind legs.
The bears looked so real she instinctively took a step back.
“I promise they won’t bite.”
Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sloan was walking toward her. She then glanced back at the display. “They look so real.”
“Yes, they do. I saw them when I checked in and wondered if it would be safe to stay here.”
His comment made her laugh, because if anyone should be used to bears it was Sloan. His family owned that cabin on Kodiak Island, and everyone knew there were more bears on that island than people. Not polar bears but grizzlies, and they were the worst kind.
“I’ve only heard good things about the food served here, so I hope you’re hungry,” he said as they headed over to the restaurant.
“Whatever you heard is true. Dad and I ate here a few times, and the food was fantastic.”
When they reached the entrance, they were met by the smiling ma?tre d’.
Within minutes they were shown to their table that provided a picturesque view of snowcapped mountains.
She knew tables on this side of the restaurant went for a premium, but the view was worth it.
“That view is beautiful,” she finally said, glancing over at him.
“I think so, too,” he said, looking at her. He hadn’t been looking out the window when he’d said it, but she dismissed the possibility they were talking about different views.
“I’m surprised you’re not staying in Anchorage since it’s only a short drive away.”
He chuckled. “I had no desire to drive the forty minutes back and forth when my business is here in Wasilla.”
His business? Did he think of the situation involving her as “his business”? A part of her should have been glad he did, even if it sounded so impersonal.
At that moment a waitress appeared to take their drink order and presented them with menus. When she left, Leslie looked up from her menu to find Sloan staring at her. Lifting a brow, she asked, “Is anything wrong?”
He smiled, and she wished he hadn’t. Sloan Outlaw had the kind of smile that could make a woman weak in the knees even while they were already sitting down.
“I was just noticing that you haven’t changed much.”
If he thought that, then he was wrong. “Of course I’ve changed, Sloan.”
Although he might be referring to physical appearance, she was referring to her emotions.
Leaving school in Anchorage the way she had and dealing with pain and heartbreak for nearly seven years had broken her.
And then to discover it had all been a lie, and for Sarah to have the nerve to gloat about it in front of others, had been another kind of pain within itself.
Probably the worst thing to ever happen to her.
No, losing Sloan because of that lie was the worst thing to ever happen to her.
“I’ve grown an inch taller, Sloan,” she said proudly. “You probably can’t tell since I’m always in heels.”
“Trust me, Leslie. I’ve noticed all your changes.”
It wasn’t what he’d said but how he’d said it, in a low and intimate voice that gave her pause. They needed to change the subject, and she decided to take the initiative to do it. “So, Garth and Cash are both married now?”
A genuine smile touched his lips. “Yes. I’m sure you remember Garth’s wife, Regan. Her father had been our company’s pilot for years.”
“Yes, of course I remember Regan. I met her when I visited your family one Christmas. I liked Regan.”
“Well, she and Garth got married. Cash fell in love with someone he met when he went to Wyoming for the reading of his mother’s will. He and his wife, Brianna, live in Wyoming. She’s pregnant and having twins in a couple of months.”
“Twins? Wow! That’s great.”
“We all think so, too. Cash will make a wonderful father.”
“I can’t believe he moved from Alaska.”
“I know, and that took getting used to. But he loves the huge spread he inherited there, and I’ve never seen him happier.”
“Does he still work for the company?”
“Yes, he operates a satellite office on his ranch.”
At that moment the waitress returned to take their order, and they both decided to try the steak. “You still like your steak burned, I see,” he said when the waitress walked off.
She smiled over at him and said, “And you still prefer yours half-cooked.”
“Some things never change.”
She took a sip of her wine while thinking that most things did. “So, Sloan, now that I’ve agreed for you to become my business partner, what is your plan regarding Longshire?” No need to beat around the bush when his whole purpose for taking her to dinner tonight was to discuss business.
“The plans are already in place. By midnight he’ll know things are not going as he expected, and he’ll be quite upset about it. If he shows up unannounced, I suggest you have security escort him off the premises.”
Leslie nodded as she studied Sloan. She had a feeling there was something he hadn’t told her. “Is there anything else I should know about?”
Sloan leaned back in his chair. “To let him know I meant business, I took one of his companies from him.”
Leslie nearly choked on her drink. “You took his company?”
“Not his major company, Leslie. It was a company he took over last month. I happened to find out about them when I did research on what he was doing to your company. Like your father, he had some kind personal vandetta against the family. Evidently Longshire is a man who holds grudges.”
“What kind of company is it?” she asked.
“It’s a family business that’s been around for generations. It’s run by an older couple and their offspring. All toy makers.”
“Toy makers?”
“Yes. I understand that for years they’d been quite successful, but for the past year, sales had been declining, and then they were dropped by their distributor. I discovered all of it was Longshire’s doing, just to get back at the family.”
“Why on earth would Longshire need a toy manufacturing company?”
“He doesn’t. Just like he doesn’t need a cosmetics company. He’s doing it because he knows he can, and he evidently likes to make people’s lives a living hell. Like I said, he holds grudges.”
“What an ass.”
“Yes, and the sad thing is that he has no plans for the company. He just wants to ruin it. After doing my research, I decided that in the right hands the toy making company would be a good investment. The first thing I plan to do is hire the family back and put them in charge. It would boost their local economy.”
She nodded. What Sloan hadn’t said, but what she’d figured, knowing Sloan like she did, was that unlike Longshire, he would sell that family back their company once he’d made it financially sound for them.
Leslie took a sip of her wine and said, “Longshire is going to get even more upset when he finds out you’re giving that family back their company. ”
Sloan lifted a brow. “What makes you think I’ll be giving that family their company back?”
Leslie shrugged. “A hunch.” When he didn’t say whether her hunch was right or not, she asked, “Where’s this place? Is it here in Wasilla?”
“No. The North Pole.”
“North Pole, Alaska?”
“Yes.”
Leslie chuckled. “An older couple whose family makes toys in North Pole, Alaska. That’s interesting.”
He smiled. “I think it’s interesting as well. I plan to fly there to meet them this weekend.”
“You’ve told me what to expect of Martin Longshire, Sloan. Now I need to know what to expect of you.”
Sloan glanced up from his meal and met Leslie’s direct gaze. Instead of answering her, he pointed to her glass. “Need more wine?”
She frowned, and he thought she looked cute when she did so. “Why? Is that your way of saying what you’re about to tell me will make me want a drink?”
He chuckled. “No. I just noticed your glass was half-full.”
She nodded. “Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine. Now, if you will please answer my question.”
Sloan shrugged. “There’s really nothing else to tell you, Leslie. I think I made it clear yesterday what my expectations are. I want you for Christmas. Why are we having this discussion, anyway? You agreed to my terms.”
“Yes, but I need you to clarify a few things.”
“Things like what?” he asked, cutting into his steak.
“What do you have planned for us that week?”
“Other than hoping we make love every day, every hour, using every position known to man and then some that few men know about yet?” Sloan knew he had, for the second day in a row, shocked Leslie speechless.
“You’re basing your agenda for that week on the assumption I will fall at your feet.”
“No, I’m basing my agenda on the assumption that you’ll share my bed.
” He drew in a deep breath. “Look, Leslie, we can hash and rehash the issue all we want, but it won’t get us anywhere.
You have your mind made up about not sleeping with me, and I have my mind made up that you will.
Let’s just see how things turn out. However, the one thing you need to do is trust me. ”
“Trust you?”
“Yes. There was a time you trusted me, but then, through no fault of mine, you stopped.”
Her spine stiffened. “How can I trust a man who has told me he wants me in his bed?”
“There was a time you appreciated my honesty. Would you prefer I not tell you?”
“I prefer you not to want me for Christmas.”
That made him ask, “What is it that you want for Christmas, Leslie?” He couldn’t help being curious. Now she was nibbling on her bottom lip in a way that had blood rushing straight down to his groin.
She stared into her drink instead of at him when she said, “I haven’t thought about Christmas much, Sloan, since it will be my first without Dad. We would always spend the holidays together. The only exception was that year I spent Christmas with you and your family.”
Leslie then looked up at him, and that’s when he saw it.
The deep sadness in her eyes. “Even while I lived in DC, Dad would either come there to spend the holidays with me and Aunt Ella, or I would come home here. With Aunt Ella and Dad both deceased, this will be my first Christmas alone. So the only thing I want for Christmas will be the ability to get through the day.”
Sloan didn’t say anything as he took a sip of his drink. He recalled the holidays only had come to mean a lot to him because of her. Christmas had been her favorite holiday, and she’d let everyone in her inner circle know it. For him, his brothers and sister, it hadn’t had the same meaning.
The Outlaws had discovered their differences when Sloan had taken Leslie home with him during their college holiday break.
First, she’d been aghast that they had not planned to put up a tree or any decorations.
It didn’t take long for her to whip the Outlaws—Bart excluded—into shape.
By Christmas Eve they had gone out and bought a live Christmas tree and had it decorated with newly purchased ornaments.
She had been a novelty, and his family had fallen in love with her immediately.
After her visit, the Outlaws never failed to put up a Christmas tree again.
The thought of her spending time alone on Christmas bothered him. After their week at the cabin, what would she do for those remaining days before Christmas? What about the week after Christmas that led into the New Year? He shouldn’t care, but he did.
He could invite Leslie to spend Christmas with his family this year.
As they’d done for the past few years, the Outlaws would spend the holidays in Denver with their cousins the Westmorelands.
They would remain through New Year’s Day, since the annual Westmoreland charity ball would be held on New Year’s Eve.
However, a part of him didn’t want to include her in his life that way. He didn’t want to give his siblings any ideas that there was more than a business arrangement between them. But there was another part of him that could not forget their history and didn’t want her to spend the holidays alone.