Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Joe the boiler repairman was nothing short of a miracle worker. He arrived later that afternoon with a new part and within a couple of hours he had both the hot water and the heating restored.
Rachel could have kissed him, but she suspected Matthew would have beaten her to it had he been given half a chance. As it was, Matthew must have shaken Joe’s hand a half dozen times while the poor man attempted to pack up his tools and leave.
When Joe finally did make it out of the lodge, he skipped down the front steps and all the way across the parking lot, whistling a happy tune as he went. As his truck disappeared from sight, a suspicious Rachel turned to Matthew. “Just how big of a tip did you give him?”
“My father always says money and fair words are enough, but he is a billionaire, so cash does tend to speak the louder of the two. Joe has a wife and three kids who all want to go to Disneyland this Christmas. I gave him a check that covers their airfares.”
OMG. That’s not a tip, that’s … “Matthew! ”
Without another thought, she stepped into his embrace and planted a warm kiss on his lips. Oh, whoops. I shouldn’t have done that.
She went to pull away, but Matthew had already slipped his arm around her waist and was holding her to him. He kissed her back and she gave up the fight. He was just that good of a kisser. And she wanted him so very badly.
I’ve missed your touch. Missed everything about you.
When they eventually drew apart, her lips were still tingling. Her mind was lost in his bedroom-luring brown eyes. Matthew offered her a gentle smile. “Am I still the villain in your book?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes, but you’ve moved further along on your redemption arc, and I’m now eagerly looking forward to your big moment of atonement.”
He was one man she might find it in her heart to forgive. Matthew wasn’t like her flaky ex or her scheming father. He’d hurt her, but he’d owned his mistake.
And he’d given a local tradesman a generous tip.
She rested her head against Matthew’s chest and gave a happy sigh. “And just think, we have hot water and heating.”
He took her by the hand and led her back inside. “Come on, let’s get some more work done before you disappear into the shower and are never seen again.”
That unexpected but most welcome surprise kiss had hopefully seen a reset in their relationship. He and Rachel were no longer enemies, and fingers, toes, and everything else crossed they were on their way back to being friends.
He didn’t like being the villain in her story. He wanted to be her hero. And he wanted to be more than friends. But when it came to Rachel, Matthew had come to accept that patience was something he was going to have to master.
He’d heard all about the stupid mistakes his two brothers had made when it came to winning at the game of love, and he was determined not to do the same. If Rachel could trust him once more, then to his way of thinking the battle was half won.
Now he just had to show her that there was a lot more to him than Matthew Royal billionaire architect.
Rachel lingered longer under the shower than she should, but she didn’t care. She loved her creature comforts. A privileged upbringing had spoiled her for rough-and-ready living.
She took her time drying her hair, enjoying the sweet sensation of standing half naked in a warm room. It also gave her the opportunity to think about a certain hot man who was in the room next door, and exactly where they stood with one another.
Wandering back into her bedroom, she dressed at a leisurely pace. Tonight it was her turn to cook dinner. Mexican chicken and vegetable rice was her go to for a quick meal. She’d just pulled on her socks when her phone rang.
“Hi, Kellie.”
“Hey, you. I’m glad you’ve got cell signal. I hear the boiler spat the dummy last night. Dan says it was probably the lodge ghosts making clear their opinions about the new resort. How’s it going?”
“Just working through the figures and the old blueprints. Matthew took a look at my proposal which incorporates the original building, so I guess we are making some headway. Oh, and get this, his family has its own communications satellite, so we are not cut off from the world.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
She’d already decided not to tell her sister about their father’s phone call. Kellie had enough to deal with, and she didn’t need the added pressure of knowing that the pressure for money had switched from her to Rachel.
“I’m calling because we weren’t sure if you were aware that there is a snowstorm due to come through the mountains tonight. It will start out as a small flurry, then we’ll get a huge dump.”
A snowstorm? She’d tick that off on her bingo card. Thank heavens the boiler had been fixed.
“Is there anything I need to do to prepare?”
Kellie’s laugh trickled down the line. “Actually you’re pretty much already hunkered down. You have food. The boiler is fixed. The only thing I would suggest is to make sure all your electrical items are fully charged, and keep a flashlight handy, just in case the power goes out.”
Oh crap. Stuck in the dark in a creepy old ski lodge doesn’t sound fun.
“Okay, will do. I’ll let Matthew know.”
“Matthew is it now, not Mister Royal? Getting nice and cozy, are we? You know how those romance books about getting stuck in the snow with your handsome enemy always end up.” Kellie made a kissy noise down the phone then hung up.
Rachel sighed. She could imagine how Kellie and Dan would spend the rest of the evening, making up a whole new and very filthy story about two architects stuck in an old ski lodge .
Rachel and Matthew sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G
She chuckled as she pulled on her heavy boots. Her matchmaking relatives had no idea how close to the truth anything they came up with would be, or that she and Matthew had already skipped ahead in the book and were at the post-breakup stage.
But I did kiss him earlier, and it was fantastic.
And she had no idea what she was going to do about it.
Matthew was meant to be the villain of this story. If he stayed in character as the evil greedy developer, she could fight her desire for him. But every time she caught a glimpse of his hero’s cape, her resolve threatened to crumble.
Wandering into the kitchen, she found Matthew standing at the stove stirring a pot. It smelled delicious. “I thought I was supposed to cook tonight,” said Rachel.
He glanced up and gave her a cheeky grin. “I wanted you to enjoy your long shower and then have a hot meal waiting for you when you got out. I saw you had put some ingredients in a small stack in the cool room, so I took that as my cue.”
Rachel peered into the pot, and all but sighed. He was cooking Mexican chicken and vegetable rice, as she’d also planned, but Matthew’s meal was nothing like what she normally cooked. And the aroma was next level. “You shame me, Mister Royal.”
The way she said Mister Royal had Matthew’s lust cracking open an eye as it stirred from its slumber. What he heard wasn’t a hard “ I hate you”, Mister Royal, it was more like a “ please take me to bed”, Mister Royal, “ and do with me as you please” .
I hope that’s what it means.
He pointed to the table, where he had set them both places for dinner along with an opened bottle of wine—their last. At some point they would have to venture back into town and hopefully dodge the wrath of the locals and stock up on their groceries.
“Would you like to pour us both a glass while I plate this up?”
She gave him a furtive look. “You aren’t trying to win my favor by cooking for me, are you?”
“Is it working?”
By all means necessary was the mantra his body and soul were quietly chanting. He’d happily cook every day if it meant Rachel’s heart softened toward him.
“I’ll let you know after we’ve eaten.”
Matthew dished up the meal into two bowls then carried them over to the table. “It’s not looking good outside tonight. I went for a quick walk earlier and the clouds were low. The wind has also shifted. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got snow.”
Taking her bowl, Rachel nodded. “My sister rang just now to warn us that there is a snowstorm forecast for tonight. She said we should make sure our phones are charged, and we have flashlights handy just in case the power goes out.”
He’d already put his cell on charge and had his flashlight fully recharged. Sudden New York City winter power cuts had taught him to always be prepared. “Smart thinking from your sister. This place is spooky enough without having to try and find our way round in the dark.”
“Don’t worry, Matthew, I’ll protect you from the ghosts of the ski lodge. Can’t have them stealing away the best chef in the place.”
She dipped her spoon into her bowl, and after taking a bite, hummed her obvious approval of his cooking skills. Matthew picked up his glass of wine and silently congratulated himself. Slowly but surely, he was breaking down Rachel’s walls.
Now he had to finally win her heart.