Chapter 24 #2
Unfortunately, Erica and Robert showed up too.
I sank in my seat and hoped to avoid her notice.
Cora and Daphne followed them, waving at me and Frankie.
Cora looked absolutely lethal in a skin-tight, backless crimson gown, and Daphne dazzled in a pastel blue dress like a freaking Disney princess.
Behind them, two guys stood out. One was a mountain of a man whose muscles were stuffed into a gorgeous gray tux that complemented his blond hair and piercing blue eyes—eyes that were glued to Daphne.
Ahh…must be Thor. Anton Alistair, I think?
He was, as Frankie and I had both predicted, hot as a summer sidewalk in Texas.
Cutting into my speculating, Frankie nudged me, asking, “Who is that?” But she wasn’t pointing at Thor—she gestured at the man beside him.
With his straight nose, high cheekbones, and strong jawline, he was unmistakably a Keller.
But unlike Nolan, his suntanned skin and a few light scars on his face and hands indicated a man who spent his time working outdoors doing hard labor.
Dark brown hair cropped close on the sides but loose and wild on top and hefty but tasteful five o’clock shadow rounded out his rugged look.
From the way Cora wasn’t actively trying to murder him, I knew it couldn’t be Cressida’s ex, Raife.
“I think that’s Nolan’s youngest brother, Dominic,” I said. “He works on a ranch in Hawaii.”
Frankie hummed, licking her lips, her eyes never leaving Nolan’s admittedly very hot brother. “So he’s a cowboy.”
Chuckling, I said, “You look like you want to eat him.”
“Oh, I do.”
Finally, after almost twenty minutes, he arrived.
Nolan’s presence washed over me like the furnace had been turned on full blast. He looked devastating in a perfectly tailored jet-black tuxedo, and Cressida dazzled beside him in a gold silk gown with a high neckline and an open back that plunged to her hips.
Nolan’s eyes swept the crowd, pausing when he found me.
But a chink in his armor showed when he saw who sat beside me.
I lifted my hand in a flirty wave, then laughed as his nostrils flared.
I’ll make it up to him later.
Microphone feedback interrupted all conversation, and a hush fell across the room.
“Thank you for coming,” said Tess from the DJ stand.
Her sequined lavender dress complemented her fiery red hair exquisitely.
“We want to welcome all the newcomers who are in town for the Cobra Cup competition. We hope you’ll go back home and tell all your friends that Montana has the best terrain around.
” When she winked, the crowd gave a few hoots and whistles.
“All proceeds will benefit the town Market reconstruction, the local food bank, and the Rescuers—that is, those folks who took some of our own employees into their homes while we do repairs. The servers will be around soon with the first course, the band will take the stage momentarily, and the bar will be open all night. So enjoy! Oh, and we can’t forget to thank our very own Nolan Keller and his team for pulling all of this together on such short notice. Enjoy the evening, everyone!”
Nolan did this? My jaw dropped, Frankie’s shock a mirror to my own. “Dude just scored some major points with the town,” Frankie said with an appreciative nod.
And with me.
A few seconds later, Tess and Bobby filled the two empty seats at our table. As soon as Tess’s butt hit the chair, I blurted out, “What do you mean Nolan planned this?”
“A few weeks ago, he came to me with the idea and I told him it was impossible but he said, ‘Not with my kind of money.’ I’ll be damned, but he made it happen.” Tess took a sip of her champagne and fell into conversation with Bobby, but her eyes kept darting over to Nolan’s table.
At her explanation, I tapped my chin. Had Nolan done this to prove to his grandfather that he saw the value in the town and the property, as a signal of, “Mission accomplished, Arthur! Please send me home now!” Or, well…
I didn’t want to admit to being so self-centered, but I thought he might have organized this for me, to help with the farmers market.
But I shook off the idea. Grand romantic gestures were the things of rom-coms, not real life.
It made good business sense for him to do this, and it was great PR for Hale’s Peak.
Before I could think more about it, Robert Wilhelm—sans Erica, thank god—approached our table. “Tess, may I borrow you for a moment?” At Tess’s nod, the two headed out of the ballroom. Frankie looked at me and I shrugged. He probably had a question about ski lessons or something.
After dinner and dessert, we flocked to the dance floor. Loosened up by the catchy music and flowing liquor, Frankie and Hugh twirled around like experts.
“I can’t dance like that, but I promise I won’t step on your feet,” Austin said, offering me his hand.
After three drinks, I was feeling pretty toasty and up for a dance.
True to his word, Austin did a pretty good job of leading us around the dance floor, spinning me until I was laughing and breathless.
A few songs later, I glanced around for my friends—and saw Frankie twisted around Ryan. Frowning, I said to Austin, “That’s weird.”
“Yeah, thought they were in their off-again stage, but seems like they’re rekindling,” Austin replied.
“Hmm.” Ryan was nice enough, but I thought for sure Frankie would pounce on Dominic.
And secretly, the idea of each of us nabbing a Keller sent a little thrill through me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Dominic leaning against the bar nursing his drink.
He’d ditched his jacket and had rolled up his shirt sleeves, exposing forearms that had me thinking inappropriate things that Nolan would certainly not be happy about.
But while the view was nice, that wasn’t why I stared at him—he was watching Frankie with a smoldering expression, locked in on her as if no one else in the room existed.
Interesting. She’ll love to hear about that.
Interrupting my crowd-scanning, Nolan and Cressida swept into my periphery, looking elegant as ever. But Nolan was glaring daggers into the back of Austin’s head, and I repressed a laugh. The man has no poker face sometimes.
The song ended and he was there, invading my senses with his scent of expensive cologne. “Mind if I steal her for a dance, Austin?” But Nolan’s azure eyes were fastened on me.
Clapping him on the shoulder, Austin said, “You got it, boss.”
Then Nolan scooped me into his arms and we were off. Everywhere our bodies touched felt like an electric current zinging through me, and there was barely a whisper of breath between us.
“Should we be dancing like this?” I asked. Journalists dotted the edge of the room, snapping pictures, interviewing guests, and vying for the VIPs’ attention.
“Cressida is dancing with Anton, one of the biggest manwhores I know, and I danced with a couple other female employees already. We’ll be fine.”
“Missed you this week,” I murmured, keeping my voice low even though we were unlikely to be heard over the music.
“I see Austin wasted no time in being opportunistic about the gala.”
“Don’t be mean,” I said with a laugh. “At least he communicates with me like a normal person and not a Neanderthal who can only grunt and drag me by my hair back to his cave.”
A wicked grin curved Nolan’s lips. “You like having your hair pulled? Noted.”
At that, a slew of X-rated images sprinted through my head. Clearing my throat, I said, “This gala was your idea? You planned this?”
“I did.”
“So you could appease Arthur and show him that you learned your lesson while you were here? Is this all…just business?”
At the way his eyes flashed, I could tell he took my double meaning. “Do all of your ‘business’ arrangements involve you bringing yourself to orgasm in front of your boss? Because, if so, there are some previous bosses of yours I need to murder.”
Oh. Well then. “That answers that,” I said with a nervous laugh.
Sensing that I needed more, he continued. “After seeing how much the people are the heart of this place, I wanted to give back. They deserve to be repaid, and not just with money.”
His words struck me straight through the little corner of my heart that only he could reach, and emotion welled inside of me. “Nolan, that’s…no one has ever done anything like this for our town before. Thank you.”
As the music crescendoed, he pulled me into his chest, eliminating the space between us, and leaned down to speak in my ear. His whisper against my skin sent tingles shooting down my spine. “Are you happy?”
The question settled into the hole in my chest that had been there ever since Antonella’s car crash.
I hadn’t thought about my own happiness in years, drowning in the familial responsibilities and just trying to get through the day.
Nolan looked at me with an open earnestness.
Like…like he genuinely cared about my happiness.
“I am,” I said. Then he gave me a real smile. A rare glimpse under the mask that he never let anyone else see. Something twisted in my chest. “I just…” I bit my lip and looked anywhere but at him. “I wish the season didn’t have to end.”
I wish we didn’t have to end.
Nolan’s hand tightened at the small of my back, the statement riding the charged current simmering around us. His eyes seared into mine as he continued moving us around the dance floor to keep up appearances, but both of us had long since stopped hearing the music.
A throat-clearing behind me shattered the moment.
I turned to see Thor standing there, his hand outstretched. “Mind if I cut in?”
If looks could kill, Anton Alistair would be vaporized right about now. Nolan’s molars had to be pulverized from how hard he was grinding his teeth. But he had no choice but to say yes—too many eyes were watching.