the fastest way was to hike through the trees and come out on the other side of the property near the hot tub.
Rapping on the family room window as he passed by, he called out, “It’s only me, honey.”
“How come you’re back so soon?” Mel asked, letting him in the side door. “I thought you were staying at the lodge for dinner.”
“I brought you a few treats,” he said, setting the tray on the kitchen table.
“No, thanks.” Barely glancing at it, she returned to the couch and plunked herself back in front of the TV. “I already had some.”
“I hardly call grilled cheese sandwiches special,” he said, determined not to let the rift widen between them. “Come on, Mel, at least look at what I’ve brought for you.”
“Honestly, Dad, I’m not hungry.” She indicated the crumbs left on the plate beside her. “Claire already brought me some snacks from the cocktail party.”
“Why did she feel the need to do that?” he asked evenly.
“She felt sorry for me being left up here all by myself. She doesn’t think I have enough fun.”
“Is that a fact?” he said, wondering how high a man’s blood pressure could go before he fell victim to a sudden stroke or heart attack. “And does she also think you’re half-starved? Is that why she brought you extra food?”
Mel shrugged. “I dunno. She didn’t give a reason.”
Not to you, perhaps, he fumed, but she’ll damned well explain herself to me! Aloud, he said, “I thought we had a rule, Mel. You don’t open the door to strangers.”
“She’s not a stranger, she’s my friend.”
“You can’t possibly know that on such short acquaintance.”
His daughter might still have the face of a child but the eyes she turned his way were full of mysterious female wisdom. “Time doesn’t have anything to do with it, Dad. Sometimes, two people just click.”
Oh, brother! Helplessly, he ran a hand through his hair. “We’ll talk about this in the morning. Right now, I want your word that you’re not going to open that door to anyone else tonight. I won’t be late and I’ll let myself in when I come home.”
She rolled her eyes. “I suppose you want me in bed by nine, as well?”
“Keep up the smart mouth, miss, and you’ll be in bed by eight!”
Sudden tears glittered in her eyes and her chin trembled uncontrollably. “On the other hand,” he went on, utterly defeated, “it is Christmas and I did say you could stay up until ten. Just don’t push your luck, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
He buried a sigh and tramping back the way he’d come, wondered if any other word in the English language was calculated to melt a man’s heart the way “daddy” did. He’d walk through fire for his little girl; slay dragons, battle monsters and lay down his life for her, if he had to. What he wouldn’t do, though, was stand aside and let the busy-body from next door march in and take over.
“One moment, Miss Durocher,” he said, coming into the lounge and cornering her as the rest of the guests began drifting toward the dining room. “I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.”
“Really?” she said, in the sort of surprised tone that suggested she didn’t think him capable of stringing together more than two words at a stretch.
Somehow, up close, her jumpsuit didn’t seem quite as daring. Just very…attractive. He cleared his throat. “Yes. Specifically, I want to know on whose authority you decided to take a hand in my daughter’s upbringing.”
She had quite the most extraordinary eyes he’d ever come across. Large and gray, and enhanced by lashes that were almost certainly not her own, they dominated her delicate face. They focused on him now with the intent curiosity of a scientist inspecting a new, rather low form of alien life. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“Then let me be more direct. Butt out of my business, particularly as it relates to Melanie.”
She blinked, doing a slow-motion sweep with those ridiculous lashes in such a way that she managed to turn a perfectly ordinary action into something absurdly distracting. “Is this because I invited her to visit me in my chalet, or because I thought to share a few of my excellent hors d’oeuvres with her?”
“Both,” he snapped.
“But why? Where’s the harm?”
“First of all, it’s ridiculous that a guest feel obliged to leave a social function in order to look in on someone else’s child, let alone bring her food as if she was a foundling left on the doorstep. And second—”
“But I didn’t leave the party for that reason. I was feeling a little chilled and realized I had forgotten my wrap, so I went back to get it.”
That was why the jumpsuit looked different! The matching shawl she’d flung around her shoulders covered all the pale, translucent flesh he’d noticed earlier, rendering her marginally less exposed. “I see.”
“Do you?” she said, laughing a little. “I wonder. You look at me so suspiciously, Mr. Alexander, as if you think I might try to corrupt your little one with my wicked, foreign ways. But I assure you, taking her a few inconsequential appetizers was an afterthought, an impulse only, and certainly not intended to cause you such distress.”
She made him feel like a fool, like some gauche country bumpkin who didn’t know how to handle himself with a woman, and he resented it. Placing his hand in the small of her back and urging her toward the dining room, he said, “Well, do me a favor and curb your impulses in future, Miss Durocher. You’re here to enjoy the winter sports and hospitality, not assume responsibility for my daughter.”
“I enjoy her company. It’s no hardship to spend time with her.”
“You’re missing the point.”
“Am I?” she said, practically cooing the question at him. “And what point is that, Mr. Alexander?”
“That if I find myself in need of a baby-sitter, there are plenty on hand without my having to seek help from a visitor. Oh, and one more thing. Unlike the public guest accommodations, your suite isn’t equipped with its own safe. Although my staff is handpicked and utterly trustworthy, you’d be well advised to leave your jewelry in the office safe when you’re not wearing it. The management of the resort is not responsible for valuables carelessly left lying around.”
Unaccountably, she laughed again and shook her braceleted wrist under his nose. “You mean this?” she gurgled, as if they were discussing something found in a box of Cracker Jack.
The woman was too cute for her own good and so filthy rich that she probably wouldn’t give a hoot if she accidentally flushed a few diamonds down the toilet, but he was damned if he was going to be held accountable for it! Skewering her in a glare, he said, “Suit yourself, Ms. Durocher, as long as you’re aware that, in the event of any mishaps, it’ll be your loss, not mine.”
Mon
