Page 103 of Summer Weddings
Until then Christian wasn’t comfortable thinking about Mariah—or anyone else—living in a one-room cabin. Not with winter already here.
“I’m just fine where I am,” Mariah insisted.
Sawyer thought she was all right there, too, but Christian knew otherwise. At night he lay awake, thinking of Mariah out there on the edge of town in a cabin smaller than a rich man’s closet. It had no electric power and no plumbing, and was a far cry from what she’d been accustomed to.
“I’m asking,” he said, being careful to phrase the words in a way she wouldn’t find objectionable, “if you’d move in with Sally and Angie. Just until the spring thaw.”
“Why?”
Arguing with her was an exercise in frustration. And the amount of time he wasted worrying about her! That in itself made no sense to him. The fact was, he didn’t evenlikeMariah. The woman drove him crazy.
“I’m asking you to move in with them for a reason other than the cabin’s primitive conditions.” This, of course, wasn’t true, but he had to figure outsomeway of getting her to move. He said the first thing that came to mind.
“I… I think one or two of the women are considering leaving Hard Luck,” he lied. “We don’t want to lose them.”
“Who?”
Christian shrugged. “It’s just rumors at this point. But I need someone who can encourage them to stick out the winter. Someone the others like and trust.”
She looked at him as if she wasn’t sure she should believe him.
“The others need someone they feel comfortable with. They like you, and I think you could help.”
Mariah paused. “But I don’t feel it’s necessary for me to move in with them.”
“I do,” he answered automatically. “How often do you get a chance to talk with your friends? I can’t imagine it’s more than once a week.” He was stabbing in the dark now.
Mariah nibbled on her lower lip and seemed to be considering his words. “That’s true.”
“A few of them aren’t having an easy time adjusting to life in the Arctic. Will you do it, Mariah?” he pleaded. Heaven knew he’d tried every other means he could think of to get her to get out of that godforsaken cabin. “Will you move in with the other women?”
She hesitated. “I’ll still get the deed to the land and the cabin at the end of the year, won’t I?”
“You can have both now.” It wasn’t the first time he’d made that offer. The sooner she accomplished her goals, the sooner she’d leave Hard Luck.
“Giving me the title now wouldn’t be right. The terms of my contract state that at the end of one year I’ll be entitled to the cabin and the land. I wouldn’t dream of accepting the deed a moment sooner.”
“Then I’ll assure you in writing that the time you spend living with the other women will in no way jeopardize our agreement. You can type up the papers yourself.”
He watched her and waited. Waited while the interminable minutes passed. He couldn’t believe that one small decision would require such concentration.
“Will you or won’t you?” he demanded when he couldn’t stand the silence anymore.
“I will,” she said, “but on one condition. I want to talk to the others first and make sure I won’t be intruding.”
Christian groaned, resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands. “Midnight Sons is paying the rent!”
“I’m well aware of that,” Mariah said coolly.
“If I wanted to move the entire French Foreign Legion into that house, then I’d do it.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Mariah said with a know-it-all grin. “First, Sawyer wouldn’t let you and—”
“It was a figure of speech.” Christian now fought the urge to pull out his hair. No one on earth could anger him as quickly as Mariah Douglas. The year she was contracted to work for him couldn’t end fast enough. Not until she left Hard Luck would he be able to sleep through the night again.
* * *
A wreath hung inside the door of the Hard Luck Café. Flashing miniature lights were strung around the windows. Christmas cards were pinned to one wall in a straggling triangle. Bethany guessed the shape was supposed to represent a Christmas tree.
