“I think it’s worth exploring,” he said carefully. “Like I said, I can’t make any guarantees. But the Bancrofts are always looking for good investment opportunities, and this place? It has potential.”
I felt like I could float right up to the ceiling. After months of watching our family legacy slowly crumble, after sleepless nightsworrying about what would happen to everyone who depended on us, finally there was hope.
“Kent Bancroft,” I said, grinning so wide my cheeks hurt. “You might just be our Christmas miracle.”
CHAPTER 20
KENT
Is that a yes?My mind reeled as Sylvie hugged me. I stood to keep her from crawling into my lap. While I certainly wouldn’t have minded her in my lap, that would have been inappropriate.
And there would be no hiding the effect her body had on mine.
We stood with her arms going around me even tighter. It felt good having her pressed up against me like this. Way too good. The warmth of her body against mine, the way she fit perfectly against my chest, the soft press of her curves through her sweater. All of it was doing dangerous things to my ability to think clearly.
My cock was straining against my jeans. I didn’t want to scare her off by rubbing my erection against her.
But I didn’t dare let go first. Instead, I wrapped my arm around her waist, hugged her back, and very subtly moved my lower half away from her. Only then did I allow myself to savor the way she felt in my arms.
She stepped back to look at me. My body immediately leaned forward to reconnect.
Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, her green eyes bright with hope and possibility. And hot damn, she had never looked sexier. There was something radiant about her in that moment, something that made my chest tight with an emotion I couldn’t quite name.
All because I’d made her happy.
It had been so easy to make her smile like that. Just a few carefully chosen words about investment opportunities and family business connections, and I’d transformed her from someone carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders into someone who looked like she might float away with pure joy.
The guilt started crawling up my throat like bile.
I had half a mind to tell her the truth right then and there. To explain that this “deal” would destroy all the land and the entire town would be run out to make way for drilling operations. That it would be an acquisition of all of Northwood, not just the lodge and tree farm, but everything. Every business, every home, every piece of the community she loved so much.
Not much legacy in that.
But I held my tongue, swallowing the words that might have saved us both a lot of pain down the road. Because the look on her face was so purely happy, so filled with relief and hope, that I couldn’t bring myself to shatter it. Not yet.
“Does this mean you’ll be staying the whole week?” she asked, her voice breathless with excitement. “Or do you need to go back to the city to talk to your family?”
“There’s still a lot I need to see here,” I said, which was true enough. “I’m not heading home yet.”
“Perfect!” She clapped her hands together like a kid on Christmas morning. “I promise I’ll give you the best tour, show you everything Northwood has to offer. Tomorrow night is our Christmas kickoff party, and—” She paused, suddenly lookingthoughtful. “Actually, there’s an important job that needs to be done to make it perfect.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“We need about fifteen trees brought up from the farm to the lodge, and they all have to be decorated for the party.”
My mouth fell open. “Fifteen?”
She planted her fists on her hips and gave me a confident nod that somehow managed to be both adorable and slightly intimidating. “Yep.”
“Can’t Ozzo handle it?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“In case you haven’t noticed, Ozzo can’t handle anything without creating some kind of disaster. And besides,” she added with a mischievous glint in her eye, “you owe me.”
“For what?” I asked incredulously.
“For throwing our tree in the ditch. I hold a grudge, Bancroft. Now are you going to use those muscles of yours for good, or are they just for looking at?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her boldness. “So you’ve been looking?”
