Page 95 of Perfect Assumption

“How many do you want?”

My mouth falls open at his very serious answer.

Then Ward spurs me into action by saying, “But if it makes you too uncomfortable, I’ll have them bring our bags back and we’ll head to LaGuardia.”

I grab a hold of him and say, “You’d do that for me?”

“In a heartbeat.” He reaches for a phone attached to a pole next to where we are standing.

I stop him before he can lift the receiver. “I want to be comfortable with you, Ward. If that means understanding this side of you, then let’s get on that plane.”

A wicked grin crosses his face before he grabs my hand and we dash for the stairs leading to the sleek black plane.

* * *

With a quick layoverfor fuel and time zone changes, we land at Kalispell Airport in the early afternoon. Ward did have me arrange for an SUV as a rental. So within a few minutes of landing, we’re off toward Bigfork when I ask him something that’s been stuck in my brain since he said it yesterday. “What did you mean by this is becoming the winter playground for the rock-and-roll rich and famous?”

“There’s any number of things Bigfork offers.”

“Like what?”

He cuts his eyes off the road for just a second. “Like Kristoffer Wilde for one.”

“What? He lives in New York.”And Tennessee and South Carolina, I add.

“This is his winter getaway. If you want to do serious business with him while he’s out of the office, you’re coming to Bigfork.”

Suddenly, the light dawns. “You’re not here to just see an artist, are you?”

“No. Tomorrow is Kris’s annual holiday party. Anyone who’s anyone in the music business has been invited. This town is going to be teeming with celebrities flying in. And more business deals will be handled in a few short hours than in an entire year.”

“All I brought was a little cocktail dress. You told me that’s all I would need.” Mentally I wonder if I would survive if the car landed in a snowbank because the urge is strong to choke Ward right now.

“Honestly, Angel, that’s all you’ll need. I’m wearing a sweater and slacks. It’s the talent who go all out.”

“You realized you saved yourself from certain death, right?”

“Just relax. You’re going to love this weekend,” he promises as we pull up at the hotel.

“Wow” is all I can manage. Four stories, the clapboard lodge is rustic with snow dusting the cathedral roofline. As we pull under the stone entryway, a valet quickly opens my door.

“I know. I love this place.” Ward quickly turns over the keys and comes around for me.

“What about our bags?” I watch as the SUV is driven away.

“They’ll bring them up to the room which is right where we should be going.”

“Not before I do this.” I touch my lips against his briefly. “I’m so happy right now, and that’s because of you. There’s no way I could feel better than I do right now.”

His arm slips around me. “Don’t make assumptions, Angie. We have days ahead of us.”

I throw my head back and laugh as he leads me into the lobby.

Thirty-Seven

Ward

What do celebrities do when they congregate in the country? They scurry from their city homes to their country homes. But the thing is, they’re all in the same place. Do they think we don’t know where they are? If they really wanted to disappear, they’d go somewhere they could actually blend in.