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“You’d be an amazing mom to boys. They’d love you to death.” He shifted. “And where do you want to raise your kids?”
“Marietta, of course.”
“Not Paradise Valley?”
She shot him a swift look. “I probably could. If I wasn’t up on a ranch high in the mountains.”
“My house is by the river.”
“Your house is very nice.”
“Could you live there?” he persisted, slowing at the railroad tracks.
She shot him another side glance, feeling somewhat dazed and fizzy, as if she’d just swallowed a carbonated drink too fast and all the bubbles were rising up at the same time. “It depends,” she said thoughtfully. “Would you be there?”
He laughed and his laugh sent a rush of heat and pleasure through her.
“Would you want me to be there?” he asked as he turned into the hotel for valet parking.
She gave a little nod. “I think so.”
“You think so?”
“Well, there are still other things to be discussed.”
“Such as?”
“Would we have another dog? Would we get a puppy?”
“A puppy?”
“You said this car was for dogs and kids. Plural. I just wanted to make sure you really meant dogs, plural.”
“I thought you loved Noel.”
“I do, but I think Noel gets lonely. Maybe Noel wouldn’t take off on his long walks if he had a playmate at home.”
He laughed, and the sound was so warm and rich and sexy. He was sexy. But he was more than sexy. Quinn was smart and loyal, patient and kind. He was truly the whole package, the protective handsome alpha male, who wanted babies and children.
She shouldn’t be thinking babies already but he’d brought the topic up, and Charity wanted everything he’d mentioned in the car. She wanted to marry and have kids. She wanted to raise a family with him. She wanted to experience life with him.
And then as the valet attendant opened her door, she glanced at Quinn before stepping out of the car, and her heart did another double beat. She really shouldn’t be so shallow, but tonight Quinn looked breathtaking. His elegant black coat emphasized his powerful shoulders and the crisp white shirt set off his handsome face. And because she knew in her heart that she wasn’t completely shallow, she allowed herself another glance as he came around to join her to admire his piercing blue eyes and his lovely firm mouth that could kiss like nobody’s business.
“You can’t stop smiling,” he said, taking her hand in his.
The feel of his hand against hers was delicious and electric. “I know. I’m too happy. It’s a problem.”
He lifted their joined hands to his mouth, pressing a warm kiss to the back of hers. “That’s not a problem,” he murmured. “That’s a gift.”
*
Quinn’s baseball-themed tree was the next to last to be auctioned off, and the bidding was fierce, with the tree’s price just going up and up, before finally going for a staggering amount of money to a sports collector who wasn’t even attending the gala, but had someone on the phone bidding for him. Charity was thrilled that the tree raised so much money and Quinn seemed very pleased, too. The moment the bidding ended, Charity texted Jenna to tell her that Mr. Gallagher’s card collection was going to a good home, and that his collection had raised a great deal of money for the community.
After the auction portion of the evening was over, tables were shifted, revealing the dance floor. Quinn and Charity danced for the next hour and a half, helping close the party out.
“My feet are killing me,” Charity said as they collected their coats from the cloak room, and then slowly walked through the lobby of the Graff with its columns and dark rich wood paneling and magnificent Christmas tree.
“I hope you had a good night,” Quinn said to her after handing his ticket to the valet attendant.
“I had an amazing night,” she answered. “This was such a treat. And my dress—”
“Was lucky to be worn by you,” he said, cutting her words off before kissing her. “You were by far the most gorgeous woman in the room.”
“You didn’t see Amanda then.”
“She’s pretty, but you’re the one I want. You’re the only one I want.” He held her close as the front door of the hotel opened and a blast of frigid air caught at their clothes. “Sweetheart, I don’t think you understand that I have never felt this way about anyone. Ever. I knew you were the one right away. Even as we sat in those folding chairs at Little Teton discussing our exes, I was counting my blessings, grateful you were single, and silently thanking Greg for being such a world class idiot that he let you go.”
Her lips twitched. “You didn’t.”
“I did.”
Headlights flashed and Quinn’s burgundy car pulled up in front of the hotel. Quinn opened the door and walked Charity down the front steps, mindful of patches of ice. He slipped a folded note into the valet’s hand before closing the door behind Charity.
As he settled behind the steering wheel he said, “I’m thinking of having a little party next Sunday. It would be a casual late afternoon event. I’d want you there with me, cohosting the party.”
She checked her surprise because as far as she knew Quinn had never had anyone over to his house. “How many people are you thinking of inviting?”
He shrugged as he shifted into drive. “Everyone?”
“I thought you said a little party.”
“It’d be very informal, like an open house. People could just drop by if it was convenient, and if not, that’s fine. I’d get it catered and hire bartenders. You wouldn’t have to do anything but be there with me.”
Her silence must have worried him. “You don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said after a moment.
“I just know you’ve been working so hard at the Gallagher’s. A party like that sounds like a lot of work.”
“It will be some work. Maybe a lot of work. But it seems like it’s a good time to do this, and truthfully, the party is long overdue. It’s my way of giving back, and maybe a way to show the community that I’ve come home.”
*
Charity didn’t quite know what to do with herself now that the Mistletoe and Montana tree auction was over. There were no ornaments to make, no gowns to sew. All she had to do was wrap up her Christmas shopping and tha
t seemed far less interesting than spending her evenings at the Gallaghers, helping out with the cash register or just hanging out by the fire with Noel, keeping an eye on Quinn.
During a break on Wednesday she asked him about the looming holiday party he was hosting. She’d helped him last Sunday send out evites to people and she could see from the online site the positive RSVPs kept coming in. Nearly everyone invited was responding with an enthusiastic yes. “You’re going to have a big turnout,” she said.
“I know. I’m glad,” he said.
“Do you want me to come over and do some decorating to help you get ready for the party?”
Quinn seemed almost embarrassed. “Most of the decorating has been done. I didn’t have ornaments for a tree, or any of the things needed to make it look festive, so I hired Sadie to handle putting up a tree in the great room and then give the downstairs some Christmas cheer. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Why would I mind? Sadie has such a great eye and so much style.”
“But so do you.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I prefer fashion to interior design, and just doing the baseball tree for the Mistletoe and Montana gala satisfied my tree decorating itch for the year. This Christmas tree stuff is a lot of work.” She rubbed her hands together before the fire. “What about food? You’ve got that all sorted, too?”
“Flintworks is catering, and sending over a bartender. Copper Mountain Gingerbread and Dessert Factory is doing desserts. Risa is doing flowers. I even have some kids from the high school’s chorale dropping by to sing some carols.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“Have I?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
“If it comes to you, let me know and I’ll handle it for you. But otherwise, don’t worry. You’re going to have a great turnout and everyone will have fun.”
*
Charity was right, Quinn thought, moving through the crowded great room to add another log to the fire.
People kept arriving and no one seemed inclined to leave. Most of those that came early weren’t people from Marietta, either, but Paradise Valley neighbors, and not his neighbors now—most of those who’d built custom homes in his area were a mix of celebrities and affluent people from the East and West Coasts that wanted a piece of Montana wilderness to add to their collection of vacation homes—but the folks Quinn had known growing up.
