Baby It's Cold Outside by Addison Fox Read Free Book Online Page A

the ones who were at the town hall.”
    “Yeah, but I’m sure they called their friends who weren’t there to come on down.”
    Sloan shrugged, unwilling to be deterred. She had a freaking trust fund, for God’s sake. It was about damn time she put some of it to good use. “We’re mixing with the locals.”
    “It is sort of like Kate’s friend said. You’re bribing them.”
    “Grier! I am not.”
    “You are, too. And it’s not very . . .” Grier’s voice dropped off as the two large men from the town hall came through the lobby doors.
    “Friends of yours?” Sloan couldn’t keep the interest out of her voice. She was still surprised Grier had been so cold and unfriendly to them, but she couldn’t hide the burst of pleasure that the two men had come to the hotel anyway.
    “Not exactly.”
    “Who are they?”
    “Two of the three town grandsons.”
    Sloan ran through Avery’s comments from earlier over wine. “ They’re the grandsons?”
    “In the flesh.” Avery came up to them from the other side of the bar.
    “And the competition’s for them?” Grier asked, her gaze never leaving the men.
    “Well, let’s make no mistake about it,” Avery added drily. “The competition’s for their grandmothers, who have visions of great-grandbabies. But yes, they’re the reason why it’s held each year.”
    “What do the bachelorettes compete for?” Sloan wondered aloud as she tried to be discreet in her observations.
    “The competition’s actually in two parts. The day is a test of skill for the women. You shoot fake skeet birds, carry pails of water down Main Street. There’s even a mini-Iditarod. It’s presumably to see if you could survive in Alaska.”
    “You shoot a lot of birds, Avery?” Sloan couldn’t resist teasing.
    “Don’t you know it. Anyway, then in the evening, things switch to the guys. There’s a bachelor auction and dance for the women to bid on the men.”
    “What do you do with them?” Grier’s eyes widened and Sloan couldn’t help but giggle.
    “It’s not a bordello, Grier.”
    Avery laughed at that one. “No, far from it; although, what happens at the auction stays at the auction, if you know what I mean. But no, the proceeds go toward a town fund for needed items. They’ve given scholarships out of it, helped out a family who had a fire. Lots of different things. It’s for the good of the community.”
    “That’s rather nice,” Sloan added, impressed the grandmothers had found a way to make their little hobby useful.
    Before she could ask any more questions, Sophie Montgomery approached and asked for a moment of Grier’s time. As Sloan watched her friend move to the end of the bar with the mayor, a shot of pride filled her that her plan was working out so well.
    Pleased Grier’s community inroads were moving along, she turned her attention back toward the two men. With a glance toward Avery, she said, “The grandmothers can’t get those two married off?”
    Avery leaned over the bar and refilled Sloan’s wineglass. “I think it’s a matter of neither of them wanting to, despite their grandmothers’ best efforts.”
    “Who’s the third one?”
    “He doesn’t live here anymore.”
    The tightening of Avery’s voice put Sloan on high alert and she deftly ignored the two men who seemed to have taken over the hotel lobby with their very presence. “Where does he live?”
    “Your neck of the woods, actually. His name’s Roman Forsyth.”
    Sloan had followed the New York Metros a few years back when she wrote a series on rink bunnies and she still remembered the names of most of the team members. “You mean Roman Forsyth is the third grandson?”
    “Yep.”
    “The NHL MVP two years ago?”
    “That would be the one,” Avery whispered as she suddenly took an intense interest in polishing a spot on the bar where she’d spilled a few drops of wine.
    Sloan wanted to question her further, but saw the bleak, ice-cold heartbreak in the young woman’s gaze.