We walked side by side, his arm brushing mine.

He hadn’t let me, or anyone else, hold his hand since his parents had died.

My heart hurt. It’ll be all right, Allie.

I walked him to his classroom, and smiled at his teacher.

When a little blond boy motored over, talking a hundred miles a minute to Ollie, I felt relieved.

Ollie gave me a small wave as I left. Back in the car, I headed to the hotel. Glancing at the dash, I accelerated. I might still make it in time.

Windward attracted a lot of visitors. It was especially busy in the winter, and as soon as we got snow, the skiers and snowboarders would descend like an avalanche.

The central part of the town was quite glitzy, with lots of high-end shops and restaurants that catered to the tourists.

The eastern part of town was where the locals lived.

Then, the Langston Windward came into view.

It was a solid, sprawling building with a gabled roof, constructed of natural stone, dark wood, and glass.

Until recently, the historic hotel had been owned by a Windward local, but after he’d sold it, it had been purchased by the Langston Hotels Group.

I drove around the back and parked in the staff parking lot, then hustled to the staff entrance.

I fumbled and pulled my ID card out. I was only five minutes late, so that wasn’t too bad.

The lock beeped and I shouldered through the door, my brain turning to everything I needed to get done. I’d start with checking in with my team, who’d be in charge of cleaning the guest rooms this morning.

I’d barely taken a step inside, when I slammed into a brick wall.

A brick wall that shouldn’t be in the middle of the hallway.

I almost fell backward, but the wall had hands and grabbed my waist. I looked up into brown eyes that were so dark they looked black.

Oh, hell.

“You’re late, Ms. Ford.”

Of all the people to catch me running behind. “Five minutes, Broody.”

His dark gaze narrowed at the nickname. Broody was actually Caden Castro, head of security for Langston Hotels.

After the sale, more than just the hotel logo had changed.

We now had the Langston Hotels executives underfoot, as they renovated and updated the hotel.

Broody had been skulking around every corner of the hotel for two months.

I was pretty sure that paranoid was his middle name. Or maybe distrusting . Maybe both.

“Late is late,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “So sue me. You’re making me even later.”

And sending my stupid body haywire.

That was my huge secret—bigger than collecting fairy statues—and I hadn’t told anybody. For some insane reason, Caden Castro flipped every switch I had. Anytime the man was near me, my pulse took off, my stomach felt fluttery, and I got tingles. Tingles .

I wasn’t a woman who got tingles.

And I didn’t have time for tingles. I barely had time to sleep.

Any time Caden’s dark gaze swung my way—assessing and intense—it reminded me that I hadn’t had sex in over a year. I hadn’t had an orgasm in months. I was too tired.

And don’t get me started on the man’s thighs. I’d never in my life ogled a man’s thighs before, but any time I saw him shift in a way that had his suit pants pulling taut on those long, muscular?—

Snap out of it, Allie.

Jeez . I cleared my throat and realized his big hands were still gripping my waist, digging into my skin. My traitorous heart did a weird thump.

“I can’t get to work until you let me go.” God, my voice was husky. Please don’t let him notice.

His hands flexed, his dark eyes locking on mine. Then he released me.

I sidestepped him and took off.

“No time for dark, broody men,” I muttered. “Even if they have killer thighs. And inky-black eyes, and…” I cursed and forced Caden out of my head.

After dumping my things in the locker room, my heart rate finally evened out.

I met my team of housekeepers in our main area.

They all wore the same brown uniform as me.

Their carts were all stocked and lined up, like they were ready for battle.

Sometimes cleaning the hotel actually did feel like a battle.

Most days, things were normal, but every now and then, some guests sprung a disaster on us.

I’d seen it all: blood, snot, vomit, semen, and some bodily fluids I couldn’t identify, which was probably for the best. I clicked my radio onto my belt and snatched my tablet off its charger.

“Morning, all.” I got nods and hellos. “I hope you had a good breakfast and are well-caffeinated.” Now I got a few chuckles.

“All right.” I swiped my tablet screen. “No changes to the room allocations today, or special instructions. I have a note from the night team that someone was ill in room 407. They had to change out the sheets and towels. Amy, can you check in on them and see how they’re doing today? ”

The brown-haired housekeeper nodded. “Sure thing, Allie.”

“If it’s contagious, don’t share the germs,” another housekeeper called out.

There were murmurs and nods.

“Luckily, our cleaning products contain commercial-grade disinfectants.” I smiled.

“Let’s all get to work. You know the drill.

If you have any issues, radio me.” I held up a hand.

“And never forget that we’re the backbone of this place.

Because of our work, the Langston Windward is such a great hotel. Go, make it shine.”

There were grins as my team headed off, carts rattling.

“Allie?” One of my younger team members, Wade, stepped in front of me. “I’m really sorry, but I need a few days off next week.” He clasped his hands together like he was praying.

Great . Last-minute roster changes always sucked. “Why?”

“My mom is moving house. I need to help her pack and move.” He shot me a pleading look. “If she didn’t need the help, I wouldn’t ask.”

I blew out a breath. “Message me. I’ll sort it out for you.”

He smiled. “Thanks. You’re the best , Allie.”

I ran through the notes from the night supervisor.

I shunted a few maintenance requests to Everett, our head of maintenance.

He was another Windward local. We’d gone to school together.

Tucking my tablet under my arm, I headed through to the staff office area, when a female voice called out my name.

“Allie, there you are.” Tessa Ashford bustled toward me in her tight-fitting, navy skirt, and white shirt.

She was the hotel manager and my best friend. We’d grown up in Windward together. Unlike me, all Tessa had ever dreamed about was managing this hotel. She’d made her dream come true, and had recently also fallen in love.

“Hey,” I said.

“Morning.” She was sipping a coffee from Mountain Brew. It was the best coffee shop in Colorado. Yeah, I was biased.

I stared at that cup long enough that Tessa huffed out a breath and handed it to me.

“It’s only half full.” Her brow knitted as she scanned me. “You look like you need it.”

“I stayed up late doing laundry.”

“You wild thing, you.”

I gulped the coffee down. Oh . I closed my eyes and savored the latte goodness. It was so delicious. I didn’t have the money to buy expensive coffees anymore. I’d also had to give up my favorite chocolates. I’d learned quickly that kids outgrew their clothes and shoes insanely fast.

“Do you need a moment?” Tessa asked, amused.

I opened my eyes. She was glowing. I guessed that was one of the perks of being crazy in love. Tessa had fallen for the new owner of the hotel, billionaire hotelier Ambrose “Ro” Langston. She could afford good coffee, and got regular orgasms from her hot guy.

“You woke up wrapped around a billionaire, who no doubt gave you multiple orgasms before breakfast, and got you a Mountain Brew. I stepped on a LEGO brick, ate Pop Tarts for breakfast, and dropped my kid off at school.” I held up the coffee cup.

“This is as close to orgasms as I’m getting. ” I took another sip.

“How’s Ollie?”

I noticed she didn’t refute the multiple orgasms thing. I sighed. “Sad, too quiet, won’t hold my hand.”

She grabbed my arm. “He knows you’re there for him. He just needs time. His mind is still processing everything.”

I nodded. Tessa would know. She’d lost her parents at eight years old in a car accident, and had been raised by her aunt.

I knew that was a big reason why she’d bent over backward to give me a job at the hotel and help me out.

But I also knew she’d done it because she was a good person and a good friend.

“I’d better get to work. Broody already razzed me for being five minutes late.” I rolled my eyes.

My friend’s lips twitched. “Did you call him Broody to his face?”

“Yep.” I held up the coffee cup. “I’m keeping this.”

She waved a hand at me. “My gift to you.”

I took a step away.

“And Allie?”

I glanced back over my shoulder.

“If you need help with anything, laundry, babysitting, whatever, just ask.”

I stared at Tessa’s earnest face. She was such a good friend and had already done so much. There was no way I’d take advantage of that friendship, not when she was busy integrating the hotel into the Langston Hotels group, and especially not when she was enjoying time with her new man.

Pasting on a smile, I winked at her. “You bet.”

I moved through the door and into the lobby. Next on my To-Do list was checking on the new floor cleaner we were using. If it wasn’t doing the job, we’d need to switch again.

A smile hit my lips. I loved the lobby. With its high ceiling, wooden beams, and polished wood floor, it shouted rustic mountain elegance.

But the large, triangular bank of windows was the real star.

Those panes of glass showcased the mountain view.

Right now, the trees outside were a riot of yellow, orange, and red.

A long, stone reception desk sat on the other side of the lobby. A huge vase of fresh flowers scented the air. There were several groups checking in, but one of the receptionist’s gazes snagged on me.

Oh, great. Coral. She was older than dirt and had worked at the Langston since before I was born. Her gray hair was always styled in an unforgiving bob around her wrinkled face. She gave a new meaning to the term battleaxe. Coral wasn’t afraid to share her bad mood with anyone.

I picked up my pace, but a second later, the woman intercepted me.

“You look like crap.”

“Thanks, Coral. My new face cream must be working, then.”

She sniffed. “You should sleep more.”

“It’s on my To-Do list.” Along with five hundred other things.

The older woman paused for a second. “How’s your boy?”

I softened. “He’s okay.”

She nodded. “By the way, the new floor cleaner is shite.”

Aw, at least I could trust Coral to share nothing but the unvarnished truth. “Thanks for the feedback.”

I’d already noted that the wood floor wasn’t as shiny as I liked. Lifting my tablet, I made a quick note.

Loud voices, followed by deep, masculine laughter, interrupted my thoughts.

I glanced over at the reception desk. A group of young, fit guys in their late twenties was checking in.

They had large bags of outdoor gear. I saw one gesture toward the front doors, and I swiveled around to look through the glass.

Four rugged mountain bikes were parked outside.

“Trouble.” Coral sniffed and stalked back to the desk.

One of the guys was tall and cute, with ruffled, blond hair.

I remembered him. This group had been here last winter, snowboarding.

They were into extreme sports. They’d been spending most of their time on Windward’s famous Back Runs.

Wilder terrain for more experienced skiers.

He’d told me they’d be back for mountain biking and paragliding in the fall.

I couldn’t remember his name. Brandon? Blake? Bryce?

The blond looked up and caught my gaze. He gave me a slow smile.

He’d asked me out last winter, but I’d had to say no. I was coping with selling Sean’s house, and Ollie had been sleeping in my bed every night. I’d been sorry to turn him down because the timing was bad and I’d thought he was attractive.

Funny thing, now, I didn’t even feel a blip.

No, instead, I thought his hair and eyes weren’t dark enough, and his body was too lean.

Dammit, Broody had broken me.

I shot Brandon/Blake/Bryce a polite smile, then kept walking.

I had work that needed to get done. And I definitely had no room for men—either young, blond ones, or darker, older, intense ones.

All I had room for was my nephew.