Sleigh Ride Together with You by Joann Durgin Page A

flannel pajama bottoms were stuffed into dark snow boots beneath his black wool overcoat. The mismatched, rather disheveled image was jarring and not at all like the normally stylish and sophisticated morning show co-host. In a weird way, seeing Colin like this made him more approachable, although the expression he currently wore was one of disgruntlement and nowhere near encouraging.
    Disappointment surged through Alex that Nicole wasn’t the one standing on the threshold of his hotel room. Why would he consider for one millisecond that Nicole might come? She had too much common sense and a solid moral compass to do something so foolhardy. His own wishful thinking aside, it was another reason to admire the woman.
    “Colin. To what do I owe this honor?” Alex tried to keep sarcasm from creeping into his tone but wasn’t altogether successful. “Come on in.” Standing aside, he ushered the other man into the room. “Are those actually prancing reindeer on your pants?”
    Colin smirked. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Reindeer are fabulous, prancing or otherwise. I’m not here to discuss my choice of sleepwear. Listen up, mate. I’ll save us both some time and get straight to the point. If you hope to have a prayer of winning the lovely Nikki’s heart, you’d be well served not to repeat that insipid blunder you made today.”
    Alex arched a brow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, although there’s something to be said for being direct.” He gave the door a swift push and gestured to the sofa. “Please. Have a seat.”
    “I’ll stand, if it’s all the same to you.”
    “Suit yourself.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Alex planted his feet apart on the carpet as he faced Colin. “For starters, I thought you were sick. What’d you have? The twelve-hour flu?” Maybe that wasn’t fair. He’d heard from both Mike and Nicole that Colin never called in sick. He needed to tone down his defensiveness and hear him out.
    “More or less, but I’m feeling better now. Thanks for your concern, such as it is. You were doing quite a decent job of keeping my chair warm this morning until you pulled that stunt with the mistletoe.” Blowing out a sigh of exasperation, Colin mirrored Alex’s stance and moved his hands over his chest. “You shouldn’t have put Nikki on the spot.” He stepped closer, fire in his eyes. “You certainly don’t force a woman like that to kiss you. If it was possible, you would have heard me yelling at you from my living room. Come on, chap. Are you truly that oblivious?”
    Actually, Alex had noticed Nicole seemed hesitant, but she’d recovered so quickly, he figured it was nothing. Not that he’d actually expected her to kiss him. He couldn’t have predicted how she’d react. From his perspective, it had been a fun moment. No reason to mention the payback factor for being in Colin’s chair in the first place.
    “Nicole didn’t seem to suffer any aftereffects.”
    That statement was true enough. He’d shared a great lunch in the solarium with Nicole. They’d kept their conversation light and fun, and two hours passed before they’d checked the time. Walking back into the station, they’d spied Mike and Artie engaged in conversation in the front office. Taking him by the hand, Nicole led him in through a side entrance instead, which made him feel like a teenager sneaking around behind his parents’ backs.
    Colin wouldn’t be here now if Nicole was his co-host in name only. Might as well clear the air. Sure, they were friends, but did the feelings run deeper? Alex suspected they might, primarily on Colin’s end.
    “Tell me something, Colin, and I’d appreciate your straight answer.”
    Colin nodded. “Ask away.”
    “Are you in love with Nicole?”
    The other man appeared about to speak but then snapped his mouth closed and stared at him for a long moment. “The short answer is no. Nikki’s like a sister to me, and yes, of course, I love her. The point is, I