Between Christmas and Romance Read online

  Joy mouthed “thank you” when I approached the counter, took Max’s hand, and left the store.

  “It was nice to give her time to shop without a child underfoot,” Karen said as she handed another customer their purchase.

  “Max is a great kid.” And he was. Before I could give any thought to my lack of children and no hope for any arriving in my near or distant future, I went back to stocking shelves.

  The bell above the door jingled, then I heard something jangle. I’d been setting out a new shipment of romance books, but I quickly stacked them on the floor and peeked around the end of the aisle.

  There, in all his cowboy glory, was Tim Burke. Beside him, Nancy leaned on a walker, glancing around with a look of wonder on her face.

  “Nancy! What are you doing out and about?” I asked as I hurried over to her and gave her a hug.

  “I had to get out and do something. Being cooped up was about to drive me batty,” she said, unwrapping the scarf around her neck then stuffing gloves into her coat pockets. “The store looks marvelous, Carol. I’ve never seen it so festive and welcoming.” She drew in a deep breath. “It even smells like Christmas.”

  I’d gone to great lengths to plug in holiday air fresheners throughout the store so the moment someone stepped inside, it truly did smell like home and holidays and sweet memories all wrapped up together. The spices in the hot cider mingled with the smell of books as an underlying, pleasant fragrance.

  However, standing this close to Tim, all I could smell was his manly, outdoorsy scent. Not that I was totally against it. Not at all.

  While Nancy chatted about the decorations and displays, I cast a covert glance at Tim. The scratch on his cheek had healed and the bruising on his jaw had turned to a pale shade of yellow. He really had been a good sport about the whole thing. Looking back, he could have used brute force to subdue me before I got in quite so many kicks and hits, but I’d probably caught him totally unaware.

  Hemi wandered out front and twined around Tim’s legs as he stood next to his grandmother.

  “Hey, Hemi, my man. How are you?” Tim picked up the cat and stroked his fur.

  Hemi’s motor revved and took off at a rapid clip, making me smile.

  “He won’t even let me pet him,” Karen said as she breezed past us with an armload of travel books. “I’m Karen, one of Carol’s minions.”

  Tim grinned and tipped his hat. “Tim Burke. I assume you know my grandmother.”

  “Of course,” Karen said with a friendly smile. “We all love Nancy.”

  “And I love you all right back,” Nancy said. She placed a hand on my arm and pointed to a table with three chairs near the biography section. “Do you think I could sit down and have a cup of that cider I smell?”

  “You most certainly may. Want anything to read?” I asked, walking with her as she slowly made her way to the table. Tim helped her into a chair then set her walker behind her. “Mmm. Let me think while you get that cider.”

  I hurried to fill two cups, handing one to her and the other to Tim. He took his with a nod. I tried not to grin at him. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than in the middle of the bookstore on a busy afternoon.

  “Didn’t I see there’s a new book out by that gal who writes the western romances I like?” Nancy asked as she sipped the cider.

  “Yes. In fact, I was just putting those books on the shelf. I’ll grab one and you can take a look.” I rushed over to the romance section and snagged the book in question. I walked around the end of the aisle and smacked into a solid wall of man at the beginning of the Christmas display.

  “Fancy meeting you like this,” Tim whispered as his hands settled on my arms, holding me upright and so very close.

  Unnerved by his proximity, I didn’t even protest when he tugged me through the holiday display and into the hallway that led to the storeroom. Away from prying eyes, he stopped halfway to the storage room.

  His thumb brushed across my cheek as his gaze fused to mine. Mercy! How was a girl supposed to keep her head on straight when six and a half feet of rugged, incredible male was standing toe to toe with her?

  I finally gathered enough sense to speak. “What are you doing?”

  “Just saying hello.” His voice was a husky rumble that made my insides quiver. It was a sensation I’d never experienced and I didn’t even have enough wits left to decide if I liked it or not.

  “Hello,” I said softly, unable to do anything except continue staring at him. Not that I wanted to. Something in the chocolate depths of his eyes spoke to my heart in a way words never could.

  “I was wondering if you might have some suggestions for a gift for Nana?” His question made complete sense as to why he’d want to corner me away from his grandmother. However, the way his hands rubbed tantalizing circles along my back made no sense at all. At least none my addled brain could comprehend at the moment.

  “I could come up with some ideas. Do you need the gift today?” I asked.

  “No. I’ll come in one day without her along and do some shopping. Maybe, if you aren’t too busy, we could have lunch or dinner or something.”

  Lunch or dinner or something, particularly if the something included a few more scorching kisses, sounded fabulous. Perhaps I should play hard to get. I definitely wouldn’t let him know I was so attracted to him I hadn’t been able to get a solid night of sleep since Thanksgiving because I kept dreaming of him.

  “I’ll have to check my schedule…” At his crestfallen look, I hastened onward. “But I’m sure we can figure something out.”

  He appeared relieved then the next thing I knew, his lips brushed over mine. It happened so quickly, I wasn’t entirely sure I hadn’t imagined it. My heart stuttered then began to race as he pulled back with a grin.

  Before I did something entirely ridiculous, like throw myself at the cowboy who smiled at me with such warmth in his incredible eyes, I turned away from him and made my way to Nancy, gave her the book in my hand, then went to help Karen at the cash register.

  Ten minutes later, Tim carried several books to the counter and I rang them up while Nancy continued sitting at the table, sipping cider.

  “Are these all for Nancy?” I asked, noticing a variety of genres she normally didn’t read.

  “No. Christmas gifts,” Tim said, handing me cash to pay for the purchase.

  “In that case, would you like them wrapped?”

  He shook his head. “I think she wants to do it. Wrapping is something she can do sitting at the table. She’s been whining as bad as a cranky five-year-old about not being able to hang lights and deck the halls this year. I told her she should have thought of that before she decided to have surgery right before the holidays.”

  I smiled and handed him the bag with the books. “I’m sure it’s hard on her, but so nice Charli could come to stay. Will she return to Chicago soon?”

  Tim shrugged. “That remains to be seen. I don’t know if you noticed, but she and Jack can’t stop making moony-eyes at each other.”

  “I did pick up on that,” I said, walking with him over to where Nancy slowly got to her feet, pulled on her gloves, and prepared to leave. I gave her a hug and she kissed my cheek.

  “If you don’t have anything better to do, why don’t you come to the ranch for lunch this Sunday and spend the afternoon?” Nancy asked as she slowly shuffled to the door.

  “Oh, I couldn’t impose on you like that, Nancy. I still feel bad about crashing your family Thanksgiving.”

  She gave me a long, serious look. “You didn’t crash anything. I invited you and sent Timothy to get you. If we didn’t want your company, he sure wouldn’t have driven into town to pick you up. Please just think about coming out. You don’t have to let me know right away. You could even make it a last-minute decision and call when you’re on your way.”

  “I’ll think about it.” And I would. I loved the idea of getting out of town and hanging at the ranch for an afternoon, but I certainly didn’t
want to make a pest of myself. When Tim winked at me as he held the door for Nancy, I knew unless we had a blizzard, I’d head out to the ranch after church.

  The day flew by and it wasn’t until five that I noticed an occupant in my special reading alcove. The girl was probably around thirteen with short, purple hair. It looked as though she’d randomly whacked it with a pair of rusty scissors since it stuck up in some places and other pieces were longer with the slightest hint of a curl.

  Her face was oval, her skin like porcelain, and she had the biggest, prettiest green eyes I’d ever seen when she looked up at me and scowled. A used copy of The Goose Girl was open on her lap as she sat cross-legged on the pillows in the alcove.

  “May I help you with anything?” I asked.

  “No, I’m fine.” Her gaze dropped back to the book.

  “If you need anything please let me know.” I left her there, but made a note to check to see if she lingered right up until closing time. Vaguely, I recalled seeing her walk in around the time Josie arrived for work, which was right after school. In fact, I’d noticed a purple head in my store a few times, and wondered if it had been the same girl.

  I’d definitely keep an eye on her. She reminded me of my younger self with that scared, wounded look on her face. If there was a way I could help her, I wanted to do it. After all, if it wasn’t for Mr. Abernathy and his kindness, who knew what would have become of me.

  Later that evening, I’d just settled into my favorite chair with a cup of chamomile tea and a good book when my phone rang.

  “Hi, Joy. Is the little man already in bed?” I asked, realizing it was past her son’s bedtime.

  “Tucked in and asleep,” Joy said, sounding tired.

  “Rough day?” I asked then took a sip from the steaming cup of tea.

  “Exhausting.”

  I smiled. “Maybe you need to find some handsome guy willing to come over and rub your feet or massage your neck.”

  “If you’re going to be that way, I’ll hang up,” she said in warning.

  “Don’t do that. I’ll behave. Did Max have fun at school today?”

  She shared a few tidbits from Max’s day and hers. “I heard Nancy Wright was in your store today along with her hunky grandson. I thought you’d declared he was a boorish buffoon and would never speak to him again. The grapevine gossip said you couldn’t keep your eyes off him.”

  I would have choked on my tea if I’d just taken a sip. “What?”

  Joy laughed. “Would it be so terrible to go on a date with a good-looking guy who, from all reports, is exceptionally kind and caring with his grandmother?”

  “Why don’t you go out with him and let me know?”

  Another laugh clued me in to my friend’s amusement. “No, thank you. I’ve got enough trouble with men without borrowing any from you.”

  Before I could ask questions, Joy changed the topic to The Christmas Extravaganza planned for Christmas evening at the community center. There were seven of us who would perform in a tribute to our beloved teacher, Ms. King. We chatted a few more minutes then I heard Joy attempt to stifle a yawn.

  “I better let you get to bed, Joy. I’m so glad you called, though.”

  “I’m glad I did, too. Sleep well and dream of that cutie cowboy of yours.”

  “He is most certainly not mine and I never said he was cute.”

  “Nope, but I could tell you’re thinking it,” she teased.

  “Get some rest,” I said, unable to resist the opportunity to goad her a bit. “Maybe I could ask Tim if he has any friends who’d be willing to come over and make you some hot cocoa and read you a bedtime story.”

  “That’s enough out of you. Sweet dreams.”

  After I hung up with Joy, I couldn’t concentrate on the book I’d been reading. Not when thoughts of Tim continually filled my head.

  Chapter Six

  Exhausted after a long day of helping customers in the store, I was too tired to haul the trash out into the chilly night air. All I wanted was something to eat and the warm comfort of my bed. I left the trash bagged by the back door with a promise to myself to take it out first thing the next morning.

  Bright and early, I opened the door, and let Hemi out into the chilly morning darkness. Quickly grabbing the bags of trash, I trudged down the alley as the frosty air threatened to freeze the inside of my nose and made me wish I’d taken the time to yank on a coat. My eyes watered at the frigid temperature, but I blinked away the moisture and lifted the lid on the dumpster. Hastily tossing the bags inside, I returned to the door and stopped, breathing in the clean mountain air. Someone was cooking bacon and the aroma made my stomach growl. As soon as I fed the cat, I fully intended to go upstairs and make myself a decent breakfast.

  “Hemi!” I called since the cat had disappeared goodness only knew where. “Hemi! Come on boy.” Still nothing.

  I walked to the other end of the alley, grateful for the lights on the surrounding buildings, but Hemi was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’d dashed back inside when I wasn’t looking. I turned around and took a step toward my still open door when a hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back.

  Out of pure reflex, I rammed my elbow into my assailant’s stomach, stomped on his foot, and screamed like Jack the Ripper had me in his clutches.

  “Carol!”

  I recognized that masculine voice. In fact, the sound of it sent shivers down my spine and caused me to whip around. Tim stood nearby, bent slightly forward with one hand pressed to his midsection and the other holding Hemi. Once again, I’d attacked him in a state of panic.

  “Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry, Tim.” I didn’t know what to do, other than apologize.

  “No worries,” he said, handing me the cat. “I really do need to learn not to sneak up on you.”

  “Well, that would be a good start.” I smiled at him. “What are you doing in town so early?”

  “I had to come to the feed store. Since it doesn’t open until eight, I thought I’d swing by and see if you wanted to have breakfast together.” He straightened, although he kept a hand pressed to his stomach. “I knocked on the front door but you didn’t answer, then I saw Hemi and followed him back here. I didn’t mean to startle you. So would you?”

  “Would I what?” I asked, leading the way inside the storeroom. I set Hemi down then locked the door after Tim closed it behind him.

  “Have breakfast with me, unless you’ve already eaten.”

  Dare I go out to eat with Tim? Would it set tongues wagging? Would I have a deluge of calls wanting to know who he was and why my friends hadn’t heard about him?

  The answer to all three questions was yes, but I decided he was worth battling any gossip that might arise.

  “I’d love to have breakfast with you. What do you have in mind?” I poured food into Hemi’s bowl then glanced up at Tim.

  “Prancer’s Pancake House sound okay to you?”

  “Sounds great.” I got Hemi a bowl of fresh water, washed my hands, then motioned toward the hallway. “I just need to run upstairs for my coat.”

  “I’ll wait down here,” he said, following me as far as the stairs.

  I rushed into the apartment, snagged my coat and purse, grabbed my glasses, and hurried back downstairs. It was a good thing I was an early riser and was already ready for the day, otherwise, Tim might have found me in the alley in my bathrobe.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, as I made my way down the creaky stairs.

  “Yes.” When I stepped outside, I noticed an older single cab pickup with the Aspen Grove Ranch logo emblazoned on the side. The bed of it was scratched and there was a dent by the rear fender.

  “I usually drive it when I need to make a run to the feed store.” Tim motioned toward the pickup. “Hope you don’t mind riding in it.”

  “I don’t mind, but why don’t we walk? It’s not far to Prancer’s,” I said. I already regretted not wrapping a scarf around my neck and covering my head with a hat. That thing they say about bo
dy heat escaping out the top of your head is true in my case. If I don’t wear a hat, I’m freezing.

  I wasn’t exactly dressed for a jaunt in the cold as the skirt of my maxi dress floated around the black boots I’d purchased in Brazil. Although the dress I wore definitely wasn’t runway fashion, it was nicer than many of the baggy clothes I wore. Black with little burgundy rosebuds sprigged across the fabric, it looked nice with my long burgundy cardigan. I slipped on my glasses, tucked my hands into my pockets, and tried not to think about Jack Frost biting not just my nose, but also my fingers and toes.

  Whether he noticed my discomfort or was just being sweet I’m not certain, but Tim moved closer and dropped an arm around my shoulder.

  “You looked cold,” he said by way of an explanation as we continued walking in silence.

  Engulfed by his presence, I went from practically hypothermic to nearly overheated in a matter of seconds.

  Since it was so early in the day, there were only a few people at Prancer’s when we stepped inside. As though we’d already discussed it, we both headed for a booth in the back corner.

  “Ladies first,” Tim said, motioning for me to choose a seat. Although I would have preferred to sit so I could keep an eye on everyone coming and going, I slid onto the bench with my back to the door.

  Tim removed his hat and coat then sat across from me. “So, do you eat here often?”

  “No. Not often.” I liked the peace and quiet of my apartment and store. Even if I could barely do more than boil water, I wasn’t big on eating out. I mostly ate salads or opened cans of soup.

  The two of us were quiet as we studied the menu. Bacon was definitely going to be included with my order.

  Country Christmas songs that were popular a few decades ago played from the jukebox adding the perfect touch to the quirky décor. I listened to Willie Nelson sing about pretty paper and smiled. My dad had been a huge country music fan, even if my mother couldn’t abide it.