Christmas in Kings Grove: Kings Grove, Book 5

by Stewart, Delancey

  Christmas in Kings Grove

  Kings Grove, Book 5

  Delancey Stewart

  1

  Tuck

  This right here is all a man really needs.

  Bright blue skies. Cool clear air. A couple dogs who totally understand him and get what he's about.

  At least I’d been telling myself that for the last several months since moving to the small mountain town of Kings Grove, where I seemed to be surrounded by couples in love. I was very decidedly not part of a couple. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I believed in love—it had never worked out for me in the past.

  My most recent spectacular failure at the sport of dating was the reason I’d had no hesitation in accepting my buddy Cam’s invitation to come to Kings Grove in the first place.

  "Yoga Pants, Zappy!" I tugged on the leashes of my not-perfectly behaved dogs, who were currently yapping and leaping around the wheels of a car I did not own, and one that would not be offering them a ride. "Girls, come on."

  The car belonged to a very attractive veterinarian, whom I would certainly have been interested in, had I not just had the point driven home again that Tucker Anderson was not cut out for relationships. No matter how good an idea they seemed at the outset, no matter how much I believed it could work—it wouldn’t. And for that reason, I was avoiding the pretty doctor and the temptation she represented. I was not going to get my big, stupid heart broken again.

  “Girls, let’s go now,” I urged, tugging harder.

  "Still having a tough time with those girls?"

  And there she was, the woman I was trying to avoid. Annie Gish. Her wild curls framed her perfect, smooth skin and those gorgeous, almond-shaped eyes peering up at me. Animal know-how and gentle adorableness complete with incredibly long legs.

  "I wouldn't say that, exactly." I turned on my trademark Aussie smile. I’d been told it was both a defense and a magnet. I tugged the leashes again, but the dogs were completely absorbed in trying to climb up into Annie's Jeep Wrangler. Since it didn't have proper doors, the Jeep seemed like an invitation every time we walked past it. They loved car rides.

  "Girls!" I called. "Come on, now." I glanced at Annie, whose smile made my stomach do things it shouldn't.

  "I could help you train them," she said, stepping closer.

  Out of instinct, I stepped back. "They're just exuberant." That was a crock. They definitely needed training.

  "Tuck," she said, not for the first time. "Aussies are great dogs." She cocked her head and smiled like we were sharing a secret. "And great people."

  Oh man, was she flirting with me? This was exactly what I was trying to avoid. My flirting instinct was strong, and I'd definitely flirted with the hot Kings Grove veterinarian in the past. And now that she was flirting back, it was nearly impossible to keep myself from responding in kind.

  But I needed to be strong. She seemed perfect, which just meant it would never work out. I forced my lips to stay sealed.

  Annie approached the dogs and turned her attention to them, which was a relief. I needed a bit of a reprieve.

  "But you know, Tuck, you really can’t raise dogs if you’re not going to train them. It’s not very responsible."

  I was listening to her, I really was, but part of my mind was buzzing with attraction and I needed a moment to get it under control.

  "Hey, ladies," she cooed at the dogs.

  Then her voice turned stern and serious. "Down!" she ordered. Her strong, commanding tone was even worse for my growing interest in her than the sweet, calm voice she normally used.

  "Get down. Good dogs. Sit. Good girls." The tone she used brooked no argument—not from me and not from the dogs. Their furry heads shot around to consider her, and something in that no-nonsense voice of hers got their attention and their obedience. They dropped their short, little legs from the side of the Jeep and turned to sit side by side, tongues lolling as they stared at Annie in adoration.

  She knelt in front of them, petting their black and white heads and ears as the cool winter morning brightened around us. It was December, but there was no snow yet in Kings Grove, and I’d been warned it might not come, thanks to the never-ending drought in California.

  "You've gotta get them trained, Tuck." Her eyes were on me again, and all rational thought flew out of my mind.

  Stay strong, Tuck. Entanglements with pretty vets are not on your agenda.

  "Yeah," I said, hoping agreeing with her would let me get away. "I'll do that. C'mon girls," I said, tugging the leashes.

  "Good," she said. "When do you want to start?"

  I turned. "What?"

  "If you want dog training in Kings Grove, I'm your only option." She grinned.

  Annie Gish was like a ray of light that blinded you and held you helpless in its beam. I couldn't look away from that glorious smile, the pink glow on the apples of her bronze cheeks, the sparkle of her eyes. The soft blue sweater she wore didn't help—it made me want to pull her into my arms and nuzzle into her shoulder so I could feel the softness against my cheek and her softness pressed against me.

  I had it bad for Dr. Gish, but there was no way I was acting on it. I needed to escape.

  "Yeah, I'll call you," I said. I turned away again to keep myself from acting on the impulses screaming through me. I began walking back toward home.

  "I've got a few slots free this week," she said, undeterred. She was jogging along beside me now, smiling up at me. The scent of apples surrounded her. "But I've got to get the winter festival together too," she said. "In fact, I was going to ask for your help."

  I stopped moving and turned to face her. "What?"

  "Will you help me put the winter festival together?"

  "I'm probably a bad choice," I explained. "I've only just gotten up here, and I've never spent a winter in Kings Grove. I have no idea what your festival entails. Maybe I'd be better as an onlooker this first year."

  Her face fell, and I swear on every wave I've ever surfed that it nearly broke my heart. My mouth launched into action before my brain caught up. "I mean, I'm totally willing, of course, if you need help."

  The smile returned, and the sun got a little brighter in that endless mountain sky. "Oh, that's great," she said. "Well, why don't you bring Zappy and Yoga Pants by here tomorrow morning—around ten? We'll knock out your first obedience lesson, and I can fill you in on plans for the festival."

  I nodded, certain I'd done everything in my power to avoid this exact scenario. "Yeah," I said, as my rational mind screamed, "No, no, no!"

  Annie put a hand on my arm, and every nerve cell in my body relocated to those three-square inches on my forearm. "Great," she said, squeezing my arm.

  "Great," I parroted, since my brain had stopped working completely. I tried for a smile, but I have no idea what expression actually crossed my face. I turned and did my best not to trip over my silly dogs as I urged them home to the little house that sat just past Cameron Turner’s house at the end of the driveway.

  Cam and his fiancée Harper sat out on the sweeping deck of the big house in front of mine, watching me as I came up the drive with my two crazy dogs. Giant Sequoia trees stood just beyond the deck railings, making a pretty impressive house look small in comparison. The wood and glass structure wasn’t a cabin, exactly, though it was built of a dark wood that gave it a rustic feeling. It was more of a luxury home, despite the semi-remote location in California’s Sequoia National Park.

  "Hey, Tuck!" Harper called, lifting a hand in greeting.

  "Dogs getting the hang of the leash yet?" Cameron asked, his grin telling me he already knew the answer.

  "They're free spirits,"
I told him, bringing the dogs up onto the deck, where they immediately began climbing over their mother and brother. Cam had rescued Matilda, the pups' mom, a few months ago after she'd gotten into a tangle with a mountain lion while pregnant. My dogs—and Harper's pup, Sequoia—had arrived soon after. The rest of the litter was scattered around the village. You could barely round the meadow any given night without having an impromptu Australian Shepherd reunion.

  I let the leashes go after closing the deck’s gate and settled into one of the armchairs next to Harper and Cam. When I'd first moved up here, I'd shared this house with Harper. We’d split the rent, and Cam lived in the little house behind us. But now that Harper and Cam were engaged, they had moved into the bigger house together, joking about preparing for kids. I'd relocated to the little house once I'd decided to stay in Kings Grove, perfectly content to be a bachelor and a future eccentric uncle.

  Kids were not in my future, considering my complete failure at relationships, which were, I understood, a precursor to most kid-having scenarios.

  "Vet says they need obedience training." I sighed.

  "Ohh, you saw Annie," Harper cooed, grinning at me.

  "Pipe down. Nothing going on there." I looked away from them. Cam was studying me, and I could tell he was about to ask questions I didn't want to answer.

  "What've you got to lose, Tuck? Annie's cute. And she's single." Harper's eyebrow was raised, and a sprite-like smile was playing at her lips.

  "I'm not in the market," I said. "These are my free and single years. I don't need complications."

  "So have an uncomplicated fling," Cam suggested. "It's obvious you're attracted to her, and I'm pretty sure it's mutual." He reached for Harper's hand as he said that, and I watched as love radiated between them. I'd pushed him to be open with Harper, but this was different. This was me.

  "Easier said than done in a small town like this," I told them. "Look, Annie's cute, but she does not strike me as the fling type. She’s the fall in love and make some guy super happy type." I shook my head. "I'd like to stay here a while. And when things fall apart, it'll just make it weird and uncomfortable. Not just for us, but for everyone."

  "Who says things will fall apart?" Harper asked.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. "Statistically speaking, relationships do not work out." It was true. I'd watched my mom go through at least fifteen relationships in the seventeen years I'd lived with her. "They end, and then they make people awkward and weird." I'd experienced that part a few times myself.

  "Statistically speaking," Harper said, "nothing ever works if you don't try."

  One of my dogs broke into an excited, high-pitched bark just then, as if agreeing with Harper's words.

  "Shut it, Yoga," I told her.

  Harper just smiled. She knew she’d gotten to me.

  I sighed. "Move along," I told her. "Nothing to see here."

  "If you say so, man," Cam said.

  2

  Annie

  Having a mad crush on the tall Aussie who lived up behind Harper and Cam was not a good idea. Acting on that crush was even worse. But I hadn’t been able to stop myself from asking him to help me plan the festival.

  I could use his camera skills—the trailer he did with Harper for the Kings Grove Inn had been amazing, and the footage of Maddie and Connor's wedding was unbelievable. But honestly, I couldn't help wanting to be near the guy. He was big and strong, and he just seemed to glow with a sunny feel-good vibe. I needed a little bit of that now more than ever.

  The phone was ringing as I stepped into the house. I laid down my keys and went in search of my always-missing cell. I found it between the cushions at the back of the couch and picked it up just in time. "Hello? Dad?" I plopped onto the couch and tried to steel myself.

  "Hey." Dad's voice was tired. Like always.

  "How is everything?" I already knew the answer.

  "Your brother's gone missing again." He sighed.

  "How long this time?"

  "Just last night. Maybe he just went to visit a friend . . ."

  "I think the time for making excuses for him is past, Dad." I closed my eyes as I forced down the exhaustion that settled in my stomach every time we talked about my brother.

  Johnny had been using drugs off and on for the last four or five years. Dad had left Kings Grove to go live with him down in Escondido, thinking he could be a positive influence in Johnny’s life.

  It hadn't worked. John seemed as bad as ever, and we both knew that one of these days he would disappear and not come home.

  "I know it is. It's just . . . it's hard, baby."

  I swallowed hard, not wanting to cry. My loud sniffle gave me away anyway.

  "I shouldn't burden you with this. You can't help from there," he said.

  "It's okay, Dad. I don't want you to feel like you're doing this all alone."

  "Johnny won't see that doctor now."

  The rehab doctor. Johnny had been in and out of three different programs. In-patient, out-patient, it didn't seem to matter. "Why not?"

  "I think because the guy suggested he quit doing drugs." Dad's sense of humor wasn't completely gone, but caring for Johnny had aged him, stolen a lot of his joy. I wished I had an answer for this, wished I didn't feel like I was hiding from our family's problems by staying in Kings Grove.

  "Do you want me to visit?" I asked the question for the fiftieth time, already knowing what he’d say. "Or do you think maybe bringing him home would help?"

  Dad sighed. "I'd love to come home, Annie. But bringing your brother to Kings Grove might just be bringing a lot of trouble to all those nice folks."

  "Maybe it's what Johnny needs." I said the words, but I didn’t have any idea what might help my brother.

  "The place is not equipped to handle him."

  "Maybe not."

  "I just needed to hear your voice," Dad said. "To know I didn't screw up both my kids."

  "This isn't your fault, Dad."

  "Maybe not." I hated hearing the resignation in his voice. The unspoken belief that he'd done something wrong and that it was going to cost Johnny his life.

  "Will you let me know if you hear from him?" I asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Okay," I said. "Hey, Dad?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Are you going to come up for Christmas this year?" Dad had missed most of the last few because of Johnny. They were both here last year, but it hadn’t gone well.

  "We'll see, okay?"

  I sighed. "Okay."

  I hung up and forced my thoughts from the darkness that swirled around my family. My mind naturally went to its happy place—Tuck. Images of the tall, blond Australian raced around in my head. A jolt of excitement shot through me. I was going to see him tomorrow. Sure, I'd basically steamrolled him into both dog training and helping with the winter festival, but right now, he was the distraction I needed.

  * * *

  As ten o'clock neared, I wondered if I was going to be stood up. Tuck had tried to tell me no yesterday, and I'd refused to hear it. What had I been thinking?

  Forceful and demanding was definitely not my normal attitude around men. To be honest, I had no normal attitude around men. I was just me. A place like Kings Grove didn't offer a lot of opportunity for a woman to hone her seduction skills.

  There were some single men, and I'd dated here and there. But no one had really caught my eye in years. My job kept me busy and satisfied the part of me that needed to pour affection and love on others. I saw plenty of puppies, foals, kittens, and rabbits in my line of work, and no one seemed to mind if I went in for an extra snuggle or two while I was giving shots or doing a checkup. Fuzzy cuddles had been enough for me.

  Until Tuck showed up. We’d met at Cam Turner’s house a few months ago, after Cam had rescued his dog, Matilda, when she’d been about to have her puppies. The dog had adopted Cam, and it felt like my heart and mind had adopted Tuck—or the idea of him, at least.

  I ran my fingers over my own dog's smooth b
rown coat, smiling back at her as she turned her adoring, dark eyes on me. "You're enough, aren't you, Hattie?" I crooned. "I don't need any tall, hot Aussies around. We're good on our own, isn't that right?"

  "If that's the case, maybe I'll just take these girls and head back up to my place, then." Tuck's voice was full of mirth, and it wrapped itself around me, warming me even in my complete humiliation.

  I bolted to my feet and spun around. I knew better than to sit with my back to the road when I was expecting someone. I dropped my hands onto the railing I'd been resting against, and tried to look casual, but Tuck stood no more than two feet away. His grin told me he’d heard what I'd said about “hot Aussies.”

  Perfect.

  "Hey there, Tuck," I said, my voice sounding like an operatic squirrel had taken up residence in my throat. My cheeks were flaming.

  "Annie," he said, still grinning.

  "I was just . . . I wasn't sure you were coming."

  "Ten a.m.," he said.

  For once his dogs sat obediently and quietly at his feet, and I wondered how they'd managed to sneak up on me like that. These dogs were not exactly stealthy. "Okay then," I said, finally pulling myself back together. "Let's tire the girls out a bit, and then I'll tell you about the festival, okay?"

  His grin was finally fading, and I was thankful that Tuck seemed to be letting me off the hook. "Sure."

  "Let's start with a few basic commands that will be useful at home, then we'll move to some loose-leash training. Why don't you bring the girls up on the deck?"

  The “girls” were exuberant, little, butt-wagging balls of fur, just beginning to develop the lanky, athletic limbs of the typical Australian Shepherd. They were both tricolor, so they had brown, white, and black faces with expressive “eyebrows” and a blaze of white down their noses. Their paws and chests were mostly white while their backs were black with a little brown here and there.

  “How’d these ladies get their names, Tuck?” I crouched down to pet them. I’d wondered about the names ever since he’d chosen them. “I’d have figured a guy like you would’ve gone with more traditional Aussie names, like Matilda.”