by Susan Hatler
Connor wasn’t wrong about our mom. Ivy Reed was unstoppable once she decided to do something and what she’d apparently decided to do right then was locate her wayward daughter. I had no doubt she’d already done just as he said. The only thing that had saved me so far was that Ruby’s house was the furthest from Mom’s so it would be the last one she tried.
We said bye to Ruby and went out the front door. “Let’s take my SUV,” I said.
“Not a chance.” Connor shook his head. “If Mom finds my car here then she’ll know I helped you escape her clutches. Or she’ll think Ruby and I are dating and then it’s all over for me. She’ll tell me Ruby is the best match I could ever hope to make and then she’ll start dropping not-so-subtle hints about how much she wants grandchildren and a big wedding to throw. Believe me. She’s been relentless.”
I couldn’t help laughing as we ambled down the walkway. My mom did seem to be on his case lately about settling down.
“Glad you find my misery amusing.” He shot a glance at me. “I don’t mind saving your bacon, sis, but no way do I want her trying to marry me off. And you know she would if she thinks I’m dating someone special, which is not the case. Since your SUV is safe in Ruby’s garage, your location will still be a mystery for a little while longer.”
I huffed out a breath. “Until she decides to break into Ruby’s garage . . .”
Connor pressed a button on his key fob, unlocking the expensive sedan parked at the curb. “You brought this on yourself, sis.”
“I hope she marries you off by spring,” I retorted, opening the passenger’s side and slipping into the leather seat. “Wow. This is plush. When did you get a new car?”
He started the engine and grinned. “Work bonus.”
“Must be nice being the star child.” I batted my eyes at him as we pulled away from the townhome. “You still managing the loan department at good ole Reed Bank?”
“Yes.” He squirmed, tossing me an annoyed look. “Just because you didn’t want to go into the family business doesn’t mean I have to rebel. I wanted to work at the bank. I actually like working for Dad.”
“My life would be so much simpler if I’d wanted that, too.” I stared out the window as we headed down the winding road that led toward downtown.
In most of the neighborhoods, people were outside decorating for Christmas. My spirits floated upward at the sight. I knew that the air outside was cold and crisp enough to bring a rosy flush to a cheek. I considered rolling down the windows to feel that air flowing over my face, but I also liked the feeling of being warm and cozy inside.
I turned away from the scenery. “So things are going well at the bank?”
“Yep.” He kept a hand on the wheel and glanced over at me. “Tourism has been down lately in Christmas Mountain. The Herald posts a new article about it every week. So, many businesses are applying for loans to make it through. How’re things in the renegade beautician business?”
I had to laugh at his apt description. “Not great, actually.” I chewed my bottom lip. “Lots of challenges going on in that department. Are you and Dallas Parker still close?”
“Dallas?” Connor turned the wheel, driving past a Christmas tree lot. “We lost touch after he went into the military. I haven’t seen him since he’s been back. I’ve been working a lot.”
“That’s too bad.” I paused, chewing on my thumbnail. “I can’t believe Dallas’s own dad told everyone that he was to blame for that accident with his uncle.”
Connor shot me a look. “You do know his dad drinks, right? Not exactly making stellar decisions.”
“Yeah, but still. A parent is supposed to be there to protect you. Not sell you out.”
“That was pretty brutal.” Connor pulled into the empty parking lot that sat next to the Falls. “He wasn’t always such a crummy dad. Dallas’s mom took off when he was around eight years old and that’s when his dad started drinking. Went downhill from there.”
“I don’t remember any of that.”
“You were younger than us.” Connor grabbed the keys and opened his door. “Anyway, Dallas used to hope he and his dad would get back to where they were before she left, but it never happened. Dallas’s uncle stepped in as a father figure until the accident.”
I pulled on the door handle and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “How awful.”
“Yeah, his uncle was the only good role model in his life. Dallas took his uncle’s accident hard and being blamed for it devastated him. He’s the kind of guy who goes silent when he’s hurting. That’s probably why he left town. I should have tried harder to reach him.”
“We all should’ve tried harder to be there for him,” I said, thinking of how I’d avoided Dallas after Grace’s death. I’d felt guilty hanging around him knowing my mom blamed him for Grace’s terrible fall. There were times when my mom hadn’t been around and then I’d hang with Dallas and Connor, but not like when we still had Grace.
We hiked up the steps leading to the spot beside the waterfall. The Falls were pouring down with a soothing sound, splashing against the gray and black rocks into the natural pool at the bottom. Stands of pine trees covered the sides of the mountain, framing the Falls. Happiness hit again. Miami was amazing and wonderful but there was no feeling like being home.
We walked past The Sharing Tree and Kissing Bench, which reminded me of that day with Tom when Dallas had gotten in his face. They’d argued and pushed each other, before Dallas finally socked him in the jaw. I remembered my astonishment and confusion. After the incident, my mom reminded me that Dallas had always been bad news, reckless and unsafe. I never really saw him that way, but sometimes I’d wonder if she was right.
“Why the interest in Dallas?” Connor nudged me with his elbow. “Don’t tell me you still have a crush on him.”
“I never had a crush on him,” I lied.
“You can’t fool me, sis. I clearly remember you stalking him when we were kids.”
I let out an indignant yelp. “I didn’t stalk him.”
I may have followed him from a respectable distance. . . .
“Sure you did.” Connor leaned against the railing by the Falls, gripping the metal bar with his gloved fingers. “You’d practically wait by the door when you knew he was coming over and then you’d follow us on our adventures. You were always hanging around.”
“Your memory is whack,” I said, and then huffed. My breath created long frosty plumes on the air that drifted up and away. “I was watching out for you two trouble makers. Good thing, since you were always doing stuff that could get you hurt. Like that go-kart stunt.”
His eyes danced. “Don’t ever tell Mom, but as scary as that day was . . . it was still the most fun I ever had in my life. Lots of good memories with Dallas.”
“You two used to be best friends.” I glanced over at my brother, who looked deep in thought. “It’s Christmastime. What better reason to renew friendships?”
“Maybe you’re right.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Have you seen Dallas since you arrived? You must’ve since you’re bringing him up.”
I groaned a little. “When I arrived in town, I went to the business space I rented for my salon and found him there. Turns out he has a lease for the place, too.”
Connor’s mouth twitched. “Say what?”
“He’s opening a furniture store.” I turned to stare down at the crashing waters below. “How am I supposed to promote a professional beauty salon with half the space as a furniture store?”
“Maybe you could work out a deal to sell chairs instead of conditioner while clients get their hair done? I’d bet there’s a higher profit on a chair over a bottle of shampoo, or whatever.”
“That’s not helpful, thanks.”
He shrugged. “What are you going to do then?”
“I don’t know.” I admitted bleakly. “He’s actually been really helpful to have around. Yesterday, I managed to blow a fuse or whatever. All the electricity went out. Dallas called and
hired an electrician to take care of the problem, which might be fixed already. I should probably be at the salon right now. The sooner I fix it up, the sooner I can try to get mom and dad excited about my new venture, the C.M. Salon.”
“Aren’t initials a bit pretentious, sis?” he asked, flicking some drops of water on the railing at my face.
I flicked a good amount back at him.
Connor hollered, “Cold. That’s cold!”
I jutted out my chin. “So is calling my business name pretentious.”
“C.M. Salon . . .” He chuckled. “Do the initials stand for curl and mold? Cut and make over? Clip and magnificent?”
“Christmas Mountain, you dweeb . . .” I searched for a puddle to flick more water at him.
He held his hands up. “Truce?”
“For now. And only because I need to get to the salon and start working on it before Dallas decorates the whole place like the showroom of a furniture store.”
“Dallas is a good guy. He wouldn’t do that,” he said, taking the lead as we headed back to the stairs. Then Connor paused, taking hold of my arm. “Seriously, Morgan. Why are you so against telling Mom and Dad about your new career?”
I guffawed and then held up a hand to tick off the reasons on my fingers. “One, they’re going to be upset that I was secretive about how I spent my trust. They’d pushed me to get an MBA, remember? Two, they’ll be disappointed I gave up a business career to open a beauty salon. Three, there’s no way they will see being a beautician as something impressive, even though I love it. Basically, I’ll feel like I’ve disappointed them and . . . I don’t want them to talk me out of my dream.”
“They’re going to be more upset the longer you wait. But it’s your trust to spend the way you want. It’s not like Grandma and Grandpa put any conditions on it. So, tell them. You don’t know for sure that they’ll be disappointed until you try.”
All my happiness went flat and stale.
“Mom was controlling with both of us. But she’s always put extra pressure on me.” I looked away from him, my throat tightening. “I-I always knew I was the second daughter. You’re the first and only son but I was the second daughter. I’ve had to live up to that and all the things Grace never got to do.”
Connor’s face twisted. “You’re putting that on your shoulders? I get that we grew up with her ghost. It’s sad that we lost her. It’s terrible. But as much as we loved her, you should never feel like you need to take her place.”
I let his words flow through my mind over and over. He made sense. But he didn’t know the whole truth about Grace’s accident. There was another secret I’d kept to myself and it haunted me. I glanced over at my big brother, who looked back at me so protectively. A big burden hung in my chest. Maybe if I told him, he’d understand why I felt so torn. I opened my mouth—
Ding-ding-ding! Ding-ding-ding! My cell phone went off in a familiar tune.
“I know that ringtone,” Connor said.
“Yep.” I sighed. My mom was calling me. No more texts. No more excuses. I knew it was time to face her. But now more than ever I worried how very disappointed she’d be in me.
Chapter Seven
The next day, I arrived at the salon slash furniture store and Dallas handed me two lattes from Sleigh Café and said we were going for a drive. So grateful for the coffee after a night of barely any sleep due to stressing over my problems, I agreed with no fuss.
We’d gotten a lot of work done yesterday with the electricity on again, but not enough that I felt comfortable showing my mom. Like a coward, I sent her a text that I wasn’t feeling well—which was so the truth—and that when I was feeling better I had some news I wanted to share with her. A baby step in the right direction at least.
We drove up high in the mountains. Snow coated the ground and the wind hit Dallas’s truck, making it rock slightly as we climbed higher. I had no idea where he was taking me. And I didn’t care. I was just enjoying the ride, the view, and the coffee.
I stared out at the pine and fir trees, stripped of their leaves now, and the occasional glimpse of rock through the powdery dusting of snow. The air was cold and clear up there, so I could see for miles in all directions. My heart warmed. Home was where the heart was and right then I was exactly where I wanted to be.
The last few days had been a strain, despite my having run into my bracelet bff, Ashley Brooks, yesterday—she’d caught me crying on a bench by the Falls after Connor left—and how good it was to see her. I still had to face my mom eventually.
And, yeah, it had been awesome running into Lexi Townsend during the big Christmas Mountain tree lighting ceremony last night, and being with her and Ash made it so extra good to be home, but it’s not like I could tell them about Dallas and those kisses when I still didn’t know what to make of it. Dallas and I hadn’t talked about it either.
Dallas shifted the truck into a lower gear and the engine caught and sent us up even higher before we landed on a hair-raising road that ran in a slim band along the side of the mountain. My fingernails became in real danger of shattering as I clutched at my seat.
“Where are we going?” I asked, finally.
“You said a tree would look nice next to my window at home.” He glanced my way and we exchanged a look that warmed my belly. “We also need a tree for our front window at the store.”
“I figured we’d go to Tinsel Tree Farm to get one, not the North Pole,” I joked, and then glanced back at him. His jeans had patches of the glue he was using to put down the first part of the hardwood floors we had agreed upon for the space. His hair was messed up in a sexy way. He smelled of sawdust and lumber, a scent I was getting used to fast. Yum.
My heart gave a slight twist. He hadn’t kissed me again since Saturday night, but then again I hadn’t attempted to kiss him either. The last thing I needed to do was get mushy and weak in the knees around him when I didn’t know what our kisses meant. To avoid confusing emotions, I’d focused on cleaning the salon and made lots of progress.
“A tree lot is not how I do things,” he said.
“I can see that,” I said, as we came to a halt in a small clearing that featured a gentle hill in the middle of a ring of trees. He cut the truck off and dusted more of the glue off his sleeve, or tried to. It seemed to be stuck pretty fast. More worry hit me. We had agreed on the floors, but how would I pay Dallas back if Coraline gave the salon to me?
“You ready?” He opened his door and I followed suit. The cold air slapped against my face, stinging my cheeks and sending a tingle to my blood. I yanked my gloves out of my coat pocket and put them on. He reached into the big metal toolbox in the back of the truck and pulled out a chainsaw. “Now, we find a tree.”
“The perfect tree,” I replied, wanting the perfect tree in the window under the C.M. Salon and Parker’s Furniture “coming soon” sign we’d put up yesterday. We set off toward the wooded section on the other side of the clearing. The weather was a lot colder at this high elevation. My toes were cold even through the boots and the heavy socks I wore. I tilted my head back and looked up at the towering treetops. “We need a tree that’s small enough to fit through the door and not hit the ceiling.”
Dallas gestured to my right. “How about that one?”
I looked at the scrubby tree he’d pointed at, which was about two feet high. “Um, no.” I laughed. “That’s way too Charlie Brown.”
He chuckled as we trudged on. My feet crunched across a patch of ice and then I slipped. Like lightning, he caught me and steadied me.
“Be careful,” he said.
“I’ll try,” I said. But his hands on my arms had caused little shocks to bolt up along my central nervous system, making me so want to slip again.
We hiked along in amicable silence. The wind picked up, bringing the scent of pine. I shivered as we moved through the tree line and into the actual woods beyond the clearing.
“I saw Connor yesterday,” I blurted.
“Yeah?” He stopped at
a tree and knocked on the trunk, shook his head, and moved on. I had no idea what that meant, but I figured he knew better than I did. “How’s Connor doing?”
“He’s good.” I stopped at a tree. I gave it a good rap, which didn’t give me any better idea of whether or not the tree was right for us. It basically just made my knuckles sting. I winced. “We talked about you.”
Dallas’s gaze shot to mine. “What did you say?”
“Not much,” I said, reassuring him I hadn’t repeated anything personal he’d told me. Then I looked up at the top of the tree, which was about six feet tall with a wide and full set of branches. It was the best Christmas tree I’d ever seen. “This might be the one.”
“I like it, too.” He knelt down to study the trunk of the tree, lifting a few branches out of the way. He started fiddling with the button and blade on the chainsaw. “Good choice.”
As I watched Dallas checking out the base of the tree, I squinted down at him. “Do you know what Connor said about me? He said I used to have a crush on you.”
He looked up at me, a startled look on his face. “He thinks so, too, huh?”
I giggled, my belly fluttering. “He claimed that I stalked you.”
Dallas blinked. Then the corners of his mouth tipped up. “You were always hanging around.”
I batted his arm. “Maybe I was making sure neither of you got hurt.”
He stood, leaving the chainsaw on the ground. Snow fell off his jeans and his grin grew wider as he came closer. “You had a lot of friends, Morgan. I might believe you were worried about Connor’s safety. But there was no reason for you to worry about mine. Connor’s right. You were definitely stalking me.”
I bit my lip, lifting my lashes. “Maybe I did have a crush on you.”
He reached for my hands. “Maybe?”
I shrugged. “I will confirm nothing.”
“Say it.” He suddenly tickled me and I erupted in a fit of laughter. I reached around him and pulled him down. We fell into a high drift of snow. I hollered as a chunk of snow slid into the neck of my coat and another chunk went up one sleeve. He continued tickling up and down my ribs, saying, “Admit you had a crush on me.”
