“Give me a minute.” He started singing, badly out of tune, the beginning of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” while counting on his fingers. “There’s Dasher and Dancer and Prancer, and Vixen. Uh... Comet and...and blah-blah and Donner? And...uh... Blitzen!” He held up his hands with eight counted off.
Charley held back a laugh. “There’s a reindeer named blah-blah?”
“No, hold on.” He began humming the tune to himself but got stuck in the same place.
She ever so softly said, “Cupid. How could you forget Cupid?”
Jack stared into her intoxicating eyes. “No idea.” They moved closer to one another in such synchronicity that he didn’t know who moved first. But now they were inches apart. He could hear her breath quicken, as did his. He could feel the intensity building between them, charging the air. His gaze fell on her sensuous, parted lips and he ached to kiss them. He set his hand on the mantel to steady himself and must have touched Arthur because one of the tiny bells on his vest jingled, instantly ruining the moment.
Startled, they broke apart, catching their breath.
Jack glared at Arthur. “Is it me, or is that mouse staring at us?”
“He’s staring,” Charley said beyond question. “His eyes are like the eyes on the Mona Lisa. They’ll follow you around the room.”
Jack jerked to the right of the mouse and then the left. “You’re right. His eyes move with me. That’s just—”
“Normal for this town,” she finished for him. “He’s actually a good listener, which is why I think he’s gotten protective of me.”
Jack heaved a dramatic sigh. “First, I had to get permission from your dad to date you, and now a stuffed mouse?”
She laughed, and Jack realized how much he loved the sound. She had a sweet, melodious laugh that made her light up from within. And her exuberance was infectious, for it made him want to make her laugh every hour of every day. “Arthur, do you mind if I take Charley to the town’s Christmas festival?”
They looked at Arthur as if waiting for his approval.
“I think Arthur would love it,” she said, speaking for him. “That way he can watch Christmas movies while I’m gone.”
“Good plan.” He ambled toward the door. “I’ll swing by in an hour?”
“Works for me.”
He hesitated, marched right back to her, and took her in his arms. He felt a rush of heat between them as she stared at him with beckoning eyes. He slowly lowered his mouth on to hers and gave her a long, passionate kiss. To have her in his arms after so many years apart was euphoric. Her body melted into his, and it took all of his willpower to at last break away.
“See you soon.” He moved toward the door, then withdrew from her room, leaving her utterly speechless.
Smiling to himself, Jack rambled down the hallway, pleased he had as much of a dizzying effect on her as she had on him. This is going to be a great night. They’d enjoy the festival together, and then later they’d sit down and figure out their long-distance issue. Now that he’d finally found her, he wasn’t going to let her go.
As he reached his room, his cell rang, and he saw that it was his boss. “Hey, Cap.”
“How’s it going out there?”
“Not as expected,” he said. The understatement of the year. “No cult, no timeshare, no Ponzi scheme. No one taking advantage of anyone. I’m finding just the opposite. This town is filled with decent people who look out for one another.”
“That’s it?” Captain Wollin sounded clearly surprised.
“The town has a huge affinity for everything Christmas, but other than that, nothing nefarious.”
The captain blew out a disappointed breath. “Did you at least find out who’s sending the invitations?”
Yes, apparently Old Saint Nick is on the case and one of his little elves delivers Scrooge suggestions to him every night. “I haven’t met the sender personally, but I’m in the process of tracking him down. However, I can confirm that I haven’t come across anyone who’s been hurt emotionally, physically, or financially by these letters. Only positive experiences to report at this time, although I’d like to stay a few more days to make sure I’ve covered every angle.”
“You’re trying to tell me that Braca and my brother were turned into good people by a town that celebrates Christmas twenty-four-seven?”
“The Christmas spirit is hard to ignore, sir.”
“Huh. I suppose so. Maybe I should send my mother-in-law up there.”
* * *
Charley poked her head out of the bathroom to check the time on the alarm clock by the bed. Jack would be arriving any minute. She applied her lipstick before hunting for her cell, which she found lying on the mantel next to Arthur.
She smiled at the cute stuffed mouse. “Didn’t I tell you he was amazing? He’s charming, funny, adorable, handsome.” She let her own words sink in. “He’s pretty much everything I asked for. He has to be my soulmate, don’t you think?”
She heard Jack’s three light raps on the door, wiggled her brows at Arthur, then went over to let him in. When she opened the door, she gasped. Jack was standing there in a giant Christmas stocking. Her jaw dropped as her mind whirled back to what she had said to Arthur her second night in St. Nicholas. If Santa wants me to stop being a Scrooge, he will need to put my soulmate in my stocking this year instead of a lump of coal!
Jack chuckled. “You should see the look on your face.” He stepped out of the stocking. “Charley Dawson is at a loss for words?”
Yes, she was. Santa handled deliveries exceedingly well.
“Mary asked me to take a bunch of these stockings to the festival.” He held up a big bag, overflowing with them. “I guess they’re for the Christmas stocking races in the snow.”
“You make an adorable stocking stuffer,” Charley said, at last finding her voice.
“There it is.” He grinned. “I knew you’d have a clever remark.”
“Hard not to when a grown man shows up at my door in a Christmas stocking.”
He laughed. “Ready?”
“Just a sec.”
While Jack waited in the hallway, she snatched her coat off the back of the chair, threw Arthur a quick kiss and whispered, “Good job.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Christmas festival was in full swing with locals and tourists enjoying the first night of events. Charley and Jack entered the town square where dozens of vendors featured specialty items—beautiful glass Christmas ornaments, wooden sleds, handmade scarves. One vendor sold his-and-her matching pajamas. Jack held up a pair printed with tiny reindeer. He nodded enthusiastically to Charley with a big grin on his face.
She laughed, thinking what an adorable dork he was. How she missed being with someone who made her laugh. “If you’re not careful, I’m going to buy those for you. Then maybe you’ll remember poor Cupid next time.”
His face was aghast. “I’ll never forget Cupid again.” He dropped the pj’s and grabbed the big bag of Christmas stockings he still needed to deliver.
“Is that it?” She gestured to a booth off to one side.
“I think so.” They strode over, and Jack glanced around for the vendor. “I wonder if I should just leave them.”
A teenage boy wearing a Santa hat popped up from below the counter. “Are you here for the races?”
Jack jerked back, startled. “Maybe later, but Mary Carroll wanted me to drop these off to you.” He threw the bag onto the counter.
“Thanks, man. We totally ran out last year.” The teenage boy dragged the bag closer and unloaded it. “You know, it’s only ten minutes before the next race. Whoever wins gets awesome vendor coupons.”
“That sounds great, but...” Jack turned to Charley.
“I’ve never done a Christmas stocking race. Have you?” She lifted a brow.
Ten minutes later, Charley, Jac
k, and several other competitors stood in oversize Christmas stockings at the starting line.
Charley narrowed her eyes at Jack. “You’re going down,” she said with glee.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Jack threw back, confidently.
The blare of the horn sounded. Everyone began hopping across the well-lit, carved-out path in their Christmas stockings—Charley and Jack neck-and-neck. Charley was having a hard time hopping because she couldn’t stop laughing at how funny Jack looked. His jaw was set with determination; his eyes danced wildly with excitement. She got too close to him, lost her balance, and tripped him by accident. They fell into the snow while a little girl from behind jumped across the finish line.
“I did say you were going down,” Charley said. The second she stood, Jack pulled her back into the snow, making her laugh.
“I can’t believe we lost when we were in the lead.” He watched the little girl’s family congratulate her. “Who knew little kids could be so ruthless?”
She couldn’t help but think how fun it would be to do a race with their own kids one day.
“Are you getting hungry?” he asked, interrupting her daydream.
“I could eat,” she said, tucking away her musings for later.
“Good, because I’m famished.” He reached out and helped her to her feet.
Once they returned the oversize stockings to the teenager, they wandered around the festival, checking out food choices.
“How about we go French tonight?” Charley asked, standing in front of the Paris in St. Nicholas booth.
“Sure.” He slid his arm around her shoulder as they glanced over the menu.
“Bonsoir,” a peppy woman said. “Welcome to Paris in St. Nicholas. Tonight’s Christmas theme is eggnog, which means you’ll receive ten percent off any eggnog item.”
“We certainly can’t pass that up.” Charley snuggled into Jack. “Are you still a splitter?”
“Now that brings back memories. I haven’t split food with anyone since you.”
“Time to reinstate a good thing,” she said, then turned to the vendor. “We’ll take the eggnog Monte Cristo, and the eggnog crepes with mixed berries for dessert.” Charley glanced at Jack. “Good with you?”
“Great with me.” Jack grabbed plastic utensils and napkins from the counter while they waited for their food. “Remember Homecoming, when we double dated with my buddy Chris and his girlfriend?”
She very much remembered dancing with Jack but had forgotten about their dinner. “Yeah. What was her name? Hannah?”
“Heather.” Jack groaned.
“That’s right. Heather,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You and I had been splitting meals for months, even that night.”
“Didn’t we split a Caesar salad and a filet mignon?”
“Good memory. Then you probably remember that Chris and Heather got into a huge fight. She wanted fish, which Chris hated, so he said they should just order separately, but Heather insisted they split their entrees.”
“Didn’t they break up that night?”
“Yeah,” Jack said. “I guess not being splitters split them up.”
Charley laughed.
“Jack?” A woman’s voice rang out.
He glanced over and the color instantly drained from his face. An attractive woman with dark hair stood glaring at them. “Lisa!” Jack’s voice filled with shock.
Lisa? Who’s Lisa? Charley didn’t recognize her but clearly Jack did. A feeling of dread began churning in the pit of her stomach.
“What are you doing here?” His tone was sharp.
Lisa shifted her focus between Charley and Jack. “I thought you were on a case.”
“I am,” he said coldly.
She gave Charley a onceover before setting her gaze back on Jack. “I expected more from you, Jack. Why did you lie to me?”
Fear of betrayal began building in Charley. Is she Jack’s girlfriend? Don’t jump to conclusions. Charley regarded Jack carefully. He’d obviously been taken off guard, but now he looked trapped, which didn’t make any sense to her. If Lisa was an ex-girlfriend, or even a friend who had hoped for something more, he’d look uncomfortable, not trapped. Charley’s breath snagged in her throat.
“I didn’t lie to you,” he said. “I told you I was on a case, and I also told you it was over between us.”
Lisa drew her arms tight to her body. “I’ve got eyes, Jack. The body language between you two tells me you’ve known her a lot longer than a few days. Just how long were you dating the both of us?”
“You have it all wrong,” Jack shook his head. “Charley and I dated in high school. We ran into each other at the B&B.”
Lisa’s eyes welled with tears. “You mean the B&B that I wanted to go to?”
“I’m not doing this,” he said calmly, taking Charley’s hand. “Let’s go.”
But Charley hesitated. When exactly did he break up with her? How serious had they been?
“Did he even tell you about me?” Lisa asked Charley in a trembling voice.
Charley met her gaze, seeing the pain in the woman’s eyes, and slowly she shook her head, unable to speak.
Lisa let out a small laugh. “You’d think I’d at least get an honorable mention after treating him to a romantic dinner Monday night.”
Six nights ago? Charley felt a ball of hurt lodge in her chest. She blinked repeatedly, keeping the inevitable tears from betraying the tough façade she was desperately trying to hide behind. She wanted to believe he wasn’t an insensitive jerk, but she couldn’t deny the wounded woman in front of her. Her mind reeled back to high school. How Jack stopped emailing and returning her calls and how their love fizzled out to nothing, as if it had never existed in the first place. The indifference had been more painful than if he had just ended it before he moved away.
Charley clenched her jaw before fixing her gaze on Jack. “You were still in a relationship less than a week ago, and you didn’t think that was worth mentioning?”
Bewilderment flooded his eyes. “The relationship was over.”
“Then why is she here?”
Charley and Jack turned toward Lisa, waiting for an answer.
She stepped forward, wiping the tears off her cheeks, and focused on Jack. “After we spoke yesterday, I was—”
“What?” Charley’s threw glances between the two. Something else he neglected to tell her? She’d known Jack in high school, and she thought she knew him now. Jack Brody was not a two-timing jerk, and he would confirm that. The Jack she knew would never stay in contact with someone he had already broken up with, especially since he had rekindled the relationship with her. “Did you talk to her yesterday?”
Jack’s shoulders slumped and his expression was that of deep regret. “Charley, I—”
She put her hand up to stop him, her eyes moistening. “It’s a simple yes or no,” she said, her voice shaking.
He hesitated, his eyes imploring her to see his innocence. “She called me.”
Charley choked with emotion as tears stung her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Instead of owning up to the fact that he’d been lying to her through omission, he chose to lay blame elsewhere. This couldn’t be the man she had fallen in love with.
She blinked, clearing her vision as her eyes met his, and in a voice as faint as a ghost’s she said, “If you no longer have feelings for her, why did you take her call?”
But Jack had no words for her. He just stood there, staring at her, shaking his head.
She backed away and hurried off before she broke down in front of him. She wouldn’t allow him the satisfaction of seeing the devastation and pain he’d inflicted on her as he cut out her heart once again.
* * *
“Charley, wait!”
Lisa quickly grabbed his arm. “Jack,
please.”
He yanked it free. “Why are you here? We’re not together anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It’s just... I didn’t hear everything you said before we were disconnected. I thought maybe you had changed your mind, that you realized our breakup was a mistake. Jack, all I did was ask you one little question.”
“It wasn’t a little question. It was the question.”
Lisa cast her eyes to the ground, appearing as if she finally understood. Jack then turned and ran after Charley.
He rushed through the town square, scanning the crowds, desperate to find her. He raced to the mailbox, praying he’d find her there, but to his great disappointment she wasn’t. “Charley?” he called, searching the town square, panicked. “Charley!”
He flew down to the frozen pond, and then to the diner. He stopped to catch his breath and texted her: Where are you? She’s an ex-girlfriend. Please let me explain. He waited for a reply, but none came.
He scrambled into his SUV, worried she was walking back to the B&B. Halfway down the road he spotted her. He let out the breath he’d been holding and slowed down. He lowered the passenger-side window and pulled up alongside her. She had her coat wrapped tightly around her body and she was crying. A lump clogged his throat. Seeing her tears twisted his gut, and all he wanted to do was to take her in his arms.
“Charley?” he gently called her name.
She refused to look at him or acknowledge his presence. She simply marched on, staring straight ahead.
“She’s not my girlfriend anymore.” He kept pace with her, not backing down. “Didn’t you get my text?” he asked, attempting to keep desperation from coloring his voice.
She wouldn’t answer. She flipped her coat collar over her ears, shutting him out even more.
He stayed with her, creeping along the road by her side. Ignoring him wasn’t going to get rid of him. “Would you please get in the car and let me explain?”
She continued walking toward the inn.
“I’m not leaving you out here on this road. It’s not safe. You could get hit.”
Colorado Christmas Magic Page 20
