They reached the coffee shop, and he held the door open for her. After ordering a decaf mochaccino for Leann and an espresso for himself, they found a small table in the corner near a Christmas tree. The place was decorated with stuffed moose, bears, white twinkle lights and red flannel bows.
Sitting across from him, Leann looked prettier than any model in a magazine, but her forehead wrinkled as if she had something on her mind. Then she shook her head slightly. “Tell me about the research you do.”
She wanted to know about his research? Not many people asked about it, but he wasn’t around all that many people, either. Maybe she was being polite.
“Last year I was on a team studying the size and coloration of various trout populations. Based on our data, we determined which ones were at risk. We also came up with recovery strategies.” As the words streamed out of his mouth, his heart sank. Who besides his colleagues wanted to hear about trout populations? The topic was sure to bore her.
“Really?” Her eyes lit with interest. “Were you outside a lot? What does a typical day look like for you?”
Did she really want to know more? Or was she being polite?
“We’re outside most of the time.” He toyed with the handle of his cup of espresso. “When we’re not outdoors studying the fish, we spend hours creating reports in our cabins.”
“A lot of work. Tell me about the fish. Trout, right?”
He blinked. She wanted to hear about the trout? He got the impression she truly was interested—she didn’t seem bored in the slightest. He explained his research methods and what he looked for, and as the conversation went on, he opened up more and more.
“You love your job, don’t you?” She took the final sip of her coffee.
“Most of the time.” He grew serious. “It has its drawbacks, though.”
“Like what?”
“I move from place to place every six months to a year, depending on the research grants. I don’t have a home base, not one of my own, at least. The hours are long and sporadic, and I take vacations between projects. Since I don’t have an employer, I don’t have benefits. It gets lonely.”
“But you don’t work alone.”
“No, I don’t. I’ve been fortunate to pair up with my research partner, Jan, for several projects.” He didn’t always see eye to eye with Jan, but he respected her tenacity and dedication to wildlife.
“I guess it means you’ll be heading to Alaska soon.” She averted her gaze.
“I’m not sure, yet.” Studying the Arctic grayling fish would boost his professional reputation. But he thought about his dad and the ranch. How much he was enjoying checking cattle and riding horseback for a good part of the day. “When do you start at The Sassy Lasso?”
“January third.” She traced the rim of her mug. “I need this job. I’m not desperate or anything—my ex-husband, Luke, pays generous child support and I have a little savings. Don’t get me wrong—I need at least a part-time job, but when I heard about managing the boutique, well, I got excited for the first time in a long time. I like the fact that it’s not a franchise and I’d have more responsibility. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“I get it. Growing up, I always thought I’d join my dad in ranching, but my junior year of high school, I spent a summer volunteering with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. I was hooked—pardon the pun.”
She chuckled, and it sent a ripple of sensation over his skin. She made him feel like he wasn’t as boring as he thought.
“You gave up ranching, huh?” she asked.
“I did. It was a hard decision, but I decided to go to college to become a wildlife researcher. When you say you need the job—for you—I get it. Becoming a wildlife researcher was something I needed, too.” He rarely opened up like this with anyone. And saying it out loud brought questions to mind. Like did he still need it? Was he taking research jobs out of habit? “Anyway, you’ll make a great manager.”
“You think so?” The hope in her tone soon gave way to a sigh. “Kelli hinted it might take me some time to get the hang of how the store is run. She might stay on as manager for a while after the holidays.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to warn her not to rely on Kelli, but just because his sister-in-law had played him false didn’t mean she couldn’t be trusted. He wouldn’t feel right speaking ill of her.
“I need to find an apartment.” Leann met his gaze. “Any suggestions?”
He noted the worry lines between her eyebrows. If he was on speaking terms with Kelli, he’d be blunt and tell her to stop yanking Leann around. But he wasn’t on speaking terms, and he didn’t plan to be anytime soon.
“Well, I haven’t lived here in years, but not much changes in Sunrise Bend. There’s an apartment complex on the east side of town. That would be your best option. Some of the stores here on Main Street have apartments above them, too. I’ll have my mom put out the word that you’re looking for an apartment. She’s always on top of local happenings.”
“Thanks. I already spoke with the two day-care centers here, and they both have spots for Sunni. I’ll stop in and check them out before deciding, but it can wait until after Christmas.”
“Name the time. I’ll drive you over.”
“Thanks.”
They sat in easy silence, soaking in the instrumental Christmas music.
“Michael?”
“Hmm?”
“Kelli told me what happened,” Leann said. “I didn’t know you two had dated before she married David. She told me this afternoon.”
“No big deal. Why would you know?” He rapped his knuckles on the tabletop. He was partly relieved she hadn’t known and partly mortified she did now.
“I’m sorry.” She covered his hand with hers. Her gentle touch didn’t soothe the emotions her words had kicked up.
“Are you ready to go?” He pulled his hand back. “Need to stop anywhere?”
She took the abrupt change of topic in stride. “Most of Sunni’s presents are still in the trunk of my car. I didn’t buy much. She had a birthday last month, and I don’t want to spoil her.”
“Let’s stop at the auto shop and get the presents out of the trunk.” He rose and took their empty cups. “Then we can go to Lindy Loo’s General Store.”
“Lindy Loo’s?”
“Yep.” He set the dishes in the tub on top of the trash receptacle and waited for Leann to button her coat. A text came through from his mom. He read it and pocketed his phone. “I guess that decides it. Mom just texted me. She needs her cinnamon candies. Lindy Loo’s, it is.”
Leann slid her gloves on as he opened the door. “Does this Lindy Loo’s carry toys?”
“It’s a variety store. You can find anything there.”
“Anything, huh? I’ll pick up a few last-minute items for Sunni while you grab the candy.”
He was glad she’d taken the hint and dropped the topic of him and Kelli. It had been years ago. They all just needed to let it go.
But if he was still avoiding his brother and couldn’t bring himself to step inside Kelli’s store, had he really let it go?
Chapter Six
“Look, Sunni, there’s a sucker!” Leann pointed to the candy tossed in their direction Saturday morning. They stood on the sidewalk in front of an insurance agency. The sun was out for the annual Christmas parade, and infectious joy filled the air. Leann closed her eyes for the briefest moment to savor the blessing of giving her daughter the happiest of Christmas seasons. They were already creating memories and traditions in their new town.
Sunni stretched forward to grasp the sucker in her mitten-covered hand.
“Where’s my sucker?” Michael asked Sunni, who happily held it out to him. He laughed. “I was just kidding. That’s yours. You keep it. Can you see the reindeer coming up?”
Sunni shook her head.
“Want to sit on my shoulders?” he asked. “You’ll see all the floats from up there.”
“Candy?” Her big blue eyes darted to the street where candy kept being tossed, then back to him. Leann doubted anything would keep her girl away from the promise of sweets.
“I’ll get your candy, Sunni,” Frank chimed in. “Leave it to Gramps.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Michael hoisted Sunni onto his shoulders. She gripped her little hands around his neck and giggled loudly.
Every now and then, someone would call out Michael’s name and wave to him. Leann could see he was well liked, and it didn’t surprise her in the slightest.
“Look, girls, there’s Santa!” Patty, holding four-year-old Rachel’s hand, pointed to the float approaching with Santa’s sleigh and his reindeer. David and Kelli had skipped the parade. David was keeping the clinic open for a few hours this morning, while Kelli had stayed home with their two-year-old, Bobby, and the baby.
Leann couldn’t believe how natural it felt to be with Michael and his family. They’d made her feel like she and Sunni belonged with them. Last night, they’d all watched Christmas movies after dinner. Then, one by one, his parents and Hannah had gone up to bed, leaving her alone with Michael. They’d talked until midnight. She’d told him about Luke and how their marriage ended almost as soon as it began, and he told her how close he’d gotten with his sister after she graduated from high school. He’d driven to the University of Montana to visit Hannah often, until he started working in Alberta.
As much as Leann enjoyed being with his family, she had to keep tamping down the rush of joy their company brought.
She didn’t belong with them.
They were kind and generous, but this was a Christmas blip. Soon her wrist would be fine, she and Sunni would be living in their own apartment and Michael would be off researching somewhere else. She’d better not forget it.
“Rachel, I see Tootsie Rolls over there.” Patty pointed in front of the snow pile next to them.
The tiny blonde was Kelli’s spitting image, and with her sparkly pink stocking cap and matching coat, she looked like a little princess. “Thanks, Grammy. I’ll get you one, too.”
A marching band played “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” drowning out the laughter and conversations around them. The final float passed by, and Rachel, with Frank’s help, scooped up stray candies, laughing all the while.
Michael set Sunni back down to get her candy from his dad. Rachel rushed over to hug Sunni, and Sunni hugged her right back. It was the sweetest thing—Leann’s heart almost couldn’t take it. Her daughter already had a friend.
“Who wants hot cocoa?” Patty asked.
“Cocoa!” Sunni whirled to face Michael, lifting her arms for him to carry her. Leann frowned. It was great that Sunni trusted him, but she’d grown attached in a miniscule amount of time. Did her sweet daughter crave having a daddy? How could Leann explain that Michael was just a friend? One who’d probably only be here for Christmas before moving on?
Maybe she was overthinking things.
He hoisted Sunni into his arms. “You don’t like cocoa, do you?”
“Cocoa!”
“What do you say, Leann?” His eyes gleamed with happiness and...appreciation...for her.
Her stomach felt all fluttery.
“What’s a little more sugar?” She shrugged, lifting her hands. A parade, candy and cocoa weren’t going to hurt her little girl. But growing too attached to Michael could. And, if Leann were being honest with herself, it could hurt her, as well.
Sunni wasn’t the only one enamored of Michael Carr.
Leann had better clamp down on her emotions soon, or it would be awfully lonely after Christmas.
* * *
Sunrise Bend was doing funny things to his heart.
Michael tossed the empty cup into the trash can as he kept a tight grip on Sunni, who had fallen asleep in his arms. The crowds were thinning out, and the nip in the air drove people off the streets and into the stores.
“Leann, I just got a text from my friend Joy,” his mom said. “She and her husband, Leonard, own the candy shop down the block. The two-bedroom apartment above it will be available after Christmas. She said you can tour it now if you’d like.”
The candy shop had been one of Michael’s favorite hangouts as a kid. Whenever his parents would drive into town, he and David would beg to go in. They always left with a big bag of chocolates and sour gummies.
Sometimes he really missed his brother.
“Would you mind if I toured it?” Leann asked him. The worry in her eyes almost made him laugh. Did she think he had something better to do?
There was nothing else he’d rather do.
“Oh, go with her, Michael. Joy is leaving it unlocked.” His mom waggled her finger at him. “You can inspect it and make sure there aren’t any problems.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Leann shook her head.
“I don’t mind. Besides, I’ve got my orders.” He hitched his chin. “Come on. It isn’t far.” He glanced at his parents. “We’ll be home later.”
“Want us to take Sunni?” Dad asked.
“Nah. The car seat is in my truck. We’ve got her.”
“Okay, we’ll see you kids later.” With Rachel between them, his parents strolled away, holding the little girl’s hands.
Leann scrambled to his side. “Really, Michael, you don’t have to—”
“I want to.” He paused in front of the jeweler’s, looked down at her pretty face and wanted to do something more. Blame it on the festive air, but those full lips tempted him.
He hadn’t been tempted to kiss a woman in a long time.
All he’d have to do is bend slightly...
Her eyelashes dipped, and she ducked her chin. “I feel bad. You’ve gone out of your way to help me, and I...”
What was she talking about? He tipped her chin up and stared into her eyes. “You think I’m doing you the favor, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“You’re wrong,” he said quietly. “You’ve given me a reason to get reacquainted with my hometown. Before I met you, I’d planned on staying at the ranch the entire Christmas break.”
“Why?” She sounded confused.
He gestured for them to keep walking. “I don’t know. I guess it’s awkward to be here. Back when Kelli and I were together, I’d gotten serious—considered proposing—before I found out she was dating my brother. Since then, Sunrise Bend has felt like their town. It sounds stupid saying it out loud...” He pointed ahead to an alley. “Let’s cut through here. The door to the apartment should be in the back.”
“It doesn’t sound stupid. After Luke left me, I wouldn’t drive in the neighborhood where his dental practice was because I was afraid of seeing him and Deb or them spotting me. I didn’t want their pity.”
Didn’t want pity—that was it. He’d become an outsider in this town because he didn’t want anyone’s pity. However, since he’d been home, people had waved to him, greeted him in stores and generally acted like he’d never left.
Did anyone even remember he’d dated Kelli once upon a time?
When they reached the apartment door, he opened it, shifting Sunni to better hold her. He pointed to the staircase. “Ladies first.”
He thought of his dad and the ranch chores. Of Hannah and his mom. Of the welcome many people in town had given him.
Maybe he’d been wrong to avoid Sunrise Bend.
* * *
Michael had been thinking about proposing to Kelli? Leann made her way up the stairs. Her life was already as topsy-turvy as a carnival ride. If his confession didn’t pour buckets of snow all over her budding attraction for him, nothing would. It was a good reminder where her focus should be. On making a home here.
She emerged onto a landing and opened the
door at the top. Michael followed her inside. A living room with distressed hardwood floors greeted her. It had a large picture window overlooking Main Street. The space was old but bright and clean. A kitchen to her right had space to put a small table and chairs. They found the bedrooms, one spacious, one tiny, and the bathroom—outdated but in good working order—and looked in all the closets. Then they returned to the living room.
“Is she getting too heavy?” Leann asked.
“Are you kidding?” He grinned. “I’m used to hauling firewood and supplies. She’s a breeze to carry.”
He always had the perfect thing to say. And that was a problem, because the more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. And not as a friend. He treated her like she was special, worth his attention, and she hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
“I don’t see any red flags,” Michael said. “It’s older, but in good condition.”
“I like it.” And she did. It would be fun to live above the candy store. “I can walk to work. And Sunni and I will be close to everything. We’ll make good memories here.”
He quickly stared down at the floor.
“What is it?” she asked. “Is it this place? Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
“No, nothing like that. I...like it. A lot. I think you and Sunni would be very happy here.”
“Then why did you grimace?”
“I didn’t grimace.”
“You did.”
“You don’t miss much, do you?” He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know. I haven’t had a place to call my own in years, unless you count the apartment I shared with three guys during my final year of college.”
A wave of sympathy hit her. “You want a home of your own, don’t you?”
He didn’t answer.
“Well, this place is available. Do you want it?” She closed the distance between them.
“No.” His eyes darkened, shimmered. “Sunni will love it. It’s perfect for you.”
“You could move back, you know.”
Western Christmas Wishes Page 14
