A Little Bit of Holiday Magic

by Melissa McClone

  The guy was too much. “I didn’t get that.”

  Liam made a face at her. “A horsey can’t talk, Mommy!”

  “Oh, I forgot.” She wrung her hands, full of nervous energy. “Well, have fun. Looks like we’re going to be in Hood Hamlet a few more days. I’m going to find us a place to stay so we can get out of your horse’s hair.”

  Bill stopped crawling. “The truck.”

  Grace rubbed the back of her tight neck. She tilted her head toward Liam. “Maybe we can talk later. Things are sort of a mess.”

  Bill’s gaze met hers, a sympathetic glance that told her he understood. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you’re in Hood Hamlet.”

  A lump formed in her throat. “I—”

  “Here. Here,” her son chanted. “I want to stay with big dude.”

  Bill raised an eyebrow. “Liam thinks staying here is a good idea.”

  She swallowed. “Liam also thinks filling the toilet with a squad of toy soldiers is fun.”

  Bill glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t do that here, bud, okay?”

  “Okay,” Liam said.

  Bill looked back at her. “We’re good.”

  Grace wasn’t so sure. Liam hadn’t left Bill’s side all day. Dominoes. Breakfast. Tree trimming. Lunch. Playing in the snow. Horsey. The kid treated him like a wind-up plaything, and Bill was more than happy to oblige. Spending more time here might hurt Liam when they left for Astoria.

  Her son had been too young to remember Damon leaving and not coming home, but he might be old enough to remember Bill. “Thanks, but you don’t need us hanging around. You must have stuff to do.”

  “Not in this weather. The only thing on my agenda is work tomorrow.”

  “What if it keeps snowing?” she asked.

  “Nothing keeps a firefighter away from the job. I have a four-wheel drive truck with a plow on the front. I work a twenty-four hour shift. This place will be all yours.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You trust us here alone?”

  Bill’s appreciative gaze raked over her, sending chills down her spine, the good kind, ones she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  “You don’t look like the type to take advantage of anyone.”

  Of course not. She looked like a frazzled mom trying to care for a curious three-year-old, with nowhere to go and no vehicle to take them there. But something about Bill’s easygoing tone challenged her. She raised her chin. “Looks can be deceiving.”

  His brows slanted. “Got some crimes to confess?”

  She tapped her finger against her chin. “Do you think I’d tell you if I did?”

  The connection between them flared, stronger than ever. Hot, inviting, oh so tempting.

  Crush. A foolish crush.

  Self-preservation called for her retreat. But Grace couldn’t stop staring. She didn’t blink. She didn’t move.

  She stood mesmerized.

  Bill looked away first, but Grace didn’t feel as if she’d won. He was only keeping her guessing.

  His casual shrug belied his darkening eyes. “Doesn’t matter to me if you have some deep dark secrets. All I have here is stuff.”

  She glanced around, trying to calm her rapid pulse. A glass of ice water might cool her off. Or she could step outside. “Nice stuff.”

  “Replaceable.” A faraway look filled his eyes. “People don’t understand. When there’s a fire they lose their minds over how this is gone or that is ruined. Sometimes we have to hold people back or pull them out of burning buildings over stuff. I get that it’s hard to lose pictures and mementos, but nothing’s worth saving except loved ones.”

  “You’ve seen some bad things.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at Liam once more. “Occupational hazard.”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  “Don’t.” He spoke sharply, then his features relaxed into a smile. “Life is too precious to dwell on the negative stuff.”

  “You seem to have no problem focusing on the positive.”

  “Only way to go.” He crawled across the floor with Liam on his back. “I bet the little dude makes it easy for you to do the same.”

  “Yes.” Though not always.

  Maybe she should follow Bill’s advice. Expecting something to go wrong wasn’t a good way to live. It wasn’t how she and Damon had lived before that final deployment.

  “So you’ll stay?”

  A “no” sat poised at the tip of her tongue. Thinking positively was one thing. Buying trouble was another. Something told her Bill Paulson could be big trouble. Her lips parted—

  “Before you say no, hear me out.” He moved closer. “Giving you a place to stay is the least I can do. It’s my way of saying thank you for the sacrifices your family has made for our country.”

  Liam raised his arms and cheered. “Stay. Stay with Bill.”

  Holding on to the boy, Bill reared like a stallion, graceful and wild. Smiling like a fiend.

  Grace tapped her fingers against her lips. “It could be a couple of days or longer. Thad thinks, um, things shouldn’t be fixed.”

  Liam slid off Bill’s back. Both stood.

  “All the more reason to stay.” Bill spoke as if this was nothing more than a weekend sleepover where they’d watch DVDs and eat popcorn and candy. “Don’t waste money on a hotel when you have a free place here. Liam needs a Christmas tree and room to play. I have both.”

  Not to mention an adult-size playmate.

  Liam nodded, as if he understood what Bill was saying.

  “I won’t be around much,” he continued. “After my shift, I’m off for forty-eight hours. I spend most of that time on the mountain. Trust me, I won’t be a good host.”

  “That’s hard to believe. You’ve been amazing.”

  “You’re easy to please, Grace.” He looked down at his legs being hugged by Liam. “You, too, cowboy.”

  Bill’s schedule alleviated her fears about Liam getting too attached. She had money, thanks to insurance and military benefits, but she wanted to be frugal. Still, she hesitated. “But Christmas is coming....”

  “Let’s take it a day at a time.”

  Both Liam and Bill were looking at her, waiting for her to decide. She couldn’t think of any reason not to stay, but found herself balking. Bill rattled her nerves.

  Liam tilted his head. “Puh-lease, Mommy.”

  “Listen to the kid,” Bill said.

  “If we stay, I don’t want to be treated as a guest. I’ll buy groceries. Cook. Clean.”

  “Not necessary.”

  She was outnumbered, but not about to give in. “Not negotiable.”

  “Then it’s a deal.” Bill held his hand up to her son. “Looks like you’re staying, little dude.”

  Liam high-fived his new playmate. “Yay!”

  “Nothing like Hood Hamlet in December.” Bill shot her a sideways glance, making her pulse jump. “You won’t regret this.”

  Grace hoped not. She’d lived with enough regrets. She didn’t want to have to live with any more.

  * * *

  The next morning Bill entered the station stifling a yawn. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. He needed caffeine pronto. The little dude hadn’t slept well last night. No one else in the house had, either.

  That was what he got for telling Grace to stay. He didn’t regret the invitation, though he’d given her little choice.

  Why had he worked so hard to convince her? Why did it matter where she went?

  He’d never thought the whole family thing was attractive, but something about spending more time with Grace and Liam had sucked him in. His common sense had fled or maybe gone into hibernation.

  He crossed the apparatus bay, his steps echoing against
the concrete floor, not another soul in sight. Everyone must be waiting for morning briefing from the chief. Bill hoped someone had brought breakfast. This morning he’d wanted to leave his house as quietly as possible, so hadn’t grabbed any food.

  A bad move according to his grumbling stomach.

  Grace would agree and tell him breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Too bad they couldn’t have eaten together.

  Weird how he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  Bill had tried to help last night, but his presence had been only a hindrance in getting Liam back to sleep. The little dude had wailed like a banshee with him around. So much for being good with kids.

  He’d retreated to his room, trying not to think of having an after midnight play session with Grace. Hot, heavy fun. He was good at that. But...

  Grace + Liam = off-limits.

  Bill couldn’t forget that, even if math had never been his best subject.

  He headed toward the living quarters, basic but comfortable with a television area, large dining room and kitchen. The bunkrooms were upstairs, along with the bathrooms.

  Bill hoped Grace and Liam were still asleep. She had to be tired. He didn’t know how she handled being a single parent. Not that she had a choice. At least his dad flew home a couple times a year, around major holidays. That had to count for something, right? Grace had no one. Not even parents she could call.

  Maybe she could nap today. A vision of her in bed made him grin.

  Bill pushed through the door. An argument about the upcoming Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday raised the decibels by a factor of two. A heated debate over the best local ski area—Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows or Ski Bowl—for fresh powder ensued. Two men bragged about the hot babes they’d bagged the other night. No doubt one of the guys was Riley Hansen.

  In the dining room, both B and C shifts sat around the table. Every person had a coffee cup in hand. Three pink boxes of doughnuts and a stack of napkins rested in the center of the table. A typical morning at shift change.

  “Good morning, fellows. And Thomas.” Bill nodded toward his best friend, Leanne Thomas, who worked with him on C shift.

  She sat next to her fiancé, Christian Welton, who had been moved by the chief to B shift after the engagement was made public. Leanne held an old-fashioned glazed doughnut. “Traffic was heavy this morning. Lots of folks heading up the mountain,” she commented.

  “I don’t blame them.” Brady O’Ryan, the other paramedic on the crew, refilled his cup. “Everyone wants to make first tracks in the fresh powder.”

  Bill grabbed a chocolate-frosted doughnut covered with candy sprinkles. “Me, too.”

  Hansen snickered. “Sucks to be a C shifter.”

  “I don’t see any of you B boys hightailing it out of here to make your mark,” Thomas said, with the attitude that had earned her respect at the station.

  “Hey, babe.” Welton put his arm around the back of her chair. “I’m one of those B boys now.”

  Her expression softened. “Maybe after we’re married, Chief will move you back to Hood Hamlet’s elite C squad.”

  The B boys groaned.

  Bill laughed. “Better watch it, guys, or Thomas will dream up yet another physical training torture.”

  She winked. “Damn straight. And this one will be tougher than the last.”

  Thomas’s last program had nearly killed them all, Bill included. His muscles ached from the memory of the world-class athlete cardio and strength training regimen.

  “I’ve got my skis with me,” she told him. “Christian and I are heading up the hill as soon as I’m off. Want to come with us?”

  “You’re on.” But Bill wanted to check on Grace and Liam first. He decided against mentioning them in front of the whole crew. “I’ll need to swing by home to grab mine.”

  “Hey,” Welton said. “I heard there was some excitement on your street two nights ago.”

  “A pickup in a snowbank,” Bill said.

  Leanne wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Drunk?”

  “No, someone trying to make it over the mountain.” He didn’t want to talk about this now.

  “In a blizzard?” Christian shook his head. “Must not be from around here.”

  Bill stared into his coffee cup. Grace hadn’t been stupid. She’d just never driven through the Cascades in winter before. “They’re not.”

  “Injuries?” O’Ryan asked.

  Bill eyed what remained in the pink boxes, debating if he wanted another doughnut. “Just sore. They were buckled in. Had air bags.”

  Thomas raised her cup. “Lucky.”

  “Very.” Though Grace might not agree. Her truck was in bad shape according to Thad. Bill sipped his coffee. “The pickup might be totaled.”

  “Wonder how they ended up on your street from the highway?” Welton asked. “It’s not exactly Main Street.”

  “No idea.” Bill hadn’t thought about that. Now he was curious. “I’ll have to ask Grace.”

  Silence fell over the table.

  Thomas leaned forward. “Grace?”

  Damn. Everyone was looking at him.

  “The driver of the pickup.” He tried to backtrack slowly, like a truck stuck in a rut. “She showed up at my house needing help.”

  “Unbelievable.” Hansen rolled his eyes, the gesture matching the disdain in his voice. “Even when Paulson can’t date a woman, they show up in the middle of the night knocking on his door.”

  Bill straightened. “It’s not like that.”

  “So she’s not hot,” O’Ryan said.

  He looked up. “I never said that. But she’s a mom.”

  Thomas elbowed him. “Moms can be cute.”

  “Moms can be hot,” O’Ryan said.

  Hansen sneered. “Ever hear the term MILF?”

  Thomas glared, shutting them all up. “Were Grace’s kids in the truck?”

  “One kid,” Bill answered, knowing how hard car accidents involving kids were for Leanne. Her parents and two brothers had been killed in a crash on Highway 26. She’d been the lone survivor. “He’s fine, but had a rough time last night. Kept waking up.”

  Thomas’s forehead wrinkled. “How do you know that?”

  Now everyone knew everything. Bill never had been good at keeping secrets. Especially here. He’d had no siblings growing up, but these people were his brothers and sister. Irritating at times, but still family. Though not quite the same as what he’d felt with Grace and Liam.

  Bill shrugged. “They’re staying at my house.”

  Looks flew across the room faster than freestylers off the jumps at Timberline’s aerial park. Bill sucked it up and waited.

  “This woman...” O’Ryan sounded surprisingly earnest. Sometimes he could be a jerk. “She’s there now? While you’re here?”

  Bill nodded. “They were asleep when I left.”

  Hansen hung his head. “Bad move.”

  “Why is that?” Bill asked.

  Leanne touched his arm. “You don’t know them.”

  “I do now. What would you do? It’s a woman and a kid with a wrecked vehicle.” He glanced at each of the firefighters. “Which one of you would have done it differently?”

  No one. Bill knew that in his heart.

  Hansen shook his head. “How can you be such a player and so stupid about women at the same time?”

  “She could be trying to get her hooks into you,” O’Ryan said. “A mom looking for a sugar daddy for herself and kid.”

  “I bet a U-Haul truck is at your house now and some sketchy looking dude is loading everything you own to sell on Craigslist,” Hansen said.

  Bill’s jaw tightened. “Grace is not like that.”

  “You’re not at all suspicious?” Thomas asked
.

  “It’s the other way around.” He remembered the wariness in Grace’s eyes the night she arrived. He was so glad she smiled now. “She called the sheriff on Sunday night. She wasn’t sure if it was safe to stay at my house.”

  Thomas smiled. “Sounds like a smart woman.”

  “Grace is,” Bill said. “She’s a widow. Her husband was a Ranger killed in Afghanistan. She’s on her way from Columbus, Georgia, to Astoria to make a new start. Or was until she hit the snowbank. Helping her out is the least I can do.”

  No one said anything for a minute.

  Hansen snickered. “At least that’s the story she told you.”

  A series of tones sounded. “Rescue 1 and Engine 3 responding to car accident. Automobile versus pedestrian on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue,” the female dispatcher announced.

  Everyone from C shift rose from the table.

  Bill headed toward his bunker gear.

  O’Ryan followed him. “Way to go, finding a way around no dating in December.”

  “Huh?”

  “Having wild monkey sex with your new roomie, Grace.”

  Only in Bill’s dreams. Though sex would be the easy part. The rest was what he couldn’t handle. He removed his shoes and stepped into his bunker pants and boots. “I’m not doing this to get laid. Plus she’s got a kid.”

  “So what?” O’Ryan shrugged on his jacket. “The chick’s only passing through town. Sex is sex.”

  Bill balled his hands, ready to punch the guy. But the clock was ticking. He grabbed his helmet. “How would you know about sex? I thought you were saving yourself for your wedding night.”

  He climbed into the rig.

  Damn O’Ryan. Bill didn’t want to be thinking about Grace and sex.

  The engine pulled out of the bay, lights flashing and sirens roaring.

  This wasn’t the time to fantasize. Grace wasn’t a woman to lust after, not with appealing and playful images running through his mind and sending his temperature spiraling. He shouldn’t be thinking about her romantically at all. He couldn’t give her what she needed, what she deserved.

  Bill hoped she heard good news about her truck. The sooner she was on her way to Astoria, the better off they all would be.