“You won’t mind.” Rex Billings toyed with his gorgeous wife’s long blond hair. “You might wish you’d come across the germs sooner.”
Other guests heckled the bachelors.
“Are you ready, gents?” the DJ asked. “On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
Christian turned his back to them. He shot the garter behind him. The high trajectory took the lace-trimmed fabric toward some mistletoe hanging overhead. The garter hit the leaves, dropped straight down and landed on the floor.
No one moved for a second. Maybe two.
Thad and Owen reached for the garter at the same time.
But then Bill snatched it off the ground.
People cheered. Hollered. Booed.
Bill placed the garter over his biceps and took the ribbing from friends like a good sport. His words from the night they’d met rushed back to Grace.
Most of my friends are married, but my life is good, and I’m happy. Marriage and kids can wait until those things change.
She couldn’t believe he’d grabbed the garter, if that was how he felt. Granted, catching it or the bouquet didn’t mean you would be getting married next. She sure wouldn’t.
The two other men wanted the garter. Why had Bill picked it up?
For Leanne.
That would explain his actions.
“Time for another dance.” The DJ started another romantic ballad. “The bride and groom will dance, and the two who caught the bouquet and garter.”
Grace and Bill.
Maybe he’d picked up the garter so he could dance with her. Except...he’d danced with her already. She’d danced with Thad and Owen, too, so jealousy wouldn’t have been a motive.
Bill held out his arm toward her. The smile on his face showed no regrets. “May I have this dance?”
Grace clasped his hand, liking the feel and warmth of his skin. “I believe the dance is tradition.”
“You’re catching on to how things work around here.” The crinkles at the corner of his eyes deepened with his grin. He led her to the dance floor. “Tradition means a lot.”
“Is that why you picked up the garter? Tradition?”
He glanced at the blue satin displayed proudly on his arm. “I wanted the garter because of you.”
“Me?”
“You’ve danced with enough other guys. The rest of the night you’re mine.”
Mine.
“I’m staking my claim,” he continued.
Grace wanted to be his. “With a garter?”
“Damn straight.”
Her heart swelled with love for the man.
Love?
Oh, no. She’d fallen in love with Bill.
A man who didn’t want to get married.
A man who wasn’t ready to have kids.
A man who was a hero.
But this wasn’t the same love she’d felt for Damon. That had been a sweet, mad rush of young love, the two of them taking on more than they’d bargained for at a young age, and making the best of things while they grew up fast. She felt a thrill and excitement with Bill, tingles and chills and heat, but something was different. They hadn’t known each other long, but they felt like partners, able to talk, and support each other, rather than Grace trying to be the sole support of everything and figure things out on her own. Maybe age had matured her. Or motherhood.
Bill took her into his arms and wowed her with his fancy footwork.
They’d danced a fast song before, but she much preferred the slower tempo. “You’re a great dancer.”
“My mom made me take lessons.” He twirled her. “If you’d rather, we can hang all over each other like teenagers and rock back and forth while I try to grind on you.”
Grace laughed. “I’d rather dance like this.”
“Figured as much.”
The lyrics spoke about one true love and forever. Two things she’d lost in the mountains of Afghanistan. Two things she wouldn’t mind rediscovering on Mount Hood. She sighed.
“What?” Bill asked.
She didn’t, couldn’t answer.
The sound of silverware tapping on glass—the signal for the bride and groom to kiss—grew louder and louder.
She looked at Leanne, who pointed overhead.
Grace and Bill were dancing under the mistletoe.
She bit her lip. “What do we do?”
“Kiss.”
Panic spurted through her. “We’re here as friends.”
Grace needed to be practical about things, about life. This wasn’t a perfect snow globe world. Forget fairy tales. She wouldn’t live happily ever after here in Hood Hamlet, even if the fantasy called to her in her dreams. “Friends don’t kiss.”
Not the way she feared she would end up kissing him—hard, passionately, in front of all these people.
He shrugged. “Blame it on tradition.”
“Traditions. Christmas magic.” She tilted her chin. “Is there anything else I need to know about Hood Hamlet?”
“Just kiss me, Gracie.”
Her heart slammed against her rib cage.
The clinking of flatware against glass continued. The growing sound matched the roar of blood through her veins.
She wanted to kiss him, more than anything.
But should she?
* * *
Kiss me, Gracie.
Bill stood with Grace in his arms, a spotlight shining on them. His heart pounded in his chest. Adrenaline flowed, as if this were the crux of a climb, sketchy with a ton of exposure, not a slow dance at a wedding surrounded by friends.
Grace’s soulful, brave eyes stared into his.
A vise tightened around his heart.
She’d been through so much. He’d wanted to let her decide about the kiss, not push her into one. But making her kiss him wasn’t fair. Bill made his living helping people, rescuing them when needed. That was why he’d helped Grace in the first place. He had to help her now.
He parted his lips.
Grace rose up and brushed her mouth across his.
Heaven.
The touch of her lips against his rocked his world.
Heaven on earth.
That was the only way to describe her kiss, so sweet and warm and full of Grace.
He would never be able to get enough of her kisses.
Bill tightened his hold, not wanting her to get away.
She pulled back, ending the kiss as quickly as she’d started it.
A flame burned deep in his belly. His pulse raced. His lips ached for more kisses. For more Grace.
She smiled shyly, but her darker-than-usual eyes told him she’d felt the same pleasure and desire as him.
Wedding guests clapped. Someone whistled.
Bill heard the noise, but nothing could pull his attention from Grace. She was beautiful and courageous and in his arms.
Her eyelids fluttered. “We should keep dancing.”
He would rather keep kissing, but danced instead.
Pride in Grace rocketed through Bill, filling every crack and crevice inside him, ones he hadn’t known existed. “Thanks for playing along with another tradition.”
Her nose crinkled. “Couldn’t disappoint Leanne and Christian.”
Bill didn’t want to disappoint Grace.
“Didn’t you see Leanne giving you the evil eye?” she asked.
Bill saw only the woman in his arms. “No.”
His chest tightened. Ached.
He spun Grace to a corner of the dance floor. Her head dropped back her and her laughter filled the air.
Grace didn’t want to be his. Okay, he got that. But he couldn’t let her walk out of his life without taking wonderful memories of
her time in Hood Hamlet.
When she looked back on her days here, Bill wanted her to smile and think fondly of this town, of him. He knew exactly where to start.
Grace and Liam deserved a memorable Christmas.
With a little help, he might be able to pull off something...magical tonight.
* * *
Leaving the Community Center, Grace didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Emotions flickered through her, like a light being turned on and off by Liam.
Bill carried her tired son in one arm and held on to Grace with the other. “That was fun.”
“Amazing.” Someone had shoveled the sidewalk leading to the parking lot, but she was careful with her steps. “I met so many great people. I didn’t have to worry about Liam all evening. We danced so much my feet hurt.”
So did her heart, but she didn’t want to think about that.
“Your mom is a fantastic dancer, little dude.”
“Yep.” Liam didn’t raise his head. He stuck his thumb in his mouth.
“He knows.” Grace pulled up his hood so he wouldn’t catch a chill. “We’ve danced around the house on occasion.”
Bill slanted her a glance. “I haven’t seen you dancing.”
“You haven’t been there the entire time.”
“I’ll be gone more this coming week.”
“The holidays?”
He nodded. “I’m switching shifts due to the holiday. I’m off my regular shift on Monday, but working Tuesday, the twenty-fourth.”
His words pierced her like an icicle falling from the eaves. A direct hit to her aching heart.
Alone. She and Liam would be alone on Christmas Eve. Again.
A heavy feeling soaked through her limbs, weighing her down. She nearly stumbled, and forced herself to pick up her feet.
It shouldn’t matter if they were alone. She and Liam were used to spending Christmas alone. No big deal, right? She hated that every fiber of her being was shouting that it did matter. A lot.
Because she’d imagined Christmas in Hood Hamlet to be special, dare she say...magical?
Grace cleared her dry throat. “Do people usually switch shifts during the holidays?”
“It depends.” He stopped on the corner. “I should be off, but Leanne usually takes the Christmas Eve shift so guys with families can celebrate at home. I offered to do it, since she’ll be on her honeymoon.”
“But you have a family.” The words burst out of Grace’s mouth before she could stop herself. “I mean, that’s a thoughtful gesture, but you have your mom and dad.”
“They’ll survive until I arrive. I’m off at 8:00 a.m. My dad will be jet-lagged, so the festivities never start early. Besides, this won’t be a typical Christmas Day.”
“Because you have houseguests. Us.”
“You and Liam are going to be the best part of my Christmas.” The sincerity in his voice told her he was telling the truth. “But the annual Christmas afternoon snowshoeing trip I go on has been canceled. I’m bummed about that.”
She could tell from the disappointment on his face. “What happened?”
“Too many people are going to be away.” He looked down Main Street, with its myriad Christmas lights. “Leanne and Christian will be in Thailand. Hannah and Garrett in Seattle. Rita and Tim at her parents’ in Portland. Zoe isn’t feeling up to snowshoeing, and there’s no way in hell Sean will leave her on Christmas Day even though her entire family is flying in from the East Coast for the holiday. That leaves me, Carly and Jake. So they...we...decided to cancel.”
Nothing seemed to bother Bill except his parents, but this had. She squeezed his arm. “Snowshoeing on Christmas means a lot to you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You haven’t talked that much about one thing since I’ve been here.”
“Guilty.” He half laughed. “We stopped going after Nick and Iain died. When Carly came back to Hood Hamlet six years later, we started again. I don’t want us to end up with another mega-years hiatus. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize.” She wanted to make him feel better. “Find other people to go on your adventure. Then hang out with your parents. We’ll be waiting when you get home.”
“I meant to tell you. My mother wants you and Liam to join us for dinner on Christmas Day. If you have other plans...”
Liam pulled his thumb out of his mouth. “Nana.” Somehow Liam had turned Susannah into Nana. Bill’s mom didn’t seem to mind, and had started calling herself that when Liam was around. “I want to spend Christmas with Nana.”
Frustration pricked at the back of Grace’s neck. Being alone with her son on Christmas Day wasn’t her first choice, but she didn’t appreciate Bill bringing this up in front of Liam, getting his hopes up. She felt ambushed...trapped...forced to say yes. “No other plans.”
Bill rubbed her son’s head. “You’ll get to go over to Nana’s on Christmas.”
“Yay.” Liam stuck his thumb back in and closed his eyes.
“I kinda put you on the spot,” Bill said to her.
Grace hadn’t had to contend with someone else’s input on plans in years. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Kinda?”
“I’m not good at this sort of thing.”
“What thing?”
“The man and woman thing.”
That must be his way of saying a relationship. She would be happy to put his mind at ease. “I’m not good at it, either. But there’s nothing going on, so no worries.”
In a few days she would say goodbye to the man she’d fallen in love with and this special town. Would her son remember the firefighter-mountain rescuer who came to their aid? Did she want him to remember?
The white lights on the giant tree in the center of town reminded her of stars. Wishing upon a star wouldn’t help them. Even if Christmas magic existed, a relationship would never work.
Bill wasn’t ready to commit to having a family.
Grace wasn’t ready to commit to a man like him.
Shivering, she realized they’d walked in the opposite direction from the parking lot. “Can we go to the truck?”
“Nope,” Bill said. “I have a surprise for you.”
“It’s cold.”
“Not that cold.”
“It’s late.”
“Nine o’clock is still early.”
She rubbed her arms. “Not when you’re three.”
“Almost four,” Bill and Liam said at the same time.
The two of them were so...
Don’t go there.
Every muscle in Grace tensed. She was supposed to stay in Hood Hamlet until the twenty-sixth, but didn’t know if she could last that long. Not when each moment with Bill felt so bittersweet. She couldn’t leave now, could she?
Bill touched her son’s nose.
Liam giggled.
No, she couldn’t leave.
Not with Liam expecting to go to Nana’s for Christmas dinner.
Bill nudged her. “Relax, Gracie. Trust me.”
She’d relaxed. She’d trusted. She’d fallen in love.
Oh, boy. Listening to him again was the last thing Grace should do. She blew out a breath.
The condensation floated on the cold, night air.
Liam stiffened in Bill’s arms. “Bells. I hear bells.”
She listened and heard them, too. “Christmas magic?”
Bill pointed down Main Street. “A sleigh ride.”
A sleigh with lanterns hanging off the side, drawn by a large chestnut horse, trotted in their direction.
She stared in disbelief and delight. No wonder they’d walked this way.
The sleigh pulled to a stop in front of them. The driver, wearing a black stovepipe hat and Dickens-st
yle clothing, climbed down. He placed a step at the back of the sleigh.
Liam squirmed.
Bill set him on the ground. “Don’t get too close to the horse.”
The little boy stared in awe. “Wow.”
Wow was right. Grace looked at Bill with a sense of wonder. She had no idea what he was doing, but a part of her was thrilled.
Bill took her hand. “Climb aboard.”
She did. Liam followed, then Bill.
The bench seat was padded on the back and bottom. Comfy.
With her son between them, Bill covered them with wool blankets. “This should keep us warm on the way home.”
“What about your truck?” she asked.
“Jake drove it to my house. Carly followed him.”
Grace wanted to hug Bill, kiss him and tell him how she felt about him. But she didn’t dare. “Thank you for going to so much trouble.”
“No trouble at all.”
The sleigh took them down Main Street and various side streets to see the holiday lights and decorations. They oohed and awed at the sights. Jingle bells provided the backdrop music.
Grace looked at Bill, overcome by her love for this man who would do something so special for her and Liam. She sniffled, holding back tears of joy and a few of regret. “This is so wonderful.”
“Cold?” Bill asked.
“A little.”
He added another blanket on top of them, placed his arm on the back of the seat and drew them toward him. “Better?”
She relished the feel of his arm around her. “Perfect.”
And it was.
Tiny snowflakes fell from the sky, the final touch to an enchanted evening.
She looked back and caught a flake on her tongue.
Bill laughed. “Christmas magic.”
Her gaze met his. “Who needs Christmas magic when we have you?”
Too bad tonight couldn’t last...forever.
* * *
Too bad this couldn’t last.
Bill kept the days leading up to Christmas full of holiday fun. Breakfast with Santa. The light display at the Portland International Raceway. Sledding at the sno-park. Making gingerbread houses with Carly, Jake and Nicole.
Skiing hadn’t entered Bill’s mind, even though he’d ended up with Monday off, too, due to switching shifts.
A Little Bit of Holiday Magic Page 18
