She and the children and Sadie had walked through the park one evening in November, just after the lights had been turned on. Now the entire north section of the park was covered with more lights and several rows of booths that would be selling crafts, food and gifts.
“This is gonna be so awesome!” Will exclaimed, just about jumping out of his booster seat with excitement.
Marshall turned in his seat and did something wholly unexpected. He smiled. Not just a perfunctory, casual sort of thing, but a full-on, ladies-grab-your-britches smile, overflowing with warmth and delight.
Those butterflies could hardly contain themselves. Andie wanted to simply stare at him all evening, but she swallowed and forced herself to move. She parked, then climbed out and walked around the vehicle, wishing the air were a little more brisk to cool her down.
He didn’t need her help, apparently, and was already pulling himself to stand, balancing on his good leg, so she turned her attention to the children.
“I’ll need both of you to help me carry things,” she said, fumbling for a moment with the key until she found the right button that would release the cargo door.
She handed Chloe one of the blankets and gave Will the small bag of snacks, then reached for the other blankets and the soft-sided cooler with the water bottles.
“I can take the cooler,” Marshall said.
“You’re going to have enough trouble navigating through that crowd as it is. It’s not heavy at all.”
“Then I should be able to carry it just fine.”
With an implacable expression, he held out a hand. Arguing only made her look foolish, she knew, so she finally handed over the bag, which he pulled on cross-body style, as he had his laptop bag the other day.
“Perfect,” he claimed, though she knew it couldn’t possibly be comfortable.
Will looked as if he was ready to race through the crowd at top speed, but Chloe was watching, eyes worried, as Marshall moved slowly on the crutches toward the area of the park where Charlene Bailey told Andie the VIP seating could be found.
“Will and me will go in front of you to make sure everyone gets out of your way,” Chloe announced. “Otherwise you might trip on people.”
“We don’t want that, do we?” Marshall said with another one of those potent smiles. “That’s a great idea.”
Chloe seemed to relish his approval. “Come on, Will,” she ordered her brother, then the two of them walked side by side with a slow formality normally reserved for royal standard bearers.
They made quite a procession, she couldn’t help thinking with amusement.
“Hey there, Sheriff!” A man with a bald head, thick mustache and leather jacket that made him look like a middle-aged motorcycle bandit waved and offered a friendly smile.
“Dennis. How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain. But then, I’m not the one on crutches.” The guy guffawed and Marshall smiled in return, before Helen Mickelson, the director of the community center where Andie attended yoga and self-defense classes, stopped to exchange greetings and offer her sympathy for his injury.
The first minute out of the car set the pattern for the rest of their short walk to the VIP seating. Everyone seemed to want to talk to him. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised at it—nor at his reaction. Instead of rebuffing their well-wishes, Marshall showed courtesy to all and even warmth to many.
For some reason—probably because of his enforced isolation the past week and his resistance to accepting her help—she had thought he was some kind of loner who preferred his own company. As he stopped his slow progress to shake hands with a couple of elderly men along the way, she was reminded that Marshall was not only a native son of Haven Point but also a county elected official. He couldn’t have attained his position at such a relatively young age if he had been cold and unapproachable.
Apparently the man contained dimensions she was only now encountering.
As they made their slow way to the VIP spot, a few other mothers she’d met through Chloe’s elementary school and Will’s preschool greeted her and then seemed to do a double take when it became apparent that Marshall and her family had come together.
Only then did it occur to her that people might think they were together together. She really hoped everyone in town didn’t get the idea she was dating the county sheriff.
Their journey of about a hundred feet took three times as long as it should have because so many people wanted to greet him, until Andie had to bite her lip to keep from telling people to just let the poor man sit down already. At this rate, he would be exhausted before they even reached their seats.
Finally they made it to the roped-off VIP area and Will and Chloe were immediately surrounded by the friends they had made in town, particularly Ty and Jazmyn Barrett and Maddie Hayward, all chattering a mile a minute.
“Mom,” Will said in excitement, “Ty says there are sparkly cookies over there at the refreshments and we can have as many as we want!”
“How about you start with one, kiddo,” she said.
Will looked disappointed. “Can I go get one now?”
She needed to get Marshall settled, but she figured with all the adults around, Will and Chloe would be well supervised. Devin Shaw and Cole Barrett stood by the refreshments and Eliza was not far away.
“Sure. Grab a cookie and then come find me.”
“Okay.”
“Can I go, too?” Chloe asked.
She nodded and her daughter handed over her blanket into Andrea’s full arms.
“I can take some of that,” Marshall said.
Where? On top of his head?
“Let’s go find you an empty chair,” she said, ignoring him. “Oh, look, there’s your mom. She must have a spot for us.”
She nodded toward Charlene and Mike Bailey, who both were waving with enthusiasm.
“They’re a little hard to miss,” he murmured.
“Can you make it there on the uneven grass? I’m sure it’s not as easy as the sidewalk.”
“I’m fine.”
He would never say otherwise, she was quite certain. Still carrying the cooler, he made his way over the frozen ground. Before they could reach his family, the mayor of Haven Point waylaid them. “Marsh! And Andie. Hi, you two.”
McKenzie Kilpatrick gave her a quick hug, blankets and all, then gestured to the crutches.
“I heard what happened to you. This doesn’t look like a fun way to spend Christmas.”
“Just about as fun as sticking pine needles in your eyes.”
“I’m so sorry. I couldn’t believe it when Chief Emmett briefed me on what happened. No leads yet on who might have hit you?”
“Not yet.”
“That’s crazy! I’ve told Cade to put all his officers on high alert. I’m just hoping someone isn’t deliberately targeting law enforcement officers in the community.”
“So far it seems an isolated incident, but I’ve asked my deputies to be on alert, as well.”
McKenzie asked more questions about the incident, and while he answered her cordially, Marshall shifted several times and Andie could tell his leg was bothering him.
She loved McKenzie and didn’t want to be rude, but she knew Marshall would never admit he needed to sit down.
“Sorry, do you mind if I carry these things over to our chairs?” she broke in during a gap in the conversation. “My arms are a little overloaded here.”
“Oh yes. Of course. Of course. I’ve got a hundred things to do anyway before the parade starts.”
She rushed off, but Marshall didn’t seem in a hurry to continue toward the chairs. Instead, he gave her an odd look with an expression she couldn’t quite identify.
“Don’t think for a minute I missed what you did there.”
“What?” she asked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He simply shook his head, still with that odd expression. He maneuvered toward the chairs and a moment later sank into a seat with a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
“Oh, I’m so glad you made it on time!” Charlene enthused. “Isn’t it a beautiful evening? This is the best weather we’ve had for the festival in forever. Did you have a hard time finding a place to park?”
“No, actually. We were lucky.”
“Where are your cute kids?”
“The Barrett children are showing them the cookie selection.”
Andie scanned the area with studied casualness. “Are Louise and Herm still joining us?”
“Supposed to be. I just texted her and she said they got a late start. Apparently that rascal grandson of theirs didn’t come home when he was supposed to, but they eventually found him at a friend’s house. They’re all on their way.”
The moment Andie had spoken the Jacobses’ name, Marshall tensed beside her and the rest of his mother’s words didn’t do anything to ease it. Andie wanted to give his arm a reassuring squeeze but, for multiple reasons, was hesitant to draw his mother’s attention.
“We’ll be sure to save them seats, then,” Andie answered, then casually changed the subject. “So tell me about your honeymoon cruise.”
“Oh, we had the best time—isn’t that right, honey?”
Mike nodded, giving his new wife a besotted sort of look. “I’ll be working off all the food we ate until our first anniversary,” he said. “Two entrées and three desserts every night for a week. Good thing I’m not riding one of those boats in the parade or the thing would sink.”
She laughed, charmed by Marshall’s uncle. Her impression of him was of a sweet, quiet man who simply adored Charlene.
“What ports did you stop at? Did you do much shopping? What were your favorite excursions?”
Charlene launched into a long travelogue, which carried the conversation until the children returned and the parade began to start.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MARSHALL COULDN’T REMEMBER when he had last sat on the sidelines to enjoy the Lights on the Lake parade.
It had probably been back in high school, when he had been dating a girl in Shelter Springs and they had watched it with some of her friends around a bonfire in somebody’s backyard. In the years since, he’d either been away in the military or been helping out with crowd and traffic control—a sometimes cold job on a Lake Haven December evening.
He had forgotten how charming the parade could be, when boat owners in Haven Point and Shelter Springs would decorate their watercraft with fanciful holiday lights and motor from the marina here to the one five nautical miles away in Shelter Springs.
He could get used to enjoying it this way, with propane heaters all around and mugs of hot cocoa and the extra blankets Andie had brought. Not that he would likely have the chance. Next year, everything would be back to normal. He certainly wouldn’t be here with Andrea Montgomery and her cute kids, though that thought caused a sharp little pang in his chest.
“The boats are so beautiful,” Chloe breathed, her eyes huge.
A big part of his own enjoyment had been watching her and her brother. They both seemed enchanted, just like every other child he could see.
“I wish we had a boat parade every night,” Will said from his mother’s lap, where he was snuggled under a blanket.
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Andie agreed. With her eyes sparkling with the reflection of the lights and her cheeks pink from the cold and a cute little blue knit cap with a tasseled pompom on top, she was every bit as enchanting as the parade.
“We never saw anything like this in Portland,” Chloe said softly. “I’m so glad we moved here, Mama.”
“I am, too, honey.” Andie’s chin wobbled a little and her eyes looked suspiciously bright for a moment. He couldn’t resist nudging her shoulder with his and she gave him a tremulous smile.
Marshall gazed down at her, aware of a weird shifting and settling in his chest. It took about five more boats passing by before he identified the feeling.
Tenderness. That’s what it was.
He frowned. He was starting to have feelings for Andie and for her kids. When he wasn’t looking, they had started to sneak their way into his life, into his heart.
How the hell had that happened?
And what was he supposed to do about it now?
He was still reeling from that and trying to figure out a way out of the mess when another huge complication in his life showed up in the form of Louise and Herm Jacobs and their grandson.
His heart pounded at the sight of his son, who looked sullen and angry with a stocking cap pulled almost over his eyes.
“Sorry we’re so late,” Herm Jacobs said. He shook Mike’s hand and Louise kissed Charlene’s cheek. “Somebody didn’t come home when he was supposed to and didn’t answer his cell phone, either.”
“I was at a friend’s house,” Christopher snapped. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like we were shooting heroin or something. We were watching a movie.”
If Marshall had the right to step in, he would have said it was rude and disrespectful for Christopher not to let his grandparents know where he was and to ignore his phone when they tried to reach him. That was the thing he should say as the boy’s father—if he were in a position to step up, anyway.
His whole life suddenly felt like a tangled knot of Christmas lights wrapped around tinsel and tied up with fraying ribbon.
“You’re here now—that’s the important thing,” Marshall’s mother said with a cheery smile. “The parade has only been under way for about ten minutes, so there’s plenty more to see. Grab a chair. We’ve put warmers on all of them, so they should be a little more bearable.”
To make room, Andrea gestured for Chloe to come sit on her lap as well, tucking her in beside Will. As a result, Christopher ended up sitting next to Marshall.
“This is lame,” Christopher muttered. He slouched in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t get why everyone makes such a deal about sitting out in the cold and watching a bunch of stupid boats.”
“It’s more about the sense of community and being with friends and family.”
“I was with my friends, until the geezers showed up and dragged me away.”
It would be tough on any kid to lose his mother and be forced to move in with grandparents he apparently didn’t know well. That didn’t give him the right to be disrespectful.
“If you previously had plans with your grandparents,” he said mildly, “it was kind of lame to leave them hanging like that, worried about you and not knowing where you were.”
Christopher glowered at him. “I was going to call them,” he muttered.
Marshall hesitated. He didn’t want to risk the fledgling relationship he was starting to establish with Christopher, but he couldn’t stand by and let the kid mistreat the only two people who had his back right now.
“None of this is your grandparents’ fault. I know they make a convenient target for your grief and anger, but that’s not really fair, is it?”
Christopher glared at him. “Mind your own business, cop,” he snarled. “You don’t know anything about it.”
The kid slumped even farther in the chair and pointedly looked out at the water, every inch of him radiating pissed-off teenager.
Marshall sighed, thinking he should have kept his mouth shut. “You’re right. I don’t know how you feel. I lost my dad earlier this year and miss him like crazy, but I was an adult. It’s not the same thing at all.”
He thought of John Bailey and how his father would reach out to this hurting young man. He had no doubt whatsoever his father would try—of course
he would. Just as he had stepped up to help Cade Emmett when Cade was about the same age as Christopher.
Marshall and Cade had been in the same grade, but he had hardly known the other boy. They certainly hadn’t been friends. Marsh had been a little afraid of him, actually.
The Emmetts were a wild, lawless bunch. Cade didn’t seem to have any respect for rules, for teachers, for other people’s property.
John had seen something in him—probably his devoted care to his younger brothers—and had enlisted Marshall to help him show Cade a different way. His father had somehow persuaded Marsh to invite Cade to their house to hang out after school one day and then the next and the next. Before he knew it, he and Cade had been inseparable and had formed a bond that endured to this day.
John would have tried to help this boy, too, whether Christopher was his acknowledged grandson or not. Marshall had to do the same. A paternity test might make things more clear-cut, but even without it, he still had to do what he could.
“You know, your grandparents are good people who love you.”
Christopher’s jaw jutted out. “Then maybe they should stop trying to tell me what to do every freaking minute of my life.”
Marshall met his gaze. “You just might want to consider that maybe their plan for their retirement never included raising a grandson who goes out of his way to make them suffer, just because he’s hurting and doesn’t want to be here.”
Christopher didn’t appear to have a response to that. He only stared straight ahead.
Aware he may have just screwed up any chance of building something with his son, Marshall turned back to the parade. A moment later, he felt a hand squeeze his arm through his coat. He glanced down and found Andie looking at him, her features soft with sympathy and, he was quite certain, glowing approval.
He felt that weird tug of tenderness again and fought the urge to reach for her hand. Knowing the foolishness of that, he turned back to Christopher and decided to work at unraveling one tangled complication in his life at a time.
“That wooden boat right there with the big Christmas tree on it is an early model Kilpatrick. That’s a beautiful boat, with a ride so smooth a guy in the passenger seat could shave with a straight razor and not end up with a single nick.”
Snowfall on Haven Point Page 19
