Operation: Married by Christmas

by Debra Clopton

  Even though Marcus’s calling bothered her for reasons that had nothing to do with selling real estate, his call would work to benefit her by giving her more leverage with her brokers. “Sugar, tell Marcus that I won’t be able to do anything for a couple of weeks. I’ll call him as soon as I get back in town and set something up if he’s still interested.”

  “But he wants to talk now. Like, yesterday! Think commission.”

  Haley did but passed. “I’m in the middle of something here. I can’t just drop everything—”

  “Since when?”

  Haley frowned at the telephone receiver and Sugar’s attempt to be funny. “Sugar, tell me again why I have you as an assistant?”

  “Because you love me. You need me, and you know I’ll talk straight with you.”

  Haley could hear the smile in Sugar’s voice. She was right on all counts. “Okay, you’re right—”

  “As always.”

  Haley rolled her eyes. “Okay, since you are so smart, you figure out what to tell Marcus Sims. I’ve got my own problems here, so ta-ta for now, girlfriend.”

  “But—”

  Despite the mix of emotions swirling inside of her, Haley hung up the phone. She was going to have to return to her job soon, but it could wait a little longer. She knew now coming home had been the right move for her. Things were shifting into perspective and suddenly she was seeing things in a whole new light. The heaviness she’d carried in her heart about Mule Hollow had lifted for the most part. If the people of the town would have held her back from achieving her goals, they wouldn’t have done it intentionally. Listening to them retelling stories about her escapades over Thanksgiving dinner, she’d realized how foolish she’d been harboring hard feelings all these years. They loved her, and thank goodness she was adult enough to see clearly now.

  But Will was a different story. A different story altogether. She’d been thinking about what he’d said ever since they’d talked on the playground. Walking to the window of her bedroom, she stared out at the darkened sky and lifted her fingers to her lips. She could almost feel his touch again, soft as a feather. She’d trembled inside when he’d suddenly squatted in front her. His touch had shaken her as deeply as the silken sorrow in his eyes when he’d apologized and melted her heart.

  It scared her, actually, this ache that he’d awakened.

  In the distance she heard the wailing of a coyote. The high-pitched howl sent shivers down Haley’s spine, so lonesome sounding. So desperate.

  She turned out the light, climbed into bed and slammed her eyes shut. She had a busy day coming up, and the best thing she could do was to go to sleep now. She was just feeling nostalgic was all. Nothing that rest wouldn’t cure. And if that didn’t help then a fun day out. Shopping with Lacy and Sheri was bound to cure what ailed her.

  At least, as she flopped to her back and felt her bones relax, she was counting on the shopping to cure her crazy head.

  After thirty minutes of holding her eyes clamped shut and numerous failed attempts at counting sheep, Haley flopped to her stomach, yanked her pillow over her head and wished for a gun…or a bullhorn. Anything that would send the yowling coyotes deeper into the woods. If she could get rid of them, maybe she could sleep and stop replaying her conversation with Will over and over again in her head.

  No such luck. The stinking coyotes refused to leave—and so did thoughts of Will.

  Even buried beneath two pillows and her grandmother’s quilt, Haley was doomed to spend a sleepless night thinking about the past.

  “Hey, what do you think about these?” Sheri Gentry asked as she modeled a set of reindeer antlers. “A red nose and I’m in business, girls,” she said, looking like a kid.

  Haley picked a red nose out of the bin next to her hip. “Here ya go, Rudolph,” she said, tossing it to her. Sheri caught it and held it up near her nose for effect.

  They were waiting next to the door, rifling though the different kiddy Christmas display items while Lacy paid for her decorations at the counter.

  “Oh, uh-oh!” Sheri squealed, dropping the nose and antlers as she pulled a pair of green elf shoes from the big bin. They were a good ten inches long with upturned toes from which a big red jingle bell swung. Attached to them as a set was a pair of pointed ears that were as big as Haley’s hands. “Now this is what I call an outfit! Hey, Lacy, let’s buy these.” She held them up, nodding enthusiastically. Lacy rolled her eyes, made a face of mock horror, while mouthing an emphatic “No.”

  Haley chuckled at Sheri’s expression of utter dejection.

  “You are no fun, Lacy Brown,” she grumbled then met Haley’s gaze with eyes full of fake annoyance. “I like to call her by her maiden name when I pick on her. Matlock just doesn’t sound the same.”

  Lacy walked over and plopped a bulging bag of candles and ribbons into each of their hands. “Carry those, girls, and let’s go get something to eat before we head home. I’m going to work y’ all so you’re going to need nourishment.”

  Haley couldn’t help liking these two friends. They were like up and down. Lacy was up, and Sheri was down. Lacy served up something funny, and Sheri downed it with flair. Haley had almost called and canceled her date to come shopping with them. She’d awakened feeling as if she’d been plowed over by Applegate’s ancient tractor—or the wild hog she’d encountered on her first week in town. However, she’d decided that getting out was probably the best thing she could do for herself. Not only did she want to get to know Sheri and Lacy better, but also she desperately needed a few things to help her make it through the rest of her stay in Mule Hollow.

  Not to mention that if she’d stayed home she’d have only thought more about Will. She didn’t want to think about him anymore, and she certainly didn’t need to think about him.

  They dropped the bags off at Lacy’s car, bantering all the way. Haley was amazed every time she saw Lacy’s monstrous pink car. Up until she’d seen the pink 1958 convertible Cadillac sitting in front of Lacy’s salon, Haley had only seen the flamboyant make of car in movies or from a distance when an occasional Elvis fan or car buff passed through town. When she’d climbed into it earlier, she felt as if she’d been shot back in time. It was very nostalgic and fun. On the ride to Ranger, Lacy hadn’t let the top down because there had been a slight drizzle in the forecast—not, she told Haley, because it was below fifty degrees outside. Cold weather was great fun with the top down, Lacy declared. Haley had a convertible but hadn’t tried that one before.

  Bags stored safely in the bottomless pit of a trunk, they crossed the street and went to lunch at a new little Italian restaurant that, in Lacy’s words, was “to die for.”

  She was right. Haley loved it. “Luved it!”

  Although normally a lemon cheesecake fanatic, Haley made the mistake of letting them talk her into trying their tiramisu. Big mistake. Haley enjoyed coffee but had never had the coffee-flavored dessert, and she never would again! She got the oversize forkful of creamy dessert in her mouth and couldn’t swallow it. It tasted so horrible that her jaws locked, and her throat refused to work. “How,” she wanted to know and would have asked out loud if she could have swallowed, “could anyone think that was good?” Much less fabulous? Her eyes started to water and her palms started to sweat by the time she managed to choke it down. Talk about misuse of a good pot of coffee….

  All the while Lacy and Sheri laughed, totally insulted that she didn’t share their love of the atrocious concoction.

  It went without saying that the tiramisu was not the highlight of her day.

  The only bright spot in the situation was the double portion of lemon cheesecake she ate to rid herself of the taste.

  Later, as they climbed into the car and headed home, they were still teasing her about the horrible facial expressions she’d made. She had to admit she’d probably looked funny.

  They continued to have a great time all the way back to Mule Hollow, and when they pulled up in front of the community center, Haley knew s
he’d made friends for life. She felt relaxed and happy as they unloaded the trunk and clomped into the building intent on getting in some work on the production before the crowd arrived for the evening. Haley had a couple of set designs she wanted to go over with Lacy because she thought she could tweak her drawings a bit and make them better. Following them inside, Haley marveled at how much had been accomplished. But there was still a good bit to be done.

  “So, what’s up with you and Will?” Sheri asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I just can’t hold my curiosity in any longer.”

  Caught off guard, Haley set her packages down on a table. It wasn’t that she hadn’t expected questions, but they’d just spent the day together and this was the first time they’d mentioned Will.

  Lacy shrugged apologetically. “We know we’re being nosy, but we’re your friends—at least we want to be. And we wondered if you might need to talk. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Say the word and we’ll mind our own business.”

  “Hey,” Sheri said, elbowing Lacy. “Speak for yourself. Tell all is my motto. Give us the scoop, girlfriend, because I’m getting some major vibes sparking between the two of you old lovebirds. It’s been killing me all day not to ask, but Lacy threatened my life if I didn’t make you comfortable first. You’re comfortable, right?”

  Haley laughed. So they’d planned it all along. She wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or relieved that these two cared enough to win her trust first. But, knowing them as she felt she now did, she also knew that they had no agenda except to help and support her. It was something Haley wasn’t used to. She’d become so accustomed to being guarded with her thoughts because of the colleagues she worked with that she felt as if God had reached down and given her a gift by placing Lacy and Sheri in her path.

  She just didn’t know what to say. What could she tell them? She didn’t know herself what was going on between herself and Will.

  “Well,” she sighed, pulling garland and ribbons from the bag because her hands needed something to do. “What can I say? I used to love him.”

  “Yes!” Lacy whooped, her hand knocking over a candle.

  “Whoa, girl,” Sheri warned, catching the candle before it hit the ground. “She said used to.”

  Lacy looked sheepish. “Sorry,” she squeaked. “I missed that part.”

  It was easy to do, Haley thought, picturing Will kneeling in front of her as she sat in the swing, his eyes sad….

  She ended up telling them about how she’d felt all those years ago. It was a great relief to talk. In all the years, she’d never told anyone her reasons for running. But Lacy and Sheri listened, consoled and, surprisingly, agreed with her.

  “Listen,” Lacy said, hugging her. “You did what you had to do. Who truly knows if you messed up or not? What’s important is that if you trust God, He can make it all work for good. And if you ask Him, He can lead you in the decisions you make now.”

  “He helped me,” Sheri said, with a wink. “He had His work cut out for Him, but I finally trusted Him enough to see where He was attempting to lead me. So hang in there, and seek Him with all your heart and things will work out. Speaking of my very own heartthrob…” she said.

  Haley and Lacy turned to see what she was looking at through the large plate-glass windows. Haley saw Pace sauntering across the street toward the community center, looking as if he’d just stepped off the pages of a Louis L’ Amour western.

  “That,” Sheri sighed, “is the most beautiful man in the world and he’s all mine, all mine! God is good. I’ll be back to help in a minute.”

  With that, Sheri hurried out the door and jogged off the sidewalk to be immediately engulfed in her rugged husband’s embrace. Haley’s heart sighed at the sight.

  “Haley,” Lacy said, breaking into her thoughts. “Any time you need to talk, we’re here for you. And if you get a wild hair to relocate back here—” she lifted an eyebrow “—you just remember the town can use you.”

  Haley looked at Lacy. Relocate. There it was again.

  Lacy lifted a brow and toyed with a ribbon she’d picked up from the table. “I can’t help being an ambassador for Mule Hollow. Your line of expertise would just be a great addition. Mule Hollow is growing and that means the need for houses. What woman is going to want to live in a bunkhouse?”

  Haley thought about the colorful town and for the first time really thought seriously about moving home. Could she?

  “I don’t know, Lacy. That’s a big step. I have responsibilities, a great life.” The words sounded hollow to her ears; she wondered if Lacy heard it, too.

  “But is it the life you want? Just think about it. God has a purpose for everyone, and I’m not saying I know better than you what your purpose is, I’m just saying maybe you could pray about it and be open to options. Being part of building up this town has enriched my life so much. We are building a legacy here that was almost lost until a year ago when the ladies came up with this plan. I really do think you are a link in helping it succeed.”

  Haley had to admit Lacy made it sound enticing…worthwhile. “Thanks, Lacy. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll pray about it. Right now I think I’ll go make a few changes to the props before the guys get here.”

  Lacy hugged her. “They look great, by the way. Thanks.”

  Haley nodded then hurried over to her corner and grabbed a pencil. But before she started to work, she closed her eyes and said a prayer for the Lord to guide her steps.

  It felt good to be asking Him for direction and to have friends who supported her in her quest.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Haley held the nail in place, squinted with one eye and proceeded to let the hammer fall where it would. She was thrilled when it wasn’t on her thumb.

  “Looks like you got a little better at that than I remember.”

  Will’s soft whisper just beside her made Haley jump, but she didn’t squeal and for that she was grateful. When she turned her head to glare playfully at him she almost lost her breath. He was so close, and she knew any sound she’d been tempted to make would have died in her throat.

  “I,” she said and swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to his lips and the teasing half grin he wore. He looked so much like the college boy she’d fallen for. “I got lucky,” she managed to say. He would never know how much the odds had been against her poor thumb making it out of that situation unharmed.

  He tugged his hair and stepped back, giving her space. She wondered if he realized that he was making her nervous. Had been all evening.

  “Want me to finish it for you?”

  “Sure. My thumb thanks you.” She handed him the hammer and stood watching as he proceeded to drive the nail home thus making for a much sturdier support behind the painted prop. It was a large rock, one of many that sat out in front of the bridge.

  “It takes practice, is all. I’ve had my share of busted thumbs that had nothing to do with you.”

  She didn’t believe him for a minute, but gave him points for trying to make her feel better about herself. His grin wasn’t hurting anything, either.

  She laughed. “Yep. They’re really fun. I enjoyed myself.”

  He reached for another nail, his fingers brushing hers as he took it from her open palm. “You seem a little more at ease.”

  She studied his profile as he hammered in the nail, knowing it was true. At least, it had been, when he met her probing gaze she wasn’t so sure how long the feeling would last. The man always had made her knees go weak, and letting her guard down around him made her susceptible to her old habits. Especially the habit of being totally and completely in awe of him. He was a nice man. He’d greeted everyone and offered to help anyone who needed him. The fact that he was helping at all spoke of his generosity. She knew he was pushing himself to meet his deadline, but here he was. Lacy’s words were hanging over her shoulder taunting her. Relocate. Could she come back to Mule Hollow? Could she take being around Will like this and not find herself lost again?

&nb
sp; When his gaze dropped to her lips then lifted to her eyes, she almost jumped back. Despite everything that had happened between them, the chemistry was still there. He felt it, too. It was obvious. Confused, Haley raked her hand through her hair and pulled her eyes away. “I need to go check on the painters,” she muttered and hurried away.

  She just needed a few moments to get her head back on straight. That was obviously not going to happen standing anywhere near Will.

  But even as she picked up a paintbrush to help the other guys paint the river, she knew it would take more than crossing a room to get away from the feelings he’d stirred to life inside of her.

  Will wasn’t at church on Sunday. Applegate informed Haley, though she hadn’t asked for any information, that Will had gone to visit his parents in Austin. Haley was relieved that she didn’t have to face him since her thoughts were still befuddled. Her stomach went bottomless every time her mind drifted to Thanksgiving Day beside the swing when he’d admitted that he’d been wrong. And then the way he’d kept looking at her last night as they’d worked together on the props.

  The best thing was to stay busy and try not to think about him. She had plenty to keep her busy. With Christmas only four weeks away, Mule Hollow had gone into overdrive decorating the town and gearing up for the Christmas program. Lights were strung down Main Street and boxes of oil lanterns were brought out along with lassos and tinsel. Oh my, was there ever a boatload of tinsel!

  She’d had little time to think about much of anything except getting ready for the production. Why, every moment she was being asked to lend a hand with some other project during the day, and the evenings were spent working on props for the play.