They were overlooking the ice skaters and Josiah stood behind her and wrapped his good arm around her. “It’s kind of amazing, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “You see it on TV but it doesn’t do it justice. I mean…the energy, the vibe in the air is just…it’s infectious!”
Chuckling, he placed a kiss on her temple. “I was looking forward to going back to the room, but I’m glad we came down here to see this.”
The amount of people walking around them was staggering. Hell, the number of people doing the exact same thing as they were doing—simply standing and watching the skaters—was staggering.
“Look at that couple,” she said softly.
He laughed again. “You’ll have to be a little more specific. There’s a lot of them down there.”
“The older couple in the middle. She’s wearing a red coat with a white scarf and he’s got on the black coat…”
“With the red scarf,” he finished for her. They were an elderly couple—although from this distance he’d be hard-pressed to say how old. “I see them.”
“Look how happy they are,” she said with wonder. “I bet they’ve been coming here to skate for years.”
“It’s possible.” Although they could be tourists…
“I bet they’ve been coming here since they were young. Maybe this is where they met and fell in love.”
Ah…the romance writer in her was coming out. He wasn’t often privy to her creative process and this small glimpse seemed a little like a gift. “You think so, huh?”
Nodding, she said, “I bet right now they’re talking about how crowded it is now and how it never used to be this way. He’ll complain about it because that’s what men do…”
“Hey!”
“And she’ll tell him that this is the way it’s supposed to be—especially at this time of year.” She sighed dreamily. “They’ll talk about bringing the grandkids with them next weekend because that’s what they do and it will make for a wonderful memory.”
If anything, he fell a little more in love with her in that moment. The whimsical side of her was in slight contrast to the practical woman she normally was. He kissed her temple again. “That would definitely make for a wonderful memory.”
She nodded again and slowly turned in his arms. “We should have a memory like that.”
He looked at her curiously. “I’m not graceful enough on skates under normal conditions. I have a feeling with this sling I’d be at a real disadvantage.”
Laughing, she rested her head on his chest. “Not skating,” she said softly and when she looked up at him again, all traces of humor were gone and she looked…contemplative. Serious.
“Mel? You okay?”
A slow smile played at her lips. “You know what? I am. I really think I am.”
That seemed a little…cryptic, but he decided to wait her out.
“Skating wasn’t the memory I was talking about,” she said slowly, as if she wanted him to fully understand what she was getting at.
“O-kay…”
“Josiah Stone, you’ve opened my eyes to a world I had shut off. And as we’ve walked around the city today all I could think of was how wonderful everything looked, felt.” She paused and took a steadying breath and let it out slowly. “And I think…I think we can make something this magical for ourselves.”
He was afraid to get his hopes up, afraid he was reading her wrong. “So you’re saying…?”
“I’m saying…let’s get married for Christmas!”
Chapter Seven
They were back in Silver Bell Falls and Melanie was a little surprised at how fast news of their plans had traveled.
“Why…does it look like Christmas threw up in here?” she asked cautiously when they walked through their front door.
Beside her, Josiah laughed softly. “I can’t say with any great certainty, but if I had to venture a guess, I’d say we have some wedding elves at work.”
“Already? We just called my dad to tell him the news. No one else knows!”
Closing the door behind them, Josiah moved into the space. “We called my family too, Mel. They may not live here anymore, but they still have a lot of friends they keep in touch with.”
“I suppose,” she murmured, looking around at the two decorated trees, the assortment of Poinsettias, the platters of food, and the fire burning in the ornately-decorated fireplace. “There’s music playing, right? I’m not imagining it?”
“There you two are!” John said as he walked out of the laundry room and came over to embrace them. “How was your flight?”
Melanie hugged him distractedly. “It was fine, Dad. What’s going on here?”
He grinned sheepishly. “I guess I should have checked with you first…”
“Dad…”
He sighed even as he seemed to look at Josiah for backup. “Fine. I called Lisa and told her you’d made your decision and I booked the barn.”
“Oh,” she quickly said but then motioned to the room. “This was more of what I was referring to, Dad.”
Looking over his shoulder, John let out a nervous chuckle. “This? Um…well, I might have been at the diner when I called Lisa and there were a lot of people around and I guess…” He sighed. “Everyone just started talking at once and volunteering to help the two of you plan the wedding. Things have been arriving all day and I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and…”
“John,” Josiah said, placing a hand on his future father-in-law’s shoulder, “it’s okay. This is just the sort of thing that happens in Silver Bell. We’re used to it.”
“Are we?” Melanie quipped as she began walking around the room. There was something wedding or holiday-related on almost every surface—cookies, candles, candy. It would be rude not to sample them, right? Both her father and Josiah joined her in sampling. “I guess I don’t understand why some of this stuff is here.”
Josiah raised his hand as he finished chewing. “Planning a wedding can literally take a village. And considering we’re doing this on a short timeline, I’m guessing everyone just wants to help.”
“Exactly,” John said. “Lisa said she can make any changes to the decor in the barn that you want. Hank mentioned—if you’re interested—that he can make ornaments for you to give as wedding favors.”
“Wow,” she said, feeling a little excited at the thought. Hank’s ornaments would always hold a special place for her and Josiah, so it seemed only fitting. When she looked at Josiah, she saw he was thinking the same thing. “I think that’s perfect.”
“Then Dan offered to help with the food if you wanted,” John explained.
“I don’t know if I want diner food for our wedding,” Melanie said with a laugh.
“Oh, come on,” Josiah teased. “You know you love the meatloaf.”
They all laughed.
“Lisa did mention how she’s been working with a lot of locals for events at the barn so I guess some of this stuff is from them,” Josiah went on. He snagged another cookie and grinned, “We have to have these at the wedding.”
“What about the trees?” she asked her father.
“Bill from the tree lot on Main sent them over. He thought you might like to have some extras this year to use in photos,” John said and then motioned to the plants. “He sent those too.”
Her head was spinning. While everything here was meant to help her, it just seemed like too much too soon. She wandered around the room and saw samples of invitations and flower arrangements and realized that maybe they had bitten off more than they could chew—which is what she said.
“Melanie,” Josiah said softly as he came over and wrapped his arm around her, “that’s what makes this whole scene in front of us mean so much more. We’re not doing this alone. We have the love, help and support of our entire town to help us. I think we can look around this room and have almost everything planned by tomorrow.”
She pulled back. “Are you insane? That’s not even possible!”
But Josiah wasn’t
deterred. “We have the venue and the decorations already done. And as much as I don’t think we need invitations, there are enough samples of them right there on the table where we can easily pick one. We’re not snobs and we’re not complicated people, Mel,” he continued. “We’re not looking to have some grand, Hollywood-style wedding, right?”
“Right.”
“And I’m not saying we have to have it all decided by tomorrow. I’m just suggesting that a lot of the ground work has kind of been done for us.”
“I get that and even if we’re not having a…what did you just call it…a Hollywood-style wedding, all of this isn’t free! We have to pay for all of this stuff.”
John cleared his throat. “Can I just say something here?”
“Of course,” Josiah replied.
Looking at his daughter with nothing but sincere affection, he said, “Melanie, you may not believe this, but I have been planning for this day almost since you were born. Even when we were at our poorest, I still put money aside.”
She gasped softly.
“It’s true,” he said with a nod. “Some weeks it was only ten dollars, but I did it.”
“Dad…I don’t even know what to say.” Her heart was beating like mad in her chest at what her father was saying. They had never discussed this sort of thing—weddings or her getting married—and to know that he’d been secretly putting money aside for it was a bit of a shock.
“The money is there for the two of you. It would mean the world to me if you would take it and make this wedding exactly what you want it to be,” John said. Melanie was instantly there hugging him.
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you more, kiddo. And I want you to be happy and not have to worry about anything with this wedding.”
When they broke apart, Josiah stepped in and hugged him. “I can’t thank you enough for this, John. I had money put aside as well, but this just means we can have everything we want for our wedding.”
“Or,” Melanie interrupted with a grin, “we can plan an amazing honeymoon.”
“On that note,” John said as he grabbed a handful of cookies, “I’m going to go and leave the two of you to talk about this.”
****
To say he was overwhelmed would be an understatement.
As soon as John had left, Josiah looked around the living room in awe. His friends had done this for him. For them. The reality of it was more emotional than he would have thought.
Melanie eyed him cautiously. “You okay?”
He shook his head. “I think I’m just…it’s all really…” Pausing, he shook his head and looked at her helplessly. “Between the shooting, our trip, and now this? It’s a lot to take in.”
And she smiled at him—her beautiful blue eyes going soft and a little teary as she looked at him. “I feel that way too. But you know what helps me get through it all?”
Josiah shook his head.
“You.” Stepping close to him, Melanie reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand. “The day I met you I was a mess. The news of my grandmother’s death, inheriting the cabin, the drive, and just dealing with all the emotions that went with it had me freaking out.” She paused. “Then you stormed into my bathroom and threatened to arrest me.”
Unable to help himself, he laughed.
“And once we got that misunderstanding cleared up, you became someone I knew I could depend on, rely on. You became my rock. I’ve leaned on you almost since the beginning, Josiah, and I know there isn’t anything I can’t handle with you beside me—good or bad.” She motioned to all the things around them. “And this is definitely good.”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “Personally, I think you talk about the wonders of this town and what they do for others, but this is the first time you’re experiencing it for yourself.”
“I guess that’s possible…”
“Trust me,” she said softly, gazing up at him lovingly. “If I had to learn to accept the fact that the people of this town are genuinely good, sincere, and have an abnormal attachment to everything Christmas-related, then you have to too.”
There was his sassy girl—she accepted all of those things, but she still thought it odd. He laughed and pulled her in close—cursing how he still had his left arm in a sling. With a kiss on the top of her head, he sighed. “You know it’s going to get crazy now, right?”
She nodded. “I do.”
Unable to help himself, he smiled. “I like hearing those words.”
“You do, huh?” she said silkily. Pulling back, she looked up at him.
“I do.”
Her smile was the most beautiful thing in the world to him. “That’s good because I like hearing those words come from you too.”
“We’ve always been in sync,” he murmured. With a look around the room, he realized he didn’t want to talk about the wedding right now. What he wanted was to celebrate in the sexiest of ways with the woman in his arms. And as Melanie’s arms wrapped themselves tighter around him, those words proved right.
Looking down at her he said, “You know, our weekend getaway wasn’t nearly as romantic as I would have liked.”
“Josiah, you’re injured and need to heal. I think it was a wonderful trip just the way it was.”
But he shook his head and took a step back. “That was the first time we’ve gone away together and it was partially spent on business and the rest playing tourist.”
The smirk she gave him told him she knew what he was referring to.
“We had a decent hotel room and all we did was sleep in it.”
This time she laughed softly. “That’s really what they’re for.”
Then he took one of her hands in his and slowly began to lead her to their bedroom. “True. And it may have been a long time since I spent a night in one, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know that they can be used for much more than a good night’s sleep.”
Slowly, she licked her lips and gave him a sassy look. “So you’re saying we should have put that room to better use.”
Nodding as they made their way through the bedroom door, he said, “Exactly.”
But as he pulled her toward the bed, Josiah saw her hesitation and instantly stopped. The sigh of frustration couldn’t be helped.
“You have a follow-up appointment with your doctor tomorrow,” she said, concern lacing her tone. “I don’t want to do anything that will hinder your healing, Josiah.”
“We’ll be careful,” he said earnestly, slowly pulling the sling off. “I promise.”
Melanie did not look convinced.
“You know you’re going to be mad at yourself if anything keeps you from going back to work, right?” When she looked at him, he gave no indication that he agreed with her. With an eye roll that was more comical than anything, she looked at him. “I refuse to be held responsible for any setbacks you have.”
Carefully, he pulled his shirt over his head. It took a bit of an effort not to grimace. The wounds were healing but having a bullet go right through you meant there were two spots trying to heal and movement of any kind wasn’t particularly comfortable. They were both covered in bandages but he knew they were healing fine.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said, sitting down on the bed. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll let you do all the work.”
Her laughter was music to his ears. Taking a step toward him, Josiah thought he almost had her convinced.
“I’m serious,” he went on. “I promise to lie back and rest my shoulder and be a good boy.”
The sexy grin told him he’d won.
“Well…as long as you behave,” she said softly, kicking her shoes off.
The eager nod he gave her might have felt a little like begging, but he didn’t care. It had been a week since they’d last made love and he missed it—missed the intimacy and just being able to touch her and love her like he wanted to.
Moving closer, Melanie peeled her shirt off and shimmied out of her jeans and J
osiah actually felt himself break out in a sweat. How was it possible that after all their time together she still had the ability to turn him inside out like this?
A gentle shove on his good shoulder had him slowly lying down on the bed. Straddling him, Melanie leaned down and kissed him and it was slow and wet and a little bit dirty and it was like hitting the launch button. More than anything he wanted to reverse their positions and do all the things to her that he knew drove her wild. It was impossible, but still…a man could dream.
With no warning, she broke the kiss, straightened, and unhooked the lacy bra she was wearing. She tossed it over her shoulder, and the look on her face made every kind of sexy promise that he could imagine.
All thoughts of changing positions left his mind.
“Brace yourself, Sheriff,” she said huskily.
Yeah, there was no need to wish for anything else.
Because this was his dream come true.
Chapter Eight
Looking back, Melanie would say she was glad they took that afternoon and the rest of that day for themselves because the following day began what could only be described as wedding planning on steroids. All it had taken was one phone call to Lisa to confirm the barn and from that point on, Melanie couldn’t remember the last time she got to have a conversation that wasn’t about the big day.
Now, ten days later and standing in the middle of a bridal boutique back in New York City, she sighed with impatience. She was getting zipped into her tenth gown and was no longer having fun.
“C’mon, Mel,” Josiah’s sister Danielle said with a grin. “Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle. You don’t want to make a snap decision on a wedding gown. Most brides take months to do this sort of thing. You knew it was going to be a marathon weekend.”
Between the hopping in and out of gowns and the bad holiday puns her future sister-in-law was so proud of, Melanie was certain she’d go out of her mind. At this point, she’d be willing to close her eyes and point at a gown and take it if it meant getting out of this hell.
“I did, but I still had hopes I’d luck out and find something fast,” Melanie reasoned as she looked in the mirror and frowned.
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