Hometown Christmas

by A. M. Williams

  He’d seen a cake walk, a pie in the face station, a makeshift jail where people could pay to put someone inside and that person had to beg for the money to get free. The scope of the carnival impressed him and was having a lot of fun walking it with Kat, people stopping them not taken into consideration.

  It seemed her idea for him to lead worked. While people still spoke to Kat, they didn’t stop her like they had been doing and they could quickly work their way down the line and on to the next one.

  Kat squealed as they neared the end of that line.

  “What?” he asked.

  “It’s a kissing booth!”

  Ford was sure his face displayed some horror at the idea of a kissing booth. He couldn’t imagine anyone would want to take part in that, but Kat seemed excited because she was now dragging him toward it.

  He tried to think of a way to get them away because he had no inclination to kiss someone from the high school and he didn’t want Kat doing it either.

  But when they drew closer, he started laughing when he saw what type of kissing booth it was. The animal shelter had set up a booth filled with dogs and cats that people could pay to play with. They had several dogs seated at the front, happily lazing around as people stopped to pet them. Behind their table was a large make-shift area that was fenced in and filled with other animals.

  “Look at that face,” Kat said, leaning down and petting a pit bull mix who licked her face.

  “Hey, Kat,” the guy sitting there said, smiling at Kat.

  “Hey, Lee. I didn’t realize y’all would have a booth tonight.”

  Lee shrugged. “It was kinda last minute.”

  “Great idea,” she said, a large smile permanently etched on her face. “How’re you doing so far?”

  Lee shrugged. “Not too bad. A lot of people want to take part.”

  “I’m sure. I’m one of them too. How much?”

  “Five dollars for ten minutes, ten for twenty. We have other times, but most people don’t want that much.”

  Ford reached for his wallet before Kat could get hers out. He pulled a ten out and handed it to Lee. “We’ll do ten minutes each.”

  Lee looked at him and it was like he just now realized that Ford had been there behind Kat the entire time. Lee scanned Ford’s body and flinched when he reached his face. Ford was glaring hard at Lee and he was sure Lee could read his displeasure.

  “Awesome,” he said, swallowing noticeably. “If you’ll follow me.”

  Kat looked over her shoulder at Ford, who quickly schooled his face into a more neutral expression and grinned. “Ready?”

  She turned back around and shook her head before following Lee to the gate.

  “You’ll want to move quickly,” he said.

  He and Kat nodded and slipped through the gap that Lee created in the fence so none of the animals got out.

  They were taken over by the animals as soon as they were inside and Kat immediately started laughing, falling to the ground so they could run over her.

  Ford quickly pulled his phone out and snapped a few pictures, trying to capture the joy on Kat’s face before he sat down as well.

  He smiled and was glad he was doing this with Kat. He was around pets all day, but normally it was because they were hurt or he had to give them shots. He wasn’t around them to hang out and play. This was a nice change of pace.

  Twenty-Two

  Kat

  Kat laughed as a particularly energetic puppy licked her face. She heard a click and looked at Ford to see he was taking pictures of her.

  “If you’re going to do that, we should take a picture together.”

  Ford shrugged and moved closer to her. She leaned toward him and smiled while the puppies clambered over them. Ford held his phone out and snapped a few photos.

  “Let me see!” she said, holding her hand out for his phone.

  “No. You can see later,” he said, slipping his phone in his pocket.

  She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout and Ford laughed. He laughed! “That’s not fair,” she said.

  Ford shrugged and rubbed his hands over the puppy that was gnawing on the leg of his jeans. “Life isn’t fair. You’ll see them later when there aren’t a swarm of animals around us.”

  “Fine,” she said, letting out a sigh, purposefully being dramatic.

  She really wasn’t all that upset that he wasn’t showing her. She wanted to see them, sure, but she knew it probably was better to wait. All it would take it was one rambunctious puppy to send the phone flying to be claimed by the puppies and never seen again.

  “Have you ever thought about getting a pet?” she asked, scratching a puppy that had made his way over to her and had flopped into her lap.

  “Yeah.”

  She waited to see if he would elaborate, but he didn’t. She looked at him and narrowed her eyes at how he was avoiding her gaze, looking instead at the puppy in his lap. “And? Why don’t you have one?”

  Ford sighed and shifted, lifting the puppy in his lap off his legs and setting him to the side, allowing another one to clamber into his lap.

  “My ex was allergic to dogs and didn’t like cats, so we never got one.”

  “You’re not together now,” Kat pointed out, hoping she didn’t sound as harsh as she thought she did.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “So…why haven’t you gotten one?”

  Ford scrubbed a hand over his face and she didn’t think he was going to answer at first. After a few beats of silence, he said, “I don’t have the time right now. I want to get a dog, but I’m still getting settled and figuring out my life. I plan to get one in a few months if I can.”

  Kat nodded, satisfied with his answer. She wanted to push it a little more, but had a feeling that Ford might shut down. He hadn’t told her much about his ex, just that he stayed with her far too long.

  She was dying to know about this Alexis that he had been married to, but she got the feeling that their divorce wasn’t very amicable. What little she’d heard of the woman and what she’d inferred from comments was that Alexis wasn’t very nice and that Ford was thankful to be away from her.

  “Time’s up, y’all,” Lee said from behind them.

  Kat sighed and moved the puppy she’d been loving on off her lap before moving to stand. A hand entered her vision, and she grasped it, allowing Ford to help her up.

  Once she was on her feet, he didn’t let go of her hand, instead tugging her into his chest and kissing her hard on her lips. Surprise quickly morphed into desire and she wished they were anywhere but in the middle of the high school football field.

  “What was that for?” she asked, her lips tingling as she pulled back.

  “Just staking my claim.”

  Her brow furrowed at his words, but quickly cleared when she caught sight of Lee.

  He’d had a crush on her since high school and she thought it had gotten better, but based on how he looked like he’d sucked a lemon, she guessed it hadn’t.

  She smiled and thanked him as they walked out of the area and waited until they were out of earshot before saying, “You didn’t have to make your point that way.”

  “What point?” Ford asked as they wove through the crowd, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

  “Whatever point you were trying to make to Lee. He’s harmless and I have no intention of ever dating him.” She’d never been interested in Lee and had turned him down when he’d asked her out.

  “Does he know that?” Ford asked, looking at her with an arched brow.

  “I don’t know why he wouldn’t. I’ve never encouraged him.”

  They came to a stop at the end of the funnel cake line, so Kat moved so she was standing in front of Ford. She slipped her arms around his waist and stepped closer to him, tilting her face up to his.

  “There’s only one guy I’m interested in being with and he’s here with me right now.”

  Ford smiled lazily at her and Kat felt a zing work through her body. How did he
have the capability of making her feel this way when he wasn’t even touching her?

  He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She sighed happily, but ripped her lips away from his when she heard someone say, “Wow, really showing what you’re made of.”

  She whipped around to glare at the person, but her expression softened when she saw it was Denise.

  “That wasn’t very nice.”

  Denise shrugged, but was grinning. “I know. I just wanted your attention. Didn’t matter how I got it.”

  “When’d you get here? I thought you were staying at the shop all night?”

  “I’m only here for a bit. I’ve got two part-time workers that are manning the fort. They all but kicked me out so I could walk around and take a break. Ended up here because I remembered someone talking about funnel cake.”

  “Understandable. Good funnel cake is hard to find.”

  As she and Denise continued to talk, she felt Ford slip his hands around her waist, pulling her back against him. She couldn’t help but smile as she felt him press a light kiss to the side of her neck before tightening his arms briefly.

  It was the simplest actions that made her fall more in love with him. He didn’t have to say anything for her to feel cherished.

  She knew that it was too soon to be considering marriage or forever with Ford, but she couldn’t help but be excited as she considered how safe he made her feel and how alive she was when she was around him.

  She’d never felt like this about any past boyfriends—not even Scott, the asshole—and she couldn’t wait to see where their relationship went. She had a good feeling about Ford. A very good feeling.

  They reached the front of the line and Kat told Denise to go first since she had to leave to get back to her shop. Once she had the funnel cake in hand, Denise said she’d call Kat the next day while winking. Kat was sure that meant Denise was going to be grilling her for the details of her date.

  She and Ford split a cake. She stood to the side, holding their treat and trying not to bury her face in the powdered sugar topped cake while Ford paid.

  Once he rejoined her, he led her to the small eating area, and they claimed a small picnic table.

  They ate the funnel cake in silence, but it wasn’t weird or uncomfortable. Kat people watched and looked at Ford. He was watching the crowd go by, so she had a view of his profile.

  She took it in, noticing his scruff was growing back in, giving him that handsome, rugged look. Even bundled up in a jacket and scarf, he was handsome and eye-catching. She saw more than one woman look their way and it was all Kat could do to not mean mug them like Ford had to Lee.

  She refused to be that petty, though it was hard for her to not be.

  After they finished the treat, Ford threw their trash away before looking at her and grinning. “Should I try to win you one of these prizes?”

  Kat glanced at one of the game booths and arched a brow when she saw the prizes being offered. “If you really want to, go for it. But I think you’d be better served to just go to the toy store and buy me a stuffed animal.”

  Ford grinned. “I could, but it’s not the same as if I show you my prowess at a game to win it.”

  Kat rolled her eyes as she stood. “Fine. If you want to give it a go, I won’t stop you. I think you should start with the dunking booth though.”

  They both looked that way. The boy dressed as Santa was still sitting there dry and taunting the crowd as they went by.

  “I think we should also…” Ford said, scratching his chin.

  He looked at her and held out his hand. “Let’s go teach Santa a lesson.”

  Twenty-Three

  Kat

  It took Ford three rounds to finally knock Santa down. While she felt bad for the kid when he was dunked, she took some satisfaction in knowing Ford had done it. The kid heckled everyone that tried to hit the target, so it was karma in her mind.

  He’d also won her a small stuffed cat that she was inordinately pleased with, though she knew she shouldn’t be. It was the fact that Ford won it that made it so amazing.

  They left the carnival soon after he won the cat and made their way back to where they parked at the vet clinic.

  Kat didn’t want the night to end, but she couldn’t think of an excuse to extend it either.

  If she lived alone, she might ask him to come over for a nightcap, but she lived with her dad. She wasn’t too sure how either her dad or Ford would do with the other in the house for something like that.

  She knew Ford lived alone in a small house on the outskirts of town—she’d heard people gossiping about it—but wouldn’t invite herself over.

  That meant when she said goodbye to him, she didn’t know when she’d see him again. And that made an ache start in her chest. She knew it wasn’t like they wouldn’t run into each other, but she couldn’t shake the sadness that parting evoked in her.

  She took some enjoyment from Ford not hurrying them back to her car, which she hoped meant he didn’t want the night to end either.

  “Are you busy this weekend?” she asked as they stepped back on to Main Street.

  By this time of night, the parade was done and everyone had moved on to the carnival at the school or had gone home. That meant they were two of the only people walking down the quiet street.

  The Christmas decorations glittered and everything was still. It was very romantic and made her feel like she was in a Hallmark Christmas movie.

  “Nope. I might see about hitting up Lowe’s to get some stuff to redo my office when we close for the holidays. Otherwise I’d planned to take it easy. What about you?”

  She shrugged. “I was thinking about doing a trail ride at the house.”

  She paused and snuck a glance at Ford, who was staring ahead of them. She didn’t see a twitch or anything on his face that indicated if he wanted her to continue or not.

  “That should be fun. You’ll go even if it snows?”

  “Possibly. It really depends on what happens after. If it’s icy, I won’t go. If it’s still snowing, I won’t go either. Looking at the weather though…I think I’ll be able to go.”

  “I’m sure you’ll have fun.” He was non committal, and she wished that he would just show one way or the other if he’d be interested in going.

  Kat bit her lip and carefully considered what she was about to ask Ford.

  “Would you like to join me?” Her words rushed out.

  “Join you?”

  She peeked at him again and saw that he was looking at her this time.

  She nodded. “Yeah. I know you know how to ride, so do you want to join me for a trail ride? It’ll be just us. I won’t take the dogs out right now.”

  Ford said nothing at first, which made her worry he would turn her down, which would be mortifying. Instead, he grinned. “I’d love to go out with you.”

  “Awesome,” she said, unable to wipe the grin off her face.

  She felt giddy as they continued on their walk. She was also proud of herself for asking Ford to go with her. Normally she’d go on a ride with her dad, but he didn’t enjoy riding when it was too cold out. It made his arthritis flare.

  Every so often she could convince David to go with her, but he was similar to her dad and didn’t enjoy riding when it was cold out.

  By asking Ford, she’d asked someone on her first date. And that was something to be proud of. She was sure Denise would be proud also.

  They turned the corner, and she saw the vet clinic ahead, their trucks the only two in the parking lot.

  A few moments later, they were standing next to her truck, and she was really wishing the night didn’t have to end.

  “Let me know about that ride,” Ford said, dipping his head toward her.

  She nodded. “I will. I should know something once I see if we’re getting the snow or not.”

  She and Ford both looked up at the cloudy sky. “Could go either way,” he said, looking back at her.

  “Yep.”

&nb
sp; Ford’s head lowered even further and a shiver of anticipation worked its way up her spine. He was going to kiss her good night, and it was going to amazing, just like every other kiss they’d ever shared. And she couldn’t wait.

  A few moments later, his lips touched hers and she sighed as the rest of the world melted away.

  Their lips moved together and instead of waiting for him to deepen the kiss, she took matters into her own hands, nipping at his bottom lip, begging him to open his mouth.

  Ford groaned low in his throat and she slipped her tongue into his now open mouth, caressing his own.

  She wrapped her arms tightly around Ford’s back and pressed herself against him, wishing there weren’t so many layers between the two of them. One of Ford’s hands cradled the back of her head while the other meandered down until it reached her ass.

  She stifled the giggle that threatened to break free as she realized he had some strong feelings about her ass. Every time they kissed, he seemed to go for it.

  They shuffled backward until her back was pressed into the side of her truck and Ford was pressed against her front.

  What had started out as a good-night kiss was quickly morphing into one of the hottest make outs she’d ever taken part in.

  She could feel every hard inch of Ford’s body pressed against her—including the steel rod in his pants—and she would give anything to have them not standing outside the vet clinic after one of the nicest dates of her life. If only she could snap her fingers and have them be inside somewhere warm and cozy where they could continue what they were starting.

  Realizing where her mind was going, Kat froze. Ford froze also, pulling away from her.

  Looking at Ford’s face with his swollen lips and dilated pupils made Kat groan.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Kat dropped her gaze to the front of his jacket and fiddled with the zipper pull. “Nothing.”

  Ford stepped back from her enough that she could push off the side of her truck and look at him. “For some reason, I don’t believe you.”