Hometown Christmas

by A. M. Williams

  On the short drive to From the Hart, Ford turned over all the reasons she might have been there to see him. None of them were good and none of them were worth talking to her about.

  He really didn’t want to talk to her at all, but Alexis was tenacious and could be a like a dog with a bone. If he didn’t humor her now, she’d pop back up and continue to pop up until he talked to her.

  He shook his head as he pulled into a parking space outside of Denise’s bakery.

  Without waiting to see if Alexis was with him, he hopped out of his truck and walked into the warm interior of the bakery, a bell jingling over the door.

  He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Alexis was still in her car, so he had a few moments alone with Denise, who was looking at him with a confused look on his face.

  “In a few moments, a woman will walk through the door. It’s my ex-wife. For the love of God, in like five minutes come over and say that I’m needed at the clinic for an emergency and that they couldn’t get through on my phone.”

  Denise’s brows rose. “How will you explain them reaching you here?”

  Ford shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, glancing over his shoulder to see that Alexis was now getting out of her car. “I don’t fucking know. Maybe they saw me in town earlier and they started calling businesses to see where I was. Make something up!”

  Denise blinked at him before slowly nodding. “Okay. But you owe me a story!”

  Ford nodded and blew out a haggard breath and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart as the bell jingled again over the door, telling him Alexis had joined him.

  He turned to face her and barely suppressed an eye roll at the look of disgust on her face.

  “Hi! Welcome to From the Hart! What can I get for you today?” Denise cheerily greeted.

  “A skinny latte.” Alexis didn’t even look at Denise. Ford couldn’t stop the eye roll at that.

  She didn’t wait to hear her total, instead walking over to a table by the window and sitting down.

  He looked at Denise and met her horrified gaze. “You married her?” she whispered.

  Ford nodded. “Unfortunately. Can I get a black coffee and a blueberry muffin?”

  Denise nodded and quickly filled their order, placing it on a small tray for him. He paid and shot her a pleading look before joining Alexis at the table.

  “This place is so…quaint.”

  “It is.” He settled into his chair and blew on the steaming liquid.

  Neither of them spoke for several moments, which didn’t bother Ford one bit. He had zero desire to talk to Alexis, so he was happy to wait her out. Maybe he’d be able to escape before they got to whatever it was she wanted to talk about out.

  “Ford,” Alexis said, setting her coffee cup down. “I miss you.”

  Ford snorted coffee at her words. He coughed before saying, “I don’t miss you.”

  “Ford, please. Be serious.”

  “I am!” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Getting a divorce was the best thing either of us could have done. I don’t know why you’re suddenly here or anything, but I am not the guy for you. At all.”

  The bell jingled behind him. He was focused on Alexis and making sure she understood what he was saying. “I don’t know why you’ve made the trip here, but it was a waste.”

  Alexis reached across the table and said, “Ford, come on. Why are you fighting this?”

  Ford’s lip curled when her hand touched his and he quickly pulled it away while she was talking. “I’m fighting this because it’s fucking stupid. We’re divorced. I’ve moved on to other things. You have too. There is absolutely no us in this equation.”

  Alexis huffed and pursed her lips. “You’re just fighting the inevitable.”

  “What? What’s inevitable?”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but paused, sliding her gaze past him.

  He glanced over his shoulder and his mouth dropped when he saw Kat standing there staring at him.

  “Kat,” he said, pushing his chair back so he could stand, knocking it over. “What are you doing here?”

  “I…uh…I came…” He could see her working hard to form a sentence, but she was failing.

  Ford knew that it had to be because he was sitting there a woman that wasn’t her.

  “Kat, this is my ex-wife, Alexis. Alexis, this is my girlfriend, Kat.”

  Alexis scoffed. “Girlfriend? What are you, sixteen?”

  Ford ground his teeth together to keep himself from flying off the handle. He wanted to get rid of Alexis and sooth Kat, but he wasn’t sure where to direct his attention.

  “Kat,” he said, taking a step her way.

  She took a step back, matching him.

  He heard a door open and glanced to his left to see Denise standing there with wide eyes and her mouth gaping. “Kat!” Denise’s voice squeaked out as she darted her glance between Kat, Ford, and Alexis.

  “Why don’t you come back here?” Denise didn’t wait for a response and instead quickly covered the distance between the two of them and yanked Kat into the back with her.

  Ford breathed a little easier knowing that Kat wasn’t alone. Hopefully, he could get rid of Alexis before Kat bolted.

  He turned to face his ex-wife and glared at her. “Spit out whatever it is you came here for. I’m done.”

  He didn’t sit down again, instead standing with his feet wide and his arms crossed.

  Alexis stared at him with wide eyes and he realized he’d never really stood up to her. He had been happy to let her get her way and never pushed back. He figured that a happy wife meant a happy life. How wrong that had been.

  He shouldn’t have felt the need to coddle Alexis when they were married and he wouldn’t coddle her now.

  “I’m waiting.”

  Alexis coughed and sipped her drink before saying, “As I was saying. I miss you. We shouldn’t have gotten divorced. I think we acted rashly?”

  Ford’s brows were by his hairline. He couldn’t help laughing at her words. “You think we were rash?”

  Alexis nodded and smiled at him. “Yes. I think we should have worked more on getting through our issues.”

  “Our issues? You mean your issues. Refresh my memory…” He paused and looked thoughtful for a few moments, like he couldn’t quite remember what he was thinking of. “Wasn’t it you that said you wanted a divorce? Wasn’t it because you were cheating?”

  He tapped a finger on his chin and snapped his fingers like he’d suddenly had an epiphany. “Wasn’t it you that ended up dragging your feet, dragging the process out for two years before signing on the dotted line?”

  Alexis’s mouth was hanging open. Ford continued. “Don’t tell me…your little sugar daddy moved on, didn’t he? Got tired of your games? I hate to break it to you but there is no way on God’s green Earth I will ever get back together with you. You’re in my past and you’re going to stay buried there. I have a future that doesn’t have you in it.”

  Alexis’s face had slowly grown red as he talked. By the time he finished, he was surprised she didn’t have steam coming out of her ears.

  “How dare you!”

  Ford rolled his eyes. “Don’t act all offended. I called you on your bullshit. Own it. Then get the fuck out.”

  Alexis opened her mouth a few times, but no words came out. After a few moments, she stood with a huff and grabbed her things, not bothering to put them on.

  She paused as she reached him. “You’ll regret this.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Alexis huffed again and left. Ford watched her stomp to her car and tug on the door, which wouldn’t open. Finally she got it unlocked and threw her things in only to hit her head as she climbed in.

  Ford’s lips twitched as he watched, taking some perverse pleasure in her pain.

  He was well and truly over her and it was nice to know that he was completely done with her in his life. He was especially thankful they’d never had children together. He
wouldn’t be able to deal with that woman for the rest of his life because of some kids.

  “She’s gone?” Kat asked from behind him.

  He turned to see Kat and Denise peeking out of the swinging door to the kitchen.

  “Yeah, she’s gone.”

  Kat and Denise shared a look before Kat stepped into the dining room. “Can we talk?”

  Thirty

  Kat

  Kat fidgeted with the hem of her top as she waited to hear what Ford would say.

  “Sure.”

  He turned to the table he’d been sitting at and cleared his ex-wife’s cup away before motioning for her to sit down.

  “Here,” Denise said from behind her, thrusting her discarded cup into her hand.

  Kat smiled her thanks before slowing walking across the room to Ford. She hesitated before finally sitting down. Neither of them spoke for several moments.

  Kat was trying to gather her thoughts after that scene, not sure how to feel about it. She’d overheard most of it with Denise while they were in the kitchen trying to give Ford his space.

  She’d been uncomfortable knowing that they had no idea Kat and Denise could overhear them. But she took comfort in the fact that Ford was quick to shut Alexis down, which made her happy.

  When she’d initially seen Alexis and Ford introduced her, she felt like she’d sucked a lemon. Alexis was gorgeous in that classical way with long, wavy blonde hair, sharp cheekbones, and a slim figure from what Kat could tell.

  It was enough for Kat to immediately feel frumpy as she considered the work jeans and long-sleeved tee she was wearing under her jacket. She was a plain Jane next to that woman.

  But hearing Ford shut her ass down so quickly bolstered Kat’s self-esteem.

  After hearing Ford and Alexis talk, she knew that she and Ford needed to have a serious conversation about what they were and where they were going. Yeah, they were just starting their relationship. But Kat needed a little more reassuring.

  “So…that’s the harpy you were married to?” Kat said, breaking the ice.

  Ford barked out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s her.”

  “She’s…pretty.”

  Ford shrugged. “On the outside, yeah. But on the inside she’s ugly. I know that’s cliché, but it’s the truth. It took me a long time to realize that. I haven’t wanted her for a long time.”

  That made Kat feel even better about what they were doing.

  “It might be obvious,” Kat said, speaking slowly so she could gather her thoughts, “but I think we need to make sure we’re on the same page.”

  Ford nodded and leaned back in his chair. “I agree. We’ve only just started seeing each other, but I can already tell you I feel more for you right now than I ever felt for Alexis.”

  Kat’s cheeks warmed, and she knew she was most likely bright red. “Same, except for the Alexis part.”

  Ford chuckled. “I meant what I said last night.” Was it only last night that they first slept together? “We’ll go at your pace. If you want us to slow down, we can. If you want us to speed up, we can. If you like where we are, we can put the brakes on and chill here. I just want you. I don’t care about this other shit.”

  Kat released a slow breath as Ford’s words sank in. She appreciated them. Until he’d said these words today and the ones he did the night before, she hadn’t known that she needed to hear them. It was exactly the balm she needed to know she was making the right choice.

  “I think I’d be fine with speeding things up a little.”

  Ford arched a brow as he leaned forward. “Oh, really?”

  Kat nodded and leaned forward so their faces were only a few inches apart. “Yeah.”

  A slow smile spread across Ford’s face. “I think we can work with that.”

  The distance between them closed, though Kat couldn’t say who started their kiss. It was quick, a brief touching of their lips before they drew back and smiled at each other.

  “I would love to sit here with you longer,” Ford said, dropping his gaze before glancing at her sheepishly. “But I need to get home. Shower. And I need to do a little Christmas shopping for a certain someone.”

  Kat grinned. “Am I that certain someone?”

  Ford stood and stepped over to her chair, towering over her. She tilted her head back to see him better, and he leaned down, cupping the back of her head with his hand. “Guess you’ll find out.”

  He pressed a hard kiss to her lips before pulling away abruptly, leaving her breathless.

  She’d give anything to have him turn around and rejoin her at the table or even just take her on the table. But they were in public and she was really intrigued about what he would buy for her.

  “That was so fucking hot,” Denise said, sliding into Ford’s abandoned chair.

  Kat just sighed and watched at Ford pulled away.

  “He must be damn good to get you looking like that,” Denise teased.

  Kat smirked. “You have no idea.”

  Denise sighed dramatically. “I want details, but I guess I can deal without them for right now. Let’s talk about that ex. How are you feeling?”

  Kat sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t even tell you what I was thinking when I walked in and saw him talking to her.”

  She looked at her best friend and caught the sympathy on her face. “I have a pretty good idea. Your heart was breaking. I’m proud of you for not running though.”

  “I thought about it,” Kat admitted softly. “But you were there and looked horrified, as did Ford. It didn’t seem like he’d be one to cheat and bring that person to my best friend’s bakery.”

  Denise chuckled. “You got that right. He begged me to come in and say that there was an emergency at the clinic to get him away from her.”

  Kat laughed. “I kinda wished I’d been here for that part.”

  “It was pretty funny.”

  Denise recounted everything from the moment she saw Ford park outside to right before Kat arrived and overheard Ford’s conversation with Alexis.

  “I’m telling you. Ford looks like some macho guy, but the look of fear on his face was real. It was intense.”

  Kat laughed, glad she could laugh about this.

  “For real though, I’m proud of you for so many reasons,” Denise said after she sobered. “Ten years ago I couldn’t imagine that you’d be to where you were dating again, let alone being intimate with someone. Yet, here you are.”

  “Here I am.”

  Kat didn’t say it out loud, but she was proud of herself too. After she was cheated on and lost her baby, she never thought she’d be in the place where she would want to be in a relationship, let alone intimate with anyone.

  Once she overcame her mental hurdles and tried to date again, she realized her heart wasn’t in it. A small town meant a small pond to fish in for potential boyfriends and she eventually stopped trying. Because of that, she let herself fall back into the old patterns she developed when trying to recover, never pushing her to do more or be more.

  As soon as she saw Ford, though, she knew he was different. He was worth her trying harder to let him in and not let her hold-ups hold her back.

  She was so glad she’d pushed herself.

  She never thought she’d already be at this point with someone only a few weeks after meeting him, but here she was, almost giddy with excitement.

  “Now that we’ve got that out to the way,” Denise said, leaning forward. “Tell me what last night was like. I need all the dirty details because Lord knows I ain’t getting anything myself.”

  Kat’s mind flashed to the night before and she blushed as she remembered Ford’s touch and how he made her feel. There was nothing quite like it and she couldn’t wait for them to have a repeat performance.

  “Well, we went for a ride…”

  Thirty-One

  Kat

  Everything was going right in Kat’s life. Everything.

  When her dad returned from the field trial, she to
ld him she was dating Ford and he was pleased. Considering her father knew Ford from before, it wasn’t too far of a stretch to think her dad was glad for her.

  As they moved closer to Christmas Day, Kat spent as much time with Ford as possible while also helping where she could with the animals and with the fair in their backyard.

  Christmas Day dawned crisp and cloudy, a promise of snow in the air.

  “A white Christmas would be something else, wouldn’t it?” she asked her dad as they sat at the kitchen table sipping coffee while they waited for David and Ford to come.

  “It would be, you’re right. Not gonna lie though. I hope it holds off.”

  Kat smiled at her dad before directing her gaze back outside.

  Her dad had never been one for snow. He grumbled about it all the time. But Kat had always loved it. Whenever it snowed when she was younger, she’d been impatient to get her puffy jacket on with her waterproof boots and go out to play in it, even if it was only a dusting.

  That love had continued into adulthood. She didn’t go out to play in it like she did as a child, but she still held the same wonder for it.

  “I think it’ll snow sooner rather than later.”

  Crunching gravel cut off whatever her dad was going to say and Kat was up on her feet a few moments later.

  She walked over to the window that overlooked the driveway and saw David and Ford’s trucks parking. She turned and pulled two mugs down for them and impatiently awaited them to come inside.

  Unlike when they were little and lived in the same house, they now waited until late morning or early afternoon to open gifts and come together as a family. She still had the impatience she had as a child to open gifts, however.

  A few moments later, the door to the mudroom opened and she could hear the men talking. Soon, David walked through the door with gifts in his hands followed closely by Ford, whose hands were also full.

  “Put those under the tree and I’ll pour you some coffee.”

  She quickly poured their drinks before turning to the oven and pulling out the warm dish that had been in there to keep hot.