Love Inspired December 2013 - Bundle 2 of 2: Cozy ChristmasHer Holiday HeroJingle Bell Romance

by Valerie Hansen

  “Yes. I knew them both. Robert Randall is one of the nicest, sweetest gentlemen I’ve ever met. If he hadn’t lost hope and incentive, thanks to Linda, that nasty ex of his, his plant would probably have survived a temporary slump. But then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?”

  “The loss of that one plant almost killed the whole town?”

  “That, it did. Randall Manufacturing was our only big employer. When Robert gave up and shut everything down for good, it was like driving the last nail into Bygones’s coffin.” She began to smile. “And then you came along.”

  “I told you. I did it for my mother’s sake,” Josh reiterated. “She always had nothing but nice things to say about this place. I think she’d have moved back here long ago if my father hadn’t convinced her a person could never truly recapture what was lost.”

  “Well, I can’t believe the changes your plan has made around here in only six months.”

  “I agree. Profits are good and getting better all the time.”

  “So, when are you planning to come clean?”

  “I wasn’t. Anybody who knows me as Josh Smith would be very disappointed if they learned who I really am.” He frowned. “Especially a certain eager-beaver newspaper reporter I could mention.”

  “It’s still the right thing to do,” the older woman insisted. “Since you can’t go back and tell the whole truth in the first place, which would be my first choice, I think the next best thing is to confess everything as soon as possible.”

  He shook his head. “I need to wait a bit longer. Whitney’s writing a promo for a free movie screening in the refurbished theater for between Christmas and New Year’s and I want to get that out of the way first.”

  “That’s all well and good, but what about Whitney’s newspaper career? Aren’t you going to give her a scoop for the Gazette so she can wow her boss?”

  Josh’s brow furrowed. “It’s a little more complicated than that. I’d have to make sure she didn’t go ballistic and reveal my secret. I wouldn’t blame her for trying to get even with me for stringing her along.”

  “Sounds to me as if you don’t want to damage your relationship. I’d suspected as much when I saw you two together at the tree lighting. Every time you looked at each other the sparks flew.”

  “It’s not that. We’re just good friends.”

  Coraline’s eyes crinkled at the corners as her grin spread. “Mister Smith, I have worked with children and adults of all ages for my entire professional life. I know people. You can deny it all you want. That won’t change what I saw. That girl is crazy about you, and as far as I can tell, you return those feelings. Otherwise, why not just tell her who you are and get it over with?”

  “Believe me, it’s not that simple. Any friendship we may share right now will be sorely tested when Whitney finds out who and what I am.”

  “Is there some deep, dark secret about computer geniuses that I haven’t heard?”

  “No.” Josh’s expression reflected disgust. “But I can’t tell you how many women have thrown themselves at me after they found out I was loaded. Or how many people have crawled out of the woodwork to present plans to spend my money for me. Believe me, it’s hard to tell who your real friends are when that happens.”

  “So you chose to come to Bygones as Josh Smith, barista and amateur computer tech.”

  “Exactly. And so far it’s worked out even better than I had hoped.”

  “All right.” Finishing her coffee, Coraline pushed the cup away and rose. “I’ll keep your secret. Temporarily. But I’m warning you, the longer you put off telling Whitney the truth, the harder she’s going to take it.”

  “I’m afraid it’s way too late to avoid making her mad. When she does finally realize I’m the mystery money man she’s been looking for since summer, she’s going to be absolutely furious.”

  “Probably,” Coraline agreed. “But the more she cares for you, the worse it’s going to be. It’s one thing to be tricked by a stranger and quite another to be played for a fool by someone you trusted.” She pulled a face. “If you don’t think so, just ask Robert Randall. That poor man has really been through the wringer.”

  “You sound like more than a casual observer.”

  “I just hate to see a nice person treated badly, that’s all. The same goes for Whitney. I know your motives are pure but that doesn’t make it right to continue to pretend. Not where she’s concerned.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Josh promised. “My mother always did say you were very persuasive.”

  “Only when I’m sure I’m right,” the older woman said. “What are you doing for Christmas, going home to see Susanna?”

  “Not this year. She’s away on a cruise.”

  “Would you like to join my family? My three grown kids will be home.” She blushed. “And Robert has promised to stop by.”

  “Actually, I’ve already been invited to the Leighs,” Josh told her.

  Coraline beamed. “Excellent. You go. And the first chance you get, have a serious talk with that girl. She deserves the truth and you know it.”

  Although it pained him to admit it, Coraline was right. He glanced at the calendar on the wall behind the cash register. Another ten days until Christmas Eve, then three more before his theater presentation. He could wait that long.

  Besides, Josh mused with a sigh, he had no idea how to broach the subject of his personal wealth with a down-to-earth person like Whitney. If he wasn’t careful he might inadvertently scare her away.

  That was the last thing he wanted to do.

  *

  Whitney made sure she had all her ducks in a row before she popped in to see Josh later in the week. Matt was on duty behind the counter.

  “Hi. Where’s the boss?” she asked enthusiastically.

  “In the back, working on computers, of course,” the sixteen-year-old answered, cocking his head toward the curtained doorway.

  “Think he’ll mind if I stick my nose in?”

  “Naw. He’s cool about that. Just don’t ever trespass upstairs. He nearly bit my head off when I made the mistake of looking in his apartment when I needed to find him.”

  “I’ll remember that.” She started for the workroom. “Thanks, Matt.”

  Pulling back the curtain with one hand she saw Josh. He was seated on a tall stool and concentrating on a laptop. Was that hers? Perhaps. It certainly wasn’t the only one visible.

  “Wow,” Whitney said, entering, “This room reminds me of Miss Mars’s This ’N’ That shop.”

  “Hey, it’s not that crammed with stuff,” Josh countered, greeting her with a grin. “What brings you here today?”

  “I would have stopped in sooner if Ed hadn’t sent me to Manhattan drumming up advertising customers.”

  “You do that, too?”

  “I do it all,” Whitney said, arching a brow. “I deliver papers to drop spots, load racks and collect money from them, sell ads and, hopefully, write wonderful articles. Since we’re only a weekly, there isn’t a big demand for my reporting expertise but I keep hoping for my so-called big break.”

  “I’ve read your work,” Josh said. “You’re good.”

  “Thanks. Maybe someday I’ll hit the big-time.”

  “Is that your goal? To get famous and move away, I mean?”

  Whitney shrugged. “I used to think so. Now, I kind of wish I could make a name for myself right here in Bygones. I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a small town feature that could be syndicated, but I’d need to be pretty well known already to pull that off.”

  “If anyone can do it, you can,” Josh said.

  “Thanks.” Beginning to feel her cheeks heating up she changed the subject by pointing at his workbench. “Is that Dad’s laptop?”

  “Yes. All ready to go. I installed a couple of new programs I think he’ll like, too.”

  Curiosity drew her closer until she was almost leaning on Josh’s shoulder. “Really? Show me.”

  As
his fingers flew over the keys, Whitney was astonished at the images appearing on the screen. “Wow. That operating speed is impressive. Are you sure this is just a hobby?”

  “I manage to do okay,” he replied, demonstrating other features. “See this little icon in the top left corner? It’s visible whenever the unit is turned on, no matter what program may be running. All J.T. will have to do is click on it and his entire system will check and reboot itself. When it’s done, there won’t be any glitches left, no matter what mistakes he may have made.”

  “You mean like those services advertised on TV?”

  “Much better. This is all self-contained and it won’t cost him a penny.”

  Astounded, she realized she was gaping. “Really? Suppose he’s been surfing and picked up a bug?”

  “No sweat. There’s a regular virus protection program running all the time. This new feature will provide coverage way beyond that. If he was writing a column like you do, for instance, and this computer went up in smoke, all he’d have to do is remove the special memory card, insert it into another machine, type in his personal code, and all his data would immediately transfer.”

  “Including the operating systems?”

  “Yup. Everything is coded to him, not the laptop. It’s also updated every few minutes, depending on the settings.”

  “Wow.” She blinked rapidly and stared at the screen. “That’s amazing. Can I put the same program on my new laptop?”

  It was Josh’s hesitancy that caused her to scowl at him. Surely he didn’t think she was asking him for a gift that might be expensive. Or did he?

  “I don’t mean you have to just give it to me,” Whitney assured him. “Or to Dad, either. I’ll be glad to buy the special chip or whatever it is.” She paused, then added, “Providing it doesn’t take my whole salary.”

  “It’s experimental right now,” Josh said quietly. “I happen to know a guy who’s letting a few folks beta test it. There won’t be any charge.”

  “Really? You just happen to know him? Sounds interesting. What’s his name?”

  The fact that Josh didn’t immediately answer struck her as strange. And troublesome. Short of patience, she prodded him. “Well? If you won’t tell me his name, at least give me the name of the program so I can watch for its release.”

  “I don’t think it has a name yet.”

  “Okay…” Whitney drawled “…then where does he work? I’d love to have the scoop on something this revolutionary. It might mean a chance to be picked up by the national wire services and get my byline really noticed.”

  “When it’s ready, we’ll make an official announcement,” Josh said flatly. “You have to promise me you won’t tell a soul until my friend is ready to go public.”

  She drew her index finger in an X over her chest. “Cross my heart. Your secret is safe with me.”

  Josh swiveled the stool to face her and took both her hands in his. “I mean it, Whitney. Not a peep.”

  His seriousness took her aback. Of all the times they had been together, she could not recall one in which he had looked this somber, not even when she’d almost toppled off a stepladder while painting a house with a group of community volunteers and he had come to her aid.

  “I promise.” The warmth of his touch seeped into her bones and eliminated any hesitation she might have had. When Josh was holding her hands and looking at her that way, she knew she would have promised him anything he asked.

  To her surprise, instead of releasing her, he bent and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. The moment was tender and special, yet Whitney found herself reverting to her usual reaction to any overly serious moment and wanting to crack a joke. That was simply the way her mind worked whenever her emotions became overburdened.

  She was smiling when Josh’s gaze met hers.

  One corner of his mouth quirked in a lopsided grin. “What are you thinking?”

  “You don’t really want to know,” she hedged, hoping he would not press for the truth.

  “Ah, but I do.” Josh continued to hold her hands while his thumbs stroked them gently.

  “Well…” If they had not been alone in the workroom and if she had not been so uptight, she might have chosen to hold back.

  Josh’s brows arched in unspoken query.

  “I can’t help it. Honest. I always picture silly things when I get nervous.”

  “I make you nervous?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Well, well.”

  His quiet chuckle sent tingles shooting up her spine and made the hair at her nape prickle. And still he didn’t release her. In fact, he kissed her hands again.

  That was all she could take. She huffed, then voiced her secret thoughts. “You missed.”

  “Beg pardon?”

  “You wanted to know what I was thinking before. Well, that was it. You missed.”

  He slowly stood, bringing them closer together. One hand continued to grasp hers while the other rose. He tipped back her head with one finger under her chin.

  Whitney froze, eyes closed and lips slightly parted. He knew exactly what she’d meant.

  Time slowed. The surroundings faded. She held her breath. Felt the light touch of Josh’s mouth on hers.

  And then he was gone.

  When Whitney’s eyes fluttered open he had stepped away and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

  Before she could say a word or even catch her breath, Josh broke her heart by saying, “Sorry. That won’t happen again.”

  Chapter Ten

  The amazingly tender kiss and its disappointing aftermath kept replaying in Whitney’s mind so vividly she could hardly think straight, let alone write creatively. She didn’t remember leaving the Cozy Cup or driving away with J.T.’s computer, yet she had.

  If the weather had been warmer she would have put down the top of her faithful convertible and cruised some country roads to unwind and try to make sense of her feelings. Since that method of release was foolish at this time of year, she chose to drop in on Coraline again.

  If the principal was too busy to chat she wouldn’t stay, of course. She simply needed someone to listen while she talked her way back to some semblance of good judgment. Her choices of confessor were either Coraline or Pastor Garman. Given the difference in a female point of view, it was easy for Whitney to decide who might understand her better. No way was she going to talk to her mother and trigger Betty’s matchmaking efforts again. Opening up to Coraline was risky enough.

  Whitney found the older woman in her school office and rapped on the open door.

  “Come in, come in. I was just thinking about you,” the graying principal said.

  “I hope that’s good.” Whitney had dropped her tote on the floor and plopped into a chair.

  “Always, dear. Goodness, did you come out without your gloves? Your hands look frozen.”

  “They’re in my pocket,” Whitney told her. “Guess I forgot to put them on.” She blew a breath. “It’s a long story.”

  “I have a break coming. Would you like to go to the teacher’s lounge for a cup of coffee to warm you up?”

  “I may never look at another cup of coffee as long as I live. Do you mind if we stay here?”

  “Of course not.” Rising, Coraline came out from behind the desk, closed her office door, then returned to the chair beside Whitney. “Go ahead. What’s bothering you?”

  “Everything.”

  “Sounds ominous. Let me guess. Josh Smith.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I’m a student of people,” Coraline said. “I saw how you and he behaved toward each other at the tree lighting. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out your romance is not going the way you want it to.”

  “I don’t know what I want,” Whitney confessed. “One minute I think we’re getting along fine and the next he’s backing off as if he isn’t at all interested in me.”

  Coraline patted the back of Whitney’s hand. “Believe me, dear, he’s interested.�
��

  “I thought so, too, when he…”

  “What? Did he tell you something special?”

  “No.” She frowned, remembering. “He kissed me.”

  “Well, that’s a good sign.”

  Whitney shook her head. “Not when he said it would never happen again!”

  “What did you say then?”

  “I don’t recall. Probably nothing.” She pointed. “I just grabbed Dad’s refurbished laptop and split.”

  Pensive, the older woman nodded. “I see.”

  “Well, I sure don’t,” Whitney complained. “Josh is a genius with computers yet he’s satisfied to tinker with a few of them here and there and run a coffee shop. It makes no sense.”

  “Have you told him how you feel? I mean personally, not about his career choices?”

  “I almost did—until he got mad at himself for kissing me.”

  “Maybe you left him too soon,” Coraline suggested. “Sometimes, when a man seems reluctant, it’s because he isn’t sure of your feelings and doesn’t want to risk rejection.” She paused, smiled, then added, “That was what happened between me and Robert, but I finally got him to admit he was willing to start over—with me.”

  “Robert Randall?” Whitney couldn’t help being pleased. “Good for you, Miss Coraline. I wish you two the best.”

  “Thank you. And the same to you and Josh.”

  “There is no me and Josh,” Whitney countered. “I wish there were. I really do.”

  “I suspect you’re telling that to the wrong person. Why not tell Josh?”

  “For the same reason you said Robert held back, I guess. I’d rather hang on to the idea that he might care for me a little than ask him and find out it was all a figment of my imagination.”

  “He did kiss you.”

  Whitney heaved a noisy sigh and nodded. “That part was real.” She paused, thinking. “I don’t want to scare him off by being too bold. He seemed to have a good time when he came to my house for supper after church last Sunday. Maybe it would be best if I just kept inviting him and let everything come together naturally.”

  “Perhaps. He did say he was planning to spend Christmas with you and your parents.”

  “He did? For sure? That’s wonderful! I never could get a solid commitment out of him.”