Blue Chow Christmas: The Hart Family (Have A Hart Book 4)

by Rachelle Ayala

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he grumbled. “But I’m sure Cait will be in the middle of game night, probably beating the socks off of you in Scrabble. She won’t even notice me walking through the door.”

  Her family always spent Saturday evening together, and since Pete and Kimberly, Cait’s parents, lived at Brian’s house, he was unable to escape except when he was working.

  “Good,” Connor said. “We’re packing up at the festival and should be home by the time you return.”

  “After Christmas, the entire village planted a candy cane farm and lived happily ever after.” Cait panned the picture book slowly in front of the rapt toddlers. They were sitting in a booth next to Santa’s throne where the children who’d already seen Santa could get a story and a treat.

  “Did they have candy canes every day?” a little boy asked.

  “Yes, they did.” Cait put the book down and passed out candy canes to each child sitting around the circle. “Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.”

  A little girl raised her hand. “Can you read it again? Candy Cane Farm is my favorite story.”

  “It’s mine too,” Cait said. “But the festival’s over. Would you like to take the book home?”

  “Yes.” The little girl grabbed the book and gave her a hug. “Thank you. I promise to read it every night.”

  Cait watched as each parent claimed their child, and they walked away chattering excitedly about Santa, the candy, lights, and horses. Christmas as seen through the eyes of a child was magical and special. It had been a long time since she’d believed in Santa or dreamed of gingerbread houses.

  Instead, her life was filled with helping her brothers and sisters with their life problems and keeping her parents happy. As for Brian, he required a lot of space. He didn’t show much emotion, and most of the time, he was in another world—either playing video games or communing with himself in nature.

  Cait kept a smile pasted on her face as she packed up the remaining books. The festival ended with a fireworks show, but she had no one to watch it with. The skies lit up with whirs and booms, and she could hear the ohhs and ahhs of the crowd. In her mind’s eyes, she pictured her sisters kissing their fiancés, her brother with his wife on his lap, holding her close, and her parents holding hands.

  Since she wasn’t watching the fireworks, she schlepped the books, decorations, and donation boxes back to her car, making several trips with a borrowed shopping cart. The last of the fireworks ended with a symphony of colorful blasts, and she was glad she was able to escape the crowded parking area early.

  As she drove back to her house, Cait glanced at the fog rolling in and wondered whether Brian had a clear starry night high up in the mountains. When she was young, she never liked going to the cabin because it was so remote. No television and not even a telephone.

  Things hadn’t changed since then. The cabin was too remote for cellular coverage and tucked away in a two-acre private lot behind a pine forest near a creek. It was the perfect place for someone like Brian to get away from his stressful job as a San Francisco firefighter.

  Cait swallowed an ache in her heart. The cabin was also a perfect place for him to get away from her.

  She sat at the stoplight and checked the gas gauge. Her sisters didn’t want to talk about their weddings this weekend, and her brothers had hot dates. Connor was happily married and expecting a baby, and her parents acted like they were on a perpetual honeymoon. The festival had been a success, and she was sure the coffers were overflowing with donations.

  No one needed her or wanted her. Everyone was happy and content, except for Brian who’d seemed more withdrawn than usual. He hadn’t been sleeping well ever since his favorite high school teacher passed away and bequeathed him the antique fire truck.

  Mrs. Thornton was one of those cool teachers who gave lots of projects and competitions, then had parties at her house to reward the winners. She’d made government fun, chaired the debate team and ran the drama club. Fun and vivacious, she was popular and down to earth, despite being married to a senator twice her age.

  She was also the person Brian credited with helping him decide to be a fireman. He’d been an awkward teenager, painfully shy, but Mrs. Thornton had believed in him and encouraged him. Her death had to have been a big blow to Brian, especially since he’d lost his parents at such a young age.

  Cait slapped herself on the forehead. How stupid and selfish she’d been. Her sisters were sick of her, and her brothers wanted her out of their business. Meanwhile, her husband suffered right under her nose, and she hadn’t lifted a finger to give him aid or comfort.

  Decision made, Cait unloaded her car and packed her bags. She left a note on the refrigerator, letting her parents know she was going to the cabin.

  Brian would be surprised and relieved to see her. She’d be extra nice to him, too, and even cook him a casserole. Maybe, if she got lucky, he’d unload his heart to her and let her comfort him. It was the least she could do for him after all these years of marriage.

  Chapter Six

  The Hart family cabin was set behind a stand of trees, well off the road, in a foothill of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The winding roads were narrow and treacherous. Streetlights were nonexistent, and the shoulders were soft and sometimes crumbling.

  Cait hated driving in the dark, especially in an unfamiliar area. If it weren’t for the navigation system showing her the curves on the road, she was sure she’d miss one and go tumbling off a cliff.

  An attack of goose pimples prickled the back of her arms, and she shuddered as she rolled around a hairpin turn. If she wasn’t mistaken, the senator and his family had skidded off the road not far from here.

  After miles of twists and turns, Cait drove her Toyota off the main road and bounced in the rutted dirt road leading to the gravel driveway.

  The cabin was dark, and the carport was empty. Cait got out of her Toyota and blinked at the starry night. The moon was a tiny sliver, and the place appeared deserted. Wherever Brian was, he wasn’t here.

  Cait pulled her cell phone from her purse and turned it into flashlight mode. There was no service here, and if she wanted to call Brian, she would have to go all the way back to Colson’s Corner, the last town she passed, which was little more than a place where two roads crossed.

  The wind rattled through the swishing pine needles, and Cait felt a drop of rain on her face, followed by another, which soon became a steady pattering.

  She was exhausted and the way up was stressful enough, even in dry conditions. She had no choice but to spend the night in the cold cabin. Hopefully, someone had stocked firewood because she had no clue how to turn on the gas from the propane tank out back and light pilot lights.

  She dragged her roller bag over the gravel and bumped it up the porch steps. The rain was coming down in sheets by the time she got the stuck door open.

  Pushing her way in, she tripped and fell in a heap near a stack of wood.

  “At least there’s wood,” she grumbled to herself. “Must have been that slob Connor here last. Brian would never have left a pile of wood near the door.”

  She crawled toward the doorway to retrieve her roller bag and something cold and wet touched her hand.

  “Ahhh!” Cait screamed and jerked back, unable to see anything on the pitch black porch. She shined her cell phone at the half-open screen door. Four ghoulish green dots stared back at her. Wolves? She could smell them out there, lusting for her blood.

  Cait dropped the phone and yanked her roller bag as quick as she could through the screen door, but she wasn’t fast enough. A pack of wet, furry creatures bounded over her bag, and when she tried to slam the door, she twisted her ankle and the creatures swarmed her, knocking her to the ground.

  “Help! Help!” she cried, putting her fists up and batting at the attackers. She rolled onto her stomach to protect her jugular and crunched into a fetal position with her hands over her head. This was it. Her final moment, and her family, if they ca
me to search for her, would find her remains eaten by wolves. They would be grief-stricken and blame Brian for luring her to her doom, but only she knew she’d come voluntarily, without invitation.

  “I’m so sorry, Brian. I love you, Brian. I’m sorry I never told you.” She sobbed and rolled around, making it difficult for the wolves to finish their attack.

  Lick. Lick. Lick.

  Warm, wet tongues slathered over Cait’s exposed hands. Hot breath fanned her hair, and the wolves made grunting snuffling sounds. They sniffed and panted, salivating over their meal.

  Cait cringed, waiting for the attack, but the licking continued, so she opened her eyes and peeked at the creatures. They were black and had short, bear like faces and their long fur was matted and wet.

  Both of them shook themselves, splashing Cait with muddy water, then they wagged their tails.

  Dogs!

  A smile cracked Cait’s face, and she petted the closest one. “Whose puppy are you?”

  They were awfully large puppies, maybe fifty or sixty pounds, and were fortunately friendly.

  Her heart settling down from her near-death experience, Cait turned on the light.

  Two black chow chows sat at her feet. Instead of collars and identification tags, they each wore a light blue kerchief with a snowman pattern. Of course, they were wet and dirty and cold.

  “First thing is to get the fire burning, then I bet you two are hungry.” Cait shut the heavy wooden door and hauled logs to the fireplace.

  She arranged the kindling and lit the fire, then led the way to the kitchen. “I wonder if anyone left dog food.”

  Her family was quickly turning into a pet haven, despite their mother being allergic to fur and feathers. Connor had a Dalmatian named Cinder, Larry and Jenna had Harley, the basset hound, Nadine owned Greyheart, a plucky stray cat, and Rob and Melisa had a pair of lovebirds, Casey and Cassie.

  Maybe these two lion dogs were meant for her and Brian.

  Cait dug in the pantry and located a bag of dried dog food. She pulled out the doggie dishes and filled them with food and water.

  The two dogs rushed to the food and were soon gobbling and crunching with relish. Yep, they were definitely hungry, and now that she thought about it, she was also starving.

  She’d been so busy at the festival, supervising her family that she hadn’t had time to catch a bite. She opened the refrigerator.

  Someone had left a casserole, Brian’s favorite chicken rice with green enchilada sauce. The container looked suspiciously like the one she’d brought to the fire station a day ago.

  She took a sniff, and it didn’t seem stale. Had Brian been here and left? Maybe he’d gone into town and was coming back. The carton of milk was still fresh, and there was an unopened piece of cheese, as well as a head of iceberg lettuce.

  Cait grated the cheese over a serving of casserole and popped it in the microwave. After fixing herself a salad and making herself a cup of tea, she found a pair of candlesticks and made herself a candlelit dinner.

  The dogs had finished inhaling the food and milled around her, wagging their tails and begging for pets.

  “Whose dogs are you?” Cait asked as she ate her dinner. “Tomorrow, we have to go to town to find your owners.”

  The dogs settled down and lay at her feet. After she finished eating, she brushed the dogs but was unable to remove all of the knots and mats in their fur. She did, however, pick out the twigs and burrs and wiped off the caked mud with a damp towel.

  “That’s all I can do without giving you two a bath,” Cait said. Somehow, taking care of the dogs lowered her heart rate and when she was finished, a newfound sense of calm and peace settled over her. She might not have been able to comfort Brian, but she made the two lost dogs feel better. Someone still needed her, even if it was a dog, or in this case, a pair of dogs.

  Brian hadn’t shown up yet, and she was getting sleepy. She undressed and crawled under the warm quilt her mother made when she was young.

  Won’t Brian be surprised when he finds me. Maybe it’s time I tell him I love him. Maybe he loves me too, but he’s too shy to say so.

  Chapter Seven

  Brian blinked and halted his car at the bottom of the stoop leading to his house in San Francisco. Lights were bright inside, and Christmas music blared from the partially open front door. Raucous laughter and loud talking made the atmosphere seem like a frat party.

  Was he seeing straight? Two shadowy figures were curled around each other at the top of the stoop, kissing or more like, devouring each other. Unbelievable. He’d left town for a weekend and Cait was busy partying.

  He narrowed his eyes at the couple grappling each other by the lips. It was hard to tell in the dark, but could it be possible Cait was cheating on him?

  He couldn’t get into his garage due to the cars parked in front of it, and his jaw tightened as he circled the block for a parking spot. All the while, the image of the couple necking on his stoop, leaning against his wrought iron railing, in front of his door had steam hissing from under his collar.

  How could Cait’s parents allow her to act out? Or were they also gone for the weekend? What about Connor? Wouldn’t he put a stop to it? But the way Connor was these days, he and Nadine were probably sleeping in their cute little artist’s loft. Jenna and Melisa would be back at the apartment they shared. Rob might be working, and Larry could be at the firehouse.

  Pain stabbed his gut at the thought of Cait having fun with another man. She was supposed to be his friend, a loyal one who’d always stuck by him. True, they had an arranged marriage, one that benefited both of them. Cait said she was being pressured by her parents to get married, being the eldest of her family, and he needed a wife to fulfil the terms of his parents’ will.

  They’d settled into a comfortable and friendly relationship, and were thankfully good in bed together, but lately, she seemed restless, jumping from one thing to another. Perhaps Connor was warning him to come home, because he knew what she was up to.

  Unable to find a parking spot, Brian roared down the street and double-parked his car, blocking his own driveway.

  He slammed the door and barged up the brick stairs.

  Cait’s back was toward him, and she was so into the heavy kissing, she didn’t respond to his heavy footsteps.

  “Cait. I’m back,” Brian shouted as he clamped his hand on her shoulder and yanked her from the arms of the man in question.

  “What the—?” Her voice sounded strangely slurred, but he shoved her behind his back.

  “Get off my property.” Brian cocked his fist at the cheeky guy who dared to make out with his wife.

  He threw a punch, but the guy ducked and blocked it martial arts style. Cait screamed for help and banged on the door, distracting Brian for a split second.

  Why would she bang on her own door instead of opening it and running inside?

  A fist socked his gut and Brian was knocked down. Someone restrained him from the back, and the guy proceeded to pummel Brian.

  “Hold it.” Connor’s voice prevailed over all of the shouts. “Everyone, break it up.”

  “This guy was all over my wife.” Brian struggled against the hands holding him back. “On my own porch.”

  His accusations were met with loud gusts of laughter from all the guys around.

  “Hey, dude, you might need glasses.” Larry appeared out of nowhere and clasped his shoulder. “Cait’s not here.”

  Brian gaped and turned toward the woman he thought was Cait. In the dim light of the porch, she did resemble her, down to her flowing auburn hair. Of course, now that he looked at her face, it was plain she wasn’t Cait.

  “Where’s Cait?” Brian spun around gawking at his in-laws. His stomach fell when he recognized the man who punched him was Grady, Cait’s brother.

  The cocky young man grinned. “Sorry about the gut punch, but you had it coming.”

  “I thought my wife was, never mind,” Brian said, lamely. “What’s everyone doing here
, and where’s Cait?”

  “She went to go look for you,” Connor said. “I tried calling you to tell you to turn around, but you weren’t answering your phone.”

  Brian patted his pockets as a sinking feeling turned his stomach. “I might have left my phone at the diner or the battery’s dead. Are you saying Cait’s out there at the cabin? By herself?”

  “That’s what her note says,” Larry said, as they walked into the house.

  “Let’s call her and see if she made it,” Connor said. He called her, but shook his head when the call went to voicemail. “She’s either out of range or she turned off her phone.”

  “She’s probably at the cabin then, since there’s no cell service there,” Brian conceded.

  By now, the entire Hart family surrounded him, all with helpful remarks and suggestions.

  “You should go back. You know how Cait’s afraid of being alone.”

  “Cait will be fine. You need to rest until the morning.”

  “Did you come back because you missed her?”

  “How sweet. She went to look for you and you came back to find her.”

  “You two are so cute, crisscrossing like that.”

  “Enough.” Brian threw his hands up. When everyone talked at once, he couldn’t even think. He was an only child and used to long periods of quiet and solitude. “I’m going back. You guys go back to your wild party.”

  He spun around and found the woman he mistook for Cait. “Sorry about the misunderstanding.”

  “It’s okay,” she replied. “It’s kind of romantic how you defended your wife’s honor.”

  Actually, it wasn’t. He’d shown Cait’s entire family how little he knew her, and how insecure he was about her. Their agreement had been to stay married and be faithful to one another, just like any other married couple, but they weren’t in love, they were best friends.

  Brian slunk away from the hearty Christmas party, leaving his in-laws singing Christmas carols and passing around hot cider. The entire situation used to be tolerable, when he and Cait were the only married couple in the extended family.