Unforgettable Christmas - Gifts of Love (The Unforgettables Book 3)

by Mimi Barbour

  Jay greeted his customer with a hearty handshake, then paused when he saw the man’s face pale. He turned around to see what was causing it and saw that Kay’s face was scarlet. “Do you two know each other?” Jay asked.

  Kay snorted. “We may not know each other, but our vehicles are intimately acquainted.” She stood up, knuckles on her hips so she didn’t strangle the man, then let loose with her tirade. “You do know, don’t you, that I can’t report the damage to my insurance company without either a police report or getting my rates jacked up sky high!”

  “I’m sorry about that,” the man said, his head bowed in remorse. He took a deep breath, then said, “I’ll tell you what, take it down to ABC Body Repair and have them put the charge for repairs on my account.”

  “Yeah, right, as if they’d let someone walk in and say, ‘Have so and so pay for this.’ Besides, I don’t have another vehicle and Alaska body shops are booked for months out at this time of year. What is your name, by the way?”

  “You can call me Steve; everybody else does,” he said, offering her his hand. She refused it with a snort, so he pulled it back and turned to his mechanic.

  “Well, anyhow, Jay,” he said, “I have some bad news for you. Lumpy is three months behind in rent and I’ve given him every chance I could to make it up. I even offered to let him fix that,” with a nod to the tractor, “for part of it, but he refused. Said he had more important, bigger money, deals in the works. Every day he says he’ll get paid tomorrow, but you probably know how that goes. Anyhow, I’m evicting him. I know he’s letting you stay in that little apartment around back as part of your pay, but he’s supposed to be paying me for that, too. I guess that means I’m evicting you, too, buddy. I’ve got some guy who’s wanted this place for months. He’s been waiting patiently, but now he’s gotta get moved in before the end of the month. Sorry, but he needs the apartment, too.”

  “You did hear that Lumpy just got another DUI, right, Steve?” Jay asked.

  “Shit! No, I didn’t hear. Damn. I’m in a tight spot. I really have to get this guy moved in. Is there any way you can get his and your stuff moved out? I’m watching a place off the Seward Highway at Indian. You can use that. It ain’t much, but it’s dry and has a fireplace. It’s up for sale, but I doubt anyone will be interested in it at this time of year. It’s more of a summer site. Beautiful view of Turnagain Arm…” Steve trailed off crowing about the place he was caretaker for and asked, “So, what do you think?”

  “I guess it’s better than dragging everything out to the side of the road. Yeah, thanks, I’ll take it. I know where that place is. By the way, your dozer will be ready to haul out tomorrow. Once it’s gone, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to get this place cleaned out. That is, it wouldn’t be if I had a truck and trailer. Or better yet, do you still have that box truck with the lift gate?”

  “Yeah, I do. You can use it. I suppose it’s a good thing Lumpy’s back in the slammer. If he were here, he’d be trying to talk me into another break. Not that I’d give it to him, but I’m sure you can get this place cleared out a lot quicker than he could. You’re a fast mover, or so I’ve heard.”

  “Only when I want to be,” Jay said, then turned to Kay and winked, “But not when it’s in my best interest to be slow and thorough.”

  Kay blushed in response and Steve saw it. “Okay, I’m outta here,” he said. “I’ll send the lowboy in tomorrow. You can ride back to town with the driver and pick up the box truck.”

  Steve looked around at the cluttered racks and shelves and shook his head. “Sure is a lot of sh.. I mean crap in here. How he could drag this much stuff in in just four months, I’ll never know. Thanks for wiping his ass.” Steve looked at Kay and reddened. “Shoot, Kay, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Shop talk, and all.”

  Kay thawed at his remorse. “I’m used to it, but don’t care for it, so I appreciate the apology.”

  “Thanks, and take care. I’m sure we’ll catch up again sometime. I’ll make good on the repairs to your car, but you’re right. Fixing it in the summer would be a better idea.”

  “Bye, and thanks for the loan of the box truck,” Jay said as he held the door for him.

  As soon as he was gone, Kay said, “Cool! My car may look like it went through the fluff cycle in the dryer, but Steve said he’d fix it. And he didn’t ask for his money back! And even if he does want me to apply it to the repairs, at least I can play with a few extra bucks for a while.”

  “True. He’s a good guy. He just never learned how to drive in ice and snow.”

  Jay plopped down in the duct-taped office chair and snagged another fritter. “Well, you really left me a big mess this time, Lumpy. Crap.”

  “I’ll help. I mean, I’d rather not drive a truck, but get me some sturdy boxes and I’ll fill them up. Oh, and have you seen that place he was talking about? You might want to make sure there’s dry storage out there or there’s no use in me boxing up these parts and manuals.”

  “There’s still some daylight. Feel like a drive?” he asked.

  “Sure, but I thought you had to finish the dozer.”

  “Like I said, I’m fast when I need to be. I got twenty hours worth of work done in about fifteen. It’ll take me about twenty minutes to bolt on the guards, and then it’s good to go. Your car or mine?”

  “Two questions? Does yours have four-wheel drive and does your heater work?”

  “Yes and yes. I’ll let you help buy fuel for it, though. I haven’t been paid yet and you have.”

  “That’s the way I like it,” Kay said. “Partners.”

  “Partners you can trust,” Jay added. And maybe bunk with.

  Chapter 7

  “There she goes. There goes our Yardley,” Kay said as the blob of gray bounced over the snow berms into the back yard.

  He didn’t want to let her know how much it meant to him to hear her refer to the feral cat as ‘ours.’ He’d keep quiet so he didn’t scare Kay away. He didn’t know much—hell, anything—about her, but a good-looking woman with a savvy business head on her shoulders and a strong sense of ethics was a rare find in a single woman. By her blushes, she was at least mildly interested in him. Like the cat, he’d get to know her bit by bit until she trusted him.

  “Thanks,” Kay said when he opened the truck door for her.

  “Oh, wait just a minute. Let me clear out some of this garbage.” Jay reached in and threw his spare hoodie and the snow broom behind the pickup seat, then gathered the assorted receipts and empty cookie bags and shoved them in the glovebox. “There, it shouldn’t be too dirty. I don’t think I’ve seen the cloth on that seat cover in months, so you’re good.” Very good.

  When Jay got in the truck, Kay said, “You know, there are some women who would take exception to a man opening a car, or truck, door for them, but I appreciate it, especially in weather like this.”

  “Yes,” Jay drawled, stretching out his reply, “And some men would be offended if a woman volunteered to help pay for fuel or dinner or whatever.”

  “Now, now,” Kay said, pulling the scarf off her head, leaving it around her neck. “I didn’t offer to buy dinner. But I will. As I said, I have a few extra bucks.”

  After a few minutes of awkward silence, Kay said, “When you pull in for gas, make sure it’s someplace where I can get a couple of coffees or cocoas or whatever. I don’t want to eat yet. Daylight hours are burning and all that jazz.”

  “Yes and no,” Jay said as he pulled into the mini market gas station.

  “What?”

  “I’ll pump while you get drinks and pre-pay, but this is a diesel. You don’t want to put gas in this rig.”

  “You got me there. I’ll be right back.”

  I wish I had you there. And here. And everywhere. Shoot, Jay, wake up and smell the diesel. You’d better do something or even your Carhartt coveralls won’t cover that boner!

  “Do you have a cold,” Kay asked when she got back. “You keep sniffing. And there’s nothing
in the air to cause hay fever.”

  “Nah. It’s just the smell of diesel and cold air make my nose run. Nothing contagious, so don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried about you,” she said and handed him the convenience store cappuccino.

  You should be! “Thanks. Next time, I’ll buy.”

  ***

  It was early enough that the traffic through town was light. The initial awkwardness of being alone together in close quarters had dissipated. Casual chit chat sprouted naturally and covered work-related subjects, like where each of them had learned their trades, but stayed away from personal subjects like exes and what the future held for them now that Lumpy was in jail.

  “And here we are,” Jay said as he turned off the highway onto the lightly traveled and unplowed side street. “I don’t want to stop here in the road, but turn around and see the view. It really is magnificent. Too bad you can’t see it from the house.”

  “How far is it?”

  “Right up there. Not even a quarter mile away from the ocean.”

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Jay?”

  “Um. I doubt it. What are you thinking?”

  “If there was a tsunami, we’d be wiped out.”

  “Nope. Definitely not what I was thinking. I have enough on my mind to worry about a once in a lifetime event.”

  Kay jumped out of the truck before he had a chance to open the door for her. She sloshed her way through knee-high snow to get by his side. “Now what?

  “Let’s go take a look around.”

  “Isn’t it locked up?”

  “Yes, it is, but Steve put Cat padlocks on everything. A good mechanic always has a Caterpillar key on his keyring,” and held up his fist-sized bundle of keys by the black-capped padlock key.

  “As does a good parts lady,” Kay said and jiggled her much smaller keyring at him.

  She hadn’t even taken two steps toward the house when he called out, “Watch your step,” and grabbed her by the upper arm. “The snow’s covered all sorts of stuff. Let me lead and you can walk in my footprints. Nobody’s been here in a while and no telling what’s under all this snow. Wait a sec. I just remembered I have a snow shovel in the back of my truck.”

  Kay retraced her steps back to the truck and danced in place to stay warm while he plowed a shovel-width pathway to the house. “I got this,” she said, holding up her keys, “if you want to clear a trail to that shed. That is where you’re going to stash Lumpy’s stuff and your toolbox, right?”

  “Sure is. Go ahead inside. If you know how to start a fire, there’s probably a stack of firewood along with a box of matches. Hopefully, there’s some old newspapers to get it started, too. If not, I’ll let you clean out my glovebox. Just don’t burn the registration or insurance papers.”

  When he came inside half an hour later, Kay had a fire burning and was sharpening a couple of fallen branch twigs.

  “Do you have to be back to Anchorage tonight for anything special?” he asked, brushing the snow off the front of his insulated coveralls.

  “No, but I didn’t know it was snowing. You don’t think we’ll get snowed in, do you?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s coming down real heavy. I knocked most of the snow off me before I came in and I’m still covered.” Jay took off his knit cap and shook it out over the sink, then laid it on the back of the wooden rocking chair next to the fire. “I know my old truck will make it, but it’s getting dark fast. The roads won’t be too bad for a while, but you know rush hour traffic when there’s a new storm coming in. People freak out and start driving ten miles an hour.”

  Kay looked out the window, then over to the fire and the bag of marshmallows she had found in the cupboard. “You’re not diabetic, are you?”

  “What? No. Why would you ask that?”

  “Because it looks like all we’ll have for dinner is stale roasted marshmallows, with leftovers for breakfast. You’ll have to take a rain check on a real meal.”

  As long as I’m with you, sweetie. “Whatever you want to share with me will be fine.” Very fine, I’m sure.

  ***

  Jay looked over at the single mattress on the floor at the other side of the room. A moth-hole ridden army surplus woolen blanket and a year’s worth of dust covered it. He took two broad steps across the wooden floor and yanked it off. The mattress had a fitted cotton sheet on it that looked clean and wasn’t stained, and since he hadn’t noticed an odor, it should be okay for the night. He stepped outside, shook the blanket out as best he could from under the eave, then came back in and tossed it to her. “I’ll let you make the bed.” He grabbed his hat and pulled it down over his ears. “I’ll be right back,” and went back into the snowstorm.

  “A sleeping bag?” she asked when he came back in. “Did you plan this, getting stuck out here?”

  “Nope,” he said, ignoring her accusing glare. “I had no control over the weather. However, I always have a sleeping bag behind the seat of my truck. When I work out in the Bush, it’s a necessity. There aren’t any motels or bed and breakfasts in the villages. The best you can hope for is that there’s an empty spot on the schoolroom floor and that their heater works. Oh, and that the wash-ateria has food. I paid six bucks for a can of chili once, and then they didn’t have a microwave that worked. I didn’t want to eat it cold, so I heated it on the exhaust manifold of the powerhouse generator.”

  “You mean the exhaust manifold of the engine for the generator.”

  Jay laughed and shook his head. “Yes, you’re right. You know, it really is nice being around someone who can understand what I’m talking about.”

  “And who isn’t afraid to take corrections,” she said, a single nod to him.

  “Or accept clarifications,” Jay amended. “I knew what I meant and so did you. Now, since we’re staying the night, I’m taking off my boots and getting comfortable.” He unzipped his coveralls from the leg bottoms up, then stepped out of his boots. “And I’m moving this mattress closer to the fire.”

  Kay stood next to the kitchen sink, watching him bend over from the waist to rearrange their sleeping arrangements. Suddenly, a flush arose at the thought of them being so close together.

  “Another hot flash?” he asked.

  “Probably. I’ve only had a couple in my life, and the only decent thing about them is that they’re occurring in Alaska in the wintertime. Just a minute.”

  Kay stepped back into her boots and stood on the narrow porch, grateful for the splattering of large cool snowflakes on her face. You dodged another one, woman. Either that or you really are getting hot flashes. And don’t think that those discourage him. He actually seems to be turned on by them.

  “Ah, instant relief,” she said when she came back in. “Ready for dinner?”

  ***

  “I can’t believe we ate the whole bag of marshmallows. You know, I think I like them better naked. I mean, better without the chocolate bar and graham crackers.”

  “Naked’s good,” Jay said softly, resisting the urge to push her hair back behind her ear.

  Kay’s face blazed scarlet again. “I think it’s time for another hot flash break,” she said and stood up to leave.

  Jay leaned back against the brick fireplace wall and sighed. “You know, I’ve noticed that the only time you have ‘hot flashes’ is when I’ve said something to embarrass you. Are you sure they aren’t Jay flashes?”

  “Oh, my God. Are you serious? What in the hell are those?”

  “Um, a phrase I just made up. I think you’re leaving the room to get away from continuing an embarrassing, or otherwise sensitive, subject.” He leaned forward and looked Kay in the eye. “Naked,” he said and watched for her reaction.

  “You did that on purpose! Of course, I’m going to blush now.”

  “Aha! So you admit it. Those weren’t hot flashes, those were blushes. You aren’t that old. At least I don’t think so. Besides, age is just a number.”

  “That’s easy for you to
say. Try creeping up on forty and see how you feel. I could try lying about my age, but it wouldn’t stop the years and wrinkles from accumulating.”

  “I’d rather have a woman of experience and kindness than one of youth and orneriness.” Jay moved away from the fireplace and stood behind Kay. He put his hands on her shoulders, then lifted her hair, pausing to tuck that wayward tress of hair behind her ear. He gently pulled the scarf from around her neck and set it on the table. “This will make a nice pillow,” he said, his breath soft on her ear.”

  I can’t believe this is happening. He’s so young! And so different from me. But oh, how I need the stress relief! It’s been too long since a man’s put a hand on me that was welcomed…

  “But, as I was saying, we need to get to bed. Since neither of us brought pajamas, and there wouldn’t be room for both of us on that itty-bitty bed if we kept our clothes on, I think it’s time to get practical.”

  “You mean naked,” Kay said, this time welcoming the flush.

  “I’m game if you are.” He pulled Kay’s hoodie off over her head without resistance, then moved behind her to slip his warm hands over the front of her lacy bra, her nipples firm from both the cold and excitement. He unlatched the buckles on his coveralls and let them slip to the ground, stepping out of them, kicking them to the wall. “Making love by firelight…”

  “Jay, knock it off. Just because we’re going to bed together, both of us naked, doesn’t mean we’re going to have sex.”

  “I know. But tell that to my little friend here.”

  Kay reached behind her and touched the front of his polar fleece sweatpants. “Oh, my! Geez! You win!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I’ve only been with five men in my life, and well, you win.”

  “Size isn’t everything, darlin’ Let’s get started and then let me know if I win. And don’t worry. I’ll be gentle and slow. It may be dark out, but the night is young. We have lots of time.”