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

by Mimi Barbour

  “Um, I’m not a prude, but could we put your sleeping bag down on the bed first? That wool has got to be scratchy. And if we’re going to be, um…”

  “Naked.”

  “Yeah,” Kay tingled at the thought, “I’d rather be on or in a sleeping bag.”

  “It’s a good thing I’m tall and bought the extra-large size. It should fit both of us comfortably, as long as we’re both snuggled close.”

  Jay slipped off the elastic bands that held the sleeping bag together and held it high to let it unroll.

  Clunk!

  “What’s this?” Kay asked, holding up the large Ziploc bag with assorted sundries.

  “That’s my emergency kit. Go ahead and look in it. There might be something useful.”

  “Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, Ibuprofen, Band-Aids, dental floss. Good grief, it looks like the only useful items for us are the two granola bars. I guess we have breakfast covered. Too bad there isn’t any coffee.” Kay kept pawing through the contents. Come on! He’s a guy. There’s got to be a condom.

  Jay spread the bedding out, then came and stood behind her, eager to press up against her again. He told her he’d be slow, but he didn’t know it would be this difficult. She was driving him nuts without trying. “You can look through it six more times or even pour everything out on the table, but nothing else will magically appear.”

  “I was hoping, I mean I thought that you might have packed… I mean, if we’re going to get cozy and comfortable…”

  Jay leaned down and nuzzled her neck, breathing in her complex perfume of fear and anticipation. “I don’t think the Trojan fairy came and put a present in there while it was in my truck. So, unless you’ve got some disease you want to keep me from getting, we’ll be fine.”

  Kay pulled back. “I am not diseased! And just to be clear about it, I don’t sleep around. I haven’t been with a man for, for… Well, not for a long time. If I did happen to pick something up, I’m sure my gynecologist would have found it by now.”

  “Come here,” he said and brought her close, face to face, and ran his fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry you misunderstood me. I would never take you for a woman of loose morals. And just for the record, my ex-wife and two girlfriends had a bet. They all went off the pill and wanted to see which one of them I’d get pregnant first. Of course, I didn’t find out about it until a year later. Oh, and by the way, I’m the one who won. None of them got pregnant. It wasn’t until two years later that they all started having babies, and by then I was long gone, all the way up here to Alaska. So, even if your hot flashes aren’t the real deal, we’ll be fine.”

  “Oh, okay. I guess. No, wait! You were sleeping with three women at the same time?”

  “Not at the same time as in we were all in the same room. I was estranged from my wife, but she came by to, ahem, get a little every once in a while. I was dating two of the other women who worked at the bar with her, too. It was casual and usually involved a bit too much Yukon Jack, but no one was hurt. I was just a kid. They wanted me for my body and the little trinkets I’d sometimes buy them. Of course, whenever I did get gifts, I had to make sure to get three and all of them the same.”

  “You don’t have any girlfriends or wives waiting somewhere for you now, do you?”

  “Nope. It’s just me. Looks like I’ll only have to buy one present at a time now.”

  Kay sighed, put her hands around his neck and whispered, “You talk too much for a quiet guy,” and kissed him thoroughly.

  Chapter 8

  “Hey, sleepyhead. Ready to head into town?”

  Kay started to sit up, then remembered where she was and what she had been doing the night before—and with whom—then lay back on the pillow made of her wadded-up scarf. “Do we have to go so early? It’s not even light yet.”

  “Ha ha,” Jay said dryly. “I’d rather spend all day in bed with you, but I told Steve I’d have his dozer ready to load onto the Lowboy by daylight. If we leave now, and the traffic isn’t horrendous, I’ll have an hour to put it all back together.”

  “Can you call him and tell him it’ll be a bit longer? That you ran into a…a… snowstorm?”

  “I could if a phone would work out here. We’re in a dead zone and cell phones won’t work. Besides, he knows where I am and probably guessed we were coming out together. I wouldn’t want to impugn your integrity.”

  “Say what?”

  “Cell phones don’t work out here.”

  “No, I mean about my integrity?”

  “I mean, I wouldn’t want to tarnish your reputation. Make you look like a wanton woman, whatever. Shoot. Never mind. But we have to get out now. Who knows what the traffic will be like, plus there’s bound to be snow plows on the road, too.”

  “I know what impugn means, and it’s very gallant of you to be looking out for me, but I’m a grown woman and I can do what I want, with whomever I want…as long as we’re not married. I mean, to someone other than each other. I mean… Shoot! I shouldn’t try to speak so early in the morning. The words don’t fit together right, dang it!”

  “Do whatever it is you need to do in the bathroom then lock the door behind you. I’m going to warm up the truck and knock the snow off. Don’t worry, though. We’ll have enough time to swing by and get a couple of coffees. And maybe some fresh donuts. Those granola bars are about two years old.”

  ***

  “It’s a good thing we left when we did and that all the roads to the shop are on the main drags and already plowed. Shoot, we made better time than if it was summer.”

  Kay took another sip of her now cold coffee and nodded her head in agreement. They probably would have had time for a quickie. Don’t worry about it, woman. He doesn’t seem to care for quickies and as it is now, you can barely keep your legs together. Start packing while he’s working to keep your mind off him and what went on last night. And could happen again tonight. Damn! Don’t obsess about a man. It was just sex. Great sex, but still just sex.

  “Here,” Jay handed her the box taper and pointed to the stack of flattened boxes. “I’m pretty sure you know how to use a tape gun. Go ahead and start boxing the service manuals and parts books first, then the smaller boxes of parts and filters; stuff we don’t want to get wet on the ride over in the pickup. It won’t take long to get this tractor buttoned up, and then I can dig out those wire baskets and start tossing the hard parts into them.”

  An hour later, the bells on the door jingled and Steve walked in, carrying two large coffees. “I figured you’d still be here, helping Jay get things sorted for Lumpy. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, but thought I’d start with a couple of hot coffees, or rather mochas.” He handed one to Kay. “If you don’t have a sweet tooth now, Kay, you’re sure to get one soon if you hang around this guy too much longer.”

  Jay walked up to him and accepted his drink. “All done. Do you want a handwritten bill for this? It was only two grand for my part.”

  “Ach. Go ahead and scribble out a bill, but make it for $2200.” He started counting out hundred-dollar bills. “Consider it a bonus for getting it done so fast, plus suggesting I get parts from Kay. She really does know her stuff. I’d pay a lot more from Caterpillar for those parts, plus she got them to you mighty fast. Here,” he said and peeled off two more bills from his roll, “you get a tip, too.”

  “You really don’t have to,” Kay said, but Steve stopped her with a head shake.

  “I’d rather spend my bucks with you two. You really ought to get a business going together.”

  “Yeah,” Jay said as he looked up from his notepad. “I was thinking that, too. We’ll see. I don’t necessarily need a shop since I’m comfortable doing Bush work, and having someone to source the parts and maybe—in the future—do my billing, makes the idea mighty appealing.” He tore the sheet of paper from the tablet, “Here you go. Maybe next time it will be a printed copy, one your secretary can read.”

  “Kay, since this bad boy here refuses to
get a cell phone, would you give me your number? Oh, and by the way, Jay, you can stay out there at Indian for as long as you want. It’s been on the market for over a year now, and as long as you don’t trash the place—and I know you won’t—it’s free for you. And to anyone else you care to have share that small little cabin with,” he added with a wink at Kay.

  Were we that transparent! Pull yourself together, girl!

  “Speaking of numbers,” Kay said and handed him her desktop-published business card, “Can I get yours? I’m sure Jay has it, but he won’t always be around.” Liar, liar! At least, you hope he’ll be!

  Steve handed her his business card. “I’ve got a lot of equipment, but not all of it is Caterpillar. Can you source other manufacturers?”

  “Yes, I can. If I can’t, I’m not afraid to say so. But I do love a challenge.”

  “Well, you’ll have one soon, I’m sure. Good luck out there at Indian, you two. There’s no electricity, but there is an old diesel generator if Jay can get it going.”

  Jay held up a can of starting fluid. “If I can’t, I’ll see if I can do a little resuscitating, me and my little friend here.”

  “Shoot!” Kay said. “Excuse me, guys, but I have to get back with that gold miner, Brock something-or-other.” She looked at her watch. “He told me to call at ten, and it’s five after.”

  “Brock’s cool. I’ve known him for years. Besides, it’s winter and he probably isn’t going back to the mine until after Christmas. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about him getting all feely-grabby with you, either. He’s a happily married man. Tell him I said hi,” Steve said. “I’ll just show myself to the door. My truck driver will be here in about ten minutes, so bundle up, Kay. It takes a while to get that dozer out the door.”

  As soon as he was gone, Kay was on the phone. She was doing her best to pay attention, but Jay was bent over just a few feet away, pouring out cat food into an automatic feeder. Such a cute bottom, and it was all mine last night!

  “Oh, yes. Thank you, Brock. I’ll get an invoice ready for you and put my wire transfer routing information on it. Or you can deposit it into my checking account if you have a branch up there. Oh? You’re in Fairbanks today? Cool, I’ll just put my bank account number on the invoice. Just put the money in the checking account. That’ll save some time. The generator is in the Midwest, but as soon as I get your funds and transfer them to my source back there, they’ll get the generator on the road to Seattle. Depending on which sailing it makes, I expect it to be here in ten days or less. I’ve got your number, so I’ll keep you updated. Oh, and I’ll just take a picture of the invoice if it’s easier for you since you’re on the road. Yes, you’re right. How’d we ever do business before smartphones and the internet.”

  When Jay came back in from feeding the cat, Kay had finished her call and was now busy creating an invoice. “I’m glad I left my laptop here yesterday. So, how’s Yardley?”

  “She saw me and came running out from under that orange connex. She still won’t get too close, but she knew I had food. I put the dish out under the eave out back. I’ll tell Steve about her and leave some food, and hope he remembers to feed her. Even if he doesn’t, she’s been living the feral life and didn’t need me before. She’s tough and can do fine without me.”

  I did fine without you, too, and now all a sudden, I’m wanting you to take care of me. “Well, sometimes a female can take care of herself, but wants a male around. At least, you. I mean… Steve may be able to put out food, but you’ll always be special to Yardley.”

  Jay pulled her close, kissed the top of Kay’s head, and said, “You’re special to me, too.”

  ***

  “I can’t believe we got that much done in two days,” Kay said, kicking back in one of the few items that remained in the shop, the duct-taped chair. “Generator sale completed, money in the bank, your stuff, the whole shop, and Lumpy’s messes all boxed up and taken out to the new shop…”

  “Two days and two nights,” Jay amended. “I really didn’t plan on 18-hour days with this. I’d rather spend my evenings, nights, hell, early mornings, noons, and afternoons with you, getting to know you better,” he smiled and nearly blushed at the thought of all the ways he wanted to get to know her, “but the sooner we’re out of here, the better.”

  “So, you think I should go ahead and give notice on my apartment? I talked to the landlord about it and he said he’d be fine if I wanted to leave at the end of the month. He wouldn’t dun me as long as the place was clean enough for the next tenant.”

  “It’s up to you, but I don’t see a problem with us living together. I mean, yes, we do fine working together, and we’d be in each other’s face—and hopefully many other places—all day and night. I’m up for it if you are.”

  “There you go again, trying to make me blush…or making me blush. So, other than this chair and that box of Lumpy’s office crap, we’re all packed, right?”

  “All swept out and ready to go.”

  “All right. Go ahead and drive out to Indian and I’ll meet you out there. I’ll stop by and pick up something for dinner, too.”

  ***

  “Ah, it’s so nice to have a fire blazing when I come home, I mean…”

  “It’s okay to call it home,” Jay said, as he came over to take the plastic tote from her.”

  “Well, I guess it’s both home and office. I suppose it could be used as a shop, too, if you decide to tear down and rebuild a carburetor or turbo on the kitchen table.” Kay took the bag of tacos and burritos off the top of the tote. “But for right now, this is a dinner table. I’ve never cooked on an open fire before, but I’m already getting tired of fast food. At least we don’t have to worry about having a refrigerator or freezer. I’m sure that once you get the shop set up, you’ll have time to mess with that old generator.”

  “Here, have a seat,” Jay said and pulled out the kitchen chair. “Now close your eyes. I have a surprise.”

  Kay sat down and covered her eyes. “It isn’t going to bite me or anything, is it?”

  “Nope. Just keep your eyes closed.”

  “Hey! I hear music. Did you get batteries for that old shop radio?”

  “Nope. Now open them.”

  “Whoa! Light!” Kay stood up and looked around her. “Actual honest-to-goodness, not a candle or Coleman lantern, light. And do I hear humming coming from the shop?”

  “Yup. It didn’t take more than a whiff of starting fluid to get that old generator fired up. And the day tank was full, too. I’d say it’ll last a week if we only run it at night. For an hour or two. I was kinda getting used to eating and snuggling by candlelight,” Jay said, then gathered her close. He kissed her gently, then pulled back. “And I don’t think we need any heat other than the fireplace and what our bodies will make with a bit of friction and shared body warmth. Now, as much as I’d like to start making heat with you, I’m famished. Let’s eat before the food gets colder.”

  “I’m with you on that,” she said, then divvied up the dinner.

  “So,” Jay said, reaching for a third taco, “When do I need to get back to town to pick up your furniture?”

  Kay laughed, then wiped the burrito juice from the side of her mouth. “You see that tote? That and the suitcase of clothes still in the car are all I have. My apartment came furnished. All I had for personal kitchenware was an electric skillet, a couple of plates, bowls, and cups, and a saucepan. The landlord looked the place over, saw it was ready for the next guy, and gave me my deposit back. I guess there’s a big to-do going on up at Alyeska in December, and he’s wanting to do a little price scalping. I really don’t care. I have a few more bucks in the bank account. If my windfalls keep up, I may be out of debt in five years, not twenty.”

  Thump! Thump! Thump!

  “Who could that be?” Jay said, and jumped up to answer the door.

  “What are you doing, hanging out at my place?” Lumpy asked with a big ‘I got you now’ grin on his. “Oh, I see you hav
e a nice fire going. And dinner? No, thanks. I already ate. Besides, Mexican food gives me gas.”

  “How? What…what are you doing out of jail? The bail was so high, I thought you’d never get out,” Jay said, moving to stand in front of Kay, his arms behind him to keep her safe, just in case.

  “Jerry put up the bail and said he’d stand for me as a third-party.”

  Kay looked around Jay. “What’s a third party?”

  Jay answered, “It means the accused will stay within sight, or at least within earshot, of someone who has a good reputation and is court-approved, for twenty-four hours a day. This third party is supposed to make sure the jailbird doesn’t screw up again. So, where is Jerry? And how’d you get out here?”

  “Oh, I got some wheels. And Jerry said he had to get some business taken care of in Whitehorse, but he’d be back in a few days.” Lumpy turned to face Kay. “Oh, and by the way, Whitehorse is in Canada. How’s it been going for you, little lady? This guy with the teensy feet been trying to keep you warm at night?”

  Lumpy’s snide light-hearted banter turned cold and viscous. “So, where’s my money? You didn’t spend it all on pretties for yourself and him, did you?” Thumbing towards Jay.

  Jay pushed Kay back behind him and stood toe-to-toe with Lumpy. “What in the hell are you doing here? Steve gave us permission to stay here until this place was sold. You’re trespassing.”

  Lumpy pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “No, you’re the ones who are trespassing. I bought this place a few hours ago. See, all signed, nice and pretty. It just has to be recorded, and that will take a few days. So, I’m giving you,” he stabbed Jay in the middle of the chest with his index finger twice, “an eviction notice. She can stay for as long as she wants. You do want to stay here, don’t you, little lady? I mean, we have so much potential, you and me. I’ll find the buyers and you can help find the goods, take care of the paperwork, take care of me…and my big feet.” Lumpy lifted his oversized snow boot, displaying it as if it was covered in gold.