The Lumberjack's Yuletide Bride

by Kimberly Krey

  Maddie didn’t want to defend Bear and then look like a fool. And if he was capable of cheating like that, he could definitely tell a convincing lie.

  April rested her head on Maddie’s shoulder. This is not what she’d expected her day to look like. Maddie had planned to take her sister and mom to the airport, then come back in time to hit the shops with Bear. Instead she was in the midst of an airport, sandwiched between her sister and her mom, wishing she could somehow defend the man she loved.

  “He told me he loved me last night,” Maddie said.

  April made a sad, whimpering sound. “Just go call him. Go over there by the window so Mom doesn’t hear.” She glanced at her watch. “We don’t board for another 10 minutes. You never know … Kristen could totally be making it up. She seems like a wild card.”

  “You’re right,” Maddie said. Just why had she been so quick to believe Kristen Grandy? She was about to step onto an airplane, for crying out loud; she should at least give Bear a chance to clear things up.

  Claudia was wrapped up in conversation with the older lady who’d taken a seat next to her. Thank heavens.

  Maddie let out a shaky breath. “Okay. I’m going to do it. I’ll try.” She spun the phone in her hand as she walked, stared at the screen once she stopped, then forced herself to swipe, find his number, and press call.

  One ring.

  Two.

  Three.

  “Hello, Maddie dear?” a female voice came. Bear’s mom.

  “Hi, Grace. Is Bear around?”

  “Yes, he’s here, he’s just in the shower. He took me to do a bit of Black Friday shopping at the crack of dawn, but he’s looking forward to spending the rest of the day with you.”

  An ache sunk into Maddie’s heart. “I’ve been looking forward to it as well.” She spun around, saw April giving her a wide-eyed nod of encouragement, then faced the window once more. “Grace, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, dear.”

  “Kristen and Bear used to date, right?”

  “Yes, you could call it that. Though I’m not sure they were ever really into each other.” The woman cleared her throat. “Maybe this is something you should talk to him about …”

  “No, no, it’s not a big deal,” Maddie said, though she knew that it was. It was more than a big deal. It was a deal breaker. Heck, she practically had one foot out of the state already. “I just overheard something, so I wanted clarity, I guess.”

  “Clarity about what?”

  “Did Bear break things off with Kristen recently, or was it a long time ago?”

  “I’m not exactly sure when he did. But I know he’s been planning on it ever since he dressed you up as a lumberjack at the school.”

  Planning on it? The words hit her like they’d been flung from a slingshot. Planning on it meant that he hadn’t already done it by then.

  “There hasn’t been any two-timing, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Grace said, her tone slightly indignant. “That’s not the sort of man I raised.”

  “Of course,” Maddie said, her face blazing with heat.

  “All right, dear. I’ll have him call you as soon as he’s out.”

  “Thanks.” Maddie’s mind raced. She wanted to let Grace’s words appease her, but she couldn’t let it drop so easily. Not when she’d come this far. There had to be another way to find out if Kristen was telling the truth.

  That was it—she could ask the woman herself. Or at least she could try.

  A quick glance at the waiting area said they hadn’t been called to board yet, so Maddie opened a link on social media and found Kristen’s profile. Kristen Grandy had a substantial following; there was no telling if she even kept up with all the people who reached out to her. Still, as Maddie requested to send her a message, a small dot indicated Kristen was online at that very moment.

  “Boarding for flight number 3640 to Spokane Washington,” a young man in blue announced.

  Maddie’s heart thumped so hard it hurt.

  April motioned for her to follow as she stepped into the line. Claudia hiked her bag onto her arm, still in conversation with the lady at her side.

  Maddie stayed put for a moment more, typing a quick message in the open box on her screen:

  Do you mind if I ask you a question? I’ve been dating Bear Schaefer for close to a month now, and I’m concerned about the breakup video you posted. Did he really just breakup with you last week?

  She wanted to ask about spending the night in a hotel with him too, but she may as well see if Kristen would respond first. Maddie readjusted her backpack and took slow steps toward the boarding gate, where a crowd had already gathered behind her sister and her mom; hopefully they’d save a spot.

  As soon as she glanced back at the screen, Maddie’s eyes bulged. The tipping hourglass in the corner meant Kristen had seen it, and was already responding. “She’s answering …” she said with a gasp. It was no more than a whisper, but some guy next to her gave her a nudge.

  “What was that?” the gray-haired man asked.

  Maddie shook her head. “Nothing. Sorry.”

  Oh, how horrible! You’re the one he’s dating? Hate to break it, but yes. After he dumped me, he told me about you. He said he’s been with you, like, every day since he got back to Cobble Creek. Except the day he was with me, of course.

  A curse passed from Maddie’s lips.

  “Say that again?” came the gray-haired man, tipping his head back toward her.

  Maddie only shook her head this time, motioning that they needed to keep up with the line.

  “We’re not going on a ship, girl. We’re going on a plane.”

  “Yeah,” she said, wishing she could make the hurt in her heart go away. Or at least get rid of the source of it. When her students got stung, Maddie always made sure to remove the offending stinger, if it was left behind. But what could she do to make this better? To assure the damage was minimal?

  Leave. Just like she was doing. She’d call a sub, let them replace her until Christmas break, and then figure out what to do from there.

  She followed the man—along with the rest of the crowd—onto the plane. April sat beside the window, Mom next to the aisle. Maddie slid past Mom and sunk into the open seat between them. Her phone dinged, alerting her that another message had been left. As she’d guessed, it too was from Kristen.

  I’d watch out for him if I were you. He thinks he’s a country boy, but he’s not. Bear Schaefer was made for bigger things than Cobble Creek.

  Maddie had always known as much. It’s why she’d forced herself to stop reading up on him once he started gaining fame. Her phone buzzed once more. Only this time, it was a call. From Bear.

  Maddie stared at the buzzing device in her hand. Would he lie about it still, or come clean? Did it matter either way? At this point, Maddie was grasping at straws.

  The flight attendant spoke up, the words turn off all cellular devices prompting Maddie to do what needed to be done.

  With a bear-sized stinger centered deep in her chest, Maddie pressed the small button.

  The buzzing stopped.

  The screen went black.

  There.

  She nodded, willing herself to accept things. Maddie knew all she needed to know. And could she really pretend to be so surprised? She should have seen this coming. It was like the almost kiss. Maddie had almost managed to catch Bear’s attention, but she’d fallen short, even back then. Lost him to Candy Simpson. Kristen Grandy was Candy Simpson the second, with her blonde hair, mean grin, and loud, in-your-face life.

  Bear had tried, bless him, to be with Maddie—someone he knew would be a kinder wife. A more attentive mother, perhaps. But in the end, he’d go back to the Kristens and Candys of the world.

  Well, if Bear was no better than her dad, if he was destined to leave her at some point, Maddie would save him the trouble and end things now.

  Chapter 21

  “What do you mean by upset?” Bear slid the phon
e onto the counter, grabbed a mug, and began to pour.

  “She just didn’t sound like herself,” Grace said. “She said she’d overheard something and was wondering about you and Kristen.”

  He stopped pouring, turned to face his mom. “Kristen? Oh, great. What did she overhear?”

  Bear’s mom shook her head. “She was wondering if you two really dated, and when you broke things off with her.”

  A wave of nausea rushed in. Had the woman retaliated after all? “I knew I should have told her about Kristen.”

  “You didn’t?” Grace hissed, shock coating her words. “Barrett Schaefer, why in heaven’s name wouldn’t you have told Maddie you used to date her? Heck, it’s not like you had anything to hide.”

  “That’s why I didn’t.” Bear shoved the coffeepot back in place and strode over to the sink. He looked blankly over the snow-covered ground. “Kristen Grandy is intimidating. I didn’t want Maddie to worry about her when—like you said—there was barely anything between us.”

  Bear snatched his phone off the counter and dialed her number once more. This time the call went straight to voicemail. The nausea kicked up a notch. “I’m supposed to pick her up at eleven,” he said, “but I’m going to head over there early and talk this out with her.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Grace grabbed her coat. “I better get going too. I’m watching Phillip while Brenda goes shopping.”

  Bear couldn’t get to his Jeep quickly enough. The heat roared to life as he sped down the quiet, snowy street. Just what in the world had Maddie overheard? A conversation from last night? Slow down, Bear. It was probably nothing.

  But a familiar emotion revved up inside him: fear. Had Kristen done something to cause Maddie to doubt? He wasn’t sure how she would; Kristen didn’t even know who Maddie was.

  He pulled into the drive, got out, and checked the tiny windows along the garage front. “Still gone.” Shouldn’t she have been back from the airport by now?

  Bear got back in the Jeep, pulled the thing onto the street, and walked up to the porch. With the shake of his head, he grabbed the battered shovel.

  The sky was clear today. The main roads would be, too. Maddie’s property was a different story. A good four inches of snow covered the stairway and porch. The driveway was the same. He had to work harder at the tire marks of packed snow, but Bear was glad to have something to do.

  Once he was finished shoveling the front, Bear took the shovel to Maddie’s back patio and cleared that off too. A cluster of terra cotta pots stood buried beneath the white, frozen mounds, and Bear caught himself wondering just what kind of flowers they held in the summer and spring. Did she do an herb garden? He could picture her doing that.

  11:00 came fast.

  11:30 did too.

  And soon it was noon.

  Bear, who’d worked his way down the sidewalk half a block, turned back to see Maddie’s empty drive. “Where in the world are you, Ms. Maddie?” He’d tried calling her several more times, and it’d gone straight to her voicemail each time. He’d left two messages now. The first was a casual hey, I’m here to pick you up. Call me. The second was a little more pleading. Hey, I’m getting worried. Please call me when you get this.

  An hour late? That wasn’t like Maddie at all. And he couldn’t remember the last time she’d let her battery die.

  Making matters worse was the knowledge that she’d called and asked Grace about Kristen. None of this sat well with him.

  Suddenly a buzz sounded from his phone. He leaned the shovel against his hip and yanked the phone from his pocket, hoping it was Maddie getting back to him.

  It wasn’t. In fact, the text he’d received was from Brenda:

  Any word from Maddie yet?

  With aching fingers, Bear tapped back a quick no, then watched the screen.

  I just found this and thought you should probably watch it.

  She’d included a link.

  Great. Here it was. Kristen’s crazed act of retaliation.

  With the shovel propped against his hip, half a block from Maddie’s house, Bear clicked on the link, a sinking feeling in his heart.

  Chapter 22

  “Soup’s ready if you want to come down,” April hollered from the kitchen.

  Maddie shoved her face into a pile of pillows, unable to believe what had transpired over the last twenty-four hours. She’d gone from her house to his, and all was right with the world. Until she came back to her place and discovered a hideous truth about Bear Schaefer.

  “Hey.” April’s voice was light and airy. Maddie kept her face buried as she felt April join her on the guest-room bed. “I’m going to give you your space, but I don’t want you to think that I was hoping for this or expecting it. The truth is, I’m waiting for a guy to come along and prove Mom wrong. I guess I just … don’t let anyone get close enough to do it, because I’m afraid of this.”

  Maddie pulled her face away from the pillows and shrugged onto her back. Strands of static-ridden hair clung to her forehead and cheeks. She looked into her sister’s green eyes. “You and Mom were probably right all along.” She shook her head. “Why did that have to happen in front of Mom?”

  April sighed. “I really regret showing her. The truth is, since Mom told me about Bear, I’ve been admiring him from afar. He’s pretty incredible to look at,” she said with a laugh.

  Maddie groaned. “I know.”

  “And he seems really smart and passionate in his interviews,” April continued. “Then when I met him yesterday at dinner, I was smitten. I really was.”

  “You were?” Not that she was surprised. Maddie wiped the hair from her face. “Who can blame you? He’s hard not to like.”

  “It really seemed like he was crazy about you, Mads. I was watching the way he watched you. His face looked like a lovesick puppy’s every time you said the smallest thing. His eyes would light up, and he’d get this dopey grin on his face.” She paused there and sniffed. “In those moments you, like, became my hero.”

  Maddie burst out in an unexpected laugh. “How?”

  “You did it. You were raised by Mom too. You had the same dad I did. One who totally abandoned us, but you never let that stop you. You always just dated anyway. Went to dances. Had a good time.”

  “Yeah,” Maddie said. “And look where it got me.”

  April rested the tip of her finger on the quilt. Traced a circular pattern there as she spoke. “Don’t you think it was worth it? I mean, Bear could’ve turned out to be exactly what you thought he was. I’d risk getting hurt for a chance to find someone like that.”

  A tiny nudge came from somewhere in Maddie’s mind. An idea that kept coming back to her. She looked up at April and held her gaze for a blink. “What if I’m wrong?” she whispered. “Part of me thinks …”

  She turned her focus to the corner of a silky, decorative pillow, unwilling to look at her sister as she said it. “Part of me thinks that maybe he didn’t really do what Kristen said. I mean, Bear and I got really close. Why should I take her word for it, when I haven’t given him a chance to explain?” It didn’t seem fair. To either of them. She risked a glance back to her sister, and wished that she hadn’t. The sorry expression on April’s face said it all.

  “I guess it’s possible,” April said. “But think about it. Guys lie and cheat all the time. What would Kristen have to gain by making something like that up? On the internet, no less? Especially when she was the one rejected? Most people don’t like admitting that, let alone coming up with some wild story about it.”

  Maddie nodded. “True. And since the first day we went out, do you know there’s only been one day Bear and I haven’t hung out together?”

  April lifted a brow. “Really?”

  Maddie nodded, that hopeful little thought getting squelched out entirely. “Really. And it was the day Kristen says he came out there, spent the night with her, and dumped her.”

  April frowned. “I’m so sorry I had to show you that dumb video. I feel
like I ruined everything.”

  Maddie sat up on the bed. “Of course you didn’t. You just had to be the bearer of bad tidings. On Thanksgiving.”

  April reached out and pulled her in for a hug. “You’re still my hero,” she whispered into her hair.

  Maddie felt a pang deep in her chest at the words. Her arms went limp. “Thanks, sis. Love you.”

  “I love you too. And …” April said, climbing off the bed. “If you’d like some soup and some crabby company, Mom and I will be downstairs.” She headed toward the hallway.

  “Thanks.” A question came to her mind, one she’d been wondering about for a while now. “Does Mom stay over a lot? I mean, I saw her unpacking her things in the other room.”

  “Yeah,” April said. “She doesn’t say so, but I think she gets lonely in that empty house of hers. And I don’t mind, since sometimes I do too.”

  Maddie nodded, relating all too well.

  “Well, hopefully I’ll see you downstairs soon.” The door closed gently.

  Maddie felt the great urge to go to sleep right then and there. It wasn’t much past three in the afternoon, but she was pretty sure she could sleep clear through until morning.

  A sad whine sounded from her throat. What was Bear doing right then? He was probably worried about her. They were supposed to be spending the day together, visiting the shops on Main Street. He’d promised to buy her a brownie at Tops. “He still owes me that brownie,” she mumbled, then laughed at herself and sniffed.

  I’m a mess.

  But that’s okay. She’d been through something messy. She would get past it. She would. Maddie only needed a little while to mourn the loss of a man she feared might not exist at all.

  Chapter 23

  Bear hovered over his phone, staring at the text Maddie had sent. As if it might morph or change or at least update with some new development.