Mistletoe and Mr. Right

by Sarah Morgenthaler

  Still. If she was going to break her rule, Lana was definitely tempted to break it for Rick.

  The waiter returned with their waters, and her companion shifted on his purple velvet seat, looking as out of place and as uncomfortable as she was.

  “I’m not very good at this,” Rick admitted, running a hand over the back of his neck. Lana reached for his other hand, instinctively squeezing it.

  “All you have to do is sit there and look good. I promise you’re doing fabulously. We’re two friends having a drink after what I assume was a long day for you too.”

  Rick’s face flushed a rather adorable shade of red, and he pulled on the neck of his shirt as if trying to loosen a nonexistent tie. Suddenly, he leaned in.

  “Thanks for meeting up with me. Diego thinks I need to get out more.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think he’s not wrong. But I’m not sure I could handle more time with Ash and Graham. Easton maybe…he doesn’t require me to actively participate in conversations. But I’d have to do more mountain climbing, and he likes the scary ones.”

  “Like Mount Veil?”

  “Veil, Denali. All the big monsters. I’m happier closer to sea level.”

  Lana smiled. “Me too. At least I’m not a climber. I’m perfectly happy at all elevations. And I’m glad you texted me. I don’t have a lot of friends in town. I do my best to be okay with that, but sometimes I wish…” Drifting off, Lana offered, “It is what it is.”

  “With friends like mine, I can promise you, they’re overrated. And intrusive. And constantly bugging me to sign up for every dating app under the sun.”

  Lana took a sip of her water. “In a town this small, you could pretty much stand along Main Street and shout if anyone wants to see a movie. You’ll reach the better part of the town’s occupants.”

  They shared a grin.

  “How about you?” he asked. “I’m guessing most of your relationships started in places like Paris or something.”

  “Trust me, as often as the group runs me across the world, the closest thing to a romantic partner I have is the on-plane snacks,” she sighed playfully.

  Then in an attempt to be fair to the man offering to buy her a drink, Lana added, “Dating is pretty much a casual thing at this point in my life. I’m never sure where I’ll have to be, how long I’ll be there, or when I’ll be back. Most people prefer a partner who is present and accounted for.”

  “Most do,” Rick agreed. “Sounds lonely.”

  Most people said exciting. Like her work schedule was one big adventure. But he’d nailed that on the head.

  “I’m really close to those on-plane snacks,” Lana said, smiling a little. “So what about you? How is a guy as nice as you not taken?”

  He cleared his throat, running a hand over the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed. “After Jen left, I wasn’t interested. Then I think I accidentally became the reclusive cat lady without realizing it.”

  Lana tried, but she couldn’t help her giggle.

  “I only have the one cat, but Diego thinks I’m too involved in Roger’s life. And all I do is talk about my ex’s nephew, huh?” Groaning at his own words, Rick downed his water like it was a shot of something stronger. “Is this going better on your side than it is mine?”

  “It’s going perfectly.” She could have hugged him, Rick seemed so off his game. “And Diego is your family. If my family was an ounce less scary, I’d talk about them too.”

  “How’s the moose chase going?” he asked.

  “Did you know that you can drive around on a snow machine all over this mountainside and not find a single moose in a Santa hat?” Lana sighed. “You’d think it would have the decency to dress appropriately.”

  On a whim, she reached over and squeezed his hand again. It was a good hand, with strong fingers that squeezed back.

  “Rick? Please don’t worry. This is a ‘hey baby,’ not an official date. The rules are much more relaxed. You don’t judge me for being a couple drinks along before meeting me, and I promise not to run screaming if you start talking about hedgehog playdates.”

  Rick barked out a laugh, a warm, pleasant sound that made her feel good for having caused it. “I definitely will run screaming. Are you sure you don’t want another martini?”

  “It’s getting late.” And late tended to…complicate things. Especially when she was having far too good of a time, and the martini was still warming her veins.

  He chuckled. “Afraid I’ll turn into a pumpkin?”

  “It would be such a shame, with a face like yours.”

  Rick blinked at the compliment, then this time, he flashed her the handsomest smile. The kind of smile that sent a surge of desire through her, mixed with loneliness and an overwhelming longing to move closer. The kind of smile that kept women who knew better in bars too late at night. No, as much as she wished otherwise, this wasn’t a good idea at all. Not when she’d be leaving, and the last thing Lana was going to do was lead him on. Instead, Lana rose to her feet.“Come on. I’ll walk you to your car.”

  Rick quirked an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t I be offering to walk you to your room?”

  “Yes, but I might get the wrong impression of your intentions,” she said, just to make Rick’s cheeks flush again.

  “How about to the elevator?”

  He was such a sweet man. Lana couldn’t help but slip her arm through his, hugging his muscled bicep companionably.

  Rick had parked in the parking lot off the side of the resort instead of using the valet service, giving them a longer stroll. He offered her his jacket since hers was upstairs in her room, but Lana was used to the cold weather and waved him off. She might not be from Alaska, but she could handle a short walk in the chilly evening air. They reached his vehicle, then he turned.

  “Is this where I thank you for the ‘hey baby’?” Lana asked.

  Groaning, Rick leaned back against the driver’s side door. “It really came out that way, huh?”

  “I promise I read between the lines.”

  Impulsively, she started to hug him, then realized halfway into the movement maybe Rick wouldn’t want that. Stopping midhug was an awkward business, especially when one’s companion had started to return the hug. The result was a tangling of arms and bumping of hands, her hip pressed to his leg and Lana’s nose squashing into his jawbone.

  “That didn’t work, did it?” he said, voice lower and huskier than normal.

  One of his hands was on her lower back, warm and strong and very real. Much better than any airline snack.

  “It’s possible you make me feel like I’m back in middle school, flirting with the cute guy on the school bus.”

  “You didn’t actually ride the school bus to school, did you?”

  Lana shook her head, biting her lower lip to keep from giggling. “No. But I have it on good authority there were cute guys to flirt with.”

  “Well…I was a stud in middle school. Best years of my life.”

  Their mouths were only a few centimeters away from each other. All it would take was turning her head. And then…

  And then she would get a call saying she needed to be in Hamburg tomorrow, and she’d just have to walk away. As much as Lana wanted to see where this might go with Rick, he just didn’t seem like the one-night stand type. And the idea of hurting him stopped her dead in her tracks. He was divorced and still clearly carrying that hurt with him. He didn’t need more from her. So she pressed a quick kiss to his jaw instead.

  “Have a lovely night, Rick. Drive home safe.”

  When she stole a glance at him as she reached the resort doors, the best kind of warmth filled her. He was waiting to make sure she got inside okay. She waved her fingers at him through the window.

  It was the best nightcap of all. That dear sweet man got in his car and pulled away, a sm
ile still on his handsome face.

  * * *

  The phone rang so late, Lana was already in bed, comforter pulled over her shoulders. “I should warn you, I’m half-asleep already.”

  “I should warn you, you’re about to get company.” Race car Killian sounded as droll as ever.

  Lana sighed. “If the warning is coming from you as opposed to official channels, I suppose I should be grateful no one is knocking on my door as we speak.”

  “Well, not yet anyway. We do have the decency to wait until tomorrow. Silas and I are headed your way.”

  Hmm. That was interesting.

  “Is this for the pleasure of my company,” she asked, “or should I reserve the conference room?”

  “Aunt Jessica wanted additional eyes on the town. She told Silas to come, but I thought you might appreciate a little backup. Or someone to cheer you on as you give him a wedgie and poke his eyes out. I’m not sure who will be torturing whom.”

  Killian might be her favorite cousin and one of the family members she trusted the most to be vulnerable in front of, but Lana knew better than to verbalize how nervous it made her that Silas was coming to town.

  Silas and she had butted heads for a long time, and it wasn’t safe to have Moose Springs caught between them. Instead, Lana looked down at her hand, mentally willing her fingers to stay calm on her bedspread.

  “I haven’t given anyone a wedgie in a very long time, and my nails are far too nice in this particular shade of mulberry. If anyone is being tortured, it certainly won’t be by my own hands.”

  “Yes, because I’m supposed to believe that you always let everyone else get their hands dirty.” Killian chuckled. “I grew up with you, Cousin, remember? I know all your secrets.”

  “This is why I like polo Killian more. He was much too busy being awesome to care about what I was up to.” Lana sighed. “Fine, I will see you when you arrive. Anything else I should be warned about?”

  Silence, then Killian’s voice took a rare turn for the serious. “Be careful on this one. Silas wants to see you fail for his own reasons.”

  Of course he did. Silas was a snake in the grass, waiting to strike whenever the opportunity arose. The instant he sensed weakness, he would be all over her in an attempt to discredit her in front of the board of directors. Of course he was coming to Moose Springs. He’d probably suggested it to Jessica in the first place.

  “Thank you for the warning, Killian. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  Lana ended her call, then lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Knowing her mother’s love of multitasking, this probably wasn’t just about the financial investment in Moose Springs. Mentioning Rick had been a mistake. Lana couldn’t just date whomever she wanted or hide away in Moose Springs whenever she felt like it without bringing attention to herself or the other person.

  When one was a Montgomery, one’s position in the company was tied directly to the fortune behind it. There was a reason she had to work so hard and go where the company needed her. A hundred and fifteen billion reasons. A hundred and fifteen billion ways to make a mistake.

  And Lana was positioned to inherit it all.

  Chapter 5

  Nothing was better than caffeine in the morning.

  Since Lana hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, she was more than happy to sit at Dirty Joe’s and get as much of the stuff in her system as she could. Killian’s warning phone call had left her too wired to rest, so she’d already had a busy morning, making the most of her insomnia. Driving around town in the earliest morning hours and stalking the brightest of the Christmas displays hadn’t yielded a chance to catch the Santa Moose, but it had given Lana a firsthand view of the moose’s destruction.

  This was the first time she’d gotten to see what it was capable of. The moose had hit the west side of town in the middle of the night, and nothing had been spared. Strands of lights had been ripped from the bushes in front of businesses. Inflatable decorations had been maimed. One poor six-foot-tall plastic candy cane had been dragged into the street and stomped to smithereens. Whoever this moose was, it wasn’t afraid to let its feelings known. As she drank her coffee, Lana had to admit that she felt a little envious. Considering Silas was coming to town, she was facing a day of biting her tongue…at least in public.

  Thankfully, Lana had asked for backup, in the form of canine moral support. That support was currently heading her way, waiting for a break in the traffic before hurrying across the street.

  “Sorry we’re late.” Zoey hustled over to meet Lana in front of the coffee shop. “Someone was being a total diva about hats this morning.”

  Okay, Lana was wrong. Caffeine was great, but puppies in sock hats were even better.

  The leash in Zoey’s hand was clipped to the collar of the most adorable creature in existence. Jake, Graham’s floppy-eared border collie, had been blind since birth. The diner owner had found him abandoned as a puppy beside the Tourist Trap dumpster years ago, and an incensed Graham had spent the time in between then and now compensating for that act of human indifference by being the best fur father a guy could be. Never would a day pass where Jake was denied food, attention, designer sweaters in the winter, or sunblock for his wet nose in the summer.

  Except for his favorite pajamas, Lana had never seen Jake wearing the same outfit twice.

  “He didn’t like a hat on his ears? I thought he’d be used to them by now.” Lana leaned over, letting Jake sniff her fingers before running them through his silky coat. He wriggled his entire body with happiness, pressing against her legs as his tail thumped the side of her kneecap.

  “Oh, Jake’s fine no matter what we put on him. It’s Graham who’s a nightmare. He’s convinced that you’re going to judge Jake’s clothing, and he would not shut up about cummerbunds. Seriously, who has a cummerbund for their dog? Who has multiple cummerbunds for their dog?”

  Jake wasn’t wearing a cummerbund, but he was wearing a festive green-and-red-plaid sweater with a coordinating knit sock cap.

  “A man with discerning taste, love.” Lana straightened, giving Zoey an impulsive hug. “Or a serial killer. We’re still not sure about him.”

  “You never should have let him take me home the night we met,” Zoey sighed.

  “Maybe, but it all worked out for the positive.” Lana hooked her arm companionably through Zoey’s as they headed into the coffee shop. “Besides, Rick dresses up his hedgehog. A fondness for accessorizing their fur babies might be one of the more adorable local quirks.”

  “You’re in a good mood today.”

  “I wasn’t aware I was ever in a mood other than good,” Lana countered. “Perhaps I need to work on being my better self.”

  “No, they see only good mood Lana. I see real mood Lana, and real mood Lana is in a good mood. Is it a guy?” Lana didn’t reply, so Zoey elbowed her ribs. “It’s totally a guy.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Yep, it’s a guy.”

  They’d started having breakfast or coffee together a couple of times a week before Zoey’s shifts at the resort. Seating was never available at Dirty Joe’s, but there was a nice bench outside if one was willing to sit in the lightly falling snow.

  Lana was more than happy to do so.

  Jake was perfectly capable of walking into the coffee shop with them, but Lana scooped him up as if he were a little dog. She couldn’t carry him around one armed like Graham could, but Jake was on the smaller side as border collies went, and Lana was strong. She snuggled Jake as they ordered their coffees.

  “I’m amazed he actually has working legs, considering how everyone always babies him.” Even as she said it, Zoey was sneaking Jake bits of biscotti.

  Lana dropped a kiss to Jake’s cute little snout. “I don’t baby you at all, do I?”

  Nose-to-nose, it was much easier to dodge
being licked in the face than dodge the eyes watching them. So Lana did what Lana always did…she met those eyes with as much fearlessness as she had at her shaky fingertips.

  “It’s a beautiful day, ladies and gentlemen. Is everyone in the holiday spirit?” Nothing, zero, zip. “Say good morning to the nice people, Jake. Good morning!”

  Obedient as ever, Jake promptly barked twice, tail wagging so hard, it thumped her back in the best kind of brutal massage a person could ask for. Now that broke the icy glares, because no one could resist him.

  Lana watched Zoey carefully add her cream and sweeteners just so, and when the drink passed the point of food and reached an artform, they retreated to a bench a little bit away from the coffee shop’s entrance.

  Grateful for the warmth of her jacket and the fleece lining in her boots—Montgomerys never wore fur—Lana sipped her drink, watching Jake sniff around the bench, secure in his position between her and Zoey.

  “Thank you for letting me have Jake today.”

  “Thank you for watching Jake today,” Zoey said. “There’s been another Harold sighting.”

  Harold was the much-despised Alaskan Food Safety and Sanitation inspector working Moose Springs. Lana had never met the man personally, but from what she’d heard, he was a particularly noxious and petty type of person. The kind to not look the other way when a cute border collie was sleeping next to the grill cook. His reign of terror had started a “Harold watch” through the town, with most businesses choosing to close for the day just to annoy him when they knew he was coming. Oh, Harold would get to them eventually, but the townsfolk made him work for it.

  Usually, Graham was the first one to shut down on Harold sighting days.

  “Graham has a supply delivery,” Zoey continued, “so he can’t close up. And Ash has a packed day. She’s transporting some people from Anchorage to here, then making a supply run up north. She won’t be back until tomorrow, and you know how Graham gets if he goes a night without Jake.”