A Christmas Surprise

by Jana Leigh

  He smiled that sweet smile that was her Danny, her Danny? Then he said, "You're welcome, sunshine." He used the pet name he’d had for her when they were dating.

  The only thought she had now was sadly, how many had he used it on since?

  She turned, walked into her bedroom, and shut the door.

  Danny sat uncomfortably on the couch, thinking about what had just happened. He saw at the table where her mind finally allowed her to visit the place where one sees what 'could have been', and he saw the panic in her eyes as she realized the situation could have been more serious. He couldn't resist taking her in his arms and comforting her as she let out all the fear and pent-up emotion from the day's events. He would never admit that while he held her, he loved the feel of her back in his arms again. The familiar scent of her surrounded him, and he felt like he had come home.

  Then when she began to wiggle on his lap, his thoughts turned erotic and as much as he wanted to lean in and kiss her, he knew she needed a break from the deep emotions she was going through. He chose to taunt her instead, knowing that would snap her out of it. Back when they dated, he’d had a one-track mind, getting into her pants. Now, as he sat there on her couch, still hard as a rock, he couldn't help being happy that they hadn’t had sex. Yet. Their time was not then, but he could see it coming soon. He would have her. He knew it, and so did she.

  Chapter Four

  The next morning she woke early, got dressed and snuck out of her room. Danny still lay sleeping on the couch, dead to the world. She decided to look her fill. He had taken off his shirt, and the blanket had fallen down to his waist. She loved his chest, all bronze with rippling abs with a smattering of hair that led in a trail all the way down under the blanket. She would give anything to remove that blanket. He sighed and rolled over in his sleep. She decided this was a good time to make her escape and go buy him his favorite coffee at the coffee shop across the street.

  She went out of the door silently, snuck down the steps, and quickly avoided the squeaky one at the bottom. She headed across the street and went in the shop. She ordered Danny his Grande Columbian dark roast, black, just the way he liked it and herself a five shot ice latte. She also ordered some of the fresh apple turnovers they had just put out. She was Jade's biggest fan when it came to desserts, but she loved the icing they put on those turnovers.

  Danny woke up with a stiff back from sleeping on Sandi's lumpy couch. He sat up, folded the blanket, pulled on his jeans, and went to the bathroom. Once finished, he went to her room where he saw that she had left her door slightly ajar. He couldn’t resist temptation and pushed it open a bit more, only to find her bed empty. He knew then that he was alone in the apartment. He let out a curse, pulled on his t-shirt, slipped on his boots, grabbed his coat, and stormed out of the door. He was either going to strangle her or spank her ass, when he found her.

  Just as he rounded the corner and looked around for her, he saw her exit the coffee shop. He started to go across the street, to give her what for, for leaving the apartment when he heard the squeal of tires.

  She was heading back across the street with her purchase as she looked up to see Danny coming from the opposite side. Good thing I got him his coffee, she thought, he does not look happy. As she was about to get to the center of the street, she heard a screech of tires and looked around. There, coming straight for her was a black SUV, and it didn't seem to be stopping. She heard Danny shout her name as he plowed into her, knocking her back onto the sidewalk she had just stepped from, the coffee and turnovers flying in all directions.

  She lay on the ground stunned by what had just happened. Danny was on top of her, trying to get his breathing under control.

  "Are you okay?" he asked as he shifted to take his weight off her, so she could take a deep breath.

  "That is the second time I have had the breath knocked from me," she said. "What the hell is happening, Danny?" her voice quivered as her eyes filled with tears.

  "I don't know, sunshine, but we are going to find out." For a moment or two, they stared into each other's eyes.

  About that time, Jared came to a screeching halt in his cruiser, jumped out, and strode over to them. Danny was just helping Sandi up off the sidewalk. One of the workers from the coffee shop came out to help, cleaned up the spilled coffee, and ruined turnovers. Then they brought out a fresh batch and more coffee, even handing Jared his usual. He went inside and spoke to the workers, while Danny checked Sandi for scrapes or burns from the spilled coffee.

  "What the fuck is going on?!" Jared raged. "You were supposed to stay inside the apartment, how did this happen?"

  Danny put his arm around Sandi and said, "Bro, let's go back to Sandi's and talk."

  He turned and led Sandi carefully across the street, cautiously looking both ways with Jared following close behind. They entered the apartment, and Danny suggested to Sandi that she go lay down in her bedroom while he and Jared talked. He told her he would come and check on her in a little while. For some reason Sandi couldn't explain, she agreed, went to her room, and shut the door.

  "Tell me," Jared barked.

  "Black SUV, older model, tinted windows, single driver, male. He came out of nowhere and just floored it. He was gunning straight for her. If I hadn't gotten there when I did..." Danny didn't have to say more, both of them knew what would have happened.

  "Plates?" Jared asked.

  "There were none on the front, didn't get a look at the back. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. Any witnesses?"

  "No, no one was out this early. The coffee shop had just opened, and they were the ones who called it in. No one inside the shop saw a thing except you two flying through the air, and then they heard a car speeding away."

  "Now what?" Danny asked. "Someone is out to get her for some reason. We have to figure this out."

  "First and foremost, she is not to leave your sight. I will start digging around and see what I can come up with," Jared said and stood to leave. "I will call you when I find something." He let himself out of the apartment, and Danny bolted the door.

  He walked over to his bag and checked his nine-millimeter to make sure it was loaded to keep his mind occupied, of course, it was loaded, it always was.

  Now he had to go talk to Sandi.

  Sandi walked into her room and shut the door. She was shaking all over, why was this happening to her? Why would someone want to hurt her? She shrugged out of her jacket, and it dropped to the floor unnoticed. She crawled onto her bed and curled up in a ball. She reached up, grabbed her pillow, and began to sob into it. She was terrified.

  She heard her door open, but she kept her back to it, trying to hold back the emotion that was spilling out of her. The bed dipped as she felt strong arms envelop her from behind and pull her against a solid wall of muscle. He laid his head alongside hers, and she could hear his breathing in her ear.

  "I'm here, everything is going to be okay. We will get this creep and make this right," he said comfortingly.

  Her breath caught in her throat as the silent tears ran down her cheeks. She put her hands on top of his and squeezed gently. They laid there for some time before he shifted and brought her around to face him. His hand reached toward her, and he wiped away the tears from her cheek with his thumb. She looked into his eyes preparing herself to see the pity, but all she saw was sympathy and understanding. Danny had always had the gift of reading the emotions around him, knowing when someone was upset or in trouble. Jade had always said he was the one brother she could go to and talk to about her problems or woes. Now, as Sandi looked into his eyes, she realized that she truly loved this man. In that moment, she did what she wanted, had wanted to do for some time. She reached up and placed her palm on his cheek, leaned forward, and laid a gentle kiss on his lips. Danny seemed to freeze for all of five seconds before he took over the kiss. His tongue touched her lips, working his way inside of her mouth. He was the master of kissing, she thought as he took control of the kiss. His mouth demanded th
at she respond, and she did. She thought he would try to take it to the next level, but he seemed content with just kissing and petting her. His hands ran up and down her back while he took her mouth. God, his kisses were so potent she could have had an orgasm from just kissing the man. Just when she thought he would take it further, he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

  "Sandi, you are going through a lot right now. I know that if we don't stop now, I won't be able to, and I know that’s not what you want right now," Danny said gently.

  She sighed and snuggled under his chin so that he wouldn't be able to see the hurt in her eyes. She knew he was right, but that still didn't stop the pain in her heart, knowing he didn't care for her the way she did him. Mentally she shrugged it off and thought, I am going to enjoy this while I can, soon he will be gone, and I will only be left with memories.

  "I know, thank you," she said as she pulled back and began to sit up.

  "As much as I enjoyed that, we need to get to work. We are going to need to make a list of people you think would come after you. Anyone, ex-employees of the restaurant, ex-boyfriends. Do you have any family left anywhere that you can think of?" Danny stated as he rose up off the bed and sat on the edge.

  "No, there is no one left. The only ex-employees I have had to let go have moved on, there were only two. As for ex-boyfriends, well, you are it. I haven't had a lot of time for extracurricular activities lately," she told him and watched the surprise on his face as she made the statement.

  "Okay then, I want you to keep thinking about it. In the meantime, we are going to hole up here, and I am going to make some phone calls. Do you need anything?" he asked as he got up and walked toward her bedroom doorway.

  "No, I am going to go out and make something to eat. We missed breakfast," she said as she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face. She must look a sight, what, with all her crying.

  "I will come help you in a few. I want to get the ball rolling on the two ex-employees and talk to Jade and Traci to see if they can think of anyone as well."

  She nodded and shut the door on the bathroom. Danny continued into the living room to make his calls.

  He was close. Almost time. He knew the cops would get involved at this point. He didn't count on a deputy staying with her all the time. This angered him, but he knew what to do. He was gonna sit back and let things die down again. Make her start to feel safe, that would make the deputy go, and then he was going to have a very Merry Christmas after all. Payback was the best gift.

  Chapter Five

  It had been two weeks since anything had happened, and Sandi was going stir crazy. During the day, she was allowed to go down and work in the restaurant with Danny constantly watching her. The nights were getting harder. At first, it was fun. They watched movies from her DVD collection or shows they liked on TV. They laughed and joked like old friends, sometimes they even made out a little. When Danny had a shift, his brother Miles or one of the other deputies would come to watch over her. It was getting old fast.

  Whoever it was that had done those things was gone, it was over. She was convinced that it was all over. She wanted her life back, and she was going to get it. She went to the one person who she knew could help her escape her prison. The one person who knew the Sherriff and his deputies well enough to get them to back off and if not, then to escape them.

  Jade sat in the back office with Traci as they poured over ideas for the reception. Since they were little they had planned a double wedding together. They even had the old scrapbook out they had put together way back when, it was full of cutouts from magazines. They giggled as they looked at the dresses and decorations they had picked out at a young age for their wedding.

  "What were we thinking? Fuchsia is not a color scheme!" Jade giggled as Traci pointed to the gaudy bridesmaids’ dresses as well.

  "It seems we were going to go with the bright orange bridesmaids’ dresses and the neon green tablecloths!" Traci busted out laughing. She couldn't believe the bright colors they had picked out. It was obvious that the neon colors had been the fashion back then. Well, they weren’t now. Although she did think the bride’s dress she had picked out was cute but not what she wanted today.

  "Man, we had issues," Jade said shaking her head.

  Traci agreed. Then she got serious and looked at Jade. "So, what are we going to do about Sandi? I spoke to her this morning, and she was so down. Nothing has happened in over two weeks, and the boys won't let it go, or rather, won't let her go."

  Jade grunted, "They never do. What we have here is a case of my brothers not knowing when to chill. Again. Danny is wound tight, and he doesn't even realize they are both so in love with each other, they don't even see anyone else around them. Zach said he has tried to talk to him, but Danny says that nothing has changed. He's in such denial."

  "Sandi needs a break, a girls' night out. When and where? And how do we get her away from Danny?" Traci asked.

  For the next hour, the wedding was set aside, and the girls hashed out their plan. Sandi was breakin’ out.

  It was Friday night, and the JT's was hopping. Jade had booked a band from Denver that was popular, and it seemed everyone had turned out to hear them. Sandi was helping bus tables and taking orders in between. At one point, Jade and Traci got her attention and asked her to take a break with them in the back. Jade told Danny it was a girls only. He shrugged and went back out to sit with Jared and Zach, who were laughing and drinking a beer.

  Sandi went into Jade and Traci's office and collapsed on the couch. "Man, it’s busy tonight. My feet are killing me!"

  "Sandi, I don't think we tell you often enough how much we appreciate you and what you do for us. You are so wonderful. We have never made a better decision than to make you manager. You were the best choice. Thank you," Traci told her as she sat on the couch next to her.

  Jade leaned on the desk facing the two girls, and said, "I second that, you are the best! I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't come along. You have allowed me to have time with my man, which is most important, in his training and Traci has time with Jared, ew, not going there," she said with a wink.

  "You guys are too much," Sandi said. "It was fate when I broke down here and found you two. You are my best friends, and I love you and I’m so happy that you both have finally found happiness." Although she meant every word she said, she felt a twinge when she said it. She wanted to be happy like her friends, she wanted forever with her man. That wasn’t to be it seemed.

  "Well, we are here to help. We know that with all the crazy business you have been having, being cooped up can drive you nuts. Don't forget what I went through not that long ago. I know how it is," Traci said. Everyone knew now that she could handle herself after what happened to her, she was one tough cookie with a flame!

  "Yeah, we have a plan to give you some time out," Jade told her. "We are going to sneak you to Denver with us, so we can let loose and have some fun. Frank and Evan are even going to come, too."

  Sandi grinned when she heard that she might get a night of freedom. She loved Frank and Evan as well. She was so excited to be able to go out and have some fun with her friends. "That's great, what do you mean, plan? Doesn't Jared and Danny know about this?" She saw Jade grimace and look at Traci.

  Traci answered, "Well, not exactly. They are still trying to find out who did this to you. We can tell you are going stir crazy and thought a little sneak out couldn't hurt. So what do you say, are you in?"

  Sandi thought about it for a moment and then said, "Oh, I am so in, when, where, and how?"

  Both girls laughed and Jade replied, "Well, here's how we see it..."

  They talked for the next fifteen minutes about the plan, including how they would get to Denver and back. Frank and Evan were going to pick them up so the girls only had to distract one of the other deputies. Once they had everything worked out, Sandi went back out to work the tables, and the girls went to their men. Distraction was key. The night was set, tomorrow Sandi w
ould be free.

  Sandi finished closing and then turned to see Danny checking the lock on the entrance door.

  When he turned, he said, "Ready?"

  It seemed they had fallen into a routine of sorts, so she did what she always did and nodded. He walked towards her and placed his hand in the small of her back, guiding her out of the back door. She turned, locked the back door with her key, and then began to go up the stairs with Danny following behind her. When they got to her door, she stepped back knowing he liked to go first and check it out. Inwardly she snorted, as if anything had changed from every other night for the past two weeks, no one was there. She walked in when he motioned ‘all clear’ and went into the kitchen to get some aspirin and a glass of water. After taking the medicine, she went to her room to put on her comfy clothes and get ready for bed. She couldn't go to bed yet, she had a discussion she had to have first.

  She walked into the living room, and Danny was sitting on the couch with his head laid against the back of it. "We need to talk," she said without preamble.

  He lifted his head up and looked right at her. "Don't even say it. We are not getting into this tonight, sunshine. You know the deal, until he is caught someone will be with you at all times."

  She stomped her foot and then said, "This is ludicrous! Nothing has happened in over two weeks! I am a grown woman, damn it! I am tired of this shit, it's not necessary at this point. There are other issues in this town that all of you should be dealing with, like helping your brother find the people after Paige."

  "We are doing all we can to keep everyone in this town safe and that includes you, sunshine. Don't worry, we will find him soon, and then you will be free of me." Danny was stunned when he said that, he didn’t like the feeling that went through him. He knew that in the last two weeks he had learned a lot about Sandi he hadn't known before. She was fun to be around for one thing, he didn't get irritated with her like he thought might happen after being around a woman 24/7. He felt like they had grown close, like friends, well, maybe friends with a little benefit.