Be Mine at Christmas

by Brenda Novak

  They drove in silence for several minutes. Angela was about to turn the music back up when Kayla spoke again.

  “Do you think you’ll ever get married?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You don’t date much.” The words sounded almost accusatory.

  “I’m too busy with work.”

  “Most people go out at night,” she said. “You’re usually home by six, remember?”

  Angela shrugged. She didn’t like leaving Kayla home alone. “I’ll meet the right man eventually.”

  Kayla seemed thoughtful, almost brooding. “What if you find someone, and he doesn’t like me?”

  “I can’t imagine anyone not liking you.”

  Kayla’s attention shifted to the scenery flying past her window. “You’ve forgotten Barbie and her friends,” she said bitterly.

  “Shallow, mean girls don’t count.”

  “What about Jordan? He was nicer than everyone else. Until they started teasing him about me.” Her tone turned glum. “Now he won’t even look at me.”

  “That could change as you get older.”

  “Still. I know you feel like you owe Nana for taking you in, but I don’t want to be the reason you don’t have a life of your own. You’re not the one who got pregnant at sixteen.”

  Angela reached across the seat to squeeze Kayla’s hand. “Kayla, I love you. You’re a central part of my life, and no one will ever change that.”

  “But don’t you wish I had a father who’d come and take me off your hands?”

  “No, I don’t,” she said, and she realized as she spoke that it was true. As difficult as the past year had been, she didn’t want to lose Kayla. Kayla was her only family.

  CHAPTER TWO

  MATTHEW JACKSON SAT with longtime friend and fellow firefighter Lewis McGinness at a table in the bar and restaurant on the first floor of the Old Virginny Hotel. With wooden oak floors, flocked wallpaper, a dark, ornately carved bar and a tin ceiling, the place had been restored to the glory it had known as a saloon in the booming silver era that had once made Virginia City the most important settlement between Denver and San Francisco. There was even a man dressed in nineteenth-century costume playing lively Christmas carols on a piano in the far corner, next to a Christmas tree adorned with paper chains and popcorn strands.

  It was all for the benefit of the tourists, of course—a group of whom stood brushing the snow from their coats and marveling over the glass case by the register, which contained a few items originally owned by the famous 1860s soiled dove, Julia C. The display was designed to generate interest in the Bullette Red Light Museum down the street, where folks could see more intimate items, as well as some nineteenth-century medical instruments, all for a buck.

  It was worth a buck, right?

  Matt shook his head. Heaven knew something had to stimulate new interest in this town. Cut into the side of a mountain almost two miles above sea level, with its houses and businesses sitting on as much as a forty-percent grade, it wasn’t a convenient place to live. Although, at its peak, the town had boasted nearly thirty thousand citizens, it was down to about fifteen hundred and had been struggling since the early 1900s, when the mines had played out. But Matt had never thought of it as desperately hanging on to what once was. It was home, pure and simple. And yet, as the snow piled higher and higher outside, he had to acknowledge that Virginia City had seen better days, even in his lifetime.

  In any event, it was turning out to be a long, cold year. After his older brother, Ray, and his wife had pulled up stakes and moved to Reno last October, Matt was beginning to feel a little like a stubborn holdout—which was how he’d begun to view the town. He wasn’t experiencing much of the Christmas spirit today, despite the snow, the lights that trimmed the buildings, already twinkling in the storm-darkened sky, the music.

  “I should move to Arizona,” he said, sipping some of the foam off the top of his beer. “If I lived in the desert, I’d never have to shovel another walk.”

  McGinness didn’t look up. He was too busy settling his giant, bear-like hands around the half-pound burger he’d ordered for lunch. “Good idea.”

  Matt glanced at him sharply. “Did you just agree with me?”

  “Then I’d get your job, right?” he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

  Tipping back his chair, Matt scowled. “You could at least act as if you’d be sorry to see me go. I’ve been your chief for what, ten years?”

  “I’d miss you,” he said, but shrugged. “In between spending the extra money I’d be making off my raise, of course.”

  Matt righted his chair. “Remind me to fire you when we get back.”

  “Why are you putting it off that long?”

  “It’s your turn to pay for lunch, remember?”

  McGinness swallowed his first bite and managed a grin. “Come on, you’re not going anywhere, Chief. This place is in your blood.” He took another bite and spoke with his mouth full. “And then there’s Kim.”

  Matt started in on his French dip sandwich. “What does Kim have to do with anything?”

  “She keeps your bed warm at night, doesn’t she?”

  Not anymore. The moment she’d begun talking about marriage, he’d backed off. He wasn’t eager to make their relationship permanent, and getting any closer risked a messy breakup. He’d had a couple of messy breakups in his life, enough to know that even one was too many. “I like Kim. She’s a nice woman. But there’s something missing,” he admitted.

  “Like your ability to commit?” McGinness stuffed a couple of fries into his mouth.

  “You’re a regular comedian today, you know that, Lew?” Matt said.

  “Just trying to be helpful.”

  Matt was about to tell him to shut up and eat when the door opened and a woman stepped into the saloon. She had shiny black hair cut in a style that hit a fraction of an inch below her chin—definitely too sophisticated for these parts—and a smooth, olive complexion. She also had a girl with her, who appeared to be twelve or thirteen years old. But it was the woman who caught his attention. She was gorgeous, but that wasn’t it. He was pretty confident he recognized her.

  He leaned over to get a better look. Sure enough. It’d been thirteen years since he’d seen her, but he was almost positive she was the girl who’d come to live with Stephanie Cunningham when they were in junior high. What was her name? Angela? That was it—Angela Forrester.

  “What’s the matter?” McGinness asked.

  “Nothing.” Matt quickly controlled his expression. He didn’t want to say anything that might make Lewis gawk at her and draw the woman’s attention. Their last exchange hadn’t been good. She’d been there the night Stephanie had caused him to lose the only girl he’d ever really loved. He was fairly sure Angela was partly responsible. But he didn’t know how she’d participated or why, and the last thing he wanted to do was relive the humiliation and embarrassment. Luckily, Stephanie had moved away only a few weeks after that incident and had never contacted him again.

  “Let’s go,” he said, tossing twenty-five bucks on the table.

  McGinness held on to the rest of his hamburger as though he’d rather part with his left hand. “What?”

  Matt fixed his gaze on his plate before Angela could catch him watching her. “Never mind,” he muttered, settling back in his seat. “Just hurry so we can get the hell out of here, okay?”

  MEMORIES PELTED ANGELA like the snow blowing thickly outside. She’d missed Virginia City more than she’d realized. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, reveling in the familiar scents of food, coffee, pine trees and wet leather. Because of the cold, Denver could smell fresh and clean in winter—but no place smelled as authentically “Old Fashioned Christmas” as Virginia City. Maybe that was because it hadn’t changed much since it had been rebuilt after the great fire of 1875. Standing in the largest federally designated historical district in America made Angela feel as if she’d just stepped out of a time machine. She’d gone b
ack into her own history. To Christmas, the way it used to be.

  “It’s great here, isn’t it?” she breathed to Kayla as they crossed to an empty table.

  “I like it,” Kayla replied, but she kept glancing over to another table, where two firemen were having lunch.

  “What is it?” Angela asked above a lively piano rendition of “Deck the Halls.”

  “That man was staring at you when we walked in.”

  Angela opened her mouth to say that after so long, chances were slim they’d know each other. But then she caught a better glimpse of him and felt her jaw drop. Surely they couldn’t have run into Matthew Jackson the moment they’d pulled into town….

  “Do you know him?” Kayla asked, peering closely at her.

  Angela had no idea what to say. They’d chosen a table less than fifteen feet from Kayla’s father!

  “Angie?” she prompted.

  Angela found her voice. “Yes, I—I knew him as a…a guy in high school.” Although she had to acknowledge that he’d improved quite a bit. With dark whiskers covering his prominent jaw, and smile lines bracketing his mouth and eyes, he’d matured into a man who appeared rather rough-hewn. And while his sandy-colored hair had darkened, the unusual ice-blue color of his eyes hadn’t changed at all.

  “He’s handsome, isn’t he?” Kayla whispered.

  He was so handsome Angela almost couldn’t stop staring. And it wasn’t just his face. He’d put on maybe thirty pounds since graduation, but none of it had gone to his middle. He filled out that uniform to perfection, looking larger than she remembered him, and far more powerful.

  Angela tried to gather her wits, but she was suddenly so nervous she was afraid to remain in the same restaurant. He doesn’t know, she told herself.

  But the doubts she’d wrestled with from the beginning crowded in. What if he guessed? Would he? Could he?

  On the drive over, Angela had convinced herself that the answer to those questions was no. Matt had been with Stephanie only that one night, when they were sixteen, and he hadn’t really chosen to be with her even then. He wouldn’t expect a child from one brief encounter, especially a child he’d never heard about. Besides, Stephanie had trouble carrying Kayla and she’d delivered two months early. That alone would make it difficult to figure out the dates.

  Which meant it didn’t matter that Angela had suddenly shown up with a twelve-year-old girl in tow.

  Reassured by her own reasoning, Angela immediately turned to the menu. But, inside, she couldn’t help grimacing at the terrible trick Stephanie had played on Matt. Angela felt partially responsible, but once it had happened, there was no way to fix it—other than doing what Stephanie’s mother had done. Angela didn’t think she could’ve stopped Stephanie, anyway. She’d never seen a girl so single-mindedly determined to get what she wanted. And what she’d wanted was Matt.

  Ironically, she’d also never seen a man, who—before and after that night—had so studiously avoided Stephanie. It was almost as if Matt had sensed the halter she had waiting to slip around his neck….

  “Look, here they come,” Kayla said.

  The words suddenly registered, as well as the accompanying movement behind her and, turning, Angela realized that she also recognized the second man. He was a beefier version of the boy she’d seen with Matt so often in high school—Lewis McGinness, who’d been one of the best linebackers on the football team.

  A smile curved his lips as he made his way toward them. Matt followed, seeming much more reluctant.

  “Hello,” Angela said warmly and stood. A lot depended on her acting ability. She wasn’t about to raise suspicion by revealing how shaken she felt. She’d wanted to figure out what kind of man Matt had become before bringing Kayla into direct contact with him. But it was too late; she had to improvise.

  “Hey!” Lewis swept her into a hug as if they’d been good friends in high school instead of mere acquaintances. “What brings you back to Virginia City?”

  “I’m here for the holidays.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “We just got into town, so we don’t have a room yet. But we’ll probably end up at the Gold Hill Hotel.” That was the hotel owned by Danielle’s parents, but neither man brought up her name when Angela mentioned it, so she still didn’t know if Matt had ended up marrying the girl he’d dated for so long.

  “They’ve made some improvements, but the new Silver Queen is closer,” Lewis said.

  Angela kept her smile firmly in place, even though she was acutely aware of Matt and his steady gaze. “We’ll have to stop by and take a look.”

  Lewis waved a hand toward Matt, who seemed perfectly satisfied to stand in the background. “You remember Matt, don’t you? Or maybe you don’t. He went out with Danielle all through school.”

  Did that mean he wasn’t with her now? Angela knew they’d reconciled after the incident at the party, but if their relationship hadn’t progressed beyond high school, Stephanie was probably a large part of the reason.

  “Hi, Matt.” She held out her hand because he made no move to hug her as his friend had.

  He shook hands with a definite lack of enthusiasm. “Good to see you again.”

  I can tell you’re thrilled about it, Angela thought sarcastically. But she could understand that. Because of Stephanie, she couldn’t possibly evoke pleasant memories for him.

  She put a hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “This is my daughter, Kayla.”

  If Kayla was surprised at being introduced like that, she didn’t let on. Nodding shyly, she slipped an arm around Angela’s waist, acting more relieved than shocked. Angela knew her real mother was an embarrassment to her.

  “She’s beautiful,” Lewis said. “Like her mother.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How long will you be staying?”

  “A couple of weeks.”

  He shifted to make room for Matt, but Matt didn’t come any closer. “Are you here to see anyone in particular?”

  “No, I just wanted to show Kayla the town.”

  “Where do you live now?”

  “In Denver. I’m in real estate.” She glanced conspicuously at their uniforms and badges. “And you’re both firefighters, I see.”

  “That’s right. Matt here’s the chief. Unless he moves to Arizona.” He tossed his friend a meaningful grin. “Then I’m taking over.”

  “Now you’ll never get rid of me,” Matt grumbled.

  Angela tried not to notice that Matt was even better-looking up close. He’d always been attractive; that, and his popularity, was why Stephanie had wanted him so badly. But the past thirteen years had added a few finishing touches.

  “So…is your husband stuck at home, working over the holidays?” Lewis asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m not married. You?”

  “Tied the knot nine years ago, already got three kids.”

  “That’s wonderful,” she said. “And…what about you, Matt?”

  “No.” He didn’t elaborate, but Lewis quickly filled in.

  “He’s asked quite a few women, but the poor guy can’t get anyone to take him.”

  Lewis wore such a falsely pitying expression, that Kayla laughed out loud and Angela laughed with her.

  “How’s your friend?” Lewis asked. “What was her name… Stephanie?”

  Kayla’s arm tightened around her, and Matt’s mouth turned grim. “She’s fine.”

  “Where’s she living now?”

  Angela had no idea. Stephanie partied with one person or another, then drifted on. “In…Colorado.”

  “What does she do for a living?” Lewis asked.

  “Um…she’s in sales,” Angela said and felt some of the tension leave Kayla as the girl smiled more easily.

  Lewis stepped aside to let some people pass through to the exit. “What about Stephanie’s mother? She used to babysit me when I was four. Only for a few months, but I still remember her. Does she live in Denver, too?”

  The merry music and
Christmas atmosphere lost some of its charm. Angela missed Betty, who’d been such a part of this place. This Christmas couldn’t be like the ones she used to know. Not without Betty. “No. She had a heart attack and passed away a little over a year ago.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Angela nodded politely. “It was tough to lose her. She was a nice woman.”

  There was a respectful pause, then Matt said, “We’d better get back to work.”

  “See what a slave driver he is?” Lewis teased.

  Angela smiled. “It was great to see you again,” she told him and meant it. But she wasn’t sure she felt the same about Matt.

  “Would you and your daughter like to join me and my family for dinner tomorrow night?” Lewis asked. “Matt will be there, too, right, Matt?”

  Matt blinked, as if Lewis had caught him off guard and he didn’t know how to escape.

  “I wouldn’t want to impose,” Angela said.

  “It’s no trouble,” Lewis insisted. “You might remember my wife. Peggy Sutherland?”

  “Was she my age?”

  “She’s four years younger.”

  “I can’t quite place her,” Angela admitted.

  “Maybe you’ll recognize her when you see her. Anyway, I know she’d love to have you over. She likes to entertain.”

  By now Angela could see a muscle flexing in Matt’s cheek, but if Lewis bothered to notice, he completely disregarded his friend’s less than eager response. And, with the goal of getting to know Matt better, Angela chose to do the same. She’d come for a reason, after all. “If you’re sure…”

  “I’m positive,” he said and Angela gave him her cell number so they could make the arrangements.

  CHAPTER THREE

  AS SOON AS THEY were inside the fire station, Matt pulled Lewis to a stop. “What the hell were you doing back there?”

  “When?” His friend’s eyes widened as if he really was as innocent as he pretended to be.