“Well, look at that,” he said as he peered into the box.
“What?” Dottie asked.
“It’s a walnut,” Buck said, winking to Cozy.
Dottie playfully slapped Buck on one shoulder. “Of course it’s a walnut, you ninny,” she giggled. “You have to open that one.”
Cozy smiled then, delighted with her grandmother’s obvious rapture with Buck’s presence. She silently scolded herself for being embarrassed that her grandma had brought up the ornaments to Buck. She would do anything to see her grandma happy—even peddle walnut ornaments to men who would most likely rather be tortured and hung from their thumbs.
Buck chuckled as his leathery hands fumbled with the walnut a moment. Fairly quickly, however, he managed to separate the two halves.
“Well, I’ll be,” he laughed. He looked to Cozy, his blue eyes bright with approval. “Will you look at that. If that isn’t the smallest Christmas tree and fireplace I ever saw…then I don’t know what is.” He continued to chuckle as he studied the tiny Christmas scene set inside the two walnut halves. “I swear, it just draws you in, doesn’t it?” he asked, looking to Dottie.
Dottie nodded, and Cozy’s smile broadened as she saw her grandma lean closer to Buck as she studied the ornament. Furthermore, Buck seemed truly impressed—sincere in his compliment—and Cozy exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
“I just can’t get over it,” he said. “Look at those little bitty packages sitting on the rug under the tree.” He shook his head, amazed. “Oh, my sister Jenny will flip her wig for this,” he laughed. He looked up to Cozy, asking, “What else do you have in that basket, pretty girl?”
Cozy smiled at him. He was a very charming man.
“Why don’t you just open a few more and see?” she said.
Buck chuckled, winked at her, and said, “All right, then.” He reached into the basket and drew out another little white box.
“What’s that?” Dottie said, however.
Cozy listened too, for she’d heard something as well—a child’s voice.
“Sounds like a little kid,” Buck said, pushing his chair away from the table.
Dottie gasped and exclaimed, “Sounds like he’s calling for help!”
Cozy and Dottie hurried after Buck as he swiftly strode to the front door. As he opened the door, they heard a child’s voicing crying, “Help me! Help! Anybody! Help me!”
As they stepped out onto the front porch, Cozy gasped as Buck put an arm out to stay her and her grandmother. In the next moment, Jesse dropped down in front of them.
“Did he just jump from the roof?” Dottie asked.
“There,” Buck said, pointing in the direction Jesse was running across the street.
Cozy and her grandma simultaneously gasped. A little boy of about four or five had apparently pushed his head between two bars of the old iron fence across the street. It was painfully obvious that he couldn’t pull his head back through and was trapped. Cozy rushed passed her grandma and Buck to where Jesse was kneeling down before the sobbing child and trying to soothe him.
“It’s all right, buddy,” Jesse said in a deep, comforting voice. Again Cozy thought his voice sounded like liquid cloves. “We’ll get you out. Don’t you worry.”
“Should we call someone?” Cozy asked, dropping to her knees.
“Not yet,” Jesse said as he studied the situation a minute.
“Tyler!” a woman’s voice called out.
Cozy looked to see a young women hurrying toward them.
“Tyler! What in the world were you thinking?” the woman scolded—though Cozy recognized an expression of near panic on her face.
“I wanted to see if my head would fit, Mama,” the boy sobbed.
“Oh, honey!” the woman moaned.
“Should we call the fire department?” Dottie asked as she and Buck arrived.
Buck chuckled and shook his head. “Naw. He’ll be fine.”
“I can free him up pretty easily, ma’am,” Jesse said, looking to the worried mother.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Jesse confirmed. “Is it all right with you if I try?”
“Of course,” the young mother assured him.
The boy began to sob, “Help me, mister! I’m too young to die!”
Jesse smiled and tousled the boy’s blonde hair. “Oh, you’ll be fine. This isn’t so bad.”
Cozy found that her attention was totally arrested by Jesse in that moment—by his patience and understanding.
“I’m just gonna lift you up, okay, Tyler?” Jesse began as he nimbly hopped the fence. “I’m just gonna lift you up and turn you upside down. Then your ears won’t hang up on the bars and your head will slip right out, okay?”
“Are you sure, mister?” the boy cried.
“I’m sure,” Jesse chuckled.
“Cozy,” Jesse whispered. She looked up to him, and he said, “Just push his head through real gently once I pick him up. Okay?”
“Okay,” Cozy said, nodding.
“Are you ready, Tyler?” Jesse asked. Tyler nodded—sniffled. “Then hang onto the bars at either side of your head for me. Okay?”
Tyler nodded again, and Jesse took hold of the boy at his waist, lifting him until he hung upside down.
“Cozy,” Jesse instructed.
Cozy’s mouth dropped open in awe as she easily pushed the boy’s head through the bars. He was free!
Dottie clapped her hands together with relief, and Buck chuckled as they all watched Jesse hand the traumatized boy to his mother.
“There you go,” Jesse said, smiling at Tyler. He reached out and tousled the boy’s hair.
“Thanks, mister,” Tyler said, rubbing the tears from his eyes.
“You bet,” Jesse mumbled.
“Thank you so much,” Tyler’s mother said. “We just moved in…four houses down. It took Tyler less than an hour to get into trouble.”
“Oh, it wasn’t too much trouble,” Buck said, winking to Tyler.
“I’m Dottie Robbins,” Dottie said, offering a hand to the woman.
“Brittany Jackman,” the young mother said, accepting Dottie’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Brittany. This is my granddaughter Cozy,” Dottie said, looking to Cozy.
“Hi,” Cozy greeted.
“And this is our neighbor, Mr. Bryant,” Dottie motioned to Buck. “And you’ve already met your hero, Jesse.”
Jesse nodded to the woman. Cozy was instantly disconcerted by the way the young mother’s eyes seemed to light up when she looked to Jesse.
“Thank you, Jesse,” she said.
“My pleasure,” Jesse told her.
Looking back to Dottie, Brittany said, “Tyler and I just moved in. I’m recently divorced, and we thought the change would be good.”
“Oh,” Dottie said, frowning. “Well, I’m sorry to hear about your divorce…but I’m sure you and Tyler will love this neighborhood.”
“I’m sure we will,” Brittany said, smiling at Jesse.
Though she didn’t quite understand why, Cozy suddenly felt overheated, even for the chill in the late autumn air.
“So, no more sticking your head between things, right, Tyler?” Jesse asked, winking at the boy.
“Never,” Tyler sniffled.
“It was nice to meet you,” he said.
“You too,” Brittany said, gazing at him. Cozy frowned, for the woman was gazing at Jesse—not simply looking at him—gazing at him. “All of you,” she added, as if she’d just remembered there were other people standing around.
“Bye-bye,” Dottie said. Cozy grinned, knowing full well it was her grandmother’s tactful way of dismissing the woman. “Let me know if you need anything, dear.”
“Thank you,” Brittany said. She gazed at Jesse again, adding, “And thank you, again.”
“Anytime,” Jesse said, smiling at her.
“Come along then,” Dottie said, taking Jesse’s arm. “We’re all going to freeze o
ut here. It was nice to meet you, Brittany.”
Cozy almost laughed at her grandmother’s sudden possessiveness. It was obvious Dottie Robbins had read Brittany Jackman the same way Cozy had—as having been instantly infatuated with Jesse Bryant.
“Are you almost finished, sweetheart?” Dottie asked Jesse as they all crossed the street together. “I feel awful about you being out here in this cold. Why don’t you come in and warm up a bit?”
“I’m almost finished, Mrs. Robbins,” Jesse assured her. “Then I’ll come in and have some of that cider Grandpa’s been raving about, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Of course!” Dottie chirped.
“Do you need any help finishing up?” Cozy asked, before she’d even realized the words had tumbled from her mouth. She blushed, thinking how ridiculous she must have sounded.
But Jesse smiled, his sky-blue eyes glistening with pleased amusement.
“No…but thanks for offering,” he said. “You all run in and keep warm. I won’t be much longer.”
“You sure, Jess?” Buck asked.
“Yeah. I’m almost done,” he assured his grandpa.
“Well then, come on in and finish sorting through Cozy’s ornaments, Buck,” Dottie said as they stepped up onto the front porch.
Cozy paused, watching as Jesse climbed the ladder to the roof. She still couldn’t believe he’d simply jumped off. Her heart fluttered as she thought of his heroic antics where the little boy was concerned. And they were heroic—leaping from a rooftop and then having the calm logic to know that turning the child upside down would keep his ears from catching on the bars, thereby freeing him. It was impressive, to say the least. Cozy sighed with a delicious delight she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt before. She was, however, slightly unsettled by the sudden feelings of heightening intrigue spiraling through her where Jesse Bryant was concerned.
“Focus, Cozy,” she whispered as she entered the house. She turned her attention to her grandmother and Buck. They were seated at the table again. “Jesse Bryant is too much twisted steel and sex appeal for you,” she mumbled to herself. “Buckly Bryant, however…now he’s perfect for your grandma.” Resolved to see that her grandmother’s happiness was first and foremost, Cozy smiled as she approached the table to see Buck opening another white ornament box.
“Now you tell me, Buck Bryant,” Dottie began. “Aren’t Cozy’s ornaments just the prettiest little things in the whole wide world?”
Buck looked to Dottie and, winking at her, said, “Almost.”
Cozy stifled an amused giggle as she saw her grandmother blush and bite her lower lip with delight. She didn’t even care if her grandmother had used her silly ornaments as an excuse to get Buck Bryant to her house again. In fact, the thought traveled through her head that she’d only been witness to another life lesson at her grandmother’s hand—an example that any trivial thing could be used as a lure when it came to matters of the heart.
Chapter Four
“You can’t be serious, Mr. Bryant,” Cozy said, frowning with disbelief. “You can’t really want all ten of them. I know you’re just being nice…taking pity on a poor college student.”
“Are they for sale or aren’t they?” Buck asked. His kind eyes twinkled with mirth. There would be no use in haggling with Buck Bryant—that much was obvious. Still, she had to try.
“Well, I actually brought them over for Grandma…who I never let pay for ornaments,” Cozy began to explain. “So in truth, you can have them. I don’t like accepting money from friends. It makes me uncomfortable and—”
“Well, I’d rather pay my friends for something than give the money to a complete stranger,” Buck chuckled. “So…ten dollars apiece? Is that right?”
“Oh, no!” Cozy said, shaking her head as Buck retrieved his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. “No, no, no. I won’t take it…and I won’t let you have the ornaments if you—”
“There,” Buck said, pulling a hundred-dollar bill out of his wallet and tossing it on the table.
“Mr. Bryant, really—”
“I spend three times that much on cookies from the little girls in my neighborhood every spring,” he interrupted. “And these ornaments won’t put ten pounds on my stomach. Besides, my sisters love little things like this. Furthermore, I know they don’t own Cozy Robbins ornaments yet. They’re hard to buy gifts for because we’re all getting so old we have everything already.” He reached out, taking hold of Cozy’s hand. “You’re doing me a favor, sweetheart. Really. Would you rather see an old man like me hobbling around at the mall, fighting the crowds in search of gifts for his sisters? Or would you rather just empty out your basket and save me the trouble?”
Cozy smiled at him. She wondered how anyone could keep from smiling at him. He was a real charmer. No wonder her grandma was gazing at him like a lovesick puppy.
“I highly doubt that you have ever hobbled, Mr. Bryant,” Cozy said, relenting at last.
Buck smiled. “So I win?”
“Yes. You win,” she sighed.
“Ahhh!” he said, rubbing his hands together with triumph. “Dottie, do you have a bag I can put these in?”
“You bet,” Dottie said.
“I should wring your neck, Grandma,” Cozy said as she began putting the ornaments back into their boxes.
Dottie simply shrugged and then retrieved a plastic grocery sack from the cabinet under the sink.
There was a knock on the front door, and Dottie asked, “Would you mind letting Jesse in, Cozy? He refuses to just let himself in for some reason.”
“That’s because I taught him good manners,” Buck explained.
“Okay,” Cozy said, heading for the door.
“Here you go, Buck,” she heard her grandmother say. “And I’ll get some cider for Jesse.”
Cozy opened the front door to see Jesse wiping his boots on the welcome rug and unfastening his tool belt. “So you’re finished?” she asked, leaning to one side in an effort to look at the icicle lights hanging from the porch.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” he said, covering her face with one hand. “No peeking…not until it’s dark.”
Cozy was startled by the goose bumps racing over her as his hand lingered on her face a moment. She knew it was because his hand was cold, of course—but the goose bumps tickled all the same. She heard him drop his tool belt to the porch. In an instant, he had stepped into the house, closing the door behind him.
“I can’t believe you were trying to peek,” he teasingly scolded as he dropped his hand from her face. She could still feel the lingering sense of his fingers on her forehead and his thumb on her chin. The goose bumps hadn’t subsided either.
“I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to,” she playfully defended herself.
“Come on in and have some cider, Jesse,” Dottie called from the kitchen. “It’ll warm you right up!”
“Thanks,” Jesse called in response. He smiled at Cozy. Taking hold of her arm, he pulled her with him toward the kitchen. “Come on. I don’t trust you not to peek,” he explained.
“I promise not to,” she giggled as her goose bumps were renewed.
“Better safe than sorry,” he said. “I take decorative illumination very seriously.”
“I guess so,” Cozy said as the sound of his chuckle caused butterflies to swarm in her stomach.
“Was she trying look?” Buck asked his grandson.
“Yep,” Jesse answered.
“She’s a stinker, Jess,” Buck chuckled. “She’s leaving my money on the table here, thinking she can walk out of here without it and that I’ll take it back then.”
Cozy started to argue, but she knew when she was caught.
“She’s a stinker, all right,” Dottie said, winking at her. “Now, Jesse, you sit down and have some cider with us. You’ve got to be chilled to the bone.” Dottie set a mug of steaming mulled cider on the table next to Buck and another one next to hers. “Here you go, Cozy. I know you can’t get enough of my cider.”
Jesse’s grip on Cozy’s arms tightened a bit, causing her to look up at him. “No peeking,” he said, his dazzling smile causing Cozy to feel a little dizzy and lightheaded. “Promise?”
“I promise,” she sighed, rolling her eyes with exasperation.
“All right then.” Still smiling, he nodded to Dottie as he sat down. “Thank you, Mrs. Robbins.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” Dottie said with a wink. “It’s going to be so wonderful having lights up again…so festive.”
“I’ve got all those grouchy old great-aunts of yours taken care of for Christmas,” Buck said, picking up his own mug of cider and sipping from it.
“With these?” Jesse asked, reaching out to pick up one of the walnut ornaments Cozy hadn’t yet put back in its box.
Cozy felt a blush rise to her cheeks as Jesse opened the hinged ornament, his eyes narrowing as he studied the tiny little nativity scene inside.
He looked to her, frowning. “You really made these?”
“Yeah,” she managed to respond.
“These are awesome!” he mumbled, looking at the scene more intently. “Seriously…who would have the patience to do this?”
“Cozy Robbins would,” Dottie answered, handing Jesse one of the white ornament boxes and pointing to the logo on the lid.
Jesse smiled. “Cozy Robbins,” he said. “Now that’s clever.”
“Thank you,” Dottie giggled. “It was my idea.”
“Yes, it was,” Cozy confirmed. At least she didn’t have to be embarrassed about her ornaments and the origin of the logo.
“Cozy Robbins,” Jesse repeated, still obviously amused. He sipped at his cider. “Cozy Robbins. Cute. Awesome trade name and logo too.” He closed the ornament and placed it in the box Dottie had provided. “Do you have any more?”
“Oh, no!” Cozy exclaimed. “I am not falling for that.”
“Falling for what?” Jesse asked, though the innocent expression he tried to keep on his face simply screamed he was playing dumb. “Guys like Christmas. Maybe I want a few for my tree this year.”
Take a Walk With Me Page 6
