“Okay,” Wren called out from the side of the truck. She examined the feminine breast plate. She liked seeing Aspen in hers on set.
“Let me know if you need some help over there.”
“I think I’m good. Besides, it’s not ‘putting on’ that I need your help with.”
Aspen took a deep breath and shook off a laugh.
“They don’t really make these things for comfort, do they?”
“Are you talking about the chest guard?”
“Yes.”
“No, they don’t. But they are nice to have if, for any reason, you fly over the handlebars, or tip over onto something sharp.”
“How do I look?” Wren put one hand behind her helmet and the other on her hip.
“Irresistible.”
“I could say the same about you.”
Aspen adjusted her goggles over her eyes. “How about now?”
“You still have my undivided attention.”
“Good.” She swung her leg over the seat of the bike. “Hop on.” She patted the seat behind her. “I want to point out a few things first. Is that all right?”
Wren swung her leg over and snuggled up to Aspen’s back, as close as her extra padding would allow her. “Gladly.”
~~@
“Is she here?” Trigg stood at the door with a bouquet of flowers.
“Hey there, Trigg. Come on in.” Cole pushed the door open. “Aspen went to the dunes with her actress friend. Pretty young lady. Good cook, too. Not sure when they’ll be back.”
“Oh.” He didn’t hide his disappointment.
“I do know, for a fact, they plan to be at the Parade of Lights tonight.”
“Yeah?”
“Will you be there?”
“Sure will. I’ve been asked to help out if any of the clunkers break down. I’ll have my tow truck ready to clear ‘em out.”
“Very good, then.”
“Did she ask about me?”
“We talked about you a little last night.”
“All good I hope.”
“I wouldn’t say bad.”
“But not good, either.” Trigg looked down.
“You’re a good fella, Trigg. Heck, I like ya. It’s probably best that you have this conversation with Aspen yourself, though. I don’t even pretend I know how to think like a girl.”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to her. Think I should head on over to the dunes?” He held up the bouquet.
“Don’t know. I guess if it were me I’d put on my nicest cologne and wait for tonight when it’s dark and everyone’s in good cheer from the festivities.”
“I’ll wait then. Don’t let her know I stopped by, okay? I’ll surprise her with these tonight.” He lifted the bouquet once again. “I may also bring Steve to meet Aspen’s actress friend. Maybe they’ll hit it off and I can chat alone with Aspen. I’ll be respectful, of course.”
“I know you will, ‘cause if you weren’t, Aspen would be sure and put you in your place,” he joked.
“Got that right.”
Cole winked. “Good luck, Son.”
Trigg smiled when Cole referred to him as son. “Thank you, Sir.”
~~@
Wren leaned in to kiss Aspen.
“What are you doing?”
“I know I said I would try and behave, but having my arms and legs wrapped around you that entire time has made me weak.”
Aspen looked around.
“There’s no one here. Just a quick kiss.”
“You’re making my heart work overtime. It’s not that I don’t want to kiss you. Believe me, I do. I just don’t know that I’ll be able to stop once I get started.”
“You’re right.” She stepped back. “A simple kiss wouldn’t be enough for me either. We better wait.”
Aspen took a deep breath. “Ready to ride?” She pointed to the other bike.
“Think I’m ready?”
“Absolutely.”
“Let’s do it!”
Aspen stood next to Wren and spotted her as she straddled the bike. “All right, give it a kick.”
“What?”
“Start ‘er up. No, wait!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you sure you’re in neutral?”
Wren let go of the clutch and walked herself forward with no hesitation. “I’m certain.”
“Good, now put your goggles in place. They’re a tad lopsided.” She helped her center them. “Now start ‘er up.”
“Kick or push the button?”
Aspen sized her up. “Let’s stick with the button for now. Once you have your balance, we’ll practice the kick start.”
Wren pushed the starter and the engine hummed.
“Give her a little gas.”
She revved the engine.
“Okay?”
“Affirmative. I’ve got this.”
“Be very careful, okay?”
“I will. I need to be in tip-top shape for tonight.”
Aspen smiled. “Okay, now slip the clutch as you give it some throttle. Ease into it and you’ll feel it start to pull. Nice and easy.”
“Nice and easy for you,” she joked. Then she did as told. She took off quicker than Aspen had anticipated. “Oh yeah!” She yelled out. “This is fun!”
Aspen laughed at how excited Wren was as she made circles in the sand. “You’re a natural, Wren!”
“I have an awesome teacher. Even if she is a bit of a distraction.”
“And you’re not? Now change direction,” she yelled.
She did without any issue.
“Come on back over here and stop next to me.”
She pulled up next to Aspen, put the bike in neutral, and let it idle. She took her hands off the handlebars and winked at Aspen through her goggles, still straddling the dirt bike.
“Take your helmet off for a second.”
Wren pulled it off her head as her hair cascaded down her shoulders, as if she were in a shampoo commercial.
Aspen leaned in and planted a firm kiss against her lips. When they fused together, Wren felt weak in the knees. When their tongues met she almost tipped over. “Whoa.” She caught herself.
“You okay?”
“More than okay…only you almost knocked me off the bike.”
“Sorry about that. You’re just so irresistible.”
She yanked Aspen back over to her mouth once more and their tongues explored each other’s taste and touch. She pulled away. The crisp air tried to cool off the heated temperature in her cheeks. “Now go and get on your bike before I drop this one…and then you to the ground.” She quickly replaced the helmet back on her head.
“Try and keep up.” Aspen popped her helmet on as she hopped onto the seat of her bike. With one kick the engine started. “Eat my roost,” she yelled, peeling out and kicking sand up in the air.
“My pleasure.” Wren followed close behind.
~~@
“How did it go?” Cole gave his daughter a hug. “I see you made it back in one piece, Kiddo.” He wrapped his arm around Wren and squeezed.
“She’s a natural, Dad. You should have seen her riding through the dunes like she’s been doing it every day, her whole life.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say every day, but I am happy to report no broken bones.” She stroked her arms. “Did collect some sand, though.”
“Aspen wouldn’t let you get hurt. She’s plenty careful. That’s for sure. You girls still planning on going to the Parade of Lights tonight, right?”
They looked at each other and smiled. “We sure are.”
“How about you, Dad? You going?”
“Sure am. I’ll be selling Christmas trees. Jim said we could pick one out of the bunch to bring home with us. Maybe you young ladies would join me in decorating it before you have to head back out of town on Sunday. Whatcha say?”
“I’d love to,” Wren spoke up first.
“Sounds great,” Aspen added.
“Okay then.”
Aspen pa
used before she spoke. “We’ll look for you after the parade and see if we can help you get it strapped onto your truck.”
Wren’s eyes shifted her way.
“Then I may bring Wren back this way before it gets too late. We’ve already had a full day.”
Cole gave his daughter another hug. “Have I told you how much it means to me to have you home for these few days?”
“I love you, Dad.”
Wren couldn’t look away, relishing the love between a father and daughter.
Aspen let go of her dad. “So Wren, wanna go pick out our attire tonight? Nothing fancy. Just warm.”
“Race you upstairs.” Wren had already gotten a head start before she finished her sentence.
Aspen darted up behind her. “You better move fast. I’m gaining on you.”
“No you’re not.” Wren cut her off before they got to the foot of the stairs.
“I’ll get you for that!”
Chapter 11 – Parade of Lights
“As Mayor of Christmas Valley, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out this chilly night to participate in our annual Parade of Lights.” Mayor Mary Murphy waited for the crowd’s explosive cheer to dwindle. “Before we get in our finely decorated vehicles and turn on all our holiday lights, I would also like to thank a very special young lady for choosing our small, but much esteemed town, to visit during this holiday season. Without further ado…and hopefully without putting her on the spot, please put your hands together to welcome the one and only, Miss Wren Emerson!”
The crowd exploded in another cheering frenzy. Aspen took a step back from Wren and clapped as well.
Wren smiled at the adoring crowd and then at Aspen with a heightened eyebrow.
“It wasn’t me. I swear.”
Wren continued to thank and wave at the cheerful crowd. “It’s truly an honor to be here,” she said loud enough for those standing nearby to hear her.
The mayor continued her rave on the blow horn. “We knew our little Aspen would grow up and continue to do great things…and it is of no surprise she would bring such a prestigious icon to our great town.”
The crowd began chanting Aspen’s name. She simply smiled, placed one hand in her pocket, and gave a quick wave with her other hand.
“Now folks…let’s show our guest some of our small town hospitality. Let the Parade of Lights begin!” Mayor Murphy held the siren button on the blow horn for a few seconds as the crowd went running to their places.
“Aspen. Miss Emerson.” The mayor waved them over to the back of the truck she had been standing on, to use as a platform.
“The mayor is calling,” Wren noted.
“We better go see what she wants.” They made their way over to the truck.
“Hi, Mayor Murphy. Nice to see you again.”
“Aspen dear, you look more and more like your mother every time I see you. And Miss Emerson, thank you so much for being here. I’m Mayor Mary Murphy.” She reached her hand out. “I hope I didn’t put you on the spot. Cole said you would be in town and I ran with it.”
“Oh…that’s fine.” Wren almost winced from the power handshake. “Thank you for having me be a part of your special event.”
“My pleasure, Darling. And aren’t you such a cutie as well.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, Ladies. I have a special request of you. It would be an honor if the two of you would join me on our little float here.” She pointed to a stout trailer all decorated with lights and a Christmas tree ornately decorated in the middle. “We’ll be leading the pack.”
Aspen looked to Wren and shrugged her shoulders. “You wanna?”
“It would be an honor. Absolutely.” Wren felt grateful for the offer.
“Good. You ladies can stand right over here and wave to the few people watching. Most everyone else will be in the parade,” she clarified.
“Of course. This town is so sweet.” Wren brushed her hand up against Aspen’s and gave a gentle nudge with her shoulder. “Maybe we can watch every one else come in with their decorated cars, since we’ll make it to the lodge first. I would love to see how everyone decorated.”
“Sure.”
“Aspen!” A group of people called to her.
“Be right back.” She nudged Wren with her shoulder.
Wren watched in awe as Aspen greeted a few of her fans. Aspen knew each of them by name and gave them a hug.
“Miss Emerson?”
Wren turned to a group of people standing behind her. A young girl, with an even younger little sister, stood with a parade flyer and pen.
“I hope we’re not bothering you, Miss Emerson.”
Wren squatted down. “Not at all.” She looked at the piece of paper. “What do you have there?”
“Can me and my little sister get your autograph?”
“You sure can.” Wren reached for the paper and pen and the little girls giggled. “Who should I make this out to?”
“Me,” the little girl answered.
“Tiffany,” the big sister answered. “And I’m Josie.”
“Would you like me to sign the one paper or do you each have one of your own?”
They nodded. “We have another paper, but it’s for you.”
“For me?” Wren finished writing a personal little message to each girl and then signed her name. She handed the paper back to them.
“Yeah…we drew you a picture.” Tiffany passed it forward, proud of the artwork.
“Well this is beautiful, but there is one thing missing.”
The two young girls looked at each other.
“Where are your autographs?”
They laughed as they reached for the drawing and both signed their names. “Here you go.”
“Wow…that is magnificent artwork.” She explored its page. “Who are these two beautiful girls in the picture? You?”
“No.” They laughed. “It’s you and Aspen.” Sure enough there were two girls standing next to each other and holding hands; one brunette and one blonde. They even got Aspen’s wavy blonde locks, flowing to her shoulders.
“You are our idols,” Josie said.
“Awe…that is so sweet. Thank you.” She gave them each a hug and they ran off excitedly, calling for their parents. She looked at the picture fondly again before another group of people approached her. She placed it carefully in her pocket.
Aspen looked over to find Wren working the crowd. This time it was different from the coffee shop. Wren looked genuinely happy and glowed as the people patiently waited to meet her.
“Aspen!” One of the adoring fans called out to her.
“Yeah?”
“Can I get you and Miss Emerson’s picture together, for the weekly newsletter?”
“As long as you don’t sell it to the paparazzi,” Wren joked.
“Oh no,” the lady panicked. “I would never do that.”
“It was just a joke, Miss Darla.” Aspen stepped up next to Wren and draped her arm around her shoulder. “Is this okay?”
Wren wrapped her arm around Aspen and smiled at the camera. “I’ll only mind if I don’t get a copy,” she said through a smiling mouth.
Flashes of light came from every direction. It made Wren feel like she was on the red carpet, only much less intimidating, and a lot less formal. It felt perfect, standing there with her arm wrapped around Aspen. Her smile, this time, was genuine.
Wren felt Aspen suddenly tense up. “What is it, Aspen? What’s wrong?”
“Hi, Aspen.” Trigg stood about a foot higher than them. His hair was perfectly combed back and his large toothy grin accentuated his plump lips.
“Hi, Trigg.” Aspen let go of Wren.
“Your dad said you would be here.” He stepped in to hug Aspen, knocking Wren off balance when he awkwardly bumped her with his broad shoulder. He picked Aspen up and squeezed her. He looked like a giant next to her petite, dangling frame. He set her down and turned to Wren. “So sorry for knocking into you like that.
I’m Trigg.” He held out his hand.
“Pleased to me you.” Wren thought he looked more like an Abercrombie & Fitch model than a small town boy.
“Wren, this is my friend, Trigg. We grew up together.”
Trigg gave Aspen a feeble look of disappointment before he continued on. “These beautiful flowers do no justice for your beauty, Aspen.” He handed the bouquet to her. Some of the stems were bent from pressing up against her when he had held her in a crushing hug.
“Thank you, Trigg.” She didn’t know what she would do with the bouquet. The vibrant colors from the petals contrasted against the green, red, and white of Christmas lights everywhere. “They are very pretty.”
“I must say, Miss Emerson,” Trigg spoke to Wren without taking his eyes off of Aspen. “I sure am jealous of you. You get to be around this incredible girl, all day.”
Aspen wanted to roll her eyes. Trigg always pushed the charm more than she liked.
“I can see how you’d miss her. She is such a wonderful person to be around.” Wren forced a smile, but felt a hint of jealousy. She wanted to wrap her arm back around Aspen’s shoulder.
“This is my friend Steve.” Trigg smacked his friend on the back, making Steve almost lunge forward into Wren.
Steve held his hand out. “Hi.” He was about an inch taller than Trigg, but so thin that he was barely noticeable next to Trigg’s tanned skin and muscular physique.
“Hi.” Wren watched Trigg pull Aspen away from them. “Nice to meet you.” She tried not to be rude to Steve, but she couldn’t help but watch Trigg and Aspen have an awkward exchange of words in the distance.
“No worries about them,” Steve said. “I’d venture a guess that they are having a typical lovers quarrel.”
She didn’t respond.
“Are you riding or walking?”
“Sorry, what?”
“Are you riding or walking…in the parade?”
“Oh.” She smiled. “The mayor has asked us to ride with her on the float.”
“That’s cool.”
“Yeah.” She forced herself not to look over at Aspen. “The mayor is very sweet.”
“Yeah, she’s my mom.”
“Really?” Wren looked at the float. “So, you and Trigg will be joining us?”
“Nah, we are on tow duty. Anyone breaks down, we tow ‘em to the side. Make sure everyone’s safe and the parade keeps movin’.”
Aspen's Stunt Page 11
