How the heck had she gotten up there?
David raised his hands and latched on to hers. Much to his surprise, her palms and fingers were toasty warm and soft. He grabbed her waist as she jumped the four feet to the top of the snowdrift. She was light as cotton candy, and looked just as tasty.
He momentarily held her against his bare chest, adjusting his balance to keep them both upright. His icy body relished the heat radiating from hers. The slight movement shifted the small top to her dress downward, pushing the curvy tops of her breasts high on her chest. No nippleage, but not far from it.
An arrow of lust struck his gut. Thank the merciful stars the temperature in the blowing storm was below zero, keeping his boy nice and cool. If the weather were warmer, he would not have been able to control an embarrassing tent in his pajamas.
Gawking at the beautiful alabaster mound-tops staring him in the face was tempting, but his training as a gentleman won over. He raised his gaze, taking in her sassy short brown hair, sweet round cheeks, and fearful blue eyes. In her little Christmas outfit, she really looked like one of Santa's elves. A terrified elf with a curvy body found in most strip joints, but an elf all the same.
With great care as to not cause the dress any further strain, he put the woman down on the snow.
She didn't move and she didn't say a word. Her big glittering eyes did all the speaking necessary. She was genuinely scared.
Maybe his last comment about his nasty temper was a little over the top. Now he felt like a total jerk. Though he didn't want this woman here, neither did he want her afraid. Some kind of damage control was needed—and fast. “What's your name?"
"Holly."
Her quiet voice trembled. Every limb of her body shook, but she was wonderfully warm to the touch. Could the jittering be from fright?
"Okay, Holly. Come on inside.” He lowered his voice even further and gestured to the open door. “I promise I won't hurt you."
She hesitated, but bobbed her head and then scooted down the drift into the cabin.
Chaos immediately stood by her side and nudged Holly's leg with her big wet nose. The dog's long, narrow tail swung back and forth with enough force to knock the petite girl down.
Holly smiled at the overgrown mutt. She hunched down on her knees and drew the Great Dane close, wrapping her arms around the dog's thick muscular neck.
David stared at the odd scene. Chaos’ reaction, or lack of reaction, was definitely not in character. For as long as the dog was his pet, David had never seen her get so friendly with a stranger. Rather than growling or barking like mad, the Dane was cozying up. She was practically jumping in Holly's lap.
David jumped down the snowdrift into the house, and fought the battling wind to get the door closed. Once inside a blood-curdling chill ran from his iced-over bare feet to his snow-covered bare chest. He hugged himself to build up some warmth, but his teeth started chattering. “Exxcusssee mmmee wwhile IIII ggget mmoore ccloothes oonn."
He dashed into the bedroom and rummaged through his dresser until he found his favorite University of Texas sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. As soon as he threw on the clothes and his well-worn slippers, he quickly brushed his teeth, and scooted back into the living room.
The warmth from a roaring fire in the fireplace and the smell of brewed hot chocolate stopped him in his tracks. “When could you ... How did you?” Stunned into silence, he couldn't think to say much more.
"You don't even have a Christmas tree.” Holly pushed a cup into his hands. “I'm left behind with a guy who doesn't even bother to celebrate the season right. Not a single holiday trimming in sight."
Her watery blue eyes forecasted tears to come.
Confused, David put the hot mug on the table and ran a hand through his hair. He was having difficulty wrapping his thoughts around the entire surreal chain of events, let alone making sense of what was upsetting her. He hadn't been in his room more than a minute. How could she have built a fire and made cocoa in that time? He didn't even own hot chocolate mix. And what was up with the waterworks? “Listen, Holly. I have no idea what's going on here.” He cut a glance around the inside of the cabin, peering into the shadows. “If we're on camera right now, I want to know. Last thing I need is America watching me have a momentary lapse in sanity."
Holly's lips trembled and she sniffled. Two large teardrops rolled from her big baby blues down her round cheeks. She waved a hand in the air, pulled out a handkerchief, and dabbed her eyes.
He blinked and looked again. Correction. She pulled the white hanky out from her sleeve. The small piece of cloth had to have come from her sleeve. Right?
David frowned. Her outfit didn't have any sleeves. She was wearing a short, red velvet sleeveless dress and black leather boots that reached curvy, toned thighs.
The entire look was hot. She was hot. The whole Holly package was the stuff of Christmas dreams come true. But regardless how incredibly tempting she looked, the fact of the matter was there was just no place in that getup to hide a handkerchief.
How had she done it?
David dropped on the couch. Nothing about what he saw tonight made sense. Unless ... He snapped his fingers. “Wait just a minute. I think I've got this all figured out.” He glanced her way. “This is sweeps week for the networks, isn't it? Wasn't the last woman, the Las Vegas stripper who tamed lions, crazy enough? Now they send me a single female magician as a Christmas present?"
Holly stopped crying and blew her nose with the hanky.
Like a tuba being played for the first time, the loud noise reverberated, filling the cabin with sound.
Chaos twitched her ears and tilted her big head. She uttered a high-pitched whine.
When she finished her blowing, Holly waved her hand. The used handkerchief disappeared. “I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Don't mess with me, honey. I can tell when I'm being played.” David jumped from the sofa and looked behind a painting on the wall. Nothing there. No wires. No microphones. No camera equipment. How were they broadcasting this? “Where did they put the goods? I know they're here somewhere."
"Are you mad?” Her look of high-browed confusion and fright quickly morphed into agitation. “Can't you see I've been abandoned in the middle of the Colorado wilderness?"
"Oh! Sure. Your daddy, right?” He crossed the room and opened every cabinet in the efficiency kitchen. Still nothing. “I suppose you and your daddy were just out snowmobiling in the middle of a blizzard on Christmas Eve. Then all of a sudden, he slipped you off the back and bailed.” He stopped his inspection long enough to stare at the woman attempting to make him a mockery on national television. “Just what kind of idiot do you take me for?"
Brows wrinkled, she opened her mouth to speak.
David cut her off. “Don't answer that question."
Holly shrugged and waved her hand at the room. “Honestly, I don't know who you are or what's going on here."
"Everyone in the United States has seen me on television for the last six months.” He slammed the cabinet doors with a succession of bangs, and then lifted himself on the small dining room table to examine the light fixture. He took a moment to shoot her a narrow-eyed look. “Don't act as though you don't know what I'm looking for."
Holly balled her hands into fists and planted them on her hips. “I'm Santa Claus's daughter. When Daddy was here this evening, he passed out in your cabin because he's sick with the flu. I put him in his sleigh to take him home, but Blitzen, that stupid reindeer, ran off without me. And, I live on the North Pole in Christmas Town. We don't watch a lot of television up there."
She bent forward, glaring. Even more of her ample cleavage showed. David fought the urge to stare at the well-rounded, high and tight globes.
"So, no,” she continued. “Other than what little I know of your Christmas wishes, and the fact you are on my father's ‘nice’ list with asterisks, I really don't know that much about you."
Without a doubt, this pretty woman was
one of the wackiest yet. The casting staff for the show must have really worked overtime to pick her from the throngs of women trying to meet him. “Yah? Well, I'm the abominable snowman."
Daggers shot from her piercing eyes.
She pointed directly at the glowing flames in the fireplace. With a flick of her wrist, the roaring disappeared. She glanced at the cold hearth and then nodded. When she looked back, a satisfied grin spread across her face.
She raised her chin. “Does that prove I'm Santa's daughter?"
David sighed and turned back to look through the wires of the light fixture. “You forget, sweetheart, I've met a lot of celebrities, including some talented magicians. I've seen them make things like giant African elephants and the Statue of Liberty disappear.” He glanced up. “Didn't mean they were Santa's nephews and nieces."
"Hmmph!” Holly crossed her arms and stamped a foot. After a moment of thought, she straightened her back and leveled her shoulders. “Alright. How about this?"
Once again she pointed, but this time to the corner of the room. In the blink of an eye, a Christmas tree and all the trimmings appeared. The multi-colored lights of the small bulbs illuminated the dark space. The entire room instantly radiated holiday cheer.
David had to admit the ol’ tinsel Tannenbaum trick was one he hadn't seen before. Many a magician could make things disappear in thin air. Making things appear from nowhere was a whole ‘nother ball of wax. Especially when the item materializing needed to be plugged into one of the cabin's few electrical outlets.
Still, this lady Copperfield found hollering on his roof thought she was Santa's daughter. She might be an awesome magician with a pretty face and a hot-to-trot body, but crazy was crazy. “Not a bad little trick. It'll take me weeks to figure out how you did that. But pulling a Christmas tree out of your hat doesn't prove anything other than your ability as a prestidigitator."
A smug smile spread across Holly's face. She cocked her head toward the glowing tree. “That's no ordinary Christmas tree, David White. I think you might want to take a closer look."
From his vantage point on the top of the kitchen table, he looked over the tree in the corner. The well-decorated, brightly lit Douglas Fur appeared much like any other he'd seen. But curiosity tempted him enough to temporarily give up the search for hidden television cameras. David dropped from his perch, brushed by Chaos and the crossed-armed Holly, and walked across the small living room. He stopped before the tree and turned. “Just what exactly am I looking for? A letter of reference from Santa Claus on one of the branches? Maybe a birth certificate from the North Pole Hospital?"
She threw down her hands. “Just inspect the ornaments on the limbs."
David raised his own hands in front of his chest and waved. “Alright, alright. Gheesh. A little testy, aren't we?” Without taking his gaze off Holly he reached for a tree decoration and plucked it off the branch. “For someone who says she's Santa's daughter, you sure have a short fuse. I thought everyone from Santa's household was jolly."
"Anything look familiar?” she asked.
"Now how could I possibly recognize...” He stopped short and swallowed hard. Upon inspection, he did recognize the hideous porcelain object. The orange and purple reindeer ornament was exactly like the one he painted when he was in the Boy Scouts over twenty years ago.
Unbelieving, David pulled another familiar decoration from the tree. Blue and silver glitter from an antique glass ball flaked off on his fingers. The fragile globe was a gift his great aunt Gertie had given him as a small child.
Great Caesar's ghost. She really was Santa Claus's daughter. The woman was an elf.
A tight knot formed in the pit of his stomach. A flash of vertigo caused him to sway like a drunken sailor. Before he could brace himself for the impact, David fell flat onto the hardwood floor.
Chapter Three
Anxiety pushed down on Holly's chest and pressed so hard she couldn't breath. The good-looking but conceited dummy had realized the truth and passed out. She never should have shocked him like that. After all, he was only human.
She ran over to David's side and waved her hands in front of his face. “Holy Christmas morning. Are you okay?"
He didn't move.
Was he dead?
Chaos got up. With claws clicking on the boards beneath his paws, he trotted over to his master. The large dog sniffed David's sandy blonde hair, and then licked his master's face with a big, slimy tongue.
David stirred to life and grimaced. “Ughh. Chaos, what have you been eating? Your breath smells like rotting garlic chicken.” He put down the old Christmas ornament and half-heartedly swatted at the big pet. “Go away, you overgrown mutt."
Globs of slobber oozed and dripped from the Dane's jowls, covering David's sweatshirt with runny, wet spots. The big, black dog shook his head with incredible force, sending juicy hunks of spittle everywhere.
Holly jumped back and covered her face. “That's disgusting."
The shaking continued in small sections throughout rest of his body, and didn't end until his backside had had enough and his tail finally came to a sudden rest between his long ebony legs.
Finished with resuscitating his master, Chaos returned to his spot on the woven rag rug. After circling himself several times, he stopped and plopped down.
Holly bent over David and placed her hands on his face, needing to touch him—make sure he was really unhurt. His short whiskers pricked against the sensitive skin of her palms. Shivers of electric current sent goosebumps up her arms.
She looked into his roguish brown eyes. “Did you hurt yourself?” She slid her fingers over his cheeks, relishing the feel of his skin against hers. “That was some fall you took."
"I'm fine.” David stood then shook his arms and hands. A look of pure disgust was etched on his handsome, unshaven face. “I may need a bath now."
A vision of David standing in a shower fully naked flashed. Warm water splashed over his head, down his broad chest, and further south. Rich sudsy lather dotted his long, muscular body like whipped cream.
She licked the top half of her lip, but came to an abrupt stop.
What was she doing? David was handsome, sure. But, he was a stranger and she was miles away from her family. She might never get back home. Never see Daddy, Momma, or any of her brothers or sisters again. “If it will put you in a better mood, I suggest you do. Or do I need to spend some more time proving that I'm Santa Claus's daughter?” She bit her lip, but the words were already out.
Why had she said that? Never in her life had she openly provoked another person. A few reindeer, yes, and more than once. But never a human. Before her brain had fully engaged, her nervousness got the better of her. Her mouth had clicked off safety and blurted out.
"Nope.” He wiped a glob of gook from his cheek with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. “You've done enough. I'm pretty well convinced."
"Here. You may want to use this.” She snapped her fingers, producing a clean, wet towel, and then tossed it to him.
David raised an eyebrow as he caught the towel in the air. He ran the towel over his face and the wet spots on his shirt. When he finished, he jerked his thumb at the Christmas tree in the corner. “How did you know what my family's tree looked like? It was destroyed in a fire years ago. This copy is a dead ringer."
Holly walked over to where the tall, rugged man stood, and plucked the towel from his hands. “I read your mind and reproduced it.” She wiped at a spot he'd missed on his chin, and a tingling sensation fluttered across her stomach. If only he hadn't put on the sweatshirt. She would have traded a year's worth of peppermint sticks to rub his broad, hairless chest. Even if to clean off dog slobber.
Reaching out, David gently grabbed her wrist. With care, he removed the cloth from her grip, and turned her hand over, revealing her palm. “You look just like a regular person. Very fit and very pretty.” For several seconds he flipped her hand back and forth. “I imagined anyone related to Santa to be, well, kind of chu
bby and extraordinary. You know, someone with pointed ears and a stomach that jiggles like a bowl full of jelly."
An odd rush of warmth rose from her chest to her face, burning her cheeks. Never in her two hundred and fifty years of life had a handsome stranger ever given her a compliment. “So I take it you really do believe me."
From her hand, David lifted his gaze to hers. A quirky grin lightened his face. “Yah, I do."
His voice was more of an undertone, and she almost missed his words. She was too distracted, lost in the dark pools of David's eyes. Her elven senses picked up his compassion and strong passion. He had a great capacity for love and faithfulness. With the exception of Chrissy's new love, not often had she read these characteristics from human men.
She heaved a heavy sigh. “Thank the holiday spirit. If the tree hadn't worked, I wasn't sure what else I could do."
"Well now that I know who you are and that I'm not on camera, give me a chance to start all over.” He shifted his hand from her wrist to her palm and shook. “I'm David White, struggling author from Texas."
His touch was warm and reassuring. The cold anxious feeling twisting her belly and squeezing her chest since Daddy's sleigh flew off melted away. “I'm Holly Claus, lost daughter of the big guy from the North Pole."
"I owe you an apology, Holly.” David ran a hand over his stubbled cheek. “I've been hiding from the media. The last thing I wanted to see tonight was someone at my doorstep, or on my rooftop."
"Are you running from the law?” A naughty thrill pulsed through her. From what her sisters had told her, bad boys were exciting and dangerous. Rough men and rough lovers.
Another wave of heat flushed her skin.
"No, not the police. Though dealing with them might be considerably easier.” He bent, picking up the antique glass ornament, and replaced it on the tree. David regarded the decked out tree for several moments, and fingered a few of the hanging decorations.
Tales From Christmas Town Page 22
