“I’m glad you enjoyed it. It seemed to me all you’ve done since I met you is work. Work is admirable, but you know the old saying, all work and no play, et cetera.”
“Yes, I know. I just—I was trying so hard to meet my parents’ expectations. I probably couldn’t have taken a day like today until after the Festival. But today is perfect. Now I think I can make it until Christmas.”
“I hope so.” And he leaned down and kissed her.
“Hunter! People can see us!”
“You think they’ll be shocked that their favorite store owner is being kissed?”
“No, but I told you I don’t want people thinking that I’ll be heartbroken when you’re gone and them feeling sorry for me.”
“Mmm, I guess that’s smart thinking on your part…”
“Yes, I suppose it is,” she said sadly.
“So it’s okay if I kiss you as long as I’m here, right?”
“No! That’s not what I meant!”
He laughed down at her. “Oh, I get it. I can kiss you as much as I like as long as we’re in private.”
She couldn’t help responding to his teasing. “Well, that’s closer to what I meant.”
“Good,” he whispered in her ear, his arm wrapped around her as he skated her around the pond.
After several more rounds, they returned to the bench and took off their skates and replaced them with their shoes. “Walking seems strange now, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“Yes,” she agreed and then stumbled.
His arm shot around her again. “Steady there.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t pull away. We’ll make better progress if we stick together. Besides, it’s warmer that way.”
When they got in Hunter’s car, they sat waiting while his engine warmed up. He leaned toward her and said, “You know what would really be perfect now?”
“A cup of hot chocolate?”
“That and a big hot pizza. I don’t suppose Bailey has a pizzaria?”
“Yes, we do, it’s a lovely place, but they don’t deliver.”
“Do they do takeout?”
“Yes, but we can eat it there. They have a big open fireplace and the tables are all placed around the fire. It’s lovely there.”
“Why haven’t you told me about this place before now?”
Sally blinked several times. Then she confessed, “I didn’t think you’d eat at such a—a lowly place. I mean, there are no tablecloths or fancy menus, just a blackboard list of the kinds of pizzas they make.”
“Ah, Sally, you don’t really know me, do you? I don’t have to have a tablecloth or a fancy menu. A good pizza is worth a lot more. Tell me how to get to this place.”
Sally gave him directions and they arrived at the pizzaria on one of the few back streets in Bailey.
There were four or five couples sprinkled around the big fireplace. Hunter and Sally chose one of the empty tables and a young waitress arrived at their table almost at once.
“What do you like on your pizza, Sally?” Hunter asked.
“Almost anything but anchovies.”
“Perfect,” he murmured and ordered a pizza with about five toppings on it. “And we want the biggest size. We’re starving!”
“Hunter,” she whispered, as the girl left the table. “We’ll never be able to finish a big one.”
“So we’ll have leftovers for tomorrow evening. That won’t be so bad, will it?”
“That might be absolutely wonderful. But we’re closing at seven tomorrow and Tuesday. And then, on Wednesday, we’ll close at four. Of course, you’ll probably want to leave at noon so you get back to Denver before it gets dark.”
“We’ll see.”
“I don’t think we’ll be too busy. I think everyone has bought everything they’ll need by now. We’ll get a few last minute shoppers or people who have forgotten something, but the big rush is over.”
“What will you do with yourself with all that time on your hands?” he asked with a smile.
“Well, I need to do some baking. I may make cookies tonight. And Wednesday evening, I’ll bake a cake and several pies for our Christmas dinner. I think I told you Penny was coming to my house for Christmas dinner.”
“That’s right. Has she called and asked if Jake can come?”
Sally sat up straight. “What? Why would you ask that?”
“They seemed awfully close at the Christmas Festival, and I saw him kiss her before they left the store to go play Santa.”
“No! Did you really?”
“I did. And she didn’t protest very much, either.”
“She didn’t say anything to me about it!”
“Maybe she was afraid it would make you feel too much alone, if she told you,” Hunter said softly.
“Yes, I suppose so,” Sally replied, suddenly thoughtful.
“I have an idea,” Hunter said, breaking the somber mood. “Why don’t you invite me to Christmas dinner, too?”
“Invite you to—why would I do that?”
“So Penny and Jake won’t feel awkward.”
“Hunter, of course you’re welcome to Christmas dinner, but I suspect your grandfather wants you at his house for Christmas.”
“Oh, there’ll be plenty of time for that. He doesn’t usually have his Christmas dinner till later at night. I’d still have time to get there if I left by three.”
“Really? Then yes, I’d love to have you stay for Christmas dinner with me and Penny…and Jake if you really think he’ll come, too.”
“He’ll come.”
“I’ll just take your word for it, will I?”
“Only if you’re smart,” he teased.
The waitress brought out their drinks and the large pizza.
“Whoa! I didn’t know your big pizzas were quite so large,” he said with a smile at the girl.
“Yes, sir. Here are your plates. Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thanks. But it looks really good.”
She walked away with a smile.
“Well, how about it? How many pieces do you want to start with?”
“How about one? One at a time works best.”
“I guess. In high school, when I shared a pizza, I learned to grab more than one, or I wouldn’t get a second piece.”
“I promise I don’t eat it that fast!”
“Okay, one at a time.”
They ate for a while in silence, both enjoying the hot, tasty pizza. Sally thought again how easy it was to sit with Hunter and share a meal. She was going to miss him terribly when he’d gone. As if he could read her thoughts Hunter interrupted the silence.
“I really enjoyed the Christmas Festival, Sally. It was such a magical evening. There was definitely something special in the air that night,” he said.
“I know. But that’s part of the beauty of our Festival. Everyone shares. There were several families who got toys for their children and clothes. One lady told me that her children would have a Christmas, thanks to us. That was a nice feeling.”
“Yeah, it must’ve been. But you know others will have a nice Christmas just because they shopped at your store.”
“Yes, of course, but they paid for it,” she said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, they did, but you run a good store, Sally. I’m impressed with your prices and your friendliness. And believe me, I know.”
“I know you do, Hunter. Your training and knowledge has been obvious from the start. I really appreciate it.”
“Sweetheart, the pleasure’s been all mine,” he said with a warm smile.
Sally chuckled. “Oh, yes, I’m sure. Slaving for eleven hours day after day, waiting on people who don’t even care how many hours you’ve worked. That wouldn’t be high on many people’s list of dream jobs.”
“Want another piece?” he asked, indicating the pizza.
“Yes, thank you,” she said, taking one.
He took a third piece and bit into it. “Mmm, this is good pizza.
It’s the best I’ve eaten in a while. Tell me, Sally, will you be serving something like this on Christmas Day?”
“No! I’m serving a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey and dressing.”
“Ah, you’re a Benjamin Franklin fan, are you?”
“What?”
“You know, Old Ben tried to convince everyone the turkey should be our National bird. Isn’t that why we eat it on Thanksgiving and Christmas?”
“I guess so, but I’m serving turkey because that’s what Mom used to serve.”
“That’s an even better reason, Sally, and I’m sure it will be good.”
“What does your grandfather serve on Christmas?”
“He prefers steaks on Christmas Day.”
“Steaks? I guess they are easier to clean up after. The turkey carcass is a pain sometimes.”
“That’s true, and you don’t have a lot of leftovers with steaks.”
“Yes, but I like the leftovers. It makes getting up the next morning fun. I love to have pie for breakfast on the day after Christmas.”
Hunter leaned toward her. “Do you know that you are the sweetest person I’ve ever known?”
Sally sat back in surprise. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true. Now, do you want another piece of pizza?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WHEN they had finished Hunter waved to the waitress and asked her for a box to take the pizza with them. They soon had it packed up and were on their way again.
When they reached her house, Hunter parked the car and looked at her. “If I promise to behave, do I get to come in and help you bake cookies?”
“Of course you can, Hunter. I’d enjoy the company.”
In the kitchen, Sally got out the things she’d need to bake sugar cookies. She mixed up a double batch of dough and then began to roll it out. Once she’d done that, she opened a drawer and took out cookie cutters in Christmas shapes. “Take your choice, Hunter.”
He picked out four shapes he liked—a bell, a Christmas tree, Santa’s head and a wreath.
“Those are my favorites, too. We’ll just use those four.”
They began cutting out cookies and placing them on the nearby cookie sheet. They filled two sheets and put them in the oven. Then Sally mixed colored icing to spread on the cookies.
They spent the rest of the evening decorating cookies in bright colors. Hunter discovered he had quite a talent for decorating cookies. Sally encouraged him to experiment. One or two turned out badly, but he ate those.
When ten o’clock rolled around, Sally put the cookies away to save for Christmas Day.
“Thanks for all your help, Hunter. This was fun.”
“Yes, it was. Will you put some cookies in my lunch tomorrow?”
“Just a couple. I don’t want to spoil you, you know!”
He put his arms around her. “I should’ve known you’d be one of those mothers who refuses to spoil her child.” He bent down and kissed her.
“You’re not my child, Hunter!” Sally responded breathlessly.
“Always point out the technical details!” And he kissed her again.
“Hunter, I think you’d better go home. It’s getting late.”
“Okay, give me a goodbye kiss and I’ll be on my way.”
“But I’ve already given you two kisses.”
“Yes, but those were just playful kisses. I want a real goodbye kiss.”
She slid her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to his for a deep, satisfying kiss. So satisfying that she didn’t want it to end.
When he pulled her arms down and backed away, she watched him wistfully.
“Don’t look at me that way, Sally, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and go upstairs with you. I’ve got to go while I can. Good night, sweetheart.”
Then he was out the door and in his car.
Sally leaned against the door, listening to him leave, a smile on her lips.
Sally had been right about the traffic they had in the store the next day. It was much less than the previous week. They only had a few gift-wraps they had to do. People were rushing in for something they’d forgotten or for the details everyone forgot until they needed them, like parcel tape and ribbons.
Susie was bored and Sally gave her a new project of rearranging the children’s department. They normally didn’t carry a lot of toys and had sold out most of what they had. Sally asked her to do an arrangement of clothing to take up some of the empty space.
With Hunter, Mary and Ethel on the floor, Sally retreated to the break room and worked on the books. She’d fallen behind on that kind of work during the rush. Hunter had been right—they had done well this Christmas season. She readied a bank deposit and put it in her purse. She tried never to carry a bank bag when she went to the bank. That made it much too obvious what she was doing, and as safe as Bailey was, she wasn’t about to take any chances.
In fact, for some reason today she stopped by Hunter’s side as he finished with a customer. “Hunter, would you like to go for a walk?”
He frowned but said, “Sure, that would be good. Where are we going?”
She leaned in and whispered, “Actually I’m going to the bank, but don’t feel like going alone today,” and waited for his reaction.
“Yes, I’d definitely like to go for a walk.”
She told Ethel she and Hunter were going to take a short walk to arouse their appetites and they walked out of the store.
“Is this how you handle trips to the bank?” Hunter whispered.
“No, not usually. I never do it at regular times. But what I’m taking today is exceptionally large. We’ve done well the past few days.”
The bank was only a few storefronts down from the general store and they reached it quickly. There were a few customers in the bank, but Sally and Hunter didn’t have to wait long to get served. Sally had filled out a deposit slip in the store and had everything ready to go. She stepped up to a window and drew out the pile of cash from her purse.
The teller, an old friend, had just counted out the money to verify the amount of the deposit and given Sally a receipt, when a man entered the bank with a scarf over the lower half of his face and yelled, “Okay, everybody stay calm and nobody gets hurt!” He was brandishing a pistol of some kind in his hand and everyone froze.
Hunter had been leaning nonchalantly against a pillar near the front door and Sally turned around to see where he was, praying that he wouldn’t do anything to stop the bank robber.
But Hunter wasn’t sharing her thoughts. He immediately grabbed for the gun the man was holding, taking both the gun and the man down to the floor. He was joined in his attempt to disarm the man by the bank president.
Sally stood paralyzed by Hunter’s action until she heard a gunshot. The robber, in the struggle, had managed to fire the gun and Sally flew to the pile of men on the floor, desperate to see Hunter.
“You got him?” Hunter asked the bank president and several others who had come to their aid. He was holding his arm and blood was beginning to appear between his fingers.
“Hunter!” Sally cried out. “You’re injured!”
“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s serious,” Hunter assured her, which did nothing at all to relieve her anxieties.
“We’ve got to get you to the hospital,” she said, putting her arm around him.
“Sure, we’ll go in a little while,” he said, sounding unconcerned.
By that time, the sheriff and a deputy had arrived and took the man into custody. The bank president, Gerald Hornwright, insisted on walking Hunter to the clinic the only doctor in Bailey ran. So the two of them, each holding on to Hunter, walked him down the street, drawing a slight crowd.
When they reached the clinic, Gerald held the door open and they entered, with Hunter dripping blood on their clean floor.
“Whoa! What happened?” the nurse asked as she reached for a cloth and immediately wrapped Hunter’s hand in it. “Sit down here,” she said, in
dicating a nearby chair. Gerald explained what had happened.
By that time, the doctor had come from his office and began cleaning Hunter’s wound. Fortunately the bullet had gone straight through Hunter’s arm, leaving a clean wound that the doctor could easily fix. After cleaning it up and giving Hunter a tetanus shot, the doctor bandaged Hunter’s arm.
“Okay, you’re good to go, Mr Bedford. You’ll need to get that checked in a week, after changing the bandage and making sure it’s clean. You can handle that, can’t you?”
“Sure, Doc.”
“Here are the pain pills I’m prescribing and an antibiotic for infection, too. You’ll need to take them as prescribed and get plenty of rest.”
“I’ll take care of him,” Sally promised. “Hunter, do you want me to go get my car, so you won’t have to walk?”
“Come on, Sally, it’s not that far back to the store.”
She didn’t intend for him to go back to the store. She’d already decided that Hunter would be staying at her house until he had fully recovered from his ordeal. When she led him from the clinic, people were standing out on the sidewalk, having heard about the robbery. They clapped as Hunter and Sally appeared.
“This is embarrassing,” he muttered.
“They just want to say thank you. A lot of their money is in the bank. You did them a favor.”
“Aw, Sally, I just did what anyone would do. He wasn’t a very big man.”
“I know, Hunter, but sometimes, desperation makes people impossible to control. That was a dangerous thing you did if not a little stupid.”
“He wasn’t that strong. I think he was very nervous. Poor guy.”
“How can you say that when you got shot? Do you want me to call your grandfather?”
“Uh, no, Sally, I don’t.”
“But, surely he’d like to know that you got hurt?”
“Probably better that he doesn’t know it at all. Hey, where are we going?” Hunter asked as Sally steered him to the street behind the store.
“I’m taking you to my house. You can’t work at the store the rest of the day. You need to lie down and get some rest. After all, you lost some blood.”
Snowbound with Mr. Right Page 12
