Home for the Holidays (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Diane Leyne

  “Sorry. I was thinking about my car. I’m going to have to call for a tow. It isn’t driveable. Luckily I have good brakes.”

  “And good reactions. You could have been seriously hurt. But I have to say, even from a distance, I could see you struggle with control of the car and do everything right. I’m impressed.”

  “Because I’m female?”

  “Because 99 percent of people, male or female, would have panicked and made things worse. That was a good piece of driving.” He grinned down at her. She looked up and smiled. He looked years younger when he smiled. It drove away the grimness and made him look younger. In fact, she realized he probably was only a couple of years older than her.

  “I’ve got a car-mad dad, and two of my three brothers and one of my two sisters all love cars. You end up learning some stuff even if you don’t mean to.”

  “There are six of you?” He grinned at her for a moment, and she saw that he had a lovely smile. Too bad he didn’t use it more.

  “Yup, and they all have kids and should”—she checked her watch—“either be at my folks place or getting close. I’ve been dawdling, not wanting to arrive too early because my mom will be grilling me on why I came alone and didn’t bring my boyfriend. And when I try to explain that we broke up, she’ll accuse me of making him up to keep her off my back about getting married, and I’ll spend the next year dealing with my family fixing me up with every single man they know under the age of forty.” She paused to take a breath.

  “Mom has eight and a half grandkids, but she still thinks that I, as the oldest girl, should have been married and popping out grandkids when I turned twenty-one. But I’m going to be thirty on the weekend and since I broke up with John, the pressure is going to start again and I…” She took a deep breath. “Sorry, you were very kind to stop and help me and I shouldn’t be bending your ear with my tale of woe. If you could just call for a tow I’d appreciate it.”

  “It’s the night before Thanksgiving. Everyone’s probably heading home. Why don’t I give you a drive home and Friday I’ll have one of the guys come out and tow you back to the shop.”

  “I can’t put you to that much trouble. Really. You are a perfect stranger. And I’m sure you have your own Thanksgiving celebration to get to.”

  “Nope. All I have planned for the next few days is watching a lot of football and maybe knocking back a few cold ones.”

  “Alone?” The word popped out before she could stop it. “Sorry, none of my business. My family always says I talk before I think.”

  “No problem. My sisters and I gave our parents a two-week Caribbean cruise for their fortieth wedding anniversary, which was last week. We told Dad in advance, but we knew that Mom would love the gift and then spend the next few weeks fretting about what could go wrong or how the business would function with both of them away, never mind that they are both technically retired. So we all plotted together and had the big party on Saturday and drove Mom and Dad to the airport Sunday.”

  She saw him smile briefly. Whatever it was, it was a happy thought. It lightened his face and his whole manner for a brief second.

  “Can’t you spend Thanksgiving with one of your siblings?”

  “The tradition is to spend it with Mom and Dad, but since everyone is scattered around the country except me, and they all flew in last week for the anniversary party, and the two sisters I wouldn’t choose to spend Thanksgiving with would sulk while the other would rub it in that she was my favourite, it seemed that the safest choice was to disappoint all three of them.”

  “Wow, a man who understands women.”

  “Yeah, they are pretty great. But they also make me crazy sometimes. So when a buddy offered me the use of his cabin up at Rush Lake, I jumped at the chance. I tossed a few things in a bag and here I am. Had been hoping to get in a little fishing, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I just hope that he remembered to chop some firewood when he was there last time or it may be a chilly night.”

  “Nice buddy. Okay, I’ll accept the drive to my folks’ house. We’re actually on Rush Lake, the west end, so it won’t be too far out of your way.” He looked confused at her abrupt change of topic, but only for a second. He was definitely used to being around women, and Nelly liked the affection in his tone when he talked about his folks and his sisters.

  “Now let’s get out of the rain.”

  “First I have to get my stuff. My purse and overnight bag are still in my car.”

  “Give me the key and I’ll get them.”

  He walked her to his truck and opened the door. She stood staring up at the seat. She couldn’t figure any graceful way to climb up into the truck, as there was no running board or step, and while that worked for his six plus feet, her five-foot-four height wasn’t getting in gracefully without help. She felt him move closer and his large hands close over her waist.

  She tensed for a second, but then she realized she liked the feel of his warm hands on her waist as he lifted her. His face was near hers, and for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. But then the shuttered look came back, and he closed her door and went around to the driver’s side.

  He got her suitcase out of the backseat and her purse off the front and returned to the truck. He took her suitcase and put in it the small backseat of the truck beside his duffel.

  “Do you think the car is okay here? Should I try to move it?” she asked to fill the silence.

  He looked at the road and where she was on the shoulder.

  “It’s not going anywhere. But I think it’s far enough off the road to not be a hazard.” He put the truck in gear and pulled onto the road.

  Impulsively she suggested, “Why don’t you stay for dinner? Mom will have made enough to feed an army.”

  Chapter Three

  “That’s really nice of you, but would they really want a stranger there? Would you want a stranger there? Would you?”

  He looked at her intently, with that serious expression she was coming to recognize. She gave herself a mental shake. What was she thinking? She had only known this guy for twenty minutes. She must be projecting.

  “Look. You helped me out. The folks would kill me if you didn’t come for dinner. And we have a wood fireplace in the family room, and I know for a fact that Daddy would have laid in a bunch of firewood. I’m sure he could spare you a cord or two, just in case your buddy didn’t leave you any.”

  She could see that he was going to say no again until she got to the firewood part. He was proud, but he wasn’t stupid. That was good. A man with sisters knew when not to argue.

  “There, that’s settled. Since you were heading to Rush Lake, you know where the turnoff is. When you get to the fork at the lake, go left and drive for a mile. It’ll be on the right. You can’t miss it. It’s a big Victorian with white gingerbread trim and a huge veranda all around the house.”

  “I think I know the one you mean. I’ve driven by it with my buddy, but I always thought it was an Inn or something. It’s huge.”

  “Yup. Wait until you meet the O’Malleys. We don’t do anything small, including Thanksgiving.”

  Silently, he turned the key in the engine, and she sighed as the hot air began blowing through the vents. She held her hands up to the vent. Then she shook out her hair and tried to dry it. It was long and thick and dark and reached halfway down her back and was probably limp and stringy now. Then she unzipped her jacket, as she was starting to feel just a little warm. She could tell from the sideways look he gave her, he liked the way she looked. He didn’t leer or anything, but a woman could tell when a man liked what he was seeing.

  Of course, she was dressed for visiting the parents, so he couldn’t see much. She was wearing a long mock-neck teal sweater over a pair of dark leggings and thigh-high boots. She looked good and she knew it. She wasn’t skinny, but she didn’t want to be. She had a healthy BMI and was very fit, working out regularly at the gym and running 10K races. She was bustier than she would have liked to be,
as she felt that at five foot four she was just a little unbalanced, but you couldn’t diet off boobs, so she tried to dress to minimize them.

  She turned and smiled at him, and leaned back to enjoy the ride. She was a good driver, but she did hate driving in this weather. She found she liked sitting up here in the truck. She could get used to this. Maybe she’d trade her Viper in for a pickup truck.

  The F-250 ate up the distance quickly, and before she knew it, they were at the turnoff for the lake and then the turnoff toward the house. And they could see the house practically from the time they made the left turn to circle the lake. Even surrounded by trees, she could see that almost every light in the house was on. She guessed that they were keeping a lookout for her and also reminding her, in that way the families do, of the time she wasn’t paying attention and drove by the place and had to circle the lake.

  When he was driving up toward the house, Nelly directed him to the sheltered spot beside the house. She knew the family was saving that for her. And, yes, they were waiting for her. She could see them looking out the various windows, but they saw the strange truck, and with the heavy rain, they were hesitating until they could figure out if it was her. Her saviour got out of the truck while she was trying to spot family members in the various windows, opened the truck door, and helped her down.

  The rain was coming down hard now, so she instinctively grabbed his hand and made a run for the veranda. Her mom rushed out and hugged her tight. Then her dad came out and shook hands. “Edward O’Malley.”

  “Jack O’Dell.” O’Dell? Wasn’t that the name on the truck? Before she could say anything, her mother launched herself at Jack, hugging him tightly.

  “Jack? I thought your name was John?”

  “Well, I guess technically it is, but I’ve always been called Jack to differentiate me from my father when Mom was yelling.”

  “Well, Jack it is then. Come in, come in, and take that wet jacket off. Edward, go get their bags.” Then she bustled Jack into the house, leaving Nelly and her dad staring at each other, grinning broadly. Her dad wasn’t a physically demonstrative man, but that smile spoke volumes.

  She could see Michael and Ned peeking out the doorway, making faces like they were twelve and not thirty-five. Her dad saw them, too.

  “You two. If you aren’t going to bother greeting your sister, then you can make yourselves useful and get her bags from the truck.” And then he put his arm around her and led her into the house. Luckily Shawn was there with a towel and a hot cup of chocolate.

  Her father’s brow wrinkled. He might be pushing seventy, but he never forgot a face. And then he smiled.

  “Jack O’Dell. John O’Dell’s son, right? I think I used to take all my cars to your dad. I still take them in to the shop in Rushton. Nelly, I must say I approve of this young man.”

  “So, Jack. How long are you planning to stay with us? Nelly wasn’t even sure you were coming. Said something about work, but I’m very pleased you could make it.”

  She could see Jack’s face. At first it was very carefully composed, but then he looked around at her and gave her a big wink.

  Jack found himself enjoying the situation and was very tempted to put her on the spot, but as much fun as it might be, embarrassing her probably wouldn’t help his chances if he wanted to see more of her in the future, and he did. “Unfortunately, I can’t stay long. We actually drove up here in separate vehicles so I could head out after dinner, but Nelly had some car trouble. Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, but I’ll have someone come out Friday to tow the car back to the shop and have a look at it.”

  “Do you still work on cars? I think I remember you as a boy helping out your dad in the shop. He was so proud. How’s he doing?”

  “Mom and Dad are cruising the Caribbean. Their first time. I got a text. They are having a great time and already planning the next one.”

  “Never tried cruising myself. Maybe we’ll give it a try, eh, Candy?” He smiled at his wife, who was trying to drag Nelly into the kitchen. “Now you go with your mother, Nelly. I want to show Jack my newest toy. I’ve got a ‘68 Mustang Cobra with only 100,000 miles on it. It needs some work, but I can’t wait. I wouldn’t mind if you took a look at it though. Maybe give some advice?” He led Jack away by the arm, with Nelly’s brothers following close behind. He looked up at her and rolled his eyes, but smiled while he was doing it, and didn’t look all that put out, especially when the Cobra was mentioned. She could see the change in his expression. He was as excited by that hunk of metal as her father was.

  She let her mother and Shawn lead her into the kitchen.

  “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Chris is on kid duty downstairs in the family room. They are tuckered out after a full day playing in the snow. I’m to bring you down shortly. Justine and Kelly will be here tomorrow.”

  And that’s when Shawn made her mistake. She hesitated. Nelly knew she was dying to ask about Jack, but no way Nelly wanted to deal with any more questions than required. And she knew her mom couldn’t go after her to ask questions, because she had the meal to prepare, and she never, ever let another woman in her kitchen. Men, on the other hand, she put to work with the chopping and washing and any other manual labour during meal preparation. So Nelly took the opening.

  “I’m dying to see the kids.” She escaped downstairs to the family room. She was quickly mobbed, and there was no chance to talk about Jack while she tried to figure out what to do. With the bad weather and the fact that her dad had that stupid new car, there was no way he was getting away after dinner. But the house was huge. He could crash somewhere tonight and head out in the morning.

  It was sweet of him to play along. She’d figure out some way for him to gracefully leave without actually telling the family the truth. And then at some time in the future, but definitely before Christmas, they’d “break up” and her family would be sad and harass her, but she certainly couldn’t expect him to keep playing along.

  Hopefully, she’d be able to get him alone for a few minutes to figure out a plan.

  A few minutes later, her brother Ned came downstairs, the water dripping off his hair. “Sis, Mom says you looked like a drowned rat when you came in. Now that you’ve had time to greet the kids, you have half an hour to go upstairs and make yourself presentable so you don’t scare away Jack. The parents seem to really like this one. I have no idea how you landed him, but you have to keep him around at least until he can teach me and Michael how to rebuild an engine. Oh, and you owe me. Dad made me go out and get your stuff and put it in your usual room.” With that, he turned and headed back up the stairs.

  Shawn looked her up and down. Nelly looked at her enquiringly. Shawn nodded. “Drowned rat, partially dried. Not a pretty picture.”

  Nelly headed up the back stairs to her old room on the third floor. The house was actually a former inn that her dad bought when her mom was expecting number six. After renovations, it had twelve bedrooms, and each bedroom had its own bathroom. It was in a great location but needed a lot of renovations, which all of the kids had helped with. And it was just a half-hour commute from their dad’s work and with great schools in the area for all the kids. It was far bigger than they had needed, but her mom and dad were looking down the road to children and grandchildren all gathering in their home.

  She checked her watch. She had time for a quick shower to warm up. She wouldn’t have time to wash and dry her hair, but hopefully it wasn’t too bad. She didn’t have time to unpack right now, so she grabbed her bag and took it into the bathroom with her and placed it on the closed toilet seat.

  It would be nice to be back in her old room, even if it was just for a night. It was so warm and cosy, with a nice big bed and the handmade quilt her mother hand made when she was expecting Nelly. The only thing missing from her room was a fireplace, but you couldn’t have everything. Her room was cosy and had a great view.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was feeling much better. She’d showered, the water nic
e and hot, brushed out her hair and tied it back, and fixed her makeup, since the raccoon look wasn’t in this year or any year. Then she wrapped herself in a big fluffy towel, picked up her bag, and went back to her bedroom to dress.

  She was surprised and slightly unnerved to see a man undressing in her bedroom.

  Chapter Four

  It only took her a moment to realize it must be Jack. He had his jeans unbuttoned and was pulling his T-shirt over his head. She found herself admiring the view. He was as well muscled as she suspected. And they looked like muscles gained from working hard and not at the gym. These muscles weren’t just for show. She admired his firm pecs and his amazing six-pack. His strong chest was lightly furred, and she followed the “treasure trail” down to the gaping opening of his jeans. She was taking in this enchanting sight when he finished pulling the tee over his head, dropped it on the bed, and turned to walk toward the bathroom so abruptly that he almost bumped into her. He grabbed her upper arms to steady both of them.

  For a moment, they stared at each other. She felt the warmth rise in her face and her bag drop to the floor, followed by her towel.

  He looked down at her. She could feel the heat rise up her chest even as her nipples tightened in excitement. He noticed, too, and grinned wickedly before leaning down to kiss her gently on her mouth. Luckily he still gripped her upper arms or she would have wound herself around him like a limpet. As it was, he pulled her close enough that should could feel that sexy chest hair rubbing against her nipples, further stimulating them, and she could feel his arousal pressing against her as he released her arms and pulled her closer, running his hands down her back, stopping at her buttocks, gripping them and pulling her close to him, grinding her against his erection. She kissed him back with passion. Who knew where it would go? It was crazy, but she couldn’t help herself.