Miracle Under The Mistletoe (The Foster Brothers #1)

by Tracy Madison

  But there was one thing she now knew for certain: the ice queen was gone forever. And thank God for that.

  Chapter Ten

  Thursday afternoon found Grady in a seriously bad mood. Olivia hadn’t returned any of his phone calls that week, let alone actually answered any of the times he’d tried to reach her. Initially, he’d been worried. Worried enough that he’d driven to the house last night to check on her, only to discover she wasn’t home. And because he’d given his key back, he couldn’t even let himself in to ascertain that everything was as it should be.

  Finally, he phoned Sammy. Who’d laughingly assured him that Olivia was fine. She’d also pointed out that giving Olly some time to sort through everything wouldn’t be a bad idea. And it wasn’t. But that didn’t brighten his mood any.

  His wife’s confession had shocked him to the very core. His heart ached for what she’d gone through, for the torment she’d lived with. But now, so much of her past behavior made sense. He got it. Finally. He’d left her house Saturday night feeling optimistic. Mostly because she’d insisted on keeping their agreement in force when he was prepared to let it go. She wanted the fourth date.

  Unfortunately, his optimism had long since faded to pessimism. He’d given a lot of thought to how he’d behaved, and he was ashamed to see himself through Olivia’s eyes. He had tried to make decisions for her. Sure, his reasoning was solid: he wanted to help her. But how often had he actually shut up and listened to her? Not often enough.

  So that, combined with her recent avoidance, which felt too familiar for his comfort, had set his mind on the possibility that she was rearing up to go through with the divorce. He still didn’t want it. He still believed that they could be happy again. In truth, he believed this more now than he had for years. The last several weeks had proven to him that Olivia was ready to live again. That was the good news.

  But damn, he wanted to be a part of that life.

  “You’re looking awfully dour,” Jace said, strolling into the back office at Foster’s Auto Concepts. “Contemplating the fate of humankind?”

  Grady shook off his musings and tried for a realistic-sounding laugh. “Nah. Scouring the internet for the perfect Christmas gift for you. Can’t decide between the books Relationships for Dummies or Romance for Dummies.” Giving Jace a look of mock seriousness, he said, “Which do you think will prove more beneficial to your recent woman problems?”

  Jace scowled and dropped into one of the chairs. “Bite me.”

  “No, thanks.” Giving up the joke, Grady said, “What brings you here on a Thursday afternoon unannounced?”

  “Olivia,” Jace replied. “She called me this morning.”

  “For?”

  “She wanted to know where Seth and I stored the presents you guys bought for Cody before…umm…you know.” Jace shifted in discomfort. “She said they used to be in the garage? But she can’t find them now. And…dude… Seth and I didn’t touch those gifts. We only dealt with the decorations.”

  “I moved them to the attic,” Grady said, trying to figure out what Olivia wanted with Cody’s presents. “I wanted to donate them to charity but didn’t feel I should without her okay. Did she say why she was looking for them?”

  “Nope.” Jace picked up a pencil from Grady’s desk. “But she seemed flustered when I told her we hadn’t touched them. I’m surprised she hasn’t contacted you about it.”

  “Me, too.” Grady narrowed his eyes at his brother, sensing there was something else up. “You could’ve called me with this information. Why the personal visit?”

  “No reason in particular.” Jace tapped the pencil against the surface of the desk and averted his gaze. “Why the third degree? Can’t I stop in to see my brother?”

  Ah. This was about the woman in Jace’s office. “Look. I’m sorry I teased you about the Dummies books. If there’s something you want to ask me, ask. That’s…uh…what big brothers are for.” Not that Grady was all that great at offering advice about women, but he’d give it a shot.

  “I want to give her a Christmas gift,” Jace said hurriedly, still not looking at Grady. “But I don’t know if I should. Or if she’ll even accept it if I do. But I want to. I found out kind of accidentally, kind of on purpose, that she collects antique dolls.”

  “Uh-huh,” Grady said. “I’m not going to ask how you managed to gather information in an accidentally, on-purpose sort of way, but go on.”

  Deep red circles appeared on Jace’s cheeks. “Don’t be an ass. This is hard for me.”

  “Sorry.”

  “So…umm…I was shopping over the weekend for the family, right? And I came across this antique store, and I don’t know much about dolls, but there was one… I don’t know, she reminded me of Melanie. I know she’d love it.”

  A name, finally. Grady kept his jaw firmly shut, and nodded.

  “I bought it. The doll. But now I don’t know how to give this to Melanie…or, you know, if I even should. Or if she’ll accept it.”

  “You mentioned that.” Grady worked to stay straight-faced. Not all that easy, but he pulled it off. “Women tend to like receiving gifts. And at Christmas, I’m not sure how you can go wrong.”

  “This is dumb, right? Being so worked-up about giving a woman a Christmas present?”

  “I wouldn’t say dumb,” Grady said carefully. “Perhaps you should consider why you’re so worked up?”

  “Because I want her to have this. I know she’ll love the doll. But she—” Jace coughed. “She has this impression of me.”

  “Playboy,” Grady interjected. “So? You’re working on changing that. Giving her a gift you know she’ll enjoy might help her see you in a different light.”

  Jace’s scowl deepened. “Nope. She’ll think I’m using the doll to get in her pants.”

  “Are you?”

  “No. And I don’t want her to think that.”

  “Then give it to her anonymously,” Grady suggested. “Sign the card ‘Your Secret Santa’ or something. She’ll probably love that.” Olivia used to love the surprise gifts and cards he’d leave her here and there. Hmm. He hadn’t done that in a while.

  Jace’s expression lightened immediately. “That’s a great idea. And maybe someday, the situation will be different and I can tell her the doll came from me.”

  “Okay, then. There you go. Problem solved.” Damn. Once again, Grady was jealous of Jace. If only his women problems had such an easy fix. Maybe he was the one who needed the Dummies book. “Glad to be of service.”

  Olivia tugged at her sweater, wishing it didn’t hang on her frame so loosely. Not that it mattered. She could poke two holes in a garbage bag to stick her arms through and prance around in that and Grady wouldn’t notice. But for today—their fourth date—she wanted to look beautiful. More important, she wanted to feel beautiful.

  She sprayed some perfume on her wrists and behind her ears, and then applied a coat of lip gloss. Stepping back, she took in her full appearance. “Not too bad,” she whispered. “Even with the baggy sweater.”

  Her legs looked long and lean in her skinny jeans, and her hair was lustrous and shiny. That, she knew, was because of the ultrapricey shampoo and conditioner she’d bought the last time she’d had her hair styled. She’d gone light on cosmetics, but even so, her eyes appeared bluer than normal and her cheeks held a healthy glow.

  Yep. She was ready. Glancing at the clock, she saw the time: eight o’clock. Grady would be arriving any minute. Where they were going so early on a Saturday morning, she didn’t have a clue. And he, when she’d phoned him last night, hadn’t shared their destination.

  But she was excited. Anticipation for the day ahead brought a sheath of goose bumps to her arms and a bounce to her step. Today, her goal was to have fun. With Grady. Hopefully, his mind-set was the same. She wasn’t even to the bottom of the stairs when the bell rang.

  She opened the door and grinned. “Hey, you. Where are we off to so early?”

  “Hey, you, back.”
Grady’s eyes widened in appreciation. Score one for her. “Wow, Olly. You look gorgeous. Happy.”

  Feeling saucy, she winked. “You look pretty good yourself.” And, oh, God, did he ever. His chocolate-brown V-neck sweater was worn over a white T-shirt, and his boot-cut jeans fit in such a way that they showed off his narrow hips and muscular thighs.

  A ruddy flush stole over Grady’s cheeks. Jeez, how long had it been since she’d given him a compliment? “Grab your coat and we’ll get going. We have a drive ahead of us.”

  “Oh, yeah? Where to?” she asked, getting her coat from the closet.

  “Bend,” he said, holding her coat while she slid her arms into the sleeves. “I thought we could check out the Old Mill District. Maybe do some shopping, if you’re not done already. You know,” he said softly, “do the Christmas thing.”

  Going to Bend, Oregon, during the holiday season was something she and Grady had done every year before Cody was born. After… Well, there never seemed to be enough time. And a nearly three-hour car ride with a child who could hardly stand to sit still seemed silly. But for today? She couldn’t have come up with a better plan herself.

  “Oh! What a wonderful idea,” she said, sure she was glowing on the outside as well as on the inside. “And I do have some shopping left to take care of.”

  “Before we leave, did you need some help in getting those presents down from the attic?”

  When they spoke the previous night, Grady had told her where Cody’s presents were. She’d been surprised when he brought the topic up, but she should have realized that Jace would mention her call. Grady didn’t ask what her motivation was in finding them, and she didn’t share. There would be plenty of time for that…if she followed through. “I…umm…haven’t decided on that yet. If I do, I’ll let you know.”

  Curiosity colored his gaze, but he didn’t question her further. “Well, then. Let’s get moving. I thought if we got there by eleven, we could grab some lunch before the noon rush.”

  “Mmm. Do you know if they have snow?” She followed him out and down the driveway, to where his pickup was parked. She had this image of them walking through softly falling snow, hand in hand, with snowflakes melting on their cheeks.

  “Baby, it’s Bend in December. What do you think?”

  This, she realized with a start, was the first time in forever that she’d thought of snow as anything other than an enemy. Another shot of warmth suffused her. “Good,” she said, opening the passenger door to Grady’s truck. There, resting on the seat, was a silver-wrapped box with a bright red bow stuck on top. She carefully picked up the present and hopped in the truck. When Grady slid into the driver’s seat, she asked, “What is this?”

  His eyes rounded in mock surprise. “Where did you get that?”

  “On my seat. Where you left it.”

  “Hmm. Wasn’t me, Olly. And it wasn’t there before,” he said, firing up the ignition.

  “Sure it wasn’t,” she said, trying hard not to laugh. “So…maybe someone has a crush on you, Grady? This being your truck and all.”

  “Ah…maybe. Why don’t you see if there’s a card attached?” Damn, he was good. His voice held all the right notes. “But I’m telling you, I have no idea where that came from.”

  “You forget how well I know you,” she said with a grin. And yeah, her bones were doing that melting thing again. “How many cards and flowers and other presents have you secretly given me over the years, hmm?”

  “I don’t believe we ever ascertained who your secret admirer was.” Grady pulled onto the street and tossed her a sidelong glance. “Maybe he’s back. Maybe his life got crazy and he forgot to remind you of how special you are to him. Maybe this is his way of saying he’s sorry.”

  Fizzy bubbles of warmth and pleasure widened her smile. But she didn’t move to open the present. She couldn’t. Not when her attention was so wholly captured by the man sitting next to her. “You’re an incredible man, Grady Foster,” she said softly.

  The ruddy flush returned. “You check that card yet?”

  “No, but I will now.” She peeled off the tiny envelope taped to the silver wrapping. Using the tip of her nail, she slit open the envelope. The card inside featured a round, chubby puppy with floppy ears and a pair of fake reindeer antlers stuck to his head. She opened the card and read, “Each day brings us the opportunity to create new memories. Here’s hoping you’ll remember this day with joy.”

  “Well, whomever your admirer is, he sure isn’t a poet,” Grady said with a little cough. “But I suppose the sentiment is nice.”

  “No, Grady. The sentiment is wonderful.” She turned the present over in her hands, feeling like a very lucky woman. “Should I open this now or wait for Christmas?”

  “I would think he’d want you to open it now.”

  “Right. Whoever this mysterious ‘he’ is.” She carefully removed the wrapping to find a white square box. She lifted the lid. Inside was an ornament no larger than the size of her palm. But it was gorgeous. A 3-D crystal snowflake that sparkled as if it were made of diamonds. The weight of the ornament was heavy and solid, and she knew that when hung on the tree, the lights would make it glitter all that much more. “This is beautiful, Grady. Thank you.”

  This time, he didn’t try to pretend the gift wasn’t from him. “I thought you might want a new ornament for the tree. Something to—” he shrugged as he turned onto the expressway “—begin a memory for this Christmas.”

  She held the snowflake up to the window. The sun shone in and through the ornament, turning the snowflake into a prism. Suddenly, a rainbow of colors filled the interior of the truck. “And yes, Grady,” she said, awestruck by the display of colors bouncing and bobbing around her. “I will definitely remember this moment…this day…with joy.”

  After tucking the ornament safely into its box, she leaned against the seat cushion. She was very much looking forward to the rest of what today had to offer. Grady turned on the radio and Christmas music poured from the speakers.

  “So, tell me more about this girl Jace is interested in,” she said. “You think he’s serious?”

  Warm laughter tumbled from Grady’s mouth. “Yeah, he’s serious. He bought her a gift…?.”

  Grady continued to talk. Not only about Jace, but about work, his family and a host of other topics as he drove. Every now and then, she’d add her share to the conversation, but mostly, she settled in and enjoyed the sound of her husband’s voice.

  Several hours later, they were strolling in and out of shops in the Old Mill District of Bend. They’d gotten into the city slightly after eleven, and by the time they found a restaurant, she’d been half nauseous, half starving. Not that odd, seeing how she’d skipped breakfast, but she’d worried she might be catching the flu that was going around at work.

  Luckily, a bowl of chicken noodle soup and her half of the sandwich she and Grady had split fixed her right up. Now, they were attempting to get some Christmas shopping done. She’d already bought two small gifts for Samantha, as well as a couple of new ornaments to hang on her tree at home. She noticed that Grady had chosen a few toys here and there. Toys that were appropriate for eight-year-old boys, but she didn’t call him out on it. After all, if she wanted him to respect her needs, then she had to respect his.

  She’d almost purchased such a toy herself. A rather awesome art kit that came with everything a child’s imagination could possibly want: crayons, colored pencils, paper of various sizes, modeling clay, craft glue, pipe cleaners and so much more. In the end, though, she decided not to. For one, the kit was rather large and cumbersome, and she didn’t relish the thought of carrying it around all day. Nor did she want Grady to. For two, she wasn’t quite ready. Maybe next year.

  “Look at that,” Grady said, as they stepped out of a quaint shop filled to the brim with everything and anything related to Christmas. He pointed to a horse-drawn sleigh that was making its way down the street. “Feel like taking a ride?”

  “I
would love to,” she said. “Do you think we can?”

  “I don’t see why not. We just have to figure out where to go.” Grady glanced up one side of the street and down the other. “Wait here, and I’ll run back in to ask the shop clerk.”

  While waiting, she gawked at the dazzling displays that almost every store on the street had. Obviously, there were Christmas lights everywhere. But there were also a variety of holiday animatronics that made children and adults stop and stare in awe. If was almost as if she’d stepped into a snow globe of the perfect Christmas village.

  Well, without the snow. Oh, there was plenty of the white stuff on the ground, but there wasn’t a real snowflake to be seen. She tipped her head toward the beauty of Mt. Hood. Up there, she was sure, were plenty of snowflakes whistling through the air.

  Grady returned with the news that sleigh rides were available from another store down the road from where they currently stood. They took their time getting there, stopping in a few other shops on their way. After all, the day was still early and there was nothing neither of them had to do that night.

  Well, Olivia admitted to herself, there was something she’d like to do that night. She was almost there…almost ready to tell Grady everything that was in her heart.

  But she had to be sure. She refused to give him false hope until she was.

  Grady folded Olivia’s smaller hand in his and settled in for the sleigh ride he’d promised her. He hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed. “The driver was telling me about this place fifteen miles outside of the city,” he said. “Sunriver Resort. Apparently, they have holiday events happening every weekend.”

  “A resort? I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Me, either. But it’s supposed to be really special. Maybe something to keep in mind for next—” He coughed to cover the word year. He had no idea where they’d be in a year. “Next time you come out this way,” he said, completing his sentence.

  “That sounds nice. But I’m having a great time right here, right now.”