Miracle Under The Mistletoe (The Foster Brothers #1)

by Tracy Madison

  If he’d known about Sunriver Resort, they’d have gone there today. And, instead of a quick sleigh ride through the streets he and Olly had already walked, Sunriver’s sleigh rides were supposedly an experience not to be missed. Cozy blankets, hot chocolate and that whole dashing-through-the-snow thing. With bells actually jingling, even. Ah, well. He couldn’t have planned what he hadn’t known about.

  “Are you?” he asked in all seriousness. “You’ve been a little quiet.”

  “Just soaking in the atmosphere. I truly am enjoying myself, Grady,” she promised, squeezing his hand. “Everything feels magical, doesn’t it?”

  He nodded, not able to talk.

  “The only thing missing is snow.” She looked up at him with sparkling blue eyes and pink-from-the-cold cheeks. “I wanted to catch snowflakes on my tongue,” she admitted sheepishly. “Silly, huh?”

  “Maybe a little,” he agreed. “But also endearing.”

  One of the horses whinnied as they rounded the corner of the street they were on. The carriage driver pointed out a few of the shops as they traveled and gave a rundown of some of the events happening around the city. Olivia leaned forward to ask a few questions.

  Grady was grateful, as his thoughts were elsewhere.

  Olivia hadn’t mentioned anything about their marriage or the divorce or her thoughts on either. When he’d questioned her about not returning his phone calls, she’d claimed a busy week as her excuse, and yeah, that was probably true. Realistically, though, it only takes a minute to phone someone. So he had to wonder what was going on inside of her head.

  Olivia sighed. “This is so lovely. I hate for the day to end.”

  And with those seven little words, some of Grady’s worry dissipated. “We have hours before we have to head home. Once we’re done shopping, I thought we could do a little ice-skating. Maybe see if we can find some caroling later, and then grab dinner before going home.”

  “Wow, you really thought this out.”

  “They’re only ideas, Olly.” He formed the cross sign over his heart with his fingers. “Boy Scout’s honor. If there’s an activity you have in mind, say the word. I’m up for anything. Or—” he shrugged “—we can go home early.”

  “I’ve never ice-skated. Only in-line skated. And even then, I wasn’t all that graceful. But why not? What’s the worst that can happen?” She screwed her nose up. “Other than breaking my ankle or leg or arm, that is.”

  “If you start to fall, I’ll throw my body in front of yours to protect you.” He slid a stray strand of hair behind her ear, relishing the ability touch her. “You can fall on me.”

  “Such a gentleman.” The words were said with a teasing lilt, but unasked questions gleamed in her eyes. He’d noticed the same silent, assessing regard earlier, over lunch. It killed him not to ask her what she was thinking. “So, ice-skating, huh? I’m assuming they rent out skates?” she asked.

  “Let’s hope so. Otherwise, we’ll have to glide around the pond in our shoes,” he replied, trying to replicate her lighthearted tone. “And all the other skaters will laugh and point at us.”

  She did that nose-wrinkle thing again, and it was all he could do not to lean over and kiss her. Damn, he wanted to kiss her.

  “Skates or no, I definitely want to check it out.” She poked him in his side. “Even if we’re ridiculed for coming unprepared.”

  Over his shoulder, the carriage driver announced that they were on the last block of their ride. A small, disappointed sigh floated from Olivia to Grady. In that second, he promised himself that even if he couldn’t take her to Sunriver Resort next year, he’d make sure she went. Maybe with Samantha. Or maybe with another man. The thought sent a stiff shudder of jealousy through Grady, but he couldn’t deny that the possibility existed.

  And, jealousy or no, he wanted her to be happy above all else. So if their relationship ended and a new man was able to give her what he couldn’t…he’d wish her well. And then, he’d have to learn how to live without her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Wind filled with the promise of snow blustered and blew around Olivia as she attempted to put on her ice skates. Grady had found a man-made pond on the outskirts of Bend. The entire area was decked out in holiday charm, and made Olivia think she had stepped into a Christmas movie. There were white lights strung through trees, holiday music blaring from speakers that surrounded the pond, hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts being sold, and smiling people everywhere she looked. And, yes, the establishment rented out ice skates.

  Grady knelt in front of her to make sure her skates’ laces were securely tied. Standing, he held out his hand. “Ready to give this a try?” he asked.

  “You grew up on these things. Please remember that I didn’t.”

  “I told you, you have nothing to fear.” He lightly tugged, helping her to stand. “I won’t let you fall, sweetheart.”

  Slowly, they made their way to the ice. There, Grady faced her and held both of her hands. Then, as people who seemingly were born with a pair of ice skates on their feet raced past them, Grady skated backward at a leisurely pace, pulling her along with him.

  She felt as awkward as a newborn colt appears, but she kept her gaze plastered to Grady’s, focused on her balance and somehow managed to stay upright.

  “You’re doing wonderfully, Olly,” Grady said encouragingly. “You’re a natural.”

  “I’m not sure about that, but this is fun.” And it was. Her body soon found the proper rhythm and before too long, she felt comfortable enough to continue talking. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to ice-skate,” she confided. “When I was little, I told my mom I wanted to be a figure skater when I grew up.”

  “Really? You never shared that with me,” Grady said, increasing their speed from a snail’s pace to that of a lumbering tortoise. “What did good ole’ Jilly have to say about that?”

  In the ten years that they’d been together, Grady had only met her parents twice. It was during their first meeting that he’d started calling Olivia’s slightly standoffish and oh-so-proper mother “Jilly.” A nickname that Olivia’s father had found all too humorous. Her mother, on the other hand, hated it. Which wasn’t a surprise. She hated being called Mom, too.

  Olivia grinned. “Jillian said that to be good at figure skating, one has to spend countless amounts of hours and money on lessons, and she didn’t have the money and I didn’t have the patience.” Olivia shrugged and almost lost her balance. Once she recovered, she said, “Can’t say she was wrong on either account.”

  “That doesn’t sound like you.” Grady slowed them down again as they came around the curve on the far side of the pond. “I’ve always known you to be patient.”

  “In some things. But when I was a kid, if I wasn’t good at something right off the bat, I’d get frustrated and give up.”

  Grady nodded. “Oh, I see. That perfectionist thing. Yep, I definitely get that.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You’re one to talk. I used to call you Mr. Fix-it.” A tiny grin lifted the corners of her lips. “Sometimes I still do.”

  “Well, I used to call you…” His voice trailed off. Glints of humor lit up his eyes. “Never mind. I have nothing.”

  “Your attempt at a sarcastic comeback is duly noted. As is your failure in finding one,” she teased. “You’ll think of something tomorrow, I’m sure.”

  “I’m sure,” he responded dryly. “So, do you think you’re ready to try this side by side?”

  “Umm…I don’t know. Why don’t we go all the way around one more time, and then we’ll give the arm-in-arm thing a shot?” She’d be fine now. But she loved the intimacy of looking her husband in the eyes as they skated.

  As if he’d read her mind, a silent but potent sizzle of electricity passed between them and her knees felt like melted butter. She stumbled, sure she was about to get up close and personal with the ice, when Grady’s arms pulled her straight to him. She heard the swish of his skates grabbing on to the ice, hi
s legs locked, and she halted against his chest midfall.

  “Gotcha,” he whispered, his lips near her ear. “Told you I wouldn’t let you fall, baby.”

  And then, magic happened. She lifted her chin to look into his eyes, and a big, fat, icy snowflake landed on her forehead, another on her cheek. And when she opened her mouth…she caught a couple on her tongue. “It’s snowing! Look, Grady!”

  “I can’t,” he said, sounding strangely muffled. “Not when you’re so beautiful my eyes don’t see anything else.”

  “Oh,” she whispered. Her heart fluttered in her chest, like a million and one butterfly wings. This time, though, she didn’t feel as if they were trying to escape. With great care, she caressed his cheek with her hand, and the question in her mind tumbled off her tongue effortlessly. “Will you kiss me, Grady?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” The deep, husky rumble of his voice held nuances of need…want…desire. And yes, love. So much love that she trembled.

  Another snowflake dropped to her nose as their lips met. His kiss…this kiss…was tender and sweet, fiery and intense. And oh-so-intimate. She forgot they were standing outside, on a frozen pond, with who knew how many people around them. She forgot she wore ice skates. She… Well, she forgot everything.

  His mouth firmed on hers. He tasted of the cinnamon-laced hot chocolate and spicy roasted chestnuts they’d consumed when first arriving at the pond. His tongue prodded her lips open and slipped inside, and tiny, barely heard gurgles of pleasure tickled her throat.

  Oh, God. She loved this man so very much. And oh, how she wanted him. In her bed, in her life, in every minute of every day, in every way possible, she wanted Grady.

  The kiss came to an end and they pulled apart carefully. Grady kept his arms tight around her so she wouldn’t fall. He grinned in that lopsided way that reminded her so much of Cody.

  “I love…” He paused. “I love this day, Olly. But we should probably head home. We have a long drive and the snow,” he said as he looked up, “seems to be coming down harder.”

  She swallowed. She knew he loved her. She knew that was what he’d almost said. Why hadn’t he? “Good idea,” she whispered. “But sad, too. It probably isn’t snowing in Portland.”

  “Probably not.” Together, they skated off of the ice. As soon as they’d turned in their ice skates and recovered their shoes, they walked toward the truck. “Are you hungry? We can stop and get some dinner once we’re out of the snow.”

  “Why don’t we wait until we get to the house? My stomach is filled with cocoa and chestnuts, so I’m good for a while.” Besides, as silly as it might sound, she felt like she needed an excuse to invite Grady in. “I can make us dinner.”

  Once the truck was warmed up, Olivia removed her coat and stuck it behind her head as a pillow. She yawned and closed her eyes, exhausted from the outdoor activity. And, when Grady covered her with his coat, she pulled it around her and savored his scent. The hum of the engine combined with her tiredness put her to sleep almost immediately.

  She woke with a start when Grady’s arm slammed into her. She shot straight up in her seat, her heart pounding in what felt like a million beats per second. Grady cursed as he maneuvered the truck with one hand, keeping his other arm protectively on Olivia. She instantly saw what was happening. There was an accident ahead of them, and one car after another was sliding into the accident, unable to stop quickly enough on the snow-and ice-slicked road.

  “My seat belt is on, Grady,” she said in a fear-choked voice. “Use both hands on the wheel.”

  He complied but kept his attention on trying to keep them out of danger. She watched in horror as the vehicle three up from theirs slammed into another car. Grady cussed again, and said, “Hold on, sweetheart. I’m taking us off the road.”

  He turned the steering wheel hard to the right. They literally missed hitting the car in front of them by seconds. Olivia couldn’t breathe as Grady guided the truck toward the only spot she saw vacant of trees. What appeared to be a very, very narrow spot. She closed her eyes and prayed the truck would stop moving. Prayed they wouldn’t hit anything. Prayed for their safety. She felt the tires slide and she squeezed her hands into tight fists. The truck bumped and groaned over uneven snow-covered ground and the sound seemed to be excruciatingly loud.

  Her head slammed back against the seat cushion when they came to an abrupt stop. Tremors whipped through her body, shaking her muscles and her bones, clattering her teeth. She tried to breathe to calm herself, tried to bring herself down from the mountain of panicked fear she stood upon. This…

  “Open your eyes, Olly,” Grady’s tense voice reached her ears. “We’re okay. I’m okay. So are you, honey.”

  “Those people,” she murmured. “We need to get help.” The words were barely out of her mouth when she heard sirens. Okay, help was already here. “How bad is it, Grady?” she asked, afraid to open her eyes to look.

  “Bad,” he said grimly. “There are at least half a dozen cars clumped together up there. Come on. We need to see what’s going on. If there’s anything we can do to help. And we’ll need to get a tow truck out here.”

  “Yes, of course.” She snapped her eyes open. She had to focus on what needed to be done. Later, she could think about what had almost happened. Again.

  Tragedy. It seemed to be right around the corner, lurking, always waiting to strike. And this time, it could have stolen Grady from her. She’d come so close to losing someone else she loved.

  Grady came around to her side of the truck to help her out. She handed him his coat and put her coat on. They were lucky. Very, very lucky. Not only had Grady managed to avoid the accident, but he’d gotten the truck stopped without colliding into any of the massive trees littering this section of the landscape. Yes. Luck. But could she count on luck being there the next time tragedy decided to visit?

  In slow, sluggish steps, they made their way to the accident site. People were everywhere. Some were crying, others were rushing around in their need to help, and some were being tended to by the paramedics. She counted four ambulances in all, two of which sped off with patients needing immediate care.

  Sickness lurched in her stomach. She ordered herself to pull it together. Grady led her to a police officer, and they gave their statement of what occurred…of what they saw. It was almost two hours later before the truck was towed back onto the road, and another hour before they were able to once again head for home.

  Olivia didn’t sleep this time, nor did she talk. Grady didn’t, either. His body was tense and stiff the entire way to her house, and his eyes never left the road. When they pulled into her driveway, she turned toward him.

  “I know I talked about making dinner, but I just want to crawl in bed and sleep. And… Well, I need some time to think about everything.” She shook her head, feeling numb and empty and scared. So very scared. “I’m shaken, I guess. Too much right now to…to…”

  “I’m shaken too, Olly.” His voice whispered over her, and she heard his fear as clear as day. And, as scared as she was, it had to have been worse for him. It had to have reminded him of the night their son died. “I… God. It makes a man never want to drive again.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay.” His voice thickened and caught. “So damn glad.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay, too,” she said brokenly. For once, though, there were no tears in her eyes. They’d been wrung out of her, she guessed. “When…when is the six weeks up?” she said, hating herself the second the words spilled from her mouth. The real question, the one she’d meant to ask, burned in her brain. How long will you wait for me, Grady? How long until you give up on me? “When…when do I need to have this figured out by?”

  Agony pierced his expression. Also, a fair amount of frustration. She couldn’t blame him for that. “December 26, Olly. The day after Christmas. So almost two weeks. But take all the time you need.” Then, he looked away from her. “I’ll let you know if I…
get tired of waiting.”

  Right. Well, she couldn’t expect him to wait forever, now could she?

  The next day, Olivia arrived at Samantha’s with two bottles of wine, her pajamas, and the entire Die Hard collection of movies. Young or not so young, she adored Bruce Willis. And Sam freaking panted whenever he came on-screen. Her friend answered the door on the second knock, and Olivia grinned. Sam had obviously already started her homemade spaghetti sauce. The proof was written all over her white and reddish-orange splashed T-shirt.

  “Come in and—” Samantha’s gaze fell on the bag Olivia held. “Do you have wine?”

  “I do.”

  “You, my dear, are a saint. I meant to buy some when I hit the grocery store this morning, but spaced out.” Samantha took one of the bags from Olivia’s hands. “Come in. I’ve been looking forward to this all week. Any problems taking tomorrow off?”

  “Nope. I think they were relieved I was finally using some of my personal time.” She slid by Samantha to enter the apartment. “I actually ended up taking the entire week off, and we’re always closed the week of Christmas. So I’m footloose and fancy-free.” Hey, it sounded good, even if she didn’t actually feel all that fancy-free. “What about you? Are you going in tomorrow or hanging with me?”

  “Haven’t decided yet. I’ll definitely go in late, though.” They went to the kitchen, where Samantha immediately opened one of the bottles of wine. “Want a glass?”

  “Maybe later. But I could use a soda.” Olivia had barely slept the night before, what with the images of the accident replaying themselves over and over behind her closed eyelids. To make everything even worse, she’d woken up that morning with a slightly off stomach. Brought on by nerves, she figured. “Ginger ale if you have it.”

  Samantha rolled her eyes. “I’m not your maid. Help yourself.”

  Olivia found a lone can of ginger ale amidst an ocean of colas. Taking it, she sat on one of the bar stools and watched Samantha doctor the bubbling pot of sauce with a variety of spices. Faint nausea climbed her throat. She combated it by sipping her soda.