by Anthology
She held the sweater up. “It’s not so bad.”
“How is it not so bad? It has a bucktoothed Rudolph on it.”
“I know. Cute, isn’t it? The kids love it. Jack has a bunch of them and won’t mind you wearing this.”
“How lucky for me.”
“So that’s a yes?”
He rubbed his temple and felt something in him give when he saw the way she was blinking up at him with those big, hopeful brown eyes. “Fine, but only because it’s for the kids.”
She gave him a knowing grin. “So you’re saying you do like kids?”
He shook his head. “Just promise me no pictures. If this ever got out…”
“Then what? Others might see how adorable you really are?”
“Josie—”
“Come on, let’s go.”
He pulled the sweater on and cringed. This was so not going to be fun.
Thirty minutes later, he found himself at Stone Cliff resort, standing in the same boardroom where he and the mayor had faced off a couple of days ago. He looked over the huge stack of presents on the long table.
“Where did all these gifts come from?” he asked.
“My dad plays Santa and keeps track of what each child wants. He sets up a collection, and the locals donate money for toys. Stone Cliff matches the monetary donations, and my family, as well as my dad’s staff, all go shopping.”
Okay, he hadn’t expected that. Something tugged at his chest. “Your father is a nice guy,” he whispered to himself.
“Yeah, he is,” she said quietly, a small, loving smile on her face.
“Hey, sis,” a male voice called out from the doorway. “You ready to wrap?”
Carter turned. He saw two guys standing in the doorway holding tape, bags, and wrapping paper, and assumed they were Josie’s brothers.
“Matt,” Josie said, rushing to grab the stack of paper from him. “Please tell me you and Jason are here to help.”
“Do we have to?” Matt’s shoulders slouched. “You know we suck at this.”
“Fine, then next year, you two can do all the cooking.”
Matt looked at Carter and rolled his eyes. “Does she do that to you, too?”
“Do what?” Carter asked.
“Twist things until she gets her own way.”
Josie whacked Matt. “Stop it. I do not do that.”
“Oh yes, she does,” Jason piped in. His gaze met Carter’s and his lips quirked. “But I don’t have to tell you that, judging from that sweater you’re wearing.”
When the two bothers laughed, there was nothing Carter could do but laugh along with them. “You’re right, you don’t have to tell me that.”
She waved a dismissive hand at them all. “Matt, Jason. This is Carter. He’s been staying at the cottage with me.”
“So we heard,” Matt said.
“Josie has been kind enough to lend me her sofa,” Carter explained, although he suspected the two could see right through that lie. He might be a good lawyer with an unreadable poker face, but something told him everything that he and Josie had done last night was written all over them. “I’m catching the next flight east tonight.”
“Well, as long as you’re still here, you can help us wrap,” Matt said, pulling a chair out.
Thankful for the distraction, Carter dropped down into one of the chairs and reached for the first box. The afternoon was lost to boxes and packages and listening to Josie and her brothers razz each other over the Christmas music being piped in through an overhead speaker. By the time he was done, late afternoon was upon them.
“One more stop before we deliver them,” Josie said to Carter as he stood and stretched out his neck. “Then I’ll take you to the airport.”
“Okay,” he agreed. He checked his phone, happy to see his flight was still on schedule. By this time tomorrow, he would be alone in his high-rise apartment, right where he wanted to be. Except, oddly enough, as he thought about leaving this Podunk town—Josie—a strange emptiness settled into his stomach. Then again, he hadn’t eaten in awhile, so it could simply be hunger. Yeah, that’s what it had to be.
Dinner hour was upon them when Josie pulled her vehicle into the driveway of a quaint bungalow. Decorated with lights and glitter and an inflatable Santa on the front lawn, he knew it had to be her folks’ place. Shit. Had he known her “one more stop” would be here, he would have grabbed a cab and went straight to the airport.
“Why are we here?” he asked. “I thought we were taking the presents to the church.”
“We will. I just have to stop here first. Come on.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the last guy your father wants to see, Josie.”
“It’s Christmas Eve, Carter,” she said, like that explained everything.
She jumped from the truck and he followed her inside, where he was bombarded with everything Christmas. Mary greeted them at the door, and he glanced past her shoulders to see the dining room table all set for a family dinner.
He shifted from one foot to the other. He didn’t belong here. “I probably should go.”
“Don’t be silly. Come in and make yourself at home,” Mary said.
“What’s this talk about leaving?” Mayor Walker asked as he stepped into the porch. “Get on in here and get warmed up, son.”
Carter looked at Josie, who was shrugging out of her winter coat and chatting with her mother and Katee, the girl he saw kissing Jack at the church. He took a step back, ready to flee when her two brothers came in behind him, pushing him farther in to the house. With no way to escape, he just stood there, no idea what to do next.
Jack came around the corner with two glasses of eggnog. He handed one to Carter and in a conspiring manner, gestured with a nod. Carter looked up and saw the mistletoe.
“Thanks, man,” Carter said, grateful that Jack had saved him from having to kiss Josie in front of her family…not that he would’ve minded kissing her again, but he assumed her father hated him enough already. Jack nudged him with his shoulder to set him in motion.
“You watch hockey, right?” Jack asked.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Come on.”
As he grabbed a chair and sipped his eggnog, Mayor Walker, Matt, and Jason joined them. Matt dug into a bowl of peanuts on the table as Josie disappeared into the kitchen with her mother and Katee. The guys all focused on the hockey game, and Carter looked around. With a big, decorated tree in the front window, the house was warm, lived in, the kind of house he would have killed to grow up in. His stomach clenched, and he tried desperately to push down the things he was feeling.
When a commercial break came on, Walker turned to him, and Carter hardened himself, expecting a confrontation. But once again, Walker surprised him with his fatherly concern.
“Josie said you’ve been having trouble getting out of town. I’m sorry to hear that. You must have family you’re anxious to get back to see.”
“Yeah,” he said, hedging the truth.
“I guess if you have to be stuck anywhere for Christmas, Deerfield is just about as good as it gets.”
It was easy to tell how much they all loved living here, and he couldn’t blame them. Like one big happy family, the town all came together and did for one another—all one ever had to do was ask. He supposed Walker was right. If he had to be stuck somewhere, Deerfield was just about as good as it got.
“I don’t plan on spending it here, actually.” Carter glanced at his watch. “I leave in a few hours.”
His father nodded. “That’s too bad.”
“I thought you’d be happy to see me on my way,” Carter said.
“Not at all. As a matter of fact, this town could use a lawyer like you.” He grinned and added, “On its side.”
He wasn’t sure whether it was a compliment or not, so he didn’t say anything.
“But I guess you prefer the big city. Deerfield probably doesn’t have enough to keep you here.”
It has Josie…
&n
bsp; Whoa…what the hell?
Before he had time to consider that, Mary called them from the dining room and everyone jumped to their feet. He followed Josie’s brothers and her father into the room, and when he saw the big table set for seven, something inside him hitched.
Josie sat and tapped the seat beside her. “Come sit by me, Carter.”
Carted lowered himself into the chair next to her, and Jack sat beside Katee, who looked at him with adoring eyes. Actually, she looked at him in much the same manner as Josie was looking at Carter. He swallowed. Hard.
Her father sat at the head of the table, and after everyone took a seat, Mary said a Christmas prayer and they all dug in. As soon as the plates were filled, everyone started chatting about their day, their jobs, the events that would take place later that night. Carter was constantly being pulled into the conversation, and the way everyone was so open, so welcoming, was totally messing with his head…and his heart.
The guys started in on Josie, telling Carter embarrassing stories from her childhood. She shot back with her own stories, and Carter couldn’t help but smile at her feistiness. She really could hold her own against them all. As he dug into his mashed potatoes, he looked around the table and could feel the affection between siblings, parents.
God, what he would have done to be a part of this as a kid.
Soon, dinner was behind them, and after the dishes were washed and put away, they all piled into their cars and made their way to the church. Inside, they found numerous kids running around, excitedly waiting for Santa. Josie’s father took center stage as Josie came in with a basketful of presents, her bothers and mother following behind. Carter hung back as the kids all lined up.
He folded his arms and watched each child take their turn on Walker’s lap, and while he tried not to feel…there was nothing he could do to choke down his emotions. Josie helped her father dole out the presents, and every now and then, casted a glance his way. When the basket was empty and the kids were clutching their presents, Carter made a turn to go, deciding he’d wait in the SUV. Except Santa called out his name.
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned back. Surely there had to be another Carter in the crowd. Josie darted in the back room and came back with a box. She crooked her finger, and he shook his head. No way in hell was he about to go over there and sit on Santa’s lap.
Jack came up to him and nudged him with his shoulder. “You’d better get over there.” He looked at the Rudolph sweater than back at Carter’s face. He grinned. “If you don’t, she’ll find a way to get you over there, and you might not like it.”
Hating every second of this, he crossed the room and stepped up to Josie and her father. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
Walker held the package out, and Carter’s heart pinched as he thought about this family’s generosity to strangers, how kind they were to him, despite the circumstances.
“It’s Christmas, Carter,” Walker said, like it meant something to him. And for the first time in his life, Carter couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, it did…
Something inside the box moved. “What the…”
“Careful,” Josie said, and helped him balance it.
He pulled the lid off, and saw a big pair of brown, soulful eyes. Air left his lungs in a rush. He worked to breathe, to think, as tears pricked at his eyes. He pinched them shut and strived to pull himself together. Shit. He couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Carter,” Josie said, her voice low. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, even though he was pretty sure he’d never be okay again. The little puppy yelped, and Carter pulled it from the box. “Josie,” he said. “You did this?”
“Well, you kept looking at him in the window, so I thought…”
Carter glanced around the room. He saw the young boy who’d asked Santa for a puppy and he turned back to Josie. “Thank you,” he said. “I know he was meant for me, and I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful, because I am, but I think there is someone who needs him more than I do.”
She smiled. “That’s what Christmas is all about, Carter.”
Carter walked up to the little boy and handed him the puppy. As the boy’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, his heart tightened. He turned to see the child’s mother and the concern on her face.
“I have to leave town, but I need a place to board him,” he explained. “I’ll get your information from Josie so I can take care of his expenses.”
When the mom smiled and thanked him, he knew he had to get out of there. This was all just too…much. He caught Josie’s attention and pointed to his watch. She bounced over.
“Time to go?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
They walked outside and he took note of the paw prints circling the truck. Feeling like he was being watched, a fine shiver moved through him as he glanced around, looking at the snow-covered sidewalks lit by the streetlamps. He fully expected to see a white wolf, but when his glance came up empty, he climbed in beside Josie. He stared out the window as she carefully negotiated the town’s slippery streets.
Once they left the town center in their rearview mirror, Josie turned on the radio and sang along to the music as he watched the trees fly by. They rounded a corner and up ahead, he saw lights flashing and he leaned forward. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Josie rolled her window down when they reached the police officer standing on the side of the road. “Hey Officer Sattler, what’s up?”
“Highway is closed.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Carter said.
“Why would I kid about that?” the officer asked as he ducked his head to look into the truck.
“I guess you wouldn’t.” Incredulous, Carter shook his head, even though he shouldn’t have been surprised at the turn of events. “What’s going on?”
Sattler pointed to the mountains hugging the road. “The snow started tumbling down onto the road. It’s crazy. Nothing like that has ever happened around here before. It’s going to take hours for the plows to clear it.”
“Of course it is,” Carter said, pushing back into his seat and calling up the next flight on his phone.
Josie looked at him. “Doesn’t look like you’re getting out of town tonight.”
“Next flight is tomorrow mid-morning.”
Office Sattler stepped back and signaled for Josie to do a U-turn on the road. She spun her vehicle around and shot him a glance. “Looks like you’ll be here for Christmas after all.”
“I think you knew that all along.”
“Of course I did.” She grinned. “Do you believe me now?”
“No,” he said, even though there was a part of him that could no longer deny that something was going on. Either the town was conspiring against him, or the legend of the wolf was real, and he was here because he needed something.
“The wolf isn’t finished with you yet.”
He looked at Josie. She wet her bottom lip and his entire body came alive. The wolf might not be finished with him, but it was obvious he wasn’t finished with her yet, either. When it came to her, there was a need he couldn’t seem to assuage.
She went back to humming along to a song on the radio as she drove to her cottage in the mountains. Once inside, she took care of her dogs, then turned to him. “I’ll be right back. I need to get in to my Christmas pajamas.”
She disappeared, and remembering he still had on the bucktoothed Rudolph sweater, he pulled it over his head and tossed it onto the sofa instead of folding it neatly like he normally would. Josie came back into the main room, and he noticed the way she was staring at him, the way he was relaxing around her, letting down his guard.
Feeling out of sorts, he stood there looking at her and there was nothing he could do to rein in his emotions. He thought back to the way she’d lit up the church hall when she walked in. All eyes turned to her, but it wasn’t because she was carrying an armload of presents. No, it w
as because she was kind, gentle, and sweet. In fact, she was like a damn burst of sunshine on a gray winter’s day. She’d shared her family with him tonight. Invited him into her home where everyone treated him like he was one of their own. He knew she’d arranged the puppy, and that gesture meant so much to him.
As he thought about that, need ripped a hole in the shield around his heart. Josie was so sweet and generous it made him want to reevaluate his life and ask for things, even though he’d sworn a long time ago that he’d never ask anyone for anything.
“Are you okay?” she asked as he took in the nightgown decorated with sugarplums.
“Yeah,” he answered, even though he wasn’t. Christ, how could he be falling in love with her? He barely knew her and they were completely different people.
With a sweet smile on her face, she went up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“You made a little boy very happy tonight.”
He shrugged. “What am I supposed to do with a puppy?”
“I don’t know, but I can think of a few things you can do with me.”
She stepped back and peeled off her nightgown. “I know you only said one time, but since you’re stuck here with me, and it’s Christmas, and this is kind of what I asked Santa for, I thought—”
“Josie,” he said, his cock thickening as he gazed at her beautiful naked body.
“Yeah.”
“Zip it,” he said, pulling her into his arms. God, she was so perfect. Her hips were narrow, her breasts small, but it worked on her. Hell, everything worked on her. He was well past the point of denying that something was happening to him, something he had no control over, and this time, he knew it had nothing to do with the wolf and everything to do with the beautiful girl standing before him, offering him everything he’d always wanted but was too scared to ask for.
His mouth found hers and he scooped her up. He carried her to her room and tossed her onto the bed. “So is this what you asked Santa for?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
