Snowed in with the Firefighter (Shadow Creek, Montana)

by Victoria James

  He chuckled. “It does have a unique flavor.”

  The diner was retro and exactly what she’d expected. Except the Christmas decorations were more abundant than she’d imagined. Gold tinsel was strung along the walls and over the windows. A large tree was positioned next to the cash desk, and the multicolored lights cast a cheerful glow. “So where should we go after this?”

  “Oh, you mean the hardware store or the general store?”

  She smiled at him. Finn had this teasing nature that was almost infectious. His eyes sparkled, and his mouth always seemed ready to turn into a smile. She didn’t think she’d had so much fun in a long time. Which was sad because all they’d done was put up decorations and eat at a small-town diner. “Right, I guess we have time for both. And then the tree, we still need to find a tree.”

  “You should try Sam’s trees,” the waitress said, placing their bill on the table.

  “Sure, where’s that?” Finn said, reaching for the bill. Melody reached out as well, and a back and forth ensued with the waitress sighing. She placed her hands on her hips and waited for them to finish. Melody reluctantly pulled her hand back when Finn put the bill in his back pocket.

  “If you make a left at the post office and travel about a mile or so down the road, you’ll see a red barn and a white house. That’s Sam. Has the best Christmas trees around. He’s also my brother,” she said, her stern face almost cracking into a smile before turning around.

  “That’s perfect. Let’s go. If you’re paying for breakfast, I’ll pay for the tree,” she said as they stood.

  “We can argue about it when we get to Sam’s,” Finn said as they weaved their way through the packed diner to the register.

  A few minutes later, they wandered down the street to the general store. Snow was falling in gentle tufts, accumulating on the ground. “This is actually really cute,” she whispered as they walked in.

  “Not bad,” Finn said as they surveyed the store from the entrance. There were only a handful of people, but for a general store, there seemed to be quite an assortment of goods and even a small produce section.

  “Hi there, folks,” a man with a white beard and a red shirt and suspenders said from behind a large, wooden counter.

  “Hi,” they both answered. Melody thought he was the sweetest-looking man, with his bright smile and sparkling blue eyes.

  “Can I help you find anything?”

  “We’re just going to pick up a few groceries,” Finn said, pulling out one of the small shopping carts by the door.

  “Let me know if you need any help. I hope you beat the storm that’s coming,” he said, glancing out the window.

  “We’re in for a storm?” Melody asked.

  “Several inches followed by ice. I sell salt if you need some,” he said, pointing to the bags leaning beside the door.

  “Okay, thanks,” Finn said, and they walked down the aisle.

  “Now we really need to hurry since we have to get over to Sam’s to get that tree,” Melody said, grabbing a carton of eggs from the dairy cooler.

  “Yeah, and maybe some more food than we were planning. The storm might delay our family from making the drive up. Or, worse, make them stay longer,” Finn said, adding a few cartons of eggnog and orange juice to the cart. They quickly made their way through the aisles, and as they approached the front of the store, something in the window display caught Melody’s eye. Silver snowflakes were hung in the bay window and sparkled as the light hit them, and they swayed gently. Large boxes wrapped with red paper and tied with big green bows sat under a vintage-looking artificial tree. A red rocking chair sat beside the tree and the obviously fake cardboard chimney. But it was the array of snow globes lined up that caught Melody’s attention. From where she was standing, one of them reminded her of a long-forgotten until now snow globe.

  “Here, you finish the shopping. I need to go check something out,” she said to Finn, leaving him with the shopping cart and walking to the display.

  Her heart beat rapidly as memories tumbled through her mind like falling snow. She wasn’t sure she wanted to really reach for them or let them melt away again. But she kept walking, unable to leave them. A shiver stole through her as she reached the window display and focused on the snow globe with the red base. It was the same one. The one from her childhood.

  Inside the globe, just as she remembered, was a white clapboard house with a white picket fence and a snowman outside. Wreaths were hung in the windows, and garland lined the fence. She already knew that if she shook it, white and gold snow would sprinkle over the idyllic scene. How could this old snow globe be here, in this random shop in this town she didn’t even know existed?

  “Those are my old collection of snow globes. Used to collect them for my kids when they were little. Now they’re all gone, and I like to put them out for the kids who come in,” the man said from behind the counter.

  Melody glanced over at him, caught between her memories and the present. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Finn wasn’t around, she turned to the man. “May I pick it up?”

  “Of course! Give it a good shake, too,” he said. The kindness in his gravely voice almost made her feel better as she reached out to grasp the globe.

  She did as he suggested and gave it a good hard shake, and suddenly, she was eight years old, sitting on the sidelines watching as Molly did the same. Christmas morning at their house had been filled with presents given based on merits and manipulations. Molly had skipped a grade that year, and their mother had rewarded her with bucketloads of gifts; some were even from Santa, who had heard how smart she was. Melody and Addie had sat across from Molly, watching as she opened endless gifts while they only had one each.

  Melody had worked so hard that year at school, every year, but she was never as smart as Molly. When Molly opened up her last gift, Melody gasped at the sight of the most gorgeous snow globe. Melody had asked Santa for a snow globe, but Molly hadn’t. Molly shook it and held it up for them to see. She wasn’t showing off; she just loved it as much as Melody did. Molly never showed off or tried to get their mother’s favor. She had even looked uncomfortable with all the gifts she’d received, knowing it wasn’t right but unable to say anything because no one wanted their mother mad at them. Their father had been at work, conveniently. Melody knew now as an adult that he had intentionally spent so much time away from home because her mother was unbearable. He couldn’t stick up for himself or his daughters, so he just made himself absent.

  “Well, Adelaide and Melody, if the two of you want gifts like this next year, you’re going to just have to work harder. Even Santa had heard how smart and ambitious Molly is, all the way in the North Pole,” their mother had said, standing over them as they looked at Molly’s new toys and clothes.

  Molly’s face had turned red, and she frowned, holding the globe. When their mother left the room to make breakfast, Melody asked to see the globe. Of course, Molly handed it over right away. Jealousy and insecurity had consumed Melody, and she’d purposely let the globe “slip” from her fingers and onto the floor, the glass shattering, the water and snow and all the happy people spilling out, their magic destroyed.

  Melody cried as soon as it happened, hating herself, guilt consuming her. But the worst was when Molly came over and gave her a hug and told her how sad she was—because she’d planned on giving the globe to Melody. She had planned on secretly sharing her gifts with Melody and Addie.

  Then their mother charged back into the room and delivered a blistering lecture to Melody and told her that she’d have to save up with her allowance money and pay Molly the cost of the snow globe and clean up the mess.

  Molly and Addie and Melody cleaned up the mess, and even though Molly wasn’t mad at Melody, thinking it had been an accident, Melody couldn’t look her sister in the eye for the rest of the day. She carried that secret around as a reminder of who she was a
nd who she never wanted to be again. Now, Melody knew that their mother had manipulated all of them for years, and instead of trying to make them close sisters, she’d pitted them against each other. So much so that they had all distanced themselves and had gone in different directions, only keeping in touch casually. The last two years had changed everything for them, though. All their secrets and hurts had come out into the open, and nothing was going to stop them from remaining close.

  But Melody hadn’t told Molly about the snow globe incident.

  “Are you buying that? We should really get going.”

  Melody jumped at the sound of Finn beside her. She avoided looking at him as she placed the snow globe back on the display, feeling shaky and sweaty. “Uh, no. Not for sale. It just caught my eye,” she said, backing away.

  Finn pointed to the giant bag of oranges in the full cart. “I thought you’d want to add some fruit. I think happy people eat fruit.”

  She was relieved for the change of topic. “Right. Because they like their lives and don’t want scurvy,” she murmured, trying to be funny, trying and failing to shake off those childhood memories.

  He chuckled as they walked over to the register and started lining up their items on the counter.

  “Did you get everything we needed?” she asked, helping him unload the cart. She needed to forget the snow globe and move on. There was nothing she could do about it anyway. It would be ridiculous to bring up to Molly at this point in their lives. But the guilt was still there, reminding her that she’d never been good enough, and not just in the ways her mother believed.

  “Yup,” he said.

  The man carefully added the items to paper bags. “Glad you kids were able to find everything.”

  “You have a great store,” Melody said.

  “Well, thank you. You be careful out there. Those country roads don’t get plowed fast enough.”

  “Will do,” Finn said, glancing out the window.

  Once they had paid, they thanked him and made their way outside. The weather had definitely changed since they first entered. What had been gentle snowfall half an hour ago had now turned to heavy snow and wind. “This is awful,” Melody said as they hustled over to Finn’s truck.

  “It is. We better hurry if we’re going to make it to Sam’s.” He placed the last bag in the backseat and groaned. “Shoot. I forgot to get bacon. Ben can eat a whole pack by himself. He’s totally getting a middle-aged paunch. I’ll be right back,” he said, running off before she could answer.

  She stifled her laugh at the middle-aged paunch remark. Ben was barely two years older than Finn, and he was just as fit as always.

  A few minutes later, he opened the door and tossed his bag in the back. “Done. Let’s go.” They drove in silence, and what should have been a five-minute drive took nearly fifteen.

  “There’s the sign,” Melody pointed out, relieved.

  “Great.” He slowed down to make the turn on the slippery roads. The parking lot was deserted, and Finn pulled up right in front.

  Finn turned off the ignition. “I guess we’re the only people stupid enough to be out in this weather.”

  “This is what happy people do,” she said, shooting him a glance.

  “This is why happiness is highly overrated. Let’s make it fast.”

  Melody met him outside the truck and eyed the rows of trees. “This looks promising.”

  A man wearing a lumberjack jacket and matching fur-lined hat emerged from a little red house and made his way over to them. “Surprised to see anyone out here in this weather!”

  Finn nodded. “Yeah. We really need a tree. We’ll be quick and then be on our way. Our place isn’t too far from here.”

  The man—Sam, she assumed—spread his arm in the direction of the Christmas trees. “Okay, have a look around. Once you’ve decided on one, I’ll load it into your truck.”

  “Sounds good,” Finn said as they made their way through the aisles. Luckily, the trees helped shield them from some of the snow and wind.

  Melody made her way up and down the rows of trees, losing Finn somewhere along the way. Though she really didn’t want it, a memory pulled at her until she couldn’t ignore it. Standing still in between two large Balsam fir trees, she could see herself walking through the Christmas tree farm with her mother. Melody had proudly brought home an A+ on a project about the various Christmas tree farms in Montana. Her mother had promised that she would get to pick out the family tree this year. But then Molly had come home with an A+ on her science test, and since science was a more important subject according to her mother, Molly was allowed to pick the family tree. It wasn’t Molly’s fault; she hadn’t even known.

  Melody pleaded with her mother to get the large, fragrant Balsam fir, but her mother refused and told her that if her grades were as good as Molly’s and if she could actually manage to skip a grade like Molly, then maybe next year she could pick the tree. But that never happened because there was always a reason she wasn’t good enough.

  Melody took off her glove and ran her fingers over the needles, the wind carrying the fragrance to her nose. She never bothered with a Christmas tree as an adult.

  “Oh no, not a Balsam fir,” Finn said, frowning as he approached.

  She put her glove back on and stood in front of the tree she was determined to get. “What? These are the best. We’re getting this one.”

  His lips twitched, and she wondered if he was purposely trying to irritate her. “Too perfect. The shape. The smell. No one likes a show-off tree.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s ridiculous.”

  He swiped his hand over the branches, and they sprung back to life. “See, it’s trying too hard.”

  She reached her hand inside to grasp the trunk. “Maybe it’s trying too hard because no one appreciates it. Maybe if you’d give it a chance, you’d see it’s a really good tree deep down.”

  He studied her, and heat infused her body, despite the cold. What was wrong with her? Why was she making a big deal about this tree and making it personal? About her?

  She swallowed hard as he took a step closer to her, something akin to either pity or sympathy in those deep green eyes of his. It reminded her of the ill-fated prom invitation.

  “Maybe it doesn’t need to try hard. Maybe the tree is perfect the way it is.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and the unmistakable twinge of desire swirled through her. His voice was deep and husky, and his eyes went from hers to her mouth. For a second, she let herself imagine what it would be like to kiss Finn. And she wanted to, she realized, more than to anyone. But it would be a pity kiss on his part. Because he thought she had issues because she’d just compared herself to a Christmas tree.

  She tried to give him a fun, flirty smile but had no idea if she pulled it off. “As your girlfriend, I insist on getting this tree. I would think you’d want to be nice and make me happy. We’re happy people, remember?” Her voice sounded strangled, and she backed up a step, right into the tree. “I’ll help you bring this tree to the front.”

  He shook his head and shoved his hand into the branches right beside her face and grasped the trunk. “As your boyfriend, I’m getting this tree and hauling it to the front.”

  She couldn’t let him do that with his leg. “I don’t date show-offs. I’ll help.” She tried to swat his hand away from the trunk. It didn’t budge.

  “As your boyfriend, I’d like to do this,” he said, yanking the tree toward him, which in turn brought her much, much closer to him.

  They stared at each other, their breaths swirling together in the cold air. Melody searched for something, anything, to break the spell between them. If she didn’t, she’d kiss the man right there on the spot, and that would be very, very bad.

  “As a doctor, I do not advise you to do that on your own,” she managed on a half whisper, half croak.

&
nbsp; His expression shuttered, all the heat she’d swore had been pooling in his eyes extinguished in a second. “Well, you’re not my doctor. Last time I checked, you were an OB/GYN, and I’m pretty sure I can’t have babies, so you’re out of luck.”

  He wrestled the tree out from behind her and started off toward the barn. She trailed behind him, kicking herself. She had to bring up his injury?

  “Hey!”

  They both stopped abruptly as Sam came marching over to them. “Hey, I thought I told you kids to give me a call. No unqualified people are allowed to handle the trees. I’ll get this tree ready to take home.”

  Finn handed over the tree. Sam was frowning at them. “Sorry, Sam. Melody here was insistent that we bring the tree to you. I was trying to tell her that’s not what you said to do.”

  Melody gave Finn a shove, but he ignored her.

  “Well, see that you move back a bit. In fact, why don’t you two go wait up front for me?”

  “I’ll make sure we stay out of trouble,” Finn said, a smile lining his voice as they walked to the cash.

  “Really nice of you to throw me under the bus, Finn,” she said, hopping on one foot then the other in an effort to stay warm as they waited for Sam. The wind felt like it was coming from all directions, sending icy snow swirling around them.

  “After your jab about my leg, you had it coming.” She opened her mouth to apologize, but he just raised his hand. “And you got your tree, so being thrown under the bus to save our reputation was a small price to pay.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Sam is coming, so don’t do anything to piss him off or we might not get that tree.”

  Sam leaned the tree against the side of the fence and gave them a price that seemed pretty steep in Melody’s opinion. Judging by Finn’s long stare as he pulled his wallet out, she wasn’t the only one who thought so.