by Deb Kastner
She laughed and dived into the fray, ignoring stray elbows and rude comments as she pushed her way to the front.
“My goodness, this is insane,” said a woman next to him who carried a little black-haired preschool-aged girl on her hip. The preschooler was sucking her thumb and was staring at Cam with big brown eyes and long lashes. “I’m glad my husband is the one doing the grabbing.”
He nodded in agreement.
The little girl popped her thumb out of her mouth and pointed directly at Cam.
“Mommy, why is that man holding a purse?”
Cam glanced down at Maisey’s purse and heat flooded his face.
“It matches his shoes.” Maisey approached, waving a magnet box in triumph and then tossed it into their shopping cart. She grinned at the preschooler’s mother. “Lucky for me, he’s very secure in his masculinity.”
“You’ve got a keeper,” the woman agreed.
“That I do.” Maisey grinned and winked at Cam.
His heart shot up into his throat, then down to his toes, and then churned wildly in his stomach. He thought he might expire from embarrassment right there on the spot at Maisey’s teasing, except for one thing.
He’d never been anyone’s keeper before. Even if it was just a joke.
CHAPTER 4
M aisey was having a blast spending Cam’s money. They had gone up and down the toy aisle, tossing things into the basket right and left—but not without thought or consideration. She appreciated the way Cam understood the nuances between the twins—how Sebastian was more outgoing and liked loud, active toys while Silas liked his quiet time with books and his sketch pad. He seemed to really get the boys.
Being the boys’ permanent guardian might be new to Cam, but she could tell he was putting his whole heart into it and going way, way out of his comfort zone in the process. He even seemed to recall everything the boys had said at the dinner table yesterday—even without a list.
“How are you doing that?” she asked when he spouted out one of the toys both boys had appeared to be especially interested in getting for Christmas. “I didn’t see you write anything down and yet obviously you remember the boys’ favorite gift ideas.”
He tapped his forehead. “Nearly photographic memory. I remember most of what I see and hear.”
“But it didn’t even look like you were paying attention. You were so focused on eating I wasn’t sure you even knew the boys were speaking.”
A smile hovered on his lips. “I knew.”
“Wow, then. Is that a blessing or a curse?”
He shrugged. “A little of both. I concentrate on the minutia and let the bigger things go. Otherwise my brain might blow up.”
Well, that explained a lot.
“Next stop, Christmas decorations,” she said, guiding the basket Cam was pushing in the direction of the correct department. “Tell me what we’re working with here. What do you have and what do you still need? I know you said you didn’t have any stockings.”
“I don’t have any anything. To be honest, my mom never did much with me and my sister at Christmas. We lived in a small apartment and she spent all her money getting high. Lynda and I learned not to believe in Santa Claus the year my dad walked out on us. We woke up on Christmas morning all excited to see what Santa had brought us and our stockings were empty. We never put them out again after that.”
Maisey laid her hand on his bicep and even though he had on a long-sleeved shirt, he felt the warmth of her heart through her palm. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. “It affected my sister the most. She suffered from anxiety and PTSD from that time on. I think that’s a big part of the reason she ended up like my mom, not able to handle life without substance abuse.”
She pointed down an aisle and directed the basket with her hand but didn’t interrupt his train of thought.
“As a single man, I never saw the point of starting up Christmas traditions. Why go to the trouble when I’m all alone? I always go to the midnight service at church, but that’s about it. And now suddenly I’ve got the twins and they do deserve a happy Christmas. I want to pull out all the stops for them.”
“Do you know how your sister used to celebrate the holidays with the boys?”
“Not really. I suspect their holidays were similar to mine when I was a boy. That’s why I want this Christmas to be different for them. Really special.”
“Let’s start with finding some decorations to make your house bright and festive.”
“Do you have a plan and a color scheme in mind?”
She threw back her head and laughed. Decorating a Christmas tree was a matter of feeling, not some blueprint to follow. And yet it was easy to picture Cam planning the tree right down to the last detail before he ever so much as put one bulb on.
“Color scheme, huh? Red and green, obviously. Sometimes gold and silver and a royal blue. Let’s take a look at the ornaments and see what strikes your fancy.”
Cam stared back at her, his pupils dilated like a deer in headlights. This was clearly stressing him out. Somehow, she needed to help him get beyond his natural discomfort about shopping and relax. She now understood why he had avoided Christmas like the plague in the past, but Christmas was a time to give thanks to God for all His blessings, most especially the birth of Jesus. He said he went to church on Christmas Eve. How could she expand on that and make the whole season special for him and the twins?
“You know, before we get to decorations for the tree, let’s take a detour down this aisle.”
She stopped before the nativity sets. “Do you have one of these?”
He shook his head but his eyes glittered with interest. He crouched before them, examining several sets.
“Celebrating Christ’s birth is the most important part of the season for us Grays, so at the ranch, we bring out a special table and place our nativity set front and center,” she explained. “It’s the first thing you see when you enter our house. Our wise men travel from the East starting in the far corner of our living room and move a little bit closer to the manger every day. They don’t show up on the scene until Epiphany. The manger is empty until Christmas Eve. We go to the midnight service and when we get back, Jesus is there. Where she hides him is my mom’s special secret. To this day I still don’t know how she slips Baby Jesus into the manger without any of us seeing her do it.”
He looked up and their gazes met and locked. “That sounds like an awesome family tradition. I might try that one with the twins.”
He reached out, grabbed the nativity set nearest to him and set it in the basket. “There, see?” he said with an authentic grin. “I can make a decision once in a while.”
***
When they were shopping to decorate the Christmas tree, they picked out a variety of shiny bulbs and some of the twins’ favorite cartoon character ornaments. Maisey tossed in a few rolls of ribbon to make bows with and enough gold and silver garland to go around Cam’s mansion three times over. She added a few strings of blinking lights for both indoor and outdoor use.
“Did you want an angel or star for the tree topper?” she asked, picking up one of each and flashing them at him.
How was he supposed to know? She kept pelting him with question after question after question. His mind was so muddled he could barely see straight. Worse yet, she was asking him questions that didn’t have definitive answers. He was a scientist and a computer nerd. He might have an enormous IQ, but tree toppers were well beyond his scope of his abilities. There wasn’t an app for those kinds of decisions.
He looked from one to the other, then closed his eyes and released his breath before opening them again.
“You think the twins will go for an angel?”
“Definitely. An angel, it is, then.” She started to toss it into their already heaping-full basket but stopped short, delicately balancing it on the mountaintop of decorations and toys.
Now he could only hope they’d be heading toward the cash re
gister. He didn’t care how much money they were spending, but their basket was getting rather unwieldy, especially after they’d added a dozen rolls of wrapping paper, everything from blue and silver foil to Christmas-themed trucks and robots.
Maisey once again brought them to a stop when they reached the Christmas stockings.
Cam picked up a traditional red stocking with a white cuff on top. “I had one of these when I was a kid.” His heart clenched and pain crossed his expression as Maisey reached her hand out to him and caressed his forearm.
“You know what?” she said, taking the stocking from his hands and picking up two more. “Let’s make new memories with these. Happy memories. We’ll get some glitter glue and write your names on them and then stuff them with goodies come Christmas morning.”
“Glitter glue? I’m not much of an artist.”
“That’s okay. I’ll help. I’m not an artist, either, but I think I can handle block letters. We want Sebastian and Silas to be able to read their names by themselves. That’s really important when kids are just learning to read.” She paused and pursed her full lips. “Er—I mean, I imagine it would be. Listen to me, spouting off as if I’m a kindergarten teacher.”
She was so much more than that. She put her heart into everything she did.
“You’re thoughtful,” he said, blurting out what was on his mind before he could stop himself. “I—I like you.”
Argh. He’d done it again. He had no filter whatsoever. Maybe that came from living alone so long as a bachelor and the fact that he didn’t go out much. But he was going to have to interact with the world now that he had the twins, which means he had to learn when to keep his mouth shut.
As usual, Maisey quickly jumped in to put him at ease.
“I like you, too.”
His cheeks burned, but seeing the pleasure that appeared on her face was worth whatever discomfort he felt.
Besides, he was just being honest. He really did like her.
“Do you mind if we visit the electronics department? I have a couple of things to pick up for my sisters. Do you know anything about laptops?” She laughed and face-palmed herself. “What am I talking about? Of course you do, computer genius.”
Computers. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least with those he was in his element, picking out a new laptop for Penny, who’d been using her three-year-old computer to keep the ranch’s financials, to peripherals and bluetooth headsets for the other two sisters.
He didn’t get to stay in his sweet spot long, however. Maisey wandered into the shoe department and held up two different pairs of high heels, inquiring which pair he thought Lacey would like the best.
As if he knew shoes. Or Lacey, for that matter.
He vaguely gestured between them and Maisey chose the one she wanted anyway. Cam thought he might finally be getting the hang of this shopping thing.
It wasn’t all that different than shopping on the Internet.
Just point and click, and let Maisey do the rest.
CHAPTER 5
“O h, wow, how long were we in there?” Maisey asked when they exited the store. Between the time they’d finally entered the store and the time they’d left, it had snowed nearly a foot or more.
Cam glanced at his watch. Unlike the rest of the world, who had either switched over to fitness bands or used their cell phones to check the time, Cam had one of those enormous scientific watches which probably told him what time it was in China along with the temperature and barometer reading.
“Three hours,” he said with a groan. “I’ve never seen this much snow in my life. Actually, I’ve never seen snow before at all.”
“This is your first time seeing snow?” Maisey’s voice raised in excitement. “Mind-boggling, isn’t it?”
He blew out an audible breath. “That’s one way of putting it. I never imagined snow could fall this fast.”
“Welcome to winter in Wyoming. One second you’re getting a sunburn and the next you have to drive on snowmobiles to get around. I did get a storm warning text for this area earlier. I suppose I should have paid a little more attention to where, when and how much.”
“Where I come from, storm means a little rain, maybe some hail at worst.”
“In hindsight, we probably should have taken my four-wheel drive instead of your sedan, but it’s too late now. We’ll have to do with what we have.”
He ran a palm down his jaw, looking as befuddled as ever. The poor man was in a constant state of bewilderment with his life turning all topsy-turvy like this. Even the weather was baffling him.
“It’ll be next to impossible to push the cart out to your car,” she said. “Why don’t you drive it up to the curb and I’ll load everything into your trunk?”
“Er—yeah. Right.” He pulled the collar of his coat up to shield his neck, yanked his keys from his pocket and stalked toward the car, one careful foot at a time.
“I think you’re going to need to invest in a pair of snow boots,” she called after him.
He didn’t answer. Whether it was because her statement was the outside of obvious or he couldn’t hear her over the wind, she couldn’t say.
Getting the sedan to the curb turned out to be much more problematic than Maisey had originally anticipated. Cam backed out of the parking space okay but then lost his traction when he switched the sedan into drive. His wheels spun but the car went nowhere. The parking lot was overcrowded and people were honking at him from both sides, eager to claim his half-vacated space.
Maisey waited to see if Cam would be able to work out the issue on his own, but it soon became apparent he was well and truly stuck. She glanced at their overfilled cart—including some items they’d garnered the hard way, fighting through the crowds. Did she dare leave everything where it was to go help Cam?
Finally realizing she didn’t really have a choice, she covered the top of the cart with a new bath towel she’d just purchased, hoping to hide some of the more expensive items, and trudged as quickly as she could out to Cam’s car. “Trade me,” she said, opening his door and gesturing for him to move out of the seat. “You go over and guard our basket. I’ll get the car out of this rut.”
Cam appeared only too happy to switch places with her. She couldn’t blame him. Driving in a bad snowstorm was a challenge even for those like her who’d spent their entire lives in Wyoming.
Sliding behind the wheel, she put the car in the lowest gear and rocked it forward, then quickly switched to reverse and rocked back. It took a good minute to gain the traction she needed to move the sedan forward and she fishtailed a bit when she slid up next to where Cam was waiting with the cart.
She put the car in park and hopped out to help him get everything loaded into the trunk Then they both scuttled back into the car, shivering from the cold. By this time, at least the heater was spewing warm air.
“Are you wishing you were back in sunny California right now?” she asked with a chuckle.
“My f-fingers feel like ice cubes, b-but no. I’ve always wanted to experience snow.”
“I’ll ask you again in a year when you’re sick of it.”
“Do you?” he asked. “Get sick of it?”
“Eh, not so much. I mean, sure, in April when we see some nice spring days, I might start longing for summer, but by the time fall comes I’m ready for the snow to fall again. I’m one of those girls who loves making snowmen and snow angels. And you really haven’t lived until you’ve made a snow fort and participated in a good, old-fashioned snowball fight.”
“The boys and I look forward to you and your sisters sharing your superior knowledge about all things snow-related.”
“Count on it.” She flashed him a quick grin but then had to focus her attention on the snow-packed road. “Do you see how the road ahead of us has a sheen to it? That’s black ice. The tires have no traction here.”
“Then how are you driving on it?”
“Very slowly and with years of practice. I’ve had a few close calls.”
She gripped the wheel with both hands. “And speaking of calls. Can you phone my mom and ask her to watch the boys tonight? Your ranch is closer than mine. I don’t want to weird you out or anything by inviting myself over to your place, but the longer we’re out here, the more dangerous it gets. For our own safety, I think it’s best if we head to your house and regroup in the morning.”
His gaze widened. “I—I—no, of course not. I—I mean, I don’t mind. Safety first.”
“You can relax,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m not making a pass at you.”
“What?” His head whirled her direction. “No—I—I didn’t think you were.”
“Good. Just so we understand each other. Of course, my sisters are going to give us a hard time, but we have to do what’s best for us.”
She probably didn’t have to put in those last few lines, but she couldn’t help but want to tease him. He was so cute when he was flustered.
As Cam spoke to Claudia and affirmed the twins’ safety, Maisey drove them safely back to Cam’s mansion and parked directly outside the front door.
“Do you want to unload the gifts and decorations now or wait until morning when the storm has let up?” Cam asked.
“I say we brave the weather and unload everything. Since the twins aren’t here, we can wrap a few of their presents and do some decorating.”
“Wrapping?” He sounded as if he was talking through a closed throat.
“Right. With the paper we bought?” She chuckled at the harried expression on his face.
“I guess I was kind of hoping you’d do it all. I’ve never wrapped anything in my life,” he admitted, his lips curling down at the corners and his brow lowering.
She felt as if Butterscotch had kicked her in the gut. Talk about stepping in it. She’d just managed to remind Cam of his childhood and everything he’d missed.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll teach you. Who knows? You may find you’re an expert at it. All that math in your brain might come in handy.” In her opinion, wrapping presents was more of an art form, but she supposed one could look at it from a mathematical standpoint if one was so inclined.
