She looked quickly at him. "You don't think I'm doing something wrong, do you, Luke?"
He paused, surprised at the sudden emotion in her voice. "I guess you have a job to do, Erin. Just like everyone else."
Erin shook her head. "I don't want to cause any unhappiness in your town."
Luke grinned. "It doesn't belong to me. I'm just the sheriff," he said trying to lift her spirits.
Erin smiled at him. "And I'm sure you're a very fine sheriff, Luke."
Once again she'd gone and embarrassed him. He could feel the heat on his cheeks. This time, though, he was sure she'd seen the effect her words had had on him.
"That's for other folks to decide, Erin. Not me." He shrugged. "Although I have to say, the crime rate is pretty low."
Erin tilted her head at him. "So what do you do all day?"
Luke narrowed his eyes and quirked a brow. "You'd be surprised at what I get up to."
"I don't think I would," Erin replied. She glanced at him. "Not one bit."
Luke cleared his throat and gazed ahead at the town. They were on the outskirts and soon they'd been in the town center.
"Where are you planning on staying?"
"I figured that cute little bed and breakfast place near Main Street," she explained.
"Good choice," he said. "How long you plan on being here?"
"I'll be gone before Christmas," she replied.
He didn't like how that sounded. Not at all. It only gave him a few days.
"What're your plans while you're here?"
Erin sighed. "I have a few meetings set up. Some folks to talk to and some places to visit. Get things finalized."
"Sounds like you'll be busy," he observed wondering how he could find a way to be a part of her schedule. And then it came to him.
"You'll be needing someone to drive you around, I guess."
Erin frowned. "I seem to recall it's not that big a town."
"Well, you'll be needing someone to make sure you don't get into any trouble," he continued.
Erin smiled. "You just told me the crime rate is low."
"Did I say that?" he asked with a smile.
Erin nodded. "You most certainly did."
Luke grinned at her. "That must be due to all my hard work, I guess."
Erin turned away from him, shaking her head. He could see that she was amused and he was pleased that he'd brightened her mood. The truth was, he desperately wanted to take this chance to spend some time with her, while she was here. He wanted to get to know this lovely brown-haired, green-eyed beauty who seemed to have been touched by the special quality of his hometown.
He drove the car through the edges of town and along the long thoroughfare that took them to the main square in the middle of town. The streets were deserted at this time. Folks were sensible when it came to the weather, not taking the chance of being caught out in the cold.
Luke saw the delight on Erin's face as she gazed out through the car windows at the houses and stores. Luke loved this place, loved how it seemed to represent everything good about his country. He felt a pride about his town. Right now, he'd felt like he'd been granted a precious opportunity to share everything he loved about his town with the very special woman sitting right next to him. The truth was, this evening, he'd felt an inexplicable impulse to drive out along that road. Of course, he'd told himself he was visiting his brother, just to make sure everything was okay. But, deep down, now that he thought about it a little more, maybe he'd been guided out onto that road tonight. Perhaps something beyond Luke himself had prompted him to take that action. Faith was important to Luke, and he knew that guidance came in ways that he could never truly understand.
Eventually, they arrived at the bed and breakfast where Erin would be staying. It was located on a street Luke remembered playing on as a kid. He'd had a friend in this street. Nick was now happily married and working as an accountant in town. Settled down, like so many of Luke's friends. He thought of everyone he'd gone to high school with. Most of them were married and most were starting families. Every time he met those people he'd grown up with, it seemed there was some new arrival smiling back at him from inside a stroller.
He pulled the car up alongside a driveway. The snow covered lawn fronted a modest two-level home. There was a tall Christmas tree on the lawn close to the front door. It had been decorated with a variety of objects. Luke saw angels, stars and small carved birds hanging from the tree's branches. The outside of the bed and breakfast was decorated with lines of glowing multi-colored lights that, Luke had to admit, made the house look incredibly festive.
Erin gasped. "It's so beautiful," she said gazing at the house.
"Nice place to be, while you're here. What about my offer?" he asked.
Erin turned to him and smiled. "I'd be very happy if you would be my guide while I'm in town," she replied.
Luke felt his heart sing as he listened to those words. He couldn't hold back the broad grin he gave her. And, he didn't see why he should, given that it was the best news he'd had in a long while.
"That's great, Erin," he said.
When she smiled at him, he realized he hadn't felt this much excitement in a long time.
"I look forward to finding out more about your town, she said.
"It'll be a great honor to show you around." He quirked a brow at her. "And to keep you out of harm's way."
She nodded and squinted at him. "Of course. That crime epidemic you've single-handedly prevented."
Luke laughed quietly and then opened the door. He took out her bag and walked her to the front door. Erin rang the doorbell and Mrs. Kennedy, the owner of the bed and breakfast, opened the door. She was in her sixties, silver-haired and had bright, kindly eyes.
"My dear, what happened?" she gasped gazing at Erin and then at Luke obviously seeking an explanation.
"Your guest got delayed, Mrs. Kennedy."
Mrs. Kennedy gazed at Erin, concern written on her face. "Not an accident, my dear," she exclaimed.
Erin smiled. "Nothing so dramatic. My car broke down." Erin turned to Luke. "Luckily someone came to my rescue," she added with a smile.
Mrs. Kennedy looked at him. "That was fortunate, wasn't it?"
"Maybe," Luke replied, although he'd already figured here might be more to it than mere luck.
"Don't bother about him, dear," Mrs. Kennedy said waving a dismissive hand at Luke. "He always was a man of few words."
Erin glanced at Luke. "I don't know about that. We had a nice chat in the car, didn't we, sheriff," she said.
Luke ignored that and set Erin's down inside the door. "I'll be heading off, ma'am," he said realizing he'd become suddenly formal and business-like with her.
"Come inside, my dear," Mrs. Kennedy said tugging gently on Erin's arm. "Your room is ready."
Erin glanced at Luke. "Thank you for everything, sheriff."
Luke nodded. "I'll have a word with Duke at the garage. Maybe he can do something with your car in the morning."
"Thank you. That's most kind," she said quietly. He saw her look at him, as if she was expecting him to say something else, but, for the life of him, he couldn't think what she was waiting for. Wasn't she cold and desperate to get inside the house?
Then it came to him, and he almost groaned at his stupidity. "I'll call on you tomorrow. Maybe, we can do those things you talked about."
Luke saw Mrs. Kennedy's brow rise as if she'd learned something extremely interesting. And surprising.
Erin nodded hurriedly. "That would be nice," she said.
Erin stepped inside the house, and Mrs. Kennedy quickly closed the door, but not before narrowing her eyes at Luke and smiling knowingly at him.
And then he was walking down the snow-covered driveway feeling that something truly wondrous had happened. The next few days promised to be very interesting, indeed.
CHAPTER THREE
Erin settled into her small, but very comfortable bedroom on the upper floor of Mrs. Kennedy's lovely ho
me. Erin was the only guest, so the owner of the bed and breakfast insisted on fussing as much as possible, trying to ensure that Erin was comfortable, that she liked her room and knew where everything was in the house.
Mrs. Kennedy lived alone. She showed Erin photographs of all three lovely children, two daughters, and one son, all of whom apparently still lived in Montana Falls. Did anyone ever leave this town, Erin asked herself? Apparently, Mrs. Kennedy's husband had passed a few years before, and Erin could see the quiet emotion Mrs. Kennedy felt just talking about her beloved husband.
Mrs. Kennedy's living room was as festive as the outside of her home. There was a small tree; Christmas cards hung from a string on the wall, and there was an open fireplace that warmed Erin up as she sat waiting for Mrs. Kennedy to fix her some hot soup.
Mrs. Kennedy seemed extremely interested in why Erin had come to Montana Falls. She was even more interested in how friendly Sheriff Luke had seemed and Erin had to fend off more than one question about just how well Erin was acquainted with the sheriff who Mrs. Kennedy described, charmingly, as "quite a handsome man."
Erin made sure she didn't show her agreement with that assessment too quickly, even if she did already see Mrs. Kennedy's point.
Erin sat on a very comfortable, upholstered chair by the fire and sipped the hot soup, feeling the warmth spread inside her. Her frozen, broken down car, seemed a million miles away, now.
Luke was, indeed, a very handsome guy. She'd known that in the summer, and everything she'd seen tonight merely confirmed the thoughts which had been flitting around her mind while she'd been planning this trip.
But, she knew she had a job to do. She had to be professional, had to do what she had been taught to do by her wonderful parents. Give your all to everything you do, her mother had told her a thousand times. Be good; be responsible; treat people the way you'd like to be treated.
Those were good values. Her mother had also told Erin to make sure, that if she chose a husband, he should be someone of faith.
Erin knew that living in Los Angeles and working in her line of business might create a bit of a challenge to find that kind of man. When she'd emerged from college, she'd had a friend, Lana, who'd helped find Erin her first job with a media company.
From there it had been a short few steps to landing a position as the production assistant to a TV producer. Even as she'd prospered in her, so far, brief career, Erin had felt that somehow she wasn't on the right path. That somehow, she'd taken a wrong turning along the way.
Still, there was one ray of hope, if things didn't turn out well with Bob's company. The executive of a company specializing in family-friendly TV drama had approached her and hinted that there might be an opening at her company sometime in the future. Depending on how things went with Erin's current project. If it blew up, the executive had suggested there might be a position waiting for Erin. She knew she might be more comfortable working with that kind of material. It would be more in line with the values her mother had worked so hard to instill in Erin.
She realized it was getting late, near ten o'clock, and that she'd promised to call her boss. Bob wanted nightly updates on her progress, and he wasn't the kind of person to forgive any tardiness from his employees.
Mrs. Kennedy left Erin to herself, disappearing to the kitchen to finish off making the evening meal.
Erin sat at a table which looked out on the back garden. She dialed her boss's number on the landline phone and waited for him to pick up. Through the slightly misted window, she could the snow-covered lawn and the trees, their branches sagging beneath the weight of snow. The sight made something ache in Erin's chest. Children in this town were so lucky. She could just imagine what it would be like to run around in the snow, throw snowballs at your friends and eventually build a huge snowman, complete with a carrot for a nose.
Her smile was wiped off her face when she heard the sound of Bob's voice. "Hello. Who's this?" he barked.
Erin flinched. "Hi, Bob. It's Erin."
His voice brightened. "How's my best production assistant?" he asked jovially. She could just imagine him sitting in his home, high up in the Beverly Hills. Right now he'd be gazing out the window at the pool just outside his home office, and in the distance there would the lights of LA. She didn't miss all of that. Not for a moment. None of it compared to the view through her window.
"I'm fine, Bob. Apart from the fact that my car broke down outside Montana Falls. In the snow," she added, waiting for his reaction, expecting him to blow up. Or even ask her is she was alright. But, he didn't.
"I saw the weather report. It looks like you picked a fine time to be there. Get some good Christmas stories for me, Erin. Be a good girl."
Her jaw tightened when he called her that. He wasn't even concerned that she'd got stuck in the snow. Didn't he realize she could have come to harm?
"The local sheriff rescued me," she said casually.
"He what!" Bob exclaimed. "How did that happen?"
"Oh, you know. He just happened to be driving by when I was walking with my suitcase in two feet of snow," she joked, realizing it didn't sound that funny, no matter how she said it.
"Sounds like something we should use in the show," Bob said.
"I don't think so," Erin said. "The sheriff is one of the strong, silent types. I don't think he'll want to be a part of the show." She didn't want Luke involved in any part of this enterprise, she realized.
"I remember him," Bob said. "Wasn't he that real handsome guy? The one who kept finding an excuse to talk to you?"
Erin paused before replying. "That's him. I guess you could see he's handsome, in a kind of obvious way," she said, trying to throw Bob off the scent.
"I think we'll need the sheriff's cooperation. Maybe you should spend some time with him. Get to know what he thinks."
She already knew what he thought of this whole charade, she told herself. He wanted no part of it. But would that change if he knew that it might involve spending more time with her? She wasn't sure. He'd looked at her a lot during the drive in the car. He'd tried to disguise his interest in her, but it had been pretty obvious Luke liked her.
"I'll speak to him," she told Bob. That seemed to satisfy him, because he changed the subject and started talking with her about what she had set up for the next day.
She had some meetings set up, and Bob had some fairly specific things he wanted her to do.
However, the only two things she really wanted to think about were getting to know more about the town.
And, getting to know Sheriff Luke MacAllan a little better.
****
Luke paid a visit to Duke's the mechanic at his garage on the south side of town, near the abandoned railway station. He told Duke about Erin's car, and Duke promised he'd take a look at it in the morning. If it couldn't be fixed, he'd bring it into town and see what he could do.
After that, Luke decided he'd go to his parents' house. He wanted to check on them, see if they heard from his brother, Jed. Maybe he'd called, and it wouldn't be necessary for Luke to go out to the ranch.
When he walked into his parents' house, the first person to talk to him was his sister, Nicole. She watched him step into the hallway of the two-story house not far from where Erin was staying. Nicole, dressed in thick, woolen pajamas that almost made Luke's eyes hurt with the brightness of the red check color, glared at him. "Mind take your boots off. We like the snow to stay outside, where it belongs," she ordered him.
Luke grinned at her while he started to kick of his boots. He hung his jacket and hat on the rack. "You planning to sleep in those?" he teased quirking a brow at his sister.
Her blue eyes scowled at him and looked down at her pajamas. "What's wrong with them."
"The color's going to burn my eyes out," he joked.
"Is that you, Luke?" he heard his mother, Annabelle call out from the living room.
"It sure is, mom," he replied making his way into the warm, welcoming room, to find his mother sitt
ing by the open fireplace. Scoot, the family Labrador Retriever, lifted his head as Luke walked into the room. The dog raced over to Luke and nuzzled his face against Luke's leg. Luke rubbed the top of the dog's head and smiled down at him. Scoot's eyes were bright with delight at seeing Luke.
"Come sit down," his mother ordered him gently.
Luke went to the seat opposite his mothers. The heat from the fire was welcome after the cold. He hadn't realized just how cold it was outside. He didn't want to think what would have happened to Erin if he hadn't been on that road tonight.
Luke gazed around the room. His mother had promised she'd be putting up the Christmas decorations in the living room, and she'd been true to her word. The tree looked mighty fine, he had to admit, shining bright with lights and glimmering with a multitude of colorful ornaments. He smiled when he saw the wrapped gifts lying around the base of the tree.
"Where's dad?" Luke asked.
"He's visiting with Jack. You know your father. He likes his Monday nights over there with his friends. They like to talk hunting."
From the other side of the room, Nicole snorted. "You can say that again. Although, I suppose, with this weather, there's not much hunting to be done."
"If the rivers are running free, there's always fishing," Luke responded.
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Fishing. I don't know how anyone can do that."
"I keep on telling you, Nicole," Luke said. "You never know unless you try it."
Luke liked to fish. It was good to get away from things for a while. Being sheriff was fine, but there were times when he needed to be his own man, and enjoy some solitude for a while.
"I think I'll stick to my coffee shop and my books," Nicole said defiantly.
Luke smiled and shook his head. His mother gazed across at him, grinning proudly. She always looked like she enjoyed listening to the back and forth whenever the family was gathered in the house.
Nicole was the youngest of the three MacAllan siblings. Nicole ran the Coffee Falls diner on Main Street. She'd opened it a year before, and it had proven to be a roaring success. Sometimes Luke thought Nicole didn't just serve coffee there all day long. There were times when he thought she must be drinking too much of the stuff. She had so much energy, she made Luke feel positively ancient at times.
Luke's Christmas Love (A Sweet Christmas Romance) Page 2
