by Mary Leo
“The mule-headed brother will provide his own mountain?” She gazed around at his empty, pathetic house. His furniture consisted of a small wooden coffee table, two rickety-looking chairs, a good-sized TV mounted on the wall and one leather recliner that had seen much better days. “It doesn’t look much like there’s going to be a party here tonight. It doesn’t even look like it’s December in this house. For one thing, where will your guests sit? And where’s the streamers, balloons? And how many people are you talking about? What will they be drinking? Who’s going to feed them? Will your sisters bring over the food and beverages? Not to mention, have you looked outside recently? That snow’s pretty thick out there. I doubt anything’s moving.”
He loved how her mind instantly went to all the many details of a celebration. The woman was born to plan events, no matter what kind. He had a hunch she could throw together just about any event and was banking on the fact that she wouldn’t be able to say no to his dad’s birthday bash.
His dad hadn’t wanted anything but a nice dinner with his family, but that wasn’t going to stop Carson from making a party out of it. If she could pull this off, despite the impassable roads, short notice and lack of furniture, he felt certain it would be the shot in the arm she needed to keep her company alive, despite all the crazy “jinxed” talk.
“Maybe not now, but the sun is shining, and those roads will be cleared in no time. Meanwhile, I was hoping you might be able to help with all the preparations.”
She took her last bite of eggs and stared at him as she chewed. Then she said, “You’re kidding, right?”
“I’ll pay you for your services.”
She gazed around the nearly empty rooms. “How much?”
“Whatever you think is fair.”
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to negotiate? I could charge you almost anything.”
“Charge away. It’s for my dad. Cost is irrelevant.”
She grinned and he hoped that meant she would agree to his generous proposal. “As tempting as that sounds, with all this snow, it’ll take more than money to pull this party together. For one thing, you’d be taking a huge risk with me as your birthday planner. I’ve never put on a birthday party before. Birthday parties are all about the birthday boy or girl. I don’t know anything about your dad other than he’s a cowboy. Does he like a lot of fuss or is he more into the sublime? Should I treat this like a kids’ party with hats and parting gifts or are we serving beer from a keg on the counter?” She shook her head. “Without ever meeting your dad and talking to him, I’m not sure I can pull it off.”
He leaned back on the stool, contemplating her self-doubt, and wondering if she had the inner grit to push through the fear and do it anyway. His dad’s sixty-fifth birthday party was pretty important to his family, even if they all met at the ranch house and his mom served a pot roast. The night had to go smoothly. If Zoe caved, and really couldn’t manage at least the bare minimum of a party, his sisters would never forgive him.
She stared over at him, those amazing eyes of hers catching the light, and in that instant he knew she could do anything she put her mind to. He understood how determined a woman could be from his sisters. Once any one of them set her mind on a task, there was no stopping her from achieving her goal. He had a feeling Zoe Smart was the same kind of woman... She’d just hit a minor snag is all.
“I have complete faith in you.”
“You’re about the only one in town.”
“All you need is one person.”
A slow burning grin cut across her lips making her eyes light up. “But I create weddings, not birthday parties, at least not one like this.”
“How difficult can it be? We invite a few guests, gather up a little food, order a cake, some ice cream...gallons of ice cream...a few candles...okay, maybe a lot of candles...and we’ve got ourselves a birthday party!”
She poured another cup of tea and took a sip. “We’re snowed in for what could be several hours. That means all the stores are closed, and I won’t be able to get to my storage unit. I have a supply of chairs and tables we could use, but the roads have to be cleared.”
He had a huge appetite for a real challenge and was sensing that she felt the same way.
“All the better. You’re a smart, creative woman. I’m confident you’ll be able to make this happen.”
“How many people are we talking about?” She knocked off the rest of her tea and poured another cup.
“At least fifteen, give or take a few family members, but the more the merrier, right?”
“But look at this place.” She glanced around, fanning her arms out. “Unless the road to my storage unit is snow-free, you’d better have some furniture and kitchen supplies hidden in those boxes in the corner or your guests will be standing and eating with their hands. And don’t even get me started on all the food and beverages you’ll need. And what about the cake? Who’s in charge of the cake?”
“You are.”
She took a few sips of her tea, put the cup down on its saucer, pushed her plate aside, leaned on the counter with her elbows and said, “What you’re proposing is impossible.”
“Impossible isn’t part of my vocabulary. I purposely get on a bucking horse for a living, remember?”
She chuckled, and he all but hooted out loud. He’d never seen the real Zoe Smart shine through until that moment. She had an inner glow that radiated around her, and every time she smiled, that glow lit up her face, making her even more beautiful than he could have imagined.
He told himself to dial it down. He’d recently broken up with his fiancée and he was already getting fired up over another woman. And not just any woman, but the woman who was planning his nonexistent wedding. There had to be something fundamentally wrong with a man who would do that.
Still, he wanted her to say yes. To take this on. He sat there thinking of what else he could say that might convince her, but seemed to be at a loss.
Then, as if the heavens opened up and heard his prayer, she said, “Okay, let me contact Piper and see if she can make some phone calls. I’ve got a few ideas. And if you can get Travis and his sleigh to help bring over a Christmas tree, we might be able to throw this party together.”
He liked her spunk. Her willingness to take something on that was completely out of her barn. Most of all, he liked her ability to be spontaneous. A trait his family thrived on.
Now with a little bit of luck, the party would go off without a hitch. He refused to believe any of those silly rumors. No way could Zoe Smart be jinxed. He absolutely, one hundred percent refused to believe it.
“Anything you want, I’m here to help.”
She took a quick sip of her tea and slid off the stool. “Your tea is lovely, but I’m a coffee drinker. You can help by telling me you have some coffee in this house.”
“I don’t, but I know someone who does.”
* * *
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, after Zoe had made a detailed list of what she would need to get this party off the ground, she enjoyed piping hot coffee delivered in a thermos from Sal Hastings before he and Carson went out to clear sidewalks and driveways. Once all the paths were cleared, Zoe commandeered as many of Carson’s neighbors as she could to assist them. Everyone was more than willing to contribute what they could.
Sal brought over a forty-cup electric coffee urn and enough ground coffee to keep everyone in the neighborhood on a caffeine high for the rest of the day, and from the looks of Carson’s many neighbors milling around in the front yard, she was going to need it. Sal had even provided paper cups, a gallon of milk, plastic stir sticks and a two-pound box of sugar.
“My wife hosted a lot of them Bunco parties at our house and all those women were big coffee drinkers,” Sal told Zoe as she filled the urn with water and added the appropriate amount of coffee to the mesh filter
, then plugged it in and clicked on the brew button.
“Sal, you’re my savior,” she told him, then kissed him on the cheek.
“Anything I can do to lend a hand,” he said, turning a bright shade of crimson. “If you put up a tree, I can give you some boxes of Christmas ornaments I’m not using. My wife liked to collect ornaments whenever we traveled to another state or another country. Got us a couple, three boxes that I know she would have loved to share if she was still with us. Birthdays and Christmas were two of her favorites. Can I fetch them over?”
“That would be wonderful, Sal,” Zoe told him. “Thanks.” Then she crossed ornaments off her list as she took a seat at the kitchen table in front of her paper notepad.
She’d contacted Piper, who contacted Amanda about a cake. According to Piper’s last text message, Amanda would have a lemon birthday cake delivered, along with a smaller gluten-free cake, snow or no snow, by five-thirty.
“How many chairs do you need?” Kerry Walker, the local cobbler, offered as he entered the house. Sal had designated himself as doorman and directed everyone Zoe’s way.
Kerry Walker had cobbled many of Zoe’s boots in his shop, Sole-Man, so Zoe knew him well. She also knew that his son had just gotten engaged, but had yet to pick a wedding planner. Zoe had hoped she and Piper would get the job, but now, with all the rumors flying around, she wasn’t so sure she was even in the running.
“As many as you want to bring over,” Zoe told him as he stepped up to the counter. “I have a feeling there’s going to be a pretty big crowd.”
Once the roads were passable, Piper would deliver any extra chairs and tables they might need from storage.
A group of people Zoe recognized from around town had arrived at the house, ushered inside courtesy of Doorman Sal, and more of Carson’s neighbors, including off-duty Sheriff Wilson, had assembled out on the front porch and on the snow-covered lawn. Most of them sipped coffee from the provided paper cups, but Zoe also noticed that a few people had brought over their own travel mugs.
The street had been plowed and Travis had stopped by in his sleigh to pick up Carson. He’d texted a few times telling her they were trying to find a fresh Christmas tree at one of several lots in town, but so far they hadn’t found the right one.
“You got it,” Kerry said as he made his way back out the front door.
“I can bring by a nice pot roast, if you need it,” an older woman offered. She carried her own coffee mug. “I’m Mandy Harrington, Carson’s house cleaner. I live on the next block over and when I saw the crowd in front of Carson’s place I got nervous. But when somebody told me you were planning a party for his dad, I had to stop by to see if I could help.”
“You’re so sweet,” Zoe told her as she crossed off a main dish on her list. “Yes, please. A pot roast is exactly what we need, and please plan on staying for the party. I’m sure Carson would love to see you here.”
Zoe shared the time, and the fact that it was a surprise party, and Mandy promised to return at five-thirty with her pot roast.
“I make a creamy mac and cheese from scratch. I’d love to contribute if I can. Carson and Sal have been cleaning up my sidewalks since October. Anything I can do to help, you just tell me what to bring or do, Zoe, and I’m there,” a tall, slim older man with graying hair said. She recognized him as Marty Bean, the owner of Moo’s Creamery on Main Street, one of her favorite spots in the entire town. “And, of course, chocolate sundaes if you want them.”
“Who could turn down ice cream? Yes! Thank you. I can pay you for whatever you bring over.”
“No need. Carson’s my hero, and his dad and I go way back. We served in Vietnam together, in the same unit. It would be my pleasure.”
“Thanks so much,” Zoe told him as she added ice cream sundaes to her list. She couldn’t believe the outpouring of generosity from Carson’s neighbors and wondered if he knew how lucky he was to have such caring people around him. It was well-known around town that Carson Grant had more or less barricaded himself inside his rented house ever since the accident and rarely ever saw his own family. The townsfolk had gossiped about him for months with all sorts of reasons why he’d been so reclusive. All conjecture, of course. So this party for his dad would stifle a lot of the negative rumors about his having a falling-out with his family.
“I hope it’s all right with Carson, but when I heard there was a party for his dad tonight, I hung some lights out on his porch,” a younger man around Carson’s age said. “The hooks were already there, probably left by the previous renter, so I figured there was no harm in using them.”
“And I hung a wreath on the door,” a woman named Betty told her. She looked to be in her midseventies, wearing a stylish fur-lined hat and a black wool coat. “I had an extra one, and that door needed a little Christmas cheer. I hope it’s okay.”
Sal told her it was perfect and the two of them walked out on the front porch to admire it.
Everyone looked familiar to Zoe, and even if she didn’t know their names, she knew either where they worked or where they lived. The familiarity happened to be one of the good perks about living in a small town. She decided not to think of any of the bad gossipy things right now, at least not while she was busy planning one of the biggest birthday parties this town had ever seen.
“It’s wonderful. Thank you so much. I’m sure he’ll be pleased.” Zoe was overwhelmed by all the kindness. It seemed as if they’d been eager to help and were taking this opportunity to pay Carson back for winning all those buckles and awards over the years, and putting tiny Briggs on the rodeo map.
“Carson’s my hero,” little Jonas Walker said as he held on to his dad’s hand. Jonas couldn’t have been more than five years old and a little doll with his curly dark hair and his custom-made cowboy boots and traditionally styled chocolate-colored cowboy hat.
“Jonas wants to grow up and be a bronc rider just like Carson,” his dad said.
Jonas’s adorable face beamed with excitement and he came rushing toward her, arms outstretched, for a big hug.
When those sweet little arms encircled her neck, she nearly teared up. She loved kids and hoped to have a whole houseful...someday...as soon as the right guy came along.
Zoe had invited everyone in the neighborhood to the surprise party, whether Carson had wanted her to or not. She felt it was the least she could do after they’d all been so gracious. The party had now grown to over forty people not including Carson’s family. She calculated that she’d have enough food for around fifty, and Amanda was bringing a cake that would feed sixty guests. She had a feeling more people from the town would show up once the party got rolling... Folks in Briggs were like that. Especially for Carson’s dad, who had raised the town’s rodeo hero.
And if this amount of love wasn’t enough to put her in the Christmas spirit, seeing Carson coming up the street, holding the reins on two beautiful Clydesdales as he glided closer in that fabulous red sleigh, certainly put a smile on her face. He was towing what was perhaps the biggest Christmas tree she’d ever seen while Travis Granger, local Cowboy Santa, managed to hold the tree secure over the back of the sleigh with a rope.
At once she dropped everything she was doing and ran to the curb to meet them along with everyone else. It felt as if Santa himself was about to arrive. People cheered, waved and clapped as the sled made its way up the street. Not a car or snowplow in sight, just a bright red sleigh carrying two exuberant cowboys, and a massive Christmas tree. Some of the kids from town ran along the sides of the sleigh, and little Jonas Walker jumped up and down clapping his hands until his dad picked him up for a better look.
When they finally stopped and Travis took hold of the reins, the kids surrounded the sleigh while Travis threw wrapped candy into their outstretched hands. Carson quickly climbed down and walked right up to Zoe with a great big smile on his face. It was as if
his limp had all but disappeared along with any other lingering ailments. His charcoal-colored Western hat was slung low on his forehead, shadowing his deep blue eyes from any lingering sunlight, making him look sexier than any cowboy she’d ever seen.
Zoe sucked in a cool breath.
“What is all this?” he asked as he gazed at the crowd, a wide grin emphasizing those kissable lips of his. He slipped off his gloves. His cheeks still rosy from the cold. “I felt like we were in a parade, especially with Travis throwing candy to the kids. Crazy!”
“Your neighbors are helping out with your dad’s surprise party.”
“My neighbors? How... Wait...”
She shrugged, smiling. “It sort of went viral once Sal got involved. Everyone wanted to help and donate something. We have everything we need, even a gluten-free cake for your mom.”
“I knew you could do it,” Carson said as he ran his fingers up her arm and leaned in. “I could kiss you.” She had the distinct feeling he intended to go through with that warning. Zoe put her hands on his chest to stop him.
“Easy, cowboy, you’re getting married in a few weeks, remember?”
He looked at her, smiling. “I wasn’t really... I mean, of course I am.” He took a step back, but it was too late. Zoe had seen it in his eyes, had felt it in his touch.
He was falling for her as hard as she was falling for him.
Chapter Four
The surprise party for Carson’s dad, Henry, seemed to be a complete success. Zoe had not only managed to pull it off in time, but with the help of his neighbors, and his sisters, Carson’s barren house, inside and out, looked like a veritable winter birthday fantasy. Piper hadn’t had to bring anything from their storage facility. The neighbors had provided everything, even Carson’s favorite: hot spiced apple cider spiked with brandy. Father Beau had arrived with the perfect boot-shaped lemon cake from Holy Rollers, and there were even presents for Henry stacked up next to the tree despite Zoe having insisted that no presents were necessary. Apparently, wine, liquor, homemade cookies and cakes, knit hats and scarves didn’t fall into that category.
