Christmas with the Sheriff

by Victoria James

  “Thank you, Mrs. Mayberry. I kept my realtor license in Montana just in case and now that I’m temporarily back here, I’m glad that I did. It’s nice to be working with you again. But, it’ll just be for the holidays of course. I’ll be heading back to Chicago after New Year’s.” She didn’t look at Gwen when she made that statement.

  Marlene’s face collapsed into a frown. “Oh that is a shame, but I do have some good news for our dear Sheriff Donovan. That house on Tall Pines has his name written all over it. How does ten o’clock tomorrow morning sound for a showing?”

  Julia held on to her squeal of delight. “That sounds perfect. I’ll confirm with Chase and we’ll be there.”

  “That man is a prize waiting to be claimed,” she said with a theatrical sigh. Her large eyes settled on Julia’s like an old owl perching onto a branch, scouting for prey.

  “Mrs. Mayberry, we are in love with this space,” Gwen said, walking over to them and saving Julia. Thank God for her sister-in-law’s intervention.

  “Excellent, excellent. I’ll be waiting for that offer, then, Julia!” She gave her another slow-motion wink. And then as quickly as the woman had entered, did she exit, leaving in her wake only the smell of roses and the faint sense of unease.

  The three of them looked at each other, silent for a moment before erupting in a fit of laughter.

  Julia stopped after a few moments, squeezing Gwen’s hand and looking at both of them. “I promise I will do what it takes to make this place a reality for you two. Whatever you need, okay?”

  They both nodded and Gwen leaned forward to give her a hug. “Thanks.”

  “I didn’t know Chase was looking at that house on Tall Pines.”

  Julia nodded. The more she thought of her conversation with Chase yesterday, the more she wanted to make this happen for him and Maggie. They deserved a fresh start. The way he’d spoken about Maggie reminded her of the special love she’d had for Matthew. That desire to give him the best, to give him everything she possibly could.

  She wanted to help Chase fulfill those dreams for his little girl, and she wanted to spend time with them. That was something she hadn’t counted on. Of course she’d been looking forward to seeing them, but she hadn’t expected how much, and the connection she felt to Maggie.

  “He really deserves the best after all he’s been through. He came around constantly after.” Gwen paused and looked at the ground for a moment. “After the accident. And he became like another brother to me. Mom and Dad basically adopted him and Maggie. He was their rock, mine too.”

  Julia blinked away tears as she stared into her sister-in-law’s eyes, so much like Michael’s. “I feel like crap when I think of how I let you guys down.”

  Gwen shook her head. “Don’t you dare apologize to me. You did what you had to. Let’s move beyond this. I just wanted you to know.” She cleared her throat and touched Julia’s arm. “That Chase is strong. He’s a good man.”

  Julia nodded slowly, sensing more to Gwen’s comment. “I know he is.” She looked past Gwen to the red-brick school, thinking of yesterday. Maggie and Chase made her yearn for everything she had lost, but even more. If she were honest with herself, she’d admit that what scared her most was not just the yearning for what was gone, but for the possibility of what could be. But that would mean trusting a man again, and that was something she didn’t think could ever happen, especially if Chase had known what Michael had done. A part of her didn’t want to know.

  “He’s done so well for himself and Maggie. The bad boy turned cop. Really, I can’t think of a better man,” Lily said softly, tucking her blonde hair inside her hood. Ouch for Jack. No one said anything as Gwen opened the door and they stepped outside, waiting as Julia locked up and placed the key inside the lock box.

  “This is turning out to be the best Christmas we’ve had in years, because of you, Julia.” The tears in Gwen’s eyes were contagious and she blinked rapidly. Seriously, these people were turning her into a pile of mush.

  She walked forward and gave Gwen a hug. “For me too.”

  “All we need now is for Jack to come home.” Gwen pulled away from her and wiped at the fallen tears. “I sent him a long email that has filled him with so much guilt he has no choice but to come home.”

  Julia smiled. “That would be perfect, but you need to stop with the tears or I’m going to have to start carrying around a box of tissues with me.” They laughed, walking away from the shop and to their cars. Jack. She didn’t add anything about her own feelings. A part of her wondered how she would react to seeing him. His face. He and Michael had been identical twins, and while she could easily tell them apart she knew there would be no denying his face. Would she see him as a different man? Would she see Michael immediately? Would she be able to look into the identical eyes of the man she lost, that had betrayed her, and know, fully, that they were not the same person?

  It took them a moment to realize Lily hadn’t fallen into step beside them. They turned around and she was still standing in front of the store. Her dark brown eyes were wide in her pale face and they both walked back to her.

  “You think Jack is coming home for Christmas?”

  Gwen gasped. “I’m an idiot for blurting that out. I don’t know. I told you I had written him, but I still don’t know for sure.”

  Lily shook her head. “No, no. Don’t apologize. He’s your brother. You’ve all been through so much and especially with your dad this past year…”

  “Still, I love my brother, I always will, but what he did was what I call jack-ass behavior.”

  Lily’s face cracked and turned into a smile. They all burst out laughing at Gwen.

  “It’s a good one, isn’t it?” Gwen asked.

  “So good,” Lily said, swinging her purse over her shoulder. “Jack can come home, and that will be perfect for all of you. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I’ve moved on with Ben. Jack is history,” she whispered in a voice that was so heavy with the weight of her hurt that her smile faltered.

  Julia knew that weight…

  It was the weight of a woman whose heart had been broken by a man.

  Chapter Four

  Julia sat in the front seat of her rental SUV, parked in the driveway of the house on Tall Pines. She was a few minutes early for the property showing and was catching up on emails while she waited for Chase to arrive. She had taken the entire month off from work, something she hadn’t done since she’d started at the real estate office. She wanted to enjoy her time here, and she’d had a feeling that when her vacation was over she’d need a few days to get Shadow Creek out of her mind before returning to work.

  She quickly re-read the text from Marlene saying she was making headway with the offer on the chocolate shop. Satisfied with that, she sent a quick text to Gwen and Lily. Then she checked to see if there was any word from Chase. He’d confirmed by text last night that he’d meet her here. He was on call, so he’d mentioned he might be a few minutes late.

  She turned up the heat in the car as a gust of wind shook the vehicle slightly and peered out the front dash at the house. She could see why Chase wanted it. It was a traditional log-style ranch house, common in the area, but there was something about the way it was set on the property. The previous owners had obviously gone to great lengths to preserve the towering, old, ponderosa pines and had built the house in what looked like a natural clearing. It was deep-set, far from the road, the mountains as the backdrop. There was a large front porch, and she could practically see Chase standing out there, watching Maggie build a snowman. No, he’d probably be right alongside his little girl, helping. The property was stunning, rugged, and larger-than-life. Much like the man himself.

  Chase and Michael and Jack had been best friends. Out of the three of them, Michael had been the different one. He’d followed in his father’s footsteps and had become a lawyer. He had been smart, charismatic, a true gentleman. Well, that last part was debateable, considering what she’d found out in the year fo
llowing his death. Chase and Jack had been the most similar, both of them with an edge, a gruffness that she knew only covered up a heart of gold. Jack…she hadn’t seen him since she’d left town. He’d run; just like her, except he not only left his family, he’d walked away from his fiancée.

  Chase had stuck around, helped all the Baileys get through the worst days of their lives. He had dragged her out of the hole she’d been living in—enough that she could stand on her own two feet again and start over. But she’d missed him, in a way that surprised her. There had been so many nights she’d yearned for the feel of him, the scent of him, the sound of his voice, the strength of his body. She had gotten used to the silence. She had become stronger than she ever thought possible, but was she ever alone.

  She blinked back tears and the sound of tires crunching the gravel and snow-covered long drive pulled her out of her thoughts. A quick glance in the rear-view mirror confirmed the object of her thoughts had arrived. She met Chase outside and was jolted by his smile. His stride was long and powerful, and he turned down the radio on his black vest as he joined her by her car. His hair was windblown and slightly disheveled, but his blue eyes were alert. He was…beautiful. Good grief, this wasn’t what she was supposed to be thinking about.

  “Hey there, Julia.”

  She pretended he was just any other client, but that was kind of stupid, because this man knew more about her than anyone else on the planet right now. She forced a normal smile. “Hey, how’s your day going?”

  “Another day of excitement in Shadow Creek. Was picking up some coffee on my way to the station this morning, and a senior drove his car through the window of the coffee shop, so that’s always a fun way to start the day.”

  Julia gasped and covered her mouth. “What? That’s horrible.”

  He grinned and shrugged. “It happens a lot more than you’d think. He put the car in drive instead of reverse and then, wham,” he said, making a sliding motion with his hand.

  “Was anyone hurt?”

  “No. A bit of bruised male pride for the driver, but that’s about it.”

  She shook her head. She had often wondered how he did what he did. She was also very aware of how he seemed to take everything in stride. Nothing shook Chase.

  They walked side by side, and she noticed he blocked a nice portion of the wind. There was about a foot of snow on the ground and she was happy she was wearing her tall boots. “You know, the fact that there’s not even one set of footsteps out here tells me maybe there haven’t been too many showings on this property.”

  “Good observation. We’ve had snow on the ground for two weeks.”

  “Huh,” she said as she deftly punched the code into the lock box. “When I asked Marlene about activity on this place she said it was non-stop.” She shot him a look and he gave a short laugh.

  “Ready?” she said as the lock released, looking up at him.

  He gave her that grin that probably stopped much of the female traffic in Shadow Creek and then nodded. She swung open the wood door but he made her go through it first. They stood in silence in the front entry, looking around. The wooden, wide-plank floors were dusty, but from where they were standing seemed to be in decent shape.

  “Not as bad as I was expecting,” Chase said, walking further into the house. The electricity was off, but enough light came through the windows that they could easily make out the details. The sound of his boots against the wood floor was the only thing that could be heard other than the occasional rattling of windows from the wind. When they entered the kitchen, Julia gasped.

  “Chase, this is beautiful,” she said. The kitchen, though dated, had a big island in the center, a U-shaped cooking area that was large, the sink situated over a massive picture window. It was open to a huge family room that boasted high, peaked ceilings with wooden beams and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace.

  She glanced over at Chase who was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, watching her. She reprimanded herself for noting how good he looked, rugged, masculine lines on display as he stood there. “You like it?”

  “Uh, yeah? Don’t you? Look at the windows, and that view!” The mountains stood majestically in the distance, white-capped and proud. “You don’t even need a TV, that view is so beautiful.”

  “Yeah. I guess Maggie would have a problem with the lack of television, though,” he said, one corner of his mouth turned up slightly.

  She smiled. “That’s true. Don’t let her know I even suggested that. But seriously, look at the beams, the fireplace. I wouldn’t change anything.”

  “What would you do to the kitchen?”

  She walked over to it, her heeled boots echoing on the wood floor in the vacant home. She furrowed her brow as she took in the proportions. “I’d do dark cabinets with a slightly distressed finish, you know, masculine. Maybe a large stainless steel built-in refrigerator.”

  “What about a woman? What would a woman want in here?”

  She quickly tore her gaze from his intense one. A woman. Of course he was probably dating someone. He should have brought her. Though, that would have been awkward. Well, it shouldn’t be awkward, but a part of her didn’t want to meet whoever he was with. He did tell her the other day he wasn’t into the whole dating scene—for Maggie’s sake. But maybe that meant, he wouldn’t just date anyone and that he’d actually found the right woman.

  She didn’t know what to make of the disappointment she felt at the thought of him with someone really special. And what about Maggie? She deserved a nice woman in her life. That little girl had been through so much. Or maybe he wasn’t dating anyone at all and was looking into the future to when he would be dating someone…and getting married again. Ugh.

  She needed to get her sudden possessive line of thinking toward Chase in line. She cleared her throat and walked to stand in the center of the current U-shape cooking area. “I guess I could see a large, white, farmhouse sink right here, under the window.”

  He stood there, hands in his pockets, eyes not leaving hers and she had to unbutton her coat, feeling hot. What was wrong with her? Things had never been like this between them. She had never been so aware of his presence, his energy. She turned away from him and gestured with her hands. “I’d place a large, cream colored, distressed island in the middle, the same spot as this one. Maybe with some corbels underneath—nothing too ornate, just to add some custom details, and of course room for seating. That would lighten things up and make it a little more feminine.”

  He ran his hand over his jaw, not looking impressed. “What’s this distressed stuff you’re talking about?”

  “Oh! It’s where the cabinet maker will sand off a little of the paint finish in spots that would normally get wear and tear or make a few subtle dents.”

  He was silent for a moment. “So I’d be paying for someone to ruin a new piece of wood?”

  She laughed. “Sort of, but it looks really great.”

  He gave her a look that suggested otherwise. Then he flicked his chin in the direction of the great room. “What would you do in there?”

  She swung around and made her way into what was so far the most gorgeous room. “Not much, Chase. This room with the fireplace and massive windows is almost perfect. I love the beams. I’d give it a fresh coat of paint—something neutral. A large area rug to anchor the furniture. You don’t need window coverings because there’s tons of privacy.”

  “I like more privacy. What would you suggest?”

  He was standing beside her now, hands shoved in his pockets. She tried to ignore how good it felt to be here, just the two of them. There was something that felt so right about him, standing beside him, talking to him. She forced her attention back to his question when he looked down at her. “I guess blinds that can give you privacy and then roll up completely so that the view is unobstructed.”

  “How about furniture?”

  She was about to laugh and tease him that she wasn’t an interior decorator, but she caught a hint o
f vulnerability in a face that rarely showed anything but strength. There was also a gleam in his blue depths that made this personal. “Well, you have enough room for a large sectional and maybe a nice square ottoman coffee table,” she said, gesturing to the space in front of the fireplace.

  He nodded. “Can I buy this online?”

  She turned fully to him, crossing her arms. “You online shop?”

  He grinned. “I hate shopping. I’d rather shoot myself with my own gun than go shopping. One-clicking appeals to me.”

  She laughed as they walked toward the bedrooms. “Try Pottery Barn.” She stopped abruptly and almost poked him in the chest with her index finger to make a point then stopped short. Somehow it didn’t feel like she should touch him, maybe because a part of her wanted to touch him. “Just wait for the sale. Don’t buy full price. Seriously.”

  He gave her a salute and grin that almost made her toes curl. What was wrong with her? Maybe she had missed him even more than she’d realized.

  She had met Chase the same day she’d met Michael. Her family had moved to Shadow Creek when she’d started her second to last year of high school. She still remembered exactly what Chase had looked like that day. It was slightly disconcerting that she remembered even more about the way he’d looked, exactly what he was wearing, and the expression on his face. He didn’t have a scar back then; that had happened his first year on the force. Chase had always been larger than life to her, slightly intimidating. He’d had an edge to him. Michael had been the safe, responsible choice. It was ironic it was only she and Chase still standing, both having been burned by their partners. But no matter what Michael had done, he’d given her the most beautiful baby boy to love, and for that she would never regret marrying him.

  “You all right?” He approached her and she swallowed repeatedly, her heartbeat accelerating in a way that it shouldn’t. It was this house, that was it. It was quiet, intimate and she was here helping him decide on a place for his little family, like she was someone that fit into his day-to-day life. She didn’t. Not anymore. He seemed to swallow up the hallway, and for a second she had a flash of being held in his arms and she remembered the warmth, the safety she’d felt against his hard chest. She remembered his clean, crisp scent as she sat in his arms, crying.