The Christmas Keeper

by Jenn McKinlay

  “Are you bullshitting me?” he asked.

  “No.” She laughed. “I am at Windemere Manor right now.”

  “Pics or it didn’t happen,” he said.

  “Fine,” Savy agreed. “Hang on.”

  She opened her camera and snapped a few pictures of the house, one of her with the house behind her, and then some more of Quino and Destiny riding across the field. It was a very poetic shot and she wondered again if Destiny was attached to Quino—but that was ridiculous; she had seemed so happy that Quino had brought Savy to meet her. She opened her text app and sent the pictures.

  “Okay, there’s your proof,” she said.

  “Opening the text,” Archer said. There was a pause. “Oh, my God, that is you, in that hideous sweater, at Windemere Manor! What the hell were you thinking? Are you trying to terrorize her into a book signing?”

  There was some heavy breathing and she was afraid Archer might pass out.

  “Breathe, Archer,” she said.

  “I’m trying but, holy reclusive writers, you have gained access to the most hermetic author in the literary world second only to J. D. Salinger when he was alive. How? And who is the hot cowboy riding horseback with her? These are the things I need to know right now!”

  “Interestingly enough, the hot cowboy is a friend of a friend.” Savy paused. That didn’t sound right. “Who has become a good friend of mine.” That sounded better.

  “How good of a friend?” Archer asked. “I mean meow. He’s yummy.” He never did pull any punches.

  “Close friend,” Savy said.

  “You slept with him,” Archer declared.

  “How can you say that?” she asked. “You don’t know that.”

  “You didn’t deny it,” he said. “So, now I know it for sure.”

  “None of that is the point. The point is that Quino is Destiny’s riding coach and he is the one who got me here.”

  “Quino?”

  “Short for Joaquin,” Savy said. She could feel her face getting hot, which was ridiculous because she was a grown-ass woman who could do whatever she liked with her personal life. “Listen, the reason I am calling is to ask how great for my career would it be to be the one who engineered Destiny Swann coming out of seclusion to do a book signing at Maisy’s store?”

  “How great?” Archer asked. “Like they’ll give you a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade great. Seriously, she is the hottest romance author in the business and ten years ago, she stopped touring, doing publicity, or having any interactions with her fans. If you could bring her out of hiding, it would be the coup of the year, possibly the decade.”

  “That’s what I thought, too,” she said. “All right, I’m going all in. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Try to get a peek into her closet for me,” Archer said.

  “Because that wouldn’t be weird.”

  “I hear she has a couture collection to die for,” he said. “You have to get a picture of it for me.”

  “No.”

  “Oh, come on,” he wheedled.

  “No. Also, you have to keep this on the down-low,” she said. “I don’t want anyone to know what I’m doing.”

  “Well, duh,” he said. “That diva Linda has already stolen every bit of your glory she could get her sticky fingers on. I’m certainly not going to let her try to swipe this.”

  “Thank you,” Savy said. And she meant it. Archer had been steadfast in his support of her since the dark day she’d been let go. “I’ll let you know what happens.”

  “Pictures,” he said. “I must have pictures of the interior.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Savy said.

  After several back-and-forths of I love you, she ended the call.

  She hunkered into the fleece and turned to lean against the passenger door, where she had the best view of Quino riding. The sunlight shone down upon him and Daisy. He galloped across the field and Destiny followed. They looked like they were having a great time. Savy was surprised that she didn’t feel the old spurt of jealousy she might have felt for one of her faithless boyfriends from New York. Instead, she felt alarmingly sure of Quino. She just knew he was a man of his word and even if what they were doing was a sham, she still trusted him not to do her wrong. So that was a novel feeling.

  She liked watching him ride. Aside from the alluring sight of his hips moving in the saddle, he rode with confidence. He knew his horse, he knew what she could do, and he communicated with her in silent understanding. Watching Quino and Daisy, Savy realized if there was any female who would be a rival for Quino’s affection, it was Daisy. She smiled. The big brown-and-white horse was beautiful, and Savy was A-OK with that sort of competition.

  She supposed she should use her phone to check her e-mail or craft some ads for the bookstore, but she didn’t. Instead, she just watched Quino, thrilled to be able to watch him undisturbed and unquestioned, because, after all, she was his girlfriend today and wouldn’t a girlfriend watch her man while he went riding, especially when the man was Quino? Of course she would.

  She didn’t bother to pretend she wasn’t staring. Quino’s cowboy hat shielded his eyes from the sun while he and Daisy rode together in perfect sync. Watching how he guided his horse with just a squeeze from his powerful legs made Savannah break into a light sweat and she shoved the blanket off even as she didn’t look away. As if aware of her scrutiny, Quino turned toward her and gave her a slow smile and a wicked wink. Savannah’s brain turned to mush and all good intentions aside, she had no idea how she was going to keep her hands off him during the ride home.

  After exactly one hour, Genevieve reappeared in the golf cart. She parked beside the corral and Quino and Destiny rode in. Quino dismounted first and tied Cocoa, holding up his arms to catch Destiny as she swung her leg over the back of the horse. He put her gently on the ground and she smiled up at him in affection. Savy felt something in her chest tighten. Who was this man who was great with horses, looked after his sister, loved Christmas, and was kind to older ladies? He was just so elementally good, it made her want to hug him hard and never let go.

  She hopped out of the truck and joined them at the corral. This might be her only chance to talk to Destiny about the bookstore. She couldn’t let it slip by, but Destiny was half in the golf cart before she got there. The author waved at Savy.

  “Meet us up at the house for tea, dear?” Destiny asked.

  Savy glanced at Quino and he nodded. She turned back to Destiny with a grin. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

  Genevieve glanced at her with one eyebrow raised. She didn’t say anything before she started the cart and drove back to the house.

  Savy joined Quino by the horses. He was removing their saddles and bridles and Savy hefted them up and carried them back to the truck. While he groomed Daisy she grabbed a currycomb and groomed Cocoa. When they were finished, Quino fetched two horse blankets out of the trailer and they put one on each horse, as the temperature had dropped. Quino fastened the gate to the corral, where the horses would wait, and turned to Savy.

  “Ready for tea?”

  “One question,” she said. “Do you have tea with her after every ride or is this because I’m here and she wants to know more about your girlfriend?”

  “I have tea with her after every ride,” he said. “At first, I was mortified. Drinking Earl Grey out of these paper-thin china cups. I was sure I was going to smash something. But then she brought out the tiny sandwiches. Ermagawd. Nom nom nom.”

  Savy stared at him. “Cucumber sandwiches? You like cucumber sandwiches?”

  “Yeah, because they have cream cheese and dill. I love dill. But there’s also a curry egg salad and chicken almond something or other. The cucumber is where it’s at, though.”

  Savannah started to laugh.

  “What?” he asked.

  “The big
rough-and-tumble cowboy loves high tea,” she said. She chuckled. “It’s too much.”

  “Did I mention the blueberry macarons, the mini coconut cupcake, or the raspberry white chocolate petit fours? Hmm, did I?”

  “Why are we standing here?” Savy asked. “Move it!”

  Now Quino laughed, and as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he draped his arm over her shoulders, pulled her close, and planted a kiss on her hair.

  “That’s what I’m talking about, Red. Petit fours to die for.”

  They strolled across the lawn and Savy flirted with a ridiculous fantasy that this was their house and they were coming in from a day’s ride. They’d clean up together and then light a fire and enjoy high tea in their parlor while reading books or listening to music or watching their children romp around. Wait . . . what?

  She shook her head. Clearly Windemere was the sort of place that gave a girl ideas. Maybe this was why Destiny was so successful. All she had to do was look at the lush landscape, the Smoky Mountain vista, and the big white house with columns and she was brimming with characters and plots and the stories just wrote themselves.

  Quino led Savy up the steps to the wide terrace. He paused to knock on the back door. A woman in an apron over jeans and a flannel shirt answered. She was young with long dark hair that she wore in a braid that hung down her back. Her face was pretty with high cheekbones and round eyes, and her smile warm and friendly as she gestured for them to come in.

  They stepped into a massive kitchen, with copper appliances and quartz counters, three ovens, and two dishwashers. It was a beautiful workspace and it smelled heavenly, of fresh-baked bread and some sort of savory meat dish that almost caused Savy to drool.

  “Quino, how are you?” the woman asked.

  “Good, Maddie, how are you, Doug, the kids?”

  “Doug and I are fine, but the kids are bonkers,” she said. She looked at Savy and explained. “They’re three and five so Christmas is all they can talk about, think about, and dream about.”

  Savy smiled. She may not be a fan of Christmas but she loved seeing kids excited about the holiday. Maybe it was because she loved that they got to believe when she hadn’t been allowed. She didn’t know. She just knew that she found their excitement charming.

  “Savannah, this is Maddie—Destiny’s personal chef.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Maddie said. She held out her hand but Savy said, “I’m covered in horse. Would you be offended if I washed up in the sink first?”

  “Not at all,” she said. “The powder room is right there.” She glanced at Quino. “You can use the kitchen sink.”

  “Look at you,” Quino said to Savy. “Getting the special privileges.”

  “She’s a guest, you’re family,” Maddie said.

  “Thank you,” Savy said.

  She left them to go wash up. In the bathroom, she noted that her hair was an unruly mess. Her cheeks were pink from the cold outside and the gingerbread man on her sweater was looking back at her with a smirk as if he knew the impure thoughts she’d had about Quino. When she returned to the kitchen, he was seated at the counter, talking to Maddie. Savannah slipped onto the seat beside him.

  Maddie was rolling out pastry dough, and as they watched she whipped together an apple pie, crimping the edges with the tines of a fork and perfuming the air with nutmeg, apples, and cinnamon sugar that made Savy almost dizzy with want. They talked about when the first snowfall would be, what Maddie’s kids wanted for Christmas, and whose sweater was more obnoxious—Quino’s or Savy’s. Maddie said Quino’s but Savy had a feeling she was trying to spare her feelings. When Maddie popped the pie into the oven, Genevieve appeared in the doorway.

  “If you two are ready, Destiny will join you for tea now,” she said.

  They rose from their counter seats and stretched.

  “Always a pleasure,” Quino said. “Especially when I know you made extra cucumber sandwiches?”

  Maddie smiled. “Just for you.”

  “Yes!” Quino pumped his fist and Maddie laughed.

  “It was lovely to meet you, Maddie,” Savy said.

  “Please come back again,” Maddie said. “You can wait in the kitchen with me while he rides.”

  “I’d like that,” Savy said. “Maybe you could teach me to bake a pie.”

  Maddie grinned. “And I’d like that.”

  They followed Genevieve from the kitchen and down a short hallway. They turned left and went down a longer hallway with doors on each side—some were open and some were closed. Large portraits in gilded frames hung on the walls. It took Savy a second to realize they were all the original artwork from Destiny’s book covers. She paused to study a cowboy in a pasture with a horse, looking at a house in the background that looked very much like Windemere. The artist had definitely captured a look of longing on the cowboy’s face and Savy felt drawn to him, much as the artist had intended, she was sure.

  She glanced up just in time to see Genevieve and Quino disappear around the corner. She hurried after them. They were crossing the enormous entryway, under a sparkling chandelier and over an exquisite Oriental carpet, straight into a large parlor that overlooked the pond they had passed on the drive to the manor.

  A fire was lit in the large fireplace, which crackled and hissed invitingly. A comfortable dark-blue love seat and two wing chairs were arranged in front of the fire. The house was a bit on the chilly side so Savy was happy to stand in front of the fireplace while they waited for Destiny, who hadn’t arrived yet.

  “Can I ask what you plan to say to Destiny to convince her to sign at your bookstore?” Genevieve asked.

  Quino’s eyes went wide.

  “Genevieve recognized my name,” Savy said. “I did mention to you that I reached out to her before.”

  “You did. But now I’m wondering. ‘Reached out’ means what exactly?” he asked.

  “The usual,” Savy said. “Phone call, e-mail, letter of inquiry, you know.”

  Quino looked at Genevieve and she smiled and added, “As well as the unusual: flowers, cookie bouquet, and a balloon-o-gram.”

  “Genius!” Quino said with a laugh.

  “Yes, except it didn’t work, did it?” Savy asked.

  “No,” Genevieve said. “Destiny has been adamant that she will not do another book signing so long as she lives.”

  “Well, that’s no good,” Quino said.

  “No, it isn’t,” Genevieve agreed, surprising Savy. “I’m worried about her. As she’s become more and more reclusive, the writing has comparatively been more difficult. I think she needs to get back out there and get inspired, and I am really hoping you can convince her to do so.”

  “You are?” Savy asked. She felt a surge of optimism.

  “Yes. Now, can I ask you two something?” Genevieve said. They both nodded. “Are you really dating? Because if Destiny discovers you’re not, it’ll hurt her terribly.”

  “We are,” Savy said. She’d noted that Quino said nothing, clearly letting her handle the big lie. “In fact, I didn’t even know he knew Destiny until after we were together.”

  “That’s true,” he said, and smiled at her. She knew from the mischievous glint in his eye, he was thinking about their first night together, which actually was before she knew of his connection to Destiny. She would have shaken her head at his wayward thoughts, but she didn’t want Genevieve to guess that things weren’t as they seemed between them.

  “Excellent.” Genevieve beamed. “I am really hoping you can get Destiny to consider doing a signing.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Savy said. She felt her palms get sweaty. No pressure.

  Quino sat down on the love seat, and Savy took the seat beside him. In a few moments, Genevieve, who had taken one of the wing chairs, popped to her feet. Quino glanced over his shoulder and did the same, so Savy did, too.<
br />
  It didn’t take her long to realize why Genevieve and Quino had stood. She may not be a queen in the royal sense, but when Destiny entered a room it was as if royalty had arrived. Of course, it could also have been the diaphanous dress she was wearing. Tea length in a gorgeous blue organza, it had a flared skirt, nipped waist, and wide neckline that showed off Destiny’s collarbones and fantastic figure. Savy glanced down at her sweater with the glittery gingerbread man and felt like she’d dressed for a costume party only to show up and find out it was actually a formal.

  Chapter Sixteen

  DOES she always dress up for tea?” she whispered to Quino.

  “Yes.”

  “You might have warned me,” she said.

  “Why? You look cute.”

  Savy growled low in her throat.

  “Darlings, do sit down,” Destiny said. “Please forgive me for keeping you waiting. I just couldn’t decide what to wear. I don’t get visitors very often and I’m not one for going out, so I like to dress up when I can.”

  Genevieve shot Savy a pointed look as if to say, See? She’s lonely. Oh, boy, the pressure to get Destiny to the bookstore was mounting. Savy felt a trickle of sweat roll down her back, or maybe that was just a reaction to the synthetic fibers of the sweater she was wearing.

  Maddie came in behind Destiny, pushing a rolling cart that was loaded with two three-tiered curate stands of food and two teapots, as well as separate servers for clotted cream, a variety of jams and lemon curd, sugar cubes, milk, and honey. Savy felt her stomach growl. She hoped this wasn’t like tea with the queen of England. She had heard that guests were allowed to eat only what the queen ate, so if she chose a solitary inedible melba toast, that’s all anyone else got to eat. Savy was pretty sure she’d die.

  As soon as they resumed their seats, Genevieve poured their tea and Quino dug into the tower of food, going for the second tier, where the sandwiches were. The upper tier was scones and breads, and the bottom, sweets. Savy couldn’t wait to get there. There was a mini coconut cake with her name on it. Using the silver tongs to choose the sandwiches, Quino loaded a plate and then handed it to Savy.