by Cindi Madsen
“That’s fine,” Regina said.
The woman peeked over the top of her computer screen. “And how long are you planning on staying?”
“Um, for the first time in my life, I don’t really have a set plan.”
“That’s okay, dear. How long were you going to be on your honeymoon?”
Regina automatically flinched, and one of the other women scolded Fern and then took Regina’s hand and patted it like they were old friends.
Which made her even more hesitant to let go of the sheriff’s arm. He glanced down at her hand, and his throat worked a swallow, and she probably shouldn’t be noticing that.
She dropped her hand, wrapping her arm around her middle instead. Because she loved her finance-director job and felt the company could hardly run without her, taking time off was difficult and her workaholic sensibilities kicked in. “Um, two weeks, which seemed like an extravagant amount of time to me, but I never take time off.” Just another reason my fiancé decided to get out while he could.
Ex-fiancé.
The woman holding her hand squeezed it. “Everyone needs time off, and I say you take that time to relax and just work on you, honey.” A lightbulb went off, lighting her eyes. “You should spend it here with us.”
“Oh yes,” and a few other enthusiastic responses went through the group. “There’s nothing like Christmas in Friendship.”
“We’ve got enough things going on to keep your mind nice and occupied,” Fern said.
“I know that I’ll be nice and occupied with the events,” Sheriff Haywood added. “The town makes sure of it.”
Fern clucked her tongue. “Ignore him. He’s a stick in the mud about Christmas.”
“Funny,” Regina said, getting swept up in the teasing. “I just accused him of being the Grinch, and would you believe he tried to deny it?”
The ladies laughed, and she glanced at him, hoping it was okay she’d said that. He shook his head but there was that almost-smile; if she’d known she’d only get the with-teeth smile at his sister’s house, she would’ve taken an extra second or two to appreciate it.
“And you have to stay for the big Christmas party. There’s a dance and everything,” the woman still holding her hand said. Evidently, she wasn’t planning on letting go, which meant Regina might no longer have a choice in the matter. The woman’s gaze lifted over the top of Regina’s head. “Shouldn’t she stay for the dance, Sheriff?”
Regina glanced at him again. She couldn’t seem to help herself, and now that she’d gotten used to so many people she didn’t know crowding her space and asking about her personal affairs, she found herself swept up in the sense of camaraderie.
The sheriff’s eyes locked on to hers, mischief dancing in their depths. “Pretty sure it’s illegal not to go to the Christmas party ’round these parts, and I already gave you one free pass on being arrested, so …”
She tilted her head, giving him her best haughty expression. “So you’re saying, if I don’t stay for the festivities and go to the dance, I’ll be spending my vacation in jail?”
“Afraid so. I don’t make the laws, I just enforce them.”
“When he feels like it,” Fern said, and his scowl returned.
“No, you just want to be an exception to the rule,” he shot back.
The B&B owner made an offended noise before turning back to Regina, who’d always thought these kinds of towns only existed in fiction. She liked how involved they already were in what happened to her, even if she also worried it was a bad idea. She was in a fragile state as it was, and getting attached to people only to leave? Well, after the one person she’d planned to spend her life with walked away without a second thought, attachment issues were sure to follow. She’d do some research so she could find out what to expect and how long it might take to get over.
Still, two weeks in a cute little town that celebrated Christmas on such a grand scale sounded like just the vacation she needed. “Okay, book the two weeks. But if I need to leave early …?”
“We can work with whatever you need, dear,” Fern said.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” As Regina dug out her credit card to finish booking the room, a lightness filled her. Her parents always vacationed in exotic locations for the holidays—this year it was Italy—and while she had friends and distant relatives, she didn’t have anyone she felt she could burden for Christmas now that she was a gloomy party of one. And she certainly didn’t want to go back to her place. That would only accentuate her loneliness.
“I can call in Aaron to take your bag if you—”
“I’ll take it,” the sheriff said, and the women exchanged curious glances. It would seem he didn’t offer to tote suitcases around very often.
Admittedly, it made her feel sorta special, even though her heart was far too beat up to go getting any ideas about the surprisingly cute law enforcer and resident grinch.
He walked her down the hall, and when she unlocked the door, he rolled the suitcase across the threshold but remained on the other side. “Just wanted to make sure that you felt safe here, and that you didn’t feel too pressured into agreeing to stay, even though you wanted to escape.”
“Are you saying you’d break me out if needed?”
He leaned a hip against the doorjamb, and the way he filled the doorway made it clear he was every inch a man who could handle himself, just as he’d claimed to be. “Guess I’m not as hardcore at enforcing the town’s Christmas Party Decree as I pretended while we had an audience.”
She smiled at him. “I feel safe and happy, and I think staying here for a couple of weeks is just what the doctor ordered.” She leaned on the interior side of the doorjamb, her hip a few inches from his. It struck her how tall he was, something she noticed as a tall woman who often looked eye-level with men. “Thank you for all your help, Sheriff Haywood. This morning and last night.”
“It’s Emmett,” he said, dipping his head a few inches, and they were close enough that she could feel the heat of his body coming off him. Then she was recalling how firm his biceps had felt underneath her palm.
Her heart went to fluttering in her chest since it was worse at listening to reason than her brain was. “Thank you, Emmett.”
Chapter Four
Thanks to the group of women who frequented the main room of the Cozy Cottage to drink coffee and tea and gossip, Regina had ended up with a coat, gloves, and a scarf that was long enough to mummify her entire body. She wound another loop around her neck so she wouldn’t step on the end and trip and fall—no need to embarrass herself every day she was in town.
People milled about the park, chatting and enjoying hot chocolate and apple cider as they waited for the tree lighting ceremony. Regina accepted a cup of cocoa, holding it in her hands and sighing at the added warmth. It was significantly colder here than it was in Maryland. Her gaze skimmed the area, and while she told herself she was merely observing the cheerful gathering, her heart skipped extra quickly, hoping to find and observe the sheriff.
Emmett. He said to call him Emmett.
And I need to find him and say thank you, so it’s okay to be looking for him.
After lunch at the Wallflower Diner, she’d fortified her nerves the best she could to face her decorated car. But it was cleared of the streamers, cans, and that mocking “Just Married!!!” scrawl. She suspected he’d noticed how much it’d bothered her.
As Regina moved closer to the action, several people introduced themselves. Word had obviously gotten around about who she was and why she was there, but everyone was so kind, and even better, nice enough not to mention how much of a mess she’d been last night.
The crowd gathered closer to the stage as the mayor welcomed everyone to their annual tree lighting ceremony. Regina tipped onto her toes, still searching for a dirty blond head of hair.
“You’re not making a play to be the one to flip the switch, are you?” a deep voice said near her ear, and butterflies erupted in her stomach. She turn
ed to the very guy she’d been looking for.
“I feel it’s only fair, what with me having been part of the town for almost a whole day. Plus, don’t tell the cops, but my goal is to get arrested by Christmas.” She pretended she’d only now noticed his clothing and the big shiny badge on the coat she’d had wrapped around her last night. “Oh, this is awkward.”
His lips quivered but not enough to count as a smile. He lifted one of her colorful scarf coils. “Let me guess. Marge got a hold of you?”
“She let me borrow it. In fact, I don’t have a stitch of clothing on that’s mine. Save the underwear.” Her cheeks blazed, embarrassment doing a far better job than the layers at keeping her toasty. “I mean … You know what I mean.”
It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on him. He didn’t move, didn’t seem to blink or even breathe.
“So, um, this hot chocolate is really good.” She licked it off her upper lip, and his eyes tracked the movement. “Emmett?”
He cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Can’t drink any because you’re on duty?” She lifted the cup and eyed it suspiciously. “What exactly do they put in it? If I get sloppy drunk one more time, I’m pretty sure the sheriff will haul me to jail.”
“Ha-ha. I just haven’t had time to try a cup, because anytime I go near the table, someone needs something. Plus, there are doughnuts over there, and I’d hate to become a walking cliché.”
Regina opened her mouth to tell him she’d cover for him if he wanted to grab a cup now—no promises about refraining from cop/doughnut jokes—but before she could, an older lady burst right into their cozy bubble.
“Oh good, I found you.” Her words were spoken on a huff, her movements urgent. “Jack parked in the spot where Santa Claus arrives in his sleigh. You need to make him move his truck.”
“I think there’s an opening on the other side of the stage,” Emmett said. “Just have Joe circle—”
“Shhh.” The woman wildly looked around. “Santa always comes in the same way. It’s what everyone expects, and you can’t change the rules because Jack is your buddy. I warned him I’d get the law involved if he didn’t listen, and typical, he has to do things the hard way.”
Unlike the woman, who was clearly so easy-going. She charged through the crowd, obviously sure the sheriff would follow. Emmett sighed and raked a hand through his hair, causing some of the strands to stick up at different angles. “Guess I better go deal with that.”
“Okay, but just so you know, this is all part of my evil plan,” Regina said. “Distract the sheriff with Santa problems so I can elbow my way to the switch that’ll light the tree. Where is it again?”
“Sheriff!” the woman demanded, and he began walking backward.
He pointed a finger at Regina. “Behave till I get back.”
“No promises,” she said, while her inner voice squealed over the phrase till I get back.
He shook his head, a slight curve to his lips. “Out of towners, man.”
Over the next several minutes, a Christmas carol was sung by the crowd, the middle school band struggled through a trumpet-heavy rendition of “Silent Night” that was anything but silent, and then everyone leaned forward as one as they waited for the tree to light up. The effect was breathtaking. Twinkling lights lit up the ornaments and tinsel, and as if the universe was punctuating the night, fat flakes of snow began floating down.
Santa Claus rode in on a sleigh—from the area the woman had indicated he always came in from, so evidently Emmett had cleared up the parking disaster. The children surged toward the jolly old elf, and in spite of the chaotic state of her life, their excitement washed over her, giving her that tingly, Christmas sensation she hadn’t experienced since she was a kid.
“Looking for Regina?” Callie asked Emmett as he glanced around the area.
“I’m doing my job,” he said. “Making sure that everyone peaceably disassembles.”
“Sure.”
You didn’t get to his position without being able to observe a lot at once, and sure, Regina was on the list of things he wouldn’t mind seeing right now. Most likely she’d gone back to the B&B already, the cold too much, even with that boa constrictor scarf.
For the first time in a long time, he’d been enjoying one of the festivities, right before getting a reminder of why he disliked them. Talk about drama. Over parking, even though most of the lots didn’t have lines, and the ones that did, people took as a loose suggestion. Technically, everyone who’d been parked in the grassy area where Jack left his truck had been parked illegally, but no one seemed to care about actual laws, only tradition.
Just another night in Friendship.
Only then he spotted Regina, and it wasn’t another regular night. Of their own accord, his legs took him closer to her. “Hey,” he said when he reached her.
“Hey. Not sure how warm it is now, but I grabbed an extra, just in case you hadn’t had a chance yet.” She extended a cardboard cup, along with a doughnut wrapped in a napkin. “And cliché or not, it’s a shame to pass up doughnuts—if I were a cop, that’s what I’d arrest people for.”
Was it sad that it was probably the nicest thing anyone had done for him in a while? Sure there was the general friendliness that abounded here, but this was a deeper level, one that said she’d noticed.
“Thank you.” He juggled the doughnut in his left hand and sipped the hot chocolate. Lukewarm but still good. “How’d you like the ceremony?”
“It was beautiful, and for the first time this year, it actually feels like Christmas. Admittedly, I was a tad disappointed in the lack of fisticuffs over pulling the switch.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t feel like Christmas until someone gets punched in the face,” he said, and she laughed. “It means I was doing my job.”
“Oh, so now you’re taking credit for the whole thing?”
“Basically.” Had he stepped closer? Or had she? The lights from the tree lit up her face with a soft glow. He wanted to tug her scarf down a couple of inches so he could see the smile lifting her cheeks instead of simply knowing it was there.
“Before I forget, I assume you’re responsible for the fact that my car no longer looks like Cupid threw up on it?”
“Can’t take all the credit. Your drinking buddies helped.”
Another laugh. “Drinking buddies. Never had those before. Honestly, I was a bit antsy all day, trying to figure out what to do with myself. Usually my days are cram-packed with meetings and spreadsheets and reports, and without a long to-do list … well, I’m trying to live in the now a bit more, but it still feels weird.”
“I find the people who live in the now are the ones who end up in jail.”
She tilted her head. “Is that supposed to be encouraging? Because if so, I’ve gotta say, it needs work.”
“The truth’s the truth, no matter how you dress it up. Not that I’m saying you should schedule every second of every day.”
“How much of your life is planned out?” She was definitely the one who moved closer this time, and the scrutinizing scrunch of her forehead made him way too self-conscious, another emotion he hadn’t experienced in a long time. “You don’t seem like a go-with-the-flow guy, but you don’t seem like much of a planner either.”
“Hard to plan when you don’t know what people are gonna get themselves into. Mostly I just plan to go to work and deal with issues and perceived disasters as they inevitably arise.”
“There’s the Grinch making an appearance again.”
“If the green shoe fits, I’ll go ahead and wear it.”
She glanced down at his boots.
“It was a metaphor,” he said.
“Careful what you say, because now if I see green shoes, I’m going to buy them for you.”
“You’d be hard pressed to find any in this town, so I’ll take my chances.”
She grinned, and he thought again about how nicely the tree lights played across her features. A quick
check made it clear most people had gone home, leaving only a few stragglers out and about, along with a few couples. The couples were caught up in each other, but several of the stragglers were looking their way, as if he and Regina were a television show. The rumors will be flying tomorrow.
He gulped down what was left of the hot cocoa and then crumpled his cup and tossed it in the nearby recycling can, his plan to tell her good night.
“Wow. Nothing but net—or plastic, as it were,” Regina said, and the fact that she sounded so impressed made him feel like a superstar over such a menial thing. “I’d definitely miss.”
“Just takes some practice.” Emmett debated following through with his plan to tell her good night but found he didn’t want the night to end quite yet, onlookers or not. The townspeople were going to talk anyway, so he might as well have the benefit of spending time with her. “Try it.”
As she bent to grab a discarded cup, her scarf came undone enough to loop around her knee. She battled it for a moment before he stepped in to help.
“Not sure you can throw with so many layers on,” he said.
“Honestly, my fingers turned numb long ago anyway. So now I have two excuses to blame if I miss.” She cocked her arm, and he stepped in front of her, blocking her throw.
“Wait. You’ve got to crumple it so the air doesn’t catch it.” He squished the cup into a tight ball and returned it to her.
“Were you a sports guy in high school?”
“In this town, everyone has to play every sport or you don’t have a team. What about you?”
“I was the girl who studied and lost sleep over SATs. Even after I graduated, there was college, where I’d have another test or project to worry about. Then I went right to work, where there were reports and performance reviews and slaving away to climb the ladder as fast as possible. Save last night, I don’t remember the last time I relaxed, and that wasn’t so much relaxed as …”
