Marrying Miss Kringle: Frost

by McConnell, Lucy

  He remembered something one of the guys at the fitting center had told him when he got his first leg. He’d said that being an amputee gave you a tool to weed out the people in your life who didn’t like you because they would use the prosthetic as an excuse to treat you differently. The problem was, he wasn’t sure if he could handle Frost looking at him differently—wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that question.

  Frost touched his shoulder, and the chill fell out of the air. His limbs stopped shaking immediately. Brody clamored off of him and kneeled by his side, his eyes wide.

  “Here.” Frost moved behind him, pushing him up higher. “I’ll kneel behind you and you can use me as a brace.”

  “More like squish you.”

  She scoffed. “I’m stronger than I look.”

  He didn’t doubt her. But at least from this angle, she would only see what he saw. That was a small mercy. He shimmied out of his snow pants, surprised at how warm he felt. Only a few minutes before, his face had been red with cold. Frost’s hands rested lightly on his back as he leaned forward. She wasn’t being nosy or staring. She just let him do what he needed to do. Brody, on the other hand, was practically on top of him.

  He managed to get his thigh out of his under layer and then wrangle the prosthetic free. Sitting in the snow, half undressed in front of his son and a beautiful woman, should have mortified him. His parents had always been strict about keeping his prosthetic covered. He’d wear pants in the summer instead of shorts, even when he was home, because he hated to see his mom tear up at the sight of him. Fittings and doctor visits were the worst. By the time he was seventeen, he drove himself—saving them all from the drama.

  “What’s that?” Brody pointed to the rubber sock that hugged Tannon’s leg.

  “It’s what keeps the leg in place.” He traced the plastic seal that ran all the way around the sock. “This creates a seal so the leg stays in place.”

  Brody’s eyes were huge. “How come it came off?”

  “I must have hit this button.” Tannon lifted his leg and pointed to the pressure release valve. “I’m not used to jumping over snow forts.”

  Frost squeezed his shoulder from behind. “You’ll have to remember to jump higher next time.” Her voice was light, like reattaching a leg in the middle of a snowball fight was no big deal. Tannon twisted to look at her and found that their faces were kissable close. She still smelled of cinnamon and spice. He took a deep breath in, savoring the experience of being this close. Although he’d much rather have her in his arms than be in hers, but he wouldn’t be too picky at this point; he was just thankful she wasn’t running away in horror.

  He turned back to the task at hand. The next part would be the hardest. He’d have to remove and reposition the sock, revealing his stump and all the scars. In for a penny … he rolled the end of the sock down, turning it inside out as it came off. Brody’s small fingers traced the largest scar on the outside of his thigh. There were two more. Tannon let him explore, even though it made him feel like a specimen under a microscope. He wouldn’t be so curious if Tannon had let him see his leg before today.

  “Does it hurt?” Brody asked.

  “Not anymore.” Tannon repositioned his sock on the end of the stump and rolled it back up his leg. This took time. “I’ve got to get a good fit. If I don’t, and any air bubbles stay inside, then I get blisters.”

  “Like when my shoes are too big.”

  Tannon lifted one side of his mouth in a half smile. “Just like that.” He positioned the sealing ring and then reached for his leg. Once his stump was inside, he needed to stand to check that it was on straight. He could do this on his own, but it would be awkward and clumsy. A war began inside his head, one that started years ago when he’d banished his mother from his room when he was getting ready.

  Frost leaned forward, her chin resting on his shoulder. “Do you need to stand?”

  Her nearness, the warmth coming off her body, had soothed him throughout the whole process. Had she not been here, he probably would have snapped at Brody or made him leave. But she was soothing and gentle with his ego. And having her whisper in his ear made him feel like a man, made him want to do manly things like cut down Christmas trees and carry her off to build a snow castle for two. He nodded in reply, because his tongue had suddenly become too big for his mouth.

  She got to her feet and offered him a hand. Brody scurried under his arm on the other side, ready to lift. Between the three of them, he was up and standing in no time.

  “Thanks.” He held her hand for longer than he should have, long enough to watch color creep across her cheeks and her eyes drop demurely.

  Frost’s hand moved to his side to steady him as he checked the fit of his leg and then pressed down as if he were stomping to get the air out. Once it stopped hissing, he tossed his hands in the air. “Done.”

  Brody smiled. “Cool.”

  Tannon scrubbed at his hat again, making him laugh.

  Frost sidled up to him and snaked her arm around his middle. “I think you can put your pants back on now, cowboy.”

  He glanced down at his boxers hanging out one side of his pants and laughed. “Details, details.”

  She laughed too, and he was happy to note that she was laughing with him, not at him.

  “Close your eyes,” he told her. In order to get his pants on, he’d have to pull the other leg down and step in. Usually he put them on his prosthetic first, so this was a little backwards.

  She did, but smiled secretly.

  Once he was fully dressed, Brody scampered off. “I’m going to make more snowballs.”

  Tannon draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her to him. Leaning over so he could whisper in her ear, he said, “Thank you.”

  She pulled back, fiddling with his zipper and staring at his neck. “You’re welcome.”

  He hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her face until she met his gaze. “Can you not look me in the eye after that?”

  She laid her hands flat against his chest. “I’m a little overwhelmed.”

  “Oh.” He moved to step away, and she grabbed his coat in her fists to keep him close.

  “Not because of your leg.”

  “Okay?”

  She moistened her lips. “That was … intimate. Not because you were half-dressed, but your trust in me … It was all so real and raw.” She glanced away again. “I feel like glitter is racing through my veins and shooting out of my fingertips.”

  Relief flooded Tannon’s body. She wasn’t repulsed by him. He gathered her close, understanding what she meant with the glitter. His heart was beating so fast it could outfly a firework. He pressed his lips to her cheek, testing to see if she would pull away from him. When she didn’t, he moved to her lips. She whimpered and melted into him, her hands sliding up his chest and around his neck. She threaded her fingers together and pulled him closer and closer still.

  Fireworks went off behind Tannon’s eyelids and inside his chest. Boom! Boom! Boom! They sounded loud enough to cause an avalanche. He leaned into Frost, feeling like the world tipped beneath his feet. They pulled apart, breathing heavily and making big puffs of air float around them. “I trust you.” He trailed kisses up her jaw.

  Frost moaned and ripped herself away from him. She rubbed her forehead. “You shouldn’t.”

  “What? Why not?” Tannon rubbed his hands together; the cold bit at them with renewed force.

  Frost brightened, though the effort was forced. Small, strained lines dug at the edges of her eyes. “Let’s find that tree. I’m sure your parents are wondering what’s taking so long, and there’s so much to do to get ready for Christmas.”

  What had he done? “Frost.”

  She handed him his gloves and he eagerly put them on. “Brody,” she called loudly. “Have you found a tree yet?”

  “I wanna have another snowball fight.”

  Frost trotted off into the trees, following the sound of his voice. She stopped ju
st before disappearing from Tannon’s view. “Come on, somebody’s got to cut this thing down.”

  Tannon shook his head, still feeling like the world was leaning too far to one direction. They’d kissed. He could still taste her on his lips. She tasted like a spicy gumdrop. Yet she acted like nothing had happened. Well, maybe not nothing, but nothing mind-bending like that kiss.

  Maybe it hadn’t been as amazing for her as it had been for him. The thought made him feel like he’d eaten one too many chocolate Santas.

  Chapter 18

  Frost put as much distance between herself and Tannon as she could without making it look like she was running away from him. The kiss—as glitter-bombing wonderful as it was—should never have happened. She was here to create Christmas spirit, not make out with the hottest guy on the planet.

  What right did he have being so gorgeous, anyway? In all the years she’d pictured him, he didn’t look this good. She’d honestly pictured a scrawny guy, though she had no idea why. Maybe because he’d been so sick and people who were sick didn’t eat much.

  Her brain was babbling. The plain fact of the matter was, Tannon was a temptation—a delicious temptation who could kiss like a superhero. Her family—Christmas!—was counting on her to brighten Elderberry this holiday and return home to answer letters, and she’d gone and messed everything up by kissing the town Scrooge.

  Although, he didn’t act like a Scrooge when he was out here tromping through the junipers, carrying a chainsaw. Not that she needed the picture of him being all mountain man hottie. She had to work to keep her eyes looking forward instead of stealing glances back at him. He stayed far enough behind that she had some room to think. Yet another reason why he was so wonderful. Argh!

  She might consider kissing him a bonus—there was still the tipping North Pole to consider. Someone had to get married. If it wasn’t her who was married this year, then Stella would order a husband online and have him shipped north on Christmas Eve. She could end up with a serial killer for a brother-in-law—that would make for fun family dinners.

  She couldn’t think that far in advance. Christmas Magic wouldn’t accept Tannon anyway—not with his lack of faith in Christmas. Before she could consider a relationship with the man, some things needed to happen. And one of them was getting a stellar tree in his house.

  “This one.” Brody stood in front of a twelve-foot pine that was half as wide as it was tall.

  Frost put her hands behind her back and walked around it several times, considering the uneven branch on the far side and the small hole in front of Brody. It wasn’t perfect. And she was going to have to present it to Tannon’s mother, a woman who was as precise in her Christmas decorating as Frost—but without all the fun. Frost loved to make holidays—well, every day, really—more special by organizing and decorating and trimming because it made her family smile. She wasn’t sure why Mary decorated. She’d claimed it was to make up for the town’s less than enthusiastic efforts, but there was something else there, like she put herself and her efforts above others—and that didn’t sit well with Frost.

  Frost crouched so she could consider the tree from Brody’s angle. From here, the evergreen looked like it could touch the sky. The hole was there. But it didn’t matter to Brody, any more than his father’s missing leg. Tannon was still his dad, one leg or two, and this tree was a beautiful specimen—imperfections and all. “It’s perfect.”

  Brody beamed at her.

  Tannon set down the chainsaw case and flipped the latches. “You two go get the snowmobile with the sled; I’ll get her cut down.”

  Frost heard the slight edge to his voice. He wanted Brody out of the area, which was probably a good idea with a chainsaw going. She saluted. “Aye-aye, captain.”

  Brody giggled and copied her. Tannon winked, sending happy shivers down Frost’s back. She needed to get away from him for a while, get her head on straight. Otherwise, she might do something foolish, like kiss him until Santa Claus came to town.

  Chapter 19

  Tannon placed a clear glass globe near the top of the tree. He glanced past the dark green needles to watch Frost show Brody how to use a twist-tie to secure a bow. She glanced up at him and then lowered her lashes quickly.

  He let out a sigh and paid attention to his task. Elvis crooned “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me” over the speakers recessed into the ceiling and strategic places around the room. Mom had shoved the boxes of decorations at the three of them and told them to have fun while she prepared lunch. She was still upset at him for leaving Dad out of the tree hunt.

  He cringed. Had his father been there when his leg came off, the afternoon would have been so very different. Dad would have insisted they come right home. Or worse, he would have taken over the chainsaw, noting Tannon’s unsteadiness and listing the many accidents that could happen if he toppled over.

  Actually, if Dad had been there, they wouldn’t have had a snowball fight in the first place. They would have picked a tree just off the path and hurried home where it was “safe.”

  Tannon shoved his feeling of general disgruntled-ness away. There was no sense being upset at what didn’t happen. He’d much rather focus on the time he had to spend with Frost and Brody.

  On the outside, the three of them looked like a young family, elbow deep in holiday preparations. The image was sweet and tugged at his heart. Frost was so good with Brody. She let him talk about everything from the upcoming program at school to the old jelly sandwich Grandma found under his bed last summer. They giggled together, she offered suggestions for songs for the program, and through it all she treated Brody like he was an equal, which made him feel ten feet tall. He hadn’t noticed how often his parents talked down to Brody, treating him like a child. Which he was … except he blossomed in a whole new way with Frost around. Tannon tucked the lesson into his heart.

  As for him and Frost? Well, they tiptoed around one another and the kiss they’d shared. Tannon refused to corner her and ask what it meant. Things happen when two people get close, and he’d gotten much closer to Frost than he’d intended today. That was all. Like she said, they’d shared a moment. He’d bared himself for her scrutiny, and she’d answered with tenderness and a soft caress. That didn’t mean the two of them were meant for one another, or that they were suddenly an item. They’d had a moment. He could put it behind him—after something strong to drink and a hard hit to the head, neither of which he’d had just yet—and act like things were normal. Why couldn’t she?

  He just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the kiss, when he could talk to her.

  Mom sauntered into the room, brushing her palms together. “Tannon, Brody, lunch is ready.”

  Tannon gave his mom a scornful look. She didn’t need to exclude Frost like that.

  “And Frost, the plows have cleared the roads. I’m sure you’re anxious to get home, so I’ve called you a car.”

  Frost straightened as if someone had jabbed her with a sharp stick. “Thank you, Mary. That was kind of you to think of me. I can see where Tannon gets his thoughtful nature.”

  Tannon covered his laugh with a cough. Frost had no illusions as to his thoughtful nature; she’d told him so quite clearly. Her insult was cleverly veiled—Mom would have no idea. And Tannon? He wasn’t insulted at all. Instead, he admired Frost for sticking up for herself.

  She drew one shoulder up and then the other. “Well, I just put myself in your shoes and knew that I’d feel half put together without my makeup and personal belongings.”

  Tannon had the strangest urge to throw himself between the two women, but he knew better than to get in the middle of things when claws came out.

  Frost smirked. “I’m sure you would.”

  Ba-bam!

  Mom folded her arms.

  Frost didn’t give her time to throw another volley. She put her hands on Brody’s shoulders. “You’ve done excellent work today, young man. I’m certain you’re on Santa’s good list.”

  He fro
wned. “But you promised to show me how to make snowflakes.”

  “I can teach you that,” volunteered Mom.

  “But I wanted Frost to teach me.” Innocent child that he was, Brody had no idea he had just thrown gas on a simmering fire.

  Frost smiled at him. “And I never break a promise to a child—it’s against the Krin—family code.” She hugged him quickly. “But I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” She sent Mom a pointed look.

  Brody nodded reluctantly.

  Frost walked right up to Mom, a smile on her face and a you-can’t-get-to-me lilt to her steps.

  Tannon held his breath, wondering what she was going to say. He was pretty ticked off at his parents, but he wasn’t looking to start World War III. And he was pretty sure he wanted Frost in his life in some way—although after the kiss and then the subsequent ignoring of said kiss, he wasn’t exactly sure how that was going to happen. Maybe he should take it back three steps and focus on working together.

  Frost threw her arms around Mom’s neck. “You have an amazing family, and from what I’ve seen, you’re the pivot point for all that.”

  Mom barely hugged her back before dropping her arms. “Thank you?”

  “Thank you for having me over.”

  “Do you want to take the leftover cinnamon rolls?”

  “No. It’s just me, so they’ll go to waste. You guys enjoy them.”

  Mom smiled stiffly. “We will.”

  “I’ll walk you to the car.” Tannon headed for the mudroom.

  “Come on, Brody, lunch is waiting.” Mom waved for him to go with her, and they split off in the hallway.

  Tannon looked over at Frost as they walked. “You don’t like my mom, do you?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Um, because your conversation was … Frosty.” He winked to show he wasn’t taking this too seriously.

  Frost let out of gust of air. “She’s used to running the show around here. Any woman would be seen as a threat to her status. I’m not out to take over her family or anything, but I’m not going to let her treat me like last year’s evening gown.”