by Vivian Arend
Alex tipped the empty brownie pan toward him. “Sorry, bro.”
“You snooze, you lose,” Charity offered sweetly as laughter welled around the room.
Mack shook his finger at her but nodded good-naturedly. He’d set himself up for that one.
He was still smiling when he made it over to Brooke’s. The bitter cold whirled around him as he made the short dash between his truck and the garage. He slid into the warmth, patting his arms firmly to knock the chill off his coat before reaching for her.
“I’ll have you know I got in trouble because of you,” he complained.
“Really?”
“Okay, it wasn’t your fault, but I still think you should make it up to me. I missed out on brownies.” He offered a mock pout.
“Then you shouldn’t have been texting at the table,” Brooke teased, stepping back as he jerked upright in shock. “Oh, I have my sources down at the fire hall. I know everything…”
Ignoring the fact that his coat was still icy cold, Mack chased after her, catching her in his arms and kissing her laughing lips firmly. Brooke banged on his shoulders in mock anger for a moment before thrusting her fingers into his hair and deepening the kiss.
By the time they stopped there was no more chill in the air.
She cupped his cheek with her hand. “All teasing aside, thanks for coming over. I found the jackpot of Christmas decorations. I think.”
“That’s very decisive. Not.”
Brooke led him across the floor of the shop, weaving between parked trucks and lift equipment. She tugged him close as they passed tires and pressure valves, stopping in the far corner where an ancient ladder leaned against the wall, just barely reaching a platform a good sixteen to twenty feet over their heads.
Mack looked up, equal parts of horror and admiration rushing him. “Are you telling me you climbed this already?”
The ladder was sturdy enough—he supposed—but it wasn’t something he’d have gone up without backup and maybe a safety line.
“I’m not stupid,” Brooke said dryly. She wrinkled her nose adoringly. “Okay, I was borderline stupid until I realized you’d probably kill me if I didn’t kill myself first. I have not gone up the ladder more than the first few rungs. Just far enough so I could lift my phone and take a close-up picture of the storage space. I don’t think I’ve ever been up there.”
“Because there’s no access that doesn’t require having wings or spider capabilities?”
“Because I wasn’t interested enough to wonder,” she admitted. “I’m enough of a neat freak that if I found a new area to organize, I’d have to deal with it. If I don’t know it’s there, it’s less work.”
Mack walked away from her, headed back to his truck. “You’re the weirdest neat freak I know, but in this case, I’m thankful. Stay here. Both feet on the ground.”
“Yes, cap.”
By the time he was back with a rope from his truck, Brooke had cleared away the shop equipment in the area, giving him a clear path to set up safe passage.
He tossed one end of his backup rope over a metal girder, looping a figure eight into his climbing harness and tying off the far end around Brooke. “You remember how to do this?”
She nodded, adjusting her stance and holding the rope tucked around her back and under her arm so if he fell or the ladder failed, all she had to do was use her body weight to counterbalance him.
“Although I also remember the last time we did this, I wasn’t heavy enough to keep you in the air.”
“All you have to do is keep me from hitting the ground,” he reminded her. He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Thanks for going on a decoration treasure hunt,” she returned as he made his way up the ladder.
The journey up was thankfully uneventful. The space at the top of the landing was wide enough for him to rest his hips, the metal platform secure and safe.
“I see your boxes,” he announced. “Also what looks like archery equipment, and enough spiderwebs to make Shelob proud.”
“Ugh.”
Brooke held firmly onto his lifeline, staring into the rafters. And while she wasn’t terribly afraid of spiders, she was doubly thankful that she’d waited for Mack’s help.
“No idea on the archery equipment,” she told him. “You want to rig up a system to drop the boxes down?”
“Got it under control.” He pulled a second rope from under his jacket and held it for her to see. “Give me a minute to retie my safety, then we’ll set up a production line.”
It took a good twenty minutes for them to get everything in place, but eventually an entire collection of boxes and wooden cutouts were leaning against the shop wall. The memories were flooding back far clearer.
“The candy canes had twinkling white and red lights—I remember those—and the deer looked as if they were leaping. One set of lights after the other would go on and off. This is fantastic.” She peered up at where he was coiling the rope he’d used to lower everything to the ground. “I can’t wait to go through it all.”
“Let’s get me down first, then we can tuck stuff away before your dad gets back.”
She glanced at her watch. “He shouldn’t be home for hours. The hockey game is on, and we don’t have a channel.”
Mack talked her through the safety rope again, making sure she was set up properly before he twisted off the platform and put his feet back on the admittedly delicate ladder.
Of course, he’d only taken a couple of steps downward when the man door opened, blistering winter weather whirling in along with her father.
Brooke only spared him a momentary glance before turning her full attention back on Mack. She was going to have to bluster through and pretend they weren’t up to anything, although the decorations were all in plain sight. “Hey, Dad. Be with you in a minute.”
Soft cursing rang out, followed by the sound of her father’s feet slapping across the concrete floor. His breathing was ragged, but he didn’t say anything. Just stood beside her silently while Mack made his way down the ladder.
But the instant her boyfriend’s feet hit the ground, her dad exploded. “Are you out of your goddamn mind? What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Mack frowned at her father’s outburst, sliding closer as if to protect her.
Brooke figured she had to be blinking like a deer frozen in headlights. “We were looking for decorations. What’s wrong?”
Gary swung his hands in the air, his mouth open, an unreadable expression in his eyes. “You just— I can’t—”
He finished with an incomprehensible roar, as if he were frustrated and furious at the same time.
“It’s okay,” Mack said easily, his tone moderated and reassuring. “I was roped in, and we’ll get this mess out of your way—”
“You’ll get it the hell out of here. I don’t want to see it. None of it.” Gary’s hands shot out as if he were pushing the entire lot over the edge of a cliff. “I can’t believe you’d be so stupid. Just…get it out of here.”
He spun and stomped away, steam nearly visibly rising from him.
Brooke watched in utter confusion. Okay. That was completely unexpected.
She twisted back to discover Mack wore an expression that matched the sensation in her gut.
He met her gaze. “So. That went well.”
“I have no idea what just happened,” she admitted. “I guess the decorations were not a good idea? Is it possible I was wrong about this whole thing?”
Mack stared at the door her father had disappeared behind. He shook his head thoughtfully. “The only thing that’s clear is we’re missing some information. Let’s not jump to any conclusions. See if he says something more to you in the next while.”
“Yeah. Let’s hope he opens with ‘hey, let me explain why I just lost my shit.’”
He laughed softly, sliding in next to her to help undo the ropes that still anchored them together. “You never know. In the mea
ntime, if we’re going to be able to use them, I need to adjust the lighting strands on the bigger decorations to cheaper LEDs the way Rose suggested. Let’s put everything in my truck for now and I’ll take a look. If there’s anything I’m not sure about, I’ll take a picture and send it to you.”
She nodded slowly, but as they worked together to clear the dozen or so boxes and other items from the shop, it wasn’t with the sense of satisfaction she’d hoped to have at this point.
Her great plans for this old-fashioned Christmas were off to a terrible beginning, and she hadn’t a clue why.
6
Music played softly in the background, but more important was the scent of buttered popcorn and something savory that hit Brooke’s nose the instant she walked into Tansy and Rose’s apartment for their monthly girls’ night out.
“Oh my God, what do I smell?” Brooke shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the wall with the others already there before hurrying across to join the party.
Smiling faces greeted her from the kitchen area.
“Oh, this? Just a cheese fondue with aged cheddar and extra wine,” Rose offered.
“And fresh baked French bread. Get over here before we start without you,” Tansy demanded.
There were two others at the table as well. Hanna pulled back the chair beside her, patting the seat. “Saved you a spot.”
“Stop being a suck-up,” Tansy teased. “We’re missing a whole bunch of the girls, so there’s plenty of room.”
“But we have a special new person to replace them. Hi, Yvette. Good to see you.” Brooke dropped into the chair beside Hanna. “Are these guys treating you right?”
Yvette’s shy smile took in the other three women. “They let me have first pick of the cookies. Almond-filled shortbread. I feel very warm and welcome.”
A full wine glass was pressed into Brooke’s hand. Rose offered her a wink along with an empty plate. “She doesn’t know we’re softening her up for the interrogation later.”
Yvette straightened slightly, a touch of worry in her expression as she glanced at Brooke. “I suppose a little bit of friendly interrogation is okay. It was a good cookie.”
Tansy placed the cheese pot on top of the flame then handed around the basket of bread chunks. “To holiday eating, which totally doesn’t count and has no calories because it’s holiday-based. Or something like that.”
“Hear, hear.” Hanna raised her glass of water in the air. “I like having a reason to excuse the extra calories.”
Brooke tore off a piece of bread from the still warm loaf, humming happily as she lifted it to her nose and took a deep breath. “Damn, that’s amazing. Tansy, will you marry me?”
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want an answer to,” Rose warned. “With how bad her luck is with vehicles, being married to a mechanic would be right up her alley.”
Tansy waved a hand in the air. “Yes, true. But I don’t poach, and the delectable Ms. Silver seems thoroughly taken by a certain hunky hottie.” She leaned forward, her eyes bright as she examined Brooke intently. “Speaking of hunky hotness, Yvette was telling us the two of you have been seen everywhere around town.”
“Not everywhere,” Yvette protested. She frowned. “I mean, I mentioned I saw you together at the lodge, and the shop when I dropped off my car for the tune-up. And at the fire hall when I stopped in to grab the info the vet office needed.”
“Plus Buns and Roses, and the bar, and the sporting goods shop,” Rose added.
“When did you see us at the sporting goods shop?” Brooke asked in confusion. “We haven’t been in there since the summer.”
The other women all laughed. Brooke smiled sheepishly.
“Skipping to a different topic than speculating endlessly about Brooke and her hottie. Yvette…” Tansy turned her gaze on the newcomer who was dipping a piece of bread into the cheese to scoop up a hearty serving. “New in town. New job, new outlook on life.”
Yvette waited until she’d finished chewing her mouthful then raised a brow. “Was there a question in there, somewhere?”
Brooke snorted. “Excuse me. That was the perfect response, though. Welcome to dealing with Tansy.”
Across the table, her friend slowly lifted her right hand before unfurling her middle finger. Laughter swelled.
Tansy shook her head. “I’m so misunderstood. No, Yvette, here’s the question. What do you think about Brooke and her hottie?”
More snickers from Hanna and Rose. Yvette grinned in amusement as Brooke debated whether she wanted to waste a piece of her bread and throw it at Tansy’s head.
“Don’t answer that, Yvette. Tell us how things are going with your grandparents. And how are you liking the job at the veterinary clinic?”
“The clinic is great. Josiah’s great to work for, and he’s giving me lots of freedom. I’m going out to the local ranches with him to get to know everybody, which has been kind of fun.”
Chatter continued, just general discussion, until Yvette brought the topic back to sharing her thoughts regarding Heart Falls.
“It’s smaller than I expected,” Yvette admitted. “I’m not sure if this is somewhere I want to stay long term, but then that’s kind of silly considering I always figured I’d end up working independently on a ranch, which is kind of like the ultimate small town. Everybody knows everything about everyone else.”
“Heart Falls people can be a lot more in your face than is pleasant at times,” Hanna said softly, “but then again, that closeness also means there are always people around willing to help when you need it. That’s pretty special.”
Brooke nodded. “I’ve lived in Heart Falls all my life. I’ve visited other places, and I lived in Calgary when I went to get my training, but this is where I want to be long term.”
“You’re going to grow old here?” Tansy asked.
“Probably.” Brooke left the other things unsaid for now. The parts that would hopefully come before the getting old happened. The bits about home and hearth and family.
Or she intended to ignore that part of the conversation, but her friends were like bloodhounds on a mission. The attack came from the least expected quarter.
“Sounds as if you’re ready to settle down,” Yvette offered innocently. “Maybe you and that hottie of yours should do something about that.”
A chorus of snickers rose from Hanna, Tansy, and Rose.
“I told you she’d fit right in,” Brooke said dryly before turning her attention to Yvette. “Right now, the biggest thing I’m worried about is trying to figure out how to get this Christmas to turn out the way it’s supposed to. So far, everything’s still falling apart instead of falling into place.”
“Did you get that recipe checked?” Hanna asked. “To see if it was copied down wrong?”
Brooke pulled the recipe card out of her pocket where she’d taken to worrying at it in her spare time. “The details were right, but it doesn’t work. Obviously—you were inflicted by the results. I even tried once more at home, and they tasted just as bad.”
She shook her head. The cookies were one thing, but adding on her dad’s strange over-the-top reaction to the decorations the other night?
The only good part was Mack hadn’t seemed upset. He’d carried on, solid and understanding. He kept moving forward, kept trying, in spite of the stupid mix-up or whatever had triggered her father.
So…Mack.
She hadn’t figured out what she was going to give him for Christmas, and after her talk about keeping it homemade, she needed to get her act together, and soon.
A tug on her sleeve dragged her attention from her meandering thoughts. Rose and Tansy were chattering near the sink about something as they refilled drinks, but Yvette and Hanna were both watching her closely.
“I meant it as a tease, but I’m sorry if my comment was out of line,” Yvette said softly.
Brooke waved her apology away. “You were fine. I’m the one who’s out of sorts, which is not your fault.”
“I’ll apologize as well,” Hanna slipped in. “You know I want the best for you, but there’s absolutely no rush. If there’s anything we can do to help you find your happiness, we will, but the timing is up to you.”
And yet that was part of the problem. If Brooke had her way, she and Mack would already be a full-time couple. But they couldn’t before—the timing had been wrong. And now, with just two weeks to go until Christmas, it seemed silly that she suddenly wanted to push the agenda.
“I still remember how thrilled my Grandpa was when Gram surprised him with just the right present. Nothing big and ostentatious, but perfect for him. It was proof of the special bond between them, how she knew exactly what would make him the happiest.” Brooke wasn’t sure why she was sharing this, but the earnest expression on both their faces pulled the softly spoken confession free. “I want to see that look on Mack’s face. I want to prove what we’ve got between us is more than just comfortable.”
Happiness pooled in Hanna’s eyes. “Then don’t rush. You’ve got this one, Brooke. I know you do. And when it’s right, he’s going to grab on tight and never let you go.”
Yvette’s expression was serious but happy. “You guys are good together. That part is clear to see. Even from a newcomer’s point of view.”
Yet Brooke wanted more than just “good together.” She wanted the kind of connection shown to her over a lifetime by her grandparents.
Tansy and Rose returned to the table and the conversation faded away, a quiet secret between the three of them. A quiet promise that if Brooke needed help, she would have it, like the best possible small-town gift.
Annoyance buzzed like out-of-control firecrackers. Mack dragged a hand through his hair and stomped the distance between his bunk and the kitchen at the fire hall.
Two remaining volunteers sat at the dining table, working on something. Ryan was a few chairs down from them, flipping through a uniform catalogue as the kettle slowly worked up to a full whistle on the counter. Mack unplugged it, grabbing a cup then placing it on the counter a little harder than was good for the porcelain. It cracked in multiple pieces, shards flying.
