One Hundred Christmas Kisses (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 6)

by Kelly Collins

  He threw a few more items into his cart and made his way to the checkout.

  “Let me get your groceries,” the woman he’d helped said from behind him.

  He bristled at the offer. While he was sure it was meant as a kind gesture, it still bothered him.

  “Why?” He loaded his items onto the belt.

  “It’s the least I can do for your help.”

  “Would you have bought the groceries for a different person who helped or is it because I have one leg?” He pushed the issue because he was tired of feeling different. The only way to stop that would be to make people realize how differently they treated him.

  She looked down at his left foot. The hem of his khaki pants appeared brown.

  “You’re right. I probably would have said thank you and moved on.”

  “So do it.”

  She bit her lip. When it popped free she asked, “Do what?”

  Trig smiled. “Say thank you and move on.”

  She nodded. “Thank you.” She gave him a last look before she stepped away and continued her shopping.

  The cashier told him his total and added, “You were amazing.”

  Trig looked up to see an older woman smile. “Why?”

  “Because you taught her something she’ll never forget.” She leaned over the counter and looked at his wet pants. “War injury or something else?”

  “IED,” he said like it was everyday conversation. “Amputation below the knee.”

  She nodded. “My son lost his arm. Hates the sad looks and pity parties.” She processed his payment and bagged up his purchases. “Thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Don’t forget, you’re more of a man now than you ever were.”

  Trig picked up his bags and made his way back to the Mustang. If that cashier hadn’t been nearing sixty, he would have fallen in love with her.

  He tossed the bags into the back seat and opened the trunk to get a change of clothes. In five minutes, he and Clovis were back on the road.

  Many hours later, his phone rang. He knew by the ringtone it was Bowie. He was the only one linked to “The Army Goes Rolling Along.”

  “What’s up, Sarge?”

  “Stop with the Sarge shit,” Bowie said. “I no longer outrank you.”

  Trig laughed. “Dude, you saved my life. You’ll always outrank me.” The nightmares had finally passed, but he still had dreams of Sergeant Bishop telling him he’d be okay as he tightened the tourniquet around his leg. All he could see was Bowie’s blood soaking the desert sand beneath them. He’d seen to Trig’s injuries before his own. He’d always been a good leader, but that day was a testament to Bowie’s character. He’d taken care of his men first.

  “Where are you at?”

  “I’m about six hours from Denver, then three from you, I guess. There’s been a storm chasing my ass all the way from Albuquerque, but I’ve been able to outrun it.”

  “You’re driving all the way through in one shot?”

  “If I stop I might not make it there. I’m in the Mustang.”

  “You got chains?”

  “No, but I’ve got caffeine and desire. That’s got to count for something.”

  Bowie laughed. “Yep, lack of brains. You’ll never make it over the pass.”

  “I’ll get there.” He gave Clovis a quick glance. “Worst case, I’ll have Clovis hooked up to sled and he can drag my tired ass there.”

  “He still living on bacon and biscuits?”

  “Nope, he’s transitioned to carrot sticks and grain-free kibble.” Trig reached over to pet Clovis, who was happily lying on his back, all four paws sticking up toward the soft top of his car.

  “Be safe. Call me if you get stuck. I’ll come and get you.”

  “Will do.” He hung up and popped the top on another can of Jolt. As he drove through the eastern part of Colorado stopping off at Fort Carson to quickly see a buddy, the clouds thickened and the flakes grew larger. Things were looking ugly outside.

  As he left Denver and entered the mountains, he knew he had a fifty-fifty shot of getting to Aspen Cove by nightfall. He whizzed past a white Jeep going no more than thirty miles an hour and hoped he could beat the storm all the way there. Those hopes were dashed when he reached the turnoff to take him between Mount Meeker and Longs Peak. His car fishtailed and he found himself plunged into a snow bank on the side of the road where no amount of spinning his wheels would unstick him.

  Clovis started to whine, which meant he needed a potty break. Trig opened the door and Clovis took off toward the edge of the woods. Trig ran after him but the snow got deeper and deeper.

  “Clovis, get over here,” Trig yelled. His voice echoed in the eerie silence of the snowfall. He searched the edge of the tree line for the sausage-shaped dog. He heard a yelp before the dog hopped and sunk and hopped and sunk into the snow all the way back.

  Trig swept him up into his arms. “You silly boy. You could have been buried in that mess.” He placed Clovis back on the front seat pillow.

  After a few swipes of his paws to his eyes, Clovis was back asleep and Trig pulled out his phone to call for help. Help he’d never reach without a signal, which he didn’t have. His best hope now was for someone as stupid as him to be traveling in the weather to pass him by.

  He eyed the road for over an hour while the snow built up on his car. No one was traveling in this mess. In another hour, his red Mustang would be covered in white and no one would see him. In the distance, he thought he saw the glow of headlights.

  “Come on, Clovis, you’re our ticket to a ride.” Trig was smart enough to know that no one would stop for a single man, but add in a dog and he’d get a ride for sure. Make it a basset hound with those long floppy ears and eyes that pleaded his case, and they’d be in Aspen Cove in no time.

  He stood by the side of the road and waved his arms as the car approached slowly. Clovis did his part by shivering and looking pathetic.

  Chapter Three

  Charlie couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing on the side of the road dressed in jeans and a T-shirt was a man waving his arms. Next to him was a shivering blob of fur. Normally she’d never stop for a stranger, but that dog looked like it would turn into a pupcicle at any minute.

  She pulled onto the soft shoulder as the anger boiled inside her. She didn’t give a damn if the man froze to death. He had opposable thumbs and that made him capable of taking care of himself, but that poor little sad-eyed hound. She couldn’t turn her back on him.

  She killed the engine and looked around for a weapon. A girl could never be too safe. Too bad she hadn’t thought about that before she left Kansas City. All she had was a can of soda, a candy bar, and a half-empty box of cosmic brownies. She’d never heard of death by Snickers or bludgeoning by brownies, so she picked up the can and opened her door. Worst scenario she could club the man until the carbonation exploded from the can and then her best hope was to drown him. She’d never heard of a person drowning in a can of soda before, so she went back to the bludgeoning idea.

  As she rounded the Jeep, her heart raced, which only added to her anger and angst. Her common sense left her as she pocketed her soda can and raced to the poor dog.

  “Are you insane?” She pulled her phone from her pocket, which had no signal but showed the last temperature reading as eighteen degrees. “He’s going to get frostbite.”

  Charlie ignored the man and swept the dog into her arms. “Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?” She lifted his paws one by one and inspected the pads for damage. “You are so lucky.”

  “Hello.” The man’s low gravelly voice sounded behind her. “Thanks for stopping.”

  Charlie had nearly forgotten about him in her attempt to rescue the dog. “How could I not? It’s basically animal abuse.”

  The man stepped in front of her and held out his arms for the dog. “Does Clovis look mistreated to you?”

  She had to admit that the animal didn’t appear to be in danger. In fact, when she felt his pads, they were soft
and pliable, which meant the pup couldn’t have been outside for long.

  “He’s overweight, and that in and of itself could be considered animal cruelty.”

  He took the dog from her arms. “We’re working on that, aren’t we, boy?”

  He pressed his face into the dog’s fur and nuzzled him, which gave Charlie a warm buzz that floated through her veins despite the freezing temperature and falling snow.

  She looked past him to the Mustang. “Not really a winter car.” She lifted her eyes and waited for him to argue, but he didn’t.

  “Nope. I thought I could beat the storm, but it looks like it beat me. I’ll have to call a tow when I get someplace that has reception.” He brushed the snow that settled on his head. “Any way you can give us a lift to the next town?”

  She laughed. “There’s not much between here and Copper Creek. A few small towns is all, but sure, I’ll give you a lift.”

  He looked between her Jeep and his car. “Do you have room for a few of my things?”

  She wondered if she was making a mistake, but she realized how silly that thought was. No man with a basset hound and a sports car came to the mountains to murder her.

  “Grab whatever you want to take. The back seat is empty and there’s only a suitcase in rear storage. What’s your name, by the way?”

  He smiled. “Thought you’d never ask.” He hefted the dog into one arm and offered his hand to shake. “I’m Trig Whatley.”

  She shook his hand. “I’m Charlie Parker.”

  He lifted a brow the way most people did when she said her name. “Charlie?”

  She nodded. “Short for Charlotte, but I liked bugs better than bows growing up so my mom and dad called me Charlie. Let me hold the beast while you get your things.”

  Trig put Clovis in her arms and headed to his car. The first thing he pulled out was a pillow and bag of mini-carrots. He walked to her Jeep and got the dog settled before he went back for anything else. Another flush of warmth washed through her.

  Next, he pulled out a few grocery bags. Lastly, he grabbed an army-green duffel from the trunk. He locked up the car and climbed into the passenger seat, and they were off.

  “Where’s your final destination?” she asked.

  He looked out the window. “I don’t know where I’ll land in the end, but I was on my way to visit an old army buddy named Bowie.”

  Charlie’s head whipped toward him at the mention of Bowie. “Bowie Bishop?” She had been a half-dozen years behind him in school but she remembered the Bishop boys well.

  Trig turned his body toward her. He seemed to get his left leg tangled, and had to adjust his position. “You know him?”

  “Yep, I grew up in Aspen Cove. Hard to believe he’s still there.” She had no idea who was around and who wasn’t. It wasn’t as if she’d kept in touch with anyone since her abrupt exodus.

  “Is that where you’re going—to Aspen Cove?” he asked. A look of joy eased the lines in Trig’s forehead.

  “Yep, looks like you’ll get to hitch a ride all the way there.” She moved forward so she could see the road in front of her.

  “Are you going to drive twenty miles an hour the whole way?”

  She shot him a quick dirty glance. “Do you want to get there alive? If you hadn’t noticed, it’s dropping snow at a rate of a few inches per hour. I’m not the one stuck in a snow bank.”

  “Alive sounds good, but getting there before we turn gray sounds appealing too.”

  “Should I pull over and let you out? I’m happy to deliver Clovis to wherever you’re staying.”

  “Nope, I’ll shut up and be grateful. Thank you.”

  “Look at you…cute and smart.” She wanted to bury herself in the snow when the word cute came out unintended, but it was the truth. Trig Whatley was a damn fine-looking man. “Not too smart because you were standing outside in freezing temperatures in a T-shirt. Don’t you have a jacket?”

  “I do but it was in my bag and I didn’t want to stop to get it. I saw your lights and I had to decide if I wanted a ride or wanted to stay warm. I chose to play off your sympathies first. If you had passed me, I would have dug my jacket out. But you didn’t. You stopped because I looked smart and cute.”

  Charlie dared a glance at the man, who wore a smug expression.

  “I stopped for the dog.”

  Trig looked back at his dog and reached out to pet his head. “Thanks for being so pathetic looking. She stopped for you.”

  “It’s a work hazard. I’m a veterinarian. I can’t turn away from fur, feathers, or fins. What about you? Still in the army?”

  “No, I gave that up a few years ago. The green camouflage didn’t go well with my skin tone.”

  She giggled. She liked that he could joke. So many men were too serious.

  “I’m kind of figuring out what I want to do next. I thought maybe I could be the next dog whisperer. The trick to getting them to behave is in the bacon.”

  “No wonder he’s fat.”

  “Hey, don’t say that too loud. He’s quite sensitive about his figure.”

  At the mention of bacon, Charlie’s stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten much today trying to beat the storm. She reached for the Snickers. “You want half?”

  “Save that for dessert. I’ve got you covered.” Trig reached into her back seat and fumbled around in the bags he’d set there. He turned back around with his hands full. “I’ve got protein bars for energy, fruit for taste, nuts because…well, they’re just good.” He lifted the package of jerky in the air. “I brought the beef.”

  Charlie couldn’t believe where her mind went. He said jerky and she thought meat stick. That made her think of his meat stick and her face heated. Thankfully, with the storm, the interior of the car had taken on a gray color she hoped would hide her blush.

  She’d checked the man out the whole time he was transferring his belongings to her car. He was tall, stocky, and well-muscled, if the way his damp T-shirt clung to his chest was an indicator. His legs were long and lean with jeans that hugged powerful thighs. He moved with purpose like every step was planned in advance.

  “You want a piece?”

  She’d lost track of the conversation. How could she think when the man was offering her his meat? She felt him press a piece to her lips and she opened her mouth. “Thanks,” she said with a giggle. Never had a man gotten her to open her mouth and take what he offered so easily.

  One thing was certain—Trig Whatley was going to be a distraction for her. It was a good thing that she’d be able to drop him off at the Bishops’ and forget about him.

  She wound her way through the mountain pass. They sat in companionable silence while she ate his jerky, his nuts, and his fruit. She offered him half of her Snickers.

  “I imagine it would be rude to not taste what you’re so freely offering.” His voice had that slow, sexy sound that made it seem like she had offered more than a half of a candy bar.

  When he bit into his half of one of the best things known to man outside of cosmic brownies and good sex, he moaned with satisfaction. Charlie wondered if a person could orgasm from chocolate. Many women have said that chocolate is better than sex. She hadn’t indulged in enough of either lately to make a solid call.

  “Five more minutes and we’ll be there. Should I drop you off at the Bishops’ house?”

  He glanced back at Clovis. “Nope. I think I’ll get him settled into the bed and breakfast and then walk over. Bowie said he lived next door.”

  She couldn’t believe what she heard. “You’re staying at B’s?”

  “Yep, we weren’t sure how the dogs would get along, and now that Bowie has a wife and a little girl, I don’t want to upset their routine. He told me his brother’s fiancée owns the bed and breakfast.”

  “Great.” She got her heartbeat to slow down enough so she wouldn’t faint. “Looks like we’ll be staying at the same place.”

  “Really?” He sounded almost excited. “What are the chances that
I get stuck and then rescued by a woman heading to the same town, and the same place I am?”

  She had no real answer. “Wild, right?”

  Charlie pulled through town at a snail’s pace. It wasn’t because of the snow on the ground but because she wanted to take it all in. On the edge of town stood a brand new Firehouse. She wondered how the tiny little town afforded it. As she passed the shops, she noted that nothing much had changed. All the players remained the same except the Dry Goods Store was back in business, as was Kathy’s Beauty Shop, even though it was no longer called Kathy’s, but Cove Cuts.

  As she drove down Main Street, she saw the sign of her father’s clinic was turned off. Her eyes went straight to where the tailor shop used to be. That should have been her vet clinic. It had always been the plan until her mother died. She let out a sigh and a silent wish for something good to come from this visit.

  Chapter Four

  Trig was happy to exit the Jeep and stretch his leg. He often found himself restless when sitting. Anxious when he was a passenger in a car. Downright terrified when the driver drove seventeen miles an hour.

  He had to get it out of his head that he wasn’t in the desert and that IEDs weren’t planted around every turn, but fear was a beast he hadn’t been able to tame. He moved through life fast so nothing could catch him.

  The front door opened and a miniature Bowie walked onto the porch. “You must be Cannon,” Trig said.

  He looked from Trig to Charlie. “Bowie said you had a dog, not a woman.” He stared at Charlie, who was still in the SUV. “If he was calling her a dog, I’d say you owe him an ass-kicking.”

  He glanced at the woman in the front seat. She was definitely not a dog, and while she wasn’t Beach Barbie pretty, she was beautiful in a wholesome girl-next-door way. “We’re not together.”

  Charlie killed the engine and stepped out of the Jeep.

  “You drove together, but you’re not together?” Cannon asked as he took a few steps forward. “Charlie? Is that you?”