Rescuing Christmas

by Nancy Lee Badger

  Chapter 8

  Bradley approached the counter for a refill of his coffee mug and could not help overhearing Elinor’s whispered words. Who was she talking to? No one stood nearby. Even her sister and the other server were cleaning tables. She disappeared into a back room, where many voices were raised in heated conversation.

  Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

  He suspected Elinor really wanted the town’s festival to be a success. She mentioned it was a fundraiser for the fire department. He had asked around, and many people were worried that it would be canceled or poorly attended due to the lack of snow. He supposed he could write a check to cover the expected income deficit, but he doubted Elinor wanted that. She struck him as a person who would be too proud to accept a hand-out, even for a good cause.

  How could he help her? More importantly, why did he feel the insatiable need to help her? Was it because he wanted to thank her for helping him, or in hopes that she’d kiss him again? The latter made his jeans suddenly tighten.

  Sarah Jane appeared at the counter and refilled his coffee mug. “Bradley, remember I said you could serve yourself.”

  “Sorry. My mind was on something else. I just saw Elinor disappear into your back room…a very noisy place.”

  “The festival committee, mostly made up of fire department auxiliary members, is having a meeting. I sure hope they don’t decide to cancel or postpone the Christmas festival.”

  “Sarah Jane, is there any chance it will snow in time to save the festival?”

  Elinor’s sister shook her head. “Not that I can tell. Ellie checks the weather forecast all the time. Making sure the fire and rescue crews are ready for bad weather is also part of her temporary responsibility as the fire chief.”

  “Your father’s absence must be difficult for her. How is Mr. Danville?” Though he thought of Elinor all the time, he had indeed forgotten about their injured father. He was discovering he wasn’t at his best. His own temporary problems were miniscule compared to the Danville family.

  “Better. He’s home, alone. A nurse visits and we hired a helper to keep the house clean and meals on the table. Elinor can help a little, but with full-time responsibilities…”

  “We try our best, Sarah Jane.”

  Bradley turned to find Elinor at his elbow, while a herd of women and one man poured out of the back room and disappeared out the front door. Their conversation was loud and boisterous, but they seemed quite pleased with themselves.

  “Hello, Elinor. A successful meeting, I assume?” Bradley smiled slowly, hoping she felt like talking to him.

  “Yes, we came to an agreement, although an alternative is on the table. I hope it doesn’t happen, but should the weather stay like this, we might have to postpone the festival and instead hold a celebration fund-raiser in the Spring or Summer.” She lowered her eyes to the empty coffee mug in her hands.

  “May I buy you another coffee?” he asked.

  “Thanks, but I have to get back to the fire house. We always have a pot brewing there.” She turned to her sister. “Is it my turn to check on Dad this afternoon?”

  “Nope, I plan on bringing him an assortment of pastries.”

  “He’ll get fat.”

  “Don’t tell him, but I made a batch with sugar substitute and less butter. Need anything else, you two?”

  Bradley smiled and shook his head. Both women cared so much for their father. He wished he could meet the man who was responsible for bringing these gorgeous women into the world. Too bad he was leaving as soon as the replacement car arrived.

  Sarah Jane disappeared into the kitchen, leaving them alone at the counter. Elinor sighed. Her unhappy expression made his chest constrict. He wanted her to smile, to be happy all the time. He reached out and grasped her hand with his. Her startled reaction slowly morphed into one of curiosity. Her skin was smooth, though callouses on her fingers reminded him that she was a hard-working woman.

  She glanced at their joined hands and stepped closer. She raised her chin and her eyes searched his face. His body reacted as if she was the only woman on earth. She smelled delicious and he assumed she’d taste like coffee. Leaning down the few inches separating their heights, he brought his lips close to her. Closing his eyes, he leaned closer, but… his phone rang.

  “Pardon me.” He watched Elinor step away to give him privacy. As soon as he hit the answer button, Mona’s voice came through the cheap cell phone he’d purchased at the market.

  “Bradley, dear, are you there?”

  He chuckled and listened to all she had accomplished during his absence. “You are a sweetheart. Yes, I love you, too, Mona.”

  Turning back to Elinor, hoping to return to their kiss, Elinor was gone.

  ***

  Bradley had tried to kiss her again at the same time a woman named Mona, who he called sweetheart, had phoned him! What was he thinking? That Elinor was an available plaything, someone to fill up time because he was stuck in Snowflake Valley? She was no one’s plaything. Not Sean’s and certainly not Bradley’s. She was thankful his phone rang, propelling her back enough that he couldn’t land a kiss on her lips, even if she wanted him to.

  What am I saying!

  Instead she’d managed to pull her fingers out of his large, warm hand. He’d rubbed the rough patches on her fingertips, and wasn’t that romantic? Too bad her skin was not as soft and creamy like his city women, who undoubtedly lathered four-hundred-dollar lotions all over their bodies. She couldn’t compete with them. Instead, she’d broken free and ran out the door.

  As the bookstore door closed behind her, she hesitated. For some reason, returning to Bradley and letting him kiss her was an urge she couldn’t understand. She acted like a teenager around him.

  Her pager blared.

  No time for dreaming.

  She was needed at a medical emergency south of town. She would lend a hand with the ambulance crew, whether they needed help directing traffic, keeping the family dog out of the way, or getting the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. Anything physically demanding would keep her mind off him.

  Elinor ended up sitting in her truck for the duration of the emergency call, lonely and cold. Paramedics Johnny and Al had no trouble walking the elderly gentleman to the back of the ambulance. The farmer had gotten his arm caught between a cow and a wooden fence. By the way he was holding his forearm close to his chest, the bone was likely broken.

  She updated dispatch as the crew helped him up into the ambulance. Before Al shut the back door, Johnny was already treating the old guy’s painful injury by wrapping it in a sling. The temporary drape would keep his arm from being jostled.

  The ambulance pulled out of the farmer’s yard and headed to the hospital. Elinor finished her notes and steered the truck out into the road, then headed in the opposite direction. The road to town was empty, and her thoughts mingled with an image of Bradley’s glasses. He looked so studious, not debonair and sophisticated. His small flaw, needed when he drove or worked on his laptop, was endearing. His unwanted kisses were something else.

  A herd of white-tailed deer galloped across the road. She hit the brakes and the big truck fishtailed on the slick surface. She missed hitting them, but the sudden realization that her head was elsewhere, and not on her driving, was sobering.

  Then and there, while sitting in the truck waiting for her pulse to slow to normal, she decided that the craziness between her and Bradley Aaron Wainwright must stop. If he was still at the bookstore, she would approach him and have a serious discussion concerning where he thought their relationship was headed.

  ***

  When the door closed behind Elinor, leaving Bradley speechless, he shoved his hands in his pockets and thought of what almost happened. He had wanted to kiss her, then to offer her his help, but had lost the chance to do both. His phone rang, shocking them back to their senses.

  Why had he tried to kiss her? The urge had risen and he hadn’t resisted it. The concept was strange for someone lik
e him. Women usually approached him and kissing led to other interesting things. They all knew about his company and his fortune. Were those the only reasons they agreed to share a bed? Elinor seemed to hate the idea that he had money, or that he lived in a city. It was true that he would have to return to that life, but why not enjoy the moment?

  Turning his mind toward something other than Elinor Danville, he carried his filled mug back to his table near the bookstore’s front window. When he sat in front of the search screen with his fresh cup of steaming coffee an epiphany hit, making him gasp and punch the air.

  Thinking back to her whispered words, he decided to do a little research. If Elinor wanted to ice skate during the festival, but the pond was not yet frozen enough to be considered safe, he would find a company that could set up a man-made skating rink. He had seen one in action inside a mall outside Miami, Florida.

  His high-end, state-of-the-art cell phone did not survive its mud bath. He’d made a few inquiries using his new cheap cell phone and found a company that assured him they had the units and the personnel to make what he envisioned happen. They also explained that once the rink was up and running, the locals could take over to make sure it ran until it was no longer needed. They would also provide a large assortment of rental skates for visitors in need of them. The price Bradley was quoted seemed reasonable, and he wanted to rush to the fire house and spring the good news on Elinor.

  Then, he came to his senses. She would not want a hand-out. The cost of the rink rental was a drop in the bucket to him, but what if she said no? What if he could find sponsors willing to fund the rink? She couldn’t refuse that, could she? He would need help in that aspect, since he was not a local.

  Maybe Sarah Jane will help me.

  He called the company back and said he would get the exact dates of the festival and prepay them over the phone with his credit card. When he mentioned it was a fundraiser for the fire department, the company knocked off twenty percent. His best bet was to try to keep Elinor in the dark about it. He would ask Sarah Jane who else would need to know, so that the entire festival was not canceled or postponed until spring.

  When Sarah Jane came by his table, he asked her if she could sit for a while. She sat and gave him a brilliant smile. He felt nothing. No stirring at all. Her golden hair, blue eyes, and petite stature were attractive, but not to him. Elinor’s chocolate eyes and silky dark hair filled his dreams each night.

  “Heavy duty business dealings going on over here? Did you realize you punched the air with your free hand? I assume you were making a point.”

  “Great news.”

  “So, the fist pump into the air at the end was a good sign. Need anyone to talk to about it?”

  “It might bore you,” he said, thinking of where they sat. However, she was a business owner and the sister of a woman he wanted to please.

  Bradley took a chance and described to a curious Sarah Jane what he planned to bring to town. “However, after I get the sponsors by approaching businesses in the area, I want to get my hands dirty. Ha! I never thought I would hear those words from my own lips. What can I do?”

  “I can help with a list of business owners. I can take you to visit most of them this afternoon. I have two high school students coming in at two. Tonight, I suggest you head to the library at seven. The Fire Department Auxiliary will be meeting.”

  “What will I say to that group?” He pictured a group similar to the festival committee. Gray haired women with pudgy middles having bake sales, and maybe an older gentleman or two.

  “The Auxiliary is an important volunteer organization that keeps our firefighters fed, safe, and warm during long emergencies such as house fires.”

  “How can these little old ladies do that?”

  Sarah Jane looked at him strangely. “Mr. Wainwright, your image of a small-town fire department’s volunteers is skewed. We have dozens of people of all ages, from eighteen to eighty. Men and women.”

  He scratched his left cheek, noticing he needed a shave. “Wait. What do all these people do at the scene of a fire? I assume they feed them doughnuts and coffee, but what is this about keeping the firefighters safe and warm?”

  “In the middle of winter, when we usually have snow and sub-freezing temperatures, we need people to shovel pathways to both the fire house and to the building that’s on fire. Some will direct traffic until the police arrive. Others help the paramedics keep an eye out for tired or overheated firefighters. Sometimes those men or women work too hard and too long.”

  “What can I add to this group?”

  Sarah Jane tapped her forehead with her finger, then smiled and leaned in closer. The front door opened. “I should return to the counter, but the Auxiliary’s main function is to feed the crew. One volunteer might make coffee at the fire house. If the emergency occurs during the day, they know they can come here. I will fill a large portable coffee urn and send them on their way. In the fire house’s vast kitchen, others make sandwiches and a big pot of tomato soup. You’ll figure it out. And, if Ellie isn’t at the meeting, mention your idea. Tell them it’s a secret. People around here love secrets.” She kissed his cheek and headed toward customers waving from a table in the corner.

  Bradley sat back and touched the cheek she had kissed. A smile spread across his face, until he spied a familiar face in the window. Elinor gaped at him, then her eyes closed to slits. Her hands were in fists and she looked as if she wanted to scream.

  He wished to talk to her again, so he waved to her. Unfortunately, she turned and raced down Main Street. What had he done now?

  ***

  That night, the rental agency’s driver called Bradley. His delivery truck had skidded off the road fifteen miles from Snowflake Valley. Seems that other places in Vermont were getting actual wintry weather. Bradley was not nearly upset to hear that his replacement rental vehicle had fallen from the flatbed. He was going to be sticking around awhile longer.

  The Auxiliary meeting was at seven o’clock, so he showered at the inn, sneaked a small snack from the cook, and walked toward the library. He was getting used to walking and could feel the muscles in his legs grow stronger. The fresh air cleared his lungs and the daily sunshine, peppered now and again by fluffy clouds, had tanned his face. He felt better. He looked better. He doubted Mona would recognize him.

  The walk was brief. The librarian greeted him like a long-lost friend, though they had only met once.

  “The library is closed, Mr. Wainwright, but a little birdie named Sarah Jane mentioned you might join us downstairs for the Snowflake Valley Fire Auxiliary meeting.”

  “I want to do something to help the fire department. I find I will be staying in town a little longer.”

  She locked the door behind him. “Follow me.” She led him down the narrow stairs which opened to a small room filled with about a dozen people.

  Surprisingly, he recognized about half of the volunteers. He actually spoke with a teen who worked at the bookstore and with a gray-haired woman he had seen shopping at the same clothing store. Conversations at a coffee urn were coupled with the snap of celery stalks and what looked like gingersnap cookies.

  “The meeting will come to order,” the librarian said.

  “That’s Elvira Duncan,” a whispered voice said on his left. “She’s sweet on Officer Jackson.”

  “I know. I met both of them the other day.”

  “I’m Julia. I see you’re wearing the flannel shirt I saw you trying on at the store,” the octogenarian sitting beside him added.

  Bradley smiled. “Yes, it is rather cool outside, when I have to walk. My car…”

  “We all heard, Mr. Wainwright. So sad, but does being here mean you aim to stay around?”

  “For a while, at least. I want to help give back. The fire department came to my aid, so here I am. And, call me Bradley.”

  “If I can please have quiet!” The librarian glared right at him.

  “My apologies,” he said.

  “Mo
st of you know everyone, but we have a new face among us. Will you stand and share something about yourself?”

  She was now pointing straight at him. He stood and rubbed his palms down his sides. “Happy to be here. I am Bradley Wainwright from New York City, and was passing through town when a big red fire truck took up a little too much of the road. I nearly went swimming in the pond that I hear your town usually uses for ice skating.”

  Murmurs around the room grew, and several appeared not to have heard of the cause of his misfortune.

  “Listen. I do not plan to sue anybody.”

  Several people gasped.

  “I want to thank the fire department for saving me, and for the town for opening their arms to me. I am here to learn what a fire department auxiliary does. I really want to know how to keep the Christmas Festival from being canceled.”

  “Someone wants to cancel it?” one older gentleman asked.

  “Because there isn’t any snow and the pond won’t freeze, is what I heard,” Julia added.

  Elvira threw up her hands. “Quiet. If Bradley wants to help us make sure our biggest fund-raiser continues, let’s hear his ideas. The floor is yours, sir.”

  “I have made a few inquiries, and nothing is set in stone, but if I could come up with a way for folks to ice skate, while others make snowmen and have sleigh rides, will you all support me?”

  “Yes!” The room erupted in clapping and laughter.

  “One thing I will demand. Well, two things.”

  The librarian looked nervous. “What two things?”

  “You will allow me to foot the bill, apart from begging donations from local businesses, and you do not tell any of the firefighters. Let the festival events they think are not going to happen be a surprise. Tell them the festival will go on, but in a smaller capacity. Can you do that?”

  “Yes!”

  The meeting continued on a cheerful note, and Bradley sat back and listened to a report on what had occurred in town over the last month. He was appalled at the number of traffic accidents and house fires. Elvira listed what the auxiliary had accomplished at every event and he was duly impressed. These people took turns responding to the emergency calls by way of a phone tree. If they could respond, they did. He wondered what he could do to help. If he was stuck in Snowflake Valley, he might as well be useful. Besides…Elinor might see him in a new light.