Rescuing Christmas

by Nancy Lee Badger

  Near the sink, she motioned to the bucket underneath it. “You any good at plumbing?”

  “Not really, but my father shared a few secrets with me. We used to own a cabin on a lake in upstate New York. It was really old and the pipes leaked a lot.” He got down on his knees and turned on the flashlight he was handed. “Pass me the basin wrench, please.”

  “This one?”

  “That will do fine.” At the drip site, he tightened the pipe connector, then dried the area with a dish towel. He sat back on the floor as he waited to see if the drips had stopped.

  The cook said, “Thank you! I bet I’m keeping you from a date?”

  Why does everyone wiggle their eyebrows at me?

  “Not a date. The auxiliary, of which I am now a proud member, is meeting at five to clean up the fire house.”

  “Oh, I heard. The potluck supper is being held there tomorrow night. I’ll be cooking up a huge pot of chili and fresh-baked corn bread to take. So, you won’t be eating dinner here again?”

  “I am sorry about that, but they need me more.”

  “Hmm. I assume they have coffee and water to drink while you work, but how about I whip up a few of my pork and potato pasties for you to take with you?”

  “I only have about an hour, since I have to walk there. No car, remember?”

  “True, which means you can’t carry them, either. How about I deliver them about six? Dinner here is at seven and I planned something that only needs heating up.”

  “Thank you. That would please all the volunteers.” A glance at the pipes showed no leakage, so he got to his feet. He hugged her, then rushed toward his room, and chuckled. Since when was he a hugger? His stomach was looking forward to whatever pork and potato pasties were. Sounded good, so he knew the other auxiliary members would be pleased.

  Sean walked in the door before he could make it up the stairs. “I suppose you have a big date tonight? Better not be with anyone I know.”

  “Give it a rest, Sean. There is a fire auxiliary meeting, nothing more.”

  The innkeeper rubbed his jaw and Bradley waited for a fist to come barreling his way at the mention of the fire department. “Will Elinor be there?”

  “I doubt it. We are cleaning the place to ready it for tomorrow night.”

  “The potluck supper. Right.” Without another word, Sean headed toward what Bradley assumed was his office.

  Another incident averted.

  Chapter 11

  Since Bradley’s mobile phone never survived the accident, in order to get his ideas transformed into reality, he had bought a cheap cell phone. He had memorized his administrative assistant’s number and Mona quickly sent an email with all the phone numbers he might need. He had already added the numbers of the ice rink and snow machine suppliers, so coordinating a delivery location was next. Keeping everything a secret from Elinor was the big challenge and he was up to the task.

  The auxiliary members that also happened to be on the festival committee were a huge help in every aspect. They figured out where the best spot for the ice rink was. The pond was everyone’s usual spot, and the town-operated fishing shack on the bank had power they could tap and an all-weather water source. In the past, the sleigh rides started and stopped outside the fire house, but with all the extra indoor and outdoor activities in the works, they decided the open lot next to Mac’s garage would work.

  Parking for the event would be on side streets, since every shop would have a booth outside their storefronts. Finding out that the town planned to close Main Street for the afternoon and evening was a shock.

  He had arrived at the fire house at five, and the inn’s cook delivered the pasties at six as promised, just in time for a break. They had scrubbed the eight-foot long folding tables they would open once the fire trucks were moved out and made sure paper cups, plates, and utensils were ready to place on those tables. Several members produced tablecloths in various holiday designs and Bradley and young Bruce swept and washed the kitchen floor. Bruce gave him a ride home in his old pickup truck.

  He slept well. Physical activity was the best sleep aid. Well, so was sex, but that didn’t seem to be an option. Last night was the first time he hadn’t dreamed of a naked Elinor in his bed, but that didn’t mean the morning was any easier to face. In fact, he was up before the sun. He grabbed his laptop bag, threw in his new phone, and snuck out of the inn. The air was frigid and he was glad he remembered his hat and gloves. Too bad the sky was clear and painted with the orange and pink of sunrise. He figured snow would be the only thing to bring a smile to Elinor’s lovely face.

  How was she after yesterday’s emergency call? Had a child actually fallen through the ice? Why had she gotten wet? Maybe Sarah Jane knew more since he’d spoken with her yesterday. His curiosity made him stop into the bookstore before heading to the fire house. Sarah Jane was cleaning tables. He did not see any helpers. Her tenacity impressed him.

  “Am I too early for coffee?”

  “Not at all,” she said, smiling. “The pot is almost done brewing. Give me a minute to get a batch of cinnamon streusel muffins out of the oven. I’ll grab one for you.”

  As she disappeared into the kitchen, he found a foam cup and searched for the cream. Bending over, he opened the mini-fridge beneath the coffee dispenser where he had seen the teenage helpers store containers of cream, milk and whipped cream. The front door opened.

  “Nice view.”

  Elinor? Before he could respond with a witty comment, her sister entered from the kitchen.

  “Here you go, handsome,” Sarah Jane sang, until she noticed her sister standing in the doorway. “Oh. Hi, Ellie.”

  “Morning, all. Kind of early, or did Bradley just come down from your apartment upstairs?”

  “Elinor! Why would you say such a thing?” Tears filled Sarah Jane’s eyes.

  Bradley set down the cream container and coffee cup, then marched over to where Elinor stood.

  “I do not appreciate innuendos, especially when they bring pain to a good friend. Yes, friend. Sarah Jane has been nice to me, and I am a paying customer who enjoys talking to her. You, on the other hand, are a jealous harpy with nothing good to say, but forgets to keep her mouth shut.” He turned back to her sister. “I will be back for coffee and a muffin once the air clears in here.”

  Storming out the door and slamming it in his wake was unlike him, but he was tired of what people thought, especially when there was no basis for their opinions. That Elinor would assume he had set his sights on her sister was unbelievable!

  He crossed the street and headed toward the library with his laptop and a rumbling stomach. He could still get in some work before returning to have some breakfast.

  A short walk later, he realized the library would not be open so early. Where could he work? An engine revved beside him, startling him out of his darkening thoughts. The passenger side window lowered.

  “Elinor?”

  “Yep. I guess I should apologize. It’s just…well, let’s just say my petite golden sister gets a lot of attention from the male gender and I sometimes react less ladylike than I should.”

  He was not sure what she said qualified as an apology, but she did look sorry. Her eyes were dull and a frown marred her beauty.

  “Apology accepted.”

  “I know it’s no excuse, but yesterday’s rescue call affected me more than I thought.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  She nodded.

  “Where are you headed?”

  “To check on the fire house to make sure everything is set for tonight’s potluck supper.”

  He leaned in the open passenger window. “You will find the entire building cleaned and swept.”

  She chuckled. “I guess you and the other auxiliary members worked your magic?”

  “Yes, we did. I hope tonight goes well.”

  “You will come, won’t you?”

  Bradley glanced down the street, wondering what she expected him to say. “I don’
t cook. I’ll make sure a monetary contribution is dropped off, but—”

  She threw the truck in park and opened the driver’s door. Stepping out, she walked around the hood and stopped beside him. Settling her palms on his cheeks, he couldn’t help but flinch. Her hands were cold, but the fragrance filling him made his nostrils flare and his mouth water.

  “Bradley, you are part of this community, even if you decide to leave tomorrow. The auxiliary is putting on this spread so you are expected to attend. I will make sure they put you in charge of the coffee urns. Okay?” She smiled at him.

  He nodded. He couldn’t speak, since his mouth had gone dry. Her smile brightened his day and the urge to kiss her made his body react, but all he could do was lick his lips. He vowed not to make a move on her again. If she wanted him, it was up to her to kiss him.

  “Where are you headed?” She tapped his laptop satchel.

  Realizing she had changed the subject, or simply ignored how close together they stood, he said, “Well, I had planned to get some work done while eating a fresh out of the oven muffin and some brewed coffee, but someone interrupted my early morning ritual. Now I need to find some place with Wi-Fi.”

  “The coast is clear, if you want to head back to the bookstore, but I just picked up a dozen of those muffins and the coffee urn is percolating at this very moment inside the fire house. Want a ride?”

  As she climbed back into the truck cab, he was torn.

  “Oh, we have Wi-Fi, too.”

  That settled it. He opened the door, climbed into the passenger seat, and placed his satchel on the floor.

  “Do you mind me stopping at home? I promised Dad some muffins, too.”

  “That’s fine. I would like to meet the man responsible for two beautiful daughters.”

  She gunned the engine, checked the mirrors, and flew down the road.

  He was thrown back against the headrest. “Are there no speed limits in this town?”

  “Not for me.”

  ***

  Ellie’s dad sat in his recliner, and waved to them in welcome. She introduced Bradley and watched for her father’s reaction. While they chatted, she set a thermal carafe of coffee and two muffins on his side table.

  In the kitchen, she searched for a sturdy coffee mug and some napkins. Bradley was suddenly at her side.

  “He asked if you could bring him a couple of scrambled eggs, too. I guess a man cannot live on coffee and muffins alone.” He rubbed his stomach as if also hungry.

  “Sit with him and let him know I’ll bring everything shortly, then I’ll get you back to the fire house. Would you like eggs, too?”

  He smiled as he nodded, giving her body an instantaneous blast of heat. The man was too close and smelled fantastic. She grabbed a second coffee mug. “Go sit by him and pour yourselves some coffee. I’ll bring those eggs in a minute.”

  Sighing, as she wondered what those two would talk about, she quickly buttered a fry pan and scrambled four eggs. She plated them and placed them on a tray. She picked up the salt and pepper shakers and the bottle of ketchup to add to the line-up along with napkins. Rummaging through a drawer, she tossed forks on the tray next to the napkins.

  “Here you go. Eat up.”

  “Daughter, what’s your hurry? Set a spell. Bradley and I have been having a good talk.”

  “I was already supposed to be at the fire house. Big plans, tonight.” She sat on the couch and watched them eat. Bradley poured coffee, but looked her way. “Not eating?”

  “I had cereal and a sliced banana earlier. There are more of those muffins in my truck getting cold, and a big urn of coffee will be perking the moment I enter the fire house.”

  Bradley scooped the rest of his eggs into his mouth and then drained his mug of coffee. He didn’t touch the two muffins, she noticed.

  “I’m ready to go,” Bradley said, jumping to his feet.

  “Can I do anything else for you, Dad?”

  “No, but make sure somebody gives me a ride to the fundraiser.”

  “Are you sure you should go?”

  “I am a part of this community, young lady. Until I am dead and buried, I want to help. I already asked Sarah Jane to bake a cake that I will buy from her, and I will need to pick that up on the way.”

  “I might be too busy to get away…”

  Bradley cleared his throat. “I can drive him to get the cake, then bring him to the fire house.”

  “How? You don’t have a car.”

  “He can use my truck,” her dad added.

  “The one I’m driving?” How could he forget he gave her the big red pickup to use as acting fire chief while he was laid up? Her little pickup was parked behind their house with a dead battery.

  “You said it yourself,” Bradley said.

  She didn’t understand what he meant by that. Ellie asked, “What did I say?”

  “I will be in charge of the coffee urn, tonight. Once it is perking, and I make sure the cups, sugar, and cream are available, I will go get him and then the cake.”

  “Sounds like a good plan, son. I thank you.”

  “Right. Good plan,” she mumbled. Her father called him son? How did they get so chummy? “Let’s go.”

  Once at the fire house, Ellie and Bradley walked through the bay toward the kitchen. The auxiliary had done a wonderful job getting the entire building clean. The off-duty firefighters planned to show up an hour before the potluck was scheduled to start, to drive the fire trucks out of the building.

  Once folding tables and chairs were placed in the emptied bays, the auxiliary members would decorate them with tablecloths and small centerpieces. There were already streamers hung across the back wall of the truck bay. She could see other decorations stacked on top of several boxes in the corner.

  “The auxiliary has outdone itself. This place is spotless. Are those one-hundred-dollar bills tied along the streamers?”

  Bradley joined her by the bay’s back wall. “Yes. My idea, actually. A member donated an old game board that had funny money with it. We thought this might be a gentle push to add real dollars to the boots that will be placed next to the dessert table.” Bradley headed into the kitchen, as if walking beside her made him uneasy. He stopped in front of the coffee maker, but it was still brewing.

  Earlier, when she’d pressed her cold hands against his cheeks, he’d gazed into her eyes and licked his lips. She’d wanted to lean in and kiss him, but where would that leave her? She was still upset about little Beth and yesterday’s near drowning. She needed to talk to someone about it. He said he’d listen.

  She joined him as he sat at the long, white kitchen table and pulled two muffins out of the box on the counter.

  As he reached for one, she said, “Just a minute.” She placed them on a plate and zapped them for thirty seconds in the microwave to warm them. She’d felt how bitterly cold it was outside. Glancing out the kitchen window, the darn sky was clear blue. Not a snow cloud in sight.

  “The boots are a good idea.” She grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator. Whenever fire departments ran fundraisers, the empty boot was the symbol they used. It was also a great way to hold the bills to keep them from blowing away. She was impressed that Bradley, a city boy, understood or had ever heard of the tradition, then hung fake money to prod donations out of attendees. The idea made him a little more special in her eyes. He was thoughtful, yet she kept arguing with him.

  He was free to talk to her sister. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to drive her father around town? He swept floors in the fire house and served coffee and soup while standing in the cold.

  He saved my life without a second thought to his own safety.

  She sat across from him to finish some department paper work and drank the water.

  “Elinor?”

  She had been so deep in her work, that she almost didn’t hear him. “What?”

  “You said you wished to talk. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  She sighed as the image of
the little girl filled her head. “Yesterday’s call was brutal. A twelve-year old boy had ridden his sled down the hillside and out onto the ice. The ice gave way. The horror was when a witness told me a three-year old little girl had been on the sled with him.”

  “Dear Lord! Did she…”

  “The water rescue crew dove in and pulled her out. I started CPR on her. She was cold and blue. I stood back once the ambulance crew took over.” She couldn’t help the tears that dampened her cheek.

  “Is she okay?”

  She nodded. “Her brother, too. He’s filled with guilt and I did my best to calm him. I got soaked doing it, but I didn’t feel the cold until I got home. Thanks for listening.”

  “I will always listen.”

  After she got up and poured them mugs of coffee, they both returned to their work. The tap-tap of his fingers on the keyboard soothed her, yet she found it difficult to concentrate on the paperwork.

  Maybe I should hide in my office, she thought, chewing on her bottom lip.

  A groan from across the table made her raise her head. “Bradley? Did you need something?”

  Bradley’s eyes closed into slits and he pushed up from his seat. “Yes. I finally realized I need something. I swore I wouldn’t make the first move again, but watching you worry that gorgeous bottom lip with your teeth is intoxicating.”

  She stood and stared as he walked to her side of the table. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her into his chest, and waited. For her reaction? She wasn’t sure, yet the moment she licked her lips, his mouth came down and crushed hers.

  He tasted like coffee and something sweeter. Cinnamon? The heat pressing against her ribs and belly made her tighten her grip on his upper arms. For a split second, the urge to push him away traveled from her brain to her hands, but the need to pull him to the floor and make love with him made her purr like a kitten.

  She slid her hands up and wrapped around his neck, then tangled in his hair. Its silky strands were comforting to her calloused fingers, and the sounds coming from his throat proved he liked her touching him, too. His tongue forced its way between her lips, thrusting in and out, bringing to mind making love. He was making love to her mouth as his hands slid lower, until he cupped her rear end.