“Yes. He rented the ice-skating rink and the snow-making machines so everyone will enjoy tonight, and the fire department would get their equipment. Can I tell you a secret?”
Another one? How could he top what Bradley had already done?
“He gave that burned-out family a check for five-thousand dollars. Saw him drop the check in the boot at the potluck, myself. It was a cashier’s check. Anonymous, but I figured he had Mona send it.”
“Mona?”
“Yeah, Mona Ashwell, his administrative assistant from New York City. She used to work for his father, but he kept her on. She’s like a mother hen, he said. She helped him buy the Peabody Inn. He’s also my silent partner at the tree farm. Sean left town. Good riddance.”
“Sean is your brother!”
“And he was stealing me blind. I have high hopes to grow the business.”
Still trying to absorb the news she said, “Dad said you plan to produce maple syrup?”
“I have a beautiful grove of maple trees, but didn’t have the extra funds to do it right. Now I do.”
“Because of Bradley?”
He nodded, capped his fuel tank, and wiped his hands on a rag stuck in his belt. “I also heard a rumor that Bradley gave two-thousand dollars to the folks whose barn burned down.”
“I had no idea. But, what about the decorated tree auction?”
“Mac will take care of that. It should bring in quite a profit. Oops. Better grab my receipt, then get a move on. I still need to pick up the man in question.”
“Bradley? Why?”
“We’re planning to have a nice long talk as I give him a lift to Montpelier. He’s heading back to New York City tonight. I thought you knew?” Before she could say another word, the band filled the air with a rock song.
Ellie was shocked by the news. She knew Bradley had money, and that he would leave some day, but why was he leaving just as the Christmas Festival was starting? Without him coming to the rescue, the festival would have been dead in the water. More importantly, how could he leave her?
Greg hopped in his truck and started the engine. He honked the horn and headed down the side street past the police department, skirting the shut-down Main Street, with the scent of Christmas trees wafting through the air in the filled eighteen-wheeler’s wake.
You fool! You complained about his money! You thought Mona was one of his women. You didn’t give him much of a chance. He saved your life at that house fire, volunteered in freezing temperatures, and grew to know many townspeople. They all liked him. He bought the inn? Did that mean he would be coming back? Why couldn’t he stay forever? Why couldn’t he love her?
The words of several people echoed in her head. They all noticed that Bradley had fallen in love with her, but why hadn’t they seen how much she loved him?
Running like the wind, she entered the old building adjacent to Mac’s property. She had no idea where she’d parked her dad’s truck and she needed flashing lights and a siren. If she caught up to Greg and told Bradley how she felt, what did she have to lose?
Looking around, she nibbled her bottom lip and paused for all of two seconds before jumping into the driver’s seat of engine one.
“Whatcha doing?”
“Get out of my way, Andy. I have a tractor trailer filled with Christmas trees to stop.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to bid on one of the decorated trees?”
“Get out of my way!”
Andy smiled, knowingly. “Might I suggest we open the big doors first?” He walked over and pulled the doors apart.
“Close them behind me. It’s getting really cold.”
“Yes, boss lady. Hope you catch him.”
“Him?”
Andy smiled and waved her out of the building. She flicked on the lights and siren and headed straight down Main Street toward the Peabody Inn. If the police still had it closed to vehicular traffic, she would owe them a couple of roadblock signs.
***
Cooling his heels on the sidewalk, Bradley glanced up at the moonless sky filled with dark clouds rolling in. He really was cooling his heels! His feet were freezing! It was more than a figure of speech tonight! The temperature had dropped the moment the sun went down. He smiled as the truck, piled high with netted Christmas trees, traveled toward him from the street adjacent to Main Street.
“Guess the police have yet to open Main Street to traffic. I still cannot believe the entire town was turned into a pedestrian mall for the day.” He really loved the small-town attitude. Saying he would miss it was an understatement. He picked up his luggage as Greg pulled the huge truck to a stop.
Inhaling the fresh-cut pine scent, he climbed into the passenger side and set his luggage and satchel behind his seat. The cab was cold, but the heater was turned on full blast.
“Takes a while to heat up. Should be fine by the time we reach Montpelier.”
“Very funny. Greg, I appreciate the lift.”
“It’s no problem, although I don’t understand why you’re not sticking around to see how the town reacts to the festival.”
He thought about only one person he’d miss. “Wait a minute. Is that a siren?”
Greg glanced in the side view mirror. “I see lights coming our way. That’s weird. I didn’t get a tone on my pager. Even when not on duty, I still hear the emergency calls. I’ll see if I can wave them down.”
Both men exited the truck only to watch as the large fire engine pull in behind Greg’s truck, with a whoosh of air brakes. The siren silenced, and a figure jumped from the cab.
“Ellie? Are you alone? What’s the emergency?” Greg asked, then shouted, “Dear Lord! Are those roadblock signs stuck in the grill?”
Elinor ignored Greg and walked right up to Bradley. “It’s you. It has been since the first time I saved your ass. You are the emergency. How could you even think to leave town without saying goodbye?”
Bradley cleared his throat but he remained speechless. How could he explain how much his chest hurt looking at her, when that love was not returned? She looked windblown and cold, but when he read the longing in her sparkling eyes, hope filled him. When she stepped closer and circled his neck with her freezing fingers, he grabbed them and held them against his chest, holding them beneath his gloves to warm them.
He said finally, “Forgive me, I suppose, but I thought you were finished with me. Your icy stare the last time you looked at me told me you wanted nothing more.”
“Yet you bought the inn, now own part of Greg’s tree farm, and footed the bill for those successful additions to the festival?”
“That only took money.”
“And I kept giving you grief about your wealth. I apologize. Now that I see how happy you have made the people of Snowflake Valley, who am I to complain? However, why do you want to leave?”
He sighed. “I want to stay with you forever, but I had no idea you felt the same. I love you.” He leaned forward, and brushed his lips against hers. “I never wanted to leave.”
A throat clearing made them remember Greg stood nearby. “Folks, I have to get to Montpelier tonight. Are you still coming with me, Bradley?”
Bradley turned back to Elinor. “Your call. I have a place to live right here, and I have an excellent staff to run my business back in the city. I also like Christmas trees, sleigh rides, and firefighters who smell of soot.”
“Then, stay.”
Bradley kissed her hard and deep, and nearly wept when she kissed him right back. He assumed the two thuds hitting the pavement were his overnight bag and leather satchel. He cringed, hoping his laptop was okay. If he was going to stay, it was his lifeline to Wainwright Industries.
An engine started and they were suddenly alone amid flashing red lights and a fluffy falling flakes of glistening snow. He pulled away and glanced at the sky again. He blinked, and felt icy snowflakes dot his face.
“Why did you…Dear Lord! Is this snow?”
The skies had finally emptied their long-awaited he
avy gray clouds, sending cool, refreshing, and stark white snow to Earth. The white flakes turned red under the fire engine’s flashing lights.
“Looks like all your wishes came true, Elinor. Shall we head back to the festival and enjoy the wintry weather that gave this town its name? I would also like to introduce you to my lawyer, Anne, and my administrative assistant, Mona. They both expected to dance with me, and I was reluctant to disappoint them. Now they’ll have to wait their turn.”
“Sounds like a brilliant idea. I haven’t danced in years. No one made me want to, until you showed up in town.”
“I must admit that I haven’t skated in years.”
“Not a problem. If we get too many bruises, we’ll recuperate beneath a warm blanket as we ride over the snow in a one-horse-open-sleigh.”
He kissed her on her snow-spattered forehead. “Any other dreams you want fulfilled?”
“Dad and I haven’t found time to buy and decorate a tree for the holidays. He was injured and I was thoroughly distracted by the best-looking New Yorker in this part of Vermont. I considered bidding on one of Greg’s donated trees, but had to stop a truck.”
“Would you frown and throw a book at me if I went and won a tree for you and the Chief?”
She tapped her chin, then raised her face to the snow-filled sky. Everything was so quiet. She stuck out her tongue to catch a snowflake.
Bradley had never seen anything so erotic, but he simply encircled her in his arms and laughed. She looked so happy and content, for once. When she lowered her face, he brushed flakes from her eyelids, and her eyes sparkled under the red flashing lights.
“Mr. Wainwright, dad and I would be honored to have you spend your money to buy a tree at the auction, but don’t you dare think I love you because of your money.”
“I don’t. Besides, as part owner of the Peabody Tree Farm, I donated those trees right along with Greg, and I am honored to help raise money for the finest fire department in New England. You’ve opened my eyes, along with my heart, and I will do everything in my power to keep that beautiful smile on your face.”
THE END
Dear Reader;
I hope you have enjoyed reading RESCUING CHIRSTMAS, a holiday-themed small town sweet romance. I hope you will look into purchasing my other books. An author loves to hear that her work is appreciated, and other readers rely on reviews. Your opinion counts, so please take a moment to leave a review wherever you purchased this book.
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…and don’t miss
HEAVEN-SENT WARRIOR
Warriors in Bronze 1
Asleep inside a bronze statue, a naked Frenchman wakes a century later to save a half-Fae art museum curator from a demon bent on ruling our present-day world.
Present Day Raleigh, North Carolina
Henrí Chevalier materialized in human form, stretched his naked limbs, and groaned. Bones, long unused, slid into place. He arched his back, raising both arms toward the night sky. Aching in a dozen places, he inhaled and savored crisp fresh air.
I am free.
Lowering his arms, he flexed all ten fingers, and shook the numbness away. His last memory was of a cold, damp wall at his back. No longer imprisoned, he relished his newfound freedom. Rubbing phantom pain at each wrist, Henrí soon relaxed, while he slid his fingers over one cheek. As he brushed the light stubble, the tips tingled. Moving his hand lower, he paused on the pulse pounding beneath the skin of his neck.
Life beats here. I am alive again.
A clean, grassy scent lingered on the night breeze. The sweetness made his lips twitch into a slight smile. Such normalcy, he thought, even as he turned in a circle with slow determination to get his bearings. Sleep-filled eyes adjusted to the inky night’s low light. Odd forms hovered near, and he fought the urge to crouch low, into a warrior’s stance.
I shall stand my ground this night.
Odd sensations cautioned him to move slowly. Rounded pebbles pressed into the soles of his bare feet until he tripped over something low and hard. His hand shot out into blackness, slamming against something smooth and icy.
“Mon Dieu!” Did God care that he was cold and achy, standing alone in a strange place? As if in answer, clouds moved aside, and the moon’s radiance spilled over a trio of statues. Familiarity made his eyebrows quiver. He brushed loose hair off his face and stared at the hard, cold bronze beneath his palm.
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Books by Nancy Lee Badger
Warriors in Bronze
Heaven-sent Warrior
Heaven-sent Highlander
Heaven-sent Flame
Opportunity Falls
With Every Heartbeat
With Every Kiss
With Every Breath
With Every Kiss
Clan of Dragons
Shimmer: The Beginning
Spark
Smoke
Smolder
Kilted Athletes Through Time
My Lady Highlander
My Dark Highlander
My Hunted Highlander
Highland Games Through Time
My Honorable Highlander
My Banished Highlander
My Reluctant Highlander
Highland Games Through Time Boxed Set
Dragons
Dragon Bites
Southern Fried Dragon
Dragon in the Mist
Dragon’s Curse
Military
Unwrapping Chris
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Acknowledgements
In RESCUING CHRISTMAS, the terminology and medical knowledge shared in these pages are purely from memory, from my time served on a rescue squad and ambulance, and as a volunteer firefighter in a small town. Procedures and equipment most likely have changed, so do not quibble. This is fiction!
This is also me saying a big THANKS to the volunteer members of the Rumney, NH F.A.S.T. Squad and Fire Department. To my family, friends, and readers who have followed my career from the first book and who pushed me to make my own covers, who helped edit, and who just enjoy my stories, I thank you. You know who you are!
Author Bio
After growing up in Huntington, New York, Award-winning author Nancy Lee Badger attended college, married, and raised two sons in a small town in the shadow of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She volunteers at Scottish Highland Games, and was an EMT and volunteer firefighter for a small NH town.
After nearly a decade as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher for the State of NH 9-1-1 service, Nancy moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, and the Triangle Association of Freelancers.
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