All I Want is You this Christmas Final

by Codi Gary

  Also by Codi Gary

  Standalones

  How to be a Heartbreaker

  All I Want is You this Christmas

  Moonlight Ridge

  Under the Moonlight

  Can’t Fight the Moonlight

  The Something Borrowed Series

  Don’t Call Me Sweetheart

  Kiss Me, Sweetheart

  Be Mine, Sweetheart

  Bear Mountain Rescue

  Hot Winter Nights

  Sexy Summer Flings

  The Men in Uniform Series

  I Need a Hero

  One Lucky Hero

  Hero of Mine

  Holding Out for a Hero

  The Loco, Texas Series

  Crazy for You

  Make Me Crazy

  I Want Crazy

  The Rock Canyon, Idaho Series

  The Trouble with Sexy

  Things Good Girls Don’t Do

  Good Girls Don’t Date Rock Stars

  Bad Girls Don’t Marry Marines

  Return of the Bad Girl

  Bad for Me

  Good Girls Don’t Kiss and Tell

  Good at Being Bad

  All I Want is You this Christmas by Codi Gary

  Copyright © 2019

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed by Codi Gary’s Books, Inc., in the United States of America.

  First printing, 2019.

  All I Want is You this Christmas

  CODI GARY

  Dedication

  For all of the people is this world who love

  Christmas as much as I do, this one’s for you!

  One

  “Jared! Whoohoo! Do you mind helping me?”

  Jared Cross turned to find Rachel Walsh, standing next to a six-foot Christmas tree secured in bright white mesh, flagging him down. Her short silver hair was brushed back from her face, revealing a wide smile and large sunglasses. Rachel’s bejeweled hand waved like a flapping bird, her rings twinkling in the afternoon sunlight.

  “Sure thing.”

  Jared walked across the garden center, passing the holiday wreaths and rows of snow-covered Christmas trees. The outdoor garden center didn’t offer much cover from the weather and if there was one thing Montana had in early December, it was snow.

  “You’re a sweetheart.” Rachel let him push the cart, walking alongside him. He slowed his pace so she could keep up, avoiding the lingering patches of ice on the asphalt parking lot. “They are slammed today and I’ve got to get home to Dave. He’s been a bear since he broke his leg and he still has another month to go in his cast. I swear, he’s going to drive me to drink with all that griping he’s doing.”

  Jared chuckled. “Dave’s an active guy. I’d be cranky if I had to sit around, too.” He leaned over and whispered, “But I’m sure no one would blame you for pouring an extra bit of brandy in your eggnog.”

  She laughed. “Probably not. After twenty-five years of marriage, my patience is wearing a little thin. You’ll understand when you find The One. They may be your soulmate, but they’ll still get on your one last nerve.”

  “I bet.” Even though he loved his Labrador, Rip, his rambunctious dog was irritating enough. He couldn’t imagine sharing his house with another human. His foster parents' home had been a loud, lovable, chaotic mess and it’d been fun, but as an adult, he relished his solitude.

  Jared stopped the cart next to Rachel’s F-250 and hefted her Christmas tree onto his shoulder.

  “Oh, by the way, did you hear who's back?”

  Jared grunted in response as he set the Douglas Fir in the back of Rachel’s truck. “Nope. Who’s back?”

  Rachel put her hand over the front of her purple peacoat, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Anna Beth Howard! Can you believe it? I thought she was bound for bigger and better things when she married that tech tycoon but, apparently, he died. Poor thing. Widowed so young.”

  Jared kept his expression benign, even as his heart galloped in his chest. Anna Beth was back in Snowy Springs?

  “You used to be friends, right?” Rachel asked.

  “Yeah, when we were kids. We haven’t spoken since she moved to California years back.”

  Not since her wedding day, when he’d made an ass of himself.

  “Oh, well, maybe the two of you will catch up.” She opened the door of her truck and climbed inside. “Thanks for your help with the tree. You probably have better things to do than assist an old lady.”

  “It was my pleasure, Rachel. Tell Dave I said, hello.”

  “I will. Bye.”

  She closed the door and Jared headed back into the garden center, barely acknowledging the bustling crowd around him. As he loaded his cart with Ice Melt, his mind wandered.

  Anna Beth was back. What could she be doing here? The last Jared heard about Anna Beth was when he’d overheard a conversation between her aunt and the station dispatcher. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the minute her name was mentioned, he couldn’t help himself. He and Anna Beth hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms.

  “Apparently, she’s doing well for herself. Writing for some sitcom. She sends me cards on holidays, but otherwise, I don’t hear from her much.”

  Jared wasn’t surprised by the statement, as Anna Beth had never been close to her aunt. Having her come back here after five years when it sounded like things were going well for her in LA left him shook. What happened?

  Not that it was any of his business. He lost touch with Anna Beth and had no right wondering anything about her.

  He paid for the supplies and headed out to his truck. As he filled up the bed of his Dodge Ram, memories surfaced unbidden. Memories he’d rather stayed buried.

  Anna Beth standing in the middle of an empty bridal suite at Snowy Springs Church, the same one her parents had been married in. The white off the shoulder gown molding her curves. Her blond hair loose under a white veil that skimmed past her shoulders like a lace waterfall. Her green eyes filled with tears as he confessed everything, he’d been holding back from her for so long.

  Obviously, it hadn’t gone well for him.

  Jared returned the cart to the store front and climbed up into his truck. He’d barely gotten the door shut when someone tapped on his driver side window. He jumped in his seat, and seeing his friend, Vance Shepard, standing there, rolled down his window and held his hand out to him.

  “Hey, man. What’s going on?”

  Vance took his hand in a firm shake. “Nothing much, brother.” He pushed back his Broncos hat, his gray eyes meeting Jared’s. “I just saw your truck and ran over to check on you.”

  “Check on me? Why?”

  Vance shrugged. “I heard Anna Beth is back in town.”

  “And?”

  “And I thought you might not be taking the news so well.”

  “I’m cool. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Come on, man. You can’t play dumb with me. You forget I was your drinking buddy that whole year after she left. It being Friday…I just wanted to make sure I didn’t need to keep my eye on you.”

  Jared ran a hand through his short hair. “It was a long time ago. I’m over it. Besides, I’m working tonight.”

  “Good. Cause we’re too old to go on a weekend bender.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Jared said, attempting to lighten the mood. “I’m younger than you.”

  “Only by a couple months. You’re no spring chicken.”

  “Twenty-seven is not too old to bar hop, but I have no in
terest in that. I haven’t thought about Anna Beth in years. The sight of her is not going to send me into a bottle of Fireball. Cross my heart.”

  “Fireball? Fuck, you are such a girl-drunk. Drink some real whiskey, ya sissy.”

  “Screw you! I didn’t hear you complaining.”

  “That’s because you were too distraught to handle any razzing. Since you’re over it, I can tell you to man up.”

  “Eat me.”

  “Not today, my friend. I gotta run. Mom asked me to put up their Christmas lights this year so Dad doesn’t have to get up on a ladder.”

  “If you need help, just holler.”

  “Will do. Later.”

  Jared watched Vance lope across the parking lot to his truck, glad he hadn’t asked how Anna Beth looked. Vance would have read too much into it, mistaking curiosity for interest. He’d lied when he said he hadn’t thought about her over the years. He’d wondered about Anna Beth from time to time, but hadn’t had the stomach to do a Google search on her. Not because he was still in love with her, but seeing her would have just dredged up all the emotions from her wedding day. The embarrassment. Guilt. Anger. Loss. He’d never been one to handle his feelings well, so avoiding painful memories served him just fine. He’d come close to looking her up when Ian Crawford’s letter arrived in his mailbox, but didn't. Having the husband of the woman he loved send him a letter out of the blue two years ago left him sweating bullets. Jared waited months before he read it and when he did, it didn’t make a lick of sense.

  Until now. Because Anna Beth came back, just as Ian predicted she would.

  Instead of heading straight home, Jared turned toward the heart of town. Almost a foot of dirty snow had been plowed to the side of the roads, but he knew all the streets of Snowy Springs like the back of his hand. Despite the black sludge crowding the sidewalks, the layers of sparkling white snow on the roofs of local businesses and trees were picturesque.

  Had Anna Beth been surprised to find the small town hadn’t changed? Was she back for good? Did she still slip and slide driving in the snow because she took the turns too fast?

  Jared smiled as he remembered the only time he’d let her drive his truck. They’d slid off the road into a snow drift. She’d cried and apologized a dozen times before he’d pulled her across the seat and onto his lap, holding her as they waited for the tow truck, stroking his hand from the top of her head to the middle of her back while she’d sniffled against his jacket. He could still smell the sweet body spray she wore that reminded him of sugar cookies. When help arrived, he’d actually been disappointed to let her go.

  In that moment, Jared realized he loved his best friend.

  He’d been too scared to tell her and before he’d worked up his courage, she’d left for college. Two years later, she’d come back engaged and then he…well, he was a romantic idiot with incredibly bad timing.

  She’d been right to tell him no. What kind of moron walks into a girl’s bridal suite on her wedding day and asks her to run away with him? He’d been a fool to think she’d say yes.

  It taught him another valuable lesson about love. It sucked.

  He slowed down to twenty-five as he came up to the city park. The cherry red classic Chrysler in the driveway across the street caught his eye.

  Seeing that car was like being kicked in the nuts. Nausea tied his stomach in knots, sweat breaking out across his skin, and he became light headed. Anna Beth really was back.

  Shit.

  Suddenly, a few drinks didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

  Two

  “I’m surprised you called. You haven’t been back to see me since you ran off with that city boy.”

  Anna Beth Howard sat down on the couch, holding the gift box she’d brought in her lap. She knew her aunt wouldn’t waste any time before jumping in with a guilt trip. It’d been her favorite tool of manipulation when Anna Beth was a kid. It seemed like the rest of Snowy Springs; Sarah Driver hadn’t changed.

  “I didn’t run off, Sarah. I got married.”

  Her aunt never liked to be called aunt or auntie, always insisting that Anna Beth use her given name. A few of the ladies from her aunt’s craft circle had admonished Anna Beth for it, until Sarah had told them she preferred it that way.

  Just another way for her aunt to keep her at a distance.

  Sarah set the antique tea tray on the coffee table. Even though she was only fifty, everything about her screamed classic. Even the décor in her home was like stepping back into a parlor from the early 1900s. Everything vintage, expensive. Perfect.

  Having an eleven-year-old move into her home couldn’t have been easy for her aunt. A precocious child, several of her aunt’s cherished antiques met their demise at her hands. Accidentally, of course, but it hadn’t stopped Sarah from berating her at every turn. Her favorite terms of endearment for Anna Beth had been oafish child and clumsy elephant. Even breaking one of her own dishes as an adult could bring back the cold sweat and embarrassment.

  Her aunt sat down on the floral couch and patted her perfectly coiffed dark hair. Her green eyes, just a shade lighter than her dress and the one feature they shared, sparked with annoyance. There were hardly any signs of age on her face, although she’d turned fifty a few months ago.

  “Yes, I know you got married, but you could have visited.”

  “We had a guest room. You could have come to see us.”

  Sarah sniffed. “You know I don’t like the city. All that noise and pollution.”

  “Yes, and it’s all about—” Anna Beth sighed. “I didn’t come to fight.”

  “What did you come for, Anna Beth?”

  With only a moment's hesitation, Anna Beth held out the box to her. “This is for you.”

  Her aunt lifted the lid and her eyes went wide. “Oh my…what…”

  Anna Beth’s heart hammered as Sarah pulled the emerald green goblet out, memories rushing back. She’d been washing dishes and an identical glass had slipped through her fingers, shattering on the kitchen floor. Sarah screaming at the top of her lungs. Anna Beth shaking, having only been living there for a few weeks and, while her mother had yelled occasionally, it was different coming from a virtual stranger. The moment set the stage for their entire relationship and for the millionth time, Anna Beth asked herself why she’d come back.

  For Ian. You have to do this for him.

  “I don’t know if you ever replaced it, but I know how devastated you were when I broke it,” Anna Beth swallowed, pushing through the short speech she’d practiced dozens of times since making the decision to come. “I just wanted to give you something to show you how truly sorry I am for everything. I would like to start fresh and have a closer relationship with you. What do you think?”

  Sarah cradled the goblet in her hands, blinking her eyes rapidly. Was she trying not to cry? In all the years Anna Beth had known her, she’d never seen her aunt cry.

  Sarah placed the goblet gently back into the box with a cough. “I appreciate the gesture, but it wasn’t necessary. Accidents happen. I know I wasn’t the easiest person. By the time you came to me I was set in my ways. And I’d never been good at relationships, so our difficulties weren’t all your fault.”

  Anna Beth quirked a brow. Maybe the years had softened her aunt. That green goblet had been the topic of conversation many times over the years, usually in reference to Anna Beth’s clumsiness. Anna Beth wondered many times growing up how her loving, affectionate mother could have been so different from her sister.

  Her mother and aunt grew up on a dairy, and when their parents sold the franchise, each of them ended up with a healthy trust. Anna Beth’s mother married and moved to Idaho. Her aunt remained a spinster, only visiting them briefly for holidays. Before her parent’s death, Anna Beth had never visited her aunt’s home. When she’d moved into the guest room of the two-story Victorian, Sarah made it clear with every action that her niece being there had inexplicitly derailed her life.

  The only thing they’d
ever agreed on was Anna Beth’s car. Formally her dad’s project, he’d never finished it before the car accident. Anna Beth took a part time job at Kirk’s Auto Body answering phones after school. In exchange, Kirk taught her everything she needed to know to keep her baby running. Her aunt surprised her by purchasing the parts she needed and even having it painted her favorite color for her sixteenth birthday. It was the only time Anna Beth remembered hugging her.

  If she were honest with herself, Anna Beth hadn’t made it easy for Sarah. At fifteen, she’d pushed boundaries and gotten into quite a few scrapes, embarrassing her aunt. She figured Sarah would be relieved when she went off to college. At least then Sarah wouldn’t have to worry about the local police bringing her home in the back of a squad car.

  “What brought on the need to make amends?” Sarah asked, picking up her tea cup. “Ian has been gone a year. You could have come sooner.”

  Anna Beth wasn’t about to tell her the truth, that it was at Ian’s behest that she returned to Snowy Springs.

  Ian Crawford was the epitome of goodness and Anna Beth’s estrangement from her aunt pained him. After losing his father to cancer when he was nine and his mother at sixteen, with no family members to take him, his mother had granted guardianship to her best friend and Ian moved to Ireland to live with them. He’d never understood how Anna Beth could just give up on family. Insisting on their reconciliation in his posthumous list of last wishes had been a genius move on his part to make the reunion happen. Ian’s happiness had always been her weakness and she could deny him nothing.

  Even when it meant losing him.

  Anna Beth realized her aunt was still waiting for an answer and pulled the easiest excuse out of her butt. “With the holidays, it got me thinking about forgiveness. We are both alone in this world and it would be nice to have a relationship, as adults, based on mutual respect and understanding.”

  Her aunt lifted her tea cup to her lips with a non-committal, “Hmmm.” After a few delicate sips, Sarah set her cup down and folded her hands in her lap. “I suppose if you’ll be staying for a while, we could spend some time together. I’ll make up the bed in your old room.”