“Santa? Me?” He laughed. “Bah, humbug.”
His mocking tone surprised her. “You are a Scrooge, aren’t you? That’s so sad. Christmas is my favorite holiday.”
“Good thing for you, since there’s no getting away from it around here.”
She smiled wryly. “I can’t argue with that. Not when I live and work in a town called Snowflake Valley. As Mayor Corrigan would tell you”—she attempted to mimic his deep voice—“‘three-hundred-and-sixty-five days a year, we cater to tourists celebrating the season.’ But you have to admit Christmas is a magical time. And I’m glad that magic brought Santa and Miss Elf their happy-ever-after.” The fact that Miss Elf was her sister made the good news even more special.
When he frowned, obviously puzzled, she smiled. “I forgot. You wouldn’t have heard the news yet. Lyssa and Nick are engaged.”
Michael snorted a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just reacting to the idea of Nick getting married.”
“Because you never thought he’d find the right girl?”
“No. Because I thought he was smart enough to know marriage isn’t a winning proposition.”
Her heart thumped. She set her mug on the tray and sat back again, tucking her suddenly cold hands beneath the edge of the afghan.
Yes, she wanted to be independent and in control as a single mom…but she didn’t want to be a single mom forever. She’d realized that truth the day she had met Michael. And even after last night’s conversation and this morning’s warnings to herself, she hadn’t given up on him.
Until this minute.
Until his one flat statement shattered all her hopes and dreams.
Where were Callie and Lyssa to save their little sister now? She could see them shaking their heads in disbelief at hearing this news. She could hear them, too.
Isn’t that just like poor Amber to mess things up?
Even as a four-year-old, she was always the mommy when she played house.
And now she’s crushing on a man who probably runs at the first mention of marriage.
And they would be right. Michael’s conviction was a chilling reminder she couldn’t trust her instincts about men. Still, couldn’t she expect just one tiny Christmas miracle?
“Isn’t your view of marriage a little…cynical?”
“Not in my opinion. I’ve seen too many folks ruined by so-called happy matrimony.”
“And many more people are perfectly happy. Or can be.” Even her. “Don’t you ever plan to get married? And…and to have a family?”
“Me?” he asked, his tone incredulous. He attempted to laugh off her question, and yet his eyes were dark with something she couldn’t name. “Bah, humbug.”
…
After another eardrum-rattling scream from Penny, Michael took off. He would be no help with the baby. And judging by Amber’s expression after his Bah, humbug reply, she’d have no use for him, anyhow.
In his office on the opposite side of the living room, he paced from one end of the space to the other.
What a mess. He still hadn’t found out what Amber was hiding. That story she’d spun about her mom and sisters was a crock of…soup.
And he’d sure dropped the ball last night. He should have told her she would have to find somewhere else to stay as of today. Instead, he had relented at the sound of despair in her voice. Despair she probably thought she had successfully hidden from him.
He heard her soft voice as she tried to soothe the baby. Penny continued to screech at regular intervals.
Colic. Chronic. Poor kid.
The cries grew louder. Amber had moved to stand near the Christmas tree. Swaying slightly, she patted the baby’s back.
The twinkling lights reflected in Amber’s long, silky hair. She was a head shorter than he was, slim, young, looking barely old enough to be a mom. Of course, he knew she was older than she appeared. Her resume had listed the year she finished high school. A half-dozen years after his own graduation. Not long enough to matter, but he’d grabbed onto the fact to add to his growing list of reasons to keep his distance.
The years between them put her closer to jailbait than he liked. When they’d met, the vulnerable look in her eyes tugged at him, but it also said she’d been hurt recently.
The cell phone he’d left on his desk began to ring. Out in the living room, Penny’s screeches rose. Cause and effect? Who knew? But maybe stopping one noise would halt the other. He snatched up the phone. The display showed the call came from an unknown number.
“DeFranco,” he said.
“Michael, my friend.”
He recognized Nick Tavlock’s enthusiastic voice immediately. “Hey, Nick.”
“I’m calling to wish you a Merry Christmas. A very merry one, as a matter of fact.”
For a second, he stared at the phone. He and Nick were longtime business associates. Common interests had turned them into friends. But this holiday call was a first. “Thanks. Best to you, too. You sound like you’re enjoying some Christmas cheer.” Thanks to Amber, he knew the reason for that.
Before he could say something about Nick and Lyssa’s engagement, a noise from the living room distracted him. Penny had let out a wail.
Dead silence followed. Then Nick said, “Yeah. And you sound like you have a baby.”
“It’s not mine. It’s Amber’s—” Too late, he cut himself off. But what difference did it make. Nick had been invited to ski parties here. He knew Amber stayed when he had guests. This trip, he didn’t have anyone with him—but how would the other man know?
“Amber’s there?” Nick asked. “You’re at the lodge?”
“Yeah,” he admitted.
“That explains why she left early, then.”
“What are you talking about?” Too late again, he realized just where Nick had probably chosen to spend his Christmas. His heart sinking, he asked anyway. “Where are you?”
“In Snowflake Valley, at her folks’ house,” Nick said. “Amber left right after the party ended last night. Said she wasn’t feeling well. Her family wondered about that. They say she gets migraines, but she wasn’t complaining about any symptoms.”
Penny let out another yelp. Michael would swear she’d raised the volume. He looked into the living room, but Amber had moved away from the Christmas tree and out of his view.
“Hold on a minute,” Nick said.
“Nick, wait—” Too late yet again. Maybe that third time had been the charm, he’d gotten lucky, and the call had dropped. Cell service at this elevation could be unreliable, especially in bad weather. But the murmur of voices in his ear said his luck had run out. Nick had only put the phone down to talk to someone else.
Penny’s screech grew a few decibels louder. He covered the phone with his hand.
Amber appeared in the doorway with the baby resting against her shoulder. “Did you just say Nick?” she asked.
Great. Over all the noise, she’d still managed to hear that. He nodded.
“Hey, Michael,” Nick said in his ear.
“Amber’s fine,” he said tightly, hoping to cut the conversation short. Her jaw dropped in surprise.
“I’m sure Lyssa will be happy to hear it. But that’s not why I called. It’s a lucky break, finding you here in Snowflake Valley.” Lucky for you, maybe. “I wanted to talk to you, anyhow, and face-to-face is much better. You’re not going anywhere in the next hour, are you?”
“Where would I go? It’s Christmas.” He was spending the holiday with a colicky baby and—judging by Amber’s expression now—that baby’s very cranky mom.
“Great,” Nick said. “See you soon.”
The phone went silent. Not meeting Amber’s eyes, Michael ended the call. He set the cell carefully on the edge of the desk again.
“Nick Tavlock?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Where would I go?” she repeated in dismay.
He winced. “Yeah. Nick and Lyssa are on their way up from the va
lley.”
“You told him I was here?”
“No. Not directly. Technically, Penny told him. Nick heard her when she yelled—”
“And then you told Nick who she was.”
“Yeah. Sorry. Guess the secret’s out.”
“Michael,” she screeched, sounding just like her daughter.
Chapter Three
Cuddling Penny close to her, Amber set the rocking chair near the kitchen window into motion again. She had told Michael she needed to rock Penny to soothe her colic. Which was perfectly true.
Okay, so maybe she hadn’t added her other reason for fleeing his office—being one breath away from having a meltdown like a snowman in July, right there in front of him. This new twist to her predicament wasn’t his fault. Much. And though she didn’t want to admit it, Michael had told her the truth, too.
The secret’s out.
“And you notice,” she told Penny, “he hasn’t made an appearance since.”
Ice crystals pinged against the window. That figured. “The weather’s terrible. The roads will be treacherous. And thanks to your mommy, Aunt Lyssa’s due here any minute.” After racing up the mountainside with her new fiancé, she would most likely arrive armed with the idea of coming to her sister’s rescue.
The doorbell rang. Oh, joy.
Groaning, she held Penny closer to her. Cuddling as they rocked usually helped to calm her as much as it soothed the baby. Not today.
Lyssa appeared in the doorway. “Well! What a surprise to find out you were here. Why didn’t you tell us you were driving up to the lodge this morning?”
“Merry Christmas to you, too,” Amber said dryly. “That ought to be obvious, considering your reaction right now. And how quickly you got here this morning.” No need to mention she and Penny had come here straight from the party last night.
“Oh, no. That’s on Nick. He wants to talk to Michael. And do you mean you didn’t say anything about going to the lodge because we’d be concerned about you?”
“No. I didn’t say anything because you’re all worried I can’t take care of myself. And Penny.”
Lyssa laughed. “That’s ridiculous. You’re a great mom. Everybody in Snowflake Valley knows that. But yes, if I’d known, I would have worried about you driving up here in the storm. And yes, I’d have called to make sure you and Penny arrived okay. Just as I would for anyone else in the family.” She took the seat at the table closest to the rocking chair. “I knew something was up,” she said in a lower voice. “Nobody misses Mom’s cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. There’s something going on between you and Michael, isn’t there?”
What? “No, there—”
“Amber,” Lyssa interrupted, grinning. “You know better than to lie on Christmas Day. Santa will come back and demand you return every one of your presents.” She crossed her arms on the table. “You might as well tell me. I’m not getting out of this seat until you do.”
Amber sighed. “We’re not in grade school, Lys, and trading secrets.” Bad example. Maybe Lyssa hadn’t noticed her cringe.
“You’re right. We’re all grown up now and able to talk about the opposite sex without breaking into giggles.”
Her big sister thought this was all about Michael. If only…
“Now, tell me what’s going on with you two.”
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Then that’s a real shame, considering you’re here alone with him. At least, when Nick and I arrived, I didn’t see anyone else out there in the living room.” Dropping her teasing tone, she added, “Come on, Amber. You know you can talk to me.”
She did know. But she had nothing to say about Michael. And she didn’t want to discuss what had really brought her to the lodge. They needed to change topics before she cracked under the pressure.
Thankfully, the sound of footsteps and deep voices growing louder announced Michael and Nick’s approach to the kitchen. Lyssa shot her a frustrated glance, then looked expectantly at the doorway. Amber managed a smile just as the two men entered.
“Hey, Amber,” Nick said. “Michael’s singing your praises for helping him out, especially on a holiday.”
Helping him out? Exactly what had he said? She didn’t dare open her mouth or even look at him. Instead, she fixed her smile in place, stared in his general direction, and held her breath.
He took a seat at the table and turned to Lyssa. “Yeah, I decided at the last minute to spend a few days here. Amber was nice enough to have the heat turned up for me when I arrived. She’s about to scramble eggs for breakfast. Can we interest you in some? And we have plenty of coffee. Don’t we, Amber?”
She started. “Of course. I’ll put another pot on and get going on breakfast.” After settling the baby in her playpen, she crossed the kitchen to the coffeemaker. She was glad for the chance to get away from the group at the table. To try to get a handle on the situation.
Why would Michael go to these lengths to help her?
He hadn’t actually lied outright. She had turned the heat up before he had arrived. And she had offered to make eggs. When it came to the details, though, he was skating on thin ice. And in Snowflake Valley, that was a very dangerous place to be.
…
While Amber scrambled the eggs, Lyssa helped her with the coffee. At the table with Nick, Michael could see the other man had something on his mind.
Sure enough, as soon as they were all seated, Nick turned to him. “You were so busy talking about Amber, you never asked what brought us all the way up the mountain on Christmas morning.”
Right. Because he’d been a breath away from telling his buddy he ought to reconsider the whole marriage idea.
Amber had taken the seat beside him. As if she’d heard the thought, she tightened her fingers on her mug.
Thanks to her, Michael knew what was coming. But he couldn’t resist prolonging the inevitable. “Well, let’s see. You didn’t bring skis. And you haven’t mentioned settling in with a movie and some popcorn. I’m guessing sooner or later you’ll offer an explanation.”
“Not an explanation. An announcement.” Nick wrapped his arm around Lyssa, seated beside him. “We’re getting married.”
“Hey, great news. Congratulations.” He reached across the table to shake Nick’s free hand. Even Amber wouldn’t be able to find fault with his enthusiastic response.
A quick glance showed him she might not have noticed. She sat staring down into her mug as if she had hopes of reading the future in it. Or as if she were seeing the past and remembering what he had told her about matrimony.
It wasn’t a winning proposition.
At least, not in his experience. But he wouldn’t say that to the prospective bride and groom, who now wore matching smiles. “When’s the big day?”
“We haven’t set a date yet,” Lyssa said.
“When we do, you’ll be the first to know,” Nick told him. “I’m counting on you to be my best man.”
His hand jerked reflexively, almost spilling his coffee.
Great. Just what he needed—to get all decked out in a penguin suit to participate in an event he didn’t believe in. The things you did for people because they were your friends. The things you would do for your family, if you didn’t have one like his.
“Sounds like we’ve got a lot to celebrate,” he said. “You both should join us for dinner, on me, if you’re around later in the week.”
“That works,” Nick said. “Unless Lyssa has the calendar filled.” Spoken like a devoted husband already. Another good man lost.
“We’ll make the time,” she said brightly. “Thanks for the invitation. Believe me, this is one dinner I wouldn’t miss for the world.”
“To tell the truth,” Nick said, “when I called, I was surprised to find you were here. I’d have thought you’d be spending the day with your family. Don’t you usually?”
Michael took a sip of coffee and set the mug on the kitchen table. Earlier, his cups from the first pot had tasted just f
ine. More likely it was the other man’s question about family that had left a bitter taste in his mouth. “No, we’re not always together for Christmas.”
“That’s sad,” Amber said in a flat tone, just like when she’d called him Scrooge.
“What’s sad about it?” he asked. “I’m taking advantage of the chance for rest and relaxation. Speaking of which…” He turned to his buddy. “You’ll have to come back up again for a day on the slopes while I’m still here. Both of you.” If Lyssa could fit it into their schedule.
“Sounds good to me,” Nick said.
Lyssa nodded. “You didn’t mention having any other guests with you on this trip. Are you here all alone?”
Amber’s mug tilted, sloshing coffee over the rim. She grabbed for her napkin.
“All alone,” he echoed.
“I’m sorry, but I agree with Amber,” Lyssa said. “Families should be together for Christmas. Don’t you think so, Nick?”
His friend smiled. “That’s one loaded question. And yes, you know I think so.” He turned to Michael. “I’m glad you’re sticking around for a while. You can help me hold out against the rest of the Barnetts.”
“Oh, stop.” Laughing, Lyssa shook her head.
“Hold out against what?” Michael asked.
“They’re trying to get me involved in one of their family fundraising projects.”
“Well, then, yeah. Count on my help. I’d draw the line at that, too.”
Amber looked up. Her smile seemed forced, but at least now he had the pleasure of eye contact with her. “That’s not an option for Nick,” she said. “Not since he’s marrying into this family. We’re talking about Snowflake Valley’s annual Winter Festival. Barnetts have been in charge of running it since the town began.”
“And this year’s festival will be even more special,” Lyssa said. “Michael, you remember our sister, Callie?”
He nodded. One day last winter, his ski party had come across Amber with Lyssa and Callie at the local diner, the Candy Cane.
One Week to Win Her Boss (Snowflake Valley) Page 3