A Bride for Sam (A Red Maple Falls Christmas Wedding Novella)

by Theresa Paolo

  He helped her up into the truck, and Lady jumped in, taking a seat beside her. Sam ran around to the driver’s seat, excitement filling him as he imagined Hadley’s reaction to what he was about to show her.

  Hadley was quiet, probably trying to figure out where they were going, but he knew damn well she would never be able to figure it out and just in case she was counting the turns, he made sure to take the long way.

  “Can I take this off now?” Hadley asked, her hands going to the scarf around her eyes.

  He grabbed her hand before she was able to yank the material away. “Just a little longer.”

  “Can you at least tell me where we’re going?”

  “If I tell you then there’s no point for the blindfold.”

  “Lady,” Hadley said, running her fingers across the dogs back. “Do you know where we’re going?”

  “Even if she did, I don’t think she’d tell you.”

  “Traitor,” Hadley pouted, and it was so damn adorable Sam had no choice but to lean across the seat and press a kiss to her cheek.

  “Mmm,” she moaned as she settled into the seat. “Maybe I do like this blindfold after all.”

  Sam’s pants grew tight at the sexy lilt of her voice and the unspoken words that he knew were floating around in her mind.

  “Oh, it’ll come in handy later, that you can count on.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  If he wasn’t a man with a plan he would have pulled over down one of the dark side roads and made use of it right then. Besides, having sex in a truck was difficult enough when a dog wasn’t thrown into the mix. He would just have to suppress his desires until he could get Hadley home.

  He pulled into the parking lot at the end of town and threw the truck in park.

  “Are we here?” Hadley asked, looking toward the window as if she could see.

  He laughed. “We’re here.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over, kissing her lips. “Wait here, I’ll come get you.”

  Sam made his way around the truck and opened the door, taking Hadley’s hand in his. “Careful,” he said as he helped her out.

  “Can I take the blindfold off now?”

  “Not yet.”

  She let out an annoyed sigh, and he smiled as he zipped her coat up a little higher. He kissed her again, this time lingering on the soft plumpness, savoring the taste of her Chapstick. He never thought he could love the taste of cherries so much.

  “Is Lady coming with us?” Hadley asked.

  He turned to Lady who had made a bed out of Sam’s hoodie. “I think she’ll be okay. We’re not going to be long.”

  Hadley turned to the truck. “Be a good girl. We’ll be right back.”

  “You could be talking to a tree right now, and you wouldn’t even know.”

  “I would hope that my soon-to-be husband would make sure that didn’t happen.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Even though he couldn’t see her slate blue eyes he could imagine them narrowing and the three wrinkles on the bridge of her nose showing. “Don’t make me regret saying yes to you,” she teased.

  He grabbed her around the waist, and she let out a squeak as he pulled her tight against him. There were too many layers between them, but he could still feel their warmth mixing together and becoming one. He nipped at the exposed length of her neck, and she moaned, her body going lax against him.

  “Want to take that back?”

  “Maybe. Let’s wait and see where you’re taking me first.”

  “Oh! I see how it is.”

  “Have to see what I’m working with here.”

  “Smartass.”

  “And you love it.”

  He kissed her cheek and walked forward with her in his arms. “You know it.” He slipped out from behind her and took her gloved hand in his, guiding her toward his surprise. There was a fresh coating of snow on the ground, but not enough where they were knee deep in the stuff.

  Let it Snow played softly overhead, and the sounds of excited kids floated across the early night. Hadley stopped walking, and Sam knew she was listening, observing everything.

  “I smell pine,” Hadley announced. “And…” She sniffed the air, and Sam bit back a laugh. “Hot chocolate.” She spun around and turned her ear to the air. “Is that Santa laughing? Are we at Hal’s Christmas Tree Farm?” she asked, reaching for the blindfold.

  Sam felt like he had tortured her long enough. The girl, like the rest of her siblings, didn’t do well with surprises. He stepped behind her and untied the simple knot, letting the scarf fall to her shoulders.

  “I knew it!” she exclaimed as she jumped up in down in place. “Are we getting a tree?” With all the craziness from the wedding they’d never gotten a tree. Hadley kept saying how it didn’t feel like Christmas without one, but it was okay, because marrying him would be the greatest Christmas present of all and couldn’t fit under a tree anyway.

  “Do we even have time to decorate it? We still have to find a place to get married and figure out a backup plan for your suits. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about that sooner. I know, I know. You were trying to fix it before telling me, but you have to tell me these things…”

  Sam placed a finger over Hadley’s lips, and her brow turned down.

  “Stop talking,” he said. “And look around.” She took a deep breath and her eyes scanned along the tree lot and toward Santa’s Village. “You once told me this was your favorite place.”

  “I was like sixteen when I told you that. I remember because I was wearing my red jacket and new black boots, and it was the first year Matt was away. I was so sad, and you asked me what would make me feel better and I told you.”

  “A trip to Santa’s Village at Hal’s because it was your favorite place in the whole world and you felt silly for admitting it.”

  “Because I didn’t want you to see me as a silly kid.” Hadley smiled, tears brewing in her eyes. “I had such a crush on you and then you brought me here and took me to see Santa. I can’t believe you remember that.”

  He nodded. “I remember everything.” He took her hand and kissed her gloved knuckles. “Follow me.” He guided her out of the lot toward the farm where lines of Christmas trees filled the large expanse of land. Sam came to a stop and turned to Hadley, taking her into his arms and looking down into her beautiful blue irises. “Close your eyes.”

  Her lashes fluttered before resting against the tops of her cheeks.

  “Now imagine the trees draped in white lights, rows of chairs of our family and friends behind us. I’m standing here looking sexy as hell as you walk down a poinsettia lined aisle dressed in a beautiful white dress.

  Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at him. “What did you do?”

  A smile played at the edges of his mouth. “How does that sound to you?”

  “Amazing. Unreal. Impossible.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Well yes, but how?”

  “I promised you I would fix it.”

  A happy cry burst from Hadley’s pretty lips, and she threw her arms around him. “We’re getting married here?” she asked, drawing away and looking up at him with pure adoration.

  “We’re getting married here, at your favorite place in the whole world. And then after you become mine and I become yours, we’re going to party our asses off at Mason’s. He offered the brewery for the reception, and I already have Cassie, your mom, and Betty working out the details.”

  “But what if it snows?”

  “Have you watched the weather at all? A warm front’s coming in. It should be an unusually warm forty-five-degrees. Besides, Hal said if there happens to be an unexpected snowstorm he has his payloader ready to clear out.”

  A huge smile spread across her face, a tear dripping down her reddened cheek. “You didn’t just fix it. You made the impossible happen.”

  She threw her arms around him, and he lifted her off her feet, holding her close and swinging her around. “One day you
’ll believe me when I tell you I’ll do anything for you, including the impossible.”

  “Oh, I believe you.”

  “Took you long enough.”

  “Shut up and kiss me.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” He bent down, capturing her lips with his, savoring the cherry perfection and imagining the day when she would officially be his.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning Hadley finished everything she had to do on the farm and headed over to see her brother. She wanted to thank Mason in person for offering up his brewery for the wedding reception.

  She pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. “Come on girl, time to get up.” Lady jumped to her feet and waited for Hadley to get out of the truck before jumping down. They walked together to the front door, and Hadley opened it and let Lady go in first.

  Lady didn’t wander, just walked around the bar and went right to Mason.

  “Hey what are you doing here? Don’t you have a wedding to plan?” He patted his leg for Lady to follow and bent down to give her a pet.

  “I do, thanks to you.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re here to hug me. Your fiancé did enough of that already.”

  “Sam hugged you?”

  “He dove over the bar and sneak attacked me.”

  The visual that formed in Hadley’s mind made her laugh, though Mason didn’t look all that amused. “I’m sad I missed it.”

  “I wish I did.” Mason gave Lady one final pat then straightened. He dragged his hand across the surface of the bar as he walked behind it and grabbed a tasting glass. “Want to try something? I wasn’t planning on releasing it till after Christmas, but in celebration of your nuptials, I decided to release early.”

  One of the perks of being the sister to a brewer was getting to be one of the first people to taste his creations. Hadley never got into wine like Kate, but beer was another thing. There was nothing better than a good beer after a long day on the farm.

  Hadley slid onto a stool—after all it was five o’clock somewhere. “Of course!”

  Mason slid a glass filled halfway with a dark liquid to her.

  She picked up the glass and admired the color and the tan head of foam. “Stout or porter?”

  “Stout.”

  Hadley lifted the glass to her nose and took a whiff. “I smell coconut.”

  “Good, you should.”

  She took a small sip, and her eyebrows rose as the beer hit her tongue, a roasty blend with coconut and chocolate. She let her eyes slip shut as she savored the taste. “Holy cow, that’s delicious.”

  The edge of Mason’s mouth quirked, and that was as good as a huge smile from him. He was talented, yet so modest about it. Hadley was just happy he put his pride aside and asked their grandfather for a loan; now he could share his talent with more than just his family. His beer that he was now canning was flying off shelves in the northeast, and with his sales guy Nick Davis spearheading the expansion of distribution, pretty soon people from all over would finally discover the well-crafted beer of Five Leaf Brewery.

  Mason pulled the tap, filling his glass with a little more than a mouthful. He swirled the liquid around then took a sip. Hadley could practically see the gears in his mind working, debating if he should add more coconut or more roasted barley.

  “Cassie told me I should enter it into the competition this year,” he said after taking a final swig.

  Mason’s Hippidy Hop IPA took gold last year—a huge feat that helped get his name out there in the brewing community. That one little gold badge helped open more doors and introduce him to some great people. He came out swinging, and Cassie was right, he needed to keep going. Not because he had anything to prove, but because he deserved all the accolades.

  “You have to. This is a winner for sure.”

  “That settles that then.”

  “Sometimes you’re too easy.”

  “I was planning on entering. I just like to hear people praise me.”

  Hadley laughed then took another sip from her glass, enjoying the perfect blend of flavors. “Speaking of Cassie, where is your better half?”

  “Out with Mom, trying to find long tables to accommodate everyone.”

  A pang of guilt hit Hadley right in the stomach. Everyone was out scrambling for her wedding while she was sitting here in the early afternoon having a beer with her brother. “I really hope I’m not throwing a kink in everyone’s schedule.”

  That was the last thing she wanted, but everyone insisted on helping to the point that there were only a few things on her once overly stacked plate.

  “Stop worrying.”

  “I can’t help it.”

  “We know, but do us all a favor and try.”

  Hadley took a deep breath and tried to ignore the desire to text Cassie to see if she needed help or call Mom and ask if she should go by the house and help tie ribbons to the favors. She knew her family would tell her they had everything under control so she decided to stop worrying about what she could be doing and focus on what she was doing.

  She’d been so busy lately that she hadn’t been the greatest sister and felt like she hadn’t been up to date on all the happenings of her family. She’d been getting by with the cliff notes, but since she was here with Mason, she could fill in the gaps.

  “How are things with you two anyway? I feel like we haven’t talked in a while.”

  Mason grabbed a rag and started to wipe down the bar. He was the listener of the family, always willing to lend an ear, but when the tables turned it made him awkward and uncomfortable.

  “Good. We’re good.” His words and tone didn’t seem to agree though.

  “Why don’t you tell me the truth?”

  He stopped rubbing down the imaginary spot on the bar and flung the towel over his shoulder. “We’re great, happy, and that should be enough.”

  “But it’s not.”

  He shook his head.

  “You want more.”

  “Am I wrong?”

  “No, you’d be wrong if you didn’t. Want some sisterly advice?”

  “Why not.”

  “I understand giving her time—she’s been through a lot, more than any of us combined. But I also think that sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. You want to give her the time, but you also want to marry her and that’s a good thing. Just propose to her. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  “She can say no.”

  “Do you honestly think she will?” Mason locked eyes with her, and he didn’t need to say a word; Hadley knew what he was thinking by the slight tilt of his lips. “Exactly. You need to just do it. Why don’t you propose at the wedding?”

  Mason’s eyebrow lifted. “No, it’s your day. I would never do that to you.”

  “I’m telling you to!” She gave a playful shove to his shoulder. “I’d be happy to share the spotlight with two of my favorite people. You need to get a ring, though. That’s on you, and you’re running out of time.”

  He shrugged. “I already have one.”

  “What!?”

  “I’ve had it for the past year. Just waiting for the right time.”

  Hadley reached across the bar and rested her hand on Mason’s. “I think you’ve waited long enough.”

  “As long as you’re okay with it.”

  “Mace, don’t make me hit you.”

  He held up his hands in mock shock then dropped them back to the bar. His eyes met hers filled with warmth and love. “Thanks, Hads.”

  Just as Hadley felt all the pieces coming back together, the brewery door flew open and her grandmother barreled in.

  “Grandma!” Hadley exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

  Betty Hayes waved her hand in the air, her other hand held firmly over her chest. “Thank god I found you.”

  “What’s wrong? What’s the matter?”

  Hadley jumped from the stool and Mason ran out from behind the bar both going to Betty’s side. “It’s Father Morris,�
� she said, and Hadley looked at Mason with confusion.

  “What about him?”

  “He’s not going to be able to marry you. He has the flu.”

  Chapter 8

  “The flu?” Sam said as Hadley sat across from him at the Happy Apple. Her nose was red from the cold, and her hair was a mess of windblown blonde strands, but she was still the most beautiful person in the room.

  “Yup, the flu.”

  “I feel like we’re being punk’d. Do you have me on some hidden camera show I don’t know about?” he asked, looking around, partly hoping it was true, but mostly hoping he could put a smile back on Hadley’s face.

  “I wish I did. At least then I could make sense of all of this. It’s just one thing after another. It’s like the universe is working against us. Everything was going perfect, and now it’s just falling apart, little by little. What are we supposed to do now?”

  Sam ran a hand through his hair. “It’s just another speed bump. We can figure it out.”

  “Do you happen to be friends with a priest that I don’t know about?”

  “No. The only priest I know is Father Morris.”

  “So how are we going to fix this? We can’t.”

  Sam reached across the table, taking Hadley’s hand in his. He brought her knuckles to his lips and pressed a kiss to her cool skin. “It’s going to be okay. I got this.”

  He had no idea what to do at this point, but for her he would figure it out…somehow.

  “You already pulled one miracle out of your ass. How do you plan on pulling out another?”

  He smiled, loving how she spoke exactly what was on her mind. The fact that she kept her crush on him a secret for so many years was mindboggling.

  “Leave that to me,” he assured her.

  Terry, the owner of the Happy Apple, a rambunctious redhead with a huge personality and an even bigger heart came over to the table. She stood a good five inches taller in bright red pumps that matched her lipstick and complimented the leopard print on her pants and shirt pocket.

  Growing up, Sam didn’t have much and the little money his mom had, she spent on partying, leaving Sam to fend for himself most days. Terry always made sure Sam had a hot meal.