Holiday Heat: The Men of Starlight Bend

by Ashley Jennifer

  Ty was a temptation she couldn’t resist—didn’t want to resist. That didn’t mean her long term plans had to change. It only meant that while she was here, she might try her hand at living a little. What harm could come from that?

  She shut down the voice in her head that was more than willing to itemize the harm: broken hearts; broken condoms; broken marriage proposals; death.

  Nope, none of that was happening here. Just a little fun, with one of most confident, handsome men she’d ever met.

  The ball’s in your court.

  Indeed, it was. But how would she play it?

  She spent extra time on her makeup, striving to achieve that perfectly applied natural look they always had in the commercials. After trying on everything in her closet, she settled on a red sweater dress that fit right in all the right places. Black tights, ankle boots that made her legs look long and shapely, and a chunky, silver necklace and matching earrings finished the outfit off.

  Nervous as hell, she stepped outside into the bracing cold. A low November sky promised more snow was coming, and likely soon. For some reason, that put a bounce in her step. She even caught herself humming Baby It’s Cold Outside.

  He’d said come find him. She’d considered waiting at his house, but that felt too stalker-ly, skulking at the curb until he showed up. So she’d chosen work. He’d come to her place of business, so it felt like fair play.

  Starlight Bend High School shared grounds with the Junior High and Elementary schools. The three building were situated at the edge of town, mountains at their back, open fields all around. A forlorn playground shivered in the brisk wind.

  By the time she stepped out of her car, a stampeding heard of butterflies had settled in her stomach and she felt flushed from face to feet, but she squared her shoulders and went inside, feeling like she was stepping back in time. Trophy cases and banners decorated the main hallway of the high school, including one that invited them all to the winter dance, just four weeks away. The hall smelled faintly of french fries and vegetable soup and brought a rush of her own memories to the surface.

  She’d been an awkward adolescent who hadn’t grown into her feet—literally—until after college, and even then she couldn’t stop tripping over them. That was then, though. Now, she was the woman in the red dress who’d come to claim her sexy history teacher. A full orchestra should be playing a background overture as she sashayed down the hall.

  The office was to the right, where a young woman sat behind a high counter, reviewing what appeared to be attendance sheets. Turkey and pilgrim decorations were taped to the walls, but a collection of elves circled her computer, poised to herald Christmas. She looked up when Kari walked in. Around the same age as Kari, she had black hair, bright blue eyes and a quick smile. She looked vaguely familiar, but it wasn’t until Kari read her name from the plastic badge pinned to her sweater, that it clicked. Marianne. The one who’d annoyed Stan, the grouchy bartender, with Christmas songs the night Kari had met Ty.

  “I know who you are,” Marianne said with a big grin.

  That could mean a lot of things, and Kari felt a rush of heat at her hairline. Ty had warned her that everyone in town would know she’d gone home with him, but she hadn’t expected anyone to shout it out. A woman sitting at a desk next to the principal’s office looked up.

  “You’re opening that new store, aren’t you?” Marianne went on.

  The store. Not the monkey sex. Relieved, Kari said, “That’s right.”

  “Well, good luck with that. The men in this town don’t know a thing about dressing. Wrangler jeans and worn out boots. That’s all I ever see. Half the time, my fiancé—” she held up her hand so Kari could admire her ring—“looks like he just climbed off a horse when he picks me up.”

  “Send him to the store, then. We’ll dress him up.”

  “Phht,” she said. “He won’t go. He’s not the kind of guy who’s ever going to fuss over how he looks. That’s how the men around here are.”

  It was how they were in every other town, too. With the first couple of stores, the challenge of changing their minds had kept her going. But the battle never ended, and the fight had lost its appeal. She was ready for something new.

  “You’re here to see Mr. T, aren’t you?” Marianne said with a knowing look. “He said you might be stopping by to meet his class.”

  “He did?”

  She didn’t know whether to be pissed off at his arrogance or grateful that he’d paved the way.

  “Uh-huh,” Marianne said, opening a desk drawer and pulling out a stack of name tags. “You have to wear one of these at all times and I’ll have to escort you.”

  “Okay.” Kari wrote her name on the tag and stuck it to her chest.

  “All right then. Welcome to SBHS, Kari.”

  Marianne chattered as she came around and out of the swinging half-door, telling Kari more than she ever wanted to know about life as a high school secretary. She was a tall woman, with big bones and a long stride. Kari had on high heels and barely reached her shoulder. If Ty’s class had been far, she’d have been out of breath when they got there. Fortunately, it was a straight shot down the main hall, past rows of lockers and closed doors.

  Marianne stopped in front of one on the right. Kari could hear Ty’s deep voice coming from inside. Carefully, she peeked through the window.

  He stood in front of the class, wearing a chunky cream sweater, faded jeans, and cowboy boots. And he wore them damn well. His dark hair looked unruly and his light eyes, electric as he lectured. For the most part, he was holding the attention of the twenty or so students, but one boy noticed her peering in.

  She stepped back before he spoke up.

  “And what happened in July of 1806?” Ty asked, his voice drifting out. Silence met his question. “Come on people. July, 1806?”

  “Lewis and Clarke,” a female voice answered.

  “Lewis and Clarke!” Ty agreed enthusiastically. “That’s right. The Louisiana purchase enabled Lewis and Clarke to—”

  “Mr. T?” a male voice interrupted.

  “What, Josh?”

  “There’s a girl outside your door.”

  Ty turned his head and his eyes met Kari’s through the safety glass and Kari’s lungs forgot how to work. She was pretty sure her heart had stuttered to a stop as well. Her fingers tingled when she opened the door. Ty hadn’t moved.

  “Miss Dale,” he said in that deep voice, the one that was heard by other parts of her body, not just her ears.

  And all of her carefully planned words went right out of her head. She’d had a witty line about a ball, her court, returning it, but she couldn’t remember it now and she felt like an idiot, standing in his doorway with nothing to say.

  “Go on,” Marianne whispered encouragingly.

  “I, um, tracked you down,” she mumbled.

  Which was so not the sparkling line she’d played in her mind. But Ty hit her with a smile that made her knees feel weak and suddenly words didn’t matter.

  “Get your books out,” Ty said, not looking at his rapt class. “Page 113. I’ll be back in five minutes and each of you better have one fact to share about Lewis and Clarke.”

  “Is that your girlfriend, Mr. T?” one of the boys asked as Ty caught Kari’s hand and led her out the door.

  Marianne was still standing in the hall and Ty faltered, surprised to see her. “Escort,” Marianne explained. “I can watch your class for a minute, if you need me to.”

  “That would make you my new best friend,” he answered.

  Marianne laughed and went to babysit his class. Ty took Kari’s hand and led her down the hall to a door without a window and pulled her inside. Desks and music stands were stacked around the walls, along with a podium, a piano, and a stand of flags.

  He closed the door and pressed her up against it. “I was hoping you weren’t going to wait five days before you showed up.”

  “I thought about it,” she said. “But I just couldn’t see t
he point.”

  His mouth covered hers, his lips warm, his kiss hungry. His hands moved from her cheeks, to her shoulders, down the arch of her back, to her hips. Kari melted into him, letting him mold her body to his. Wondering how she’d stayed away from him for so long. He made her moan; he made her rock her hips into his. He made her lose her mind and not even care.

  He tasted fresh, minty, and darkly sexual. She wanted to strip him right there in the storage room. Her hands were already beneath his sweater. He’d been working on her senses since the moment he’d packed up his satchel and moved down the bar to sit with her. Like a drug, once sampled, forever craved.

  Too soon he lifted his mouth from hers, but he didn’t move away. Not that she’d have let him if he’d tried. With a soft smile, the kind that was just for her, he rested his forehead against hers.

  “I have to get back to my class.”

  “I know. But I was wondering—”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “You don’t know what I’m going to ask.”

  “Doesn’t matter. The answer’s yes.” He cupped her face and kissed her again. “Yes.”

  “How long until you’re finished here?”

  “Not until six. Hockey practice. I’m one of the coaches.”

  “Of course you are,” she said and caught his bottom lip with hers. “Come over when you’re done. My place is out on McK—”

  “I know where you live,” he said, his breath hot on her skin.

  “Bring your pajamas,” she whispered back. “Or not.”

  “Yes,” he muttered, pushing his leg between hers, his thigh tight against the sweet spot at the apex of her legs. He kissed her like he might never stop. That was okay with Kari.

  At last, he lifted his head and reluctantly stepped back. Kari sighed with disappointment and pulled her hands from under his sweater. He held the door for her and followed into the hallway.

  “Bring Buttercup, too,” she said in a low voice before they reached his room. “You’re not going to be home tonight.”

  She looked over her shoulder as she walked away. Ty had stopped in front of his door to watch her. She could feel his heated gaze long after she stepped outside.

  Chapter Eight

  If she went home now, she’d drive herself crazy waiting for Ty to get there. She decided it would be a good time to do some exploring and check out the only real competition HardWear had in a hundred-mile radius. The store called Big Sky Living was just past the edge of town. It carried sporting goods and outdoor wear and serviced several communities. By all accounts, it did a respectable business.

  Big Sky Living was huge, but then again, so was everything she’d encountered in Montana, from sky to personalities. It had a sprawling, open floor plan and racks of clothing and gear. Not surprisingly, camouflage seemed to be the color of the season. Relieved that the overlap in their stock seemed minimal, Kari wandered to the enormous Christmas tree in the center of the store.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” a deep voice asked from beside her.

  Surprised, Kari turned to find an older, weathered version of the man she couldn’t get out of her thoughts standing there. He wore a cowboy hat, sheepskin jacket, jeans and boots. He should have had a horse tied to a nearby hitching post—which they still had in Starlight Bend, by the way. There was no doubt that this was Ty’s father. The resemblance was too strong for him not to be.

  “You’re one of the ladies who bought my store, aren’t you?”

  “If you’re Henry Timberlake, I am.” She held out her hand. “Kari Dale.”

  He shook it. “Pleasure to meet you, Kari.”

  “Likewise.”

  She smiled and went back to admiring the grand Christmas tree. “How in the hell did they get it through the door?” she asked.

  Henry laughed, sounding so much like his son that it startled her. She’d expected him to be a hunched and bitter man, not just like his son.

  “They built the store around it,” he said. “A wonder, isn’t it?”

  Hell, yes, it was.

  Santa and his helpers were already in residence, and a crowd of bright-eyed children had gathered around.

  “Shouldn’t they be in school?” she asked.

  “Field trips. They come each year from all around—kids that wouldn’t have anything otherwise. This is Starlight Bend’s Wish Tree and they’re here to hang their Christmas wishes on the branches. The rest of us get to be Santa Claus to them.”

  “Nice,” she said softly. “I like that.”

  “They light the tree up right after Halloween, so we all have time to get our shopping done.”

  “Is that why you’re here?”

  He nodded. “It’s my favorite time of year.”

  “Can anyone . . . .” she nodded at the tree.

  “Grant a wish? You bet. Come on.”

  He led the way, grinning over his shoulder. Decorated cards and snowflakes hung on nearly every branch of the tree, interspersed with an occasional nondescript envelope or folded piece of paper.

  Henry saw her looking. “Those usually come from the older children,” he said. “They don’t decorate their wishes, but they make them all the same.”

  She nodded, remembering those rough years after her parents died when she’d worked two jobs while going to school just to make ends meet. A Wish Tree would have come in handy back then. Henry circled the tree a few times before he finally selected a glittery paper ornament from one of the branches.

  “What’s your criteria?” Kari asked, amused at how much time he put into the decision.

  “One calls to me,” he said solemnly. “Happens every year. Sometimes I do three or four of them, but one at a time. That’s why I start so early. Brings me joy.”

  She nodded, charmed by his delight and sincerity. Henry followed her as she strolled around the tree, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of pine. It had been such a long time since she’d thought of Christmas as more than a retail blitz. Now, a feeling of peace filled her. This Christmas she might have someone to share it with. The idea excited and terrified her.

  She opened her eyes and found that one of the big-kid envelopes was right in front of her. Deciding that was as much of a call as she was likely to get, Kari took it down.

  “That the one?” Henry asked.

  “I guess so.”

  He nodded, a knowing smile on his face. “You don’t think it called to you, do you?”

  “Not really. But that’s okay. I’ll enjoy buying the gifts.”

  “It’s not about that, though. You may not even figure it out until later, but if you picked that wish, it was meant for you. Open it up.”

  He watched with bright eyes as she unfolded the paper inside. The page was a copied fill-in-the-blank form with pre-filled information up top: first name, age, and sizes for shirts, pants, coats and shoes. Below was space for the wishers to elaborate on their wishes. This one was from Sara, a fourteen-year-old girl of average size who had round, awkward penmanship and to-the-point requests.

  “Dear Santa,” Kari read aloud. “I don’t want anything for myself and that’s not because I’m such a nice person, either. What I want is for my mom to stay clean when she gets out of rehab. I want her to take care of us. And I want to quit being weird and fit in. But I know you don’t have any of those things in your red bag, so why bother asking? What’s important right now are my little brother and sister. For Max, please bring one of those big furry toys from the Star Wars movie. They’re called Wookies. He has a miniature one and he’s played with it so much he’s worn off the face. Max thinks he’s part Wookie. I’m pretty sure he’s right. For my sister Alyssa, please bring a Loopdedoo Kit. I hope you know what that is, because I don’t. She says she can make bracelets and jewelry with it. Thank you. Sincerely, Sara Carson.”

  Kari stared at the signature and something inside her softened.

  “See,” Henry said gently.

  “I can remember making that same wish,” she said. �
��To be normal, just like everyone else. I guess it’s not until we grow up that we figure out no one is normal. And if they were, they’d be boring.”

  Henry nodded. “You got a good one.”

  “What about you?”

  “This kid wants a horse, but he’ll settle for a car so his dad can get to work. If that’s not possible, socks will do, because his feet get cold at night.”

  Kari blinked at the sudden moisture in her eyes. “He doesn’t want much, does he?”

  “Those are the best ones.”

  She nodded silently and looked up at the tree again, thinking of her own childhood wishes. Her parents had done their best, but there’d never been enough money. Ever.

  “Family’s a funny thing, isn’t it?”

  “Funny,” Henry agreed.

  “What you’ll do for it, what they’ll do for you. And then, sometimes, it just cuts you right open,” she said softly. “Like a knife.”

  Ty’s father was silent a moment then said, “They sure do.”

  “Sometimes you have to just get away.”

  “Well, that’s a knife, too, isn’t it?”

  The sharpness in his tone made her look at him, recalling what little Ty had told her about their relationship.

  “How so?” she asked carefully. This was new territory, asking someone she hardly knew about their life. Funny coincidence that it should be with another Timberlake.

  “Family should stay in the family,” Henry said sharply. “Family shouldn’t up and leave and go do whatever the hell they want, whenever they want.”

  In her gut, she knew they were talking about Ty and the work-in-progress relationship that existed between father and son. Ty had been hired right out of college and gone to Detroit. Was his leaving the bone of contention between them?

  “People have dreams,” she said warily. “Family should understand that, right?”