Come to the Lake

by Macarthur, Autumn

  A guy needed all the chances he could get when he fell for a woman like Claire.

  The kids she’d sent to the supply closet finally emerged, proudly hauling boxes nearly as big as they were — boxes wrapped in bright Christmas paper as if they were gifts. That soon dragged the children’s attention away from his tree.

  Claire smiled at the pair, a high-wattage beam warm enough to melt the thick ice already coating the lake. “Thank you, Adam and Sally. Well done! Want to open the boxes and see what’s inside?”

  “Yes, Ms. Robinson!” The two fifth-grade kids chorused at once.

  Remembering her manners, Sally rushed to add, “Please.”

  Ryan suppressed a chuckle. A ten-year-old saying no to opening a huge gift-wrapped box seemed unlikely any time. But at Christmas, surely impossible.

  As the excited kids each untied the ribbon holding their box closed and opened the paper-covered flaps, Claire grinned. Of course, the contents of the boxes were no surprise to her.

  “Oh, wow.” The boy’s eyes widened as he stared into the box. “It’s lots of presents. Enough so there’s one for everyone.”

  “That’s right, Adam. It’s exactly what they are. You can see each smaller box has a name on it. Would you and Sally pass them out, please?”

  As the pair began scurrying around the room delivering boxes, Claire raised a warning finger to the other children. “And, class, I don’t want anyone to open their box until they’re all given out and Sally and Adam are back in their seats. I mean it.”

  Those last, sterner words, and an even sterner glance, were aimed at Christopher Mullins. One of the first to receive a gift box, he’d already tugged at the ribbon. Her gimlet glare made him pull his hands back like the box stung him.

  Ryan’s eyes probably opened as wide as the children’s did as box after box, all brightly wrapped and carefully ribbon tied like the bigger boxes appeared. Mrs. Parks never did anything like this when he was at school. This took being prepared to a whole new level, especially when he’d surprised Claire by bringing the tree.

  She was probably the sort of Girl Scout who earned every badge and was always prepared.

  “Okay, now you can open your boxes,” she announced to the excited class.

  The giggling kids untied the ribbons and peeked into the boxes, barely glancing up when someone stomped snow off their boots out on the porch.

  “Want me to get that?” Ryan asked.

  Claire shook her head. “I’ll go — if you’re okay to watch the class for a few seconds. I’m expecting Maddie. While we set up the tree, she can keep the class busy and hopefully stop them from sticking too much glitter on themselves and each other. I’ll just give her advance warning there’s been a change of plan.” She rolled her eyes. “Though I’m pretty sure your truck outside and the monster tree taking up the entire cloakroom will clue her in.”

  He grinned. “Guess it might.”

  As she hurried to the door, he saw why she’d been concerned about glitter. Now he was, too. The kids better not start sticking it anywhere before Claire came back.

  Each box contained all they needed to create their own tree decorations. Pre-cut strips of colored paper. Pages of outline stars and angels, simple enough that even the youngest student could manage them. A stable and a manger, sheep and shepherds, all ready to color in. Blunt-ended scissors, safe for little fingers. Glue sticks. And glitter. Lots of glitter.

  She’d invested a load of time and care to put these boxes together. So much effort, simply to create a few fun hours for her class.

  Seeing Claire at work lifted his respect for her an extra notch. Outside of school, she could be impulsive. Even a little flaky at times, in her stubborn insistence she could manage everything herself from home repairs on the old doer-upper she’d bought to cutting a Christmas tree.

  Here, he saw a different Claire. Calm, organized, with attention to detail, and in complete control. Even staying in control of things she’d had no control over, like his arrival bearing an unexpected Christmas tree.

  She bustled back into the classroom, glanced around, and gave a quick decisive nod. Thankfully, the kids had held back from glitter incidents so far. No need for her to target him with the look she’d aimed at Christopher.

  Unlike Chris, he probably would have laughed.

  Now heavily pregnant, Maddie entered the room more slowly. No mistaking the wink and the knowing glance she threw at him. She and her husband, Brad, knew exactly how he felt about Claire. Never missed a chance to push them together.

  Looked like the tree did that job for him, today.

  Seeing Maddie and Claire standing side-by-side, he wondered once again how he could have imagined for a minute he still had a thing for the then-single Maddie, after Claire arrived in town.

  “Mrs. Hughes will help you with whatever you want to make to decorate the tree while we get it set up,” Claire announced to the class before turning to Maddie. “Thank you so much for helping out with this.”

  “Happy to.” Maddie beamed. “You know how much I love Christmas. This will be far more fun than reading and math.”

  “I hope you still think that in an hour’s time.” Claire rolled her eyes again, such a characteristic expression he was hard put not to laugh. “I can’t help thinking loose glitter was a bad idea. Worth shelling out for glitter glue next year. I won’t be going any further than the cloakroom or the supply closet, so if you need help, just holler.”

  “I’ll manage here fine. You two just get on with whatever you need to do together.” Maddie’s laughing tone and her emphasis on “together” couldn’t be more obvious. At least she hadn’t winked this time.

  Could be, his matchmaking friends were more of a hindrance than a help.

  Claire turned her gaze onto him, making his stomach flip over like he was a school kid with his first crush. “Okay, now we tackle the monster.”

  “Where do you want me to move it to?” His voice cracked a little, and he cleared his throat.

  “Nowhere, yet.” She rummaged in her desk drawer and pulled out a tape measure and a calculator. “First thing I want to do is to measure it. I’m not letting you bring it in here until I know it’s not too big for the tree stand. If it won’t fit, you’ll need to cut the tree back till it will fit.”

  Without waiting for him to reply, she hurried to the door. Though the kids were making enough noise as they created their decorations not to hear, he wouldn’t argue with her in front of her students, anyway.

  Out in the cloakroom, he shook his head at her and huffed. “It will fit. I already told you that. I’ve cut the tree for the school often enough with Dad to know how big is too big.”

  “I want to check, anyway.” She bent to wrap the tape measure around the trunk.

  As she slowly rewound the tape measure, he couldn’t help wondering if God was doing him a favor making sure Claire didn’t return his feelings. Of all the pigheaded, annoying, exasperating women for him to fall for, she was surely the worst.

  Chapter 3

  Claire straightened and took her time rewinding the big tape measure. She’d already worked out the answer, near enough. And it wasn’t the one she wanted.

  Ryan was right. The tree, now christened The Monster, would fit the tree stand. Much as she hated to admit it.

  He stood beside her, almost but not quite touching in the limited space his ridiculously large tree left in the cloakroom. Arms folded across his broad chest and a told-you-so smirk curving his lips. Waiting for her to concede.

  “Well?”

  Purely to aggravate him, and to delay having to back down, she ignored his question and punched the trunk circumference into her calculator. Divided by 3.141. And came up with a number a little smaller than what she’d already figured by taking a shortcut — simply dividing the measurement by three.

  Her mind got busy designing age-appropriate Christmas-tree-themed math worksheets for the older kids to do next week. Learning and Christmas, the perfect combin
ation. Then Ryan interrupted her impromptu lesson planning.

  “Well?” His smug smile widened as he asked again, doing that crinkling thing with the creases around his eyes and flashing his dimple. She could slap her foolish self for melting every time he did that.

  What she wouldn’t give to wipe the smile from his annoyingly handsome face. The urge to tell him his tree wouldn’t fit and he’d need to take it away swept her, the unsaid words sweet as candy canes in her mouth.

  Sadly, she couldn’t say them.

  First, it would massively disappoint the class, and she wouldn’t do that. Not even for such an excellent cause as taking Ryan down a peg or two.

  Two, she’d spoken first and had to ask forgiveness later too many times in her life, especially since the accident. A couple of times she probably should have asked forgiveness but hadn’t still niggled at her.

  Maybe this Christmas, she should call Mom and Dad, not just send them a Facebook message. If only they wouldn’t insist on asking how she was, with their concerned, caring expressions and concerned, caring voices making all the reasons she wasn’t fine impossible to ignore.

  Sending a Facebook message was far easier to handle.

  Anyway, she didn’t want to think about that. Back to her list. Three? Well, it was Christmas. If she couldn’t behave right during the holiday season, what hope did she have for the rest of the year?

  Maybe it was time to call a truce with Ryan. Purely temporary. Come December 26, his tree would go out in the trash, along with any cease-fire.

  She’d start the truce right now. Just for the sake of the students. No other reason.

  Peeking at him under her lashes, she laughed and held her hands up in surrender. Just on this one point, nothing else. “Okay. You know you got me. The Monster will fit the stand. Are you really going to insist on making me say out loud ‘you were right’?”

  He guffawed. Good thing the kids were making plenty of noise, so Maddie shouldn’t hear his laugh. Claire hadn’t missed the wink and the conspiratorial glances her so-called friend threw Ryan. Yet again, she was being set up with him. If it got much more obvious, she might have to tell Maddie the truth. Once she knew, she’d stop the matchmaking.

  The only good thing was that Ryan didn’t seem especially interested. Nothing more than his usual nice-guy manner. The way he was with everyone else in town.

  That thought really should not disappoint her.

  “I won’t make you say it again.” Ryan grinned his triumph. “After all, you did just say it. But if only you knew how much I want to make you repeat it. Hearing you say those words again would be so sweet. You. Were. Right.” He dragged it out, savoring each syllable.

  “Don’t go thinking you’ll hear me say it again in a hurry. If ever.” Her lips twitched. May as well admit how tempted she’d been. “Anyway, I can guess how sweet. Exactly as sweet as being able to tell you your tree was too big would have been for me.”

  “The school’s tree stand is older than I am. I know what size it is. Unless you’ve bought a new one?”

  She shook her head. “No new tree stand.” Serve him right if she had bought a new one. Except she hadn’t. Something for next year’s wish list, in case he pulled the same stunt again.

  “So, no surprise it will fit. Dad taught me years ago how to find the biggest tree to work with that stand.” Grinning his triumph, he made a circle with his strong fingers, using both hands. “One with a trunk about so big. What a coincidence. Exactly the size of this tree’s trunk.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” If he expected her to measure the diameter of that tanned and callused circle, he’d have a long wait.

  Ryan’s hands lowered to his sides.

  “That’s just looking at the trunk. And okay, you are right about that.” Before he got any more mileage from her admission, she spread her arms wide to assess the tree’s width, careful not to touch him in the process.

  He pressed back against the door as if he wanted her touching him even less than she wanted to touch him. Suited her fine. She didn’t need her feelings stirred up any more than necessary.

  Lifting her head, she pushed the wayward strands escaping her braid behind her ears and eyed his tree critically. “The tree really is too big. Just not too big to fit the tree stand. I already measured it earlier in the week, same as I measured the space available in the classroom, so I knew what tree to pick when I went looking tomorrow. What a pity I never got the chance to choose my own.” No need to keep the acidic edge from her voice.

  A chuckle was not the right response to her tone and her hint of a glare. “Don’t worry. I won’t do it next year, promise. You can snowshoe into the woods, cut your own tree, and haul it here yourself if you want. Most of the bears should be hibernating by then.”

  Hmm. Didn’t sound quite so appealing put that way. Not that she’d say so. “That’s what I want. Anyway, a bear hungry enough to try to eat me would get indigestion.”

  Ryan knew that she knew the bears around here weren’t actually likely to eat anyone. They preferred berries, plant roots, and insects. She’d learned the bear safety rules fast. If a bear attacked a human, it was simply protecting their territory.

  He laughed. “I’m sure that thought will comfort you greatly if you meet one.”

  “It will.” Snorting, she rolled her eyes again — something she did way too often around him. “Worth the risk of meeting a bear to get the tree I wanted for the class. I would have chosen a far smaller one. I’ll need to rearrange some furniture to get The Monster to fit the space I planned to use.”

  “Not ‘I’. We. Seeing you have some extra muscle here, use it.” He tapped his chest.

  Thankfully, he didn’t go as far as flexing his biceps, the way some guys would have done. One thing she couldn’t help admiring about Ryan — he didn’t show off. Though he did hide some impressive muscles behind his red plaid shirt. Not easy dragging her thoughts from those pesky memories of him in his swimming trunks at the Lake Festival last summer, helping inexperienced visitors go canoeing.

  If only she could hit Delete on those images and erase them from her mind permanently.

  Along with a whole bunch of other stuff she’d rather not remember. All the reasons she needed to ignore whatever she felt for Ryan. The stuff that pushed her into leaving Texas and coming all the way up here. Huckleberry Lake, Idaho. Next stop, Canada.

  If the bears didn’t eat you first.

  He stood smiling, waiting for her answer. Better and wiser to say no and send him away. Try to manage on her own. But though she was all for doing everything she could for herself, by herself, trying to maneuver a tree this size into place and fix it in the stand when he’d offered to help would be just plain nuts.

  Still, she couldn’t just cave and say yes, either. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be? Other trees to deliver?”

  “Neither Mrs. Parks or Nancy Johannsen will mind if I’m a little later taking them their trees. I’ll be helping those ladies move the furniture and set their trees in their tree stands, too.” His mischievous grin and the way he watched for her reaction suggested he knew she wouldn’t like him adding that “too”.

  She didn’t. Nancy had to be at least eighty. And though “only” in her early seventies, as Mrs. Parks liked to say, recovering from a recent hip replacement surely would have slowed her down from her usual vigor. Neither woman was in fit shape to get her own tree.

  Claire’s lips twisted. “Thanks for the comparison.”

  “What, you don’t like being compared to women who are feisty and independent, yet wise enough to know when to accept help?” His guileless expression didn’t fool her for a nanosecond

  The man was trying to provoke her.

  If she rolled her eyes at him one more time, they might just roll right out of their sockets. But she refused to answer his rhetorical question.

  Aggravating, frustrating, irritating man! He deserved for her to make him move every stick of furniture in the cl
assroom. That would teach him.

  Of course, to get his ridiculously oversized tree in place, they might have to. Totally disrupting for the students, as if their learning today hadn’t been disrupted enough.

  “We can’t do it now. The best way to manage this is to do it while the classroom is empty, the way I planned. Pointless trying to rearrange the room and set up the tree with a class in progress. But no one will be able to get their outdoor gear on with The Monster in the way.” She threw the tree and Ryan a disparaging glance, though she’d rather aim a kick at them both.

  Wasn’t the poor defenseless tree’s fault it was stuck here blocking the cloakroom.

  It would be hard enough getting the kids to accept being unable to add their decorations to the tree till Monday, let alone sending them home without it even being in the classroom. They’d be so disappointed.

  And she really couldn’t do anything to prevent that, apart from find the right words to explain why.

  He gave no sign he noticed the narrow-eyed look she threw him. “If you want, I can lug the tree outside for now and come back after three o’clock to reorganize the furniture. Should give me plenty of time to deliver and set up the other two trees. What do you think?”

  Placid as the lake on a windless summer’s day, he needed a lot to ruffle his calm. Unlike her. Today’s personal weather forecast threatened squalls and thunderstorms. Maybe she should issue PMS warnings, the way the National Weather Service issued storm warnings.

  Pesky hormones. Even more annoying now that they were completely pointless.

  “Thanks. That’ll be fine. It’s kind of you.” Her muttered words hardly sounded grateful. Because it wasn’t really fine, and PMS-ing or not, she didn’t plan to spend any more time with Ryan than she had to.

  He just smiled, staying as calm as he always was. “Okay. So that’s our plan.”

  Yes, okay, he was kind, giving up his time to rearrange a bunch of pint-sized desks and chairs. That part of what she said wasn’t total fiction. And she couldn’t pretend not to be aware he seemed to find excuses to spend more time with her whenever he could.