“Hi, Will,” Tansy said, struggling to hold on to the feisty shepherd mix she was leading. “Sorry I can’t stick around and chat, but Cindy and I have to take Wilber and Trixie to meet the people who are going to drive them to their new forever home in Idaho. I do need to talk to you about the software you developed for us. It’s been glitchy, but we may not be using it right. I’ll give you a call after Christmas and we can figure out if there’s a bug.”
“Sure. If there is a glitch in the software, I’ll straighten it out.” Will stepped over to open the door for the women. “Do you need help getting the dogs into the crates in your car?”
Tansy shook her head as the shepherd hurried her through the door. “Thanks, but I think we can handle it. Enjoy your time with Harley. He’s a sweetheart,” she called over her shoulder. “And thanks for your generous donation toward the new roof. With your help, we’re getting close to our goal.”
“You’re quite welcome,” he said as he closed the door behind the pair.
Will checked his watch. What could be taking his grandmother so long? He had been working since six in the morning to finish up some things before the office closed. He just wanted to get home, get the puppy settled in and start on the new graphics program he intended to develop before he returned to work in a couple of weeks.
A moment later, the door to the kennel area opened and a large black-and-white dog with tan markings pulled Rose Parker into the room. Tail wagging and filled with enough friendly enthusiasm for ten dogs, the animal hurried himself and Will’s grandmother over and greeted Will with a swipe of his long wet tongue.
“This is Harley,” his grandmother announced proudly. “Sit, Harley.” The dog immediately lowered himself to a sitting position.
“That isn’t a puppy,” Will said, frowning.
His grandmother grinned. “Believe it or not, Harley is only five months old. And the sweetest little guy you’ll ever care to meet.”
“Little?” Will shook his head in disbelief. “What is he? Part horse?”
“He’s a Saint Bernard/Bernese mountain dog mix.” She handed him the leash that was attached to Harley’s harness. “You two are going to be great friends. His heart is as big as he is. He’s only mastered the ‘sit’ command, but I’m sure you’ll be able to teach him a few more in no time.”
“Grandma, I can’t manage a dog this size. He’ll destroy my house and—”
“Nonsense,” Rose cut in. “He’s very well-mannered and will be a wonderful companion for you while I’m away.” She walked over to retrieve a clipboard from the counter. “I would have taken him myself, but as you know my gentleman friend has arranged for us to take a trip to Honolulu for the holidays and I won’t be back until the first week in January.” She gave him the beseeching look that never failed to get him to go along with whatever she wanted. “I’ll feel so much better knowing that Harley will be keeping you company while I’m gone. I worry about you, Will.”
“I’m too busy to be lonely,” he said, feeling trapped. He had agreed to take the dog, and being a man of his word he saw no way out of the situation.
“You need to stop and smell the roses, enjoy life.” She placed her hand on his arm. “If you let him, Harley will help you do that.”
Will released a frustrated breath. Resigned to his fate, he took the clipboard from her and signed his name to the foster agreement.
He’d learned long ago that arguing with his grandmother was a study in futility. When Rose Parker set her mind to something, she got what she wanted. Even if it meant playing the guilt card with her only grandson.
“Have a nice time with Mr. Hobson and enjoy the holidays,” he said, handing the document back to her.
His grandmother motioned for him to bend down, then she kissed his cheek and smiled. “You and Harley have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’ll call when Stuart and I return.”
* * *
WALKING ALONG THE DOCKS of the Crystal Cove Floating Home Community, Macie Fairbanks admired her neighbors’ houseboats as she went door to door, inviting them all to her party on Christmas Eve. Each home was unique in style and had such character that she was more confident than ever that she had made the right choice when she decided to buy one and move to the community. She smiled to herself. Of course, watching Sleepless in Seattle at least a dozen times hadn’t hurt, either. The movie had only made her fall more in love with the concept of a floating home.
But as she started to knock on the door of the large home at the end of the dock, she heard a loud noise behind her. Turning, she gasped at the sight of a large black-and-white dog loping toward her. His tail was wagging and he looked friendly, but she wasn’t fool enough to stick her hand out right away to find out.
Flattening her back against the door, Macie held her breath as she waited for the dog’s next move.
“Harley, sit!”
She and the dog both looked up to see a tall, broad-shouldered man running toward them holding a leash. The animal stopped in front of her and, instead of jumping up or making her hand his next meal as she half expected, he sat at her feet and stared up at her adoringly.
When the man reached them, Macie immediately recognized him as the owner of the houseboat she had plastered herself to. Her breath caught. Since moving into Crystal Cove, she had only seen him a few times, and that had been at a distance as he walked from his house to his SUV in the parking area. She had thought he was good-looking then. But now?
Close up he wasn’t just handsome, the man was drop-dead gorgeous. Well over six feet tall with broad shoulders, dark green eyes and light brown hair that was long enough to be stylish but still short enough not to appear shaggy, he could easily be the star in her next romantic fantasy.
Macie shook her head. She wasn’t sure where that thought had come from. A year ago she had declared a moratorium on men—real and imaginary. She had been quite happy with her decision for the past twelve months and hadn’t once been tempted to lift the suspension. But as they stood there staring at each other, she was finding it harder to remember why she had come to the conclusion she didn’t want or need male companionship.
“Are you all right?” he asked, finally breaking the silence as he snapped the leash to the dog’s harness. When he straightened to his full height, he reached up to rub the back of his neck with his hand. “Look, I’m sorry if Harley frightened you. He’s just a puppy and I’m afraid he hasn’t yet learned all of his manners.”
The man’s rich baritone sent a shiver of awareness straight up her spine. “I’m...uh, fine.” She stopped to clear her suddenly dry throat. “I’m Macie Fairbanks.” She pointed down the long row of houseboats. “I’m your neighbor. I just recently bought the house at the far end of the dock.”
He stopped rubbing his neck and stuck out his hand to shake hers. “Will Parker.”
His name sounded extremely familiar, but the moment she placed her palm against his, a tingling sensation swept up her arm and rendered her incapable of remembering her own name, let alone where she might have heard his. She quickly drew her hand back and tried to think of something—anything—to relieve the uncharacteristic awkwardness she was suddenly feeling. Thankfully the thumping of Harley’s tail against the wooden dock drew her attention.
“Did you say Harley’s just a puppy?” she asked, eyeing the dog’s size.
Will nodded. “When I picked him up at The Haven animal shelter they told me that he’s only five months old.”
“How big will he be when he’s grown?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“Probably the size of a Shetland pony.” Will shrugged. “He’s a cross between a Saint Bernard and a Bernese mountain dog.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just hard to believe that a dog this big is still so young.”
“Believe m
e, I had the same reaction this afternoon when I went to get him,” Will said, smiling.
She tentatively reached down to pat Harley’s big head. “You adopted him without even seeing him first?”
“I’m only fostering him for the holidays.” Will scratched behind the dog’s ear. “It’s a long story, but needless to say, I didn’t know what I was getting into when I agreed to take him.”
“I saw the fund-raising campaign for The Haven the other night on the news.” She smiled. “I think it mentioned something about the animals needing fosters over the holidays because the shelter has a leaking roof?”
“The Haven runs on a shoestring budget and finding the funds to replace the roof has been a real challenge for them,” he said, nodding. “My grandmother volunteers there and she says even the animals’ everyday necessities are sometimes hard to meet.”
When they both fell silent, Macie realized she was still pressed against Will’s front door, effectively blocking him from entering his house. “I suppose you’re wondering why I was about to knock on your door,” she said, stepping out of the way.
“It had crossed my mind,” he said dryly.
Handing him one of the flyers she had printed for the occasion, she explained, “With all the snow in the Cascade Mountains, I can’t make it to my parents’ over in Leavenworth for the holidays so I’m throwing a party on Christmas Eve for the residents of Crystal Cove.”
He glanced at the paper, then back at her. “Thanks for including me, but I’m going to be pretty busy with Harley and—”
“Oh, I don’t mind if you bring him along,” she said, smiling. “Most of our neighbors have pets and I’m sure they’ll understand your not wanting to leave Harley alone so soon.”
Will shifted from one foot to the other and she could tell he was searching for a plausible excuse to decline her invitation. “I hate to commit to anything right now,” he finally said. He gestured toward the dog. “I’ll have to see how things go with him.”
“I understand.” Why was she disappointed? She didn’t even know the man. Patting Harley’s head, she added, “If you change your mind, you’re both more than welcome to stop in for a drink and something to eat.”
They stared at each other for several long uncomfortable seconds.
“I can’t make any promises, but I might drop in for a few minutes,” he finally said, retrieving a set of keys from his jacket pocket.
Smiling, she reached down to pet Harley one more time. “I’ll see you on Christmas Eve.”
As she walked down the dock toward her houseboat, she couldn’t help but wonder what had gotten into her. Why had she practically insisted that Will attend her party? And why was his name so darned familiar?
She was certain they’d never met. She would have definitely remembered him. No woman in her right mind could forget a man who was that good-looking, or who had a voice that smooth and sexy.
Letting herself into her house, Macie shook her head as she removed her coat and headed to her office to work a bit before she turned in.
It didn’t matter that with his movie-star looks Will Parker was hot enough to melt the polar ice caps. She’d learned the hard way that men couldn’t be trusted, and she wasn’t naive enough to believe that he was any different from the rest of them.
When she sneezed, she reached for the bottle of antihistamine. The allergy medication must be clouding her judgment, she decided.
“You’re definitely not interested in him or any other man,” she muttered as she sat down and booted up her computer. “You’re much better off without a man in your life and you’d do well to remember that.”
And if she repeated it enough times, she just might start to believe it.
* * *
AFTER WALKING HARLEY, then getting the dog settled in for a nap on a blanket beside his desk, Will sat down at his computer and opened the file of the graphics program he intended to write over the next two weeks. He glanced at the latest copy of Techno Nerd Monthly lying on top of the file cabinet and smiled sardonically. By the time he finished writing the program code, his nemesis Ms. Tera Byte, the magazine’s software columnist, would be eating crow. She had given him average to poor reviews for the last four programs he’d written and hinted that Will Parker, Snohomish Software Solutions’ head developer, was losing his touch.
Anger burned in his gut just thinking about her and her erroneous opinions. It was true that he hadn’t been able to spend as much time perfecting the most recent programs, but consumer feedback had been nothing but positive and other computer magazines had given them good to very good ratings. So why did the opinion of one obviously frustrated wannabe software developer matter to him?
He told himself that it didn’t, but deep down he knew the reason behind his irritation. Since his divorce and the put-downs hurled at him by his ex-wife, he had been driven to excel and prove her wrong, developing a short fuse when he received any kind of negative criticism. He probably wouldn’t have become so defensive if Suzanne hadn’t constantly referred to his job as “playing around.”
She had never grasped that the program codes he wrote were important and made a difference to people. From tax preparation schedules to organization of medical records to graphics for websites, the projects he developed made life easier for countless millions. Though no matter how much she’d denigrated what he did, she’d had no problem spending the money he made from his hard work. But eventually even his money hadn’t been enough for her and she’d left.
He sighed heavily. He may have failed in his personal life, but he was determined that his reputation as a topflight software engineer remained impeccable. That was why he’d taken Ms. Tera Byte’s comments so personally.
Deciding that he’d given more attention to the woman’s column than was worth his time, he shrugged off the last traces of his irritation and started to work. But for reasons he couldn’t put his finger on, his thoughts kept straying to Macie Fairbanks and her party. He finally gave up trying to work and picked up the flyer she had handed him earlier that evening.
Will grinned as he remembered how she’d flattened herself against his door when Harley had loped up to her. If she hadn’t looked so damned pretty it might even have been comical. But with the light evening breeze fluttering her soft strawberry blond curls around her face, and apprehension making her expressive blue eyes go wide, she’d robbed him of breath and the ability to do anything but gape like a teenage boy staring at his first glimpse of a centerfold in a magazine.
He frowned. Maybe he did need to get out a little more. He tried to remember the last time he’d been on a date. Had it been six months or closer to nine? Hell, he couldn’t even remember.
Shaking his head, he started to throw the flyer in the wastebasket under his desk, but instead placed it back on his desk. He still couldn’t believe he had told her he might drop by her party. Normally he declined all invitations for community gatherings—not because he didn’t like his neighbors, but for the simple reason he was too busy working.
But Macie had looked so hopeful he hadn’t wanted to hurt her feelings, so he’d told her he might stop by. What he hadn’t counted on was that she’d take his noncommittal response as a “yes.”
When Harley rose from the blanket to lumber over and rest his head on Will’s thigh, he absently petted the dog’s head. “You got me into this position by being so friendly. Can I count on you to help me get out of it?”
Harley wagged his tail and stared up at Will with soulful eyes.
“I didn’t think so,” Will said, resigned to figuring out how to decline Macie’s invitation on his own.
CHAPTER TWO
MACIE FINISHED MAKING the filling for her chocolate-raspberry Yule log, then turned her attention to shaping holly leaves from the marzipan she had tinted with dark green food coloring. Her party was only two days
away and she needed to get the desserts done before she could move on to finger food. Tomorrow she’d go shopping for the ingredients for the hors d’oeuvres, which she’d make the day of her party.
Popping a piece of the sweet confection into her mouth, she frowned. She still couldn’t taste much of anything and only hoped that her allergies cleared up enough for her to enjoy the food she made for her party.
But her concern quickly melted away as she stared down at her first marzipan holly leaf. She loved that her job as a software review columnist allowed her to work from home. It gave her a little more time to pursue her true passion—cooking. Of course, she hadn’t realized it was her passion until last Christmas when her then-fiancé had run off with his secretary and she’d needed something to do to keep her mind off his betrayal and the emotional turmoil it caused. That’s when she had downloaded a cookbook to her computer and started experimenting with food.
But even though she was fairly new to the culinary arts, she enjoyed cooking and she must be getting better at it. The casserole she had taken to the magazine’s Christmas party last week had disappeared almost as soon as she set it on the food table.
As she sang along with Harry Connick, Jr. and Lee Ann Womack’s version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” she smiled. She had been looking for a reason to try out some recipes from her newest holiday cookbook, and if she couldn’t make it home to see her parents for Christmas, throwing a party and making yummy goodies for her new neighbors was the next best thing.
When she had started her search for a home, she had not only fallen in love with the houseboat, she had fallen in love with the Crystal Cove community, as well. The residents she had met so far were all very friendly and shared a closeness that she wanted to be part of. With her family living on the other side of the Cascade Mountains, her neighbors were going to be the nearest thing she had to family in the Seattle area and would hopefully fill her need to belong.
Rescuing Christmas Page 19