Christmas with Carlie

by Julianna Morris

  Beth did push Annie around. When something mattered deeply to Annie, she wouldn’t budge an inch, but the rest of the time she acted as if it wasn’t worth the trouble to argue. For both their sakes, he needed to be more observant and break the pattern.

  “I wish I could say you were wrong,” he said quietly, “but you aren’t. Your brothers turned out okay, though, right?”

  “Yes, they’re both equally annoying to their big sister.”

  A laugh escaped Luke’s throat. “How reassuring.”

  He looked at Carlie. She fit perfectly with the street entertainers in her period dress. He’d never thought a bustle would have much appeal, but it emphasized her figure; slim and shapely in front, with that saucy little bump in back.

  Awareness shot through Luke before he could control it. He still hadn’t resolved his feelings about being attracted to another woman besides Erika. It wasn’t that he believed there was a timeline for grief, but he remained torn. So, all things considered, it wouldn’t be fair to Carlie to get involved with her, even casually.

  Assuming she was even interested.

  “I wonder where Nicole and the girls went,” he murmured as a distraction.

  “They can’t be far. Let’s head back toward Old City Hall. They may have decided to use the washroom there.”

  They’d only walked about twenty feet when Luke saw his sister and daughters coming toward them. Beth and Annie wore long ruffled skirts and petticoats, along with coats and hats that were virtual duplicates of the ones worn by Nicole, except for the colors.

  He lifted his camera and took several pictures, thinking he’d never seen his sister look so pleased. He knew she wanted to get closer to Beth and Annie, so maybe dressing up together would help.

  “You’re all gorgeous. Now I’m the only one left out,” he complained.

  Nicole gave him a saucy smile. “You know where the Days Gone By shop is and it’s open late tonight. At the very least, you need something for the dress balls, so get cracking.”

  “Forget I said anything. I’m not a costume kind of guy.”

  “You never know unless you try. Come on, girls, let’s eat more Christmas treats. I’ve heard that the Glimmer Creek Mercantile is serving five flavors of fudge and I want to try every single one of them.”

  “Yum!” Beth exclaimed.

  Luke grinned as his sister took Beth and Annie into the store; the twins weren’t the only ones blossoming in Glimmer Creek.

  “Let’s go make sure the girls eat some healthier choices, as well,” he said to Carlie. “I think Nicole is enjoying being an aunt too much—she gets to spoil the girls, and I’m the one who has to say no.”

  It wasn’t until later that he wondered about the odd expression on Carlie’s face.

  * * *

  GIDEON WAS ENJOYING hospitality night. He’d come over after helping to set up the living nativity and the event was in full swing. Poppy Gold visitors weren’t the only people enjoying the evening. Quite a few of his clients stopped him to say hello and he’d stayed busy shaking hands, chatting and trying to remember names while being introduced to still more people.

  It was a reminder of why he liked small towns, though admittedly, they weren’t all friendly. To see if this was the right place for him, he’d visited several times before deciding to relocate. If he ever had kids, he wanted to raise them in a place where he knew his neighbors and the schools were a manageable size. Glimmer Creek had seemed like a good place to do that. And though loans were tight at the local bank, he’d been assured he could get a mortgage when he chose to buy a house.

  He was eating a cookie in the general store when he looked out the window and saw Carlie and Nicole, both dressed to the hilt in Victorian finery, one in red and the other in green. He inhaled so sharply he choked on a crumb; they’d already moved on by the time he’d stopped coughing.

  When Nicole had come by the clinic earlier that afternoon, he’d deliberately stayed in his apartment. It was Saturday and he wasn’t obligated to see a client who’d insisted on visiting her cat even when the clinic was closed.

  Kissing her had been foolish, if for no other reason than she was making him ask questions about his marriage that he preferred to avoid.

  In the beginning, things had been good with Renee, but they’d pulled apart, bit by bit. And in the end, they’d each underestimated how strongly the other felt about city versus country life. He’d just been marking time until he could take up a rural practice, while she’d believed he wouldn’t care about moving once he’d experienced success and the fast-paced life of Los Angeles.

  Gideon went out and looked around the brick-paved street. The two women should be easy to spot in their vibrant costumes, but they might have gone into one of the stores or the fire station.

  Why he wasn’t attracted to Carlie Benton was beyond him. They had a huge amount in common and she was smart, beautiful and devoted to her hometown. Children gravitated toward her and she seemed open and honest. Yet it was Nicole making him lose sleep and he already lost plenty as a country vet who got called out at all hours to see his patients. In some ways it wasn’t that different than Beverly Hills, except in the city he’d gone on house calls at three in the morning because little Fifi had cocked her head funny...two days ago.

  Gideon pushed the thought away. The vast majority of his clients in the city had been nice people. He was just dwelling on the negatives because he didn’t want to soften toward another city woman.

  Yet a flash of humility made him shake his head.

  He was behaving as if Nicole was chasing him, but she wasn’t; she was learning how to be a responsible pet owner. Not that owner was the right word when it came to felines—cats were such arrogant, independent creatures, it was more like they were the owners.

  Finally spotting Nicole near the old apothecary shop—now a candy store with a taffy puller in the front window—he strode down the street. Avoiding her had smacked of cowardice and it wasn’t something that went down well.

  “Hello, everyone,” he said.

  “Gideon,” Beth cried. At least he thought it was Beth since she wasn’t as shy as her sister.

  “Hey there. How is Chico?” he asked, deciding it was safer not to call her by name. Children were so changeable that Annie might be the bold one today.

  “He’s splendiferous. He plays and plays and won’t let Aunt Nicole sleep.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Gideon looked at Nicole, whose eyes seemed to be challenging him. “Sleep is important.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, her eyes narrowing. “Gideon, you haven’t met my brother, Luke Forrester. Luke, this is Dr. Cartwright, the veterinarian who treated Chico after I found him.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Same here.”

  They were shaking hands as Carlie came out of the candy shop, the scent of fresh caramel corn wafting along with her.

  She smiled. “Hi, Gideon. Sorry I didn’t get over to the living nativity while they were setting up tonight.”

  “You can’t be everywhere, but I miss the lunches we had while we were making plans for it.”

  He glanced again at Nicole and saw a strained expression on her face, then decided it had to be his imagination. She couldn’t possibly be jealous.

  * * *

  LUKE WAS PLEASED when Beth and Annie went the whole day after hospitality night without insisting on Carlie’s presence. They’d waved wildly at her while skating and sledding, but there hadn’t been the usual pleading requests for her to stay and watch them.

  As promised, Nicole had been invited to ride in the lighted parade. The invitation had included the twins, so they’d proudly dressed in their Victorian outfits and ridden in an open carriage with their aunt. He’d taken dozens of pictures and had already downloaded them to the computer.

  I
t wasn’t until later that Luke realized that, for the first time since his wife’s death, he hadn’t instinctively evaluated each photo for sending to Erika. He also hadn’t questioned whether she’d approve of her daughters dressing as children from a period in history where women couldn’t even vote.

  Apparently life did march on, whether he wanted it to or not. He was a single father now; he had to make the best decisions for his kids. By himself. He’d go crazy if he tried to weigh his wife’s silent voice into everything.

  * * *

  ON MONDAY MORNING Luke was going through financial reports, including the section on charitable donations, when he thought about the Christmas baskets and gifts he’d helped Carlie prepare for the seniors in Glimmer Creek. It had been satisfying. Impulsively, he called Carlie and offered to bring everything to the fire department for distribution.

  “That’s nice of you,” she said, sounding surprised, “but two of the volunteer firefighters are coming tomorrow to pick them up.”

  “Let me save them a trip. I’ve got a big SUV with lots of cargo space. It should be used for something.” He tried not to smile as he spoke, even though she couldn’t see him.

  “So I’ve heard,” she returned crisply. “Fine. We’ve moved everything to a ground-floor storeroom. It’ll take a few trips with one of the Poppy Gold shuttles to get everything loaded in your...vehicle.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  * * *

  CARLIE HUNG UP the phone, annoyed that Luke had mentioned the SUV. He’d seemed so grim and humorless when they’d first met, but now he was delighting in giving her a hard time.

  It was frustrating the way he was creeping into her thoughts. She’d even had trouble getting to sleep Saturday night after the way he’d talked about the two of them making sure Annie and Beth ate something healthy.

  Let’s go make sure the girls eat...

  It hadn’t meant anything, but the words had instantly raised images of parental solidarity.

  Disgusted with herself, Carlie headed toward the employee break room with her mug, needing coffee to deal with Luke. But as she reached for the pot, her cell rang.

  Her breath caught when she saw her parents’ home number on the caller ID. Dad was at his job site—there was a road farther up in the hills where a bridge was under repair—and her mother didn’t call unless it was important.

  “Mom, what is it?” she answered.

  “Your father fell,” Leah said, her voice shaking. “I’ve spoken to him and he insists he’s all right, but they’re taking him to the Glimmer Creek Medical Clinic to be checked.”

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  “He’ll be upset if we both show up. He hates a fuss and he knows you’re busy.”

  “He’ll just have to deal with it,” Carlie said firmly.

  “All right. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  Carlie got off and ran to give her staff instructions on what to do about Luke in her absence, only to find him already waiting.

  “Sorry, Luke, something’s come up and I can’t stay.” She glanced around and saw Tracy Wade. “Tracy, would you help Mr. Forrester get the Christmas baskets loaded in his car and give him directions to the fire department? I’ve got an emergency.”

  “Of course. I hope it isn’t serious.”

  “Me, too. My dad fell and they want to be sure he didn’t break anything.”

  “Let me drive you,” Luke urged. “I can take care of the baskets later.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  She hurried to her car, worrying that her father might need another surgery on his leg. Or worse, that he’d get so despondent about never having a normal life again he’d simply give up. The second concern was instantly dispelled when she walked into the medical clinic and heard Mike Benton’s voice coming from the rear of the building.

  “I don’t need X-rays. I’m going back to work.” Her dad didn’t use strong language when he was angry, but he made up for it in volume.

  Carlie looked at the office manager behind the counter. “At least we know his voice still works.”

  “Yep.” Rosemary grinned. “Go on back.”

  In the urgent-care area of the clinic, Carlie saw her mother and father and Aunt Emma, all wearing equally harassed expressions.

  “What are you doing here?” her father demanded as the physician’s assistant cleaned the deep abrasions on his hands. Aunt Emma was a doctor, but she didn’t treat family members except in emergencies.

  “I considered taking part of the morning off. Then I found out you’d tripped over your big feet,” Carlie returned calmly. “So instead of getting a spa treatment, I came here instead.”

  “I’m perfectly all right and don’t need to be poked and prodded.”

  She shook her head. “If I gave up a morning at the spa, the least you can do is cooperate. Behave and I’ll get you an ice-cream cone.” It had been his old bribe to her as a child when she was getting vaccinations.

  A smile threatened to break through Mike’s grumpy expression. “Oh, very well. But it had better be a double scoop.”

  Carlie sat next to her mom as they waited for the results of the X-rays.

  “Nothing is broken,” Aunt Emma announced. She gazed sternly at her brother-in-law. “You were lucky, Mike, but you have to rest for a few days. Falling is hard on the body. The PA concurs. Come back next in three days and she’ll decide whether to clear you for work.”

  “No.”

  “Yes,” Carlie and her mother said in unison, with Aunt Emma not far behind.

  He muttered something about there being too many hens in the henhouse, but he didn’t have much choice. He was soundly overruled.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CARLIE GOT BACK to Poppy Gold shortly after the lunch hour. Her father was already restless and talking about sweeping the walkway, but she knew he’d just get more uptight if she stayed. It would be up to her mother to keep him quiet.

  “Is everything okay with your dad?” Tracy asked.

  “Seems to be. He’s staying home for a few days as a precaution.”

  “Great. I hate to say it, but the Mitchells called. They want to know if you’d come by sometime and see their costumes for the ball.”

  “I just hope they aren’t going as Lady Godiva and her horse.”

  “It could be worse—they could be going as Adam and Eve...before they ate the apple.”

  A choked laugh escaped Carlie. The Mitchells were nice, but they lacked discretion. They’d been coming to Poppy Gold for years and their costumes each Christmas were interesting, to say the least. But particularly the previous Christmas. While guests weren’t required to attend in Victorian dress, a scantily clad Tarzan and Jane didn’t quite fit—particularly when Tarzan’s loincloth wasn’t that secure. Luckily the dance was one of the few fully adult events at Poppy Gold during the holiday season.

  “I’ll take a look and try to be diplomatic,” she promised. “Any other news?”

  “The fire chief called to thank us for having the gifts and baskets brought to the station. Plus, the first children’s holiday tea party is on Wednesday at the Douglas House. Housekeeping will leave flyers in the rooms tomorrow with the details.”

  “Thanks.”

  Carlie went into her office to take some aspirin. She’d expected to work most days until after the New Year and normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but the incident with her dad would complicate things. Heck, she hadn’t even found time to have the battery in her electronic car key replaced. If Luke had really wanted to do something thoughtful, he could have taken care of that.

  Carlie rubbed her forehead, knowing she wasn’t just worried about her father. Luke was also bothering her, or more accurately, her reaction to him. She wanted to believe it was
purely physical urges vying for attention, because falling for the guy was emotional suicide.

  It wasn’t just that he was grieving for his wife. She simply wasn’t ready to put her heart out there to get stomped on by any man. But especially Luke. He had two major strikes against him—his memories of Erika Forrester and his domineering ways.

  Men in general remained a question mark for Carlie, at least from a romantic standpoint. Perry Fisher had asked her out a number of times—his comments about her being his “dream girl” aside—but she kept deflecting his invitations with a joke. She’d enjoyed having lunches with Gideon Cartwright, but had limited their conversation to the living nativity and Glimmer Creek.

  In the meantime, she had a job to do, so Carlie squared her shoulders and dialed the Yosemite suite. There wasn’t an answer, so she reluctantly called Luke’s cell number. At least at the suite there’d been a chance she would have gotten Nicole.

  “Hi, Carlie. Is everything all right with your father?” Luke asked when he answered.

  She kept forgetting about caller ID. “Yes, thanks. I wanted you to know the fire chief phoned to say thank you for bringing over the gifts and baskets.”

  “No problem. I’m at the ice rink, watching Nicole and the girls skate. Why don’t we get together for coffee? It might help to have someone to talk to about your dad.”

  “I’ll come over there,” Carlie said. She didn’t intend to vent, but Luke and her dad possessed the same stiff necks. Luke might have some insight that would help her understand better.

  She got coffee from the break room and crossed the park to the skating rink. Luke was alone on a festive bleacher on the far side and she handed him one of the cups she carried.

  “Thanks.”

  Annie and Beth waved from the ice but didn’t come over. Carlie missed the way they’d shadowed her in the beginning, though it was best they wanted to be with their aunt and do things independently. She’d have to suggest to Nicole that the three of them dress up in their Victorian finery and attend the Christmas tea on Wednesday.