Christmas at the Cove

by Rachel Brimble

  His desire for her was raw and animalistic.

  She was back and he was still completely messed up about her and now their child too. He concentrated on a couple walking hand-in-hand along the shore and shook his head. “And to think I only wandered into the bar that night for a quick beer.”

  Silence.

  He looked at her. Her eyes were bright with tears. She tipped her head back and laughed so infectiously Scott laughed, too.

  “What? It’s the truth.”

  “Can we please put that time behind us now?” She grinned. “Those weren’t the actions of sensible parents. They were the actions of lust-fuelled maniacs. Come on, it’s cold. Let’s go inside somewhere.”

  Their eyes locked for a moment before their smiles slowly dissolved. Scott exhaled. “Can I just ask you one more thing?”

  Her gaze shadowed with wariness once again. It had felt so good to laugh with her. To see her smile when so far nothing but fear and worry had been present on her face whenever she looked at him. Yet he couldn’t let their conversation go without asking this one final thing.

  “So your husband...Gerard...did he think the baby was his at first?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve known him for years. We dated on and off. I told him about you, about Templeton, and he still wanted the baby and me. We married a few months after Belle was born. He was a good man, Scott. He loved Belle and he loved me.”

  The honesty in her eyes was clear. She wasn’t a bad person. She fell in love...Scott swallowed. Just not with him. Time stood still even as the world continued to turn. Who was he to say things could’ve worked out between them? What could he have given her and a child when his anger about his father’s abandonment was a hell of a lot deeper back then than it was even now?

  She was a mother. A mother who loved her child...who loved his child.

  The gathering breeze whipped her long hair about her face and, instinctively, he lifted his hand and brushed it back, its soft floral scent whispering into his nostrils.

  She stilled.

  He pretended not to notice. “You’re beautiful, Carrie.”

  “Scott, please.”

  He dragged his gaze from hers and looked toward the promenade running the length of the beach as ominous gray clouds gathered in the distance. “Why don’t we head back to town and grab a bite at Marian’s? I missed breakfast and I don’t think very well on an empty stomach.”

  She followed his gaze, uncertainty etched on her face. “Is there somewhere else we can go?”

  His smile faltered. Nick. He’d harassed her at Marian’s and it had clearly shaken her. Scott scowled. His friend would damn well apologize to her sooner rather than later. Either that, or he’d drag him through a brick wall. “Sure, but there’s nowhere that serves pancakes like Marian.”

  “Okay.” Her chest rose as she inhaled a shaky breath. “Marian’s it is, then.”

  He grasped her hand and she stiffened for a millisecond before her hand relaxed in his and he led her from the beach. They had a baby together and, in time, he would learn to curb the urge to yank Carrie’s curvaceous, sexy body to his and step up to what he really needed to do. Provide for his child and her mother.

  Once or twice as they covered the distance from the rocks to the promenade, she tugged her hand slightly in his but he didn’t let go. He understood her hesitation, but the lack of conviction in her attempt to instill distance didn’t merit releasing her, and no part of him wanted to surrender the feel of her hand in his.

  The circumstances of their reunion were beyond painful. His emotions, and hers, were raw. They reached the promenade and this time her tug was succinct and their hands parted. Scott glanced at her, but her expression was a mask as she stared at the shop facades on the other side of the street.

  He had to be stronger than this. He couldn’t lose his head—or heart. He had to think of his mother—if she had a grandchild and he messed this up, she’d never forgive him.

  They walked on in silence for a few steps before Carrie gasped and drew to a stop outside the shop beside them. “Wow, look at this. Belle would love this place. We have to go in.”

  Scott inwardly groaned, grappling to find an excuse why he couldn’t follow her into the brightly decorated toyshop. He didn’t want Carrie to go in there and come face to face with a part of his past that refused to be put to rest.

  The shop was a little girl’s paradise. The lattice window coerced passersby inside with bright, sparkly pinks and reds, dolls and ribbons, satin-covered boxes and glittering costume jewelry. The knickknacks and dressing-up clothes apparently tipped a wink at every female in town, judging by the frequency the shop door opened and closed, welcoming and dispersing chattering females, old and young, with or without kids.

  Carrie turned, her smile wide. “Can we go in? I won’t be long.”

  He shrugged, feigning indifference. “Sure. I’m right behind you.”

  Taking a deep breath, Scott braced himself for the onslaught of the shop’s owner and followed Carrie inside.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CARRIE’S HEART TWISTED with longing for her absent daughter as she walked into the richly decorated, winter wonderland store. The soft ringing of sleigh bells and giggling children sounded from concealed speakers as customers browsed the shelves or stood in line at the counter. The atmosphere was festive and friendly. People smiled and laughed as calls of “Merry Christmas” and “Season’s Greetings” floated throughout the small, intimate shop.

  She wandered around, picking up and replacing glistening tree ornaments, candles of every shape and size, entirely aware of the enforced distance Scott had instilled for the first time since they’d sat so close together at the beach. The hand-holding, the brush of his lips, so different than the hunger of the night before, had crawled under her skin and revealed a softer side to the man she was only just beginning to know. Now he loitered near the door, casting surreptitious glances toward the woman behind the counter, his face a mask of distaste.

  Carrie looked from Scott to the woman again. She was about Carrie’s height, slim with dark, curly hair that tumbled past her shoulders. She was dressed in an elf outfit that might be deemed a little risqué for a kids’ toyshop, considering the degree of her visible cleavage. The customers she served laughed and smiled with her as her wide, bright eyes sparkled.

  Carrie shot another glance at Scott. Seemingly oblivious to her study, he shook his head and turned to stare out the glass-paneled door behind him. Carrie frowned. Was the woman an ex? The apprehension on his face would suggest so—purposefully avoiding eye contact, aloof and awkward, no matter how he tried to hide his discomfort. An entirely unexpected and unwanted twinge of jealously threatened and Carrie shoved it aside. None of her business. Yet her habitual curiosity failed to diminish even when she selected a beautiful doll from the display in front of her. Its eyes were the same bright blue as Belle’s and her hair the same ebony black. She’d love it. Smiling, Carrie joined the queue and waited to be served.

  The woman behind the counter handed a bag with a huge teddy bear wearing a Santa hat to a waiting customer and, as she did, glanced toward the shop door. Carrie waited for the woman’s reaction. This was possibly the first time she’d seen Scott since they’d entered the shop. Her cleavage visibly heaved, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed scarlet as she grinned. Carrie glanced over her shoulder at Scott and flinched at his unexpected glare.

  “What?” she mouthed, feigning innocence.

  He tilted his head toward the door, indicating he wanted to leave. Carrie held the doll aloft. He glanced from the door to the counter before raising his hand in a gesture of surrender. Interesting. At the beach, he’d insisted on knowing about Gerard. Did his need to know have anything to do with this woman? Carrie would’ve bet her life’s savings she was about to come face-to-face with
one of Scott’s lovers.

  She turned and met the steady stare of the woman behind the counter. The appraisal she gave Carrie was decidedly chillier than the one she’d given Scott. She blinked and her bright wide-eyed, “friendly shopkeeper” welcome miraculously reappeared.

  Carrie resisted the urge to shiver. “Hi. Just this, please.”

  The woman smiled, her straight, white teeth glowing beneath the string of bright, icicle-shaped lanterns above her. “Isn’t she beautiful?” She reached beneath the counter and brought out a roll of pearlescent blue wrapping paper, the exact shade of the doll’s eyes and dress. Carrie held back a grimace. No matter how much she might have fallen in love with the toyshop’s Christmas ambiance, the atmosphere around this woman was just too squeaky clean to be authentic.

  Carrie glanced over her shoulder toward Scott as she spoke, unable to resist checking if he watched them. “She’s gorgeous. I wish I could afford to buy the whole collection.”

  Scott scowled, his gaze firmly fixed on the woman serving her.

  “So, did my eyes deceive me or did you come in with Scottie? He’s standing at that door like he’s going to bolt any minute.” The woman laughed, the sound high and ultra-feminine, her fingers a blur as she measured and cut a length of paper with a pair of sparkling silver scissors. “The question is whether he’s desperate to run from me, you or the other females in the store.”

  Carrie stared at the woman’s bowed head. “He’s showing me around town. I’m visiting for a few days.”

  “Is this your first time in Templeton?” Her gaze darted over Carrie’s shoulder toward the door and back again.

  “Second. I was here a few of summers ago. I’m not sure if the Cove looks more beautiful in winter or summer.”

  “Well, there’s no better person to show you around than Scottie.” She lifted a box from the shelf behind her before drawing out a huge bag of shredded paper. “I hope he didn’t pick you up as you were walking along the street minding your own business. Scott Walker is a man who likes the ladies...at least for a while.” She met Carrie’s eyes, her gaze blue and cold. “But you look the type of woman to handle him.”

  “I’m not sure he needs handling any more than anyone else does.” Carrie’s stomach knotted with annoyance, but she kept her smile firmly in place. “He’s been nothing but a gentleman.”

  She laughed. “Oh, he’s a gentleman. That’s not even up for debate.” She nestled the doll into the paper-filled box and replaced the lid.

  Carrie frowned, curiosity gathering momentum as the woman wrapped and taped the box with lightning speed, completing her task with a knotted blue satin bow and a flourish.

  “There you go.” She grinned. “Enjoy.”

  Carrie stared at the box in disbelief. It would’ve taken her over an hour to achieve the same flamboyant and utterly beautiful package. “Wow, thank you. My daughter is going to be beside herself when she sees this. She won’t even care what’s inside.”

  The woman stiffened. “Your daughter?”

  Her gaze was so intense, Carrie fought the urge to step back as wariness skittered over her skin. “Yes, she’s not with me. My parents are looking after her for a few days.”

  She glanced toward the door once more, her smile unsteady. “How lovely. How old is she?”

  “Two.”

  The woman continued to stare in Scott’s direction for so long, Carrie turned. He pushed away from the wall and strolled slowly toward her. Carrie turned back to the counter and the woman’s gaze shot to hers, her smile wide and steady once more. “Well, that’s just lovely. If you find yourself at a loose end while you’re here, I shut up shop every night at six if you want to meet for a drink or dinner. You’ll find everyone in Templeton really friendly.”

  Carrie cleared her throat. “That’s kind of you. Thank you, but I won’t be in town—”

  “My name’s Amanda. Amanda Arnold.” She thrust out her hand, seemingly oblivious to the growing number of customers waiting in line. “I’ll be here whenever you want to pop in. Are you staying at one of the bed-and-breakfasts? Aren’t they to die for? So beautiful inside and out.”

  “I’m staying at the Christie.”

  “Ooh, even better.”

  Carrie sensed Scott behind her just as his fingers gripped her elbow. “Are you ready to go?” His voice was a low rumble.

  Carrie turned. He fixed his eyes on hers, his jaw a hard line. Fighting the trepidation that furled inside her, Carrie nodded. “Sure.” She faced Amanda. “Nice to meet you.”

  Amanda beamed. “You, too.”

  Carrie picked up her package and she and Scott walked back through the shop in silence, his grip firm on her elbow. He opened the door and stood back, letting her go out ahead of him. The air was bitingly cold after the warmth of the shop and Carrie sucked in a breath. “Wow, it’s getting colder. We might have snow later. That would be kind of nice before Christmas.”

  Silence.

  Questions danced and burned on her tongue, but there was no way she was going to ask Scott who Amanda was to him. The one thing she was sure of, she was something to him. She studied his masklike face. “You okay?”

  He stared at a spot over her head. “Fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” His eyes met hers. “Did you get everything you wanted in there?”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t get the impression you wanted me to spend time browsing.” She lifted the package. “I got this for Belle, but maybe I’ll go back and have another look around before I leave.”

  He snorted and glowered at the shop window. “Yeah? Well, maybe you should consider full body armor next time.” A muscle quivered at his jaw.

  Swallowing down further questions, Carrie glanced left and right along the high street. It had gotten a whole lot busier in the fifteen minutes they’d been in Amanda’s shop. “So, Marian’s?”

  “Yes. Let’s get out of here.”

  When he stalked away, Carrie let him go. She shot a final glance toward the shop window and started when she looked into Amanda’s cold eyes as she stood, her hands fisted on her slender hips, on the other side of the glass. Carrie smiled and waved. Amanda returned the wave...but a smile from her appeared a stretch too far.

  * * *

  JUST AS HE pushed open the door of Marian’s Bonniest Bakery, the first spits of sleet dashed Scott’s face. He stepped inside and held the door open for Carrie. Feeling like a damn idiot for walking away from her, he tried to relax the muscles in his face and neck—and damn near trembled from the effort. Amanda Arnold. Her final words of their last conversation over two months before echoed in his head. “Next week or next year, you’ll regret the day you walked away from my son, Scott Walker.”

  The woman was a man-eater and had more than the proverbial screw loose. Something he discovered a little too late—after becoming embroiled in her life and that of her seven-year-old son. He closed his eyes. God only knew how the poor kid would find a way to cut the apron strings when they were practically tied around his neck...

  The click of Carrie’s heels snapped Scott’s eyes open and he pulled back his shoulders. Now there was every possibility he was a father and he couldn’t deny the gut-wrenching fear slipping through him. Time and again, he’d made mistakes with Amanda’s son...time and again, she’d told him he had no clue about kids or what they needed. How the hell was he supposed to convince Carrie he was a good bet for Belle when he didn’t believe it himself? As much as his father’s absence had affected his family, he also knew being a dad meant more than living under the same roof and financially providing for them. If he was going to be the father Belle deserved, he had to put his heart and soul into every moment he spent with her. He knew this, but the perpetual fear of failing lingered deep inside. What choice did he have but to take a leap of faith to know if
he was good enough? Was that fair to Belle—or even Carrie?

  She stepped into the bakery and stopped directly in front of him, her intelligent gaze locked on his. “Didn’t realize how much of a hurry you’re in when you’re hungry.”

  He shrugged, shoving away the insecurity and urge to put distance between him and Carrie and all she represented. He would not walk away from this woman. Not this time. “A man’s got to eat.”

  She moved past him and into the bakery, bypassing the counter and heading straight for one of the booths at the far end of the shop. He closed the door. The moment Carrie walked into Amanda’s shop, protectiveness had unfurled inside him. Protectiveness and fear that Amanda would finish whatever developed between him and Carrie before it even started.

  Dating Amanda had been a mistake, but a night out drinking and brooding over money could lead a man to make dire mistakes. After kissing her outside The Oceanside, he’d felt duty bound to ask her out again. The date had gone well, so there was another date...and another. When she’d taken to dropping her son at the garage almost every other evening so Scott could “bond with him” while she worked or caught up on paperwork, Scott began to feel an inkling of fondness for the kid. When she began dropping him off with a list of criticisms and mistakes he made whenever he was with Rhys, her sense of entitlement had seemed a step too far. Not to mention the added weight it gave to what Scott already suspected—he wasn’t cut out to be a dad any more than his own father.

  So he’d called it off. Months ago. Yet Amanda continued to have trouble understanding his point of view...and he didn’t think she’d mind telling Carrie all about how he wronged Amanda and her little boy. He had a feeling she’d want further vengeance after a single glimpse at Carrie’s gorgeous face and sexy figure.