A Snowy Little Christmas

by Fern Michaels

  She sighed again, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling.

  “Do you have asthma?” Jay’s mischievous face popped over the wall of her cubicle. “Because I swear I can hear you sighing from across the office.”

  Layla rubbed her face and started closing down her computer. “I’m just tired. What are you still doing here? I thought everyone went home early.”

  Jay came around the corner and leaned against her desk. His boyish face now only held faint yellow traces of bruising from his adventures at the sports bar. With his red silk tie and crisply pressed shirt, he was back to his normal, dapper self. “I’m heading out now. My parents are having Christmas Eve dinner at their house tonight, and my brother’s introducing his new mail order bride to the family.”

  She stopped with her laptop halfway into her bag. “Mail order bride?”

  “Not really. I just say that to imply it’s the only way he could get a woman to marry him. It gets him all riled up, and that makes it worth it.”

  “You’re kind of evil. You know that, right?”

  “Sibling rivalry,” he said, grinning. “It’s a thing. Oh, Mindy called the office earlier. Her dad’s on his way to a full recovery, but she’s going to stay in Kansas for another couple of weeks to help her mom.”

  “Good,” Layla said with relief. “I’m glad he’s going to be okay.” She slung her laptop bag over her shoulder. “And now I’d better get on the road. My mom’s expecting me this evening, although . . .” She glanced out the window. In the last ten minutes, the snow started falling heavily, and the wind had really picked up.

  “The weather forecast says there’s another big storm coming in,” Jay said. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ve got a brother to harass. Christmas cheer awaits!”

  * * *

  Layla pulled up to her house, wishing she’d bought a snow shovel at the hardware store. Even though Sebastian had shoveled the driveway a couple of days ago, the snow was piling up fast again, and the roads were becoming difficult to navigate.

  She opened her door, dropped her keys on the hall table, and checked her phone for the zillionth time. No missed calls. No texts. Her heart squeezed when she thought of Sebastian. Of course he wouldn’t be contacting her on Christmas Eve. Why would he? It’s not like they were together. But you could be, a quiet voice inside her said. You want to be. She sighed and kicked off her shoes. She did want something more with him, but it would take a huge leap of faith on her part, and she wasn’t sure she was brave enough to go there.

  “Toonces,” Layla sang out, heading to the kitchen to fix a cup of tea. “Shouldn’t you be nagging me for dinner, right about now?” Odd that he didn’t come running. Normally he greeted her at the door demanding attention. She turned her electric kettle on, then walked down the hall to her bedroom. After checking her bathroom, the hall bathroom, and her home office in the spare room, she still hadn’t found him. A prickle of unease skittered down her spine.

  She called for him again, clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth a few times, but he still didn’t come. In her mind, she tried to backtrack through her morning routine that day. She’d been in such a hurry to leave, but she’d forgotten her purse in the kitchen.

  “Oh, no,” Layla whispered. She remembered leaving the front door cracked open when she ran back to get her purse. If he’d slipped past her this morning, he could be outside somewhere right now, lost or hurt. Or worse.

  Heart thumping in fear, she bolted to the front door, shoved her feet into a pair of rubber rain boots, and ran out into the yard.

  “Toonces!” she cried, searching under the porch. “Where are you?” She circled the perimeter of her house, checking the foundation bushes and the hedges lining the front walkway. She wanted to look for paw prints in the snow, but it was futile. Any tracks he might’ve made would’ve been covered up within minutes because of the heavy snowfall.

  Layla stumbled again through her yard, trying to figure out where a kitten would go to hide. He was so small. Fragile. What were the odds that a little cat could survive in this weather for several hours? Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she called out to him. This was her fault for not paying closer attention. Guilt ate away at her as she circled the house once more. With no further luck, she unlatched her back gate and ran down the trail leading to the beach.

  Halfway down, she came to an abrupt halt, panic seizing her throat so hard she gasped for breath. A lump of gray fur lay barely visible, wedged underneath an outcropping of rock. Toonces. It looked like he’d crawled under the rock to get out of the wind. Layla ripped her jacket off and ran to the bedraggled kitten. His body was cold and limp, and he wasn’t responsive. Dread bubbled up inside her at the thought he might already be . . .

  “Come on,” Layla choked out. “Please wake up.” Please be okay. Please don’t let me be the reason you don’t get to grow up and have a happy life. She squeezed her eyes shut. It was her responsibility to look out for him, and she’d let him slip away. How could she have been so careless?

  Gently wrapping him in her jacket, she clutched him to her chest and ran back up the trail to the house.

  In the foyer, she peeked at the bundled kitten in her arms. He still wasn’t responding, but when she lay her hand on his cold body, his eyes flicked open for the briefest of moments. “Toonces.” Thank God. But just how hurt was he? Was he dying? She had no idea what he needed or how to save him, but she knew exactly who could.

  Layla’s remorse stunned her into action. She didn’t even think; she just grabbed her purse and keys, ran to her car, and pulled out onto the main road with Toonces bundled in her lap. She turned the windshield wipers on, wishing she could speed down the highway, but the snow was falling so hard and fast, she had to slow down for safety’s sake. Heart slamming like a loose shutter in a windstorm, she turned the heater up full blast. If nothing else, at least she could keep him warm until she got to the veterinary clinic.

  Call Sebastian. That’s what she needed to do. She searched for her phone, but it was inside her purse, which she’d mindlessly tossed into the back seat in her haste to leave. Layla thumped her fist on the steering wheel and kept driving, praying the veterinary clinic would still be open. It was late afternoon on Christmas Eve, but medical offices still held regular business hours, didn’t they?

  Seventeen excruciating minutes later, Layla pulled into the Pine Cove Veterinary Clinic. The howling wind and snow was now blowing so fiercely, the parking lot looked like a white wasteland. No cars were parked in front of the clinic, but she refused to lose hope. Her car tires spun in place, but she gunned the engine and finally managed to pull up to the side of the building.

  Layla gripped the bundled kitten tightly in her arms, grabbed her purse from the back seat, and ran the rest of the way. Please, please be open. She reached the front door and shoved at the handle, but the door was locked. With a cry of frustration, she banged on the glass, peering inside. No one was sitting at the reception desk.

  “Is anyone in there?” She banged on the door over and over again. “I need help!” What if she was too late and no one came? Fear had her digging in her purse for her phone. She was just about to dial Sebastian’s number when movement inside caught her attention.

  “Sebastian,” Layla cried, spotting him near the back door.

  His handsome face lit with surprise, then he quickly strode to the front door and unlocked it. “Layla, what are you doing here? I was just closing up and heading out.”

  “I need your help,” she choked out.

  He glanced out at the empty parking lot. “How did you get here? There’s a huge storm rolling in.”

  “I drove my car.”

  He looked shocked. “In this weather?”

  “I had to.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and held out her bundled jacket. “It’s Toonces. He got past me this morning when I was leaving my house, and he’s been outside all day. I found him down by the beach trail. He’s not moving, and I don’t
know what to do.” Her chest heaved, and she closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that had been threatening to fall for the past hour.

  Sebastian’s expression softened with concern, and he quickly took the kitten from her. “Come on. Let’s take him in the back and have a look at him.”

  Layla followed Sebastian down the hall and through a door she hadn’t noticed on her last visit. It led to a sterile room with a metal operating table in the center, huge magnifying lights overhead, and medical equipment lining the walls. Something about it seemed so cold and uninviting, which only added to her guilt. Toonces belonged back at home, cozy in her bed or snuggled on her lap. It seemed wrong for his small, motionless body to be on a cold metal table.

  The minutes ticked by agonizingly slowly, and by the time Sebastian had given Toonces a thorough examination, Layla felt like a tightly stretched rubber band, about to snap at any moment.

  Sebastian gave her a reassuring smile. “He has a moderate case of hypothermia, but no signs of broken bones or other problems. He must’ve found a good spot to hide out from the weather, because it’s a miracle he isn’t worse off than this. I’d say he’s used up one of his nine lives today.”

  Layla anxiously twisted her hands together. “He’s going to be okay, though, right?”

  “Yes.” He placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “I believe he’ll make a full recovery.”

  “Thank God,” Layla breathed.

  Sebastian turned his full attention back to the kitten. He administered some fluids to keep him hydrated and wrapped him with a heating pad and blankets to help slowly raise his body temperature. Layla felt an ongoing buzz of adoration and respect as she watched Sebastian work. He was so caring and gentle, it made her want to throw her arms around him in gratitude. She couldn’t have dreamed up a better hero to come to the rescue.

  When the treatment was finally finished, Sebastian tucked Toonces into a cushioned pet bed surrounded by warm blankets. Then he placed the bed into a small crate and carried him out into the waiting room.

  Layla made a quick call to her mother explaining the emergency, promising to visit tomorrow if the weather died down.

  “But honey, what are you going to do if the storm doesn’t let up soon?” her mother asked worriedly. “You could be trapped in that veterinary clinic alone and starving for days.”

  Layla rolled her eyes. “Mom, are you hearing yourself? I’m not lost in the Amazon jungle. The clinic is literally a mile away from the town hall, and we have full power here so we won’t freeze to death.”

  “We?” Her mom paused, and Layla could practically hear her mother’s gears spinning. “Who exactly is there with you? Please tell me you’ve got a big strong man there who can look out for you.”

  Layla glanced at Sebastian as he peered out of the front window. “Yes, Mom. That’s exactly what I’ve got here.”

  Her mother gasped, then erupted into a hailstorm of rapid-fire questions. Was he single? Was he good-looking? Was he financially stable? Did he like to play board games?

  “Yes, yes, yes, and I don’t know,” Layla answered in exasperation.

  Sebastian turned and gave her a questioning look.

  “Listen, Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you as soon as the weather changes. Okay-bye-I-love-you!” She kissed the air and ended the call, flopping back onto the sofa.

  He took a seat beside her, stretching out his long legs.

  The storm raged outside, and the parking lot was no longer visible through the front window. All she could see was a blizzard of white. It was so fitting with her current mood, because her emotions were all over the place. A lot of it could be attributed to almost losing Toonces, but part of it was also because of Sebastian. As much as she’d tried to pretend there was nothing between them, she couldn’t anymore. Her feelings for him had become too strong to ignore.

  “I think we’re going to be stuck here for a while,” he said. “My truck’s parked out back, but even though it can handle snow, there’s no road visibility right now.”

  “I’m so sorry. You’re trapped here on Christmas Eve because of me.”

  He smiled softly, and Layla shivered with physical awareness. He was close enough that she could see dark streaks of gray in his sapphire eyes.

  “I’m glad I was able to help,” he said. “And I’m happy to be here with you.”

  She bit her bottom lip. He was just so . . . everything. Kind. Genuine. Sincere. “Did you have big plans tonight?”

  He tipped his head back, relaxing into the sofa. “I was supposed to head to my sister’s house for dinner. My nephew Charlie was planning to make a gingerbread house, and I got roped into bringing the candy for it.”

  “Oh.” Guilt pricked her skin. “I guess I messed up your family’s plans, too.”

  “Not at all. The last thing Charlie needs is more candy,” he said with a chuckle. “And I’ve already called my sister and told her to carry on without me. Luckily, she has my dog with her today, so I won’t have to worry about him.” His expression grew more serious, and he turned to face her. “Layla, listen. I’m glad you came. I wanted to talk to you about last Saturday. I can’t help but think I must’ve done something to upset you.”

  “You didn’t,” she said quickly. “You were fine. It was me, really. I just . . . I started thinking about the past, and it started to get to me.”

  Pain flashed across his face. “I’m sorry. I never meant for any of that to happen.”

  She swallowed hard as memories came flooding back. She’d been a freshman in high school. A dirt-poor, quiet kid who tried very hard to fade into the background. She always felt like she had to put on a façade so people wouldn’t know how hard she and her mom struggled to make ends meet. One of her friends, Jordan, was from the wrong side of the tracks, like her. They often talked about the future and how they planned to better their circumstances. Layla was a good student, and she was fiercely determined to someday have a better life. Getting her mother and herself out of that trailer park was all she ever thought about. The idea of having food on the table every day and a comfortable place to call home was the epitome of success, in her mind.

  Sebastian had been a few years older than she was, so he shouldn’t have paid her any attention, but for some reason, no matter how hard she tried to be invisible, he noticed her. Layla found it disconcerting, though sometimes a little flattering, that he went out of his way to say hello. He was cocky and arrogant, and not always very nice to people. She’d heard the rumors about his wild parties and his many girlfriends, so it hadn’t made sense to her that he’d singled her out.

  “You used to confuse me so much,” she admitted. “One day you’d try to talk to me, and you were almost nice. Then another day you’d look away like you couldn’t stand the sight of me. I could never figure out why.”

  “Layla.” He shook his head, then scrubbed his face with both hands. “Forgive me. I was an idiot back then. I was drawn to you, but I was too immature to handle everything I was feeling.”

  “Drawn to me?” Warmth crept up the back of her neck, scorching across her cheeks.

  “Yes. You were this fascinating, mysterious person, and I couldn’t figure you out. I knew you didn’t have a lot, and your home life was difficult. People talked. Gossiped. I had an idea of how hard it must’ve been for you. And yet, there you were, every day . . .” He looked at her like she was the most precious, amazing thing he’d ever seen. “This exquisite, sparkling girl with so much optimism. You’d float through the sea of kids in the halls and you always stood out to me. You always seemed so happy and hopeful. Like you just knew better things were in store for you, and your life was going to someday be as beautiful as you were.”

  Layla blinked in surprise. She had no idea he’d thought that much about her at all.

  “And there I was,” he continued. “The kid who supposedly had it all. On the outside my life was just one big happy party, but inside I was miserable. My parents’ marriage was falling apart, and the
fighting was so bad I sometimes wanted to just run away.” He shifted on the sofa, leaning a bit closer. “I wanted so badly to know you, to know your secret. I wanted to figure out what made you tick, figure out how you could be so content, when you had it so much worse than I did. Sometimes I felt like I was getting close to you, and I’d talk to you and think it was possible we could be friends. Maybe even more than friends. And then things at home would blow up and the bitterness would settle in, and I’d see your glowing face at school and I’d . . . resent you. I’d be mad that you’d somehow figured out how to be happy, when I couldn’t seem to do it.” He briefly squeezed his eyes shut. “Like I said, I was an idiot.”

  “That day of the fight,” Layla said. “I thought you were coming to talk to me. You seemed like you were in a good mood.”

  He ran a hand across the back of his neck, his expression etched with regret. “Believe it or not, I was in a good mood that day. Things had quieted down at home, and I’d just been accepted to college. I was feeling hopeful, for once. And then I saw you sitting outside waiting for the bus. I finally got up the nerve to go sit beside you, but that’s when Keith Miller and the rest of my so-called friends showed up. They’d already started drinking from a flask one of them snuck into the school, so they were even more obnoxious than usual. All of them were stupid drunk. Did you know that?”

  She shook her head.

  “Anyway, Keith’s mom was friends with mine, and he’d just found out some news about my family. He came walking up to me, punched me on the shoulder, and said, ‘Bummer about your parents getting a divorce, man. Come on, let’s go do tequila shots.’ The guys all joked like it was no big deal. But I was floored. I didn’t even know my parents were getting a divorce. My mom had told Keith’s mom before she’d even told me. So I stood there and played it off like it was nothing, even though I was boiling mad on the inside.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “And that’s when they saw you sitting there.”