“It needs some adjustments.” As Jason reached out to shake Luke’s hand, the prosthetic slipped off from his other arm and fell onto the wooden floor.
There were only a few guests hanging out in the lobby, but Jason still grimaced as he and Luke stared down at the hand.
“I’d say.” Luke snickered. “Better pick that thing up or people are gonna think it’s Halloween and not Christmas.”
Grinning, Jason reached down and snatched the prosthetic from the floor. Luke was right, it was kind of creepy looking. Although it had no functioning capabilities, the hand resembled actual flesh. He slipped the sleeve back over his arm before reaching down with his other hand and picking up his overnight bag. “Luckily, this isn’t the one I was talking about.”
Luke was studying him intently. “That’s right. Isn’t the everyday prosthetic that you use made from metal?”
Jason squirmed uncomfortably. “Yeah, it has the shoulder harness, and I’ve got the motions down pretty well with picking things up and putting things down. I can even type a little on my computer. But it’s such a hassle pulling the harness on and off when I want to relax—it keeps digging into my shoulder. They’re supposed to make a few adjustments for me when I go back to the doctor.”
“Ah, I see.” Luke grinned. “Maybe the fact that it’s not exactly pretty has something to do with the reason why you don’t want to wear it this weekend?”
“You caught me,” Jason admitted, rolling his eyes. “I’m set to have surgery you know after the first of the year. It’s an experimental prosthetic with the latest state of the art sensors monitored by brain activity.” He sighed. “I’m supposed to be reading up on it and what to expect after I’ve had the surgery done.”
“Isn’t the new prosthetic made of metal and synthetics too? It’s not exactly realistic either, is it?” Luke asked, grabbing Jason’s bag. “That’s not what really matters though, right? Anyone who cares about you won’t be caring about how you look.”
Jason became sheepish. You’d think that Luke was the senior airman, the way he was speaking with Jason. But Luke had been through a heck of a lot more than Jason. After surviving burns covering nearly sixty percent of his body, Luke would require multiple skin graft surgeries over the next few years. Not to mention he had a prosthetic leg. Luke had actually been lucky that it had been removed below the knee and not above it.
But Luke had recently had exciting news. He was going to be able to fly again eventually, and he’d be on call for the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. Luke and his girlfriend Kelly had been put in charge of Jake Loughlin’s latest project, reopening the Crystal Rock Airport to the public. Luke was retired from the air force now and living with Kelly at Dragonfly Pointe.
“I don’t know why the looks of my hand is bugging me so much now, when it’s never really mattered to me before.”
“I know why.” Luke snorted. “Dude, anytime there’s a woman involved…”
Jason was feeling a little embarrassed. “I told my mom that this was a crazy idea. Heck, Kat probably won’t even remember me.”
Luke grinned. “Yeah, maybe not. But you’re here.”
Jason laughed softly shaking his head. “Yep, I sure am.”
They began walking through the lobby towards the elevator.
“Thanks for doing this for me, Luke,” Jason said as they walked through the opened doors into the elevator.
“Hey, Kelly was ready to let you use her office here inside of the inn if I couldn’t scrape up a room for you. She’s got a pretty cozy couch set up in there.” Luke smiled. “I ought to know.”
Jason grinned. “You guys don’t have to work over the next few days?”
“Nah. We’ve both got the holidays off through the new year. The good news is we’re right on track with the airport project, and we’ve got multiple airlines on board. The airport should be reopening for the public come spring.”
“Already? That’s great! It’ll be a little easier for me to keep up with the job I have to do here if I can travel from base to base by air when I’m not needed at the wounded warrior facility.”
Luke nodded as they strolled side by side from the elevator onto the second floor, continuing down a hallway lined with original mahogany molding and chair rail. Reaching the open-ended passageway, Jason leaned against the banister and took a minute to admire the view overlooking the lobby. A massive stone fireplace soared upward through a vaulted ceiling.
“What’s going on down there today?” Jason asked, noticing that the restaurant below was a hub of activity.
“Well, Kelly and I aren’t officially off the clock. The big auction’s tomorrow you know. But getting ready for that is a lot more fun than work. Remember the auction? The one that you’re supposed to attend and host?”
Jason blinked. “Oh, yeah. I would have remembered if Mom hadn’t called and disrupted my schedule today.”
Luke laughed and walked over to stand beside Jason near the banister. “After the lunch we hosted last week for the kids and families of Crystal Visions, we need to transform the rest of the inn into a fairy palace for our big charity event tomorrow.”
A combination school and vocational facility for special needs students, Crystal Visions was adding on a residential facility as well. The auction was being held not only to raise funds for the new addition but to raise money for the nearly completed wounded warrior facility. Although the wounded warrior home would be federally funded, the dollars were limited, and there would never be enough money for all the projected programming without the help of additional charitable events such as this auction.
“Fairy palace?” Jason asked, watching the shifting and shuffling of tables and chairs down below.
Luke gave him a rueful grin. “That’s what Kelly’s labeled it anyway. Just watch,” Luke added, motioning over the banister.
Jason stared in amazement as four men began folding and sliding the walls of the restaurant into panels and fitting them into pockets along the outer walls. The ground floor of the inn was being transformed into an open reception hall before their very eyes.
“Whoa. Talk about inventive.”
“Yeah, Jake Loughlin thought of everything when it came to renovating this place,” Luke said, snatching Jason’s bag from the floor. “C’mon. Let’s get you settled.”
Luke pulled a keycard from his pocket and slid it through the sensor of a door nearby.
“Wow,” Jason said, walking through the doorway of the luxurious single room.
“Yeah,” Luke answered, laying Jason’s bag atop a luggage rack unfolded near the bathroom. “Even the singles have jetted tubs and outdoor access,” Luke said, motioning at the balcony outside overlooking the lake.
Jason walked across the room and stared outside through the French door’s glass. “I suppose I’d probably better have you make a trip with me to the cottage this afternoon, so I can fetch my clothes for tomorrow.”
“No problem.” Luke nodded his agreement. “Especially since we don’t know for sure when the snow’s coming in.” He grinned. “Don’t forget, full dress uniform Major.”
Jason rolled his eyes muttering, “Pretty much standard for me these days.” Grabbing his shaving kit from his bag, he went into the bathroom and laid it on the counter. “So. What, now? I guess I’m helping you and Kelly decorate the fairy palace downstairs?”
“Oh. Didn’t I tell you?”
Luke’s grin looked sly as he stood in the bathroom doorway.
“Katherine Conlin already checked in last night. She’s with Kelly right now, and they’re waiting for us in the café so we can all eat lunch together.”
Jason’s eyes went wide and his heart thumped hard against his chest.
Luke laughed loudly. “You ought to see the look on your face. Nice girl, by the way. Pretty, too. And no, I didn’t tell her it was you I was bringing along with me for lunch.”
All of a sudden, Jason was nervous as hell. “Why not?” he asked Luke mechanically. Glanci
ng over at his face in the mirror, Jason ran his hand over his chin. Maybe he’d better shave?
“Kelly wouldn’t let me.” Luke cleared his throat watching Jason pull out his razor. “She wants to see the look on Katherine’s face when she recognizes you.”
When Luke moved back into the other room to wait, Jason paused with his razor in hand. “And what if Kat doesn’t remember me?” he asked himself softly, staring sightlessly into the mirror.
Shaking his head, he sighed and began to shave.
Chapter Seven
Kat was leaving the restroom when she saw Luke Bryant strolling through the lobby, obviously returning to meet her and Kelly in the café.
They were such a sweet couple, Kat had thought from the moment they’d approached her and introduced themselves. How lucky was she, meeting fun people to hang out with right after arriving at the inn? Despite Mark’s desertion, Kat was determined to have a great Christmas this year.
Right at that moment, she turned, and with a thud smashed into a broad muscular body.
When Kat heard the sound of something hitting the ground, she covered her mouth in horror staring down at the strange looking hand.
It was a prosthetic, she suddenly realized.
The man she’d bumped into had apparently been injured not so long ago. Although the wound seemed to be cleanly healed, there was a reddish looking stub of a wrist at the end of his arm where his hand should have been.
Quickly scooping up the hand from the ground, all the while hoping that for his sake no one would notice, Kat attempted to slip it back inconspicuously over his arm. As she kept manipulating the hand and trying to shove the sleeve over his arm, she suddenly realized she hadn’t even apologized or looked at his face.
She was chewing on her lip and pulling at the rubber sleeve, trying to fit it back on his arm for like the umpteenth time, when she heard the rumblings of laughter that he was most obviously trying to contain.
“Can I give you a hand?” he asked in a rough sexy voice.
There was faint air of familiarity about that voice, but his words were filled with just the right amount of humor to distract her from what she was doing.
And think about what he’d just said.
She stilled. “A hand?” Looking down at the prosthetic she was holding, Kat suddenly snorted.
“A hand?” A giggle escaped and before long she was laughing out loud.
And so was he. But there was something about that laughter that was making her feel really nervous.
Kat was scared about what she was thinking. She was wishing so hard for it to be him, she was almost afraid to peek at his face.
Once their laughter began to subside, Kat finally had the courage to look upward and her eyes went wide.
He gave her what seemed to be a very hesitant smile. Intense, silvery-gray eyes, brownish-blonde hair cropped pretty darned short. And yep, he still had a body to die for minus a few irrelevant parts. The thought slipped through her mind pretty quickly because all she could really think about was that he was here.
“Jason?” she whispered softly.
“Kat?” He whispered back, staring intently into her eyes.
‘Oh, Jason.” she cried, throwing herself into his arms. Tears welled up in her eyes. “You’re alright. I haven’t heard anything about you in years.”
The tangy scent of his aftershave smelled so good she thought, clinging to him tightly. And he was so big and broad and firm. When she heard a strange kind of laugh and a sigh escape from his mouth, she pulled back looking into his eyes. The moment was so emotional that it hurt because Jason seemed to be blinking back tears himself. Although Kat had dreamed about Jason off and on through the years, had she ever really expected to see him again?
No. Supposedly her mom and dad had lost touch with the Matthews family, and the last she’d heard Jason had been stationed in Germany along with his father.
Kelly and Luke were finally approaching them, Kat realized.
“Well,” Kelly said, clearing her throat while scraping back tears from her eyes. “That went just as I’d hoped it would.”
Kat blinked, moving reluctantly from Jason’s arms. She glanced at all three of their faces. “All of you know each other?”
Kelly and Luke were grinning.
Kat gave Kelly a rueful smile. “It never even occurred to me that I would ever find Jason again, especially right here in Crystal Rock.”
Jason was frowning slipping the prosthetic rather effortlessly over his arm.
Luke nudged Jason with an elbow. “C’mon. Let’s go eat. We can talk once we’re sitting down.”
Jason seemed uncertain. For some weird reason, he was avoiding Kat’s eyes, so she deliberately slipped her arm within his.
Finally looking up, he gave her a seemingly apologetic smile. “Yeah. What a way to have to meet again.”
“Yeah, it was.” Kat answered firmly, stepping closer to Jason. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
When Jason’s smile went wide, Kat’s heart skipped a beat.
* * * * *
Kat had been lovely as a teenager but now she was just so much more. Self-assured, confident and beautiful, Jason thought. She still had that long raven black hair and those jade green eyes, and had even grown a little bit taller, he noticed studying her long, jean clad legs. His eyes were eating her up. But Jason’s embarrassment was acute at the circumstances of their meeting.
Although it hadn’t seemed to faze Kat. She looked genuinely pleased to see him again.
And the way she’d felt in his arms? Jason had been stunned to realize just how perfect she’d felt there. Yep, he was definitely sure. No woman had ever made him feel the way he did with Kat.
The four of them walked through the former restaurant area towards the inn’s café, which was set up for optimum views of the lakefront. There was even more activity going on through the main level after the repositioning of the walls, and tables were being rearranged now for the next day’s auction.
Luke was saying something to Kelly while they were being seated in a booth beside the window overlooking the lake. But then he winked at the waitress when she appeared at the table. “Thanks for saving the table for us, Marie.”
After Marie had walked away, Kelly slapped Luke’s arm with a napkin from where she sat beside him in the booth. “Hey, don’t encourage her. Marie’s got a big enough crush on you as it is!”
“You’re kidding?” Jason snorted. “With that ugly mug?”
Kat began to laugh as she slipped into the seat near the window opposite Kelly and Luke.
The scent of her perfume was drifting through the air when Jason quickly slid in beside her. She smelled familiar like cinnamon and spice, and it was a fragrance he’d always associate with Kat. Light, fresh and elusive, it was reminiscent of a magical Christmas gone by.
Whoa. He took in a deep breath. Since when had he become so poetic? It was time to think about something else, he decided feeling a little dazed.
He looked over at Kelly and Luke. “You know what, Kelly? I still can’t figure out what someone as pretty as you sees in this guy,” Jason said grinning.
And Kelly was beautiful. A former model, she had white-blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and a fantastic figure. But her looks were deceptive. Not only had she graduated at the top of her class with honors from high school, she’d also been a valedictorian in college with a degree in accounting. According to Luke, she was a whiz with numbers. That’s why Jake Loughlin, the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, had partnered her with Luke for planning the reopening of the Crystal Rock Airport.
Kelly laughed. “You’d better keep reminding him of that for me, Jason.”
“Hey. She just couldn’t resist my rugged good looks,” Luke said, grinning smugly at Jason and Kat.
Everyone laughed.
Luke and Kelly had met on the beach as kids when thirteen-year-old Luke have saved six-year-old Kelly from drowning. Luke didn’t talk too much about his abusive
early past other than to say the Callahan family had been his salvation growing up.
Just then, Kat turned to him with a brow raised, and everything Jason was about to say slipped completely from his mind.
Luke must’ve noticed Jason’s hesitation because he gave him a smirk.
Finally, Jason cleared his throat speaking softly to Kat. “You’re probably wondering why we’re giving Luke such a hard time? Luke’s pretty well adjusted now, but he’s actually missing his right leg below the knee.”
Kat’s eyes went wide staring at Luke. “Really? I would’ve never even noticed if you hadn’t said something,”
Kelly grimaced at Kat. “The hardest part was convincing Luke that it didn’t make any difference at all to me. Once he came home from Iraq, he wouldn’t have anything to do with me.”
“Luke,” When Kat stared at Luke accusingly, Jason and Kelly began laughing when he suddenly appeared sheepish.
Luke’s gaze was intense when he turned to Kelly. “You made me see the error of my ways, Babe,” he said softly.
Kelly reached over and squeezed Luke’s hand.
Just then arriving at the table with an extra wide smile for Luke, Marie began serving their lunch.
“So, what’s on your agenda for today?” Luke finally asked Jason. “There’s a huge Christmas tree ordered for the inn. But it won’t be brought inside until later today once the room is set up for the auction. That way, everyone who wants to pitch in can decorate—guests and inn employees alike.”
Jason hadn’t thought past the point of what would happen after running into Kat. What could they do today to occupy the time? “I’ve been thinking about getting a Christmas tree myself for the cottage. It doesn’t seem like Christmas without one.”
“The cottage?” Kat asked excitedly. “Are you staying at the cottage then, Jason? For some reason I thought you were only here for a visit.”
“I’ve actually been having some remodelling done so I could live there year around,” Jason answered. “I’ve decided to make Crystal Rock home base.”
Kat went pensive. “That doesn’t mean…?” Her voice trailed off.
Two Hearts Christmas Wish Page 7