The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection

by Patricia Kiyono

  Skiing over the trail in the winter was so much quieter. Smaller, furry creatures were safely tucked into their winter homes, From above, a family of finches welcomed her. The sunlight, peeking between the bare branches, cast a lacy pattern on the forest floor. Yes, driving on ice was a bother, but the artistry of the winter landscape made up for it, in her mind.

  Before she knew it, she had glided her way through the woods and came out on the other side. Into Mitch’s back yard. And the man was outside, practicing his craft. Mitch knelt, his right elbow propped on his knee, his left hand holding the camera to his eye. Sophie took a breath, ready to call a greeting, but paused when she realized what he was shooting.

  Two white-tailed deer stood at the edge of the woods. Sophie knew if she called out, she’d scare them away and Mitch’s shot would be ruined. She stood still until the pair went back into the woods and he rose from his crouch. Curious about the photos he’d taken, she glided toward him. Her poles crunched, and he turned to her with a welcoming smile.

  “Did you get the shot?” she called.

  He stood and nodded. “I think so.” He turned the LCD screen on and scrolled through his pictures, showing her. The close-ups showed the gentleness of the beautiful creatures, and the landscape shots were breathtaking.

  “They’re great. These would make great prints for a den.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll send one or two to some nature magazines and see if they’re interested.” He looked up at her and frowned. “Did you ski here from Joanie and Dave’s house?”

  “Yes. The trail goes through the woods from their back yard and comes out here. I needed some fresh air, and today was the perfect day to get outside.”

  “Sounds like fun. Can I offer you a cup of coffee and a warm kitchen before you head back?”

  “Sure. Thanks.” She followed him inside after propping her skis by the back door.

  The neatness of the house was the first thing to catch her attention. There was a place for everything, and every surface was spotless. Did he have a housekeeper? She watched as Mitch efficiently fixed a cup of coffee in his single-cup brewer, putting everything away as soon as he used it. No, the man did not need a housekeeper. Every woman’s dream. Frustrated by her train of thought, she realized the house was quiet — too quiet for a home with a little girl.

  “Where’s Angie?”

  “She spent the night at a friend’s. Carley, from her class at school.”

  “Carley Jones?”

  “Yes, that’s her. Do you know her?”

  “I went to school with her mother, and Joanie graduated with her father. They’ll take good care of Angie.”

  “She must have been a young mom if she went to school with you.”

  “Nancy and Joe married the week after we graduated from high school and Carley was born the next spring. I, on the other hand, went to college and changed majors twice.”

  “Ah.” He reached up into another cupboard for mugs.

  Knowing that Angie wasn’t in the house gave Sophie mixed feelings. On one hand, she was glad to have some time alone with Mitch to get to know him. On the other hand, she was alone with Mitch. And it had been a long time since she’d been attracted to a man. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. She’d been attracted before, but not to this degree. This was definitely attraction, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.

  But maybe he wasn’t interested. It’s just coffee, she told herself. Don’t go worrying about things that haven’t happened yet.

  Still, it was difficult to keep from wondering what it would be like to have those gorgeous eyes staring into hers, to have those efficient hands running through her hair…

  “Do you want it plain today, or would you like some creamer?”

  She blinked. “Uh, creamer, please.” Embarrassed by her train of thought, she took a sip. And scalded her tongue. Gasping, she set the mug down. Mitch grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with ice from the dispenser on the fridge and set it down in front of her. She lifted the glass to her lips and sighed as the ice cooled her tongue.

  “Sorry.” He passed the creamer to her, along with a spoon, but the spoon fell through her fingers onto the floor. Both she and Mitch bent to pick it up at the same time, accidentally bumping heads. The jolt she felt had nothing to do with the bump, but everything to do with awareness. She rose, wondering if he’d felt it too.

  Mitch rubbed his temple. Not a good sign. “Um, sorry about that,” she murmured.

  He shook his head. “No problem at all. My skull is intact, and the dishwasher works great.” He picked up the spoon and loaded it into the machine then moved over to the silverware drawer and picked out another spoon. “Here you are. Nice clean spoon for your creamer.”

  “Thanks.” She stirred, hoping inspiration would come to her for something witty to say. Too bad Joanie couldn’t be there coaching her. “So, um, how long have you lived here?”

  “Angie and I moved in at the beginning of August. I wanted to get settled before she started first grade.”

  “Good plan. I knew the Hagers, who used to live here. They were family friends. I didn’t realize they were planning to move.”

  “Eric Hager is my uncle. He developed some health problems and they decided to move closer to their daughter in Muskegon. That way they’re also closer to their doctors, and the hospital, if they should need it.”

  “I guess that shows you how out of touch I’ve been with this neighborhood.”

  “People know you, though, and they remember you. It will take some time before Angie and I are accepted as part of the community.”

  “Angie seems to have made some good friends.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “If she’s been invited to a sleepover, that’s a good sign she’s been accepted by the girls in her school. And I noticed that she interacts with the girls in her Sunday School class, too. She’s doing fine.”

  “That’s good to hear. I’ve had my hands full trying to promote my business, but it’s a little hard getting people to drive out here to an unknown studio. It’s a good thing I’ve got contacts with the AP so I can still do some freelancing.”

  “Aren’t the locals coming to you?”

  “My calendar is full for the next month, thanks to your great idea of offering mini-sessions. But after the holidays, it’s totally empty. I’ve got to have something to keep paying the bills from January until wedding season begins.”

  The thought of weddings made her heart skip a beat. She closed her eyes, needing to block out the view of the man who’d invaded far more of her thoughts than she’d be willing to admit. But she couldn’t keep them closed for long without looking silly. She opened them to find him staring at her. Not just at her, but into her. Deep into her soul. Could he tell what she was thinking?

  She looked into his eyes for a signal, a sign, anything to tell her what to do. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his face drew closer, and closer… she closed her eyes and waited.

  The first touch of his lips on hers was gentle, like a caress, and Sophie wondered if she had imagined it. She ran her tongue across her lower lip and gasped when he wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth in a soul-searing kiss. But the shock was soon replaced with a yearning for more. Her arms went around him and she melted into him.

  His lips touched every inch of her face, and as his fingers threaded her hair, she realized her fantasies hadn’t come close to the intense reality of being kissed by Mitch Carson. She rose on tiptoe and caressed the back of his head, matching him kiss for kiss.

  A car door slammed shut outside. The sound was like a slap, a douse of cold water, and they broke apart just before the back door burst open.

  “Miss Sophie! You came to visit us! Yay! Daddy, did you invite her over? Look at what I got.”

  Sophie cast a glance at Mitch and noted his dazed expression.

  The little girl eagerly showed her party favors to the adults, oblivious of the tension
between them. “Wanna see my room? Daddy let me decorate it just the way I wanted. Come on!” Angie tugged at Sophie’s arm. There was nothing to do but follow.

  The room was relatively plain. The walls were painted a pale shade of lavender with white trim. White lace curtains with purple trim covered the windows. A white four-poster bed graced the middle, and a matching dresser and chest of drawers flanked the window on the opposite wall. A small toy box was tucked next to the bed, and stuffed animals spilled out of it.

  “I like purple, so I told Daddy I wanted everything to be purple. But he told me if everything was purple I wouldn’t be able to find anything. So I got white stuff too. Do you like my room, Miss Sophie?”

  The little girl looked so earnest. “Yes, Angie. You did a wonderful job decorating your room. Purple is one of my favorite colors, too.”

  Angie beamed. “Daddy said I could choose anything I wanted, because it’s my room. And ‘cuz he can’t see colors very well.”

  “I can see some colors, kiddo,” Mitch argued from his post at the doorway.

  Angie giggled. “I know, Daddy. But sometimes you get them mixed up. So this way, you can always get things right in my room ‘cuz everything is either purple or white!”

  He grimaced then looked over at Sophie. “My daughter takes such good care of me.”

  “Yes, she does.” So the man was color blind. That might explain the lack of decorations. Actually, there wasn’t much of anything on the walls, anywhere. No photos, which seemed odd for a photographer. No portraits of family, or vacations. Just one large school picture of Angie, showing her wide smile, missing teeth and uneven pigtails. That picture rested in a place of honor on the fireplace mantle, still in the cardboard frame from the school. Sophie’s imagination went into overdrive, thinking of all the ways she would decorate the house, even though she knew she’d never have the opportunity to put them into practice. She’d start with enlargements of the outdoor scenes he’d taken that afternoon. Best to go, before she got too comfortable there. “Well, I should head back to Joanie’s house—”

  “Aww, can’t you stay and eat lunch with us? Please, Daddy, can she stay?”

  “Oh, I couldn’t—”

  “We’re having leftovers, but you’re welcome to share it with us. We’ve got plenty. Since I showed up at church, the ladies from various committees and Bible study groups have brought us a ton of food. I guess they wanted to make sure Angie had enough to eat. Someone must have decided I don’t feed her very well. Or maybe she told somebody what a lousy cook I am.”

  Sophie was torn. “Well, if you’re sure—”

  “We’re sure.” He led the way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, and Sophie’s jaw dropped at the number of plastic containers jammed in. “We’ve got leftover lasagna from Wednesday, leftover chicken from Thursday, and leftover meatloaf from yesterday. What’s your pleasure?”

  Sophie scrunched her face into a frown. “Is the meatloaf from Esther Friedman?”

  Mitch nodded.

  “Then I’ll have the chicken.”

  ~~~~

  Mitch couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed a meal so much. Angie seemed more animated, more… happy. He sat back, observing her interact with Sophie. They kept a constant stream of what he considered girl talk, so he let them chatter. Sarah, as far as he knew, had never taken the time to just chat with their daughter. Never gotten to know the lovely person she’d become.

  Lost in thought, he nearly missed Angie’s question as they cleared away the dishes.

  “Daddy, can I go to the roller skating party next week?”

  “Roller skating party?”

  “Yeah, it’s at the skating place over in — in Holland. I got a note from school, but I forgot to give it to you.” She excused herself and raced into her room for her backpack and came back with a wrinkled paper. Mitch spread it flat on the table and read. “It’s for the whole school, princess. You’ve never gone skating before. Sounds scary.”

  “Oh, she’ll be fine. There will be lots of kids her age. And I’ll be there,” Sophie remarked as she rinsed out a serving bowl.

  “You? At an elementary school skating party?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be working. I just started a new job there last week. I’ll be on the rink, supervising or whatever. Parents are invited to skate too, but since so many of them just leave their kids there, the rink has employees to watch over them.”

  “I don’t mind staying, but I’m not a very good skater. At least I never was when I tried it before.”

  “She’ll have fun. You’ll see.”

  “Please, Daddy? I’ll stay close to Miss Sophie.”

  There was no way he could argue with that. If he could, he’d stay close to Miss Sophie, too.

  ~~~~

  The pictures were a little grainy due to being enlarged so much, but there was no question about what was happening. The guy had a girl. Looked like the same one he’d had coffee with in the grocery store. She’d appeared out of the woods on skis. Smart, having her show up on foot. That way there was no car parked in the driveway to show people he had female company.

  Duncan patted his camera. Thank goodness for this new high-powered zoom attachment. When the couple had walked into the house together, he’d known it was time to start shooting pictures. He’d gotten out of his car and snuck up to the house, hoping they’d both be so occupied with each other they wouldn’t notice him. And it had paid off. It hadn’t taken long for the two of them to get mighty cozy. If his daughter hadn’t shown up, they might have put on a real show. And his client would have had to shell out the bucks for those pictures. But the little girl’s appearance had kept their make-out session pretty tame.

  Now to send the pictures on. As soon as he got the money, he’d be out of there and go back to civilization. Chicago winters were cold, but sitting in a car for hours in the city was nothing like sitting in a snow-covered field with the wind blowing. It was time to go back to the hotel for a nice hot shower.

  Chapter Ten

  Mitch laced up Angie’s boots and then did his own. It had been years since he’d been on roller skates, and he hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself. But Angie’s friends were all going and she’d been so excited he couldn’t deny her the chance to go. Hopefully someone on the rink would be worse than he was.

  His rented skates seemed a little loose, but he didn’t want to get back in line for a smaller pair. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself he could do it, and then rose off the bench, trying to keep his balance. His feet shot in opposite directions and he grabbed for the bench before he did the splits.

  The community rink was fairly new. Bright lights flashed from globes suspended from the ceiling and reminded Mitch of old movies from the disco era. A three-foot wall surrounded the skating area, and parents who didn’t skate with their children leaned along the ledge as they socialized with each other.

  Mitch managed to stay upright by barely lifting his feet and going very slowly. Small children skated around them, but thankfully Angie didn’t mind. She clung to his hand, her little feet clomping along on her beginner skates. The helpful boy at the rental counter had recommended them. “The wheels only roll one way, so when she pushes off, her feet won’t go in opposite directions.” Too bad they don’t make those special skates for adults, Mitch groused.

  Mitch was about to suggest that they take a break so that he could give his wobbly legs a chance to rest when Angie shrieked. “Sophie’s here!”

  Mitch looked up, and there on the other side of the rink, an angel glided across the floor. In no time, the vision came around the rink and passed them. She executed a graceful turn and greeted them while skating backward. “Well, hello, Angie and... Angie’s Dad.”

  “Sophie, I can skate too!” Angie let go of her father’s hand and dashed across the rink toward Sophie. Mitch felt that familiar tug of fear whenever Angie left him, and his hands went up as if to stop her, but as his daughter reached Sophie, he realized the familia
r panic wasn’t there. It was as if Angie wasn’t leaving him, but merely going to another part of him.

  “Mister, are you okay?” A young boy peered at him with worried eyes. “You’ve been standing there for a while. Do you need help to get to the gate?”

  He probably did look strange just standing there. “I’m fine, but thanks for asking. I just — remembered something I need to do.”

  The boy nodded and skated away.

  Mitch groaned inwardly. He’d been afraid of being a spectacle because of his lack of skating skills, but he was just as much of a geek for standing still. Best to get moving.

  He made his way over to the edge of the rink. Now that he wasn’t holding Angie’s hand, he could look around the entire rink, and he realized that the glass surrounding it reflected everything happened within. While most people glided with natural motions, his legs were straight and stiff, moving in short, choppy motions.

  He found an empty bench outside the rink and sat, his legs thanking him for putting them out of their misery. The bench was close enough that he could watch Angie scooting around, first with Sophie, then with other kids in her class. Sophie was a natural, both as a skater and with the kids. Her wide green eyes caught everything, and when kids got into scuffles or went too fast for safety, she used her whistle to get their attention, but then bent and spoke to them quietly. Angie was in good hands.

  With a guilty start, he swiveled his head to look for his daughter. She and another girl skated hand in hand, chatting happily. He recognized the girl as one from her class. Mary or Mandy or something like that. It was good to see her making new friends.

  “Mind if I sit here?” a feminine voice called from somewhere above.