Love Inspired December 2013 - Bundle 2 of 2: Cozy ChristmasHer Holiday HeroJingle Bell Romance

by Valerie Hansen

  And now? Now, so much time had passed that he wondered if anyone in town was going to speak to him after they learned who he really was and why he had come. When Coraline had suggested he consider confessing publicly, his main concern had been how Whitney might take it. Now that he’d had more time to mull it over, he was beginning to realize that she was not going to be the only one who would be upset. Literally everyone he had met could turn against him. In a heartbeat.

  A voice at his elbow jarred him.

  “You look like somebody just ran over your dog,” Whitney said.

  “I don’t have a dog.”

  “It’s a country expression, Josh. What’s wrong? Is the ladder too heavy?”

  He huffed. “No. Life gets that way sometimes, though. Heavy, I mean.”

  “Isn’t your shop making money? All the rest of the new businesses are starting to show a nice profit.”

  “I’m doing okay.”

  “Then what’s going on? If you looked any more dumpy, we’d have to get you a T-shirt like Allison had on last week. It said ‘Bah! Humbug!’” She stopped speaking although she continued to keep pace.

  Josh knew she was giving him a perfect opportunity to tell her what was really bothering him. Did he dare open up a little? Perhaps, but not in a crowd like this. And certainly not when his hands were full.

  “You get the shirt, I’ll think about wearing it,” he said. “How are your folks?”

  “Fine. Dad says thanks for fixing his toy with all those whistles and bells. And Mom wanted me to tell you we’re eating our big meal at one on Christmas day.”

  “Okay. Can I bring anything?”

  “You’re coming? Really? When Coraline told me you’d said you were, I could hardly believe it.”

  “If I’m still invited, I’ll be there,” he said flatly. “You and I should have a talk before that, though. I need to share some important news with you.”

  “About the movie? I’ve already started to write the announcement for you but I will need more particulars, like show time and whether you’re giving out tickets early. Things like that.”

  “Right.”

  To Josh’s relief their group was approaching one of the homes they’d worked on before. Others knocked on the door to announce their arrival while the teens began to pull strings of lights out of boxes and untangle them.

  “Just do the porches and whatever else is easy to reach,” Patrick announced. “We don’t want to drive a lot of nails or put staples into the eaves. In other words, keep it simple, folks.”

  Simple? Josh snorted in self-disgust. Nothing had been simple or even halfway normal since he’d started spending time with Whitney—and loving it—almost every day. He was going to have to tell her something very soon. His gut was already churning from contemplating what he should or shouldn’t say and his pulse kept running away whenever she got too close.

  At that moment she was helping Matt and his friends straighten out the light strings and laughing as if blissfully happy. That was the way Josh liked to see her. Filled with joy and living life to the fullest.

  Once he revealed more about himself, would it steal her serenity, shake her faith in him and make her question everything he’d ever told her? If only he could look into the future.

  God can, he heard his heart say. Trust Him.

  Josh’s reaction to that thought was one of awe. He handed off the ladder, stepped around the trunk of a large elm for privacy, closed his eyes, and whispered, “Father, help me do the right thing the right way. Please. I don’t know a lot about the Bible yet but I knew enough to put my whole life in Your hands. Can You show me more? Help me to make Whitney understand? Really understand. Anything but hate me. Please, Lord?”

  When he circled the tree to rejoin the group of amateur decorators he ran smack into the very woman he’d been praying about.

  Looking startled at first, then smiling, she rested her gloved palms on his chest while his arms instinctively encircled her.

  “There you are,” Whitney said. “I wondered where you’d gone. We need a tall guy on the end by the driveway.”

  Josh didn’t reply. Nor did he release her immediately. He saw her eyes widen and her lips part. Clouds of their frozen breath mingled between them. Was she silently asking for another kiss? He wanted to think so. She certainly wasn’t pushing him away.

  He cocked his head left and leaned closer.

  Whitney moved her face ever so slightly the opposite direction.

  They were so close now it was as if their kiss was inevitable. He hesitated only a moment.

  “Hey, Smith,” a male voice shouted from the house. “You gonna help us or not?”

  Whitney jumped and Josh leaped back as if someone had set off a taser between them.

  She giggled nervously. “Oops.”

  Josh was less than thrilled about the man’s timing, although if he were honest with himself, the summons had probably been for the best.

  “Yeah, I’m coming,” he shouted back.

  Without saying another word, he left Whitney standing next to the elm and jogged through the trampled snow toward the house. Was he crazy? Seriously thinking of kissing her again was bad enough without actually doing it in public.

  Once the truth about him was known, he’d have to be very diligent in making sure no one blamed her or assumed she had been part of the plot. After he’d sold the Cozy Cup and left town, he didn’t want Whitney to suffer for having known him.

  The concept of leaving Bygones for keeps wasn’t new, yet this time it hit him like a sucker punch. He was going to miss living here. He was going to miss these special people and their friendships.

  And he’d especially miss a certain reporter who had inched her way into his life, and into his heart, in a way he had never dreamed possible. He had no doubt that long after he had forgotten most of the folks he’d met in the sleepy little town, Whitney Leigh would still be a bright star, a supernova in his most vivid and fond memories.

  *

  Whitney pressed her gloved hands over her mouth and cheeks as she watched Josh walk away. Her heart was about to pound out of her chest and there was a definite lack of oxygen in the moist, night air.

  He’d wanted to kiss her in spite of vowing it would never happen again. She knew he had. Certainly he must have sensed her willingness. By morning, half the town would know they had been embracing, so what difference would it have made if he had given in and kissed her? Was she so undesirable? He definitely didn’t act as though he felt that way.

  The thing that really galled her was his unexplained reticence. They were two adults, not a couple of teens caught up in the throes of a hormone storm. There had been few young men in her life to begin with, and none had affected her nearly as strongly as Josh Smith did.

  Miss Coraline had suggested frankness. Whitney toyed with the silly notion of tying him to that tree so he’d have to listen, then giving him a piece of her mind. She wouldn’t, of course, but fantasizing about it helped her calm down.

  “He said we needed to talk,” Whitney muttered, going to the opposite end of the porch from where Josh was working. “Well, I’m going to talk all right. And, one way or another, I’m going to find out why he’s playing so hard to get.”

  Assuming he’s playing and not deathly serious, she mused. If he was truly trying to keep her at arms’ length, she had a feeling she was not going to like his responses to her confession that she was crazy about him.

  Chapter Twelve

  If Josh had been trying his best to stick close to Whitney he could not have run into her any more often. When he moved the ladder and climbed, there she was to hand him things. When he backed off to survey their work, she just happened to be doing the same. And when he and a few others proceeded to another house, she tagged along.

  It wasn’t overt pursuit. At least he didn’t think it was. Her nearness seemed to be half due to his heightened awareness of her and half because they were doing the same job. If he assessed the entire
situation logically, it was clear that he was just as close to most of the others as he was to Whitney. But it was she, alone, who captured his full attention.

  Her smile was brilliant. Her eyes twinkled like the brightest Christmas lights. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her laugh…Josh didn’t think he’d ever tire of hearing her light, uplifting laugh. It stood out above everyone else’s the same way her personality did.

  “We’re running out of lights,” Matt declared loudly. “I’ll run back and see if Coach Franklin’s group has extras.”

  Josh would have volunteered to go if the teen hadn’t waited until he was at the top of a ladder to announce the decision. Watching Matt jog away he was struck by how the other young people were accompanying him. Not only that, since offshoots of the original group had gone their separate ways as well, Josh was now left with only one helper. Whitney Leigh.

  She stood at the base of the ladder, steadying it on the uneven ground. “You may as well come down. That’s the last string we have.”

  “How about garlands? Are we out of those, too?”

  “Afraid so. I think we put too much of everything on the first few houses we did.”

  He started to back down the ladder. “Well, then we’ll have to see if we can come up with more decorations later. I can come back and finish up some evening after work.”

  “The kids should do it. School vacation starts soon and they’re better off with a constructive outlet for all their energy.” Whitney grinned at him. “Besides playing video games, I mean.”

  “There is nothing wrong with playing on a computer as long as I’ve approved the games and they don’t play exclusive of everything else. I time them and limit their usage, within reason.”

  She laughed. “You can’t fool me, Smith. You just want to play, too, and sometimes you have to kick the kids out so you can.”

  He was chuckling as he finished descending and stopped beside her. “Not really. I have my own gaming and computing stations in my apartment.”

  “Is that why you didn’t want Matt to go up there?”

  “Who told you that?”

  “He did.” Whitney shook her head. “Really, Josh, he’s just a kid. There was no need to get upset. I’m sure he didn’t mean to bother you.”

  “I never said he did. I just don’t like company when I’m…”

  “When you’re what? Planning a bank heist or hacking into some secret site? Give me a break.” She began to blush. “You aren’t one of those guys who looks at naughty pictures, are you?”

  “Of course not. I can’t believe you’d even ask.”

  “Then what’s the big secret? Did you forget to do your laundry or leave dirty dishes in the sink?”

  “Something like that.” He cupped the elbow of her coat and guided her toward the street. “Come on. Let’s go find those kids. If they didn’t locate more lights we’ll ask Patrick to pick up the ladders in his truck so we don’t have to carry them all the way back.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then, I’ll head to the Cozy Cup and keep my promise to provide hot chocolate for the volunteers.”

  “Mind if I tag along now instead of coming over later?”

  He almost laughed at himself when he managed to say, “I guess it would be okay.” In his heart, there was nobody he wanted to treat more than the cute reporter.

  Even if she could be a real pain sometimes.

  Make that all the time.

  *

  The camaraderie of everyone gathered in the coffee shop was palpable, as if the overall joy of the season permeated everything. Josh was being the perfect host, with Matt’s help, whenever the teen managed to stop flirting with the youngest True sister, Amy.

  Because of the time change in the fall, it had gotten dark early. When Whitney checked her watch she was astounded to see that it was nearly nine. “How time flies when you’re having fun.”

  And she was enjoying herself. Sort of. Normally, she would not have minded being part of such an amiable crowd. In this case, however, she wondered how long she’d have to wait to get the chance to speak to Josh privately. That possibility was not looking promising.

  Finally she approached the counter.

  “Need a refill?” he asked.

  “No, thanks. I’ve had enough.” She covered a yawn. “Sorry. It’s been a long day. I just wanted to tell you how much we all appreciate your hospitality.”

  “Thanks. I try.”

  Although she’d intended to keep their conversation casual, she realized that her personal concerns might be dulling her overall sense of contentment when she asked, “So, are we still on for next week?”

  The puzzlement on his face amused her and boosted her mood. Her smile broadened naturally. “For the outdoor pageant. Remember? You said you couldn’t go tonight because of this decorating project.”

  “I don’t recall promising to go later.”

  “It was implied,” Whitney said flatly. “Bethlehem is a walk-through experience. The kids will play their parts over and over again when the guides bring a new group to see the crèche. They’re really cute. Some are actually very talented.”

  “I’m sure they are.”

  She could almost see the wheels turning in his brain as he searched for a valid excuse to turn her down.

  Finally, Josh shrugged. “Okay. What time?”

  “The last performance nights are Friday and Saturday. They open at six. The sooner we get there, the less we’ll freeze.” She shivered and folded her arms across her chest. “Makes me cold just thinking about it. I remember one year, when I was playing an angel, it actually snowed on us.”

  “No wonder you’re so keen on going.” His grin was a pleasant change from the sober looks he’d been giving her. “An angel, huh? Definitely not typecasting.”

  “I wanted to play Mary, but that part was already taken so I settled for what I could get. My only other option was to wear fake fur and pretend I was a camel.”

  As she had hoped, her quip made him laugh softly. The welcome sound sent tingles up and down her spine and made her insides quiver. Either that, or the pizza from The Everything had suddenly given her indigestion.

  Whitney, she told herself, you are hopeless. You’d rather credit indigestion for your unsettled feelings than consider that you’re so crazy about Josh Smith you can hardly stand it.

  That conclusion was correct, of course. She was terribly off-balance. Did that mean she’d actually fallen in love with the man, or was she merely suffering from a childish infatuation that would soon fade? She had no idea. Nor did she know how to tell the difference. It wasn’t as if she made a habit of falling for any man who happened to be nice to her.

  Besides, she reminded herself, Josh did not seem to be trying to court her. On the contrary, he was so reticent she often suspected he was putting her off rather than attempting to get to know her better.

  Well, so be it. She was no bashful teen. And she was not going to behave like Amy True, giggling at everything Matt said as if he were the cleverest person she’d ever met.

  Younger women might try to remake themselves into someone they thought would please the man in whom they were interested. Whitney was not going to fall into that trap. She was going to be totally herself. Faithful to her instincts and freely demonstrating her slightly eccentric personality. That way, if Josh did finally admit he was interested in her, she’d know it was in spite of everything, not because she had misrepresented herself in order to be more attractive to him.

  “I’ll be here before you close next Saturday,” Whitney told him. “Be sure you have a warm jacket. A scarf or a hat wouldn’t hurt, either. If the wind is blowing you’ll need them.”

  Bending, he pulled a red baseball cap from beneath the counter and slapped it on his head. “Like this?”

  The logo stenciled on the front was for The Fixer-Upper, Patrick Fogerty’s hardware store. “I take it that was free.”

  “Of course. Gotta help advertise other business
es.”

  Josh left the hat in place, pulling on the brim to bring it lower over his eyes before peering out at her. “Do you like it?”

  “At least it fits the traditional colors of the season,” she told him with a wave and a smile. “Thanks again for the cocoa. See you in church tomorrow.”

  Whitney didn’t stop grinning until she reached her car and climbed in. Josh was going to go to the pageant with her! He hadn’t acted as if he was very enthused but she couldn’t be choosy when it came to drawing him out.

  In retrospect, she realized he’d always remained slightly aloof in spite of participating in town meetings and finally deciding to attend church. He wasn’t a mixer the way she was. He was basically an outsider who, instead of opening up the way the other new business people had, remained reclusive.

  Josh had every right to behave that way, she reasoned. Yet there seemed to be a lonesomeness about him that called to her; it touched a tender place in her heart and insisted that she be the one who showed him how much he was missing.

  And they were going to be together again at least twice. First in church, then again at the pageant. Things were definitely looking up. She could hardly wait.

  *

  The following week was one of the longest Josh had ever experienced. He’d skipped church on Sunday, only to find Whitney knocking on his door by twelve-thirty to ask if he was ill and offer to bring him chicken soup.

  Although his excuse of thinking he was coming down with a cold had been iffy, she’d seemed to accept it at the time. She had, however, returned for coffee at least twice a day since then and had continually inquired about his health, almost going so far as insinuating that his illness had been a sham.

  Now that it was Saturday evening, he knew she’d had plenty of opportunities to decide he was well enough to keep their date, as promised, and he had to force himself to stop watching the clock and pacing while he waited for her to arrive.

  There she was! The sight of Whitney’s approach, viewed through the frosty window, did funny things to his pulse. As recently as a few months ago, if anyone had told him he was going to lose his heart to a nosy reporter in a backwater Kansas town like Bygones, he would have insisted it was impossible.