A Bramble House Christmas (Carrigans of the Circle C Book 6)

by CJ Carmichael

  Marshall looked confused for a moment. Clearly to the outdoor adventurer, the idea that anyone—even a young child—would want something shorter and tamer, was alien. But after glancing from Finn, to Willa, then to Scout, he gave a small nod. “Sure there is. You have lots of options on the hill.”

  “In that case,” Willa said. “We’re in. But we do need to buy a toboggan, first.”

  “No need.” Marshall set down a platter of bacon, another of scrambled eggs. “If you don’t mind using an old-fashioned wooden toboggan, we have one in our garage.”

  Scout let out a cheer. “And will you take pictures of me, Finn? Will I be in an Everyday Sam book?”

  “If it’s okay with your mom, then yes.” He shifted his gaze to Willa. “I do have release forms for you to sign.”

  Willa nodded. She’d gone through this routine with a few charities who had wanted to use her son’s image to raise awareness for funding of research into children’s cancers.

  “The pictures won’t end up looking like Scout,” Finn added. “I’ll use my computer to make them into Sam.”

  “But underneath, it will be me?”

  Finn grinned. “Yup.”

  “Sweet!”

  Willa listened to the exchange, impressed with the way Finn talked to Scout. Not condescendingly. But not over-his-head, either.

  “Can we Mom, please? Go sledding? And let Finn take pictures of me?”

  “It does sound like a fun plan. But we better eat breakfast first.”

  That reminded Scout of the bacon—his absolutely favorite, number one food—and he quickly took the chair he’d sat in yesterday. Eliza sat to his right, while Finn took the chair closest to the window, on Scout’s other side.

  Marshall poured himself a cup of coffee, then joined them.

  “It’s just the four of us this morning. Kris Krinkles left a note that he won’t ever be joining us for breakfast. I guess he’s not a morning person.”

  Eliza came in from the kitchen then, taking her place next to her husband. “And Aunt Mable wanted her tea and toast in the library this morning. Every now and then she gets her nose out of joint and doesn’t feel sociable.”

  Willa met Finn’s gaze and had to stifle a laugh. So yesterday Mable Bramble had been social. Who knew?

  The next moment, another thought occurred to Willa and her mother-radar went on high alert. “Maybe your aunt is getting sick. Is there a bug going around?”

  “I’ve heard a few people complaining about colds, but I don’t think that’s what my aunt has. My guess is in a few hours she’ll be good as new.”

  Somewhat relieved, Willa glanced out the window at the piles of fresh snow. The snowman she and Scout had made yesterday gave her a crooked grin. He looked...different somehow.

  Scout picked up on the change at the exact same time. “Hey, Mom, look! Our snowman has a hat!”

  Sure enough, the snowman was now sporting a jaunty black top hat.

  “I thought he was missing something,” Finn said. “So I bought the hat for him yesterday. What do you think?”

  “It’s terrific!” Scout said.

  “Just what Frosty needed,” Willa had to agree, impressed that Finn would have gone to so much trouble just to make a little boy smile. Then again, maybe it was the artist in him, needing to add the perfect visual accent.

  This theory was supported by Finn’s next question.

  “I was hoping I could get a picture of Scout pretending to put the hat on the snowman.”

  “Yes!” Scout pumped his arm with vigor. “I get to be Everyday Sam again!”

  Finn passed Willa the platter of eggs, his eyes twinkling. “You better eat lots. You are planning to tackle that toboggan hill yourself, aren’t you?”

  Willa wasn’t one to back away from a challenge. “Wouldn’t miss it.” She helped herself, then Scout before passing the platter to Marshall.

  Throughout breakfast, she studied Finn surreptitiously, a little embarrassed that yesterday she’d suspected he was attracted to her. At least now she knew the truth. And since they lived so far apart, it was probably better this way.

  Chapter Six

  Marietta’s toboggan hill turned out to be ginormous. Willa’s stomach was queasy by the time she, Scout and Finn scaled the peak. At their feet sprawled the pretty town of Marietta. She could see the twinkling lights of Main Street, the lazy curl of the river, and the grand oak and pine trees that grew along Bramble Lane.

  Closer to hand were the grandstand, show rings, and holding pens where the annual rodeo happened each fall.

  “Have either of you gone sledding before?” Finn asked.

  “Scout hasn’t. When I was a kid my family spent a Christmas in Wyoming. But we were sliding down a hill. This feels like a mountain.”

  “It’s not though, Mom.” Scout considered his mother’s fear seriously. “Those are mountains. See?” He pointed at Copper Mountain, and the range beyond.

  “Point taken.”

  Scout hesitated before adding, “It is a long way down, though.”

  They’d already gone on a trial run, using a short, gentle path that had been easy for Scout, but not, Finn declared, exciting enough for his photographs.

  “I guarantee you’re going to love sledding down from the top. There’s tons of snow and nothing you could possibly hit.” Finn studied the small boy for a moment. “What do you think is the worst thing that could happen to you?”

  “I could fall off the toboggan,” Scout replied quickly.

  Without another word, Finn hopped on the toboggan and pushed off. With a whoop of joy, he was soon speeding down the hill.

  And yet, a moment later, for no apparent reason, the toboggan was tipping and Finn was flying off, tumbling into the snow while the toboggan, now rider-less, careened the rest of the way down the hill.

  “Finn! Are you okay?” Willa ran awkwardly through the thick snow, but she’d only managed to advance a few yards when Finn’s laughing face emerged from a pile of snow.

  Quickly he got to his feet, then made his point. “You don’t need to be afraid of falling Scout. It’s actually kind of fun.”

  Slowly a smile broke out on Scout’s face.

  “We can go down together for the first run, if you’d like.”

  Scout was sold. He raced down to retrieve the toboggan, then dragged it all the way up to the very top. Once more Finn climbed onto the wooden sled, then instructed Scout to sit behind and hang on tight.

  “Ready?” Finn counted to three and then they were off.

  Willa couldn’t breathe as she watched them fly down the track, snow spewing madly on either side of them as they bounced down the hill.

  Finally the trail leveled off, and eventually the toboggan eased to a stop. For a few seconds there was silence and Willa worried the experience had been overwhelming for her son.

  But it seemed the excitement had merely taken away his breath, because a moment later he was whooping.

  “Awesome! Let’s do it again!”

  Finn grinned good-naturedly as he grabbed the rope at the front end of the toboggan and began pulling it up the hill. Willa’s heart tightened at the sight of the man and the boy, a little bit pleasure, a little bit pain. She knew Scout really missed his father, even though he could barely remember him.

  Maybe that was part of the reason he seemed so taken with Finn.

  Of course, the fact that Finn illustrated the Everyday Sam books didn’t hurt.

  Finn and Scout went down the hill together three more times before Scout decided he was ready to try on his own. Wanting to get some photographs, Finn positioned himself halfway down the hill. His camera with the lens attached was at least a foot long and terribly impressive looking, however Finn handled it with the casual air of a professional.

  “Anytime,” Finn called and a second later Scout was shooting down the hill.

  “Smile!” Finn instructed as he took a flurry of photographs.

  Scout did better than that. He laughed.<
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  Over and over Scout raced down the hill and Finn surely had more photos than he could possibly need when he finally put the camera back in its case. He trudged up the hill, his gaze locked on Willa.

  “Ready?”

  She almost said no. But those green lights were sparkling in his gray eyes again, and something inside of her was sparkling too. Maybe he did want photos of Scout. But this man definitely liked her, too. At least a little. “I’ll do it—if you come with me?”

  By then he was at her side, and his gaze lingered on her face for a while longer before he said, “My pleasure.”

  Scout relinquished the toboggan without protest. “Yeah, Mom! You can do it. Don’t be scared.”

  Finn got into position first, and Willa hesitated. She’d have to put her arms around him, or she’d fall off the sled. It had been a long, long time since she’d touched a man, especially one as attractive as Finn.

  “I won’t bite.”

  Embarrassed that he’d caught her hesitating, and figured out the reason, Willa made herself get on the sled. Lightly she placed her hands on his waist.

  He laughed. “You’re gonna fall off if you don’t grab on a little tighter.”

  Without warning he pushed off, and she flung her arms around him, squeezing as tightly as she could. They were zooming so fast, at times actually levitating down the hill.

  At first it was scary. A second later, exhilarating. When they hit a huge bump, she screamed. The next time she laughed. And then, just as the sled was beginning to slow, there was a lurch and she was falling, arms still locked around Finn, into the snow.

  And suddenly they stopped.

  Her cheeks prickled from the cold and she blinked away snowflakes.

  What had happened?

  “Um. You can let go now.”

  Embarrassed to realize she still had a death grip on his waist, Willa relaxed her arms. A moment later Finn jumped to his feet, then held out his hand.

  Seeing his grin as he helped her to her feet, she had to smile too. The devil.

  “You tipped us on purpose.”

  His grin widened. Then he pulled off a glove and with a gentle finger brushed away some snow that had been trapped under the collar of her jacket. For a moment he left his hand there, resting on the side of her neck.

  It was such a little thing, but she wanted to lean into the touch, to put her arms around him again, this time with them standing face-to-face...

  And then Scout came running. “Wow, you guys really flew!”

  Despite the cold air, heat flushed over Willa’s face.

  Had she and Finn just had a moment?

  Or was it mere wishful thinking on her part?

  Finn’s camera seemed to have a mind of its own that morning. When it ought to be pointing at the snow and the mountains, and the little boy on the toboggan, he would sometimes find it focusing on Willa.

  She had the sort of face that was transformed by laughter. The magic started at her eyes, making them bright and inviting, then spread to the wide, generous mouth that surely-to-God had been made for kissing.

  Her happiness was infectious and natural. And if they’d been alone, Finn would have given in to the urge to kiss her many times over.

  And wasn’t that ironic?

  He could just imagine what Molly, Keelin and Berneen—not to mention his mother—would say if he admitted he, too, was attracted to their father’s nurse.

  The three of them had been out on the hill for over an hour when a group of older kids arrived for some fun, and then some younger ones, too, with one or more parents in tow.

  By now Finn had all the pictures he needed. He could have made an excuse and headed off on his own—but when Scout pleaded for hot chocolate, he ended up joining mother and son on their walk toward Main Street and Sage Carrigan’s Copper Mountain Chocolate Shop.

  Sage wasn’t working this morning, but another friendly server was pleased to fill to-go mugs for them. They carried them to River Bend Park, and found a bench in the sun.

  Noticing some friendly glances from others in the park, Finn realized the three of them could easily be mistaken for a family.

  The thought made his gut tighten.

  Finn had never pictured a wife or children as part of his future.

  Having endured the sort of life his parents had shared, marriage, to him, was a terrible trap to avoid.

  His sister Molly’s marriage was somewhat better, but still no ad for wedded bliss. Her husband traveled a lot with his work. Molly seemed to be always alone with the rug rats and vaguely disgruntled.

  Ironically his gaze was drawn to the window display of a bridal store where a beautiful white dress made a deceptive fairy-tale promise.

  Romance didn’t lead to happily-ever-after, but to a lifetime of bills, and crying children and honey-do chores.

  Finn shifted his gaze upward to a small jewelry store above the bridal shop.

  How convenient. First buy the rings, then the dress.

  “J. P. & Sons, Montana Jewelers.”

  Finn started, surprised that Willa was reading aloud the sign that he’d just been looking at.

  “It looks so old and interesting,” she said. “Nothing like the modern chain-store jewelry places you see in every mall.”

  Something clicked in Finn’s brain as he remembered why he was here in Marietta, hanging out with this particular woman and her small, sometimes too serious son. “I wonder if the store dates back to the eighteen hundreds. It looks old enough. Maybe whoever works there might know something about your ring.”

  Willa was quiet for a moment, no doubt recalling that she’d been the one to spout a theory of the same jeweler designing both rings.

  “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

  On their way toward the jewelry shop, they ran into Sage Carrigan, her husband Deputy O’Dell and their two children. Dawson had the baby in one arm, and was holding Sage’s hand with the other. Skipping in front of them was their older daughter. Fairness made Finn acknowledge that in this particular case, marriage seemed to suit all the parties involved. Before hellos had even been exchanged, Savannah was asking Scout if he liked playing with Legos.

  “I’m going to make a Santa’s Village. Want to help me?”

  Willa’s instinctive reaction was to shake her head. But when her son pulled pleadingly on her hand, and Sage seconded her daughter’s invitation with friendly insistence, she relented.

  “You’re sure it isn’t too much trouble?”

  “Savannah’s been so bored since school let out and her best friend is away for the holidays,” Sage explained.

  “You’ll be doing us the favor,” Sage’s husband agreed. “I can bring Scout back to the B&B in a couple hours if that works for you?”

  Though Willa had only met these people a few days ago, Sage’s relationship to Eliza at the Bramble House, and the fact that O’Dell was a local deputy, made the play-date an extremely low-risk proposition. Yet Finn was surprised when the super-protective Willa actually let her son leave with the young family.

  By the tense lines around her mouth and eyes, though, he could tell it wasn’t easy for her.

  What made her so protective? Was it the responsibility of being a single mother...or something more?

  “You think I’m one of those obsessively controlling mothers,” Willa said, obviously picking up on his thoughts.

  “Hey, I don’t have kids. Who am I to judge?”

  “In my experience, few people can resist judging mothers. The thing is, I’m trying to loosen up where Scout is concerned. It’s just...difficult for me.”

  Finn was surprised to see actual pain in her eyes as she said this. “You’re a good mother. Even I can tell that. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

  When she shot him a grateful smile, he had one of those dangerous impulses again, to hold her. Kiss her.

  Planting his fists firmly into his jacket pockets, Finn raised his eyes to the upper level jewelry store.


  Willa nodded at the silent reminder, then followed him inside the building and to a narrow set of stairs. Each step had a unique squeak, so their procession upward was a noisy one.

  Finally they emerged in front of an old wooden door with a frosted window. A small sign instructed them to press a buzzer for admittance.

  Willa removed her mitten and pushed her finger on the button. An irritatingly loud buzz was followed by the sound of shuffling footsteps. Slowly, with a harsh squeak, the main door opened outward, releasing a lemon-oil scent and a small, stooped man.

  The man had a bald head and watery blue eyes that seemed singularly disinterested.

  “I don’t carry engagement rings.” He had a wavering voice that befitted his obvious age.

  “We’re not here to buy anything. We have this ring—it’s a Montana sapphire—and we were wondering if you could tell us who made it.”

  On cue, Willa held out her right hand.

  The older man stepped forward, peered at the ring. “My.” His voice was stronger, suddenly, alert and engaged. “You’d better come in.”

  The shop was dimly lit, but dust-free, with antique oak display cases from another era. At the far end, an old-fashioned cash register stood at the ready—clearly debit or credit cards were not the preferred option.

  “My name is Jon Paul Pendleton. Everyone calls me J. P. This business has been in our family for three generations. May I ask who you are and what brings you here?” His eyes were on the ring as he asked the question.

  “I’m Willa Fairchild. My son and I live in Phoenix.” Willa was quick to dispel the impression they were a couple.

  “While I live in Boulder, Colorado,” Finn added. “Willa and I met a few days ago. We’re both staying at the Bramble House B&B.”

  “Ah.” J. P. nodded. “Has Mable Bramble seen this ring?”

  Willa glanced at Finn before answering. “Yes. She seemed to think it was identical to one her great-grandmother used to wear. Which seemed like quite the coincidence.”

  “We wondered if maybe the same jeweler had made several copies of the same ring,” Finn added.

  J.P. made a non-committal noise, then asked if he could see the ring again.