Jingle-Bell Jam (River's End Ranch Book 32)

by Pamela M. Kelley

  Melissa laughed. "That's right, you're still in the honeymoon phase. It was the same for me when I first moved here. I'm used to it now."

  "So, tell me, what's your news?"

  "I finished the book! And got a bite from a publisher!"

  "That's fantastic! How did you manage that so fast if you just finished?" Melanie knew nothing about books or publishing. That was Melissa's world. In addition to operating the bookstore, Melissa wrote fiction, too. Melanie was excited for her to realize her dream of publishing her first novel.

  "Months ago, I sent a query letter and sample chapters to a few publishers. Most never bothered to reply but this one just asked to see the whole thing, and now it's done."

  "So, your timing could be perfect. Maybe they will fall in love with it and publish it!"

  "Well, that's the other part of my big news. I've decided not to send it to them. I'm going to publish it myself! I've been researching it all while I've been writing this book and it seems like my best option. I’m excited about it."

  "Wow. Are you sure you don't want to try the publisher first?"

  Melissa laughed. "I'm sure. I ran the numbers and I think I'll do better doing it myself and it will be more fun. I talked to Kaya Taylor about it too. She’s a local author that is going to have a signing soon in the store and she suggested it too. I get to choose my cover, pick the editors to work with, do it all."

  "And with your business background I have no doubt you'll do great." Melanie pulled her sister in for a hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

  "Thank you. So, enough about me. What's new with you?" Melissa asked as they walked into Sadie's Saloon and ordered their coffees. Sadie was busy with a line of customers so they didn't get to chat with her as much as they normally would. Once they got their coffees and started walking back, Melissa asked how she was liking living and working at the ranch.

  "It's convenient for now as I'm spending a lot of time there, getting everything the way I want it. My cabin is cute. It's small, but I don't need a lot of room right now. Just a place to sleep. I have been thinking a lot, though, about where I go from here."

  Melissa stopped walking. "What do you mean? You're not thinking about moving already? Leaving Riston?"

  Melanie laughed. "No, of course not. I love living here. So much so that I'm ready to really put down some roots. I had the afternoon off yesterday and drove all around town exploring. I happened to discover a piece of land for sale, on a lake, and it's just perfect."

  "You're going to buy land? To build something?"

  “Yes! I actually made an offer yesterday and they called this morning to tell me it was accepted. I used some of the money from my trust fund and it felt like the right thing to do. I want to build my dream house and settle down."

  Melissa wrinkled her brow and looked hesitant. Melanie knew that she was just worried for her. Melissa was a worrier. “By yourself, though? You don't want to wait until you get married first?"

  Melanie smiled. “I used to think that's what I'd do, but I'm tired of waiting. I don't need to get married to have my own house."

  "No, I don't suppose that you do," Melissa agreed.

  "You bought a house when you moved here," Melanie reminded her.

  "That's true. But building one seems different. Bigger, somehow."

  "It is. And I'm super excited about it. I just need to find the right person to build it for me. Maybe Jack knows someone?" Melissa’s husband, Jack, was a policeman in town.

  Melissa thought for a minute. "I'll ask him. He should give us a few names for you to call. Jack knows everyone.”

  "Perfect. I definitely would like to talk to a few people before deciding.”

  When Melanie walked back into the health club, she noticed right away that Natalie, the front desk assistant, seemed a bit nervous. The club was quiet at the moment. It was mid-afternoon and Melanie knew that she didn’t have any personal training sessions scheduled for the rest of the day. She'd been planning to catch up on some paperwork in her office.

  "Anything happen while I was out?” She'd only been gone for maybe twenty minutes.

  “I forgot to tell you earlier that someone called for you, to book a personal training session."

  "Oh, that's great news. My calendar is pretty much wide open." Melanie laughed.

  "Yes, well, I hope you don't mind but I saw that and he wanted to come in as soon as possible so I went ahead and booked him for today."

  "Oh, that's fine. What time?"

  "Now, actually.”

  The front door opened and a tall, handsome man walked in with an easy smile and big brown eyes. He was a little thick around the middle, but not overly so. And his face seemed familiar. He walked up to the front desk to check in.

  "Hi, I'm Bryan Baker. I have an appointment with Melanie."

  “Hi, Bryan. I’m Melanie.” She held out her hand, remembering that she’d met him when she went to trivia several months ago, before she moved to Riston. There had been a big group of them playing that night. Bryan looked nervous and uncomfortable, and she wondered if he even remembered meeting her. He shook her hand and even though the contact was brief, she liked the feel of her hand in his. She smiled again and tried to put him at ease.

  “Come on in. I’ll show you around and then we can put a program together for you. I don’t know if you remember, but we actually met a few months ago at trivia, when I came to visit my sister, Melissa.”

  “Of course I remember.” He smiled, sending a spray of laughter lines dancing around his eyes and mouth. “How are she and Jack doing?” He seemed to relax slightly as she led him in and showed him around.

  “They’re good. Do you go to trivia often? I’ve been meaning to get there again, but I’ve been so busy since I got here.” Now that the club was up and running, though, and she’d hired more help, her own workload was easing to more normal hours. Melissa was always inviting her to join them for trivia and other nights out, and now she’d be able to start saying yes more often.

  “I like to go. I don’t get there as often as some of them do. I run a construction and design company and it all depends on how busy we am. But I go often enough.”

  When she finished showing him around Melanie ended the tour by the weights and they sat at a small table. She opened her notebook and prepared to take notes.

  “So, what is your goal? That will help me to determine what kind of a program to set up for you.”

  Bryan thought for a moment. “Two things, I suppose. I don’t get enough exercise now that I have more employees and spend more time in front of a computer. I pulled my back out last week lifting something and it was suggested that I start working out, to help prevent this from happening again.” Bryan smiled wryly and added, “My brother, Clark, is my doctor and he also thought it might be a good idea for me to lose a few pounds. Said that would help my back, too.”

  Melanie nodded. “Okay, I can work with that.” She looked at him carefully and then added, “I don’t think you need to lose much. Once you start getting in shape you’ll naturally lose some weight and start to make better, healthier choices.”

  Bryan grinned. “I hope so. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. I’ve never met a cookie I can say no to,” he admitted.

  Melanie laughed. “I’m the same way. I’m not much of a cook, but I do love to bake.”

  “You’d never know it.” Bryan smiled and Melanie realized she liked him. There was a warmth about Bryan and a humbleness that she found appealing.

  “I pretty much eat what I want, but I make sure I spend some extra time working out if I go overboard. Sometimes you have to treat yourself, though, you know?”

  “I do.”

  For the next hour Melanie worked with Bryan, showing him how to use the various weight machines and jotting down the different size weights he used and the number of reps on a file card so he could easily reference it the next time he came in if he wanted to work out by himself. He wanted to start with personal training sessions several time
s a week for at least a month or two until it became a habit for him.

  By the time they finished, Melanie had made her mind up about something else, too. She had been planning to wait to hear back from Melissa once she’d talked to Jack about a few builders he would recommend, but now that she’d met Bryan, she knew who she wanted.

  “What kind of building projects do you like to work on?” she asked.

  “I’ll do just about anything—remodeling an older house, large commercial construction projects, but my favorite jobs are custom residences. Helping someone to build their dream house, to see their vision come to life.”

  “Do you have room in your schedule for another project?”

  “Sure. What is it?” He looked intrigued.

  “I want you to design and build me a house! I just bought the land, a one-acre lot on Heron Lake.”

  “That’s a beautiful area. I’d love to help you with that. Let me know when you’re ready to get together to discuss what you have in mind”

  “Is next week too soon? Monday or Tuesday morning, as early as you can do it?”

  He grinned. “I could do Monday, or I could do even sooner. Want to meet tomorrow morning around eight?”

  “That’s perfect. Where is your office?”

  Bryan laughed. “It’s downtown, just off Main Street. But I always like to meet at the building site, to see what the land is like and how to give you the best view. Does that work for you?”

  “Oh, okay. That makes sense. I’ll see you early tomorrow at 18 Heron Lake.

  Bryan hummed happily to himself as he climbed into his truck and drove out of the gym parking lot. He’d been dreading his meeting with Melanie, especially as he hadn’t been to a gym in ages. But she had made him feel so welcome and comfortable. For a split second he’d imagined asking her out to dinner, but then quickly dismissed the idea. Someone like Melanie would never date someone like him. He realized that she was just being friendly. Especially when another guy came over to ask her a question and she smiled sweetly at him, too. She was just a nice, bubbly person and he’d do well to not read anything more into it. He did enjoy her company, though.

  He was also pleased that she was going to trust him to design and build her house. He wondered what she had in mind. The area she’d found was actually one he’d considered buying at one time. He was so busy building houses for other people that he hadn’t taken the time to build his own yet. His business had taken off faster than he’d expected. A steady and ever-growing stream of referrals kept him busy. Eventually, he’d build his dream house. For now, he needed to focus on keeping his customers happy and the small house he bought years ago suited his needs just fine for the moment.

  Chapter 3

  A few days later, Melanie met her last client of the day at four. It was her second session with the tiny blonde woman and Melanie hoped that her first impression was wrong and that the woman had just been having a bad day the first time that she came in. She forced a smile as she reached the front desk to greet her.

  “Hi, Amy. It’s nice to see you again.”

  The woman turned and her blonde ponytail whipped around. “I hope you’ll go harder on me than you did last time. I have to lose two pounds this week.” She didn’t look like she had two extra pounds to spare. Amy had to be a double zero. But if she wanted a tough workout, Melanie was more than happy to give it to her.

  “Be careful what you wish for,” she said with a laugh. They set off toward the weights and Melanie started her with a few stretches and then they got right into it. She upped her weights and repetitions and before long, Amy was panting and working up a sweat. Melanie kept her too busy to chit chat, which was a blessing as the conversation last time was mostly one-sided. Amy just wanted to talk about herself and how perfect her life was. She had a huge diamond ring and was engaged to a famous ex-football player.

  Melanie didn’t really follow football, so she didn’t recognize the name and knew she wasn’t as impressed as Amy had expected. Melanie was used to girls like Amy coming into the gyms she’d worked at over the years. They almost always had perfect makeup on while they worked out and there was a manic quality to them, a real fear of gaining weight and of being less than perfect. Melanie had never understood that. She worked out because she liked the way it felt and being healthy. Looking good was an added benefit.

  When she finished her workout and was on her cool down stretches, Amy got chatty again.

  “So, I about fell over the last time I came in. I ran into my ex, who was the last person I ever expected to see at a gym. He said he was seeing you for a session, too.”

  That got Melanie’s interest.

  “Really? Who was that?” She couldn’t picture any of her clients dating Amy.

  “Bryan Baker.”

  Melanie was silent for a moment and realized her mouth was hanging open in shock. She closed it and quickly said, “Yes, he just started coming to see me. He’s very sweet. I didn’t realize the two of you knew each other.”

  Amy laughed. “I know, right? He’s probably the last person you’d expect to see with me. He is sweet. No one I would ever be with long term, though, of course. Especially when Troy came back into town. Everyone says we look great together. Meant to be, you know?”

  Melanie wondered what Bryan ever saw in Amy. He really should be thanking Troy.

  “I’m sure. Maybe I should see about dating Bryan. Since he’s single and all. I thought he seemed like a great guy.” She said it without thinking, feeling oddly defensive on Bryan’s behalf, but as she spoke, she realized that she meant every word.

  Amy was speechless.

  “You want to date Bryan? Seriously? You could probably date anyone in Riston. Why him?” She seemed genuinely perplexed.

  Melanie thought about all the reasons why. “Well, why not? He’s about my age, has a good job, and a great smile. He seems really nice and thanks to you, he’s single.” She smiled to soften the blunt edge of her words. But now Amy seemed irritated.

  “Well, I don’t think that’s allowed, is it? Isn’t there some rule about not dating clients?”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. I don’t think so,” Melanie said.

  “There is actually, dear. It’s not allowed. I made the rule myself.” Melanie turned at the sound of a familiar voice behind her. It was Mrs. Weston. She liked the older woman, but she had an unnerving habit of turning up out of the blue, almost as if her radar had gone off and she sensed that her expertise was needed.

  Melanie knew that Mr. and Mrs. Weston had officially deeded the ranch over to the kids, but Wade said that she sometimes had a hard time letting go and missed being involved in the day to day running of the ranch. So, every now and then, she dropped by, shared her wisdom and then flitted off again.

  Melanie thought of Wade and Maddie and how that should have been off-limits, too, yet now they were married. She realized it was probably wise not to bring that up. Instead, she just nodded and smiled at Mrs. Weston. Amy seemed delighted for some reason that Melanie couldn’t quite fathom.

  “See, I knew it! Too bad, Melanie. Bryan is off-limits. You’ll have to find someone else to date.” But then she added, “I’m sure that won’t be hard for you.”

  Mrs. Weston looked more sympathetic. “I’m really sorry, honey. But I agree with Amy, I’m sure you’ll have your pick of young men to date.”

  Bryan was feeling pretty good the following Tuesday morning when he headed in for an early session with Melanie. He pulled into the lot at a quarter to eight and groaned when he saw Amy walking toward him. He never would have joined the gym at the ranch if he knew she was coming here. Last he remembered, she went to a gym downtown. She must have switched for some reason. She always did like to go to the newest places, though. And he knew that she often worked out twice a day, often coming to the gym when they first opened.

  “You’re up early!” she said as she reached him.

  “Morning, Amy. Just trying to get a workout in before heading
into the office.”

  “I’m impressed. Are you still doing sessions with Melanie?”

  “I am. She’s the reason I came here.”

  Amy looked surprised. “Oh, I thought maybe you were just doing an intro session to learn how to use the machines. New people often do that.”

  He nodded. “I can see why some people do that. I like working with Melanie, though. She’s great.” He smiled just thinking about her. He’d been in for several sessions now and was surprised to find himself actually looking forward to coming to the gym. A big part of it was to see Melanie. He liked talking to her and she made him feel like she was glad to see him, too, and that he belonged there. It was a good feeling.

  Amy frowned and then spoke quickly, her words coming out in a rush. “It’s against the rules, you know, for her to date any clients of the gym. Not saying you were going to but someone mentioned it the other day while I was here, so just thought I’d pass it on.”

  Bryan felt as though his good mood was a balloon and someone had just stuck a pin in it.

  “Always good to see you, Amy. I should head inside,” he said.

  Amy smiled sweetly. “Have a good workout, Bryan.”

  Bryan glowered to himself as he put his gym bag in a locker and changed his shoes. He wondered, not for the first time, what he had ever seen in Amy. She was a very pretty girl and they did have fun, but she wasn’t who he’d thought she was. He missed being in a relationship, but realized it might be a good idea to go much slower next time. To make sure he really knew the other person well. He knew he wanted to marry someday, but forever was a long time to be with the wrong person.

  He thought it was interesting that Amy had warned him off trying to date Melanie. He could have told her it wasn’t even something he was seriously thinking about. Of course, the thought had crossed his mind. But, even if he’d wanted to do something about it, his own code of ethics wouldn’t allow him to date a client. And since Melanie had hired him to be her builder, she was his client. Besides, he seriously doubted that he was Melanie’s type anyway.