by Regina Duke
She smiled at him again. “I asked what you’d like to drink? Water, coffee, soda?”
“Coffee, please. And since you can’t join me for lunch, maybe we can do dinner?”
Jasmine opened her mouth to answer but no sound came out. She seemed flustered. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.”
Ryan looked out the window, where a group of youngsters were tossing snowballs at each other, oblivious to the cold. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and glanced at it. As he did so, he caught his reflection in the window. There it was again. That satisfied smile. He stared at the phone for a few seconds, then did the unthinkable. He turned it off.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Back in the kitchen, Jasmine caught Alice Kate’s sleeve. “What should I do? He asked me to go to dinner with him.”
Alice Kate patted her hand. “Dinner sounds innocent enough.”
“You think it’s okay? I mean, what about the fender bender?”
“You were the one who ended up without transportation. I don’t think he has any ulterior motives. At least, not about the car.” She scrunched her shoulders and wrinkled her nose, smiling as if she had a secret. “Oops, more customers. I’m going to have to ask them to wait a bit. We’re full up.”
Jasmine picked up Ryan’s food and delivered it to his table. Then she said, “Okay.”
Ryan looked up at her. “Okay?”
“Dinner,” said Jasmine before the corner table demanded her attention.
By two o’clock, Jasmine was sick of the sight of turkey. She thanked Alice Kate profusely for giving her the evening off, then headed out the employee entrance, not quite sure what to do with herself for the next few hours.
Ryan was waiting for her in the alley, his Mercedes idling so he could keep the heater going. “Excuse me, miss. May I interest you in a ride?”
Jasmine hurried around to the passenger side and got in. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Where to?” He went around the block and turned north, headed for Jasmine’s neighborhood.
As they approached the Cattleman’s Inn, Jasmine squealed, “They’re here! Quick! Turn into the parking lot. That’s my brother and his family.”
Ryan obliged. Amidst a flurry of hugs and kisses and introductions, he found himself on the receiving end of a piercing stare from Jasmine’s brother, who held out a very firm hand.
Ryan shook it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ryan Hutch.”
“The Mercedes that destroyed my sister’s car?”
“It was an accident, honest. No intentional destroying was involved.”
“In that case, I guess I won’t have to knock your block off.” He said it jokingly. “I’m Jed Angel. This is my wife Laura and our son, Austin.”
“Oh, that’s two Austins in one day,” said Ryan, dropping to one knee to shake hands with the boy. “That photographer over there with the reindeer? His name is Austin, too. I think that’s a good omen.” He looked up at Jed and Laura. “I think that means you should have your picture taken with Blitzen.”
Austin squealed with excitement and began jumping up and down. Jed looked surprised and Laura looked tired.
Jasmine said, “Jed, Laura. Go on into the Cattleman’s and register. Laura, you might want to get a little rest after your trip. If it’s okay, I’ll take little Austin over and get his picture taken. Just text me your room number, and we’ll deliver him safe and sound.”
As she was speaking, Reese McAvoy, owner of the Cattleman’s Inn, approached in his Santa suit. Even though he wore a full white beard, everyone knew it was him because of his bushy brows, gap-toothed grin, and jolly pink cheeks.
Jasmine said, “Mister—I mean, Santa, you know my brother, Jedediah, and his wife, Laura? And of course you know Austin.” She lifted her nephew into her arms.
“Oh my yes,” said Santa. “I remember getting a letter from you, or was it two or three?”
Austin giggled. “Lots,” he said. “Will I get one?”
Santa put a finger to his lips to quiet the boy and then whispered, “I’m working on it. Meanwhile,” he said in a normal voice, “if you want a photo with Blitzen, you should head on over there. I’ll be starting the sleigh rides soon, and I’ll need a team of eight reindeer for that.”
Jasmine set Austin on the ground and let him stomp through the snow toward the reindeer corral. “See you soon,” she said over her shoulder to Jed and Laura. Jed nodded and smiled at her, but it was obvious his attention was elsewhere. Santa was having a word or two with her brother. What on Earth could they be talking about? They’d only met once before, as far as she knew.
But then, Alice Kate was his wife, and who knew how much she’d shared with him about Jasmine’s family?
Ryan said, “We’d better catch up to the little guy.”
And off they went.
By the time they’d taken four photos with little Austin, introduced him to Austin Masters, the photographer, and made their way to the back of the parking lot, where hardy souls were putting on a Christmas fair under big red-and-white tents, Jasmine had come to the realization that she was quite fond of Ryan. He seemed to grow more handsome with every charity activity they encountered. He got along great with little Austin, and he made sure the boy got to choose all the prizes the three of them won. As far as her nephew was concerned, Ryan was already part of the family.
Jasmine’s phone pinged, and she read the text from Jed. “Laura needs to lie down for a while. I can see you from our suite. I’m coming down to join you.”
Austin jumped up and down. “Yay! Daddy’s coming!” Then he ran ahead to the next activity. “Ball pit!”
Jasmine started to pay for his ticket, but Ryan stopped her gently. “Please,” he said. “Let this all be on me. It’s the least I can do.”
Jasmine cocked her head to one side. “Something’s different,” she said. Her eyes grew wide. “You’re smiling! And why hasn’t your phone gone off? I haven’t heard it a single time since lunch.”
Ryan gave a tiny shrug. “I turned it off.”
Jasmine clapped a hand to her mouth. “You didn’t! OMG, your boss must be purple by now!”
Ryan said, “I will probably be looking for a new law firm soon, but there’s something about this place.” His eyes met hers and his voice softened. “There’s something about you. I just feel happy here. Relaxed. Like everything will be all right, if only I stay.”
Jasmine felt tears welling up and fought them off. She didn’t want to turn into a puddle of feelings in front of her nephew. “You’ve been so nice to me,” she said. “And I can’t figure out why you keep getting more handsome by the hour.”
Ryan stood a little taller. “Really? That’s good news. You, on the other hand, could not be more beautiful than you are right now.”
Jasmine blushed.
Austin tugged at her coat sleeve. “Enough mushy stuff. Come in the pit with me!”
Jedediah Angel’s voice interrupted. “Calm down, Austin.”
“Daddy!”
“I’ll come lift you into the ball pit and I’ll watch you do acrobatics, okay?” He scooped his son up in his arms, then leaned in to plant a kiss on Jasmine’s cheek. His gaze moved to Ryan, and back to Jasmine. “Santa had some interesting things to tell me before I came outside.”
Austin shouted, “Yay! I’m getting a puppy!”
Jed flinched, realizing too late he shouldn’t have spoken in Austin’s presence. “We’ll see about that.” He extended his hand to Ryan again, as if they hadn’t shaken hands when they met and struggled to keep a neutral expression as he said, “I think you and I will also have an interesting discussion later. You two will join us for dinner, won’t you?”
Jasmine looked from one to the other, then asked Ryan, “Will we?”
Ryan nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He let go of Jed’s hand.
“Great,” said Jed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have ball pit duty.”
Jasmine w
atched her brother head for the pit with his son, then turned and looked up at Ryan. “Okay, out with it.”
“Out with what?”
“Something’s going on behind my back, and I want to know what it is!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Monday, December 21
Because Jasmine’s family had come to Eagle’s Toe for Christmas and rented a suite clear through the 26th, Alice Kate insisted that Jasmine take the whole week off, not just Monday.
“Don’t worry, dear. There will be a Christmas bonus in your paycheck. That will make up for having the time off.”
Jasmine still felt strapped for cash, but at least she knew her rent would get paid. So she decided to accept the offer. When Ryan picked her up at her apartment at ten a.m., she was ready to go. She wanted to get to the Cattleman’s and spend as much time with her family as she could.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asked Ryan.
“Are you kidding? I’m having a splendid time.”
Jasmine eyed him suspiciously. “You never did tell me what’s going on. You seem to be a master of changing the subject.”
“Me?” he said innocently. Then he proved her right by changing the subject. “Oh, look. The reindeer truck is unloading in the parking lot.”
Jasmine said, “Smarty pants. Any news from your boss, or is your phone still off? Did you check it when you got back to your room?”
A dark shadow flitted across Ryan’s features. “Actually, I did check it. Twenty-one messages, each more belligerent than the last. Mr. Razz was practically apoplectic. At first, I attempted to explain that there had been a fender bender. That set him off on a rant about office cars. When I told him I drove my own car, he told me how stupid I was for not using an office car. He demanded a list of the names of local businesses and their owners.” He paused as he maneuvered the Mercedes into a parking space behind the Cattleman’s.
Jasmine’s heart sank. “So you’re still working?”
Ryan turned an impish face in her direction. “Not exactly. I told him the lovely people of Eagle’s Toe didn’t need nor desire to be associated with a cut-throat corporate legal beagle like him, and I told him the partnership should change its name because their initials spell Scrooge. Except for the J. But it still sounds like Scrooge.”
Jasmine pressed a hand to her throat. “What did he say?”
“He said I was fired.” Ryan looked delighted.
“So why are you so happy?”
He sighed and leaned his head against the back of his seat. “I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in ages.” He looked at her fondly. “I feel like I’ve met someone very important here, someone who’s going to play a big part in my life, and going back to Denver would be a very big mistake.” He reached for her hand.
Jasmine laced her fingers with his. Her heart was brimming with joy. “I love it when you talk to me,” she said. “Did you take a special course in law school about how to share your feelings?”
Ryan chuckled. A moment later, he leaned toward her and kissed her softly on the lips.
Jasmine made a tiny sound, somewhere between surprise and delight. She pressed into the kiss and slipped her free hand around his neck. When the kiss ended, the front window was steamed up. She stared into Ryan’s eyes for several long seconds.
At last, he said, “Shall we go meet your brother for brunch?”
“And Laura and Austin,” added Jasmine.
“Of course.”
“Oh look. There’s the tow truck from the garage with some other poor soul’s car on the bed. Nice of Mr. Felton to cover it with a tarp.”
Ryan swiveled to look. “Well, yes indeed. What do you know. Okay, let’s go inside. It’s getting cold in the car.” He got out before she could object and trotted around to her door to open it for her, waving a friendly greeting at the tow truck driver as he went.
They met Jed, Laura, and Austin at Pam and Eggs.
“Laura, are you okay?” Jasmine asked.
“Just tired,” said Laura. She patted her tummy. “Austin has been telling the baby to hurry up. I think it’s been listening.”
“It?” Ryan looked confused. “I thought everyone knew ahead of time these days whether they’re having a boy or a girl.”
Jed shook his head. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Laura laughed, but soon ran out of air. “Don’t worry, Jazzy. I’m fine.”
Brunch was very pleasant. Jasmine still felt there was an air of secrecy at the table, but she couldn’t figure out what was going on. She saw Jed and Ryan exchange some meaningful glances, but unfortunately, they didn’t mean anything to her.
Near the end of their meal, Brady Felton, the owner of the local garage, entered the cafe and approached their table.
Jasmine said, “Hello, Mr. Felton. We saw your tow truck outside. Was there another fender bender?”
“Hmm? Oh no, everything’s fine.” He smiled and looked around the table. “I just need to deliver this envelope to…” He checked the label. “…to Ryan Hutch.”
Ryan lifted a hand. “That’s me.”
Brady handed him the envelope. “Mind if I shake your hand?”
Ryan obliged.
After that, grinning from ear to ear, Brady Felton left.
Jasmine noticed that everyone at their table was also grinning. “Okay, what the heck is going on?”
Jed nodded in Ryan’s direction.
Ryan said, “Has everyone finished eating?” He motioned for the check and paid in cash. “Jasmine, I know it’s not Christmas yet, but we—” His gesture included her family. “—have a little surprise for you.”
Laura giggled. Jed took charge of Austin.
Jasmine was perplexed.
On the way through the lobby, they were joined by Reese and Alice Kate McAvoy, dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Jasmine noticed, but said nothing. She allowed herself to be led out the side door into the parking lot. The midday snow had lightened up to a few crystalline flakes floating gently to the ground. She followed Ryan over to his Mercedes. In a space nearby was the tarp-covered vehicle that had been on Brady’s tow truck. It had a distinctly rounded profile.
Reese and Jed prepared to remove the tarp.
Ryan handed the manila envelope to Jasmine. “There’s something in there you’ll need,” he said.
Jasmine opened the envelope and extracted a set of car keys. At that moment, Jed and Reese removed the tarp. Underneath was a bright orange, fully restored 1970 Volkswagen Beetle. Jasmine’s jaw dropped.
“It’s the only color they had that was ready to roll,” said Ryan. “But Mr. Felton said his body shop man was almost finished with a green one if you prefer to trade when that one is done.”
Jasmine couldn’t speak. Everyone around her was grinning and slapping each other on the back. She felt like her heart would explode with happiness. She turned and threw her arms around Ryan’s neck.
“Thank you! Thank you! How did you manage this?”
“Letters to Santa,” said Ryan. “At the restaurant. Remember?” He glanced in Austin’s direction. “Mr. and Mrs. Claus read my letter, and they told me about Brady Felton and his collection of VWs and Mrs. Claus called your brother, and we all pulled together, and now you have a car.”
Austin wriggled free of his father’s grasp and ran over to the VW. He pulled open the door and climbed inside, peeking in the back seat. Deflated, he climbed out.
“Where’s my puppy?”
CHAPTER NINE
Wednesday, December 23, 4:30 a.m.
Ryan rushed to keep up with Jasmine as she risked life and limb running across the icy hospital parking lot.
“Wait up! It’s okay, Jed says Laura’s fine.” He finally caught up at the sliding doors.
“Why didn’t they call me sooner?” Jasmine was power-walking to the elevator.
Ryan reached the elevator button first and pushed it. He used one ar
m to pull Jasmine close. “Because she went into labor at ten p.m. These things usually take longer. At least, that’s my understanding. But what do I know?”
Jasmine pulled him into the elevator. “Which floor?”
“Three.”
“How come you know more than me?”
“I read the text on your phone. Remember? When you dropped it and said you were too excited to read it?”
“Where’s Austin?”
“He’s sleeping on the McAvoy’s sofa. Or as he calls it, spending the night with Santa.”
The elevator door opened and they hurried down the hall to the nurses’ station where a smiling young woman directed them to Laura’s room.
At the door, Jasmine knocked softly. Jed opened the door, his face a complex mask of amazement and contentment. Laura was sitting upright, holding a tiny little bundle wrapped in a pastel blanket.
Jasmine covered her mouth with one hand. Her eyes welled with tears.
Jed murmured, “It’s a girl. We have a daughter.” He pulled Jasmine into a hug, then walked her over to the bed so she could view the perfect features of his little baby.
Laura looked very tired, but she couldn’t stop smiling. “Daniela was right. She told Jed I was a lot farther along than I looked. Silly me. I believed the doctor.”
Ryan held back near the door, but the scene obviously affected him deeply.
Jed joined him to let the girls have a private moment.
Ryan shook his head in wonder. “Amazing.”
“More than you know. And she’s so dainty! I mean, Austin was cute and adorable, but it’s like he knew he was a boy from day one. I just don’t get how that works, but my little girl already seems to be saying, I’m a princess.” He took a deep, shaky breath, then ducked his head. “Sorry, man. You’ll understand one day.”
“This is so great for Jasmine. She adores you, you know. And having you all come to Eagle’s Toe for Christmas has made her so happy.”
Jed crossed his arms and leaned against the door jamb. “Well, you helped big time on that count. She never would have let me buy her a car. Your plan worked great. And she couldn’t say no to a whole group, could she?”