“As I'll ever be. I don't know how mobile he'll be. Enough to fly, so I hope he's not confined to a wheelchair.”
“Okay, we'll be off. I don't want to hold you up,” Annie said, turning for the door, Lucky firmly held.
In less than five minutes she was driving toward the nursery. “I hope you'll be good today. It won't be the same as with Nick, but you'll be able to run around some and have me for company when I'm in the office.”
She wasn't sure how easy it was going to be to take care of the dog. She didn't have a convenient patio for Lucky to use. She'd have to take him out on the leash and wait while he did his business. Still, Nick said he was sleeping through the night without a bathroom call, so she hoped it held at her place as well.
Marilyn called her mid morning.
“Are you available to be an elf for the Santa's Workshop,” she asked abruptly.
“What happened to Steph?”
“Came down with a horrible cold. And we don't want to share that with the kids who will be attending. You're about her size, so the costume would fit. I tried Alice and she can't do it, so you're my best hope.”
“Saturday is usually a busy day here and the last Saturday before Christmas will spike tree sales.”
“Your employees can handle that. Santa's Workshop needs you. It’s only for a few hours. And there’s no one else.”
“Great, okay, I'll do it. But that heater better be working at full blast. Two years ago when I did it, I almost froze.”
“Wear long underwear beneath the tights and you'll be fine.”
“And look like the Pillsbury dough man,” Annie said with a laugh. “I'll think of something, what time do I need to be there?”
“The doors open at ten and you’ll need to stay until three. I'll bring lunch around twelve thirty and you can eat when there's a lull,” her friend said.
“As I remember, there is no lull. But I'll grab a bite when I can.”
Lucky jumped up from where he'd been gnawing on a bone and proudly carried it in his mouth.
“Oh, I forgot. I have a dog,” Annie said.
“What? When did you get a dog?”
“Actually it's the puppy Nick and I found in the snow. He was taking care of him but his cousin is coming home and he didn't want a puppy under foot. Anyway, I don't know if he can watch him tomorrow or not. Otherwise, I'll have to bring him with me.”
“That'll make the kids' day. So you and Nick own a puppy together? Very interesting,” Marilyn said.
“We don't own it, it's lost and we're watching him until his owners claim him.”
“So you're seeing Nick a lot, it seems.”
“Ummm. I know where you're going with this. We're just friends. He's only here a few more weeks and then will be returning to Africa or somewhere. I'm being friendly. He doesn't know anyone here.”
“Well, he met Brad and the other boys from the ranch and me. And he could expand his circle of acquaintances if he wanted. Open yourself up to possibilities, girl.”
“He's just a visitor.”
“If you say so. See you tomorrow at a bit before ten. I'll see if Clarence will start the heater around nine so the hut is warm by the time Santa opens.”
Annie sat for a long time after ending the call with her friend.
She liked being with Nick. They both knew it was just for the holidays. He'd be leaving in January. She looked forward to spending time with him. She found him fascinating. And funny. And interesting. And–
She shook her head. They were friends, nothing more. After he left, she'd still be in Lamberton, still have her nursery and have memories of a Christmas season that was turning out to be a little different.
She couldn't help remembering how much fun yesterday had been. Not doing much–but doing it together. Would she ever find the right man to fall in love with, get married and share their lives?
Jack had chosen another life style. Nick made his home on a different continent. Wasn't there someone for her?
Annie went home for lunch. She started a hearty beef stew cooking in the slow cooker so it'd be ready when dinner time came. Playing with the puppy to tire him out, she enjoyed the break before heading back to work.
Several families stopped by the nursery that afternoon to pick up a Christmas tree. Between customers, she decorated a small table-top tree with lights and a few ornaments.
“That looks nice. Who ordered it?” Joe asked mid afternoon as he stopped by the counter she had the tree on.
“Nick Keller,” she said. “I'll take it by on my way home.”
It would be a nice gesture and give her a chance to see him again today. The brief handing off of the puppy that morning could scarcely be counted as seeing him.
Shortly before closing time Annie's cell phone rang. It was Nick.
“I wanted to let you know we made it back safe and sound,” he said.
“How's your cousin?”
“Cranky.”
She could hear his protest in the background and smiled. Sounded like family.
“And is he mobile?”
“He needs a walking cast put on in a few days, so for now it's crutches, but at least not a wheel chair. How's Lucky?”
“Doing well, though I think he believes all the Christmas trees are gathered just for him.”
“Oh no, is he peeing on them?”
“Not quite, but he does love sniffing around them and plopping down among them. It's too cold to leave him outside, but he does love them.”
“Who's Lucky?” Annie heard in the background.
“I'll explain later.”
“Since your cousin is there and you'll both be spending Christmas in the condo, I did up a tree for you. I can bring it by after work,” Annie said. “In fact, if you don't' have other plans, I made a beef stew we could all share for dinner.”
“You don't have to do that,” Nick said. “But I'm glad you did. Sounds good. When will you be here?”
“Around six okay?”
“Perfect. Maybe Roger will want to take a nap by then.”
She laughed. “I'm looking forward to meeting your cousin. He can't nap that late, he wouldn't sleep through the night.”
“Yes, but if he were sleeping, it'd just be you, me and Lucky. Like it's been.”
She nodded even though he couldn't see her. For a moment she felt a flare of happiness. He liked it with the three of them, too.
“Tomorrow I might need you to watch Lucky, though you can do it at my place if you think he's a danger to your cousin. I've been tapped to be an elf at Santa's Workshop.”
“An elf? What does that entail?”
“I'll explain it at dinner. See you at six.”
Annie couldn't wait for dinner time. She closed the nursery promptly at five. Wedging the tree in the back of the truck so it wouldn't fall, she scooped up the puppy and headed for home.
The delicious aroma of beef stew met her when she entered her apartment. Her mouth was already watering. It was her mother's recipe and everyone loved it.
Feeding the puppy first, she gathered some toys to occupy him at Nick's.
When he was finished, she took the crusty loaf of bread that went so well with the stew, her crock pot and the bag of toys and headed for the truck. Lucky trotted along right beside her.
The roads had been cleared and were no long treacherous as the previous night. Still she drove carefully, not wanting the stew to spill or the puppy to fall off the seat.
Annie parked the car near Nick’s condo. Trying to balance the stew and the puppy wasn’t easy, but she managed to get to the door without a mishap. Knocking briefly, she hoped they heard her because she didn’t have enough hands to knock more than once. The puppy was already pulling on his leash trying to sniff the bush by the small porch.
Nick opened the door.
“Hi,” she said with a smile. “I’m here with food and a wild puppy.”
He took the leash and called the puppy over. When Lucky saw who now held the leas
h, his tail wagged at a furious pace as he rushed over and jumped up on Nick’s leg, almost topping over with excitement.
Nick scooped up the dog and opened the door wider so Annie could enter.
She headed for the kitchen, stopping when she spotted the other man.
“You’re Roger Keller, I’m guessing,” she said. “Sorry about your accident.”
“Carelessness on my part. You’re Annie, right?”
“Yep. I brought dinner.”
“That’s a life saver. I didn’t want to have to eat Nick’s cooking.”
“Hey, I’m a great cook,” Nick protested following Annie into the living room, the puppy still squirming in excitement and trying to lick Nick’s face.
“And who’s that?” Roger asked.
“Lucky,” Nick responded.
Roger looked at Annie. “Nice dog.”
“He’s not mine, but he is a sweetie.”
She continued to the kitchen and plugged in the slow cooker. The stew hadn’t cooled a lot, but enough that a quick warm up would be best.
“I have your tree in the truck and the rest of the dinner,” she said to Nick. “I’ll dash out and get it all.”
“I’ll come with you,” Nick said, dumping Lucky on his cousin’s lap.
“Hey, what am I supposed to do with a puppy?” Roger asked, caught unaware.
“Mostly hold him until we get the truck unloaded,” Nick said, picking up his jacket from the hook near the door and following Annie outside.
She had the back of the truck open and was pulling out a table-top Christmas tree–fully decorated.
“The bread and stuff is in the cab,” she said when Nick reached her.
“I’ll take the tree.” he said. “I can’t believe you transport it full decorated. Doesn’t anything get broken?”
“Rarely, we know how to wedge them so they don’t topple over.”
She grabbed the bag from the cab and followed him back inside.
As soon as the door was closed behind them, Roger released Lucky and the puppy dashed over to Nick
“He’s seems taken with you, Nick,” Roger said.
“He’s been living here for a few days,” Nick said. “We found him in the snow. So far no owners have claimed him.”
“So what are you going to do if no one claims him? Seems to me someone would have missed him by now if they were concerned about him. You sure can’t take him to back Africa with you.”
Annie continued on to the kitchen. She knew Nick would be returning to Africa at the first of the year, she’d known it all along, why did hearing Roger say it make her feel sad?
Nick put the tree on the counter between the kitchen and living area.
Roger looked at it and then at his cousin. “A Christmas tree?”
“A gift from me,” Annie said, coming back into the room and shrugging out of her jacket. “I own the nursery on Boswell Street.”
“That’s nice of you. I don’t usually have a tree. If I knew they could come fully decorated, I might have gotten one each year.”
“You’re not usually home over Christmas,” Nick said, clearing off the round table in front of the window. He put the tree there, found a nearby plug and plugged in the lights. The tree was full of bright colored lights that sparkled and reflected on the polished ornaments.
“Thank you, Annie. This is a beautiful tree,” Nick said with a smile.
“Glad you like it. Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. I want to warm the bread first.”
“Can I help?” Nick asked.
Roger looked at him and then at Annie. “I’d volunteer but am a bit immobile at the moment.”
“Very little to be done,” she said.
Nick followed her into the kitchen and lifted the lid on the stew. The aroma filled the air.
“Whoa this smells delicious.”
“I sure hope it is. Do you think Roger wants to eat where he is or at the table.”
“At the table,” he called. “I’m not that immobile.”
Annie smiled. She should have asked him directly.
When she took the bread out of the oven and began to slice it, Nick joined her at the counter.
Leaning close to him, she said softly, “How is Roger doing? It must have been hard to get here from Chicago so soon after the injury.”
“I expect him to crash as soon as dinner is over. With the time zone difference and the pain meds he’s on, he’s cruising on pure adrenalin now. A good night’s sleep will do wonders for him.”
“Then let’s eat so he can get that sleep.”
Annie enjoyed dinner with the two cousins. They regaled her with tales from their childhood. She could tell they were close, especially since they’d grown up in the same town in Oregon,
“So Roger, tell me, why didn’t you go to your parents’ home for the holiday when you were injured?” Annie said.
“I might have except they’re visiting our Aunt Caroline in Florida this year. It’s a trip they planned for almost a year. I didn’t want them to cut it short.”
“Do they even know of your accident?” Nick asked.
“No. I’ll give them a call on Christmas and bring them up to date. I hope I’ll be in a walking cast by then and back to normal in all others ways.”
“Like you’re ever normal,” Nick teased.
“More so than you, cuz. I didn’t go off to Africa to escape.”
“Escape?” Annie asked, looking back and forth between the two.
“I wasn’t running away from something, I always wanted to work for D.B.,” Nick defended,
Annie looked at Roger.
He shrugged. “Aunt Suzie died when Nick was in med school. Before he graduated Uncle Ed remarried. Seems to me you were doing what you could to get out of dealing with that.”
Annie looked at Nick. “That’s why you’re here, right? Visiting with your father now isn’t the same.”
He shook his head. “They sold the house I grew up in so they could buy a house together. I don’t blame Laura for not wanting to live in another woman’s house. But that house isn’t my home.”
Annie nodded. She understood not wanting to be a third wheel in a household that wasn’t his.
“I’m glad you decided to come here,” she said with a bright smile.
Looking at Roger, she asked, “If you’re from Oregon too, how did you end up in Montana?”
Nick grinned. “Yes, tell us Roger. We want to hear every detail.”
Roger sighed. “Followed a woman I thought was my soul mate. Only to have her ditch me a year after I began my practice here. By then I had started to build my firm so didn’t want to start over somewhere else. I like it here. I’ve been here for almost ten years now.”
Annie nodded. “I like it here, too. I had a chance to move but elected to remain in Lamberton. My family’s here, friends I’ve known all my life. It suits me.”
Nick was quiet, watching her conversation with Roger. He knew she liked living in Lamberton, everything she said or did proved that. Not for her the wild adventure of Africa.
For a moment he envied his cousin. He’d found a spot to settle down. He had his life just as he wanted it–practicing law in a small town, taking exotic vacations when he wanted.
Nick wondered if he could settle down. His life the last decade had been moving from one hot spot to another. Others in D.B. came and went. Some had been there longer than he had. Others gave it a couple of years and then returned home.
Would things have been different if he had a home to return to?
Chapter Seven
When dinner was finished, Roger excused himself for bed as Nick has predicted. Annie stayed long enough to help with the dishes, then got her coat. Lucky recognized the move and pranced over to the door his tail wagging in anticipation of a visit outside.
“Guess he’s going with me,” Annie said, zipping up her jacket.
“If you don’t mind.”
“No, but I can’t watch him tomorrow
during the day. Can you watch him then?”
“What’s up?”
She grimaced. “I’m going to be a Santa’s elf at the Santa Workshop. Steph came down with a bad cold and we don’t want to share it with all the kids. So I was next up on the rotation.”
“An elf,” he said.
“Yes, costume and all. I keep the kids in line and entertained as much as I can while they wait their turn to see Santa.”
“Costume,” Nick repeated with a smile. “This I’ve got to see.”
“No comments or we’ll corral you into a part.”
“I’m too big to be an elf,” he said, pulling on his jacket.
“We have other parts–photographer, reindeer handler.”
“Reindeer handler?”
“Yes, we’ll have reindeer there tomorrow–got to have them around if Santa’s there. I told you, one of the ranchers has them and lets us borrow them in December.”
“I’ll stick to puppy handler. What time do you have to be at Santa’s Workshop?”
“A bit before ten. We open at ten.”
“I’ll be there.”
“At the workshop?”
“You don’t think I want to miss you as an elf, do you?”
She sighed. “Come on Lucky, let’s get home.”
Nick escorted them to the truck. He opened the driver’s door for her and she put the puppy on the seat. Before she could climb in, however, he stopped her.
“Thanks for bringing dinner and for the tree.”
Nick leaned in and brushed her lips with his. He pulled back a bit and looked at her as if judging her reaction.
Annie was stunned and unable to move. She hadn’t expected–
When she didn’t protest, he leaned in again and kissed her, pulling her into his arms. The kiss when on for several seconds until the puppy pushed his face against theirs, trying to get between them.
“Oh, Lucky.” Annie burst out laughing as the puppy licked her cheek. “Yuck.”
“Your timing sucks, dog,” Nick grumbled.
She laughed again and kissed his chin. “Good night,” she said and climbed into the truck.
She refused to think about that kiss until she reached home. If she gave into daydreams of what might be, she could run right off the road.
A Teaspoon of Mistletoe Page 6