Kiss Me in Christmas

by Debbie Mason

  Her mouth formed a startled “oh,” and she looked down. She walked another couple of feet to the sound of fabric ripping. The tearing sound continued as she took to the stage. From where he stood, Easton could see the edge of her pink lace panties. He expected her to turn tail and run, but she didn’t. She said something to Ty that made his eyes go wide, then angled her body to him. Beau and his crew called out her name and others joined in. She glanced over her shoulder and waved with a movie-star smile on her face.

  “I hate to tell you this, E. But I think Ty just cut…” Chance didn’t get to finish because as Chloe stepped out onto the runway, she whipped off the dress like a seasoned stripper. Tossing it over her shoulder, she strutted her stuff. And her stuff consisted of a golden tanned body wearing only a pink lace push-up bra and panties. She played to the crowd, and the men hooted and hollered. As she turned at the end of the runway, she looked straight at Easton, blew him a kiss, and tossed her dress onto his head.

  He pulled it off, expecting to see his father, brother, and Grayson watching him for a reaction. But no, they were watching Chloe sashay her way back up the runway while cameras furiously clicked. Including Vivi’s. “You are not putting that picture in the Chronicle,” Easton growled at his sister-in-law.

  “Hate to tell you, mate, but in the next fifteen minutes, that photo will be on every social media site,” Grayson said.

  “Chloe, Chloe, Chloe,” the chant grew louder, and she turned. When she looked like she was about to take another stroll down the runway, Easton jumped onto the stage and strode toward her. He heard whistling, and thought it was Chance and Grayson, maybe even his dad, but ignored them. His sole focus was the half-naked woman staring at him open-mouthed and taking a startled step back. He grabbed her before she fell off the stage and lifted her into his arms. “Scarlett, you have some explaining to do,” he said as he headed for the tent.

  But she didn’t get a chance. A deputy blocked their way. “Chloe O’Connor, you’re under arrest.”

  * * *

  Chloe sat in the passenger seat of Easton’s truck wearing a tan deputy’s uniform, a champagne-colored cowboy hat, and dark shades. The disguise was the only way they could get her past the press staked out on the sidewalk outside the station.

  She sat huddled next to the door. “It’s not fair. Gage had no business having me arrested.”

  “His deputy clocked you doing forty miles per hour over the speed limit,” Easton informed her as he backed out of the parking space. “And you ran Grayson off the road, so quit complaining. You’re lucky all you’re getting is community service and not jail time.”

  But if Gage assigned her to the project Easton thought he had in mind, Chloe would probably prefer jail time. And while assigning her to community service might be overstepping the bounds of his brother’s authority, Easton wouldn’t be the one complaining. It worked in his favor. At least she’d be in town long enough to figure out if their relationship would stand the test of time and distance.

  “It was an emergency. Ty was depending on me.”

  “You wouldn’t have been much good to him lying in a hospital bed, now would you? Tomorrow you’re returning the Mustang. If you need a vehicle, we’ll get you something sensible to drive.” Like a tank. “And if you weren’t arrested for dangerous driving, you just as easily could have been arrested for indecent exposure. What were you thinking pulling a stunt like that? You could have caused a riot.”

  “I don’t understand why you’re all making such a big fuss about it. My bra and panties were no more revealing than a bikini. Besides, it wasn’t my fault. It was your aunt’s. The dress was a size two!”

  “Nell admitted she bribed Holly to change the treatments for your hair and face, and she apologized. But you’re the one who said you were a size two.”

  “Do I look like I’m a size two to you?” She chewed on her thumbnail. “And for your information, the last thing I wanted to do was stand half naked on a stage with hundreds of cameras and cell phones pointed at me. I’ve been so stressed these past few months, I’ve gained weight. I’m probably a size ten now.”

  Out there on the stage, no one would have guessed how she felt. But he could tell something more was bothering her, and he took his hand off the wheel to stroke her face. “You’re beautiful whatever size you are.”

  “So is Brandi. She looked lovely, don’t you think?”

  “Didn’t notice.” At her raised eyebrow, he said, “I was too busy reading the text you sent Grayson. And just so you know, the only one you’ll be sexting in the future is me.”

  She gave him a cute grin. “I think it takes two to sext.”

  “I can handle that.” He cast her a sidelong glance when she went quiet, her smile replaced with a preoccupied look on her face. “Chloe, I’m not interested in Brandi. The only woman I’m interested in is you.”

  “Are you sure? Because Brandi needs a man to look out for her, and she’s popular. Everyone likes her. No one likes me, Easton. Even your family—well, other than your dad. I’m not like Cat. Remember when she was arrested? Everyone came to the station and demanded her release. No one did that for me.” She glanced out the window.

  So that’s what was bothering her. Instead of heading to the ranch for the barbeque Liz and Cat had organized to celebrate Ty’s grand opening, Easton took the next turn. He drove down a deserted road toward Lookout Point—a popular make-out destination back in the day. For Chloe’s sake, he figured they could be a little late.

  Easton pulled up to the guardrail and shut off the engine. He leaned over and unsnapped her seat belt, then undid his. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.” A few yards down the path there was a bench with a great view of town.

  She glanced out the back window. “What about the press?”

  “It’ll take a couple of hours for them to realize you’re not at the station. We’ll be at the ranch long before they clue in that you’re gone. Besides, they’ll never find us here.” He got out of the truck and walked around to her side, opening the door.

  She peered out the windshield. “Where are we?”

  “You mean to tell me no one ever took you to Lookout Point?”

  “I wasn’t that girl, Easton. No one asked me out.”

  “Because you were hiding in the library. But I can’t believe no one asked you out our senior year.” The summer before twelfth grade, Chloe disappeared off the radar. Easton later found out she’d been reinventing herself. She’d gone from the cute, awkward girl he knew and liked, to a knockout. Her transformation had been all anyone could talk about the first day back at school.

  At his comment, she looked at him and raised her eyebrows. Right, there’d been only one guy she’d been interested in. Him. “Their loss,” he said, and helped her out of the truck.

  She tossed the cowboy hat onto the seat, making a face when her hair tumbled over her shoulder. “I have purple hair.”

  “Ty told you it would wash out in a few days,” he said and tugged her into his arms, kissing the pout from her face. He pulled back and looked down at her. “Chloe O’Connor, I don’t care what size you are, if your hair is pink, purple, or green; you’ll always be the most beautiful woman in the world to me.”

  She gave him a sweet smile, then touched the corner of her mouth. “My face is on fire.”

  Well, there went his plans for their alone time. It looked like they’d have to wait for another day. But right now, he was more worried about her. “Should you be wearing makeup?”

  “No, but I couldn’t go on stage without it.”

  “I’ll never understand women.” He leaned past her and picked up her hat. “You better keep this on.” He put the hat on her head. “You sure you’re up for a walk?”

  She nodded and glanced at his leg. “As long as you are.”

  He took her by the hand and drew her away from the truck to shut the door. “Stop wasting time. I’ll be lucky to have you to myself for another twenty minutes before they send out the cavalr
y.”

  “We probably have less than that. Your brothers won’t want to leave you in my clutches for long. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nell has a voodoo doll that looks like me and she’s sticking pins into it right now.”

  “The doll didn’t look exactly like you, but I took it from her anyway,” he teased, then tugged on her hand and started across the blacktop to the path through the woods. She held back, and he turned.

  Standing there in the too-large uniform shirt and pants with an earnest expression on her face, she looked small and vulnerable. “I know you think I’m joking, but I’m not really. You’re close to your family, as close as I am to mine. I don’t want to cause trouble between you and your brothers. Between my mom and your dad. “

  He stayed quiet. There was some truth to what she said. If they crashed and burned, it wouldn’t only be the two of them who got hurt. But when he looked down at her upturned face, there was only one answer he could give.

  “Scarlett, I don’t give a damn.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chloe sat in the back of Grayson’s black Yukon with Ty. They’d just come from dropping off Estelle at the Denver airport. Chloe couldn’t have asked for a better send-off for her friend and manager. Although Estelle did the whole stiff-upper-lip thing, Chloe could tell that having Cat and Grayson there meant the world to her. Her plan to bring Estelle and Cat closer, and remind her sister and Grayson how much they loved each other, had worked brilliantly. At least their improved relationships made everything Chloe had gone through at the fashion show worthwhile.

  Ty bumped her shoulder with his. “I’m going to miss the old girl. It’s just you and me now, Diva. Unless you’re moving in with Easton. You’re not, are you?”

  She caught Grayson’s eyes in the rearview mirror and her sister’s glance from the passenger seat. It was as bad as the barbeque at the ranch on Saturday night. Chloe had felt like she and Easton were under a microscope with everyone watching their every move. Within five minutes, she’d wanted to go back to Lookout Point or to his cabin. But Easton hadn’t asked, and if she was honest, she’d been a bit disappointed. Not that she let him know.

  But maybe it was better if they take things slow. If she wanted proof that it was, all she had to do was look at her track record with men. She’d rushed headlong into her relationships. And, invariably, a few weeks later, they’d fizzled out and died. Leaving her beating herself up for making another mistake.

  “No, we’re dating. It’s not like we’re engaged or anything.” Chloe O’Connor and Easton McBride. How many times had she scribbled that in her binders, making a heart around their names? Too many times to count. You’d think now that her long-ago dream had come true, she’d be over the moon. But all she seemed to do was worry, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He’d always been the unattainable guy. He’d been the prince, and she’d been the frog.

  “Dating here, right? You’re not going back to LA.”

  After spending the past three days hiding out from the press, the last thing she wanted to do was go back to LA. If she’d thought the picture from the engagement party was bad, it had nothing on the ones of her getting arrested. The gossip rags were running the photos side by side. And wasn’t that a ringing endorsement? Like any director would hire her now. And the thought of roaming around the beach house by herself, with nothing to occupy her time, wasn’t all that appealing. Of course Easton wouldn’t be there either. At least here she had a personal life, one that was looking up if she dealt with her insecurities. “No, I think I’ll stay in town for a while longer,” she told Ty. “I’m sure, a month from now, someone will bump me out of the actor-behaving-badly tabloid wars.” It was then that she realized even if she wanted to go back to LA, she couldn’t. The sheriff was issuing her community service assignment today. If she weren’t dating his brother, she’d be tempted to file an abuse of power against Gage. And wouldn’t that further endear her to the citizens of Christmas?

  Her cell phone rang. “Speak of the devil,” she murmured, then took a deep breath and put a smile in her voice. “Good morning, Gage. How are you? How’s the family?”

  Her sister looked back and grimaced, then picked up her phone. Cat’s reaction made Chloe wonder if she should be worried, but Gage was being pleasant enough. “Yes, thank you. Estelle got off okay. We’re on our way back now. Four o’clock at…Pardon me, could you repeat that? I think we have a bad connection.” Chloe prayed she misunderstood him because her pulse had already begun to flutter in her throat, her body becoming warm and clammy beneath her buttercup-yellow halter dress.

  He repeated the assignment. She’d been right the first time. “No, you can’t force me to do this. I refuse, I absolutely refuse to chair the committee to save Christmas High. I’ll run a drama program or a literacy program. I’ll do anything but this, and if you try and force me to, I’ll sue—”

  Cat leaned over the seat and grabbed the phone from Chloe and handed her hers. “Talk to him. It’s Easton.”

  Of course Cat called her partner. They all thought he was Chloe’s sugar pill. The one person who could keep the dramatic diva calm and make her see reason. Maybe they were right, but this time it was different. It was his brother who was bullying her and sending her into a panic attack. And she wasn’t exactly happy with Easton at the moment. He was in Aspen on a job. He’d left town the morning after the fashion show and had been gone three days. The man was not big on conversation and phone calls. She’d spoken to him briefly yesterday morning. No wonder she was feeling insecure.

  Ty gave her hand a commiserating pat. He, out of anyone, would understand why she couldn’t go back to that school. Easton should, too. She lifted the phone to her ear. “Do you know what your brother just asked me to do? No, correction, told me I have to do.”

  “I can guess. He wants you to work on the committee to save Christmas High, doesn’t he?”

  “No, he wants me to head up the committee. I’m not doing it, Easton, and he can’t make me. I’ll call my lawyer.”

  “Seriously, you’re going there again? First you were going to sue Nell and Vivi, and now you’re going to sue my brother. Didn’t we have a conversation about this on Saturday?” His tone was clipped. “I don’t understand why you’re making a big deal out of this. Yes, I get that you were bullied in high school, but, Chloe, that was years ago. You have to grow up and move past this once and for all. It’s a couple weeks out of your life. It’s not like you have anything going on right now.”

  She rubbed her chest and fought back angry tears. “Did you just tell me to grow up and get over the bullying I withstood for four years? Is that what you’re telling me, Easton?”

  She heard him blow out a breath over the line. “Look, Chloe, I know—”

  “No, Easton, you don’t know. Out of anyone, I expected you to support me. Maybe stand up for me to your brother.” Her fingers tightened around the phone. “But you’re right, this is exactly what we talked about Saturday, so let’s end this now before someone gets hurt. Good-bye, Easton.”

  “Chloe, you’re overreacting. Let’s—”

  Ty gaped at her when she disconnected. “Did you just break up with the White Knight? The only boy you’ve ever loved.”

  “I never would have given you the phone if I thought that’s how your conversation was going to go,” Cat grumbled. “Just once I wish you’d think before you speak, Chloe. Maybe try and be a little more like me.”

  “Oh, yes, because it’s so much better to keep your feelings locked up inside. So no one knows they’ve hurt you or said something that makes you mad or—”

  “I agree with Chloe,” Grayson interjected. “At least you know where you stand with her. Whereas you—”

  “Really, Grayson, we’re going to go there now?”

  Chloe widened her eyes at Ty, who mouthed, “uh-oh.” They both sank down in their seats as the couple finally opened up about what was really bothering them. On the one hand, Chloe was glad that they did, while on the other
, it would have been less uncomfortable if they’d done so in private. Something she’d have to remember.

  Ty handed her an earbud and stuck the other one in his ear. He held up his iPhone. “I’m listening to the audio version of the first book in Nell’s series, The Trouble with Christmas. Gage and Maddie’s story.”

  Chloe supposed it was better than listening to her sister and Grayson squabble for the next three hours. Thanks to Maddie’s antics, the long drive back to Christmas passed quickly. And by the time Grayson pulled in front of the Sugar Plum Bakery, Chloe felt she had learned some valuable insights into her hometown…and Gage McBride. Obviously, she reminded Gage of his first wife. And oddly enough, that made Chloe feel better.

  “We’ll listen to the end tonight,” Ty said, unbuckling his seat belt. “I have back-to-back appointments for the rest of the day. Thanks for the ride, you two.” He leaned forward and patted Cat’s head, then opened the door to the SUV, helping Chloe onto the sidewalk. “Stop by later and we’ll talk.”

  As Cat got out of the truck, Ty jogged down the street with a wave. When her sister handed Chloe her phone, she had a hard time holding back a smug smile. During the last twenty minutes of the drive, the couple had shared soft, loving looks. She’d even caught her sister tenderly stroking Grayson’s stubbled jaw. And Cat was far from a touchy-feely kind of girl.

  “Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” her sister said. “Your big mouth might have gone a ways in improving my love life, but it didn’t help yours.”

  Chloe had been doing her best to forget what she’d said to Easton. In under ten words, she’d ended their relationship before it really got started. Maybe Chloe had to learn to strike a balance between how her sister dealt with her anger and hurt and how she did.