“I know you didn’t get to see everything at the Christmas craft fair a few days ago, but they’ve set up a tent outside with some of the same vendors, so I thought you could wander through there until it’s time for you to meet Lance.”
Lucy’s father reached in and pulled out his wallet. “Here’s your train ticket in case we don’t meet up until after we’ve boarded.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Lucy took the ticket and tucked it inside her small purse. “For a minute there I thought you were going to give me some money.”
He laughed and pulled out two twenty dollar bills. “Don’t tell your brothers.”
Lucy wouldn’t take the money. “I’m kidding, Dad.”
“Hey, if your old man wants to give you a little money, you need to take it.” He took her gloved hand and placed the bills on her palm. “Buy yourself a little something for your apartment. I know how much you love to decorate for Christmas.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“Now Lucy,” her mother admonished. “Don’t you forget to meet Lance.”
Lucy started to protest, but then Doc Taggart and Beverly were suddenly heading in their direction, and not far behind them was Cole Taggart. Now was not the time to argue.
“Okay, Mom. I better hurry up so I’ll have time to shop.”
Lucy darted away, hoping Cole hadn’t seen her. She still couldn’t believe she’d told him he had great kissing skills. It would be nice if she could rationalize and tell herself she’d told him that simply to pay him a compliment, but she’d been flirting with him.
Now she had two men she had to avoid. One she didn’t want and the other she couldn’t have.
She slipped behind a crowd of kids in line to write Santa a letter, and made her way toward the exit. A surge of townspeople entering the station blocked the exit. At this rate, Lucy wouldn’t even make it inside the craft tent. Inching around the outer edge, she got in a slow line of people leaving the building. There were several other exits in the depot, but she would’ve risked being seen by Cole.
A few minutes later, she stepped outside. The nippy air made her shiver. As she approached the entrance to the tent, she was disappointed to find it also had a long line. Quickening her pace, she veered right to miss a group of teenagers, and smacked into someone.
“Sorry,” she said, glancing up at the solid mass she’d just hit.
“Are you hiding from someone?” Cole asked with a smirk.
Not anymore.
“Why would you think that?”
He grinned. “Hmm, I’d say you’re definitely hiding from someone, but from whom?”
He knew. Somehow he knew she’d snuck away before her parents were introduced to him.
“I guess it’ll remain a mystery.” She sidestepped around him. “See you around.”
She quickly moved toward her destination, but Cole was close on her heels. “I met your parents.”
“That’s nice.”
“They said I just missed you.”
“And yet you found me.” She cast him an annoyed look. “Why are you following me?”
“Why are you avoiding me?”
Instead of answering him, she increased her pace. The cold air burned her lungs, her breath coming fast. Since she exercised regularly, her overexertion must be related to her recent bout with strep.
The opening to the craft tent was only a few feet ahead. If not for the group of old ladies in front of her, she could’ve made it inside and ditched the doctor.
Left without much of a choice, Lucy quietly waited in line, doing her best to ignore Cole. It wasn’t easy since he stood so close to her and smelled absolutely wonderful.
“So,” Cole said. “Your parents are Lamont and Lila, and you’re Lucy. Any other family members that start with L?”
“I have two younger brothers. Logan and Landon.”
“How old are they?”
Dr. Taggart wasn’t going to leave her alone. She might as well go along with it. “Logan is seventeen, and Landon turned fifteen a few months ago.”
“It must be nice having such a big family.”
He considered her family big? She turned toward him and lifted a brow. “How many siblings do you have?”
“None. Only child.”
The line inched forward, and Cole and Lucy both stepped forward. Curious about his family, she couldn’t resist finding out more. “Did you like that? Being an only child?”
“No.” Cole’s blue eyes met hers, and she read a vulnerability there she hadn’t expected. “My mom and dad weren’t exactly cut out for parenting, so it’s probably good they only had one kid.”
Lucy’s chest constricted, and she had to stop herself from reaching out and taking Cole’s hand. “From what I can tell, the son they had is pretty amazing.” She inwardly cringed. He was going to think she was after him. “I mean, you’re a great…doctor.” She was not going to mention their kiss ever again.
He studied her for a few seconds. Slowly, his face relaxed and he smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Does this mean you’re done avoiding me?”
Their eyes held, and Lucy couldn’t stop herself from returning the smile. “I suppose.”
The line moved forward, and Lucy could feel the warmth radiating from the tent. Neither of them spoke again until they’d made it inside. Cole looked around, and frowned.
“At least now I know where everyone buys their Christmas decorations. Snow Valley really goes all out, don’t they?”
“I know. Isn’t it great.”
He eyed her skeptically. “If you say so.”
“What’s not to like?” They made their way to one of the booths that had beautiful handmade quilts and wall hangings.
“I’m just not that into Christmas.”
Lucy stopped and stared at him. “How can you not be into Christmas? It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
“Not for me. It’s my least favorite holiday.”
“Do you have your stethoscope with you?”
Puzzled, he shook his head. “No. Why do you need it?”
“I just wanted to verify you have a heart.”
He smiled. “That was actually kind of funny.”
“I didn’t mean it as a joke. I’m serious. How can you not like Christmas?” It occurred to her that he may have grown up in poverty. Maybe that’s why he hated it. “Is it because you never got anything as a child?” she questioned softly.
He snorted a laugh. “Nope. My parents made sure everyone knew how much money we had by the elaborate gifts they gave me and to one another each year.”
“Christmas is about more than getting stuff.” She pointed out a beautiful wall hanging depicting the nativity. “What about the birth of the Savior?”
“I’m not a heathen, Lucy.” His eyes softened. “Believe it or not, I’m a believer who actually goes to church regularly, and not just on Christmas Eve.”
“There may be hope, then.”
“Hope for what?”
She reached out and took his gloved hand in hers, and led him back outside the tent. “I’m going to save you from becoming the only world’s living heart donor.”
He laughed at her joke. “Oh really?”
“Yes, really. I’m going to show you how incredible Christmas is, and we’ll start by buying you your very own magical reindeer bell.”
She waited for him to protest. Instead, he gave her a wink. “Lead the way.”
Using another entrance, Lucy and Cole were back inside the depot fairly quickly. Feeling overly warm, Lucy dropped his hand and removed her gloves.
“So how is a magic reindeer bell going to help me?” Cole asked, as he removed his own gloves and put them in his pocket.
Lucy moved toward the little shop that sold the bells. Part of her wanted to take Cole’s hand again, but she wasn’t that brave.
“Please tell me you’ve read the book The Polar Express.”
“Nope.”
&n
bsp; “Have you at least seen the movie?”
“Sorry, but no.”
They skirted around a family with little kids. “Are you riding on the six-thirty train?”
“Right now I’m not riding on any train. I agreed to come with Uncle Will and Bev to see if we could score a ticket for me, but I got sidetracked and didn’t make it to the ticket booth.”
Lucy knew she was the reason he’d failed to get a ticket. She glanced at her watch. Lance shouldn’t be at the ticket booth yet. Impulsively, she took Cole’s hand and changed their course. “C’mon, let’s see if we can buy you a ticket.”
“What about my magic bell?”
“We’ll get that later. This is more important right now.”
Cole grinned. “Whatever you say.”
Without their gloves as a barrier, Lucy was acutely aware of her palm against Cole’s. Feeling a little self-conscious, she let go of his hand, and immediately missed his warmth. They walked the rest of the way, and got in the shortest line they could find.
“I take it you really like this book,” Cole said.
“I do. I can’t believe you’ve never read it.”
Cole lifted one shoulder up. “Like I said, Christmas at my house was more about attending elite parties, and going to exotic vacation hot spots.”
Hearing the bitterness behind Cole’s words made Lucy sad. For some reason she really wanted to change his perspective.
“May I help you?” the woman in the ticket booth asked.
“Yes.” Lucy moved up to the window with Cole close beside her. “Are there any more tickets available for the six-thirty train?”
The woman tapped on her computer for a few seconds. “The only thing available for that train is in the deluxe North Pole car.”
Lucy knew those tickets were pricey. Even if Cole purchased one, she wouldn’t be able to sit with him. She wanted to be there with him, especially when one of the elves assigned to each car read the book aloud while passengers sipped on hot cocoa.
“We’ll take two tickets,” Cole said, pulling out his wallet.
“Cole, I can’t let you do that,” Lucy protested. “Those tickets are expensive.”
“If this is my first time riding the Polar Express then I want good seats, and I want you with me.” He handed the cashier a credit card, but kept his blue eyes on Lucy. “You are going to try and show me what I’ve been missing, right?”
She couldn’t argue with that. “Yes.”
“Good.” Cole turned toward the teller and completed the transaction.
“Here are your tickets. First class passengers board first, so make sure you’re here on time.” The woman handed Cole a shiny red envelope with an embossed imprint of the train on the front. “You two have fun.”
“Thank you,” Cole said.
They stepped out of line, and Lucy glanced up at him. “Wow, I’ve never traveled first class before.”
“I’ve never been on a train before.”
She smiled. “Thank you for the ticket. My family is going to be very envious.”
“Will your parents be upset you won’t be sitting with them?”
Immediately, Lucy’s good mood deflated. Lance Christensen would be the one upset. Correction, he was upset, and he stood directly behind Cole.
Chapter Seven
COLE WATCHED THE SMILE DISAPPEAR from Lucy’s face. However, she was no longer looking at him, but at someone behind him. Turning, he saw her…wanna be boyfriend.
“Hey, Lance,” Cole said, holding out his hand. “It’s good to see you again.”
Reluctantly, Lance gave him a quick handshake. “You’ll have to forgive me for not feeling the same way.”
“Nothing to forgive, man.”
He shot Cole an irritated glance and then focused back in on Lucy.
“Were you just gonna leave me here waiting for you all night?”
Lucy was supposed to meet him? Cole looked to Lucy for answers too.
“Lance, my mother only told me I was supposed to meet you here on our way over.”
“What’re talking about? Your mother called me and said you asked her to give me a message to wait for you by the ticket booth at six.”
“I obviously need to have a talk with my mother,” Lucy said sardonically. She blew out a big breath. “I’m sorry about the misunderstanding.”
Lance grunted and shook his head. “You know, Luce, if you didn’t want to be with me tonight then you shouldn’t have had your mom call me.”
“I never asked her to call you. I thought you understood that when I sarcastically said I needed to have a talk with my mother.”
Lance squinted, as if truly trying to grasp what Lucy just said. “Your mother must not like your new boyfriend very much, then.”
Cole stiffened. “She didn’t know I was going to be here with Lucy.”
Why on earth was he pretending like he was Lucy’s boyfriend? He should’ve stayed home like he’d wanted to do in the first place.
He’d reluctantly tagged along with his uncle and Beverly to the Christmas event. The chances of running into Lucy with such a large turnout had been pretty low. He couldn’t believe it when they walked into the depot and there she was right in front of him.
Earlier, Cole had told his uncle the whole story at the airport, and Uncle Will had laughed so hard Cole thought he might go into cardiac arrest. As soon as his uncle spotted Lucy and her family, he insisted they go over and say hello. The next thing Cole knew Lucy had vanished. And, instead of just letting her go, he went after her.
“Again, I’m sorry, Lance. Mom and I are going to have a long chat about her interfering in my social life.”
Lance ran a hand through his hair. “Lucy, with my dad not feeling well I really didn’t have time to ride on the train today, but I know how much you love it.” He shrugged. “When your mom called and said they had a ticket reserved for me, and to meet up with you here, I figured you’d dumped your new boyfriend.”
“No.” Lucy eyed Cole with trepidation. “I didn’t dump my new boyfriend.”
Although he knew he should just leave well enough alone, Cole reached out and took Lucy’s hand, threading their fingers together.
Lance’s eyes dropped to their intertwined hands, and then back up. “Hey, forget I even asked you to the Christmas Ball, Luce. I already know what the answer will be.”
Cole watched Lucy’s expression as Lance turned and walked away. He could tell she felt bad for the guy. Heck, so did he. It was harsh what had just happened.
“I’m a horrible person,” Lucy said.
“No you’re not.”
She sniffed. “Yes I am.” She sniffed again, and Cole was sure she was about to start crying.
“You didn’t try to lead him on.”
“No—my mother did.”
Cole choked on a laugh.
She glared at him and pulled her hand free.
He immediately sobered up. “We should probably head toward the loading area.”
She blinked a few times. “Okay.”
“Do we need to let your parents know you’ll be with me?”
She shook her head. “I’m never talking to my mother again.”
“I’m no expert, but that might put a damper on your Christmas spirit.”
That won him a tiny smile. “Shut up.”
For some reason he wanted to hold her hand again. He wouldn’t mind kissing her again, either. “Do we still have time to stop and buy me a magic reindeer bell?”
Overhead, a happy sounding voice announced the six-thirty Polar Express would start boarding first-class passengers in fifteen minutes.
“Probably not,” Cole answered for her.
They started walking with the crowd. A man with a big mustache, and wearing an old-fashioned bellhop looking outfit, held a lantern and started calling out to everyone to get their tickets ready. No one could ride the Polar Express without a ticket.
The guy was obviously an actor, and Lucy’s countenance bri
ghtened considerably. “I’m so excited. This is going to be magical.”
Cole’s chest tightened with an emotion he’d never felt with Nikki. It was joy. Being with Lucy made him happy.
“It is going to be magical. Thank you, Lucy, for sharing this with me.”
She smiled, and it was the most natural thing in the world for Cole to take her hand in his.
* * *
Lucy followed the porter to the North Pole box car. Cole was right behind her. Christmas music played, and the aroma of hot cocoa and fresh baked cookies scented the air. The deluxe car was much warmer than riding in coach. As she slid into a private booth, she already knew she wouldn’t need her coat. She probably wouldn’t need her hat but her hair would be a fly-away mess if she took the beanie off now.
She started to shrug out of her coat, and Cole assisted her before removing his own coat and sliding into the seat across from her. He wore a navy blue, crew-neck sweater that deepened the color of his azure eyes. His dark hair looked adorably mussed after he’d taken off his beanie. He smiled, and she felt her heartbeat quicken.
“That was nice of you to give away your ticket.”
“Well, since mine had been upgraded, I certainly wouldn’t be using it.”
“Most people wouldn’t care enough to bother finding out if someone could use the ticket.”
Under his admiring gaze, Lucy felt her cheeks flush. Feeling slightly flustered, she focused on her mission. Just call her little Cindy Lou Who because she was about to change Mr. Grinch’s mind about Christmas.
“Was there ever a time you liked Christmas?”
He studied her for a few seconds. “Yeah, sure. What kid wouldn’t like waking up to finding most of the merchandise from Toys R Us in their living room?”
Lucy couldn’t relate. While her father made a good living, her parents had never spoiled Lucy or her brothers. She usually got one nice gift from Santa, and the rest from her parents which were usually items she could use every day.
“When did it change?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It got to the point where I wouldn’t wake up early anymore. I’d roll out of bed around noon and go down to see what I didn’t want to keep.” His face darkened. “My dad was usually drunk by then, and my mother planning what she’d wear to whatever party they’d attend that night.”
Christmas in Snow Valley Page 5