Angelique’s silky black brow arched. “Brave but foolish. Going against Ms. Clydelle would likely set off another explosion big enough to take out the other half of North America, and possibly Central and South America, too.”
“True. Canada and Peru are on my must-see list, so they’re probably worth saving. The problem is…” Accomplishing a big project like decorating an entire town without throwing herself into Ross’s arms and kissing him silly might be harder than Kimberly cared to admit.
But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
If she let him see beneath the flamboyant exterior, he’d know the truth. She wasn’t a whole person on the inside. A fact she’d rather keep to herself. For the rest of her life, thank you very much.
Angelique rolled an index finger in a keep talking gesture. “What’s the problem?”
Kimberly shook her head because Angelique would tell her that she was being foolish to keep her distance from Ross. Her buddy, who knew her better than anyone, still wouldn’t understand, because Angelique had grown up with a close, loving family and didn’t have the hang-ups of a foster kid. “Nothing. Never mind.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Angelique asked.
“Well, first, I’m going to go flog myself for opening my big fat mouth.” Kimberly scooted to the edge of her chair and ran a set of fingers through her short blonde hair. “Forty or so lashes should do it.”
Angelique nodded. “Melodramatic, but okay. Whatever works for you, girlfriend.”
Kimberly pushed out of her chair with a deep exhale. “After that, I guess I’ll get my ass moving and get the job done. Ross will be here after work. He was a victim of Chairperson Clydelle’s gavel, too, and has to work with me on the decorations.” Kimberly scrunched her shoulders and held her thumb and forefinger a half inch apart. “I need a teensy-weensy favor.”
Angelique sat back in her chair. “Which would be?”
“Can you stay and help us out with ideas?” So Kimberly wouldn’t be alone with Ross any longer than necessary.
“I’ll try to think of something while I’m in the shower, because that’s all the free time I have right now. You know there’s not many things I wouldn’t do for you, including taking a bullet or throwing myself in front of a train, but I’m pretty bogged down at the moment.” Angelique tapped a thick file that was sitting on her desk. “I have this big case coming up, and we need the money. Clients get pretty tight-fisted this time of year and don’t always pay their bills until after the holidays.”
So true. Angelique was the real money maker between the two of them because Kimberly handled more of the pro bono side of the firm or the clients who didn’t have much income to spare, which was the nature of her chosen legal specialty. Plus, Kimberly would never want to take up Ang’s time that could be spent with her young kids.
Kimberly knew all too well what it was like to be neglected by parents, especially during the holidays.
She held out her hand and waggled all five fingers. “Gimme some of it to work on tonight when I’m watching television in bed alone on a Friday night with cold cream on my face and curlers in my hair because, yes, that’s how pathetic my life is.”
Angelique peered over the rim of her glasses again with a deadpan stare.
“Seriously.” Kimberly softened her tone. “I love you enough not to let you suffer alone. I’ll work on whatever you need tonight when I’m done meeting with Ross.” She shrugged. “I also have the weekend free to help out with the case, because, you know, the pathetic life and all.”
Angelique thumbed through the file and withdrew a small stack of papers. She placed them in Kimberly’s hands. “I need an outline for a brief. I can draft the full document myself, but it would hurry the process along and help tremendously if you can come up with bullet points for the argument I need to make to the court.”
“Done. In return, stop getting it on in the shower with Dr. Tall, Dark, and Hotsome so you really can help me think up creative ideas that don’t cost a lot of money.” Kimberly walked away, stopping in the doorway to look over her shoulder. “Now, about that flogging. Have you seen my cat o’ nine tails laying around anywhere?”
Because she was likely going to need it to remind herself to resist the allure of Ross’s rugged scruff, sparkling eyes, and nicely filled-out mechanic’s coveralls.
Chapter Four
Ross turned the wrench one more time, withdrew his head from under the hood of the car he was working on, and glanced at the clock hanging above a massive red tool box.
Quittin’ time.
He pulled a red rag from the pocket of his coveralls and wiped the grease from his hands.
He had just enough time to get cleaned up, place an order for takeout, then join Kimberly at her office to start working on a plan, code named How the Petite Blonde Grinch Almost Stole Christmas.
He chuckled and tossed the rag into the laundry bin filled with more greasy rags.
Finally, he had a good excuse to spend time with her. Maybe even find out why she’d withdrawn from him several months ago, just as their relationship had felt like it was going somewhere beyond palling around.
He slammed the hood of the classic Thunderbird—shipped to him from an out-of-state client because classic cars were his specialty—and locked up the shop to head home. Dusk turned the snow-covered mountains lavender as he trod across the street to Papa Bear’s Lodge. Every cabin on the premises twinkled with big, old fashioned Christmas lights in multi-colors, the same way his parents had decorated the lodge every year when Ross and Noelle were growing up.
Until they’d lost her, and his parents had stopped decorating at all.
Sadness crept from his chest into his stomach and formed a knot. Always did when he thought of his parents’ attempt to cover their grief by erasing reminders of Noelle.
Ross usually stopped by to check in with the reception desk clerk after work. Not today. Instead, he veered right and followed the snow-packed road that twisted and turned through the rental cabins dotting the grounds. Then he headed to his own cabin—the home he and Noelle had grown up in—that sat nestled in a grove of ponderosa pines on the back of the lodge’s property, where the river butted up against his back yard.
He found himself whistling. Hurrying. Anticipating.
As though tonight was a date with Kimberly.
Which it wasn’t, as much as he’d wanted it to be, before she’d doused Red River’s Christmas cheer with a bucket of Grinch-green water.
Maybe this was his chance to figure out why she’d pretty much ended their friendship in the first place, because he had no idea. Things had been stellar between them. They’d started as buddies, sharing the occasional beer, frequent dances, and a lot of laughs at Joe’s every weekend when she drove in from Taos to spend time in Red River with her best friend. Once he and Kimberly became good friends, they’d paired up at community functions or social gatherings when everyone else had dates, spouses, or partners.
One evening at Joe’s, she’d had a little too much to drink and their dancing got more intimate. Sexy as hell, even. He’d been attracted to her for some time, but had let their relationship unfold slowly. Had let their bond build gradually because he’d gotten to know her well enough to be sure she didn’t let a lot of people into her inner circle.
He had no idea who’d hurt her, but he was one thousand percent sure someone had. If he ever met the douche, Ross would love to give him some pointers on how to treat a woman. Especially a woman as special as Kimberly.
Of course, Ross had to somehow convince her to drop the Grinch act because he could never get close to someone who’d rather skip Christmas altogether.
Twenty minutes later, he’d showered, changed into fresh clothes, and was firing up his vintage Ford pickup that he’d restored himself. He worked the gear shift on the steering column, the old truck’s snow tires kicking up fresh powder as he followed the path and turned left onto Main Street to pick up their dinner and a six pack of cold bee
r.
By the time he climbed the stairs and used a knuckle to knock on the door of Barbetta-Holloway & Perez, darkness had blanketed Red River, and the town’s twinkling lights resembled a pouch full of diamonds that had been scattered across a sheet of snowy white velvet.
The door flew open, and Kimberly stood there in the same mismatched clothes she’d been wearing at the meeting. “Hey.” Creases formed across her forehead. “Why did you knock? This is an office, not a private residence.”
He gave both the warm pizza box and the cold beer a boost, one then the other, like a teeter-totter. “My hands are full. I couldn’t open the door.”
“Oh.” She grabbed a handful of his jacket sleeve and tugged him into the foyer. “Well, then shut up and get in here before my pizza gets cold,” she said in that bold, bodacious personality he adored.
It was so much like his sister’s. She’d lived life without any limits once they’d gotten the news that her life wouldn’t be all that long. Her bright, cheerful light had been snuffed out way too soon, and the injustice of it all was something he still couldn’t understand or accept.
Kimberly kicked the door shut with one of her sequined boots and scooped the pizza box out of his hand. “I’ll get plates while you undress.”
He choked out a cough.
“Uh, excuse me?” he managed to ask between a strangled wheeze and a gasp for air.
She skidded to a halt. “Leave your jacket and gloves on a hook.” She pointed to a coat rack next to the door. “Unless you’re planning to sit through our working dinner in your winter gear? The heat’s on, but I can crank it up more if you’re that cold.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I just thought—” Another round of choked hacking had him clearing his throat behind a fisted hand.
Her big hazel eyes turned to saucers. Then pink seeped into her cheeks. “You thought I meant…” She snorted and slapped a hand against her slender thigh. “As if.” Another snort.
Well, hell. He’d be offended if he didn’t find her usual snorting and bluntness a turn on. It was wonderfully refreshing. Honest and down to earth. Qualities he rarely found in people, but she wore them like a badge of honor.
“I knew what you meant.” He totally hadn’t. “Go find plates.” He waved her off. “The pizza isn’t going to stay warm forever.”
“Okay, okay.” She sliced a hand through the air and marched out of the foyer. “Don’t be a bully.”
He stared at her as she disappeared down the hall, his chest tightening. She’d just said she’d never consider getting undressed with him, in not so many words. Yet his gut instincts told him that wasn’t entirely true. This unique woman with all of her spunky talk and eccentric clothes—the one he’d started falling for several months ago before she doused his hopes and cut ties and run—was a puzzle. The Grinch routine, over a holiday that brought most people cheer and happiness, only deepened the mystery.
“My office is the one with the hot pink walls,” she shouted from another room.
Why did that not surprise him? She was the only person he knew with the nerve to decorate a professional office in hot pink.
She yelled another command. “Make yourself useful and open us a beer.”
Ross shook his head, chuckling under his breath, and went looking for her office. It was kinda hard to miss because she hadn’t exaggerated when she’d mentioned the color of the walls.
They were the loudest color of pink he’d ever seen. A deep purple sofa was flanked by two chairs in the shape of giant hands. The chairs were such bright shades of blue and yellow that he’d bet they glowed in the dark. Her desk was across the room, with bookcases on each side. One wall had been converted into a giant chalkboard with childlike drawings all over it, and above the sofa hung several framed pictures of Kimberly with different groups of kids.
The bookshelves on each side of her desk were filled with community awards from where she’d lived and practiced law before relocating her practice to Red River. Most moving, though, was the multitude of plaques from various organizations that all helped children with healthcare, food, clothing, and education. Every plague was engraved with a message of gratitude for Kimberly Perez.
Wow. He’d known she was a good person, but he’d be willing to bet a real Grinch wouldn’t have plaques for community service hanging on the wall.
So, what was her beef with harmless holiday decorations?
Kimberly blew into the room, putting the pizza box, plates, and napkins on the coffee table in front of the sofa. “Like my giant chalkboard?”
“I do, actually.” He joined her next to the coffee table. “A long time ago, my dad and I used the same chalkboard paint to make one for my little sister on the back of her bedroom door.”
“You have a sister?” Kimberly asked, obviously surprised.
Most everyone in Red River knew that Ross’s parents couldn’t bear to talk about Noelle, so no one mentioned her unless Ross brought her up first. Obviously, he’d never mentioned his sister in front of Kimberly.
He nodded. “The chalkboard brings back some happy memories.”
“I represent a lot of children and single moms.” Kimberly walked to the wall, picked up several pieces of colorful chalk from a small basket that sat on top of a plastic table for toddlers, and sketched Wheeler Peak in all of its snow-capped glory. It was nicely drawn, a talent she’d obviously kept to herself. “The board keeps the kids occupied, and they like the bright colors I used to decorate the room.”
He raised both brows and nodded. “Kids feel the same way about Christmas decorations.”
“Maybe so.” She made her way back to the table and opened the pizza box. “But when a kid living in poverty has to choose between decorations or a toy.” She held up an index finger. “Just one toy, mind you. Or if they had to choose between pretty lights or a new pair of shoes that actually fit, I’d wager they’d choose the toy or the shoes every time.” She did a rolling gesture with that index finger of hers. “The beers aren’t open yet?” She snapped her fingers twice. “Come on, chop chop.”
He put the six pack on the coffee table and opened two of them. “Now who’s the bully?”
She served up two paper plates with extra-large slices. “Sorry, but I get a little cray-cray around the scent of pepperoni and mushroom with extra cheese. How’d you know that was my favorite?”
“We’ve been friends long enough for me to notice a few details.” He shrugged. “At least we used to be friends. I’m not sure what changed.” Even before she turned into a green furry monster.
She chewed her lip for a beat and plopped onto the sofa. “Pfttt.” She waved a hand in the air. “Nothing’s changed.” She swiped her bottle of beer off the table and chugged. Then she wiped the back of her hand across her plump lips. “Of course nothing’s changed. Why would you think things have changed?”
“For starters, the rambling is a dead giveaway that you’re not telling the truth and things really are different between us.” Ross took a seat next to her on the sofa. “And lastly, we used to be tight but now you avoid me like I’ve got body odor or bad breath,” he teased. Something in their relationship had definitely shifted, even before she turned into a Grinch. He stuffed his mouth with pizza before he blurted his thoughts.
“I’m an attorney. I get paid to ramble,” she said. “Plus, it’s been my experience that you can’t rely on most people to stick around forever. That’s why I don’t rely on anyone but myself … and sometimes Ang.” Kimberly sliced a hand through the air. “But that’s it, and I don’t even rely on her very often because she actually has a life that I don’t want to disrupt.” Her leg bounced. “So don’t take it to heart. I haven’t been around because I’ve been busy helping people with legal problems.” The bouncing got faster. “Let’s find a different topic. A better topic, like how the heck are we going to decorate the whole flipping town?”
“We’ll get to that in a sec.” He took a pull from his longneck bottle of beer. “I was looking a
t all of your accolades. Pretty impressive.” He pointed to the plaques and pictures. “Why didn’t you ever mention the volunteer work you did before you moved your practice here? Seems like you were a big deal in that community.” He bit into the extra cheesy slice, and his taste buds practically moaned with pleasure.
She shrugged, chewing on a mouthful of pizza. She washed it down with a swig of beer. “If you have to tell people you’re important, then you’re not.”
Humility. He liked that in a person.
“Which means I don’t want to talk about that either.” She stared at the label of her beer bottle. “I display those because they were gifts of gratitude, not because I’m full of myself, so next question.”
“What’s with wanting to cancel Christmas when kids love it so much, and you obviously love kids?” It was a fair question. At least he thought so.
Her torso went ramrod straight.
Obviously, she disagreed.
“I’ve yet to meet a child of any age who doesn’t love sparkling tinsel and shiny decorations,” he said, trying to convince her they were on the same team.
She tried to blurt out an exasperated response around a mouthful of pizza, then slammed a hand over her mouth.
He patted her shoulder. “Calm down before you choke to death.”
She chewed, glaring at him the whole time. When she was done, she said through gritted teeth, “I did not try to cancel Christmas.” She pointed to the plaques. “I wanted to do more for kids than just decorate a town with flashy decorations.” She pushed off the sofa. “You know what? Never mind. There’s no sense trying to explain something I’ve already explained a bazillion times.” She went and got a notepad and a pen from her desk. “We should get to work, because I’m sure we both have other places we’d rather be.”
No, there really wasn’t any place else he’d rather be than right there with Kimberly.
Kinda pathetic now that he thought about it.
It's In His Christmas Wish (A Red River Valley Novel Book 7) Page 4