Trouble With Christmas (9781455544066)

by Mason, Debbie

  “You’re so right, ladies, and it gives us a chance to get to know Madison better.” Nell patted Madison’s jeans-clad leg a little harder than necessary. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having her here with me. She’s a godsend. And as you all know, I haven’t been too happy about how Hartwell has treated our town, but I tell you, thanks to Madison, my opinion of them is improving by the day.”

  Madison gaped at the woman. It was as though she’d been listening in on her conversation with Joe that day at the station.

  Stella nodded. “Mine too, Nell. I said that exact same thing to my bridge club last night. Hartwell is a company that cares, that’s what I said.”

  “You’re so right, Stella. And I’ll be sure to let my quilting club girls know you’ve changed your opinion about Hartwell when we meet tonight, Nell.” Mrs. Tate nodded like a bobblehead doll.

  A smug smile on her face, Nell waggled her brows at Madison. Dammit! The woman should write a book on the art of manipulation. And with this show of support and a promise of more to come, Madison was well and truly manipulated. But staying in Christmas longer than the end of the week was out of the question, no matter what Harrison said. If she’d helped change Mrs. Tate and Stella’s opinion of Hartwell to that degree in just three days, imagine what she could do when they spread the word, and she had four misstep-free days to work with.

  “That does my heart good to hear, ladies.” Madison patted Nell’s knee as enthusiastically as she’d patted hers. “But, if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I have a couple of calls to make.”

  “Don’t forget your list. You’ll probably want to put the dates in your calendar. There’s quite a few of them.” Nell grinned.

  “Right.” Madison faked a smile as she took the paper, fighting the urge to crumple the list and lob it at Nell’s head.

  As Madison speed-walked through the kitchen, she glanced down at the purple sweater she wore. It would have to do. She didn’t want Nell to overhear her conversation, and the only place she felt certain of privacy was outside. Spotting a pair of boots at the back door, she shoved her feet in them and snuck out. The crisp mountain air whistled through the trees and instantly cooled her boiling blood. Good thing, since she wanted to be calm and collected when she spoke to Joe.

  With her phone at her ear, she ducked around the side of the house. “Hey, Joe, it’s Madison,” she said as soon as the line picked up.

  “Madison, it’s Harrison. How are you?” he asked in that smarmy voice of his. He made her skin crawl.

  She’d deal with him later. “Put me on with Joe, please,” she said curtly.

  “I’m sorry, he isn’t taking any calls. He’s dealing with a family emergency at the moment.”

  “Has something happened to Martha?” She steeled herself for his response.

  “It’s a private matter, Madison. A family matter.” One, he seemed to say, that had nothing to do with her. But before Harrison had come on the scene, it would have.

  She struggled to keep the emotion from her voice. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much his jibe hurt. “When he has a moment, it’s important I speak with him.”

  “It’ll be some time before he’s able to get back to you. If there’s a problem, you’d better talk to me.”

  A gust of wind rattled the shutters on the window above her head, and she gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. “Okay, let’s cut to the chase. I know you’ve led Nell McBride to believe I’m at their disposal for however long my presence is required, but as per Joe’s directive, I’m leaving Christmas first thing Friday morning. So you better call Nell and clear up the misunderstanding ASAP.”

  “Sorry, no can do. Maybe if you hadn’t hit a kid with a snowball and ended up in a brawl with the women of Christmas, my uncle and Hartwell’s lawyers wouldn’t feel it necessary for you to remain beyond Friday, but you did.”

  Okay, admittedly, it looked kind of bad from their perspective, but she wasn’t about to let Harrison know that. And she had a feeling there was more to them keeping her in Christmas. “What’s going on? Why are you so determined to keep me here?”

  In the background, she heard someone’s urgent whisper and Harrison’s muffled response before he came back on the line. “Other than you creating a publicity nightmare for Hartwell, nothing’s going on. It’s my uncle and the company lawyers who are insisting you remain in Christmas, not me.”

  “Am I on speakerphone, Harrison?”

  She heard a distinctive click. “Ah, no, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I was, and you might as well put me back on so Tom doesn’t miss a word of our conversation,” she said, referring to the head of legal and Harrison’s BFF.

  “Paranoid much?” he muttered. Then the phone clicked again.

  She wouldn’t waste her breath responding to his comment. “Just so the two of you are aware, I might’ve ended up in the paper a couple of times, but I’m making headway here. In fact, just this morning several people told me how much Hartwell has risen in their estimation, and that’s due to my efforts, not yours.” Not really. But she wasn’t about to tell them it was due to Nell’s efforts and not her own.

  “I’m glad you’re doing what you can to rectify the matter, since you’re the one who created the mess in the first place. But until the company lawyers are confident a lawsuit won’t be filed, you will remain in Christmas.”

  She opened her mouth to respond when someone pulled into Nell’s driveway. She peeked around the corner of the house and groaned. Gage. She didn’t want to deal with him now.

  She’d made a fool of herself last night. Her cheeks warmed at the memory of waking up from the erotic dream he’d starred in to find herself nose deep in his shirt, her lips pressed to what felt like an impressive six-pack. And to make her night complete, he’d acted like a jerk when all she’d tried to do was talk to him about Annie. She shook off the thought that maybe his daughter wasn’t the only one who missed Sheena McBride and returned her attention to Harrison.

  “You know what, I’m pretty sure this isn’t part of my job description and—”

  His gusty sigh cut her off. “Look, Madison, my uncle’s going through a difficult time. Aunt Martha’s been hospitalized, and it’s not looking good. We need to keep his life as stress-free as possible right now. You know how much Hartwell’s reputation means to him, and for some reason, he believes you can change the town’s opinion of us. We’ve managed to keep your latest debacle from him, so if you care at all about my uncle, you’ll remain in Christmas for a couple of weeks and turn this thing around.”

  Maybe she’d been wrong about Harrison. He sounded as upset as she was. “Okay, I’ll take care of it. Please let Joe and Martha know I’m thinking about them.” Her voice broke a little at the thought of how much Joe loved his wife. Madison didn’t know how he’d go on without her. She cleared her throat. “If anything… Just let me know if…”

  “Of course. I’m late for a meeting, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll let you go.”

  “The budget, have—”

  “With everything going on, we’ve pushed the meeting back. I really do have to go, Madison.”

  She swallowed her objection to the meeting’s delay. For Joe’s sake, she had to suck it up and find a way to work with Harrison. “Sure, fine.”

  As she closed off, she heard the crunch of snow and huddled closer to the wall, struggling to contain her emotions. Dammit, she would not cry.

  * * *

  Gage walked to the side of Nell’s house where, unless he was imagining it, he’d seen a flash of purple and a familiar head of blonde hair. Nope, not his imagination. Madison stood with her back to him, her arms wrapped around her coatless body, a pair of… men’s boots on her feet. He frowned. “Madison, you okay?”

  She put up a hand, warning him off. “I’m fine.” Her voice was muffled.

  “You don’t look fine to me. Come on, it’s freezing out here. Let’s get you inside.” He rested his hands on
her shoulders and felt her bone-deep shiver.

  She shook her head. “Can’t. Not yet.”

  Shrugging out of his jacket, he draped it over her shoulders before turning her to face him. She kept her head bowed, her phone and a crumpled piece of paper clutched in her hand. Her nose was bright pink, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was trying not to cry.

  He took her icy hand in his. “If you won’t go in the house, we’ll sit in the truck and get you warmed up.”

  Once he had her settled, he started the engine, jacking the heat to high. He rested his arm along the back of the seat. “Want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.” She closed her eyes, leaning against the headrest.

  He gently brushed the strands of hair from her cheek, his fingers skimming over her soft skin. “Need me to beat someone up for you?”

  She cracked one eye open, a slight smile wavering on her lips. “I can think of a couple people.”

  After last night, he figured he was one of them. “Don’t worry, I’ve already beaten myself up.” Taking her hand, he gave a slight tug to get her to look at him. She turned her head, opening her eyes.

  “I’m sorry I overreacted last night. I guess the chip on my shoulder is bigger than I realized.”

  “I was only trying to help.”

  “I know.” He studied the small hand in his, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. “It’s just that as the girls get older, I feel like I’m in over my head. I’m not always sure I’m handling things the way I should.”

  She gently squeezed his fingers. “You are. And for the record, it wasn’t your parenting skills I was questioning.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, and thanks for what you did for Annie. She looks incredible.”

  She straightened, shifting to face him. “You didn’t make a big deal about it, did you?”

  “No, I played it cool. But it was tough not to react.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed.” She smiled. “You did good, Sheriff.”

  “Yeah, well, Lily did the zip-it thing behind Annie’s back.” He drew two fingers across his lips. “You want to share your secret and tell me how you managed to convince Annie to get rid of the makeup and fix her hair?”

  “She’s wearing makeup, just not as much as she used to. I showed her how to apply it with a light touch instead of painting it on, and her hair just needed to be shaped. I used to cut my own when I was her age, so it was easy enough to fix. It’s actually Lily who deserves all the credit. She’s the one who suggested we do makeovers, and I swear she knew exactly what she was up to. She got that same look in her eyes that Nell does when she’s up to something.”

  “Great, just what I wanted to hear. And speaking of my aunt, did she do something to upset you? You looked—”

  “I wasn’t upset.”

  He lightly tapped her nose. “Careful, it’s going to grow.”

  She sighed and tugged her hand from his. Shoving her phone between her thighs, she took the crumpled paper and smoothed it on her knee before handing it to him. He scanned a list of duties with Madison’s name written beside each one, struggling not to laugh when his gaze hit the middle of the page. “You’re going to be an elf in the Santa Claus parade?”

  “I’m glad you think it’s funny.” She leaned toward him, stabbing the page with her finger. “Check out the dates.”

  He didn’t need to. The parade was the same time every year. He frowned. “But you’ll be gone by then. How… Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh. Nell made a call to Hartwell this morning and got the go-ahead for me to stick around. Seems my picture in the paper wasn’t exactly the press they’d been hoping for. They figure I’ve managed to damage Hartwell’s reputation further, not repair it.”

  “That’s not true. Plenty of people stopped me this morning to tell me what a good sport you were at the church bazaar, and not just the men who got a kiss.” Although some of the old-timers declared they were now in love with her, several women from the ladies’ auxiliary had stopped him when he grabbed a coffee at the bakery to tell him how Madison had pitched in with the setup and cleanup. “If you want me to, I’ll give your boss a call.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate the offer, but with Harrison calling the shots, it won’t make a difference.”

  “Why’s that?” he asked, trying to ignore the part of him that was glad she’d be around for a while longer.

  “Joe’s wife is in the hospital. Harrison’s been left in charge.” She shrugged as though it didn’t bother her, but it was obvious it did.

  “You’re worried about something. What is it?”A wedge of guilt lodged in his chest, and he was tempted to tell her about his conversation with Ethan. But he couldn’t go back on his word.

  “Joe. I would’ve liked to be there for him. But it’ll be okay. He’s got his family.”

  “You’re close?”

  She nodded, looking at the hand she rubbed along her thigh. “I’ve always thought of him like a father, but I’m beginning to realize it was probably one-sided. Harrison’s his family, not me.” Her gaze flitted to his, her cheeks pink. “Pretty lame, huh?”

  “No, not at all.” There was something about her that got to him. Beneath her tough façade, there was a soft and vulnerable woman. “Don’t you have family of your own?”

  “No, but my friends Vivi and Skye are like sisters. They’re my family.”

  “When did you lose your parents?”

  “My mother died when I was twelve, and my father died when I was eighteen.” She shook her head. “Don’t… don’t feel sorry for me.”

  His sympathy must’ve shown on his face, and he did feel sorry for her. But there was something else, something about… “That’s what you meant last night when you were talking about girls Annie’s age needing a mother. You were—”

  She leaned over, covering his mouth with her hand. “Don’t try to analyze me.”

  “I’m not,” he murmured into her sweet-smelling palm. He lifted his gaze to hers. “Have you been baking? You smell like sugar cookies.”

  “Ah, no.” She tried to pull her hand back.

  He firmed his grip, then placed a soft kiss on the center of her palm. Her eyes darkened, the hurt he’d seen there moments ago turning to heat. “Tastes like sugar cookies to me,” he said gruffly. The look on her beautiful face urged him on, and his kisses grew hotter, hungrier.

  A needy whimper escaped from her parted lips and shot straight to his groin, shutting down the voice of caution in his head—the warning that if he kissed those pouty lips nothing would ever be the same. He slid his free hand around her waist, tugging her closer, drawing a finger into his mouth.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, her eyelids fluttering closed.

  He kissed the tip of each finger then brought his mouth to her ear. “You sure you weren’t baking today?”

  She shook her head, curling a hand around his neck, drawing him closer. “No, I ate one, maybe two,” she murmured, turning her face so that his mouth slid across her cheek to her lips.

  “Geezus, you’re sweet,” he said just before he covered her mouth with his. And instead of worrying that he was kissing a woman, a woman he had no business kissing—in his aunt’s driveway—all he could think was he finally had the mouth he’d fantasized about since the first day they’d met. Framing her face with his hands, he took advantage of her parted lips and delved inside her mouth. She melted against him, caressing his tongue with hers, tangling her fingers in his hair. He took the kiss deeper, losing himself to the wild mating of their mouths.

  He heard a dull thump, wondered if it was his heart, wondered if he’d survive the fiery heat of desire and lust she’d ignited in him.

  “What the hell are you two doing in there?” a muffled voice came through the driver-side window.

  Madison jerked back, her eyes wide and glassy, her lips wet and kiss swollen.

  Gage leaned his head against the seat, dragging in a ragged breath before he lowered the steam-fogged window. “Talking. We’re just ta
lking,” he said to the older man staring in at them.

  Ted raised a bushy, gray brow. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?” He jerked his chin toward an embarrassed-looking Madison. “She stole Fred’s boots. He won’t press charges if she gives them back.”

  Gage glanced at her feet, then shook his head. “She’ll be in in a minute.” He went to raise the window, but Ted stopped him with a hand on the glass.

  The older man looked at Madison. “You all right?”

  She blinked, her gaze flitting from Gage to Ted. “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for asking.”

  Ted grunted. “You better be getting yourself inside now. Nell’s worried about you.”

  “Oh, I… sorry.” She shrugged out of Gage’s jacket. “Thanks for the, ah, thanks for listening.” She didn’t meet his eyes as she handed him his jacket.

  “Anytime,” he said, but she’d already closed the door. Ted followed her up Nell’s driveway, shooting a hard stare at Gage over his shoulder as if to say, What the hell were you thinking? Gage wondered the same thing. He thanked God that it’d been Ted who found them and not Nell.

  As Gage tugged on his jacket, the scent of Madison and sugar cookies enveloped him. He’d never be able to look at a sugar cookie again, not without thinking of her and how she’d felt in his arms, how her soft lips felt under his. There was no help for it. He’d have to avoid being alone with her, being in the same room with her—because next time he wouldn’t be able to stop at just one kiss.

  Chapter Eleven

  Madison needed a caffeine infusion. She’d spent the last two hours in the church hall putting twenty kids through their paces, half of whom, like Annie, acted as if they’d been given a detention without access to their computers and video games instead of performing in the annual Christmas pageant.

  But the kids weren’t the problem. Toward the end of practice, with a little humor and cajoling, she got them on board. Her rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy” seemed to break the ice. She had no idea what they found so hilarious about her performance, but hey, whatever worked.