I reached over and pulled her to me. We embraced for a long moment. I ran my hands through her silky hair and kissed her. She pulled back and looked me in the eyes and smiled. Her cheeks were flushed. She was so beautiful. Part of me hoped she would never get her memory back. How selfish was that?
“The family always has dinner in town at a restaurant called The Stone Terrace for Christmas Eve. Will you come with me?” I asked her.
“Do you think that that’s a good idea?” she asked me.
“Of course,” I answered. “It’s Christmas Eve. I’m not leaving you alone. Not with those thoughts in your head,” I joked, tapping her on the head. She giggled. “So, you’ll come?”
“Your family won’t mind?”
“Are you kidding me? They’re expecting you. My mother would scold me real good if I showed up without you,” I told her, grinning, imagining it. “It’s not like it’s some big secret that we’ve been spending all of this time together.”
“You’re right. Of course, I’d love to come with you, Cole,” Lindsay replied.
My heart fluttered, and I grinned at her like a schoolboy.
“I don’t have anything to wear,” she added. “I hate to keep borrowing Angela’s clothes.”
“We can go shopping if you want to. I’ll take you into town tomorrow morning.”
“Cole, I can’t let you spend money on me. You’ve done enough.”
I put up my hand to stop her. “I have enough money,” I told her. “Money is not an issue. Look at me. I’m thirty-two years old and have no family. I don’t go out. I haven't dated in years. Money is not an issue.”
She gave me a funny look.
“What?” I asked.
“Why is a good-looking, kind-hearted guy like you single, anyway?” she asked me.
I shook my head, lifting a corner of my mouth in a sardonic smile. “I had some bad experiences when I was younger and swore off women for good. I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately.”
She laughed at my little eyeroll.
“Well, maybe I do know what’s gotten into me,” I said, smiling at her. I captured her hand and brought it to rest on my chest over my heart.
She was smiling but her mind drifted far away for a moment. I knew she was wishing she could remember her past. We both looked away for a moment deep in our own thoughts.
* * *
The next morning, I took Lindsay into town to the dress store. We had no idea if it would be open on Christmas Eve but thought that we’d give it a try. I pulled up in front of the store on Main Street, and thankfully, the shop was open.
A nice old lady named Edna owned the shop, and she looked up as we walked in, smiling when she recognized me.
“Hello, Miss Edna,” I greeted her.
“Cole Hunter! How are you? How’s Mary Beth?” she asked. She was old friends with my mom.
“Mom’s good,” I told her. “This is Lindsay. She needs a dress for tonight. And maybe a couple of others.”
“Hello, Lindsay,” Edna greeted her with a twinkle in her eye as she took her arm. “Let me show you a few things. Cole, please look around and let me know if you see anything.”
I didn’t know what to look for. This was a woman’s shop. I gave Lindsay her space and stared out the shop window. It was flurrying lightly. Alec’s black pickup truck was parked across the way at the post office. I saw him come out of the building and thought about heading over to say hello to him, but then I saw that he had a girl with him.
Who’s that? I thought. She was pretty. Tall and slim with bright blonde curly hair. She was dressed up. Maybe they’re going out? Last time I talked to him, he hadn’t said anything about this girl. She must be new.
Hmm, I thought, and as he and the pretty girl got into the truck and pulled away. I’d have to give him a call later.
Lindsay came out of the dressing room wearing a green flowing dress with a silk shawl. It looked lovely on her. The color matched her eyes perfectly and accented her dark hair. She tried on several more dresses that were more casual and one formal black dress. I liked them all.
“Which one should I get?” she asked.
“All of them,” I told her. “And probably some jeans and flannels too.”
“No, Cole,” Lindsay protested.
“Yes. You need it,” I insisted. She looked like she was going to argue, but she knew she needed clothes. After a few more minutes of shopping, she found two pairs of jeans and three flannels in different colors. I told Miss Edna to wrap them all up and handed her my card
“You’ll look gorgeous in every stitch.”
She huffed and said, “You’re too much. Thank you.”
On the way home, she mentioned getting a job. “What?” I said, shocked.
“I feel bad not having my own money. You’ve been paying for me to live since you found me,” she said.
“Lindsay, what kind of job can you get?” I asked, trying not to sound like a wiseass. She already had a job as a photographer. She just couldn’t work right now.
She thought about it. “I could waitress or something.”
I laughed, shaking my head.
“What’s funny about that?” she asked, annoyance in her tone.
“Nothing. But nobody would hire you because you don’t have any ID. Or a social security number,” I reminded her. “And you don’t need a job. You have a job.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have that job now. Or access to my bank account. I hate spending your money. It doesn’t feel like me. I’m pretty sure I’m an independent person.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“That’s good to know,” I told her. “You can pay me back one day, if you insist. I won’t take it, but you can try.” She glared at me. “Everyone needs help sometimes.”
She shook her head. “There’s help, and then there’s living for free off someone else’s kindness for too long.”
“Look, if you want, I can find something for you to do around the resort. We always need help, especially when we get snowed in. The staff can’t get up the mountain,” I told her. “Like how Angela bartends sometimes.”
“Okay,” she agreed after a moment of thought. “Find me a job at the resort.”
“Okay,” I said, happy the conversation was over. I had no idea what she could do at the resort. Maybe we could use a photographer for the website.
* * *
We got home and got ready for the evening at the restaurant. Lindsay wore the green dress and looked lovely, as usual. I drove to The Stone Terrace, where we met the rest of the family.
Since we had a large family, we rented out a corner of the dining room every Christmas Eve. We did this to get out as a family at least once a year. We spent every other holiday at the resort.
On Christmas Day, we would spend the morning at my mom’s house, then there were activities planned during the afternoon at the resort with the guests. Since we were open 24/7 and 365 days of the year, we had to entertain the guests on the holidays, as well. One of the favorite traditional activities on Christmas Day was tree decorating. We had two medium-sized pine trees outside of the resort that all the guests were invited to help decorate. It was a fun time for the kids, especially.
Lindsay and I joined the family inside the restaurant and took our seats. My mom was there along with Brad, Angela, Reid, Bryce, and Abby, and my other brothers, Dax, and Harley.
We’d pre-ordered platters of food the restaurant chef had prepared for us. All of our favorites: beef, seafood, salads, four side dishes, and a variety of desserts. The food was delicious.
I was happy that Lindsay fit in with the family well. They all did their best to be polite and make her feel comfortable. The twins, Reid and Bryce, had heard about her camera and all the pictures she’d taken of wildlife all over the world.
“Can we see your pictures sometime?” Reid asked Lindsay.
“Sure, I’d love to show you my pictures,” she told him.
“We have a darkroom,” Bryce told her.
“A darkroom?” she asked, impressed. “Maybe we can develop some prints some time? You can show me how.”
“You don’t know how?” he asked her.
“I’m not sure, to tell you the truth. My camera’s a digital one,” she told the boys.
“Oh, we have a camera that uses film. We develop the negatives and then develop the prints from the negatives,” Reid told Lindsay. “We can go outside and take some pictures with our camera one day and then go and develop them.”
“Yeah, it’s lots of fun,” Bryce added. “Angela showed us how to do it.”
“Sounds fun,” she said with a smile for them and Angela.
“It’s been a hobby of mine since high school. Film photography and developing my own prints,” she told Lindsay. “I’m no professional like you are. I heard about your photos. I’d like to see them too.”
“I’m glad we all have something in common,” Lindsay told the boys and Angela. “I’d love to show you my photos and try out film photography. Sounds like a really fun time.”
“It is,” Reid and Bryce both said in unison. They had a habit of blurting out the same thing at the same time. It was a twin thing.
“How about a family photo now?” Mom asked the boys. “You brought your cameras, right?”
“Yep,” Reid announced.
The boys lined everyone up in front of the fireplace and set their cameras up on tripods. They set the timers and ran back to be in the pictures. Everyone counted down the twenty seconds until the first camera went off and yelled ‘Merry Christmas’ before the second one shot the picture ten seconds later. Nobody yelled together, and some weren’t even looking at the lens. I was sure the photos would be funny.
“I can’t wait to develop these,” Reid said to Bryce.
“They’re gonna be hilarious!” Bryce was laughing.
Everyone had an after-dinner drink, and we talked for another hour or so, enjoying family time. Abby started to get cranky, so Angela and Brad decided to take her, the twins, and Mom home. Dax and Harley invited Lindsay and me to have another drink at the bar.
“Sure,” Lindsay agreed.
Lindsay and I ordered beers. Since she’d been hanging out with me, she’d found a love for beer she wasn’t sure she had before.
We sat in the lounge, and they were playing soft Christmas music in the background. The entire evening was festive, and for a while, Lindsay and I forgot about our predicament. It was a good feeling to just enjoy ourselves for a change.
After our drink, we decided to take off. Dax and Harley would sit there until the lounge closed. A football game was on the TV they’d bet on between themselves, and they said they’d be heading back home after the game was over. We said our goodbyes, and I told my brothers that we’d see them in the morning.
“Good night,” Lindsay called to them.
“Night, Lindsay. Cole. Have a good one.”
We’d parked across the town square because the restaurant was busy and the lot was full. Also, the local pub was in the square, and it was a favorite hangout with the locals. As we passed it, loud music came blaring out of the open door, and several drunken people were singing Christmas carols outside on the sidewalk.
Main Street and the town square were decorated with wreaths and Christmas lights. The streetlights were adorned with lighted wreaths with berries. The benches that lined the small park and fountain in the middle of the square were decorated as well, and the lights in the fountain were glowing green and red. Christmas music played from speakers along the street and in the square. The little town was really pretty during this time of the year.
I looped my arm through Lindsay’s, and we walked along the sidewalk slowly, enjoying the festivities. Earlier in the day, there’d been a parade and party for the kids. One of the floats was still set up in the square and a couple was taking pictures by it. I recognized my buddy, Alec, and called to him. He looked in our direction and waved as he walked over to us.
“Hey, Cole, what’s going on?”
“Just enjoying the Christmas spirit,” I said, shaking his hand as he glanced at Lindsay.
“Who’s this?” he asked me.
“Stormy, this is Alec. Alec, Stormy,” I introduced them.
Alec reached out and quickly shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” she answered, smiling.
I talked with Alec for a minute, telling him I was in town for the yearly family dinner. He said that he was over at the bar on a date. That reminded me of the blonde girl I’d seen him with earlier today.
“Hey, I was in the dress shop earlier today and saw you with a blonde girl.” I asked. “You didn’t tell me about a new girl. Last time we talked, you were avoiding someone, but this wasn’t her?”
“No, no. Not the same girl. I just met this girl a few days back. Her name is Sophie. She’s from out of town, and we accidentally bumped into each other, literally. I don’t know how long she’s staying. I been helpin’ her with something, so we’ve been hangin’ out. Kinda just happened, ya know?”
I chuckled. Boy, did I know.
“Sophie?” Lindsay repeated. “A blonde girl named Sophie? That name sounds familiar to me.” She looked as if she was trying to remember something.
“Yep, that’s her name. As I said, she’s visiting from out of town, so you probably wouldn’t know her,” Alec said.
Lindsay nodded, still looking confused.
As Alec and I talked for another minute and wished each other a Merry Christmas. I grasped Lindsay’s hand and smiled at her. She had a goofy grin on her face. “What?”
“You introduced me as Stormy,” she teased.
I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “Ah, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice.”
“I think you like that name better.”
I chuckled. “Maybe she could be your alter ego.” We laughed, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an old, beat-up, grey, pickup truck driving slowly through the square. Lindsay gasped and tugged on my shirt. Her jaw was unhinged, and a look of sheer panic was on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her, starting to panic myself at the way that she was urgently tugging on my shirt.
“Those two men!” Lindsay cried, close to hysterics. “In that grey truck. They saw me!”
“Not the men from the pictures?” I asked her.
“Yes, it was them. We should follow them!” she hissed and took off toward my truck. Even in her high heels, I had to trot to keep up with her. We reached the truck, and I opened the passenger door for her and hoisted her inside. I ran around and climbed into the driver’s side and turned the engine.
I pulled out of my space but couldn’t speed after them. Too many people were in the square, strolling in the street. As soon as I got around the square, I turned onto Main Street to go after them. We didn’t see any lights in front of us.
“They must have turned off,” Lindsay said.
“Dax did say he saw them in town last week,” I remembered.
“Yeah, it was them. For sure. I saw the skinny man with the scar.” She grabbed my arm in a death grip. “They saw me, Cole! They both looked right at me! Now they know I live around here!”
Lindsay was almost hysterical, and I didn’t know what to say to calm her down. I was trying to look for the grey truck and, at the same time, think about what she was saying.
“Cole, they saw me with you!”
“Good, I’m like two of the one guy and four of the other. No wonder why they drove off so fast,” I said, annoyed now. I wished that I had seen them. Damn it.
“No, Cole, you’re not getting it. They probably know who you are. Everyone in this town knows the Hunter brothers. I was with you. Now they know for sure where to find me. At the resort,” she said slowly.
I looked at her as it dawned on me what she was saying. For a moment, I felt intense anger rage through my body. Lindsay must have seen it in my eyes because she calmed and loosened her grip on my a
rm.
“It’ll be okay,” she told me and herself.
“If they come anywhere near you or any of my family,” I shook my head. “Let’s just say they’ll get what they have coming to them.”
“Cole,” Lindsay murmured.
I didn’t look at her. I was deep in my own thoughts. I kept looking down every street as we drove down Main Street. Once we reached the end, I had to give up. They could be anywhere by now.
“So they live to see another day,” I grumbled and turned up the mountain road to the resort.
“Cole,” Lindsay repeated. “I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized to her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But I care for you, Lindsay. Those guys are a threat, and I won’t have it.”
She smiled at me. I gave her my best smile in return though I was still seething inside.
Lindsay
All night I worried. I worried about the men knowing where I lived. I worried about Cole killing one of them, or worse, them doing something to Cole or his family. Cole wasn’t himself that night either. I hadn't known Cole for too long, but I’d never seen him this angry.
On one hand, I was pleased. It said a lot about Cole. He was a tough man, but this was a different kind of tough. A loyal, protective, loving tough. On the other hand, I was worried about him. He wasn’t his normal, stable self. The intensity of his anger scared me just a bit.
I’d tried to tell him to leave me at a motel in town so I wouldn’t be a threat to his family, but he would hear nothing of it. He insisted that I not only stay at the resort, but that I stay with him until this whole thing was resolved. We’d called the sheriff on the way back to his cabin and reported the vehicle and where we’d last seen the men.
After we got home, the festive feel of the evening had been abandoned. Neither one of us could stop thinking about those two men, so we went to bed early. I was relieved when Cole opened his eyes in the morning and smiled at me. He pulled me close to him and hugged me. I snuggled into him. My old Cole was back.
He nibbled on my ear and moved his hand over my body. I felt his cock get hard against my behind.
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 32