McKenzie had been the one to tell Devin he had been in trouble with the law, he remembered. She was suspicious of him—as she should be—and protective of her sister. That part still didn’t make sense to him, given that Devin was the older sister.
He didn’t have time to puzzle it out as she hooked an arm through Ben’s and pulled him forward. “Cole Barrett, this is my fiancé, Ben Kilpatrick.”
“We knew each other in school,” Cole said. “Hey, Ben. Long time.”
“Hello.” Ben shook his hand firmly, though he seemed to be sizing him up in much the same way McKenzie had.
In high school, he and Ben had been friendly, though not really friends. They had played baseball together and had a few classes together over the years, but Ben had kept to himself in those days, sticking with books and his studies, while Cole even then had hung with a much wilder crowd.
Ben, he knew, was now one of the top honchos for Caine Tech, the huge company that was building a new production facility in Haven Point.
He had also been instrumental in introducing Tricia to her husband, who also worked at Caine Tech. Right now that didn’t make Cole look very favorably on the man.
“You didn’t decorate the Delphine for the light parade?” Devin asked.
“Not this year,” Ben answered. “I only flew in this morning and there wouldn’t have been time. Besides, Kenz didn’t want to be in the parade. She wanted to watch the whole parade from start to finish, since she missed half of the Lake Haven Days parade.”
“What do you mean? You were in the very first float!” Devin exclaimed.
“I got to see the parade route. I didn’t get to see the parade.”
“We’ve got some chairs here for you,” Ben said, pointing to a grouping of two-deep chairs bordered on both sides by propane heaters.
The kids grabbed seats in the front and Devin fussed around them for a few moments, tucking in blankets and making sure they could see. The propane heaters sent out a steady warmth. While he couldn’t say it was toasty—that was impossible when the surrounding temperature was near freezing—it was at least comfortable, especially with the blankets.
There were more chairs than people and he realized why a few moments later when several newcomers arrived.
“Aidan! Eliza!” Devin exclaimed, jumping up to give hugs to the couple who arrived with a cute curly-haired girl around Ty’s age. “I haven’t seen you since the wedding!”
“That’s because you’re always too busy to get together when we’re in town,” the woman said.
This must be Aidan Caine and his new wife. Caine was the founder of the company that bore his name. Cole knew Aidan had purchased the largest property in town a few years back, along with half the commercial buildings in town.
“We couldn’t miss the parade,” Eliza said. “It’s Maddie’s favorite day of the year.”
“I love, love, love the parade,” the little girl exclaimed.
“So do I!” Devin hugged her, then led her over to Ty and Jazmyn.
“I have a new friend for you,” Devin told them. “This is Maddie Hayward, one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. Maddie, these are my buddies Jazmyn and Ty.”
“Hi!” she chirped, and Cole saw she was missing a tooth, just like Ty. She had the same mischievous look in her eyes, too. He had a feeling the kids, at least, would get along like gangbusters.
Someone made an announcement on loudspeakers set up around the park that the parade was about to begin and then Christmas music began playing.
He eased back in his chair, enjoying the cold night and the stars and the conversation flowing around him. At one point, McKenzie started passing around mulled wine to the adults but he declined, of course. He didn’t drink anymore, ever.
Instead, he took a paper mug of the hot cocoa Eliza Caine was handing out, took a sip and couldn’t hold back a little sound of appreciation that earned him a grin from Devin.
“Isn’t that fabulous? Eliza made that for us one time last winter. Apparently it’s a recipe from Aidan’s father. I’ve never been able to appreciate any other hot cocoa since.”
“Usually it has a little drop of good Irish whiskey but this was for the kids,” Eliza said with a smile.
“It’s delicious. Thank you,” he said.
After that, they were too busy watching the parade for much conversation. While the Christmas music continued over the loudspeakers, boat after boat passed by, each with colorful lights and decorations.
It was a unique, fun celebration and the kids seemed to be eating it up. Ty exclaimed that every boat was his new favorite, and Jazmyn watched with her eyes big and her face cradled in both mittened hands. As he watched the changing lights play over their features, he was suddenly so very glad he had agreed to bring them. After the trauma and pain of losing their mother, they needed a little Christmas magic and joy to give them hope.
He had less than a week to throw together a bright, perfect Christmas for them. How the hell was he going to pull it off with Tricia in the hospital? Presents, stockings, Christmas dinner. It was overwhelming for a guy who hadn’t had much practice.
“Are you doing okay?”
He glanced over at Devin, bundled up beside him in a thick blue blanket. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, which should have clashed with her auburn hair but somehow just made her look vibrant and more lovely than ever.
“Yeah. Fine.”
“You were frowning. Is it because you’re not crazy about crowds?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not?”
“Well, you do sort of have a reputation around town as a bit of a, well, hermit.”
“I don’t mind crowds.” It was the individual people in the crowds that usually gave him trouble.
She gave him a doubtful look. “You’ve been back in town for several years but this is your first Lights on the Lake Festival. Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen you at any of the other town events. You must go out of your way to avoid them. Why?”
That was a particularly astute observation—uncomfortably astute. Since he returned to the Lake Haven area after his release from prison, he had basically stuck close to Evergreen Springs. He wasn’t an agoraphobic or anything. He traveled around to cattle auctions, to horse shows, to the occasional small-town rodeo with no problem.
If he wanted to have a successful quarter horse breeding and training operation, he couldn’t live like a hermit. Especially with his past—which was a matter of public record and a source of gossip in rodeo circles, no doubt—he had to mingle, to make connections and cement old relationships.
Those public appearances seemed easier away from Haven Point, though. When he went into town, he had to wonder what people might be thinking about him closer to home. People here knew his grandparents. Plenty of them probably knew his story, knew he had let his hard living destroy a promising rodeo career and that he had spent time in prison for giving a man injuries with lifelong consequences.
Early on, he had caught a few whispers and sideways glances from a couple of old ladies in the grocery store. One time, an old biddy had even clutched her purse tightly and muttered jailbird under her breath when he walked past.
It had left him gun-shy to put himself out there. He didn’t like wondering what people might be thinking or saying about him.
Devin knew about his past and she was still here, he reminded himself. She hadn’t once looked at him with scorn or disgust. She still extended the very same warmth and kindness to him and to his children.
“If you want to stay out of trouble in prison, you learn early how to keep to yourself and be content with your own company.” It was part of the truth, just not all of it. “I guess I held on to some of those old habits after I came here.”
She gave him a searching look. “Haven Point isn
’t prison,” she said in a low voice. “There are good people here who are always willing to give people a chance. Look at Ben. A few months ago, most people here hated him for closing the boatworks and letting the downtown buildings fall into ruins over the last few years. A few people still hold a grudge about that period of our town’s history but most have welcomed him back with open arms.”
“I’m not Ben,” he said gruffly.
That was the sort of man she deserved. Someone successful, accomplished, with a bright future.
He sipped at his divine cocoa, trying not to let that thought steal all the fun of watching his children enjoy the parade.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SHE HAD SEEN the Lights on the Lake boat parade many times over her lifetime, but she couldn’t remember it being so completely magical. The colors gleaming on the water, the enthusiastic crowd, the festive mood—all of it seemed enhanced this time. The colors seemed richer, the smells more intense, the music playing in perfect synchronicity to the boats on the water.
Part of it had to do with the children’s wide-eyed delight. How could anybody be cynical when Ty squealed with excitement at each new boat and even Jazmyn clapped her hands at one boat that featured illuminated animatronic penguins throwing snowballs at each other?
Devin was honest enough with herself to admit the children weren’t the only reason this particular parade seemed so perfect. The man seated beside her and the energy and awareness that sizzled through her whenever she was near him might have a little something to do with it.
She was developing a serious thing for Cole Barrett.
Throughout the parade, she couldn’t help sneaking little glances at him. She loved watching this big, hard rancher interact so sweetly with his children, smiling at their excitement and pointing out different features on the boats they might have missed.
He was a remarkable man. Yes, he had made mistakes. Serious mistakes. But he loved his children deeply and she sensed he would do anything for them. They were the reason he had come to the festival, even though she guessed it was the last place he wanted to be.
How could she help but be attracted to that kind of devotion?
The parade was short, less than twenty minutes. Any longer than that and the cold would probably siphon away some of the enjoyment. As things started to wrap up, McKenzie leaned forward and looked down toward the marina, the start of the parade.
“Okay, kids. Be ready. Looks like the end of the parade is coming up. I only see one boat left. Watch carefully because I’ve heard rumors a special visitor might be on the last boat.”
McKenzie sounded every bit as excited as if she were a child herself, which was yet another reason Devin adored her sister. She found joy in the whole world around her.
“It’s true,” Maddie said knowledgeably, craning her neck to see the last boat. “I saw him last year.”
“Who is it?” Ty asked, wide eyes reflecting the lights from the passing boat, a classic Kilpatrick wooden motorboat decorated with giant blue and silver snowflakes.
“Who do you think?” Jazmyn asked in a “duh” sort of voice. “Santa Claus!”
“Where? I can’t see him!” Ty jumped up for a better look but couldn’t see around the other boats, being vertically challenged as he was.
“Here, partner.” Cole picked him up easily and set the boy on his broad shoulders. At the sight of the big man holding tight to his son’s legs to keep him in place, Devin’s heart gave a painful squeeze.
Oh. What was she doing here? She stared at the water, inky in the December night. The colors of the boats melded, blurring into muddled rainbows.
For someone who prided herself on being smart and savvy in most areas of her life, she was very afraid she might have made a monumental mistake here. She was growing entirely too entrenched in the lives of Cole and his children. They were becoming immeasurably dear to her.
It was one thing to help out the man a little here and there while his sister was in the hospital and his family was in turmoil. It was quite another to let these children, this man, sneak into her heart while she wasn’t paying attention.
In a burst of color and music and shrieking children, the parade ended with Santa Claus waving as his ride sailed on toward Shelter Springs.
“That was the best parade ever,” Ty declared, sagging back into his chair as if he’d just swum the length of the parade route.
“It was even better than last year,” Maddie Hayward said. “They had more boats and I liked the lights even more, especially the boat that had the Frozen princesses on it.”
“That was my favorite, too,” Jazmyn said. “Either that one or the boat with the penguins throwing snowballs.”
Maddie giggled. “Oh, yeah. That one was great.”
Devin loved the way children could make friends so easily. Why did it seem so much harder as a person aged? Not for her sister. McKenzie was so kind and enthusiastic that people automatically responded to her. Devin had always been more subdued, a little more content to stand back and observe.
She liked watching Aidan and Eliza hold hands, for instance, and the little besotted looks Ben and McKenzie shared, even though it made her feel more alone than ever.
She wasn’t envious. She would never begrudge her sister the happiness she and Ben had found, and Aidan and Eliza seemed supremely perfect for each other.
Seeing them together only reinforced the different turn her life had taken, starting when she was a teenage girl waking up from surgery to find everything had changed.
She pushed away the familiar little burst of regret. As everybody stood up, preparing to leave, she turned to her sister. “Thanks for letting us crash your party.”
“You’re welcome.” McKenzie sent Cole a sidelong look. He was busy folding up lawn chairs and talking to Ben and Aidan.
“I’ll admit, I’ve been a little worried about you spending so much time with Cole and his kids, but—”
“You shouldn’t be,” she assured McKenzie. “Nothing to worry about here.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” McKenzie said.
She bristled on Cole’s behalf. “He told me all about his past. He made mistakes and paid for them. That’s not who he is anymore. Now he’s a devoted father and a hardworking rancher. The rest of it doesn’t matter to me.”
“That’s not the part that worries me,” McKenzie said quietly. “I know you and I trust your judgment. The kids are adorable and their father...yum.”
“Then why the concern?”
“I’ve never seen you like this.” McKenzie spoke quietly, her dark eyes worried. “I just don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied.
“I saw the way you look at Cole and his kids. This isn’t just helping someone in need. You care about them, don’t you?”
Her sister was always entirely too perceptive. “Sure. Just like I care about all my friends,” she answered with a casual smile. “Don’t worry about me, sis. Everything is fine.”
“I hope so.” McKenzie frowned and would have said more but Ty came up and tugged Devin over to watch him brandish his light-up sword at an invisible opponent.
A few moments later, Cole headed their way with Jazmyn.
“I want to see some of the booths,” she said. “Dad says we can at least look at the Helping Hands booth, with the things we helped make.”
“Great idea,” Devin said. She said her goodbyes to the others and then walked through the cold night toward the row of tents selling last-minute Christmas gifts.
At the Helping Hands booth, she realized her mistake in bringing Cole and the children with her when she found her friends Samantha Fremont and Katrina Bailey. They were among the youngest of the Helping Hands, still in their early twenties and a little man-hungry.
When they spotted Cole in all his raw gorgeousness, Katrina nudged Sam and they both just about drooled on the spot, then gave Devin envious—and speculative—looks when they realized she was with him that night.
She introduced them all a little stiffly before walking through with the children to find the things they had helped make.
Cole ended up pulling out his wallet and buying the last soothing rice bag—“horse training gives a guy sore muscles,” he claimed—and also a couple of the ornaments Jazmyn had helped with.
She said goodbye to her friends, quite certain at the next Helping Hands meeting she would receive an interrogation from the girls about Cole.
They walked into a few other booths, just out of courtesy to people she knew. As they were heading for the booth where Archie and Paul from her yoga group were selling some of their beautiful folk art wood carvings, Devin spotted a familiar figure standing just inside the canvas tent with a little yellow dog on a leash.
She tensed as Ty spotted him at the same time. “Look! There’s our grandpa!” he exclaimed. “And he’s got Buster with him. Can we go say hi?”
“I don’t—” Cole began, but his son didn’t wait for his answer before racing through the crowd toward Stan and his puppy, leaving them no choice but to follow.
“Hi, Grandpa. Hi, Buster!”
“Why, hello there,” Stan said. She couldn’t accuse him of coming to the Lights on the Lake Festival as some circuitous way of engineering this encounter, not when he looked genuinely surprised to see them.
He gazed at all three of them—Cole, Jazmyn and Ty—with a look of such yearning, it made her chest ache.
“Hi, Grandpa,” Jazmyn said, with a wary look at her father first.
“So these are the grandkids you were talking about, Stan?” Archie smiled.
“Yes. The lovely young lady is Jazmyn and the boy is Tyler.”
“Did you see all the boats in the parade, Grandpa?” Ty asked.
“I did.”
“Did Buster like it?”
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