Romancing the Holidays: Twelve Christmas Romances - Benefits Breast Cancer Research

by Crista McHugh

  “It looks like your Mommy could use some help.” Luke led the little boy back to his mother. “Would you like some help, Ma’am?”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much. This is much harder than I thought it would be, and the baby did not take to flying. My mother should be here any time. She was delayed.”

  Luke stacked the bags on the cart for her, listening to woman vent her traveling frustrations. She sounded like she needed a stiff shot a whiskey. If he stayed with her much longer, he was going to need one.

  “Looks like you are all set.” Luke turned to the woman, and the baby girl she was holding took one look at Luke and started wailing.

  “I’m so sorry. Men with beards scare her. Don’t take it personally.” The mother apologized.

  Luke nodded and turned to be on the lookout for Lindsay. He didn’t have to look far. She had observed the entire scene with the mom and her children. She was standing a few feet in front of Luke. He did a double-take.

  Sara had shown him a picture of Lindsay, so he’d have an idea of who to look for, but the photo had not done her justice. The woman was a natural beauty. Her long black hair curled just past her shoulders. She wore skinny-legged blue jeans with leather ankle boots. A black silk blouse was accompanied by a short jean jacket. She screamed city girl, but it wasn’t her attire that caught Luke’s attention. It was her eyes…big, bright blue eyes that were mocking him currently.

  “Do you have that effect on all the women you meet?”

  He closed the distance between them.

  “Guess you’re about to find out, aren’t you Hot Shot?” He looked down at the lone suitcase beside her. She was carrying a large backpack and tote bag. “Is this your only luggage?” he asked.

  “Yes, it is.”

  He picked up the suitcase and offered to take her backpack.

  “No, but thanks. That’s my camera equipment. No one carries my babies but me.”

  “Okay then. The truck is this way.” He headed out the sliding glass doors not looking back to see if she followed.

  He put her suitcase behind the driver’s seat of the truck cab. He glanced over at Lindsay as she placed her bags in the back seat of the cab. He imagined she preferred a nicer form of transportation other than his old work truck.

  Closing the truck doors simultaneously, Luke fired up the engine. He looked over to Lindsay, buckling her seat belt.

  “All set?” he asked, trying not to notice her shapely legs in her tight jeans.

  “I was born ready.” Her grin lit up the cab of the truck.

  “Is that so? Sounds like a story I might want to hear some time, but first I need to get you back to the inn before Sara busts a gut from excitement. I’m surprised she hasn’t called my cell phone yet.”

  “I’m just as excited to see her. It’s been entirely too long. I can’t believe we let time get away from us. We have so much catching up to do.” She was silent for a moment, taking in the scenery around her as they exited the airport and hopped on the interstate.

  “How far is it to the inn?”

  “About 120 miles. Sit back and relax if you want to. We’ve got a two-hour stint ahead of us.”

  “I’m too hyped up too sleep. So, tell me about the inn. From everything Sara has shared with me, I have built this mental image around the details. How would you describe what it’s like?”

  “The inn is a special place. Sara has created a warm and welcoming home away from home for people needing an overnight business stay to celebrating special moments in their lives. It’s an experience they won’t soon forget That doesn’t even touch on her cooking.”

  “That’s quite a supportive statement. Where do you fit into all of it?” She didn’t waste time. She jumped right in getting to know Luke and pumped him for information about the inn.

  He glanced over at her, frowning. “Why the third degree? You’ll be there soon enough and see for yourself.”

  “Okay. I get it. You don’t like to talk about yourself. Why not?” she pushed a little harder.

  “Lady, I don’t even know you. I’m trying hard not to be rude because I promised Sara I wouldn’t be, but you’re making damn difficult. Your visit is about the inn, not about me, so let’s leave the storytelling to Sara, shall we? If you need something to occupy your time, listen to the radio and look at the scenery,” he grumbled.

  Sara was going to kick his behind, but the woman was a nosy Nelly. He’d just met her, and she’d jumped on him like a buzzard does on fresh road kill. He could see what Sara meant when she said she went after what she wanted, but she was a little too aggressive for his taste. He had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. His instincts told him having her around for three weeks could stir up some trouble.

  She reached over and turned up the radio, scanning stations. When it landed on a Bon Jovi song, she left it there, humming along with the music.

  Luke’s shoulders stiffened. Great. He was going to have a headache by the time they got back to the inn on top of everything else.

  “What’s the matter? Don’t like Bon Jovi? Say it isn’t so. Everybody likes John.”

  “Not everybody.” He kept his gaze focused on the road.

  “Let me guess. You’re 100% Country music. Am I right?”

  She was grinning. Was she making fun of him? He gripped the steering wheel tighter. Sara. Think about your promise to Sara.

  “You would be right to the tune of about 95% I guess.”

  Her eyebrows raised. “Really? Care to share the other 5%? Heavy Metal? Soft Rock? What could it be?”

  “I like to listen to a little Schumann and Tchaikovsky from time to time.” He didn’t mention it was when he was drinking whiskey and relaxing.

  She gasped at his response. “Seriously? Classical? I would never have pegged you as a Classical man. Very interesting, Luke. I think it’s going to be fun getting to know you whether you like it or not. I’m very good at peeling back people’s layers to get to what is really underneath their exterior.” She rubbed her hands together excitedly.

  “Has anyone ever accused you of being intrusive or am I just the lucky one?” he quipped, sarcasm dripping from his words.

  Her hearty laughter surprised him. The sound was melodic and ricocheted through his chest.

  “Probably a couple thousand times, but in the end, I usually break through. It’s a beautiful thing. You just wait and see. We are going to be the best of friends, I can feel it.”

  “I think what you are feeling is jet lag.”

  Her laughter filled the truck cab. They rode in silence for a while. She continued humming to the music coming from the radio, her foot tapping to the beat. He noticed she had small dainty feet. Then he questioned himself as to why he was looking at her feet. That was just weird, Davis, he thought to himself.

  The countryside is beautiful, isn’t it? Even in its winter state of browns and yellows, it’s still stunning. The mountains sneak up on you. I love it. The landscape is so diverse. “Oh, Look! A pullover. Can we stop? Would you mind?” she fluttered her eyelashes at him playfully.

  “Does that really work for you?” he grumbled.

  “Usually. How about now? No? Not so much?”

  “I’m only stopping because Sara would expect me to stop. Otherwise, it would be a no. I need to get back. I have things to do.”

  She leaned over excitedly and hugged him. “Thank you, even if it is grudgingly done. I still appreciate it.”

  She smelled like lavender on hot summer day. Damn, she was intoxicating up close and personal.

  He brought the truck to a stop at the mountain overlook. “Make it quick.”

  “You got it.” She jumped out, opened her backpack, and grabbed her camera. Her eyes were shining bright blue.

  He watched as she stood at the rail looking left to right. The overlook was at the center of a deep valley that was surrounded by mountains. Below, you could see multiple farmhouses and cattle.

  She stood there for several minut
es before lifting her camera. She shot multiple pictures from various angles. He could only see the side of her face, but from the firm set to her mouth and jaw, he could tell she was concentrating. 15 minutes passed, and he was getting ready to call her back when she turned and came back to the truck.

  Her cheeks were rosy from the cold air, her breath shown in the truck as she put her camera back in place.

  “How could you not get out and enjoy that view? It’s amazing.”

  “I know it is. I see something like it every day.”

  “Are you always this grumpy?” she asked as she buckled her seat belt.

  “Only on days that end in y.”

  “Has anyone ever told you your cute when you’re grumpy?”

  She chuckled as his frown deepened.

  “The only person ever to accuse me of being cute is my mother, and I was in diapers,” he muttered.

  “We’ll have to see what we can do about that image of yours while I’m here, Davis. I can help you with that.”

  “I don’t need any help with my image. My image is just fine. You’ll have plenty to keep you busy with taking pictures of the inn. That’s your focus.”

  “Don’t be afraid. It won’t hurt a bit. I promise,” she teased.

  “This entire conversation has hurt...you are making my head hurt.”

  The sign welcoming them to Wilson’s Hollow appeared.

  They were riding down Main Street. It was early evening. Most of the shops were closed. Annie’s Diner was still lit up, feeding the dinner crowd. The wreaths on the light posts were lit, as were each of the Main Street shops with their twinkling Christmas lights.

  “Aww, what a quaint little town. How sweet.” Was she being condescending?

  “You’re definitely not in New York. You won’t get a latte around here.”

  “I’ll just have to suffer through, I guess.”

  He gave her a week and she’d be gone.

  He took the turn that led up to the inn, its winding road leading up the small mountainside to crest with the view of the inn, its bright porch lights welcoming.

  She gasped in appreciation of what stood before her. The two-story, lodge-like inn had a full porch on the second level with rocking chairs just outside the guest room doors. She could see a couple of cabins off to the side outlined by pathway lighting.

  It was now dusk, light quickly fading.

  The door opened and a squealing 5’ 2” woman came running down the steps toward them.

  “Lindsay, I can’t believe you are really here!” Sara barely gave Lindsay a chance to get out of the truck before enveloping her in a tight hug. “Oh, how I’ve missed your beautiful face.”

  Both women were laughing, the cold air of the night not seeming to touch them.

  “We have so much to catch up on. I don’t even know where to begin. You’ve been so many places. You have to tell me about all of them.”

  “I would love to, but do you think I could use the little girl’s room first? It’s been a long drive from the airport.”

  “Oh, my goodness. I’m a terrible host. Come in. Get out of the cold.” Lindsay grabbed her two bags and followed Sara toward the inn’s front doors.

  “Luke, will you…”

  “I’ve got her bag. Go on.” He motioned Sara on.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Sara told Lindsay.

  “Have a brighter day, I’d imagine,” came out of Lindsay’s mouth before she thought about what she was saying.

  Sara stopped just inside the entranceway. “Did Luke do something to…”

  “No, of course not. He’s just a little rough around the edges, isn’t he? I might have pushed a few of his buttons on purpose. That probably didn’t help with us being in tight quarters for two hours. You know how I am.”

  “Yes, I remember. Like a dog digging for a bone.” She doubled over laughing imagining Luke’s reaction to Lindsay’s questioning. “Luke’s more a man of action than words.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Lindsay’s statement raised a red flag for Sara.

  “I don’t think I like the sound of that. Now, Lindsay, Luke is…”

  Luke came in the front door preventing her from finishing what she was going to say.

  “Where do you want her bag? Do you want me to take it to her cabin?” he asked.

  “That would be great, Luke. Thank you. Supper is ready when you’re finished.”

  He sniffed the air. “Pot roast?” he asked hopefully.

  “Can’t fool that nose of yours. You’re like a bloodhound when it comes to food. Yes, it is, so don’t dally. I’m sure Lindsay is hungry after traveling all day.”

  “I could definitely eat. Luke has already bragged about what a wonderful cook you are,” Lindsay touted.

  “He just likes to eat, especially when he doesn’t have to cook it.”

  “Help me set the table. I’ll call Nate in a minute. He’s working on a new song in his studio.”

  “You look like married life agrees with you. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it back for the wedding. I was deep in the bush. Maybe one night we could watch the video and I can relive it vicariously through your eyes?”

  “Are you kidding? A chance to share the happiest day of my life to date with you? Any night. Every night would be fine with me.” Sara’s beaming smile was contagious.

  “Being married is that good, is it? You’re lucky. I hope it stays that way.” Her cynicism turned Sara’s smile upside down.

  “Linds, you just have to find the right guy, and it will be that good. Stop thinking they are all going to be like your dad. They aren’t. I have two under this roof as proof. I’ll introduce you to several more examples while you’re here. You don’t want to be alone forever, do you?”

  “I’m rarely alone, Sara. I have plenty of male companionship to keep me warm at night. It’s enjoyable and carries none of the hardship or hassles of a relationship. Besides, I’m too busy to be committed. The camera is my first love. You know that.”

  “Something smells delicious. Supper ready?” Nate joined the ladies.

  “Honey, you are just in time. Nate, this is Lindsay, my best friend from college. Lindsay, meet Nate, my husband.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Nate welcomed her.

  “Ditto.” Lindsay gave Nate a friendly hug.

  “Welcome to our home.”

  Nate turned to Sara. “Anything I can help with?” he offered.

  “No. The table is set. Food is ready. Now all we need is Luke.”

  The patio deck door opened, bringing a gush of cold air in with Luke.

  “Speak of the devil,” Lindsay said half-jokingly.

  Nate gave Sara a questioning look. Sara shook her head and mouthed “Later.”

  “Let’s eat, so we can catch up. I have a nice bottle of wine chilling for after dinner. We can kick the boys to the curb and stay up all night like we used to.”

  “You get the feeling we aren’t wanted?” Nate asked Luke.

  “This is one time I’d have to agree with your bone-headed ass.”

  “Luke, you promised.”

  “Sorry.”

  Lindsay’s smiling, squinting eyes assessed Luke.

  “Lots of layers, big guy. I look forward to the challenge.” She threw out the gauntlet.

  Nate and Sara exchanged concerned glances yet again.

  “Lindsay, tell us about your trip to Africa. What was that like? What was your assignment about?”

  “This trip was all about the Duba prides, the Botswana lions. They are believed to be the biggest lions in Africa. I was following two prides controlled by two magnificent males.”

  “Seriously? You were photographing lions…in Africa. I am utterly amazed at the life you lead. Tell me more,” Sara gushed.

  “It wasn’t just lions. There were buffalo too, and plenty of snakes to watch out for. I could have done without those.” She shivered. “I don’t like snakes.”r />
  “And yet you spent three months in Africa in the wild,” Luke muttered.

  “All my time wasn’t spent in the wild. I did visit several villages. The people are wonderful. They lead such simple lives. They have very little but want for nothing. They are completely self-sufficient. Don’t get me wrong. There is a lot of disease in certain areas. It’s very sad but most of the places I visited were like stepping into another world, back when you relied on the earth to provide and you worked the land and hunted to survive. Very basic.”

  Luke was confused by her comments. He didn’t take her as the kind of girl wanting to be subjected to primitive living conditions, yet she was gushing about just that. She was a walking contradiction.

  “These lions were unique. They hunted by day, so I could capture the hunt on camera. The stalking and attack of the buffalo was primal and vicious, but it was also majestic and spellbinding. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “I would have been scared to death.”

  “I had my moments. Especially at night in camp. It took some getting used too. Again, not my favorite experience overall.” She laughed, sharing the stories of the noises and animals.

  “Taking pictures of a bed and breakfast will seem pretty boring after an adventure like that,” Sara said to her friend, “but I am so glad you were able to do it.”

  “I’m grateful for the break and the chance to catch up, Sara. I’m happy to help. A few weeks in the cool mountain air will be the rest I need before my next assignment in the new year.”

  “Do you know where you’re going next?” Nate asked.

  “Not yet. I have a few options that have come in. I’m not sure yet which one I’m going to take.”

  “Ohhhh, Sara. Luke wasn’t exaggerating. This is the best meal I think I’ve ever had. It sure beats beef jerky over a campfire.”

  “You poor deprived girl. We need to fatten you up a bit while you are here. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.”

  Lindsay groaned. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’ve already been informed of your famous brownies.”

  “We have some of those for dessert tonight. You can judge for yourself.”

  “Here. Let me get these plates for you. Luke and I will clean up. You and Lindsay grab a glass of wine and relax.”