Robyn

by Lucy McConnell

  “It will be. This is preventative,” Lux replied.

  “Keep me posted.” Robyn turned off the phone. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered to Ginger.

  “You’re doing your best.” Ginger rubbed her back.

  The weight Robyn carried was too much for Gabe to watch, even though he had no idea what she had to be sorry for. “I can do lights,” he said, making both women start.

  Ginger recovered first. “That would be a huge help.” She handed her purse to Robyn. “They’re in here.” She grinned another one of those secret smiles that were starting to grate on his nerves. “I think the ladder is behind the tree.” She stepped out of sight for a moment and came back with a step stool that would allow him to reach the highest branches with ease. “Here it is.”

  Gabe gave up trying to figure out how she’d gotten the ladder back there, or when. Or how they came up with all these decorations when the house was without a crumb fit for a mouse. And he was done worrying about the secret looks they passed. It must be a family thing, and he and Nick had no idea about how it all worked because they didn’t have a family. The situation was giving him a headache.

  “I’m going to help with cookies.” Ginger headed to the kitchen.

  “You know I’m going to make more, don’t you?” Robyn teased.

  Ginger flipped around and rubbed her belly. “I can never have enough cookies.”

  Robyn rolled her eyes. “The only woman in existence who has the metabolism to eat a world’s worth of cookies and not gain a pound.” She blinked, seeming to realize he was still there. “You don’t have a problem with heights, do you?” Robyn asked quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her gray eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

  Christmas carols blared from the kitchen and then turned down to a manageable level.

  “No. I’m fine.” He stared for a beat too long before catching himself. He took the end of the lights, his hand brushing hers. Suddenly, his attraction to her was up full force and fogging his brain. He climbed the steps, doing his best to keep from taking her in his arms. She was like a drug or something, tempting him with a look or a touch.

  One of the subsections of his bodyguard manual laid out specific rules for keeping the person you guarded out of your heart. Emotional entanglements led to disasters and mistakes. He snaked the multicolored lights around the top of the tree. Looking for the end of the strand, he saw the cord running into the bag. “How long is this thing?” He didn’t want to run out of lights.

  Robyn pressed her lips together for a brief moment. “Probably just as long as we need it to be.”

  He went back to work. “You’ve got more stashed somewhere?”

  “We have enough of everything.” She smiled up at him.

  He focused on not falling off the ladder as he got down. She was so pretty it knocked him sideways sometimes. “I’ve never had a real tree before. It’s nice. But …”

  “But what?” she asked, pulling more slack out for him to use.

  “Now I know what I’ve been missing.” His voice held a note of melancholy he wasn’t aware of before, and he hoped Robyn hadn’t picked up on it. They worked together in silence for a few minutes until he got on his knees to finish off the bottom. There was a lot of room under this tree for presents. Too bad they wouldn’t be here for Christmas. Maybe he could talk to his boss about him and Nick staying a couple extra days. It could be his surprise for Nick. With the extra filming, he should have the money.

  She answered him quietly. “Now that you know what you’re doing, you can recreate it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last three years, it’s that Christmas is what you make of it.”

  She handed him the end of the lights, and he plugged them in. The tree lit up, and Robyn clapped, squealing happily. “It’s beautiful.” She got down beside him and tugged his arm. “Come here, you have to see this.” Lying on her back, she shimmied herself under the tree until all he could see were her long, luscious legs.

  He shook those thoughts out of his brain—as best he could—and followed her under the tree.

  She scooted to make room for him, but their shoulders touched and her hip was against his hip. “Look up.” She said.

  He turned and found a beautiful sight. The lights, in red, blue, yellow, and green, glowed softly among the branches.

  “It’s so magical,” Robyn whispered.

  The tree was beautiful, but Robyn was more so. He angled his head to look at her instead. Her skin had a soft, timeless glow, like one of those old black-and-white photos of movie stars. He lifted his hand and ran his fingers down her cheek. “I’ve never met a woman like you.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  He smiled softly. “I’m just trying to figure you out.”

  She cupped his hand to her cheek and laughed. “Good luck.”

  He blinked at her humor laced with a bit of sarcasm.

  She recovered. “I mean, men have been trying to figure out women since the dawn of time, and no one’s succeeded.” She scooted out and sat up.

  He did the same, catching her rearranging her hair. There was a pine needle stuck in the front. He retrieved it and tossed it into the fireplace.

  “I guess we’d better get some ornaments on this tree,” she said slowly, like she was testing out the thought of getting up or getting closer.

  Their eyes met and held.

  “Um …” They turned to see Frost standing by the fireplace. “I really, really need to get home.” She widened her eyes at Robyn, sending her a secret message. This time, Gabe knew there was more to her request than wanting to say goodbye to her sister.

  Robyn hopped to her feet. “Thanks for coming down.” They hugged.

  Gabe slowly got up, dusting the pine needles off his shirt. How had he ended up with dozens while Robyn got away with just one?

  “Gabe and I were just going to hang the mistletoe in the hallway.” She dug in Ginger’s purse and pulled out a large sprig of real mistletoe with a ribbon attached. She grabbed his hand and took him toward the back rooms, stopping just out of sight of the living room and looking around. “Where do you think we should put it?” She placed herself between him and the living room.

  He watched her, all his senses going off that she was hiding something. He went to step around her, and she moved in the same direction, bumping into him.

  “Oof! Sorry.” She giggled.

  The sound of jingle bells rang out overhead, and then there was a clomp-clomp. “What was that?” He moved her to the side and ran into the living room. “Did you hear that?” He looked around wildly, then looked up.

  “I think it’s the music.” Robyn pointed to the kitchen, where “Jingle Bells” played.

  “I think I’m on Christmas overload.” He rubbed his temples.

  Robyn laughed, setting the mistletoe on the end table. “Maybe we should leave the tree and mistletoe for another time. You look like you could use some cookies.” She took his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

  He slammed on the brakes in the doorway. Paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and there were lights in the windows. “I thought the front room was festive, but this place looks like Santa’s workshop.”

  They all froze in place, like wax statues at Ripley’s Believe it or Not! museum.

  “Ha ha ha!” Ginger’s laugh was too high and forced. “All we need are some elves.”

  There were nervous chuckles passed around. Nick grinned like a fool. Gabe narrowed his eyes. No, Nick grinned like someone who’d been let in on the joke. Great, now he was the only outsider. That was a welcome feeling.

  Robyn pulled him right up to the bar and handed him a warm chocolate chip cookie. “Try this.” At her words, everyone started moving again, talking over the music or singing a few bars.

  He tasted the cookie.

  “Well?”

  He set it down and frowned. “I can tell you didn’t make it.”

  She cocked her head. “How?”r />
  “It’s missing … you.” It was a good cookie. Any other time of year, he would have snarfed it down and gone for another.

  She melted against his side. “That is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

  “I saw a flyer for the Christmas Festival today,” Ginger said, inserting herself into their conversation. She elbowed Joseph.

  He rubbed his side. “Oh, yeah. You should go, Robyn.” He sounded like a kid reciting his lines for a Christmas play. “You love Christmas festivals.”

  Ginger frowned. “It’s probably not safe for you to go alone.”

  “You should take her,” Nick added, pointing at Gabe. His acting was bad as Joseph’s. “Then she’d be safe.”

  Robyn’s cheeks dusted a fetching shade of pink.

  Though it was an obvious setup, Gabe wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass him by. He cleared his throat. “Would you, uh, like to go to the festival?”

  She grinned. “I would. Thanks for asking.”

  Layla clapped her hands. “It’s a date!” She turned and gave Nick knuckles.

  Gabe shook his head, but it was all for show. The fact that this chaotic crew had cooked up a skit to get him and Robyn out on a date was oddly inclusive. He felt like he’d passed some sort of initiation into the family, and it felt good. So good. But he’d be lying if he said it was anywhere close to how much he was looking forward to tomorrow night, when he’d have Robyn all to himself.

  Later that night, after the kitchen had been cleaned and they’d all consumed enough pizza to “feed a reindeer,” according to Layla, Gabe headed to his room to unpack. He had a queen-sized bed with a firm mattress, which he discovered by throwing his duffel bag onto it and noting that it didn’t sink three inches. The walls were cream-colored like the rest of the house, and there was a painting of a horse with a wispy forelock above the bed. There were three pillows on the bed with the same furry look. He liked the whimsical touch.

  He’d only been in there for a minute when there were footsteps in the hallway.

  “Gabe.” Joseph tapped lightly on his open door. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Yeah.” Gabe stashed his shirts in the dresser and shut the drawer.

  “Listen.” Joseph looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. “I wanted to give you a couple pointers on the whole dating a Kringle thing.”

  Gabe nodded, all ears. “Yeah?”

  “Christmas is it for these ladies. They go nuts over everything from wrapping paper to ornaments and decorations to gift giving. Crank it up tomorrow night. The way into Robyn’s heart is through Christmas. Give her a magical holiday, and she’ll fall in love with you like that.” He snapped his fingers.

  Gabe’s face burned. “I wasn’t exactly—”

  Joseph placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a little shake. “That’s the other thing you need to know. Robyn’s playing for keeps. If you can’t commit to forever, then you need to step aside.”

  Gabe’s heart plummeted at the words. Step aside? As in, let some other guy win her heart?

  “I know it’s hard to hear, but you’re better off knowing up front, and so is she.” Joseph gave his shoulder one more pat and then left.

  Gabe sat on the bed, his hand over his churning stomach. The pizza and cookie combo wasn’t sitting as nicely as it had a few minutes ago. He wasn’t the type of guy who jumped into anything. Playing it safe kept him and Nick on even ground and out of trouble.

  Joseph was right, though: it wasn’t fair to Robyn to give her false hope.

  The thing was, she was a woman worth taking a risk for, which meant he was going to have to step out of his comfort zone and dial it up to speed dating—Christmas style. He groaned. He might be able to handle speed dating, but Christmas? That was pushing it.

  Chapter 16

  Robyn

  Robyn pulled a dark pink lip gloss from her bag. She liked the way the color brought out the auburn shades in her hair and hoped Gabe noticed.

  Frost was in the corner on the floor, stacks of letters around her. She’d flown down a new outfit for Robyn to wear tonight. The gray pants were skinny and tight, stretching slightly as she shimmied into them. She had on a jade-green shirt and, over that, a green and gray plaid wrap. The calf-covering leather boots were a shade darker gray than the pants and matched a thin line in the plaid wrap. A green knit hat topped off the outfit. There was a pair of matching gloves to go with it. She’d worn her hair down, in waves with more shine spray than she cared to admit. Though she was covered from head to toe, without an inch of skin showing, she felt as stunning as if she were in an evening gown.

  Stella sat on the bathroom counter, watching Robyn do her makeup and pouting. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to get too close to the security guard when you’re working on the show.”

  “Why not?” Robyn pressed her lips together and then popped them open. Gabe had his reasons for keeping their … relationship? … under wraps. So she wondered what Stella’s objections were.

  “Because you’re trying to find a husband.”

  “What if Gabe is the guy she’s supposed to marry?” asked Frost, her eyes not leaving the page in front of her. She picked up a letter, scanned it as she moved it across her body, and then flipped it over on the done pile. Her mind held all the names and requests, and she’d spend twenty minutes or so adding the information to the computer system so Ginger could check it against the List.

  Stella threw her hands up. “If that’s the case, why are we going through all this song and dance on national television? You’re too deep into Thirty-Minute Match to ruin it all now.”

  Robyn glared. “I thought the purpose was to save Christmas.”

  “It is. You don’t get it.” She tapped her fingers on the countertop. “You’re a Kringle. Christmas Magic runs through your veins. You can’t marry a Scrooge.”

  “Who says Gabe is a Scrooge?” asked Robyn.

  “Weeeell,” Frost said from her perch. “His house is the only one on the street without lights.”

  Robyn frowned. “He’s a single parent.”

  “He didn’t stick around to make cookies and sing carols last night,” Stella added.

  “He had to unpack.”

  Frost looked up, her large, amethyst eyes seeming to speak more than her words. “The only thing worse than not falling in love is falling in love with the wrong man.” Her motive came through Robyn’s Santa sense—she wanted to protect Robyn’s heart.

  “Exactly!” Stella pointed a finger in the air. Her motives weren’t as easy to read—they were layered like colors in candy corn.

  “I’m not marrying him tonight—it’s one date.”

  “Dating is the intent to marry.” Stella put her hands to her hips.

  “If that were true, then you’d be married 245.4 times in the last three years.” Frost winked at Robyn.

  Robyn took it as a sign that she was on her side and began sidestepping toward the door to make her escape from this conversation.

  “Wait. Wait. Wait.” Stella waved her arms. “.4?”

  Frost nodded. “I’m counting your sleigh ride with the preacher last Christmas Eve as .4. You asked him to take a ride with you, and he agreed. But you didn’t finish the date—or spend all that much time with him in Oregon after my wedding. So … .4.”

  Stella dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling. “I’m never going to live that down.”

  “Well, perhaps if you’d ask him out again …”

  The rest of Frost and Stella’s conversation faded out as Robyn made her way down the hallway. There was something anticlimactic about a guy picking you up in the living room versus having to answer the door. She kind of missed the grand unveiling moment.

  She shouldn’t have been worried at all. Gabe’s eyes widened, and he took her in like a man who had been without chocolate for far too long. “You look gorgeous.”

  Robyn grinned and then pulled her enthusiasm back a little. “You look gr
eat too.” He wore a long-sleeved button-up shirt with a matching wool scarf. He had a leather jacket slung over one arm and a beanie hat in his hand. He motioned for her to proceed him to the door, which he opened for her. “I’m glad you dressed for the weather. Half the time, I worry you’re going to freeze to death.”

  “The weather is delightful.” She put out her palm and caught a giant, fluffy snowflake. They drifted to the earth in a slow, steady pattern. “I couldn’t have ordered a better evening.”

  He shook his head. “At least the plows can keep up tonight. If it was coming down any harder, I’d be concerned about our safety on the road.” He opened the truck door for her, and she climbed inside.

  They made small talk about Nick and her family. He wanted to know just how many sisters and brothers-in-law she had. “And Layla is your niece?”

  She played with her gloves. “Not technically. She’s Joseph’s niece, but he’s raising her.”

  “Where’s her mom?”

  “We’re not really sure. She left Layla three Christmases ago, and Joseph hasn’t heard from her since. But we’ve adopted Layla as our own, and she’s flourishing.”

  “I can see that.”

  Robyn beamed. “You know all the right things to say. Layla—and my nephews—are a soft spot for me.”

  He smiled as he pulled into the parking lot at the park. Bright Christmas lights lit up the night. There was a section of booths with food and crafts and a path to wander through the lights. Robyn’s spirits soared. A small-town Christmas was a thrill. The energy. The enthusiasm. All of it brought her to life. “Let’s go through the booths first! I want to see if there’s anything for my mom—she’s the hardest woman to shop for.”

  “Why is that?”

  He seemed genuinely interested. She wondered if he ever thought about his birth mom—if he knew her name. She would be lost without her mother and could scarcely believe the amount of bravery and strength inside of this man. It must have taken a mountain of courage to face the world without a mother.

  She hooked her arm through his. “Because she doesn’t ask for a thing! And believe me, Christmas lists are a big deal in my family. But she’s so content—the trick is finding a gift she didn’t know she wanted.”