Snowed in with the Firefighter (Shadow Creek, Montana)

by Victoria James

  He walked over to the island. “Can’t a man let his facial hair grow without constant commentary? This doesn’t mean I’m miserable.”

  She gave him a side-eyed glance and continued with her notes. “You need to shave it off. They won’t stop bothering you until you do.”

  He turned his attention to what she was writing. The page was divided into columns, and the heading for the first column was Happy Decorations in red ink, underlined a few times.

  The next column was Happy Food.

  He didn’t even know what was happening anymore. “I didn’t know there was happy food.”

  She paused and gave him a pitiful glance. “Of course, because you’re not happy. Hot chocolate, eggnog, gingerbread cookies…oh, marshmallows for the hot chocolate—happy people love adding those—and we should get some kind of pre-fab gingerbread house for Isabella.”

  “I think happy people make them from scratch,” he said, just to bother her.

  She shook her head, still writing. “We don’t have time.”

  “None of that stuff is going to make people think we’re happy,” he said, pointing to the ridiculous list.

  She put down her pen with a theatrical sigh and turned to him. “Do you have a better idea? I mean, the only thing I’ve heard out of you since we got the text is blaming me for bringing the family down onto us and your self-consciousness about your beard. We’re stuck in this situation together, so it would be really nice to have some cooperation. Think outside the box. Like, look at this chart I’m making. I think we should make more coffee and brainstorm.”

  He was barely following her train of thought. “What? I’m not making a chart on how to be happy, Melody. I know how to be happy. I’m a very happy person. No color coding in the world is going to make me look happier,” he snapped.

  She gave him a side-eye and a smirk. “Sure. So happy.”

  He ran his hand over his beard and forced himself to not sound irritated. “Also, I’m not self-conscious about my beard.”

  She raised a brow and picked up a green pen. He had the uncontrollable urge to grab all the pens and throw them in the snow.

  “You know what this is?” he asked, wondering how he hadn’t seen this all along.

  She finished her coffee and let the pen fall from her hands before crossing her arms over her chest and turning to him again. “Let’s hear it. Hopefully, it involves shaving the beard.”

  He frowned and ignored that comment. “Well, you know how they’re all sitting there plotting about us. Trying to set us up?”

  She frowned. “No, I don’t think so. I think they got the message. Nothing would ever happen between us.”

  He took a step closer to her, slightly irked that she felt that way. “Fine. Wishful thinking. Ben’s trying to get me back because this is what I did when Molly moved to Shadow Creek.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You set them up and meddled?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. I literally threw him under the bus. Our mother was coming out of surgery, and I told her they were engaged. I’m basically responsible for their entire relationship.”

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m sure that’s a gross exaggeration. But anyway…so? What does this have to do with us?”

  “Ben and Molly must actually think they can do the same thing to us. What I did took talent. The whole idea is ridiculous. Way too much snooping in our lives. They won’t let you go away for the holidays and run from whatever it is you’re running from, I’m not allowed to grow facial hair without a doctor’s note, and then they make it obvious they’re trying to set us up. Clearly the only logical thing for us to do is actually pretend their dumb trick worked.” He leaned back and grinned. “We pretend to be a couple for the holidays.”

  She choked on her coffee. “Are you kidding me?” she managed in a strangled voice, her eyes wide.

  He wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or be insulted. “Why would I lie about this? Think about it: we’ll get the ultimate victory when Christmas is over, and we tell them it was all a joke. As if you and I would ever get together.”

  Her face turned red, and she started tapping one of those pens against the counter. “That actually sounds mean.”

  He frowned. “What? No. Ben and I have a long history of messing with each other. This one has gone too far. So, my ultimate victory will be letting him think he was right and then pulling the rug right out from under him.”

  “I didn’t think you were that evil, Finn.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not evil; that’s just how we roll. So, let’s pretend we’re together and they were all so brilliant, they knew us better than we even know ourselves. We’ll tell them on Christmas morning when everyone is opening gifts.”

  She made a scoffing noise. “Merry Christmas! Way better than having to continue pretending to be a couple.”

  He rolled his shoulders, a stiffness settling there, and tried to brush it off. “It’ll be fun. It might give us something to laugh about. Remember, we need to laugh?”

  Her green eyes sparkled, and she tilted her head to the side. “True. I just don’t think they’ll believe it. I’ve never wanted any kind of relationship…Molly and Addie know that. I’ve said so many times how I never want to be married or have kids. I mean, this is really far-fetched.”

  He tried to hide his surprise…and the irrational twinge of disappointment. “You don’t want marriage or kids one day? Don’t you bring kids into the world for a living?”

  She shrugged. “Other people’s kids. I don’t want my own. I’m going to be the cool aunt, and I’m totally happy with that. You don’t exactly strike me as the settle down with one-woman type. From what I’ve heard…”

  He straightened his shoulders. “What? What have you heard?”

  She tapped her finger on her chin. “Nothing.”

  “Well, for your information, I have no issues with spending the rest of my life with one woman. And kids are definitely something I want. Lots of them.”

  She made a face. “Of course you do.”

  His eyes narrowed on her. “I’m not liking whatever it is you’re implying.”

  “Look, let’s stick to the topic at hand. Our fake relationship to ruin everyone’s Christmas.”

  “We’re not trying to ruin their Christmas.” Not exactly. “But is that a yes?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Fine. Just one condition.”

  He gave her a nod, slightly worried.

  “Shave the beard.”

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, Finn stood in front of the bathroom mirror, holding his razor and staring at his shaving cream–covered face. Why the heck couldn’t he shave it off?

  “Are you shaving your beard without me?”

  Finn groaned out loud, hoping Melody would hear that through the closed bathroom door. “I didn’t realize part of the conditions involved you watching me.”

  “I thought it would be fun. There’s nothing else to do around here. Like, literally nothing, and I don’t want to have to do all the decorating myself. The only other thing to do is meditation or yoga, and I’m avoiding that.”

  He whipped the door open. He couldn’t fault her there. They had spent the rest of the day yesterday hauling out boxes of decorations and making plans. And he’d tried not to be bothered by her no kids and no marriage revelation. That shouldn’t affect him in the least, because when they left this cabin, she would just go back to being his brother’s wife’s sister, someone he’d see at the occasional holiday or birthday party. Melody not getting married was none of his business. “Fine. Happy?”

  She shot him a smile that affected him way too much. Speaking of too much, she looked way too good for this early in the morning. Her hair was pulled back in some kind of twisty mess on the nape of her neck with a few strands around h
er face. She was wearing a pink T-shirt with the word “Hustle” scrolled across the front and black leggings. No makeup. And she was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. Especially with the teasing glint in her eyes. She perched on the bathtub ledge. “Very. I’ll just sit here. You go ahead,” she said, motioning with her hand for him to continue.

  He sighed and leaned toward the mirror, razor in hand.

  “Nervous?”

  He swore under his breath as the blade nicked his skin. “Seriously? You have to pick that exact moment to ask me if I’m nervous?”

  She cringed and handed him a towel. “Sorry.”

  He frowned at her reflection in the mirror. “Thanks.”

  Ten minutes later, he was staring at his face, feeling…unsettled. He looked the same. He knew he wasn’t, but he did look like the old Finn. He made eye contact with Melody in the mirror, and her face turned bright red. Slowly turning around, he faced her. “There. Happy? Do I look like a happy person?”

  Instead of giving him a snippy remark, which he was expecting—and looking forward to—her gaze drifted over his face for a moment before she stood. “Uh, not really. But, um, at least the beard is gone,” she said softly, walking out of the room.

  He frowned, following her. “What’s wrong?”

  She kept walking down the hall that led to the basement stairs. “Nothing. Time to do some meditation.”

  A rare moment of insecurity gripped him as he followed her. Did she not think he looked good? Had he aged that much in a year? “You know, for all that drama about me shaving off my beard, I would have expected a little more of a reaction,” he said once they reached the gym.

  She stopped walking abruptly and spun around. He almost ran into her. She crossed her arms and looked up at him. “Are you actually fishing for a compliment?”

  “No.” Maybe. Which was even more puzzling to him. It’s not that he wanted approval from anyone. Just her. What was even happening to him?

  “Fine. Clearly, you are. You are as handsome as I remember Finn. I’m just… I think I liked the beard, too. I’m very torn. You can pull off both looks well,” she said before turning around and walking into the gym.

  He followed her in and sat down beside her on the mat, in front of the full-length mirror. “Mind if I join you?”

  She stared down at her phone, tapping away. “Nope. Okay, I’ve got the app on. Time to meditate.”

  There was no way Mel was going to mediate, but he wasn’t going to be the one to tell her that. Serene music filled the room, and soon Deepak Chopra’s voice welcomed them and told them how to breathe and close their eyes. He almost laughed when he then told them they might not be able to make it through the full twenty minutes if they were beginners, because Melody was already frowning. “Talk about encouraging underachievement,” Melody mumbled.

  Finn choked out a laugh. “There isn’t a performance review when you’re done.”

  “I think I can handle meditating. How hard is this? All I have to do is close my eyes. See, eyes closed. I’ll probably be so relaxed I’ll fall asleep.”

  “Sure, you will.”

  A minute went by, and Finn was doing the whole slow, deep breathing thing, mostly just to prove to Melody that he could do this. He opened one eye and frowned when he noticed her eyes were squeezed shut. “You don’t look very relaxed,” he said.

  She opened her eyes and frowned at him. “Why are you even looking at me?”

  “Your breathing sounded weird. Choppy. This is how you’re supposed to breathe,” he said, demoing for her and trying to look like he gave a crap about all this stuff.

  She made a strangled noise. “That’s what I was doing. You totally pulled me out of my deep restful state,” she said.

  “Sorry, carry on,” he said, shutting his eyes.

  A minute went by, and this time when he opened his eyes, he caught Melody on her phone. “No phones!”

  She jumped in her spot. “I needed to check something. Sorry. Never mind,” she said, putting her phone back down and squeezing her eyes shut again.

  “That’s fine. I can get back into a tranquil state very quickly,” he said, shutting his eyes and making a show of placing his hands on his thighs, his palms facing upward.

  After a few minutes, he opened his eyes, shocked that Melody might actually be meditating. He frowned when he realized her head was in her hands. “Mel? You okay?” he said gently.

  She threw her hands in the air. “I can’t meditate! I just can’t do this. My mind won’t stop racing. I think of that to-do list, then where we’re going to get all the supplies, the fact that we really should have already started decorating by now—”

  “Whoa, easy there. Who cares if you can’t meditate?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You can do it! All that deep, even breathing, the palms in the air, the way your shoulders were relaxed.”

  He laughed. And laughed. “That was all a show. I can’t meditate, and frankly I’m fine with that. It’s too boring. I’ll learn when I’m retired or something,” he said, stretching out his leg before standing.

  “Are you kidding me?” she said, jumping up beside him.

  He shook his head. “No, of course not. I was just trying to bug you. You shouldn’t be so competitive,” he said, ducking as she lunged for him.

  And then she burst out laughing. Like a real, soul-filled laugh and it was the best thing he’d heard in months. “Well, I guess I deserved that. Let’s ditch this and go hang some decorations,” she said.

  “You got it,” he said, strangely looking forward to spending the entire day with her.

  Two hours later, he was questioning his own judgment.

  “The garland is lopsided, Finn,” Melody said, her hands on her hips. She was worse than a drill sergeant. They had spent the last two hours hanging decorations he didn’t even know Molly and Ben had. He shifted the garland to the side and kept his hand on it, waiting for her approval. She was slightly on the bossy side, but he wasn’t surprised.

  “Well?”

  “Done! Perfect. Okay, let me check my list and see what’s next,” she said, marching over to the island to examine the color-coded list she kept adding to. He had even been able to withhold his eye roll when he noticed the color coding was all Christmas colors.

  “I think it’s actually time for a break,” he said, glancing at the time. It was well into the afternoon, and he’d basically had enough Christmas decorating for a lifetime.

  She frowned at him. “Uh, no. We have to finish.”

  “We still have tomorrow before they all swarm us.”

  She tapped her red marker against the notepad. “Let’s go get a tree.”

  He frowned. “What? A tree?”

  “We can’t have Christmas without a tree. And Isabella will be here, too—she needs a tree. Where is Santa going to leave his gifts for her?”

  “Well, after I inspect the chimney to make sure it’s safe for Santa, he can just drop them and keep going,” he said, crossing his arms.

  Her mouth dropped open slightly. He’d been thinking about her mouth a little too frequently for platonic friends. “You were going to inspect it for Isabella?”

  He gave her a nod, suddenly uncomfortable. “Kids seem to like that.”

  “Okay, I’ll add that to the list of things to do when they get here,” she said, giving him an odd look before ducking her head.

  “Great. Let’s have lunch.”

  “What? No. Get your coat on. We’re going to head into that little town not far from here. Maybe they’ll have a tree for sale. If not, we’re going to have to chop one down.”

  “You mean, I’m going to have to chop one down,” he said, grudgingly getting his jacket.

  She lifted her chin. “I’m the surgeon—I cut things for a living.”

  He swallowed his laugh. “I’m not go
ing to argue. My truck is in the garage. Have you been to that town?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” he said, holding open the door.

  Twenty minutes later, they were parked downtown, and he was once again trying to hold onto his laughter as Melody leaned forward and peered out the windshield. “This can’t be it.”

  He leaned back in his seat and turned to her. “Yup. General store. Hardware store. Post office. Diner. What more could you need?”

  She groaned. “A lot more. This makes Shadow Creek look like a bustling metropolis.”

  He reached for the door handle. “Let’s start with the diner for lunch.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “I’m not really in the mood for bacon and eggs and home fries.”

  He scoffed. “Why? Are you ill?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and peered out her window in the direction of the diner, reluctantly admiring the multi-colored lights framing the large window. “No. I guess not.”

  “That’s why you’re not happy. A little bit of greasy spoon is what everyone needs.”

  She sighed and opened her door. “We’ll see about that.”

  Chapter Six

  Half an hour later, Melody squirted extra ketchup all over her home fries, wondering why she’d been missing out on life for so long. And really, why be so preoccupied with eating healthy when she really had no life? Why was she trying to preserve her arteries anyway? She jabbed a few potatoes onto her fork and watched as Finn polished off the last piece of bacon with a satisfied smile. “I was right,” he said, basking in his triumph as he leaned back in the booth.

  She nodded picking up her mug of coffee and trying not to stare at him. Obviously, she’d always known Finn was attractive, but witnessing him shave off the beard was something she hadn’t braced herself for. He was even more beautiful than she remembered. She’d been tempted to run her hand over his smooth jaw, but that would never happen. “Fine. You were right. I should have never skipped diners. I also like this slightly ashy but fresh-tasting coffee,” she added, taking a sip and forcing her thoughts off touching his face.