Christmas Nights, Contemporary Romance (Diamond Creek, Alaska Novels Book 6)

by J. H. Croix

  Her sly comment caught Travis off guard and he choked on a sip of hot chocolate. Stella burst out laughing. “I’m not little you know, and I’m definitely not stupid.”

  He glanced to Janie who closed the dishwasher and put a hand on her hip. “Oh Stella.” She laughed softly and shook her head.

  Stella shrugged, completely unabashed with her observation. “You’re grown ups, so act like it.”

  At that, she clambered off the stool and grabbed her crutches before heading for the stairs. Travis stared over at Janie whose cheeks were flushed.

  Chapter 16

  Janie rubbed her hands together and knocked her boots on the floor, tapping the snow loose. A whoosh of cold air swirled around her as the door to Misty Mountain Café closed behind her. It had been snowing steadily since last night. She’d woken this morning to learn classes were canceled, not because of the snow, but because the boiler broke at the elementary school. Snow didn’t stop much of anything in Alaska, but lack of heat did. She glanced around the coffee shop to see if her mother had arrived yet. When she didn’t see her, she went to stand in the back of the line. The air was scented with gingerbread and the café decorated with lights and a small Christmas tree on one of the tables. As she waited, her mind spun to last night. Travis had ended up spending the night. Just thinking about it sent a flush over her skin. It felt so good, so damn good, to fall asleep curled up against him. His body was all hard muscle and heat. She was already wondering when she’d see him again, which gave her pause inside. A whopping total of two nights with him and thinking about a night without him almost pained her physically.

  She tried to force her thoughts off of him with a look around. Scanning the coffee shop, she saw a few familiar faces. Misty Mountain Café had been around for years and was a local favorite. They served phenomenal coffee and yummy baked goods. Housed in a renovated Quonset hut, the coffee shop made the space warm and homey with artwork on the walls, bright tablecloths and an the ever-present scent of baked goods filling the space. She finally made it to the front of the line and ordered her coffee, along with her mother’s favorite. The simple act of ordering coffee made her think of Travis because he’d offered to start coffee this morning when she began the task, and then got sidetracked feeding Pansy and helping Stella get some materials together for a science project.

  Her mind flashed forward a little earlier to when she’d woken up. He’d been spooned behind her. She’d felt completely encompassed in his warmth and strength and would have happily stayed there all day. The moment she’d shifted her hips, she’d felt the velvet heat of his shaft against her. “Ignore it,” he’d said, his voice gruff with sleep.

  Her hips had seemed to have a mind of their own though and arched into him. Next thing she knew, he’d spun her over and kissed her senseless. In several heated moments, so hot and so intense that she blushed right now, he’d mapped her body with his lips and sank inside of her. Her climax had burst through her with such force, she’d been limp in the aftermath. They’d stumbled into the shower, and she’d somehow pulled herself together to walk downstairs as if it were any other day.

  Stella was surprising Janie with her frank acceptance of the situation. In the years since she’d fostered and then adopted Stella, she hadn’t gone on a single date, so she couldn’t have known how Stella would handle it. Watching how Stella looked to Travis for guidance warmed her. Janie’s name was called, snapping her out of her brief reverie. She glanced up to find the barista spinning away from the counter after setting two coffees down. After picking them up, she snagged a table by the windows and waited for her mother. Disconcerting though it was, thinking about Travis was more comfortable than thinking about Randy’s reappearance in Diamond Creek.

  After the haze of passion had worn off and Stella had hitched a ride to school with a friend’s mother, Janie had looked to Travis when he was tugging on his coat. “Will you check with Darren for any updates on Randy?” she’d asked.

  Those blue eyes of his slammed into hers. He’d simply stepped across the kitchen and curled his strong hands around hers. “Already planned on it. Look, I know we didn’t talk about it…”

  “It’s okay. I’d have guessed you heard about him. Diamond Creek’s pretty small, so it’s kinda hard to avoid gossip.”

  His eyes still holding hers, he’d nodded. “Right. Well, I’ll check in with Darren as soon as I get to the station. No matter what, I don’t think you and your mom need to worry about him this time.”

  She gave her head a shake, staring out into the falling snow. She didn’t like that Randy was like an old thorn burrowed under her skin—one of lingering worry and dull pain. She just wanted to know he couldn’t try to push his way back into her mother’s life. She swung her eyes up when she heard her mother’s voice.

  “Hey Mom,” Janie said with a small wave, seeing her mother pause near the entrance to greet someone.

  Her mother glanced her way and returned the wave. She finished chatting and then headed toward Janie, slipping into the chair across from her.

  “Got your coffee already,” Janie said as she slid the coffee cup across the table.

  “Oh perfect!” Her mother took a sip and sighed. “So good and warm. It’s freezing out there today.”

  “I know. With the wind up and the snow coming down, it looks like we’re in for a long, cold day. But it’s winter, so I suppose we should expect this,” Janie replied with a shrug.

  Her mother rolled her eyes. “Of course, but it doesn’t mean we can’t complain about the cold.”

  Janie laughed softly and took a swallow of her own coffee, savoring the bitter flavor. She’d steeled herself to get through this conversation, so she eyed her mother and jumped right in. “I wanted to grab coffee with you anyway, but I also had something to discuss.”

  Her mother arched a brow. “Oh? Are you going to give me the scoop on you and Travis?”

  Her mother’s question sent a flush to her cheeks. “Maybe, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about.” It was so tempting, oh so tempting, to let the conversation go in another direction, but she knew if she didn’t tell her mother about Randy, she’d hear it from another channel. She took another sip of coffee and steeled herself. “Randy was arrested yesterday,” she said flatly.

  Her mother’s eyes widened and then a familiar expression stole over her face. Janie never forgot the practiced blankness on her mother’s face from those years when Randy blotted their life. That’s what she saw now—the careful control, the wiping of all emotion. Any expression misinterpreted by Randy could lead to an abusive rant or violence. She swallowed against a flash of anger at seeing the old expression on her mother’s face.

  She reached across the table and gripped her mother’s hand. “Mom, he’s in jail. Probably for a long time now.”

  Her mother’s hand, initially still inside hers, squeezed back. “You really think so?”

  Janie quickly summarized what she knew of the events leading to Randy’s arrest. Her mother nodded along, her eyes widening when Janie mentioned Randy assaulted Charlie. “Oh no! Do you know if Charlie’s okay?”

  Janie nodded quickly. “He’s fine. He dislocated his shoulder, nothing more. Travis was going to check with Darren and let me know any updates.” She paused, trying to gauge how her mother was doing. The blank expression had disappeared. For that, Janie was profoundly relieved. Each time Randy had tried to weasel his way back into her mother’s life, she’d watched and worried. She’d never doubted her mother didn’t want Randy to return and, in fact, resisted it with all of her might. Yet, she knew what he’d been able to do once upon a time—wear her down and strip her defenses away, along with her joy and vitality. The intellectual knowledge of the facts at hand—that Randy had assaulted a police officer with multiple witnesses present—didn’t allay her initial worry for how it might affect her mother to learn Randy had once again made his way back to Diamond Creek.

  Her mother squeezed Janie’s hand firmly. “I’m okay
, hon. I was shocked at first because, well, he’s been gone for so long.” She paused for a sip of coffee. “I wish I could say it surprised me he managed to get arrested again, but it doesn’t. Do you know who the woman was?”

  Janie shook her head. “No. I was wondering myself. I’m sure Travis can find out.”

  Leslie shook her head. “No need. I’ll probably pay a visit to Darren myself.”

  The anxiety churning in Janie’s gut eased. The shock of the news had passed, and her mother only seemed stronger. “Okay then. Well, keep me posted. You sure you’re okay?”

  “Hon, I’m fine. I really am. Life is what it is. I was always prepared for him to make his way back here. All he’s ever done is bounce back and forth between Fairbanks and Diamond Creek. Stands to reason he’d burn another bridge there and come running. I’m sad to hear he assaulted Charlie, but knowing Charlie’s okay means I can be relieved Randy’s facing more serious charges for once.” Leslie lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. “Only Randy would think assaulting a cop was a good idea.” She straightened her shoulders and took another sip of coffee. With a shake of her head, she looked over at Janie. “Enough of that. Let’s talk about something else. If there’s one thing a few years of therapy taught me, it’s not to dwell on things I can’t do a damn thing about.”

  Janie leaned back in her chair and angled her head to the side. “Alright then. Here I was worried about telling you about this.”

  Leslie eyed her for a long moment. “Of course you were. Randy tore me down so far, I hardly recognized myself. I don’t like thinking it, but it was probably worse for you because you had to watch it and worry about both of us all the time. I’m okay. I really am. I just hope you listen to what I told you about Travis. Don’t let the past get in the way of a future for you.”

  Janie rolled her eyes. “Wow, you’re slick. You spun right onto Travis.”

  Leslie’s eyes gleamed. “I sure did. So, tell me about Travis.”

  With a shake of her head, Janie humored her mother’s shift in topic. She didn’t have much to offer about Travis, especially since she didn’t quite feel comfortable sharing details about the churning, burning attraction between them.

  Travis held tight to the mooring line and turned his face away from the spray of seawater. It was early afternoon and he’d agreed to help Nathan and his brothers get their larger fishing vessel out of the harbor. Normally, he wouldn’t want to be out in the harbor with the snow blowing and wind sending a mist of seawater across the docks. Yet, the reason they were doing this in crappy weather was a leak of unknown origin on the boat. He glanced up toward the boat deck. “Didn’t you say you were coming down now?” he called out in Nathan’s direction.

  Nathan leaned over the railing to reply when his hat got blown off. The wind caught it, sending the navy blue hat in a somersault before it dropped with a splash into the water. “Dammit! See where my hat went?” Nathan called down.

  “In the drink. You’ll have to let it go. Maybe you’ll be cold enough now to hurry up.”

  Travis heard Jared’s laugh from behind. He glanced back to see Jared approaching on the dock. “Nathan’s finally coming off the boat, so you’ll be able to let go of that mooring line soon,” Jared said with a lift of his chin toward where Nathan was climbing down the ladder onto the dock.

  Nathan’s feet thumped onto the dock, and Travis released the line holding the boat snug against the dock. Travis glanced back to Jared. “Thought you were meeting us over at the lift?”

  “I swapped with Luke. He’s waiting at the lift. I’ll drive the boat over there.”

  “Ready to roll,” Nathan said when he reached them. He held up a small set of keys.

  With the wind gusting and icy snow pelting, Travis helped them get the boat into the lift and out of the water. They got it set on the massive trailer, but collectively decided to wait to move it to the storage facility on another day when the weather was better. A while later, Travis followed Nathan and Jared into Sally’s. A hot meal and good drinks were in order after a few hours in the wind and snow. Luke had headed home early. Travis leaned back in the booth and slid the menu to the end of the table.

  Their waitress grinned. “No food tonight?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’m definitely eating. I just don’t need to bother thinking about what I’m getting. I’ll take a burger, medium rare. Add a house draft, and I’m good to go.”

  The waitress held his gaze and nodded as she jotted down his order. Moments later, she spun away after she took orders from Nathan and Jared. Sally’s was busy as usual. Inclement weather tended to bring people out of their houses in Alaska, rather than the opposite. Places like Sally’s offered the comfort of warmth and good company on those days.

  Dinner passed uneventfully as they chatted casually and chowed down. When their waitress left again after bringing coffees to finish off the evening, Jared caught Travis’s eyes in his sharp green gaze. “Well, I guess Nathan’s right about you.”

  “Right about what?” Travis asked after a sip of coffee.

  “You and Janie. He says…” Jared paused and nodded in Nathan’s direction. “…you’ve finally met your match in Janie.”

  Discomfited by Jared’s apt observation based on nothing as far as Travis could tell, Travis stared back at him. “What makes you say that?”

  Nathan chuckled. “Oh, maybe the fact the poor waitress is about to tie herself in knots trying to flirt with you and you’re so oblivious, you haven’t even noticed. Days past, you might not have gone for it, but you were never one to pass up on a little attention.”

  Travis was momentarily stunned and then he burst out laughing. “Gotta say, I honestly didn’t notice. I’m not so sure how you get from that to Janie…”

  It was Jared’s turn to chuckle. He took a gulp of coffee and shrugged. “What Nathan said. You’re so oblivious, I feel bad for the waitress. If you ask me, it’s about damn time you found someone. Take it from a man who used to be committed to being single, it’s way better the other way around. Plus, Janie rocks.”

  Travis took his own gulp of coffee and glanced between Nathan and Jared. At that moment, the waitress in question who’d allegedly been flirting with him returned to their table with the check. When she set it down with a flourish, Travis actually noticed her more than in passing for the first time tonight. She had dark blonde hair tied up in a ponytail high on her head and wide brown eyes. She was tall and leggy, and once upon a time Travis probably would have noticed her. He most certainly would have enjoyed bantering with her because casual banter and flirting was right up his alley. He noticed her gaze lingering on him, her smile focused like a wide ray of light upon him. He managed a smile back, but he seriously didn’t feel a thing and wasn’t the slightest bit interested. All he wondered was whether or not it was too late to text Janie and stop by her place.

  After the waitress wandered off, he looked back over at Nathan and Jared. “So how come she wasn’t flirting with you guys?”

  Jared rolled his eyes. “Because she knows we’re taken. Good grief, when’s the last time you happened to come to Sally’s? Karen’s been working here for months. She’s waited on Susie and me a few times. You, however, are another matter, and she clearly knows that. But you look about bored to death, so I’m guessing Janie’s it for you.”

  A while later, Travis walked into his quiet apartment and flicked a light on. Jared’s comments had stuck with him. A part of him wanted to shrug them off, but most of him knew they were spot on. After he hung his jacket up and kicked his boots off, he walked into the kitchen and filled a glass of water, draining it quickly. He rinsed it and set it in the drying rack, oddly noting that there were no other dishes cluttering his sink—quite unlike Janie’s kitchen, which tended toward clutter, reflecting the comfort of her life with Stella. He fell asleep with the sound of snow pelting against the windows, thoughts of Janie tumbling through his mind.

  Chapter 17

  A week had passed since Travis had spent
the night with her with Stella’s teasing blessing. In the time since, Janie discovered herself craving every minute of time with him. If she let herself, she might admit she was falling for him. Hard. He hadn’t been with her every night, but roughly every other night. She could only imagine how ridiculous she might be if she wasn’t a busy single mother. Life didn’t allow her to throw everything to the wayside and dive recklessly into a relationship. That detail didn’t change the fact that a rather large part of her heart wished she could.

  Even more startling was the fact this was happening against the backdrop of Randy’s inglorious return to Diamond Creek. A police officer getting assaulted was news anywhere, but it was serious news in Diamond Creek. Randy’s bad history around town didn’t help matters. As Janie had worried, her mother was inundated with friends and acquaintances asking her how she was doing, if she heard what happened and so on. The last time Randy had made the news in Diamond Creek, it had been for his assault against Janie.

  With the buzz going on around Randy, Janie was almost relieved to be so absorbed in Travis. Perhaps if her mother hadn’t seemed as rock solid as she did, Janie might’ve been distracted. Time passed in a blink and next thing Janie knew, Thanksgiving was upon them. Travis was going to Anchorage for the day and night to see his family. Janie hadn’t been surprised by his plans, yet a part of her wanted him to be able to share the day with her and her family.

  Late in the afternoon before Thanksgiving, she paused in the middle of rolling dough for pies, startled to realize she’d slipped right into a place she’d promised herself she’d never go. In a short span of time, Travis had become a part of her life in more ways than one. It wasn’t just the time he spent with her, but the amount of space he took in her heart, mind and body when he wasn’t around. In many ways, she could say she was making up for lost time when it came to their searing and body melting sexual encounters. Dear God, the man was uniquely endowed with the ability to make her completely lose her mind. As a woman who’d thought she missed the boat when it came to good sex, Travis was more than making up for her short list of underwhelming encounters before.