Merry Christmas, Baby

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  Teddy zipped her jeans and tugged her sweater on over her head.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing them again,” Merrilee said. She and her husband, Bull, had flown to New York in early spring to meet Nick’s family.

  Ellie carried the dress and they all moved into the open den and kitchen.

  “I can’t wait to meet them,” Teddy said. She was thrilled Nick’s family had more than embraced Gus. And once Teddy moved to New York…well, she’d been reassured the Hudsons would take her under their wing, as well.

  Merrilee and Ellie settled on the couch while Teddy and Gus moved into the kitchen.

  Gus, pulling the gingerbread out of the oven, slanted Teddy an arch glance. “Yeah, well, wait until Nick gets here with his buddy Jared. You’ll be glad to meet him, too.”

  Teddy measured out coffee. She’d kept her love life on hold for several years. Her mother was definitely a cautionary tale. It would’ve been far too easy to get caught up in a guy and trade in her dreams and aspirations of being an actress for a ring on her finger and settling in Good Riddance, so she’d simply steered clear of any romantic entanglements. “I’m always up for eye candy. And this guy’s from New York, so…”

  “He’s hot. Not as hot as Nick, mind you, but a looker nonetheless.” So she’d said earlier when she was giving them the rundown on Nick’s best friend. Teddy knew he was a recently divorced stockbroker and a workaholic. She also knew his parents were, according to Nick, pretty awful. He’d categorized them as social climbers who found Jared always just short of the mark. Apparently Jared had spent a lot of time at Nick’s house as a teenager. And she knew Nick and Jared met for racquetball once a week.

  Teddy added water and turned on the coffeemaker. She was all for checking him out, but she’d draw the line there.

  She wasn’t about to be sidetracked by a man at this stage in her life.

  2

  “WELCOME TO GOOD RIDDANCE, where you can leave behind what troubles you,” the venerated Merrilee Danville Weatherspoon greeted Jared when he entered the tiny air terminal that doubled as a bed-and-breakfast and shared space with the town’s only restaurant. Clad in a pink-and-gray flannel shirt trimmed in lace, she looked younger than he’d expected.

  “I’m happy to be here,” Jared said, most sincerely. He’d wanted a change and, by God, this place seemed about as far removed from New York’s relentless hustle and bustle as you could get. Even before Nick had pointed it out on the puddle-jumper flight from Anchorage, Jared had already noted the absence of street lights.

  However, even in the surreal twilight that enveloped the land, he could clearly see Good Riddance had only one central street and not a single traffic light. One end of town held a plethora of travel trailers, RVs and even a couple of tents for what must truly be the hardy—or rather fool-hardy—souls, all in town for the Chrismoose festival.

  Outside it was cold and rather dark, with a fairly heavy snow falling at four in the afternoon, but inside the “terminal” was reminiscent of some Norman Rockwell wilderness rendering.

  A gray-bearded man resided in a rocking chair flanking a chess table next to a pot-bellied stove, apparently engaged in the game by himself. He reminded Jared of some of the old men who hung out in some of the smaller neighborhood parks off the beaten path.

  Photos—a haphazard amalgamation of black-and-whites and full-colors, some framed, some not, of people, places and things—covered the timbered walls. Next to the Christmas tree, a full-size plush moose wore a Santa costume. The scents of coffee, hot cocoa, gingerbread and wood smoke hung in the air.

  It was a marked contrast to the towering silver tinsel tree outfitted in oversize red ornaments that stood in the lobby of the glass-and-chrome building that housed his office. The homespun charm he found here was a welcome change.

  This year he’d elected to forego the tired office winter-holiday party—it was now politically incorrect to refer to it as a Christmas party—where there were actually pools going beforehand as to who would over-indulge and make asses of themselves and who would wind up with who in the coat closet, restroom or break-room. He really didn’t care whether he’d looked like he wasn’t a team player when he’d passed on the party. He no longer gave a flying flip.

  Miracle on 34th Street was playing on the TV in the corner. If there were any miracles to be found on 34th Street he’d missed them thus far. Across the room, a man of Native heritage demonstrated flute-carving to a small but rapt group. Being ensconced in so much hominess almost checked Jared’s urge to get a final reading on the Dow via his BlackBerry. Good Riddance was just what the doctor ordered. Nonetheless he went online and pulled up the day’s final figures. A couple of clicks and he had checked individual stocks. Overall, not a bad closing.

  He looked up from his BlackBerry to find Merrilee watching him with raised eyebrows. “Are you back with us now?” she asked.

  Going online using a mobile device was de rigueur where he came from. Nobody even blinked at it. In fact, it was likely the other person was checking email or texting at the same time as well. However, he suddenly felt as if he’d crossed some line of good manners and tucked his BlackBerry into its case. “Sorry, just needed to check on a few things.”

  “No problem,” Merrilee said. She turned to Nick with a smile. “Gus is holding court next door.” Next door was the restaurant attached to the terminal and still went by the name of Gus’s. “You know how busy it is during Chrismoose, and then word got around Gus was back in town and they’re really packing folks in.” A door about midway across the room boasted a sign above it, Welcome To Gus’s. Even with the television in this room and the small group chatting up front, the muted noise from Gus’s was apparent. Merrilee eyed their suitcases. “You probably don’t want to work your way through the crowd with that. You can leave them here for now or take the outside entrance.”

  Gus’s living quarters had been above the restaurant. The two-bedroom suite was accessible both from inside the restaurant and from the exterior stairs Nick had pointed out when they landed. Someone else had moved in since Gus left but Gus and Nick were going to share one bedroom and Jared got the couch. Apparently quarters were hard to come by during the Chrismoose festival in Good Riddance. Sleeping on a couch for a few nights wouldn’t kill him.

  “How about we just leave them here for now?” Nick said.

  “No problem.” Merrilee waved them to a corner on the other side of her desk. Jared and Nick deposited their luggage before Merrilee hustled them toward the connecting door. “Now get. Go introduce Jared to everyone and I’m sure you’re both starving since we’re four hours behind New York.”

  Now that she mentioned it, Jared hadn’t really eaten anything all day other than a bagel he’d grabbed on the way to the train this morning. “I could eat a horse,” he said.

  Merrilee laughed. “You won’t find horse but moose and caribou for sure.” She shooed them forward. “Bull’s bartending. He’ll want to meet Jared for sure.”

  Nick grinned and gave her a quick hug. “We’ll see Bull first and then I’ll introduce Jared to everyone.”

  It was good to see the obvious affection between them. Merrilee was as close to a mother-in-law as Nick was going to have. According to Nick, Merrilee had resented the hell out of him when he’d first shown up last year. Obviously she’d gotten over it.

  A couple came down the stairs to the left of the front door. Upstairs must be the bed portion of the bed-and-breakfast.

  As the couple beelined for Merrilee, Nick and Jared crossed the worn wood floor. Nick opened the door to the restaurant, and as the sound had indicated beforehand, it was mayhem on the other side. Actually, it reminded Jared of a Manhattan happy hour on a Friday evening. To the left of the door the bar area was packed, all the seats taken and several people standing and talking.

  Booths lined one wall beyond the bar, and another to the right of the front door, with tables filling in the floor space. To the far right a group was throwing darts, a
nd both pool tables were also seeing action. Jared spotted Gus, with her dark hair—a single swath of signature white in the front—at a large table in the corner.

  He nudged Nick. “Gus is over there.”

  Nick nodded. “Let’s meet Bull and grab a drink, then we’ll head over.”

  Working their way to the bar wasn’t nearly as quick or easy as he’d thought it’d be. Unlike during a Manhattan happy hour, damn near everyone recognized Nick and stopped him to welcome him back and offer congratulations on the impending wedding. A few of the men jokingly offered condolences. However, everyone they encountered was warm and friendly.

  They finally gained the polished bar with the brass foot rail running its length. A stuffed moose head with a Santa hat jauntily angled over one eye reigned amongst the shelved bottles of liquor and glasses on the wall behind the bar. A thickset man sporting a gray ponytail and a full beard was working a draft beer pull. He looked like a Vietnam vet who’d be known as Bull.

  He was. Bull and Nick clapped one another on the back and Nick followed up with introductions.

  “How was the flight in?” Bull asked.

  “Long, but uneventful.”

  Bull grinned. “Uneventful’s always a good thing when you’re in the air.”

  “You bet your sweet ass.”

  The bar was as busy as the rest of the place. Nick and Jared each snagged a drink and made their way across the room to Gus. After a quick welcoming hug, Gus started the introductions. There were the Sisnukets, a delicate blonde named Tessa and her husband, Clint, reputedly the best Native guide in this area of Alaska. The local doctor, a striking redhead named Skye Shannihan, and her fiancé, Dalton Summers, one of the bush pilots operating out of Good Riddance. According to Nick, the couple was leaving tomorrow to spend Christmas with Skye’s family in Atlanta. Nick’s crew, his parents, sisters and their families were staying in Summers’s two cabins at a place called Shadow Lake. Jared was particularly intrigued when he met a guy named Logan, who had recently moved his corporate job as CFO for a mining operation to Good Riddance so he could marry Jenna, a perky blonde building a spa facility. He hadn’t expected to find the CFO of an international enterprise hanging out in this remote town. Jared thought it was cool that with a little help from technology, Logan had managed to pull himself out of the rat race yet still stay in the game.

  A Native guy with a long dark ponytail was Clint’s cousin Nelson Sisnuket, who worked as a doctor’s assistant. The dark-haired woman next to him was his fiancée, Ellie Lightfoot, a school teacher. Across the table, Sven Sorenson could’ve played the lead in a Viking flick, but was actually a builder.

  Jared shook hands with everyone. “Okay, I can’t swear I’ll remember everyone’s name but I’ll try.”

  Across the table, Jenna smiled. “Just blame it on jet lag if you run into one of us and go blank.”

  Jared was laughing when suddenly the fine hairs on the back of his neck and along his arms stood up.

  Gus smiled at someone past his shoulder. “And now you get to meet Teddy.”

  Jared turned and found himself looking into the prettiest light brown eyes he’d ever seen. Something hot and wild seemed to course through him. He could’ve sworn the floor literally shifted beneath his feet.

  And then he crashed to his knees in front of her.

  TEDDY OPENED HER MOUTH but no sound came out. One minute she was face-to-face with a gorgeous guy and the next minute he was on the floor at her feet. She’d never had anything like that happen to her. How did a woman react to that? And well, what did it mean?

  The man at her feet had to be Jared Martin. Despite how busy they were, she’d seen him the moment he walked in with Nick. When Gus had deemed him hot…well, that was an understatement. Teddy had written him off earlier as probably too…something. Uh-uh. He was all “just right.” Tall and lean with a sculpted face, he looked smart, sophisticated and expensive.

  For a moment she would’ve been hard pressed to even know her own name. It was as if something she’d been waiting on had just walked through the door, but she hadn’t been waiting on anything, except the opportunity to get to New York.

  Lust was the first thing that had registered in her brain. That he was out of her small-town league had been the immediate chaser thought that followed. And now…what?

  Little John, a regular who stood at least six-foot-seven, bent down. “Sorry, dude. I lost my footing and didn’t mean to bump into you that way.”

  Ah, that made sense. He’d been caught off guard and felled by Little John.

  Jared regained his feet, brushing at the knees of his pants. “No harm done,” he said to Little John. “A little humiliation is good for the soul now and then.”

  Good-looking and a sense of humor…and a voice that did all kinds of funny things to her insides.

  Little John smiled, nodded and turned back around to his pals. Jared looked at Teddy with a smile that quirked up the right side of his mouth slightly higher than the left. And those eyes…a pale blue that was in marked contrast to his dark lashes. She was, quite uncharacteristically, at a loss for words, her heart thumping like mad against her ribs.

  “And now that I’ve made a stellar impression by literally falling at your feet, it’s nice to meet you.”

  Teddy smiled at his self-deprecating aplomb. She held out her hand, managing to dredge up some semblance of composure. “There’s something terribly satisfying in having a man kneel at your feet.”

  He wrapped his hand around hers. Teddy felt the impact of his touch all the way to her toes. “Does it happen often?” he said.

  She was all squirrel-headed from his touch and looked at him blankly. “What?”

  “Men falling at your feet?”

  He released her hand and she smiled at him. “Absolutely, it happens all the time. I’ve almost gotten used to it.”

  “Ah, so I’m just one of many,” he said.

  With a start, Teddy realized everyone at the table was watching them with avid interest. Gus wore a knowing smirk. For the span of a few seconds Teddy had totally lost track of being in a crowded restaurant. Shaking hands with Jared had been that potent.

  Work, Teddy, work, she reminded herself. She needed to focus on work rather than the heat Jared Martin had unleashed in her. This time she made sure her smile included Nick, as well.

  “The specials tonight are caribou stew, moose stroganoff and elk lasagna. What can I get everyone?”

  The large group had been having drinks, eating chips and salsa and waiting on Nick and Jared to arrive. It felt so strange to have Gus sitting at the table as a patron rather than being behind the counter running the kitchen. Teddy had missed Gus.

  Self-consciousness washed over Teddy. She was altogether too aware of Jared’s eyes on her as she took the orders around the table. Of course, she’d had men flirt with her—not only was she a passably attractive female in a state where the men vastly outnumbered the women, she also worked in a bar. She’d selectively dated a few guys, but no one had ever affected her this way. And this man was going to be sleeping on her sofa tonight…and tomorrow night, as well. Of course, she might spend a little time with him and discover he was a jerk. But she didn’t think so. She had a feeling her ship was sunk.

  3

  JARED HAD TO CONFESS he wasn’t fully paying attention to the conversation flowing around him. He couldn’t seem to stop watching Teddy as she moved about the restaurant. Her energy and enthusiasm captivated him. Her blond hair was up in a ponytail and the way it bobbed and swung as she worked was straight-up sexy. There was nothing overtly enticing about the way she was dressed. She wore jeans tucked into flat, animal-skin boots and a red Christmas sweater with a moose on the front. Jingle bell earrings dangled from her ears. However, there was an inherent sensuality to the way she moved, as if she was extremely comfortable in her own skin. He noticed her in a way he hadn’t noticed a woman in a long time, perhaps ever—as if he was seeing nuances and layers he’d never noticed befo
re in other women, his ex-wife included.

  More than once their glances had caught and held across the crowded room. As the evening wore on, Jared was increasingly aware he’d buried himself in work for the past nine months with no female companionship since Trish had moved out and they’d divorced.

  Next to him, Nick said, “Want to get our luggage upstairs and settle in a bit, and then if you’re still alert and alive we can come back downstairs?”

  Jared should’ve been exhausted given the jet lag and the fact he’d crammed a full day’s work into a couple of hours before catching the shuttle to the airport and hooking up with Nick there, but he felt energized in a way he hadn’t in a long time. “Sure.”

  They made their way back through the room, stopping by the bar area to settle their bill. The food had been good, the company great, and watching Teddy Monroe better still. Nick caught her eye and she walked over. “Jared and I are going to take our luggage upstairs. We’ll come back down if we’re both still alive. Jared’s on the sofa, right?”

  “Yep. There’s a pillow and a couple of blankets.” She looked at Jared, the impact of her brown eyes twisting his gut into a knot of hot want. “Make yourself at home. If you find you forgot something you need such as a toothbrush or razor, Merrilee keeps extras next door for the bed-and-breakfast.”

  “What time do you finish up here?” he asked, getting straight to the point. There’d been any number of interesting conversations going on at the table over dinner, but she was the person in the room he couldn’t stop looking at and thinking about.

  Teddy’s smile left him feeling…he didn’t exactly know, but God, she was sexy. “We close at ten and then it’s about forty-five minutes to get everything cleaned and ready for the next day.”

  Nick chimed in. “Don’t even bother to offer to help. Trust me, I’ve seen it firsthand. They have this down to a science.”

  “Don’t let him fool you.” Her smile encompassed Nick as well as Jared. “Nick was pretty good at stepping in and taking over when I came down with the flu last year.”