Her father’s words from the day she’d walked out came back to her, slamming against her like Mack truck. “You still have a job at Talbot’s, Andrea. When you get done proving whatever silly point it is you’re trying to prove. Buying and selling used items is no business for a Talbot.”
Shaking off that corrosive, sneaky doubt once again, she answered, “Failure is not an option.”
~*~
“I still can’t believe how hot that fire was,” Rick said.
Rick, Josh, and their dad had worked a blazing fire the night before. The smell of smoke lingered around the table like low-lying fog as the boys demolished the huge breakfast Ellen Fisher had prepared for her crew.
“It’ll be interesting to see what the arson inspector has to say.” Rick reached around to grip the back of his neck. Ben could see the tired lines framing his brother’s eyes. Rick had worked a double shift after filling in for a co-worker whose son was in the hospital. That was Rick. Always putting others needs ahead of his.
“That faint odor of gasoline told me something wasn’t quite right there,” Josh added, scrubbing his tired cheeks. His green eyes were red-rimmed.
“I’m thinking the same thing,” their dad said.
“Speaking of fires, what’s the status on Bells Are Ringing?” his mom asked.
Ben turned to his mom. “There was a fire at the wedding chapel? How bad?”
Four heads swiveled toward him. From the looks on their faces, he might as well have said he’d never heard of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
“Um, yeah, last week,” Rick said, his face still a picture of surprise. “It was terrible.”
Josh added. “Once again, the good people of Christmas Town really came through.”
Longing and regret nudged at Ben. He wished he could have been there to help.
When he was young, he’d so badly wanted to be a firefighter, like his dad and grandfather before him. As he’d grown, his parents had encouraged him to follow a different path. Mike Fisher had always said it was because he wanted something better for Ben, something different where he could really put his intellect to use. He loved his dad for the encouragement, even as part of him wondered if maybe his dad had been afraid he wasn’t cut out for the work. Ben had never believed there could be anything “better” than firefighting. He’d found his calling in computers and didn’t regret the choice he’d made.
Yet, Josh’s comment triggered a realization in his brain. The fire at Bells Are Ringing had been fought by more than the regular firefighters. There was no reason why he couldn’t go through the training and become a member of the volunteer reserves. Why had this never occurred to him before? Maybe he could have his cake and fight some fires, too. Would he want to do that back in LA? No, the vision he had was of himself here in Christmas Town, beside his dad and brothers.
He couldn’t run Sparrow Software from Christmas Town, could he? Technically it was possible. His partner Ty handled most of the business end anyway. Ben was the technical one, spending most of his time in front of his computer, which literally could be done anywhere.
“You should have seen the look on Calhoun’s face when his feet slipped in the snow and that hose flipped him like a circus acrobat. But he held on to it, I’ll give him that.” His brothers roared with laughter as his dad finished the story.
“How about that fire last fourth of July that started when that delinquent Lenny Randall decided to play with sparklers in his dad’s restored VW?”
Ben chimed in, “Magnesium. What did you guys do?” He knew how dangerous it was when water mixed with burning magnesium. Older Volkswagen engines contained this flammable metal.
Heads turned curiously in his direction while Rick said, “Being off-duty, Josh and I got there before the trucks. Dave Randall had a hose, but we didn’t have a—”
“A class D extinguisher?” Ben interrupted as he checked his email on his phone.
“Um, yeah. Exactly.”
Josh gaped at him, not bothering to hide his astonishment at the depth of Ben’s knowledge.
Ben ignored him because he was staring at the subject line of an email: Old Fire Bell
He read the message: Dear Mr. Fisher, Last summer you called to discuss acquiring a large antique fire bell. My partner purchased one fitting this description on his way home from a buying trip up north. It is a Vining & Croft bell. He will be arriving this afternoon. That’s all the information I have until I see it. If you wish, I will take photos to email you upon its arrival…
Enthusiasm propelled him out of his chair and to his feet. He needed to show this to Andrea. They needed to go to...Where was it? The sender was a Tim Wasson in Homestead, New Hampshire. Only a three-hour drive. If Andrea could drive her pickup, and if this was the bell, they could rent a trailer, get it home, and still manage to give his dad the best Christmas gift ever…
He slowly became conscious of the fact his entire family had gone silent and was staring at him again.
“Ben?” his mom asked.
Rick said, “Dude, what’s the matter? You look like you did when we were kids and Josh broke your telescope.”
Josh pointed accusingly at Rick. “You pushed me, Rick. You know that was your fault.”
Rick chuckled. “Nice try. I did not push you, Crash. You’d earned your nickname even then.”
Ben’s face broke into a grin. He loved his family. “Yes, I’m fine. I’ve got to go out for a while, though. I’ll see you guys later, okay?” He hurried out of the room, but paused in the doorway to add, “I think both of you guys owe me a new telescope, by the way. And to save you some time, I’ll take the Celestron NexStar, Evolution Eight Schmidt-Cassegrain.”
“Jeez, man.” Josh chuckled with a head-shake. “Deep down, you really are still a dork.”
~*~
Andrea read the email on Ben’s cell phone screen. The words about a bell coming from “up north” flashed before her eyes like a neon sign. What in the world was this? This could not possibly be, could it? Keeping her features composed, she met his eager expression. She could tell he thought so.
When Andrea had located the bell in Cabot, Nova Scotia, she’d made the trip to the dairy farm to confirm its authenticity. Zacharias Pence was an honest man, Andrea was sure of it. No way that sweet old man would cheat her. Would he?
After several delays, the bell had yet to arrive. The various reasons began to tick through her mind, most of them involving the logistics of transporting a two-thousand-plus pound bell along with its yoke and stand. She’d called yesterday and his son had informed her that Zacharias was on vacation, even as he assured her the bell would be delivered by Christmas Eve.
“What do you think?” Ben asked. “I called Tim. He’s leaving for the holidays tomorrow. If this is our bell, I need to look at it today in order to get it back here by Christmas.”
A mix of anxiety and dread swept over her. Was it possible she’d been double-crossed? Had Zacharias sold the bell out from under her? The blood seemed to freeze in her veins as it dawned on her that he could sell the bell 150 times and she wouldn’t know. Could she be the victim of a huge fraud? He’d said he’d needed advance payment to pay his wife’s medical bills. A wife she’d never met.
She forced herself to calm down, to think this through. She was probably being paranoid. Yet, there was a part of her that now wanted to check it out. Plus, she could sell a few items along the way. Bills still needed to be paid.
“Homestead isn’t that far. We’ll take my truck.”
He blew out a breath of relief. “Great. I’ll let him know we’re on the way. Thank you, I wouldn’t feel confident trying to authenticate it by myself.”
Andrea enjoyed the satisfying spark this comment fired in her. She couldn’t help but feel emboldened by the fact he still wanted her help. In spite of her current predicament and her possible gargantuan lapse in judgment, she was good at this. The most important part, anyway.
“Allison, can
you watch the shop for me and lock up this evening? I won’t be back until late tonight.”
“Sure, I’ll do it.” Allison had been trying on jewelry near a display case. For weeks, she’d had her eye on the sparkly choker now glistening at her neck. “If you sell me this necklace.”
“Absolutely not. But since you are watching the store for me, you can have the necklace as my Christmas gift to you. I haven’t done my shopping yet.” Shopping. Thank goodness she only had two names on her list this year. Allison’s gift was now covered. The bell was supposed to be Ben’s Christmas surprise.
“Really? But it’s expensive and I know you need—”
“Thank you,” she interrupted with a pointed look at her sister. “You’re the best.”
Allison’s eyes widened slightly, telling Andrea she’d conveyed the message. No need to clue Ben in on her precarious financial situation at this point.
Chapter 5
“I’m going to make a quick stop in Dinning,” Andrea said, making a right-hand turn toward the historic little town brimming with antique shops. She pulled into a parking spot.
Ben checked his watch as she crossed the street with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. He watched her disappear inside a shop with “Days of Old - Antiques” printed across the large picture window. He used the time to check his email and text his partner Ty. Ben had told Tim they’d be there by 5:30. They could still make it in plenty of time if she returned in the next ten minutes.
Eighteen minutes later, she emerged from the shop. Waving at him, she held up a finger to indicate she’d be a few more minutes. She hurried down the sidewalk and entered another shop. Another fifteen minutes passed with Ben trying to temper his impatience before she finally opened the back door and placed the bag on the seat.
“Sorry about that. Business.” She climbed in and started the pickup, but instead of turning at the light where the sign pointed to get them back on track, she continued down the street. “It went well, so that’s good.”
“What kind of business? If you don’t mind my asking?”
“No, not at all. I sold a set of old hat pins, a brooch, and a beaded purse.”
“Worth a lot?” Her work ethic was admirable, but it was beginning to get to him under the circumstances.
She frowned as if thinking about the question. After traveling a few blocks, she entered a parking lot. “I made a couple hundred dollars.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Selling a chair, I hope.”
“A chair?” he repeated, a tinge of disbelief in his tone.
“Yes,” she said, scrunching her brow. “It’s in the back under the bed cover. Christmas is a great time to move inventory. I’m sure you get that.”
“Andrea, I understand business, I do. But I told Tim we would be there by 5:30 to look at the bell. We’re getting behind schedule.” He wanted to add that if this was the bell, the size of her commission could treat the entire town to a formal Christmas dinner—along with the chairs to sit on while they ate it. The part that bothered him the most was that she knew how much this bell meant to him. He couldn’t help but wonder how serious she’d been about their search from the start. He’d paid her well for her time and expenses already. Was she trying to stretch out her paycheck a little longer?
She shook her head slightly as if to clear it. “You’re right. We should get back on the road. Sorry, I can get a little caught up sometimes.”
His relief at being back on track lasted less than an hour.
“What in the world is that?”
His seatbelt contracted tightly as Andrea hit the brakes and pulled to the side of the road.
“What are you looking at?” He peered out the window.
She grabbed her coat. Ben felt a blast of frigid air as she opened the door. Snowflakes stung his face as he climbed out to join her.
“Didn’t you see it?”
Zipping his jacket, he followed her behind the vehicle. A large black garbage bag was resting by the far side of the ditch. It was dusted with snow and could have passed for a rock. “I can’t believe you spotted it.”
“The wrapping paper,” she said, pointing to a small hole in the bag where bright red and green paper showed through. “The bag is ripped.”
She carried the bag over to their side of the ditch. Pulling out a wrapped package, she read the tag. “‘To, Jenna, Love, Santa.’” Examining another one, she said, “To, Evan. Maybe the bag fell out the back of someone’s pickup? There are a lot of gifts. This could be someone’s entire Christmas. What are we going to do?”
She was right. Her concern for these people she didn’t know was endearing and stirred something inside of him. Ben was about to reassure her when movement several yards away in the ditch caught his attention. He watched for a moment before looking back at her. “I have a better question.”
“We’ll get to the bell, I promise.”
“I’m not talking about the bell right now. I’m talking about that.” He pointed toward a culvert opening where a tiny gray-and-white kitten sat watching them.
“A kitten? Oh, no! It’s so cold out for a kitten. Where did it come from?”
Ben had already noted that, since leaving Dinning the countryside was sparsely populated. Not a single residence could be seen from where they were standing.
“It must belong to someone.”
As he moved closer, so did the kitten, telling him the little thing had been around people for at least some of its young life. Crouching, he picked up the small fuzzy bundle and examined it for damage. A flash of color inside the kitten’s makeshift hideout caught his eye. “I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean? Why?”
He cuddled the kitten close with his left hand and then reached into the culvert and pulled out the items. “Someone left a towel, a dish full of food, and this,” slipping the kitten inside of his jacket, he held up a frozen water dish “which is nothing but a Popsicle now.”
~*~
Watching big strong Ben gently tuck a tiny cold kitten inside of his jacket was wreaking havoc with Andrea’s emotions; concern for the kitten mixed with affection for him. As she moved closer, he opened his jacket so she could take a peek. The warmth emanating from him coupled with his masculine scent had Andrea wishing she could crawl inside his jacket, too. Get a grip. He would be crazy to be interested in her. He’d asked her out once, and she’d reacted like the perfectly cruel teenaged princess she’d aspired to be. Back then she’d tried to pretend she had it all, when really she’d had nothing.
Ben was the one who had it all. He always had. Without pretense.
The kitten belted out a meow as if to tell them she wasn’t too pleased about being subjected to the frigid cold again.
They exchanged grins and Andrea said, “My goodness, she has a good set of lungs for such a little bit of a thing.”
“Her motor is running just fine, too,” he commented as the kitten began a loud purr.
She giggled. “I can hear that. What are we going to do?”
“We’re not leaving her here. Do you want to hop back in the pickup and hold her while I load up the packages?”
They settled inside the cab. The kitten purred, explored, then climbed onto Andrea’s shoulder where she executed a thorough sniffing of her ear, batted at her earring, and ruthlessly stole her heart.
When Ben climbed back in, they decided to keep traveling until they hit the next town of any size, which the GPS informed them was nearly twenty miles. As Andrea drove, she studied the landscape with different eyes, searching for an explanation for the gifts, for the abandonment of the kitten. The remoteness of their location only reinforced the bleakness and the oddness of the situation.
~*~
In Kensituck, New Hampshire, Andrea parked in front of a store called Fur Kids. Ben had discovered the pet supply store via an internet search and now headed into the store for supplies. The kitten, who seemed invigorated after napping the last few miles, kept pawing
at her phone as she searched Facebook to see whether Kensituck had a community group where local news and happenings were posted.
As she searched, her thoughts drifted toward her other concerns. This newest bell had to be the wrong one. It had to be. Should she tell Ben what she’d done? With the status of the bell even now more uncertain, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. How could she explain that she’d purchased the bell hoping to surprise him, but in doing so, she hadn’t taken possession, and now it might have been sold out from under her? Just thinking the words made her chest tighten and her skin prickle with fear. Saying them out loud she’d probably pass out. He’d think she was the biggest idiot in the world.
Forcing her brain back on track, she found the group and contacted the moderator. Didn’t discover anything about lost gifts or kittens and searched for similar groups in nearby towns with the same results.
Ben opened the back door and slid a litter box behind the seat. “Nice people in there. They don’t know anything about the kitten, but they called the local veterinarian and the nearest animal shelter, neither of which knew anything.”
The kitten scrambled across the seat to greet him as he resumed his place in the passenger seat. Andrea watched him scoop her up, cuddling the fur ball against his cheek and whispering in her ear. She didn’t know he loved cats. Yet another thing to love about him, she thought, as a warm ache settled inside her.
“I bought food and water, too. And some of these.” He pulled a felt mouse out of his pocket and dangled the toy in front of the kitten. She gave it a sniff and a couple taps with her paw. He dropped it on the seat between them and she pounced.
They laughed and Andrea gave him a report. “I found nothing about the gifts or about lost gray-and-white kittens. I keep thinking with it being the holidays, the bag could have been coming or going to about a million different places, right?”
Ben agreed. “Let’s go to the police station and see if anyone has reported them lost or stolen.”
A Heartwarming Christmas: A Boxed Set of Twelve Sweet Holiday Romances Page 26