A Legendary Christmas

by Jan Scarbrough

  She nodded. “Ah. I know what you mean. In the legal profession, we get caught up in putting out fires, don’t we? It’s so easy to postpone important things.”

  He looked at her, and thought again about Holly’s Christmas note to him. “And sometimes you don’t realize what you’re doing until it’s too late.”

  “Yes.” How awful for David to have lost his young wife that way. Rebecca thought of Stephen, how much she’d mourned him. She thought of Blaine, who was grown now, and doing well, thank goodness. She didn’t want another real relationship, the kind with a shared address and more than one toothbrush in the holder. She missed Stephen, but knew better than to try to replace him. It would never happen. What should be important to Rebecca at this point was having a life of her own. She’d never had one of those, really.

  The fling with Gerald was already a non-event to her. He’d just been a way to kill time, she suddenly realized. Same for the two—or was it three?—others before Gerald. Those “relationships” had just been a way to avoid dealing with a future…alone. And work was just work. She knew it, even though she’d thrown herself into the law practice as if it could save her soul.

  She wondered sometimes, especially in the last several months, if it were doing the opposite. No! This line of thought wasn’t productive. She really, really needed to get out of this cabin, away from this man who was causing her to think too much about some hard issues she had been so successfully avoiding.

  “So. About those snow shoes. Do you really have some?”

  “Snow shoes? Well, yes. They were left here by the previous owner. This old guy who sorta was a mountain man. But they’re not any good. They’re the old wooden kind, and the humidity got to ‘em. They’re warped beyond repair. Sorry.”

  She could see he wasn’t sorry. She was certain he wasn’t telling the entire truth either. What was up? Did he think she was too much of a wimp to walk a few miles in snow shoes? Not that she’d ever tried it. Not that she ever exercised beyond running for a cab or walking a few flights of stairs when an elevator broke. Fine. She was stuck here for the duration. Great.

  “Hm. Maybe it’s just as well. If I’m here another day or so, at least it keeps me from what Midnight had planned.”

  “Oh? And what was that?”

  “She had some guy she wanted to introduce me to. Ugh.” She shivered slightly. “I’m not interested. So I’m probably better off up here anyway. Good thing the snow shoes are ruined.”

  “Hard for me to picture Midnight playing matchmaker. That doesn’t sound like her. She’s so level-headed.”

  Rebecca noticed a trailing thread on the hem of the flannel shirt she was wearing, and started to pull at it. “Not when it comes to relationships. Not really.”

  “Oh?”

  She glared up at him for a second. “Sorry. That’s all I can say.”

  “Attorney-client privilege.”

  “I didn’t say that.” The thread got longer and longer as she tugged.

  “You didn’t have to say it. I figured it out. You were her divorce lawyer, I bet. Yeah, you have the temperament.”

  “Just what does that mean?”

  “Oh, not much. Just thinking ‘shark.’ The good ones are like sharks. You just happen to be well-disguised. I’ll bet you’re hell in the courtroom, though.” He linked his fingers behind his head and leaned back.

  “Yes, I’m hell in the courtroom. It’s what I do. And I do it extremely well. Everyone in the City knows it, in fact. Important people come to me to represent them in their divorces. Important people who don’t want to hire me come in and pay for a consultation so I’ll have a conflict of interest and not be able to represent their spouse. I’m just that good. You have a problem?” She stared at him, daring him to say yes. Why did she suddenly feel the need to defend her livelihood to this guy?

  “Hey! Stop pulling that thread. You’re gonna take the hem out of the shirt. Don’t you know if you keep pulling, the whole thing will fall apart?”

  Rebecca let go of the thread and stared at David. Don’t you know if you keep pulling, the whole thing will fall apart? That’s pretty much what was happening in her life. She kept pulling, kept doing the same thing over and over, and her life did seem to be unraveling. Blaine loved her, but he was glad to be away from her. The employees and associate attorneys tolerated her because she paid them well. She had few friends, none of whom she could count on except Midnight Shelby McClain.

  What a revelation. She desperately hated her life.

  David’s voice was softer when he spoke next. “Hey. Don’t look like that. I’m not saying anything terrible about your work. There’s a place in the world for it. If that’s what you do, and you can still sleep nights, my hat’s off to you, Rebecca.”

  She jumped up, making certain her posture was perfect so she was every inch of her diminutive height. “I don’t care about your hat, David McClain. I think you know where you can put it, and your opinion.”

  She stomped, another ineffective move in stocking feet, into the kitchen just to get out of his sight. What a holier-than-thou jerk. Probably had some little courtroom in Podunk, Tennessee, hearing small claims cases all day long. What did he know about the real practice of law? What did he know about the stress, and the long hours, and the fact that you don’t get to have a personal life—not a real one—because every single day lasts forever and you’re always preparing the next case to be ready for whatever the other side is going to throw at you? What could David Mountainman Boyscout McClain know about any of it?

  Rebecca paced the tiny kitchen, her hands balled into fists so tight her fingernails dug into her palms. Being snowbound in a cabin with a tall, dark, handsome, delicious…being snowbound with a guy should be sweet and romantic, at the very least. The man was a hunk, pure and simple. When he tried, he could even be pleasant to talk with. So why did he have to pick at her?

  But maybe she’d been a smidge unpleasant too. Perhaps if she mellowed out a little bit, so would he. They could get to know each other. It had been going well for a little while when they’d talked about Stephen and Holly, after all. That seemed a good start. So maybe if both of them tried a little harder…

  But why try? She’d soon be out of here, and they’d never see each other again. She remembered the figures she’d seen in the fireplace flames. Maybe just a little something in a mountain cabin wouldn’t be distasteful to either of them. Maybe, just to pass the time, or conserve warmth, or whatever excuse, they should get a little bit cozy…

  Rebecca put a palm to her head and realized all this sophomoric conjecture was giving her a headache.

  I want out of here, and now. I can’t stand to be cooped up with him any longer!

  She yanked open the door to the garage and tried to see inside. There were some small windows but not much light coming through them. She could make out the general shape of the caved-in roof on top of a dark vehicle. His Jeep, he’d said. It was cold and damp in there too, as the snow had come in. There really was no getting away in his vehicle.

  Did she want to go because of what he’d said? Because he’d hit so close to home? Because he knew her better than he realized, even though he didn’t know her at all?

  “Hey. You’re letting the cold in.” His voice was soft and near. When she didn’t answer, he walked over and stood next to her, quietly closed the door. She wished he would touch her. “Rebecca. You can’t drive to Midnight’s in my Jeep. It’s not moving any time soon.”

  “I can see that. I’m not stupid.”

  “Of course you’re not. Suddenly you’re angry, though, and I’m not sure just why. Couldn’t be that ‘shark’ comment, could it? Surely you’re not that thin-skinned.”

  No, she usually wasn’t. She looked him straight in the eye, to stare him down, which for some reason often worked with big men. “A polite host wouldn’t call his house guest by a derogatory term. I think ‘shark’ would qualify as derogatory.”

  One of his dark brows arched at th
e statement. He crossed his strong arms and seemed to consider, all the while holding her eyes with his. “Hm. Maybe not. A polite host also might not jerk all the clothes off his house guest and wrap her in a down comforter to avoid hypothermia, either. Or let her sleep in the warmest place in the cabin, right by the fire, while he took the cold bedroom and icy sheets. What do you want, Rebecca? A polite host, or me?”

  Shocked, Rebecca found herself at a loss for words. How horrible to realize she’d almost blurted out, “You” in answer to his silly question.

  “There’s an awful lot of tension in here right now,” he said softly. “You know what would take care of that?”

  Chapter Six

  Rebecca thought she might know exactly what could relieve the tension. She could think of several different ways they could go about it, too. Mmm. If only he were interested. She hoped her desire didn’t show on her face. In the courtroom, she was known for her ability to keep her facial expression under control at all times. But right now, she didn’t feel under control. She felt a bit under David McClain’s spell, and it frightened her.

  “I think what we need here, to help us de-stress a little bit, is to get things back where we were a few minutes ago. Let’s not talk about work. I think that got us both riled up.” Slowly, gently, David took her small hand in his big one and held it lightly so she could pull back if she chose. “We left work back in the City, right?”

  She nodded, enjoying the soft Southern sound of his voice. Hoping to hear him say something sweet.

  “It’s just you and me here. No big fancy office or tufted leather chairs or tall judge’s bench.” He took her other hand and squeezed a little. “Just the two of us. So, if there’s something you’d rather do instead of fighting, just say the word.”

  No. She couldn’t just say the word. The word she’d been thinking a few minutes ago was sex. And then she realized, as David took her hands and held them so gently, reverently even, that maybe there could be something else here if the two of them let it have a chance. David McClain was not Stephen. But more importantly, he was not Gerald. She couldn’t imagine having a physical-only relationship with David. Physical, yes. Yes! And soon would be very, very good.

  But it couldn’t be only physical. David was a man who cared about people, who loved deeply. Such a man wouldn’t be interested in a fling. Such a man would expect more. Like commitment.

  And that was a word Rebecca had shied away from for a long while.

  “Rebecca? You in there?” He leaned down and peered into her eyes, then kissed the tip of her nose. It was not erotic. A nose-tip kiss was just silly, not at all arousing. So she slid her hands up his arms and used them to balance herself, then stood on tiptoe and nipped his chin. Just a small nip. With maybe a little bitty lick. Just to be silly back at him, really. It was not very much of a tease, unless he wanted to take it that way.

  Evidently he did, because he leaned down and captured her mouth with his. Rebecca’s eyes flew open in shock, surprise, and happiness. Yum! David was delicious. She’d had a suspicion he would be…

  They suddenly heard the approach of a very loud vehicle.

  Groaning, David pulled back from her, and went quickly to a front window. “Great. I may have to kill him.”

  Rebecca joined him at the window and was amazed to see a Hummer pulling up toward the cabin. A handsome man drove it, with a big smile on his face.

  “My brother Joe. Basically a nice guy. I never noticed how horrible his timing is, though. Let me just yell out the door at him to go away for a few days.”

  Rebecca stood next to him at the window, and caught his sleeve as he moved toward the door. “We can’t do that. He’s made the effort to rescue us.”

  “Trust me, he won’t care. I’ll tell him to get lost. Lord knows I’ve done it before. But he’s hard-headed. Kind of a family trait.” He reached over and squeezed Rebecca’s hand.

  “Quite a vehicle he has there. Interesting paint job, too.” The brown-and-tan camouflage was glaringly out of place in the peaceful mountain setting.

  “He’s a mechanic. Has all kinds of vehicles brought to him, because he can fix anything. I forget who he said brought the Hummer, some retired Army general or something, but they were going to Florida for the winter, so Joe’s had it in his big shed since he fixed it a couple months ago.” David slapped his thigh and laughed briefly. “Leave it to a McClain!”

  His face showed pride in his brother’s accomplishment. She assumed that, in spite of what had been happening in the kitchen, he was relieved not to be snowbound with her any longer.

  Joe McClain, tall and dark, and dressed in an orange parka, jeans, and some no-nonsense boots, jumped out of the Hummer and strode through the deep snow toward the cabin. David threw open the front door and met him. The two embraced unashamedly, then beat each other on the backs.

  “Hey, Slob! You’re makin’ a snowy mess on my nice clean floor.”

  “What? You givin’ me grief for comin’ up here to rescue your sorry—uh—yeah.” He smiled sheepishly at Rebecca. “You have company. Slipped my mind. Well, Ugly, if you don’t want a mess, get me a rug or a towel or something. But first, introduce me to the lady.”

  In spite of herself, Rebecca was charmed by their macho posturing. She walked over and held out her hand, a sweet smile on her lips. “Mr. Slob, I’m the Shark.” She tipped her head toward David. “Ugly here has told me so much about you.”

  Both men stared at her for a second, then burst into laughter.

  Joe recovered first. “Shark, let me welcome you to our fair county. Sorry you had to be stuck with this goober, though. But we’ll get you out of here and you can meet some decent people.”

  David groaned. “Oh, right. So you’re suddenly the Welcome Wagon? Give me a break.”

  “Hey, check out my wagon!” He indicated the Hummer with a jerk of his head. “If I want to say welcome, who’s gonna stop me? Not your sorry…whoops, I keep forgetting. Anyway, the chariot’s here. Gather up your stuff, Cinderella, and we’ll head to the party!”

  Joe’s smile was infectious. Rebecca smiled back, then looked at David. He was smiling too, but there was something…then she realized she didn’t really want to get into the chariot with its handsome, jovial driver. She had an inclination to stay snowbound a while longer and find out what had been about to happen a few minutes ago in the kitchen, when David was talking about relieving tension.

  “Yeah. We’d better get stuff packed up.” David turned away and efficiently began to go through the cabin, putting things up, straightening. He tidied the already tidy kitchen, then went to the bedroom. Rebecca was at a loss. All she seemed to have was her laptop, and the mismatched clothes she wore.

  “So, Shark, you doing okay?” Joe’s smile and concern were genuine.

  “Fine. I was lucky to run into a snowdrift so close to this cabin. I hate to think what might’ve happened otherwise.”

  He frowned. “Nothing good. That storm was nasty. Freakish for us, really. Even in the mountains we don’t get storms like that.”

  “My timing really stinks, I guess.”

  He glanced toward the bedroom where David could be heard moving things, then winked at Rebecca. “Actually, I think your timing was excellent,” he said softly.

  Rebecca wanted to ask him to explain, but David came back into the tiny living room and Joe looked quickly toward him.

  “You ready, Ugly?”

  “I guess.” He held Rebecca’s ankle boots out to her. “Here. Put these on, for what they’re worth. I don’t have any real boots for you to wear. Your clothes are in my duffle.” Which he dumped onto the floor. “And here’s your coat thing.” He tossed her emerald green cloak over the back of the overstuffed chair.

  “I think I’d rather change into my own clothes—”

  “No. Joe’s here, we need to go. You can change later. Nobody’s havin’ a fashion show in Legend today.”

  Rebecca felt at a disadvantage having to go anywhere dressed
like a street person. Sitting on the edge of the couch, she carefully zipped the thick socks into her ankle boots. “Well, can we at least get my suitcase out of the car?”

  “And the car is where?” The brothers asked the question in unison.

  She smiled reassuringly. “It’s just a little distance down the road. Surely we can find it without too much trouble.”

  “Joe, it’s in a ditch, and has been since like eleven last night. It’s gonna be buried in drifts.”

  “And it’s white.” She hated to mention it, but felt compelled.

  “Right. Sorry, Sharklady, you’re gonna be without your suitcase another day or so. I’ve got a shovel and a strong back, but there are other people I need to get to. So I’m sure you understand—”

  “Of course. I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought.” Rebecca chided herself for her selfishness. “They’re just clothes. Thank you so much for coming out here, Joe. I appreciate it. We both do, right?” She looked at David.

  “Oh yeah, right. Thanks so much, Joe.” Was that a glare in his eyes, or the glare of the sun coming in the window?

  David checked a couple more things, then arranged Rebecca’s cloak across her shoulders. She pulled on the thin emerald green gloves and picked up her little purse he’d brought in with his duffle.

  David opened the door and held the duffle, then Rebecca’s laptop case, out to Joe.

  “What? You can’t carry your own stuff?”

  “I gotta carry her.”

  She swung around to stare at him. “What? No you don’t. I walked here—”

  “And you nearly froze to death doing it. Those flimsy little boots aren’t any better for snow today than they were last night. Come here.”

  “No. I can walk.”