“You’re welcome.”
He didn’t move. Just stood there. She stared at her cup. “Well, I should be going.”
“Me, too.”
Finally, she did look up. He’d not gone anywhere. Move or say something, Chelly!
“Oh, Matt. Thanks for last night. I mean, you could have given me a ticket.” She swallowed and looked into his eyes, really looked into them, the first time in a long, long time. She had always thought his eyes were the most beautiful color of coppery brown…
He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the right words. “You weren’t going that much over the speed limit,” he finally said.
She shrugged and held her coffee cup in both hands in front of her, clamping her left arm tight against the wipes still tucked into her left side. “Well, that was nice of you.” She glanced at Betty Jo who was staring at them. “I should go.”
She turned, slightly.
“At least one of us plays nice.”
The tone of those words, as much as their implication, cut as deep as anything. She turned back. “Matt, that was a long time ago.”
“Four years, six months, seven days.”
Shit. He hadn’t… had he? “What are you saying? Are you still mad at me?”
He squared himself, stance broad, as if ready for action. The look on his face said he meant business. “I’m mad as hell.”
She had no clue. “I…” she glanced off. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Sorry, I think, is the appropriate word.”
Looking at him again, she shook her head. “Somehow I think my saying sorry still won’t cut it.” She sat her coffee and the wipes down on the counter and reached for his forearm. “Matt…”
“It’s a start.” He jerked away, stepped back.
Surprised, she continued, “Matt, okay, I’m sorry. I know I hurt you. I know…”
He sat his coffee on the counter beside hers, although a little too hard. The bottom busted off the cup and hot coffee splattered everywhere. Both of them jumped. “Hurt?” He chortled. “You made me the laughing stock of this entire town.” His gaze narrowed and he leaned forward. “I don’t ever, ever, want to see you again. So if you are back in town for good, steer clear of me, you got that?”
Stunned, she jerked back and stared into his face. “Sure. Got it.”
Then he stomped off. She watched him stride out of the store.
Not sure how long she stood there, she didn’t move until Betty Jo came up with a mop.
“Chelly, dear, let me get this.”
She stepped back and looked into Betty’s face. “Oh. Excuse me.”
She hadn’t realized. Truly, all this time, she had not realized that Matt Branson hurt that badly when she broke it off with him—and ran off with Cliff.
“That was four years ago.”
“Yes,” Betty answered, swiping the mop back and forth, “but small towns don’t forget. Men don’t forget. It’s their ego.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “I guess not,” she whispered.
Still looking at the door Matt had exited, she wondered if she would ever live down the actions of her past with the residents of this town. Especially, with Matt.
Somehow, it mattered.
“He’s just hurt is all,” Betty said.
Chelly finally looked at her. “I didn’t know.”
“You do now.”
“He hates me.”
Betty stopped her mopping and shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’s it, sweetie.”
“But he said…”
“Men say a lot of things when they’ve been hurt bad.” She patted her arm. “He’ll come around.”
Chelly wasn’t so certain. “I don’t know.” Glancing at their feet, she noticed Betty Jo had everything cleaned up. “I’m sorry about this mess. Let me pay for his coffee.” She reached for her things.
“Never mind about that.” Betty took the baby wipes. “Let’s check you out. Two little girls, I hear?”
Desperately trying to fight back tears, Chelly nodded, thankful for her kindness and change of subject. “Yes, and they are beautiful.”
Betty Jo smiled. “Of course they are!” She hooked her arm in Chelly’s and led her toward the checkout counter.
“Yes. I need to get back before they wake up.”
“Sure, honey.” Betty Jo rounded the counter and scanned her purchase.
Wake up. Yeah. She supposed perhaps she needed the wakeup call this morning. Last night with Suzie had gone so well, she’d hope the rest of her reunion with Legend would be smooth sailing.
Apparently that wasn’t the case.
Families forgive. Old boyfriends, apparently, did not.
* * * *
“So, I was thinking, perhaps you could help out a little bit today, if you don’t mind,” Suzie said as she dumped a pan of piping hot potatoes into a huge colander in the sink. Steam rose and she turned her head to look at Chelly. “The pies and cakes are on the shelves in the pantry, covered and ready to go. I have the name and order number on each. You’ll see a little sticker on the top. The salads are in the fridge in the basement. We’ll have to carry those up at the last minute. Same deal, sticker on the top. The hot foods will be coming out in the next couple of hours. I have to do some shifty work here.” She glanced up at the clock. “Great. It’s just after noon now. Most everything has to be delivered by six and we’re racing the snow. Oh, the list is on the bulletin board.”
She pointed toward the wall with a built in kitchen desk; a bulletin board was posted above it. “Matter of fact, could you go check that now and see what time we need to be at Clint Roberts’? He called earlier this week and wanted to know if his delivery could be moved up. Poor man, eating alone on Christmas day.” She peered at her sister. “He really shouldn’t eat alone. Perhaps we should invite him over.”
Chelly narrowed her gaze. “Stop. I know that look.”
“What look?”
“That, let’s fix her up look.”
Suzie grimaced. “Oh, pshaw.”
Moving toward the list, she looked for Clint’s name. “Four o’clock.”
Suzie hefted the colander of potatoes onto the counter and dumped them in a huge mixing bowl. “What?” She batted away steam again.
“Clint. He wants his meal delivered at four.”
“Oh.” Two huge sticks of butter went into the potatoes. “Wouldn’t hurt for you to put yourself back out there.”
Frowning, Chelly replied, “Um, I’m not ready for that. Maybe in another year or so.” Suddenly she felt flushed, thinking about her encounter with Matt earlier this morning. With her reputation, there wasn’t man in Legend would touch her with a ten-foot pole.
“Well, Clint’s not right for you anyway.”
“Not sure anyone would be right for me,” she mumbled.
Suzie thoroughly salted and peppered the potatoes. “What about Matt?”
Chelly coughed, “Yeah right.”
“Well, you two were very much in love in high school, and he’s still holding a torch for you, I think.”
She laughed out loud at that one. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
Reaching for the cream, Suzie stopped to look at her sister. “Why would you say that?”
She hesitated, and then decided to spill. “I’ve already seen Matt. Twice. He pulled me over for speeding last night at the edge of town, but he let me off with a warning. Then, I ran into him again at the Piggly Wiggly this morning. Believe me, he’s not interested. In fact, he was pretty blunt. I think his words were something like, ‘if you are back to stay, steer clear of me, got it?’ Doesn’t sound like torch holding to me.”
“Sounds exactly like it to me.”
Vigorously, she shook her head. “No. Believe me. He’s not interested. He’s mad as hell. So I’ll do as he said and leave him alone.” She looked sharply at her sister. “And you will not interfere! Do you hear me?”
Suzie turned to pour
a cup of cream into the potatoes. “Of course. Whatever you say, sis.”
There was a pause and Suzie added. “But he looks really good, doesn’t he? Filled out in the past few years. Works out a lot, I think. And in the uniform…”
Chelly closed her eyes and immediately got a mental image. “Yes, dammit, he looks good.” Too good.
Chapter Four
Leaning against the kitchen desk, Chelly crossed her arms over her chest. “You want me to be delivery girl?”
Nodding, Suzie pushed back a stray lock of hair with her forearm. Chelly went to her and clipped it back into place. “Sure. If you don’t mind that the kids are here. I can deliver, run errands, whatever you need.”
A huge sigh of relief escaped Suzie’s lips. She tweaked her sister’s cheek. “Thank God you came home. I can use some help. I’ll let Brad deal with the kids.”
About that time a squeal, a giggle, and a man’s low chuckle came from the living room.
Suzie grinned. “I just love that.” Then immediately, she frowned and reached for Chelly’s hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”
Chelly stopped her. “It’s fine. Really. I’m glad you have Brad. And the girls sure love him. He’s read them at least three stories this morning.”
“He’s really good with kids.”
“They were calling him Uncle Bad a minute ago.”
Laughing, Suzie grabbed a potato masher then and went to work on the hot spuds. “That fits.” She looked a Chelly with a twinkle. “He is a bad, bad boy…”
“Suzie!”
“Well, it’s true. And I love it.” She mashed some more, slowed, paused, and looked back up at Chelly.
“What?” She wasn’t sure she liked that look on her face.
“I have more work than I can handle.”
The buzzer went off on the oven. Chelly trotted over to turn it off then looked inside. “I think the cornbread stuffing is finished.
“Test it for me, huh?”
Glancing around, she picked up a thin-blade knife and stuck it in the middle. Came out clean. Then pushed the stuffing away from the side of the pan. Yes. It was done. “Ready here,” she told her sister.
“Hm. Good.”
Grabbing potholders, Chelly pulled the steaming pan of stuffing out of the oven and set it on a wooden cutting board on the counter. Once more, she pressed a finger into the dish to see if it would bounce back. Yes.
“It’s done.”
“Good.”
“Chelly?”
“Hm?”
“I need help.”
She turned to her sister. “I know. I’ll do your deliveries today.”
“No. No, that’s not what I mean.” She sat the masher down on the counter and faced her sister. “I know you don’t want handouts, and this is definitely not a handout. I’ve had more work in the past six months than I did in the first two years of my business. The B&B is going strong. The cookbook is in the can. It comes out in two months, and the publisher wants me to do a book tour. I’ve nearly stopped doing my cooking classes because of the time factor, although I dearly love to do them. And the catering, sweet Jesus, the catering is my bread and butter right now. I need your help.”
Stunned, Chelly took a step back. “You want me to work for you?”
Suzie shook her head. “No, with me. Be my partner. You always loved to cook, and you’re a natural. I can teach you the rest. With Petey and the lodge on top of everything else, I need you. Big time.”
Chelly sat on a barstool. “I don’t know what to say.”
Suzie grinned. “Say yes. Please.”
“Yes?”
“Well, that was enthusiastic.”
“Yes!”
“Ack!” Suzie jumped up and down. Chelly sprung up with her and they hugged, squealing.
Bubbling laughter and the pitter-patter of stockinged feet joined them.
“Mama!” Katie shrieked. “Uncle Bad got my toes!”
Chelly scooped her up. “Well, did he give them back?”
A silly smile broke across Katie’s face. “Bad didn’t really take ‘em. They still on my feet.”
“What’s all this?” Brad’s voice boomed out.
Suzie grinned from ear to ear. “She said yes.”
“Thank God.” He reached for his wife and nuzzled her ear. “Maybe I can get my Suze back at least part-time for a while.” He kissed her cheek. “Did you tell her about the lodge?”
Chelly looked from Brad to Suzie. “What? What about the lodge?”
Suzie nudged him. “You tell her.”
“All right.” He looked into Chelly’s eyes and even though she’d only met him the night before, she knew he was a sincere man, and anticipated what he was about to say. She could see some seriousness in his thought. “The top floor of the lodge has a three bedroom suite with two bathrooms. It is yours for as long as you need it. Rent free.”
The breath whooshed out of her the second her butt hit the bar stool. Her hands fluttered to her chest, stilling her heart. “Oh, no. Brad, I couldn’t.”
Brad leaned closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Yes, you can. We want you there with the girls. There’s no kitchen, but you can use the hotel kitchen anytime you like. I know the head chef.” He winked and stepped back. “Besides, when I cook, I cook plenty, and there will always be enough for you and the girls. Raid the refrigerator.”
Almost giddy with excitement, Chelly was speechless. “I… Brad, Suzie, I don’t know… this is too much. I don’t think I can accept.”
Suzie crossed her arms over her chest. “Hey, little sister. It’s Christmas. Think of it as your gift. You gonna refused your Christmas present?”
Again, Chelly glanced from her sister to Brad. “I, uh… I don’t know what to say…”
“Say yes,” the Matthew’s chimed simultaneously.
“All right,” she drug out. “Yes!”
Later that afternoon, Chelly slammed the trunk lid down on her Dodge, and rechecked the packages in the back seat. She and Suzie worked the afternoon away putting food into plastic containers, stuffing dinners inside insulated sleeves, and gathering cold dishes from the basement. It was nearly three o’clock, another two inches of snow was on the ground, and she needed to get moving. Fortunately, all her deliveries were in town, except for the one errand she needed to run for Brad. She’d offered to pick up the lodge deposit for the day in exchange for him watching the girls this afternoon.
She had to get there before six, Brad warned, before the assistant manager left for a three-day holiday, and before the roads in the mountain got too bad.
Feeling good about her day and her decision to come back home, she waved to the porch where Suzie, Petey, and the girls stood in the doorway, then headed out. Smiling, she marveled how yesterday her life was in turmoil. Today, it had done a complete three-sixty. Her heart warmed at the prospect. As she drew closer to the bend in Lake Road that would take her to the lodge, she wavered. If she made her deliveries in town first, then she could stop by the lodge on the way back home.
Turning left would take her to the lodge, right into Legend. She glanced at her watch and the sky.
Plenty of time and the roads were slightly snow-covered; the sky was blue and the snow halted.
She headed downtown.
Chapter Five
“Dammit. I shouldn’t have stayed so long in Pigeon Forge.”
Learning forward in his seat, Matt stared ahead and realized his were the only wheels breaking through the five-plus inches of snow on the road in front of him. Even if someone had come before, the rate at which the snow was falling covered everything very quickly. The sun had set, and on this side of the mountain, it seemed even darker. Wet and heavy, the snow was piling up. A quick glance to the trees showed weighty branches thick with the stuff. “Hope the power holds out,” he muttered. “I’ve got too much to do tonight.”
Thankful for his four-wheel drive, he sat back and concentrated on driving. Soon though, he was mentally
ticking off the tasks to do before he could finally relax and get some sleep. He was no Santa, to be sure, but it seemed this night, he might be up all night long. With the back of his Jeep full of presents, he had a couple of hours to get home, wrap some, put together others, and get them all back in the Jeep before heading into Legend for the midnight candlelight ceremony. If he was lucky, he’d find time for a shower.
He’d tried all day to get his mind off Chelly and his stupid reaction to her at the store. He supposed he’d apologize, eventually, but in reality, he didn’t want to. He’d put up this stout wall of protection about him for years. He didn’t talk about it to anyone, and if someone was insane enough to bring it up, he set them straight right away. The subject of Chelly was off limits. He dealt with it in his own way.
Yeah, by hiding out, you bastard. Is that really dealing?
“Shut up,” he said out loud. Chastising himself wasn’t going to do any good, either.
Thing was, he didn’t know if he wanted to come to terms with the hurt Chelly dealt him. It had dulled, of course, over the years, but no one—not one woman he’d encountered since then—had been able to replace her.
That’s what scared the hell out of him. He was a strong man, physically, but if he let himself succumb to Chelly, would he survive if she dumped him again? If it somehow didn’t work out?
He honestly didn’t know.
But no time to dwell on that tonight. He took another hard look at the road before him.
His two older sisters were supposed to be home in time for church. The roads all over were getting icy and slick. That worried him. Could take them longer than expected. It was tradition that if humanly possible, the four of them—his two siblings and his mama—would spend Christmas Eve together at the service. They’d done it since they were kids and their daddy was alive. They’d miss him as always, although he’d been gone for a while.
Once the ceremony was over and the kids were all tucked into bed at his mama’s, he’d unload the Jeep, put some things under the tree and hide others, then hightail it back home for a few hours rest. He knew that his oldest nephew, Brian, nearly ten now, would be calling and waking him way before daylight.
Those plans might have to change. Would he be able to make it back up the mountain after the service?
A Legendary Christmas Page 25