Sleigh Bells in Crimson

by Michelle Major

  She studied Caden for another long moment, trying to figure out what it was he wasn’t saying. “Why did you come to town tonight?”

  He leaned in, brushed his mouth across hers. “For you, Lucy. I came for you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “You should record an album.”

  “Seriously, I’d pay money to hear you sing.”

  Caden watched as color crept into Lucy’s cheeks once again. The two guys who stood in front of her were the latest in a long line of patrons at Elevation who wanted to talk to her about her voice.

  She seemed flattered but uncomfortable with the attention, and his desire to take care of her intensified as she shifted closer.

  “Thank you,” she said with an unassuming smile and gripped the back of his shirt tighter.

  He moved so he was partially blocking her from view. “Nice talking to you,” he told the two guys, both of whom were staring at Lucy like she was an angel straight out of heaven.

  He could appreciate the sentiment, but he wanted to be the only one free to gaze at her like that. The men seemed to understand his tone because they moved on after a minute.

  Lucy let out a strained laugh. “It’s weird to be the center of attention.”

  He took a long pull on his beer and kissed her forehead. “You deserve it, sweetheart. These are your adoring fans.”

  She stared at him, searching his face like she was trying to figure out if he meant those words. “You’re not angry that people keep interrupting us to talk to me?”

  He shook his head. “Are you kidding? I’m thanking my lucky stars I get to be the guy at your side tonight. I’ll play second fiddle to you anytime I have the chance.”

  She gave him a slow smile. “I can’t ever imagine you as a second fiddle, but I’m glad you followed me tonight.”

  He was, too. He’d spent the whole damn day thinking about her and cursing himself for how he’d acted. Of course she was looking at the ranch’s finances. It’s what his father had asked her to do. Derek must have misread the situation. After all, Lucy hadn’t mentioned any concerns about the books to Caden. He had no reason not to trust her, despite his problems with her mother.

  She gestured to the corner of the bar where her group of carolers had retreated with their men. “Should we join them?”

  “It’s your night, Lucy. Whatever you want.”

  She bit down on her lower lip as her eyes darkened, telling him without words exactly what she wanted. Heat curled through his body in response.

  “I want to go home,” she told him, reaching up to press her hand to the back of his neck and draw him down to her for a slow, heated kiss. “Back to the ranch,” she clarified.

  “Sounds like a perfect plan to me. It’s still coming down hard out there, so I’ll drive us back and we can get your car tomorrow once they’ve plowed the roads.”

  She nodded. “I realized on the way into town that a two-wheel drive compact isn’t exactly made for winter driving.”

  They said goodbye to their friends and walked out into the snowy night. “Does it always snow this much in Colorado?” she asked, pulling her hat down around her ears and snuggling against Caden’s side as they walked.

  “Not always so consistently this early in the season,” he answered, catching a few of the fluffy flakes on his gloved hand. “It’s good for the ski resorts, though, and it explains why downtown Crimson has been so busy. People hear the snow is great out here, and they make plans to spend the holidays on the slopes.”

  “Do you ski?”

  Caden nodded. “Tyson taught me the first winter I came to live with them. He was so damn fast on the mountain. I never could keep up with him.”

  “I’m sure you tried.”

  “I ate so much snow my first ski season from all the face-planting I did.” He laughed softly, surprised at the fondness of his memories. Everything about his relationship with his brother had been tainted by Tyson’s death. It had forced Caden to refocus his past through the lens of how he’d failed Tyson. But tonight the guilt seemed to fade away to leave nothing but happy thoughts.

  Another gift Lucy gave him.

  “Tyson’s idea of lessons was taking me to the top of the highest peak and racing down.”

  “That must have been terrifying.”

  “We were both adrenaline junkies.”

  “Is that why you joined the army?”

  He shrugged, no longer shocked at how easily she could read him. “Partly, I think. At that point, I also wanted something that belonged to just me.”

  “I understand that,” she said softly.

  When they got to where he’d parked the truck, he opened the passenger-side door for her, then came around and turned on the ignition.

  “Do you want to learn to ski while you’re here?”

  She laughed. “No, thanks. The thought of strapping sticks to my feet and hurtling down a mountain is enough to make me queasy. There are plenty of other ways to get my heart racing.”

  “I can think of a few,” he told her and leaned over the console for a kiss. He’d meant it to be only a brief embrace, a prelude for what was to come.

  But when his mouth met hers, it was as if someone lit a match to a bonfire inside him. He flamed to life, and Lucy was the oxygen his fire needed to keep it raging.

  She hadn’t yet buckled her seat belt, so he lifted her up and over the console, into his lap.

  She seemed as engulfed in incendiary need as he felt. She reached inside his coat and tugged at the shirt he’d tucked into jeans. Her clever fingers skimmed along his skin, and all he could think about was getting closer.

  So much for the belief that one night would satisfy his need. He kissed her like his life depended on it, because maybe it did. He slanted his head, tangling his tongue with hers as he pressed his palms into the small of her back. Even in the crowded truck cab, she fit perfectly against him.

  Hot air blasted from the dashboard vents as he took hold of her hips, pulling her even tighter against him. She moaned low in her throat, a sound that drove him wild.

  Suddenly he was a teenager again, parked with a girl and wondering if there was anything more perfect than the feel of soft curves against his hard body.

  A firm knock on the window made Lucy jerk away from him. Her back slammed into the steering wheel, and the blare of the horn split the quiet. She scrambled back into her seat as a light flashed in the fogged-up front window.

  Caden drew in a breath and hit the button to roll down the window on the truck’s driver’s side.

  “Howdy, folks,” Marcus Pike, one of Crimson’s deputy sheriffs, drawled.

  “Hey, Marcus.” Caden squinted and held up a hand. “Mind turning off the flashlight?”

  “Sure thing, Sharpe,” the older man said with a knowing smile. “I noticed your truck was running but you weren’t going anywhere. It’s a cold night and a lot of people are doing some preholiday celebrating. Thought I’d check and make sure everything’s okay.”

  “Just letting her warm up before heading back to the ranch,” Caden explained, patting the dashboard.

  “I bet.” Marcus leaned in closer and waved at Lucy. “I heard a bit of your caroling tonight, ma’am. You have a lovely voice.”

  She cleared her throat. “Thank you.”

  “It’s been a few years,” he said to Caden, “since you and I have found ourselves in this kind of situation, Sharpe.” Marcus let his gaze slide from Caden to Lucy. “Our boy here dated my daughter when they were in high school.”

  Caden stifled a groan. He hadn’t exactly “dated” Britney Pike, but he’d been caught with her on the ridge where local teens hung out on weekend nights.

  “I heard Britney got married a couple of years ago. Living in Golden now, right?”

 
Marcus nodded. “About to give Jana and me our first grandbaby.”

  “Congratulations.” Caden forced a smile. “If there’s nothing else, I guess we’ll be on our way.”

  “That work for you, ma’am?” Marcus asked Lucy, and the implication that she might not be fine with Caden made him want to roar in protest.

  He’d been adopted by Garrett almost twenty years ago, but some people in Crimson refused to see him as anything but the troubled kid with the mom who’d overdosed and no other family to step in and help raise him.

  Lucy didn’t seem to realize there might be an underlying meaning in the deputy’s question, or if she did, she pretended to ignore it. She reached across the console and laced her fingers with Caden’s. “I’m exactly where I want to be. Thanks for checking on us, Officer.”

  Some of the tension gripping Caden’s chest loosened. “Tell your dad I said hello,” Marcus said, then turned and headed back to his cruiser.

  Caden shifted to face Lucy as he rolled up the window, ready to apologize for putting her in that sort of situation.

  Only to find her dissolving into a fit of giggles. “That was hilarious,” she said, her shoulders shaking. “I feel like I’m fifteen except that never happened to me when I was a teenager. We actually got caught making out.”

  She pointed at Caden. “And you once had a thing with the sheriff’s daughter?”

  “Marcus Pike is a deputy sheriff. Cole Bennett took over the department a couple of years ago when the old sheriff retired. Cole is about—”

  “Stop changing the subject.” Lucy threw back her head and laughed more. “Did you have some kind of death wish as a teenager?”

  “Maybe,” he admitted and found himself grinning back at her. He’d had plenty of run-ins with law enforcement as a surly kid and rowdy teenager, and even though he’d done well in the army, back in Crimson his feelings about authority were mired in and convoluted by the mistakes he’d made as a youth.

  As she seemed to do with every aspect of his life, Lucy changed his normal dynamic. She changed who he was and who he wanted to be. Her fingers were still intertwined with his, and he lifted her hand, turning it over to place a kiss on the inside of her wrist.

  He continued to hold her hand as he drove, the truck’s headlights illuminating the whirling snow and limiting his vision to only three feet in front of them.

  Her phone chimed and he released her so she could pull it from her jacket pocket. “Mom says their flight out of JFK got canceled.”

  “I thought it wasn’t scheduled until tomorrow?” he asked.

  “The East Coast is getting hit with a big storm, too, so flights are already being affected. They’re coming home a day later now.”

  “Not much time for her to plan a Christmas wedding,” he muttered, wondering if Maureen had somehow orchestrated the delay to keep him away from his father until right before the big event. Realistically he knew she couldn’t control the weather, but it seemed awfully convenient.

  “Oh, she sent me a list of things to do so that everything’s ready to go when they return.”

  I’m not ready, he wanted to shout but kept his mouth shut. He’d been a jerk this morning and wasn’t going to be stupid enough to ruin tonight, too. It wasn’t Lucy’s fault his dad and her mom were stuck on the East Coast. He also couldn’t make himself believe that she had any corrupt intentions where his father was concerned. In fact, it seemed as though her mother’s various machinations with men had been difficult for Lucy.

  She was as much a pawn in Maureen’s schemes as any of them. Caden needed Garrett back on the ranch so he could truly determine if his dad’s heart was in jeopardy. Garrett could say what he wanted about making his own decisions, but Caden couldn’t afford to let him be hurt again.

  Not that he minded a few extra days with Lucy. They hadn’t talked about her plans for after the holidays, but he assumed she’d be returning to Florida. He wanted to make the most of every moment he had with her.

  The thought pinged through his mind that he should ask her to stay, but he pushed it aside before it had a chance to take root. Lucy deserved a man who could love her with his whole heart, and Caden’s had been too damaged over the years to be much use to anyone.

  “You’re still hoping your dad will call off the wedding,” Lucy said quietly.

  Garrett took the turn that led to the ranch, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. “I’d be happier if they didn’t rush into anything.”

  He held his breath as he waited for her response.

  “That would probably be wise, given...” She stopped, her body going stiff as if she was about to say something she shouldn’t.

  “Given what?” he demanded.

  She turned to him and smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s been a whirlwind courtship, and your dad seems like an old-fashioned kind of guy. Mom is all about instant gratification, but sometimes waiting only makes the outcome sweeter in the end.” She raised a brow. “Know what I mean?”

  He actually had no idea what the hell she was talking about. But he was damn sure it wasn’t what she’d meant to say in the first place.

  They could deal with the reality of her mother and his father when they returned from New York. Tonight all he wanted was to hold Lucy in his arms again.

  “You snore,” he said instead of answering her.

  He watched her mouth drop open as he parked his truck in the oversize garage bay.

  “I d-do not,” she stammered. “I can’t believe you’d say that to me. That’s like telling a woman a pair of jeans makes her butt look big.”

  He hopped out of the truck, walked around to her side and opened the door. “Good news. The jeans you wear make your butt look amazing.” He gave her an exaggerated leer. “I’d say your butt is perfect no matter what you’re wearing, but I better double-check to make sure. Climb down and turn around for me.”

  She got out of the truck and promptly shoved him in the chest. He took a step back, smiling at how flustered she appeared. “Are you trying to not get lucky tonight?” she demanded, flipping her long hair over one shoulder. “Because that’s where you’re headed pretty darn quickly.”

  Lucky. Wasn’t that just the right word to describe how he felt with Lucy? Lucky to have his heart filled with happiness. Lucky to be the man she’d chosen, if even for a short time. “I think it’s cute,” he said, reaching for her.

  “It’s embarrassing.” She sidestepped him and stalked out of the garage and toward the house. The floodlight that hung above the garage illuminated the driveway now that the snow had finally slowed.

  “Be careful,” he called as he hit the button to close the garage door, then followed her. “The ground will be slick in spots.”

  As she got close to the porch, she bent forward and grabbed a handful of snow. Before he realized what she was doing, she hurled a snowball toward him. It landed with a thunk against his chest, snow splattering everywhere.

  “Nice aim,” he said with a chuckle.

  She gave him an arch look. “I was going for your head.” She bent and formed another snowball. He ducked as it went whizzing by him, then gathered enough snow to make one of his own.

  “You’re in trouble now, sweetheart.”

  He expected her to declare game over, but as always, Lucy surprised him. “I’m going to take you down, cowboy,” she shouted and ran behind the edge of the porch rail for cover.

  The next few minutes were filled with shouts and laughter as they engaged in an epic snowball fight, the kind of fun Caden hadn’t had since he and Tyson were kids.

  He landed a few good ones, but Lucy proved to have the aim of a major-league pitcher. By the time she called a truce, he had icy water dripping down his front and back.

  He held up his hands, palms forward as he moved toward her. “You wi
n,” he called.

  “I don’t snore,” she insisted.

  “Whatever you say.”

  She reached out a hand and brushed snow from his shoulder. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled. She was so damn beautiful it took his breath away. “I got you good.”

  “You have no idea,” he murmured and leaned in to kiss her.

  “I like winter,” she said against his mouth. “It’s kind of fun.”

  “Everything is fun with you, Lucy.”

  She wound her arms around his neck. “But now I’m ready to warm up.”

  “I can help with that,” he told her and lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he carried her up the porch steps and into the house.

  A shiver passed through her as his fingers moved under her clothes to press into her back. He walked up the stairs, careful not to bump her into a wall, and carried her down the hallway, into his bedroom.

  By the time he gently put her down on the bed, her whole body trembled. “I’d like to think that’s a reaction to me,” he said, straightening to tug off her boots, “but you’re freezing.”

  “May-maybe winter and I,” she said through chattering teeth, “don’t ge-get along so well af-after all.”

  “I’ll be your personal space heater.”

  She smiled at the simple jest and something shifted in his heart. More like an unfurling, all the tender bits that he’d hidden for years advancing into the light that seemed to emanate from Lucy like a beacon. He was falling for her, fast and hard and unable or unwilling to stop the descent.

  He quickly helped her undress, then shucked off his clothes, hissing out a breath as her ice-cold hands flattened on his chest. Within minutes, her shivers had subsided and they were both heated from the inside out, a tangle of limbs and sweet caresses.

  It was difficult to know where he ended and Lucy began, and he’d never imagined he could feel so unfettered in joining himself to another person. He wasn’t sure how he’d stand it when this finally ended. Or how to make sure it never did.