The Christmas Keeper

by Jenn McKinlay

  “Go.” Maisy made a shooing motion with her hands and Savy knew she would just keep badgering her until she went.

  “Fine, but I refuse to get swept up in the holiday nonsense,” she said. “I’m going to get my eyebrows threaded and possibly a manicure, and then I’ll be back.”

  Maisy rolled her eyes. “Just so long as I don’t see you until tomorrow. Take the rest of the day off. That’s an order.”

  Savy frowned as she grabbed her coat and hat and mittens and suited up for the chilly temperatures outside. She hefted her purse onto her shoulder and said, “I’m going but I’m not going to have any fun.”

  Maisy threw a popcorn ball at her, but Savy was too quick for her. She caught it in one hand and took a big bite out of it on her way out the door. She heard Maisy laughing as the door swung shut behind her.

  Savy walked to town, not wanting to drive in the snow. Her errands didn’t require a car and it was easy to trudge through the small drifts in her thick rubber-soled boots. In fact, it almost felt therapeutic. She bought a cup of cocoa at the deli on the corner and sipped while browsing the window displays, unsure of whether she could manage to sit still for a manicure. She thought about calling Genevieve to see if there’d been any progress with Destiny. She resisted. She debated calling Archer to see if there was any news about how her old boss was doing without her. She didn’t feel like doing that, either. She cut across the street to the big town square.

  There was an empty bench that was free of snow so she sat, deciding that people-watching without having to interact with them was preferable. She drank her rapidly cooling cocoa while she watched a pack of kids have a snowball fight in the middle of the green.

  They ran, they yelled, they hid behind trees. Snowballs were lobbed, some with accuracy but most without. The war lasted until one boy got a face full of snow that sent his glasses flying. A harried mother came out of a nearby store and began yelling at all the kids.

  “Do you have any idea how much glasses cost?” she cried. The kid with the snow in his face cried even harder.

  The mom put her packages down on another bench and inspected the glasses. They weren’t damaged, which was lucky, the mom informed the child, because Santa didn’t bring presents to boys who broke their glasses in silly snowball fights. The boy looked duly horrified at this possibility.

  Savy watched as the mom herded her boy away. Peace reigned over the town green as most people were too busy rushing here and there, getting all of the holiday chores done. She heard a faint jingling and wondered which store had hired a guy to stand outside and ring bells. She wondered what the job paid and if she’d be doing that next Christmas if she couldn’t save Maisy’s bookstore or get her old job back. The thought did not lift her spirits.

  As the jingling became louder, people stopped and stared. Savy glanced in the direction of the noise and her eyes went wide as she took in the sight of an old-fashioned wagon being pulled by a team of horses, coasting onto the town green from a snowy path in the trees. Was that . . . ? She squinted. Yes, of course, it was.

  Quino was leading the team while wearing a ridiculously loud green-and-red plaid sweater and a Santa hat. The wagon was full of kids, a few grown-ups who looked like caregivers, and they were laughing and singing as Lanie, the equine therapist, sat with them in the back. Except for one little boy, who was on the bench seat beside Quino. Savy felt her heart hitch as she watched him hand the boy the reins. The boy’s eyes were huge and his grin wide as he commanded the team, looking as if his chest had just expanded about six inches. The sight of the man and the boy turned Savy’s poor heart to mush.

  The kids waved to the pedestrians, who waved back with big smiles. Quino helped the boy bring the team to a halt and then he climbed down, opening the back of the wagon and helping everyone down. Lanie ushered them all into an ice cream shop on the corner while Quino waited with the horses.

  Savy supposed she could have left without him seeing her. He was across the park and busy. But she found she’d missed the big Christmas-loving cowboy and she wanted to say hello. She crossed the town green, feeling unusually self-conscious. She wished she had her date lipstick on or a better outfit, but there was no help for it now.

  “Hey, Kris Kringle,” she said as she approached. “Aren’t you supposed to be driving reindeer?”

  Quino spun around at the sound of her voice and his smile was quick as if he was delighted to see her and not bothering to pretend he wasn’t. He was such a better person than she was. She sighed.

  “I’m no Kringle,” he said. “Just a poor relation, so I have to make do with these slackers who don’t fly.”

  Savy laughed. She approached the horse closest to her and rubbed its nose. “You shouldn’t let him talk about you that way.”

  “Meh, I’m sure they say worse about me,” Quino said. “To begin with I’m lacking in the beard department.”

  “And you’re woefully underweight,” she said. “You need to carb-load on some cookies or something.”

  He grinned. Then his brown eyes turned warm. “I’ve missed you.”

  Inexplicably, this brought a bout of honesty out of Savy. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “So, you should spend some time with me to help you get over that,” he said. “Which should take at least a day, right?”

  “More like a half hour,” she said drily. He laughed, as she’d intended.

  He sobered quickly and she noted there was a shadow in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah, just family stuff, you know, the holidays make everything . . .” His voice trailed off.

  “Hard? Sad? Lonely?” Savy supplied. It occurred to her she may have just overshared as Quino didn’t answer but instead pulled her close and hugged her tight.

  “Lanie and the kids will be back from their ice cream party soon. Join us on the ride back to Shadow Pine,” he said. “It’s a beautiful ride through the snow-covered trees. You’ll love it.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to impose . . .” she said.

  “You won’t be,” he said. “So, it’s settled?”

  Savy tried to find a reason not to go, but she couldn’t. The fact was she wanted to be with him and she’d spend time with him however she could, even with a pack of kids on a wagon in the snow.

  “All right,” she said. “Can I get you a coffee while you wait?”

  “Thanks, but I have a thermos in the wagon,” he said. “Want to meet the team?”

  “Yes, please,” she said.

  As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Quino took her hand in his as they stood in front of the horses. “This is Justice,” he said. “He’s cranky and can only pull the wagon with Belvedere.”

  “Belvedere?” She laughed.

  “What?” Quino asked. “He is a Belvedere, very gentlemanly and a little uptight.”

  “And Justice isn’t?”

  “No, he’s more of a get-off-my-lawn old man,” Quino said. “He’s been known to nip people he doesn’t like. He loves the kids, though, so there’s hope for the old curmudgeon.”

  Savy patted Belvedere’s neck and then Justice’s. They were both big and brown, but where Belvedere had a blond mane and tail, Justice’s were black. Savy could feel their muscles ripple beneath her fingers as she patted their shoulders. To her they were simply magnificent.

  “You know, it would be great to get some pictures of the horses and the kids for your website,” she said.

  He tipped his head to the side and studied her. “You’re always working, aren’t you?”

  “Nature of the publicist,” she said. Then she pulled out her phone and took a picture of him between Belvedere and Justice. The camera loved the sharp angles of his face and she knew it was no coincidence that he’d been used as a cover model for one of Destiny’s books.

  “Question,” she sai
d.

  “Yes?”

  “Are you only on one cover of Destiny’s books or did she use you for more?”

  Quino smiled. “One. Which was more than enough.”

  “Was it hard work to stand there and look pretty?” she asked. Teasing him, getting a smile out of him, was more alluring than Savy could resist. To her delight a faint pink stained his cheeks and he smiled at her. It was just the slight curve of his lips, a shy smile, and it charmed her all the way to her cold toes.

  “Are you laughing at me?” he asked. “I’ll have you know that one photo took hours. It was the most boring afternoon of my life.”

  “Did they do your hair and makeup?” she asked. The pink in his cheeks deepened and she knew it wasn’t from the cold. She gasped. “They did!”

  “I am not talking about this anymore,” he said. He turned away and she was afraid she’d offended him. Some men were like that when it came to teasing about girly stuff, although Quino hadn’t struck her as one of those guys. He was rummaging through a knapsack he had in the wagon and she stepped up behind him so she didn’t have to shout her apology.

  “Oh, hey,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel—”

  He turned around, replacing his Santa hat with a bright red-and-green baseball hat that had a bough of mistletoe hanging off the brim. She frowned at it but the expectant look on his face made her laugh.

  “Did you rig that up yourself?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I was hoping I’d see you at some point.” He wagged his eyebrows at her and she shook her head. Had any man ever tried to charm her so ham-fistedly? No. Why was it working? She looked into his dark-brown gaze. Because she’d have to be made of stone not to respond to the warmth she found there.

  “Fine,” she said. She heaved a put-upon sigh and rolled up on her toes to kiss him.

  It started as a chaste kiss, the sort appropriate for public displays of affection, but it didn’t stay that way for long. As if they felt compelled to make up for every moment they’d been apart over the past few days, they lingered with their mouths pressed together, until she gave in and looped her arms about his neck, pulling him in close and tight.

  He grunted in approval and slid his hands around her waist, anchoring her to him. Then the kiss changed. In the relative cover of the wagon, he kissed her deeply as if trying to take in the essence of her, and Savy did the same. She wanted more and more and more of him. He drove out the cold and brought the warmth, but it wasn’t just the physical sensation of closeness or the desire that flared between them. Somehow, he managed to drive out the loneliness that Savy always felt during the holidays. The constant feeling of being an outsider looking in vanished when she was with him.

  One giggle and then another interrupted their smooch. Savy eased back from Quino and peered over his shoulder at a group of kids, parents, and Lanie O’Brien, the pretty brunette who worked at Shadow Pine.

  “We have company,” Savy said to Quino.

  “Is that right?” he asked. “Sorry, I’m trying to remember why I care.”

  She laughed. “Because you need to drive them home.”

  “Oh, right, that’s it,” he said. He stared at her hard. “Join us?”

  After the slightest hesitation, Savy nodded. She couldn’t think of a better way to spend her day and maybe, just maybe, she’d get inspired with a new publicity angle for the bookstore.

  The kids and their caregivers were loaded up into the wagon with Lanie. The boy who had ridden in front with Quino on the way to town insisted on riding with him on the way back but was happy to make room for Savy to join them. Quino replaced his mistletoe cap with his Santa hat but not before he took off a berry and handed it to her. She wondered how many berries she’d find in her pockets after the holidays.

  “Savannah, this is Jake,” Quino introduced the boy as the three of them took their seats on the bench with Quino and Savy on the ends and Jake in the middle. “Jake, this is Savannah.”

  Jake studied Savannah and then turned back to Quino. “Is she your girlfriend?”

  Savannah looked at Quino and found him looking back at her with an amused smile. Then he looked at Jake. “What makes you ask that?”

  “You were kissing her,” Jake said. He didn’t add duh but it was clearly implied.

  Savy felt her face get hot. Great, so it was her turn to be embarrassed. She supposed that was only fair. Still, she didn’t want Jake, who looked to be about ten, to get the wrong idea. She opened her mouth to answer but Quino beat her to it.

  “I think she might be,” he said. “Assuming I can convince her that it’s a good idea. Can you vouch for me?”

  “What’s vouch mean?” Jake asked.

  “Tell her I’m a good guy,” Quino said. “That’s what a wingman does for his pals—he vouches for them.”

  Jake nodded. He turned to Savy and with the most earnest expression she’d ever seen, he said, “You should be Quino’s girlfriend. He’s the best. He’s kind and patient, and when I can’t remember things or I do something wrong, he never gets mad. When I grow up, I want to be just like him.”

  Savy’s heart turned over in her chest. It wasn’t fair. Jake was telling her everything she knew to be true about Quino, but having it stated by this boy made it so much harder to ignore. She decided not to, not today.

  “I think you have a solid argument there,” she said. “I saw you handle the horses earlier. You are well on your way to being as good a horseman as Quino.”

  Jake laughed and then he winked at her. “Maybe you should date me instead.”

  A surprised laugh burst out of Savy and she glanced past Jake at Quino. “He really is quite a lot like you, isn’t he?”

  Quino gave Jake a considering look. “Sorry, kid, you can handle the horses but the girl is mine.”

  Jake shrugged. “I can live with that.”

  Savy and Quino exchanged amused smiles over his head. It hit Savy again how much she liked, genuinely liked, this man. He was thoughtful, generous, and had such a natural way with kids and animals. She didn’t think she’d ever met anyone quite like him before.

  “Well, that’s settled, then,” Quino said. Before Savy could respond, he glanced back to see that everyone was seated in the wagon bed, and then, with a snap of the reins and a “Hyah!,” they were off.

  Once they cleared the town green and were back in the wide path amongst the tall trees dusted with snow, Quino handed the reins to Jake. The boy looked so serious, Savy wanted to hug him and tell him it would be all right, but she didn’t. Instead, she watched as he held the reins in his gloved hands in a perfect imitation of how Quino had done it. He even curved his mouth up on one side just like his idol.

  Was this what a child of Quino’s would look like? Boy or girl, would they have the same facial expressions, the same way with animals, the same heart? She imagined that they would. She felt something stir inside of her. She wasn’t sure what it was because Savy had never, not once, in her entire life longed for a husband or children. Oh, she enjoyed visiting her nieces and nephews, but she enjoyed leaving just a little bit more.

  But watching Joaquin with Jake was punching her in all the feels. She could imagine how he would be with a wife, tender and caring, and she could see him as a father, patient, kind, and concerned but with a sparkle of mischief just to keep things interesting. Whoever ended up with Quino as a partner was going to be a lucky woman.

  What if it was her? The thought flitted through her mind, but she shook it off. It wasn’t going to be her. She was headed back to New York to the first job that would have her, and that was no place for a man like Quino. The concrete and steel would choke the life out of him. She glanced at him as they whipped through the trees with the horses moving at a clip. His cheeks were ruddy, his eyes sparkled, and his teeth were a slash of white as he smiled. She pulled out her phone and b
egan to snap pictures of the horses, the wagon, the woods, the kids, and then, just for posterity, she took a few close-ups of Quino, just for her, while he was looking at Jake.

  The air was clear and cold with a faint scent of woodsmoke. The woods were quiet except for the sound of the children laughing and chatting and the jingle of the bells on the horses’ bridles. The methodic clop of the horses’ feet in the light snow kept time with their occasional snorts and snuffles.

  Savy lost her sense of time and place. The deeper into the woods they went, the more magical the ride became as brown leaves danced in the air, trees dusted with snow bent their limbs to the ground, and a flock of wild turkeys scrambled through the undergrowth, sounding very much like goblins or boggarts. Savy was half-convinced they were going to end up in some other fairy world instead of their actual destination, but no.

  All too soon, the big barn of the Shadow Pine Stables appeared through the trees. Luke Masters and two of the stable hands were putting away a string of horses left over from what Savy assumed had been a trial ride.

  Quino took the reins from Jake, who looked equal parts disappointed and relieved. Quino guided the horses to a stop right in front of the barn, and one of the stable hands held them steady while the kids scrambled out of the wagon to dash to their parents, who were waiting by the small parking lot on the other side of the corral.

  Lanie hopped down and said, “That was a perfect outing.” She lifted a gloved hand and she and Quino exchanged a muffled high five. “I’ll make sure each kid gets to their parents.”

  “Thanks,” Quino said.

  “Savy, can you send me some of those pictures?” Lanie asked. “I’d like to use them on our social media.”

  “Finally,” Savy said. “Someone who cares about the publicity. I’ll text them to you.”

  “Thanks,” Lanie said. She and the other caregivers dashed after the kids. Savy noticed that Luke watched her go with a look of yearning. She wondered what the story was there, knowing full well it was none of her business.

  “Thanks, Quino,” Jake said as he hopped off the wagon. He hugged Quino tight around the waist and then ran off, yelling, “Mom, did you see? Did you see what I did? I drove the wagon!”