Between Christmas and Romance

by Shanna Hatfield

  After speaking to a few business owners, I left the restaurant and hurried to the grocery store. There, I ordered a turkey dinner in a box, the ones that come with a basic dinner for four, then at the bakery, I chose an assortment of pastries for the family to enjoy for breakfast along with a pumpkin pie and a chocolate layer cake. I paid one of the boys who bagged groceries twenty bucks to run the meal over to the family when he got off work. He was friends with Aiden, so I trusted him to get the job done.

  On my way back to the bookstore, I sent text messages to my friends, telling them what I was doing. Inside the warmth of Rudolph’s Reads, I tossed my coat and purse on the front counter, picked up a large empty box I hadn’t yet hauled to the recycle bin, and started filling it with gifts for the McBride family. Of course, I added books for each of them, but I included a few puzzles they could work on as a family as well as two of my favorite board games. I added a snow globe and a few other decorations, tucked in one of my special boxes of Christmas tea and a box of my prized chocolates, then added three holiday mugs.

  At my frenzied running around the store, Hemi wandered out and jumped onto the counter where he could watch as I continued adding more goodies to the box. When it was filled to the brim, I taped the box shut and wrapped it, finishing it with a festive bow and a Rudolph’s Reads label. Hastily, I wrote a note to Mia in a Christmas card, taping it to the top of the box.

  By then, people started showing up with things they wanted to give the McBride family. I’d told everyone my store could be a drop-off point, but only until noon. I wanted to deliver the goodies then. If Tim was agreeable to my plans, I intended to close the store early and spend the rest of the day out at the ranch with him, Nancy, and Charli.

  People who’d never set foot in my store arrived with tins of toffee, Christmas decorations, and more. Lonnie Peterson, a prolific knitter, even rolled her wheelchair in to deliver three scarves.

  When Miles Wilson popped in and gruffly handed me a wooden Merry Christmas sign, I almost cried. This was what community and home and Christmas was all about. In spite of his blustering, I kissed his cheek and handed him a cup of hot apple cider before he escaped back out into the cold.

  Marilyn, who was working that morning, made a call and soon a group of senior citizens arrived carrying three hand-made stockings stuffed with goodies.

  “Thank you,” I said, hugging each one of them, then Marilyn.

  The store was packed, the noise level somewhere between a rock concert and jet engines, when I felt my phone vibrate in the pocket of my jeans.

  Desperately hoping it was Tim, my stomach dropped to my feet when I saw a number I recognized but hadn’t heard from in more than a year.

  Trying not to panic, I raced upstairs, taking the steps two at a time and running into my apartment. In my haste to take Mia home, I’d forgotten to shut the door and pull the panel across the end of the bookcase. Goodness only knew how many people had wandered in and out of my private space this morning.

  Slightly out of breath, I answered the phone on the fourth ring. “Jason! Merry Christmas!”

  “It is a Merry Christmas,” he said. His voice sounded jolly rather than ready to report something dire. “We got him, Carol. We got him!”

  “What happened?” I asked, knowing exactly to whom he referred. The stalker. My stalker.

  “He ramped up his efforts to do you in during the last week. Blake was so ready to be done with all this, and I’m sure you are, too. I purposely leaked details that you were back in New York for the holidays and then made sure the paparazzi had many opportunities to take photos of Blake coming and going from stores, restaurants, even a holiday concert. Of course, no one got close enough to see it wasn’t really Lyra. Blake does a good job of wearing big sunglasses and hats and keeping her profile to the camera which is where you really look so much alike.”

  Aware of Jason’s tendency to ramble when he was excited or nervous, I interrupted. “How did she catch him?”

  “Each time she went out, something would happen. He even shot an arrow at her which hit one of the annoying paparazzi in the butt. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”

  I grinned, waiting for Jason to continue.

  “Anyway, she stayed in the apartment this past week. We were hoping he’d get really brazen and try breaking in, which he did. Blake made it easy for him and left the door unlocked. Two officers stayed in the apartment, too, for her safety. They waited until he picked up a pillow and placed it over Blake’s face before they cuffed him and took him in.” Jason paused. “You won’t believe who it is.”

  “Who?”

  “Curtis Devoe.”

  I sank onto the couch, almost sliding off the cushion before I caught myself and flopped back against the seat. Curtis Devoe had been a college student interning for a famous photographer when I first started working with big-name clients. He’d seemed sweet and harmless, although he never knew Lyra Levy wasn’t my real name. Jason told me to guard that secret like my life depended on it. And it had.

  I’d dated Curtis a few times, but he’d gotten rather clingy, then his internship ended and I assumed that was the end of it. Evidently, I’d been completely wrong.

  “But why, Jason? I don’t understand?”

  “I didn’t either until Blake discovered he had a juvenile record of stalking a girl in high school to the point her parents moved away in the middle of the night with no forwarding address to get rid of him. Want to guess what she looked like?”

  “Red hair and green eyes,” I whispered.

  “Bingo. Anyway, I called as soon as Blake assured me he’d be spending a long, long time in jail for attempted murder among many other charges.”

  Stunned and overwhelmed by the realization the ordeal with my stalker was finally over, I struggled not to burst into tears.

  “Oh, and Blake said to thank you. She said it was the best undercover case she’d ever worked.”

  “She’s more than welcome. I appreciate all she did to catch Curtis.” I’d told Jason to give Blake anything she wanted from my expansive closet and I happily footed the bill for tickets for her to attend concerts, dine in exclusive restaurants, and enjoy things like pedicures at ritzy salons. Anything that perpetuated the myth that Lyra was out and about in New York, having a wonderful time.

  I still couldn’t wrap my head around the notion that a boy I’d once thought was nice, albeit slightly weird, wanted to kill me.

  “Are you okay?” Jason finally asked when I remained silent.

  “I am… I will be.” Relief flooded through me. I no longer had to fear someone showing up one day, intent on doing harm. I could live wherever I wanted, however I wanted.

  “So, will you come back to New York soon?” Jason asked.

  The lure of the lifestyle I’d once enjoyed was there, but not with the strength I’d anticipated. A far different life, one with the man I loved, beckoned to me. In a heartbeat, I’d give up jet-setting around the world, being a person of influence, and making more money than I could spend in a lifetime just to hear Tim say he loved me. Even if he wanted nothing to do with me, I no longer held any interest in being Lyra Levy.

  Like I’d told Tim, Christmas Mountain was my home and the place where I most wanted to stay.

  “No, Jason. I won’t be coming back soon. I don’t know how to tell you this, but I…”

  “You don’t want to be Lyra Levy anymore,” he said.

  I could picture his fatherly scowl, one I’d seen many times over the years of working with him. Jason had been like a beloved uncle to me from the day I arrived in New York. I’d eaten many meals at his home, attended his children’s school plays and graduations. I’d miss him, miss his whole family, but I no longer belonged in New York City. Not when my heart would always be in Montana.

  “No, I don’t. I’m sorry, Jason. I’m sure this causes…”

  He cut me off. “Don’t give it a thought, Carol. I knew this day would come eventually. You might have moved to the
big city, but you’ll always be a small-town girl at heart. Let me guess, you’ve met someone.”

  I grinned. “I have, although I’m not so sure he still wants me after I kind of pushed him away.”

  “It’s Christmas! Believe in miracles and who knows what might happen.”

  “Thanks, Jason, for everything. Will you give Addie and the girls a hug from me?”

  “Of course. Why don’t I check back in after the holidays? We can talk about how to quietly retire Lyra and then there’s your apartment to sell and all those details.”

  “After Christmas would be great. Thank you, again, Jason. You’ve been wonderful and in case I never said it, I appreciate you so much.”

  “I know you do, kid. Now go find that cowboy and have a merry Christmas.”

  A laugh rolled out of me. “I never said he was a cowboy.”

  Jason chuckled. “Isn’t everyone there? Bye, kiddo.”

  I stared at my phone for a long moment, processing everything that had happened since I ran up the stairs.

  The feeling of dread that had settled over me that morning magically dissipated. I was free!

  With an excited squeal, I did a happy dance around my apartment then hurried back downstairs. My only thought was to tell Tim, but the store full of people brought me up short.

  I glanced at the clock. I still had an hour and a half before I could leave.

  Marilyn was swamped at the cash register, so I hurried over, trying to push Tim from my thoughts. It was impossible, though.

  When I still hadn’t heard from Tim as the clock drew close to noon, I decided to drive out to the ranch. If he wanted to tell me he never wanted to see me again, I needed to hear it in person. But first, I had a car load of happiness to deliver to Mia.

  Aiden and Josie had both come in to work for a few hours, so the two of them helped me load my car while Marilyn waited on the last customers in the store. At noon on the dot, I wished them all a happy holiday, made sure Hemi was set with plenty of food and water, then locked the door to the store.

  All three members of the McBride family rushed out to greet me when I walked up the steps carrying the big box of goodies from my store. Mr. McBride took it from me while Mia hugged me and talked excitedly about a tree showing up at their door. Marcus had climbed up in the attic and brought down boxes of decorations that hadn’t seen the light of day for ten years.

  “There are a few more things in my car, if you don’t mind helping carry them inside,” I said to Marcus. He and Mia followed me to the back of my SUV and both of them gaped at all the boxes filled with gifts, treats, and surprises.

  “Thank you!” Mia said, hugging me again.

  “The community decided you needed a real Christmas Mountain holiday,” I said to Mia, my arm around her shoulders. “Enjoy every bit of it.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Mr. McBride said as he stepped beside me. Since I’d been there earlier that morning, he’d showered and the beard he’d worn was gone. His eyes were bright as he grabbed a big box and stared from it to me. “We can pay for all this.”

  “No, Mr. McBride. This is the community saying Merry Christmas. Maybe someday you can pass it on to someone else who needs a little holiday cheer.”

  He nodded and turned away, but not before I saw the tears welling in his eyes.

  It didn’t take long to unload my SUV and be on my way to the ranch. In spite of the cold, my palms felt sweaty as I stepped out of my vehicle and started down the front walk. Brutus loped around the corner of the house and woofed in greeting when he recognized me. After giving him several good scratches and getting my chin licked as a thank you, I jogged up the steps and rang the doorbell.

  It only took a moment for the door to open and Nancy to welcome me with a surprised smile.

  “Darling! I wasn’t sure we’d see you anytime soon. Charli and I hoped you’d still accept our invitation to join us for dinner tonight or tomorrow.”

  “I would love to accept, but first I need to speak with Tim. Is he around?”

  Nancy sighed and motioned me inside the house. “That poor boy. Today has been one disaster after another. Something spooked the cattle in the east pasture and they knocked down the fence. Tim, Jack, and the boys spent hours rounding up the cattle since some of them had wandered halfway up the mountain into the trees then they had to fix the fence. Tim barely returned from that when a neighbor called and needed help getting his vehicle out of the ditch. The dear old gent is in his eighties and slid off the road when he tried to turn down his driveway. Thank goodness Mr. Anderson had his cell phone with him. On his way back from that, Tim found a half-starved horse wandering down the road with multiple cuts. It isn’t one we recognize and has no markings to identify it, but it’s in bad shape. Tim’s been down at the barn with it waiting for the vet to arrive.”

  “Oh,” was all I could think to say. Tim wasn’t intentionally avoiding me which made me feel marginally better.

  “Come to the kitchen and have a cup of tea. I’m sure he’ll be in soon,” Nancy said, leading the way down the hall.

  “It’s so nice to see you, Carol. Happy Christmas Eve,” Charli said, glancing over her shoulder at me as she stood at the stove stirring something in a saucepan. The aroma of spices hung in the air and my stomach growled. I hadn’t taken time to eat lunch and the one piece of French toast and bacon I’d nibbled at for breakfast had worn off hours ago.

  “This girl is hungry, Charli.” Nancy tattled.

  “I’m fine.” Embarrassment stained my cheeks bright red when my stomach growled a second time.

  Nancy laughed and motioned for me to take a seat at the table.

  Hesitantly, I removed my coat and scarf then washed my hands at the sink while Nancy set several dishes on the counter.

  “What would you like?” she asked. “We had leftovers for lunch and there’s still plenty.”

  I perused the choices and settled on macaroni and cheese along with a helping of green beans. Seated at the table with the best mac and cheese I’d ever eaten (homemade with a heavenly blend of cheeses melted together), I listened to the two women talk about their plans for dinner and the evening ahead.

  “Of course, you’ll join us,” Nancy said, taking a sip from the cup of tea Charli set in front of her.

  “Like I mentioned earlier, I really need to speak with Tim before I agree to anything.”

  “Give him a call,” Nancy said. “One of the boys can stay with the horse. Tim would want to know you’re here.”

  When I didn’t immediately take out my phone, Nancy gave me a stern, grandmotherly frown. “Go on, darling. He’ll be happy to hear from you.”

  I had my doubts, but I slid the phone out of my back pocket and dialed Tim’s number. We listened as somewhere nearby a ringtone of “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me” began to play.

  Nancy grinned at me as Charli hurried into the laundry room. She returned with the ringing phone in her hand. “Guess Tim forgot his phone when he switched coats earlier. Good thing you came, Carol, or his phone might have gone through a load of wash. He had a little manure incident with a sick calf before breakfast and had to change his clothes.”

  If Tim’s phone had been in the laundry room all morning, then he hadn’t even seen my text. As far as he knew, I was still keeping my distance.

  Anxious to see him, I shoveled in the last few bites of lunch, drained my cup of tea, and stood. “I think I should go talk to Tim.”

  “He’s in the big barn,” Nancy said. I didn’t miss the wink she sent Charli as the two women watched me yank on my coat and loop my thick scarf around my neck. I tugged on a pair of mittens and headed toward the door.

  “You’ll freeze out there. At least wear a hat,” Charli said, plopping a big furry thing on my head with flaps that covered my ears. No doubt existed in my mind that I looked ridiculous, but the hat did keep my head warm.

  Brutus kept me company as I rushed out to the barn. I gave him a few pats before I opened the door and st
epped inside, grateful for the warmth. As my eyes adjusted to the dim interior, I heard Tim’s deep rumble and someone answering although I couldn’t distinguish their words. I followed the sounds to a stall where Tim and Jack worked to calm a horse that looked like it had been starved and abused.

  Careful not to startle any of them, I cautiously moved to the right until I was in Tim’s line of sight. He glanced up then did a double take. I’m sure I was the last person he expected to see in the barn, particularly on Christmas Eve.

  “I’ll be back in a minute, Jack,” he said, slowly moving around the horse until he reached me at the stall door. “Hi.” The expression on his face was impassive and I had no idea if he was happy to see me or annoyed that I’d shown up out of the blue.

  “Hi,” I said, wanting to hug him. Exhaustion lined his eyes and he was dirty from the day’s adventures, but I couldn’t think when I’d seen a better sight than Tim Burke.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, peeling off his glove then placing his hand on my elbow and guiding me toward the door.

  “I wanted to talk to you and I had some news to share. I texted you earlier, but Charli found your phone in the laundry room.”

  He patted his pockets and sighed. “That would explain why my phone has been so quiet all morning.” With a glance back at the stall where Jack leaned out of it, watching us, Tim pushed open the door. “Let’s talk out there.”

  Brutus’ tail fanned the snow, making an interesting pattern as he sat near the door, waiting for a human to appear.

  Tim ruffled the dog’s ears, pulled on the glove he’d removed earlier, and motioned for me to walk with him.

  “What’s up?” he asked, keeping a respectable distance between the two of us. It seemed more like the width of the Grand Canyon.

  “Jason called me this morning. They arrested the guy who’s been stalking me. I don’t have to be afraid anymore, Tim. I wanted you to know that, and to know I’d like to spend time with you again. Now that he’s in jail, I don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt because of me.”

  He stopped walking and frowned at me. “So, the whole needing time thing was really your way of trying to control things? Of trying to keep me safe, in case your crazy stalker dude ever found his way to Montana?”