by Ginny Baird
But before they could let loose, Evan surprised them with a one-two punch, nailing the kids on their coat sleeves as they shielded their faces with their arms.
“Hey!” the kids hollered, but they were laughing, ducking back behind the planter and loading up again.
“What do you say?” Evan asked Mary. “Want to engage?”
She stared down at her high-heeled boots. “Um.”
“You be on their team,” he whispered and nodded toward a street planter. “Go on—take your time and take cover.”
She bit her bottom lip, unable to resist the challenge. “Sure!” She set her satchel on the covered stoop of the café and formed a hefty snowball of her own. Then on impulse she turned and lobbed it at Evan.
The kids cackled at the stunned look on Evan’s face and Mary couldn’t help giggling as well. Evan shook a scolding finger, but she could tell he wasn’t seriously mad. “You’re asking for it.”
“Who, me?”
He reached down to grab more snow, then waited patiently as she teetered across the icy sidewalk and got behind the planter with the kids. “All right if I join you?”
“You betcha, lady,” the bigger kid, Joe, said. Then he handed her a well-formed snowball and she tossed it over the bench toward Evan. Rather than hitting him, it landed just shy of his feet.
“You’re going to have to work on your aim,” Evan said, his eyes gleaming. “Sort of like—this!” He hurled his snowball toward Mary. She ducked her head just in time.
“He’s good,” Spencer said in warning tones. “We’d better be careful.”
Mary laughed. “Yeah,” she told him confidentially. “I think you’re right.” Then she made another snowball and this time hit a bulls-eye—right in the middle of Evan’s chest.
“Woo-hoo!” Spencer yelped, while Joe shouted, “Score.”
“I was only warming up before,” she called to Evan.
To her amazement, he actually chuckled. “I’ll need to be more careful around you.”
More snowballs flew between them, interspersed with yelps of glee and laughter.
Mary landed several good hits on Evan, but he was great at returning fire, getting her and the boys back with snowball slugs, causing them all to chortle or groan at the outcome, depending on who was giving or receiving.
Twenty minutes later, they were all snowballed out. Plus, the café manager kept shooting them glances out the window, like he wasn’t thrilled about their blocking access to the front stoop of his café.
“See ya later, Sheriff Clark!” the two boys shouted, dashing away down Main Street. Mary suspected they couldn’t wait to tell their friends they’d had a full-fledged snowball fight with the sheriff. She still couldn’t believe she’d been part of one herself.
“See ya, lady!” Joe said. “Thanks for playing!”
“My name’s Mary!” she called after them, and the younger boy shot her a grin.
“Bye, Miss Mary,” he said with a happy wave.
Evan clutched his middle, breathing hard. He’d done a lot of running around and maneuvering while single-handedly combating Mary’s team, and she’d worn herself out as well.
“That was awesome,” she said, catching her breath. “I haven’t played in the snow in years.” She’d forgotten how much fun it was. Or what it was like to think about nothing but goofing off in the beautiful wintry weather for a while. The chilly air felt crisp in her lungs and her cheeks burned from the cold, but she’d had the best time. It still startled her a little that she’d had it with Evan. Then she remembered her wish in the gazebo, understanding that it had come true.
“You know something?” he said. “Neither have I.”
Another couple stepped around them to enter the café, and then it was just the two of them alone on the sidewalk, standing face to face in the falling snow. He searched her eyes and Mary’s heart skipped a beat. His countenance seemed different somehow. Not as hard-edged as before. More relaxed and accepting. It was almost like seeing another person. A person she wanted to know better.
He was close enough to hold her, to take her in his arms and kiss her right here on Main Street. And, deep in her heart, a part of her wanted him to.
Ridiculous. Besides, Evan would never do something like that. The Evan she knew was walled-off, and careful…
Yet the man she’d seen today had been happy and carefree. What life experiences had caused him to become bottled up, robbing him of his joy?
When she’d teased him about skiing and engagements, he’d paused and become distant. There’d been a sadness in his eyes. Evan was in his thirties, so presumably he’d dated people, maybe lots of people, over the years. She didn’t get the impression he was seeing anyone now, though.
Mary wanted to see him, on casual terms like they’d experienced today, and not just for business reasons. “We’ll have to do it again sometime,” she said. She was thinking of a friendly outing, not a date. Still, he might have read it as forward, judging by his surprised look.
He tilted down his hat and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, his tough veneer returning. But she knew it was an act, because she’d already caught a glimpse of the fun-loving guy beneath his stoic façade. “Don’t push your luck,” he said in a joking way, and Mary didn’t mind the mild admonishment, because she understood what it meant. She wasn’t the only one who knew she’d seen a different side of Evan.
He was completely aware of it, too.
Evan’s phone rang and he pulled it from his uniform jacket pocket. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s Helen on dispatch. I’d better take this.” He took the call. “Yeah? Oh no. He okay?” His brow creased. Was it bad news? “Whereabouts? What part of the highway? Yeah, yeah. I know it. I’ll be there.”
He hung up and said, “There’s been a traffic accident on the outskirts of town.”
Mary’s heart seized up. “I hope nobody’s hurt?”
“No, fortunately not. Jeb Wilson’s truck slid off the road, but he’s all right.”
She exhaled in relief. “Well, that part’s a blessing.”
“Yeah.” Evan tucked away his phone. “So maybe we can take a raincheck on the parade route walk?”
“I’m heading over to Hopedale tomorrow. I need to get a lot of sponsorship forms signed.”
“Friday, then?”
“Friday’s good. Want to say Friday late afternoon?”
He nodded. “Just tell me where to meet you.”
And when his gaze met hers, she felt those little tingles again.
Chapter Ten
Mary’s day trip to Hopedale was a lot of fun. She met up with Ken at the Holly and the Ivy Nursery, and he showed her around the picturesque downtown area which bordered a mountain ridge. The Hopedale Valley Springs Ski Resort was just outside town, and many of its tourists frequented Hopedale for dining and shopping, especially during the busy winter ski season. Unlike in Clark Creek, its streets were packed with holiday shoppers.
One of their first stops was at Singleton’s Jewelers. An attractive man with dark hair and light eyes shook her hand. “Hey there, I’m Sam Singleton.” He nodded toward the brunette beside him with long wavy hair. “This is my wife, Angie.”
She shook Mary’s hand too, and Mary couldn’t help but notice the gorgeous diamond ring on Angie’s hand. She scanned the store, seeing a jewelry case display beneath a gorgeous Christmas wreath that appeared to be dotted with mistletoe berries. A sign above the case said: Singleton Signature Diamond Collection.
“This is an incredible store,” she told the Singletons.
“Thanks!” Sam said. “We like it.”
They seemed like a happy couple, and there was a warm tenderness between them. “How long have you owned the shop?”
Angie nodded toward her husband. “Sam, for quite some time. When we got married a few years ago, I took joint ownership with him.”
“Nice.” Mary thought about how working relationships sometimes brought couples together.
Th
at wouldn’t be happening with her and Evan, though. Even if she had started seeing his warmer, fun-loving side. And even if he had gazed at her in that dreamy way when they’d been standing on the sidewalk outside the Whistle Stop Café, when he’d made her heart pound and her knees melt like butter...
“We were so happy to hear about your parade,” Sam snapping her out of her reverie. “What a great idea at this time of year.”
“Pepe’s especially excited about it,” Angie said. “He’s our eight-year-old son.”
“We’ve got a daughter too,” Sam offered. “Magdalena. She’s two.”
“How sweet.” Mary smiled, imagining their adorable children. “Thank you both for being one of our sponsors. So generous of you.” She pulled some papers from her satchel. “I have a few forms for you to sign, if you don’t mind?”
After they’d filled out their paperwork, Mary thanked them with a smile. “I hope you’ll be able to make the parade and bring your family.”
Angie shared a grin. “We’ll bring all of them.”
“All?”
“We’re sort of a crowd when we’re together,” Sam said. “Especially now that my dad is seeing someone.”
“You’ll love meeting Sam’s dad, David,” Ken said. “And his girlfriend, Mabel Lee. She runs the flower shop across the way. We can stop in and see her next.”
“Wonderful!”
“The Lopezes are special, too,” Sam informed Mary. “Angie’s grandmother lives with us. Angie’s mom and her new husband also live nearby.”
Mary loved how friendly and connected everyone seemed in these small towns.
“Then, by all means,” she said. “Bring everyone. The more the merrier!”
It was a very successful day, and Ken took Mary to lunch at a bookstore café where she met his girlfriend, Dusty. Dusty was blonde-haired and blue eyed, with a bubbly personality.
“Ken’s very excited about this parade of yours,” Dusty said. “All of us at the Chamber of Commerce are, too. I’m so glad you reached out when you did.”
“I can’t thank you enough for your help. Everyone in Clark Creek is really grateful.”
“That’s what neighbors do,” Ken said. “They help each other.”
“Yeah.” Dusty reached out and took his hand, looking all dreamy-eyed, and Mary suspected there wouldn’t be any problem when Ken made his marriage proposal.
Evan was at his desk filing reports on his computer when Dennis walked in and asked, “What happened on the highway yesterday?”
“Jeb’s going to need a new truck, but he’s okay.”
“How about the other guy?”
“The other guy was a guardrail,” Evan said.
“Icy roads?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t think that will be a problem during the parade?”
That’s all Evan needed. One more headache caused by the weather. “Hope not. Public Works is going to treat the roads, and we’ll keep a close eye on the forecast.”
“Forecast looks good,” Dennis said. “Supposed to be mostly sunny with a chance of flurries.”
Evan shut his laptop. “Nothing like a white Christmas in Clark Creek.”
Dennis laughed. “We always have snow.”
Evan found himself having mixed emotions about the holiday. He hadn’t really enjoyed it in years—not since his breakup with Cathy. While he’d gone through the motions of engaging in routine celebrations for the sake of his family, he’d been left feeling hollow inside.
He’d only been eighteen, and still in high school, when he fell for his vivacious blond classmate, Cathy Jennings. He’d enlisted in the Army because he wanted to get started on a career, so they could marry and start a family.
Boot camp training was brutal, but worth it, because he’d done well enough to catch his commander’s eye. Promotion came quickly, and then he’d had his first deployment. He’d returned right before Christmas with a shiny new ring in his pocket. But by that time, Cathy had already said yes to somebody else.
Evan had thought she’d been stressed by their separation. She’d been stressed, all right. Right into somebody else’s arms.
Evan motioned for Dennis to have a seat, mentally shaking off the bad memories. He didn’t know why he was dwelling on them now. Maybe because he felt a special kinship with Dennis since they’d both served in Infantry. Dennis had what he might’ve had. A woman who’d stayed loyal to him while he’d been deployed, and who’d married him after his return.
“How are things going with Linda and the baby?”
“Really well. The doc says we’re right on schedule for the twenty-ninth.”
“Bet your other kids are getting excited.”
Dennis grinned. “We all are.”
“You sure you’re okay working the parade so close to the delivery date?”
“Sure, I’m sure. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
“I’m meeting with Mary tomorrow to talk about traffic. She says she has some ideas.”
“She’s a traffic cop now, too?” Dennis laughed. “No, seriously. I like her.”
“You and half the town.”
Dennis’s eyebrows rose. “You mean, you don’t?”
“She’s all right.”
“Only all right?” Dennis read his face, like he didn’t believe him.
Evan thought back to their snowball fight and the fun time they’d had. He hadn’t let himself relax like that since…he wasn’t sure when. When he’d looked in her eyes, he’d felt a tug at his heartstrings. She’d had that effect on him before, and it was unnerving. He was fighting not to go there, but something misguided in his soul wanted to, anyway.
“Yep,” he said, not wanting to admit his interest in Mary to Dennis, because he had trouble making sense of it himself. “Only all right.”
Back at the inn, Mary had work to do with ordering those souvenirs. She’d been trying to wait until she had an accurate prediction for parade attendance before placing her order, but she had a good enough idea now, and really couldn’t wait much longer if the merchandise was going to arrive on time.
Using the number of locals predicted to attend by the town council, and also her estimate of out-of-towners who might come, she’d done her best to arrive at accurate calculations, and she didn’t want to mess things up. If she under-ordered, folks would be disappointed by supplies running out. If she over-ordered, though, that could bring a costly mistake down on Clark Creek.
She logged into the merchandise website she frequently used and pulled up the spreadsheet she’d made for the parade in a separate window on her computer. The spreadsheet had grown so large she had to shrink down some of the columns to be able to view it in a single frame.
The lights in her room blinked off and on, and then completely went out. Her computer froze up, too.
What? Oh no! Mary gathered her wits, reaching for her emergency flashlight and flicking it on. She heard Marshall knocking on doors, and then he got to hers.
“Sorry,” he said, when she cracked her door open. He held a flashlight, too. “Old house issues. Only temporary. We’ll be back in business in a flash.”
Sure enough, in another five minutes, the lights came back on and Mary rebooted her computer. Now, where was I? Right. Ordering the T-shirts.
She completed her order and entered her company credit card information, then pressed Submit. This amount would be filled in on the expense report she provided to the town council, along with her final bill. They’d have more than enough to pay it by then. After the parade, Clark Creek would be enjoying a hearty surplus.
The screen froze, and a small colorful wheel spun around and around on her desktop. Oh, brother. She resubmitted her order, but the electricity faltered a second time, and then a third—each time, just as she was complete her T-shirt order and sign off. Ugh!
She tried a couple more times with the lights flickering, eager to get this done. She was about to shut her laptop and give up for a while, when—ta-dahh! He
r order went through.
Whew. It’s about time. I’m done!
She sat back against the headboard and sighed with satisfaction. Only one week until the parade, but she was checking off those boxes on her to-do list. Yes. She looked forward to seeing Evan again, and—she hoped—finally winning his support. He did seem to be loosening up and becoming more open-minded about the parade’s potential. It was hard for him not to be, she supposed, since she’d addressed most of his concerns. Maybe tomorrow, he’d come around a little more.
Chapter Eleven
The next day, Evan stood beside Mary by the split-rail fence alongside the fairground. Shadows hugged the mountains as daylight faded, and snow continued to fall.
She pointed to the large field his mom had suggested for a parking venue, and then to another section leading off a gravel road. “We thought the floats could pull in over there after the parade to disassemble. We’ll have plenty of trash receptacles in place, so folks who want to “undecorate” their floats can do that right away.”
Evan couldn’t deny that would help keep the streets clean.
“I talked to the sanitation department about delivering the trash containers, and about removal, and they said their crews could handle that, no problem. Here’s the best part of this plan.” She shared a sunny grin. “I found a way to eliminate your traffic problem.”
This he had to hear.
“Main Street traffic will only go one way!”
“What?”
“During the parade times, plus one hour before and one after.”
He liked where Mary was going with this. If they kept the flow of traffic moving in one direction, it would be less likely to snarl up. “I’d suggest two, to play it safe.”
“I was thinking we could put signs out near the highway,” she said, “directing visitors to arrive in Clark Creek by coming down Three-Notched Pass. Then we can ask them to park at the fairgrounds, leave their vehicles there and walk down to the gazebo to buy their parade tickets and get souvenirs. After that, they can position themselves anywhere they’d like along the route. Only, when it’s time to leave, they’ll head back to the fairgrounds and pick up their vehicles, leaving on Three-Notched Pass. Ingress and egress from the parking area will all be one-way too, to keep things moving smoothly.”