Marrying Miss Kringle: Frost

by McConnell, Lucy

  Tannon began to hyperventilate at the thought, and he stepped back into the hallway so he wouldn’t interrupt. He put his hands on his knees and bent over to take deep breaths and stop the world from spinning. Frost was wonderful, but she was not the woman for him. He already had a lady picked out. Miss Kringle had known him almost his whole life, and she was his perfect match. And … he’d hardly thought about her since Frost came to town. Heck, he’d almost kissed Frost in the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes. Forget the world spinning; his world was tipping on its axis.

  “Will you read it again tomorrow night?” Brody asked in his inside/outside voice.

  Tannon braced a hand on the wall and stood, wondering if Frost would brush him off. Some women loved their own kids but only put up with others. Or maybe that was just him they didn’t know what to do with. He’d been such a strange-looking child that it threw people off.

  “I’ll do even better. I’ll leave the book here and you can read it to your dad. I’ll bet he hasn’t heard the story in quite some time—he might even find someone to identify with.” They giggled together as if sharing a secret.

  Tannon snorted as he entered the room. “If you’re referring to the Grinch, I assure you my heart is the proper size.”

  “And you’re not green,” added Brody.

  “Thank you for noticing.”

  Frost smiled at him. She kissed Brody’s hair. “Good night, marshmallow.”

  “’Night.” Brody scooted down into his blankets.

  Tannon got to the bed just as Frost was standing up. They bumped into one another, her body warm. They both blushed and laughed. He scooted to one side to go around and she went to the same side. In unison they went back the other way and laughed. Frost put her hands on his arms, the contact sending pleasant shocks through his body. She nudged him to one side and went the other way, turning them both in a circle. All his life, Tannon had stayed on the edge of the dance floor, but he suddenly had an overwhelming desire to waltz with this woman in his arms.

  Turning quickly away, he leaned down to kiss Brody good night. The pillowcase smelled like sugar and spice. “See you in the morning.”

  “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

  “Nope. I have the whole weekend off.”

  “Okay, then.” Brody’s body wiggled deeper into the mattress.

  Tannon turned off the lamp and made his way into the hall, where he found Frost leaning against the opposite wall. She smiled. “He reminds me of you.”

  Her words and the accompanying confident smile were a healing balm after his conversation with his parents. “How so?”

  “He’s strong-willed, determined, and kind, with a heart that is predisposed to believe in Christmas Ma—” She gulped. “In Christmas.”

  Tannon sighed. “I was pretty bitter at his age.”

  “Nonsense.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder, and he remembered how it felt sliding through his fingers. His hands twitched.

  “It’s true. I’d had my leg amputated and I was mad at the world.”

  “Not the whole world.” She looked at him as though she knew the inner workings of his mind and heart.

  And she was right. He was mad at his parents for letting the doctors take off his leg. He was mad at the doctors, the nurses, and anyone else who tried to tell him it would be okay. But there was one person he’d reached out to. “Not everyone—there was Santa Claus.”

  Frost’s smile lit up her whole face. “Tell me.”

  He joined her, using the wall against his back for support. “Well, I wrote him a letter and asked for my leg back.”

  Her smile dimmed. “That must have been hard.”

  “It was. Obviously, he couldn’t do that. But it helped. Writing letters helps.” He frowned. How long had it been since Miss Kringle had written? A week? Maybe more. He glanced at Frost out of the corner of his eye. Would she think he was nuts if he told her he still wrote to the North Pole? “I read somewhere that writing out your problems is therapeutic.”

  “I believe that.” Frost pushed off from the wall. “I guess I’d better get home. I’d like to call my family and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “About that …” Tannon cupped the back of his neck. “We’re snowed in.”

  “What?” Frost raced to the window and yanked the curtains back. Soft moonlight outlined her delicate body, making Tannon wonder if kisses by moonlight really were as romantic as they say. Her arms fell to her sides. “It’s not that deep.”

  “We have a guest bedroom, if you’d like to stay the night. I mean, it’s not like you have much choice, but I thought I’d ask.” He was stumbling through this. “Wait, did you just say it’s not that deep?” He walked over and looked down at the winter wonderland. The bushes that grew as high as his chest looked like shrubs no taller than his shin.

  “It’s not that bad.”

  He hooked a thumb towards the window. “My car would disappear.”

  “I can just walk back.” She pressed her lips together.

  “The temperature is below thirty.”

  “I have a coat.”

  “You’d freeze before you found the road.”

  She folded her arms and cocked her head. “Says you.”

  Tannon liked her spunk. He liked it far too much. “Staying overnight isn’t all that bad, is it?” Besides not wanting to search for her frozen body in the morning, he could use a buffer between him and his parents. As long as Frost was here, they’d be on their best behavior—at least in front of her. Having a guest didn’t stop them from cornering him and dropping a bomb last night. Nothing encouraged his dad to behave well like an audience—holding up the family name and all that.

  And he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye. Frost was strange, but wasn’t everyone? There were no real “normal” people out there. Look at his family. He had a father who was obsessed with appearances, a mother who didn’t know how to stand up to him, and then there was him. He was the least normal to look at—although, despite his childhood, he may be the most normal one among them. Wait, didn’t everyone think they were the normal ones out of the group? Before his head could spin itself in theory and debate, he brought himself back to the matter at hand. “I would feel horrible sending you out in the cold.”

  “Are you saying—” Her eyes sparkled. “—‘baby, it’s cold outside’?”

  His burdens instantly lightened with her flirty little attitude. “Well, this evening has been so very nice.”

  “Are you going to hold my hands?” She lifted hers and winked.

  He took hold, then relaxed and threaded their fingers together, bringing their hands to his chest as easy as pie. His breathing became shallow and he had a hard time looking away. To the side, the snow continued to fall outside the window, bright in the full moon’s light. But in here, they were warm and toasty. The only thing missing was a fireplace and a glowing Yule log, and maybe a Christmas tree. “Frost.” He searched her gaze. “Is there a chance—I mean, if I wasn’t a Grinch and you hadn’t been my assistant—”

  “And you hadn’t cancelled Christmas?”

  He chuckled. “That too. Do you think maybe you and I …”

  She hesitated, her hold tightening briefly before she pulled her hands from his. “Thank you, for the offer to stay. I should like to see my room now.”

  He swallowed his wounded pride and nodded. She was out of his league. He should have known. But it was difficult to remember when she looked at him the way she did. “It’s just this way.” Tannon showed her down the hallway to the guest room.

  Chapter 15

  Frost collapsed against the door. Tannon was starting to like her, as in like her like her. She could feel his interest in her growing and his heart softening. That was bad. So, so bad. He was supposed to fall in love with Christmas again, not fall in love with her. She threw her purse on the bed and then chased it down to dig out her phone. She dialed Stella and patched in Robyn.

  “How’s the Single Kringles?” she asked
, knowing full well it would get a rise out of Robyn. She wasn’t disappointed.

  “Not you too!” Robyn groaned.

  Frost smiled despite the fact that she felt like crying. Sisters were so good at cheering each other up. At least her sisters were. “How was dinner?”

  “Glitter-less,” said Stella. “We miss your sparkly self.”

  “I missed you guys.”

  “Did you get turkey? And please don’t tell me you microwaved it.” Robyn’s shudder could be felt all the way from the North Pole.

  “I, uh, ate with Tannon’s family.”

  “Oh, reeeeally?” Stella’s interest went up three notes, right along with her voice. “Do tell.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal. He felt sorry for me because I was alone, that’s all. What are you guys doing tonight?” She wished she was home. They usually spent Thanksgiving night in the living room watching hunky men fight off aliens and men wearing bedazzled gauntlets.

  “I’m perusing mail-order groom websites,” said Stella.

  “And I’m avoiding Stella,” added Robyn.

  Frost chuckled. That sounded about right. She had to blink back the tears that threatened to spill over at her admission that she missed them. Of course she missed them, but when she said it out loud, the emotion was ten times stronger. “That’s not a real thing, is it?”

  “If you know where to look—and you know I got mad skills.”

  “Did you find someone?” Frost was hopeful. An arranged marriage wasn’t such a bad thing. But knowing Stella, she’d pick some guy with a nose ring and a rap sheet. “Mom’s rules still apply. No guys named after reptiles.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m keeping it chill.”

  “Robyn?” Frost pleaded with her sister.

  Robyn huffed. “I’m headed to her office now. Is Tannon the guy you’ve been writing behind our backs for, like, ten years?”

  “Sixteen,” Frost corrected, ready to come clean. “And yes.”

  “I thought you liked this guy?” asked Stella. She was breathing hard, telling Frost she’d grabbed her laptop and was trying to avoid Robyn.

  “He owns a paper mill, Frost. It’s like your perfect match. You love paper,” said Robyn.

  Frost swiped away an errant tear. “I did. And I do.”

  “Did like him?” asked Robyn. She was talking fast, probably running through the office to catch Stella. Gingersnaps! She missed her sisters.

  Frost hesitated. Her feelings for Tannon were befuddled at best. He was so complicated, always changing depending on the situation. She couldn’t love him one minute and then want to punch out his Christmas lights the next. “Did like him.”

  Stella whispered, probably hiding. “Well, stop dillydallying and look around town for someone new. I dos are more important right now than I dids.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Sure it is. Bat those unfair long eyelashes of yours and the men will come crawling. You’ll be kissing someone new under the mistletoe in no time. Fastest way to get over an ex.”

  For some reason, Stella’s comment ticked her off and her neck grew warm. As if sixteen years of letters, shared secrets, and feelings could be brushed away so easily. “She’s behind the filing cabinet,” Frost told Robyn.

  “Hey!”

  “Aha!” There was a scuffle and then Robyn said, “No way in a gingerbread house is this your future husband. Stella! What is wrong with you?”

  Stella burst out a sob. “I’m in love.”

  “With this guy?” Frost pictured Robyn pointing at a picture on the laptop. “With someone I can’t have. Give me that.” She must have yanked her laptop back.

  Frost bit her lip. “Why can’t you have him?” Frost was insanely curious. She had loved Tannon at one time, or thought she did, when she thought she knew him. Maybe a part of her still did. And maybe another part of her was falling for the man she’d spent time with today. If only she could trust him not to turn into an Ebenezer.

  “Because he doesn’t want me.” Stella sniffed.

  “Then he’s a snowman—all body and no brains,” Frost told her.

  Stella laughed and cried. Frost could hear it coming through both their phones, so she knew Robyn had wrapped Stella in a hug. “No, he’s wonderful—he’s just out of my reach.”

  “Well, that’s just great,” Robyn threw out. “I’ve got no one and nothing. Stella’s in love with a man she can’t have. And Frost has fallen out of love with the man she’s snuck around with forever. And the palace is tipping more and more every day.”

  “How bad is it?”

  “Mom’s snow globe collection fell off the shelves,” said Robyn. Stella was still sniffing.

  “Holy holly,” exclaimed Frost.

  “Yeah, all of our sweets are baking lopsided because the ovens tipped. We’ve had to come up with some metal shims to put under the pans, but then one side of the pan cooks faster than the other. It’s a pain.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve ruined everything.”

  “No one blames you,” said Stella. “This one is on all of us.”

  Frost glanced out the window. “Well, tomorrow I’m going to go Christmas crazy on Tannon. The sooner I get him to believe, the sooner I can get home and help.”

  “Good plan,” said Stella. “Bring out the glitter and glitz.”

  “He’s not going to know what hit him.” And she’d start in this very room. Mary would be an asset. Tannon always said his mother loved Christmas. It was time to spread the love. Like glitter. She grinned. She was so good with glitter.

  Chapter 16

  Frost caught a couple of hours of sleep and was up and dressed in a pair of red leggings with white reindeer silhouettes and an oversized white sweater that perched precariously on her shoulder, threatening to fall off at any moment. She usually tried to avoid white, what with her snow-colored hair and all, but she felt so festive she went with it. The black Santa boots were the perfect accessory. If Tannon didn’t look at her and think “Christmas spirit,” then she’d failed holiday fashion 101. But Frost never failed in fashion. Her Kringle purse provided makeup, a flat iron, and hair serum, so she didn’t have to look ruffled at all.

  Tiptoeing down the stairs, she set about making cinnamon rolls and sugar cookies. The rolls were for breakfast, and the sugar cookies were for decorating after having some fun in the snow.

  Just as she was pulling the buns out of the oven, Mary breezed through the door. She came up short. “Oh!”

  Frost tucked her hair behind her ear. “Morning. I so appreciated your hospitality that I wanted to make breakfast. I hope this is okay.” She waved a hand to the hot chocolate station she’d set up along the bar with several flavors of hot chocolate, tree-shaped marshmallows, and a jar of candy canes.

  “Where did all this come from?”

  “I found it in the pantry.” Not a lie. She’d stood in the pantry as she wished for items from her Kringle purse. Thankfully, the purse hadn’t joined the reindeer and the elves in disowning her and worked perfectly.

  “I don’t remember buying any of this.” Mary inspected a raspberry hot chocolate package.

  “Maybe you picked it up on sale?” Frost spun from the stove, a pan of boiling water in her hands. She proceeded to pour the perfect amount of water into the mugs.

  “Maybe.” Mary sifted through the different flavors and settled on mocha. “Hm. I haven’t had a specialty hot chocolate in ages.”

  “Oh?” Frost refilled the pan in case they needed more water and set it to heat. “Why’s that?”

  “They used to serve them at the coffee shop on Main, but the town’s cut back on their celebrations. They aren’t even doing a tree in the park this year.”

  “That’s sad.” Frost put a park tree on her list of things to do for the town. She’d set one up in the middle of the night if needed; no town should be without decorations. “When do they put up the other decorations?”

  Mary mixed her drink and nodded a thank-you when Frost
set a plate with a warm roll in front of her. “They’ll string some lights up this week.”

  “I’m sure the local businesses have their own decorations though.”

  “Some.” Mary’s lips tipped up. “Maybe that’s why I like to decorate so much. My family always had a merry holiday. I want that for Tannon and Brody.”

  “And for you—you deserve a Merry Christmas too.” Frost selected a cinnamon chocolate mix and made herself a cup of cocoa. “May I help you with the decorations?”

  Mary waved her off. “Oh, you don’t want to do that.”

  “But I do.” Frost brought her shoulders up, trying to hold in her excitement. “I love decorating, and Christmas is the best time of year to make things sparkly and bright. Besides, you’ve been so kind to open your home to me and let me be a part of your family for a little while. I’d love to do something for you.”

  Mary laughed. “I suppose an extra set of hands would be helpful.” She took her mug with her as she led the way up the stairs. Frost wore her purse with the strap across her chest. It was black to match the boots, but not quite as shiny.

  At the opposite end of the hall from her room, Mary pulled on a cord, revealing a set of stairs that accordion unfolded.

  Frost clapped her hands. “It’s like magic.”

  Mary waved a hand in front of her face. “It would be if that were fairy dust and not plain old dust.” She sneezed once and then climbed up first, flipping on a light as she did so.

  Frost’s Kringleness was getting the better of her, and she had to fight the urge to push Mary out of the way to get to those decorations. The boxes were labeled as to which room the decorations went to. She snatched up two with the label “family room” and made for the stairs. “I’ll get these and be back up for the rest.” She was down the stairs, flying like a reindeer who’d been cooped up for the summer. She met Mary on the stairs on her way back up.