A Little Country Christmas

by Carolyn Brown

  Casey grabbed Dani’s free hand. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked. “I have to head down to the bar soon, and I don’t know if I can leave you in this grinchy state. Why don’t you come to work with me tonight?”

  Dani shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll survive.” Then she let out a bitter laugh. “I guess I am the Grinch now, huh?”

  Casey released her hand, and Dani trudged the rest of the way to her room where she collapsed on the bed, not bothering to take off her robe or her moccasin slippers, and willed herself to sleep.

  She woke to shouting. Or was it singing? Whatever the sound was, it came from below.

  For several moments she convinced herself it was pre-Christmas revelers at Midtown, but the voices sounded closer, like they were coming from the street. She remembered cracking her window the night before, wanting her room extra cold so she could burrow under the covers, head and all, and not come up.

  Easy fix. She’d just shut the window and go back to sleep.

  She climbed out of bed, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the waning light. Had she really slept until dusk?

  She shuffled to her window, ready to slam it shut, but paused when she saw several clusters of people—some pouring out of the tavern—murmuring as they all headed in the direction of the town square.

  She pulled her phone from her robe pocket and texted Casey.

  What’s going on outside?

  Casey’s reply was almost immediate.

  Omg. I was just about to text you. You need to head to the square. Something about Mayor Cooper on the roof of the sheriff’s department.

  “The roof?” she said out loud.

  What the hell is he doing? Dani texted back.

  I don’t know. But maybe you should go and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid? Don’t you have a Chicken Little situation over there?

  Oh god. The ceiling crumbling. Water damage from a roof that should have been replaced years ago. How had she even considered putting that ornament on the roof herself?

  He was going to kill himself.

  On my way, she texted back to Casey.

  Dani didn’t bother changing. Or checking how wild of a mess her hair was. There wasn’t time for that. She simply tied her robe tight, grabbed her keys, and was out the door.

  She started out speed-walking, pushing her way through small crowds who thought it appropriate to stroll toward the square when she needed to get there five minutes ago.

  Her walk turned to a jog, which then turned to an all-out sprint.

  Note to self: Sprinting in slippers will cause shin splints.

  She was winded by the time she made it to the square and had to bend over to catch her breath. When she straightened, she saw him on the roof of the Meadow Valley Sheriff’s Department, just like everyone was saying. But it wasn’t just Mayor Peyton Cooper up there. With him was a life-sized ornament, one she was willing to bet cost $576.

  “Peyton! What are you doing?” she called to him, exasperated.

  He walked toward the roof’s edge, and Dani’s heart leaped into her throat.

  He held his arms out wide, and she was half prepared for him to yell that he was a golden god before leaping off the roof.

  “I’m doing what I should have done three months ago. I’m committing to this town, which means all of its quirks and traditions. No matter what other stuff I need to work through,” he said instead.

  Okay. Good. No leaping. That was a start.

  “That’s great, Peyton. But can you come down so we can talk about this?” she asked, trying to control the tremor in her voice.

  “In a minute,” he called back. “I just need to hammer in the last nail so this thing doesn’t blow away, and then run the cord off the back.” He grinned at her. “Nice outfit, by the way, Deputy.”

  She groaned. How was he teasing her at a time like this? He bought that stupid ornament for her. If anything happened to him, it would be Dani’s fault because she was too damned stubborn to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  “Peyton, please!” she called after him. “The roof is a mess. You shouldn’t be up there.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I can see the weak patches. I know what I’m doing.”

  Then he took a step back. One second he and the ornament were there, and the next they were gone. A loud crash sounded inside the building.

  A collective gasp rose up from the crowd as Dani raced toward the department’s entrance.

  Dani heard a siren in the distance, figured someone had called the fire station, and hoped it was an ambulance on the way.

  She fumbled with her keys as she tried to find the right one for the door, adrenaline coursing through her veins until she somehow made it inside.

  At first all she could see was dust and debris. Then she spotted the still-upright ornament on the floor between her desk and the two seldom-used cells.

  “Coop?” she called out. Where the hell was he? “Coop?”

  “Up here!” she heard him say, and she did everything in her power not to burst into a sob as she looked up through the gaping hole in the ceiling to see him squatting at the edge.

  “What are you doing up there? You need to get off the roof before the rest of this place caves in!

  “I thought…How are you still up there? I saw you disappear so I came inside to save you!”

  He smiled. The man had the freaking audacity to smile when she’d thought she was going to run into the building and find his broken body splayed on the floor.

  “Not sure if you saw, but there was a bit of an earthquake up here. Knocked me off balance,” he said.

  She threw her hands in the air. “Think you can get down before another quake happens?”

  “Think you can get out?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Remove yourself from the roof, Mr. Mayor, before I arrest you for trespassing.”

  She made her way back to the door and outside to safety, her heart squeezing in her chest for every second he wasn’t back on the ground.

  Thirty seconds later he emerged from behind the building, and the crowd gathering in the square cheered.

  It was all she could do to keep herself from running to him, but she had to be sure this was it, that he was for real.

  He must have sensed her hesitation because he stopped walking when he was six feet in front her.

  She opened her mouth to speak, prepared to launch into an inquisition about whether or not his commitment to Meadow Valley also meant a commitment to her, but Peyton spoke before she could get the words out.

  “When you wouldn’t take my calls or answer my texts, I stopped by your mom’s house. I figured if I could get through to her that maybe she’d get through to you.”

  Dani frowned. “She didn’t tell me.”

  He shook his head. “It was only about an hour ago, when I was on my way here. I asked her not to tell you, at least until after I finished with my surprise.” He glanced back toward the caved-in building, then faced her with a nervous laugh. “Surprise?”

  “You could have killed yourself,” she said.

  He raised a brow. “But I didn’t. And also, I’m not done.” He pulled a small plastic container from his coat pocket and moved a couple of steps closer so she could see the red-and-white confections inside. Her mother’s peppermint meringues. “I guess I caught your mom in the middle of her holiday baking, and when I saw these, everything just sort of clicked.”

  Dani sucked in a breath. Now she couldn’t speak even if she wanted to.

  Peyton took another step toward her, close enough so that she could touch him, but she was frozen where she stood.

  “You asked me to the winter formal,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

  Dani nodded.

  “And I was the idiot who asked Cady McKay if she knew who sent it and believed her when she said it was her.”

  Dani nodded again, then cleared her throat. Okay. Good. She hadn’t completely lost the ability to utter sound. “It’s
stupid,” she finally said, “that I’ve held on to that rejection for all these years. Everything seems so big when you’re a kid, though. You know? So when my dad left and you acted like you didn’t know I existed? It was—big.” She let out a nervous laugh.

  He shook the little container in his hand. “I might have forgotten it was you who sold me these amazing cookies or whatever you call them—”

  “Peppermint meringues,” she said.

  Peyton cleared his throat. “I wasn’t done,” he said with a grin.

  She winced. “Sorry.”

  “I knew you existed, Dani. I wasn’t lying when I said I had a crush on you. But I was also out of my depth. I didn’t know how to pursue a girl who seemed to want nothing to do with me. But if I’d known?” He shoved the meringues back into his pocket and held his left hand out to her.

  Dani suddenly remembered that they had quite an audience—an audience who seemed to be waiting with bated breath for whatever came next, as was she.

  “What?” she asked, a small tremor in her voice.

  “Go to the dance with me,” he said.

  A collective Awww sounded from the aforementioned audience, and Dani’s heart felt like it was about to explode. Tears stung her eyes.

  She placed her palm in his, and he wrapped his free arm around her waist.

  “Is this the hand you broke?” he asked, nodding to the one he held.

  “Wrist,” she corrected. “But yeah.”

  He pressed his lips to the inside of that once-broken wrist, and she shivered.

  Peyton pulled her close.

  “Sing something!” someone called out. “They need a song for their first dance!”

  And, as if it had been planned all along, the whole crowd burst into “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and Dani and Peyton both laughed.

  The sirens drew closer until she knew the ambulance or fire truck or whatever emergency vehicle was sent had arrived.

  Lieutenant Carter Bowen and his unit of firefighters approached, and after they had determined that no one was hurt, they made their way toward the building to assess the damage and any further danger of collapse.

  Dani tilted her head up toward his. “You’re so stupid,” she said, half laughing, half crying.

  “For climbing onto a roof that wasn’t structurally sound?” he asked.

  She nodded. “And for spending almost six hundred dollars on a holiday decoration.”

  He tilted his head to one side. “And if you’d won that auction, you would have been the one up there making questionable decisions.”

  She let go of his hand and cupped his cheeks in her palms. “You could have been hurt. Or worse. All because I was too scared of you leaving to believe you might actually stay. I’m sorry, Peyton. I can’t imagine how hard it is for you to be back here after losing your parents. I should have cut you some slack. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt, I should have—”

  “You could have told me the whole story. About us.”

  She groaned. “It’s embarrassing.”

  “It’s our story, Deputy. There’s nothing embarrassing about that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I guess it doesn’t matter that I’ve never left Meadow Valley, because it looks like I’ve got as much baggage as you do.”

  He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll help you carry yours if you help me carry mine,” he said softly against her ear.

  She shivered again.

  “You’re staying?” she asked, daring to let the hope seep into her voice.

  “I once thought I had to leave Meadow Valley to do something important. To make a difference. But Meadow Valley is important. You’re important. I texted no in response about the interview, right after you kicked me out of your mom’s house.”

  Her eyes widened. “I tried so hard to read your phone screen through that stupid doorbell camera.”

  He laughed. “And I’ve been trying to tell you for three days. But I should have told you about the interview as soon as I saw you on Friday. I messed up too. Which really sucks because I’m falling in love with you, Deputy. So if you don’t forgive me, I might have to go back to being a grinch.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  “You were going to win the lights parade contest for me, and you’re falling in love with me? I’m guessing this story of ours has a happy ending,” she said.

  “Not a contest, Dani.”

  She laughed. “Shut up and kiss me again, Coop.”

  And he did.

  * * *

  One year and one day later…Christmas Eve, to be exact…

  Dani, Teddy, Sheriff Thompson, and Keith stood on the street in front of what was now officially named the Meadow Valley Town Hall and Sheriff’s Department while Peyton waited in front of the door ready to plug the extension cord into the one outside outlet.

  They listened for the chime of the firehouse bell, the indication that it was time to begin the parade.

  The bell sounded, and they all stared down First Street as far as they could see, watching as one building lit up. Then another. And another.

  “Almost!” Dani called to Coop. “Wait for it…Here we go…Three. Two. One. Now!”

  He plugged in the cord, and the town hall lit up from base to roof, everything from twinkling icicles all the way to the life-sized ornament on the reinforced, definitely structurally sound roof.

  Cheers erupted up and down the street as Mayor Peyton Cooper strode down the town hall steps, gathering his beautiful, pregnant wife in his arms.

  “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Coop,” he said, kissing her first on the nose, then the mouth, and then her rounded belly. “Merry Christmas, Little Coop,” he said to the baby inside, the one who’d hopefully be riding horses with his mama before even learning to walk.

  “Merry Christmas, Coop,” Dani said when he straightened to kiss her again. “And look at that beautiful street. Everyone did such an amazing job.”

  He winked and pulled her close so only she could hear.

  “Yeah, but we totally won, right?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she said, her eyes locked on his. “Totally.”

  Also by A.J. Pine

  Meadow Valley Series

  Cowboy to the Rescue (novella)

  My One and Only Cowboy

  Make Mine a Cowboy

  Crossroads Ranch Series

  Second Chance Cowboy

  Saved by the Cowboy (novella)

  Tough Luck Cowboy

  Hard Loving Cowboy

  About the Author

  A librarian for teens by day and USA Today bestselling romance writer by night, A.J. Pine can’t seem to escape the world of fiction, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she finds that twenty-fifth hour in the day, she might indulge in a tiny bit of TV to nourish her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and a certain high-functioning sociopath detective. She hails from the far-off galaxy of the Chicago suburbs.

  Learn more at:

  AJPine.com

  Twitter @AJ_Pine

  Facebook.com/AJPineAuthor

  Chapter One

  Peering closely at her image in the mirror over the bathroom vanity, Iris Nelson applied a coat of mascara to her upper and lower lashes and then took a step back to examine her handiwork. The smoky shadow on her lids, faint raspberry blush on her cheekbones, and the matching gloss on her lips complemented her chestnut-brown complexion. Not bad, she thought. She hadn’t lost her touch.

  Taking up a small round brush, Iris smoothed back the sides of her short, chemically straightened hair before spiking the crown with her fingertips à la Halle Berry. She smiled, flashing straight white teeth. If the style worked for such a beautiful actress, Iris hoped it would do the same for her. The sophisticated makeup and hair, along with a body-hugging red dress and black suede stilettos, were a complete departure from her normal jeans, T-shirt, and apron she wore as the pastry chef at the Muffin Corner.

  She left the bathroom
, humming under her breath, then scooped up her phone, clutch bag, and keys. A cool November breeze swept over her exposed skin as she stepped out into the parking lot behind the row of stores where she rented a second-story, two-bedroom apartment above a gift shop on Cavanaugh Island; it was cool but not cold enough for her to go back upstairs for a shawl.

  As soon as she slipped in behind the wheel of the late-model Lincoln MKX and tapped the start engine button, her cell phone rang. The name Tracy Daniels appeared on the dashboard screen. Activating the Bluetooth feature, she asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Not really,” Tracy replied. “My professor wants to go over the entire thesis tonight instead of putting it off for another time. Once I revise according to his suggested changes, he’ll review it again so I can submit it before the end of the semester. I’m saying all of this to let you know you’ll have to go to the club without me.”

  Iris groaned inwardly. It’d been Tracy’s suggestion to hang out together. She claimed they needed to dance and kick up their heels, to let off some steam.

  “Iris, are you there?” Tracy asked while Iris stared out the windshield.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you still going?”

  Iris’s first instinct was to say no. What self-respecting woman went to a club by herself? Then again, she’d been really looking forward to an evening with a little flirtation…and more. When would she have this opportunity again?

  She closed her eyes and sighed. “Yes, I’m going,” she answered. After all, she’d taken the time to put on makeup and a hot outfit. The red color and narrow bands crisscrossing her bared back were a welcome departure from the requisite modest black dresses she’d worn to her ex’s fund-raisers and dinner parties.

  “Good for you,” Tracy said. “Remember, you don’t have to look for Mr. Right—just Mr. Right Now.”

  “I know. I’d even settle for Mr. Tonight.”

  Picking up a man only for sex had never been Iris’s style, yet she wasn’t going to rule out a little harmless flirting. She also wasn’t looking for a relationship. Been there, done that. A whirlwind courtship and subsequent marriage to a man who’d revealed the ugly side of his jaded personality within an hour of exchanging vows made her wary of forming any lasting relationships.