The Christmas Stroll was in full swing, the street filling with happy crowds. Excited children dashed from display to display, while their parents alternately called out cautions and chatted with friends. Shops were packed so tightly customers could hardly move, but no one minded. Christmas spirit ruled, plus there were free brownies and cookies and cider for all.
The event was a huge success, but Jane Ann hardly noticed. She was in a daze. A Chuck Henzel induced daze. After nearly knocking her over, Chuck had accompanied her to Charity’s bookstore where she’d watched fondly as Charity lost her mind. Chuck and Charity were twins, but the devilishly handsome man evidently hadn’t warned his sister he was coming home for Christmas. When Charity had managed to stop bouncing and squealing, she’d composed herself and swatted Chuck on the shoulder.
“You know I can’t leave the shop during The Stroll,” she said with an accusatory glare. “You planned it this way.”
Chuck laughed, a warm, deep rumble. “Maybe. But you couldn’t expect me to miss The Stroll just because you have to work, could you?”
Charity rolled her eyes, but her expression showed nothing but delight. “I suppose not.” Turning to Jane Ann, she said, “Keep an eye on him, will you, Janey? I don’t want him disappearing before I get a chance to visit with him properly.”
“Hey, now,” Chuck protested. “I’m home for the holidays. Janey doesn’t need to babysit me.” Then he cocked his head and winked at Jane Ann. “Unless you want to babysit me, that is.”
Jane Ann blushed, her fair skin turning even pinker than the frigid temperature outdoors had caused. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Chuck’s sudden appearance after so many years of absence had robbed her of witty banter. Needing something to do, she grabbed a cup of Charity’s spiced cider and sipped. The warmth of the liquid soothed her, while the taste of tart apples combined with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves helped to clear her mind.
Ignoring Chuck’s teasing comment, she turned to Charity. “He’s not going anywhere, Char. Not without seeing your folks and Ed and the kids, but,” she slid her gaze sideways to the man in question, “I’ll be happy to stroll with him, if he’d like.”
There. She’d lobbed the metaphorical ball straight back to him. Where it belonged.
Chuck laughed again, and Jane Ann thought she could get used to that distinctly masculine rumble. “Caught in my own net.” He waved at his sister and held out a hand to Jane Ann. “Come on, Janey. Let’s see what Bozeman has to offer these days.”
An hour and a half later, after visiting every square inch of The Stroll and even indulging in a sleigh ride, Chuck and Jane Ann stood in front of the gingerbread house exhibit for the second time.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I know you like that Victorian with the frosted trees and the skating pond made out of blue sprinkles, but I’m partial to that little log cabin over there.” He pointed to a very simple confection, constructed to look like stacked logs with icicles of white frosting dripping from a roof shingled with light gray wafer candies.
“Well, I may be biased since I supervised the contest and watched all of these houses being built.” She smiled up at him, still surprised by how tall he’d gotten. He must have had a growth spurt after high school. “You wouldn’t believe how hard these kids worked. Their concentration and attention to detail was impressive.”
Chuck nodded. “I can see that. These are a lot better than the ones I remember making.”
She laughed. “Yes, but you were always more interested in eating frosting than in building a house.”
“Guilty as charged,” he agreed, his eyes sparkling. “I don’t know about you, but I’m about strolled out. Want to grab a pizza and warm up?”
She glanced at her watch. The Stroll still had an hour to go. As one of the organizers, she should really stay until the end. Then again, no one was expecting her to do anything further. The need to stay was just her over-developed sense of responsibility. Besides, pizza with Chuck sounded great. A perfect end to a perfect Stroll.
“Sure,” she said with a nod. “Let’s do it.”