Toni kept busy all day Friday, continuing with the demolition at the old hotel and working on the city budget during lunch and in the afternoon. She kept her mind occupied to keep from thinking about last night’s dinner party, her bread crumb–throwing companion and their almost-intimate encounter near the kitchen. For just a moment there…But she wasn’t going to think about how he’d whispered and nearly apologized for shaking up her life fifteen years ago.
Or maybe she’d imagined that he’d seemed sorry for his actions. Whatever his meaning or his feelings, she couldn’t allow herself to be taken in by his charm. And there was no doubt about it—Wyatt McCall was a charmer.
She’d gotten out of giving him a lift back to the motel by pleading a pressing need to go back to her office in front of the other guests. James and Sandy Brody had given Wyatt a ride, thankfully, cramming him into the tiny backseat of their car. Toni was sure he’d be uncomfortable, but she didn’t feel guilty.
She knew that she simply couldn’t allow him to ride in her pickup again, especially at night when he was in such a mood, going from childish and irritating to mature and sexy in the blink of an eye.
Being with Wyatt while they were in high school had been like being on a ride at Six Flags, except that the end was never the same. The drop was different each time, the twists and turns unanticipated, the destination unknown. She’d both loved and dreaded his high-energy passionate nature.
They might never have survived that much turmoil. She might not have emotionally survived Wyatt’s lifestyle. Sitting next to him at the dinner table, now that they were both adults, was nerve-racking enough to prove that they weren’t meant to be together.
But tonight…tonight he was going to show her the community center Christmas display. She’d watched the workers unload supplies and enter the closed-off area this morning as she sipped her tea, and then she’d made a point of driving by several times during the day. They kept up a steady pace, despite the small crowd of people who stopped to watch them go in and out of the black vinyl-covered gate carrying huge cardboard boxes and items wrapped in packing material. A few people Toni saw during the day had asked her what Wyatt had planned, and all she could say was that it was a big secret.
He’d better not mess this up. Not at Christmas.
She worked until after six o’clock, and just when she thought he’d forgotten his promise, he called.
“Where are you?”
“At my office.”
“Are you going home soon?”
“Probably. I was waiting to hear from you.”
“I want you to walk over around ten o’clock, after the community center closes and the neighborhood has rolled up the sidewalks.”
“That’s kind of late.”
“I’m not going to be ready until then. The installers are staying until nine, and then I’m going to finish up with a few final details.”
“I do want and need to see the display, so if ten o’clock is the magical time, then that’s when I’ll be there.”
“Good.” He paused a moment, and then added in a lower voice, “I’m going to make sure you’re not disappointed, babe.”
“Don’t call me that.” And don’t make any sexual innuendos, either.
“I keep forgetting that, don’t I?” She heard the smile in his voice as he said goodbye and ended the call.
Toni looked at her watch. Nearly six-thirty. Time for a nice, quiet dinner followed by several hours of anticipation before she got to see what Wyatt was up to now.
THE WORKERS LEFT AROUND nine o’clock, and Wyatt hurried to put the finishing touches on his part of the display. He gathered up the empty bags and adjusted the last ornament just before Toni was due.
With the tall black fence surrounding everything, it was difficult to see what the whole display would look like tomorrow at the unveiling. The design coordinator had assured him that with just a slight adjustment to fit certain elements into the existing trees and the contours of the community center yard, the effect would be “stunning.” That wasn’t a word Wyatt commonly used. He’d be happy if the citizens of Brody’s Crossing would utter some oohs and ahhs when the lights came on.
He was hoping for the same from Toni tonight.
“Wyatt?”
He strode quickly to the gate and peeled back the black plastic barrier that covered a mesh fence. “What’s the password?”
She looked confused for a moment, then answered, “Knight Rider rules.”
Wyatt laughed and unlatched the gate. The reference to his favorite TV show had been the secret phrase of admittance into their childhood clubhouse, which was really a modified wooden fort atop his swing set. He’d convinced his father to have the roof raised a little higher and the walls reinforced so he could play in it as he grew older. There had been a lot of scheming done in that old fort, which had been torn down years ago. He wondered if his father—or his father’s workers, more likely—had ever found the hidden stash of Playboy magazines and potty humor books he and his friends had hidden there.
He’d kept the forbidden items under wraps on those rare occasions when Toni and her best friend, Jennifer, had visited.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
“No. Why?”
“Because it’s a surprise. You can’t just walk into a surprise. You always have to close your eyes.”
“I didn’t realize you had so many rules in your life,” she said, frowning at him. “Just let me see the darn thing!”
“Nope. Close your eyes or you can’t come in.”
“I gave you the secret password,” she complained. However, she did close her eyes.
He took her hand and led her through the gate, then walked around behind her and closed the latch. No sense inviting random strangers in. He didn’t let her turn toward the display until he’d put his hands over her eyes, which pressed him up against her back. Nice. They were both a little taller, a little more filled out than during their high-school years. Toni wore some kind of athletic suit made of thick fabric, so he couldn’t sense as many of her curves as he’d like. Still, she felt darn good in his arms.
“Are we going to get on with this or stand here all night?”
“Oh, we can get on with it whenever you want,” he said close to her ear.
“Stop that or I’m opening my eyes and looking around on my terms, and then I’m leaving and reporting back to the city council.”
“Were you always this bossy?”
“Yes. You were just bossier.”
“Is that even a word? I wasn’t bossy.”
“Oh, please. You were a born leader and you know it. People followed you right off the cliff.”
“Not literally,” he defended.
“Yes, they did. Remember that paraglider you bought?”
“Oh, well, that was just…No one broke anything.”
“Only because you were as lucky as you were foolish.”
“Stop with the compliments or I’ll get a big head.”
“Can we please call a truce long enough for me to see the Christmas decorations before I go back home? I have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes. The parade. Okay, then. Step forward and let me turn you just right.” He adjusted Toni’s body with as much touching, bumping and holding as he thought he could get away with.
“Wyatt!”
“Okay, open your eyes.”
He removed his hands and stepped beside her to watch her expression.
“Oh. Wow.” She took it all in. Five-foot-diameter shiny ornaments in gold, green, silver and red lay beneath the trees. The ornaments were lit from within, giving them a shimmering glow. Glistening red-and-blue ribbons rippled up to four feet high through the display and around the trees. Silver tinsel and even giant ornament hooks were scattered across the ground, which was covered in a blanket of artificial snow. More tiny lights were hidden beneath the ribbons and snow. The display was oversize, but proportional, as if waiting for a giant to come along and decorate a hundred-foot-tall tree.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s…it’s magical.”
“Yeah, I thought you’d like it.”
“How did you…What is that snow?”
“It’s an all-natural biodegradable product that will wash away once Christmas is over. Or sooner, if it rains, unfortunately. Let’s pray for dry conditions and low winds through the month of December.”
“Yes, let’s,” Toni said, walking forward. She kicked at the loose snow, sending it cascading as if it were real. “It’s not cold.”
“No, temperature is not an issue. Just water.”
“This is so beautiful. How did you know what to get?” She strolled among the ornaments, her fingers lightly grazing the shiny globes.
“Honestly, I bought what was available. Cassie got on the phone and found this decorator who had been stood up by his client. This display was supposed to be in front of a retail store, but the owner couldn’t pay due to financial trouble. I did the designer a favor by buying it all for the difference between the deposit and the full price he would have charged. And now we have a really spectacular Christmas display that will put everyone—including Graham—to shame.”
“Christmas is not a competition,” Toni said as she ran her hand along an undulating length of ribbon.
“No, but this will bring attention to the city. I’ll bet people from around the area will drive here once they hear about it.”
“You’re spending a lot of money on the decorations, fence, installers and extra security.”
Wyatt shrugged. “It’s just money. It’s not all that much, considering what I might be spending if I were back home or even traveling. Now, that’s something that gets expensive.”
“Because you go first-class?”
“Because I never know where I’ll be going, and I’m impulsive and I decide to do things I probably shouldn’t.”
“Hmm, that’s a good point.” She looked up, the lights reflected on her face and hair. “Maybe we should have you come back every year to do this again.”
He walked to where she stood and touched her hand as it rested on a gold ornament. “Maybe you should.”
“Wyatt, don’t—”
“Could we have that kind of relationship, babe? ‘Same time, next year’ always works in the movies.”
“Movies aren’t real life,” she said, turning away. Walking away from him.
He wasn’t ready to let her go. “Wait.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t tell you about the reindeer and the spiral trees.”
“Oh. Yes, I should have asked,” she said, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts.
“We set up another area, facing the movie theater. I had a little hill built up. I think it’s called a berm. That gave the white spiral trees a little more height and we could put the reindeer in what the designer called more ‘natural’ positions. As if white wire reindeer are natural,” he said with a shrug.
“That sounds nice. And the presents?”
“Near the entry to the community center, one on either side of the doorway.”
“Okay. Good.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. “I guess that covers everything, then. Thanks for the tour and I’ll see you tomorrow at the parade, I suppose.”
“Just a minute. There’s something else you should see.”
“What?” She sounded suspicious, as well she should be. He was making up excuses to keep her here longer.
“The peppermint candy. It’s really pretty.”
“I’m sure it is, but—”
He snagged her arm and pulled her through the ornaments to the other side of the display, which would be near the walkway when the fence was removed tomorrow.
“Wyatt, I appreciate the tour, but seriously—”
She tried to twist her arm away, so he took her hand in his and held on tight. “Just one more thing.”
He heard a big sigh just before they rounded the last ornament, where a string of red-and-white peppermint candies lay nestled in the snow. The lights appeared even more muted and glowing.
“That is beautiful,” Toni said softly.
“It’s like being inside a dream or a fairy tale,” Wyatt said. “I love this fantasy stuff.”
“Maybe you missed your real calling. Perhaps you’re a holiday designer at heart.”
“Hmm. Maybe that will be my next profession.” He stepped closer, still holding her hand. “Do you think there’s much of a future for me designing holiday displays in Brody’s Crossing? How about Easter and Fourth of July?”
“We don’t decorate for Easter, but the Fourth of July has potential.”
“Hmm. Good. I’ll bet you look real good in red, white and blue.”
“Wyatt, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“You look good in anything. I’ve been fascinated by you ever since I walked into your office on Monday. You appeared different, yet the same. I wondered what you were wearing below the waist, because I couldn’t see your legs. And then I saw them and you looked even better than you did when you were eighteen.”
“Um, thanks, but really, you shouldn’t—”
“Probably not,” he said, pulling her closer. She wore a wary expression. “You still turn me on like crazy, babe. I can’t stop thinking about you.” He put his other arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“Wyatt, I can’t…get involved.”
“Then don’t. Just kiss me now. No ‘same time, next year.’ No commitment and no promises.”
“Just like before.”
“No. Better. We’re both adults. Just let me—let us—see what it would be like for just this moment.”
“Oh, Wyatt,” she whispered, her breath warm against the slight chill. “Everyone always said you could sell ice to Eskimos.”
He smiled, dipped his head and kissed her slowly. Very slowly, savoring her soft lips and warm mouth, which tasted of hot chocolate. He pulled her tight, as close as they could get with several layers of clothes between them. Too many layers. He wanted to lay her down and remove every stitch. He wanted to see what the years had done to make her fuller, more toned, more mature. She had a woman’s body that he wanted to explore more than he’d ever wanted to climb a mountain or sail an ocean. The teenage rush that he’d felt all those years ago came back full force. He felt as if he might explode, from his head to his toes. And especially in between.
Toni moaned and slid her hands beneath his leather jacket. Her short, round nails dug into his back. She tilted her head and sucked his tongue into her mouth, and his knees buckled.
They sank to the ground, cushioned by mounds of artificial snow. The peppermint candy garland snaked beside them, lighting them. Thank heavens for the light. At least he could see her face when they broke for air. He could locate her zipper and ease her jacket apart. Her breathing was as ragged as his as he braced himself above her, then lowered his weight and kissed her again. And again. Her legs twined with him and he felt as if he might well and truly explode from the raging desire. More than anything he’d felt in fifteen years. Maybe more than ever.
“Toni,” he whispered, but didn’t know what else to say. No promises, he reminded himself. They weren’t meant to be together forever, but maybe they were meant for each other now.
He slid his hand beneath her soft T-shirt and cupped her breasts. She reached down and grabbed his butt, pulling him tight between her legs. “Yes,” he whispered, and reached for the snap on his jeans.
“Mr. McCall! Mr. McCall, are you in here?” Across the fenced-in area, the sound of a closing gate penetrated his consciousness.
“Wha…Who’s that?” Toni asked, pushing him away.
“Night watchman,” Wyatt whispered.
“No!”
“Unfortunately, yes,” he said, easing her T-shirt down.
“Oh, God. How do I get myself into these situations with you?” She looked around. The snow was all messed up and some of the wires to the hidden lights were exposed.
“I told you we couldn’t make snow angels in this stuff,” Wyatt said in a loud voice. “Tom, we’re over here. Everything’s fine.
“Make a snow angel,” Wyatt whispered to Toni as he rolled away. She looked stunned, but finally started moving her arms and legs. Not as he’d hoped, but she did make a passable attempt at angel wings.
The beam of light from a bobbing flashlight danced off the more subtle lights of the ornaments and ribbons. “You sure, Mr. McCall? That gate was closed, but it wasn’t locked.”
Wyatt sat up from his own snow angel, which was quite a mess. “I was just showing our mayor around the display and she was so taken with the artificial snow, she just had to try to make a snow angel. Sorry I forgot to lock the gate.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Tom said, standing above them on the other side of the peppermint candy garland. “I just wanted to make sure no kids had gotten in here and done some foolishness. You can’t trust those kids. Or those drunk adults. They get liquored up and look for trouble.”
“No, you can’t.” Wyatt had to admit that this was just the type of forbidden fruit he’d been drawn to as a kid. Hell, he was an adult and he was doing something wrong here. And he’d paid for the display and the night watchman who’d caught him!
“We’ll be leaving in a few minutes. I’ll lock up this time for sure,” he told the other man.
“Good night, then. ’Night, Miss Mayor,” he said, tipping his hat at Toni, who was still sprawled on the ground.
“Er, good night,” she said to the watchman.
Wyatt watched as the beam of light bobbed away, through the ornaments. “I don’t suppose you want to make some more snow angels together, do you?”
“No!” She pushed herself up and began brushing herself off. “I can’t believe I got caught kissing you again. By someone else,” she whispered fiercely. “Why can’t I keep my head around you? This is ridiculous.”
“Unusual, but hardly ridiculous. After all, we’re two healthy adults, we have memories, a history. It’s very logical that we’d be drawn to each other.”
“No, it’s not. I…I can’t like you.”
“Why not? I like you. I’ve even forgiven you for telling that reporter that I skipped town.”
“Gee, thanks. That was unintentional.”
“So was this. What’s the difference?”
“Embarrassment, for one thing. I nearly got caught in a very compromising position.”
“Oh? And you don’t think the world reading that I was an irresponsible teenager who blithely went off without completing my sentence in my hometown wasn’t embarrassing? And might even compromise my kids-at-risk foundation?”
Toni sighed and her hand stilled. “Put that way, I can see your point. But still…What we were doing was about…you know. It’s hardly the same as painting a water tower or decorating a community center lawn.”
“No, it’s not the same. But, babe, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t real.” He dusted himself off. “Come on, I’ll lock up and walk you home.”
“It’s just across the street.”
“Then I’ll watch to make sure you get inside okay.”
“I’m safe in Brody’s Crossing.” She zipped up her jacket. “The only person I’m not safe from is you.” She stalked off, winding her way through the ornaments.
“You’ve got that right,” he whispered as he followed her out of the maze.