The general store was abuzz that afternoon when Holly walked in. A small crowd gathered in front of the counter and appeared to be hanging onto Mrs. Buttonwood’s every word.
Never one to be shy, Mrs. Buttonwood made the most of the attention. Her speech was punctuated with dramatic pauses and exaggerated hand motions.
“And then do you know what he did?” she asked, surveying her audience before she answered her own question.
Holly moved closer to the others, not sure that she’d heard right. “Excuse me. Did you say Tom gave his dog to Joe-Joe?”
“Yes, indeed,” Mrs. Buttonwood said.
Holly couldn’t imagine Tom parting with his dog. “Why…why would he do such a thing?”
“I asked him that very same question, and he said it had something to do with a letter Joe-Joe had written to Santa. Said the dog would keep him safe…”
Mrs. Buttonwood said more, but Holly didn’t stay around long enough to hear the rest. Tom had thought of a way to make a little boy’s wish come true. Clutching at her skirts, she dashed out of the shop and ran all the way to the blacksmith shop.
The double doors of the blacksmith shop stood open, and the sound of clanking iron rang through the air.
Holly paused at the door to catch her breath. “Tom!”
He turned his head in her direction. Greeting her with a crooked smile, he set his hammer down. “Holly—”
Before he could say another word, she quickly closed the distance between them. Flinging her arms around his neck and looking into his startled eyes, she kissed him on the cheek. It was a kiss of heartfelt gratitude that would have been over in an instant had he not wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close.
“What was that for?” he whispered.
Heart pounding, she gazed up at him and savored the feel of his warm, masculine embrace. “What you did for Joe-Joe…” She moistened her lips, drawing his gaze to them. Pressing her hand against his cheek, she smiled. “I can’t thank you enough.”
He took her hand in his and, holding her gaze, dropped a kiss into her palm. “No need to thank me,” he said, his voice husky.
They stared at each other for a heart-stopping moment before he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips brushed against hers tenderly at first—like a whisper—awakening feelings within her that were new and exciting. Never had she experienced anything so pleasurable or sweet.
When she offered no resistance, his strong arms tightened around her waist, and he pulled her closer. She gazed into his heated eyes, and her heart pounded. It beat even harder when his mouth swooped down to capture hers, this time with more intensity. Never had she felt more desirable or needed than she did at that moment.
Working her arms around his neck, she melted against him and returned his kiss with equal ardor and need. Nothing seemed to exist outside his powerful arms or beyond his enticing lips.
Lost in the moment, she was shocked when he suddenly pulled away.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean… I should never have…”
An awkward silence followed, and she drew in her breath. Her lips still burning with the memory of his kiss, she felt strangely disoriented, as if he had taken part of her with him.
Still shaken, she stared at him in confusion. “T-there’s no need to apologize,” she stammered. “What you did for Joe-Joe… I know how much Winston meant to you.”
“It helps knowing that he has a good home with Joe-Joe.”
She managed a smile. “Santa couldn’t have done better.”
He smiled, too, but all too quickly his somber expression returned.
“I’ll let you get back to work,” she said, not knowing what to say. What to think. Before turning to leave, she tried to read the look in his eyes but couldn’t.
At the door, she glanced over her shoulder. His back was turned, his shoulders rigid.
He hadn’t meant—? What would it have felt like, she wondered, had he really meant to kiss her? Could his kiss have been any more passionate, any more encompassing? Any more complete? With that burning thought, she walked outside.
* * *
Long after Holly had left, Tom stood frozen in place. He was afraid to move for fear he’d wake up and find that kissing Holly had been but a dream.
When at last he got up the courage to move, he stared at the spot where he’d held her, kissed her. He certainly hadn’t been prepared for the feel of her, the scent of her, the sensation of her breath next to his.
He’d kissed other women, but none had affected him as much as Holly.
He’d known all along that he was attracted to her. Intrigued by her. But when he’d held her in his arms and tasted her sweet lips, it wasn’t just attraction he’d felt. It was something far stronger, more portent. It felt like the first stirrings of love.
True, she’d kissed him back. But as much as he wanted to believe her kisses had meant the same to her as they had to him, he knew otherwise. She had kissed him out of gratitude. Nothing more. Due to an act of fate, he had been able to grant Joe-Joe’s wish, and Holly had simply been showing appreciation.
No woman would be foolish enough to choose him over Nelson. The man owned half the town and could give Holly everything she ever wanted. While he was but a lowly smithy, fighting to eke out a living from a town hard hit by the economy.
It didn’t take a genius to know that his chances with her were nil.