BELLA COULDN’T EXPLAIN why she felt nervous as they drove deeper into the Blue Ridge Mountains on the western side of North Carolina the following afternoon. She and Sam were friends. Other than the other teachers at school, he was the person who knew her best in Magnolia.
Somehow this felt different. She realized that before today, the only time she’d spent with him outside of hanging on the front porches of one of their respective sides of the duplex was the trip to the vet’s office with Tater.
They’d never so much as gone for a beer together in the year and a half they’d been neighbors. Not that Bella went for many beers. She spent time at school and took yoga classes at the dance studio in town. Otherwise, she realized now, she was a bit of a loner.
She didn’t really date, although she wasn’t against having a boyfriend or falling in love. She wanted those things in her life. Unfortunately, most men she knew or met in the small town couldn’t compete with her fantasies of her handsome neighbor. Even if he was a serial dater who’d shown no romantic interest in her, despite his revolving door of casual girlfriends.
It was for the best, she told herself. Bella had no interest in casual hookups and hated that Sam obviously thought he had nothing else to offer.
From what she’d heard through the grapevine at school, most of the women he’d gone out with had the same opinion of him. He was a good time, always easy with a laugh or ready to make a woman feel beautiful. But no one seemed to expect more of him.
Bella would, which was just one more reason they wouldn’t be a match.
Other than in her daydreams.
“It’s only a little farther,” he told her, his eyes trained on the curving road in front of them.
“This area is beautiful,” she murmured, pressing her fingers against the cool glass of the passenger window. “It reminds me in some ways of Colorado, although the trees are different.”
“And there’s not much snow.”
“And no craggy peaks or gobs of rich tourists.”
“I promise it will be fun without all the trappings of a Colorado mountain town,” Sam told her, his voice grave. “For you, anyway. Like I said, my family will love you.”
She cut him a look and noticed that his jaw was tense, his fingers gripping the wheel like a lifeline. “Isn’t Christmas with your family fun for you?”
“Sure,” he agreed too readily. “It’s loud and festive and always something happening. My stepmom makes a big deal about every tradition, and with so many kids and grandkids running around, there’s never a dull moment.”
He gave the appropriate answer, but there was no feeling behind it. She knew Sam was the youngest of five kids, two older brothers and two older sisters. He’d been born eight years after his nearest sibling, and his mom had died when he was in high school.
“You don’t sound excited by the prospect of all the Christmas chaos.”
“You have a couple of sisters, right?” He slowed as they took a hairpin turn on the mountain road.
“One younger and one older.”
“Do you have a certain role in the family?”
“Peacemaker,” she answered immediately.
His mouth curved. “That fits you. I’m the baby of the family, and my part is the goof-off party boy. My brothers and sisters think of me as a shallow good-time guy.”
She thought about how to respond. In truth, that’s how she’d regarded Sam when they first met. He was just too gorgeous, self-assured and easygoing to be regarded in any other way. The first few times they’d crossed paths in the front yard, he’d been all swagger and no substance. He could throw off lighthearted sexual innuendos like it was his job. It hadn’t been until they’d known each other for months that he’d shown her there was more to him than a pretty face and a set of chiseled abs.
Although she appreciated the abs.
“You’re not a kid anymore,” she felt obliged to say. “You’ve got an important job and plenty of responsibility. Heck, you save lives. Surely they realize you’ve grown up.”
“Not really.” He turned onto a gravel road with the painted sign for the Ridgeway Resort greeting visitors. “It doesn’t matter. I can be who they think I am for a few days. Good for a joke and a beer. The rest doesn’t matter.” His laugh sounded forced. “Hell, there’s no denying I like beer. Beer and women and football.”
“You’re also dedicated to your work and the community of Magnolia,” Bella felt compelled to point out. “I know you volunteer at the nursing home and with the local food pantry.”
“Let’s not mention any of that,” he said, his voice tight. “They’ll only find a way to make fun of me for it.”
Bella didn’t want to believe that, and her temper spiked in response. Sam wasn’t normally the overdramatic type. He could tell her about a call at the station like he’d done nothing more than cross the street. Despite his tendency to play down the serious things in life, there was a depth to him most people didn’t see or appreciate. She didn’t like that his family fell into that category.
Before she could ask him for more details about them, he whistled low under his breath. Her gaze tracked out the front window, where the log cabins that surrounded a circle of grass had been decked out to look like an old-fashioned Christmas village.
“Oh, wow,” she murmured, her heart stuttering. She thought she was going to miss the Christmas finery of her parents’ house but couldn’t imagine a more festive scene than the one before them.
“Jayne went all out this year,” Sam said with a real laugh as he parked the car next to a row of trucks and SUVs.
“It’s incredible and—” Bella jumped as the Land Cruiser was suddenly surrounded by a dozen smiling faces.
Tater, who’d been sleeping in his crate in the back, woke up with a happy bark. His tail thumped against the wire side, and Bella felt nerves rise in her chest. This was way different than the subdued holiday she expected at her parents.
“They’re going to love you,” Sam repeated, like he could read her thoughts. He reached out and gave her arm a quick squeeze, then opened the door of the car.
This big family Christmas celebration was happening whether Bella was ready for it or not.