| |
CARTER HELD GINA’S hand to assist her into the carriage. Her small fingers, tucked into leather gloves, left his grip all too quickly.
“Thank you.” Safely inside, she scooted over to make room for him. “I haven’t been on a carriage ride since my father took me when I was nine.”
“This will be my first,” he admitted. With quick movements, he pulled himself up and sat next to her on the bench. He snatched the thick red blanket from the opposite seat and spread it out over them both. Sitting close together beneath the covering felt intimate. It felt right.
“Are you warm enough?” He brought the blanket up higher and tucked it in around her shoulders. Then he casually reached his arm across the top of the bench behind her.
“I’m fine.” A sudden wind swept through the carriage. “I spoke too soon.” With a demure smile, she snuggled closer to his side.
The aroma of her floral shampoo invited him to breathe deeply, to take in both her and the moment.
This is good, he thought as he settled into the ride. The horses pulled them along a path between tall pines sprinkled with snow. He could hear the clomp of their hooves over the ground where hanging limbs kept the area free from the white frost.
“Earlier, you said you wanted to talk to me about your meeting.”
“It can wait.” He shifted his hand to her shoulder. “I don’t want to spoil the mood.” There’s no need upsetting her over a misunderstanding. I’ll fix that mess, and she’ll never know Wheeler ever thought she was an heiress.
Twinkling lights appeared up ahead, and he shifted in his seat to get a better view. “I gather that is the town square.”
“In all its glory,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“You don’t like the town?”
“I do. I just . . .” She sighed. “Don’t mind me. The square is a great place. People come from all over to visit our Christmas displays during the holidays.”
He turned to face her. “You’re not being fair. I spilled my guts to you the first day we met.”
Her chocolate-brown eyes darkened with deep thoughts. “You’re right.” She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her forearms. “I have mixed feelings about the square because I have mixed feelings about Christmas. It was my favorite holiday when I was young. The day after Thanksgiving, we selected our tree from the lot run by the elves, and I studied every ornament in the square’s gift shop before choosing a new one for that year. The next day, after my parents decorated every inch of the house, we returned to the town square to sing carols with our friends and family in front of the massive, colorful Christmas tree. I always looked forward to spending the evening with my cousin Nikki and other girls in our class. We gave Santa our wish lists, took the train ride repeatedly, made crafts, and then drank hot chocolate while listening to the local band playing in the gazebo.”
“Sounds like the perfect childhood. What happened?”
She bit her lip before continuing. “When I was twelve, my mother took off with one of our neighbors. He was a wealthy businessman from Italy. The day after Thanksgiving she said she was going to the store before we took our usual trip to the square to pick out a tree.” Gina’s gaze met his. “She never came back.”
His heart sank.
“The guy’s wife told my father that her husband left a note saying he was moving back to Italy and taking my mother with him.”
“Wow! How horrible. Did she ever call or write?”
“A few months later. She sent a postcard asking me to forgive her. I never responded. A year later, her brother called from New York to tell us she was living with him. The rich guy dumped her for a younger model. Neither one of us had anything to say to her. I can’t feel sorry for a woman who tells her child she will be right back and then leaves the country. One day I’ll forgive her—after the pain is a distant memory.”
“So, Christmas reminds you of your mother?”
“It reminds me of that particular Christmas. We had ten boxes of decorations in our garage, but my father couldn’t even bring himself out of his despair long enough to put up the wreath. He went to work, came home, and sat in his chair in front of the TV. He barely spoke. I cried in my room every night. My aunt Sophia finally convinced him to move us in with her until he could function again. My aunt prepared a huge spread for Christmas, and my cousin tried to cheer me up, but it wasn’t the same. And everyone we knew avoided the topic of my mother ever since. We all thought she was happy. I guess she wanted more.”
His gaze locked on hers. “And since then?”
“Every year is a tad bit better. We put up a small tree and go through the motions, but there is always that gaping hole that Mom used to fill. It’s like someone dimmed the lights. After the last burglary at the resort, I heard the guest yell at the manager. He said someone had walked away with their Christmas. That is how I feel. My mother walked away with our Christmas and every single one that came after it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, but it is what it is.” She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “I don’t want you to think I suffer from depression every December. It just isn’t what it once was. I suspect that when I have kids one day, I’ll find the joy of the holiday again. I think my dad will, too.”
“I trust you will.” He thought about his childhood Christmases and found himself envying the fact she had those first eleven that were filled with family joy. His father always was an absent parent while living in the same house. It won’t be that way when I have a family. Even if I make partner, I will make sure I celebrate every holiday with my family.
He held her hand in his protectively while he watched the horses pull into the town square.
****
GINA SHOVED THE MEMORIES of Christmas past back where they belonged. Tonight, I want to view the town through Carter’s eyes. “Over there is the Christmas tree lot. The same family has run the place since day one. Like some of the other businesses, they dress up as elves to add to the holiday spirit. I try not to laugh every time I see the grandfather wearing his green and red striped tights.”
“You couldn’t pay me enough to squeeze into a pair of tights.”
“Too bad,” she teased. The carriage came to a stop, and Gina snagged her camera bag from the bench. “That’s a sight I would pay for.”
“Only in your dreams.” He held onto the side of the carriage as he jumped out, then he lifted her out and set her down on the snow-covered ground.
She gripped his arms to steady her balance, and when her gaze traveled from his wool-lined coat up to his deep blue eyes, she saw them growing darker by the second. Her breath caught in her throat. He leaned in, and she closed her eyes as his lips touched hers. The kiss felt so good, so perfect; she lost herself in the moment. Suddenly, his lips left hers. She hesitated before opening her eyes.
“That was nice,” she admitted.
He took her camera bag from her and then enveloped her hand with his free one. “We’ll have to do it again later. Perhaps somewhere more private.”
“Only in your dreams,” she shot back at him with a playful smile. “You’re going back to Scottsdale in a few days. We shouldn’t start anything beyond that kiss.”
“I do own a car that can make its way back here.”
“Let’s see if it does.”
“It will.” He squeezed her hand as if promising his words were true.
No matter what he said, she knew the odds were he would settle into his old life once he returned home; and she would become a memory, perhaps a fond one, but a memory just the same. Gina watched one of Santa’s elves, a cute cheerleader who attended the local high school, load children into six colorful-cars of a miniature train. Another teenager, a red-headed boy dressed as an elf, rang the silver bell, and yelled, “All aboard!”
“Look at the little girl with bouncy curls.” Carter pointed to the last car. “You can see how excited she is to take the ride. That would make for a great picture.”
“Good eye.” Gina took back her bag and removed the camera while she watched the girl settle into the car next to her brother. He had the same dark hair and round face. Gina guessed the girl to be about four-years-old and her brother to be five or six. She captured the pair in her lens, and the view of the two children, eyes wide in anticipation, warmed her heart.
The train jolted forward, and the girl squealed in delight. Carter chuckled. “Now this is what Christmas is all about.”
“True.” A childhood train ride with her cousin flitted through her mind and the joy that accompanied it hit her full force. She paused to monitor the feeling and realized it was a safe memory now; one she no longer needed to hold at a distance just because her mother had deserted them. Time does heal.
After snapping half a dozen photos, she asked the parents to sign a release and promised them not only free copies but also a free two-night stay at the resort if the photos appeared in any promotional campaigns.
“What’s next?” Carter shifted her camera bag from her shoulder onto his own.
“How about hot cocoa?” She pointed him in the right direction.
“I like mine loaded with marshmallows.”
He hooked his arm through hers, and she felt like a couple. The idea didn’t bother her. Instead of mentally listing the reasons they shouldn’t be together, she decided to enjoy the time they had left—up to a point. She still didn’t believe in flings.
“Lucky for you, I’ve known the lady who owns the booth all my life.” Gina grinned. “She’ll make sure you have as many marshmallows as you want.”
“All your life, huh?”
“She’s my cousin Nikki.”
Carter nodded. “Small town.”
“Very small when you compare it to Phoenix.” She noticed the worry lines that had framed his eyes an hour ago had disappeared. I’m having a terrific time, too. She wondered why she couldn’t say the words aloud. Would it jinx the moment? Gina had the nagging feeling that if she admitted to wanting to spend time with him, she would also have to admit to wanting a closer relationship. Let’s see if he comes back to town. One step at a time.
Gina stood at the side of the booth, avoiding the long line. She held up two fingers. “The way I like it!”
Her cousin, a dark-haired, petite Italian, nodded while handing a cup to a customer.
“You’re going to love this,” she told Carter. “This is the best cocoa I’ve ever had.”
When he didn’t reply, she turned around and found him staring at the gazebo, all lit up by white lights.
He jerked his head toward the center of the square. “Isn’t that the resort’s security guard?”
Gina watched Isaac escort a beautiful middle-aged woman out of the sitting area and then down a path toward the street. “Yeah, it is. That’s odd.”
“What’s odd?”
“I would never put those two together. The woman he’s with runs a gift shop on Main Street. And I’m not talking about the kind of place that sells T-shirts and magnets. I would need a loan to buy anything in there.”
“Does she sell jewelry?”
“Very nice jewelry.” Gina accepted the cups of cocoa from Nikki, who embodied the holiday spirit in her bulky, bright-red sweater sporting a cheerful snowman. “Put it on my tab.”
Her cousin rolled her eyes at the comment and then, with Carter’s attention still focused on Isaac, she pointed to him and mouthed the words, “Who is he?”
“Later.” Gina widened her eyes; an unspoken message not to say anything else.
In return, her cousin lifted her brow three times which meant hot guy in Nikki speak.
A smile tugged at Gina’s lips as she waved goodbye. “You have a long line of customers. I’ll call you later.”
“You better!” Nikki tossed over her shoulder before handling the next order with quick efficiency.
Carter took the cup from Gina, seemingly unaware of the exchange that had taken place between the cousins. “If Isaac is your thief, I doubt his girlfriend would sell the jewelry in her store, but she might know who would buy it from him.”
Gina swallowed, and the cocoa warmed her throat on the way down. Her aunt believed in Isaac’s innocence, but she wasn’t convinced. “I don’t remember the name of the woman with Isaac, but I do remember hearing that her brother did time in Phoenix. I bet he knows a shady character or two who could fence hot merchandise.”