Christmas on Main Street (28 page)

Morning came painfully early, with the first rays of sunlight pouring through the windows. Bridey studied her companion, tilting her head up to watch Seth sleep. His strong jaw had darkened with his morning stubble. She couldn’t resist running her fingers across it, enjoying the bristly feel.

Seth toyed with her hair in response. “Good morning.”

She hadn’t really meant to wake him, but then again, she wasn’t sorry that she had. His eyes opened just the smallest bit, but already he was smiling. Considering how happy she’d been to wake next to him, it was comforting to know he felt the same way.

“What time is your appointment this morning?”

His voice was gravelly and deeper than usual. She liked it. “Not until eleven.”

He glanced past her to the clock on the bedside table. “Four hours. Plenty of time.”

“For what?”

He took her hand and guided it down beneath the covers. “I bet you can guess.”

Oh yeah, she loved the way this man thought, but she had a few ideas of her own. Laying her finger across his lips, she whispered, “I was thinking a hot bath would be a great way to start the day. Did you see the size of that tub? It’s definitely big enough for”—she reached down to stroke the length of his shaft—“both of us.”

Seth nipped at her finger, catching it with his teeth and then gently sucking on the tip. The small tug fired a jolt of pure desire straight through her. His green eyes glittered with greedy heat. “How about we start here and end up there?”

And that’s what they did.

•   •   •

Three hours later, Seth walked hand in hand with Bridey as they window-shopped along the streets in downtown Seattle, pausing to admire the shop windows in all of their holiday finery. He mentally compared them with those he’d helped put up back in Snowberry Creek. On the whole, he thought the small town came out on top in that contest.

Bridey was clearly entranced by everything she saw, her clear gray eyes sparkling with happiness. He hoped part of that stemmed from the night they’d shared.

Their immediate plan was to grab breakfast at one of the local restaurants. Afterward, while Bridey met with her attorney, Seth would hang out at a nearby bookshop. She’d find him there when she was done, so they could do some Christmas shopping together.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually looked forward to buying Christmas presents. The past couple of years, he’d done most of his shopping online, but he couldn’t wait to hit the stores with Bridey. Maybe he could find a sweater for his mother and some handmade jewelry for his sister. His brother was always harder to buy for, but the bookstore would be worth a shot.

Bridey tugged on his arm. “Seth, I asked how about that place on the corner?”

He blinked and realized they’d reached the end of the block. “Sorry. I was shopping in my head.”

Okay, that didn’t even make sense to him. He tried again. “Yes, that place is fine. And sorry. I was thinking about what I should buy for my family.”

She frowned a little as he held the door to the restaurant open for her. “Funny, but that’s the first time you’ve mentioned them. Do they live nearby?”

He nodded. “Yes. I guess we haven’t talked much about our lives outside of Snowberry Creek.”

Seth didn’t want to go into detail and was relieved when she didn’t press. Instead, when he didn’t continue, she took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “I vote today is only for the two of us, not responsibilities. Well, other than my meeting. Agreed?”

The time was coming soon when he’d tell her everything but not today. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin the carefree spirit of their time together. “Agreed! Now, we should probably hurry if we want to eat before your appointment.”

Bridey headed for a small table in the back corner of the restaurant. He let himself be towed along in her wake, only too glad to postpone talking about his past. He just hoped keeping his secrets didn’t come back to bite him.

•   •   •

Even after lingering over a late dinner, Seth wasn’t ready for their time together to come to an end. Walking out of the restaurant, he caught sight of one of the horse-drawn carriages that gave tours of the city. It was just turning the corner about a block away. On impulse, he grabbed Bridey’s hand and took off running down the street.

“Come on!”

They were both a bit breathless by the time they caught up with the carriage. After paying the driver, Seth helped Bridey up into the seat and then climbed in after her. After settling in with his arm around her shoulders, he said, “I know you have to be up early in the morning, but I’m not quite ready for our evening to end.”

“Let me worry about tomorrow.” Bridey snuggled in closer to his side. “Besides, this is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit!”

She was right. Even the coach was draped with garlands of greenery and red bows, and the horse’s harness had strings of bells that chimed softly as it moved. As they passed by the iron pergola located in Pioneer Square, Bridey waved at the Santa, who was ringing his bell and greeting passersby. “I’ve always thought the pergola is beautiful, especially this time of year, when it’s all decked out for the holidays.”

“B-beautiful is right.”

Not that he was talking about the decorations or even looking at them at the moment. Instead, he was captivated by the woman sitting next to him. He caught her chin with his fingertips and gently tipped her face up so that he could kiss her. Bridey smiled against his lips and then tilted her head back farther for him to deepen the kiss. It was a perfect moment, one he knew he’d cherish forever.

•   •   •

It was ten o’clock by the time they were back in Snowberry Creek. Seth tried to hide his disappointment when Bridey asked him to drop her off at her apartment. It was probably for the best, though. Despite the energetic night and morning they’d spent, he doubted he’d be content to simply sleep in the same bed with her.

He took the long way around so they could see the Christmas lights in town one more time on the way to her place. Bridey stared out the window with evident delight. “I’m glad the mayor decided to do this. It’s really lovely even though the snow is already gone.”

She turned to smile at him. “I can’t remember the last time I really looked forward to the holidays. Where I worked in California, we did a big catering business on the side. From Thanksgiving through New Year’s was a busy time for us. It made it hard to relax and enjoy something as simple as Christmas lights.”

He pulled into her parking lot and found a spot near her building. She was already out of the car when he came around to her side. He hesitated before popping the lid of the trunk because he wanted to hold her one last time before they returned to their familiar routines.

He gathered her close and nuzzled the side of her neck, drawing in her scent and appreciating the chance to feel her pressed against his body. “The past twenty-four hours were perfect.”

The dim glow of a nearby streetlamp showcased her pleased smile. “It was wonderful, Seth.”

“We’ll do it again.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Soon.”

“Agreed, but now I should let you get home.”

He got her suitcase and bags from the car and carried them for her. Bridey kissed him one last time before unlocking her door.

While he waited, he said, “I’ll stop by the shop tomorrow to measure the shelves for your office.”

He hadn’t phrased it as a question, but Bridey responded as if he had. “Okay, but only if it isn’t taking you away from something else you should be doing.”

“It won’t.” When it looked as if she was going to protest, he added, “I promise.

That much was true. He was too buzzed to go to bed anytime soon. He planned to go home and work on her sign most of the night. Then he’d crash for a few hours before showing up at the shop. “I’ll be there after the lunch rush. Save me a couple of muffins.”

He gave her one more kiss and walked away.

•   •   •

It had been one heck of a morning. Bridey had been away from the shop for only one day, but it felt like a lot longer. Her rhythm had been off since she’d unlocked the door at four thirty. It had been years—
years
—since she’d burned even one pan of muffins, but she’d managed to ruin three. That’s what she got for daydreaming about a certain man.

After she finished coping with that disaster, she’d knocked over a cup of coffee, sending it splashing down the front of her last clean apron. At least it had hit her and not a customer.

The only bright spot had been when Fiona announced that everything had gone smoothly on Monday. So starting the next week, she’d take over closing the shop three days during the week and alternate working weekends with Bridey. Ever since opening the shop two years ago, Bridey had done everything by herself.

What would she do with all that free time?

No sooner had she posed the question when one possible answer came strolling in the back door of the shop, his toolbox in hand and a smile on his face hotter than the huge ovens in her kitchen. He set the toolbox down on the counter and headed straight for her. He stopped just out of reach with a puzzled look on his face.

“What?”

His eyebrows rode down low over his eyes as he stared at her. “Not sure about that smile.”

She laughed. “Fiona is going to start closing the shop for me three days a week and will work alternating weekends.”

“You’d mentioned that was the plan.”

He held his ground, so she closed the distance between them. “I was wondering what I could do with all that free time and in you walked. Seemed like the Fates were answering the question for me.”

His callused hand cupped the side of her face with such gentleness. “I like that answer.”

“So do I.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. “I’ve never had time off during the Christmas holidays. It’s a gift I didn’t expect to receive, but it’s one I will be glad to share with the right person.”

“And what would you like to do with all that time?”

The longer she stayed in his arms, the harder it was for her to remember that this was her place of business. “Let’s start with dinner tomorrow night and go from there.”

“My place and I’ll do the cooking.” He punctuated his suggestion with the kind of kiss that should have set off the smoke alarms.

“I’ll be there. Should I bring my overnight bag?”

“Yes.” His seductive glance packed a lot of meaning into that one word as he backed away and reached for his toolbox. Then, with a mock frown, he made shooing motions at her. “Now, you have customers, and I have work to do.”

He was right, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t rather watch him measuring shelving instead of pouring another cup of coffee. With more than a little regret, she headed out front to help Fiona with the rush of teenagers coming through the door.

Seth paced the length of his workshop and back. How many times had he circled the room? Time was moving both too slowly and too fast. The minutes ticked away one by one, each pushing him closer to the moment of truth. Somehow he kept finding excuses not to tell her about his artwork, even though he knew she wouldn’t react well to learning that he had kept such a big secret from her.

The past three weeks had been the happiest of Seth’s life. He and Bridey had spent nearly every night together. They’d celebrated her first official Saturday off by buying a carload full of Christmas ornaments and then picking out the perfect tree at a nearby Christmas tree farm. It had taken them three hours and two bottles of wine to decorate his house. The end results had been breathtaking, especially the part where they’d made love on the floor beneath the twinkling lights on the tree.

Considering how few hours of sleep he’d been getting, he should have been running on empty, but he wasn’t. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time when he felt more energetic.

Just yesterday, he’d finished another set of shelves for Bridey, but all of his real work had taken place right here in his shop. The sign he intended to give her for Christmas had taken him until the wee hours of that morning to complete. It was some of his best work in years, although he suspected his agent wouldn’t see it that way. Nor would he understand why Seth wanted to invest so much creative energy in a sign for a small-town coffee shop.

He wouldn’t see the love that Seth had carved into it right along with the image of Bridey smiling down at the riot of cupcakes and muffins that had been hidden in the swirling grain of the wood. He’d also finished two smaller pieces for the auction to improve the playground at the local elementary school.

Both sculptures had been delivered to the mayor’s office in time for pictures to be included in the last-minute advertising in the area. The accompanying documentation had included the certificates of authenticity and a promise that the prominent Northwest artist Geoffrey Kyser would attend the auction in person. He’d also had his agent let it be known in the local art community that the pieces would be part of the auction. Hopefully, that would bring out a few more people.

Now the auction would begin soon, and he was battling major doubts about the wisdom of having gotten involved at all. It would have been far simpler to maintain a low profile if he’d made an anonymous cash donation instead.

However, now that he’d decided to make Snowberry Creek his permanent home, he couldn’t continue hiding who he really was from his friends and neighbors, much less Bridey. The bigger issue was how to explain to her why he’d felt compelled to hide at all. He should’ve known that the longer he delayed telling her, the harder it was going to be. If she took it wrong, if she walked away from him—

She meant too much to him for him to even consider the possibility that Bridey might not be able to accept his reasons for not being completely forthcoming with her. Surely she’d see that she knew who he was in all the ways that mattered—the man who was head over heels in love with her. He hadn’t shared that last part with her yet, either. It didn’t seem fair to confess the depth of his feelings for her until she knew everything about him.

The clock chimed the hour. He had intended to present her with the sign first and explain everything before going to the auction together. Unfortunately, she’d called him an hour ago to say she was closing early and would meet him there.

So much for well-laid plans. All he could do was punt and hope he could get her alone long enough to explain everything before the event really got started. Plan B also included waiting until she left for the auction to let himself in the back door of the shop. Bridey had given him a key so that he could finish up the shelves yesterday, and he’d conveniently forgotten to give it back to her.

He’d take the gift-wrapped sign to her shop and then head straight for the auction. Crossing his fingers that he wasn’t about to destroy the one good thing in his life, he gathered up everything he needed and headed out into the night.

•   •   •

Bridey hated lying to Seth, but she was still finishing up his Christmas present. They’d agreed to exchange gifts on the night of the auction because the next two days promised to be busy. On Christmas Eve, they were going to a party at Callie’s house after the evening service at church. Seth had also made plans for the two of them on Christmas Day, but he was being all mysterious about those. She’d be less worried about it if he wasn’t so obviously feeling a bit twitchy about whatever he had in mind.

For now, the plum tarts were due to come out of the oven. She’d finally figured out the last secret ingredient needed to re-create his grandmother’s recipe as he’d described it to her—ground ginger. It gave the plum filling just a bit of a bite without overpowering the nutmeg Seth loved so much. When the timer buzzed, she took the pan from the oven.

The spicy smell filled the air, making her smile. Seth was going to love them. He took such pleasure in the simple things in life, one of the many things that drew her to him. He understood that there was more to living than maintaining an image, things like friendship and trust and even love.

She had no doubt that was exactly what she felt for Seth. There was still a lot she didn’t know about him, but that was okay. She’d hadn’t been in much of a hurry to drag the sad details of her own past out into the light of day; she could hardly fault Seth for feeling the same way.

After setting the tarts out of sight in the storeroom to cool, she ducked into the small restroom in the back of the shop to fix her makeup and check her clothes for stray smears of flour. The sweater and slacks were dressier than her usual attire, but not too fancy. It had been hard to decide what to wear to a small-town event being held in the high school gym.

She was about to pick up her purse and keys when she heard a knocking coming from the front of the shop. Who could that be? She was sure she’d posted the “Closed” sign and turned off all the lights.

As soon as she recognized the man standing outside the door, she wished she’d already made her escape out the back. She still could, but unfortunately Russell had already seen her. Her ex-husband was nothing if not determined and might very well follow her to the high school. The man wouldn’t think twice of making a scene to get his way.

He’d never do such a thing on his home turf, where image was everything, especially around his family. It had been only when he got her behind closed doors that he’d unleash his never-ending criticism of everything she did. It had taken every scrap of courage she had to walk away from their marriage. If she’d stayed, there would have been nothing left at all of the woman she wanted to be.

Here in Snowberry Creek, Russell wouldn’t care if he humiliated her in front of everyone she knew. Worse yet, no doubt Seth would rush to her defense, and she could only imagine how that would turn out. Seth never talked about his slight stammer, but she’d noticed it got worse when he was in a crowd. The thought of him confronting Russell at the auction had her marching toward the door.

She turned on the lights in the shop and unlocked the door. Russell strolled in as if he owned the place. He probably thought he did, since she bought it with part of their divorce settlement. He looked around with just the barest hint of a sneer. “What a delightful little shop you have here, Bridey. Quaint, but definitely a step down for you.”

She wanted to smack him. Bracing herself for the worst, she asked, “What do you want, Russell? I have plans for this evening.”

She took pride in how calm she sounded. For a brief second, he let his mask slip, showing his anger, but he had himself back under control in an instant.

“I’m here, Bridey, because it’s time for you to come home.”

At first she couldn’t make sense of what he’d said because it was that last thing she would have expected to hear from him. Russell had been only too glad to see her disappear from his life. He’d made that much abundantly clear.

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing here, Russell, but I am home. Snowberry Creek is where my life is now.”

The sneer was back, which didn’t help his cause one bit. On the contrary, it made it that much easier to see through his thin facade of charm. He was still the bastard who’d all but destroyed her with his lies and cheating ways. His hand-tailored suit and expensive Italian shoes did nothing for her, not anymore. No. She’d developed a definite preference for well-worn flannel and faded denim.

Russell sidled closer, making it clear that he wasn’t going to leave until he got his way. She stood her ground and waited to see what argument he’d try next.

“I know you have reason to be unhappy with me, Bridey, but you were never the type to hold a grudge. Come home with me, and I’ll do everything I can to make up for my past mistakes. We both know how much you loved working at my family’s restaurant. We could be happy again.”

Seriously? She scoffed at him. “You cannot believe I’d still fall for that bunch of hooey.” Tired of the whole discussion, she sighed. “Listen, I’ve said no, so just leave. I have somewhere else to be, and I don’t want to be late.”

She should have known he wouldn’t take rejection well. “Dammit, Bridey. You can’t make me believe that you actually prefer life in a place like this after what the two of us had.”

Her own temper surged to the forefront. “I thought we had something special once, Russell, but I’m not the one who threw it away. You did that, and I doubt you’ve changed.”

“But—”

She cut him off before he could launch another bunch of lame excuses. “But nothing, Russell. We both know you don’t want me back, and I sure as heck don’t want you. I have someone else in my life, someone who’d never lie to me the way you have. So quit wasting my time and tell me why you’re really here.”

Instead of answering her, her ex-husband laughed. “Can’t you come up with a better excuse than some fictional boyfriend? I hired a private investigator to check up on you. It didn’t take him long to report back that you spent all of your time here at the shop. Hell, outside of your customers, the only man he ever saw hanging around was some low-rent handyman.”

Bridey wasn’t about to drag Seth into this mess. “I cannot believe you’d stoop so low. We haven’t spoken in close to two years, and all of a sudden you’re here begging me to come back. Why?”

Finally, he got to the truth of the matter. “Fine. I’m here because my grandmother’s health is failing. She thinks the two of us are only separated, and I never told her any different. She’s still very old-fashioned, especially on the subject of divorce.”

Bridey had always liked the fierce old lady. “I’m sorry to hear she’s not doing well, but I won’t help you lie to her.”

“It wouldn’t be lying, Bridey. Not if you’d give me a second chance to make things work between us.” He looked around the shop again. “I’d even pay you for your time. She doesn’t have long left. It would make her so happy to think we’d reconciled.”

Sensing that his arguments weren’t working, he kept going. “You would have free rein at the restaurant, too. I’ll admit that the place took a bit of a hit when you left and took your recipes with you.”

Yeah, that last part made sense. His family’s high-end restaurant was the one thing that had always been important to Russell. “What happens if she learns the truth? And she will, because I’m not coming back.”

Experience had taught her that the madder Russell was, the slower he spoke. Right now, the words left his mouth as if he was having to force them out one at a time. “My grandmother still holds the majority interest in all our family restaurants. She has made it perfectly clear that if I don’t get my life in order, she’ll relinquish control to my cousin Tony from back East. I won’t let that happen. He’ll destroy the place.”

Maybe so, but Bridey had no interest in his family’s power plays. It was time to end this discussion. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to settle for telling her the truth. I won’t pretend to be your wife, not when you quit being my husband in any real sense long before our divorce was finalized. Now, for the last time, leave.”

But when Russell took a step, it was toward her with his hands clenched in fists.