Tempting Fate (2 page)

Kristen looked puzzled. Exactly what he'd wanted, although he didn't enjoy trading innocence for the turmoil in her expression. He just couldn't see any other way around this without flat out telling her he couldn't do it. That would be like telling her Santa Claus didn't exist at all and there was no way he'd be the one to say such an evil thing.

"But Mommy doesn't have any time to find a daddy. That's why I figure it's up to me." She nodded her head with determination.

If there were a way to bottle that kind of pure love and devotion, he would do it. That soft spot was turning to mush as Kyle felt his heart grow warmer with every thump. He knew he couldn't do his usual routine and tell the child she'd only get her wish if she were real good and picked up her toys when asked. In the end, she'd only surmise she'd done something wrong for Santa not to grant her Christmas request.

"I can tell you love your mommy a whole lot," he murmured softly.

Kristen nodded her reply. A weary smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Or maybe she was tired, he thought, remembering the time. The mall was closing at any moment. The grilled gates had already been slammed down and locked up on the front of some stores. Custodians were busy emptying the trashcans and vacuuming the carpets. As Kyle panned the area, he saw that the last remaining shoppers had already vacated the premises.

Turning his attention back to Kristen, who was now yawning as she lazily leaned against his chest, he said, "I can't make any promises for this year, honey. Being so close to Christmas, all the daddy's have already been spoken for. But I'll see what I can do for next year," he promised.

He wasn't at all pleased with his answer. What he wouldn't do to make Kristen's dream come true? He looked down the ramp at Lauren Alexander. She gave him a forced smile that hinted of impatience as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her hands jammed deep in her coat pockets.

"You be the good girl I know you are and there will be something extra special for you on Christmas morning. Okay?"

It was late. He was hot as hell. He had to get home, have a hot shower, and grab a good meal.

But none of that mattered, because now he just felt like a dog.
Why couldn't she have asked for a puppy
, he thought as he watched Kristen trot toward her mother. He could have easily run right down to the pet shop at the mall and picked out a golden retriever, or collie, or whatever kind of puppy looked cute as a button, just like the little girl. Instead, she asked for the one thing a Santa had no control over.

There were times in his life when Kyle had known failure. Going from nothing to being the owner of his own shopping mall in Western Massachusetts had given him cause to stare failure right between the eyes. But in all his thirty years, he never felt as low and pitiful as he did right now.

His appetite suddenly gone, he decided the heck with the dinner. He changed out of his straight jacket and called it a day.

* * *

Lauren turned the key in the ignition for the second time and said a silent prayer that the car's engine would turn over.

Nothing.

"Not now," she moaned, a sinking feeling flooding her. She'd already secured Kristen in the back seat and fastened her seat belt. A quick glance in the rear view mirror showed the little girl had already fallen asleep.

Popping the lever that released the hood of her late model sedan, she noticed the light panel. Her hands instinctively pushed the knob on and off in frustration when she realized she'd left her lights on the entire time she'd been shopping. Now her battery was dead.

"Good going, Lauren," she chided herself.

After climbing out into the cold, she lifted the hood and blankly stared down at her car engine, feeling the bitter cold sting her exposed cheeks. Taking in another frosty breath, she realized she had no idea what she was looking at and no idea what to do. Cursing, she kicked the air in frustration.

To add insult to injury, it had begun to snow while she'd been in the mall. Any other time it would have brought out the playful spirit of Christmas in her. She'd always loved a white blanket of snow on the ground during the Christmas season.

She glanced over at Kristen and saw that she was already fast asleep, slumped over in the back seat. The snow was going to make it more difficult to carry her to a pay phone and call a tow truck, but she had no other choice. The temperature had dropped considerably in the few hours they'd been shopping and it wasn't safe to stay exposed for too long.

Twisting her body around, she saw that the parking lot was empty. At least she'd parked in a well-lit area just below a lamppost, something working late nights at the restaurant had taught her to do many years previous. As she gazed up at the bright light above her, she became hypnotized for a fleeting moment by the colors of the dense snow falling like crystals from the sky.

"You stuck?" a deep voice, one that sounded much too close for comfort, called out and startled Lauren, causing her to swing around.

She licked her chapped lips and stared at the tall man who had seemingly come out of nowhere. His hair was wet and matted, colored a mousy blond. He was hunched forward slightly with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his sporty ski jacket.

"No," she lied. The last thing she needed was some deranged wanderer to come by and steal what little she didn't have. Lauren quickly shifted her thoughts to Kristen, sleeping in the back seat. He could take anything he wanted, but she'd walk through fire to protect her precious daughter from harm.

"Interesting," he returned, darting a glance in the direction of her exposed engine.

"What is?" She tried desperately to appear unfazed.

"Well, I'm no expert, but I have never known someone to fill their engine with snow before taking it out for a drive," the stranger said teasingly, his hot breath misting as it hit the cold air. He moved to the front of the car, half out of her view, presumably looking at the engine.

Crow bar! That's what she needed now, she decided. If she only knew where it was kept in her car, she was sure she could make good use of it, if need be. Now was no time to beat herself up about not paying attention during drivers Ed class. Something else to thank Kristen's father for later since he was the subject of her attention during that fateful time in her life. In any case, it didn't stop her stomach from lurching forward with every move this stranger made.

The man stuck his head out from behind the hood. "Nothing seems to be disconnected. Let me try the engine."

"That won't be necessary," she blurted out. There was no way she was going to let some stranger climb into her car and drive away with her baby. In an attempt at bluffing, she informed him, "I've already called my husband, and he'll be here any minute."

"No he won't." The aplomb in his voice, more than his words, told her that he was unconvinced.

She struck a threatening pose with her arms held out in front of her, fists clenched, and shouted, "Don't come any closer. I'm a black belt in Karate."

He glanced at her blankly and darted his eyebrows upward. "No you're not."

Lauren's pulse quickened, and she nervously shifted her body weight from one foot to the other, grounding herself in. The mama bear in her reared up and her claws stretched out in full fighting force. Just let him try to take her little cub away. She'd make sure it was the sorriest day of his pathetic life.

He shot her a mocking grin that tilted ever so slightly. "Why don't you use some of that heat to fire up the engine?"

"Huh?" Her heart pounding in her chest, Lauren unclenched her fists and stepped back toward the driver's side door.

"Try turning the ignition."

"What do you want?" she asked suspiciously, her guard never faltering.

"You don't have to be afraid. I just want to help you and your daughter get home before you freeze to death out here."

A bone chilling fear shot up her spin. He hadn't been close enough to see a child in the back seat. How could he have known? "Are you stalking me? I have a gun, you know. And I won't hesitate to use it!" She stuck her thumb and her index finger out and aimed it at the most sensitive part of his male anatomy, sneering at him.

"I believe you would," he said. Tilting his head to one side, he blew out an exaggerated breath, emitting a cloud of mist from his mouth. "But if you're going to bluff, at least try to be a little more convincing. Right now, you're about as threatening as a kitten."

"Kittens have claws," she warned, flexing her fingers.

"Cats have claws," he amended. "You, my sweet, are still a kitten."

Lauren straightened her spine and huffed. "I'm going to scream. Is that threatening enough for you? The security guards will be more than willing to arrest you on the spot and throw your sorry butt in jail for...for..."

"Helping you? No, they wouldn't do that," he said confidently.

"What makes you so all mighty sure, buster?" she shot back, verbally attacking him. Nothing else seemed to make a dent in him and she was running out of bluffs.

"Because I'm the one who signs their paychecks." He turned back at the mall and extended his hand. "I own this place."

"No you don't!" she challenged. She wasn't born yesterday. On her own since she was pregnant at eighteen, Lauren knew a snow job when she saw one.

He blew out another quick breath and shrugged. When he moved his hand toward his back pocket, Lauren screamed loud and long.

The stranger stopped dead in his tracks. "What on earth did you do that for?"

"Don't try anything funny!" she commanded, holding her hands out in front of her as a shield.

Ignoring her, he extracted his wallet. After sifting through it, he plucked out what appeared to be a business card and extended it to her. "See for yourself. Kyle Preston, owner of Preston Galleria."

She quickly glanced at the card in his hand without taking it, and then followed his gaze to the sign on the two-story building behind him.

"How do I know you're legit?" she asked, still leery of accepting his story. She'd been a fool once when she was young, taking every little word as being the truth. That only left her alone, struggling to make a life for her and Kristen. She couldn't afford to keep making that mistake.

"I assure you that my intentions aren't mercenary. Please, just get behind the wheel and try to start the car. If my instincts are right, all you have is a dead battery," he said evenly, seemingly tired of the game.

"I know that's all it is." She folded her arms across her chest, feeling pretty proud of herself for at least figuring that one on her own. "I left my lights on."

"Oh. Good," he said in resignation. "Then I'll jump you."

"Not on your life!" She struck her Karate pose and ground her teeth, the mama bear in her coming to life again.

When he caught the double meaning of his words, he revised, "I'll bring my car around so that I can jump start your car's battery."

With that, he was gone. Lauren wasn't sure if he'd come back after the way she'd attacked him. Kitten, my butt, she fumed. She had claws just like the next cat.

Kyle was gone for what seemed liked hours, but in reality, it was only a few minutes. The cold may have had a hand at the slow passing of the time. She couldn't feel her toes in her boots anymore.

What would it hurt to accept some help from a stranger? she thought as she moved to the back of the car. She'd conditioned herself not to trust anyone in the past seven years. Maybe she was becoming too hard, too cold. And although Kyle Preston looked like he'd been put through the proverbial ringer when he appeared out of thin air, he did seem sincere about just wanting to help.

It was more than that. Except she couldn't quite put a finger on what it was about Kyle Preston that made her think she should trust him. Without something tangible for her to grasp on to, trusting was a dangerous thing to do to say the least.

After inserting the key in the lock, she opened the trunk and pulled out the blanket she kept there for just this type of emergency. She was just placing the blanket over Kristen when she saw headlights approach. The vehicle stopped head to head with her car and Kyle jumped out.

"Why don't you sit in your car? You'll be warmer. I'll only be a minute," Kyle said as he opened the hood of his Jeep and began connecting jumper cables.

Lauren slid into the driver's seat and rubbed her hands together, thankful that this ordeal would soon be over. She blew a hot breath through her frozen fingers before positioning them on the frigid steering wheel as she waited.

"Ready?" she called out the crack in her window after hearing a car door slam.

There was a sudden roar of the Jeep's engine. Then Kyle hollered, "Go ahead and try to start her."

Lauren turned the key in the ignition once. The Ford whined in protest until, finally, the engine turned over. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank God," she whispered, looking up at the ceiling of her car.

"You should run it for a few minutes before trying to drive. Let the battery get a little more juice." Kyle quickly removed the wires conjoining the two cars and closed the hoods.

She floored the gas pedal to warm the engine and turned on the heat in the car before climbing out.

"I don't know how to thank you," Lauren said softly. Embarrassment flooded her with the memory of the way she'd behaved earlier.

"No need. You're all set now." Kyle smiled warmly. As he spoke, the sound of his resonant baritone voice soothingly settled her fear. She looked at him and, for the first time, she felt completely at ease. His face was kind, his smile was warm, and she realized he meant what he said, he only wanted to help.

"I apologize for the way..." she started, staring down at the inches of snow on the ground that had accumulated during the short time.

As if sensing her embarrassment, Kyle broke in and said, "Like I said. There is no need. Good will toward men and all that holiday cheer. Woman in your case, Ms. Alexander. You and Kristen are all set now." His eyes grew bright as he gazed at her. Despite the calming effect the deep timbre of his voice gave her just a few short moments ago, she now felt as if a bolt of lightning had just struck her.