A Fool's Gold Christmas (16 page)

“Thank you for coming,” she said. “I’m hoping this won’t take very long. I know the season is busy and I appreciate the time and effort you’re offering.”

Evie felt a warm hand settle on the small of her back. She turned and saw Dante standing next to her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a whisper.

“Rafe was supposed to come, but he’s on a conference call that’s gone long. I offered to represent the company.”

He smiled as he spoke. Evie found herself easing toward him, wanting to press her body against his. Remembering the cheerleaders who were no doubt keeping an eye on her, she forced herself to stand straight and pretend she wasn’t tingling from the light touch on her back.

“Every table has a box of books,” Annabelle was saying. “They are grouped together by age and gender. So please don’t trade books with anyone else. When you’ve wrapped the book, put one of the stickers on the upper right corner. The sticker tells the age range and whether the book is for a boy or a girl. Again, please don’t trade stickers.”

“There are a lot of rules,” Dante whispered into her ear.

Evie fought off a shiver as her body pointed out that every single part of her really liked what this man could do to her and that it had been a while since they’d seen each other naked.

“Behave,” she said.

“I am.”

She winced, realizing she’d actually been talking to herself rather than him.

Annabelle sent them off to find tables. The cheerleaders took one together and Dante joined Evie.

“Who are your friends?” he asked, motioning to the teens who were taking books out of the box and unrolling the paper.

“They’re on the high school cheerleading squad. I’m going to help them with a fundraiser they’re doing.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“I know, I know.” She kept her voice low. “It shouldn’t take too much of my time.”

“You’re in demand,” he said. “Impressive.”

“Overwhelming.”

“How can I help?”

She laughed. “Unless you have a secret background as a cheerleader, I’m not sure you can.”

“Hmm, there is that year I spent working undercover. Let me see what I can remember.”

She laughed and handed him the first book. “Wrap.”

“How about I cut the paper and put on the stickers, and you wrap.”

“Chicken.”

“These are presents for kids. They should look nice.”

“Fine. I’ll wrap.”

They had picked a table with large picture books. For boys, Evie thought, looking at covers with trucks and bugs and camping raccoons.

“I know most women think about having a little girl,” she said, taking the piece of wrapping paper Dante handed her, along with the book he’d cut it for, “but I’ve always pictured myself with sons. I’m guessing that comes from growing up with three brothers.”

“Boys are less complicated,” Dante agreed. “They want to do things. Girls have feelings.”

She laughed. “Are you saying boys don’t?”

“I’m saying I understand what a boy feels. Can you see me sitting at a little table having pretend tea with a four-year-old and her toy bears?”

Evie studied him, taking in the deep blue eyes, handsome face and, as always, well-cut, killer suit. She could totally see Dante falling for a little girl. He would be a protective father, one who kissed a boo-boo to make it better and slayed dragons, be they real or imagined. And, yes, she could imagine him sitting at a too-small table and having pretend tea.

They’d both grown up without a father figure in their lives, so she would guess they both knew how important a dad could be. While children weren’t on her immediate radar, should that happen, she would prefer to have a man around. She doubted he was the kind of man who would ever consider walking away from his kids.

Under other circumstances he might be someone she wanted to consider hanging on to. Only Dante wasn’t into forever, and she was planning on moving on. Although right now her reasons for wanting to leave Fool’s Gold seemed a little fuzzy.

“You’d be great,” Evie told him and centered the book on the wrapping paper.

* * *

I
N LESS TIME THAN
Dante would have thought, the books were wrapped. Evie went off with her cheerleader fans and he stayed after to help load the wrapped books into boxes for delivery.

Gideon joined him, loading the boxes onto a cart.

“Do you know if Evie’s gone over my suggestions for the production?” he asked.

Dante straightened slowly and stared at the other man. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m doing the narration for
The Dance of the Winter King.
Didn’t she tell you?”

“No. She didn’t mention it.”

Gideon was tall and moved like someone who knew his way around a fight. Dante recognized the subtle signs from his own early years. The scar by Gideon’s eyebrow and the tattoo visible under his rolled-up shirtsleeves were also a clue.

“I had some suggestions to make the transitions smoother,” Gideon said. “The premise of the story is interesting. I like the message.”

“There’s a message?”

“Sure. Every child is special. Unique.” He gave a quick smile. “Like a snowflake.”

A snowflake? Dante did his best to reconcile the dark, dangerous man in front of him with a guy who talked about children being special snowflakes.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “I’ll, ah, tell her you’re looking for her.”

Just then they were joined by a well-dressed, white-haired woman in a suit. It took Dante a moment to put the name with the face.

“Mayor Marsha,” he said. “Nice to see you again.”

“You, too.” The older woman smiled at both of them. “I’m happy to see you’re settling in. And you’ve met Gideon.” She turned to the other man. “I’m delighted by the Christmas music. Very eclectic choices. Some traditional songs, of course, but I’m very much enjoying the international selections.”

“I like to mix it up,” Gideon told her, winking as he spoke. “Keep folks guessing.”

The mayor glanced at Dante. “Gideon has recently purchased the two radio stations in town. One AM, one FM. The FM station is playing all Christmas music.”

“I’ll have to tune in,” Dante said politely.

“I’m getting lots of good feedback,” Gideon said. “A few local rockers have been by, requesting something else.”

“There are local rockers in Fool’s Gold?” Dante tried to imagine them being happy in the quiet, family friendly town and couldn’t.

“Young rockers,” Gideon said, then nodded at the cart. “I need to get these out to the truck. Good to see you, Mayor Marsha.”

“You, too.”

Dante expected the old lady to move on, but she waited until Gideon had left, then turned to him.

“You’re settling in well.”

He stared at her, not sure if she was asking a question or making a statement.

“This town is very special,” she continued. “A lot is expected of our citizens, but then people get so much in return. Do you know very much about Gideon?”

“No. We’ve only met a couple of times.”

“A very interesting man with a violent history. Then he met a couple of men who changed his life forever. Ford and an angel.” She smiled. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

“I don’t get the joke.”

“Ford and Angel are men’s names. Two men who—” She shook her head. “It’s not important. Suffice it to say Ford is the son of one of our founding families. He’s coming back, as soon as he figures out how to embrace his past. As for Angel, he’ll be home soon, too.”

She motioned to the rapidly emptying room. “This is exactly what you need, Mr. Jefferson. You’ve been on your own for too long. I understand why you’ve been reluctant to truly settle and admit you’re ready to make a home. But here in Fool’s Gold we take care of our own. You will always be safe, always welcome.”

He stared at the old woman, telling himself there was no way she could know about his past. That no one but Evie knew about his mother and he was convinced she wouldn’t have said a word. The mayor was talking in generalities. He was reading too much into her words. Or maybe she was really fishing for information.

He ignored the compassion and certainty in her blue eyes and gave her a practiced smile. “I like Fool’s Gold well enough, but I still have my place in San Francisco.”

“You’ll sell it soon. You belong here, Mr. Jefferson. Fool’s Gold has everything you’ve been looking for. We can’t undo the past, but we can heal from it. Oh, and would you please tell May that Priscilla would be more than welcome at the Live Nativity.”

The change of subject had him scrambling to catch up. “Excuse me?”

“The Live Nativity. May will worry about Priscilla being left home alone on Christmas Eve Day. She’s welcome. Along with her pony.”

“You do realize Priscilla is an elephant?”

“Of course.”

“In a nativity?”

“God loves all His creatures.”

“Won’t that look strange?”

“It will look welcoming. No one should be alone for Christmas, Mr. Jefferson. Not even an elephant.”

“How is May supposed to get her here?”

“She can walk. It’s not that far. Just make sure Heidi doesn’t offer to ride her. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

He honestly didn’t know what to say. He’d seen the stage where the Live Nativity would be on Christmas Eve Day. There was room for Priscilla on either side, along with her pet pony. But still.

Dante drew in a breath. He might never have lost in court, but he recognized a moment when he should simply accept defeat.

“I’ll pass along the message.”

“Thank you.” She touched his arm. “I’m so glad you’re here, and we’re very lucky to have you as a part of our Fool’s Gold family.”

She smiled, released him and left. Dante was left standing in the center of the empty room, feeling as if he’d been run over by a freight train. What had just happened? And why did he suddenly want to hug everyone?

Grumbling to himself that the old lady was crazy, he stalked out of the ballroom and headed back to the office. He needed some quality time with a legal brief. That would set his world to rights. Then he could forget all this Christmas crap and get back to being himself.

Chapter Thirteen

E
vie wrote down another idea for a cheer, then pushed away the paper. She had to focus on her production, and time was ticking. There were less than three weeks until
The Dance of the Winter King
, and she was starting to panic. While helping the cheerleaders was fun, she had to remember her responsibility to her students and the town. Of course, when she thought of it in those terms, she got a little sick to her stomach.

A distraction appeared in the form of footsteps on the stairs. It was several hours until her first lesson, but she’d received an email from Dominique Guérin, her boss. Dominique was flying in for the holidays and had said she would like to stop by the studio that morning.

Another thing to be nervous about, Evie thought, automatically standing, her back straight, her feet in first position. Miss Monica, who had sold the dance studio to Dominique over the summer, had been running the school for years. Evie had only been teaching for a couple of months and had never run anything. For all she knew, Dominique was going to fire her.

“Cheerful, upbeat attitude,” she murmured, telling herself not to go looking for trouble. After all, it seemed to have no problem finding her. Besides, she’d met Dominique before, and the woman had been very friendly. Of course, back then, Evie hadn’t been in charge.

The door opened and Dominique swept inside. Evie resisted the urge to curtsy in the presence of greatness, instead offering a smile and a handshake.

“Dominique,” she said. “It’s lovely to see you.”

Dominique Guérin had to be close to sixty, but she looked as if she were in her forties. Petite, beautiful, with short gold-blond hair and large eyes, she moved with a dancer’s sureness and elegance. She’d been more than a great artist, she’d been a star. She’d graced every famous stage in every country, had danced for presidents and kings and been awarded nearly every honor possible. There were rumors of a title, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth, but Evie couldn’t get confirmation on that.

“Evie!” Dominique moved close and hugged her. “You look wonderful. So young. I’m jealous. How are you doing? I read all your emails about Monica. Running off with a man, at her age. I don’t know if I should be impressed or worried about her hip.”

Dominique smiled. “But if he’s her great love, she shouldn’t ever look back. Everyone deserves a great love. Of course, she’s left us in a bit of a pickle.”

“That’s one way to describe it,” Evie murmured, offering Dominique a chair.

She’d already made tea and now poured them each a mug, then settled across from her boss and sent out a quick request to the universe that the meeting go well.

Dominique shrugged out of her faux-fur coat and draped it over the back of her chair. Evie eyed the other woman’s fitted turtleneck and slim jeans. She doubted Dominique had put on a pound since her dancing days.

Dominique picked up her mug of tea. “Fool’s Gold is so pretty. I’ve been in New York, and while it’s beautiful there during the holidays, I do love the small town feel here. And there’s plenty going on.”

Evie gave a strangled laugh. “Sure. The pet adoption, the book drive, hayrides out at the ranch, the day of giving and, hey,
The Dance of the Winter King.
It’s busy.”

Dominique smiled at her. “You sound overwhelmed.”

“Just some days. I’m supposed to help out with the hayrides. I’ve been told I’m elf material. And I’m also working on the pet adoption. That’s on the fifteenth. It’s a lot to get through.”

“It is. I wonder if Charlie and Clay would like a pet.” Dominique leaned toward her. “Clay and I have been talking. He wants a big wedding. Something the town can be involved in. Charlie wants to elope. She says she’s not bride material.”

“She would be a beautiful bride,” Evie said, thinking her future sister-in-law wasn’t traditionally feminine but was still her favorite of the three. Although Heidi and Annabelle had certainly been nice enough.

“We’ll see who wins the argument,” Dominique said. “I’m betting Clay surprises us all, and Charlie gives in. Either way, a dog might be nice for them. Practice before they give me a grandchild.”