Cole's Christmas Wish (13 page)

He’d said he wanted to “woo” Mary. That he needed Rachel’s
help. She’d seen love in his eyes, for crying out loud. But...well, in addition
to all the wonderful and sweet comments he’d made about his Cupcake, he’d also
expressed
serious
concerns. Concerns he wanted to
talk over with Rachel, so that she could help him see those “issues” in the
right light.

Because women were a mystery.

She dropped her gaze to the list again, read what she’d
written, considered and analyzed the entire situation, everything she knew about
Cole and their shared past, and tried to determine where she should go from
here. Ask him? Just flat-out tell him her suspicions?

The thought held merit. But. What. If. She. Were. Wrong?

Could she handle
that
outcome?
Probably, yes, although it would be a humiliating and miserable experience. A
shudder rippled through her at the thought, at the very image of how that
conversation would turn out. The sympathy and shock and...pity. Hell, if she was
totally off base, she’d come off as a love-struck loon. A crazy person. Ugh.

But...if she were right, why stop now?

A glimmer of an idea set in. She could turn the tables, play a
bit of Cole’s game on him, lead him down the same convoluted path he’d been
leading her. Discuss those serious concerns of his under the guise he’d created,
which frankly, might allow them to be one hundred percent honest with each
other, about their past and the decisions they’d each made. Yes, she thought, as
whacked as the idea was, that also held merit.

She needed confirmation, though. She needed to know if what she
thought was going on was, in fact, what was really going on. Only then could she
make a decision of how to proceed.

But oh, if Cole had done this instead of just talking to her,
instead of being open and honest and admitting his feelings—those concerns of
his—then a little payback was definitely in order. She loved him, yes. She knew
that now, without doubt or question.

Unfair, though, playing with her emotions. Wrong, too. And if
he did love her, if that hope turned into reality, then she needed to know he
wouldn’t do something like this again. She needed to know that he trusted her,
trusted
them,
and would turn to her instead of
relying on deception as a means to an end.

Of course, that didn’t rule out the fun-factor in teaching him
that particular lesson. A small, quiet laugh slipped out. Oh, she’d have fun,
all right. In spades.

Confirmation first, though. And, thanks to Dylan and his
illuminating insight on the subject of tells, Rachel thought she knew exactly
how to get it.

* * *

The next morning, Rachel spent close to an hour on the
phone with her mother, attempting to convince her that, no, she still had not
heard from her father. Atypical behavior for Lawrence Merriday? Yes. But also
not a complete aberration.

Rachel’s father was the president and chairman-of-the-board for
a multi-million dollar paper manufacturing company that
his
great-grandfather had started eons ago as a small business with
only a handful of employees. If there were any knots requiring untangling at
MPM—Merriday Paper Manufacturing—her father would see to that before focusing on
this latest battle with her mother. Then, though, he’d be full-in. That was when
Rachel figured he’d contact her.

Candace knew this as well as Rachel did, but for whatever
reason, seemed more distracted, more depressed, than usual by whatever was going
on between them. She was also behaving atypically, not that Rachel said that to
her in so many words.

But it did cause her concern. Enough concern that when Candace
claimed she’d had second thoughts and had decided to stay in New York for the
holidays, Rachel talked her into coming to Steamboat Springs. It took some
doing, which was...yep, also atypical, but finally her mother agreed. She would
be here on Thursday afternoon.

Then, Rachel hurriedly went through her closet, filling two
large boxes with an assortment of designer clothes for Haley. She had less than
two hours before she met with Cole to finish their oh-so-fun shopping trip, and
chatting with his sister beforehand was essential.

The clothes served as an excellent excuse to drop by.

If she were there at the right time, she might bump into Reid.
Oh, seeing any of the Fosters would be a pleasure, but Reid and Haley were the
only two who could give her the confirmation she wanted. After all, she’d been
told clear as day what their “tells” were.

She didn’t call before heading to Foster’s Pub and Grill,
deciding to go with a surprise visit. Hey, surprise had worked well for Cole, so
why not? Once there, she went directly to the back entrance since the restaurant
hadn’t yet opened for the day. She had to put the boxes down in order to knock,
and while she waited, she went over her plan of attack.

Throughout the long, sleepless hours the night before, Rachel
had given considerable thought to the forthcoming conversation. She couldn’t
outright share her suspicions with Haley, or with Reid if he were around,
because as much as they might like her, the Fosters were tight. What Haley and
Reid knew, Rachel felt sure Cole would know before she’d made it back to her
car. Also, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that she was wrong.

Being wrong was one thing. Letting Cole in on her feelings if
he loved another woman? No. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—go there.

Rachel knocked again, a little harder this time. What if she
was right, but Cole hadn’t shared any of this with Haley and Reid? There
wouldn’t be any tells then, regardless of what questions Rachel asked, because
they wouldn’t be in on the scheme.

Oh, hell. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?

Except...that seemed unlikely. Either Mary existed or Cole had
told his family what he was really up to. Otherwise, why would his mother have
said what she did? That made sense.

Rachel was readying herself to knock one more time when the
door swung open by a smiling Paul Foster. His hair had grayed some since she
last saw him, but he looked fit and healthy and very much like a man happy with
his lot in life.

“Well, hello there, Rachel. I heard you were in town.” He shot
an inquisitive look toward the boxes before opening the door wider. “Come in,
have some coffee. Cole isn’t here, though.”

She returned his smile. “Actually, I’m here to make Haley’s
day.”

“Well, I’m sure she’ll be pleased to hear that,” Paul said. He
bent over and picked up the topmost box. “She’s in the office gathering some
stuff to take with her to the sporting goods store, since she’ll be helping out
there today.”

Right. While Cole took off with Rachel. Good thing she’d gotten
here when she did. “Glad I caught her before she left,” Rachel said, gathering
the remaining box in her arms. “Is...uh...Reid here by chance?”

“He was earlier,” Paul said, leading the way toward the office,
“but left about thirty minutes or so ago, I’d reckon. Were you planning on
making his day, too?”

Rachel laughed. “I just wanted to say hi. He’s the only Foster
left I haven’t seen.”

“Gotcha. Well, I’m sure you’ll be in the same place at the same
time soon enough.” Paul paused in front of an open door to a large room. Inside,
Haley sat at one of three desks, busily sorting a stack of files. He winked at
Rachel. In a booming voice, he said, “Look who is here to make your day,
Haley!”

The woman jumped, brought her hand to her chest. “Dad! You know
how much I hate when you do that. I swear, you stay up late thinking of ways
to—” Her eyes landed on Rachel. A wide smile appeared. “Rachel! What are you
doing here? Did we have plans I forgot about?”

Paul entered the office and deposited the box he carried at
Haley’s feet. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he said, retreating to the doorway.
“Coffee is in the kitchen, if you’d like some.”

He was gone before Rachel could reply. More atypical behavior.
In the past, Paul would always take a few minutes to chat, ask what she’d been
up to, about her parents. Of course, he was working now. Perhaps he’d been in
the middle of something he needed to get back to.

Brushing the thoughts aside, Rachel walked to Haley’s desk, put
her box on top of the other. “You didn’t forget anything. I cleaned out my
closet this morning, so figured why keep you waiting for a new wardrobe when I
could bring the clothes to you?”

“Yeah?” She looked from Rachel to the boxes. “Can I...?”

“Go for it.”

Haley tore into the boxes, one after another, pulling out and
holding each item up to her long and lanky frame. Rachel stood by and watched,
offering appropriate comments at the appropriate times, itchy with nerves for
what came next.

The entire process took no more than twenty minutes, but when
Haley finally collapsed in her chair, Rachel felt as if an entire twenty-four
hours had passed. She pulled one of the other desk chairs over to sit in, smiled
and said, “I take it you’re pleased with my choices?”

“Are you kidding? I’m ecstatic. Say what you will about your
mother, but she has fantastic taste in clothes.” Haley reverently slid her hand
over each box. “And you know I’m eternally grateful for your generosity,
but...um...are you nuts? Why would you give away such beautiful stuff? They all
look brand-new, as if you’ve never worn them.”

Rachel shrugged. The truth was, she hadn’t worn most of what
she’d given Haley. “Half of what’s there aren’t this year’s styles,” Rachel
offered as an excuse, though she never cared a bit about that, “and have been
hanging in my closet here since last year. The rest aren’t my style, but I
thought they would suit you. If you don’t want them, I’m sure—”

“Oh, right. Like I’m going to turn away gorgeous clothes that I
could never afford to buy on my own. I don’t think so.” Haley reached over,
squeezed Rachel’s hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Rachel said simply. Despite her real motive
for bringing the clothes this morning, she loved how happy they made Haley.
“Enjoy.”

“Trust me, I will.” She glanced at the clock. “Do you want a
cup of coffee? I might be able to snag us a few Christmas cookies, if Mom isn’t
looking.”

“I’m good.” Rachel paused, brought the words to mind she
intended to say, and hoped for the best. “Did you know I’ve been helping Cole
choose gifts for his girlfriend?”

“He mentioned something along those lines,” Haley affirmed, her
fingers entwined on the surface of the desk. “I know he was thrilled you agreed
to...help.”

“Well, how could I say no? I mean, I’ve never seen him this
excited, this...focused on making another woman happy.” Rachel leaned forward
and lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret. “I had no idea that Cole had such
a romantic side to his personality.”

Green eyes widened innocently. Real or fake? “I know! Who’d
have guessed?”

“Exactly! He’s always been so, I don’t know, laidback about
women.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Rachel expelled a dramatic
sigh. “But...he’s really counting on me. I’m afraid I’m going to let him
down.”

“In what way?”

“Well, we’re supposed to finish buying gifts today, for
Mary—that’s what we’ve decided to call her, since Cole won’t tell me her real
name—and so far, some of his choices have been...questionable, I guess you’d
say.”

“Oh, I’m sure Cole knows precisely what he’s doing.” Haley
squeezed Rachel’s hand again. “Don’t worry too much. I doubt you’ll let him
down.”

“He bought her a flashlight, and seems set on getting her a
vacuum cleaner.” With a groan, Rachel fell against the back of her chair. “His
heart is in the right place, but his choices aren’t... Well, I don’t see how
they’re going to win her over. I need your help, Haley.”

“I’m not sure...that is, what type of help?”

“You know Mary, right?”

“Yes. Of course I...know her.”

“Then you tell me, will a vacuum cleaner and a flashlight win
her over?”

“I’m not really supposed to talk about this with you,” Haley
said carefully. “Cole specifically asked each of us in the family to...stay
clear of this topic.”

“Oh, come on. Really? Isn’t that a little ridiculous?” Haley
didn’t respond, just kept her expression neutral. “Look, I’m not trying to
weasel any identifying information out of you. A promise is a promise, and I
respect that.” She gave Haley what she hoped was a beseeching look, softened her
voice and said, “All I need is a little help in ascertaining I do right by
Cole.”

Ten seconds, then twenty ticked by before Haley sighed. “I
can’t say a lot,” she warned, “but I’ll help if I can. What do you want to
know?”

Jackpot
. Pleased, Rachel nodded her
thanks, knowing she had to start off slow and warm into the questions she really
wanted answered. “Well, for starters, it would be hugely helpful if I understood
more about their relationship. Maybe, without going into any specific details
about who Mary is, you could tell me what they’re like together as a
couple?”

“Oh, they’re one of those couples that truly fit each other.
We...that is, everyone in the family...have known so forever,” Haley all but
gushed. “For years, Cole would deny that he had feelings for...Mary, but we all
knew he did.”

“So they complement each other? Is that what you mean?”

Rather than replying verbally, Haley nodded.

Okay. Moving on. “I would guess, then, that their backgrounds
are the same? Mary grew up here in Steamboat Springs, went to the same schools
as you guys, all that stuff?”

“Um, well.” Haley’s gaze shifted to the right. “She... How is
this helpful?”

“If I have a better feeling for the type of person Mary is,
then I’ll be more capable of aiming Cole in the right direction. A lot of who we
are is often dictated by our backgrounds.”