Second Chance Christmas (The Colorado Cades) (13 page)

Once they’d finished their postmortem of her engagement, Elisabeth changed the subject. “One more thing before I go. We need to discuss lemon bars.”

Chapter Eleven

After the blizzard the night before, there was plenty of work to be done to make the mountain safe. Justin threw himself into trail maintenance and clearing hazards, keeping busy enough that he didn’t think about Elisabeth. At least, not more than once every three minutes or so.

The hazards that couldn’t be immediately dealt with were marked with bamboo poles and flagging. Meanwhile, Justin and Trey Grainger, his partner for the morning, were checking for important signage and snow fences that had been knocked down so they could be returned to their rightful positions and stabilized.

One sign seemed to be missing entirely, and Justin scouted the area for it. If it couldn’t be found, he’d need to alert the Hill Captain. But his concentration kept getting fractured by Patti’s unexpected invitation before he’d left the lodge. The Donnellys wanted him to share their Christmas dinner tomorrow? He was the guy who’d broken their daughter’s heart, the guy who’d quit his job with them in the middle of a summer season filled with hikers, bird-watchers and clients who’d heard good things about Lina’s spa services.

Since Elisabeth had been shut in her office, and Justin had needed to report for duty, he hadn’t even been able to ask her if she wanted him there. Did
he
want to be there? With Patti Donnelly gushing over him as if he’d single-handedly saved her daughter from a death of exposure and Graham calling him son like he always had and Lina glaring daggers as if she suspected him of impure designs on her twin?

She’s not wrong
.

He most assuredly did not want to join the Donnellys for Christmas dinner. But he recognized that if it had been Elisabeth who’d asked him, he would have said yes. In a heartbeat.

“Yo, Cade.” Grainger skied over to where Justin was, peering at him through his goggles. “Something on your mind today? You’re not usually this quiet.”

“Just want to fulfill our duties so you can get home to your family. It’s Christmas Eve.” There would still be patrollers active today and tomorrow, but the ones with seniority got to pick their shifts first. And an increased number of trail closings meant, in theory, a smaller area that needed to be supervised. “Hey, Grainger, your family have any...I don’t know, special holiday traditions?”

“Like what, leaving cookies out for Santa?”

Justin shrugged. “Or something more specific to your relatives.”

“My aunt Vera always has two martinis on Christmas Eve, then passes out while my wife reads
The Night Before Christmas
to all the kids. And my nephew insists on serenading my mother every year with ‘
Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer
.’ He seems to think it keeps getting funnier. Is that the kind of stuff you meant?”

“Yeah, sure. Thanks for sharing.”

Truthfully, Justin didn’t know what he’d meant. All he knew was that something was missing. When he was younger, he’d thought it was his parents. And God knew he still missed them. But maybe it was more than that. Then again, why should he feel that way? It wasn’t as if he were jealous of Grainger’s gin-soaked relatives and the annual singing of annoying carols. If that was a typical family holiday, then he wasn’t missing much.

But telling himself that did nothing to ease the hollow ache in his chest.

* * *

W
HEN
J
USTIN
PULLED
up in front of his house, Colin’s motorcycle was already parked in the driveway. For a second, he recalled bygone eras when he’d sought his brother’s advice on girls. Would Colin have anything useful to say about the fact that Justin couldn’t stop thinking about his ex-girlfriend? He didn’t dare talk to Arden about it. She’d be too busy telling him “I told you so” to really hear what he had to say.

Decades ago, it had been Colin who explained the birds and the bees to Justin. The week after Justin’s twenty-first birthday, he’d been telling his brother about a wild night with a cocktail waitress and had laughed when Colin had needed clarification of a term. Justin had finished his explanation with a smug “and the student becomes the master.” While Justin wasn’t necessarily ashamed of his past sexploits, he remembered them distantly, as if they’d happened to a buddy, not to the person he was now. That cocktail waitress had been beautiful and accommodating, but if she were to show up on his doorstep today asking for a repeat performance, he wasn’t sure he could muster the enthusiasm.

Because she’s not the right woman
.

Hell. When had his conscience started sounding like his sister? Arden’s lectures about love were annoying enough in person. The last thing he needed was her greatest hits soundtrack playing in his head.

An unexpected grin tugged at his lips. Maybe his sister being a pain in the butt about his love life was their little tradition.

He swung open the door beneath the carport and found his brother standing in the kitchen, filling a glass of water. Justin wasn’t braced for the wave of relief that swamped him. He hadn’t realized how truly worried he’d been about his big brother until he was able to clap eyes on him, safe and sound and in person. But this Colin bore minimal resemblance to the formerly clean-shaven veterinarian who used to carry his son Danny on his wide shoulders.

Colin had always been tall, but his frame had been proportional. The weight he’d lost made him look longer, giving the impression that he towered over Justin even though there was only about an inch difference between their heights. His dark hair had grown shaggy and wild, and the beginnings of a beard stubbled his lean jaw. Only the piercing blue-green eyes beneath his bangs were the same.

“Damn, bro.” Justin stepped forward to give him a brief one-armed hug. “I see you finally gave up that pesky personal grooming that was keeping you off the cover of
Axe Murderer Monthly
.”

Colin shoved him. “Well, we don’t all have your vast supply of hair products and tanning spray.”

“Tanning spray?” Not bloody likely. Justin made a rude noise. “I oughta kick your ass for that.”

“Give it your best shot. Should make for an entertaining three minutes before I flatten you.”

“See, this is why you need to visit more,” Justin said approvingly. “Arden thinks sibling relationships are all about sharing feelings and telling each other how much we care.”

Colin shuddered.

“You have any lunch yet?” Justin went to the refrigerator, pulling out a soda and a container of deli-sliced roast beef.

“No, just got in. I could eat.”

They’d be having a big formal dinner at Arden’s that night, so they didn’t need anything fancy to tide them over. Justin’s plan was sandwiches and chips. But that plan went south when he realized he hadn’t bought any new chips since Kaylee had snacked on the last of them Saturday—and the only bread he had was beginning to show little green dots of mold.

“Grab your coat,” he told Colin. “We’re eating out.”

Before his brother could respond, Justin’s cell phone chimed. Probably Arden wanting to make sure Colin had arrived safely. Elisabeth’s number flashing across the screen was a welcome surprise.

He was grinning as he answered. “Miss me already?”

“Yes, that’s exactly why I called. Pining for you has sapped my will to live,” she intoned. “I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t update my Facebook status.”

“Wow, you’re in worse shape than I expected. Maybe I should take your mom up on that invitation to make sure you don’t waste away.”

There was a pause before she spoke again, her voice serious this time. “That’s actually why I was calling. I don’t want you to feel... Do you think... Isn’t Arden expecting you to spend Christmas with her?”

Justin leaned against the counter. “We’re having dinner there tonight. I’m going over for a few hours tomorrow, too, but she knows I have a patrol shift in the morning. And she’ll have a really full house tomorrow night. Garrett’s parents are coming in to be part of the baby’s first Christmas, and she’s invited Hugh and Darcy Connor over, too. I don’t think she’s really expecting me to stay for that.”

He knew Arden would be more than happy for him to have Christmas dinner with Elisabeth. His sister would probably turn freaking cartwheels. But what about Elisabeth? Did the idea of his joining the Donnellys make
her
happy?

She seemed undecided. “Kaylee would be thrilled if you could make it. My folks, too. And something about you seems to stick in my sister’s craw, which is fun to watch. But Kaylee’s already so crazy about you...”

What about Kaylee’s mother?
It was a question he couldn’t voice. Because, deep down, he wasn’t sure what answer he wanted to hear.

“I have a radical idea,” he said. “You sit through a meal with my family tonight, and I’ll join yours tomorrow. Like...like a suicide pact, but with holiday dinners.”

Colin snorted.

“We have to work on your holiday cheer,” Elisabeth said, sounding as though she were trying not to laugh. “You honestly want me to come with you to Arden’s?”

He was as surprised by the impulsive invitation as she was. But given his options, it was an unquestionably logical choice. He could spend the evening with a sappy engaged couple who hadn’t seen each other in over a week and would spend the night mooning over one another, plus Colin—who tended to retreat into stony silence at these festive gatherings. Or he could enjoy the company of a woman who made him feel ridiculously good just by calling him and taking verbal swings at his ego.

A dinner spent listening to Arden’s unsolicited advice about who he should date, or actually bringing a date? No contest.

“Can you get your mom or Lina to babysit Kaylee for the evening?”

“Done. Mom already invited Kaylee over to make gingerbread houses tonight and have a sleepover so that Santa can stay home and tackle these damn ‘some assembly required’ toys without fear of being interrupted. I think Santa can justify a dinner break. The North Pole has labor laws, right?”

“Pick you up at six,” he told her, trying to pretend he wasn’t already counting the hours between then and now. “See you soon, Beth.”

Colin barely waited until he’d disconnected the call before asking, “Beth, as in Elisabeth?”

Justin nodded. “She and Arden are friends. I thought it would be nice if she joined us tonight. The more, the merrier, right?”

“I know I’ve been out of the loop, but didn’t you dump her? Or is this a different Elisabeth?”

“Same one. You ready to go?”

They stepped outside, but Colin didn’t drop the subject.

“You’re dating her again? I’ve never known you to circle back to the same woman twice,” he said as he opened the SUV’s passenger side door. “What happened, did you run out of new ones?”

That characterization stung. Justin had always enjoyed female company, but he wasn’t some pathological womanizer. Turning the key in the ignition, he informed his brother, “We aren’t dating.”

“Uh-huh.” Colin’s thick skepticism was annoying as hell.

But that was okay—Justin had the perfect idea on how to exact revenge. Many stores would be open until five today. “By the way, we’re gonna need to hit the mall while we’re out.”

* * *

“A
M
I
OVERDRESSED
?”

Justin knew that it wasn’t a rhetorical question, and he intended to answer it. He was simply having trouble finding his voice. Finally, he managed, “Wow.” Although Elisabeth’s clothes weren’t formal, she completely outclassed his jeans and zip-necked ski sweater.

Smiling in acknowledgment of the compliment, she turned toward the rack in her foyer and grabbed a sleek charcoal trench coat. He stood immobile, appreciating the view. The black pencil skirt hugged her butt in a way that should be illegal—though he was fervently grateful it wasn’t. Her black boots were sexy as hell and her silky, long-sleeved red top made him rethink his position that wearing red at Christmastime was a cliché. The color made her hair an even richer shade and brought out a wicked gleam in her eyes. The V-neck collar was going to distract him all evening.

Staring at her was definitely a better plan than listening to Arden and her cowboy exchange endearments.

“Red is your color,” he said.

She paused in the act of fluffing her hair to make sure none of it was caught in her jacket collar. “Thanks, I’m glad you think so. Can you grab that gift bag by the door?” she asked, reaching around the corner for her purse. “I got a bottle of wine for your sister. Figured it was only polite to bring a hostess gift.”

“What about for the guy who invited you to the shindig in the first place?” he teased. “Does he get a gift?”

“I’ll be seeing you on Christmas Day, so you’ll just have to wait.” She shot him a sassy smile as she double-checked her front door to make sure it was securely locked. “Patience and life lessons, remember?”

Wasn’t there some life lesson that championed instant gratification?

On the way to Arden’s place, she told him about the Christmas toys she needed to put together tonight and how Kaylee, though she seemed somewhat subdued regarding the holiday in general, was looking forward to making her first gingerbread house. “And she’s
very
excited to see you tomorrow,” Arden said. “When I told her you’re going to be joining us, I got a bona fide earsplitting squeal.”

“And how did she react to the other big news?”

“About not moving to California? She was as thrilled as expected. I had a long talk with her this afternoon about how this doesn’t mean she’ll necessarily live in Cielo Peak for the rest of her life. I have to evaluate opportunities as they come, and there may be a day when moving somewhere else makes the most sense for us. My job is to make the decisions, and her job is to communicate her opinions to me as respectfully as possible and trust me to do what’s best.”

All of the sudden, she sucked in her breath.

Justin laughed at her reaction to Arden’s house. “Sorry, forgot to warn you about Arden’s yard. Did you bring sunglasses?”

“That’s just, that’s... If you needed lights for your little tree, I don’t know why you resorted to bats. You could have lifted a dozen strands from here, and she never would have missed them.” She paused, wide-eyed, simply taking in the spectacle before her. “How are they not shorting out the entire block?”