Second Chance Christmas (The Colorado Cades) (6 page)

“You couldn’t fit my body in there. With as much junk as Daddy has crammed in, I doubt we could fit a paper clip.” Lina’s teasing smile faded. “Who’s going to keep him organized once you’re gone?” By which she undoubtedly meant, who was going to run this place when he decided it was time to retire? Elisabeth had long been the heir apparent.

“I don’t know. But the chance to finally clean out the Cupboard of Doom isn’t enough of a reason to stay,” Elisabeth said. “Kaylee was so grief-stricken when I brought her to live with me. I know she’ll miss Michelle no matter where we live, but we can make new associations in California.” And they could leave behind the parts of their past best forgotten.

Chapter Five

“Thank you so much for having me in your home. Dinner was delicious.” From his seat next to Elisabeth, Steven raised his wineglass in an appreciative toast to Patti Donnelly.

She smiled back at him. “Glad you enjoyed your meal.” She’d been her usual amiable self tonight. Without time to privately ask her mother’s thoughts, Elisabeth couldn’t tell how much her mom liked him as a prospective son-in-law, but she clearly didn’t
dis
like him. It was a start.

Her dad had been more standoffish. He was the one they’d need to win over because he was the one who’d been the most upset about his oldest daughter leaving the lodge. Elisabeth bit her bottom lip. In California, she could explore other job options. Or be a stay-at-home mom for Kaylee. After so many years of everyone assuming she’d run the lodge after her father, having choices should feel liberating.
It will be fine,
she told herself. Change built character.

Elisabeth tried to draw her dad into conversation. “Steven has never been snowmobiling. Weren’t you planning a ride with some friends this weekend?”

Her fiancé leaned back in his chair. “I wouldn’t want to impose. I—”

“Nonsense.” Patti jabbed her husband with her elbow. “Graham would love for you to join them. Wouldn’t you, honey?”

Elisabeth seized the opportunity to carry some plates into the adjacent kitchen in the hopes that the two men into her life, having been prompted, would fall into more natural conversation. She wasn’t surprised when Lina joined her less than a minute later. Elisabeth knew her twin had probably been itching for a chance to share her opinion.

“Well?” Elisabeth kept her voice soft enough that no one would hear her over the running water as she rinsed dishes in the sink.

“He’s cute,” Lina said. “I didn’t expect that.”

Steven had gray eyes, classical features and thick blond hair. He wasn’t especially tall, but neither was Elisabeth.

“You thought he’d be unattractive?”

“Not exactly. You just sound so...platonic when you talk about him. Sort of an implied ‘he has a good personality.’ But it’s like you said earlier today, I’m an outsider and don’t have all the facts. Maybe I was wrong, and there is heat between you.”

Elisabeth said nothing. Heat wasn’t her priority. She wanted a partner, not a radiator.

Lina jabbed her lightly in the side, a habit she’d clearly inherited from their mother. “Is he, you know,
good
?”

“Are you really asking me about sex with our parents only a few yards away?”

“That isn’t a reassuring answer. Don’t you—”

“We’re waiting, not that it’s any of your business. So you’ll just have to wait until after the wedding for the full report.” That last bit was sarcastic. She had zero intention of giving her sister a play-by-play.

“Waiting?” Lina’s shocked voice was appallingly loud.

“Shhh! I don’t know why you’re so stunned. We’re not the first couple in the history of the world to wait for the wedding night—and it isn’t as if we have much longer to wait. Most of our relationship has been long-distance anyway, and the last thing we want to do is set a bad example for Kaylee.”

“I see.” Lina arched an eyebrow. “And those times you kept Kaylee at your place while you were dating Justin? You and he never...?”

Elisabeth’s face heated as she recalled a frenzied and unexpectedly intense late-night encounter in her laundry room.

“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought,” her sister said smugly.

“Completely different situations. For one thing, he and I had already established a physical relationship. And Kaylee wasn’t having nightmares then.” Those began after Michelle’s death. Elisabeth couldn’t think of a less sexy first time than to have her and Steven’s lovemaking interrupted by a sobbing child.
All three of us would need therapy
. “Steven’s offered to sleep on my couch while he’s in town. He’s a real gentleman.”

Lina gave her a smile so dubious it bordered on pitying.

“Stop looking like you feel sorry for me.” Elisabeth held up her left hand and waggled her fingers. “I’m the one with the good-looking fiancé and the diamond on her hand, remember? Living the dream.”

“Funny.” Lina squinted at her, the mischief fading from her gaze. “I was always the one with the dreams of becoming the princess of a tropical island or running off to join a rock band. I thought your dream was to take over the lodge eventually and raise kids of your own in Cielo Peak.”

“Yeah, well.” Elisabeth glanced toward the dining room. “Dreams change.”

* * *

O
CCASIONALLY
,
AFTER
J
USTIN
helped save someone, he received a thoughtful thank-you note or baked goods. On Friday afternoon, he helped save a freaked out twelve-year-old girl and received some minor bruises and lacerations. He discovered that trying to handle a panicking adolescent was a bit like trying to bathe a cat. Since he ended up with a gash courtesy of the girl’s ski, his supervisor sent him into town for a tetanus shot and told him they’d see him tomorrow.

After swinging by the doctor’s office, Justin intended to go home. He didn’t have any ulterior motives. But when he spotted the sign for the locally owned Christmas tree farm...

He glanced at the digital clock in his dashboard. It was four o’clock. Had Elisabeth made good on her promise to take Kaylee tree-shopping? There was another place out by the highway they could have gone, but that lot hosted a temporary vendor who would be gone by December twenty-sixth and had no real ties to town. If he knew Elisabeth, she’d want to support the community.

As if his SUV had a will of its own, the vehicle made an unscheduled turn. A moment later, he found himself on a bumpy road leading to the customer parking lot. Sure enough, there was Elisabeth’s car. She must be here somewhere, with Steven. Was the man worthy of her? He heard Kaylee’s voice in his head.
He doesn’t like me
. Having grown up with a younger sister—and dealing with a shrieking girl this afternoon—Justin knew that there were some instances of melodrama. Was Kaylee’s aversion to the man a knee-jerk reaction to the news that she was leaving? Or was there any real basis for her complaint?

He stepped out of the SUV into the bracing cold. Nearby was a large striped tent with electric cords running beneath the canvas, most likely for space heaters. He supposed he should start there and get information on how selecting and purchasing a tree worked. Until now, he hadn’t considered buying one, but why not? He was here; he might as well support the local economy, too. Nothing that would eat up too much space in the house he rented, just a simple, modestly sized tree.

As he entered the tent, he immediately spotted a dozen people he knew. Including Elisabeth. She stood out like a beacon in a bright blue coat. Kaylee was similarly eye-catching in lime-green and a headband with felt reindeer antlers. With them was a short man with hair the color of wheat. Steven?

Only one way to find out
. He strode in their direction.

Elisabeth’s eyes widened when she saw him, and she hurried to meet him. It might have been flattering if she didn’t give the impression that she was trying to run him off. “What are you doing here?” she hissed. “Stalking me?”

Pretty much. “Of course not. I’m here to get a tree, like everyone else.”

“Justin!” Kaylee launched herself at him in what was probably intended as a hug but was executed as a tackle worthy of the Denver Broncos. He knelt down to return the embrace. “We got a tree, a real big one. Are you gonna come over and see it? Did you pick one out?”

“Not yet. You got any advice on what to look for?”

She tilted her head, giving his question earnest consideration. “Something extra, extra wide on bottom so lots of presents will fit under it.”

He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He rose, extending a hand toward the blond man. “You must be Steve Miller. Justin Cade. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah.” The man shook his hand. “
The
Justin Cade? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” Elisabeth looked startled. Apparently, she hadn’t been the one volunteering information about him.

“All day while you were at work,” Steven confirmed. “Did you know that Justin can imitate the voice of every single character on SpongeBob SquarePants? Alas, the best I can do is a passable ‘ruh-roh’ from Scooby Doo.”

Justin laughed, liking the guy despite himself.

“It was nice to see you,” Elisabeth said, “but we were just leaving. Good luck finding—”

“Leaving?” Kaylee wailed. “We haven’t even got hot chocolate. You promised. And Justin doesn’t have a tree. He needs our help picking a tree.”

Steven was glancing at the little girl with alarm. Justin recognized some of the same trepidation he’d experienced the other day, when Kaylee had almost started crying and he hadn’t known what to do.

“Don’t you want my help?” Kaylee asked Justin. “I’m very good at picking trees.”

“I... Of course I
want
your help,” Justin said, not meeting Elisabeth’s gaze, “but I can manage on my own if you have to go.”

Steven lowered his voice. “Elisabeth, could I speak with you for a minute?”

“I’ll keep an eye on Kaylee,” Justin promised, waving them to the side. He valiantly ignored the temptation to eavesdrop. In part because Kaylee’s animated chatter made it impossible.

“Wanna go throw snowballs?” she asked.

“I think we’re supposed to stay in the tent. Patience. They’ll be right back.”

She made a face. “I was stuck inside all day. I like
outside
.”

Her conviction made him laugh. “Me, too, kiddo. That’s why I have the best job in the world. I get to spend a lot of it outside.”

“Steven has a boring job,” she complained. “He was babysitting me, but he sat at the computer all day.”

“You have to give him a chance,” Justin told her. “He seems nice.”

She twisted her mouth into a contemplative scowl. “He let me play a video game. But it was too hard.”

“We may have a solution,” Elisabeth said, rejoining them. “If Justin is willing to give Kaylee and me a ride home.”

Steven’s tone was apologetic. “My company is about to roll out a new version of our software, and there are still bugs. I hate to work while I’m visiting Elisabeth, but—”

“Hey, I’m the one who worked all day while you watched Kaylee,” she reminded him with a smile. “Teamwork.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “You’re the best. Justin, what do you say? Any chance you could give the girls a lift?”

“
Please
!” Kaylee begged.

Looking into her big brown eyes, he knew there was no way he could refuse. “No problem. Now, what’s this I hear about hot chocolate?”

He let Kaylee drag him toward the line at the concessions table while Elisabeth and Steven said goodbye. It only took a moment or two before Elisabeth fell into step with him.

“Elisabeth, can we get a cookie with our hot chocolate?” Kaylee asked.

“Okay, but only because it’s the holiday season. And no dessert after dinner tonight,” Elisabeth warned. “This is it for the day.”

Undisturbed by thoughts of the dessertless future, Kaylee skipped ahead to check out the cookie selection and stood at the front of the line talking to a pigtailed girl she seemed to recognize.

Elisabeth’s shoulders slumped. “This was probably a mistake.”

“What, her inevitable sugar rush? Don’t worry. Colin and I never paid enough attention to nutrition, and Arden turned out great. She willingly eats vegetables all the time.”

“I meant staying here with you. Steven thought it would earn him points with Kaylee, but they’re having a difficult enough time as it is. How’s she supposed to bond with him while he’s at my place and you’re here being charming?”

He grinned. “You think I’m charming?”

“No. But I can see how a six-year-old might make that mistake.”

“Ouch. I don’t remember you being this mean.”

“With as many women as you date,” she said matter-of-factly, “I’m amazed you remember me at all. Do you have some kind of spreadsheet to keep track of us?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she wasn’t like any of the others, that she’d been special. But what good would that do? Part of her distinction was how uncomfortable she’d made him. She would forever be off-limits to him even if she weren’t engaged to be married.

Her mouth rounded in a surprised O. “You’re hurt.”

“Because you insinuated I’m a man-ho? No worries, my skin’s thicker than that. Arden says horrible things to me all the time.”

“Your cheek,” she clarified. “It’s hurt. Physically, literally. Injured.”

“Oh, that.” He raised a hand and pressed below his cheekbone, wincing. There would definitely be a bruise there. “Battle wounds from rescuing a damsel in distress. She—”

“Spare me any details of how she offered to kiss it all better,” Elisabeth said, her tone withering.

There was an awful lot of disdain in her voice for someone who shouldn’t care about his love life. Could she possibly be jealous? Of course not. Just as
he
was not bitter about her becoming Mrs. Elisabeth Miller.

“You misunderstand,” he said. “The damsel in question was twelve. There was some flailing—she caught me with both an arm and a ski—but the physical pain wasn’t nearly as bad as the loss of hearing she probably caused. Do all preteen girls shriek like banshees?”

At that, Elisabeth smiled. “I have news for you, it’s not just the tweens. I was in Denver for Kaylee’s fifth birthday. She was overstimulated and overtired and threw an epic fit. I thought my ears would actually start bleeding.”

“And now? Any tantrums since she moved in with you?”

“Not at first, but she’s getting there.”

“Why do you sound like tantrums would be progress?”

“In some ways, it would be a relief. I think all normal kids throw one or two. Lord knows Lina did. But when Kaylee first moved in with me... She was far too solemn for a child her age. And painfully tentative, as if she was afraid I’d make her leave if she did anything wrong. She needs to know this is permanent, that I’ll love her no matter what.”