3. Candy
Chapter Three
CANDY
Grandma throws her hands up in the air, exasperated.
“That varmint of a dog has his dirty paws on the counter and is trying to get into my gingerbread! Candy, honey, can you take him for a walk? Or take him to the store?”
I’m lying on the sofa listening to a podcast about being confident after a breakup. It’s not helping. Maybe some fresh air will.
“Sure. But Rudy has to stay at home today. What happened at the store yesterday was too much, even for Mom and Dad.”
Grandma puts her head to one side. With her white braids and gold-rimmed glasses, she looks like a sweet old lady, but she has a mind like a steel trap. “That just might be the solution, Candy.”
“What?” I snap on Rudy’s leash while he chases his tail in excitement. He knows a walk is on the cards.
“Hit ‘em where it hurts. In the wallet. Let Rudy cause more damage, and then maybe they’ll take him to training classes.” She cracks eggs expertly into the enormous mixing bowl.
“Good plan. But I don’t want to break a leg or something proving the point.”
She grins. “Yes. Maybe only take him in while your brother is working. He has dinosaur bones.”
I laugh, shaking my head as I close the front door. It’s snowing again and I’m glad of the big puffy coat I found on the rack. It probably belongs to my sister, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I don’t want to freeze to death walking the dog. Now that really would be a tragic way to go.
Once I’m walking through the streets, the weird sadness returns. It’s the combination of the Christmas lights and how happy everyone looks. I was happy once. Dad jokingly calls me Sunshine because I always look on the bright side. But that was when I thought I had life all figured out. I had a good-looking fiancé and a career I loved.
I grimace as the cold wind blows into my face. That was before I found out Aiden cheated. I was the last one to know. Nobody told me, in case it made things difficult.
Not that things had been perfect between me and Aiden. While we shared a love of performing, our love life was less than stellar. He always wanted me to ‘shape up’ for the next performance, criticizing my weight. He insisted we had to wait to have sex until we were married. He was critical of the way I dressed.
But I couldn’t see the problems. I thought I had everything worked out. Except I ended up being the one who lost everything. Lost my career. Lost my carefully planned future. A warm tear rolls down my nose.
I stop, hunting in my pocket for a tissue. Rudy takes advantage of my distracted state, pulling hard at his leash so it slips through my fingers.
“Rudy!” I shout, running after him. I skid on a patch of ice. A tall, broad-shouldered man walking in front of me turns around, instinctively reaching out one big hand to steady me and catching the leash in the other.
It’s Dalton.
“You need to stop rescuing me like this…” I take a big lungful of air, breathing in his unique bergamot-and-leather scent.
“Well now, ma’am, you need to stop tumbling off ladders and skidding on ice then.” His voice is gruff, his face unsmiling, but there’s a twinkle in his eyes.
“And losing control of my dog?” I give him my best showbiz razzle-dazzle grin. Darn it, I can get anyone to smile. Has he always been this grumpy?
“I was getting to that. Rudy’s feral.” His hand is steady on my arm, sending tingles to the back of my neck and shooting down to my core.
“Feral is a strong word.”
“Uncivilized? Untamed?”
I can’t tell if he’s playing with me or not. His mouth is still set in that slight frown. Despite his expression, he’s so handsome it makes my stomach flutter. His huge body looms over mine, his hand still gripping my arm.
But there’s something different about him. Something I can’t quite put my finger on. All the while I was away from Snowflake Falls, relentlessly pursuing what I thought was my dream life, Dalton’s changed.
Something that means he doesn’t ever smile. Like he’s carrying a weight on those massive shoulders.
“Mom likes to say Rudy’s spirited. But maybe feral is a better word.”
Rudy sits by Dalton’s feet, staring up at him with a rapt expression. He reaches down and gently pets the top of the dog’s head, stroking his furry ears.
“Where are you headed?” I ask.
“Getting some cookies for my nephew. You?”
“Grandma thinks I should take Rudy to the store. We’ll walk with you. He does better with a destination walk, otherwise he starts pulling on the leash to go up to the mountain trail.”
“Not going to be much of a trail left, if this snow keeps falling.” Dalton finally lets go of my arm, but keeps hold of Rudy’s leash. I wait for Rudy to start pulling and barking, but he trots obediently alongside him.
“Hard work for the firehouse, I guess. Do they still have a search and rescue team? That’s what Jaxon keeps saying he wants to do.”
“I’d have thought so.”
“You don’t know? You work there…”
“Took some time off. Needed a break. Like you, I guess?” He glances down.
My cheeks flush. “Sort of. My break wasn’t exactly planned.”
Turning the corner, we walk onto the road leading to the main square. A group of carol singers pass by, practicing Hark the Herald Angels Sing. The scent of pine and snow fills the air, and for the first time since I came back home, it feels like Christmas.
“Snowflake isn’t the worst place to be during the holidays.” Dalton nods at the lights wrapped around the big oak trees lining the square ahead.
“Yeah, it’s beautiful. I’ve just lost my Christmas spirit. It’s not like me. I’m sure I’ll find it somewhere.” We’ve reached the store. Dalton hands me Rudy’s leash, his fingers brushing mine.
“Wait here for a second.” He ducks inside the store.
The cookie store’s windows are filled to the brim with holiday goodness. A display that looks like the ice rink close by glistens under the lights. On closer inspection, the ice is made from glazed sugar and the snow is formed from candy floss. A red and green-iced gingerbread tree sits to one side, sugar icicles frosting its branches.
Dalton comes back, carrying a big red paper cup. It’s topped with a fragile mound of whipped cream, covered in sprinkles, with a jaunty gingerbread man wedged in the center.
“See if this helps with the holiday spirit. Bye.” Without looking back, he hands me the cup and then walks back inside the shop.
The scent of chocolate has Rudy sniffing as I walk over to Twinkle Town, sipping the hot cocoa. Why is Dalton being so nice? Or was he always nice, and I never realized?
I’ve always thought he was gorgeous, but I avoided him because of Jaxon. They’d both finished high school by the time I started, so the only time I ran into him was if Jax brought him back home, or at family holiday meals. Or that time in senior year when I drank the spiked holiday punch. My cheeks get hot at the memory of trying to kiss him. I was so out of it. Dalton gently steered me home while I loudly belted out Christmas carols.
My brother starts to shake his head when he sees Rudy.
“No. Way.”
“Yes, way. Grandma thinks it’ll be a good idea. Make Mom and Dad realize he has to go for training if he causes more damage.”
“Grandma’s smart. But she’s not the one trying to stop him from stealing stuff from customers’ bags, or knocking over ornaments, or–”
“Maybe we just let him, Jax. Stop covering for this fluffy tyrant.” Rudy sits between us, puts his ears back, and whines, looking worried.
“Are you going to finish that? It smells great. I haven’t had a lunch break today.” Jax gestures at my drink.
“You can have the bottom of my gingerbread.” I snap off a piece. “Hey, I saw Dalton on the way here. What’s the deal with him not working at the firehouse?”
“Wait…you don’t know?”
“I’ve kind of been out of the loop, bro. I was with Aiden’s family last year, remember? Until Grandma got sick. And anyway, I rely on you for all the town gossip.”
My brother grunts. “This isn’t gossip.”
“This is why Dalton isn’t working at the firehouse?”
“Yep. He was one of the first on the scene, his nephew Charlie was at a friend’s house. The parents had left them alone to go to the store, they’re not exactly sure how but they think a candle set fire to a tablecloth. There was a lot of smoke, they couldn’t find the exit. Dalton rescued them both, but it was close.”
“Oh my God. I didn’t realize. Poor Dalton, his poor nephew.” Rudy leans the top of his head against my leg, like he’s trying to comfort me.
“The Chief’s been trying to get Dalton to come back, but he’s been concentrating on his electronics stuff. I guess he doesn’t want to be anywhere that reminds him of what happened, you know?”
The elf laughter rings out as the door opens and a family crowds into the store. I stand to the side of the counter so Jax can serve them.
I crouch down to pet Rudy, although he’s already squirming, excited to see new people. I’m sorry for myself because of my idiot ex, but Dalton’s been through some really tough times. And he’s been so kind to me, trying to get me in the holiday mood.
I’m going to try to do the same. I want to see a smile on Dalton’s handsome face. It’s the holidays after all.