Chapter 23
twenty-three
GEORGIE
It’s been days of snow. Days of being stuck inside worrying about Drew when he’s not here. Which has been most of the time until today.
The final day of the festival.
Today they’re shutting everything down. Anyone who doesn’t have to go out has been advised not to. There are a bunch of people trapped out at Winter Tree Farm because the train couldn’t make the return trip yesterday.
Everyone is okay. They’re making the most of it and Amos Winter has plenty of food and ample space to house his unexpected guests.
When the snow started coming down hard on Monday, I knew we were in for a lockdown. Especially when Drew came into the library in his deputy uniform and told me I had to send everyone home and shut the doors.
Marnie had been on, and her first question was had anyone checked on Haynes and Lily.
In the days since she took care of Lily while we’d talked with Haynes I’ve seen changes in her. Or maybe I hadn’t noticed them before now. It’s like she matured ten years in the blink of an eye.
But I don’t have time to examine what’s going on with my part-time assistant. The only thing I should be focused on is Drew. He called about an hour ago saying he was on his way home.
He’s still not here.
And now there are no bars on my phone which means a cell tower is down or something.
I can’t call him.
Can’t hear his voice.
Can’t find out if he’s okay.
I can’t even look out the window and watch for his truck because the snow is coming down so hard, I can’t even see the street!
This isn’t how I wanted to spend Christmas Eve. I hoped to be cuddled up under a blanket, hot chocolate in hand, and my fiancé beside me.
Except my fiancé is dedicated to his job and the people of Evergreen Lake. To the point of jeopardizing his own life.
Okay, not really but he would put his life on the line if he had to. I’m sure of it.
And I love him more for that but gosh does it make me feel sick.
Right now he could be broken down, or Murphy the moose could have made him crash, and he’s stuck in a ditch?—
A shudder rattles my teeth.
I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a deputy’s wife.
How does Ina do it with all those children?
The thought of something happening to Drew…
I’d never considered it until Haynes had brought up his reason for searching out Lily’s biological father.
It’s a lot to think about.
And it comes down to two options.
I live with the worry.
I break up with Drew.
Except I love him. Breaking up with him isn’t going to stop the anxiety from churning my stomach because we’re not together.
It would be worse!
Because I wouldn’t know where he was or what he was doing. I wouldn’t have a right to know.
I check my phone again.
Still no bars but another fifteen minutes have gone by.
It’s almost dinner time. He should have been home hours ago. But with the storm, and a lot of tourists in town who are clueless about snow safety, he’s been late home from every shift.
Out of the white mist a hulking figure trudges toward the building.
“Drew.” I press my hand to the cold glass when my knees give out.
I know I’ll never get used to the worry but I’ll find a way to manage it because watching him walk across the snow covered lawn has anticipation and warmth spreading through me.
The idea of breaking up with him is ludicrous. I can’t imagine my life without him. Can’t imagine a time when I would want to.
I follow his shadowy figure until my forehead rests beside my hand and I can’t see him anymore. He’ll be entering the foyer now. Stamping his boots to get the snow off or slipping out of them all together.
I can’t move. The relief I feel at the sight of him has liquified my muscles and bones and I can’t get them to obey my brain.
I’m still at the window, staring out at the raging storm when he comes through the door.
“Hey.” His boots thump on the floor when he drops them. “What are you doing over there?”
I hear the curiosity and concern and turn my head to look at him. “You’re home.”
It’s all I can get out. All that’s going through my brain. He’s home.
“Yeah, I told you I was heading back.” His eyebrow cocks and he takes a cautious step in my direction. “What’s going on?”
“I thought the worst.”
“The worst?”
“Yes.” I manage to lift my head off the window and turn my body toward him. “I thought you were broken down, or in a ditch, or…or…” I suck in a breath. I shouldn’t lay my worry on him. It isn’t fair?—
“Good.”
“What?”
“Good. Because all I could think about was if you’d done as I asked and stayed inside, stayed home. If you had the heater turned up high enough. If a branch had snapped under the weight of snow and broken a window making the furnace useless no matter what temperature you’d set it at.”
“You worried about me?”
“Of course I did.” He’s right in front of me now. When did he get so close? “I’ll always worry about you. Even when you’re beside me and I know you’re safe.”
“Oh.”
His cold hands cradle my face and I shiver. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I know.”
“I need to have a hot shower. Get some warmth into my bones.” His lips kick up on one end. “Want to join me?”
“In the shower?”
“Yes.”
“To warm you up?”
“Georgie?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m right here. Not going anywhere for a day or so.”
“Really?”
“Yes. As of now, we’ve issued a shelter in place order. Hopefully those unfamiliar with the area will stay inside until we lift it.”
“And you don’t have to go out and enforce it?”
“No. There’s no point risking our lives unless we have to.” He lets go of my face and reaches for both my hands. “Come have a shower with me.”
I’m still so dazed with relief that I let him tow me from the living room into the bathroom. I’m down to my underwear before my brain finally starts working.
“Oh! I made chicken noodle soup. That will warm you up.” I turn to get him some when I’m stopped by an arm around my waist.
“Georgie?” His warm breath rushes past my ear and over my cheek. “As much as I’d love to try your soup, I want you naked against me more.”
“You really don’t have to go anywhere?”
“Not until the storm lets up. They’re predicting two days.”
“We’ll be stuck here until after Christmas?”
“Looks that way.”
Turning in his embrace, I wrap my arms around his neck and push up to my toes. “Good thing I made a big pot of soup then.”
“Huh?”
“We won’t have to get out of bed to cook.”
“I see the appeal in that.” He picks me up off my feet. “So here’s the plan. We’ll shower. Then after all the hot water has run out we’ll crawl into bed and stay there until Friday at the earliest.”
“We’ll miss Christmas.” The words have me thinking of something else. “I didn’t buy you a gift!”
“You already gave me one.”
“What? What did I give you?” I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You. Your heart. Your hand. Your future. And eventually, your babies.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I don’t need anything else. Ever. You’ve already given me everything I’ve ever wished for.”
“Oh.”
“Now can I unwrap the rest of my gift?”
I blink. I’m so confused. “But I didn’t?—”
His laughter vibrates against my breast. “You, Georgie. I want to unwrap you.”
It takes me longer than it should to realize he means taking off the rest of my clothes. Not wanting to keep him waiting any longer, I wiggle out of his arms.
“Put me down so I can finish getting naked.”
“I’m on board with that.” He has me on my feet and my panties around my ankles in the next second.
“Wow.” I look down. “How the hell did you do that so quickly?”
“When it comes to getting you naked, I’m like lightning. Striking without warning.”
He laughs at his own words and I go still.
This isn’t the man I thought he was. That man had a permanent scowl on his face, barely spoke two words to anyone, and the sound echoing off the tile walls was one I never expected to hear.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“You’ve lost your title.”
“My what?”
“Your title.”
“Ah…you’ll have to explain that.”
“Deputy Grumpy. I don’t remember the last time I saw your frown or scowl.”
“Around you they don’t exist. All I want to do is smile.” He flicks the catch between breasts to undo my bra. “And get you naked.”
I grin. He’s so different than what I expected. Yes, he’s serious and I’m sure he can still throw a good frown or scowl but Lordy, that smile? That smile melts me. He could get me to do anything with his smile.
“I’m so glad I get your smiles. And I want to point out they’re just as pretty as mine.”
He shoots me a mock frown. “They are not. The prettiest thing on this earth is your smile.”
I giggle. I can’t help it. I never imagined I’d be here, with Drew Westwood—aka Deputy Grumpy—when I was hiding?—
Oh shit!
I haven’t told him about Jingle Balls!
I’ve been sneaking around, hanging balls and never thought keeping it a secret might destroy our relationship. After everything I’ve learned about his first wife I can only think it would ruin everything.
“What is that face?” he asks, his hands tucked into the sides of his pants. His shirt is already gone, on the floor beside the laundry basket.
“Ah…” He’s very distracting naked. “I, um.” He drops his pants and my breath goes with them.
“You what?”
I swallow hard and attempt to focus on what I need to say not what I want to do. But right now the only thing I can think of is getting him inside me.
“Georgie.” He puts a finger under my chin and lifts my head until our eyes meet. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong exactly…” I suck in a deep breath and force the words out. “I’m Jingle Balls.”
“I know.”
“I—” My mouth snaps shut.
He shrugs.
What kind of magic does this man have? “What do you mean you know?”
“I knew last year.”
“Then why the hell didn’t you say something?”
“Because I wanted you to tell me when you wanted to, not when I made you confess.”
I huff. “So you’re telling me I didn’t need to sneak out at two in the morning?—”
“So that’s what you were doing.”
“What the hell, Drew?”
I get another shrug and he moves past me to turn the shower on. “I worked it out after the one of me went up last year but wasn’t there this year.”
For a second I have no idea why that would give me away. Until I remember where the ball ended up.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Nice decorations on the tree in your office.”
“I moved it there because I didn’t want to leave it on the one at home.”
“There’s only three on the tree so far this year.”
I sigh. “I haven’t had time to put the last one up.”
“We can do it once the storm passes. They’ve moved the closing of the festival to the thirty-first. They still have to announce the window display, and sugar cookie winners.”
“You want to help me put it up?”
“Of course. I’d have helped you do the others too.”
“Huh. Well, I usually do them late at night after I close the library or early in the morning on the way to work.”
“First chance we get, we’ll head out and put it up.”
“You’re not going to ask what it is?”
“No. I’ll wait.”
“You’re not going to ask why I do it in secret?”
“No.”
“But—”
“Sweetheart, if you want to hand-paint balls to hang on the town tree but not tell anyone it’s you, I’ll protect your secret. Plus, like Dan said the other week, they’re gifts to the town. They bring people together and make them smile. Why would I want to wreck that?”
“I didn’t think you liked them.”
“I think they take skill, and while I could do without the reminder of a chicken giving birth on my head, I think they’re a fantastic way to show the whole town how much you love it.”
“I do love it here.”
“And I love you.” He pulls me into his arms. “Now let’s get our Christmas celebration started.”
Jumping up, I wrap my legs around his waist. “Merry Christmas, Deputy Grumpy.”
He frowns at me, making me laugh which quickly turns his mouth up in a brilliant smile.
Pressing his lips to mine he says, “Merry Christmas, Jingle Balls.”