Chapter Seventeen
T he Marietta Christmas Stroll was one of the most anticipated events of the Christmas season. Liam had gone to it several times over the years, but he’d never taken a date. And the outing with Val was definitely a date, even if his mother was going with them. The first weekend in December was the tree lighting and Stroll, the traditional kickoff to the holiday season. All the shops were decorated with Christmas-themed windows. They stayed open late to give everyone a chance to do some of their Christmas shopping.
Liam’s favorites were the food booths. Set up along Main Street, there was every kind of food and beverage. From barbecue and sweets to hot chocolate and spiced wine. And everything imaginable in between.
Main Street was closed to all but foot traffic. Wreaths lit with sparkly white lights adorned the old-fashioned lamp poles. Garlands hung along the storefronts, the courthouse was lit up with a thousand lights, and in Crawford Park a huge Christmas tree stood, waiting for its lights to be turned on.
After parking at the fairgrounds, Liam, Val, and his mom made their way down to Main Street and then on to Crawford Park. Tonight was crisp and cold, with a forecast of snow possible. Val and his mom were wrapped to the gills in parkas, scarves, gloves, and hats. And boots, of course. The Christmas-tree lighting officially opened the festivities. Liam got a kick out of seeing Val and his mom’s reactions to the event. Liam liked Christmas but he’d usually been too busy for the past few years to be involved in much. Seeing all the families and kids watching the lighting and Santa’s sleigh made him a little nostalgic. It also made him think about the baby. What would it be like to take a child to the Stroll? Would he and Val even be together by the time their kid was old enough to remember anything?
Their kid. He wasn’t the biological father, but he felt more like the baby’s father every day. Which was a good thing for several reasons. One being that he would be legally responsible for the baby. And the other—well, he had a feeling he was going to fall for the baby as surely as the gorgeous moon shined over Copper Mountain tonight.
He hadn’t thought much about what would happen after the baby was born. He and Val hadn’t discussed staying together or splitting up. But even after such a short time of being married to Val he knew he didn’t want to split up. He wasn’t in love with Val. At least, he didn’t think he was. He could be married and happy and still not be in love, couldn’t he? All his previous reasons for not letting his heart get involved still held true. But he really had no clue about how Val felt about it all.
Some carolers sang ‘O Christmas Tree’ as the sleigh drew near. Santa and his sleigh arrived, and the excitement and noise level grew until it was so loud that you couldn’t hear anything else. Both Val and his mom seemed fascinated with the lights. Liam admitted it was beautiful. Maybe the prettiest tree he could remember. Which reminded him that he and Val needed to pick out a tree for the ranch. Maureen had already given them that task.
After the lighting he and Val walked back to Main Street to look at the shops. Maureen had run into Logan and Cici and she’d gone off with them to go to a shop both she and Cici wanted to look at. After looking around a bit, Liam asked Val if she wanted to go on a sleigh ride.
“I’d love to. I haven’t been on a sleigh ride since I was a little girl.”
“Great, let’s get in line.”
While they waited a woman stopped to chat. Turned out it was Christy Loftus, someone Liam had dated a few times in the past.
“Liam, it’s so good to see you.” She threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. He wondered how much spiced wine she’d been drinking. “I heard a rumor you were married. Tell me it’s not true.” Her mouth formed a flirtatious pout.
“It’s true,” he said, watching the pout vanish to become a frown. “This is my wife, Val.” He took Val’s hand. “Val, this is Christy Loftus.”
“Nice to meet you,” Val said offering her other hand.
Christy shook hands, though she looked as if she’d just as soon shake a snake. “Likewise,” Christy said and proceeded to ignore Val. She started talking about all the good times she and Liam had had, which he frankly didn’t remember. She was also hanging on to his arm while she blabbered. Now he remembered one of the reasons they’d broken up. She talked incessantly about anything and everything.
“The sleigh is here.” Turning to Christy, Val said, “I’m afraid we have to go. Liam promised me a romantic sleigh ride.”
Liam was afraid Christy was going to invite herself along with the two of them, but she didn’t. Maybe that had something to do with Val’s pointed comment about romance.
“Thank you,” he said once they were in the sleigh and on their way. He tucked a blanket around her.
“For what?”
“Saving me.”
She laughed and tucked her arm through his. “Does this happen often? Old girlfriends who apparently haven’t forgotten you?”
“No. And I don’t know what that was about. We dated a few times several years ago. I wouldn’t even have called her an old girlfriend.”
“Obviously you two have differing memories about that.”
“I think we’ve talked plenty about her.” He bent his head and kissed her. Her lips were cold, but she tasted of the hot chocolate he’d bought her earlier. “What do you want to do next?”
“I want to see the gingerbread house competition over at the Graff. After our romantic sleigh ride.”
“In that case,” he said, and kissed her again.
*
A couple of days after she and Liam went to the tree lighting and the Stroll, Val met Letty and Cici at Grey’s to have a bite to eat and then shop. Val hadn’t gotten her fill of shopping during the Stroll and there were still a few gifts she had left to buy. She’d bought Liam a beautiful illustrated book about famous quarter horses. Not the most exciting thing in the world, but it was pretty, and she knew he’d like it. She wanted to get him something else, something he’d love, but so far she hadn’t thought of what. Right now, though, she needed something for his mom. Her mother-in-law. That still seemed unreal to her.
They took a booth near the back and she and Letty ordered grilled chicken salads while Cici had a hamburger. After they ordered Val said to Cici, “Are you getting Maureen something for Christmas or are you just letting Logan do it?”
“I told Logan he’s in charge of his family’s gifts. At least this year. Unless I see something that’s perfect for his mom or brothers. What about you?”
Once Val knew she had nothing to worry about with Cici and Liam, she found she liked her new sister-in-law a lot. “Liam and I didn’t really talk about it, but I assumed he’d get his family’s gifts and I’d get mine. But maybe that was a mistake. I thought I’d try to find something for Maureen, anyway. But what, I don’t know.”
“You can’t go wrong with chocolate,” Letty said. “Sage’s Chocolate has gift chocolates.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. Thanks, Letty.”
“What are you getting Liam?” Cici asked.
Val told them and added, “I also want to get him something special but I’m at a loss.”
“Liam’s mare recently foaled, didn’t she?” Letty asked.
“Yes. He’s crazy about her and the foal.”
“You know Mia Gallagher is an artist. Ask her to paint the mare and her foal.”
“He’d love that. But I can’t imagine she could do it on such short notice.”
“Can’t hurt to ask,” Cici said.
“I’ll call her right now,” she said, and excused herself.
To her absolute shock Mia said she could do it. All she needed to do was text or email her a picture. Which she had on her phone and was able to send right away.
“Success, I take it?” Letty said when she returned.
“I can’t believe it, but she said yes.”
“Told you,” Cici said with satisfaction.
The waitress brought their meal and while she ate, Val overheard a conversation from the booth behind theirs. A conversation she was pretty sure she was supposed to overhear.
“Christy, did you really? You actually told him you wanted to sleep with him?”
“Not in those words but he got my drift.”
“But he’s married. He’s a newlywed, for heaven’s sake.”
“So? You know Liam and I used to date. I can tell he’s still interested in me.”
“I don’t know about that. I saw him and Val together at the Stroll and they were pretty lovey-dovey.”
Christy sniffed. “He’ll get tired of her before long. And I’ll be waiting.”
Val struggled with herself. She was thinking hard about punching the woman right in the mouth, but she didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she’d gotten to her. Letty and Cici had obviously heard Christy too, judging by their frowns.
“Ignore her,” Letty said. “She’s lying about Liam being interested.”
Maybe. Probably. “He said they only went out a few times. And that he wasn’t at all interested in her.”
“Well, there you go. And it sounded like her friend didn’t believe it either.”
A short time later Christy and her friend walked by their booth on the way out. Christy stopped and said, “Oh, I didn’t realize you were there, Letty. And Cici too.” She glanced at Val and added, “It’s…Val, right?”
“Yes, Val McFarland. Liam’s wife. But you knew that didn’t you? Otherwise, why bother to talk so loudly?”
Christy flushed while her friend didn’t say a word. Val didn’t think Christy had expected to be called out.
“Oh, yes. Sorry. I’d forgotten we met at the Stroll,” Christy said.
“Right,” Val said, and went back to eating.
Christy and her friend had barely left before Letty and Cici started laughing. “Good one, Val,” Cici said. “Did you see her face?”
Val shrugged. “I thought about tripping her, but I restrained myself.”
“You know you don’t have anything to worry about, don’t you? Obviously, I don’t know Liam as well as you do, but he seems like a true blue kind of guy.”
“He is,” Letty said.
“I know.” She tried to blow it off, but it was hard. Marietta being as small as it was, Val suspected Christy knew Val had lived next door to Liam all her life. But she couldn’t figure out why the woman suddenly thought Liam was available when he’d told her himself he was married and introduced the two of them.
“I heard her last boyfriend dumped her recently,” Letty said. “Maybe that’s why she’s after Liam.”
“It takes a lot of cojones to proposition a guy in front of his wife.” Not that she had, exactly, but close enough.
“No cojones,” Letty said. “She’s just an ass. She always has been, although I don’t think Liam knew that when he asked her out.”
“I say we go get hot chocolate and listen to the Christmas music they’re playing in all the stores,” Val said. “And forget about what’s-her-name.”
“Sounds good to me,” Cici said.
“Me too,” Letty said.