Chapter Thirteen #2
She was right. He shouldn’t have reached for her hand. How could he explain that in the moment he’d given in to the need to touch her?
“It may. I saw how you were looking at that hat as if it really did have magical powers.”
Apparently, if she’d been upset, she’d forgiven his blunder because she half-smiled. “Probably so. I’ve never seen anything like what the people in Pine Hill do. It’s just a small-town contest and yet they go to such lengths that you’d think all this was for some major international event.”
“Doesn’t matter how big or small the town when you want to win,” he pointed out. “And they all want to win.”
“Apparently.”
“How lucky are we that we get to decide the winners?” He might be whispering, but his sarcasm wasn’t lost as, amusement shining in her eyes, Maggie nodded, then shushed him as Rosie made one last turn before exiting the runway area.
The last contestant was TC with the Christmas Cruisers.
His broad brimmed hat had been set up like Pine Hill’s town square with the raised center portion of the hat being a replica of the courthouse.
A lit Christmas tree was on one corner of the courthouse.
Motorcycles with tiny riders wearing Christmas Cruisers jackets were on some type of electronic track that went around the brim.
“That is awesome.” Walker wasn’t sure if he or Maggie had made the comment.
Or it could have even been Joshua. They were all impressed.
Once TC had made his walk to the cheer of the crowd, he gave a salute, then went backstage. Moments later, Sophie came out carrying his hat and carefully placed it in the last spot on a display table.
Although there was a part of Walker that wanted to keep holding the puppy and truly bring her home for Zoie, he put her back with the others. Then, he, Maggie, and Joshua made their way by the hats, scoring each for creativity, and how each related to Pine Hill and Christmas.
Maggie finished scoring her sheet, then walked away to hand her choices to Sarah. Walker made his last mark and followed.
“I was planning to peep in to check on Zoie in the church nursery, then thought I’d get a bingo card. I hear they have amazing prizes donated for each round.”
“That doesn’t surprise me, but I wasn’t planning to play.”
“Afraid your number won’t be called?” he teased.
“That’s it, why I don’t want to play bingo.”
“I thought it might be.” He glanced around the room, busy with people and puppies. “Go with me to check on Zoie?”
Maggie hesitated, then nodded. “Okay, but only because I don’t want to be in here when Sarah announces the winner.”
Completely understanding, he grinned. “Chicken.”
Her brow rose. “You think I’m not on to you on why you want to go to the nursery at this precise moment?”
He grinned. “Point taken.”
Although it had an outside entrance, the community room was on the basement level of the church.
They took the staircase up to the main floor.
The nursery was across from the sanctuary.
Claudia’s granddaughters, along with a couple of other teens, were working in the nursery that was open for three and under.
A couple of the girls sat on the floor, playing with a Noah’s ark with the kids each having two animals that they’d then place inside the ark as the girls sang a catchy tune about “Good Ole Noah”.
Zoie sat on the floor with them, gnawing on the plastic animal her tiny fingers held.
Glad to see that she was happy and doing well, Walker’s chest filled with pride at his precious daughter.
He avoided letting her see him as he didn’t want to rock the boat, er, ark, by possibly upsetting her at spotting him.
“She seemed to be enjoying herself,” Maggie said as they headed back toward the staircase.
“She’s a good baby.”
“She is, and she has a good father.”
Pausing, he turned to look at her as the stairwell’s fire door closed behind them. “You think so?”
“She’s lucky to have you.” Then, completely surprising him, Maggie reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Very lucky.”
Walker swallowed. “I appreciate that.”
The praise and the way she clasped his hand with hers. Warm, capable, and yet soft.
Going down the stairs took longer with them walking side by side, but she didn’t seem to mind any more than he did.
If he had his way, they’d just stay in this moment for a long time.
Because he knew when they reached the bottom of the stairs that she’d slip her hand out of his before they rejoined the others in the community room.
Only, when they reached the last step, Maggie turned to him. He started to say something, but she placed her finger over his mouth.
He thought she was going to give him a quick kiss, but instead, her eyes were focused at where her finger touched his lips. With a feathery light touch, she traced her fingertip over his mouth. Gulping, Walker stood completely still, despite the emotional storm brewing inside him at her slow hand.
“When will Zach be back in town? He sure has been traveling a lot lately.”
At Claudia’s voice, Maggie’s hand fell. Fortunately, the Butterfly had entered the stairwell at some point above the basement level and wasn’t where she could have seen them.
“I know, Aunt Claudia,” Isabelle answered. “He’s been in DC due to one of the cases he’s working on. His job requires travel. I knew that going into our relationship.”
“Just so long as you’re happy,” Claudia told her niece.
“I am,” Isabelle assured.
They missed whatever else she said as Walker opened the stairwell door, leading back to the community room, and held it for Maggie.
When they reentered the community room chaos had broken out. Lou’s arms were wrapped around Rosie, lifting her off her feet, and was carrying her from the room with her sputtering left and right as he did so. The crowd good-naturedly cheered and clapped.
“What’s up with Lou and Rosie?” they asked Sarah.
“Let’s just say that she wasn’t ready to leave, and Lou was.
She was upset that the Christmas Cruisers hat won.
Lou told her she was taking the contest too seriously and he took the Grandma Games into his own arms. Literally.
” Sarah giggled. “The Bells-a-Ringing Butterflies were second, and the Hallelujah HoneyBs were third.”
It was exactly how Walker scored his sheet. Those little motorcycles going around the hat brim were ingenuous.
“Come on,” he told Maggie. “Let’s get our bingo cards and see if we can be winners at something rather than just judges.”
“Yeah, maybe you’ll win that darling puppy you were holding earlier,” she teased.
The way she smiled at him, Walker already felt as if he was a winner.
*
With Christmas so close, Harvey Farms had been busy all morning.
The lunch crowd had just thinned, leaving only a few occupied tables.
Maggie restocked the dessert display case with various goodies that included more of Sarah’s delicious cookies.
She was just finishing when she heard the doorbell chime indicating that new customers had entered.
Cole, Ben, Walker, and a couple of other firemen walked in. They wore their uniform pants, shirts, and jackets with their names and patches embroidered on them. Walker stood tall, proud, and handsome as always. Her breath caught and her pulse jumped.
“Hey, Maggie,” Ben greeted as he stepped up to the counter, first in line.
“Hi, Ben. What can I get you today?”
Ben, then the other guys ordered, leaving only Walker at the counter.
“Hello,” she greeted him, then asked, “What would you like?”
“For you to take a break and have lunch with me.”
She’d like that too. Which wasn’t good. She’d seen him on Saturday at the contest, yesterday at church, because Sarah had yet again convinced Maggie to go, and she’d yet again spent the afternoon with Walker and Zoie, this time under the guise of Christmas shopping.
Now, she was seeing him on Monday and was aware of how her pulse and respirations had kicked up.
Just as they always kicked up when he was near.
Or not near and she thought of him. What was wrong with her?
Maybe she was just off-kilter today because Lukas had called again the night before.
His guy had gotten the information he’d been after.
Information that, although Lukas hadn’t been at liberty to give her the details she longed for, he believed strong enough to get her case relooked at.
He was applying for her case to be brought back before the DRB.
The application process would likely take months, and the board might not even approve looking at it again.
Lukas assured her that he wouldn’t let the matter go until they did.
At some point down the line, she might really get a semblance of her old life back.
Yeah, that was enough to make a girl’s head spin even without the handsome man standing before her and waiting on her to give an answer.
“With the guys?” She liked Ben and Cole, didn’t really know the others with them, but would feel more self-conscious than she already did if they were seated with his coworkers. Her gaze dropped to Walker’s mouth. Her face heated.
“We could sit at a different table,” he offered. Did he know what she was thinking? “Or go outside, even. We could eat in the truck to keep out of the cold and have a little privacy.”
Torn, Maggie glanced at her watch. “I probably shouldn’t take a break ten minutes prior to my getting off duty.”
From where he stood at the order station, at the end of the food display counter, he arched a brow. “Your shift is about to end?”
“Yes, and you already knew that since, with the holiday schedule, I’m typically off work at two each day.”
He grinned. “Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall that.”
“If we’re not too busy for me to clock out when it’s time, then, I’ll have lunch with you.” Since she wasn’t sure if she’d see him again until Saturday at the Grandma Games talent contest, she didn’t have the heart to say no.