Chapter 10
10
T otally humiliated, and now with a sore backside, I sprawled on the ground for a stunned moment. My hair had shaken free of the ponytail I usually wore, and was now thankfully covering most of my face. I could feel the hot rush of embarrassment on my cheeks, and I knew they had to be beet red.
Cool. Calm. Deep breath.
When my racing heartbeat was starting to get under control, I looked up again, trying to smile, and then lurched to my feet. With both shaking hands brushing the dirt off my pants, I held my weak and wavering smile in place at the scowling man standing before me. The fact his Scotty dog was once again growling at me was almost enough to have me turn tail and run.
Until I remembered why I was here. Hang on a second. I wasn’t in the wrong. This was only some garbage outside his business, and thus it was fair game. So, I wasn’t going to run off like I was the guilty party. I was going to stand my ground.
Ella’s accusation rang in my head as I stiffened and dropped my smile. It was time for Connor MacDowell and me to have some words, even if I hadn’t wanted to do it after getting busted for going through this man’s trash. We needed to get some things straight.
I held out my hand—still covered in bits of dirt and pebbles—to him. When he just arched an eyebrow and looked down at it, I snatched it back.
“We were never properly introduced,” I said. “My name is Ivy Bell.”
He frowned. “Bell? Are you any relation to Luke Bell?”
I cleared my throat and stood a bit taller. “He’s my dad. I’m his oldest daughter.”
One side of Connor’s mouth twisted into a smile. “Does your dad know his oldest daughter likes to break the law?”
Was he trying to be funny?
“ Excuse me? I’ve never broken a law in my life!”
“Oh, really? Never broke a law?” The burr in his voice was stronger than ever. “From what I see, you keep snooping around and getting in my way. I don’t know if this is your normal way of doing things, but it’s not a good way to get to know your neighbors.”
He crossed his arms over his massive chest, and I couldn’t help but stare. Why did he have to be so dang handsome? It was hard enough having to compete with my beautiful sisters and stepsisters, and now Holly had Max who was gorgeous with his black hair and blue eyes. Why did this stranger have to be so attractive as well?
I quickly reminded myself that this wasn’t about him being attractive or not. It was business. All business. I gave myself a mental shake when I heard him clear his throat.
“Sorry?” I croaked.
“I said you’ve broken the law at least twice in the two times I’ve met you. Unless you don’t consider trespassing a law-breaking offense?”
I wiped my sweaty palms on my apron, hating that my emotions were getting the better of me. “Listen, I’ve heard you’re making your own ice cream, and that’s great. Our ice cream shop closed down last year, and we haven’t found anyone to open a new parlor. The tourists will be really happy.” I cleared my throat. “But I think I also saw you bringing in a coffee machine and an oven for making cakes.”
I waited for him to apologize, to give an excuse.
Something. Anything.
Instead, he shrugged. “And?”
I narrowed my eyes and looked up at him. “We have non-compete agreements in this town. I’m sure Dad told you that.”
Connor grinned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Worried your products aren’t up to snuff, Ms. Bell?”
He did not just say that to me!
I inhaled deeply, ready to give him a piece of my mind. Leaning forward, I raised my finger and opened my mouth, when the Scotty dog growled at me. Shocked, I stumbled backward. “Is your dog always so aggressive?”
Connor frowned at his little dog. “Angus is particular about who he likes.”
Was that a challenge… or did I hear humor in his tone? I couldn’t tell with this man.
Angus let out another growl, as if to agree.
“I don’t understand why he growls at me.” The near-whine in my voice made me cringe. What was wrong with me? “Animals usually love me. Even Rudy, the town reindeer, loves to come to the back of the bakery and beg for treats.”
Connor arched a dark eyebrow. “You feed a reindeer sugar?”
“Of course not! I feed him pecans and dried fruit.” I bit my lip. This was not going how it was supposed to go. I should have let Ella come with me, after all. I was making an even bigger disaster of the mess I’d already created, and it looked like it was only going downhill from here. I did my best to pull myself together, ignoring the cranky dog at my feet.
“I’m not here to trespass or break the law,” I said. “I’m here to make sure we’re both on the same page. We didn’t get off to a good start. You had no idea who I was, and I never officially got your name.” He didn’t argue back, so I carried on, softening a little, though my babbling was back, and I recognized it almost immediately, even though I couldn’t seem to rein it in. “I mean, I know it’s Connor MacDowell because I asked my dad about you last night during dinner, but I—”
“Why would you ask your father about me?”
I blinked in surprise at his question. “No reason, really. I just—you know. I just asked him about you and your store.” I tried a wavering smile that barely stuck. “My sister is Joy, the town manager. Have you met her yet?”
“I don’t know.”
“Okay, no big deal. Um, anyway, I thought maybe you should know that the town has this rule that all businesses support one another. When a coffee shop was needed in the town, my friend Ella and I took classes to learn how to run the espresso maker and make all the drinks. We already fulfill that need for the town, right across the street.”
Connor snorted. “You never heard of healthy competition?”
“You think competition is healthy in a small town?” I realized that was how things were done in bigger places, but we were different in Jingle Junction. “I mean, shouldn’t everyone just get along and—”
Connor threw back his head and laughed. “No, lass. That’s not how business works.”
I frowned at him. “Well, it’s how business in Jingle Junction works.” I let him absorb that for a moment before speaking again, with more confidence this time. “Christmas spirit. Supporting each other. You know: all that jazz,” I said, waving a hand at him. “We all want to get along and be good neighbors.”
Angus growled at me again. The idea that all animals liked me seemed less and less likely.
“I also do the cakes in town,” I said, forcing a level tone even while my voice shook so much I knew he had to hear it. “But I’m really excited to taste your ice cream. And I hear your candy is delicious.”
He grinned. “Really? And who’d you hear that from?”
“Actually,” I said, “it was my stepsister, Holly. She said she toured your place in San Francisco last year.”
Connor blinked in surprise. “You’ve got a sister named Joy and a stepsister named Holly?” He seemed genuinely confused. “And you’re Ivy?”
I laughed before I could stop myself, and then cringed when I heard how tinny it sounded. Why was I so nervous around this guy? The butterflies returned even as I argued with them that there was no way someone like him would ever be who I wanted him to be. Better to write him off now than get my heart broken down the road.
“I also have an older brother named Christopher—Chris for short.” I pointed to myself. “Then there’s me, Ivy. Then Joy and my little sister, Star. My step-siblings are Holly, Noelle, Eve, and Nick.” I shrugged. “You just moved into a Christmas town of close-knit folks, and you didn’t take the time to get to know anything about us?”
Chew on that, Mr. Scotland.
“Fascinating,” Connor murmured. “Is that another one of your town rules? All kids must be named weird Christmas names?”
“Ex cuse me.” I was always proud of the fact we were all named after the very holiday this town had come to be known for. “My name isn’t weird.”
He grinned again, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how it completely changed his face. He went from being broodingly handsome to drop-dead gorgeous when he actually smiled.
Connor gave me a small bow. “My apologies. Maybe weird is a bit too harsh.”
“And no, that’s not a town rule.” I shrugged. “It’s just what the Bell and Silver families do.”
The twinkle in his eye let me know he was now flat-out amused. “Dare I ask? I know your dad is Luke Bell, but who is Silver?”
I gave him a small smile. “My stepmom, Fran. Well, her name is legally Silver-Bell now that she and Dad are married.” The more I talked, the more I saw the amazement in his face and the more I realized, from his point of view, just how odd it all seemed.
Okay, maybe we were weird.
Still shaking his head, Connor MacDowell chuckled. “At this rate, I’d have to see a family tree to figure it all out. As fascinating as this all is, Ivy Bell, just know I’m not leaving. I’ve been looking for a good place to live and set down some roots, and I think it’s right here, in Jingle Junction.”
“It is a great place to live,” I said.
“I also believe in competition. It’s healthy, and it’s what I’m about.” He turned to go back inside, but before he reached the door, he shot me a parting grin over his shoulder. “Better learn to keep up, lass.”
He disappeared inside the side door, whistling to his dog. Angus took one last moment to grumble at me, spinning and kicking out his back feet like he was telling me just what he thought of me before vanishing inside, the door slamming shut in my face.
My temper flared like a volcano’s magma rising to the surface.
He wanted competition, did he? In my town?
Oh, buddy, game on!