Mountain Single Dad (Tinsel & Timber #7)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Zemia

“Single line please, my friends.” Mrs. Howland, also known as my older sister Alana, said to her preschool class. The children ambled about as if they were unsure even though I was certain they rehearsed a thousand times knowing my sister. “Listening ears on, friends! Form a single line!”

Alana shot me a please help me or I’m going to kill you later look, and I quickly snapped into action, hurdling the kids together into one semi single line while suppressing my laughter. How my sister dealt with this regularly, I’d never understand.

Remind me again why I let her rope me into this?

Cute kids, your adorable niece, and Christmas cookies galore, remember?

“Good job friends! Who’s ready to sing?” Alana said as the kids cheered.

I moved to the back of the line, with my sister leading the front, as the children clapped. A moment later we walked them out to the stage, placing them in their spots, all while wrangling the ones who tried to run off and fixing the Santa hat each child wore because they all started slipping off.

“Auntie Z! My hat!” Jill, my adorable four-year-old niece, appeared beside me, visibly upset. Her hat no longer sat atop her head. Instead, she shoved it at me, the felt fabric crumbling easily. “Fix it, please!” Jill whined underneath all her adorable ringlets. Ringlets I styled in her hair.

I quickly re-pinned it into place and got her back in line before joining my sister off to the side.

Here goes nothing…

The music started.

And somehow, by the luck of a Christmas miracle, the children remembered the words and sang the song.

I looked out at the audience from the sidelines, my eyes sweeping over the crowd in search of our parents. Next to them sat my brother-in-law, Marc. They were front and center and couldn’t take their eyes off our Jilly.

Just as I looked away, my eyes caught those of a tall guy next to my father on the other side.

It was as if his eyes undressed me, the way he looked me up and down, intensity and amusement at the same time.

The very obvious sexual tension caused me to flush, and I looked away quickly.

Who is he?

I snuck one more look, and his fervent stare hadn’t budged an inch.

Shivers ran down my spine. I lost myself in him, only him, the music, the noise, the chaos all around us melting away.

Until suddenly, children ran straight at me like a stampede of animals and the moment was gone.

“Me! Do me next!”

“No! Me!”

“No! I waited here first.”

“Okay, one at a time. I’ll get all of your hats switched, don’t worry.

” Alana said as the children lined up in between performances, switching from Santa hats to elf ones.

I helped her, moving the kids through quickly, until the last one who had tears in her eyes.

Her hair was messy and loose, and I wanted to help her.

“I’ve got this one.” I smiled at Alana, who smiled back gratefully before turning to wrangle the herd once more.

Dropping to my knee, I smiled warmly. “Hey you. Need some help with your hair?”

The little girl looked away while swatting at her tears. Then she turned and nodded her head once before covering her mouth with her arm and twisting back and forth at her hips.

“Don’t be nervous, love. I’ll fix you right up.” I finger brushed her hair as best I could and pulled it back into a neater, tighter ponytail. Then I secured the elf hat in front of the ponytail. “What’s your name? I’m Zemia. But you can call me Z. It’s a lot easier.”

The little girl giggled as I finished the rest of her hair, her tears a distant memory. “Livvie.” She whispered.

“Livvie? That’s adorable. Okay, I think it’s all fixed.

Your hair looks perfecto. What do you think?

” I held out the hand mirror I brought everywhere with me and showed Livvie my handiwork.

It helped I styled hair for a living, but seeing a child smile made my whole night. Especially one who was sad moments ago.

“Livvie! Are you okay? Mrs. Howland said—” The handsome man from earlier ran over to us, skidding to a stop when his eyes landed on me, along with his words, apparently.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Livvie jumped up and down as her face lit up at seeing her father. She loved him to pieces, that was clear. Swoon times infinity. “Z helped me. I’m all better now!” The adorable young girl smiled brightly then ran off towards the rest of the class lined up against the wall.

“Okay, great. Emergency avoided. Phew.” The handsome guy with the most charming smile I’d ever seen said, destroying my panties and exploding my ovaries all at the same time.

Is it hot in here or is it just me?

God damn, he’s fine.

“Thank you. So much. Livvie doesn’t love when Dad does her hair. As you probably saw, I’m not that good at it.” He grimaced, and yet he was still so devastatingly handsome.

How had Alana not told me about him before?!

“Me either.” I teased despite him not knowing I was a hairdresser for a living.

“Zemia! I’ve been calling you!” Alana appeared next to me, tugging on my arm. “I need you!” She glared at me but then plastered on a huge smile to the sexy man. “Foster, I’m sorry. I kind of need my sister’s help. Will you excuse us?”

Foster. So that’s his name.

Foster stepped back, a gleam in his eye, and a smirk on his face. “No worries. I was just thanking your sister here for helping with Livvie’s hair.”

“She’s great, isn’t she?” Alana said before dragging me backwards towards her kids. I couldn’t stop staring at the handsome man, his brown hair shaggy on the top, a few pieces falling in front of his deep hazel eyes I could get lost in. Hell, I already was. Big time. “We’ll see you after the show!”

My sister spun us around and stormed off towards her waiting class, all while muttering under her breath, “I should be so pissed at you right now, but instead, I want to know how and why you were talking to Foster McKay.”

“He was thanking me for fixing his daughter’s hair. Why? What’s the big deal?” We stopped at the end of the line, and Alana turned to face me.

“Oh, he’s just the most eligible bachelor in town, is all. And it looks like he’s set his sights on you.” Alana wiggled her eyebrows and glanced over my shoulder towards him.

I went to turn, but Alana quickly grabbed me by the shoulders and kept me facing her.

“After the show, go fuck his brains out. I don’t care.

But right now, we have a number to do.” With a deep breath, she dropped her hands and turned to face her class.

“Okay, friends! Are we ready to be little elves? Let’s go! ”

As I got into place at the end of the line, I couldn’t help but sneak a look.

Foster hadn’t moved from where he stood. He watched me closely, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. His eyes moved along my body, and it felt as if he had set me on fire. I wanted to strip naked there and then if not to do anything but relieve the warmth of my skin.

This man unravels me at the seams from a look…I need some air.

Finally, he nodded his head at me and winked before he turned and walked away.

I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the last time I saw Foster McKay.