Chapter 6
Chapter Six
JULIE
It’s just Christmas lights. That’s it. Walk in, get them, and get out.
My hands are sweating by the time Tucker parks his truck outside of the Roland Hardware Store. “I don’t know why I offered to go pick up the lights,” I mutter under my breath, ignoring the odd look on Tucker’s face.
Tucker unclips his seatbelt, his eyes still on me like I’m a rabid reindeer. Lucky for me, he doesn’t say anything more, having already done enough with his speech about me being a catch. I had no idea Tucker Madison had it in him to be a motivational speaker.
But it worked. Kind of.
“Maddie is always in here,” I tell him in a low voice as we meet at the front of the truck. “I should’ve put on makeup or something…”
“I think you’re overthinking this whole thing,” Tucker grumbles, and then grabs my hand. I stiffen at the warmth and tingle in the contact, but he just shrugs, using his other to open the door for us. He leads the way into the quaint little store, which has been a part of the town for generations…
Though, it’s only been in Nate’s family for one.
“Good morning,” a very familiar voice calls from the front of the store. I have a strong urge to duck and dive behind a rack of plastic candy canes, but Tucker holds fast, giving the voice a nod and guiding me right up to the counter.
“We’re here to pick up an order for Cal Cooper,” he says, while I stare at my boots, refusing to look up.
“Julianna?”
Oof, my full name. Who even uses that?
Maddie, of course.
I clear my throat and look up, tugging on my sweater. “Hey, Maddie.” I meet her pretty, ocean blue eyes. “Been awhile.”
Her dark brows raise as recognition and intrigue riddle her expression, her eyes dropping to my hand, still intertwined with Tucker’s. “I… Is that… Tucker Madison? ” She finally spats out as she peers up at him.
“Yep,” Tucker doesn’t miss a beat. “So, the Christmas lights…”
“Are you… The two of you?” Maddie focuses her eyes back on our hands, where I’m squeezing the daylights out of him.
“Yep,” Tucker’s voice is flat, yet again. “We need to get those lights?—”
“I can’t believe this.” Her mouth drops open, and she folds her arms across herself. She’s a solid two inches shorter than me and has always been like a feather and appears even more so under the weight of an oversized white sweater. “I never would’ve guessed that the two of you were together. I mean, it makes sense, though. Julianna always seemed a little much for Nate…”
“Well…” I start to say, peering up at Tucker and pleading with my eyes for him to take over and save me. “Um…”
He gives me a funny look, and then turns back to Maddie. “Yeah, it’s great. We’re in love. She’s my everything. All the good stuff… But can we have the lights now? I got a to-do list, and listening to my girlfriend getting implied insults wasn’t on it.”
Maddie’s face etches with a hint of disgust. “And I see Julianna’s protector is still in full swing,” she mutters, but then finally reaches under the counter, pulling out a white cardboard box labeled Cooper. “Here you go. It’s already paid for.”
My protector? What’s she talking about? I go to drop Tucker’s hand to reach for the box, but he squeezes it, using his free hand to tuck the lights under his arm.
“Let’s go, darlin’,” he gives me a placid smile.
“Would love to catch up Julianna,” Maddie calls after me as Tucker dang near drags me out of the store. “You look like you have quite a story to tell. It’s been years?—”
The chime of the door cuts her off.
“Hey,” I snap at Tucker. “She was still talking.”
He drops my hand, his face reddening as he angrily tosses the lights into the backseat. “She was just fishing for gossip. Who seriously brings up a relationship that was over years ago? That’s just… wrong. I forgot how much I hate this town.”
My brows raise at his tantrum. “Now you know why I asked for you to help me out this year…”
He thuds around to the passenger side and opens the door for me. “Yeah, but you picked the worst candidate. They don’t like me either,” Tucker snorts as he grabs my hand without warning and helps me into the truck. My heart flutters in my chest, but I play it cool. “It’s like they have nothing better to do.”
“She was my best friend, Tucker.” I can’t hide the hurt in my voice, and Tucker stops, leaning against the door frame, the anger draining from his expression.
“Maddie never had your best interest at heart in high school, Jules.” His tone is almost somber, and the comment earlier pops back into my head.
“What was she talking about with the whole protector thing?”
His eyes drop from mine. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Tucker doesn’t give me a chance to keep pressing, stepping back and closing the door.
I pull my seatbelt across my lap, watching as he shoves his hands into his jacket pocket and rounds the front of the truck. His expression is hidden by his cowboy hat, but I still stare. He is handsome, his wide shoulders, strong jawline, prominent nose… My body grows warm.
Oh my gosh. Am I checking him out right now?
I rip my gaze away, start the truck with the keys, and then reach for the radio, flipping it to the classic Christmas music station. “White Christmas” fills the cab, and I lean back against the seat, closing my eyes.
If only my Christmas could be like this.
A blast of cold air hits me as Tucker opens his door and climbs in. It slams shut, and I feel his body still beside me.
“What the heck are we listening to?”
“Bing Crosby, obviously, ” I open one eye, making a face. “It’s classic Christmas music… I don’t really like the new stuff.”
“… Okay. So, you’re passionate about old Christmas music.” He chuckles to himself and backs out, “Frosty the Snowman” hitting the speakers then. I find myself enthralled by his reaction, as if he’s trying to either not choke or not laugh. I can’t decide which it is, but I can’t stop myself from giggling.
“If you don’t like this kind of Christmas music, then what do you like?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.
“None of it,” he spits out, but then pauses. “Actually… There is one song…”
I nearly jump out of my seat. “ What is it?!”
He eyes me, startled by my reaction. “You actually want to know?”
“I mean, you are my fake boyfriend.”
Tucker sighs, and then pulls off the highway onto a dirt road. He puts the truck in park and digs out his phone, hooking it up to the radio. “You’re probably going to think I’m lame.”
I shrug. “I already do, so we’re good.”
He shoots me a playful dirty look, and then starts the song. A low acoustic sound fills the truck, and a deep voice fills the cab, singing about an “Old City Bar” . I smile softly, listening to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tune play as we sit in silence.
I’ve heard it before, but it’s like listening to it all over again as I notice Tucker, staring out the window. His eyes are cast out across a field, but his expression tells me he’s moved by the song—and I’m seeing a side of him I’ve never gotten to before.
“It’s a lovely song,” I say quietly as it finishes. “I think extending kindness is a part of the magic of the holidays, you know?”
Tucker shrugs, turning the knob and silencing the next song playing. “Yeah, I guess. I heard it back when I was in middle school. I was having a rough time. Guess it just always stuck with me.” He clears his throat, and puts the truck in drive, turning it around. “I always figured I’d grow up and be like the bartender in the song. Nowhere else to be on Christmas, you know? And wouldn’t you know, I aged right out of the system.”
My heart squeezes with sympathy, unable to imagine how lonely he must be. “Oh Tuck…”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Don’t pity me. I don’t care for the holidays, anyway. I have friends I could spend it with. And a cousin,” he pauses, furrowing his brow. “I just avoid him.”
“Why?” I ask, suddenly wanting to know more about this side of Tucker. In all my years of kind of knowing him, he always had a hardened exterior, never opening up to anyone. But here he is, extending vulnerability.
Tucker makes a right into the driveway of the ranch. “I don’t know. Kip is a nice guy. Him and his folks try to reach out some, but my dad—Kip’s dad’s brother—they all were estranged. Drugs, I think. I don’t really know. They all had no idea I existed until I found them online through one of those ancestry things…”
So, he went searching for family. I want so badly to wrap him up in a hug, but I hold back as he parks beside my Jeep Cherokee. “Maybe you should?—”
“No,” Tucker cuts me off as he moves to slide out of the truck. “I like my life how it is.”
“Lonely?” I blurt out stupidly, and he freezes.
His expression hardens. “Who said I was lonely?”
“You literally spend every Christmas alone.”
“No,” Tucker snaps. “I spend Christmas taking care of my cattle and horses. It’s just another day. Never was one for celebrations, so I think Jesus understands birthday parties ain’t my thing.”
My mouth drops open as Tucker slams the door, and then grabs the Christmas lights. He sets them on the hood of the truck before stalking off toward the barn, where Carson is saddling up one of the horses.
“Tucker,” I call after him, but he either doesn’t hear me or ignores me. I’m betting on the latter. Guilt riddles me for dragging him into the overdone Christmas holidays with the Coopers, never having realized how painful the time of year is for him.
I’ll just make sure I get him an amazing deal with my dad, I make the promise to myself as I scoop up the lights. Tucker’s now almost to the barn, and I don’t hear what he says to Carson. My brother turns to Tucker, however, and his whole body shifts with animosity.
Ugh. Please don’t punch my fake, sad boyfriend.