Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Kate had called Regina last night and spent hours on the phone, discussing Nick, the townspeople she had met, and the ladies who’d invited her to Paige’s bachelorette party.
The real reason for her call, besides catching up with her best friend, was advice on what to wear to Santa Days.
Regina could always pick the best outfit to wear at any event.
They decided Kate’s forest green turtleneck sweater minidress with black leggings and black ankle boots would be Christmasy and stylish.
Kate walked to the lodge. The clouds hung low in the sky, and snow was forecasted for late afternoon.
She hoped the weather would hold until all the families were back home safely.
Nick had texted before she woke and wished her luck.
He had just gotten off duty and said he’d stop in after he slept for a few hours.
The festivities started at noon, but when she arrived at nine, the parking lot was already half full. An older gentleman stopped her at the entrance.
“You must be Kate Davis.” He opened the heavy wooden doors for her and stepped into the lobby behind her. “I’m Jim Reid.”
“Oh, Mr. Reid, it’s so nice to finally meet you. How are you feeling?”
She noticed he had a cane looped around his wrist, dangling freely.
“Please. Call me Jim. I’m doing well. Thank you for helping us out.”
“I’m having fun.”
“Honey.” Ruth came out from behind the desk. “Please use your cane instead of holding it above the ground or twirling it like Charlie Chaplin.”
“Yes, dear,” Jim said, winking at Kate, then turning to smile at his wife.
Ruth wrapped Kate in a hug. “You look pretty.”
“Thank you. I’m going to head to the kitchen and see what needs to be done.”
“I’ll come with you,” Ruth said, pointing at Jim as if he were in trouble, but with a smile that said the opposite.
* * *
Classic Christmas tunes played throughout the lodge. The giant evergreen in the lobby displayed an outdoor winter theme and was lovely, but when Kate stepped into the ballroom, she stood in awe.
“Chloe, this is beautiful!” she said as she spun around, taking in the room. “The kids are going to love this. I feel like I’ve landed in the middle of Dr. Seuss’s Whoville.”
The top of the Christmas tree curved slightly toward the floor, and was adorned with lime green and red ribbons with polka-dots and candy cane stripes.
Sprays of berries and supersized ornaments covered in red and green glitter stuck out in all different directions, giving it a whimsical flair.
Snowflakes covered in red and silver glitter and long, pointy striped ornaments dangled from the ceiling.
Two-foot elf stockings hung from the fireplace mantel.
The backdrop of Santa’s chair was a cutout of the Whoville town in all its bright, splendid colors.
“Thanks! I think this one is my best yet!”
Chloe’s hair today had both red and green streaks running through it, matching her green dress with red-and-white striped tights and curly toed elf shoes with bells at the tips. Chloe set up the crowd-control posts and ropes that would guide the children to Santa’s chair.
Ruth showed Kate to the bake sale table.
“Elsie and Emma oversee the bake sale. They’ll be along shortly.
” Powdered sugar–dusted green cookies with red candy hearts in the middle were packaged individually in cellophane bags.
Mint chocolate chip fudge, red-velvet cupcakes with green frosting piled high and topped with small red hearts, green-and-white spiral sugar cookies decorated with multicolored sprinkles, and colorful popcorn balls graced the table.
“I’m speechless. Who made these treats?”
Chloe joined them at the table, her shoes jingling. “Nikki and Nora, Maggie’s twin nieces, along with Rosie and several other ladies in town.”
“I need to set some aside for myself. This town is filled with creative and talented people.”
Ruth side-hugged her. “And I’m glad you’re joining the creative group.”
Kate’s eyes welled; she had found her new home.
“Come on, Kate, you can put your things in the office.” Chloe said.
* * *
Nick’s phone rang, waking him. “Hey, Mom. How’s Santa Days coming along?”
“Nick, I need your help.”
Nick put his phone on speaker and reached for his jeans. “What’s wrong? Is it Dad?”
“No. Cole had an emergency and rushed out of here. We don’t have a Santa. We need you.”
“What?” He sat back down on the bed. “Really? What kind of emergency?” Suspicion laced his voice.
“Elsie needed him to check on Abe.”
At first, he’d thought Cole was trying to get out of his Santa role, but maybe there was something serious going on.
Abe, Paige’s grandfather, had a nasty fall last summer, causing Paige to return home to take care of him and the family business, Turner Books.
As far as Nick knew, Abe was in good health.
Concerned, he asked, “Is he sick? What’s happened? ”
He stood and grabbed his black Deer Creek Lodge polo shirt from a hanger and slipped it over his head.
“Hang on a sec, Nick. It’s crazy here. Children are arriving. I’ll explain later. Just get here as soon as you can.”
His mom hung up, leaving him with the feeling that something not so cheery and bright was in store for him. He dialed his brother; it went to voicemail. “I really hope you have a life-threatening emergency, or you’re going to pay for making me play Santa.”
* * *
Kate was in the lodge’s kitchen, filling the last of the trays with sugar cookies, when Nick walked in.
“Where’s Cole?” he snarled.
“Hello to you too, Grinch. You need to turn that frown upside-down.” She formed a smile, pointing at her lips.
“I don’t know where Cole is, but your mother instructed me to help you with the Santa suit.
” She gestured toward the office. “It’s hanging in there.
The kids will start arriving any minute now.
We better get you dressed.” Kate set the tray aside, followed Nick into the office, and shut the wood blinds.
Nick scowled and ran his hands through his hair. “You know what’s going on here, don’t you?”
The proximity to Nick made Kate’s body tingle in all the right places. “I’m beginning to. Sorry.” She looked down at her feet to avoid his glare.
Nick lifted her chin and smiled. “Hey. It’s not your fault. Didn’t you say something about wishing you had a big family that lived close? Are you realizing it’s not all fun and games?”
Kate bit her lower lip. The smile on his face put her at ease. “I am now.”
To say she was nervous would be an understatement.
Being in a room with Nick, the blinds closed and him about to strip in front of her, made her palms sweat.
“Umm . . .” She gestured toward the desk.
“I asked housekeeping to bring a pillow and an ACE bandage to hold it in place. I figured that would work.”
“Yeah. It should.”
Nick sat in the leather chair and slipped off his tactical boots. He walked to the rack and slid the Santa pants off the hanger. When he unbuttoned his jeans, Kate spun around. “Tell me when you’re done.”
“You can look. Let’s get this over with. I can’t believe my brother bailed.”
Nick pulled his polo shirt off and watched Kate’s eyes go wide in surprise. The effort he put into keeping in shape was worth her reaction. A shiver of excitement made his pulse race. He picked up the pillow and held it over his stomach.
She held the bandage and circled him to secure the pillow.
Her hair smelled citrusy and tickled his chest and back.
He swallowed and cleared his throat. To distract himself from having her near, he pictured taking his Glock apart and putting it back together—anything to keep his mind clear of Kate’s hands on him.
“Is it too tight?” she asked.
“What?”
“The bandage. Am I cutting off circulation?”
“No,” he muttered.
“Good. We don’t want the pillow to fall out and scare the kids,” she said.
He couldn’t hold it in anymore. This entire situation, Kate’s head moving dangerously close to his crotch, his mother setting things in motion—the whole thing made him laugh out loud.
Kate straightened so fast the top of her head hit his chin, and he groaned for a completely new reason.
“Shit. I’m sorry!” she said.
“Nope, my fault.” He sobered and rubbed his jaw.
“What was so funny?”
Kate’s hands were on her hips now, and her forehead scrunched.
“Nothing, sweetheart. It’s all good,” he said.
Kate’s eyes went wide, and her mouth opened and slammed shut.
Damn. Did he just call her sweetheart? He needed to get his head in the game.
Startled by Nick’s endearment, Kate quickly got back to work.
The ACE bandage was an old one, not the newer kind with Velcro.
This one had a metal clasp that had dropped from her grasp to the floor when he burst out laughing.
When she crouched down to retrieve it, she heard a soft knock, followed by a throat clearing behind her. “Is everything okay in here, you two?”
Kate’s cheeks heated when she realized her proximity to Nick’s crotch.
Still on her hands and knees, she turned toward the voice.
Of course his mother would come in while Kate was positioned in front of her son’s groin, reaching for the clip that had fallen between his legs and partway under the desk.
She bowed her head and contemplated crawling under the desk and not coming out.
“We’re fine, Mom.”
“Okay. Carry on,” Ruth cheerfully sang.
Kate’s cheeks flushed as she righted herself to a standing position. “Kill me now,” she grumbled under her breath.
Nick laughed. When he received her death stare, he held up his hands in surrender.
“That was embarrassing!” she said.
He gazed into her eyes, his voice husky. “It would have been more so if I were standing in my boxers with the red pants around my ankles. Good thing I put the belt on.”
Now it was her turn to laugh and shake her head. She pulled the bandage tight and secured the clasp. “Okay. All done. You can handle the rest. I’ll step out.”