The Christmas Tree Read online

Sadie elbowed his side. “Those people are waving at you.”

  He looked in the direction she indicated. His secretary was sitting in a booth by the window, flapping both hands above her head, his father across from her, his body twisted in his seat to face the front of the restaurant where they stood. Colt sighed. “I guess we’re sitting over there.”

  “Who are they?” Sadie asked as he led her over.

  “My dad and my secretary.” He stopped in front of the booth and his father slipped out of his seat and joined Janice on her side of the table. Sadie slid onto the bench seat and Colt settled himself next to her. “Dad, Janice, this is Sadie Wilson. Sadie, this is my dad, Charles, and Janice.”

  His father stuck out his hand. “Call me Chuck. It’s nice to finally meet the town outlaw.” The skin around his faded eyes creased with his smile.

  Janice tapped him on his hand with the spoon she had used to stir her coffee. “Don’t be such a pill, Chuck. The girl doesn’t know you well enough yet to know you’re joking.” Turning to Sadie, Janice said, “Nice to meet you.”

  Chuck rubbed his hand. “Who says I’m joking? Because of these two I had a visit from the tree twins, a very long visit, and they told me all about the nefarious deeds of Sadie here and my son. Siccing those two on me is criminal behavior.” He smiled at Colt, deep lines carving up his face. “According to them, I raised an evil genius, intent on stealing their rightful duty as town tree decorators.”

  Colt snorted and picked up his father’s menu.

  “But don’t worry, son. They don’t blame you much. You were led astray by the infamous seducer sitting next to you.”

  “Excuse me, what?” Sadie’s eyes shot from Colt to his father and back again.

  Reaching across the table, Janice patted her hand. “Don’t listen to his nonsense. Chuck has his fun rattling cages.” She looked at the man in question through the black frames perched on the end of her nose. “He’s really just a little boy in an old man’s body.”

  “Who are you calling an old man? You’re not exactly a spring chick—”

  “Dad,” Colt broke in. “Honestly, I don’t know how you two ever got any work done with all the bickering you do.”

  Chuck leaned into Janice and nodded his head at Colt. “Now who sounds like an old man?”

  She chuckled and Sadie joined in. “So you used to work for Chuck and now you work for Colt?” Sadie asked.

  “Yep. Thirty-four years of keeping the McCoy men in line.” Janice gave Chuck’s hand a light squeeze. “But tell us about yourself, sweetie. We want to know all about the woman who stole Christmas from the tree twins.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes with a smile. She told them about her business, without mentioning she was trying to sell it. The waitress came by and they all put in their orders.

  Janice turned back to Sadie. “Work’s all well and good, but tell us about you. Married? Children? Seeing someone special? Have a secret dream to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?”

  “Uh . . .” Sadie looked a little dazed from the onslaught. “No, across the board. Although I do like to hike. But an ambitious hike for me is ten miles, not a mountain.”

  “We have some lovely hiking trails around here,” Janice said. “Colt, you should take her out before she leaves.” Her eyes twinkled brightly behind her glasses. She put her elbows on the table, leaning forward, the snowman on her green sweater kissing her coffee cup. “If you see something you like, Sadie, you might even decide to stick around.”

  Sadie was saved from an answer by the arrival of their food. Allison was carrying the tray instead of their waitress. “You didn’t think you could come in here and not say hi to me, did you, guys?” She slid the plates in front of the four of them and Colt sniffed his meat loaf appreciatively.

  Sadie grinned. “Not a chance. I feel like The Pantry is my second home, considering how often I’m here.” She took a bite from a bacon cheeseburger and moaned. “This is the best burger I’ve ever had.”

  “I know.” Allison snagged an empty chair and pulled it up next to their booth. “Hey, have you gone to the police station yet to formally sign the report?”

  “Not yet.”

  “You girls shouldn’t go around chasing criminals,” Chuck said around a mouthful of food.

  Colt grunted in agreement.

  “Don’t mind him,” Janice said. “This Christmas thief is the most excitement Pineville has seen in years.” She tilted her head at Sadie. “Not including your accident, of course.”

  Sadie held up her burger in acknowledgment, swallowed. “Glad to be of service.” She took another bite and Colt’s eyes fixed on her mouth as she licked ketchup from her lower lip. A bite of meat loaf fell off his fork and plopped back on his plate. Janice caught his eye and winked. Frowning, he picked up another bite of food.

  “What’s going on at the office?” Colt asked. “Did you install the new privacy software yet?”

  “Did it yesterday,” Janice said. She cut into her chicken one-handed with her fork, her right hand floating down to lie hidden beneath the table.

  “And did you change the combination on our safe?”

  “Day before last.”

  “Janice knows what she’s doing, son.” Chuck took a sip of coffee and rested his left hand beside him on the seat, out of sight. “No need to tell her her job.”

  Allison rose from her chair. “Time for me to get back to work. I’ll talk to you all later.” She hustled off.

  Colt watched her retreating back, jealous he couldn’t join her and avoid these talks with his father. He turned to his dad, eyes hard. “I wasn’t telling Janice her job. I was supervising what she had done, which is part of my job.”

  Chuck snorted.

  “Something you want to say, Dad? About my job performance, perhaps?” Colt’s fingers whitened around his fork.

  Sadie shifted next to him, her thigh pressing against his, warm and reassuring. “Colt,” she said in a low voice.

  “It’s okay, Sadie. You can find out what everyone else in this town already knows. That my father doesn’t think I can run the business.”

  “That’s not what he said.” Janice frowned and pushed her glasses back up her nose.

  Colt stared into his father’s faded green eyes. “But that’s what he means. Right, Dad?”

  Chuck stared into his coffee. “I’m sure you’re doing a fine job. I just think that if you had more leadership experience, like Caleb did, you would be able to manage your employees better.” He looked back up at Colt. “Maybe you wouldn’t have one of them stealing information from you.”

  Colt’s fork clattered onto his plate. He tossed his napkin on the table.

  Sadie rested her hand on top of his. “Talking business and eating never mix. Why don’t we talk about happier things? Tell me about Caleb. I’ve heard only a little bit about him.”

  Not bothering to turn his gaze from his father’s face, Colt asked, “What do you want to know?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Just, what was he like? Or, what’s the best time you ever had with him?” Her gaze flicked to his father. “You too, Chuck. What’s your best memory?”

  Colt and his father stared uneasily at each other.

  “Come on.” She squeezed his hand. “The little I’ve heard about Caleb makes him sound like a great guy. But I want to know more.”

  “He was a hellion as a child,” Janice said. “He used to blackmail me for sweets. He hid building plans around the office and wouldn’t tell me where they were until I promised to bake him something.” She smiled ruefully. “The little bugger was quite clever with his hiding places.”

  Chuck laughed. “I’d forgotten about that. When his mother found out what he was doing, she gave him hell.”

  “Didn’t stop him,” Janice said.

  “He didn’t let anything stop him.” Chuck cocked his head to the side, a slight smile dancing around his lips. “That was one of the things I loved most about him, his determination. When he wanted something, he went out
and got it. I think my best memory of him was when he won the state championship in high school. He used to spend hours throwing a football through an old tire he had hung up in our backyard. He woke up every morning early to lift weights. He told me when he was a freshman that he was going to win the title. That moment when he finally did, as a junior no less, it was the result of all his hard work.” Chuck stared into space, his gaze unfocused.

  The heat from Sadie’s palm seeped into Colt’s. Their fingers lay intertwined on top of the table. He didn’t remember turning his hand over to hold hers, but must have instinctively sought the contact. Her paler skin was a contrast to his tanned flesh. Her smooth hands a counter to his work-roughened ones. He idly rubbed his thumb over her softness.

  “And it sounds like he turned into an extraordinary man,” Sadie said. “Becoming an army ranger takes a special kind of person.”

  Janice swiped her napkin under her glasses. “He was so proud to serve our country.” She leaned into Chuck and rubbed her hand up and down his arm. Lightening her voice, she added, “And he was happy he found a job where he didn’t have to do any math.”

  Chuck snorted. “That boy did hate his numbers. I told him he had to study more if he wanted to run the business.” He glanced at Colt, then turned his gaze out the window. “I guess that ended up not mattering.”

  “What about you, Colt?” Sadie asked.

  “I . . .” Colt swallowed past the lump in his throat. Sadie’s hand in his felt good, right. And that ticked him off. The good things never lasted. He pulled his hand from hers and stood up, reaching for his wallet. “I think we need to get back to work.”

  She stared at him for a moment, then reached into her pocket for some cash. “All right.”

  “Put your money away,” Colt said roughly.

  “That’s not necessary. I—”

  He put his hand on the table and leaned down. “I’ve got it.” His look dared her to disagree. She put her money back in her pocket and started sliding down the bench.

  Chuck slapped Colt on the arm. “You’re buying? Thanks, son.” His smile creased his face but didn’t light his eyes.

  Colt tossed more money on the table. “You’re welcome.” He put a hand to Sadie’s elbow. “I’ll see you later, Janice. Dad.”

  “It was nice meeting you both,” Sadie said. She waved to Allison behind the counter and Colt guided her out of the restaurant and across the street.

  When they reached the tree, she turned to him, her sapphire eyes serious. “My father died of a stroke six years ago. My mother from cancer a year later. You already know what it is to lose people you love.”

  “Your point?”

  “Make it work with your father. When he’s gone, there are no more chances to make it right. And it really sucks when you’re left with no one.” She turned and walked to the pile of bows. Throwing several in a bag, she headed up the scaffolding.

  Colt watched her and rubbed at the tightness in his chest. This Christmas was shaping up to be a crappy one for more than just him. Guilt tugged at his conscience. As much as he bitched about his relationship with his dad, he still loved the guy. He’d never even thought to ask if she had any family. He wondered if Sadie had anyone to give her a gift this year. He picked up bows of his own and walked to the tree.

  Even though he definitely wasn’t interested in having a relationship with the woman, that didn’t mean he couldn’t be . . . friendly to her. And friends made sure friends got a gift this time of year. He placed a red and white polka-dot bow on the end of a branch and wrapped the wire around the tree’s needles. It wouldn’t mean anything if he played Santa for Sadie this year. He gave gifts to all his employees. Well, Janice did, but he paid for them.

  He looked up at her long legs encased in tight denim and wished the Santa duty included Sadie sitting on his lap, whispering in his ear what she wanted for Christmas. A bead of sweat rolled down his neck under his collar. He didn’t fantasize about that with any of his employees. He reached for another bow. Colt just had to keep reminding himself that she was a self-involved princess with little regard for those around her. He could be friendly with someone like that, but nothing more.

  But no matter how many times he repeated that mantra, it was getting harder and harder to reconcile that image with the woman he was getting to know ornament by ornament.

  * * *

  Sadie stretched, reaching one hand to the sky, then the other. Decorating this tree was backbreaking work. She was used to laboring, moving furniture around when she staged homes. But the repetitiveness of hanging ornaments, the standing in place for hours on end, were wearing her body down.

  Looking at her watch, she sighed with relief. Almost time to go. Colt was winding down, too, taking boxes of ornaments and storing them in his truck. This would be the first full day Sadie had put in, the first day Colt hadn’t pissed her off so badly that she’d stormed off.

  Jerome drove by in his cruiser, stuck his hand out the window and waved. Lifting her own hand, she admitted that Colt had been quite decent, covering for her the past two nights with the cop. Not that she hadn’t been justified in leaving him to work alone, but he could have turned her in, landed her in more trouble.

  She picked up the jacket she’d taken off earlier, pulled gloves out of the pocket, and wondered why he hadn’t. Maybe, maybe, she’d misjudged him? She’d certainly seen a different side of him at lunch today. He’d tried to cover it with his usual gruffness, but she’d seen the hint of vulnerability when his father had belittled him at lunch, the flash of hurt in his eyes. And he’d apologized quite nicely to her. Twice. And followed it up by being a jerk again.

  She sighed. He hadn’t been a jerk at Pins ’N’ Pints. She needed to face the fact that she just hadn’t liked seeing him with Connie. She was holding that against him and it wasn’t right.

  A Jeep started to parallel park behind Sadie’s car, the driver trying to wedge the vehicle into a spot five feet too small. She frowned, noticing how crowded downtown Pineville had become, parking spaces at a premium. It was getting on toward Saturday night, but the heavy traffic still seemed unusual for such a small town.

  Walking over to Colt, she asked, “What’s going on?”

  Shutting his truck’s door, he brushed his hands on his jeans. “What do you mean?”

  “With the crowd?” She waved a hand toward the steady stream of people crossing Main Street to head down Second Avenue. “Where are they all going?”

  A line creased his forehead before clearing. “Oh, yeah. It’s the living Nativity tonight. I’d forgotten.”

  “A living Nativity?” Sadie arched her neck, her gaze following the crowd as if she could see around the corner to their destination. “Do they have camels? Or is it just people in a manger?”

  He raised an eyebrow, a small smile crossing his face, barely visible under his scruff. “I don’t know. It’s been years since I’ve gone.” He paused a beat and Sadie waited for him to make fun of her interest in an event aimed at children. It had been almost a full day since he’d criticized her and he was overdue.

  “Why don’t we go check it out?” he asked. Her jaw dropped in surprise. “Not if you don’t want to, of course,” he added.

  “I do want.” Her cheeks heated. “I mean, I would like to see it.” Before he could take the invitation back, she took a step down the sidewalk. “Let’s go.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he murmured, falling into step beside her. Well, “ma’am” was a step up from “princess.” Maybe they were finally getting somewhere.

  They strolled three blocks down Second to join the crowd in front of a Methodist church. A rickety wooden structure sat at the base of the steps up to the church. It was only about six feet high and a couple of feet deep, a simulation of a manger, complete with two teenagers portraying Mary and Joseph, a squalling baby a frustrated Mary couldn’t soothe, and three boys dressed in long robes carrying gifts. One of the wise men held the leash to a fully grown, one-humped camel, the
animal seeming much more interested in the bottom hem of the boy’s robe than in the crowd around him. Behind the camel, a small pen held an assortment of animals, probably not all seen in Nazareth.

  Sadie bobbed onto her toes. “Wow, they have a donkey, a calf, some lambs, and . . . is that an alpaca?” She stretched her neck but still wasn’t able to see over the crowd.

  “Let’s get closer.” Colt took her hand, his fingers entwining with hers, and Sadie’s breath caught in her throat. He bulldozed his way through the people, pulling her along after him, and brought her to a spot right next to the enclosure. Several small children were inside with the animals, feeding them from small cones a member of the church handed out at the gate for a one-dollar donation.

  She stood pressed close to Colt, his solid frame blocking her from the jostling crowd. They didn’t touch, but she could feel every inch of his front against her back just the same, as if a physical energy field radiated from his body. His presence was messing with her mind. Needing to snap the connection between them, even if it was all in her head, she said the first thing that came to her mind. “It is an alpaca.”

  “That it is.”

  Great. He wasn’t going to help out at all in the conversation department. “I don’t know how historically accurate this petting zoo is, but it is very nice for the kids.”

  A snowy lamb trotted up to the fence, stuck its head between the rails, and reached its open mouth toward her jacket. Laughing, she dropped to her knees and stroked the soft fleece on its neck.

  “Right. For the kids.” Colt chuckled, the sound caressing her body like silk. She shook the sensation off, got her body’s reactions back under control.

  With one last pat on the lamb’s head, she stood. Maybe coming to this event with him had been a mistake. When they’d first started working on the tree together, she’d been eager to make amends with Colt, try to become friends. But it seemed more complicated than that now. If she let herself start to like the jerk, it would only confuse their relationship. She didn’t want to find herself liking the man too much.

  “I see that they’re selling some things over there. I’m going to go take a look.” She wended her way to a grouping of booths set up along the sidewalk, hoping for some space.