Christmas In Silver Bell Falls (10 page)

And it wasn’t just because she was someplace new and he was keeping her company and it wasn’t simply because of proximity.  Melanie knew it would take very little effort for her to completely go over the edge and fall hopelessly and completely in love with Josiah Stone.  Maybe she was there already and was just refusing to admit it.

He whispered her name between kisses in that deep timbered voice of his and it sent shivers down her spine—in a good way. The urge to tell him exactly how she was feeling was so strong, it was almost overwhelming.  But she knew now wasn’t the time. She was too caught up in all of the things he was making her feel. 

And as he took her over the edge and she cried out his name, she met his gaze and saw mirrored there everything she was feeling. 

One day soon, she wasn’t going to be able to hold it back.

One day soon, she was going to have to tell him exactly how she felt.

And one day soon, she was going to have to figure out how it was she was supposed to say goodbye.

****

This was the time of year Josiah loved most of all.  He loved the festivals, the parades and the overall excitement that seemed to be everywhere.  But this was the first year he was feeling some of that excitement for himself.  John Harper had been extremely helpful in giving him ideas to possibly warm Melanie up towards Christmas and he was having a hard time patiently waiting to find out for himself. 

He had a lot of responsibilities right now, more so than usual.  His days were longer and as much as he was enjoying it all, there was a sense of annoyance because it was keeping him away from Melanie more and more. 

Silver Bell’s official Christmas parade was this upcoming weekend and Josiah had been casually dropping hints that he wanted Melanie to go.  So far she had yet to offer and he wasn’t sure what he could do other than handcuff her and put her in the back of his cruiser.

The image brought a smile to his face and he made a mental note to see how she felt about handcuffs in other scenarios.

Pushing that sexy thought aside, Josiah did his best to go over his checklist for his staff regarding their parade responsibilities.  The weather forecast showed it was going to be cold—but that was the norm—and a chance of flurries.  The snow always made people a little more excitable than usual and he almost hoped the weather would hold off until the end of the parade.

Next he drove the parade route and saw that all of the businesses along it had already decorated and that the sidewalks were cleared and ready for spectators.  Afterwards, he went to the high school and gave his annual speech to the students and faculty who would be participating in the parade to go over their schedule and rules of conduct. 

By the time he was back at his office, he was mentally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to be at home with Melanie in front of a fire.  Hmmm…he thought.  Maybe he’d pick up the ingredients for s’mores and they could make them in front of the living room fire.  And that’s when yet another image of Melanie popped into his mind.  In this one he was licking chocolate from her lips and sweet marshmallow from her fingers.

He groaned.  If he didn’t stop fantasizing about her like this while at work, people were going to notice.  When his phone rang, he was grateful for the distraction.  “Sheriff’s office,” he said as he answered the phone.

“You’d think with such a lofty position you’d have a secretary answering the phone for you,” came his brother Mark’s taunt.

Josiah laughed.  “Not all of us are prima donnas,” he said.  “What’s going on?  Aren’t you supposed to be doing something tech-related to make the world a better place right about now?”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” Mark said.  “I wanted to call and see if you were still set on staying put in Silver Bell for Christmas.  Lisa wanted me to ask because she’s trying to finalize her menu.  She and Kelly are splitting cooking responsibilities this year.”

“Yeah, I’m staying put this year.”

“You got roped into working?  You know you’re the boss, right?  You can demand someone else cover the time,” Mark said with his authoritive big-brother tone.

“No it’s not that,” he began awkwardly.  “It’s…well…I…”

“Oh for the love of it, Josiah, just spit it out!  If you don’t want to come, you can just say it.  I’m not going to hold it against you or anything.  I know it’s a bit chaotic with all the kids and whatnot.  I completely understand.”

“I met someone,” he blurted out.

Mark was silent for a minute.

“Mark?  You still there?”

“I am,” he said, his voice a little thoughtful.  “So…who is she?  A local girl?”

Josiah told him all about Melanie and her connection to Silver Bell.  “We’ve been spending a lot of time together and she’s really got a hang up about Christmas and I just want to spend it with her and show her it doesn’t have to be bad.”  He went on to tell him about Melanie’s history with the holiday and his plans for her this year.

“Dude, I know you think you’re awesome and all, but one Christmas with you is not going to wipe out a lifetime of bad ones.”

“I know that,” Josiah snapped.

“Do you?  Because I’d hate to see you get your hopes up like you’re going to be the one to change everything around for her and when it doesn’t work out that way, you’re going to be all butt-hurt and pout.”

“I don’t pout.”

“You are the king of pouting,” Mark deadpanned.  “I can tell you’re pouting right now.”

Josiah was ready to deny it but knew he wouldn’t be able to pull it off.  “Anyway…”

“Anyway, “Mark interrupted, “I think it’s great you met someone and you want to do something this big for her.  Just…be careful, especially since she’s not planning on staying in Silver Bell then…” He paused.  “Oh…that’s what you’re hoping for.  You’re hoping you’ll make this grand gesture and she’ll want to stay.”

He sighed with frustration.  “Am I hoping for that?  Yes.  Am I counting on it?”  He paused.  “I don’t know.  I have no idea how she’s going to respond to any of this.  I haven’t even been able to convince her to come to the damn parade.  Every time we go someplace and she hears Christmas music, she just about loses her mind.”

“Then you definitely have your work cut out for you.  If she feels that strongly about the whole thing, I can’t imagine her wanting to live there full-time.  That town has Christmas written all over it—and not just in December.  It’s a year-round thing there, dude.  Have you even thought about that?”

“Of course I have!  I just hoped…I guess I want her to stay for me and not have it be about the damn town.”

“If it were any other town in the country, I think you’d have a shot.  But Silver Bell?  For someone who hates Christmas?  You really are asking for a miracle.”

“Perfect time of year for one!” Josiah quipped.

He heard Mark chuckle.  “Josiah, I want you to think really hard about this.  What are you going to do if this effort of yours…if it isn’t enough?  What happens if she still wants to leave?  What are you going to do?”

It was something Josiah was refusing to let himself about.  In his mind, Melanie was going to stay.  She was going to realize she was in love with him and that they were meant to be together.

And learn to love Christmas again.

“I can’t think about that,” he replied honestly.  “Mark…you’re going to have to trust me on this one.  I’ve never felt like this before and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to show Melanie how much she means to me.”

On the other end, Mark sighed.  “I’m not going to talk you out of this, am I?”

“Afraid not.  This is something I have to do.”

“Promise me something and then I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Anything.”

“If things don’t go quite the way you planned, promise me you’ll come here for a few days and hang out with us.  I don’t want you staying up there alone.”

Josiah felt like his brother had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.  He had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could answer.  “I will,” he finally said.

When he hung up, Josiah leaned back in his chair, let out a shaky breath and scrubbed a weary hand over his face. 

A knock on his office door was the only thing stopping him from obsessing about the conversation with his brother.  “Come in.”  He looked up to see Betty Jo Taylor, the head of the parade committee, standing in the doorway.  “What can I do for you today, Ms. Taylor?” he asked pleasantly.

She was a short and plump woman in her sixties and Josiah towered over her.  Wringing her hands, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.  “It’s terrible, Sheriff, just terrible!”

Before he asked what she was referring to, he led her over to a chair and helped her sit down.  “Okay now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” he asked gently.

“Well, you know how we always try to get a small-town celebrity to participate in the parade, right?”

He nodded.

“I had worked for months to get the channel seven weathergirl, Susannah Kane, to come and join us.  We had everything all set and she just called and backed out!” she cried.  “She didn’t even give us a reason. She just said she couldn’t do it!”

Josiah wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with this information so he waited Betty Jo out.

Wiping at the tears that had yet to really fall, she looked up at Josiah full of hope.  “I know you’ve been dating Carol Harper’s granddaughter—she’s an author, right?”

A knot instantly formed in his stomach when he realized where Betty Jo was going with this.  All he could do was nod.

“I know it’s short notice and all but…do you think Melanie would do it?  All she’d have to do is ride in the back of Ed Kincaid’s red convertible and wave,” she said, her voice getting more and more cheerful as she spoke.  “I figured we could set up a display of her books in the library and maybe get her publisher to ship some to us by priority mail so we can set up a table for her to sign them after the parade!  Can you ask her, Josiah?”

His eyes went wide.  “Me?  You want me to ask Melanie?”

Betty Jo stood and fluffed her hair.  “Well of course you,” she said with a chuckle.  “How could she say no to such a handsome man?”  She reached up and patted him on the cheek.  “You know how much her grandma loved Silver Bell and all the Christmas festivities.  I think it would be real sweet to have her granddaughter here to fill in for her!  The townspeople will go nuts!  And just think of the story we can write for the paper!”  She let out a little squeal of delight.  “You ask her, Sheriff, and give her my number!”

In the blink of an eye, Betty Jo was gone and Josiah felt like he had just been through a tiny tornado.

He was having a hard enough time getting Melanie to give him an answer about just coming to watch the damn parade.  How was he supposed to convince her to be a part of it?

****

Melanie froze in place with the butcher knife precariously close to cutting her finger.  She stared at Josiah as if he had grown a second head.  “You told her no, right?”

“Well…”

“Why couldn’t you just tell her no?” she cried.  “You know how I feel about these things!”  Tossing the knife down, she paced back and forth in the kitchen.  “And you honestly think I’d want to sit in a red car—probably wearing a Santa hat or something—and wave to the crowds while Christmas music is playing all around me?  Seriously?”

“Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t think it through, but it all happened so fast!”  He explained to her how Betty Jo was.  “And I thought she was going to cry!  What was I supposed to do?”

“Um…say no,” she said sarcastically.

Josiah crossed the room and went to her and wrapped her in his arms.  She fought him at first, but after a minute she sagged against him with her head on his chest.  “I’ve gotta be honest with you here, Mel,” he said lightly and hoped she didn’t mind him using her nickname.  “I don’t see what the big deal is.  They’re willing to make a fuss over you and your books, which your publisher will love.  You just have to smile and wave.  If you want, you can put your iPod on and we’ll hide the earbuds so you won’t have to hear the Christmas music.  Come on.  What do you say?”

She sighed loudly.  “And you won’t let them force me to wear a Santa hat, right?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle as he hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.  “If you’d like, we’ll get you a special tiara or one of those really furry hats.”

“I wouldn’t mind the tiara,” she said, but she was still muffled against his chest.

“Then I’ll see what I can do,” he promised.

When she pulled away and went back to making dinner, Josiah felt a wave of relief wash over him.  She was coming to the parade.  Granted, it was still under protest, but he couldn’t imagine her not getting caught up in all the fun.

Looking at her now, he was a little overwhelmed with emotion.  Her whole life was upside down right now and yet she was rolling along with it.  It was one of the things he loved about her.

Wait.  Love?

Yeah.  No doubt about it.

Slowly, Josiah walked over to her and carefully took the knife from her hand and put it aside.  When she looked up at him questioningly, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.  Slowly, softly at first, and then he went deeper.  She didn’t shy away from meeting his passion and when he maneuvered them out of the kitchen and toward the bedroom, she went willingly.