Christmas In Silver Bell Falls (5 page)

“I…I don’t even know what to say,” Melanie said quietly as she stepped into the room.  “This is…wow.”  There was awe in her words and Josiah watched as she walked around the space and touched things and stopped to smile at pictures.

“Obviously…it’s tiny,” he said with just a hint of insecurity.  He’d never brought anyone here—didn’t want to hear the negative comments—but for some reason, he wanted Melanie to see it.

“I’ve seen these on TV,” she said and turned and looked at him.  “I watch a lot of HGTV.”

He looked at her oddly.  “What’s HGTV?”

She shook her head and chuckled.  “Do you get cable or satellite TV out here?”

He nodded.  “We’re not so out of touch here in Silver Bell, you know.”  He meant to sound offended but he couldn’t help his own laugh.

“It’s the house and garden network.  They do a lot of DIY shows and home makeover things.  The tiny house movement is huge right now and they have several shows dedicated to it.  I’ve just never seen one in person.  It’s really rather impressive.”  Melanie sat on the sofa and then got up and moved to the kitchen. 

“It’s not for everyone,” he said quickly, noticing the way she was moving around as if trying to figure out how to maneuver in the space.

“Neither are big houses,” she said.  “I’m not saying I could function in this kitchen in the long-term, but I think everything here works just fine.”  She smiled at him.  “I mean, you’re not going to host a big dinner party with a kitchen this small, but it’s perfect for two.”

He was about to comment that it was only him and then wondered if she’d realized what she said.  She moved over to look in the bathroom and merely popped her head in and then out again.  Looking at him over her shoulder, she said, “That would be the deal-breaker.”

“The bathroom really is small,” he said.

“Oh, I don’t mind a small bathroom, but I would die without a big shower—or a tub!  I have both back home so I know I’m a little spoiled but that shower certainly looked…”

“Tiny?” he supplied.

Melanie laughed.  “I really wish there were another word to use!”

“Tell me about it,” he said, laughing with her.  “It’s not the manliest word to keep tossing around.”

“You must get ribbed about it quite a bit.”

He shook his head.  “I really don’t talk about this place with many people.  My family knows what it’s called but to anyone else I just say I live in a small bungalow.”

“Hmm…I don’t know.  That doesn’t have a manly sound to it either,” she teased.  She looked around.  “Where do you sleep?”

Josiah pointed to the ladder.  “There’s a sleeping loft up there.”

“Oh.”

“You can climb up and look,” he said.  “It’s not much and you can’t stand up once you get up there.”

“So you basically climb the ladder and then crawl into the bed?”

He nodded.

“That’s not always a bad thing,” she said as she carefully climbed the ladder.  “Although, I think I would have opted for stairs.”

“They took up more space,” he said.  “Although they would have provided storage and drawers, I wanted floor space more.”

Melanie was perched near the top and looking at the loft.  “It’s really kind of cool.  And you have a skylight!  On a starry night, that’s not a bad view to have.”

Looking up at her and the way her skinny jeans were hugging her bottom, Josiah was pretty damn thrilled with his current view.

He stepped back as she climbed down but not far enough.  Once she turned, they were nearly toe-to-toe.  Josiah couldn’t help but inhale deeply.  The woman was walking temptation and she smelled incredible.  The urge to lean forward, to close the distance between them was so strong and by the way Melanie was looking at him, he knew she felt it too.

“Josiah?” she asked, her voice a near whisper.

He cursed his damn morals and stepped back.  She really didn’t know him and he didn’t know her and no matter how attracted he was to her—and he was—there was no way he would act on it this soon.  When he kissed her, he was going to know her for more than an hour.

Melanie must have sensed his reluctance because her expression mirrored his own—still.  Clearing his throat, he tried to sound casual.  “Let me walk you home and help you clean up.”

“It’s only ten feet away.  I think I’ll be all right.”  Her tone was soft and light but he could still see a trace of disappointment there.

Or was it wishful thinking?

“I insist.  I made you cook and we sort of walked out before cleaning up.”  Without waiting, he walked to the front door and stepped out, holding it open for her.  Melanie followed and silently they walked back to her house and began to clear away the dinner mess.  When it was all cleared up, he turned to her.  “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

She shook her head.  “Not really.  I need to go into town and do some food shopping but from what I saw, it won’t be too hard to navigate.”  She laughed softly.  “One grocery store doesn’t give me many options.”

“Well…if you’d like, I can go with you and show you around,” he asked, hoping he wasn’t sounding overly anxious.

“I saw the grocery store, the gas station and the diner,” she said with a smirk.  “Is there more to the town than that?”

He felt his own smile grow.  “As a matter of fact there is.  I’ll tell you what, give me a couple of hours tomorrow and I’ll show you all of the hidden treasures of Silver Bell.”

Melanie’s face was so expressive, he thought, that she couldn’t hide her disbelief.  “There are hidden treasures?  Seriously?”

“Have I lied to you yet?”

She burst out laughing.  “In the hour I’ve known you?  No, I can’t say that you have.”

“Well then, there you go!”  Josiah felt that pull again and forced himself to take another step back.  “How about I meet you outside at eleven?  That way you can sleep in if you want to.”

Melanie smiled as her entire body seemed to relax.  “Thank you.  That would be nice.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding.  Walking to the door, he turned around and looked at her one more time.  “Sleep well, Melanie.”

“Thanks for dinner,” she said, walking toward him slowly.

Oh, no
, he thought.  If she got any closer, he wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t do something stupid, like kiss her.

“Sorry I scared you when I came in.”

“Broke in,” she corrected.  “When you broke in.”

He shrugged.  “We’ll have to agree to disagree.”  He took a steadying breath and opened the door.  The cold air hit him full force and it worked as well as any cold shower ever had.  “I’ll see you in the morning.  Good night.”

Melanie had just reached the door and took it from his hands.  “Good night.”

Chapter Three

“And if you look over there on your right you’ll see Silver Bell Park,” Josiah said.  “This is the main spot for any of the activities that involve the kids.  Two years ago we had a generous donor who made it possible for us to put in all new playground equipment just in time for Christmas.”

Melanie smiled and nodded and fought the urge to yawn.  For over an hour Josiah had been driving her through town and every spot he brought to her attention was followed by a Christmas story.  She was ready to lose her mind. 

They turned the corner and Melanie noticed they were in a more populated part of town.  There were small brick buildings and a few other shops and restaurants.  She looked at Josiah questioningly.  “How did I miss this coming into town?”

He chuckled.  “It’s not on the main route—although it should be.”

She leaned forward and studied the buildings.  “There are quite a few businesses here.  I’m impressed.”

“It’s the town hall and chamber of commerce,” he began, “and then the local utility companies.  A few of the locals have businesses here as well.”  He paused and then slowed his truck down.  “Right there is Bobby Cole’s shop. He does appliance repair.  Next to him is Stracey O’Neil’s boutique.  She sells all kinds of home goods like soaps and candles and that kind of stuff.”  Pointing across the street he said, “Over there is the salon.  Dana, Shari and Jenny—they’re sisters—own it.  And next to it is Ava’s Stationary.  Oh, and on the corner is the ice cream parlor.  They make it all on site and it’s quite possibly the best ice cream in the world.”

She looked at him and smiled.  “Now I’m not so sure about that.  I consider myself an ice cream aficionado and I’m going to have to try it for myself.”

“Tell you what…why don’t we grab some lunch at the diner and then we’ll go over and have some ice cream for dessert.  What do you say?”

Her immediate reaction was to say yes, but she hesitated.  “Don’t you have to work today?”

Josiah shook his head.  “Nope.  It’s my day off.”

“Well now I feel bad,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because I’m sure you had other things to do on your day off and I’ve gone and monopolized your time.  I’m sorry about that.”

He pulled the truck over to the side of the road and put it in park before looking at her.  “I realize we don’t know each other very well but let me tell you a few things about me.  One, I never do anything I don’t want to do.  Two, I’m extremely organized and therefore I rarely get behind on anything.  Even if I take a day to do something unexpected, I’m not going to miss out on doing anything.”

“You missed out on watching your favorite TV show last night while breaking into my house,” she taunted sassily.

“When I was
checking
on a potential crime, I believe you meant to say,” he replied.  “And that was different.  Besides, I recorded it.”

“Okay.  Fine.  Whatever,” she laughed.

“Three,” he said, going back to his original conversation.  “You aren’t monopolizing my time.  I offered to show you around town and that’s exactly what I’m doing.  We may not be a big city like you’re used to, but I already knew how long it would take to show you everything and I had planned on us having lunch together.  So it’s not a big deal.”

“Is there a four?”

“Does there need to be?” he teased.  “I think I covered everything.”

“Fair enough.”

Seeming satisfied, Josiah put the truck in drive and drove the five minutes to the diner.  It was an old mom-and-pop kind of place and Melanie thought it looked very retro and charming from the outside. 

“If you’d like, before we head home later, we can go and do your food shopping.  Then you don’t have to come back into town.”

She considered his offer for a minute and hesitated while chewing her bottom lip.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Josiah said, “and stop it.  It’s not a big deal and this is my normal day to grocery shop so we’d be killing two birds with one stone.  All right?”

Melanie gave him a shy smile and followed him into the diner.  “Get out of my head,” she said softly as she walked by him.  But secretly, she thought it was a little bit charming how he seemed to be able to read her so easily.  It was a new feeling.  A good one.  None of the men she’d dated ever seemed to really get her and in less than twenty-four hours, Sheriff Josiah Stone knew her better than almost anyone.

Silver Bells…Silver Bells…it’s Christmas time in the city…

She followed him across the restaurant and mentally groaned at the sound of Christmas carols playing over the sound system.  Maybe if she tried really hard, she could tune them out.  Unfortunately, when they sat, she found that there was a speaker almost directly over her head.  And even if it weren’t for the music, the entire place looked like the North Pole had thrown up in it.  Every inch of wall space—and the ceiling—was covered in Christmas decorations.  Melanie suddenly wished they had opted to skip lunch.

“Well hey there, Sheriff,” the waitress said when she walked over to the booth they had chosen.  “What a surprise to see you here on a Tuesday.”  She looked over at Melanie with blatant curiosity and then turned back to Josiah.  “What can I get for you two today?”

“I’ll start off with a coke, Bev,” he said and then looked at Melanie.

“Oh, same for me,” she said.

“Where are my manners,” he began.  “Bev, this is Melanie Harper.  She’s Carol’s granddaughter and she’s staying at the cabin for a while.”

Bev’s face lit up.  “Is that right?  Is Carol coming up to visit with you?”

A blush crept up Melanie’s cheeks.  “Um…she passed away.  About a month ago.”

Bev’s hand fluttered over her heart and her expression instantly saddened.  “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry.  She was a good woman and she’s going to be sorely missed around here.”

Rather than comment the way she normally would have, Melanie accepted the condolences gracefully.  “Thank you.  It’s nice to know she had so many friends here.”

“Take your time looking at the menu and I’ll be back in a minute with your drinks.”  With a subdued smile, she turned and walked away.

“That was very nice of you,” Josiah said.

“What was?”

“Last night you pretty much held nothing back where your grandmother was concerned.  You could have easily done the same thing here and you didn’t.”

Melanie shrugged.  “What would be the point? It seems like the woman I knew and the woman you all knew were two different people.  There’s no point in me ruining everyone’s memory of her.”

Reaching across the table, Josiah took one of her hands in his and squeezed.  “Like I said, it was very nice of you.”  He paused.  “I hate that you and Carol had such a bad history.  I wish you could have known her the way we all did.  She helped a lot of people out around here—particularly at Christmas.  There were some families who…”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Melanie quickly interrupted.  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Josiah.  I really do.  But I don’t really want to hear how wonderful she made other people’s Christmases when she essentially ruined all of mine.  She’s one of the main reasons we don’t even celebrate it anymore.”

He pulled back and looked at her as if she were crazy.  “What do you mean you don’t celebrate it?”

“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are just ordinary days to me and dad.”  She shrugged.  “It’s been that way for years.”

“But…”

“Here you go,” Bev said as she placed their drinks down on the table.  “Have you had a chance to look at the menu?”

Melanie smiled at her apologetically.  “Not yet but I’m going to right now.  I’m starving!”  And true to her word, she picked up the menu and began scanning it, ignoring Josiah’s stare.

“Just give me a shout out when you’re ready,” Bev said and walked back toward the kitchen.

“What do you recommend?” Melanie asked him without looking up from the menu.

****

There were about a dozen questions whizzing around in Josiah’s mind.  Not celebrate Christmas?  Because of Carol?  How could that be?  The woman was responsible for pretty much making sure every child in Silver Bell had at least one present under their Christmas tree.  How could she have ignored her own granddaughter?

“I can hear you thinking from here,” Melanie said without looking up from her menu.  “It’s not open for discussion, Josiah.  We’re having a nice day and I’d like to keep it like that.  And if we are going to be neighbors for the next several months, I’d rather avoid fighting with you.”

“I didn’t plan on fighting,” he said, but there was very little strength behind his words. 

“Sure you were,” she replied lightly, putting her menu down on the table.  “It’s kind of our thing.”  She smiled.  “I’m going to have a BLT and fries.  What about you?”

It was kind of their thing?  Josiah wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but she did have a point.  They seemed to have to banter about everything.  They didn’t disagree in an angry way, but they certainly haven’t agreed on much of anything.  “Double cheeseburger and fries.  My usual.”

Melanie nodded.  “I was tempted to order a salad just because we’re going to get ice cream after this, but I haven’t had a BLT in forever and…you know…bacon.”

He chuckled.  “It does make everything delicious.”

Bev came back and took their orders and when they were alone again, Josiah wasn’t sure what to say. He desperately wanted to know about her history with Carol, but knew that as of right now it was an off-limits topic. He hated small talk and yet…

“So what do you think of the town so far?” he asked.

“It’s very different from Raleigh, I’ll tell you that, “she said with a laugh.  “Not that it’s a bad thing—I’m just not used to feeling so…isolated.”

“It’s not so bad.  Most people who live here don’t know any other way of life.”

“You said your family doesn’t live here anymore.  Where did they move to?”

Settling back against the booth cushion, Josiah fought the urge to be childish and say it was off-limits.   “Mom and dad retired down to Florida,” he began.  “Mom said she had done her time with the long winters and the snow and wanted to experience life in the sunshine.”

Melanie smiled.  “Completely understandable.”

He nodded.  “Both of my brothers are down in Albany.  “They’re both tech guys and work for the same company now.”

“Are they married?”

He nodded again.  “Yup.  And they both have kids.”  He shook his head.  “They’ve always been a bit competitive with one another and it just seems like as soon as one does something, the other isn’t too far behind.  It’s kind of entertaining to watch.”  He laughed.  “Their wives thought it was funny at first, but I think it’s losing some of its humor now that they seem to be mimicking each other’s lives.”

“I don’t know,” Melanie said, smiling at the image, “it takes some of the mystery out of what’s in store for you and I think it could be pretty cool.”

“Don’t like surprises, huh?”

She shook her head.  “I’ve had enough of them in my life, thank you very much.  I wouldn’t mind a crystal ball every now and then.”  Taking a sip of her soda, she gently pushed the glass aside.  “And your sisters?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your sisters,” she repeated.  “You said you had three of them.  Where are they at?”

Josiah took a sip of his own beverage before answering.  “They’re sort of scattered all over the place.  Heather’s down in Pennsylvania, married and just had her first baby.  A girl—Dawn.  Her husband is a high school teacher.  Then there’s Susan.  She’s down in Binghamton.  Also married, no kids, and both she and her husband are in medical sales.”

“Wow!  That’s kind of cool.”

He shrugged.  “They think so,” he said with a smile.  “And the baby of the family is my sister Danielle.  She’s the feisty one.  It’s funny because she’s this tiny little thing but she can kick all of our butts.”  He laughed.  “Her husband is a professional football player—he’s about a foot or so taller than her—and I think he’s intimidated by her too!”

“Now there’s an image!” Melanie said, laughing with him.  “What does she do?”

“Actually, the two of you have a little something in common; she’s a writer too.”

“Really?  What does she write?”

“She does the life and style articles for their local newspaper.  She really doesn’t need to work but she loves writing.”

“When it’s in your blood, you know it and you find any creative outlet you can find to get it out there.”

He studied her for a moment.  “How’d you get started?”

Melanie imitated his pose and relaxed back against the seat.  “It was a case of pure luck.”

“What do you mean?”

“I entered a writing contest while I was in college,” she said.  “It was to pitch a book idea to a publisher.”  She shrugged.  “They loved it.  I got signed to write the book and it sold relatively well so they offered me a three-book deal and I readily took it.”

“Wow!  That’s impressive!”

She gave him a small smile.  “Yeah…it sounds like it but for those first few years I still needed to have a day job.  So I worked in retail and did some waitressing for a while—and found out I’m not very good at it—and after the fourth book, I was able to do it full-time.”