Colorado Christmas (7 page)

“I’ve found homes for Charles, Dermott and Edward,” Will informed Miss Patterson the next evening. He scooped up another of her chocolate chip cookies before Edward could claim it. The sheepdog was sprawled across the sofa, and over Will’s lap. Henri sat prissily on Miss P.’s lap, apparently following their conversation. Dermott chewed on a toy. Charles was fast asleep at Will’s feet, while Dugald perched along the back of the sofa, watching Will eat, his wiry head turned in query as if to ask,
When do I get some?

“Oh, you dear, dear, boy!” Miss P. said and clasped her hands to her chest. “Tell me, who wants to adopt my boys?”

He broke off a bit of cookie, picked out the chocolate chip, then fed the cookie to Dugald when Edward’s attention was elsewhere. “Well…you know most of the folks at the Twilight Years, since you grew up with them.”

“The Twilight Years?”

Will frowned. Maybe it was time Miss P. should consider moving there herself, seeing she was having trouble remembering things. “The retirement home out near the golf course,” he prompted.

“I know what the Twilight Years is, dear. But I don’t understand how anyone there can adopt Edward. They aren’t allowed pets.”

“No, they aren’t. But I had a chat with the director, who was
feeling kindly toward me because of the ironing, and I suggested Edward would make an excellent therapy dog.”

“A therapy dog?”

“A dog that helps people who have disabilities or just cheers them up.”

“I know what a therapy dog is, dear,” she assured him with a grin. “But Edward’s never been trained as one.”

“Doesn’t need it. His area of expertise is lying around doing nothing much. The residents enjoy petting him. That makes them feel good—cheers them up no end—and Edward likes it, too. It’s a win-win situation all around.”

Will had reconsidered moving Edward to the ranch. In doggy years, Edward was a senior citizen and would probably be worn out by three boisterous young girls even if he wasn’t herding sheep. So this morning, Will had taken Edward to the dog-grooming parlor. Then he’d borrowed Matt’s SUV. Matt had grumbled about Will’s borrowing his vehicle yet again and pointed out that it was high time Will got wheels of his own. But once Will explained what he had in mind, Matt had handed over his keys and said, “Good luck.”

After loading Edward into the SUV, he drove out to the Twilight Years, introduced the director to the dog and asked if it would be okay for Edward to visit with the residents while he did a few hours’ ironing and snow shoveling. Impressed with Edward’s grooming and how well he bonded with the residents, the director didn’t need much convincing about the benefits of adopting the old dog for the Twilight Years.

“The residents are making rosters for walking him. He’ll be in doggy heaven over there and they said you’re welcome to visit any time you want.”

Miss P. dabbed at her pale blue eyes. “Oh, what a wonderful home for Edward to go to. He
would
love it there. You’re such a thoughtful boy, Will. Have another cookie.”

He accepted one and broke off a bit—without chocolate chips—for Dugald. “They asked if I could bring Edward back first thing tomorrow.” He chuckled and rubbed Edward’s ears.
“Truth is, I had a hard time getting him away, but I figured I’d better bring him home to make sure you approved of them adopting him.”

She clasped her wrinkled hands to her chest, her eyes filled with tears. “Of course I do, dear. And it would be lovely to visit him.”

“Frank Farquar’s agreed to take Charles. I suggested if Lou had a four-legged companion she might not get up to so much mischief. Frank’s keen to win back Mrs. C. and knows that isn’t going to happen while Lou’s misbehaving.”

She nodded sagely. “Louella is a dear pig, but she’s awfully spoiled. I hope she doesn’t get Charles into trouble, too.”

Will could understand Miss P.’s concerns. Lou had caused havoc around town pretty much from the day Frank’s cousin Hank had given him the runt of the litter. Frank had hand raised Louella and she’d imprinted him as her parent. Now fully grown, she was only half the size of normal pigs. Hence her ability to ride around in Frank’s car, rather than being left at home where she couldn’t cause as much damage. “He’d like to come by and collect Charles later this evening, if that’s okay?”

More tears filled Miss P.’s eyes. Alarmed that the sudden departure of her beloved companions might be too much, Will hastened to add, “He’s promised to bring Charles by to visit whenever you’d like.”

Miss P. nodded her gratitude. “What about Dermott?” she sniffed.

“I met a young family from Boulder while I was walking the boys this afternoon and it was love at first sight. The kids adored him and it turns out the mom grew up with a setter. They can’t wait to make him part of their family.”

“They sound lovely.” She hesitated. “Can I meet them first?”

“Absolutely. They insisted on meeting you, too. In fact—” he glanced at his watch “—they’re coming by in a few minutes.”

If all went well, Dermott’s new family would collect him on their way back to Boulder on Sunday. They weren’t permitted to keep dogs in their rental condo here in town. On future visits,
they’d choose dog-friendly accommodations, but for now Dermott would need to stay with Miss P.

“My hair!” Miss P.’s hand flew to her unkempt gray bun.

“Looks lovely,” Will assured her as the front doorbell rang and the dogs started a chorus of barking in various depths of voice.

Dermott was first at the door and as Will opened it, he jumped up on one of the children—a boy of seven. Far from being put off by the big dog’s enthusiasm, the child giggled and hugged Dermott. “See, Mom! Dermott loves me the most!” he cried. Two more children, an older boy and a younger girl, pushed their way inside and hugged Dermott—or at least tried to as the big red dog jumped around excitedly, greeting his new family.

Will made the introductions and excused himself. He still had to find a home for Dugald. Until he’d accomplished that, he wouldn’t consider his job done.

The judge had taken a liking to the little guy and vice versa. Maybe he should drop by the courthouse tomorrow….

T
HE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON,
Will strolled down Main Street. Dermott loped along, dragging him forward on one side while Dugald and Henri, trotting as fast as their little legs would allow, were attached to his other hand. As of this morning, Edward had moved into the Twilight Years and Charles was now living with Frank and Louella.

Even with two fewer dogs in tow, the stroll took longer than usual. People greeted him with, “Keep up the good work, Will,” and “I hear there’s a barbecue coming up at the ranch. I’ll be there!” or “Anything you need, Will, just ask.”

With his eye on the courthouse door, Will gave Dermott’s leash a gentle yank to slow him down. Yep, life was looking fine. He was astounded by all the support for Save Our Buildings. Donations were pouring in to the SOB fund. Frank Farquar, in what Will suspected was an effort to spend more time with Mrs. C., came into her shop every day to donate generously. Frank’s
contributions alone amounted to a sizeable sum. Will smiled at the vision of Frank stuffing bills into the tin on her counter.

“What are you grinning at?”

Startled out of his musings, Will flashed a grin of welcome at the judge. “I was thinking what a beautiful day it is,” he said, indicating the sunny skies and snow-covered mountains—one of his favorite views from Main Street. “It could only be improved by you adopting wee Dugald.”

The Scottie’s bottom waggled at the expectation of some petting and kind words. “Hello, Dugald,” she said and bent to pet him. His bottom waggled more frantically. “Where are the others?”

“Gone to good homes,” he reported, smiling with satisfaction. “And I’m pretty sure you won’t be seeing so much of Louella in your courtroom from now on.”

Becky glanced up at that, her eyes bright with anticipation. “How so?”

“Frank’s adopted Charles as a companion for Louella. Now that they’re together, she won’t have time to cause havoc wherever she ambles.”

Becky raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want to think about how unnatural that relationship is.” After petting Henri and Dermott, she stood. “I hope what you say is true. It’ll be a great relief not to constantly see that pig.”

Will was transfixed by her green eyes. She wore a tiny frown that didn’t, for once, seem to be directed at him.
What could the judge have to worry about?
he wondered, as Dermott wound behind her to Dugald and Henri on the other side.

“Oh!” Becky exclaimed as the big dog forced her and Will closer together.

“I think we’ve done this dance before,” he said, grinning.

I
T FELT WONDERFUL
being pressed against him again. So deeply pleasurable, she had to fight the urge to place her cheek against his chest.

When Dermott tugged on the leash, pulling them closer, she
gave in and did just that, closing her eyes with pleasure at the feel of his soft chambray shirt against her cheek, the hardness of his chest muscles beneath it, his oh-so-wonderful masculine scent as she breathed in slowly…and sighed.

“Having fun?”

She blinked and looked up. He was smiling at her in a way that said he
knew
what she’d been thinking. Wanting to fume at him for catching her, she asked instead, “Are you?”

“Oh, yeah,” he growled, the deep resonance of his voice making her want to lay her cheek against his chest again. As if reading her thoughts, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her into his warm embrace. “I was hoping I’d run into you,” he admitted, and lowered his head to kiss her.

His warm lips covered hers with just the right amount of firmness. Enough that she could pull away if she wished, enough to let her know the next move was hers. Her gloved hands curled into the fabric of his shirt.

He deepened the kiss, his mouth opening over hers, his tongue testing, teasing. She’d dreamed of being kissed by Will O’Malley for too many nights. And this was far, far better than her dreams.

He shifted against her, making her all too aware of how their kiss was affecting him. Shocked, she stepped back. “Mr. O’Malley! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Kissing you. Giving you what you want.”

Awareness flamed her cheeks. He was right; it was precisely what she wanted—his strong arms around her, his warm lips teasing hers, the wondrous feeling of being held by someone…Someone so blatantly
masculine.
She shook her head to clear it. Every time she got near Will O’Malley, her brain went on holiday. And now a crowd of spectators had gathered, reminding her of the humiliation she’d recently experienced in the same situation. Except today she was tempted to ignore the spectators and let him kiss her some more.

“Why don’t we do something about exploring this attraction we share?” he said.

“We do
not
share an attraction,” she snapped, trying to regain control of the situation—and of herself.

His cocked brow spoke of his skepticism. “You’re not going to try and tell me this is all one-sided, are you? Because I can assure you, your feelings for me are completely reciprocated.”

She fixed him with a glare. “Get your hands off me,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Okay, on one condition.”

“If it has anything to do with kissing you or agreeing to date you, then forget it.”

“Absolutely nothing to do with our love affair whatsoever,” he said, but before she could interrupt, he said, “Agree to take Dugald. It’ll set Miss P.’s heart at ease to know he’s gone to a good home. Dugald McBride has a lovely ring, doesn’t it?”

Becky sighed. He was incorrigible. Incorrigible and crazy and infinitely kindhearted. And extraordinarily persuasive. The little dog might be the perfect companion for Nicolas and resolve the Santa problem. “All right, I’ll think about it.”

He hugged her.

“You said you’d let me go,” Becky said, her voice muffled against his chest.

He released her and moved a step away and Becky wished she hadn’t protested so quickly.

As he unwound Dugald’s leash, Becky was regretting her promise to consider adopting the dog. She didn’t need emotional entanglements. She wasn’t usually so impulsive. She was
never
impulsive! The man was clearly having a detrimental effect on her sanity.

“I said I’ll
think
about it,” she said before he could hand her the leash. Okay, so Dugald wasn’t the much-requested puppy, but this friendly little dog would give Nicolas something to focus on, care about. Love. In spite of his mini-tantrum last night, when he’d said he wouldn’t believe in Santa anymore, Becky was pretty sure Nicolas already knew the Truth about the man in the red suit.

She crouched down to talk to Dugald. “Do you want to
come and live with me?” she asked and rubbed his wiry-haired chin. Dugald’s bottom wriggled and writhed with pleasure. She glanced up at Will. “I can’t promise anything until I’ve checked to see if it’s okay to keep a pet where we live.”

She stood and brushed her hands on her coat. “If I can have a dog, I’ll get in touch with Miss Patterson in the next few days and see what we can work out.” She held up a hand. “Please, Mr. O’Malley. No more public displays of affection, if you don’t mind. Goodbye.”

She turned and stalked off down Main Street, leaving Will grinning from ear to ear.

Loud banging on his door woke Will from a nightmare.

Heart racing, he sat up, taking a moment to grasp where he was. His heart rate slowed when he realized he was in Mrs. C.’s apartment and not half-frozen and suffocating in an avalanche.

He stumbled to the door and yanked it open. Matt was there, wearing his ski suit and boots. “I’ve got the morning off. Let’s go skiing,” he said and, without waiting for an invitation, walked into the apartment.

Will’s heart rate kicked up again. He did
not
want to go skiing. Not in this lifetime, anyway. “Want some coffee?” he asked, needing to stall, giving him time to make up an excuse for not skiing.

“You’re kidding, right? I’ve only got this morning off.”

“I…can’t. Got some campaigning to do.”

“At eight in the morning? Tell you what—we’ll do some campaigning up on the slopes. I’ll ride one chair and you can ride another. That way, we get to ski
and
campaign.”

Will messed around making coffee. What could he say to that? Matt’s suggestion made perfect sense. Except Will was
not
going up the mountain. “I can’t, okay?”

“Oh,
please,
you’re the guy who was always dressed and ready to ski before seven, even though the lifts don’t open till eight. What’s got into you?”

With an unsteady hand, Will poured the coffee into two mugs, spilling some of it.

Matt grabbed paper towels and mopped it up. “You haven’t skied since you got home. What’s up?”

“I’ve been busy doing my community service, campaigning, walking Miss P.’s dogs, helping Mrs. C. and…things. Plus, I’ve got to buy a car today, so I won’t have time to ski.”

“What a crock of excuses! This is me you’re talking to. Since when has anything come between you and a pair of skis?”

“Since I decided to settle down and make a go of living in this town.”

“Not buying it, buddy. Being part of this town means participating in winter activities, and that means skiing. What’s really going on?”

Will wiped the perspiration from his upper lip with the back of his hand. He couldn’t run away from this anymore. There was nothing else he could do; he’d have to admit the truth.

“I…quit the movies…because I nearly died in an avalanche.”

“What?
When?”

“A couple of months ago. I’m so spooked by it, I can’t even face getting on the chairlift, let alone going to the top of a mountain I’ve been up a thousand times before.”

Matt shook his head. “What happened?”

“We were filming over fifteen thousand feet high in the Chilean Andes. I was responsible for checking out the snow conditions, but I miscalculated, came off a cornice and the snow started to slide. I fell over four thousand feet down the mountain.”

Matt emitted a soft whistle and said, “Thank God you’re alive! But predicting avalanche danger isn’t an exact science. How long were you buried?”

“They got me out that night.” He’d been half-frozen by then, but it wasn’t the cold that had terrified him, it was the sensation of slowly suffocating to death and wondering if he’d ever be found. “I kept remembering the statistics drummed into me when I worked on ski patrol—more than half the people buried in avalanches don’t survive. I’ve been in dozens of avalanches
and gotten out before—avalanches other skiers died in. But this one had my name on it from the moment I felt it move. If only I’d checked more carefully, I’d still have a career and still be able to face going up the mountains here.”

“You’re worried there might be an avalanche in Spruce Lake? You know that won’t happen because the resort blasts potential danger spots every morning.” As if hearing Matt’s proclamation, several deep booms sounded from the mountains, signaling the ski patrol was at work. “It’s not like a film set where they want deep, pristine snow on film.”

He knew Matt was right. But the mountains had always been a living, breathing thing for Will. They spoke to him in ways other people couldn’t understand. Since the avalanche, what the mountains had to say wasn’t something Will wanted to hear.

“I don’t expect you to understand, Matt, but the thought of going up there makes me sick to my stomach.”

“So let’s play around on the kiddie slopes to get your confidence back,” Matt suggested.

“Right now, I’m not sure I can strap on skis without panicking. What if I never ski again? What use am I to anyone?”

Matt clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey. Don’t be so hard on yourself. C’mon, you want to have a snowball fight?”

Matt was offering him a chance to get back on his skis in a nonthreatening environment. Will knew he’d be crazy not to at least give it a try. Plus, after vowing to teach Nicolas to ski, he couldn’t let him down. “Okay, I’ll try the kiddie slopes,” he said. “But I’m not promising anything more.”

B
ECKY TOOK AN EARLY LUNCH
to follow up a lead for a caregiver for Nicolas and drove to the ski-ticket office at the base of the mountain. However, Sammy-Jo Parsons wasn’t available for the upcoming Christmas vacation period as she’d be working full-time at the office. Becky headed back to her car, even more desperate to find someone who could look after Nicolas on an ongoing basis. No…she was more than desperate, she was becoming frantic.

In an attempt to calm her frayed nerves, she concentrated on the beauty of the day. The sun was shining, the air was clear, the mountains majestic. There could be no prettier place in the world on a day like this.

Then she saw the O’Malley brothers horsing around in the snow. On the
children’s
slopes.

They were laughing like kids. Will O’Malley was making a snowball. But unlike the wet snow back east, the Rocky Mountain snow was so dry and powdery it was nearly impossible to form into a good snowball.

He hurled his missile at Matt, hitting him in the face, but the snowball crumbled like talc. Matt tackled him to the ground and the pair wrestled in the snow while the ski-school children cheered them on.

It must be nice having a sibling you could horse around with like that,
she reflected. Although their personalities were very different, she suspected the brothers’ upbringing had forged a bond that could never be broken.

Family.
Becky hadn’t spoken to her parents since the day she’d left their rented double-wide trailer in some nondescript town—like so many of the other nondescript towns they’d lived in over the years. With only a tattered suitcase packed with equally tattered clothes, she’d hitchhiked all the way to Atlanta.

“Look out!”

A snowball hit the side of her face and the pulverized snow sifted down underneath the collar of her coat and shirt. She looked over at the culprit.
Will O’Malley!
Damn that man.

“Sorry, Your Honor,” he said as strode up to her. “I tried to warn you when that chickensh—er, brother of mine ducked instead of taking my supersnowball like a man. Are you okay?”

Becky dusted the snow from her clothes, cursing herself for not wearing a scarf and not buttoning her coat for the short walk back to her car. The snow filtered down inside her shirt and was now melting against her bare skin, chilling her. She resisted the urge to shiver.

“Get away!” Becky batted his hands aside as he attempted to help her brush away the snow around her collar. Then she noticed his gaze falling to her breasts.

He swallowed.

She glanced down.

Her shirt had turned nearly see-through from the melted snow. Her lacy black bra was clearly outlined beneath the fabric. She pulled her coat across her chest and closed the top button. Unfortunately, that only forced the cold snow against her bare skin. This time she did shiver. She glanced up at Will O’Malley again. His gaze was still fixed on her chest. She cleared her throat.

“Sorry, Your Honor,” he said and raised his eyes to her face. “It’s been a long—I mean…ah, hell!” he said and looked away. If she wasn’t mistaken, his cheeks were flaming.

That was interesting. Will O’Malley lost for words
and
blushing!

His brother joined them. “I’m sorry, Judge. I shouldn’t have ducked. Will’s snowballs can pack a punch.”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “You seemed to be enjoying yourselves.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve played in the snow like that,” Will said, smiling broadly. A couple of the children who’d been enjoying their antics came over.

“Are you Will O’Malley?” one of them asked.

“Yeah. What can I do for you?”

The kids crowded closer. “The ski-movie star?”

“Ah, yeah,” he agreed—with little eagerness, she noted.

“Can I have your autograph?” they all asked at once.

“I don’t have a pen.”

Matt produced one from inside his ski jacket and handed it over.

“I don’t have paper, either.”

More children joined the crowd. Matt handed over a notepad. Even off duty the guy was organized to a tee.

“Thanks,” Will O’Malley told his brother without enthusiasm. He seemed embarrassed by the attention.

Matt drew Becky away from the excited children so she wouldn’t be elbowed by them. Some held up cell phones and snapped pictures of themselves with their hero.

“I didn’t realize your brother’s fame was so, er, widespread,” she said.

“We don’t have many celebrities in town,” Matt explained and looked fondly at his brother as he posed for photos. “You can see why he’s known as the pied piper of Spruce Lake. Kids love him. Dogs, too.”

Touched by the attention he bestowed on the children, she said, “You were right. He
is
kind, to animals, the elderly and children.”

Matt laughed and said, “You gave me such a disbelieving look that day in court.”

She shrugged in apology and he asked, “Do you ski?”

“Definitely
not.
My one and only attempt resulted in me upside down among the trees lining the ski run.”

“That shouldn’t have happened during class.”

“I wasn’t in a class. My college
friends
convinced me I didn’t need to waste money on lessons. The experience was so mortifying, I spent the rest of the vacation curled up in front of the fire with a book.”

“Any time you want to learn properly, give me a call,” Will said as he joined them.

“Thanks for your generous offer, but I lack the courage to try again.”

“I thought you said nothing scares you, Your Honor?”

“I don’t
care
to try again,” she said, irritated he’d called her on it and held up her hands as he began to speak. “Forget it. I won’t be taking you up on it.”

“Aw, Judge. I’m only trying to show you what an upstanding citizen I am.”

Becky was almost tempted to relent. It did look like fun….

“Come to dinner with me tonight?”

“You don’t give up, do you? My answer is still no.”

“No to dinner? Or to me? We can eat anywhere you’d like.” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Your place or mine.”

She grinned, flattered despite herself. “No, Mr. O’Malley. No, no, no.” Becky got into her car and lowered the window. “However, I would like to thank you very much for all the flowers. But may I make a request?”

“Anything!”

“I’ve asked you once and now I’m telling you.
Please don’t send any more!
”

She started her car and drove off, leaving Will and Matt staring after her.

“She smiled at me. That’s a good sign,” Will said pointedly, knowing exactly what his brother was going to say.

“Correction. She smiled at something you said.” Matt glanced at his watch. “I’m on duty in two hours. Let’s get changed and go buy you a vehicle. I’m done with you borrowing mine.”

“H
EY THERE, CHAMP!”
Will waved to Nicolas as he arrived at the pool.

“Hello!” The boy waved back and walked over with his awkward gait.

Will eased himself out of the water and stepped onto the pool surround.

“Can you teach me to do that one of these days?” Nicolas asked, his eyes glowing with admiration.

“You keep up the therapy, Nick—can I call you Nick?” He smiled at the boy’s vigorous assent. “Anyway, Nick, you could be doing it in no time.” He picked up his towel and they walked to the hydro pool area and sat on the benches provided. “Let me help you with those,” Will said and bent to unclip Nick’s leg braces.

“You’ll really teach me to swim?”

“Sure.” Will helped him walk to the pool. “Maybe I can ask your mom at the fundraiser we’re having at the ranch this weekend. You
were
planning on coming, weren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything!”

The kid was so darned enthusiastic. And, as Jessie had said, smart as a whip. He’d pulled a face when he’d told Will he was
two grades ahead of the other kids his age. He’d also revealed that some of his classmates picked on him. Will’s heart had gone out to the little guy. Nick would be an easy target for bullies. It made Will doubly determined to spend time with him, to try to build up his self-confidence so he wouldn’t be such an obvious mark.

“Maybe we could start those swimming lessons during the holidays,” Will said.

“I don’t know if I can get to the pool. My mom is looking for an after-school and vacation caregiver for me, but she hasn’t got anyone yet. The problem is, she expects everyone to be as good at everything as she is, so I don’t think she’s ever going to find anyone,” he said and sighed like an old man.

Will fought to keep a straight face. The kid was eight going on eighty.

“I wish she could find someone who’s fun to be with.” His features brightened as he gazed up at Will. “Someone like you would be
perfect.
”

Jessie waded over to them. “Hey there, Nicolas. Will. You two are becoming friends, aren’t you?”

Nick giggled and held out his hands to Jessie.

“You’re doin’ so well, buddy,” Will told him. “You’ll be swimming in no time.”