The Christmas Piano Tree: What's Christmas without a tree? (A Kissing Creek novel Book 1) (12 page)

“This is a
special
piano tree,” Jared said, leaning toward her. His thigh burned against hers, sending wild thoughts through her that had nothing to do with Christmas trees.

“Are you sure?” Kristen asked, nearly choking on the words. She had to stop the sexy, wild thoughts swirling in her head and concentrate.

“As sure as I am that St. Nick will be stopping by here tonight,” Jared said with a wink.

For the life of her, Kristen couldn’t figure out what crazy idea danced in his head. How could the piano be special? It had stood in the same spot on the old knitted rug since she was a little girl.

Nothing special about it unless—

Her cheeks flushed as she glanced at the old mahogany upright. A sharp pain in her side made her take fault with herself.

Guilt.

Of course, the piano was special. How could she act so selfish, thinking only of her own problems? The musical instrument held a special place in her aunt’s heart. A daily reminder of the man she loved. Every time Aunt Gertrude swept her airy feather duster over the keys, she’d smile and chuckle to herself. As if hearing in her head the lively tunes her husband played just for her.

A sliver of sadness settled in Kristen, living for a moment in her aunt’s shoes. Ballet flats with rhinestones. She’d fly through the cottage in her soft slippers, her long flowing tunic a rainbow swirl that covered up a lifetime love of baking and good food, her yoga pants black. Always black. She imagined her as a young woman, slender and smiling, filled with hopes and dreams like her—only to lose the man she loved.

She’d never remarried. Said raising a curious little girl who was always messing around in the kitchen with flour and sugar and butter was all she had time for. Then she’d hug Kristen and went about her work, subject closed.

Yes, Kristen thought, running her hand over the smooth ivories. This was indeed a special piano.

Why didn’t she see it before?

A circle of understanding twirled around in her brain that pointed back to one thing: Jared. He had a way of making her step outside herself and take a second look. A wonderful feeling, but she couldn’t figure out why. What was it about him that made her see everything so differently? 

She looked up and locked gazes with the sergeant with an intensity that set her head spinning. Oh, my, he’d been watching her, the smoldering heat in his eyes difficult for him to keep hidden from her. As if he’d enjoyed every second, observing her with the same need that made her heart pound in her chest, her throat dry.

She forced herself to back away from getting too interested in the handsome sergeant. Flirting with him had been fun, but dangerous. She’d started to believe he felt the same way about her. She couldn’t be that lucky. Life didn’t happen that way. Even if she
wanted
to fall in love, this wasn’t the time. Not on Christmas Eve with no job and foreclosure staring her in the face like coal in her stocking. 

Yet she didn’t know what she’d do if he left. She’d already fallen for him.
Crazy, stupid
. But she’d tried, really tried not to, but there was something special about the soldier just like there was something about the piano.

What was it?

Silence fell between them, sending shivers through her. 

To break the spell, Jared lassoed her around the waist with a festoon of red garland. “A penny for them.”

“Oh?”

“Your thoughts.”

“Make it a nickel…no, wait,” Kristen said, hopeful. “Maybe if we wish hard enough, we’ll find another sock with a five dollar bill in the Christmas box.”

“Maybe.” His voice was playful, his mood anxious. “But first, let’s finish decorating your aunt’s piano.”

She laughed and together they draped the garland around the piano, and then hung silver balls on the metallic tinsel with old fashioned hooks. They worked so close together she stiffened at first, not knowing how to respond to him, trying to keep her mind busy on decorating the piano and not on Jared’s hard thigh rubbing against hers.

He didn’t move.

He didn’t press against her either, but being that close to him set her pulse on a fast, steady rhythm, making her feel content just to be close to him.

When they wound a glittering string of holiday lights around the silver balls, she leaned over and found herself nearly in his lap. She didn’t dare go there in her mind, so instead she inched away slowly and draped more lights over the sides. Whatever happened, one thing she knew for sure. He’d started an ache in her that wouldn’t go away after the holiday.

She was almost sorry when they were done.

By the heated look in his eyes, so was he.

Kristen cleared her throat, trying to be practical, trying not to let her emotions interfere with making this a good Christmas for her little girl.

“What do you think, Rachel?” she said, putting her mom hat back on.

“It’s the coolest Christmas tree
ever
,” said Rachel, jumping up and down with glee. Kristen’s heart warmed at her daughter’s joy.

“Every tree needs an angel,” Jared said, propping up the angel star on top of the piano. “A beautiful angel.”

He flashed a sexy grin at her that said he’d lift her up and put her on top of the tree if he could. Kristen felt her cheeks redden, but she couldn’t risk giving him a sassy comeback. Only too well did she know where her playful flirting would lead. Kissing him then, God help her, she didn’t know what. 

Before she could come up with another excuse,
any
excuse, to still the hot urges threatening to flare up if he touched her again, he plugged the string of lights into the wall socket and—

“Oh, how
beautiful!”
Kristen cried out.

Twinkling lights colored red and blue and green and gold filled the room with a bright, warm glow that glimmered like pixie dust. The worn mahogany wood on the piano looked new again, the black and white keys sparkled, the tinsel dazzled.

“It’s so pretty, Mommy,” Rachel said, grabbing her hand.

“Yes, it is, baby,” Kristen said with awe, and then turned to tell Jared with her eyes how much his piano tree meant to her and Rachel. At the same time, she kept making excuses why she should hold on tight to the strings of her heart and not let them sing a happy tune. “Thanks to the sergeant, we have a Christmas tree.”

“We’re not finished yet,” he said, baiting her.

“Oh?” she asked, wondering if he was going to pull an elf out of a hat. “You’ve already done so much, Jared. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t happened by Kissing Creek on Christmas Eve.”

Embarrassed, he raked his hand though his hair. “That’s what I’ve been doing my damnedest to tell you, Kristen. About why I came here—”

A shock of dark hair hung over one eye, his brow cocked, his jaw set firm. A midnight blue cast hooded his eyes as if he were trying to shield her from something disturbing but no longer could.

She didn’t look away. It couldn’t be
that
bad. Most likely he’d gotten off the bus hoping to get a hot meal and had no place to go for the night but he didn’t want to tell her.

Men were such proud creatures, she thought, and they didn’t understand it wouldn’t hurt them to accept a little kindness. Especially when his coming here was such a godsend for Rachel and her. She’d never be able to repay him for the holiday joy he’d brought them.

It bothered her to see him so upset.

“It’s none of my affair what your reasons are for passing through,” she said honestly. Heavy snow flurries tapped on the window, catching her attention, the Christmas tree lights reflecting on the glass pane.

A magical moment.

Outside she imagined the twinkling spirals of red and green lights were so bright they were visible down to the main road. She could see herself as a little girl peeking outside the window, waiting for Santa to come. Then she looked back at Jared and her toes curled, making her glad she was a woman all grown up. “But I want to thank you for bringing Christmas back into my home.”

Whatever Jared was going to say, he changed his mind, as if her words made it even harder for him to express his thoughts. Instead, he said, “I know it sounds crazy, Kristen, but believe me, your aunt’s piano is the key to keeping the cottage for you and Rachel.”

“You mean you think I should sell it?” she said, a sadness creeping into her voice that she didn’t try to hide.

“Not exactly…”

“I was wrong, so terribly wrong to suggest putting it up on EBay and I’m sorry for my rash words. That would be like selling Aunt Gertrude’s memories. I’ll
never
sell it, even if I have to scrub floors to pay off the mortgage.” She stomped her foot down on the rug. “The piano stays.”

“You’re a beautiful woman, Kristen,” Jared said, looking at her with deep warmth in his eyes. “Both inside and out.” His words came out in a hoarse whisper, and hearing him say he thought she was beautiful was so amazing she didn’t know what to do. “Your aunt knew that, so do I. That’s why she left you a present
inside
the piano.”

“What
?
”
Kristen questioned, still reeling over him calling her beautiful, and then adding to it a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach.

What does he know that I don’t
?

His eyes were very playful. And filled with a deep yearning to share something with her. What, she had no idea, though nothing short of a Christmas miracle would get her out of the mess she was in.

Yet she couldn’t look away, so hypnotized she was by the emotion in his eyes that pulled her into their depths, holding her there for a moment before letting her go.  

“Don’t move,” the sergeant said, placing her just so in front of the piano.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ll see.”

Then, with a sharp turn of his head, Jared turned his attention to the front oval panel on the piano, removing it with a push here, a tug there, surprising her.

She ran her fingers down her cheek, then chewed on a nail, not believing that for her entire life she had no idea that panel was loose. Only her aunt ever touched it and she kept the piano spotless.

Surely
she
knew about it.

Her heart skipped a beat. She remembered the woman’s warm smile, always so innocent when she’d zip her duster over the piano, then that cute giggle of hers when she was finished. As if she had a secret. A wild, crazy thought hit her between the eyes, scrambling her thoughts and then putting them together like she’d just found the last piece to a giant jigsaw puzzle. Was the piano another one of her aunt’s hiding places? A musical hide-and-seek game she kept to herself?

Dear God, then that meant—

“Look inside the piano, Kristen,” Jared said in such a manner it made the hair on the back of her neck rise. “And see for yourself what your Aunt Gertrude left for you.”

She looked at him first, her eyes wide and questioning where he got such a wild idea. But she couldn’t stop her curiosity from getting the better of her. With a deep breath filling her lungs and her fingers crossed behind her back, she peered into the guts of the old piano. Then she leaned forward, lowering her head, and got the shock of her life.

“Ooh…no,
no
!” A long, slow shudder traveled up and down her spine. Kristen crossed her hands over her chest. She couldn’t breathe. She’d never been so surprised. She fought to keep her focus, for she had the strangest feeling that if she blinked twice what she saw would disappear in a flash.  

Cold, hard cash.

Money. Moola, mad scrilla. Dollars, lots and lots of them.

Wads of bills rolled up and tied with thick string and neat little bows. Pert, perfect. Only a woman with small hands could have tied them. Aunt Gertrude. So many wads of money stuffed in here she couldn’t count them all.

Her eyes hurt from the sight of it.

“Oh, my God, I don’t believe it!”
Kristen cried out, reaching into the guts of the piano and pulling out rolls and rolls of money. “There must be hundreds…no,
thousands
of dollars hidden in here.” She tried to think, make her mind cooperate to take it all in, but she was still stunned by the magic of it all. “But how…
why
? I know Aunt Gertrude hated banks, but why hide cash in here? And where did she get all this money?”

“You have no idea where it came from?” Jared asked, puzzled.

“No,” she said cautiously, and then looked at him with a strange, unsettling feeling coming over her. For months she’d stared at that piano every day, she’d almost given it away to the mean old banker, and never once in her wildest did she ever think about looking inside.

But Jared did.

He
knew
the money was hidden in there. 

Why would he wait until now to tell her? Then it hit her. Something was terribly wrong, something she didn’t understand. She’d been fooling herself about Jared all along. He’d come here to Kissing Creek for a reason and it had nothing to do with getting a hot meal. He knew all along exactly what he was doing.