Santa's Shopkeeper (River's End Ranch Book 18) Read online

  “He does? He is? Where?” Abby looked around.

  “But he’s married and has two kids.”

  “Oh.” Abby slumped onto the counter. “All the good ones are married, you know.”

  “That can’t be true.” Heidi was no stranger to that thought, but Abby looked like she could use some cheering up. She’d been through a bad breakup that summer and hadn’t quite recovered.

  “It is true. As soon as they turn twenty-one, bam, they’re married.”

  “And they have to be marrying someone, right? So why not us?” Heidi pointed out.

  “Because, my little chickadee, we both wear uniforms all day.” Abby looked back and forth between herself and Heidi. “We’re not exactly glamorous.”

  “Well, I can’t help but hope that the right man will see past my gingham and calico to the heart of the woman that beats beneath.”

  Abby rolled her eyes. “You’ve been reading books again. I keep telling you, those things aren’t good for you. But don’t tell Melissa I said that—her new store’s cute, and I don’t want to jinx it for her.” She grinned. “Besides, maybe you have found the right one. You’re going to dinner with him tonight, remember?”

  “I’ve been remembering a lot. In fact, it’s been really hard to concentrate on anything else.” Heidi took the stack of five-dollar bills out of the register. “And speaking of that, I need to close up.”

  “Oh, right. I’m sorry. Okay, I’ll see ya, and I need to know everything about your date. Including what you ate. All right? Leave nothing out!”

  “Okay,” Heidi said, laughing, as Abby left.

  Once the register was closed out and Heidi had turned off the cinnamon scent diffuser in the corner, she was ready to go for the night. She paused in the doorway, proud of the decorations she and Alicia had worked so hard on, the evergreen boughs and the snowflakes, and the giant throne where Santa sat for three hours a day. If this place didn’t scream “Merry Christmas,” she didn’t know what else to do.

  She got in her car and drove the short distance to her apartment, where she took off her pioneer dress and changed into a pink sweater and denim skirt. She didn’t hate her dress exactly, but if she happened to be holding it while walking past a lit fireplace and it happened to leap out of her hands and be consumed in the ravenous flames, she wouldn’t cry too hard. Wade had asked her to wear it, and so she’d do it for him because she respected him—and it was her job—but she was glad he hadn’t made it an everyday thing. Yet. He’d hinted that was coming.

  Sigh.

  After pulling on her dark brown boots—just one of many pairs—she brushed through her hair, touched up her makeup, and was ready to head back out to the ranch. The roads were getting slicker, and she hoped they wouldn’t freeze. There was very little she hated worse than slipping and sliding all over the place. Thankfully, Sheriff Clapper was good about keeping an eye on the roads and had tow trucks and snow plows at the ready.

  She made it to the main house safely and parked, then walked around to the dining room entrance. Mark was waiting for her just inside the door wearing a forest green sweater and khaki slacks. Her heart beat a little faster when she saw him. She’d been trying to convince herself that she’d only imagined how good-looking he was, but that wasn’t the case. If anything, he was even better-looking.

  “Hi,” he said as she approached. “Let me get your coat.”

  She slid out of it, and he caught it and put it on the coat rack. “They have a table ready for us,” he said. “I flashed my coupon, and it worked miracles.”

  She laughed. She was so glad he had a sense of humor—that was important to her. If nothing else came of this, she’d at least enjoy herself tonight.

  “So, it looks like you go all out for Christmas around here,” Mark said after they placed their orders with Barbi, the waitress assigned to their table. He motioned around to the garlands, the wreaths, and the lights all over the dining room. “Did you leave any pine trees in the forest at all?”

  “Nope, not one. It’s just a giant meadow now.” Heidi took a sip of her water and studied him. He seemed a little nervous, and she wondered why. It couldn’t possibly be her—she didn’t have that kind of impact on guys. She was the girl next door, the buddy, the pal, the friend.

  “That’s really quite a shame. What will all the little forest creatures do without the trees to call home?” he asked.

  “Well, we have built a number of new cabins over the last several months. They could stay there,” she replied.

  “True, true.” He sipped from his glass, almost mirroring her actions, then said, “Now, back to Christmas. My sister-in-law said something about Christmas Week. What’s that all about?”

  “Well, it’s a River’s End Ranch tradition. The five days leading up to Christmas are special, with events and cookies and surprises.”

  “What kind of events?”

  “Didn’t you get a schedule when you checked in? Wade—the manager—always makes sure to do up a schedule for the guests at Christmastime.”

  “We probably did, but my brother picked up all the registration information, and I haven’t seen it.”

  Heidi leaned forward a little. She loved Christmas, and hoped he’d like hearing about everything that had been planned. “Well, it all starts on Monday with a giant cookie decorating night. Miranda at the bakery is in charge of that, and her cookies are to die for. That’s held at the event barn. Then on Tuesday, Dani Weston, the daughter of the owners, runs the snowmobile races. Those are a ton of fun. I’ve never actually raced because things that go fast scare me, but watching is awesome.”

  Mark laughed. “You don’t like to go fast? You have a car, right?”

  “Well, that’s different. In a car, you’re enclosed in metal, and you have a seatbelt.”

  He nodded. “I see. That is different. All right, what happens after the snowmobile races?”

  “Wednesday is the Christmas Stroll. All the shops along Main Street decorate their windows, and there are prizes for the best window. I’ve won twice.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder dramatically, and Mark laughed again. “You can walk around and look at the shop windows, and there’s caroling—it’s very Victorian. I love it.”

  “I can see that you do.”

  Just then, Barbi brought their plates, and Mark picked up his fork. “What about Thursday?”

  “Thursday is arguably the most wonderful day of the whole week. It’s run by yours truly.” She gave a mock bow. Her pasta smelled delicious and she was starving, but she couldn’t stop her narrative at the best part. “It’s ornament day. Did you see the giant tree while you were walking around Old West Town?”

  “I did. Impressive.”

  “That tree has been here since the first Westons over a hundred years ago. On ornament day, you either come over to the event barn and make one, or you buy one from the general store. You trade ornaments with friends or loved ones, and then on Christmas Eve, we all meet at the tree and hang them. It’s my favorite part, and of course, it’s even more awesome because I’ll be at the barn helping people make theirs.”

  “Oh? Who minds the store?”

  “Alicia. She’s my assistant.”

  He nodded. “Sounds great. So, tell me about Friday.”

  Heidi laughed. “Oh, Friday’s fun too. Christmas karaoke.”

  “Karaoke?”

  “That’s right. Over there.” She motioned toward the corner of the dining room. “We do karaoke here a lot, but it’s just better when it’s Christmas.”

  “I can see that it would be.” He looked amused. She hoped he wasn’t making fun of their traditions—that wouldn’t be very nice, and then she’d have to dislike him, and she didn’t want to dislike him. “Saturday?”

  “Saturday is Christmas Eve. We meet at the church and listen to a sermon from Pastor Kevin, and then we go decorate the tree. I should clarify, though, that Kevin isn’t a tradition. He hasn’t been here that long. Next year, though, he will be a tr
adition.”

  “Sounds reasonable. And Sunday?”

  “Sunday, the guests of the ranch cook a huge Christmas dinner for themselves and all the staff.”

  Mark raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me? Cooking? That’s not a talent I have. I’m glad we’re leaving Christmas Eve morning.”

  “You are?” Heidi was disappointed. She wanted him to participate in everything all week long. At least he’d be there for ornament day, but what good was that when he wouldn’t be there to hang it up?

  “Yeah. If I give you an ornament, will you hang it for me?”

  “Are you a mind reader? I was just thinking about that. I mean, I was wondering what you’d do with your ornament. Not that I was thinking that I’d hang it for you. I mean, usually that’s reserved for good friends or loved ones, and I didn’t mean to hint that we’d be . . .” She shook her head. “I should be quiet now.”

  He grinned. “And why couldn’t we be good friends by the time I leave? It’s Saturday night now, and I’m leaving Saturday morning. That’s almost a whole week. I’m sure we’ll run into each other a time or two, won’t we?”

  Run into each other? That sounded very much like an accidental thing, and not like he was planning a second date. Had she already managed to do something to offend him? Did she have something stuck in her teeth? Not possible—she hadn’t eaten anything yet, and she’d checked before she left home. “I’m sure we will,” she said with a smile.

  “Great. Are you going to eat?” He nodded toward her plate.

  “Absolutely. I just wanted to tell you about Christmas first.” She picked up her fork. “So, what brings you to the ranch?”

  “Well, my brother and his wife enjoy travelling, but they have two little kids, like I was telling you before, and my sister-in-law has epilepsy. So they bring me along just in case something happens.”

  Heidi blinked, a little confused. “I’m sorry, but how does your being there help them? I mean, I’m sure you’re a very helpful guy—you seem nice and all—but are you an epilepsy guru or something?”

  “No, not really. But I am a paramedic.”

  “Oh! I get it now. I tell you what. I’m going to stop talking so I don’t sound so ridiculous, and you can tell me all about it.” She took a big bite as though to prove that she really was done talking. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d sounded like such a ditz.

  Mark smiled. “Well, like I was saying, they enjoy travelling, so I schedule my vacation times around their vacation times. They pay my way, I get to hang out with the kids, and I’m on hand in case of an emergency. It’s more to comfort my brother than anything. Almost anything I’d do, he can do too, but he feels better knowing that I’m there. And to be honest, I’m more than happy to help. Family is everything, and Callie’s become a special person in my life.”

  “It sounds like you all have a lot of fun together,” Heidi said after she swallowed.

  “We do. And those kids . . . I can’t tell you how fun it is to hang out with them. They make me feel like the coolest guy on earth.” He smiled as though remembering something happy. “We went to Yellowstone over the summer, and last year, we did Disneyland. I don’t think Connor will remember anything about that trip when he gets older, but Maisie talks about it almost every day.”

  “That’s so awesome,” Heidi said. “So, you’re on the ranch for Christmas?” Um, that was possibly the silliest question she could have asked. Here he was, on the ranch, and it was Christmas. Could she just crawl under the table now? Hide behind the tablecloth? That was probably the best place for her.

  “Yep,” he replied, not seeming to notice how dorky she was being. “Todd—my brother—is really into creating memories for the kids, and he thought that a trip like this would be great. I think . . .” He looked down into his water glass. “I think he’s preparing himself for Callie to die, so he wants to squeeze in everything he can.”

  Heidi stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. “Epilepsy can kill you?”

  Mark nodded. “There’s this thing called SUDEP, which stands for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, which happens sometimes when the patient loses consciousness for a sustained period. There are strokes that cause seizures, and those can be fatal as well. Callie’s situation is moderate, meaning that she has lost consciousness from time to time, but she hasn’t had stroke symptoms. My brother loves her deeply and just wants to make sure . . . he just wants to make sure that he’s doing everything he possibly can.”

  “Wow. That’s so sweet and so sad at the same time.”

  Mark nodded, not looking at her. “He tries to find the joy in every day. He’s a really good example to me of that.”

  Heidi blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes. “Is it hard for you to find joy?”

  “It is sometimes, especially after a long shift. We deal with suicides, cutting gone out of control, gunshot wounds—some really tough situations, and on days like that, it’s easy to feel down.” Then he grinned. “But then there are awesome days. Just last week, I got to deliver a baby in an elevator. It was so cool.”

  Heidi returned his grin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you like kids.”

  “I do like kids. A lot. I plan to have a million of them. If I ever find the right mother for them.”

  “A mother is generally useful when you want to have children. Unless you order them from a catalog or something.” Heidi took another bite, swallowed, and asked, “So, you’re leaving Saturday morning?”

  “That’s right. We live in California, and we’re going home to do the whole Christmas Eve thing at Todd’s house. I’m about a mile from there, but I’m going to stay the night with them and watch them open presents in the morning. Callie decorated the house like crazy before we left so it would be ready.”

  “That sounds so fun! And you get all this time off?”

  “Yeah, I’ve worked the other major holidays all year so I could take this trip.”

  “I hope it turns out to be worth it.”

  “I’m definitely having fun so far.” He caught her gaze, and she blushed. Yeah, she was having fun too. She just had to stop saying completely ridiculous things. “What about Santa?”

  “Hmm?” That wasn’t at all what she expected him to say next, and it didn’t even make sense.

  “I saw a sign up at the general store about Santa. My niece is dying to come see him.”

  “Oh, that’s right. He’s at the store every afternoon from three until six. Wade, our general manager, did some emergency Santa duty when our regular guy got sick, but we’ve got a new guy now who doesn’t even need padding.”

  “And what days are you at the store? Do you get any time off?”

  “Not a lot, I’m sorry to say. The holidays are nuts around here.”

  He caught her gaze again. “That really is too bad. I mean, if we’re going to become friends, it’s helpful if we could spend time together.”

  Wait. Now it sounded like he did want a second date. Why couldn’t he make up his mind?

  “I’ll be attending the Christmas Week events,” Heidi said. “We could go to them together, maybe. The ones I’m not working.” That was noncommittal enough that she wouldn’t come across as desperate and lonely, right?

  “I think I’d like that.” Mark grinned, then ate the last bite of his salmon. “What about Sundays? What will you ranch folks be doing tomorrow?”

  She blew out a breath. “It’s usually quiet around here on Sundays, but not this week—we’re expecting tons of shoppers to come in from all over the place. People drive in from Boise and Salt Lake and all kinds of crazy places.”

  “Salt Lake’s a crazy place? I didn’t realize that. Well, I know the drivers there are crazy . . .”

  “You know what I mean—they come a long way for our specialty shops.”

  “That’s awesome, though.”

  “It is, and I shouldn’t complain. I’m just a little tired thinking about it, and it hasn’t actually happened yet.�
�

  Heidi glanced up as Barbi brought a dessert menu around. She and Mark decided to split a chocolate mousse cheesecake, and then Mark brought his gaze back to her.

  “So, is tomorrow completely out of the question, then?”

  “The store closes at seven, as usual.”

  “Could I take you to dinner somewhere in town? Get you away from the chaos of the ranch for a bit?”

  She grinned. He was committing to a date instead of just hinting. She liked firm decisions and follow-through. “I’d like that.”

  She gave him her address because he said he’d like to pick her up, and then the cheesecake was delivered. She didn’t know if the kitchen had gone all out or what, but it was possibly the best cheesecake she’d ever shared with a gorgeous man in her whole entire life.

  Chapter Three

  Mark was whistling when he let himself into the Family Fun cabin, but he stopped when he closed the door and caught sight of Callie shushing him from her spot near the fireplace. “Sorry,” he whispered, then took off his boots and coat to leave them by the door. When he stepped in a little puddle of melted snow, he cringed—there were few things in the world he hated more than wet socks. He pulled them off and draped them over his boots, then made his way into the living room area barefoot.

  “You look like you had a good time,” Todd said, flicking the TV off with the remote. Mark couldn’t tell what they’d been watching—probably something sappy. Sappy movies were Callie’s favorite, and while Todd made a big deal of grumbling about it, he always sat down to watch them with her.

  “I did. This girl . . .” Mark shook his head and chuckled as he thought about Heidi. How could he describe her? “She’s something else.”

  “Pretty?” Callie asked.

  “Pretty, yes, but I think ‘cute’ might be a little more accurate. Her features are a little bit pixie-like, you might say.”

  “Pixie-like?” Todd raised his eyebrows. “Did I just hear my brother use the word ‘pixie-like’?”

  “Well, it’s Christmas. Maybe the girl’s part elf,” Callie suggested. “She is over eighteen, though, right? Sometimes those ‘pixie-like’ faces confuse the issue.”