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

  “I’m positive she’s over eighteen. She’s probably twenty-four, twenty-five.” Mark stretched his bare feet out toward the fire. “She told me about all the activities they’ve got going on here at the ranch.”

  “Don’t they sound like fun? They’re the main reason I picked this place,” Callie said, snuggling further into Todd’s arms.

  “Yeah, I think I’ll enjoy them too,” Mark said. “Uh, would you mind if we hung out with Heidi when we go to them? I promise I’ll spend all day with you guys and the kids, and my cell phone will be fully charged the whole time in case you need me.”

  Todd chuckled. “Wow. This girl’s made quite an impression on you already, has she?”

  “Yeah, I think she has. I don’t know—there’s something so natural about her. She’s not putting on an act for me, like Katrina did. With Heidi, you get the feeling that she’s saying everything that comes into her head, and actually, that’s pretty funny sometimes.”

  “I hope you don’t like her just because she’s Katrina’s opposite,” Callie said, sitting up a little straighter now to look Mark in the eye. “None of us can deny that Katrina did a number on you, but I don’t want you to choose your next girlfriend just because she’s nothing like Katrina. That’s not fair to you or the new girl, whoever she might be.”

  “I know, and I promise, that’s not what I’m doing. I’m just pointing out that Heidi’s really refreshing.” Mark looked into the mugs on the coffee table. “Hot chocolate?”

  “There’s still some in there if you want it,” Callie said.

  Mark was still a little sugared-out from that half a piece of cheesecake he’d shared with Heidi, but he couldn’t pass up hot chocolate in a rustic cabin on a real ranch right before Christmas. That would be wrong on so many levels. He stood up, poured himself a mug, threw a couple of marshmallows in there to get into the spirit of the thing, even though he didn’t like them very much, and returned to the couch.

  “The kids went down early,” he commented. “I thought they’d be wired.”

  “I thought so too, but I guess the long drive did them in,” Todd said. “They only made it halfway through the movie and then they were zonked out on the couch.”

  “And I’m not complaining at all,” Callie added. “It’s really been a long day. I want to climb in myself.”

  Mark glanced at her sharply. “You feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.” She gave him a smile. “I know where to find you if I need something.”

  “Okay. If you’re sure.”

  Todd pulled Callie to her feet, and the two walked down the hall to the master bedroom. This cabin was just as perfect for their family as it could be—a large master suite, a room with two twin beds, and another room with a double. That one was Mark’s, and it was nearest the kitchen. He liked that—he’d be the first one to smell the bacon in the morning, and Todd did make excellent bacon. They’d stocked up at the grocery store in Riston before heading out to the ranch.

  Mark took a second to gather up his wet socks, then he took his mug with him into his room and set it on the nightstand next to his bed. The headboard was made of polished logs, and there were some really nice paintings on the walls—scenes from the area, he guessed. He couldn’t wait to go exploring. He also couldn’t wait to see Heidi again. With a grin, he pulled on his sweats and slipped under the covers, then finished off his cocoa with a long series of gulps. Flipping off the lamp was the last thing he remembered doing before sinking into the soft pillows and falling fast asleep.

  ***

  It was a little hard to give up a typical quiet Sunday for the hustle and bustle of the store at its peak, but Heidi grinned when she saw the children lined up waiting for Santa. So much excitement, so much anticipation. This new Santa hadn’t even given Heidi his real name. He’d told her to call him either Santa or Mr. Claus, said he’d park his reindeer out back, and filled his role so perfectly, Heidi almost believed he was the real thing.

  A few minutes after four o’clock, Mark came in, holding the hands of a little girl and an even littler boy. Behind him was a man who had to be Mark’s brother—he looked just like him, but was a little shorter and maybe just a little stockier. He had his arm around a woman, obviously the children’s mother—her hair was the same medium brown as theirs.

  Mark looked over at the register and grinned, giving Heidi a nod. She returned the greeting as she bagged up ornaments for her current customer, an older lady who just couldn’t get over how simply and utterly delightful everything was. Heidi nodded politely and made appropriate positive noises while the woman gushed, but actually replying was out of the question because the lady didn’t leave her any room to speak.

  Heidi kept an eye on the line while she worked, wanting to see Maisie and Connor sit on Santa’s lap. When it was their turn, Maisie rushed up to him and threw her arms around his neck, but Connor hid behind Mark’s legs. Mark laughed and tried to urge Connor to come out, but the little boy refused, shaking his head.

  Mark swung Connor up into his arms and stepped off to the side, where they watched from what Heidi assumed was a safe distance. She wished she could hear the conversation that was taking place between boy and man—she was sure it was hysterical.

  Maisie’s mom took several pictures with her phone while Maisie and Santa had a chat of their own. The girl’s list seemed to be quite long, and she talked with her hands, which made Heidi smile.

  After Maisie was finished and had given Santa another hug, the little family worked their way farther into the store, no doubt to look at all the merchandise. Alicia was back there answering questions and getting things off shelves for people as fast as she could go, and Heidi knew they’d both be worn out by the end of the day. That just made her look forward to her date with Mark all the more.

  “That will be eighty-four dollars and twenty-eight cents,” she told her next customer, then bagged the items while the credit card ran. She wished she’d thought to ask Wade about another assistant—she’d love to have someone bag while she rang up the purchases. Maybe there was time to pull someone in—the summer employees sometimes hung around and did odd jobs during the winter.

  “Please excuse me a moment. I’m going to text my boss and see if he can send over a bagger,” she explained to the next customer while her fingers flew over the tiny keyboard. “I think we’re twice as busy as we were last year.”

  The man smiled. “I agree. I was here last year.”

  Heidi chuckled. “Good, I have a witness. I’m glad you came back—we love seeing old friends on the ranch.”

  “Place has certainly grown.”

  “Yes, the Westons have added several new features and some new cabins. You should check out all the changes—we listed them on our website.” She handed him a business card that had the ranch’s URL on it, then finished ringing him up. “That’ll be thirty-nine dollars and eighty-two cents.”

  Several minutes later, Mark’s sister-in-law came up to the register holding two teddy bears dressed like cowboys.

  “I’m Heidi. You must be Connor and Maisie’s mom,” Heidi greeted her.

  “I am. I’m Callie. Mark told us this was a fun store, but I didn’t anticipate just how fun it would be. It’s just as well that I already spent our Christmas budget or I could see myself getting into some trouble here.”

  “I have a little too much fun choosing out the merchandise for us to carry,” Heidi said. “I want to buy all of it for myself.”

  “I bet you do.” Callie handed over her credit card. “So, Mark tells me the two of you had a good time last night.”

  “We did. He’s a great guy—he cares about all of you so much.” Heidi hoped it was okay to say that and wouldn’t make Callie feel like her private life was on display.

  “He really does. And I confess that I came over here to read you the big sister riot act, but I can tell you don’t need it.” Callie glanced over to the corner where Mark and her husband stood with the kids—Con
nor seemed ready to have a nervous breakdown, crying and hanging onto Mark’s neck for all he was worth. “Mark’s got about three girls chasing him right now, and they’re all nothing but trouble. Maybe spending this week with you will help him get an idea of what he should be looking for.” Callie gave her a warm smile, gathered up her bag, and said, “I’d better get my little guy back to the cabin.”

  “It was good to meet you, Callie,” Heidi said.

  “You too.”

  When Santa’s shift was over, he hoisted himself out of his chair and stretched, then lumbered over to the counter. “Mrs. Claus is right,” he said. “I should go out and run around with the elves more often—get some exercise. All this sitting can’t be good for me.”

  Heidi passed him a bottle of water, which he opened and guzzled. “You did a great job, as usual. I had several parents tell me how impressed they were by you.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not that hard to be myself. Now, tell me—what do you know about that little family that came through? Brother and sister, little boy couldn’t stop crying, little girl with long brown braids?”

  “They’re the Wilsons, here from California.” She hoped Santa wasn’t offended that Connor wouldn’t go see him.

  “That little girl . . . she was the most interesting child I’ve met since I started here. She wants a dog. At first, I thought she meant a puppy—all children want puppies, after all—but she set me straight in a hurry. She needs a very special dog, one that’s trained to tell her if her mom’s about to have a seizure. Except she called it a ‘sneezure,’ and I wasn’t sure what she meant for a minute. I take it the mother has epilepsy.”

  “That’s right,” Heidi replied, smiling over “sneezure.”

  “I told her I’d look into it, and then I asked her what else she wanted. She said she’d like it very best if her mother stopped being sick altogether, but she figured that was God’s job, not mine, so she’s been praying for that for the last several months. Just how old is she?”

  “She’s seven.” Heidi blinked away the tears that had suddenly come to her eyes. “She sure sounds older, though.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Santa tossed his water bottle into the trash can in the corner behind the register. “Another three-point shot. I’ll see you tomorrow, Heidi. I recommend some cider and a good night’s sleep. That’ll set you right after a day like today.”

  “And for you, I recommend some Icy Hot and a long soak in the tub. ’Night, Santa.”

  He lifted his hand in greeting and then was gone with a jingle of the bells on the door.

  Chapter Four

  “Maisie said that, huh?” Mark glanced over at Heidi. She’d traded in her pioneer dress for regular clothes again, and while she did look great in her red top and black pants, he missed the cute flowered apron. “Do I turn or go straight?”

  “Go straight. Yeah, Santa told me before he left for the night. She made quite an impression on him.”

  “Kids shouldn’t have to grow up so fast.” Mark shook his head, wishing the ache in his gut would go away. He loved those kids with everything in him, and he’d do anything to help them have a normal childhood. As it was, they lived on pins and needles all the time, not knowing when their mom might get sick again.

  “I had no idea dogs like that even existed,” Heidi said. “I guess they can train dogs to do just about anything.”

  “They really can. Of course, there are seeing-eye dogs and bomb-sniffing dogs, but there are even dogs who are trained to stop you if you’re displaying an anxiety tic like scratching your arm too much or if you’re diabetic and your blood sugar’s off. They’re amazing animals.”

  “That’s so cool. Okay, turn left up here, and then right.”

  The Golden Palace was Heidi’s favorite place to get Chinese. They welcomed her by name when she walked in, which was kind of sad, actually, because it meant she’d ordered takeout a few too many times. Maybe Santa wasn’t the only one who needed to get more exercise—too much takeout and too little healthy home cooking was terrible for her hips.

  “You brought a date,” the hostess approved, giving Heidi a little wink before leading them back to an empty booth.

  “It’s about time, isn’t it?” Heidi whispered back, and the other woman laughed.

  Once they were seated, the hostess gave them menus, then said the waiter would be along in a few minutes. Mark opened his menu, but Heidi stopped him.

  “Hold on there. I have to know something first. What’s your sign?”

  “My sign?”

  She tapped the paper Chinese zodiac charts on the table that acted as placemats. “This is crucial information.”

  “Hmm. Let’s see. I am . . .” Mark slid his finger along the paper until he found it. “I’m a horse. Uh, this says I’m a little bit dull.”

  “That’s not true,” Heidi protested.

  “I’m just reading what it says. I’m also charming and loyal. That’s good, right?”

  “Yes, that’s very good.”

  “And I’m most compatible with tigers. That doesn’t make sense—why would a horse be compatible with a tiger? When would they ever meet? Tigers live in the jungle. A horse would have to take a boat or something to get over there.”

  “A tiger, huh? I’m a tiger,” Heidi said, a little smile on her face.

  Mark felt his ears go warm. “You are? Really? Let’s see what it says about you.” He found the tiger symbol on the placemat. “You are brave and terrifying. See, I picked up on that right away. I said to my brother, ‘I met this girl, and I like her, but she’s terrifying.’”

  Heidi laughed. “Oh? And what did he say?”

  Mark consulted the chart again. “He said, ‘No worries. She’s probably also stately,’ and I said, ‘Yes, she totally is.’”

  “You’re a nutcase.”

  “No, I’m a horse. I think I’d rather be a dragon, though. That one sounds cool.”

  The waiter came by and filled their water glasses, and since they hadn’t looked at the choices yet, he left them to decide.

  “What do you want?” Mark asked. “Everything looks really good.”

  “Everything is good. I’ve eaten my way through this menu a few times.”

  “Then you’ll have to recommend something.”

  After they discussed it and placed their orders, Mark settled back in his chair and looked at her. “How was your day? You seem a little tired.”

  “I am a little tired. Thank goodness, the rest of the week won’t be quite so crazy. People will be coming in, but they’ll mostly be here for the different activities.” Her phone chimed just then, and she pulled it out. “Oh, that’s funny. I texted my boss a couple of hours ago to see if he could send over a bagger, and for some reason, he just now got it. He says he’s sorry that he was too late to help out today, but he’ll send someone over tomorrow.”

  “Better late than never, right?”

  “Right, but I sure could have used someone today.” Heidi took a sip of her water, then said, “I really like Callie.”

  “She’s awesome. She and Todd fit together like God created them that way. Todd was sort of lost until she came along—didn’t really know what he wanted out of life. She woke him right up, gave him a purpose, cheered him on when he thought he couldn’t keep going—it’s been good to see my brother so happy.” Mark cleared his throat. He hadn’t expected this conversation to turn so personal. He supposed he was the one to blame for that, but there was something about Heidi that made him feel like it was all right to be open around her.

  “You’re very close, you two.”

  “Yeah, we are. We have a little sister—I think I already mentioned that—and we sort of ganged up on her when we were younger. I know, I know—brothers are supposed to protect their sisters, and we did when it came to neighborhood bullies and stuff. That was mostly because we figured it was our job to pick on her, and no one else’s.” He chuckled. “I’m pretty embarrassed now that I look back on it. We r
ubbed mud in her hair and stole one of each of her Barbie’s shoes so she didn’t have any matching pairs.”

  Heidi laughed. “Seriously? That’s kind of evil genius.”

  “We were proud of ourselves.”

  “Where does she live now?”

  “Southern California, near my parents. We’re all getting together for New Year’s, since Todd wanted to take this trip for Christmas.” He paused. “I feel like I’ve been monopolizing this conversation. Well, both conversations—last night and tonight. It’s your turn. All your deep, dark secrets, Miss Davidson.”

  She looked thoughtful. “I’m trying to decide which dark secrets I can safely share without sending you screaming into the night.”

  “I’m a paramedic. I have seen many scary things. Do your worst.”

  She leaned forward. “All right. Try this one on for size. I did not graduate from college.” She sat back with a dramatic flair.

  “Wow. That’s quite shocking.” He hoped he appeared suitably scandalized. “May I ask why?”

  “I ran out of tuition money and decided that I didn’t really want to be an English teacher anyway.”

  Mark raised an eyebrow. “You were going to teach?”

  “I was, yes. But I didn’t like how rigid the programs were. I guess I wanted more freedom to teach how I wanted to teach. I mean, I understand why the programs are in existence—I’m just a little bit of a rebel, I guess.”

  Mark laughed. “You’re a rebel? You sell lemon drops and wear a bonnet. How much of a rebel can you be?”

  “Okay, not very much of one.” She laughed too, and he decided that he liked that sound very much. “Anyway, after I left college, I worked at the perfume counter at a mall in Boise for a while, and that wasn’t a good fit because I was allergic to almost everything we sold. So I went online, started looking for another job, found this one, and here I am. Happiest I’ve ever been.”

  “You’re not allergic to lemon drops, then?” he asked, smirking a little.

  “Not in the slightest.”