Page 10 of Second Chance Christmas

“There’s a lot I didn’t mention, Ivy.”

Ivy poured a hearty helping of hot cocoa in each of the three mugs before tearing into her bear claw with a little more vigor than a lady should. Her spunky grandmother was way too much to handle on cocoa alone. Whiskey would be nice right about now.

Static crackled from Aspen’s radio, followed by a female voice. She looked on as Aspen unclipped the radio from his side. “Chief, Ms. Lucille is at it again. Someone out by her place spotted a big tower of smoke. Can you go out there and check on her? You’re the closest of everyone.”

“Copy that. On my way.”

“What’s Ms. Lucille up to?” She placed her mug on the counter, surprised.

Aspen chuckled warmly. “Apparently burning down the forest to keep the animals warm. Or at least that was her last reasoning.”

“Sounds like her, but I thought she lived in town.” Aspen moved closer and she pointed between the coffeepot or the hot cocoa.

“Thanks. Some coffee will be good. It’s only getting colder out there.” He handed over his now empty thermos. Only one thought passed through her head when his warm fingers glanced against hers. Tall, dark, and more man than she remembered.

Heat flushed her cheeks and she knew a deep blush settled there.

“Ms. Lucille sold her place a couple of years back,” Aspen continued as if he didn’t notice anything. She might not be in the market right now, but the spark in his eyes lit just the same. “Now she lives in an old refurbished yellow school bus.” He fished out a doughnut of his own and headed toward the door. As he moved she caught a hint of his cologne. Try as she might, the hint of pine scent on him did funny things to her senses. No woman alive would fault her for momentary weakness.

“Hey, why don’t you go with him? In fact, I insist.” Ivy narrowed her eyes at her grandmother, who popped her head up long enough from Facebook to chime in.

She caught the corner of her planner and flipped it around. “Sorry, Gran. I can’t. I’m waiting for the follow-up call to my interview in New York. Remember? I’m on standby so I can’t miss that just in case they call. We talked about it before I left to come here.” Just the thought of missing the call made her palms sweat. They confirmed, as she took her leave, if they opted to go with her plans and ideas, they would give her by the end of the day.

“Plus,” she pointed to all the cans of paint, brushes, plastic and the general disorganized look of the inn. “There’s work to do here before the guests arrive.”

“If the people in New York are smart they’ll get in touch with you if they have to use homing pigeons.”

Ivy looked to Aspen for a little help but he gave that same single-sided shoulder shrug that told her she wasn’t getting it.

“I don’t want to get in the middle of anything, but she does have a point. I’ve seen some of your work. I’m impressed, sweetheart”

Wait. Did that mean he’d checked up on her? It had to. She made it a point to share all her client’s places on her social media and website. It warmed her heart and surprised in equal parts. She tucked that little tidbit away for later review and looked at the clock over the stove. A little before eight. Maybe she did have an hour or two to spare.

Aspen leaned his heavy weight against the counter and she caught his gaze.

Gran stood and placed her empty mug in the sink before turning to her. “They know how lucky they would be to have you refurbish their old Victorian. No better chick to know what goes into making a B&B fabulous if you ask me. They’ll realize it. Now go. Have some fun, grab some fresh air and don’t come back for a couple of hours.”

Ivy narrowed her eyes. Something smelled and it wasn’t the cinnamon rolls anymore.

CHAPTER FOUR

Ten minutes later Ivy crammed herself into the passenger side of Aspen’s two-and-a-half seater Chevy—if you counted the small space where the gear shift stuck up from the floor. She made quick work of tossing aside her warm slippers for a red pair of rain boots and barely managed to clasp her jeans before Gran shuffled them out the door.

It was that or venture out with reindeer attached to her feet and wearing mistletoe-printed pajamas and a see-through top. Having all of Dixen looking at her nipples didn’t appeal. At least her rain boots didn’t have bells and she managed to grab a bra.

She had packed smart shoes and boots made for snow and ice, but no luggage meant no shoes. She opted for yesterday’s dark jeans with one of Gran’s black sweaters and her own red scarf and gloves. Her other options were her gran’s yoga pants.

She shuddered. Only so many people could pull off candy cane stripes, and she wasn’t one of them.

The inn sat on the edge of town down a half-mile-long drive that wound along the calm lakeshore. On the opposite side, apple trees greeted comers and goers. Now they stood bare, but in the springtime, their sweet smell filled the air and pink blooms made the short drive magical.

At the end of the drive going left led to the mountains and camping grounds. Aspen turned the truck right, which would take them to town with Ms. Lucille’s place positioned in the middle, with only a couple of miles between them according to Aspen.

Even with town so close by, the snow stayed crisp and white and the pine trees stood guard like wooden soldiers over visitors passing through the switchback roads. In the spring and summer, lush green branches bowed over the road and provided a canopy of shade.

In the autumn, pine mingled with the broad oak to turn the mountainsides into gold with dots of red, green and purple. But now everything looked like a winter wonderland. She loved it.

For the first couple of minutes they rode in silence, but she couldn’t stand the unease anymore.

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