Page 155 of A Country Practice Christmas
Emmett’s eyes widened and he froze. ‘You’re more than that.’
‘Forget it, Emmett.’
She spun around and wrenched open the freezer door, pulling out a bag of ice. Surprise that she’d fitted that in added to the mix of emotions swirling inside of him.
‘I’m heading up to the hall. We’ve got an early run-through, although Maddie reckons we won’t make it through all the songs before chaos erupts. I’m just going to walk down …’
‘I’m not needed until later, so I was going to drive down in a bit with this house. Why don’t you leave the ice and I’ll take it in the car, then I can drive you back when it’s all done?’ Did she want to be more to him? Was he making up this chemistry between them? Had he absolutely stuck his foot in his mouth by bringing Carter up? He needed to find words for all these questions, and he needed to find them now.
She whirled around and quickly stuffed the bag back in the freezer with surprising ease. ‘Sounds good. See you later.’
Move! Speak! Say something that matters!He pried his feet from the floor and followed her to the front door, where she was looping her shoulder bag over her head.
‘Piper, can we talk?’
‘I’m Carter’s little sister. Not much else to talk about.’
Her use of his words from the icing incident shot through him like an arrow from a hunter instead of Cupid. And then she left. Just like he had. Which was no less than what he deserved.
He let her go, ignoring the little voice that told him to chase after her. She obviously didn’t want to talk now but maybe when she saw what he was going to do for her, it would help.
Going back into the kitchen, he settled the tray with his finished gingerbread house on the bench and wiped down the table. The house wasn’t perfect but it was standing and colourful. It would do.
Heading down the long hallway to his bedroom, Emmett went straight for his walk-in wardrobe. He loved his bedroom. It was the first room he’d renovated, polishing the floors, ripping out and redoing the bathroom and installing block-out blinds and an air-conditioning unit to make sure he could sleep whenever he needed to. Glancing around it now, he was struck by how empty it was compared to Piper’s, a few doors down the hall. Reaching up to the top shelf above the rod that held his hanging clothes, he pulled down the two bags of Christmas decorations then balanced the three neatly wrapped presents he’d bought for Piper—and the fourth for Major—on top. He walked carefully back down the hall and spread out everything he’d purchased on the kitchen table before running back to grab the box with the Christmas tree he’d stashed behind his suit bag.
He knew exactly where he wanted to put everything. But he’d have to hurry to make it happen and get to the hall on time with the gingerbread house and the bag of ice.
Chapter 12
Piper stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips as her keen eyes scoured the shelves of the storage room. She’d followed Maddie’s instructions to the room that held shelves of props and racks of costumes. It was hidden down the hallway to the left of the stage, down the handful of stairs beneath it. There was no missing it, though; the space was so large Piper thought the whole town could probably fit in it—and their pets—if there hadn’t been shelves. She could get lost in time down here. Feather boas, sequinned capes, and hats in any size, shape and colour she could ever imagine. It was like a stage-show fantasy, if she’d ever had one. If she ever got stuck in this place, she wouldn’t be unhappy.
‘Ah, there it is.’
She snatched the missing shepherd’s staff that towered above her head from the duck-shaped umbrella stand and headed for the steps. Maddie had won their bet when the choir’s third song had been cut in half by the debacle over tent placement. At least the ice argument had held out a little longer than normal, or so she’d been told, thanks to the promise of the extra bag of ice she’d told them Emmett was bringing. Thankfully, he hadn’t forgotten it. But then they’d been sucked into helping the children from the Nativity play get into their costumes. At least there’d been no beards to craft.
The excited voices of children carried from the verandah and Piper picked up the pace.
‘I’ve got the staff!’ she announced, breaking up the sword fight the other two shepherds were engaged in. ‘Let’s not break these, okay, guys? I really don’t think Gloria would be okay with that. Why don’t you go and get to know your lambs?’ She nodded to the local at the edge of the concrete stage at the bottom of the hill, who held the leashes of three lambs that tugged against their restraints. She swallowed quickly at the sight of the chairs and microphones all ready for them to sing behind, and the single one set up in the middle of the large space.Please don’t let me forget the words.
Movement and a flash of green on the hill caught her attention as Emmett and Stef locked the first aid tent into place. She shouldn’t be staring at him. No matter how good he looked in his QAS polo and uniform pants. Walking away from him this afternoon hadn’t been a good feeling, but it had been necessary. She wasn’t anyone’s little sister. Well, technically she was. Gah! She was more than just someone related to her famous football-playing brother. She was her own person, and she wanted to be loved and cherished for it all on her own because she was enough.
Emmett’s head turned in her direction and she quickly returned to the seat she’d been in beside Maddie, who was fixing a braid into an angel’s hair. Maddie’s wild red hair was pulled into a bun on top of her head with the green of a wreath surrounding it and gold nutcracker earrings hanging from her ears. She’d tried to convince Piper to wear matching reindeer antlers, but Gloria had intervened with a lecture on staying classy.
‘Are you ready for your solo?’ Maddie asked with a wicked grin, adjusting the angel’s wings before letting her run off to join the Virgin Mary, who was chowing down on a cup of popcorn.
Piper groaned and beads of nervous sweat pricked the back of her neck. ‘No. I’m not a stage singer. I’m an under the shower where no one hears me, hiding among a big group, road trip playlist singer.’
‘Oh, please,’ Maddie said, rolling her eyes. ‘You’re wasted in a passenger seat, and you are going to show the world—and one painfully ignorant man—that. You’ve got this.’
Piper gave her a smile. ‘Where’s your ignorant man? I’ve bored you endlessly with my love life, or lack of love life, and I’ve never once heard of who you’re interested in. I’m actually a terrible friend for not asking.’
‘What are you talking about? You’ve asked me every time we’ve been on shift together. I’m happily single and not looking to settle or tie myself down.’
‘You’re right.’ Piper fluttered her eyelashes. ‘I’m a terrible friend for not sitting on you until you tell me the truth.’
Maddie laughed then sighed. ‘I grew up in Rush Creek, Piper. There’s not an endless pool of eligible men within my age range and who I don’t already know the full medical history of. Plus, I’m not the only single lady. New men get snatched up pretty quickly.’
‘Wait, why is Emmett still single, then?’
