Mistletoe Hero

Chapter Thirteen

When Zachariah Waide came into the store after his dinner hour, Arianne didn’t even try to pretend that she was all right.

“Dad, can I leave early tonight? Please?”

His brow creased with worry as he looked at her. “Is this about that young man?”

Even though her father had been working last night at the store instead of attending the town meeting, she was sure he’d heard all about it.

“Yeah.” She swallowed, determined not to let tears well up again. “It is.”

With a sigh, he hugged her to him. “Go home, call some of your girlfriends, listen to some maudlin music or whatever it is you kids do to cope these days. It will be all right. Look at your brothers-if both those yahoos could find lasting true love, you will, too.”

She knew that her father adored her brothers and was only trying to make her laugh. He did get a watery little giggle out of her that made her feel one percent better. Now she just had to figure out what to do about the other ninety-nine.

Deciding that her dad had been on the right track, she climbed into her car, locked the doors and picked up her cell phone. She wanted to get in touch with Quinn before she started home since her friend lived in the opposite direction.

Quinn answered immediately. “Hello?”

“Thank goodness you’re there! It’s Ari.” She sniffled. “I could use a sympathetic ear. You free tonight?”

“Umm. For you, I can be,” Quinn said loyally. “I mean, Patrick and I were going to a movie, but-”

“Don’t you dare cancel! I’ll think of something.”

“Hang on. Brenna’s on the other line. She agreed to wait while I clicked over in case it was a telemarketer or something.” Quinn left without getting a response but was back just as fast. “She’s about to call you, okay?”

“Thanks, Quinn.”

Brenna must have dialed the second she disconnected her phone call with Quinn. “Hey, Arianne, everything all right?”

“No. Are you sure you don’t have plans tonight? I’m not trying to sabotage my friends’ love lives.”

“Adam’s surgeries got behind today, and he’ll be working late. I’m all yours. You want to meet at the diner?”

“Too public,” Arianne heard herself say. It was an ironic answer since it sounded a lot like what Gabe had said to her. But after facing down people last night at town hall, she wanted to minimize the chance of who she might run into this evening.

“Okay. You want to come over and talk at my house? I have ice cream.”

Her mind flashed to Gabe’s fully stocked freezer, and she bit her lip. “I’m on my way. But I think I’m off ice cream for a while.”

“IS IT WEIRD TO THINK I might be falling in love?” Arianne was tucked up onto a love seat, Brenna’s cat purring comfortingly in her lap. “I mean, I’ve known him my entire life-sort of-and then within two weeks, bam! Does that even make sense?”

Brenna set her bowl down on the coffee table with a shrug. “I’m not sure there’s a one-size-fits-all timetable, but it didn’t take me a full month to know I was in love with Adam.”

For Arianne’s brother David, it had been love at first sight. He claimed that he’d known the day he met Rachel that he wanted to marry her, but he’d waited to share that information with her so she wouldn’t think he was crazy. Tanner had been a different story altogether. It had taken him years-not to mention losing Lilah and later having to win her back-to figure out they should be together for the rest of their lives.

“I can’t actually be in love.” Arianne glowered. “I’m not really that self-destructive, am I? I’ve dated some nice guys, some cute guys, but there wasn’t that…connection. And now I fall for the worst possible man?” There’d never been anyone truly special she’d wanted to go to the Winter Wonderland dance with. Now there was, but he was hoping to be gone from town by then.

Brenna tilted her head, regarding her curiously. “After everything you said in town hall about his good qualities, why would you call him the worst possible man?”

“Because he wants nothing to do with Mistletoe or the people of Mistletoe,” Arianne said glumly.

“Oh. That might make his being Mistletoe’s Man of the Year a bit awkward.”

“You think?” Arianne sighed. “I know, I know, I should have thought the nomination through better.” She’d been trying to help, to show the town a different side of him, to show Gabe he could belong here.

“Look at this as a hiccup,” Brenna consoled her. “There was a time when I thought Adam and I didn’t stand a chance.”

“But that was because of geography and working out the complications with his children. There was no question that he wanted to be with you.”

“You don’t think Gabe wants to be with you?”

“Only under the cover of darkest night,” she said sarcastically. “He doesn’t want people to think we’re dating because he’s afraid it might hurt my reputation or something. And I don’t think he wants me to get too attached because he’s leaving.” The latter might actually be a valid point, except she was pretty sure the damage had already been done.

“He’s trying to protect you. That’s sweet.” At Arianne’s scowl, Brenna quickly added, “Misguided and outdated, but sweet. Maybe he just doesn’t know how tough you are.”

Arianne absently scratched the cat under her chin. “I don’t feel very tough.”

Brenna laughed. “You must not remember the advice you gave me when I was lovelorn. Quinn made some comment about loving and letting go and you were offended that women might be expected to just graciously let go. I believe you suggested that I should ‘track his butt down.’”

“That’s ridiculous,” Arianne scoffed, “and proof that people probably shouldn’t take advice from me. I mean, sure it sounds bold and proactive, but I can’t just club Gabe over the head and…Wait, can I club him over the head?”

Brenna smiled. “You might revisit talking to him first.”

Why not? Considering the depth of her feelings for him, wasn’t it worth another stab at conversation? It wasn’t as if she had anything to lose. She could give them both a few days to think, then call him after the festival. Maybe she’d be pleasantly surprised by the results.

And as for knocking him upside the head? Well, it never hurt to have a Plan B.

“LOOKS GOOD, MAN.” Nick Zeth smiled in approval. The festival was due to open its figurative doors in forty minutes, and the pirate plank was ready to go. Dele Momsen had even purchased some spongy foam swords for the youngsters to brandish…and an eye patch for Gabe that he’d put in his back pocket and was trying to forget about.

“I appreciate your help with it this week,” Gabe told the other man.

Nick and Shane McIntyre had played high school baseball together and been friends in all the years since. So considering Shane’s animosity toward Gabe, Nick’s easygoing assistance and jovial attitude had come as a pleasant surprise. Maybe Gabe had been too quick to make assumptions about people.

“Don’t mention it. I had fun,” Nick said. Then he adopted a mock glare. “Even if I was helping ‘the competition.’ I hear you’re the one to beat for Mistletoe Man of the Year.”

“More like the long shot, but if by some chance I did win, you’re welcome to take my spot on the parade float.”

Nick laughed. “Hey, I don’t need your pity. If you win, I’ll start mounting my campaign for next year early. If you don’t need any more help, I’m off to stake a place in line.”

Gabe looked around. None of the attractions were open yet. “Which line is that?”

Nick jerked his thumb toward the library. The streets had been closed to vehicular traffic for the day, and around the corner from where they stood, in front of the building, were myriad stalls and games. “Kissing booth, dude. Somehow they talked Candy Beemis into donating half an hour of her precious time, but later in the day it will be Holly Devereaux, oo la la, and Arianne.”

“Arianne Waide?” How had he not known about this? The woman he wanted to kiss every time he saw her had neglected to mention that she’d be selling her kisses to anyone who walked by. Jealousy flared inside him, and he was glad Nick left before glimpsing his dark expression.

It’s for a good cause, he told himself. When that failed to lower his blood pressure, he reminded himself that it was none of his business whom Arianne bestowed her kisses on. Hadn’t he walked out of her life three nights ago? She certainly hadn’t made any attempt to contact him since, which was telling.

I miss her. He squelched the thought. Breaking off contact was for the best. If he felt her absence after only three days, what would it be like if he kept seeing her and then moved away? The Kennesaw job, which he knew he wouldn’t be getting, had actually been his strongest lead in Georgia.

“I like you, Mr. Sloan,” the interviewer had told him. “But the truth is, I’ve seen three other applicants who already have experience on all the machines we use. We also function as a pretty tight crew. You work alone on most of your jobs?”

Alone. Yep, that about sums me up. In the end Gabe had thanked the man for his time and got back in his truck, not sure if he was relieved, disappointed or both. He’d never thought he would be glad to see the Welcome to Mistletoe sign.

Then again, he’d never been driving back toward Arianne.

“Mr. Sloan?”

Gabe turned to find the mayor offering a handshake.

The other man nodded toward the partial ship deck. “Have we given this thing a test run into the pit yet?”

“Yes, sir. Nick Zeth and a couple of his firefighter buddies were knocking each other in, and everything held up just fine. But I plan to stay close today and keep an eye on it. Safety first, right?”

“That’s the spirit! And thanks again for putting this together. It’s never easy to ask constituents for money, especially in these economic times, so if we’re going to take donations from them, I’m glad we found a way to make it fun. Speaking for the citizens of Mistletoe, we appreciate your help.”

Gabe almost strangled on a disbelieving laugh. Fourteen years ago, he’d expected to be run out of town on a rail-with his father leading the charge-and now the mayor was thanking him for his efforts on behalf of the town?

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you later,” the mayor said. “I suspect I’ll be taking the plunge multiple times today. Probably with my wife holding the other end of the sword.”

Festival-goers were beginning to descend on town square; the noise level was increasing exponentially. People calling greetings to each other, volunteers testing out the sound systems in the bingo tent and at the gazebo, kids crying and laughing. And somewhere close by, a man letting out a wolf whistle.

He thought he recognized Nick’s voice hollering appreciatively, “Helloooo, saucy wench.”

A woman’s laugh. Arianne.

“That’s Captain Saucy, Pirate Queen, you scurvy knave.” She sounded lighthearted and sexy.

It was frankly a bit depressing to learn that while he’d been standing here thinking about how much he missed her after such a short time, second-guessing how he’d left things the other night, her mood hadn’t been dampened one bit. Then again, Arianne had always been irrepressible. It was one of the things he loved about her. In a manner of speaking.

He rested one hand at the pocket of his jeans and strolled casually forward. Did he look convincingly like someone just scoping out the lay of the land, or was it obvious he was a poor sap pining for the sight of a beautiful woman and onetime lover?

As he rounded the corner of the library, he nearly collided with Arianne, which meant she’d been coming to see him. He smiled, feeling happier than he had all week.

“Hey, sorry about that,” he said. “I just-What are you wearing?”

“My swashbuckling pirate garb.” She cocked her hip, beaming at him. “You like?”