Dreaming on the Job

Cross Country Christmas Chapters 9 - 11

2010-01-03T14:15:00.002-06:00

Here I am wrapping up my short Christmas story. I love this holiday and everything it stands for including family, gifts, sweets, and snow. It's crazy. It's a whirlwind. And it leaves us with a sigh of relief and satisfaction when it's over. I love Gracie and Kale's story leaves you with the same feeling. Happy New Year!

CHAPTER NINE

For what seemed like the thousandth time, Gracie twisted in her seat as the cold blasted in from the opened door. Instead of Kale, a group of teenagers hustled in, giggling, bringing in a fresh wave of snow. Gracie turned back to her Coke and nachos and looked at her watch.

One hour, seven minutes. That’s how long she’d been sitting here, like a total fool, waiting for Kale Sims to come walking in with some grand plan that would somehow allow them to be together. She should be in her car, headed west into Bozeman for the night. Instead she was giving herself whiplash looking at the door.

“Should have sat on the other side,” she muttered but she’d chosen to sit with her back to the door, telling herself that she wouldn’t wait on pins and needles for him to show up. She’d just order food and if he wasn’t there by the time she finished, well, she’d leave. But now her nachos were almost completely picked over and even though she was stuffed she ordered dessert just to give him a little bit more time. Fool that she was.

The chocolate cake arrived along with a sharp intake of breath from the waitress. Kale stood to one side and the girl was staring at him like he was the chocolate. Gracie couldn’t blame her, but damn it, today he was hers so she took the cake from the waitress.

“Not who you think he is, honey,” she growled and shooed the girl away.

Kale grinned at her. “No free food for you.”

“Nope,” she said and dug into the cake to hide her eyes.

His smile was off. Forced. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say so she said it first. “Where will you go with him?”

“Aidan. That’s his name. And to my home in Nashville.”

“Aidan,” she muttered, testing the name on her tongue. “I bet he’s adorable.”

Kale shrugged. “When he’s sleeping. That’s how I saw him. Jessica didn’t put up a fight.”

“But you didn’t expect one.”

“No.”

There was a heaviness to his tone that she couldn’t ignore so she pushed away her cake and reached for his hand. He gave it to her.

“You’re lucky,” she said. “You have someone who’s going to love you no matter what. You don’t know what a gift that is. So you gotta take it, Kale. Even if it means giving up other things.”

He swallowed hard. “It’s crazy how hard this is. I just met you.”

“And I’m a mess,” she said to make it easier. “You don’t know me. I don’t know you.”

Kale pushed out a heavy breath. “I sure am glad I tried to take your car.”

“Me too,” she murmured around the breaking of her heart. It hurt so bad she was sure everyone in the restaurant must have heard it. The crack of glass echoed through her mind. “What will you do now?”

Kale sat back in the booth and crossed his arms. “I hired Wanda, Aidan’s nanny, to fly with us to Nashville. Joe is getting the house ready. After that.” His whole body shrugged with the weight of it all. “After that he and I will take it one day at a time.”

There it was. The thing she’d be anticipating. He and I. She pushed away her cake and signaled for the waitress.

“I know you’ll be fine. I should get on the road. I want to make Bozeman tonight.”

He reached for his wallet but she shook her head. “No. We’re here now, you don’t have to pay for anything.”

Kale hesitated, looked her hard in the face, and nodded. “Sure. Will you be all right?”

“’Course I will,” she answered, quicker than she should have. She drew a deep breath, intent on convincing him that he wasn’t leaving something broken behind. “I spoke to my mom earlier. She’s excited that I’ll be home by Christmas Eve.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “She want to murder me?”

“No. Meet you, yes. Interrogate you, yes. Murder you? Nah, she’ll just ask you to sing.”

There was no laugh like she intended. Only a small sigh. “Maybe one day,” he said but his voice was scratchy, devoid of any real conviction.

The waitress slid the check across to Gracie and winked at Kale. He didn’t look at her once, focusing on Gracie instead. She shivered under his gaze, reminded that she wouldn’t see him like this ever again. He helped her into her coat and took her hand. Toby barked joyously from the driver’s seat. She’d used the automatic start to keep him warm while she waited for Kale and now a stream of hot air blasted her as she opened the door. Toby jumped to the ground and Kale bent down to rub vigorous hands over the pup.

“Bye, boy. Be good for your mama.”

Toby spared him a few tail wags then took off for a set of bushes. Kale stood, dusted his hands. She stuck one of hers out and he laughed at her and pulled her close.

“Bye Gracie,” he whispered against her ear, stirring the hair at her temple. She clutched at the wool of his coat, certain she would die if he didn’t kiss her one more time. His lips met hers, hard and desperate at first, then slowing to a gentle caress, and a slide of tongue across her bottom lip. Enough, she thought, and stepped back. She couldn’t stand it any longer. He needed to go before she started begging. Before she forgot all the reasons they couldn’t be together.

Kale rubbed his thumb across her lips and then jogged across the lot to a waiting cab. He opened the back door, stared at her. She lifted her chin and her hand and he climbed in. She called Toby to her, swallowed back the tears, and let the dog into the passenger seat. She got in, put the key in the ignition and waited for the cab to leave the lot. Then she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel and sobbed.

CHAPTER TEN

By the time she reached Seattle, Gracie had most of her tears under control. She drove fast, despite the weather, and in silence, despites it’s oppressiveness. Toby rode with his head on her knee, slobbering her with doggie love.

At home, her mom wrapped her in a hug that smelled like sugar cookies and snow, and didn’t ask any questions. Her sister and brother-in-law weren’t so subtle, drilling her for information about the infamous Kale Sims and asked whether he drove like an idiot. She managed to laugh her way through most of the answers.

She made it through Christmas too. Smiled, laughed at dinner, squealed in delight at the present opening. True happiness filled her heart as she watched her twin two-year-old niece and nephew dance to Tickle Me Elmo. She even let herself think about Kale’s little boy, Aidan, and hope that Kale was able to give him a nice Christmas. She talked cheerfully about her plans to relocate to Seattle and find a job that meant something to her. They discussed Tony, the inevitable breakup chat with her mom over milk and fudge. And Toby, of course, was adored by all.

At night, though, she collapsed from the sheer exhaustion of keeping up such an act. As soon as she could, she would make her excuses and retreat to the room of her girlhood. Dolly Parton’s Hard Candy Christmas showed up most on her iPod and Gracie took comfort in the words days after Christmas passed. Her sister and family went home and Gracie let herself mope. She knew she was being entirely childish, slobbing about like some love-sick fool but she knew the truth. She was a love-sick fool.

The day before New Year’s Eve, Dolly hadn’t lost her appeal and Gracie lay on her bed watching The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas when her mom knocked.

“Grace, baby, there’s a man at the door for you.”

Her poor, pitiful heart leapt but settled quickly. He couldn’t come for her. Still, her curiosity was irrevocably pricked so she got up and went into the hall.

“Who is it?”

“Gracie, comb your hair! Have you even showered today?”

Shame caused her to squeeze her eyes shut. “Erm. No.”

“Wish you had now, huh?” her mom said and led her to the bathroom. She pushed some cucumber body spray and a brush at Gracie. “Here, try this.”

Gracie met her mom’s sparkling eyes in the mirror. “I love you, mom.”

“I know. And I love you too which is why I haven’t asked you what really happened between you and Kale. I’m not asking now,” she said quickly, holding up a hand to forestall Gracie’s protests. “But you can’t tell me nothing did because that’s his manager sitting out there in our living room.”

The brush hit a nasty tangle and she yanked hard then yelped when it wouldn’t give. Her mom sighed, took the brush from her, and with a few efficient strokes, pulled the auburn hair back in a neat ponytail.

“I can’t tell you what to do, sweetie. But I do know that you use to be someone who grabbed life with both hands. I haven’t seen that side of you in a long, long time. I miss that girl, Gracie. If this Kale helps you find her again, don’t let him go.” The hands that had cared for Gracie all her life, lay over her shoulders with a slight squeeze. “Both hands, baby.”

In the living room, a man with overly long legs and a red button up shirt jabbered away on his cell phone. He caught sight of Gracie and muttered into the phone then hung up.

“So, you’re the one that has my boy tied up in knots.”

Gracie sank to the arm of the couch. “I think the feeling is mutual,” she managed.

“S’what I thought.” He stood, and she realized that despite his long legs, he was really very short. Standing next to her, they came head to head and she was seated. He reached into his back pocket and withdrew a plane ticket.

“You gotta fix him, Miss Proctor.”

“Fix him,” she echoed faintly, taking the packet. She flipped open the ticket. Only one. No return flight. And it left tomorrow morning.

Kale’s manager stooped to look her in the eye. “I’m Joe,” he said and extended his hand. She took it, noting the calluses on the tips of his fingers. “And I’m asking you to help me. He’s trying for his boy’s sake but I’ve never seen him this messed up. Even Jessie didn’t do this to him even though she tried.”

She jerked back. “I didn’t try anything!”

Joe held up his hands. “’Course you didn’t. Not what I meant. Oh.” He reached into his front pocket and withdrew a check. She recognized the handwriting as her own. “This here’s for you. We ain’t taking it. He said if anything, he owes you.”

With trembling fingers she took the check she’d written out and sent on Christmas Eve back from Joe. The paper crinkled in her hands. “For what?”

“I’ll let him tell you. Just, go to him.”

Her mom piped up from the doorway. “Shower first.”

Gracie looked from Joe to her mom, then Toby in the corner. The ticket in her hand felt warm, real.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

For the past fifteen years, Kale had spent New Year’s Eve living it up in bars and private parties. The noise and mess had been unbelievable. The champagne, Jack Daniel’s, and Coors flowed unendingly until he woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, a strong need for a shower, and in some cases, kick some girl out of his bed. Or get out of hers.

This New Year’s, it was all different. There was still noise, still mess, still the desire for a shot of Jameson, and the smell was unbelievable. The only thing missing was a girl. Well, one girl in particular but that hope was long dead. He stared down at the kicking, giggling monster and held his breath.

“Dude,” he spat, drawing away the diaper. “What is that color?”

Aidan gurgled at him. “Da. Da. DAAAAAAAAAAAAA.”

“Yeah, yeah. When are you going to bed?”

He glanced at the clock. Just gone six. The days following Christmas, Aidan slept pretty well, though Kale couldn’t say the same for him. Aidan curled up every night at seven in his favorite blanket and snored until morning. Kale watched movies, tried to write music, tossed away books, banged his head. But he didn’t sleep. He looked like Hell, felt worse, and really wanted Aidan in bed so he could get drunk. Fast. Passing out sounded like a good idea. Obliviousness had its benefit. The kid would be up early but he’d dealt with a hangover before. He hadn’t dealt with the hollowness in his chest. It freaking hurt.

He powdered the soft baby skin, rubbed on some A and D, and snapped up the flannel pajamas. A pacifier, a bottle, and a blanket later, the boy laid his head on his daddy’s shoulder and made little baby sounds. Kale sat back in his leather recliner and sighed. This was his favorite part of the day. After the nanny he hired had gone, the bathing done, he and his boy cuddling in the living room. Only here, in the small space of a half hour before Aidan went to bed, was Kale able to let his tried brain and bruised heart fade away into the softness of a baby’s love.

The intercom buzzed, shattering his peace. Aidan jerked his head up and blinked wide, sleepy blue eyes.

“That’s Joe. Don’t let him give me a Bailey’s,” he said sternly to Aidan. The baby smiled around his green pacifier. “I can handle any sort of liquor but Bailey’s knocks me on my as—butt faster than lightening.”

Kale reached behind him and pressed the speaker on the wall. “What Joe?”

Through the speaker, he heard the hitch of an indrawn breath. He smiled at Aidan then turned back to the intercom.

“You drunk, buddy?”

“Kale.”

The voice traveled over him in a hard shiver. He transferred Aidan to the other arm and twisted out of the deep recliner.

“Gracie. What are you--” he took a deep breath. “What are you doing here?”

There was a sniff and he cringed, knowing he’d spoken harsher than he intended. It was only that he’d dreamed about this so many times that he wasn’t sure if it were real or not. He opened his mouth to apologize to his fragile girl when her snapping tones came through the speaker.

“Freezing my butt off. It’s snowing, did you know that? Let me in.”

His fingers fumbled with the button that opened the gates. Aidan put his head back on Kale’s shoulder and he went to the door. He wanted to run down the drive to meet her but he couldn’t take Aidan out in the cold. Instead he stood at his front door and watched her march up his brick driveway. Her red hair was covered by a gray knit cap with a flower pinned to one side. Her long legs ate up the space between them and soon she was running, her bag dropped to the ground and she took the steps two at a time, halting when only the glass separated them.

He reached out, turned the knob and then she was there, her arms going around him and Aidan. She only had eyes for his boy.

“He’s beautiful,” she breathed.

Aidan regarded her with wide eyes then reached out a tiny finger for the flower on her hat. He took out his pacifier and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said gravely.

Aidan smiled, revealing two top teeth. He continued to play with the flower and Gracie turned to Kale.

“Joe came to see me.”

“What did he say?” Kale croaked. She was warm up against him but still, he wasn’t sure if she was really there or not.

“He said you were a mess. I think he was just trying to be nice. I wasn’t at my best these past few days. I think I smelled when I met him.” Her eyes crinkled with laughter. “Are you a mess?”

“Yeah.”

“Well.” She stood on tiptoe, pressed her warm lips to his and he knew it wasn’t a dream. “I’m here now and unless you tell me to leave, I’m determined.”

“To what?” he asked, dazed. Thrown off balance. In a fog. She was here.

“To grab you with both hands. I love you.”

His heart, the one that felt so heavy all week, expanded in his chest.

She reached up, cupped his cheek. “Do you love me too?” she asked, her voice soft, confident.

The truth spilled from him like the bursting of a dam. “Yes. I love you.”

“Oh.” Gracie sighed. “Good. Because you’re the best Christmas present I’ve ever received and I wouldn’t know how to return you.”

Their breath mingled together as she slid closer. Aidan let out a baby squeal of delight as he finally clutched the flower. Kale kissed her, looking forward to a very happy New Year.

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 8

2009-12-31T11:07:00.000-06:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

A rustling at the door woke him. Toby got up to investigate and Kale got out of bed in time to wrangle the bill from the dog’s mouth without too much slobber. The clock on the floor read five a.m. He tiptoed back to the bed, careful not to wake Gracie as he slipped in beside her. She rolled toward him, naked skin warm against his own. He couldn’t resist running his palm down her side and over her hip. She muttered in her sleep and nestled closer. Within seconds she was snoring again, soft little puffs of air and the occasional wheeze. He’d lied when she asked if she snored earlier, sure it would only embarrass her further. Pretty sure she’d be embarrassed when she woke up and remembered some of the things they’d done last night but he wouldn’t let her forget those.

They’d leave this room with a lot of memories. She’d leave him all the same, he knew that when he backed her into the window and kissed her. He wouldn’t force her to stay.

He wouldn’t force someone he loved. Even if it ruined him. She was right. He had too much to handle.

With a force of will, he pushed his mind past the inevitable moment to the one when he had to face Jessica. Somewhere along the way—maybe when he realized he would be alone when Gracie left him—he started to hope the kid was his.

Aidan. That was his name. He’d purposely only thought of Jessica’s son as ‘the kid’ or ‘that boy’. Giving him a name in his thoughts would make him real.

“Aidan,” he whispered into the darkness and faded back to sleep.

The next time he woke, weak sunlight shifted through the crack in the curtain. Gracie lay beside him, propped up on one elbow, her riotous auburn hair curling in waves over her slim shoulders.

“I don’t want to leave,” she said. “But it’s late.”

Kale rubbed both hands hard over his face.

“Past nine.”

“Right,” he mumbled and got up, held out his hand. “Let’s shower.”

He thought she would blow him off but instead, her pink lips, the bottom on noticeably swollen, curved into a feline smile. She jumped off the bed and ran for the bathroom. When he stepped inside, steam was curling over the top of the shower. A long arm extended from behind the thin curtain and a finger beckoned.

An hour later they were on the road once more, eating up the miles toward Billings. Her hair was still wet, pulled into a messy knot at the base of her neck. He let his fingers trail idly over the knot and to the smooth skin of her neck.

In the shower, as he held her soap-slicked body to his, he thought about trying to sway her around to staying with him. It wasn’t like him to give up so easily but when she stood in the parking lot yesterday, heartbreak in her eyes, he knew he couldn’t push her. Now, however, he couldn’t think of anything else. Trouble was, he didn’t know what to say to her and the road was moving too fast and the words wouldn’t form right on his tongue. Gracie, for her part, talked cheerfully though her conversation took on a certain strain as they got closer and when the city limits came into view, she fell silent.

He reached across, took her hand. Squeezed and couldn’t say anything. Damn coward that he was.

The neighborhood streets were quiet, snow piled high on either side. Kale guided the car carefully through the slush and slowly into the driveway of a brick ranch house. A Ford Explorer sat in the driveway, with a car seat in the back.

He turned to her.

“I shouldn’t ask but there’s an Applebee’s not far from here. Wait for me?”

Her eyes were luminous in the dim of the car. “I shouldn’t.”

“I know. But I don’t want to say goodbye just yet. I don’t know what I’m going to find in there either so I shouldn’t ask. But I’m asking anyway. Don’t leave me yet.”

She turned away from him and he watched her profile, his breath pressing down in his chest so hard it hurt. Finally, she nodded.

“Two hours. That’s it, Kale.” Her lips twisted into a slight smile. “Give me your hand.” She took out a pen and scrawled a phone number across his palm. “Call me if you aren’t coming.”

He pressed a hard kiss to her lips and got out of the car with his duffle and guitar. He didn’t look back because he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk though Jessica’s front door and face his future if he looked at Gracie. He heard the car rev behind him and the slip then grip of tires. On the stoop he pulled out his cell dialed information. He asked for a cab company and arranged for a car to pick him up in thirty minutes then rang the bell.

The door swung open almost immediately and Jessica stood there, a country queen in knee high boots, tight jeans, and black tank-top in direct violation of the cold.

“Well, wondered when we’d be seeing you.”

“Let me in. It’s cold.”

She pulled the door wide and urged him in with an extravagant wave of her arm. Kale kicked the snow from his boots and entered, taking in the bareness of the home. No tree graced the living room that opened directly from the hall. No garland on the mantle or candles in the windows.

“Festive,” he remarked and walked past her to peer into the kitchen. A highchair stood in one corner but otherwise the house was bare of anything childlike.

“You here for Aidan?” she asked.

Why else?

“Where is he?”

Her perfect nose, straight and thin, which he paid for, twitched. “Sleeping. Thank Gawd. He’s been wild since he woke up this morning.” She stood back with her hands on her hips. “You look good, Kale. But then, the road never took its toll on you like it did me.”

He shrugged. “You’re not doing too bad, Jess.”

The living room held several plush leather couches and a flat screen TV. A small toy box sat in one corner, the lid slightly askew. Kale went over to it and pushed aside the top. A couple Little People and a few Tonka trucks littered the bottom but nothing more.

“He ever get bored here, Jess? Seems to me a kid takes a bit more entertaining.”

Her shrug was graceful and, since he knew she spent countless hours with a body language coach, also practiced. Still, if he weren’t him, he’d fall for it.

“I was hoping you were going to show. I got a flight to New York on Christmas Eve and I was going to have to leave him with Wanda. The nanny.”

The fake shiver she affected echoed in reality within Kale. He knew Wanda had to be a good provider because Jessica only got the best of everything but that still meant Aidan would spend Christmas alone. He was only a year old so most people would argue that he wouldn’t know the difference and could be they were right but Kale had spent too many parentless Christmases not to know the effect it had on a lonely child.

Anger at Jessica’s selfishness roiled through him though he managed to keep his tone even. He couldn’t risk provoking her, showing his hand, and losing Aidan.

“You got him packed?”

Her perfectly red lips stretched into her first real smile since she opened the door. “You know me so well, Kale Sims. Maybe you and me should join up again. Come to New York with me. Unless you’re hooked up with that redhead I saw on T.V. She with you?”

“No,” he bit off. “And I won’t come with you. Be smart, Jessie.”

She spent a moment pouting then shrugged again. “You change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“Always,” he muttered and followed her into a back bedroom. Here, he found evidence of a child. The walls were painted a light blue and fluffy white clouds floating across the ceiling. Aidan’s name was spelled out in stuffed letters across one wall while the opposite held a changing table stocked full of diapers, powders, lotions, and cloths. Kale fought a wave of dizziness as he surveyed the bags and boxes piled in one corner. He knew nothing, nothing, about kids.

Shit.

Jessica laughed softly and crept across the room. “It’s more than you think,” she whispered and gestured to the luggage.

He ignored her and approached the mahogany crib. The baby lay on his stomach, arms stretched far about his head and mouth open. Black hair curled in all directions. Tear tracks stained his red cheeks and he sniffled softly, nuzzled his nose into the blanket. Kale’s heart dropped to his stomach and he swallowed hard. All his doubts, all his mistakes, flew away in an instant.

He reached out, smoothed the hair away from Aidan’s forehead. Mine, he thought and vowed to care for his son at any cost. Even if it meant losing something he just found. He thought about Gracie, sitting in a booth at a chain restaurant and the fullness of his heart deflated a little. She would understand. Hell, she already understood, but it didn’t make it any easier. He couldn’t ask her to take this all on, not when her own life was in such limbo. He was glad now that he hadn’t said anything to her before, that he hadn’t been able to find the words and make her promises. Because now he couldn’t fulfill them.

“I’ll come back for him,” he whispered.

Jessica let go of some of the bags she’d been holding. “I don’t have time, Kale. My flight leaves at five tomorrow morning.”

“Tonight,” he grated out, finally letting go of some of his patience. “I have to make arrangements.”

Like get a car. Call Joe to get the house ready. Break Gracie’s heart.

“Fine,” she huffed.

Kale allowed himself one more touch of the baby soft cheek then followed Jessica out.

“I’m taking him for good,” he said once they were in the hall. “I don’t want you coming around, bleating about joint custody. You walk away from him today, you walk away forever.”

Something passed across her face, a flinch, but then she raised her chin, hard determination sparking in her eyes. “I don’t want him. And I won’t be here when you get back either,” throwing the words at him like ammunition. “Wanda will cuz I got things to do. You good with that, Kale? You good with not seeing me again?”

“I’m going to get papers, Jess,” he said in answer. “I’m sending them to your agent. You’re going to sign them.”

She shifted tactics in an instant. Sidled closer to him, lowered her voice to a purr. “What about your needs? Your career? What about you, Kale?”

He stuffed his hat on his head. “It’s not about me anymore. Shouldn’t be about you but it is, so I’m taking him. I’m raising him. He’s mine.”

Outside a car horn blared.

Jessica peeked around him, her eyes hard again in the face of his dismissal.. “Always one foot out the door, huh? You haven’t changed a bit.”

Kale pulled open the door, letting in a cold blast of snow and wind. Jessica rubbed at her arms.

“Take care, Jess.”

Her response was lost in the slamming of the door. He was on the phone before he reached the cab. “Applebee’s on Main Street,” he said to the cabbie over the ringing on the other end. When Joe picked up, he said, “He’s mine, Joe. We have things to do.”

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 7

2009-12-28T13:26:00.002-06:00

So Christmas snuck up on me way too fast and I didn't get the rest posted. However, here is chapter 7 for your reading enjoyment. Maybe by New Years'?

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Oh. Kale.”

On those two words, his face shut down.

“I see.”

“No, you don’t. Not really.” She reached for him but he backed away from her. “It’s too much.”

He shook his head. “Nothing about you is too much. But I get it. I got too much baggage.”

So do I, she wanted to say but couldn’t force anything past the lump in her throat. He waited a half heartbeat before turning on heel and getting in the car. She followed at a much slower pace. It seemed she was always in need of apologizing to him but this time she couldn’t come up with the words. And maybe it was better this way—the cowards’ way but nothing tried was nothing lost and she really didn’t think she could stand to lose anymore. If she ended it now, she could walk away with the biggest pieces of her heart still intact. She was honest enough to admit that he’d already chipped away at the tender parts left bruised by Tony. The rest belonged to her and she didn’t know if she could give it away. With those depressing thoughts circling, she climbed behind the wheel and pointed the car north.

In Sioux Falls they exchanged places but little else. He didn’t speak and she didn’t know what to say to break the silence. That she hurt him was certain but he could overcome it. Besides which, in less than seven hundred miles, he would have other things to occupy his mind. She’d leave him behind and drive the miles to Seattle, aching inside but knowing she’d done the right thing.

Hadn’t she?

Out her window, the South Dakota hills flew by and the snow, since morning a light drifting, increased until the flakes blew straight across the highway. The interior of the car grew dim and the headlights flicked on. It was just past three-thirty and they had at least four hundred miles to Billings. As the words formed in her head, he said them.

“We’re not going to make it tonight.”

The lump in her throat was still there but she managed to speak around it. “Where will we stop?”

“Rapid City.”

That was all he said and the silence pricked at her. Stung in a way she hadn’t expected.

“Do you need to call her?”

He looked at her for the first time since they’d changed drivers. “She doesn’t know I’m coming,” he said, referring to Jessica. “I prefer to keep it that way.”

And have the upper hand, she finished mentally. She could understand that. He was wading into a boxing match and he needed all the power behind the punch that he could get. No distractions. No Gracie.

They hit Rapid City just as the road conditions became unbearable. A virtual white wall of snow greeted their exit from the interstate and Kale slowed the car to a crawl and pulled into the first hotel parking lot they saw.

“Stay here,” he instructed and went to get their rooms.

Snow pelted the windows and Toby lay in the back seat, whining occasionally. She leaned over the seat to comfort him, and herself. Kale was back in moments. He opened her door for her, and using his jacket, shielded her from the worst of the wind. Snow pushed its way into the tops of her boots and snuck under her gloves before they made it to the hotel doors. Toby stayed back in the car, waiting for his escort.

“Here,” Kale said and shoved a keycard at her. “I’ll be up in a minute with Toby and the bags.”

Gracie did her best to shake the snow from her hair and face. She ripped off her gloves and shoved them in her pocket, then caught the elevator to her room. The room was blessedly warm but she kicked up the heat anyway. She’d left the door propped and didn’t turn as Kale shouldered his way into the room, accompanied by the smell of wet dog and a few joyous barks. Instead she went to the window to stare out. There was nothing to see but the swirling of white and the fog of her own breath.

She jumped when his hand came to rest on her shoulder. The movement caused her to spin toward him and he caught her and backed her to the window.

“Where’s your room,” she asked, breathless because he was looking at her with an intention she couldn’t mistake.

“Here,” he said and kissed her.

Yes, her tired, lust filled brain whispered. Oh yes.

He lifted her arms around his neck and circled her back. One hand slipped beneath her shirt and came to rest beneath the waistband of her jeans. She pushed herself harder into the kiss, letting her mouth roam over his without conscious thought. He tore his lips away to trail wetly over her neck and down to the line of her sweater. Gracie leaned away long enough to pull her sweater and tank over her head. He murmured her name against her skin and angled them toward the bed. They tumbled down together and as Kale reared up to push her hair off her face, she knew what she wanted. She’d been lying to herself this whole time. It wouldn’t be easy to let him go. It wouldn’t be the right thing to do. She only wanted one thing. Him.

His lips met hers once more and she arched up to him, giving everything she had.

Hours later, she didn’t know exactly what time because one of them had kicked the clock to the floor, Kale lifted his head and cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Satisfied?”

“I love snow,” she said and he laughed. The richness of the sound caused tears to spring to her eyes. God, how she would miss him. He rolled from her and she used the edge of the sheet to wipe away the wetness before he could see.

Kale sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want to wake up.”

Because she could, Gracie ran a hand down his strong back. “Wake up?”

“It’s a dream,” he said, sending her a beautiful smile. “This time with you is like a dream.”

Gracie crawled to her knees and wrapped her arms around him while her heart melted into a useless puddle. That’s it, I’m a goner.

“We have a few more hours,” she said into his ear. Outside the blizzard raged and Gracie Proctor fell in love.

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 6

2009-12-23T14:10:00.000-06:00

CHAPTER SIX

“Just one,” she repeated and struggled to push herself out of the fog he’d wrapped her in. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He gave her a crooked grin, the one that sent her senses swirling in every direction. “More than one’s just fine with me. I probably wasn’t going to stop there anyhow.”

She looked around, anywhere but at him because she would do it if he said it again. She really would. Her gaze snagged on the diner window where three faces pressed out at them. Kale caught her line of vision and sighed. He released her, stepped back, and waved at their audience.

“Get in, it’s cold,” he said and went around the car to start it up.

Gracie got in the car and slammed the door on the wind and tried not to regret what hadn’t happened. Thirty minutes later, she still regretted it. She should have given in. She should have leaned in, pressed her cold lips to his and given.

For his part, Kale didn’t seem too concerned. He whistled, he commented on passing landmarks, he laughed, he talked to Toby. He seemed … happy. So at odds with the man she saw last night that she had to consider her attempt to cheer him up a success. She couldn’t stand the sadness she saw falling over him this morning so she did the only thing she could think of—she made him sing. That, above anything, had to give him some measure of peace. Yeah, she’d been tricky about it and the whole plan could have backfired terribly but when she seized upon the idea in the diner, she ran ahead full-force. She hadn’t experienced that sort of impulsiveness since she started dating Tony. She missed that about herself. She missed being fearless.

Kale made her that way. And maybe it was time to stop resisting all those things that made her feel good.

Tony hadn’t. She knew that now. Three days after leaving him, she realized the poison she put into her life by dating him. She jumped into their relationship knowing they were complete opposites. He was serious, she saw something to laugh about in every situation. He disapproved of her gypsy-like approach to jobs, she couldn’t believe he would tie himself into a career he’d chosen for the money and prestige. Tony had it all. The perfect family, a great job, apartment, life. And she wanted that. So she went after him with some misguided idea that their opposites were actually a good thing.

They weren’t.

She cleared her throat.

Kale favored her with a cocky grin. Damn it.

“I’ve been thinking about owing you.”

The car swerved a little and she did a little inner fist pump of victory.

“Yeah?”

She turned and angled her body toward him. “Yeah. And I think you’re right. I do owe you. So. Whenever you’re ready, so am I.”

“Great,” he said.

“Great?” she sputtered. “Really? That’s all you have to—argh!”

He aimed the car across two lanes of traffic and rumbled to a stop on the gravely shoulder.

“Are you crazy?”

“Yup,” he said and leaned over, wrapped his hand around her neck, and dragged her forward. She closed her eyes a second before his lips touched down. Hard. His fingers pushed up into her hair and he traced her bottom lip with his tongue before slipping it inside her mouth. She opened for him on a sigh, caught up in the heat of his hands and the insistent pull of his mouth.

Much too soon he let her go and settled back in his seat, all sleepy eyes and satisfied man. Crap. God, did she want more.

“Just one?” she asked and hated that her voice squeaked.

He cocked his head in acknowledgement. “All you wanted,” he said and merged back into the sparse traffic.

No, she thought, not all I wanted. Not nearly enough.

The afternoon past quickly as the miles dropped away filled with easy conversation. He told her about funny things that happened to him while doing shows. She told him about her outrageous friend Shelly and her mother’s obsession with Rachel Ray. Kale stopped twice to let Toby pee but Gracie knew it was really for her. She was thankful that he didn’t once comment on her small bladder or groan about the wasted time. As repayment, at their second stop, she scrapped together enough spare change rattling around in the bottom of her purse to get him some more chocolate covered cherries and they shared the box all the way through Missouri.

It was well past seven when they reached the outskirts of Omaha. Gracie managed to go a full seventeen minutes without thinking about kissing Kale but that ended as she faced the hotel clerk on the other side of the desk.

“You only have one room?”

The girl, who couldn’t be more than sixteen, popped her gum. “Uh huh. You want it? I’d get it soon, ‘cuz we’re selling out quick. The Weather Channel is blathering about another ice storm.”

Gracie tapped Kale’s card on the counter, thinking. They could keep going, try to find another hotel. But if the clerk was right, and the winter weather was about to turn foul, they’d be foolish to try it. So they only had one room. So what? She was an adult. She was mature. She could totally handle sleeping in the same room with a guy she’d been thinking about nonstop for three days. Just like she could forget about the kiss he laid on her earlier that still had her tingling in places her mother didn’t like to talk about. Easy peasy.

“Don Smith,” the girl said, reading the card.

“My husband,” Gracie explained, and, out of sight, quickly shoved her wide silver and gold ring from her right hand to her left ring finger.

“Two rooms and you have a husband?” She swiped the card and shook her head. “Whatever.”

One room key and a reminder about continental breakfast later, Gracie was out the door. She climbed in and directed Kale around back of the hotel. They entered the building, bypassed the broken elevator, and climbed two flights of stairs. Gracie reached for her suitcase on the first landing but he merely grunted and kept going, Toby trailing them.

“Down here,” she said, pointing him to the left. They came to the end of the hallway and the one open room. She took out the key. He held out his hand for his key. “Um. No.”

Kale dropped their bags to the floor. “'No’ what?”

She took a deep breath; let it all out in a rush. “They only had one room. And there’s more ice. So we have to share.”

He looked at her, then reached over and plucked the key from her hands, slid it into the lock, and twisted the door handle. “Oh look. A king bed.”

“There’s a couch,” she said weakly as they entered the room.

“Not doing it.”

She hefted her suitcase onto the luggage rack. “What?”

“Not sleeping on the couch,” he said and launched himself onto the bed. He flipped over, scooted up to the head board, and crossed one leg over the other. “You can, but you might get cold. I’m a warm guy. I don’t bite.”

“This is so cliché,” she muttered and went to the bathroom. Really, when did this ever happen except in chick flicks and romance novels? And yeah, the reluctant couple always ended up with that ‘in love’ glow by the morning. Gracie flipped on the bathroom light and took a hard look at herself in the mirror. The skin beneath her eyes was stained a bluish-purple and her hair, scrapped back into a messy bun was limp and slightly greasy.

No one was falling in love with her tonight. She huffed and sat on the closed toilet lid. Maybe she could shower first, she thought, brightening. Send Kale out for some food and duck into the shower so she smelled good for the maybe-he’ll-make-a-move-part. Love wasn’t happening, but if she wanted it too, lust just might.

Only, she didn’t know if she wanted it too.

A knock on the door stopped her cold. God, what if she had been peeing or something? She was so not ready to share a living space with Kale Sims.

“What do you want?”

“Food,” he said with a smile in his voice. “You want to go get it?”

“I was kind of hoping for a shower.”

The was a pause and then, “Me too. Listen. I’ll go out and then shower while you eat. Sound good?”

Twenty minutes later she had her shower and was standing once again in front of the mirror. She slathered on her peppermint lotion and then grabbed for the mascara and dapped a little on. Turning on the hairdryer, she fluffed her bangs and left the rest of her hair in a damp knot the base of her neck. And then she faced her clothes.

That’s when she realized romance had given up on the likes of Gracie Proctor. So she pulled on her flannel pants and oversized t-shirt and climbed onto the bed. Toby jumped up next to her and she wrapped her arm around him and flipped on the TV. And promptly fell asleep.

It was dark when she woke. The lights and TV were off and the only sounds in the room were that of the heater sputtering and the steady in and out breath of the man laying beside her. His arm was slung over her stomach and she lay still, savoring the warmth and weight of him. She squinted at the alarm clock. Five-thirty. She let her eyes drift close, and slipped into the fuzzy place of half-dreams. Kale sighed in his sleep, tightened his arm, and drew her across the bed. She didn’t resist. He was sound asleep and she felt like a thief, stealing this vulnerability from him, but she wouldn’t wake him. Tonight they’d part ways. This morning, she was going to take something for herself.

Excellent idea, she thought, as he nuzzled the curve of her neck. God, he smelled good. The scent of peppermint filled her nostrils and she suppressed a giggle at the thought of him using her lotion. She must have been so tired to not hear him come in, or feel him climb into bed next to her. Relief washed over her. She hadn’t had to make a decision she wasn’t ready for. She wanted something from him, she just didn’t know what. For now, it was this intimacy. Laying in the dark, his body warm and welcoming next to hers, it was the best Christmas present.

Suddenly through the haze of her happiness came the jangle of bells. Kale shot upright.

“What the hell?” he mumbled then flopped back to the bed and groaned. “Your phone.”

She reached across him for the phone and he flipped on the light. Their faces were so close, she could see his two-day beard. Her fingers itched, literally itched, to run down his face but instead she sat back and answered.

“Hello?”

“Explain,” her mom barked. “Now.”

Gracie pushed her hair off her face and tugged her t-shirt down. “What?”

“You’re on TV, Gracie. With Kale Sims. In St. Louis. Explain that to me.”

“Shit.”

“Gracie!”

“What?” Kale mouthed.

She flapped him away.

“What channel? What time is it there? Why are you up?”

“That awful TMZ show. They keep showing your pictures. You’re standing outside a diner next to an itty bitty car with his hand on your arm. Where else did he put his hand?”

An absurd laugh bubbled in her throat that came out more like a sputtering cough. Mary or Duke must have snapped the picture. It disappointed her that they would send it to a gossip TV show but then, there had been others in the parking lot. It could have been anyone. What’s done is done, yet she ached for putting Kale in that position.

She grabbed the remote from the bottom of the bed and clicked on the TV to Fox. “Nowhere else, Mom. I swear.”

Sure enough, a picture of them standing outside the diner was plastered across the screen with the caption, Kale Sims’ New Gal. Freaking great. There was a thump as Kale slapped the pillow over his head.

“Gracie Proctor, I am still waiting for an explanation. Are you with that man right now?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, no longer able to lie. “Yes,” she whispered and pulled the phone away from her ear as her mother yelled her name again. From under the pillow came a muffled laugh. Gracie fell to the side, landing her elbow in his side then squealed when he wrapped his arms around her and flipped her onto her back. He grinned down at her in the light of the flickering TV.

“What are you doing?” her mother screeched. “Is he attacking you?”

His fingers snuck under her shirt. She sucked in a breath and he tickled. She kicked her legs, pressed her arm over her mouth, and tried to buck him off.

“I’m calling nine-one-one right now.”

“Mom,” she gasped. “Don’t. Just don’t.” Her knee connected with his back and he grunted, rolled off. “Seriously. I’m fine. Yes, I am traveling with him but that’s a story for later. I will be home in time for Christmas and I will call you tonight. Promise.”

“I’m worried,” her mom said, panic creeping into her tone. “Let me talk to him.”

“Mom, no!”

At that moment, his phone rang from the depths of his bag. He rolled his eyes at her and went to get it.

“I’m getting off the phone now, Mom. I am absolutely one hundred percent O.K. and I will text you every hour.”

“I don’t like it.”

Gracie forced herself to be patient. She had lied after all. “I know. But it’s fine.” She lowered her voice. “I like him.”

From across the room, she heard the man on the other end of Kale’s phone call. “You’re been caught, kid.”

“I know,” Kale said, shooting her an exasperated look. “We’re moving.”

“Be careful,” her mom warned and Gracie hung up after promising her mother, once again, that she would be fine. She ducked into the bathroom, giving Kale time to finish his call in private. When she came out, he was putting on his shoes, already fully dressed.

“We have to go.” He flicked the TV screen with his finger. “Joe’s on this but we’d better not stay too long.”

He brushed by her into the bathroom and her heart sank because this was all her fault. She pulled on her clothes quickly and managed to wrangle her wild curls into a braid. When he came out, she was waiting.

“I’m really sorry.”

Kale picked up his bag. “For what?”

“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot yesterday. I had no idea they would call the media.”

Those green eyes of his lit with understanding. “You couldn’t have known. We don’t even know it was them.”

“But--”

“It’s fine. Joe has it under control. And I enjoyed myself—" He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead—“so thanks.”

And with that he turned and left her standing alone in the room. Toby trotted into the hall and they both stood there, staring at her. Gracie shook her head, shouldered her purse and grabbed her suitcase. Out by the car, in a parking lot full of cars but empty of people, they waited for Toby to take care of his business. Snow-swollen clouds rolled and tumbled overhead and the first flakes, the size of quarters, began to fall.

She still felt awful. He didn’t need the added burden of everyone knowing where they were going and why. Maybe the media hadn’t caught onto that yet, but it wouldn’t take long to figure out what or who lay north of Omaha.

Toby ran over, barking, and Kale opened the door for him. The dog scrambled into the back seat and sat, looking at them expectantly.

“It’s just, I know you don’t need any more pressure,” Gracie pushed on, determined to show him how sorry she was. “Isn’t it hard, being ‘on’ all the time?”

The corners of his mouth pulled down while he considered her. “Yeah. But I brought it on myself. I like it. Or did.” He shrugged. “I got some things to figure out.”

“Exactly!” She spun and paced away from him. “So you don’t need me messing things up for you.”

Gracie didn’t want to look at him, desperately afraid of what he would say, so she kept walking. She knew this was temporary—the way they were together. There was easiness there, and attraction. Lord but was there attraction. If she weren’t at such loose ends and if he didn’t have so many demands upon him, would things be different? Would he want to be with her? The questions had no place in her thoughts though because tonight they would go their separate ways. They had too, their lives were too different.

His boots pounded on the pavement as he jogged up next to her. “Stop.”

“Sorry,” she offered a smile but knew it was too weak to be convincing. “Want to go?”

The backs of his fingers were infinitely soft on her cheek.

“There’s only one thing I want.”

Her smile was stronger this time, anticipating whatever witty thing he would say, like vacation or a sausage biscuit. “Breakfast?”

“No. Last night when I came in, you were sound asleep. Your mouth was even open a little.”

A groan escaped her. “Was I snoring?”

The hand on her cheek turned to cup her chin. “No, no snoring. But I looked at you and I realized what I wanted.”

Her heart tripped over itself. “What is it?”

“You.”

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 5

2009-12-22T09:36:00.001-06:00

CHAPTER FIVE

When he knocked on her door the next morning, Kale had two coffees in his hand and sugar packets stuffed in his pockets. It was six-thirty and she was probably going to be mad at him. He didn’t care. He wanted out of this town.

He heard her light feet padding toward the door and, head wrapped in a towel, she peeked around the edge.

“You’re ready?” Using his hip, he nudged the door further open and stuck her coffee into the opening. “Thought this would get you moving.”

Instead of taking it, she opened the door. “Put it on the table. I have to blow my hair dry.”

A smooth blush spread across her face, and she wouldn’t look at him but he didn’t mind because that way he could look at her legs peeking out from the hot pink robe she wore. White snowflakes and green Christmas trees covered the robe, clashing horribly with her bright hair. Strands of it escaped the towel and lay against her white neck.

“So you really love Christmas, huh?” he said, mostly to cover up the fact that he’d been staring at her again. He switched his gaze to her toes and laughed. “Nice socks.”

She wiggled her fuzzy purple feet. “I don’t like to walk on motel floors barefooted. You’re early.”

“I just want to get going.”

With her back to him, she waved about the hairdryer. “Take Toby out, would you? He’s gotta pee.”

Outside, the dog did his business quickly and set about investigating a group of decorative bushes. Kale drank his coffee and waited for both Toby and Gracie. Omaha was within their sights if they could only get going this morning. Yesterday, he’d been dreading rolling into Billings. Today, though he still dreaded confronting Jessica, it was the only thing he wanted to do. Take that bull by the horns and move on. Fast.

He couldn’t help but think of what Gracie had said last night. So if he’s yours just take care of him. She couldn’t know how deep that remark struck him. She couldn’t know that he always took care of the people who mattered to him.

Twenty minutes later she came hustling down the outside stairs, copper hair flaming in the morning sun.

“I’ll drive,” she said and snatched the keys from his hand, leaving him to load their luggage. Toby hopped into the car with a happy bark and Kale climbed in after. Gracie cranked the car and the heat. She punched the radio button to off when it blared to life.

“Headache,” she said by way of explanation and eased onto the road.

They stopped at a McDonald’s for a to-go breakfast. Kale pulled apart a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit and fed it to Toby.

“What are we going to do about him?”

Kale dusted off his hands and held them up for the dog to see. “Who? Toby?”

“Yeah.” She hunched into herself, just a little. “You paid for him, so he should be yours.”

Kale looked into the dog’s doleful brown eyes, then back at Gracie’s flat ones.

“You’re used to being disappointed?”

She jerked. “No. I mean. Well. No.”

“So, that’s a yes.”

The breath she pushed out could’ve rolled a tumbleweed across Oklahoma. “Yes, O.K.? Happy?”

No, he sure wasn’t. “Toby’s yours. I bought him for you.”

Gracie took her gaze off the road long enough to shoot him a hopeful look. “Really?”

“Yup. Listen, you have to fight more, you know? If you want things, fight for them.”

“That’s not me.”

Because it was all he could think about doing, he reached across, slipped his hand under her hair, and cupped her warm neck. “You were a fighter in that parking lot when it came to Toby. You were in the airport.”

“I was mad then.” Her voice was small, tired.

“You were last night when you laid me out flat about the boy.”

Her skin retracted under his hand in a little flinch. “About that. I’m really sorry. It wasn’t my place. I don’t know you, I don’t know your life. I don’t know--”

He squeezed gently to get her to shut up. “It’s fine. I needed to hear it.”

Kale pulled his hand away and settled back into his seat. He took a deep breath. “How much do you know about me?”

He sensed more than saw her gaze.

“Amazing amounts of stuff,” she said. “You’re everywhere.”

Didn’t he know it. And wasn’t he damn tired of it. What would everyone think if he were to do the most selfish thing he could think of and just quit? He pushed the thought aside. Something to chew on later.

“You know my aunt and uncle raised me?”

She shot him a look. “Did you like them?”

That was Gracie, cutting right to the point and asking the questions no one else thought to ask.

“Sometimes,” he answered honestly. “They were good to me because they had to be and most days that was enough.”

“What about the days when it wasn’t?”

“I had music.” He smiled when he thought about it. “And my cousin Charlie.”

“Oh.” Her voice was soft in the closed confines of the car. “He died, right?”

His throat closed up but he forced out the words. “Car accident. Years and years ago now but sometimes it’s like yesterday.”

He’d met Jessica a week after Charlie died. Within two months he twined his life around hers, looking for a way to belong to someone. She’d been good for him for that brief period of time but their relationship soon turned toxic.

“That was the last time I saw my aunt and uncle, at the funeral. They didn’t have much to say to me. I was supposed to be driving that night but I stayed behind at an after party for the album launch. I don’t think they mean to blame me but sometimes you can’t control how you feel.” Because it was Gracie and he could say anything to her, he let the bitterness seep into his voice. “I was always the blister on my uncle’s heel.”

She cleared her throat. “How did you come to live with them?”

With the help of Joe, Kale worked hard to keep his childhood out of the public spotlight. It hadn’t been easy but he owed his aunt and uncle that much. They were private people and hated the cameras surrounding the church at Charlie’s funeral. He fought hard to protect them, even if they didn’t know it.

“It was Christmas,” he began in a deep James Earl Jones voice, causing her to giggle. “I was three. My parents went out shopping and, they never came back.”

The laugh stopped abruptly. “They died?”

“Nope. They were just kids themselves and decided being saddled me was too much responsibility. So off they went into the sunset.” He paused. “Or maybe they went East, no sunset. Either way, they left me with my dad’s brother. Who had more kids than he could feed. He wasn’t happy about it. And my aunt was too worn out to even care. What was one more mouth?”

The words sat heavily between them and he held his breath, wondering what she would say. He hadn’t meant to dump it all on her. The last time he told someone his sad country song story, it hadn’t turned out so well. Jessica listened patiently to his story and then started formulating ways they could use the material in a made-for-TV movie.

Her hand snuck through the space between them and she twined her fingers in his. “Charlie made it O.K. for you, though.”

The warmth of her fingers spiraled through him, pushing away the cold he’d felt since leaving her last night.

“He did. He made sure I was always taken care of. And,” he took a deep breath, “he’s the reason I would never leave Jessica’s boy to fend for himself. Charlie was fifteen years older, and even then he was the best father I could ever ask for.” Kale tugged on her fingers so she would look at him. “I won’t do to that boy what was done to me. I won’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kale lifted their joined hands and pressed her knuckles to his mouth. “I know.”

Somewhere along the way it had become right to touch her. He cut his eyes to the left to see if she knew it too. Her soft mouth was pressed into a little line but her eyes crinkled at the corners and then her lips quirked. He let go of her hand, satisfied, and they rode on in silence.

Every once in awhile he felt her gaze on him, but she didn’t make a move toward more conversation. She seemed to sense his need for the quiet and gave without asking. As they drove further north, the sun disappeared behind iron-grey skies and before lunch time, snow began to fall. He watched as her knuckles grew whiter and whiter as she gripped the steering wheel. Before long, traffic started to grow heavier as they reached the suburbs of St. Louis.

He didn’t miss the relief crossing her face when he suggested they stop for lunch. Gracie aimed the car for a small mom and pop diner off a quiet exit. They left a sleeping Toby in the car and ran for the diner door, the wind cutting a wicked path through the parking lot. A bell jingled over the door as they dashed inside.

The long diner, with a bar running down one side and booths on the other, was completely empty save for two old men arguing at the juke box and a waitress reading a worn paperback at the counter. Kale took Gracie’s arm and hustled her to the booth closest to the door while Willie Nelson sang about blue eyes crying in the rain.

The waitress, poufy black hair streaked liberally with gray, hopped down from a barstool and sauntered over. She pulled a pencil from the band of her ponytail and tapped it against her order pad.

“What’ll you have?”

Kale pulled his hat down tight and pointed at Gracie.

“Cheeseburger, extra cheese and potato chips. A Coke too.”

“The same,” Kale said. “And can we get it quick? We have a dog in the car.”

The waitress frowned at them both then leaned on the Formica table to peer out the window.

“Bring him in here,” she said then walked away without a backward glance.

Gracie looked at Kale. “Really?”

He shrugged and took the keys from her. “Why not, right?”

“Food regulations and stuff.”

Kale grinned at her. “Ten bucks says this place has been shut down more than once.”

With that happy thought to keep her occupied, he jogged to the car. Toby watched him coming, his paws on the steering wheel, tongue lolling. He barked once and sprinted for the diner door. His nails scratched on the floor and his paws slipped out from under him but he managed to make it under their table intact.

Kale slipped into his seat and took in Gracie’s smile.

“What?”

She shrugged and sipped from her Coke the waitress dropped off. “Nothing. Can’t a girl smile?”

He lowered his eyebrows at her. Something was definitely up. “That’s not just a smile. I’ve been stuck in a car with you for almost two days. You don’t smile like that unless you’re being sneaky.”

“Two days is hardly enough time to get to know someone.”

It was true, and yet, he felt as though he’d known her for much longer than that. The bad part? He wanted to know her for much more than the four total days they’d be together. The muscles in his neck tightened up at that. No way did he need more complications. He rolled his head around and directed his attention at the two old guys still at the juke box.

“What’re they fighting about?”

Gracie twisted in her seat to look at them. “They were fighting about whether Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings sang Poncho and Lefty.”

“Willie sang it with Merle Haggard.”

She nodded. “Thought so. Now though, they’re on to something different.”

Before he could ask what, two plates slid across the table followed by a bottle of ketchup. Kale grabbed his rolled up silverware and reached for the ketchup when he noticed the waitress still standing at their table.

She was looking at him. Gracie was looking at her, that smile back on her face.

“You’re Kale Sims.”

He sighed and put down the ketchup. “Yup.”

“Will you sing for us?”

His lunch was going to get so cold. Gracie’s on the other hand, was not. She was already tucking into her cheeseburger like nobody’s business, her brown eyes set on him between bites. She swallowed then pulled a gulp of Coke.

“Mary—that’s her,” she said, pointing to their waitress, “is a huge fan. So is her husband, Duke.”

The two older men ambled toward their table.

“Duke,” one of the guys said and stuck out his meaty hand. “Nice to meet ‘cha. This here is Sammy.”

Sammy, a skinny man in coveralls nodded and blushed. “Pleasure. You’re singing for us?”

“Mary said the tab’s on her if you will,” Gracie said between bites. “I told her there’d be about a fifty-fifty chance of you saying yes.”

Kale swallowed back a laugh. He thought about facing her down in the Hertz parking lot, trying to be charming so she’d let him ride along. What had he said? That he pulled the being famous part about fifty percent of the time. Yeah, she sure remembered that. Her eyes, so flat and dreary this morning, twinkled at him over the ketchup bottle. Daring him. So, he did what he had to do. Turning to Mary, Duke, and Sammy he gave them his best camera smile.

“What do you want to hear?”

Gracie answered first, a laugh behind her voice. “I told them that you really like Blue Christmas. I couldn’t sleep last night for thinking about it.”

The look she sent him reminded him of the thin hotel walls, and he winced. That had been a moment of weakness. He’d been feeling sorry for himself and more than a little lonely. But sitting here in the diner with Gracie and Toby, he caught a little bit of a happy Christmas spirit.

“I need to get my guitar.”

“Oh no need,” Duke said, backing away from the table. “I got mine in the kitchen. Be back in a jiffy, Mr. Sims.”

A jiffy was all it took. Faster than he could blink, Duke was back with a beat up guitar, dragging two stools along with him. He sat them side by side and patted one for Kale. Leaving his cold burger behind, Kale hopped up next to Duke.

The opening cords rang out across the diner.

“I’ll have a blue Christmas without you …” Kale sang and watched Gracie.

She’d turned in the booth, food forgotten. Her face shone softly in the harsh diner light, a tiny curve to her lips as Duke picked across the strings. The second time around everyone joined in. Duke’s old voice, smoky with age and wisdom, grated across the words in a pleasing sound. Kale watched Mary’s black eyes light with laughter as she looked at her husband. He wondered what it would be like to have someone look at him like that.

Gracie’s soft voice caught his attention and she winked at him as the song came to a close. Duke’s fingers strung out the last note and the diner fell into silence. Sammy burst into applause.

“More!” he called but Kale shook his head and left the stool to join Gracie in the booth.

“Your turn,” he called out to Duke. “This girl here loves Christmas music. Play her a good one while we eat.”

Mary laid her hand on her husband’s shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear. Duke grinned. “Gotcha, honey,” he said and adjusted a few strings. Mary took the seat Kale vacated.

Her clear tones floated across the diner, full and rich. “I really can’t stay,” she sang, launching into Baby It’s Cold Outside.

Kale finished his cold burger while the husband and wife team ran a repertoire of love songs, holiday and otherwise. When they finished their food, Kale reached for his wallet but Mary waved him away.

“You gave my husband the biggest thrill of his life, Mr. Sims. That’s all the payment I need.”

Kale pumped Duke’s hand while Gracie collected her purse and Toby.

“I’m so glad you asked, Mary,” Gracie whispered. “You settled something between us.” She looked over at Kale, caught him listening, and fluttered her fingers at him.

Outside, he followed Gracie to the car. He opened the passenger door for her and grasped her arm when she would have slid in.

“Nice trick,” he said. “Had to prove something, huh?”

Her eyes widened innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He had to grin at that one. “I give it fifty-fifty that you don’t know, Gracie.”

She gave him her imp smile. The happy one she used on him in the diner. “You told me to be a fighter.”

“I didn’t tell you to fight dirty with me.”

“Are you mad?”

“Nope.”

“Want me to apologize?”

“Nope.” Kale said again and shook his head. “You just owe me.”

Pale pink lips parted slightly and her tongue darted out to wet them. “What do you want?”

Kale tightened his fingers and drew her closer. “Just a kiss, Gracie. Just one.”

An Update

2009-12-17T20:38:00.002-06:00

I know I have some readers out there anxiously awaiting the next installment of Cross Country Christmas. I have to ask for patience however as I will be out of town until Sunday and traveling with a 1 year old takes all my energies :) Next installment on Monday and the series will finish up on Thursday, just in time for Christmas! Enjoy the weekend!

Ponco and Lefty, Willie and Merle

2009-12-17T11:45:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I love this song but this video? Cracks. Me. Up.

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 4

2009-12-14T16:10:00.001-06:00

Next installment in Cross Country Christmas - Gracie and Kale trade some confessions. Don't forget to scroll down to catch chapters 1-3.

CHAPTER FOUR

Gracie swallowed slowly. The dumplings sat like rocks in her stomach. She didn’t blink though and took a calming drink of Coke.

“How sure are you?” she asked in a fairly good impression of a person with her wits about her. Little did he know they were scattered across the table like confetti.

He shrugged. “Ninety percent.”

The Coke can was slick in her hand. “What’re you going to do?”

Kale pushed his hamburger away. “I don’t know. But if he’s mine, I want him.”

“Will she just give him up?”

Toby whined and pressed his nose to Kale’s knee. Kale tore off some of his hamburger and gave it to the dog. Toby’s tail beat against the table leg in joyous rapture.

“We need to get him real food,” Kale said and Gracie held her breath, unsure of whether he would return to the doozie just he winged her way.

When he didn’t say anything more, she ducked her head and ate her food, although it was cold now and everything tasted like sawdust. She’d been feeling bad for herself when he left. Here she was, at Christmastime, in a lousy hotel in the middle of Tennessee instead of at home, decorating her real tree with Tony. O.K., so he hated decorating and usually turned off her Christmas playlist halfway through but at least she had someone. At least she could tell herself that she was loved during the holidays. That was over now, though, and although she was pushing back at it, something like relief flooded through her veins, hyping her up, making her … happy.

Now Kale’s problems cut across her own, laying her out flat with his honesty and pain. She looked at him, staring morosely at his food and thought about what she could do to help him.

“My boyfriend is having an affair.”

Kale’s dark head jerked up and his eyes widened.

“Tony.” Gracie took a bite of potatoes, swallowed, and said, “Yup. Caught him two days ago rolling around the living room floor with his law partner.” Gracie paused to let the memory wash over her. She’d kept it at bay for over forty-eight hours and now, once the words where out, she couldn’t hold it back anymore.

Kale stood, came around the table and crouched in front of her. “Are you all right?”

Gracie put both hands over her mouth to smother the laughter but it was no use. She snorted around her fingers and Kale reached up to pull them away.

“Laugh,” he instructed. “Just laugh.”

She did. For several minutes the laughter rolled through her and Kale sat there the whole time, smiling at her. When the laughter subsided to giggles and then a few random hiccups, he still didn’t move. Gracie closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see him so close because she was really afraid she was going to do something stupid. Like kiss him. To take her mind off that delicious possibility, she settled instead on Tony and his new girl.

“She cracked his Christmas present.”

“What?”

“I bought him a new putter because he’d been bitching for months about his game and she cracked it.”

Kale’s lip twitched from side to side. “Er. How?”

“She was um … using it. To you know. Well, you know right?”

His hands came up to grasp her shoulders when she would have continued. “I think I get it.”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t pull his hands away but instead squeezed gently. One hand came up to rub across her cheek. “You O.K.?”

Gracie hesitated over his hand and her answer, both equally important. “I will be.”

“Good.” He raised his eyebrows, dropped his hands. “Confession time over?”

“God, yes.”

When he stood, she couldn’t help the soft sigh that escaped her. She really liked having him so close. Scary thought. Because when they got to Billings, she’d drop him off and never see him again. It was, of course, exactly what she should want to do but somewhere between Atlanta and here, she’d developed a bit of a crush. So inconvenient. He was famous for heaven’s sake!

Together they cleared the table. Kale took the trash out of the room so it wouldn’t stink of cold potatoes then stuck his head in once more.

“Up by seven? We should be able to make it to Omaha if we get going early.”

Gracie tossed away the remote she’d been messing with. “I’ll set my alarm.”

For five-thirty. No way was she driving all day in a car with Mr. Gorgeous without a shower and full-on beauty regimen. Luckily she’d elected to bring her flatiron when throwing her stuff together while Tony watched from the bedroom door. He didn’t stop her from leaving. That had said it all. She may not want him anymore but he stopped wanting her first.

Her shoulders collapsed under that thought and Kale pushed into the room once more.

“I thought you said you were fine.”

She waved him away when he would have come closer and raked both hands through her hair. She slumped to the bed.

“I did too but I haven’t let myself think about it, you know? You just keep on pushing it away so you can keep going and the minute you let your guard down and bam, it hits you. So.” She shrugged. “It just hit me. I left him flat and I don’t even give a damn. I just wonder when that happened.”

“What’s that?”

“When I stopped caring if he was in my life or not.”

Kale sat on the bed next to her and patted the mattress when Toby gave him a doleful look. The dog jumped between them and curled into a circle.

“What are you doing to do now?”

Gracie ran an idle hand over Toby’s soft fur. “Start over. New Year’s is coming up. Time for new beginnings and all that crap.”

She thought about that. It would have to be Seattle. She didn’t think she could stand it in Atlanta anymore. When she moved out there three years ago with Shelly it was supposed to be the move that mattered. The one that set them up for life. She’d gone with no clear idea of what she would do, where she would live, how she would eat. But darn it, it was an Adventure. And it turned out pretty well for awhile. So she didn’t have a career (and still had no idea of what she wanted to do with her life), but she had a decent job and she met Tony and he seemed like everything she was looking for. There had been a few red flags here and there but if she tucked them carefully out of sight, they didn’t bother her so much. The law partner turned out to be a pretty spectacular sign. Now she had to start over.

The thought of taking that sort of step again—the kind that was like jumping off a cliff—scared her silly. Gracie pulled a little into herself. Kale was sort of life a cliff himself. She felt all … giddy around him, like she did when she and Shelly talked about what fabulous lives they would have. So, he was unsafe. Scary. Thrilling.

To that end, she stood and put some distance between them.

“Sorry to dump my crap on you. You should probably leave before I start talking about my daddy issues.”

She stared at him, waiting for him to jump up at the mention of her dad but he just looked at her, those green eyes filled with kindness and understanding and, damn it, need. How had she missed that before? When she stepped toward him, his eyes brightened and a grin kicked up the corners of his mouth. When she touched his hand, his smile turned positively wolf-like.

Gracie wrapped her fingers around his hand and yanked him up to his feet, surprising them both with her strength. She put a lot of determination behind that tug. They were not going there. No way. She pulled him to the door.

“Don’t want to bore you with those details. So goodnight.”

She pointed to the door.

“What daddy issues?”

She pushed out an upward breath, blowing away her slightly greasy bangs. See, even if she wanted to kiss him she wouldn’t because she smelled like stale car air and her hair was a complete mess. If she ever slept with Mr. Big Shot—her stomach did a little flip on that—she would definitely look better than this. Besides which, she had on her comfy bra. White with red daisies with no underwire, it wasn’t a sex bra. It was a tub-of-mint-chocolate-chip bra.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

No, he didn’t. Did he? Gracie shook her head. “You need to go,” she said and pulled the door wide.

As he passed her, he ran a finger from one shoulder, across her collar bone, to the other shoulder.

“Am I close?”

“I promised my mother I wouldn’t talk to strangers. Go now.”

His full-throated laugh sent tingles dancing down her spine.

“What about your daddy issues?”

The door swung between her hands as she thought about what to tell him. She didn’t really have issues. Just things.

“He died when I was seven. It was right after Christmas. That’s why I love this time of year so much. Might make other people hate it, but Christmas is the last clear memory I have of him.”

“So Tony had good timing for holiday memories.”

That startled a laugh from her. “Sure did. Good thing he can’t compete with my dad.”

The smile he sent her was warm, lacking in the desire that was there earlier, though it still lurked. “Thanks for listening to me about Jessica.” He stepped out into the night. Snow drifted down, landing in his hair.

“You’re welcome,” she said softly. He turned to walk away. “Kale?”

He reached her side in seconds, making her think he hadn’t really forgotten about what they both wanted. But she had something to say. Thinking about her dad, she couldn’t not say it although she was unsure of the reception.

“Every kid should have a dad, you know? So if he’s yours just take care of him.”

She expected him to leave her standing there alone. Wouldn’t blame him if he told her to mind her own damn business. What she didn’t except, what she couldn’t have predicted, was the hurt that plastered across his face.

“I will.”

She knew he would, even before he said the words.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It wasn’t my place. I’ve no right to make demands or judgments. I just feel for him.”

“Me too.”

Then he left her standing alone in the cold.

Gracie returned to her room. Toby opened one eye when she settled herself on the bed and flipped on the TV. It was too quiet in the room, reminding her of all the words that had been said here. God, had they really run the spectrum of pain, betrayal, abandonment, and lust in just under two hours? Not to mention her father. Gracie knocked her head back against the headboard and groaned. Toby whined and belly-crawled to push his head under her hand.

“I am so glad you are here,” she said to the dog and reached over to turn down the volume on the TV. She flipped the channels and settled on Love Actually. The multi-story Christmas movie was just the thing to smooth down her rough and tattered edges. Tomorrow she’d make things right with Kale.

She had just reached her favorite part where Colin Firth went into the pond after Aurelia when the gentle strum of a guitar reached her. Toby perked up his head, stood and leaned against the headboard. Through the walls came “Blue Christmas” in Kale’s husky timbre, reminding her of smoke and whiskey and, argh, sex. Gracie went for the remote and punched up the volume three notches. She made it through the rest of the movie as Kale made it through a catalogue of sad holiday songs. Long after he stopped playing and she switched off the TV, she lay in bed, his voice running through her mind.

The bedside clock switched over to midnight and her tired eyes finally gave up the fight. Perhaps, she thought as she drifted off into the night, just one kiss. To say I’m sorry. Merry Christmas, Gracie.

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 3

2009-12-11T13:56:00.003-06:00

Chapter 3 of Cross Country Christmas. Chapter 1 is here and Chapter 2 is here.

CHAPTER THREE

They rolled into Nashville around seven that evening, having stopped to gas up and buy a few things for Toby. Gracie insisted on putting the items on her credit card and even though Kale could see it pained her to do so, he didn’t try to stop her. Something told him she was holding onto her pride by a worn guitar string.

Kale pulled into a Days Innand handed Gracie his credit card.

She flipped the card over to look at the name. “Don Smith. Original. Afraid you’ll be recognized?”

That’s exactly what he was afraid of and coming from anyone else, the statement would have annoyed the hell out of him. But Gracie said it with just the right amount of understanding to take out the sting.

“Something like that,” he admitted and watched her sashay into the lobby.

He doubted she knew she walked like that—a little twitch to her butt that would drive any sane man crazy. The dog beater at Rite Aid sure liked the look of her and Kale couldn’t blame him. He’d almost choked when he introduced her as his sister because the things he’d been thinking about her ever since he came up behind her in the Hertz line would make his mama blush.

She wasn’t his usual type and Kale welcomed the change. Lately, his preferences caused him nothing but trouble. Gracie now, Gracie was different. Her long copper-colored hair, pulled back into a complicated tail, smelled like some sort of flower. When she turned around in line and pinned him with a glare, her heart-shaped face, brown eyes, and clear skin delivered a sucker punch to his midsection that he hadn’t yet recovered from. He wouldn’t call it luck, driving cross country with her, but he’d call it something because he wouldn’t be having half as much fun in Montana right now.

Make that no fun.

Kale slammed his head against the head rest. Toby whined.

“Sorry, Bud,” he said.

The dog sent him a reproachful look and settled his nose back on his paws.

Damn it, he did not want to go to Montana and clean up the mess Jessica had gotten them into. He wasn’t about to claim the kid just to get Jessica to shut up but something about it niggled at him. He couldn’t ignore her and that’s exactly what she wanted. Him, money, and freedom. This time, Kale wasn’t going to give in. This time, he wasn’t going to pay the price but neither could he let that little boy take the fall. So he was going to Billings. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he got there but he had about two thousand miles to figure it out.

The glass doors to the lobby slid open and Gracie came bouncing out.

And, he mentally added, two thousand miles to figure Gracie out too. He hadn’t expected her, hadn’t expected to feel this way. He found himself doing thing he wouldn’t normally do like turning up the radio because she liked Christmas music, and passing a guy a hundred bucks for a mutt. He’d told Gracie it was only forty but the hundred was insurance that the guy wouldn’t change his mind before they could leave the lot. She wanted to dog and for some insane, unexplainable reason, he wanted to give into this girl’s every whim.

She slid into the car and handed him his card and room key.

“We’re in two-oh-one and two-oh-two.”

“Pets?”

Her Kewpie lips pulled to one side. “I had to put down a deposit. But,” she rushed on before he could say anything, “I’m going to pay you back. Seriously. When we get to Billings, you can give me the name of your manager so I can send you a check.”

He waved her aside although he appreciated the offer. Most people would just assume he’d pick up the tab. “We’ll figure it out.”

Toby leapt from the car the moment Gracie opened his door. She led him over to a patch of brown grass covered in a sprinkling of snow and waited while he did his business. Kale unloaded her suitcase, his duffle bag and guitar. Their rooms had a connecting door and as Kale dropped her suitcase on the bed, he watched her check the lock between them.

“I’m gonna run a bath for Toby,” he said instead of commenting on the door.

She didn’t know him and he didn’t know her. It was logical for her to lock the door yet it still caused him a little discomfort to know she didn’t trust him. Whoa, there cowboy. Definitely not the time to get into trust issues. “Your bath or mine?”

Gracie crouched down in front of the dog and ran her long fingers over his head. “Mine. He can stay with me tonight.”

Kale nodded once and stepped around her and into the small bath area. He turned his baseball hat around and kicked on the water.

She appeared in the doorway. Toby was behind her, looking warily at the tub. Kale didn’t blame him. There had to be a month’s worth of dust and mud covering the pup and the wash wouldn’t be an easy one. Thank the good Lord for a woman who knew how to clean a dog.

“You hungry?” he asked, standing up.

“Yeah, I—”

The shrill ring of Bing Crosby’s “Jingle Bells” cut her short. She pulled the phone from the pocket of her jeans.

“Crap. You get Toby in the tub. I’m going to go lie to my mother.” She backed out of the bathroom and flipped open the phone. “I’m fine, Mom. On my way.”

Kale grinned at the dog. “Looks like it’s just you and me, buddy.”

Toby crouched and backed away slowly, his tail between his legs. Kale knew he should go slower with the dog. It was no stretch of the imagination to see what he’d been through, but Kale grew up knowing the best way to get something over with was to just dive in headfirst. So he scooped up the dog, feeling the animals ribs beneath the matted fur, and slung him into the tub. Toby stood up tall, shook hard, lifted his head and howled. Kale dived for him and clamped the dog’s jaw shut.

“Shhh,” he crooned. Toby’s bottomless brown eyes pleaded with him, and Kale let loose. The dog stood still. “Want me to sing?”

The dog blinked. Kale launched into “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” because it was the first thing he thought of. Ten number one hits under his belt and he was singing holiday tunes. That was Gracie’s fault.

“No, Mom,” she said behind him. “Nobody here, just the TV.”

She frowned at him and he kept singing because Toby had sat down and was letting him lather copious amounts of hotel soap into his fur.

“Yeah, it’s Kale Sims on the TV.” She rolled his eyes at him, a rueful smile making its way across her face. “Yup. You sure are a huge fan. Maybe someday you’ll get to meet him.”

Kale reached into the tub, cupped a handful of water and let it fly in her direction. She squealed and backed out the door.

“Er. Mouse. In the uh, hotel,” she said and closed the door on him. Through the paneling he heard her say, “I thought it was a mouse. No, Mom, I am not going to go down and complain.” And then another pause. “Because I’m in my pajamas!”

He chuckled and turned back to Toby. The water was now almost black and more than a little cold. He drained it, impressed that the dog stayed put, and filled it again, all the while belting out some of his favorite Christmas tunes.

Ten minutes, three songs, and another bath tubful later, Gracie poked her head in the door.

“Is it safe?”

Kale held up his hands. “I won’t splash,” he said because he wanted her to stay. She smelled good. Like peppermints.

“I’m starving,” she said and plunked down on the closed toilet lid. “He looks good.”

Toby laid his head on the tub rim and whined at her.

“Pitiful. He was fine until you came in.”

“That’s because he knows his mama, don’tcha sweetie?” She dipped her hands in the water and helped Kale finishing rinsing. Together they lifted the pup out, and Gracie wrapped several towels around the dripping animal. She slid to the floor, pulled the dog between her outstretched legs and held him tight. “Poor baby,” she murmured. “He didn’t treat you right, did he? But you’re fine now. You’re far, far away from him, and he’s not going to hurt you again. You’re too smart for that.”

Somewhere along the way, she’d stopped talking about the dog. A dull flush crawled up the cheeks. Combined with the wet tendrils of dark red hair sticking to her neck and the patches of damp t-shirt clinging to her skin, she was damn near irresistible. Kale reached out a hand to trace a line down her cheek, remembered the locked door between them, and instead ruffled the dog’s head.

“I’ll get some food,” he managed gruffly and stood. “I saw a Cracker Barrel across the street. That good?”

Head still bent, she nodded. “Chicken and dumplings. Extra side of mashed potatoes.”

She wouldn’t look at him so he let himself out door and jogged across the icy lot. Inside Cracker Barrel, he placed his order quickly then ducked outside, settled into one of the white rocking chairs, and pulled out his cell and dialed his manager’s number.

“Where the hell are you?” Joe barked out after one cut-off ring.

Kale grimaced into the dark lot. “Tennessee.”

“How close are you to Nashville? I’ll send a car.”

“Don’t. I won’t be here by the time it arrives. Leaving in the morning.”

Through the static-y line, Joe heaved a frustrated sigh. If he really knew how close Kale was to the studio, he’d have a heart attack.

“What can I do to convince you to leave this alone? You have to let the PR people take care of it.”

A tight little ball curled in Kale’s chest. The “it” here was a child. His or not, the kid didn’t deserve the hell Jessica was putting them all through. It was his fault, he knew, and so he’d have to fix it.

“I don’t want anyone else involved, Joe. You know how she is, she feeds off this stuff. I go up there alone, deal with her and the kid, and then I’ll be back. Before Christmas.”

There was silence on the line and Kale knew Joe held onto his temper by a thread. In the end, though, Kale was the money machine and so all decisions came up to him. It’d been a long time since he’d bucked heads with his manager. The last time he wound up tied to Jessica and that shit was still ruining his life. He took a deep breath, about to apologize for that when Joe spoke up, a gruff note in his voice.

“Do what you need to do, boy and get back here soon. Take care of it, Kale. You owe that kid.”

“I know,” Kale said. “You’ll keep the press off my back?”

“Do my best. Now you do yours.”

Kale sat in the snowy dark a good while longer after ending the call. There was a good chance the boy was his, much as he hated to admit it. He and Jessica parted ways—as an act and an item over five years ago but almost two years ago he lost his head and saw her a few more times. They might have conceived a child. The timing fit. But he had no way of knowing if he was the only one and since he hadn’t seen a picture of the kid, until he got to Montana, he couldn’t separate fact from fiction. He’d give her that. At least she kept the media away from the boy. Until now.

Two weeks ago she went on the Today Show and announced she was coming out of retirement. She’d taken a break from the road to be a mother to her son but now she was ready to get back out there and she needed the daddy to step up and be man. Be a man. She’d actually used those words right before she looked at the camera and named Kale the father.

His fist closed around the little food beeper and pressed until he heard a slight crack. He loosened his grip and pushed out a breath when it began to flash. He stood, already decided. Hell, he decided the moment Jessica said those fateful words. He’d step up all right and she’d better be ready for a fight. Because there was no way in hell he was walking away from this. If the kid was his, he’d put it right.

Kale paid for the food, dropped a generous tip in the glass bowl on the counter and hurried back to the hotel. He half expected Gracie and the dog to be gone but the Mini was still parked where he left it and so he dashed up the steps and went to banging.

The door swung open under his fist and when she put her hands on her hips and glared at him he wanted to toss aside the food and kiss the disapproval right off her pink lips. The urge set him back on his heels but she didn’t notice because she’d taken the bag of food to the table.

He watched as she unloaded the Styrofoam containers and assorted plastic cutlery. She had two cans of Coke and arranged the whole mess into a semblance of a dinner. Kale took the seat she indicated and waited for her to take the first bite.

The words were out before he thought.

“I think he’s mine.”

Holiday Reading Rundown

2009-12-10T09:09:00.006-06:00

After a few rough starts this holiday season, I finally got my Christmas reading fill with these three books. Nine stories, three time periods, and lots of Christmas Cheer!

Contemporary Christmas

The Night Before Christmas by Brenda Novak, Day LeClaire, and Molly O'Keefe

Ah, what fun it is to be surprised by two new-to-me authors. Both LeClaire and O'Keefe's stories kept me reading way past my bedtime. Fun? Check. Spirited? Check. Good dose of Christmas? Double check. Centered on family and growing these two romping tales will keep you laughing throughout. Novak's introductory story was a bit disappointing as I didn't feel a real connection to the characters. The survival story plot line was a bit misleading as most of story took place after the characters had been rescued. Hey, 2 outta 3 ain't bad!

Regency Christmas

The Heart of Christmas by Mary Balough, Nicola Cornick, and Courtney Milan

I cruised on by this book at least five times over the past month and finally picked it up because so many others raved about Courtney Milan's This Wicked Gift. Was I disappointed? Oh no. No, no, no. I adored this story. Such a mix of heartbreaking honesty and humor I haven't encountered in a long, long time. I will say that the story wasn't very ... Christmas-y but I didn't mind. I closed the book with a bit of sadness because the story had ended and I can't wait to read more Milan!

Western Christmas

Favorite Old Read

The Magic of Christmas by Carolyn Davidson, Victoria Bylin, and Cheryl St. John

Cheryl St. John's A Baby Blue Christmas is my favorite offering out of this Western anthology. I did a full review last year that you can find here. I was delighted to find that I loved this story just as much the second time around and I can't wait to read it again next Christmas.

And lucky for you, this book was released again this year so you can find it in stores today!

The Last Thing I'll Ever Say

2009-12-09T14:44:00.002-06:00

The American Book Review has created a list of the best 100 last lines in fiction. Here are a few of my favorite from that list ...

Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I have had my vision. –Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse (1927)

He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance. –Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)

But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it. I been there before. –Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885)

Gumption

2009-12-07T13:21:00.001-06:00

Anyone who has gumption knows what it is,

and anyone who hasn't can never know what it is.

So there is no need of defining it.

~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 2

2009-12-02T16:19:00.003-06:00

Chapter Two of my on-going Christmas story. Chapter one is available here. Happy Reading!

CHAPTER TWO

Thirty minutes later, they were arguing over the radio station.

“I said I wouldn’t talk.” Kale punched one of the presets. “I didn’t say you could control the noise.”

Gracie swatted his hand away. “Watch the road,” she said and switched the station back to the holiday channel she found minutes after leaving the airport. She sighed in contentment as “Silver Bells” wafted out of the stereo. “I think they have country versions on this channel.”

“I like other types of music, you know.”

“No, I didn’t. And surprise, I don’t care.”

She was really starting to regret this whole idea and that made her crabby.

What she really should have done, starting from the moment she realized her relationship, and her life as she knew it was over, was hopped a plane south. Two days ago, standing in their living room watching Tony destroy what was left of her pride, there wasn’t an ice storm. She should’ve gone upstairs, packed her things and jumped a plane to Mexico. Instead, she’d gone to Shelly’s and called her mother. And that, Gracie thought, was that. As soon as her mom said, “Oh Grace baby, come home for Christmas,” she couldn’t do anything else.

“Hey now.” Kale’s voice dragged her back to the overheated Mini. “No regrets.”

Gracie tugged off her wool red and white striped scarf, and attempted to do that with her bad mood. “Yeah. No going back now, right?”

As answer, he merged smoothly into the left lane and stomped the gas. They shot forward around a semi and quickly back into the right lane and onto the exit ramp for 1-75 that would take them into Tennessee. Before leaving the lot, they’d checked it on the map and calculated it would take them two and a half days to hit up Billings where Kale’s “chick” Jessica was waiting. From there, she’d go it alone another day to Seattle. Which would put her there right before Christmas Eve. If everything went smoothly. From the way Kale was driving, she wouldn’t be surprised to see signs for Montana tomorrow. The roads, thankfully, were clear although power lines all along the interstate drooped close to the ground, a mantle of ice sparkling in the murky sunlight.

“You always drive so fast?”

He shot her a cute grin. The sort that shot shivers sparking down her spine and melted away the rest of her crabbiness. Damn it.

“It’s the only way to go.”

“I bet you don’t get to drive a lot, huh?”

Kale grunted and shook his head.

“You must miss it,” she tried again. Despite his pledge to remain silent, Gracie reasoned she really couldn’t endure three plus days of silence. Besides which, she was insanely curious about the life of an honest-to-goodness star. It couldn’t be all goodness and light but neither could it be all that horrible.

“A little,” he allowed but she observed how his eyes cut left and right across the road and forgave him the white lie. She was a stranger after all. There was nothing stopping her from calling up People right then and there to give them an up close and personal interview.

Except that wasn’t her style and she should tell him that up front or else the miles would ride slow. She took a deep breath.

“Listen, I’m just trying to make conversation but I get it. You’ve been through the wringer with—well, your son—”

“Not mine,” he growled.

“Right,” she said quickly. “Sorry. Anyway, I’m not going to ask you about that and I’m not going to go running to the tabloids. O.K.? I just want to get home to my family. For Christmas.” And to her absolute horror, her voice broke on the last word. It was just as well though because his hands—really great hands too—relaxed on the wheel.

“O.K.,” he said then reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a silver handkerchief.

My God, the man carried around a handkerchief! He handed it to her without a word and she took it, pressed it to her nose and turned to look out the window. And then he reached over and turned up the radio as “White Christmas” flowed from the speakers.

“I thought you didn’t want to listen to holiday music.”

“You do,” he said, “and its my favorite.”

She nodded and continued to look out the foggy window. Oddly enough, it was her favorite too.

As they traveled further north, the landscape around them grew whiter, and the little Mini clung to the road as the wind battered it back and forth. Small lines appeared on Kale’s forehead. Gracie really hated to tell him they needed to stop. She shifted back and forth in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position. The digital clock read 3:03 pm. The next big stop on the map was Chattanooga but she didn’t think she’d make it. They passed a sign for Dalton. Gracie bit her lip, hard but it was no use.

“We have to stop.”

“So soon, huh?” he asked and chuckled.

Gracie gaped at him. Tony would’ve grumbled about high maintenance women and try to talk her out of it but Kale took the exit without further comment.

They came into Dalton and as Kale directed the car toward a McDonalds, Gracie waved him on to a Rite Aid on the corner. He put the car in park as it began to sleet. The only other vehicle in the lot was a rusted Ford pickup.

“Do you need anything?”

Little pellets of frozen snow tinned off the roof and windshield of their car. She opened the car door.

“Chocolate covered cherries.”

Gracie closed the door. “Really?”

He shrugged. “It’s a weakness. Can’t wait for Christmas to come around every year so I can stock up.”

He reached into his back pocket of those ridiculously tight jeans—God she loved a man who could pull that off—and handed her a twenty. Gracie considered giving it back to him for about three seconds but in the end, she knew she needed what he could give her. Somehow she’d find a way to pay him back. In the meantime, he needed chocolate covered cherries and she needed more than the three ounces of shampoo and conditioner the FAA allowed.

“Be back,” she called and hopped out of the car.

Once inside, she found the bathroom then grabbed a basket and cruised the aisles. On an end cap she hit the jackpot with holiday-themed beauty products. She threw in some peppermint scented moisturizer, vanilla and caramel shampoo/conditioner combo pack, and Burt’s Bees lip balm. She rounded the corner, passed a woman loading up on eggnog, and landed in the candy aisle. She dropped in three boxes of Queen Anne’s chocolate covered cherries. The kid running the checkout lane offered her a braces-filled smile and wished her a Merry Christmas.

“Merry Christmas to you, too.”

She stuffed the receipt into her wallet to calculate later. The change jiggled in her hand and she dropped it into the Salvation Army bucket. The collector waved his bell at her.

“Thank ya kindly, miss.”

Gracie felt almost close to normal as she picked her way back across the lot. But then she spotted the driver of the pickup and stopped short. She caught a glimpse of Kale frowning at her through the windshield but she didn’t have time to explain. She had to stop that man.

In the bed of the truck crouched a dog, its hair matted with red Georgia mud. From this distance she couldn’t tell the breed only that the dog was mid-sized and trembling. The man, tan Carhartt pulled over dirty overalls, stood on the back wheel. He leaned over the side of the truck and whacked the dog on the side of the head. The dog yelped.

“Hey! You can’t do that!” Gracie yelled and started toward the truck.

Kale was out of the car in no time. He reached her before she reached the dog.

“What are you doing?” he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

“I have to stop that guy,” she said and pushed around him. “I said stop!” she screamed as the man drew back for another whack. He did stop then but only to spit tobacco to one side before delivering the next blow.

Kale’s hand wrapped around her upper arm. She tugged.

“I’m gonna kill him.”

She needed to stop him. She needed to save the dog.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

That made her pause. “You’ll kill him?” she asked.

Kale raised his eyebrows at her and she flushed. “Right. You know what I mean.”

The dog whined, and Gracie’s poor battered heart twisted in her chest.

“Stop him,” she pleaded. Her voice sounded strange, as if coming from a long distance away.

Kale put his arm across her shoulders and forced her to slow down. “Follow my lead,” he muttered and she relaxed a little under his arm.

“Afternoon,” he said to the man.

“Whadaya want?” He leered at Gracie and bared his tobacco stained teeth. “I ain’t giving you no money. My old lady gave that Salvation fella all my change when she went it for my eggnog.”

“We’re not collecting.” Kale turned his body slightly to block her from view. “My sister here, she’s been wanting a dog.”

“Can’t have ‘em,” Tobacco Teeth spat. “Ain’t mine ta give. My wife’s and she’s sorta attached to ‘em.”

“I’m not talking about giving.”

Tobacco Teeth straightened and jumped down. Gracie swore she heard the dog sigh in relief.

“What’re talking about then?” He squinted at them. “She sure don’t look like no sister of yours.”

“Half.” Kale grinned at Tobacco Teeth all chummy like, and Gracie had to give him props. She couldn’t muster up anything that didn’t look like a punch straight to the guy’s rotting teeth. “Her mother married my dad. She’s older.”

Gracie elbowed Kale’s ribs. He winced but didn’t take his eyes of the guy. “I want to buy your dog,” he said, cutting to the chase. “What’ll you take for him?”

Tobacco Teeth rubbed a grease-coated hand over his sagging jaw line. He eyed the dog, then Kale. “Fifty’ll do it.”

If Kale thought it was too much, he didn’t quibble. He simply handed over a few bills and told Gracie to get the dog. She gave Tobacco Teeth a wide berth, not liking the look in his squinty eyes, and climbed the tail gate.

“Come here, sweetie,” she whispered to the dog. The sleet pounded harder. The dog turned its head toward her and she saw its eyes were all but frozen shut. “Come on, baby. You can do it.”

The dog didn’t move but its tail did thump half-heartedly against the truck bed.

“What’s its name?” she called over her shoulder.

Tobacco Teeth tore his gaze off her butt. “Toby.”

“Boy? Girl?”

“You ever hear a girl called Toby?”

Gracie ignored him and climbed gingerly over the side.

“Gracie, be careful,” Kale warned. “He might bite.”

“He won’t,” she said, eyes only for the dog. Up close he looked to be a golden lab. His paws were huge though his legs were short. He was young then, maybe no more than a year.

“Toby,” she crooned and laid a hand over his ears. He let out a pathetic dog-sigh and pushed his head into the warmth of her palm. Gracie fell in love. She gathered him close and handed him over the side into Kale’s waiting arms.

“Hurry up,” he said. “It’s cold.”

“Nice doin’ business with ya,” Tobacco Teeth called and chuckling, hopped into his truck, presumably to wait for his old lady and eggnog.

With Kale’s help, Gracie laid Toby in the back seat. They shuffled Kale’s guitar around to make enough room.

“Hurry,” Kale said again and she looked at him. “It wasn’t fifty. It was forty. All I got.”

Gracie couldn’t help it, she beamed at him and worked faster. When Toby looked mostly comfortable, Kale gunned the engine and peeled out of the lot. Their back tires spun for a second before catching and they made it to the interstate in less than two minutes.

She laid her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “My hero.”

His mouth flattened in a straight line. “Nope. Just doing what anyone would.”

A little bit of her jubilance faded at that. She looked back at the dog so she wouldn’t have to see that look on Kale’s face. Bitterness set heavily on him, dimming the mood inside the little car.

Toby stood, turned in two complete circles and settled himself. Gracie reached back, smoothed her hand over his soft head.

“He’ll need food,” she said. “And we’ll have to find a motel that allows animals.”

Kale glanced in the rearview mirror and some of the tension slid from his face. “Or sneak him in. He’s gonna need a bath. The boy stinks.”

Toby barked.

Gracie smiled. “I think he likes the idea.”

“You ever wash a dog before? They like it all right. But you won’t.”

She aimed a cheeky grin at him. “As a matter of fact, I’m—was dog groomer.”

Kale sputtered out a laugh. “You don’t say.”

“Yup. Back in Atlanta I was considered the best in the biz.” She paused for a minute so he would look at her. “At Petsmart.”

That earned her a full laugh and she allowed herself a little giggle too. It felt good to laugh. She hadn’t done a lot of that lately.

“Petsmart, huh?"

“Part-time. I did clerical stuff the other half of the time at Tony’s place.” She shrugged. “I quit the dog grooming thing while I was in the airport.”

“Tony?”

Gracie’s stomach dropped a little. She did not want to talk about Tony. So she punched him lightly in the arm.

“I don’t know you well enough for that, bro. Anyway, leaving Atlanta for good seems like a really good idea.”

He didn’t ask her what she meant by that and she as grateful. She just wanted to concentrate on getting to the next stop and not waste any time looking back.

“We got a lot of miles before Billings, girl.” He winked at her. “I’ll get it out of you. Sounds like a whopping good story.”

Cross Country Christmas Chapter 1

2009-11-30T16:44:00.006-06:00

Throughout the month of December I'll be posting Cross Country Christmas - a short story I've been thinking about for awhile. I finally decided to give it a go and thought we could all use a bit of Christmas Cheer. At the bottom of this post you'll notice voting buttons for "like it" or "hate it". Comments are encouraged!

(Disclaimer - it's edited, but not well, so give me a break:))

So without further ado, read about Gracie and Kale's Cross Country Christmas ...

CHAPTER ONE
Gracie stood in the shut down Atlanta airport five days before Christmas and cursed anything to do with the holidays. For the seventeen-millionth time in the past hour a voice cut into the holiday music to cheerfully announce that all flights had been grounded due to the ice.
“Mom,” Gracie said into the phone.

“And then your grandma Willis will throw a fit, do-you-hear-me, a fit if you aren’t there to help her with the rice pudding and don’t even start me on your sister—”

“Mom,” Gracie said, louder this time and clutched her cell phone tighter, moving against the wall to get herself out of the way of the mob of angry holiday travelers. The heel of her boot caught on the rolly-thing of her suitcase and she stumbled back. “Mom, really, hush for a minute.”

But her mom kept on going and Gracie pictured her whirling around the kitchen, mixing this and that, shoving a baking sheet into the oven, taking stuff from the fridge, talking the entire time.

“You sister is eight months pregnant, eight Gracie, and she needs you now more than ever. Don’t you go disappointing her just ‘cause your plane’s been delayed a few minutes.”

“Try days, Mom. The whole Southeast’s shut down from this ice storm.”

“It’s Georgia, Gracie. There are no ice storms in Georgia.”

“There are too, Mom, but not many which is why everyone is freaking out.”

Her mother continued as if Gracie hadn’t spoken at all. “I’ve never known anything to stop you when you’re determined. So you get your little butt down to the Hertz counter and get yourself a car.”

Gracie stood on tiptoe and peered over the heads of those in front of her in line. “I’m there and I’m just warning you, it’ll take a miracle to get a car now. There’s at least ten people in front of me.”

“You’ll be fine,” her mom said and there was a clatter of a pan hitting the floor. “Oh fudge!” she yelled and then said, “have to go. We’re all counting on you. Forget about Tony and come home for Christmas.”

The line went dead.

Gracie sighed because she had managed to forget about Tony what with her mad dash to the airport and frustrating three hour wait before rushing to the rental car station. She shoved the phone in her coat pocket, hiking her large tote higher on her shoulder. The line moved up and she shuffled forward, keeping close to the mother and twin toddlers in front of her because people were line jumping left and right and she really, really, really didn’t feel like arguing with strangers today.

“Shit,” Gracie muttered and threw a dark look over her shoulder at the guy who laughed. Something about him tugged with familiarity but she didn’t have time for him or anyone else right now. She needed to concentrate all her efforts on getting a car and getting out to Seattle for the holidays.

Mind over matter Gracie girl, her dad’s voice echoed in her head and she focused on the black and yellow Hertz sign swinging above the reception desk, compliments of the blasts of hot air placed strategically throughout the airport. A really bad version of “Here Comes Santa Claus” sputtered through the overhead speakers and Gracie lifted her hair off her neck, eyes still on that sign and stumbled forward again, muttering under her breath, “I will get a car, I will get a car, I will get a car.”

“That’s the spirit,” the guy behind her said.

She ignored him and continued to mutter. “Mom will cut out your heart with toenail clippers if you miss Christmas. You will get a car and you will get to Seattle in time for Christmas Eve.”

“Sounds like a nice woman.”

“She is,” Gracie aimed over her shoulder, “now be quiet and let me focus.”

“Interesting technique, ask you shall receive, right? Maybe I should try that.”

Gracie spun on heel and thought oh shit. Yup, she knew he looked familiar because his face had been staring at her from the front of every gossip magazine in the airport. His guitar case slung across his back, she had no doubt it was Kale Sims, Ladies and Gentlemen, in the flesh. He wore an Atlanta Brave hat pulled low over his eyes and the collar on his wool coat turned up but she knew it was him. Still, she didn’t have time for the country star, no matter how attractive he was with all that chocolate brown hair covered by his hat and green eyes. She was a sucker for green eyes and right now she hated being a sucker for anything.

So she said, “Please let this man stop talking to me so I can concentrate on getting a car so my mom won’t find her way here and murder me with a beauty product while I sleep.”

He winked at her. “Who’re you talking to?”

“Santa Claus,” she snapped and pushed forward with the rest of the line. She was going to get a car, she knew it, and she was going to forget that she had just been really bitchy to the biggest thing to hit country music radio since Garth Brooks and George Strait combined.

“Does it really work for you?”

Gracie drew in a breath, reminded herself to be nice because it’s Christmas and smiled over her shoulder. “Fifty-fifty,” she said. More like ten-ninety but she wasn’t going to tell him that, he’d be smug and she hated smug on a man.

“Well hope it works for us both, I gotta get out of here.”

“Me too,” she muttered and her heart rate tripled as the woman and her two children moved away from the counter. The lady behind the counter aimed a tired look at Gracie and held out her hand for Gracie’s drivers license. She looked up as Gracie fumbled for her wallet. Her heavily lined eyes widened and her sparkly red lips stretched into a wide smile. She looked like an elf with her pointed ears and rosy cheeks. Gracie blinked in the light of the woman’s expression until she realized it wasn’t for her.

“Why I know who you are,” the woman, whose nametag read Della, drawled.

Gracie literally felt the heat of Kale Sims’ smile boring into her skull. “Do you now?”

Della bent forward over the counter, revealing copious amounts of cleavage and crooked a long finger at him. A dirty elf, Gracie amended. He stepped around her, nudging her gently with his hip and Gracie stumbled sideways.

“You’re Kale Sims.”

“And you’re Della,” Kale said and Gracie groaned because this was going to be bad. The country star placed his baseball hat over Gracie’s wallet and winked at Della. Apparently he’d forego his disguise in favor of getting what he needed. Gracie didn’t blame him but neither did she appreciate it.

“Have a car for me, ma’am?”

Della’s smiled widened and Gracie rolled her eyes. “Sure do, last one in fact.”

“Hey!” Gracie yelled.

Kale and Dirty Elf looked at her and Gracie flushed. “It’s my car.”

“Della here was talking to me,” Kale said, a little uptilt to his grin. Like he was challenging her or something.

Assmuch? Gracie thought and stepped up to accept the challenge. She’d had just about enough of men walking all over her in the past two days. Today was going to be different. Today she was getting the hell out of Atlanta and home to celebrate Christmas.

“Della here,” Gracie growled in what she thought of as a fairly good impersonation of Mr. Big Shot Country Star, “has my drivers license. And I bet Della here doesn’t want me to call her manager. Do you Della?”

The tips of Della’s elf ears burned red. “You wouldn’t,” she hissed.

That was it. Those were the words that sent Gracie Proctor over the edge.

She swatted the Braves hat off the counter and pointed her finger at Dirty Elf. “Hey. Don’t tell me what I would or would not do. It’s Christmas. I really don’t want to be mean and get you fired but I’m going to Seattle in the car you’re going to rent me. Got it?”

Della paled a little. “Got it. Credit card.”

Behind them Kale Sims sighed. “I had high hopes for you, Della. Good play,” he said to Gracie and ambled away to lean against a pillar, baseball hat firmly back in place. The rest of the line dispersed amid grumbles and a few threats about the mistreatment of customers.

Dirty Elf Della swiped Gracie’s card and eyed Kale over the rim of her computer screen. Her Santa-red nails clicked angrily across the keyboard.

“That’ll be six hundred ninety-five dollars and eighty-three cents.”

“He was leaving, you know?” Gracie said and slumped against the counter, trying to commiserate while her heart rate tripled because she really didn’t have the cash to cover the rental. “But now that he’s stuck here, maybe you could offer to show him around or something.”

Della scowled at Gracie, then brightened when the computer let out an indignant beep.

“Decline!” she squealed.

“What!” Gracie straightened. Damn it, she must have blown her limit shipping her family’s Christmas gifts. That was before she came home to find Tony sexing it up with his law partner in their living room. If he’d had the good sense to get caught sooner, she could have saved herself the hassle of USPS at Christmas. Dumbass.

“Oh Mr. Sims,” Della trilled. “If you’ll step over here please.”

“No.” Gracie pulled herself together in time to jam her body between the counter and the cowboy. She tried not to notice that he stood a good head taller than she and had really wide shoulders. Oh, and a rock hard chest. She knew this because it was currently pressed against hers. She shoved him away. “No, wait, I have another card.”

She flipped over her wallet and dug the into the little pocket behind her check book. Her emergency card. The one with a paltry fifteen hundred dollar limit. She never thought she’d have to use it but these past two days witnessed a lot of things she thought would never happen. And it was Christmas. She slapped the card to the counter as Kale heaved a sigh and went away.

Della rolled her eyes, swiped the card, then handed Gracie all the forms. Nine hundred dollars later because of added insurance due to the weather, and a brand new Rand McNally map sporting a jaunty silver bow, the car was hers.

Which left her with exactly six hundred dollars for gas, food, and lodging.

“Merry Christmas,” Della muttered as she handed over the keys.

Gracie managed a civil nod, then wheeled her suitcase around and headed for the sliding doors and out into the ice. Ice in Georgia. It was like a really bad Christmas movie. First she found Tony with that, that … well her, and then an inch of ice covered the entire Eastern seaboard and as far west as Illinois, making it impossible to get home and then she spent the last of her credit on a …

Gracie entered the Hertz parking lot and her heart took a nose dive.

She spent the last of her credit on that thing. A forest green Mini Cooper, with a snowball’s chance in hell of making it over the Rockies, sat in the numbered parking spot.

“It’s a beauty, isn’t it?”

She whipped around at the sound if his voice and her twenty dollar Payless boots slipped on the ice. She windmilled to the left, then the right, fighting for balance, and caught herself on the wheelie suitcase.

Kale Sims, damn his black soul, laughed.

“Aren’t you country boys suppose to help damsels in distress and all that crap?” she grumbled. Then, “What are you doing here? Did you follow me? I am NOT giving you my car.” She yanked herself upright, marched to the Mini, and jammed the unlock button on the keychain. Nothing happened. She took careful aim and hit the button once, twice, groaned as she hit it a third time and … nothing.

“Battery dead?” Kale inquired in an oh-so-polite voice. Bees would come to him for honey, but she was smarter than that. He was not getting in this car. He’d have to pry the keys from her cold, dead hands. The hairs on the back of her neck rose a little. Sure, he was a star and everyone and their mother knew who he was but nothing was really stopping him from stuffing her in the trunk and stealing the car.

Gracie inserted the car key between her fingers and turned around. She knew she watched too much Forensic Files but a girl couldn’t be too careful.

“What do you want?” she asked slowly.

His dark green eyes—so not the eyes of a serial killer—flicked down to the keys in her hands. He took a slow step back, then another quicker one. His guitar case thumped against his heels and his feet scissored back and forth. She couldn’t help the quick grin—which he returned. Damn he could melt the ice with that smile.

“I need a ride.”

She frowned at him. “Don’t you have like, people, or something that can help you out? Where’s your manager? Your band?”

Something flickered across his face and his eyes turned serious. “Where I’m going I need to go alone. So. Please.”

“Ah, so he can beg,” she snarked then scrunched her eyes together in dismay. It wasn’t right to take out her really bad day—scratch that, month, year, life on a stranger. Especially at Christmas.

“It’s O.K.,” he said ruefully. “I deserved that.”

“Does it ever work?”

“What?”

She waggled the keys at him. “You know, the celebrity thing. I mean, do you play that card a lot?”

His lips quirked at the corners. “I’m not above it,” he admitted and she gave him props for honesty. “Works about fifty-fifty.”

Her own smile inched up a little. He really was charming. “So never.”

“I’d say I have more luck than your mind over matter deal but nah, I don’t like using it.”

She considered him then, really let herself look him over. Tall, yes, and typical in tight jeans, gray Nautica sweater, black wool coat, and boots. But not typical in the smile that seemed real, warm. And dear God, help, just for her.

A blast of cold air whipped through the lot and up the back of her coat like a warning. She didn’t need that smile.

“Well,” Gracie said brightly. “Good bye.”

Kale dodged around her and blocked the car door. “You have to go through Montana to get to Seattle.”

“I know that,” she lied.

Truthfully she had no clear idea of how to get to Seattle. A mite embarrassing to admit but she’d slept through most of the ride down here three years ago with her best friend Shelly. She planned to stop at the nearest CVS and pick up some supplies. Once there, she’d spend a few minutes acquainting herself with the map and figuring out how much money she had. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to sleep in the car at a rest stop. Suddenly Kale Sims didn’t seem so bad. He’d probably be handy if there were trouble over a port-a-potty or something.

“Look, I know I’m a stranger and you’d be taking a huge risk letting me ride along with you.” He whipped off his hat and ran an impatient hand through his hair. “You can trust me. I need help.”

Funnily enough, she did trust him. Trusting him would probably wind her up on a Lifetime movie but there was something about him that prompted her to give him a little more time to make his case.

“What’s in Montana?” she asked, suddenly curious and a little less cold when he looked at her like that. He could be trying to get home to his family, too. Country stars had families, didn’t they? Families that gathered around a big fire and sang carols and opened presents and loved each other just like hers did. And if she could help him get there, karma was sure to owe her one, right?

“A chick.”

The cold wind was back.

Gracie scowled. “A chick? Not a family?”

He set his guitar case on the ground and leaned back against the car, crossed one boot over the other.

“Just a girl.”

Then it hit her. Of course, Jessica Woodson. That’s what all the gossip magazines were reporting. Kale’s old duet partner, Jessica, claimed he’d fathered a little boy and was demanding Kale step up and take responsibility.

Gracie forced a bright smile to cover what could be an awkward moment. She wouldn’t want someone prying into her life like that so she added a teasing note.

“No mom or dad, brother? Dog? Little sister? Waiting for you at home or something?”

His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled at her and she knew she’d done the right thing by sidestepping that mess. “Were you picturing that Folgers commercial when the older brother sneaks in on Christmas morning?”

Oh God, how did he know that? She loved that commercial, teared up every time it came on.

“No. Do you really think I am going to drive your ass all the way to Montana so you see a chick. At Christmas?”

“Oh. You don’t like that word? O.K., fine. I need to go see my old partner. Tell me you know what this is about so I don’t have to explain it.”

She looked away because she didn’t like the pained look on his face. “Yeah.”

“I have money.”

Gracie nudged her suitcase so that it knocked on his boots. “Move.”

“I’ll pay for the gas.”

It’d be good if he’d pay for food and hotel too but she wasn’t about to suggest it.

“Food too.”

She frowned at him and squirmed a little inside her really thin boots.

“Hotel?”

“That’s a lot,” she said slowly because she was really considering what he offered and really thinking her mother would kill her if she found out. But she had to get home. She had to. She just wasn’t sure she could do it on her own.

As if seeking her weakness, he cocked his head to the side, sent her a wily grin. “I’m a good driver. And I won’t talk if you don’t want me to.”

That she didn’t believe. But she also didn’t believe she’d end up in a ditch somewhere come Christmas morning. Still, the look he was giving her, like he knew her every thought, sent shards of irritation through her so she frowned harder.

“Fine. Get in.”

He whooped—actually whooped—and skidded around the car to the trunk. She followed at a slower pace, looked at the dead key remote in her hand and then tossed it at him. She had too much to think about now to waste time on figuring out how to get all their stuff in the tiny car. Like how she was going to explain to her family that she was driving cross country in a rented Christmas Tree green Mini with Country music’s biggest bad boy. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. Shelly surely would have a fit of jealousy over it. And that gave Gracie a little bit of satisfaction. It would be nice, just once, to be the one someone was jealous of. She left Kale with her luggage and skated around to the passenger side.

He opened the driver’s door and slung his guitar into the backseat, then hit the button to slide the seat all the way back. And then proceeded to jam his tall frame inside. Gracie bit back a giggle when his knees hit the bottom of the steering wheel. He swore under his breath, threw the hat in the backseat beside his guitar and cranked the car. They both let out a sighs of relief when it actually started.

“Do you think it’ll make it over the Rockies?” she asked.

Kale tapped his long fingers on the steering wheel. “We’re about to find out. Hold on to your hat, darlin’.”

A Quick Note on the Day Before We Eat Turkey

2009-11-25T08:12:00.002-06:00

I'm about to run off and enjoy my Turkey (which is still frozen, btw, and it doesn't look good for thawing ...) but I wanted to share this link from Jessica at Bookends, LLC. As she so gracefully points out we give thanks for many things - here's her thanks for books. I second that!

Also, look for something special on December 1. Friday is the official start of the Christmas Season and I'm kicking it off in style with an ongoing series.

And if you are on Facebook, swing over to Janice Curran's page where she is hosting a month-long holiday romance reading celebration during December.

And Adding Another ...

2009-11-23T14:31:00.004-06:00

I was in Barnes and Noble today during lunch because all my friends ditched me. (You know who you are) and I stumbled across this.

I met Jan two years ago at a conference and I really enjoy her books although she dropped of my author radar for awhile there. But she's back and with a brand new Christmas novel. And yay! This is just the first of three with the second scheduled for next December. A three-year Christmas trilogy.

Here's the back blurb:

Reid Barclay doesn’t have time for Christmas, not with trouble brewing at the Crown Seven Ranch. He’s got prize thoroughbreds to protect, and an long-ago wrong that he wants to make right. But the beautiful cook who’s taken over the ranch kitchen is a welcome distraction, even if Ellie Jo Cade burns everything from gingerbread to roast beef. Her sweet face and womanly figure are pure temptation…

Cornhusk angels…bright berry garlands…spun-sugar snow—everything about Christmas holds fond memories for Ellie Jo. She’s doing her best to make peace with an ornery wood-burning stove and make the old ranch house truly festive. All she wants is to believe in Reid…and the only-at-Christmas magic that makes hearts glow…

So this evening I'm curling up with my new read (after the baby is in bed, and the dishes are done, and I do a few pre-Thanksgiving chores, and I check my email, and watch How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory and ... oh dang, there goes my reading time!)

Glory, Glory!

2009-11-19T19:39:00.001-06:00

Harlequin backed off ... a little. Now if only they'd announce that they are NOT going to suggest in rejection letters that aspiring authors head over to Horizons ...

http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2009/11/harlequin-news-flash.html

I Didn't Mean To Be Bad ...

2009-11-19T19:08:00.002-06:00

So today I had a handful of links to post about things I've been following this week. Then I realized most of them were bad. So I narrowed it down to 2 bad things. And because I had to read them, I have to pass them on.

It's been beaten to death and I agree with the majority - this is a bad, bad thing. Harlequin should take a hard look at what the romance writing community thinks of their newest and shiniest endeavor and hopefully find a way to gracefully step back. The best rundown of author opinions (with almost 500 comments at last count) is over at Smart Bitches.

Second ... this goes back to the debate about how much authors should reveal about themselves. I know, I am going to say this next bit fully aware that as an aspiring author myself, I am totally breaking this rule but ... I don't care to read too much about my favorite authors. I prefer to "see" my favorites as happy go-lucky beings writing away furiously in a Cape Cod house like Diane Keaton in Somethings Gotta Give. I don't want to be told that my favorite childhood author was a grassroots socialist, bad mother, and obsessed with money. Since I had to read it ... Laura Ingalls Wilder dear readers.

So, since those were two BAD links, to make up for it go here and here.