Elle James - Nick of Time

“With the media?” Mary closed her eyes, her lips moving as if she were counting to ten.

The man she’d called Silas raised his brows. “The public has a right to know the most famous man in North Pole is missing.” He rubbed his hands together like a kid anxiously awaiting a new toy. “What we want to know is why? After thirty years of playing Santa, why has he disappeared? Could it be a mysterious criminal past caught up with him? Is Santa on the run from the law?”

Mary threw her arms in the air. “Good grief, Silas! My father is not on the run from the law. He’s not the criminal. More likely he’s the victim. Now get out of here before I have you thrown out.”

Kim Claus stood a few feet away, her lip curled in an amused smile. “Really, Silas, that’s a pretty pathetic attempt to slander my husband. Santa is a good man. Everyone knows it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned to the man in uniform. “Don’t you agree, Officer Baskin?”

The officer nodded. “Silas, now’s not the time to be a pain. Leave quietly, please.”

“I have a right to know about a man who pretends to be Santa. Imagine all the children who’ve been fooled by a potential criminal. Parents will be up in arms.” He shot a narrow look at Mary as she inhaled deeply. “Notice I said potential. I’m not accusing your father of anything. I’m just a concerned citizen.”

“Silas Grentch, you’re only concerned about getting your hands on the best moneymaking business in town. I thought you couldn’t stoop lower, but you never fail to amaze me.” Mary looked to Officer Baskin. “Can you make him leave?”

The officer smiled dangerously and stepped toward Silas.

“I’m leaving.” Silas held up his hands and backed up a step, one eye on the cameraman. “Are you getting this?”

“Out.” Mary pointed her finger toward the door, her blue eyes flashing.

Nick almost laughed out loud at how quickly Silas Grentch scurried for the exit. “I’m leaving, but the truth will come out. Mark my words. It’ll be a dark day in North Pole when Santa Claus is brought to justice.”

The cameraman paused at the door with his camera pointing at Mary. “Miss Christmas, with Santa missing and Christmas getting close, what will happen with Operation Santa?”

Mary’s eyes narrowed, her fingers curling into tight fists. “We’ll find Santa before the planes leave. Children in the remote villages will see him.”

The cameraman nodded, lowering his camera before he left.

After the door closed, silence reigned inside the cheerfully decorated Christmas store.

“I’m sorry you had to come home to Silas’s shenanigans, Mary.” Betty took Mary’s hands and pulled her into a tight hug.

Nick witnessed the entire strange scene, his mind ticking through all the slurs and innuendos flung at the missing Santa and his family. One thing stood out like a shining beacon. These people knew Mary Christmas, and from the looks of it, they cared about her. His gaze slid to the new Mrs. Claus. Well, almost all of them cared. Kim Claus warranted some looking into.

Officer Baskin touched Mary’s arm. “If you hear, see or even smell anything, please pass it along to me or one of North Pole’s police officers. I’ll start checking with Santa’s friends in town.”

A tear slipped down Mary’s cheek. “Thanks, Trey.”

Nick resisted the urge to reach out and brush the tear away, clearing his throat instead. “I’m new to town. Is there a hotel where I can get a room?”

The police officer dropped Mary’s hands and zipped up his parka. “Try Christmas Towne Bed-and-Breakfast. It’s just two blocks east of here. I’ve got to get onto this. The temperature is supposed to drop down to minus twenty tonight.” Although the officer didn’t add that a man couldn’t survive in that kind of temperature, he didn’t have to. As he left, a chilling wind gusted through the double doors.

Mary’s gaze followed the officer, her skin even paler than a moment before.

Nick’s gut tightened. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“When I left Seattle, I thought I’d stay with my father. I didn’t make any other arrangements.” She turned toward her stepmother.

“I’m sorry, Mary.” Kim’s mouth twisted into a weak smile. “I’d let you have your old room, but I didn’t know you were coming, and I’m in the middle of a huge remodeling effort. Your room is stacked with boxes, the bed is dismantled and leaning against the wall. You could have the couch, but it too is stacked with boxes. You’d be better off getting a room at the B and B as well.”

Mary stared at Mrs. Claus for a long moment, her shoulders stiffening, her mouth pulling into a thin line. “I see.” Then she smiled and turned to Nick. “Thank you for the ride.”

Not that he had any responsibility for the woman, but Nick couldn’t leave her without transportation. “If you’re going to the B and B, you might as well let me take you.”

“It’s only two blocks. I can manage on my own.” She buttoned the front of her coat and tied the sash around her middle with a hard jerk. Then she turned to Mrs. Claus, her expression as serious as a firing squad. “If you had anything to do with my father’s disappearance…you’ll have me to answer to.”

“Mary Christmas!” Kim Claus pressed a hand to her red velvet dress and tears welled in her eyes. “You don’t realize how much I love your father. I’d do anything for him. I crossed oceans and continents for him. I love him more than life. How could you even imply such a thing? I want him back just as much as you do.”

Mary didn’t answer, but turned toward the door, grabbing the handle of her suitcase as she went. “Remodeling, my fanny,” she muttered beneath her breath.

Nick’s gaze zeroed in on the way Mary’s eyes shone suspiciously, as if she were close to tears.

The teenager, Chris, held the door for her and stared hard into her eyes. “It’ll be all right, Mary. Your father will be all right, and we’ll find him.”

She reached out and gripped his hand, glad for one person’s support in this world gone crazy. “Thanks, Chris.”

Nick followed her out into the blistering cold where he snagged her suitcase.

“I told you, I don’t need your help anymore.” Mary reached out to take the suitcase from him.

He backed away, refusing to let her have the bag. “Let me help.”

“I can take care of myself.”

His face softened. “Even two blocks is a long way with a windchill factor of minus thirty. Please, let me take you where you need to go.”

As if to reinforce Nick’s words, the cold wind blasted through Mary’s thick wool coat and winter scarf.

Beyond exhaustion, Mary didn’t argue. Instead, she climbed into the passenger seat while Nick stored her case in the trunk.

When he climbed in behind the wheel, she turned to him. “I don’t want you to think you’re stuck with me. But thanks.” She leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. “I should have known something was wrong. I should have come home sooner. My dad is the only family I have left.”

“Why should you have known?” Nick’s hand paused on the shift.

“Yesterday I got a message on my answering machine from Dad. He said it was urgent that we talk. When I tried to call him back, I got Kim and she didn’t know where he was. That’s when I caught a flight from Seattle to Fairbanks.”

“Did he say what he wanted to talk about?”

“No.” Mary sighed. “My father is normally pretty laid-back. He must be in big trouble, that’s all I can think.” She’d been talking to Nick as if he weren’t an outsider, weren’t a man she’d met only a couple of hours ago. Angry with herself for trusting the stranger, Mary turned to him, her eyes narrowing. “Why are you in North Pole? You told Kim you knew my father, you told me you had business with him. I don’t recall my father ever mentioning your name.”