Rebecca Winters - A Mistletoe Proposal - Marry Me under the Mistletoe / A Little Bit of Holiday Magic / Christmas Magic in Heatherdale

His adrenaline surged. Andrea was back from wherever. After hearing from her mother, she’d obviously come here. For some reason she’d been determined his daughter would receive the gingerbread man, even if it meant Santa came to the station in person to deliver it.

“I’d say she looks like a Christmas present herself, if you know what I mean.” Rick knew exactly what he meant. Beautiful didn’t adequately describe her. The expression “she looked good enough to eat” was more like it.

Arney nudged his shoulder. “You’ve been holding out on us big-time, boss. I’ll finish the fueling while you...take care of business?”

Rick couldn’t get mad at the guys for wanting him to meet another woman and start living again. No one had better friends, and they couldn’t have tried harder to help him through the dark period of the past two years. They were his other family, the best of the best, but they didn’t understand.

So far none of his close friends had lost a spouse. They didn’t know what it was like to think of starting all over again with someone else. It took years to get to know another person, to put up with their flaws, to know their demons and still love them.

He hated being single again, coming home with no wife to hold him. He hated his empty bed, hated the loss of sharing. But he groaned at the thought of having to date again to regain that sense of completeness. As far as he was concerned, a widower was in a no-win situation.

Besides it being a new voyage of discovery that he had no interest in, it would have to involve Tessa. He had zero hope of finding another woman who would be right for him and his daughter. Would she be able to mother Tessa the way she needed it? Could he trust her with his daughter while he was out fighting fires?

It still tore him apart remembering the nights Tessa had sobbed herself to sleep in his arms. She didn’t do it quite so much now, but there were still those moments.

What if a new relationship didn’t work out? Where would that leave Tessa if he had to tell her he wouldn’t be seeing the new woman again? How much should he allow his daughter to get involved so she wouldn’t suffer a second time? Rick had no answers, no map to help him navigate through such a treacherous sea. Better to remain single now that he was getting used to it. Be the best father he could be to Tessa.

“Thanks, old man.” He let Arney do the rest of the refueling while he made his way to the front of the station. En route he was aware of the guys watching him, with the same grin as Arney on their faces.

She was in his line of vision when he rounded the corner. For the second time in two days he was knocked sideways, only this was much worse. In a word she looked so adorable in that outfit, she might be one of those hand-painted imported wooden ornaments come to life.

“You wanted to see me?”

He heard a small cry escape her lips when she saw him. The way her chest moved beneath that fetching jacket, he had an idea she felt breathless, too. “I didn’t know if you would be here. Mother told me you’d come by to purchase those gifts for your daughter. I’m so sorry she couldn’t find them. I’d taken them upstairs to my apartment.”

“You live above the shop?” Good grief. He swallowed hard. If that fire had spread and she’d been in there asleep...

“Yes.”

“Alone?”

She nodded, answering one question for him. “I had the loft renovated after...after my last trip to Germany.” Why the hesitation?

“I’m glad I found you here,” she continued. “I should have realized right away you wanted to get them without her knowing about it. Since I made a promise to her, please accept this as a gift from Santa. I wrote ‘To Tessa from Santa’ on the box.”

He reached into the pocket of his uniform for his wallet. “Let me pay you.”

“No, don’t! My payment was watching your little girl have one of those magical moments every child should experience. To take your money would ruin that memory for me.”

Her features had hardened slightly, letting him know she meant every word.

Rick put the wallet back and moved the box behind the desk. “I’m assuming you thought I was out of work?”

“With this economy, it crossed my mind. Forgive me. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I’m afraid I was putting myself in your daughter’s place. I could see how much she wanted it. I was a little girl once and still know how it feels to want something more than anything.” Yup. That described his Tessa. “But then Mother told me about the fire and that you and your crew had come to the shop.”

“You weren’t so far off the track. A firefighter’s pay leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Maybe so, but if it helps, just know our world couldn’t get along without you. My mother sends her warmest regards.”

His black brows rose. “It was her idea that you come here?”

After a slight hesitation she said, “I was glad she suggested it. We wanted to be able to pay you back for containing that fire.”

Her answer deflated him despite the fact that he had no intention of getting to know her better. “I understand you went out of town.”

“Yes.”

“With a friend?”

“No. To see one.”

That still didn’t answer his question and she wasn’t about to give him one. In other words, mind your own business, Jenner.

He’d been wrong in his assessment of her show of interest. It was evident she had no intention of getting to know him better and was simply playing Santa’s helper in a way that left him humbled by her generosity. Wasn’t that what he wanted? No involvement? So how come he felt more irritated than ever?

As fate would have it, he heard the gong sound. “Ladder 1. Respond to Cheshire Hotel kitchen fire on Lemon and Weybosset.”

Lemon again? Her eyes widened to hear the address, too. “That fire’s not far from the art-gallery fire!”

“You’re right.” The arsonist was on the loose again, creating mayhem, which was likely part of his intention. Another part was the euphoria a firebug felt to watch something burn that he’d set. It was a definite sickness. Rick longed to catch him and put him away.

“Duty calls. Believe me when I say Tessa and I thank you for the gifts,” he called over his broad shoulder.

CHAPTER THREE

RICK WHEELED AWAY, leaving Andrea too fast for any conversation to continue, but she’d felt his sincerity and was glad of it. The man was off to save buildings and lives without a thought for himself. She admired him terribly for putting himself in harm’s way.

She heard the siren and watched the fire truck pull out onto the street. His daughter could have no idea how lucky she was that her daddy was still alive to be in her life. Every time he left for a fire, there was the possibility he wouldn’t come back. She knew what that was like.

Now that her mission was accomplished, there was nothing more to do but go back to work. Taking a deep breath, she left the station feeling oddly let down and walked to the parking area around the side where she’d left her car.

On the way back she passed the intersection of the hotel fire. The police had cordoned off the area. She saw three fire trucks where the men were doing their jobs with calm, methodical precision. So far she couldn’t see any flames. With all their gear and helmets, it was too difficult to distinguish faces, but one of the taller firefighters could have been Captain Jenner. Much as she wanted to pull to the side and watch, she didn’t dare. Maybe he’d thought she was coming on to him, that that was the reason she’d gone to the station, using his daughter as the excuse. He was so attractive she could believe other women might have tried that tactic.