Debra Clopton - Operation - Married by Christmas

“You look like yer grandmother standing there in that purdy little red coat. My how she did love that coat. I kin remember the day she bought it up in Ranger at the discount store. You know yer grandmother, nothing fancy fer her, but she said red was a girl’s best friend and it just put a spring in her step every time she tugged it on.”

Haley’s eyes misted at the remembrance that was so Grandma Birdie. A no-nonsense dynamo, Birdie Thornton had been a woman to admire. Applegate had always said Haley had her genes, yet until she’d moved away, Haley had never really thought so. She couldn’t imagine Birdie ever having doubts about anything.

Haley leaned in and kissed Applegate’s cheek. “Thank you for that reminder.” He winked at her and held the door open. Haley ran a hand lovingly down the red coat and stepped inside the crowded room, no longer thinking about how the little coat clashed with her outfit, but how glad she was to feel her grandmother’s embrace.

Just as she’d thought, the conference room was full. That didn’t keep Lacy and Norma Sue from immediately spotting her and whisking Haley into the crowd, introducing her to anyone she hadn’t met at the diner that morning. Haley was amazed at how the town had grown. There were couples—of all ages—everywhere. And they looked so happy. As everyone took their seats, she found herself studying them. These couples had something she’d known was missing with each of the men she’d left at the altar. The closest she’d come to finding happiness like that was with Will, but she’d been wrong. Looking at the couples around her now, Haley promised herself that the next time she was tempted to say yes to a wedding proposal, if there was a next time, she wouldn’t say it unless she knew it was right. She wanted to feel something inside that would say, “This is the one.”

The door opened at that moment and Will stepped inside. Haley’s pulse jumped as if she were a track star who’d just heard the starting gun go off. It wasn’t fair that the man had only gotten better looking with age. It was as if he were Clint Black or something, ageless. Not wanting him to catch her staring, she forced her gaze to Lacy, who was standing behind the podium holding a stack of papers.

Despite shifting her gaze, Haley remained aware of Will as he moved toward the back of the room. She wished she had a pair of blinders on to cut her peripheral vision to nothing. Maybe then she could concentrate on what Lacy was saying. As it was, she could see Lacy just chatting away, but Haley wasn’t hearing a word she was saying. Oh, no. Haley was unwillingly tuned in to Will’s quiet hellos to everyone he passed. Determined to ignore him, Haley gave Lacy her full attention.

“—casting’s done on the play,” she was saying. “But today we’re getting the behind-the-scenes committees set up. We are going to have so much fun with this Christmas program!”

Lacy’s enthusiasm was contagious. The play was going to be a look at what it might have been like for Mary and Joseph when they returned to his hometown after Joseph took Mary to be his wife. Audiences would be able to feel what they may have gone through because they were doing what God asked of them. Earlier when Applegate talked her into helping, he’d told her all about it and it sounded intriguing.

Fortunately for Haley, there was no acting involved for her. She’d agreed to come only to help with the props, a job she’d enjoyed during high school. She was pretty artistic, although when it came to swinging a hammer she was all thumbs and there were plenty of Haley Bell stories to prove it. Now Will, he was good with a hammer.

She found herself glancing toward the back of the room, where he stood, legs planted shoulder width apart, arms crossed as he focused on what Lacy was saying. Her pulse jumped again just looking at him and she quickly focused forward once more. She certainly hoped he wasn’t on her team. The thought of having to work close to him just didn’t settle well. There was so much past between them that it was obvious they would only bring turmoil to the present effort. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone.

Lacy started reading off the list of committees. There was the costume committee—something Haley would never be on, seeing as how the one time she’d tried to hem a dress she’d accidentally sewn the skirt of the dress she was wearing to the dress her grandmother was teaching her to hem. Then there was the food committee, the marketing committee, makeup committee and onward down the line until last, but not least, the props committee. A sense of dread started filling Haley with each committee list that was called out and Will’s name didn’t appear. When Lacy started reading the props committee members, Haley knew she was doomed even before their names were read back-to-back. It was everything she could do to keep the alarm she felt from showing in her expression as she felt gazes bouncing off her at every angle. She swallowed hard and though her palms were perspiring she kept her hands still, not allowing herself to wipe them on her skirt for fear everyone would see that she was sweating. It was a trait she’d learned when negotiating property contracts. But this was different. This was more personal. She didn’t want to be stuck on a team with Will. The man was a spur in her past that she didn’t want to revisit. If she’d known he was living back in Mule Hollow she probably wouldn’t have come home. There was no way she wanted to spend time with him.

But it was done. There was nothing she could do about it and not look suspicious. Not to mention how it would disappoint her grandpa.

She forced herself to think positively. She was a big girl now. This was a good time to wipe the slate clean. She could pull Will Sutton’s ever-present memory from out of the dark closet she’d stuffed it in all those years ago and expose it to the light—then move on with her life. Her California dream life. A life that was wonderful, and fulfilling, and…and everything she’d ever wanted.

She straightened in her chair.

This was a good thing.

A step forward. That was what this experience would be. A big gigantic step toward…her future.

Will didn’t miss the look that passed between Norma Sue and Esther Mae the minute the names were read. The moment he heard Lacy call out Haley’s name, he zeroed in on the two known matchmakers. He hadn’t even realized Haley was going to help with the program. Now he was pretty sure he was being set up. But why? Why would anyone want to do that?

He thought Haley would be gone by the weekend, and now he realized that she must be staying. He needed a cup of coffee to digest that bit of information. He strode toward the table where cookies and a coffeepot sat. Listening to Lacy continue to describe all that needed to be done before the big production in five weeks, his brain rolled over the time he didn’t have that was going to be required of him for this. It was going to be a tight squeeze to get it all done, but it was the thought of spending time with Haley that filled him with dread.

He should have seen it coming. Haley could draw anything, so it was logical that Applegate had recruited her. Trying to shake the unease rising in him, Will took a cautious swallow of hot coffee and studied her profile. She looked as tense as he felt, no doubt just as wary as he was of this development. There was no denying that she would be a big help to the program. And the program was what this was all about. He should just relax and ignore the red flags he was seeing—

“Somethin’ on yer mind?”

Applegate suddenly slapped him on the shoulder in greeting. Will sloshed coffee down the front of his jeans and glanced at the older man. He hadn’t realized anyone was in the kitchen behind him, especially Applegate. He had no idea how long App had been watching Will stare at his granddaughter.