Snowbound with Mr. Wrong (Snowflake Valley) Read online

  “Not bad,” Nick said over the boy’s shoulder. “Not top of the line, of course, but—”

  “Santa.” Lyssa’s voice interrupted just as her spicy perfume filtered into his senses again. “May I speak to you for a moment?”

  He looked up at her. “Of course, Miss Elf.”

  “Alone?”

  That, he wasn’t so sure about. As he recalled from previous experience, being alone with Lyssa was dangerous. He knew better than to try anything with her, though.

  Why had he ever agreed to do Michael a favor and come back here to play Santa again? But he had agreed, and he was a man of his word. He might want out of here now, but he knew he would stay until the bitter end.

  Luckily, he had plans for a quick getaway as soon as this party reached its conclusion—which couldn’t come soon enough for him.

  “Sit tight, kids, I’ll be back in a minute. Plenty of time left to see Santa.” If he could have peeled back one bulky fur-trimmed sleeve of his costume, he might have checked his watch.

  Without a doubt, Mollie would have something to say about that, too.

  Lyssa walked away from them. The vision from this angle sent his blood pressure skyrocketing. He followed, struggling to keep his thoughts pure and Santa-like.

  She headed toward a quiet corner out of range of the kids. The path took her past an overflowing buffet table that wouldn’t be overflowing much longer. A tall, rail-thin teenager stood scooping food onto his plate as if preparing for his last meal.

  Nick stopped to nod his encouragement. “Go for it.”

  The teen scowled, held his plate closer to his chest, and kept shoveling.

  “Don’t worry, kid, I’m no competition.” Nick thumped his padded stomach. “Mrs. Santa’s got me on a diet.”

  The teen rolled his eyes.

  Wait’ll you see what Santa leaves in your stocking, buddy.

  Shaking his head, Nick continued across the room to Lyssa, who stood watching him, her eyes glowing. “What’s up, Miss Elf? You’re cutting into my floor time. And let’s face it, I’m the star of this show.”

  “So I noticed. It’s a shame you’ve forgotten your opening lines. Or have you rewritten the entire script?”

  “Rewritten it? I should toss it out completely. This is what happens when you do a favor for a friend—especially one who doesn’t even bother to show up.”

  “You’ve become a little jaded since last Christmas, haven’t you, Santa?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “This is a special time for the kids, and as you said, you’re the hero of the hour. I wouldn’t recommend bursting their bubble.”

  “Like you burst mine?” Damn. He hadn’t meant to let that question slip. It was bad enough to arrive here today and get the double whammy, first finding out she was here, too, and then discovering he hadn’t gotten over her. He didn’t need to let her know it.

  She flushed. “That’s not something we need to discuss now. Or ever,” she added flatly. “Besides, you’re not a kid.”

  “Maybe at heart, I am.” Despite his irritation, he smiled down at her. He hadn’t thought being this close to her would revive so many feelings, both good and bad. Hell, he hadn’t thought about it at all, because he’d never expected to be this close to her again.

  “You have a funny way of showing your youthful heart.”

  He spread his arms and forced an elf-like chuckle. “I’d have worn it on my sleeve, but I feel too dam—”

  “Santa!”

  “—too overdressed as it is. I can barely move in this cost—outfit.” He swore under his breath. It might not have been a bad idea to run through a script before he arrived.

  “Maybe you should’ve taken off a few pounds over the summer.”

  The irritation in her tone surprised him. What had she expected, that after she’d made her farewell speech he would just waste away? “Low blow, Miss Elf.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” She kept her voice down, but it vibrated with impatience. “My point is these are children, Nick. They believe in Santa. And right now, that means they believe in you.”

  Too bad you didn’t. The thought came before he could stop it. His turn to sound irritated, but again, he couldn’t help himself. At least this time he’d had sense enough not to say the words aloud.

  “Then Santa had better get back to the kiddos, hadn’t he?” Still, he couldn’t resist the urge to stay a moment, to reach out and tuck one of her strands of hair under the edge of her cap. Beneath his fingertips, the fuzzy fur trim, silky hair, and satiny smooth skin all blended into an unexpectedly powerful sensation.

  Hurriedly he dropped his hand and fisted it at his side.

  Her gaze held his for a moment, then skittered away. “Y-yes. They’re waiting.” She sounded breathless.

  While he hadn’t tried to bring about that reaction, hearing it made him fight to hide a grim smile. What was that old phrase? Revenge is sweet.

  A shame he didn’t plan on sticking around long enough to enjoy a full measure of it.

  He and Lyssa had been good together. Better than good. They’d been great. They still had potential. He had seen, felt, and heard it only seconds ago. With one touch, he’d made her lose her breath.

  How far beyond that could he go?

  But what was the point of wishing for anything to do with her? Even when he’d had the chance, he couldn’t make her his. She had walked away from him this summer, just the way he planned to walk away from her now…

  Just as soon as he wrapped up this blasted Santa gig.

  Chapter Two

  “Uhh…Miss Elf, may I speak with you for a moment?”

  Lyssa smiled grimly. The voice that had come from behind her belonged to just the person she most wanted to see. She turned to face Amber. “Of course you may speak with me. I’d like to speak with you, also. In fact, I insist on it.”

  “As a matter of fact,” Nick said, “so do I.”

  Lyssa fought down a sudden wave of doubt. She’d had her suspicions about Amber and Nick and this situation. Now he sounded odd, not at all like his normal, assured self. He was either upset with Amber, too, or doing a good job of acting that way.

  She had to get to the bottom of this.

  After pasting a small smile on her lips, she slowly and deliberately met Nick’s nearly coal-black eyes. No reason to let him know how much she wondered about his return. How the sight of him affected her. How his touch just a few moments ago had left her short of breath and a bit weak in the knees.

  His comment about her bursting his bubble had stunned her, too. If anything, she was the one whose bubble had burst, destroying her dreams along with it. Thanks to him, her ultimate romance had turned into the worst relationship of her life.

  “I need to talk with Amber first, Santa,” she told him. “And your adoring audience awaits you. Over there,” she added, pointing at the children, not putting it past him to act as though she referred to herself.

  He glared at her, then lumbered away, his bulky costume making his movements awkward. No doubt about it, the fur-trimmed suit turned him into the perfect Santa. The perfect man for her, or so she had once thought. They’d had fun at last year’s party, the first time they had met. They’d had more fun afterward, when he had shed that suit and taken her into the valley for coffee at the Candy Cane…

  Pushing aside the memories, she whirled to face Amber. “Why didn’t you warn me?” She managed to keep her tone level but couldn’t do much about her accusing words. The sense of betrayal went too deep. No matter how much she protested to her family that she was over Nick, she knew Amber had long ago guessed the truth of her feelings about the breakup.

  Her suspicions flared again, sharpening her voice. “How could you let me walk into this room not knowing he’d be here? And why is he here to begin with? You promised me, Amber—”

  “I know I did. And I intended to keep that promise. I asked Michael to play Santa, and he said he would. But at the last minute,
he backed out.”

  The words took the edge off Lyssa’s irritation. Through some guesswork of her own, she understood how much her sister would have been hurt by the lodge owner’s rejection.

  The “bad-luck Barnett sisters” strike again. But she couldn’t say that.

  Amber smiled at a couple who walked past them, then said in a low voice, “Until Nick walked in, I had no idea Michael had asked him to play Santa again. It was too late to let you know. And there was nothing I could do.”

  “Well, there’s something I can do. I’m out of here. You’ll have to find a stand-in for Miss Elf.”

  “I can’t!”

  “Then we’ll just have to let Santa go it alone. He can handle it. This isn’t his first Christmas rodeo.” At the memory of his awkward conversation with Tommy, uneasiness shot through her. Experience and know-how were two different things.

  “Lyssa, please. You can’t leave.” Though Amber forced a smile, probably for the crowd, she sounded frantic. “I hate to ask, but I need you to take over for me here. Penny sounds worse, and nothing I do seems to soothe her.”

  Amber’s voice grew reedier by the second, and she’d gotten that telltale strained look around her eyes. Any more stress could trigger one of her migraines.

  As she spoke, she untied the festive holiday apron draped over her clothes. “I called Mom, but Dad’s out with the truck, and the boys borrowed the car to pick up the twins from the airport. The flight’s delayed. She doesn’t know when they’ll all be home. I called Callie, too, but the phone just went to voicemail. Mom doesn’t have any way to come and get the baby.”

  “We’ve got plenty of friends here. One of them could take—”

  “No.” Amber’s eyes widened. “I can’t send Penny off with someone she doesn’t know.”

  “Of course not. I was going to say you could get one of the moms here to take over for you as hostess.”

  “But I’m in charge of the house, too. I can’t turn that responsibility over to just anyone. I need you to back me up.”

  Lyssa’s heart sank. She couldn’t offer to take Penny to their parents’ house. It was a long ride to the valley, and she knew less about minding a colicky infant than Amber did. Besides, obviously her sister wouldn’t rest easy until she had delivered her baby right into their mom’s capable hands.

  Lyssa swallowed a sigh. “That’s—”

  “It won’t be for very long. I’ll get back as soon as I can. But I can’t concentrate on taking care of things here when Penny’s so uncomfortable.”

  “I know that.” She forced a smile. Unfortunately, she would have to deal with Santa a while longer. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of spending that time with him. She ignored the reaction. Hadn’t she already learned not to trust her heart when it came to Nick? “Amber—”

  “Please—”

  “I’m not arguing, sweetie,” Lyssa said, giving her sister a quick hug. “I’ve been trying to say of course I’ll stay. You should have told me before now.”

  “I know. I’m not thinking straight.” Amber wadded the apron into a ball and thrust it toward her. “I’m just going to slip away. If I have to make explanations, I’ll never get out of here.”

  Lyssa felt a flash of alarm. “Will you be okay driving all the way back to the valley alone with the baby? They’re predicting snow—”

  “The storm’s not due in till tomorrow. I’ll be fine. I’m just scattered right now from having to oversee the party and trying to keep a close eye on Penny.”

  “Then go. Don’t worry about a thing here. Keep your cell phone on, and call me when you get to Mom and Dad’s.”

  “I will. Thanks.” This time, Amber gave her a quick hug. After a few last-minute instructions, she hurried away.

  Lyssa turned slowly back to observe the room from her brand-new hostess’s viewpoint. There wasn’t much to concern her. From previous events Amber had hosted for the local kids, Lyssa knew she could expect an entire committee of moms and dads helping with different tasks.

  The buffet table still held plenty of food, the beverages flowed freely, the adults mingled and mellowed. Even as she watched, one of Amber’s volunteers slid a steaming casserole dish onto the table.

  Everything under control there.

  She looked toward the fireplace, where Santa in his velvet-covered chair sat jiggling a wailing toddler on his knee. The little girl had started a chain reaction of equally unhappy children.

  Things definitely were not under control there.

  At that moment, from across the room, Nick directed a piercing glance her way. At one time, that gleam in his dark eyes would have left her feeling warm all over.

  Today, it only chilled her to the tips of her little elf slippers.

  The thoughts reminded her of his comment about her cold good-bye. Darn the man. She’d had completely sensible reasons for ending their relationship. That good sense now warned her to stay as far away from him as possible. But family responsibilities said she didn’t have a choice. Amber had left her in charge, and she didn’t dare jeopardize her sister’s reputation as hostess of the party of the year. From this moment onward, everything had to go off without a hitch.

  Which is why, though she’d have given up sweets for the next six months for the chance to run in the opposite direction, she found herself racing straight toward Nick.

  …

  His Miss Elf wasn’t much help. She kept popping up beside him, then disappearing for long moments, leaving him alone with the kids. And this jolly old elf didn’t feel a bit happy about the situation.

  Playing Santa last year had provided Nick with the perfect role. In real life, he liked giving gifts to people, and he had enjoyed seeing the kids’ faces light up when he’d handed them a package. This year, he felt out of his depth. And he knew he could attribute that feeling to Lyssa.

  Everything about this party reminded him of when he first met her and how that had led to going for coffee and then to asking her out for one date and the next. But when all was said and done, she was finished with him. She had made her decision—her declaration—that they were just too different to be together. Which didn’t make a bit of sense, as they’d been getting along fine till then, in his estimation.

  There was irony for you. As a troubleshooter, he rarely read a situation wrong, but when it had come to Lyssa, he couldn’t seem to do anything right.

  And yet now, as much as he wanted to avoid being anywhere near her, he wished she’d just return to his side and stay there for a while.

  The youngest kids kept crying.

  And the Terrible Trio stood staring him down. Tommy, who was “only in kindergarten!,” eyed Nick as if he wasn’t sure he liked Santa any more. Mollie, the little girl who’d memorized all the Santa rules, glared at him. And the ravenous kid from the buffet table—Brent, Lyssa had called him—gave him the kind of dead-eyed “You’re too dumb for me even to waste my time sneering at you” expression only a teenager could master.

  Or maybe that was just Nick’s paranoia taking over, a reaction to the tension radiating from Lyssa every time she came near him. Tension so substantial he could almost have gathered it up and stuffed it into Santa’s sack.

  The now empty sack.

  He’d finally given his last gift to his last kid. His job was done.

  Good thing, too. A quick check of the clock above the fireplace mantel indicated he had no time left to lose. He rose, stretched, and patted his well-cushioned stomach. “Time for me to go, kids. It’s been fun. Have a Merry Christmas, y’hear? Ho, ho, ho!”

  He spotted Lyssa across the room and promptly waved her over. Without the trace of a smile, she headed toward him.

  He didn’t feel much like smiling, either. Eager to get out of there, he met her halfway. “Well, Miss Elf,” he said cheerily, “time for Santa to head up to the North Pole.”

  “I hope you’ve brought your reindeer and sleigh.”

  She’d whipped out that great one-liner and said it with
such a straight face that anyone in earshot would think he really was Santa Claus. He had to hand it to her. She really had a knack for keeping her feelings hidden until she hit you with the sucker punch.

  “No need for the old-fashioned methods,” he informed her. “This time around, I’ve got modern transportation.” Yeah, good thing he’d planned ahead. “I’ve got a plane to catch, and Amber’s taking me to the airport.”

  “Not today, she isn’t.” Now she smiled.

  He frowned, disliking both her contradiction and her smug tone. Obviously, she enjoyed the idea of upsetting his plans. Considering she’d upset his entire life not that long ago, he should have expected her reaction. He tried to keep his tone level. “Why is Amber not driving me to the airport?”

  “She left awhile ago.”

  “How could she do that? She’s running this party, isn’t she?”

  She shrugged. “She was. Now she’s gone.”

  “Guess it’s a good thing I make my living as a troubleshooter.” He didn’t bother to hide his impatience. “I’ve got to get out of here. Now.”

  “What’s the big hurry?”

  “The plane’s heading out in less than two hours. A short flight to San Diego, then tomorrow, a long day of doing what I love best—wrapping up a proposal that could turn a client’s business around.”

  “Work. I should have known.”

  After all the conversations they’d had about his focus on his job, he should have expected that response, too. Ignoring her clipped tones, he said, “As I’ve mentioned to you more than once before, that’s the kind of challenge I live for. Pulling off a deal no one else could manage.” In this case, his own obstinate, elderly client made the proposal more of a challenge than ever. A no-show by Nick could doom the entire venture.

  “This one’s going to need my immediate attention,” he continued. “My client’s like a time bomb ready to go off, which means the clock’s ticking for me. I’ve got to get out of here. I’ll call for a taxi.”

  He dug into the pocket of his red suit, pulled out his cell phone, and pressed the connect button.