Pining For You: Jasper Falls Read online

  He followed her to the foyer where she slung on her coat and wrapped her scarf. She hugged Addison, and he grinned at the bond they’d formed in such a short time. He couldn’t recall his daughter taking to any of her previous sitters so quickly.

  “Let me get that for you.” He lifted the box with the mixer, surprised by how heavy it was, and followed her out to her car.

  The temperature was in the twenties and her windshield had a layer of ice and snow on the glass. “I should have warmed up my car.”

  “You need an automatic starter.”

  She laughed. “I think my car’s too old for that sort of technology.” The ice covering the door cracked when she opened it. She ducked inside and started the engine. It sputtered like an asthmatic kitten.

  “Take my car.”

  She frowned, holding a pathetic little ice scraper. “What?”

  He took the scraper out of her hands and reached for his keys. “I have four-wheel drive and my car’s still warm.”

  “I can’t take your car.”

  “Why not? You’ll bring it back in the morning. You’re only on the other end of town.” Her family lived on the mountain, and he didn’t want her sliding around on the back roads. “How are your tires?” If she was driving Addison around, he should probably make sure her vehicle was safe.”

  “My tires?”

  He reached into her car and shut off the engine, pocketing the keys. Lifting the box with the mixer, he walked it over to his SUV and put it inside. With the press of a button, the Escalade started.

  “I’ll feel better if you take this. The roads are icy.” He held open the driver’s side door and she hesitated. “Please.”

  She looked completely unsure, but he wanted her to take the car. He would feel safer. Somehow, she had become someone essential to his daughter’s life and his happiness, and he needed to keep her out of danger.

  “Take the car, Skylar.”

  She bit her lower lip and his cock twitched. “You’re sure?”

  He was sure he wanted her body in his vehicle, her hands on his gears, and her scent trapped there for days. God, he was pathetic. He nodded and she climbed in.

  He stood inside the door and watched as she buckled the seatbelt and adjusted the seat and mirrors, wishing he could do the simple task for her so he’d have an excuse to touch her. Something about seeing her held securely in place made him want to lean in and kiss her. Would she slap him if he tried?

  Probably. He cleared his throat and forced himself to take a step back.

  She gripped the wheel and gave an awkward smile. “This is weird.”

  Distracted by the flour still dusting her jaw, he reached for her. “You have flour…”

  She glanced in the mirror. “Oh.” Licking her thumb, she scrubbed the powder off. “I’m a graceless chef.”

  More like graceful. He’d go as far as calling her angelic. More than usual, she smelled like cookies.

  “Well, goodnight,” she whispered softly.

  “Drive safe.”

  “I will.” She glanced back at the house. “Your dinner’s getting cold.”

  And Addy was waiting. He stepped back and shut the door, standing in the bitter wind until the taillights disappeared. Surprisingly, he wasn’t cold.

  8

  “Don’t take things from this house without asking, Skylar. I spent an hour looking for that mixer. Like I don’t have enough on my mind.”

  “Sorry. You weren’t here and I didn’t want to bother you at work.”

  Her mother plugged in the mixer and dumped a bunch of dry ingredients into the bowl, not measuring a single one. “Doesn’t he have his own appliances?”

  “Not really. The house is pretty empty.”

  “That big house? That can’t be true. He’s not the first mayor to live there.”

  “I’m telling you, it’s not lived in. They have furniture and books and curtains, but it feels more like a museum than a home.”

  Her mother cracked several eggs and plopped a stick of softened butter into the bowl, then set it to low. “Well, it’s not your job to provide these things. You’re going to have to be more assertive and ask him for the supplies you need. I’m going to be up until midnight making these cookies for Vinny’s class, now.”

  This wasn’t about cookies. This was about one more thing filling her mother’s plate when she was already overworked, under rested, and stressed to the max. “I’ll help you.”

  “I thought you had to pack.”

  “I do, but I have all weekend.”

  Her mom sighed. “Thank you.”

  For the next two hours they worked diligently mixing, baking, and powdering several hundred Russian Tea cake cookies. Hannah interrupted once, needing help with an algebra assignment. Vinny and Ciera disturbed their process several times, asking for snacks and drinks until their mom threatened to call Santa if they didn’t go play. And James just camped out at their feet, playing with trucks, spatulas, and pots and pans.

  The kids were all sleeping by the time the last batch was boxed up, and Skylar’s feet were killing her. Just after eleven, when they moved the boxes onto the table in the hall, her father came home, looking just as exhausted as her mom.

  “Hey, Sky, what’s all this?” He hung his coat on the cluttered rack and toed off his shoes by the door.

  “Cookies for Vinny’s cookie swap.”

  “Any left?”

  Her mom appeared with the last stack of boxes. “Dinner’s in the microwave.”

  Her dad pressed a kiss to her mom’s head and Skylar smiled. No matter how busy or stressed life got for the two of them, they never forgot to show affection.

  “Who’s Escalade’s in the driveway?”

  Skylar blushed. “It’s the mayor’s. My car was iced over and he insisted I take his SUV instead. I’m driving it back first thing in the morning.”

  “Huh.” Her dad nodded with approval. “That was nice of him. Sounds like a decent guy.”

  She thought so. “Did you get anywhere today?” Skylar asked, changing the subject and hoping her father made the breakthrough he’d been trying to accomplish for the last eight months.

  As an epidemiologist, he spent hours researching. He’d been working on a proposal for a new treatment, but their funding was running out and the grant money hadn’t come through yet. He finally had to tap into the family savings, which put everyone on edge.

  With Frankie away at Penn State and Hannah looking at colleges, Skylar once again figured it would be a relief when she moved out. Though her family would never admit it was a struggle to feed, clothe, and shelter so many kids, she knew her absence could lighten their burden.

  “Nothing yet,” he said, heating up his plate and carrying it to the table. “How’s the new job?”

  She smiled. “I like it. Addison is adorable and my boss is nice.”

  He took a bite and raised a brow. “Don’t say that around your grandfather.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  He patted her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m proud of you, Sky. This is a big step, and it’ll be good for you to make some real money.”

  She grinned, hoping it helped take some of the pressure off his back. Not only was he spending countless hours at the lab, he sometimes picked up extra shifts at the lumberyard. No wonder he was exhausted.

  “I won’t have rent, so maybe I can help out once I start getting paid—”

  “Hey, stop that. We’re fine. You put that money away for your future, you hear?”

  She nodded.

  “Besides, once my grant gets approved and I get this lab up and fully running, we’ll make our money back tenfold.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really?”

  “What do I always say about big pharma?”

  “It’s bigger than our human brains can calculate.”

  “Exactly.”

  Her room was dark and Hannah snored from a lump of blankets on the bed shoved against the wall. Skylar’s side was the tidy one.


  Boxes were stacked by the door and only a few items remained in her closet, but it was too late to pack now. She told Rhett she’d be moved in by Saturday, which was only two days away.

  She could swing it. More than anything, she needed sleep.

  Climbing into bed, she turned out the light and stared at the shadows cast on the wall from the window. Specks of snow flurries danced in the moonlight as she went through a mental list of everything she needed to accomplish.

  As she fell asleep, her last thought was of her boss, and how he insisted she take his car home. She smiled, a warm sensation she didn’t recognize filling her chest. She secretly admitted she couldn’t wait to return to work, tomorrow.

  9

  Addison gasped as the log cabin came into view. “Is this the North Pole?”

  “Not quite.” Skylar parked beside her grandmother’s ancient, wood-paneled Jeep Cherokee and helped Addison out of the back seat.

  Gran had called that morning to inform Skylar that the kids were working on a gingerbread house. Being that her grandmother watched all the little ones who had not yet reached school age, Skylar figured this would be a good chance for Addison to make some new friends.

  As they climbed the steps of the big house, Addison asked a hundred questions. “Does Santa live here? Where is this place? How many chimneys do they have? Were those reindeer or regular deer we saw on the way in? What if I have to go potty? Do they have a toilet? How did you find this place? What’s in that barn over there? Do they have horses?”

  Gran greeted them at the door, wearing her usual warm smile, threadbare apron, plain house dress, and, of course, a battered pair of work boots.

  “Well, you must be Addison. Aren’t you just as cute as a bug’s ear? Come up here and let me have a good look at you, love.”

  Suddenly shy, Addison clung to Skylar’s leg. She nudged her forward. “Addy, this is my grandmother. You can call her Miss Maureen.”

  Gran crouched in the doorway. “I was just making the kids some hot cocoa. Would you like some?” When Addison didn’t answer she said, “I need a special helper to drop the marshmallows in. Do you think you could do that?”

  The screen door on the other end of the porch swung and snapped. Little footsteps raced closer and Ciera jumped into view from around the corner of the wrap around porch. “I’m Rudolph!”

  Skylar laughed at her little sister’s red nose and Gran stood. “I let them use my lipstick.”

  “Cute.” Skylar glanced down at Addison. “This is my sister, Ciera.”

  Addison studied her for a moment, then she seemed to come to the conclusion that Ciera was safe. She walked over, belly first, and gave her a closer inspection. “Do you like cats?”

  Ciera shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Do you have a cat?”

  Her sister shook her head. “My mom says we have too many kids to have a pet.”

  “I don’t have a cat either.”

  “Do you have a dog?”

  “No.”

  “Do you like pizza?”

  “Yes.”

  Ciera smiled. “My Grandpa Marcelli makes the best pizza. He can make you some.” And just like that they were friends.

  Ciera led Addison into the house through the kitchen door to meet the others. Skylar looked back at Gran and smiled.

  “Busy?”

  “Like a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest.” She smiled. “Christmas is upon us.”

  Looping her arm through Skylar’s, she walked her in through the front door. The scent of fresh baked gingerbread mingled with fresh cut evergreens. The railing of the main staircase was wound with thick garland, strung cranberries, and pinecones.

  Carols played from the den where wood crackled in the fireplace. She loved that Gran still hung stockings for all seven of her kids. The tree was lit with lights, but the ornaments wouldn’t be hung until the whole family came together on Christmas Eve.

  Little voices chattered from the kitchen and Skylar knew exactly what she’d find once she entered. Children crammed around an old farm table loaded with candies and piping bags full of homemade frosting. Gran had been following the same traditions since Skylar, Hannah, and Frankie were babies, and she probably started them with her kids.

  Aiden, Bethany, Michael, James, Alexia, and Lennon crowded the long table, dipping sticky fingers into bowls of gumdrops and chocolates. Ciera and Addison sat together, both girls perched with their knees planted on the long bench and their upper bodies hoisted over their elbows as they crowded the table, pushing right into the gingerbread action.

  Four years ago, their family had a bit of a baby boom, and Gran had been fully booked as the childcare provider ever since. She ran a tight ship, but there was no escaping the noise, mess, and occasional outburst of tears when someone wasn’t playing fair.

  Of all the grandchildren Gran had helped raise, Skylar liked to believe she and Gran shared the strongest bond. She idolized her mother’s mother, and spent more time with her than any of her cousins. They shared similar interests and, like her own mother, had a deep maternal manner. Skylar often stopped by to lend a hand with the kids, because like Gran, she loved watching the little ones learn and grow.

  Once the walls of the house were glued with icing, absolute chaos ensued.

  “Ciera, give James a chance to stick a piece of candy on the house,” Skylar said, as her little brother tried once again to poke his body between their sister and Addison.

  “He can’t do it.”

  “So, help him. Be a big sister.”

  “Fine.”

  Addison watched Ciera assist James, but Ciera wasn’t the most patient with their little brother. A rush of pride filled her when Addison stepped in.

  “Like this.” Using her little hand, she closed it over the piping bag and showed James how to squeeze out the frosting. The sugary paste snaked out of the tip and only a small glob connected to the gingerbread, but it was enough. “Now stick the candy there.”

  James focused hard on gluing the gumdrop into place and he was so pleased when it stayed put. Addison smiled with him, until James leaned forward and bit his hard work right off the gingerbread wall.

  “Why’d you do that?”

  “I was hungry.”

  Addison smacked her palm to her head and rolled her eyes. Then she gave him another gumdrop, which he eventually ate as well.

  Skylar and Gran helped the kids attach candies with globs of frosting, trying hard to keep the mess to a minimum and deal with several meltdowns when an ornamental piece fell in the occasional frosting landslide. After so many years of child-rearing, Gran’s patience always amazed her.

  When the gingerbread house was finished it looked like Frosty threw up on it.

  “Beautiful!” Gran praised. “Now, go wash your hands, then see if you can find Pop-Pop.”

  Addison went with the others, and Skylar and Gran lingered in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess left on the table.

  “She seems like a nice little lass.”

  “She is.”

  “Shy.”

  “Not usually. She warms up.” She wiped down the table. “What happens with this, now?”

  Gran sighed. “Your grandfather will pick at it and then I’ll throw it out back for the animals. I tell the kids it’s for Santa’s reindeer. You remember.”

  She did. Gran always added so much magic to Christmas, which was why the big house was her favorite place to hang each December.

  As Gran dumped the remaining candy and washed the dishes, Skylar dried and put them away, as comfortable in this kitchen as she was in her mom’s, and now in the Buchanan’s.

  “Colin told me you’re taking a class at Shippensburg, is that right?”

  “It’s just an online course.”

  “Still counts, dear.”

  Skylar grinned. Despite having dozens of grandchildren to keep track of, her grandmother never missed a beat.

  “This new job will help with tuition. By the time Ad
dison starts school, I should have enough saved to finish my bachelor’s degree—debt free.”

  “Do you need that to open a preschool?”

  Technically, she only needed an associate’s to run a day care, which she had, but she also needed a substantial amount of seed money. And currently she was broke.

  “It’s the money. Mr. Buchanan is paying me well, and I want to work for a while so that I have enough saved to design a school house exactly how I’ve dreamed.” She shrugged. “If I keep working for him until Addison goes to Kindergarten, I can save a lot of money and manage a few more virtual courses.” As a teacher, her education would continue until she retired, so going to school while working in a classroom wasn’t abnormal.

  “It’ll all work out.” Gran passed her the last bowl to dry.

  Once the kitchen was clean, they bundled the kids up and let them play in the snow for a while, which gave her grandmother a chance to get off her feet. While Gran enjoyed a mug of hot tea and honey on one of the rocking chairs, Skylar tried to build a snowman with the kids.

  When their rosy cheeks were chapped and their mittens soaked with melted ice, Gran set them up by the fire with popcorn and a Christmas movie.

  Addison was wiped out by the time they left, and asleep by the time they made it home. Skylar carried her into the living room and covered her with a blanket on the couch. That night she slept right through dinner.

  The house was quiet when her boss arrived and Skylar wasn’t sure if her presence was needed any longer. Hovering by the door, she began to make her exit.

  “Stay,” Rhett said, as he realized he’d be eating alone.

  Skylar hesitated. Dining alone with her boss… It seemed too intimate.

  “If you go, I’ll end up making a plate and taking it to the study where I’ll get lost in work and let it go cold.”

  “Well, don’t do that.” She laughed, knowing he was trying to guilt her into staying.

  “I can’t make any promises. I’m a creature of habit.”

  Was he? He definitely followed a routine, but he was fairly easy to derail. Skylar had yet to meet the hardheaded, particular boss Erin implied he would be.