Merry Manager: River’s End Ranch Series #17 Page 8

  "I had a message from him an hour before you showed up, inviting me to trivia. I didn't think he'd still go."

  "Well, I think he got the message that you're not interested."

  "It was a really fun night, until he showed up."

  "I still had fun," Wade said. His voice had softened and Maddie remembered the ornament she had for him, from Vivian.

  "Do you have time to come in for a minute? Vivian made something for you."

  "She did?" He sounded pleased. "Of course."

  "Do you want a cup of coffee or tea?" she asked, once they were inside.

  "No, thanks. I don't want to trouble you. I know we both have to be up early tomorrow."

  Maddie reached into her purse and pulled out the two tissue-wrapped packages and brought them over to him.

  "She made these today, with Violet. One for me and one for you." She checked them both and then handed the right one to Wade. He unwrapped it carefully and then held it up in the light so he could get a good look.

  "I can't believe she made this for me. Please tell her I love it." She could hear in his voice that he really did.

  "I will. She'll be glad to hear it."

  "What does yours look like?"

  Maddie unwrapped hers and held it up so he could see.

  Wade smiled. "Very nice. A matched set." He set the ornament down and then took Maddie's hands. "She's a smart girl. Maybe she knows something?" He ran his thumb ever so lightly over her palms, creating little prickles of sensation that felt really good. She closed her eyes and gave into the feeling.

  Wade pulled her slowly to him. Maddie caught her breath and found herself leaning toward him, anticipating what was coming next. When his lips touched hers, tentatively at first, she kissed him back and he increased the pressure until the sweet kiss started to turn steamy. He pulled back and they both looked at each other in wonder.

  "You have no idea how long I've thought about doing that," he finally said.

  "Me, too," she admitted. "But, it makes me nervous. It's probably not a good idea." She bit her lower lip, hating that she had to say the words, but knowing it was for the best, before things went too far. The physical attraction between them was even stronger than she'd imagined it would be.

  Wade sighed. "I know. That's why I never did anything before this. I guess I just got caught up in the moment. It won't happen again," he promised her.

  She smiled sadly. "Goodnight, Wade."

  Chapter 12

  Wade was downright depressed the next day. Usually, Fridays had a festive feel in the office, especially this time of year. But Wade turned off the Christmas carols that had been playing all week in his office and was instead listening to sad country music—ballads about love lost and such.

  Bernie and Lily were all excited to go to Christmas Karaoke tonight and had mentioned it to him a few times, hoping he'd change his mind about going. It was the last thing he felt like doing. He'd go to the Christmas Eve hanging of the ornaments tomorrow night because it was tradition, and of course church and dinner with the family on Sunday. But after that, he was ready for the new year to begin.

  It was so hard to stop thinking about Maddie and the kiss they'd shared the night before. It was a million times better than he'd ever imagined it would be and more than anything else, he wanted to do it again. But, he had to respect her wishes. He knew she was right and that it wasn’t smart for them to get involved.

  He'd gone over the reasons why it was a bad idea repeatedly and he just didn't see any way around them, unfortunately. No, he'd have to just put Maddie out of his mind and focus on work. That, at least, he knew he could do.

  At a quarter to four, both Bernie and Lily came into his office.

  "Are you okay?" Lily asked.

  "We're worried about you," Bernie said.

  Wade sighed. "I'm fine, really. This has nothing to do with work. I'm just tired, not feeling overly festive today. He forced a smile. "I'm sure I'll be myself tomorrow. I'll be at the ornament hanging.

  They both looked relieved to hear that.

  "Are you sure you don't want to come with us to Christmas Karaoke? It's going to be awesome," Lily asked. She lived and breathed music, and normally her enthusiasm would be contagious.

  "I'm sure. I'm going to sit tonight out. I'll see you two tomorrow, and if I don't, have a wonderful, Merry Christmas. In fact, it's almost four. Why don't we call it a day and head out now for the holiday weekend?"

  "Really? Merry Christmas, Wade!" Bernie stepped forward and gave him a big hug and Lily did the same. "Merry Christmas!"

  When the two of them left, they took all the energy with them and the office felt oddly quiet. Wade decided to call it a day, too, and ordered a pizza to go from the restaurant. His big plan for the night was going to be to eat an entire pizza and fall asleep watching movies on the sofa.

  He wondered what Maddie was doing and thought she was probably doing something with Vivian, last minute shopping maybe. He remembered her mentioning something about getting a gift for Heidi's secret Santa project. He needed to do that, too. But the thought of going to the stores now was too exhausting. He'd get up early in the morning instead and go.

  * * *

  Wade woke up early the next morning with a bit of a pizza hangover. He had, in fact, eaten an entire sausage, onion, and pepper pizza, washed down with a quart of root beer and followed by a pint of Sadie's new flavor, coffee with caramel, pecans, and fudge swirl. He'd like that flavor so much that he'd stocked up on a few pints the last time he was in the Saloon.

  But he was feeling it this morning. His head was foggy and his belly was puffed out so much that he would have filled out the Santa suit pretty good without any stuffing. He didn't do this kind of carb overload often, but when he did, there was one solution that helped.

  He hit the gym hard and worked out for two hours, doing cardio and weights and finishing with a long spell in the steam room. Once he'd showered and changed, he went to the cafe for a light breakfast and was surprised that Jaclyn and Simon weren't there. He was all alone at the counter with just a scattering of customers at the tables.

  "They said they wouldn't be in today," Kelsi said as she topped off his coffee. "Christmas shopping. Everyone is doing last minute shopping."

  "That reminds me, I need to pick up something for Heidi's secret Santa project," Wade said. "I hate the thought of dealing with the crowd downtown, though."

  Wade was a minimalist shopper. He got it all done weeks ahead of time and though there were occasional actual gifts, he mostly gave gift certificates. People always seemed to like them and that way they got what they wanted.

  Kelsi settled onto a stool and eyed the chocolate chip muffin that Bob had sent out with Wade's breakfast. "Are you going to eat that?" she asked.

  "No, go for it." Bob had clearly disapproved of Wade's choice that morning—a spinach and tomato egg white omelet, no toast or home fries, and a side of fresh grapefruit. He handed Kelsi the muffin as her stomach seemed to get in the way of her reaching.

  "Thanks. You know, if you want to avoid downtown, you could check out Melissa's new store."

  "The book store? That’s not a bad idea."

  "Yes, The Book Nook! You should be able to find something there, I would think. She has a really great selection of books and educational toys. I've already picked out a few things I want there for the baby."

  "Good idea, and then I can just drop them off with Heidi at the general store."

  "Melissa's really nice, too. She's pretty and single! Just saying..."

  "I'm looking for a gift, not a date," Wade said sharply and Kelsi narrowed her eyes at him.

  "Boy you are a grump this morning. Forget I suggested it. You're not in the right mood to charm her today."

  That made him laugh. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm most definitely lacking charm this morning. But I will stop in there. That sounds much better than fighting the crowds.”

  * * *

  An hour later, Wade found hi
mself browsing the shelves of the new bookstore. He had a hard time choosing but finally he settled on a few items and brought them to the register. A pretty, petite brown-haired woman with clear blue eyes smiled at him. "Would you like me to gift wrap these for you?"

  "Yes, please. That would be great." Wonderful, actually. One less thing he had to do and he hated wrapping gifts. "I'm Wade, by the way. We spoke on the phone when you called to inquire about leasing the store. I was out of the office when Bernie had you come in to sign the paperwork."

  "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

  "How is it going so far? The store looks great and the wrapping is a welcome service."

  "Thanks. The customers seem to really like that. It's going well so far. I had no idea what to expect but people seem to really love the holidays around here."

  "They do. I'm glad it's going well for you."

  Melissa handed him his charge slip and a big white paper bag with his gifts neatly wrapped inside. He thanked her and when he turned to go, saw Jaclyn standing by the door with two giant bags of gifts at her feet.

  "Good morning, Wade! Do me a favor, would you?" she asked sweetly.

  "Of course."

  "Do you mind helping me carry these bags back to my place? It was such a nice day for a walk and I only intended to get a few things, but—well, as you can see, I went a bit overboard."

  Wade laughed. "Sure. Lead the way." He grabbed her bags and followed her out and they chatted easily during the short walk to her house.

  "I love that she offers gift-wrapping. I bet she'll do well with that store," Wade said.

  "Oh, her store is fantastic and she's a lovely girl. But she's not for you," Jaclyn said.

  Wade laughed. "It never crossed my mind that she would be."

  "Good. I wouldn't want you to get any ideas. The fairies and the gnomes have confirmed that she's going to find love here at the ranch, but I'm afraid it won't be with you."

  "Okay." Wade was used to Jaclyn's announcements that supposedly came from the fairies and gnomes that lived on her property.

  "Gorgeous George says hello," Jaclyn said as they passed by a particularly unusual gnome. Wade didn't find him especially gorgeous, but Jaclyn clearly saw something in him. As they reached her front door, a swarm of rabbits, some wearing diapers, ran over to greet them and he almost tripped over one of them.

  "Be careful. Fred is a little blind, but he's very enthusiastic. His reflexes just aren't as sharp as they used to be." Wade wondered if he was one of the ones wearing diapers.

  "It's just the babies in the diapers," Jaclyn said, almost as she was reading his mind. It's not for much longer, just until they are litter trained.

  "Oh. How many are there?" There were a lot of rabbits. A lot.

  "Oh, depends on the day. Thirty-two or so?" She opened the front door and he followed her inside, along with about a dozen rabbits of assorted sizes.

  "You can set those bags in the corner, dear, and then come have a cup of tea with me. I'll give you a shot of elderberry syrup for it. That will help you get your energy back. You look like you had a late night. Hitting the carbs again?"

  Wade laughed. "You don't miss much, do you? Did the fairies tell you?"

  "No, dear. It was your sister, actually. Kelsi. She worries about you. She mentioned yesterday at breakfast that you told her you weren't going to join everyone for Christmas Karaoke. She said you had a date with a large pizza and said you do that sometimes when you're down. Not that I blame you. Pizza always cheers me up!"

  "I think I've had my fill for a while."

  "And you went and worked out this morning, bright and early?"

  "She told you I do that, too?"

  "She did. Pizza is fattening. It's smart of you to stay on top of it." She slid a plate of snickerdoodle cookies his way. "You've been good and gone to the gym, so now you can have a treat, or two. No one can have just one of my cookies."

  Wade took a bite of one and had to agree. He reached for a second and she smiled.

  "Have you ever been in love?" she asked.

  The sudden shift in topics took him by surprise. "I've dated some wonderful girls, but no, I don't think I really have truly been in love yet."

  "Are you sure? What does love mean to you?"

  Wade thought carefully about the question. What did it mean really? At its core, maybe it was a simple thing and he'd been making it all too complicated. "I think it's when you are happier being with someone than being apart. When you look forward to seeing them and are sad to see them go. When you don't want your time together to end. When you feel better when you're around that person. When you can’t wait to kiss them again."

  Jaclyn nodded. "That sounds about right. And if you find that with someone and they feel the same way—well, that doesn't come around too often, does it?"

  "No, I don't suppose that it does."

  "Good. Well, I think we're done here, then. Do you want to take a cookie or two with you for your walk home?"

  Wade realized he was being dismissed, and smiled. He stood. "Sure, I'll take one more. Thanks for the cookies, and the tea."

  "And for the conversation," Jaclyn added. "And for helping an old lady out. We'll see you tonight, at the ornament hanging?"

  "Yes, I'll be there."

  * * *

  Wade left Jaclyn's and walked back to Melissa's store. There were a few things that had caught his eye while he was there and after thinking about it, he decided to go back and get them. As he walked, he felt a spring return to his step and smiled at the sight of new snow beginning to fall. Another thought came to him as well, something that might be worth braving the crowds downtown for.

  Chapter 13

  “Will we see Wade there? He liked my ornament, right?" Vivian was bouncing around the kitchen excitedly as Maddie put their ornaments in her purse and looked for her scarf. It wasn't snowing at the moment but it was chilly and more snow was possible.

  Maddie always loved the candlelight Christmas Eve festivities. They were attending the service and after a gathering at Pastor Kevin's, they'd walk by candlelight to hang their ornaments on the tree.

  "He loved your ornament, because you made it for him. And I'm pretty sure he'll be there tonight." She had told this to Vivian several times already, but she never tired of hearing it and was all smiles as they climbed into the car to head to the church.

  The service was crowded and lovely. Snow began to lightly fall as they silently made their way by candlelight to the tree. She saw Wade standing with his family but when it was time to hang the ornaments, he made his way over to them.

  "Merry Christmas," he said softly.

  "Hi, Wade!" Vivian said in a loud whisper.

  He leaned over and held up the ornament Vivian had made for him. "Thank you so much for this. I love it!" He gave her a hug and she wrapped her arms around him tightly, all smiles.

  "Yay! Let's hang them now!"

  Maddie smiled at the two of them.

  "You ready?" Wade asked her.

  She nodded and they quietly got in line and waited their turn to hang their ornaments on the tree. Once they were all up, it was a beautiful sight to see. Vivian spotted Violet in the crowded and ran off to say hello.

  "How are you?" Wade asked.

  How was she? Sad, empty, and trying not to be. She was already missing him and her heart ached that it seemed to be over before it ever got started. It was so much harder since he'd kissed her and she knew what she was missing.

  "I'm good. Tired. You?"

  "The same. I've missed you."

  She saw something in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat.

  "Really? I missed you, too. It's silly, though, isn't it? I just saw you on Thursday."

  Wade grinned. "It's not silly. My day is always better when you're in it."

  Maddie felt her eyes well up. "That's possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

  "It's the truth. I've done a lot of thinking this past week, about what's importa
nt and what's not."

  "Oh?"

  "Yes. What's important is how we feel about each other. I care about you and I want to spend more time with you. If you feel the same way, then it doesn't have to be important that you work for me."

  Maddie felt something release inside of her and a sense of joy take its place.

  "Okay."

  He took hold of her hands. "Okay, meaning you feel the same?"

  "Yes. Okay to all of it. I want to spend more time with you, too."

  Wade pulled her in for a quick, sweet kiss.

  "What are your plans tomorrow?" he asked.

  "Vivian's grandparents are coming over in the morning to exchange gifts and have brunch with us and they'll probably leave around two. We'll just be relaxing after that. Do you want to come by in the afternoon? I'm sure we'll have plenty of leftovers. You can watch Christmas movies with us. That's what we usually do. We like to be lazy."

  Wade grinned. "I'm good with lazy too. I'll be doing the same. I'll be seeing the family in the morning and having lunch with them. I'd love to come by later in the afternoon."

  "Good, then, it's a date," Maddie said.

  "Wait, what about Vivian? Christmas is kind of a big deal. I don't want to interrupt her day."

  Maddie loved that he thought of that. "It was actually her idea. She mentioned yesterday that we should invite you. She's worried that you will be all alone on Christmas."

  "Well, I'm glad that I won't be."

  * * *

  "What time is Wade coming?" Vivian asked for the third time. She was reading one of her Christmas gifts, a new Nancy Drew, from her secret spot, behind the Christmas tree. It stood in the corner of the room and Vivian was wedged behind it, laying on her back and staring up at the twinkling colored lights. She loved it back there and stayed for hours, alternating between day-dreaming and reading. When Violet came to visit, the two of them hung out back there all afternoon. Maddie understood it, though. She used to do the same thing when she was their age.

  "Any minute, honey."