Puppy Wishes & Candy Kisses (Kringle Falls #1)

9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

T his was it.

They’d finally see the damage.

Candi watched as they adjusted the placement of the tow lines on the van. The men made it all look so easy to drag the van up the embankment, but she knew without their experience that it would have been a disaster.

The snow and ice had caused them countless problems. And yet they were at the final stage as the van teetered near the roadway. Was it too much to hope that once they got the van on the road that she’d be able to drive off in it? Probably. But it didn’t keep her from wishing.

Her gaze shifted to where Michael was standing. There was a part of her that didn’t want to leave Kringle Falls, but the little voice inside her head said if she didn’t leave soon that she was going to fall for this tall, dark, and brooding man.

And would that be so bad? Yes.

For one, her life was back in Cleveland. She had an apartment and working as a substitute teacher wasn’t so bad. Okay. That wasn’t the truth, no matter how much she tried to convince herself.

She didn’t like it. She craved a reliable work schedule. The longer she was away from teaching, the more she was thinking that maybe it wasn’t her calling. But her feelings might change once she found a new position.

For two, Michael wasn’t interested in her. He was still in love with his wife. He kept memories of her all around him in that house. There were pictures of them on the bookshelves and mementos strewn from one room to the next. Something told her he’d left everything the way it’d been when his wife and son were alive, as though he were waiting for them to walk back through the door any day now. Her heart ached for him. She couldn’t imagine the pain he’d endured.

Candi would have come up with a third reason why leaving sooner rather than later was best, but her thoughts were interrupted when the van crested the side of the road. Excitement flooded her veins. She’d been so worried that she’d totaled Bob’s van, but of what she saw so far, it looked to be in pretty good shape. Not perfect. But better than it could have been. She would definitely pay for any repairs.

But what she was most excited about was getting her purse and phone back. She would at last be able to make phone calls and let people know she was all right.

When all four wheels of the van were on the asphalt, she rushed forward. She moved too fast, forgetting the road was still icy in places. Her feet hit a patch of ice and then they went out from under her. Her arms stretched out. There was nothing to grab. In an instant, she was careening toward the cold ground.

Before she hit the hard, cold asphalt, a pair of strong hands reached out to her. They caught her under her arms, stopping her descent.

They helped her regain her balance. She spun around to thank her rescuer. But she hadn’t anticipated him standing so close. When she turned, she was just a few inches away from Michael. The breath caught in her lungs. She knew she should take a step back, but her feet refused to cooperate.

Instead, she stood there, staring into his dark eyes. They were filled with mystery and something else. It took her a moment, then she realized it was pain.

She longed to take him into her arms and assure him he was going to be all right. But she didn’t have that right. And why would he believe her? They hardly knew each other.

Still, what could she say to ease some of his pain? She couldn’t think of any appropriate words. But then his gaze lowered and lingered. Was he staring at her lips? Her heart beat faster. So the attraction went both ways. Her heart beat a rap-a-tap-tap in her chest.

When he lowered his head toward hers, the breath caught in her lungs. This was it. He was really going to kiss her. Her eyes fluttered shut.

“Hey, Michael!”

What? No. This isn’t happening. Not now.

Candi’s eyes snapped open. Michael jerked back. When she looked at him, he turned away. This time she hadn’t imagined the moment. It was real. It had happened—well, it’d almost happened.

“Yeah, Stan,” Michael said. “What do you need?”

“Thought you mentioned getting something out of the van before we tow it.”

That was Candi’s cue. She rushed over to the van. “Can’t I just drive it?”

Stan shook his head. “Not until we check it out. It might look to be in good shape, but that was quite a wild ride you took down the embankment. Any number of things could be wrong with it.”

That wasn’t the answer she’d wanted to hear, but she knew Stan was right. She moved to the passenger’s side and opened the door. First, she looked in all of the obvious places for her phone: the seat, the dash, and the cup holder. It wasn’t in any of those places.

She bent over and searched the floor. A lot of stuff had been shuffled around during the accident. It wasn’t until she looked on the driver’s side that she found the phone wedged between the seat and the console. The screen had spiderweb cracks through it, but she hoped it would still work. When she tried it, nothing happened. She was faced with a black screen.

“Is everything okay?” Michael stepped up beside her.

“Yeah. I think my phone just needs to be charged.” She hoped.

“Are you ready to go?” He seemed anxious for them to be on their way. Was it because he had other things he’d rather be doing? Or, did it have to do with the almost kiss that had been interrupted?

She held up her finger for him to wait. “I need to see if I have more puppy food, and I need my suitcase.”

They moved to the back of the van, and she unlocked the doors. She cautiously opened them, worried things would fall out at her. To her relief, nothing was pressing against the doors.

It took her climbing into the back of the van in order to find everything she’d been looking for. It would be nice to have a fresh change of clothes. The hospital scrubs were surprisingly comfortable, but she preferred her jeans and sweaters.

To her disappointment, there wasn’t any more puppy food. She’d have to get some on the way back to the house. She hoped Michael wouldn’t mind a detour.

With her belongings in hand, she closed the van doors and turned to the tow truck driver. After she relinquished the key to the van, she asked, “How soon can I pick it up?”

The older man rubbed his hand along his salt-and-pepper-colored beard. “I can’t really say. It depends on what we find. Can I get your number?” Stan held his phone in his hand in order to enter her number. When she hesitated, he said, “That way I can call you about the van?”

She knew that was why he’d wanted her number, but she worried that her phone might not work. She lifted her phone to look at the cracked black screen. “I’m not sure it’s still going to work.”

“You can just call me,” Michael said. “I’ll make sure she gets the message.”

Stan nodded his almost bald head as he walked away to work on securing the van to the tow truck.

It wasn’t until they were back in Michael’s red pickup that she said, “Thank you. I hope after I charge my phone it still works. It was pretty beat up in the accident.”

Michael nodded in understanding. “Do you have a charger cord for it?”

“I do. It’s in my bag with my clothes.” And now there was another topic she needed to cover with him. And she really hated to be more of a burden on him. Still, she didn’t have a choice in the matter. “Would it be possible to make a stop on the way back to the house? I desperately need to get some more food for the three musketeers.”

“Uh, sure.”

“Thank you. I’m so sorry for being such a bother.”

“You’re not.” He reached out to her, as though to pat her hand in reassurance, but before his fingers touched hers, he hesitated and pulled his hand back.

She wanted to believe he didn’t see her as a bother. She really did, but it didn’t stop her from feeling bad about needing his assistance. “I’m sure the van will be fine.” She’d keep her doubts about that statement to herself. “And as soon as it gets a clean bill of health, we’ll be on our way.”

She glanced over at him and noticed Tank snuggled up against his thigh. The pup had really taken to him. And then she had an idea.

“Tank really likes you,” she said.

Michael glanced down as though he wasn’t aware the dog was pressed up against him. “He just likes that I let him play in the snow.”

She was certain Tank liked that part, but she knew it went beyond that. The dog was very particular about whom he liked. Michael had obviously met the dog’s high standards. The question was how fond was Michael of the dog?

“You know he’s looking for a home…”

Michael cast her a quick sideways glance. “You surely aren’t suggesting I adopt him?”

“Why not? You have that big house. You could use some company.”

“No.” The one-word response was firm.

She knew she should leave the conversation there, but she was never one to leave things alone when she knew she was right. “But he needs a home.”

“I said no.”

“He’s a really good dog.”

“Good?” Michael shook his head. “He’s an escape artist. You do realize he’s gotten out of your room the last two nights and snuck up to my room. In fact, this morning he stole my side of the bed and my pillow.” There was an indignant tone to his voice.

She attempted to smother her amusement. The more Michael talked, the more convinced she was that they belonged together.

Michael gave her a sideways glance. “Stop laughing. This is not funny. The dog has a mind of his own.”

She subdued her laughter to say, “And that’s a bad thing?”

Michael expelled an exasperated sigh.

She decided to leave the conversation there. She could only push so much, but the conversation wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. Sooner or later, he’d realize they belonged together—he and Tank, of course.

As she stared out the window, she noticed they were following a winding river. While there was snow and icicles on the edges of the water, the center was flowing freely. It was so picturesque.

“What’s the name of the river?” she asked.

“It’s the Kringle River. It flows through the heart of the town.”

“Oh. That sounds beautiful.”

“If you like that, wait until you see the waterfall in town.”

“You have a waterfall in town?”

He nodded. “That’s how the town got its name.”

“I like this town already, and I haven’t seen much of it yet.” Her hand ran over Tater Tot’s back as he slept.

“Well, you’re about to. Because this is the edge of town.”

She stared out the window at the big old stately homes. Though they had weathered many years, they had been lovingly tended to. Most had big porches, some with porch swings and others with rockers that were just waiting for springtime to arrive.

After a while, he grew quiet. She’d tried a couple of times to make conversation, but Michael would only give her one-word answers at best and at other times a grunt or nod. The silence was deafening. She glanced over at the radio. It looked like an antique, but what else would you expect in an old truck like this.

She wondered if it worked. “Do you mind if I turn on the radio?”

“No.”

She reached for the knob and turned. It clicked. She stopped, wondering if she’d broken it, but then the music came on. It was very faint. She turned the knob some more, and the music grew louder.

It was country music. And though she liked it, she was in the mood for something more festive. “Can I change the station?”

He glanced over at her. “You don’t have to keep asking. Feel free to put on whatever you like.”

And so she turned the other dial, scrolling down through the various stations. At last, she came across a station that was playing Christmas tunes. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” played, and she started to think about her lonely apartment in Cleveland. There was no one special waiting for her. The thought deflated her mood.

This Christmas she would get together with some friends for Christmas Eve. For Christmas day, she’d probably stay home. Bob would call and insist she come over to his place to celebrate with his friends.

A new song started to play. At first, she didn’t recognize it, and then it dawned on her. It was “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Her gaze moved to Michael. Was he paying attention to the song?

Her instinct was to reach out and change the radio station, but she hesitated. If he was listening to the words of the song, would he read something into her need to change stations? She let the song play as she stared out the window.