Puppy Wishes & Candy Kisses (Kringle Falls #1)

15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

I t hadn’t been a date.

Still, it had been a very nice evening.

Saturday morning without the pups around, Candi didn’t know what to do with herself. She kept thinking she heard the pups or that she should go check on them. She missed them so much. She wondered if they missed her too. She hoped not, because she wanted them to be happy.

She wanted to go visit them, to see how they were doing. She forgot to tell Merry that Odie didn’t eat all of his food at once and that you had to watch or Tater Tot would eat his own food as well as Odie’s, which would make him sick. And if you didn’t keep after Tank, he would play too rough for the smaller dogs. There were just so many things she wanted to tell Merry.

But without her own vehicle, she was stuck. Of course, she could ask Michael to borrow his pickup, but knowing him, he’d insist on driving her. He’d already done so much for her that she didn’t want him going out of his way for her again.

Michael quietly entered the living room and caught her sitting on the couch, staring off into space. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a red and gray flannel shirt. She’d never cared for flannel until she saw it on him. It suited him.

“Do you want an early lunch?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No thanks.”

“But you must be hungry. You didn’t eat any breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry.” She held up her coffee mug. “This is all I need.”

He frowned at her. “How about we get out of here?”

Her heart leapt. “You mean to see the puppies?”

He visibly swallowed. “I was actually thinking about going for a snowmobile ride.”

“Oh.” She tried and failed to keep the disappointment from her voice. “It’s okay. You go ahead.”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as the silence between them ensued. “What if we compromise?”

She lifted her gaze to meet his. “What do you have in mind?”

“What if we ride the snowmobile into town?”

She shrugged.

“I wasn’t finished,” he said. “And while we’re in town, we could check on the pups.”

Her gaze met his. “Really? I mean, I don’t want you to go out of your way for me.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing them either.”

She knew it. He missed Tank.

She got to her feet before he could change his mind. “Let’s go.”

“You can’t go like that.”

She glanced down at her red and white snowflake sweater and her faded blue jeans. “I don’t have anything else to wear.”

“But I do. Wait a minute.” He disappeared up the steps. A few minutes later, he returned with a black snow suit and a black helmet. “I think these will fit you. Evelyn was close to your size.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about wearing his dead wife’s things. Still, she didn’t miss the significance of this moment. He was starting to let down his guard. His past and present were beginning to merge. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

He put a pair of snow boots in front of her. “I don’t know if these will fit or not. But I thought you might want to wear them so you don’t mess up your white ones.”

She looked down at the black snow boots. Sure. Why not?

“Thank you.” She took the bib overalls and jacket. “They look like they should fit.”

“Good.” He sent her a reassuring smile. “I’ll just go grab my things in the mudroom.”

She put on the things and found them to be a little big on her, but that was better than being too small. She carried the boots to the mudroom and slipped them on.

Michael zipped his jacket and turned to her. He was quiet for a moment, and she wondered if he was truly seeing her or if he was caught up in memories of his wife. Either way, it was okay. His wife and son would always be a part of him. To care about him, she had to accept that fact.

Her heart skipped a beat. Did she care about him? The thought swirled round and round in her mind.

“Are you okay?” Michael’s voice drew her from her shock.

“Um, yes. Thank you for letting me wear these. They fit.”

He sent her a small smile. “Glad to hear it.”

Since this was her first experience on a snowmobile, Michael gave her a brief rundown of how everything worked. To her relief, she didn’t have to remember half of what he’d told her, because she’d be riding in back and holding on to him. He took it slow in the beginning, but as she got used to the feel of the snowmobile, he picked up the speed. She had no idea what fun she’d been missing. Buying a snowmobile was now on her wish list. Of course, she was going to have to find a job first, and then there was the part about living in an apartment. It might make it a little difficult to store a snowmobile. But she let go of the questions without answers, and instead, hung onto Michael and enjoyed the sensation of having the snowmobile glide over the snow.

But there was another sensation that was even better—being this close to Michael. Her heart pitter-pattered in her chest. She could definitely get used to this.

Eventually, they ended up on the edge of town. He parked the snowmobile and got off. “Don’t worry. It’s not far from here.”

Side-by-side, they walked toward the pet store. The sunshine had drawn out people that had spent the past few days in their houses because of the weather.

Most everyone said hello as they passed by. Candi noticed the surprised looks on some of the passersby’s faces upon seeing her with Michael. Some tried to hide their shock. Others weren’t so subtle and openly stared.

If Michael noticed, he didn’t say anything. She hoped her presence in his life wouldn’t cause him any problems. That was the very last thing she wanted for him after the kindness he’d shown her.

When they arrived at the pet store, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she entered the shop, but it wasn’t the silence. She started to worry that the puppies weren’t there.

But as they made their way toward the back of the shop, she found the three musketeers in a playpen. As soon as they spotted them, excited barks abounded.

Merry stepped out of what appeared to be her office. When she spotted them, she smiled. “Hello.”

“I hope you don’t mind,” Candi said. “We wanted to stop by and check on the puppies.”

“I don’t mind at all. They are excited to see you too.”

Michael didn’t wait for an invitation, he let himself into the playpen. He sat down on a stool, and the pups climbed all over him.

When he smiled, it eased the stress on his face and made him look ten years younger. Happiness definitely looked good on him. She had hoped that by seeing Tank again, Michael would come to his senses and take Tank home where he belonged. Well, maybe not this exact moment, considering they’d rode the snowmobile. But it wouldn’t be that hard to go back to the house and get the pickup.

She joined him in the playpen. The puppies lathered her with love. She’d missed them so much.

Before they left, she remembered to tell Merry about the puppies’ habits, both good and bad. Merry paid attention. And then told her not to worry. They would be all right.

As Tank played tug-of-war with Michael, Candi gestured for Merry to step to the side with her. She whispered, “Can you hold off on finding a home for Tank?”

“Because he already has a home?” When Candi nodded, Merry said, “I take it Michael still hasn’t changed his mind?”

Candi shook her head. “I don’t understand it. Tank loves him. And Michael loves him right back. But he won’t admit it to me or himself.”

“Sometimes when someone has been hurt so deeply that they don’t think they’ll ever be whole again, they’re afraid to love—afraid that by opening themselves up again that it will destroy what’s left of them. The fact he’s here is a good sign.”

“I hope you’re right.”

As they went to leave, Merry called out to them. “Stop.” When they did, Merry said, “Look up.”

At the same time, they looked above their heads and saw mistletoe hanging there. That was strange; she didn’t recall seeing it when she was here before.

Candi lowered her gaze to Michael’s. His eyes were dark, and she wasn’t able to make out what he was thinking. Her heart pounded. What was she supposed to do now?

Her heart said to go for it. Not giving her mind a chance to talk her out of it, she lifted up on her tiptoes and turned her head so as to kiss his cheek. At the same time, Michael turned his head.

Their lips met. It was like fireworks and the crescendo of an orchestra all at once. It swept her breath away.

Her hands came to rest on his muscled chest. His hands spanned her waist. It was as though time was suspended, and the world faded away. It was just the two of them sharing this delicious kiss.

It started slow, as though they were nervous about where this might lead. She should pull away, but her feet wouldn’t work. Her body had a will of its own.

Her heart pounded so loud it echoed in her ears. Could he hear it? Did he know how he got to her?

Michael pulled away, leaving her longing for more. The action caused time to boomerang forward. And she was left a little unsteady on her feet. The kiss had touched her in a way that she’d never felt before.

When she looked at Michael, he appeared flustered. Before either of them were capable of speaking. She struggled to draw air into her lungs.

Had that really happened? When she looked at the color that had bloomed in Michael’s cheeks, she knew that it most certainly had happened. What were they supposed to do now?

Buzz. Buzz.

It wasn’t her phone. It must be his.

He reached into his pocket and withdrew it. After checking the caller ID, he said, “I have to get this. I’ll be outside.”

Candi didn’t say a word. She couldn’t. She was still coming to terms with the kiss.

“No problem,” Merry said. “Candi can visit with me.”

Michael took long, quick strides toward the door. He moved so fast it was like the building was on fire. Was he that anxious to get away from her? Was he running from the delicious sensations the kiss had evoked?

Then she had a worrisome thought. Did he regret the kiss? Did he wish the kiss hadn’t happened? Please don’t let that be the case.

Candi made her way back to the pups. While she petted them, she talked to Merry about possible homes for the pups. Merry said she had a couple of foster placements in mind for them.

The front door opened. All heads turned in that direction. Michael strode toward them.

His gaze met Candi’s before he quickly glanced away. “That was work. I need to go check on a serious issue. There’s a buildup of ice, and it’s causing problems. I’m sorry to do this, but I shouldn’t be long.”

Candi couldn’t help but wonder if this was a real emergency or if he was grasping for the first excuse he could find to get away from her.

“No problem,” Merry said to Michael before turning to Candi. “Would you like to get some hot cocoa? I promise it’s the best in the world.”

“In the entire world?” Candi smiled as she teased the woman.

“Oh, yes.” Merry said it with all seriousness. “Wait until you taste it, and then you can tell me what you think.”

She was seriously curious. “Okay. Let’s go have some of this cocoa.”

When she turned to say something to Michael, she found he was already gone. She felt disappointed that their day together had been interrupted. Not that she was getting attached to him or anything.

Merry slipped on a bright red winter coat with white imitation fur around the collar and wrists. With her snow-white short curly hair, she really did look like Mrs. Claus.

And then Merry put on a Santa hat. Oh my ! She definitely could play the part of Santa’s wife.

“Is something wrong, dear?” Merry gave her a concerned look.

Realizing she was openly staring and her mouth might have gone slack, she glanced away and pressed her lips together. “Um, no. Are you ready to go? After all of that hype, I’m anxious to try that hot cocoa.”

“Good.” When Merry smiled, her whole face lit up. “Let’s go.”

With the puppies barking because they hated to be left behind, they headed out the door. Candi had no idea where they were headed, but she instinctively trusted Merry. They only walked a few doors down the road when Merry stopped. “We’re here.”

Candi turned to take in the red-and-white-striped columns on either side of the front door. They were impressive and looked like giant candy canes. A wooden sign above the door was painted white with red lettering that read: Kringle Cup Café .

There was a large picture window next to the door. The tables looked to be filled. It must be a popular place. By the smiles and easy conversation, everyone appeared to be having a good time. It made her all the more curious to go inside.

No sooner had they stepped through the doorway than she heard Merry say, “Hello, Husband.”

Candi turned her head in time to catch a man lean over and give Merry a quick kiss. When he straightened, Candi gasped. She blinked to make sure her imagination wasn’t getting the best of her.

But as her eyes opened, she still saw Santa. His belly was round with a big black belt around his red velvet coat trimmed with white fur. He had a white beard and mustache. His cheeks were rosy. And behind those gold-rimmed glasses were the friendliest blue eyes she’d ever seen. When he looked at her, it was like he knew who she was, and he knew whether she’d been naughty or nice.

She swallowed. What was wrong with her? There was no such thing as Santa. But the man in front of her challenged that belief.

Merry placed a hand on Candi’s arm, drawing her attention. “Candi, I’d like you to meet my husband, Kris Kringle. Husband, this is Michael Bishop’s friend, Candi Goodman.”

Santa, erm... Kris stepped forward and held his hand out to her. When she placed her hand in his, he gave her a warm shake. “I hope you’re enjoying your visit to Kringle Falls.”

She noticed he didn’t say it was nice to meet her. Was that because he really was Santa, and he already knew whom she was? No. Of course not. She just needed something to eat. She should have taken Michael up on that suggestion to eat an early lunch.

Pulling herself together, she said, “I am. It’s a wonderful town. I hope to see more of it.”

“You should stick around. Kringle Falls has a lot to offer.” And then he let out a “ ho-ho-ho ” that sounded so authentic.

“I’d like that.” The response was automatic, but after she vocalized it, she realized it was the truth. There was something so welcoming about this small town.

“Oh, there’s Holly, Belle, and Felicity,” Merry said. “Let me introduce you.”

As Candi walked away, Kris Kringle said, “Believe in the joy of the season. It won’t let you down.”

She wondered what exactly he meant by that, but she didn’t stop to ask. She’d already embarrassed herself enough in front of him. But something told her she wasn’t the first person to be struck by Kris Kringle’s similarities to Santa.

Merry led her over to a table by the big picture window. “This is Felicity Wright, Belle Sinclair, and Holly Berry.” As she said each name, they smiled and waved. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet Candi Goodman. She’s a friend of Michael’s.”

Candi noticed how the young women’s eyes widened at the mention of Michael. She hoped they wouldn’t question her about that. She wasn’t ready to discuss Michael with anyone.

“Hi,” Felicity said.

“Join us.” Belle waved for her to have a seat.

Holly moved over. “Here, sit down.”

She noticed that all three of them had something hot to drink. “I’ll be right back. I just want to grab something to drink. I heard the cocoa is really good.”

They all nodded in agreement.

When she got the cocoa, she also got a ham and cheese croissant. Then she returned to sit with her new friends. They were all around her age. And to her relief, none of them questioned her about Michael.

It was nice having people her age to talk to. Something told her that if she were to stay in Kringle Falls, they would grow to become good friends.