The December Market (Shelter Springs #2)

4

“Dad! I think somebody’s here.”

Rafe shifted on the sofa, moving pillows to accommodate the ridiculously large fiberglass cast. At the slight movement, pain iced up his left arm, from his fingertips to his shoulders.

Everything ached. He had fallen ten feet onto concrete and had bruises on top of bruises. But the only thing broken, according to the extensive X-rays he had undergone at the emergency room, had been his arm, broken in two places, likely from where he had banged it on the blasted ladder on his way down.

He knew things could have been worse. He hadn’t required surgery, for one thing. The orthopedist had assured him they were clean breaks that should mend on their own in six to eight weeks, as long as he took things easy and kept his arm as immobilized as possible.

He still didn’t want to deal with any of it and wished he could have gone back in time ten seconds so he could made sure the ladder was completely stable before he started to climb down it.

Bad enough that he was injured. Worse, he had taken a fall in front of the whole damn town. The guys were never going to let him hear the end of it.

The doorbell rang. “I was right!” Isaac said. “Can I answer the door?”

“Sure. Go ahead. It’s probably your grandma or your aunt Julia. They both said they wanted to stop by and check on me.”

His family tended to hover whenever one of their number needed help. Usually he wasn’t the hoveree , he was on the other side of the equation. That was a role he found much more comfortable.

“I don’t think it’s Abi or Tia Julia. It’s a lady.”

“ Abi and Tia Julia are both ladies.”

Isaac frowned. “I know. But this isn’t either of them. It’s that pretty lady who fell on my car at Abuelo ’s new house. Amanda!”

Before he could process that, Isaac thrust open the door.

“Hi there, Isaac.” The woman’s voice was soft, warm and very familiar.

“Hi! You’re the lady from the Shelter Inn. My friend Birdie is your grandma.”

Rafe shifted on the sofa, remembering her pale, frightened face, one of the first he had seen after that tumble off the ladder.

She had been there to witness the whole disaster, much to his chagrin. He found it bad enough that she already had seen him at one of his lowest moments earlier that day. This wasn’t much better. Here he was with his arm in a stupid cast, in desperate need of a shave.

Why was she here?

“That’s right. I’m Amanda.”

“I remember,” Isaac said cheerfully.

“Is your dad home?”

“Yeah. He broke his arm. Did you know that? In two whole places. He has a cast and everything. I’ve never broken any bone in my body. Have you?”

She seemed a little caught off guard by the question. “Yes, actually. When I was very small, I broke my collarbone after I fell off a wall in our back garden that I shouldn’t have been climbing on. Oh, and I broke a toe when I was a little older than you are. I fell while riding my bike. That’s about it, though.”

“Does it hurt a lot when you break your bones? My dad says it doesn’t hurt much but I don’t believe him.”

“I can’t really remember, to tell you the truth.”

“I never said it didn’t hurt.” Rafe finally spoke up. She lifted her attention from his son, and he saw her eyes widen at the sight of his cast.

“Oh. Hi.”

“I never said it didn’t hurt,” he repeated. “I only said that I felt okay. They gave me medicine at the hospital to help me feel better.”

“Did it?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll be fine in a couple of days. Is there something I can help you with?”

He again had the impression she wasn’t quite sure why she was there. After a few seconds, she appeared to remember the two large insulated grocery bags she carried.

“Yes. Right. Sorry. I feel terrible about you breaking your arm, especially while you were trying to help Opal and Pearl.”

“It’s part of the job. I haven’t fallen off a ladder since I was a rookie. It shouldn’t have happened.”

He knew Mike was furious that the ladder hadn’t been completely secured before he started down, and procedure hadn’t been followed to make sure it remained stable.

“The stupid part is, we just spent way too much for a bucket truck that doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. If that had been functioning correctly, I could have taken the bucket down with Pearl and wouldn’t have needed to climb down a slippery ladder.”

“I can see why that must be frustrating. Why it happened— however it happened—I realize you’re probably going to have a tough time in the kitchen for a little while and could maybe use a couple of easy meals for you and Isaac.”

He blinked. “That’s...very kind of you.”

Why was she being so nice to him? They hardly knew each other.

It was hard to avoid Amanda completely when she seemed to be involved with every civic and Chamber of Commerce committee, but their paths rarely crossed.

After he and Isaac moved into the house on Huckleberry Street, he had been startled to realize she lived only down the street, in her grandmother’s charming old cottage. As further proof that their worlds seldom collided, until he moved in, he had no idea she still lived there after Birdie moved to the retirement community.

“I wasn’t sure what kind of food the two of you preferred so I picked up three different meals from restaurants around town.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“You’re right. I didn’t have to. I wanted to. Don’t worry. I had gift cards saved up from all the times The Lucky Goat has done joint promotions with these places.”

“You still must have gone to a lot of work, ordering everything, then driving around to pick it up.”

A hint of pink seemed to dance across her cheekbones. “It was nothing. Really. I tried to pick menu items that can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days and reheated. You can always freeze everything too, for another day when you need a quick meal.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

He had no idea what else to say. He wanted to blame the painkiller medication the emergency room doc had made him take, though he suspected it was more likely the unexpected kindness of the gesture that left him feeling all warm and gooey.

“I can put it away in your refrigerator, if you would like.”

“Thank you. I would appreciate that.”

He really hated accepting help, but figured she could do the task in half the time since he was temporarily one-handed.

Fortunately, he had just cleaned out the refrigerator a few days earlier, purging it of any scary leftovers.

“Guess what?” Isaac asked.

He didn’t wait for her to answer before he went on. “My dad can’t go to work. They won’t let him drive the ambulance or a fire truck because his arm is broken. He can’t fight any fires either or help people who are hurt. So that means I get to stay here every night and I don’t have to go sleep overnight at my grandma’s house or with my cousins. I don’t mind sleeping at their houses, but I like being with my dad better.”

“Wow. That will be a change for you.”

He nodded, then gave her a mischievous look. “ Abi told Ito that my dad is going to be tearing out his hair by tomorrow. She said he likes to stay busy, but the doctors said he has to take it easy for at least a couple of weeks.”

Rafe frowned. His parents really needed to stop talking about him when his son was within earshot. Especially when they knew Isaac had absolutely no filter and shared everything he saw, heard or felt with the entire world.

She sent Rafe an amused look that somehow left him feeling a little lightheaded.

The painkillers again, he told himself.

“Oh dear. I guess it’s lucky he can only tear out half of his hair, since he only has one working arm right now.”

Isaac giggled. “So he’ll only be half-bald. That would look so funny!”

“Wouldn’t it?” she agreed.

“I’ll do my best to find something to keep me busy,” Rafe said, trying not to sound whiny. “At least we have food to eat now, and I don’t have to try to slap together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for every meal with a cast on my arm.”

They moved to his kitchen and she easily found room in the refrigerator for the take-out boxes.

“Dad, can I show Amanda the picture I painted at Aunt Crista’s house today?” Isaac asked, then turned to her. “My aunt Crista is an artist. She paints really pretty pictures.”

“I know. I have one of her watercolors in my house. I love her work. I would love to see what you created.”

“Okay. I’ll go get it.”

He ran out of the room before Rafe could tell him another time might be better.

When they were alone in the kitchen, he was struck again by how pretty Amanda Taylor was, with green eyes and hair the rich auburn of maple leaves in October. The years had only made her more striking.

“Thank you for the food,” he said, feeling suddenly awkward and uncomfortable for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.

She flashed a quick smile, there and gone again, like a lazuli bunting flitting around his mother’s backyard bird feeder.

“You’re welcome. I hope it helps a little. I also hope I picked meals Isaac will enjoy.”

“I’m sure it will be great. He’s a pretty indiscriminate eater. The only thing he doesn’t like are artichokes.”

“Not an artichoke in the whole lot,” she assured him.

“Whew,” he answered.

“How long do you expect to be out of commission?”

He tried not to growl his frustration. “Because the injury happened on the job, the chief is forcing me to take time off. He wanted me to take a month but I’m doing my best to whittle that down.”

She gave him a sympathetic look. “That can’t be easy for you. I’m sorry.”

“I keep trying to remind myself it could have been worse.”

“Much worse,” she agreed. “When I saw you fall, I thought surely you must have broken several bones, not only your arm.”

“I mean, I guess it could have been worse. But yeah. It could also have been better, if I hadn’t fallen at all.”

“What will you do to fill the time?”

“Hang out with Isaac, when he’s not in school, I guess. He and I can work on a couple of projects we’re making as gifts for Christmas.” He shrugged. “Maybe we can fit in some snowboarding.”

She gave him a long look. “You have a broken arm. Granted, I’m not a doctor but I’m not sure snowboarding should be on the agenda.”

“I broke the other arm in high school and played right through the rest of the basketball season with it, plus competed in a couple of snowboard races.”

“You’re not a teenager anymore,” she pointed out.

Before he could answer, Isaac rushed in and thrust out his picture. “Here it is. Can you tell what it is?”

She took the paper and examined it carefully. He had to hope she was better at interpreting a six-year-old kid’s art project than he was.

“Sure I can.” She crouched down to Isaac’s level and pointed to the drawing. “It’s a Christmas tree, right? With a bunch of presents. What’s that big one in the candy cane wrapping paper?”

“Something I really want Santa Claus to bring me this year,” he said happily. “I can’t tell you what it is, though. It’s a surprise.”

Rafe huffed out a breath. He had been working hard for weeks to figure out what Isaac was hoping to find under the tree. Even a small clue would be nice.

“Got it. That’s a lovely picture. I especially like the purple ornaments.”

“My friend Maverick said purple isn’t a Christmas color, though.”

“Well, I love it. You tell Maverick that any color works for a Christmas ornament. I should know. I have a store that sells Christmas ornaments in every possible color.”

“I’ll tell him,” he said, clearly delighted by her answer. “I can draw you a picture, if you want. I don’t have paints but I can use crayons.”

“That would be lovely. Thank you!”

Isaac rushed away with the single-minded focus he could sometimes exert. When he left, Rafe thought Amanda looked a little nonplussed.

“I didn’t mean right now,” she said.

“Don’t worry. We can drop it off for you sometime. He’s always happy for any excuse to take a walk, even in the snow.”

She nodded. “He’s very sweet. You’re lucky.”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Actually, while he’s busy for a moment, I wanted to talk to you about something else.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t really know how to bring it up.”

“Seriously? I find it hard to believe that Amanda Taylor, the woman known for taking charge and getting things done in Shelter Springs, is ever lost for words.”

She made a face. “Yes. I know. I have a bad habit of signing up for more projects than I can legitimately handle. It’s a problem.”

“I hope I’m not another one of your projects.” He gestured to the empty bags on the countertop.

Color soaked her cheekbones. “No. Not at all. I was simply being neighborly, especially as you were hurt helping some friends of mine.”

“I was doing my job. And not very well, obviously, or I wouldn’t have taken a tumble off a stupid ladder.”

“Hanging the decorations for Opal and Pearl was thoughtful. I’m very sorry you were hurt while doing a nice thing. I can tell you that from the perspective of the bystanders, it was terrifying to witness you fall.”

She sounded genuinely upset at the possibility, which gave him an odd little burst of heat in his chest.

“Anyway,” she went on, that color spreading, “you moved in a month ago. I should have brought cookies or something before now.”

Why didn’t you?

The question seemed to hover between them.

“I did not realize you were the welcoming committee for the neighborhood, along with all your other town responsibilities.”

She gave a small, embarrassed smile. “Not officially, maybe, but I do try to reach out when new people move in on our street, to welcome them with a plant or a treat as a housewarming gift. Building a community where people watch out for each other takes a concerted effort.”

“And that’s important to you?”

“Yes. Very. Isn’t it important to you? You’ve chosen to raise your child here in Shelter Springs. I would think the stakes are even higher for you to make sure Isaac has a warm, supportive, safe community to grow up in.”

He did care about that. He had been offered a job in Boise after he finished his paramedic training. At the time, Caitlin had urged him to take it since the pay had been substantially higher. They had debated it for a long time before finally deciding to stay in Shelter Springs.

He was deeply grateful now that he had turned down that offer. In light of everything that happened later, he couldn’t imagine trying to raise Isaac on his own in a larger town, away from the safety net of his family.

“Yes. It’s important to me. I wouldn’t have stayed in Shelter Springs if it wasn’t. I see a lot of things in my line of work that can sometimes be grim. I also see plenty of good, too. This town is filled with decency and heart, for the most part. We’re lucky, aren’t we?”

She flashed him a smile, more genuine than any she had given him yet that evening. Again, that funny warmth seemed to flash through him like fireworks over Lake Haven.

He cleared his throat. “So what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Let me guess. You’re throwing together a neighborhood watch or something, and you want me to sign up.”

“No. Though that isn’t a bad idea. I’ll jot that down for next year.”

“Then what?”

Her slight smile seemed to dim and she suddenly looked troubled. “I was looking for your opinion on something. But never mind. It’s not important.”

“Now you have me curious. What is it? You’re here. You might as well ask me.”

She hesitated, her expression suddenly wary. Finally she went on in a rush.

“Do you think something might be going on with our grandparents?”

Of all the possibilities that had cycled through his brain in the past few seconds, their respective grandparents hadn’t come close to making the list.

“What do you mean by that? What do you think might be going on?”

“I was just wondering if they might be...dating.”

He thought for a moment he was maybe imagining this entire conversation. Maybe those painkillers they had forced on him in the ER were befuddling him more than he thought.

“Birdie and Abuelo dating? Seriously?”

She seemed to regret bringing up the topic. “They seemed...very friendly the other day when I saw them at the Shelter Inn before Thanksgiving. Your grandfather took Birdie chocolates.”

“And you, if you’ll remember.”

“Right. But I think I was merely an afterthought. And then they came into my store today shopping together. They were there when you had your accident, remember? They were arm in arm the whole time.”

“That’s just Paolo’s way. He can be very protective. I expect he thinks he has to provide a little extra support to Birdie, with her vision struggles.”

“That could be it.” She hesitated. “I don’t know. They just...they seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

Rafe frowned. “Why is that a problem for you?”

“Not necessarily a problem. A concern, maybe.”

“Semantics. Why would you possibly be concerned about two widowed people in their golden years who enjoy spending time together?”

Her mouth tightened. “My grandmother has been very vulnerable since she started losing her vision. I would hate to see her get hurt.”

Rafe narrowed his gaze. “You think Abuelo would hurt Birdie in some way? Or any woman?”

“I don’t know. I hardly know him. All I know about him, really, is that he and your grandmother ran Rosita’s in Haven Point. One of my favorite restaurants.”

He thought he picked up a barely perceptible note of suspicion in her voice. Under other circumstances, he would have found that amusing. The two small towns had a long history of friendly competitiveness.

“Yeah. He and my grandmother were in the restaurant business for nearly forty years. It’s a local treasure.”

“I agree. They have delicious fajitas.”

Rafe had worked there summers and after school since he was old enough to bus tables. He had learned how hard and relentless the work could be and had nothing but admiration for his grandparents, who had kept it going for years.

He had to admit, he liked working for the fire department much more than the hospitality industry.

“He was sorry to sell it after my grandmother died but he couldn’t run things on his own. My cousin bought it from him, and she and her husband run it now.”

“Your grandmother died in January, didn’t she?”

Thinking about his abuela still ached. Rosita had been a constant example of courage and grace throughout her life. Watching her grow increasingly ill had been one of the most helpless times of his life.

“Yes. Pneumonia. She had preexisting respiratory issues, maybe from all her years of working in kitchens and breathing cooking fumes and flour particulates. When she got sick, she couldn’t fight it off.”

“Winters can be hard on older people here in the mountains. My mom wants Birdie to move down to Florida with her, but my grandmother won’t hear of it. Shelter Springs is her town, she says. She was born here and intends to go out here, too.”

Birdie was definitely a character. He could hear her saying that. He liked and respected the woman. If his grandfather was going to start a relationship with someone again, he could do far worse than Birdie Lovell.

“My grandfather is a good man. If he and your grandmother enjoy spending time together, I can’t see that it’s any business of yours or mine. Unless you have something against hardworking immigrants.”

She stared at him, her eyes filled with outrage at the suggestion. “Of course I don’t! That has absolutely nothing to do with it. I like your grandfather very much, the little that I know about him. But I’ve come to realize that over the last few weeks, every time I talk to my grandmother, Paolo is either at her apartment, coming over soon or has just left. It’s surprising, that’s all. My grandfather died years ago and Birdie has never shown the slightest interest in anyone else, in all the years since.”

“I guess my grandfather must still have it.”

“She’s eighty years old! Also, he lost his wife less than a year ago. Don’t you think it’s a little soon for him to jump into something else?”

“Trust me. Grief is a completely individual experience. There is no one-size-fits-all playbook when you lose someone you love.”

Three years after his marriage broke down and then Caitlin’s subsequent death, he was still figuring out his way, sorting through the jumbled mess of loss, anger and regret.

“ Abuelo is a grown man,” he said, his voice quiet. “It’s not my place to be bothered if he chooses to ease his loneliness by befriending a dozen women at the Shelter Inn.”

Her eyes widened. “Has he?”

“Not that I’m aware of. I meant that only as a figure of speech. My point is that Paolo doesn’t have that much time left on this earth. Neither does Birdie. If they make each other happy, like I said, that’s their business.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she said after a moment, still looking unhappy.

“You don’t seem very convinced.”

“I’m sorry. But your grandfather seems to have become extremely involved in Birdie’s life in a relatively short amount of time. I can’t help but worry.”

“Maybe I’m the one who should be worried. My grandfather lost the love of his life less than a year ago. He’s vulnerable and alone. Maybe Birdie is the one taking advantage of the situation. He’s only seventy-six, so she’s an older woman.”

He meant the words as a joke, though he could tell she wasn’t particularly amused. Before she could respond, though, Isaac rushed back into the room, his hand outstretched.

“Here’s your picture,” he said. “It’s another Christmas tree. See? And that’s you and me standing by it.”

Rafe could see two stick figures with very large heads, one taller and with red hair and the other smaller with curly hair and glasses.

“Thank you. It’s wonderful,” she exclaimed. “I love it. I’ll put it up on my refrigerator.”

Isaac grinned happily. “If you want another one, let me know.”

“I’ll do that.”

“I’m hungry, Dad. Can I have one of those cookies our friend Amanda brought?”

He pointed to the counter, where a box from the local bakery sat enticingly. “Just one. You have to save room for dinner. Fortunately we have a few options to choose from now, thanks to our kind neighbor.”

To Rafe’s surprise, Isaac went to Amanda and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Thanks for the cookies and stuff.”

She hugged him back, an odd expression on her lovely features. “You’re very welcome,” she murmured, then quickly stepped away.

“I should go, so you can have your dinner and your father can get some rest. It was good to see you again, Isaac. Rafe, I’m sorry once more about your accident. If you need help with anything, I’m just down the street.”

He was most concerned about dealing with logistics. Getting dressed and undressed, wrapping his cast in a waterproof covering so he could take a shower, putting toothpaste on his toothbrush with one hand. Somehow he didn’t think Amanda Taylor would appreciate him giving her a call her to help him take off his hoodie at the end of the day.

Or anything else.

An inappropriate image of the two of them in his bedroom flashed through his mind but he quickly shut it down. She certainly wouldn’t appreciate that.

How was he supposed to fight this unwanted attraction to her when she smelled delicious and her mouth appeared so soft and inviting?

“Thanks again for the food,” he said, his voice more gruff than he intended.

“You’re welcome.” That soft mouth lifted into a polite smile.

With one last wave to Isaac, she walked outside. Rafe followed her out and stood in the doorway, watching her climb into her small SUV, drive four houses down the road and pull into the driveway of the house that used to belong to her grandmother.

After she pulled into her small attached garage, he finally went inside.

Amanda Taylor was a curious woman. Rafe did not know quite what to make of her.

She was not the woman for him, even if he were open to a new relationship. While she was nice enough and seemed devoted to Shelter Springs, he could not make his way past the haunted shadows in her eyes.

Amanda Taylor had baggage and plenty of it.

Rafe knew his own weaknesses. He was drawn to wounded birds, compelled by some innate instinct to try to help. He suspected it was something genetic. The men in his family, from Abuelo to Rafe’s own father, were always looking toward the needs of others.

He wouldn’t say the Arredondo compulsion to help others was necessarily a terrible trait. Most people would find it commendable, even.

Unfortunately, sometimes that urge to ease someone else’s pain led a man to choices that would only prove self-destructive in the end.

Caitlin once had the same haunted shadows in her eyes, filled with ghosts he once optimistically thought he could vanquish for her.

He had been sadly mistaken. Despite his best efforts, he hadn’t been able to save the woman he loved. Worse, Isaac was the one who had paid the price for Rafe’s poor choices.

Isaac was the most important thing in his world.

With every single decision, Rafe had to ask himself if his son would be helped or harmed by his choices.

Rafe could no longer afford to let himself be involved with a woman simply because he was attracted to her.

If he ever again entered into any kind of long-term relationship, his son’s well-being had to remain at the forefront of his decision-making.

Right now, Rafe couldn’t imagine a world where Amanda Taylor and her baggage and her shadows and her suspicions about his grandfather would ever be a healthy choice for him or for his son.