Winning Her Love (The Rocky Mountain Christmas Train)

12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

S eth couldn’t sleep. Tired of tossing and turning, he headed for the forward observation car, the place where he’d been teamed up with Joy and Chantal. At two a.m. he expected the car to be empty. The small counter where they prepped drinks was closed up tight, the lights were off, but a few electric candles glowed in the near dark. It wasn’t fully dark because the train’s Christmas lights reflected off the snow outside.

A lone figure sat in the corner. He turned to go, not wanting to disturb their solitude.

“You can stay,” a voice called out. “Join me. I’m just having tea before I go to bed.”

He walked closer. Bruce, the bartender, sat with his feet on the bench across from him. His normally neat blond hair was mussed, and his work tie undone. “Little late to be up,” Bruce said.

“I could say the same to you,” Seth chuckled, though he didn’t feel particularly jolly.

“Late shift today. Closed up at one-thirty. I just finished tidying up and needed a moment to unwind.” He shifted his feet and nodded for Seth to sit. “Congrats on the win, mate.” His Australian accent was heavier than usual.

“Thanks.”

“Want a drink? I could open the bar for you.”

“I’d take another,” a thirty-something bearded man sitting alone at an adjacent table called. Seth looked at him. Davyn Kayne, the poet, frowned back.

“Mr. Kayne. Why don’t you join us?” he offered. His sister was a huge fan of the somewhat reclusive poet’s work. Maybe he could get her an autograph.

The slightly rumpled gentleman joined them. They chatted about the weather while Bruce fixed the man a drink.

“Last one, Mr. Kayne,” Bruce said in his heavy Aussie accent. “You sure you don’t want one, Mr. Mathison?”

“Naw. I’m good.” The last thing Seth needed was to start drinking when he was stressed. Too many firefighters used alcohol as a coping mechanism. He did have an occasional drink, but never when he was stressed. He sat across from Bruce.

“Excitement over possibly winning the big prize keeping you awake?”

Seth snorted. “I wish.”

“Woman troubles?”

“Those are my options?” Seth said somewhat sarcastically. “Excitement and women?”

“Well, could be work, but you’re on vacation.”

Seth leaned his head back and closed his eyes. After a long silence, he said. “Why are women so confusing?”

“Don’t ask me, mate. I’ve been aboard for five days, including training. I’ve got three chicks chasing me, and the one I like won’t even look at me. Dunno, mate, chicks are weird.”

“Not weird,” Seth countered, trying to assemble his thoughts. “Complicated.” He nodded at the mental discovery. “We just need to unlock the puzzle.”

Bruce laughed. “Right.” So much sarcasm in one word. “You and Joy then? What’s up? That kid getting in your way?”

“Not even close. I adore Chantal.”

“And you’ve got the hots for the mom?” Bruce took a swig from his large mug.

“I like Joy. We’ve clashed a few times, but she’s easy to be with. She…” He struggled to find an explanation for how he felt. He’d never felt anything even close. And the one experience that had felt similar sure hadn’t been an overnight thing.

It was like love at first sight.

Whoa! No!

Maybe?

Something had sparked in his chest when he saw Joy on the platform. It had grown over the hours they spent together. He wanted to explore that and see where it went.

“I messed up.”

Bruce nodded, but didn’t offer any words of wisdom. Seth appreciated the silence. It was comfortable, like Bruce understood what he was going through. He needed to talk about this, and it was a ridiculous time to call anyone he knew.

“What do you do when you say something incredibly unfeeling and stupid?”

“Apologize?”

Seth groaned and scraped his hand across his midnight whiskers. They were well beyond a five o’clock shadow. He’d already known he needed to apologize, but hearing it from another man’s lips was annoying. “I guess I better.”

A weight lifted off his soul. Having a plan was freeing. Okay, not a plan exactly, but an idea of what came next. He just had to figure out how to grovel meaningfully.

“What are you going to do about the ladies?” he asked Bruce.

“Keep on saying no and keep on asking for dates. I guess.”

Mr. Kayne finished his drink and left. Bruce and Seth talked for another twenty minutes until Bruce got up. “I’m out. I need some sleep. Cocoa duty in the caboose tomorrow. We’re open for cocoa and Santa visits from noon to four. It’s gonna be a rough go.”

“Have a good night,” he said as Bruce walked away.

Seth sat in the near dark, regretting his big mouth. He felt terrible for confronting Joy about her parenting. She was right; it wasn’t any of his business, but at the same time, she was smothering her daughter. Chantal had mentioned not having any aunts or uncles. He knew her father ditched at her diagnosis. That left Joy alone. Sometimes you needed family or friends to tell you when you were messing things up. He didn’t regret telling Joy, but he regretted the way he’d done it.

He fisted his hands in self-censure.

Mostly, he regretted losing her friendship and what he had been hoping might turn into a deeper, longer-lasting relationship. He was falling for her. He had been since her first staunch defense of her daughter on the platform.

Despite knowing he wouldn’t sleep, he returned to his cabin and tried to rest.

Bleary-eyed and exhausted, Seth was surprised to see Chantal sitting alone in the dining car the next morning. Ignoring Joy’s orders, he greeted her. “Good morning, Chantal. Any plans for today?”

“No. Mama has a headache. She’s sleeping in.”

“And you left without permission?” He raised one eyebrow in question. There would be trouble if she had defied her mother’s orders. He couldn’t believe Joy would let her daughter come here alone.

“No. She said I could. Miss Jenny is watching me.” She pointed toward the far corner where Jenny, still wearing her Mrs. Claus outfit, was talking to a small group of staff members in low secretive tones. She kept glancing around as if to ensure nobody was listening.

“They’re telling secrets,” Chantal said. “Mama says secrets are rude.”

“Sometimes they are. Usually they are,” he corrected himself. “But it is Christmas, and that’s a time for special secrets. Like what gift you bought someone or a wonderful surprise you have planned. I’ll bet Miss Jenny is planning a surprise.”

“Do you think she’s the benef…” she stumbled on the word benefactor. “Did she plan this trip?”

“Maybe. But it’s hard to tell. There are hundreds of people on this train and we don’t know if the benefactor is even here. They could be somewhere else entirely. Remember yesterday? Think about how many people we saw at the play. Jenny, the people in the matching coats, Nurse Maddie, and Chris, the bald guy with the fake fur coat. The lady who wears the big sweater with the dog team on the back. It could be any of them, or somebody else.”

“I suppose.” She sounded totally defeated.

“Maybe we’ll find out at the end of the trip. Plus, we can watch for clues all month. There are almost three weeks left on this trip. I’ll bet we can figure it out by the end.” He grinned, though it hurt to see Chantal so despondent about not knowing. “Cheer up and enjoy your day.”

“Can you sit with me? I don’t like sitting alone. It feels weird.” Her cheeks pinkened adorably and something in her eyes reminded him of Joy’s fear for her daughter. Mother and daughter were so much alike that it made his chest hurt.

He hesitated. He didn’t want to go against Joy’s wishes, even if they felt unreasonable.

“Please.” She blinked up at him, tears in her eyes.

“Okay.” He slid in opposite her.

“I hear Santa is taking visits today. He’ll be in the rear observation car. Maybe Jenny can take you to see him.” He pulled out his phone. “He’ll be doing it after we stop for the day.”

“Maybe Mama will get up soon. I’m supposed to eat and get Miss Jenny to take me back to my room.” She toyed with her fork, stirring the scrambled egg on her plate. “I don’t want to sit all day. I want to do stuff.”

Her plea was hard to resist. “Let’s just eat and see what happens. We can take our time. I’ve got all day.”

He ordered black coffee and the Mountain Man breakfast special. Three eggs, three sausages, and three slices of bacon on a waffle, with a side order of fruit and rye toast. He’d been so nervous about the contest that he’d eaten very little all day yesterday, though he had tried. He worked hard physically and normally had an enormous appetite. The delicious treats from the food truck were not enough to sustain a man his size.

He thought about his nieces and nephew and wondered if she liked dogs. “Want to see a picture of my puppy?”

“Yes, please!”

He pulled out his phone and scrolled to one of his rescue mutt. Pugster had shaggy black and white hair with weird brown paws. He was patchy and looked rather like he’d been through a blender. Despite his unfortunate appearance, he was the best dog he’d ever had.

“This is Pugster. I call him Pugs. He’s kind of the fire station dog. He’s mine, but he goes with me to work and hangs out in the hall when I’m on calls.”

“Where is he? Isn’t he lonely? I’d be lonely if Mama wasn’t around. ’Cause I don’t have a dad.”

“Sorry about your dad.” Her sadness broke his heart. “Pugs is staying with my neighbor. They’re great friends.” He scrolled again. “Here he is with my nieces and nephew. That’s Jada, Marnie, and Ryan. If you swipe, you can see more pictures of them.”

She scrolled through pictures for a few minutes, commenting on them. He wasn’t worried about her seeing anything she shouldn’t. “Who is this?” She turned the phone so he could see.

He swallowed hard. “That’s Gwyn. She was my niece. She’s gone to heaven.”

“How did she die?”

God, he’d never get used to that question. His eyes burned and his throat tightened. “She died in a fire.”

Chantal’s eyes lit with understanding. “That’s why you picked the burn place.” She patted his hand, exactly as her mother had. His heart swelled. “I think she’s in heaven with my gramma and grampa and they’re watching us and keeping us safe,” she declared matter-of-factly.

“I sure hope you’re right.”

Something jittery inside Seth settled down and an unfamiliar calm washed over him. There was an absolute rightness to being with Chantal. With sudden clarity, he realized it was exactly what he felt around Joy.

Peace, contentment, and absolute love. Granted, it was early for that, but he vowed to win Joy’s forgiveness, and from there…well he had the rest of the trip to convince her he was worth the risk. All he had to do was get her talking to him.

They ate and chatted while Jenny dealt with her staff. He was lingering over his coffee, and Chantal over her juice, when Jenny bustled up to the table, her Mrs. Claus glasses crooked and her wig askew.

“I have to go see Santa. Did you want to come?” she asked Chantal.

“I know he’s not real Santa,” Chantal said. “But Mama says he knows real Santa. So yes!” She fist-pumped the air and scooted out of the bench with amazing speed.

“Mind if I tag along?” Seth asked. “Maybe I’ll get a chance to tell Santa what I want for Christmas.” He grinned at Jenny and winked, after being certain Chantal wouldn’t notice.

“Sure, tag along. Since it’s in the caboose, why don’t I run ahead, and you follow with Chantal?” There was an underlying subtext in her voice. She was a busy woman and having to wait for a girl on crutches would slow her down.

“Is that okay with you, Chantal?” Seth asked.

She grinned and nodded. “Yup.”

Jenny bolted, and the duo set off toward the caboose. The slight swaying motion of the train didn’t seem to bother Chantal much. He was extra vigilant as they passed between cars. When they reached a public area near the center of the train, he said. “I could use a rest.”

Chantal turned and gave him a pinched look. “I’m not tired.” Implying that there was something wrong with him if he was. “I want to see Santa.”

She didn’t say it, but her exasperation at his suggestion was clear. “Carry on then. I’ll manage.” Truthfully, his body wasn’t tired, but his nerves were stressed beyond anything he’d ever experienced. How did Joy handle her nerves, living like this day in and day out? His respect for her grew. He also admired Chantal’s stamina. It couldn’t be easy to walk with her crutches. Pride for her abilities filled his heart.