Montana Christmas. Jackie Merritt
many Christmases had Lucas spent alone? Shep knew how badly he had neglected his father for years, and Lucas was just next door. He should be spending the day with him, wherever he was.
It finally got to him enough that he again donned his jacket and gloves and plowed through the snow to Andrea’s back door. Swearing that he was going to be friendlier than before—his problems were neither Lucas’s nor Andrea’s fault, and they shouldn’t have to endure his foul moods—he knocked.
Lucas’s face brightened. “That must be Shep.”
“Must be,” Andrea agreed. “I’ll go let him in.” It felt as though her heart were doing flips as she hurried through the house to the kitchen door. It was incredibly exciting to be so dizzily attracted to a man, even if she wished he weren’t Shep Wilde and newly divorced.
She opened the door with a smile, expecting to see him covered in snow and half-frozen. But he was neither; rather, appearing as though he had just come from next door as he had earlier today.
She knew he had gone to Lucas’s home instead of taking that walk. He really wasn’t a very nice person, was he? Coming up with a lie like that to get away from her and his father? She knew he’d been bored and impatient with the day’s quiet activity, but for his father’s sake it certainly wouldn’t have killed him to pretend to enjoy himself.
Her expression became frosty. “Come in.”
Then the biggest surprise of the day thus far occurred. Shep smiled. Not just smiled, but smiled at her! Andrea suddenly couldn’t breathe, and the frost in her expression melted into a puddle of totally female emotions. “Do come in,” she repeated huskily, this time sounding sincerely welcoming.
“Thank you.”
Shep stepped inside and Andrea shut the door. My Lord, she thought. If his smile could make her breathless, what would a kiss do to her?
“Shep?”
Lucas was calling from the living room.
“I’m here, Dad.” Removing his jacket, Shep looked at Andrea. “I can hang it up myself, if it’s all right with you.”
Anything you want to do is all right with me. “Yes, of course. Go right ahead.”
They paraded into the living room. Shep spotted the fire. “That looks great.” He hung his jacket in the closet and immediately went over to the fireplace.
“You were out there a long time, son,” Lucas said. “You must be cold clear to the center of your bones.”
Shep turned around and stood with his backside to the fire. “I wasn’t walking all the time I was gone, Dad. I went home for a while.”
So, Andrea thought, inordinately pleased. He wasn’t a liar, after all. And he probably hadn’t been trying to avoid her and Lucas; he’d merely needed to be alone. Poor guy. Since he was so broken up over it, the divorce must not have been his idea.
“Well,” Andrea said brightly. “Is anyone hungry?”
“I could use a turkey sandwich,” Shep said, giving her another of those dazzling smiles.
“I can always eat,” Lucas said with a chuckle.
“Great. I’ll put everything on the table. It’ll only take a few minutes.” Breathless again, Andrea sped to the kitchen. The day had taken a marvelous turn, simply because Shep Wilde was smiling instead of scowling. His hike in the snow had worked some sort of miracle. Or maybe he was finally glad to be home for Christmas.
Or maybe, just maybe, he had come to grips with liking her. With finding another woman attractive so soon after his divorce. Hadn’t she noticed his brooding glances at the dinner table?
Hastily she sliced turkey and set the table, all the while thinking about Shep. Okay, she admitted, so she had it bad for him, and it could be very dangerous business. But what if he felt the same about her? Would a rebound romance be dangerous if both parties felt the same overwhelming emotions for each other?
“Don’t put the cart before the horse,” she muttered under her breath in a sudden burst of common sense. A few smiles were hardly an admission of attraction. And what was sadder than a person—man or woman—falling for someone who didn’t reciprocate? She really must watch her step around Shep, especially when Lucas was looking on. Appearing foolish or pathetic in Lucas’s eyes would be unbearable. No, she could never let that happen.
Squaring her shoulders, she went to the doorway between kitchen and living room. “Everything’s ready,” she said with an inviting smile. “Come and eat.”
Andrea enjoyed listening to Lucas and Shep talk about old friends in Rocky Ford while they ate. It occurred to her that Shep could be asking about this person or that just to make conversation, but she still read it as a good sign. At least he was trying, which was a lot more than he’d done before.
Most of the people mentioned were strangers to Andrea, but her ears pricked up and her pulse began racing when Shep asked, “And how are the Fanons doing?”
Lucas grinned. “That’s right. I’d forgotten you were sweet on Lola Fanon for a while.”
Shep grinned, too. “In high school, Dad. A very long time ago. Anyhow, do they still live around here?”
“Sure do. Charlie lives in the same house he always did, as a matter of fact. You know about his coffee shop, don’t you?”
“You took me there the last time I was home,” Shep reminded. “About eight years ago,” he added quietly.
Andrea saw a glint of remorse in Shep’s eyes. Obviously, he was regretting his long absence, probably feeling guilty over neglecting his father for eight long years.
Well, he should feel guilty, she thought to herself rather fiercely. If she ever connected with her father, she would never neglect him.
She cleared her throat. “I’ve run across the Fanon name several times. What kind of man is Charlie?”
Lucas answered. “Real nice guy, Andrea. I doubt if there’s anyone in Rocky Ford who doesn’t like him. If they’ve met him, of course.”
“What about the rest of the family?” Shep asked. “Does Ron still live here?”
“Ron’s dead, Shep,” Lucas said gently.
“Dead! What happened?” Shep inquired, obviously stunned.
“He died while in the military. I don’t know the particulars, but Charlie went to Germany—that’s where Ron was stationed—and brought his body back here for burial. Brought his wife and little boy with him, too. Candace-that was Ron’s wife—remarried about a month ago. Maybe a little longer.”
Shep fell silent for a few moments, then inquired quietly, “And Serena? Lola?”
“They’re both married and living in the area. Serena’s a lawyer with an office in the Ridgeport Building. Her husband, Travis Holden, owns a string of car lots all over Montana. Lola married Duke Sheridan and they, of course, live on the Sheridan Ranch. I’m sure you remember the Sheridans.”
Lucas’s knowledge of the Fanon family surprised Andrea, though she didn’t let on. But she was learning more about life in a small town all the time. Even if people weren’t close friends, they seemed to know what everyone else was doing. This was new to her. Sandra had always shied away from small communities, preferring cities and elegant neighborhoods where people were rather standoffish. Actually, Andrea had to admire her mother. While her life-style hadn’t been wonderful for her daughter, she had certainly gotten around, and however often they had moved, it had never taken Sandra very long to insinuate herself into a new neighborhood and become a part of it, however reserved and aloof the residents were.
And she’d been so beautiful. So stylish, so chic. Small wonder she’d attracted