The Fireman's Christmas. Meg Lacey
looked as if a tornado had passed through. Uprooted plants lay drying in the sun beside gouges in the freshly turned topsoil. A whole pile of mulch was scattered over the flagstone walk, and the brick edging she had laid so carefully that afternoon was half out of the ground. Tessa passed a hand over her face, wondering how many of the expensive, imported fish were now floating belly-up. No wonder Mrs. Sherbourne was shocked. She’d been expecting her spacious backyard to be turned into a peaceful santuary, not a war zone.
Tessa glanced at her watch. Noon. If she skipped lunch maybe she could—On cue, her stomach rumbled, followed by an impatient honk from the van out front. Tessa sighed. She couldn’t get any more work done until she took care of her children. And she might as well grab a bite while she was at it. Hopefully, her best friend Rhonda would be free to watch the kids for the rest of the afternoon.
Just as Tessa stepped around the front of her dilapidated van, Eric pressed on the horn one more time. She jumped, then smiled ruefully, shaking her head at the two grinning children waiting for her. She knew they were good kids, really. It was just that kids and work didn’t mix.
To further prove the point, Eric and Josie seemed relieved when she suggested taking them to Rhonda’s, making Tessa wonder if they truly enjoyed going to work with her as much as they claimed they did. Had they been trying only to make things easier for her? Josie was too young to understand all the ramifications of the divorce, but certainly at twelve, Eric was aware that their financial situation had changed to a more modest lifestyle.
The van coughed and sputtered as she turned the key in the ignition and eased her foot down on the gas pedal. Sometimes it started right up, sometimes not. Tessa had planned to use the money she made on this Sherbourne job to have the van serviced. Who knew what would happen to her fees now and to her hopes of referrals.
As Tessa ground the van into first gear, a siren wailed in the distance, followed by the commanding blast of an air horn. Even though she couldn’t see the fire truck, Tessa pictured the huge red engine barreling to the rescue. Right now she almost wished someone would come to her rescue.
And take away your hard-won independence? Who are you kidding, girl?
Tessa halted the van at an intersection, releasing her shoulder-length hair from its ponytail and running her fingers through the damp strands. Since when had her conscience started sounding like Rhonda? She felt a tapping on her shoulder, and craned her neck to see Josie straining forward against the seat belt.
“I’ll help you fix the flowers tomorrow, Mommy.”
“Me, too, Mom.” Eric nodded with masculine certainty, though his voice broke with a change in pitch. “No more video games at work, no chasing in the garden even if a grizzly bear is chowing down on Josie.”
“Hey,” Josie protested.
Is this what I want? What good is independence if my kids suffer for it? Tessa turned a troubled frown back to the traffic as the light changed. She hated to see Eric and Josie looking so unhappy, just when it seemed they’d all gotten through the worst after Colin had left. On the other hand, she’d worked too hard to give up yet.
She’d just have to think of something. “Thanks for the offer, guys.” Tessa spoke over her shoulder as she moved the van back into traffic. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything without sacrificing Josie to a grizzly bear.” Brave words, she thought as Josie giggled.
All Tessa needed was a miracle.
Chapter Two
Tessa glanced at her watch for the third time, then tipped her head for a better look at the door of the restaurant. Eight-fifteen, and still no Rhonda. Her friend wasn’t usually late, but then the vague message about dinner tonight she’d left pinned to Tessa’s front door wasn’t Rhonda’s usual chatty style, either. Thank goodness Tessa’s elderly neighbor had been able to watch the kids for a few hours.
Come to think of it, this charming, out-of-the-way restaurant wasn’t Rhonda’s style, either. Tessa let her gaze wander. Rhonda preferred crowds and places that were ultra hip for their rare dinners together without kids. Mama Gia’s was quite the opposite. Worn paneling and intimate nooks lined the empty restaurant while small, cozy tables covered with red-checked cloths were arranged throughout the room. The heavenly aromas of oregano and garlic wafted from the kitchen behind her.
Tessa’s stomach growled. If Rhonda didn’t show up soon, she might have to nibble on the candle dripping down the empty wine bottle in the middle of her table. Why had Rhonda been in such an all-fired hurry to get together, only to show up late?
Tessa glanced once more at the wrinkled note. “‘An answer to your problem,’” she read aloud.
That told Tessa absolutely nothing. The number of problems in her life seemed to be multiplying like horny rabbits. But right now her biggest problem was the growing ache in her stomach. Even so, she couldn’t help wondering which of her other problems Rhonda had been talking about. Maybe Rhonda had discovered a way to uncover Colin’s hidden financial assets so Tessa could get the settlement she deserved after thirteen years of marriage without costing a fortune in lawyer’s fees. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Her stomach growled again. Maybe she should start on a salad without Rhonda. Or better yet, some of those mouthwatering buttered bread sticks she’d seen on a table as she’d come in. Tessa leaned forward, lifting her arm to summon the young waiter standing near the menu rack.
At that moment the door swung open and a man walked in. A good-looking man, she noted. He looked around quickly, his head turning her way at the very instant her hand shot up in the air. Tessa froze, forgetting to exhale when his gaze pinned hers.
She almost forgot her hand was stuck up in the air, until she saw his dark eyes widen, then crinkle at the corners. Tessa snatched her hand to her lap, tucking her chin down, but it was too late. He was already weaving his way toward her.
From the corner of her eye she watched his progress through the restaurant with mounting embarrassment and a touch of curiosity. He had dark hair—a bit too long—and smooth olive skin with just a suggestion of five-o’clock shadow. His well-muscled body skirted tables and dodged chairs with graceful ease. An athlete, Tessa thought, keeping her head low. Or just one of those lucky hunks with all the right equipment in all the right places. A shade over six feet tall, he displayed a compact strength beneath a blue knit golf shirt and well-worn jeans.
Next thing she knew, his jeans were so close she could have reached out to stroke them. But as incredibly tempting as that thought was, courtesy demanded she look up instead.
“I’m sorry,” she said, offering a tiny shrug. “I wasn’t really waving at you. I was trying to order a salad.”
A wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows. “You mean you’re not Tessa Doherty? You sure look like you’re supposed to be.”
Her mouth dropped open, partly in surprise and partly at the thrill of hearing her name spoken in the sexiest baritone she’d ever heard. “Huh?”
“Never mind.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked sheepish. “It’s my turn to apologize. I thought you were someone I was supposed to meet. I’ll get a waiter for you.”
“No. I mean…don’t do that.”
“You don’t want a salad?”
“No…yes…I do want a salad, but don’t call the waiter just yet.” Tessa sighed. She was beginning to smell a rat. “You may as well sit down.”
Confusion clouded his expression for an instant, then he smiled. Tessa almost bit her lip at the sight. Perfect, dazzling teeth nearly blinded her, even in the restaurant’s dim light. And was that a dimple? A small one, to be sure, but a dimple nonetheless. She had to hand it to Rhonda. She sure could pick ’em.
The gorgeous specimen pulled a chair out and sat down. “You are Tessa Doherty, aren’t you?”
She raised an eyebrow. “How ever did you guess?”
His