The heavenly smell met them at the foyer but Emma was confused. “You want to visit a gingerbread competition?”
He gave her a knowing smile. “Trust me.”
The place was packed. It seemed that people took the gingerbread competition seriously. And nothing actually looked as though it were made of gingerbread; they were all far too elaborate and enormous for that.
They walked along the row. There were a number of traditional style houses. A church, a school, a railway engine, and a one that looked like a rocket.
“These are great,” Emma murmured as Mitch gave her a nudge in the back.
“Over there.”
She looked up to where a few grey haired women were standing with plates of gingerbread with butter on them.
He whispered in her ear. “Free samples.”
She gave him a nod in acknowledgement. “I might have guessed you had an ulterior motive.” She smiled in thanks and picked up a piece. It was still warm and the flavors were delicious. Her feet hesitated at the door. “Can we go back and steal another piece?”
He laughed and pushed her back outside.
The street was even busier now, with people jostling to get past. Mitch slung his arm around her shoulders to help guide her through the crowd. “How do you fancy a hayride?”
“Why do I get the distinct impression it’s not quite as naughty as it sounds?” She couldn’t help it.
The words just came out naturally. There was a definite spark between her and Mitch – even though she didn’t want to admit it. And Mitch certainly didn’t seem surprised by her comment. He just laughed.
“It’s all family viewing around here. Not even a hope of a tickle in the hay.”
He led her over towards the library where people were climbing up onto the hay wagons. Before she could think about it, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up.
A family climbed up next to them. A mom, dad, and two little girls. The two little girls were squealing with excitement.
“Sorry,” their mom said. “This is fourth time we’ve done this. I’m hoping eventually they’ll be worn out.”
Emma gave them a polite smile and settled down next to Mitch. He put his arm around her again and when the wagon started moving a few seconds later, she was glad. Nothing about the hay wagon ride was smooth. It seemed to hump and bump everywhere, even though they were on a flat road.
“Okay?” Mitch asked after a few minutes.
She covered her mouth and sneezed. “Sure.” She dug in her pocket for a tissue. “Hay’s getting into lots of places it shouldn’t.”
A mixture of music was playing around about them. The hay wagon seemed to have a crackly sound system playing a variety of Christmas songs from Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. In the distance, the voices of carollers filled the air from somewhere along Main Street. It filled her with a warmth she didn’t expect. Everywhere about this place did—including the man sitting next to her.
He turned towards her, their noses almost touching. “So, what do you think of it so far?”
She bit her lip. He was asking about Marietta. But it almost felt as if he were asking about something else.
“It’s different,” she said quietly.
He was watching her closely and she gulped. “It’s comfortable. Everyone has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome.”
The words were bland. She knew that. And she didn’t mean it that way. There was a whole host of other thoughts circling around in her brain. But it just didn’t seem right to say them out loud.
Her mouth had never felt so dry. She couldn’t be reading this wrong. She couldn’t. Mitch had gone out of his way to see her on three occasions. He had his arm around her. He’d held her hand last night in the cinema.
He spoke slowly. “So…you like…Marietta?”
Her breath caught in her throat. It might be ridiculous. But somehow she knew that wasn’t the question he was really asking. She licked her lips again just as the wagon gave an almighty jolt and she practically landed in his lap.
Their lips were inches away from each other. Almost touching. So…so close. Her hand was resting against his chest. He had on his thick jacket. She couldn’t feel the muscles on his torso like she had the last time. And even though it felt a bit wrong, she wanted to.
She dared to look up. “I think I might,” she whispered.
His head gave the barest nod and his other hand slid around her waist, anchoring her into the position she was now.
He reached up and pushed a piece of hair from her face that had fallen over her eye. He’d taken off his gloves – when had he done that? – and the feel of his gentle fingertips on her skin tingled like a beating butterfly’s wings.
“Are you going to tell me?” he asked gently.
She stiffened. “Tell you what?”
“Why you ran?”
She dropped her head. Talking about this would have to be her decision. Her time to decide. Her throat closed over. She couldn’t find the right words.
He bent forward. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “You don’t need to. I just want you to know, that if you want to talk about it, you can.”
He shifted her from his lap, moving over on the hay bale and tucking her under his arm. The sun had dipped in the sky, leaving a kind of purple twilight glow over the town. It gave a perfect backdrop to the Christmas lights strung across the streets and the outlined trees at the other end of the road.
The carolling was getting louder now. Happy, joyous voices all singing in perfect harmony. Christmas had always been her favorite time of year. But this year there was a horrible little hollow in her stomach.
She’d always spent Christmas with loved ones – friends or family. The last two years she’d spent it with Bryce. Her mum and dad had visited her sister and kids in Australia this year. Their visit had unexpectedly been extended after her dad had a heart attack – hence the reason her mum and dad hadn’t been able to fly in for her wedding. She’d completely understood. She didn’t want her dad to do anything that put his health at risk. But it meant her whole family was in Australia – a place she just couldn’t afford to fly to right now.
This Christmas she would spend alone.
Her gaze fixed on the little family again. They seemed so happy. The two girls were more like tomboys. They couldn’t sit still for a second and seemed to spend most of their time diving from the top of the hay bales into their father’s arms.
She was jealous. She was really jealous. And it was part of the reason she didn’t want to be around her sister and two gorgeous sons this year. The price of the flight was a convenient excuse for her. Her family knew she’d had a miscarriage and they’d been devastated for her. But they didn’t know the rest of the diagnosis and she wasn’t ready to tell them.
She gave a little shake, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Her gaze shifted to Mitch.
He was doing exactly what she’d been doing a few seconds before. His gaze was fixed on the family. And the expression on his face…
If she didn’t know any better she’d think she was looking into a mirror.
How ridiculous.
She reached over and took his hand as the wagon drew to a stop. As soon as she touched him he seemed to give a start and turned to face her. “Let’s go,” he said quickly. “We want to get a good view of the lighting ceremony.”
He jumped down from the wagon and held out his arms. There was something so nice about his hands on her waist. She only wished they could stay there a little longer.
There was a large crowd around the courthouse in Crawford Park. Kids were on their parents’ shoulders. She could feel the excitement in the air around them. Mitch’s arm found its way to her shoulders again and stayed there.
Within a few minutes, there was a loud cheer and Chris Krinkles took center stage. He really, really looked the part. The red velvet costume, black boots, and belt with large gold buckle looked as if it had been made especially for him. The gold, wire-rimmed g
lasses perched at the end of his nose. And if it was possible, his white beard looked even fluffier. This guy was born to be Santa.
“Welcome everyone!” he shouted.
The whole crowd cheered in response.
“Are you ready for some Christmas magic?”
Mitch pulled her a little closer. She reached up her arm and snuck it around his waist. It might be a little forward but it just felt natural. Everyone was whooping around about them.
“Let’s have a countdown Marietta. Are we ready…ten…nine…eight…”
It was so easy to get caught up in the excitement and momentum. This place really was special. She lifted her hands and started to clap in time with the countdown. “Three…two…one!”
There were gasps all around her. The lights came on in an almost magical way. It was like a Mexican wave. First the courthouse, the library, city hall, Crawford Park, and finally the Main Street. The golden lights strung across the street flickered and then glowed magnificently. With the snow-topped mountains behind it was prettier than any picture she’d ever seen.
She pressed her hand to her heart.
She shouldn’t be this happy. She shouldn’t.
Right now, she should be sitting on her bed weeping and wailing about what had happened.
Instead, she’d found herself somewhere to stay, a temporary job, and a town full of good people. She’d also found something else. Something she didn’t feel quite ready to describe.