Marry Me At Christmas

He was broad-shouldered, with muscles. Thin, but not skinny. When he spoke, he sounded incredibly normal. She simply couldn’t reconcile what was happening, although she was going to try to go with it. The alternative was to run screaming into the street and that didn’t look attractive on anyone.

“What are you thinking?” he asked unexpectedly.

Madeline blinked. No way she could answer that question. Not directly at least.

“That you’re a regular person.”

He flashed her another smile. “Thanks for noticing. Some people don’t.”

“How strange. To go through life with people thinking they know you when they don’t,” she said without thinking. “It must be both good and bad.”

“It is.” He sipped his latte. “We should talk about your fee.”

Madeline felt her eyes widen. “What? Fee? No. You’re not paying me. This isn’t a job. Mayor Marsha asked me to help out and I’m happy to.”

He put down the drink and leaned toward her. He was so close she could see all the colors of green and gold in his irises. It was mesmerizing. As was he.

“You can’t do this for nothing,” he told her.

“Why not?”

She tried to control her breathing so she wouldn’t start hyperventilating. The man was impossibly handsome. The line of his jaw, the shape of his mouth. She could sit here and shiver and stare all day long.

“You’re doing a job.”

“I’m helping out a fellow citizen. There’s a difference.” She drew in a slow breath. “I’m not doing this because you’re Jonny Blaze. I’m doing this because you live here.” She shrugged. “The store is quiet this time of year and I’m looking forward to seeing a wedding through from start to finish. Normally all I get to deal with is the wedding gown.”

He didn’t look convinced, but that didn’t matter. There was no way he was going to pay her. That was just icky.

“Tell you what,” she said with a grin. “You figure out what you think is a fair amount to pay me and then you can donate that amount to HERO—our local search and rescue program.”

He studied her as if she weren’t anything he’d encountered before. “You’re a little strange.”

“Just like the town?”

“Yes, and equally unexpected.” He nodded slowly. “All right, Madeline. I accept your offer to help and I will make a generous contribution to your favorite charity.”

“Deal. Now I should probably talk to your sister to get her thoughts about what we’re doing.”

“Good idea.”

He gave her Ginger’s email address and cell number.

“Set up a time to talk. If she’s not in the lab, she’s studying or working on her dissertation.”

“Okay. I’ll email her as soon as I get back to the office. Once she and I have spoken, I’ll have a more clear idea of what she wants. Then I’ll put some ideas together and you and I can talk about them.”

“Great. I appreciate you helping me. I want Ginger to have the wedding of her dreams.”

“Then we’ll make that happen.”

They both rose. She held out her hand to shake, realizing a half second too late that it might be a mistake. He took her hand in his and they shook. People did it thousands of times a day. Maybe millions.

But she’d never done it with Jonny Blaze, so was unprepared for the hot, melty sparks that erupted all over her body. Or the way her chest got tight and her thighs tingled.

Lightning, she thought with amazement. The lightning her mother had always told her about. The lightning that meant the women in her family had found the one.

No, she told herself firmly as she pulled back her hand. Not lightning. Star power. There was a very big difference and she would do well to remember that.

TWO

JONNY PARKED HIS SUV near the lake and walked the rest of the way into town for his meeting with Madeline. He found that when he was in Fool’s Gold, he liked being out and walking around with everyone. The air was cool—they’d already had the first snowfall of the season. People were bundled up with scarves and jackets, but the extra layers and chill didn’t keep them from greeting each other.

He’d been smiled at and wished a good day more times than he could count. It was nice. Regular. At least out here. In LA everyone would be driving, even if they only had to go three blocks, and in New York, each person was in his or her own personal bubble. He didn’t have to worry about paparazzi. They’d shown up for about two days after he’d moved here. But once they’d realized there was nothing to report, they’d left him alone. Which was exactly how he liked it.

He’d spoken to his sister that morning. She’d had a good conversation with Madeline and was excited about her upcoming wedding.

He’d wondered if Ginger would ask Madeline about her credentials, but his sister had only raved about how Madeline understood exactly what she wanted. For his part, he needed a local connection because he wanted to use vendors from the area. While flying in someone from LA might be easier, working with Madeline gave him more control.

Ginger’s wedding was important to him. Since their dad had died nearly a decade before, it had been Jonny and his sister. They looked out for each other. Seeing her get married would be great. He liked her fiancé. Oliver was a good guy. Just as smart and focused as Ginger. They did well together.

He crossed the street, heading for Paper Moon. He was meeting Madeline in her store. As he turned a corner, a woman walked up to him. She was a tall, attractive redhead.

“You’re Jonny Blaze,” she said as she stopped next to him. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Talk about the inevitable, he thought, wondering if he had a pen with him. While it had taken longer here than most places, him being recognized and stopped was a part of celebrity life. Mostly he was fine with being asked for an autograph or picture even when he was between movies or publicity tours, like now. Because his fans didn’t care if he was working or simply enjoying a few weeks off.

He glanced at the woman’s left hand and saw a wedding band. Hopefully that meant she wasn’t going to come on to him. Although it didn’t always.

The fame thing was complicated. He had to admit, there were times when he liked not having to wait in line or always being able to get a table at a popular restaurant. But the downside could be dark, and for the most part he preferred to live privately.

“I’m Felicia Boylan,” the woman continued. “I run the festivals here in town.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, as well.” She offered him a quick smile. “We have a parade in town on Thanksgiving morning. Will you be here for the holiday?”

“I will.” Ginger was going to be spending it with Oliver’s family, so he was on his own.

For a second he worried this Felicia woman was inviting him to dinner. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy some company, but he wasn’t interested in hanging out with people he didn’t know. Then the comment about her job, along with the parade, clicked into place and he got it.

She wanted him to be the grand marshal. He wondered who had gotten bumped when Felicia had found out he’d moved to the area. And while he appreciated the offer, he wasn’t exactly a parade kind of guy. He would let her down gently, he told himself. No hard feelings and all that.

“Excellent. I heard you had a classic car. A 1956 Cadillac convertible. An El Dorado, I believe.”

Her stare was intense, as if she wanted to be sure she got all her facts right.

“That’s right,” he said slowly.

“And it’s red?”

He nodded.

The smile returned. “Perfect. I was hoping we could borrow it for the parade. The vehicle Mayor Marsha normally uses isn’t working and it appears the parts won’t arrive in time. I was hoping your car could be the backup. We have insurance. I would personally watch over your car. So can we borrow it for the parade?”

The car was in mint condition with white leather interior. He loved that car. But what he couldn’t wrap his mind around was the fact that Felicia wanted it, rather than him, in the parade.

“You want to borrow my car,” he confirmed.

“Yes. For the parade.” She drew her eyebrows together. “You do know what a parade is, don’t you? If not, I’m happy to explain.”

“I have a basic idea of what’s involved.” The car. Huh. He never would have guessed that. “Okay. You’re welcome to my car.”

“Thank you. I’ll be in touch to make arrangements.”

With that, she hurried away. Jonny stared after her, then shook his head. He was the one who’d wanted to be treated like everyone else. He should be grateful only his car was going to be in the parade.

He continued walking and saw Paper Moon up ahead. The big front windows displayed wedding gowns along with shoes and veils. When he stepped into the store, he paused to glance around.

A few years ago he’d dated a set designer. From her he’d learned how seemingly insignificant details could set the mood or ruin the moment. That a misplaced lamp could produce awkward shadows and that furniture created movement.

Now he took in the high ceilings, the plush furniture, the elegant armoires and shelves. Everything directed the eye toward a kind of dais placed in front of a half circle of ten-foot-high mirrors. He would guess that customers stepped up in front of those mirrors and immediately became the center of attention. Practice for the spotlight of the big day, he thought.

To his left were racks of wedding gowns. An open doorway led to another room, also filled with dresses, but they were for the bridesmaids, he would guess.

“Jonny.”

He turned and saw Madeline approaching. She was still dressed in black—this time a sweater and slim pants. Her hair was wavy, her makeup simple. She looked polished and capable. Reassuring, he thought. Brides would like that.

“Thanks for coming here,” she said as she stopped in front of him. Humor brightened her blue eyes. “All this girlie stuff making you sweat?”

He chuckled. “Not even close. You forget, in my job I have to wear makeup.”

“That’s right. Then I won’t feel guilty for asking you to visit my office.”

“Don’t. I like coming into town and this gave me an excuse.” He looked at the dresses. “They’re like costumes. A woman puts them on and becomes someone else for the day.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right. It is a costume for a rite of passage.” She tilted her head as she smiled at him. “Although if I’m doing my job right, instead of becoming someone else, she becomes a better version of herself.”

“Good for you.”

She was smart, he thought. Easy to talk to. Both of which would be an asset in her career. She would have to get along with a lot of different types of people. Bend to them, find out what they wanted and make it happen.

It had been a long time since that had been his problem. Mostly people did what he wanted. More often than not, they anticipated his needs. After a while, it was easy to forget how to be normal, which was the reason he didn’t have a personal assistant. One was always hired for him when he was filming, but the rest of the time, he made himself deal with stuff like grocery shopping and laundry.

“My office is this way.” She pointed to a narrow hallway, then turned to lead the way.

He followed, his gaze dropping to the sway of her hips. As she moved, he found himself intrigued by the curve of her ass and the length of her legs. As he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been even slightly tempted, he enjoyed the sensation of waking arousal.

On the bright side, that part of him wasn’t dead. Something to remember when the nights got long.

Her office was small and utilitarian. No window—just a few file cabinets, a battered desk, her chair and two others for visitors. A plastic palm tree nestled close to pictures of an older couple, along with a man in his midforties. There was also a younger woman close to twenty. A younger sister, he would guess. And the man?

So much for his brief moment of fantasy, he thought as he pointed to the photos.

“Your husband?”

She turned, then shook her head. “I’m not married. That’s my brother and his daughter, Jasmine. Those are my parents.”

All good news, he thought. “Nice family.”

“Thanks.”

He settled in one of the visitor chairs. “How long have you owned the store?”

“What? I don’t. I’m a partner. Isabel Hendrix owns most of it. She bought it from her parents a couple of years ago. It’s been in her family over fifty years. Paper Moon is kind of a Fool’s Gold tradition.” Her voice turned wistful. “Nearly every little girl grows up imagining buying her dress here.”

She smiled. “Luckily most of them end up doing just that. The other half of the business is women’s clothing. A lot of regional designers who haven’t been discovered yet. Isabel offered me a small percentage of the business to be paid out over several years. While I appreciate that, I’m putting in part of my salary to increase my ownership.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Which is way more than you wanted to know. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s interesting. You’re ambitious.”

“In my tiny way, yes. I also want to earn my way in.”

He liked that. Too many people wanted things given to them. He could appreciate that quirks of fate and just plain dumb luck could change everything. He was proof of that.

“That’s why I’m excited about helping you with Ginger’s wedding,” she added. “It’s a chance to learn something new.”

* * *

Madeline couldn’t tell if she sounded reasonably intelligent or had been reduced to babbling. Being this close to Jonny Blaze was still difficult. From a distance, she was able to maintain a clear line of thought. But when he was just on the other side of her small desk, well, her brain had other things on its mind.

It wasn’t just that he was good-looking. In reality Fool’s Gold had more than its share of handsome men wandering around. But he was different. She didn’t know if it was the movie-star thing or a personality flaw or what. Her friend Felicia had once talked about the sociological aspects of hierarchy in the village. Something about having the biggest head.

No, that wasn’t right. The most important person. But there was also something about a big head. Anyway, she would need to go talk to Felicia and get it figured out. She was pretty sure the theory would help her act more normal around Jonny Blaze.

Now she forced herself to remember why he was here—which wasn’t to fill her afternoon with eye-candy moments. There was a wedding to organize and she was responsible for that.

“I spoke to Ginger,” she said.

“She mentioned that. She liked you.”

The unexpected comment momentarily flustered her. “I liked her, too. She’s really nice. And excited about the wedding.” Also dealing with school and the holidays and everything else. Just listening to all Ginger had going on had exhausted Madeline. “I made notes during our call. She confirmed what you said at our previous meeting. She wants a small, intimate, low-key wedding. The guest list is forty-four people and she swears it’s not going to get any bigger.”

“However big she wants it is fine with me,” Jonny said. “This is about Ginger and Oliver. She’s my sister and what makes her happy, makes me happy.”

A not uncommon sentiment from a big brother, yet nice to hear.

“The wedding is going to be at your ranch?” Madeline asked, checking her notes. “There’s a barn?”

The lazy smile returned. “It’s nicer than it sounds. The barn has been converted into a big, open space. We’ll be able to fit in tables and decorations.”

“What do you use it for?”

“I haven’t decided. I knew I didn’t need a place to house livestock.”

“No desire to raise horses and cows?”

“Not this week. You’ll probably want to come take a look at it.”

Go to his house? Or his barn, but still. They were on the same property. She hoped she looked normal as she nodded and made a note. “That’s a good idea. We can discuss decorations and table linens. I’ve already reserved the tables and chairs. I was worried they would all be set aside for other events. I wasn’t sure if you had enough dishes and glasses, so I reserved those, as well.”

“Good thinking.” Concern drew his brows together. “I hadn’t realized there was so much to organize. I’m glad we’re working on this together.”

His words made her tingle all over. Star power, she told herself. Nothing more than star power.

* * *

Madeline wrapped up her meeting with Jonny, then collected her handbag and walked toward the other side of the store. While wedding gowns would always be a part of Paper Moon, the retail clothing addition was doing well. Madeline found Isabel sorting through a shipment of handbags.

Her business partner, a tall, curvy blonde, smiled. “Is it time for lunch? Thank goodness. This has been one of those mornings. Only half of what I ordered got delivered and there was nearly a fistfight between two tourists who wanted the same jacket in the same size. I was afraid I was going to have to call for backup.”

“You know where to find me,” Madeline told her. “Rosalind is here most days, too. Between the three of us, we should be able to wrestle any unruly shopper into submission.”

Isabel laughed. “Thank you for that. I feel better.”

The words were appropriate, but there was something about the way Isabel said them. “Are you okay?”

“What? Of course. I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“I’m not sure.” There was something, Madeline thought, studying her friend. She just couldn’t figure out what.

“You’re feeling okay?” she asked.

Isabel had recently announced she was pregnant. As far as Madeline knew, everything was progressing normally.

Isabel put a hand on her belly. “Everything is going along as it should,” she said firmly. “I’m healthy. Not to worry.” She started for the back. “Give me one second and we’ll head to Jo’s.”

Two minutes later they were walking to Jo’s Bar, where they would meet their friends for lunch. The air was crisp. The first snow had already fallen and pretty much gone away. There were still a few piles left from clearing the sidewalks, but little else. Still, plenty more was on the way. While the first few snowfalls were always exciting, by month two of shoveling, Madeline knew she would be ready for spring. Still, it would be wonderful to have a white Christmas.

They ducked into Jo’s Bar. The place catered to women and was decorated with flattering paint colors, good lighting. There were plenty of healthy choices on the menu. Today the TVs were tuned to either a shopping channel or a show on HGTV.

Madeline saw that Shelby and Destiny had already claimed a table. She waved at her friends, then led the way over.

“Hey, you,” Shelby said, coming to her feet and hugging Madeline. She greeted Isabel, then moved so Madeline could say hi to a more-pregnant-by-the-day Destiny.

“You’re growing,” Madeline said with a laugh. “And glowing. Isabel, this is in your future.”

“If only,” Isabel said with a sigh. “I’ll never look that good when I’m six months along.”

“Don’t be too nice to me,” Destiny told them. “I’m very hormonal these days. I’ll start crying.”

“We don’t want that,” Shelby, a petite blonde, told her teasingly.

The two women smiled at each other. While Shelby and Madeline were close, Shelby and Destiny were sisters-in-law. Destiny had married Shelby’s brother—former Olympic skier Kipling Gilmore—the previous summer. No one had known they were even seeing each other until the surprise wedding. Talk about keeping a secret.

Something Madeline was finally experiencing herself, she thought happily. Not that working for Jonny Blaze was as exciting as an illicit romance, but still. She knew that she was going to have to tell Isabel—what with her having to be gone from the shop from time to time. But that was for later. Right now she was keeping the information to herself. Mostly because she and Jonny hadn’t discussed if it was public or not. Until she confirmed that he was okay with her mentioning it to her business partner, she wasn’t saying a word.

The door opened and Patience, Taryn and Consuelo walked in. Or rather Taryn and Consuelo walked. Patience waddled, with her second child due the first week of January. The three women headed to their table.

Madeline loved her lunches out with her friends. The number and faces were always changing, but they had friendship in common. Today’s group was eclectic, as always. Patience owned Brew-haha, the local coffee shop in town, Phoebe was a recent transplant from LA who was now a rancher’s wife, Taryn ran a PR firm and Consuelo was an instructor at the bodyguard school.

Isabel looked at Taryn and shook her head. “I see you’re back to your skinny self. Didn’t you just have a baby last Tuesday?”

“I had Bryce in July,” the violet-eyed brunette said with a grimace. “And I’ve been sweating in the gym every day for the past four months. I’ve had to lift weights. It’s awful. So you don’t get to be mad at me. I’ve earned my way back into my clothes.”

Isabel stuck out her tongue and the rest of the women laughed.

“It feels good to be back to where I was,” Taryn said.

Destiny rested her hand on her growing belly. “I look forward to it.”

“Sing it, sister,” Patience said.

Madeline was sure most women would agree with them, but she had to admit to a little disappointment. It seemed to her that having a baby should be transformative. That you shouldn’t just slip back into your old life. Although she doubted carrying around an extra five or ten pounds was the right way to mark the occasion. She just knew that if she was lucky enough to fall in love and get married and have kids, she wanted the experience to change her.

Jo came by and took their orders. Conversation flowed easily. Phoebe mentioned hearing from Maya and Del, who were in China. That was followed by everyone admitting they had no idea how the Chinese celebrated the holidays, or if they did at all.

As people talked, Madeline became aware of Isabel fidgeting in her seat. She leaned close to her business partner.

“I know I keep asking this, but are you okay?”

Isabel surprised her by hugging her. “You’re a good person, you know that, right?”

Madeline studied her. “Are you crying?”

“What Destiny has is contagious.” Isabel cleared her throat, then sighed. “I have an announcement.”

The table quieted. Isabel looked at them all. “I’m pregnant.”

Consuelo frowned. “Did you hit your head? Do you have a concussion? We all know you’re pregnant. If you hadn’t told me, I’d still know. Ford tells me every single day. If I didn’t like you so much, I would kill him because he’s annoying.”

A statement that from anyone else might be cause for alarm, but was exactly how Consuelo thought and talked.

Isabel seemed to brace herself. “I didn’t hit my head. It’s just... I had my ultrasound and...” She held up her hand. “I’m fine. I’m doing well. Too well. Because... I’m having triplets.”

There was a moment of silence followed by loud cheers and calls of congratulations.

Madeline took in the news. She knew Isabel’s husband, Ford, had triplet sisters, so it wasn’t a complete surprise that she would be having multiples. It was just, well, Madeline had thought they were friends. That working together had brought them closer. Even though she’d asked, Isabel hadn’t told her the news privately.

Madeline reminded herself that the information was Isabel’s to share and she shouldn’t take the slight personally. It was just—

“Don’t be mad,” Isabel whispered. “I couldn’t tell you.”

“Okay,” Madeline said slowly, still not sure why.

“It’s just... I was scared. I’m going to need you so much and it’s not fair, but without you, I can’t keep the business going.”

Madeline hugged her. “You’re an idiot.”

“I know.”

“Of course I’ll help.”

“You swear?”