Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold) Read online

  They both picked up plates of treats and carried them back to the living room.

  In the few minutes Madeline had been in the kitchen, more people had arrived. She saw Jonny talking to a couple of the guys from CDS—or as the locals knew it, the bodyguard school. It was interesting, watching them together. Ford and Angel were both physically powerful and good-looking, but there was something compelling about Jonny. She supposed that was a lot of the reason he was successful in movies. You wanted to watch him.

  “Hey.”

  Madeline turned and saw Consuelo Hendrix standing next to her. “Hi.”

  “Nice party.”

  Madeline nodded because she was unable to speak. She knew it was shock at how her friend was dressed, and when Consuelo noticed, there was going to be ugly punishment, but still. She couldn’t help staring.

  She and Consuelo had been friends for a couple of years. Nearly since the other woman had moved to Fool’s Gold. Consuelo had worked for the government, doing things that she never talked about. Despite her petite build, she was tough and dangerous. She didn’t do emotion, she moved like a prowling leopard and her idea of relaxation was to go climb a mountain.

  She taught all kinds of fighting techniques at the bodyguard school, along with mixed martial arts to people in town. Her everyday wardrobe consisted of cargo pants and boots. In the summer they were worn with a tank top or T-shirt. In the winter, a light sweatshirt.

  But tonight she had on a fitted black dress. Simple, really, with a scoop neck, a straight skirt and long sleeves. With it she wore thigh-high leather boots with a serious heel. The church-appropriate dress paired with very naughty boots was pure Consuelo. When placed on her perfect, athletic body, the results were incredible. And intimidating.

  “What?” Consuelo demanded, her voice challenging. “You want to say it, so say it.”

  “You look beautiful.”

  Consuelo’s eyebrows drew together. “Don’t make me kill you.”

  Madeline held out the plate. “Sugar cookie? My mom made them.”

  Consuelo took one. “Don’t think you can distract me from the compliment.”

  “You do look lovely.”

  Consuelo groaned. “I knew it was a mistake. I told Kent, but he said that just once he wanted to see me in a dress. So what the hell, right? It’s the holidays.”

  Madeline laughed. “You are incredibly strange.”

  “I know.” Consuelo stepped back and then looked down at herself. “It’s not too much?”

  “Like I said—you’re beautiful. Sexy, too. I’m amazed you made it to the party on time,” Madeline murmured. “I’m assuming Kent knows he’s a lucky man.”

  “He does.” She glanced around at the people laughing and talking. “Who’s that guy? He looks familiar.”

  Madeline didn’t have to turn around. “Jonny Blaze.” She waited for the shriek, or at least the semishriek. Consuelo was always controlled.

  “Oh, right. I should have recognized him. I like his movies. He gets it right. The fighting.” Consuelo rolled her eyes. “You have no idea how many actions scenes are completely screwed up. It makes the movie or TV show impossible to enjoy. Kent says I should be more forgiving.”

  “Not gonna happen?” Madeline asked with a grin.

  “You know it.”

  “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

  Madeline walked over to where Jonny was now talking to a couple of guys from Score, a local PR firm owned by former NFL stars. As soon as she approached, Jonny turned to her.

  “This is my friend Consuelo,” she told him. “She works at CDS.”

  “The bodyguard school,” he said, looking at the other woman. “Jonny Blaze. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands. “I met Angel and Ford a few minutes ago. They were talking about you.”

  Consuelo groaned. “Don’t believe them. It’s all lies. I like what you did in Amish Revenge. That last scene—on the train. It was authentic.”

  “Thanks. It was all me and I have the bruises to prove it.”

  Everyone else chuckled, but Consuelo just kept talking. “The fight scene before sucked, though. You didn’t have the moves down. You have a trainer, right? He blew it. It’s not your fault.”

  Madeline wanted to sink into the floor and come out on the other side of the planet. Had her friend really said that? Not that she should be surprised. Consuelo spoke her mind and usually followed up her opinions with threats.

  She waited for Jonny to change the subject or get upset or maybe even leave. Instead, he nodded. “You’re right. We couldn’t seem to figure out the flow. I don’t suppose you have training with a knife?”

  Consuelo grinned. “Are you kidding? I’m all about fighting with a knife.”

  “For real? Because I’m interested. Do you have a class or something?”

  “Not for knife fighting. I don’t think Mayor Masha would approve. But I could show you a few things. Call CDS and set up an appointment.”

  “I will.”

  Kent walked over to his wife. “Trying to make me jealous?” He nodded at Jonny. “Kent Hendrix.”

  They two men shook hands.

  “Your wife was talking to me about my knife fights,” Jonny explained.

  “Of course she was.” Kent kissed the top of Consuelo’s head. “I can’t take you anywhere.”

  “That’s what I keep saying,” she complained. “And you keep dragging me places. Why is that?”

  Kent laughed.

  Several people drifted away, while others joined them. Jonny moved closer to Madeline.

  “You know some interesting people,” he said.

  “Consuelo is in a class by herself. But you’re right. We have fascinating residents. It’s nice and keeps things fun.”

  “I hope she meant what she said about teaching me some moves.”

  “You could hire her as a consultant on your next movie.”

  Instead of laughing, as she’d expected, he nodded slowly. “That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to her about it next week. If she’s interested, I can—”

  He stopped talking and stared over her head. “No way.”

  She turned to see what had caught his attention. The Strykers had arrived. Three brothers and their wives.

  “What?” she asked before all the breath left her body.

  Jonny grabbed her hand and pulled her across the room. “I don’t believe it,” he said.

  She couldn’t, either. Not the dragging part but the way he was holding her hand. Just as if they were... She wasn’t sure what. Friends? Lovers?

  His long fingers laced with hers. His palm was warm and his touch...tingled. She didn’t know what to think, what to say. Begging him to never let go seemed out of place at this holiday gathering. And she had the oddest impression he had no idea what he was doing.

  “Clay,” Jonny said, coming to a stop in front of the youngest Stryker brother. “What are you doing here?”

  Clay stared for a second, then laughed. “I could ask the same thing. You in Fool’s Gold?”

  “I bought a place outside of town.”

  “I have a haycation business. Farm vacations.” He drew his wife close. “Honey, this is Jonny Blaze. We’ve worked together. Jonny, my wife, Charlie.”

  Sadly, Jonny had to release Madeline’s hand to shake Charlie’s. Madeline had known the other woman for years and had, until that moment, liked her a lot.

  Jonny grinned at her. “Clay’s a great guy. We had a lot of fun on the set.”

  Clay shrugged. “That was a while ago. We were both younger.”

  Madeline thought about Clay’s former profession. “When you say worked together,” she began.

  Jonny chuckled. “Clay was my butt double on Amish Revenge.”

  Various scenes flashed in her mind, including the one where Jonny had walked naked through the house. From the front there had been no “below the waist” shots, but from the back, there had been a single, long, slow pan from neck to feet.

  “That wasn’t yo
u?” she asked, hoping the disappointment didn’t show in her voice.

  Charlie leaned against her husband. “I can attest that what you saw on the big screen was all Clay.” She looked at Jonny. “Didn’t have the goods, huh?”

  Jonny’s good humor didn’t fade. “I have the goods,” he said easily.

  Clay nodded. “He would have been fine on his own. What Jonny won’t say is that the first actor hired for the role had insisted on a butt double. When he dropped out and they hired Jonny, he could have canceled the contract, but he didn’t. It was a big break for me in the business.”

  Madeline’s head was swirling from too much information. First, that Jonny hadn’t been the producers’ first choice for the movie that had basically made his career. Second, that even then, he’d been such a nice guy, giving Clay a job. Third, that the man had held her hand.

  “Be careful,” Charlie told him. “If Eddie and Gladys get ahold of you, you’re toast.”

  With that, the other couple moved away. Jonny turned to Madeline. “I met Gladys, but who’s Eddie?”

  “They’re two older women who have a cable access show,” she explained. “One of their most popular segments is a contest where they show pictures of men’s butts. You have to guess who the men are and text in your answer.”

  His dark green eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  “You can’t make stuff like that up.”

  “I guess not.” He shrugged. “I was expecting bake sales and toy drives. Not butt contests.”

  “We’re a constant surprise.”

  “Did you mention the toy drive?” Taryn asked as she walked by. “Do you know something? Should I worry?” She paused. “Oh, hello. You’re Jonny Blaze. Taryn Crawford. You met my husband earlier. Angel—with the bodyguard school.”

  “As far as I know, everything is on track for the toy drive,” Madeline assured her.

  Taryn, ever fashionable in a dark violet dress that matched her eyes, sighed. “We do a toy drive between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year I was smart enough to be on vacation. This year, I’m here and feeling the pressure.”

  “What kind of toys are you looking for?” Jonny asked.

  Both women stared at him.

  “What kind do you have?” Taryn asked.

  Madeline expected him to say something like he was happy to write a check. Instead, he hesitated.

  “I have some carved wooden toys. They’re a little old-fashioned.” He shifted from foot to foot. “There’s a lot of extra time on a movie set and it helps to have a hobby. When I was filming Amish Revenge, we had a couple of Amish men as consultants. One of them taught me how to do wood carving. I do toys.”

  Taryn’s gaze sharpened. “Like trains and little animals?”

  “Something like that.”

  “We’ll take them. Seriously. Kids love to use their imagination. Can I reach you through Madeline?”

  He nodded.

  “Great. I’ll be in touch.”

  Curiouser and curiouser, Madeline thought as she introduced Jonny to more people. The man was nice and good-looking and he loved his sister and he carved wooden toys. Who could resist that? Even if there hadn’t been massive tingles during a simple and not even conscious handholding, she would have been swept away. A regular girl didn’t have a chance.

  Two hours later, Jonny stood by the front door. “I had a great time. Thanks for inviting me today.”

  “You’re welcome.” She wanted to say more, but couldn’t think of any words. Not when he was lowering his head in a very deliberate way.

  Oh, God! He was going to kiss her. Right in her doorway, with her parents and older brother not ten feet away. Okay. She could do this. She could—

  He brushed his mouth against her cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

  Disappointment chased away any tingles, leaving her grumpy. On the cheek? Like she was ten? What about a little lip action? Some tongue? She wanted tongue.

  As she wasn’t going to get any, she closed the front door and walked into the kitchen to help with the rest of the cleanup. Her mother already had the dishwasher full again and was pouring in soap.

  “That went well,” she said as she straightened. “I do enjoy seeing everyone.”

  “It was great. I can’t believe how much everyone ate. They had to have been stuffed from their dinner, but still. It’s your amazing recipes, Mom. You do cookie magic.”

  “You’re sweet. No magic. Just lots of sugar.” Her mother leaned against the counter. “Jonny was very nice. He fit in well.” Her gaze sharpened. “Any lightning strikes? You know how it is in our family. You’ll know when you’ve found the one by the lightning strikes.”

  Madeline did know, and at nearly twenty-nine, she had never even felt the slightest of buzzes. It was kind of depressing. Not counting Jonny, of course. With him there were zips and zings and, yes, lightning.

  “Mom, he’s great. But whatever I feel around him isn’t real. It’s star power. Something about having the biggest head in the village.”

  Her mother frowned. “What?”

  Madeline made a note to talk to Felicia and get clarification on the whole important-in-the-village theory. “Okay, it’s not that, but it’s because he’s famous. I feel like I know him, so when we’re together, I’m reacting to that. Not who he is as a person.”

  “You’re judging him on what he does for a living,” Loretta pointed out. “How interesting. You wouldn’t do that if he didn’t have an impressive job.”

  “This is different.”

  “If you say so.” Her mother hugged her. “Happy Thanksgiving. You’re my favorite daughter. Have I mentioned that?”

  Madeline laughed and hugged her back. “Once or twice, and I appreciate it every time.”

  * * *

  Late Friday morning Jonny was back in town. He’d spent a couple of hours on the internet and had some wedding ideas he wanted to discuss with Madeline. But first he wanted to see the town’s transformation from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

  According to the festival schedule that had been part of his welcome packet, the town tree lighting was Saturday at six. As of the parade yesterday, Fool’s Gold had been turkey central. But by eleven on Friday morning, there wasn’t a gourd to be found.

  Instead, he saw snowmen and elves and Santas filling store windows. Workers strung lights and the harvest flags were being replaced with celebrations of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. A truck carrying a huge Christmas tree rumbled down Frank Lane.

  Since Ginger had graduated high school and headed to college, the holidays hadn’t been that big a deal for him. Now he found himself enjoying the anticipation of celebrating the season.

  He walked into Brew-haha and waited in line. The cheerful store had already put up a small tree in the corner. There were three different nativities on the shelves and paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling.

  When he reached the front of the line, the woman taking orders smiled at him.

  “I heard you have toys for the toy drive,” she said. “That’s great. We’re hoping to fill two trucks this year.”

  Word traveled fast, he thought. “The toys aren’t ready,” he said. “They need to be painted.”

  “That’s okay. You have a couple of weeks. Or you can ask for help. We’re always happy to step in.”

  “Thanks.” He placed his order, then went to wait.

  He shouldn’t be surprised that someone who hadn’t been at the party last night already knew about his offer. He would guess the sharing had nothing to do with him and everything to do will filling two trucks with toys.

  He’d made the right decision to move here, he thought. Maybe the town wasn’t what he was used to but he liked it. He felt comfortable. For a second he allowed himself to believe he could have it all. A wife and a few kids. A normal family. Not that it was really possible. He’d seen what the attention did to those outside of the business. How it ripped families apart. Why would he do that to someone he claimed to love?

&n
bsp; But as he took his coffee and headed for Paper Moon, he savored the possibilities. The what-ifs. And unexpectedly, the woman he pictured wasn’t his usual faceless stand-in. It was a pretty blonde with an easy laugh. One who had bluntly told him that when it came to weddings, she had no idea what she was doing.

  He found Madeline wielding an industrial-size clothing steamer. When she saw him, she turned off the machine and grinned.

  “Thanks for rescuing me. Rosalind had a sudden rush of shoppers Wednesday afternoon. That generally ends with wrinkled samples. They have to be fluffed back to perfection for the next customer, which means steaming. On the bright side, I’m sure the warm, moist air is good for my skin.”

  He liked the combination of practicality and optimism. She was, he had to admit, a temptation. Were they on a movie set, with a predetermined time limit and a clear understanding that this wasn’t going anywhere, he would be making his move. But they weren’t. And Madeline was a forever kind of woman. She deserved a man who understood that. A man who could believe in forever.

  She led the way to her office. “What’s up?”

  “I spent a little time online this morning and found some wedding favors.” He pulled a couple of sheets of paper out of his jacket pocket.

  “I’m impressed that you know what wedding favors are,” she admitted.

  “I’ve been reading up.” He shrugged out of his jacket, then pointed to the papers. “There’s a company that makes custom cookies. They come individually wrapped and can be in different shapes. Ginger and Oliver can have their initials on the cookies or have them shaped like a wedding cake.”

  Madeline looked at the pictures he’d downloaded. “They’re charming,” she said. “I love the little cookies in the shape of a wedding cake. That’s perfect. And because they’re wrapped, the guests can take them with them.”

  She pulled out a notepad and wrote down the information. “I was going to email Ginger later. Let me include the links. We should have enough time, but I want to get the order in quickly. Just to be on the safe side.”

  “I also found a couple of ideas for cakes.”

  He handed over the two photos. Madeline looked at them both. The first was pretty simple. Just three round layers with a few flowers scattered across the icing. There was a band of color at the bottom of each layer that could be customized.