Into the Storm (Signal Bend #3)(55)
Shannon smiled at him and put her hand on his arm. “Thanks, Steve. For all your help. Everything looks great.” She turned to Connie, who was winding up leftover ribbon. “You, too, Connie. It was so great of you to stay.”
Connie grinned. “I love the holidays. Any chance I get to play with Christmas decorations is a chance I’ll take.” She put the roll of ribbon on the desk. “But I should get home. Got to get supper on the table for my men.”
When Steve and Connie had left, and Show and Shannon had the B&B to themselves, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back, gathering his shirt in her fists, and he slid his hands under her sweater, savoring the silken feel of her skin under his palms.
He moved his hands up and forward to cup her gorgeous, ample breasts, and she pushed away a little, smiling up at him. “You taste drunk.”
“Nope. Just warmed up some.” And even more, now. He brushed her nose with his and took hold of her hand, preparing to lead her back to her apartment. She held back.
“Wait. Can we sit in here for a little, turn out the house lights and see the decorations glow?” She reached out and pushed the side of her hand down the row of switches, leaving on only the Christmas lights and a small table lamp behind the desk.
With a nod and a smile, he led her to the sofa facing the tree, and they sat. Show put his arm around her and tucked her in close.
He kissed her head. “You like Christmas.” It wasn’t a question—seemed obvious to him that she did.
But she shrugged. “I don’t know. I did when I was a kid, but…” She shrugged again. “Since I’ve been on my own, it’s been a pretty long time since I had much of one. I used to have dinner with my aunt and uncle, but they moved to Arizona…God, eleven years ago. Since then, I usually work the holidays. I like the lights and stuff, though. A glowing tree in a dark room like this seems…peaceful.”
It was peaceful. Christmas carols were still playing, and Johnny Mathis was singing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Show moved his hand into her hair, combing it through his fingers.
“What did you like about Christmas as a kid?,” he murmured.
“The usual stuff, I guess. Baking cookies with my mom. Putting up the tree. When I was little, my dad and brothers would put on this act for me on Christmas Eve, making a ruckus in the attic and jingling sleigh bells, so I thought Santa was there.” She laughed. “When I was seven, I was so eager to see him, I snuck up and caught them in the act. And learned on Christmas Eve that Santa was my dad and brothers.”
He laughed too, feeling alert and cautious. This was the first he was hearing about her family, and he didn’t want to scare her off. “But that’s a rough way to find out.”
“Not really. I’d already heard about it at school, so I wasn’t all that shocked. Plus, they were in their damn union suits, looking ridiculous, their mouths open and their eyes bugged, seeing me with my head through the trap door. I laughed.”
Easing a little deeper into the memory, he asked, “Your brothers older?” He knew the question was on the verge of breaking his word, if not actually breaking it, but he was following her lead. Trying to, anyway.
She sighed heavily and was quiet, and Show understood that he hadn’t caught her unawares. She was willingly giving him this story, letting him in a little. His heart swelling, he put his hand lightly around her neck, his fingers grazing her shoulder, and pressed his lips to her head again, this time lingering there.
“Yeah. I was a surprise. My brothers were—are—fifteen and seventeen years older than me. I had a sister who would have been twenty years older than me, but she died before I was born. Her name was Shannon, too.”
He let that sink in, not sure what to say. It seemed like a burden, to be named for the daughter her parents had lost, but he didn’t know how she felt.
She turned in his arms, settling her head on his chest. “That’s all I’ve got, Show. I hope it’s enough.”
“Shhh,” was all he could think to say. They sat quietly regarding the huge Christmas tree, with its glowing white lights and its color-coordinated ornaments, listening to fifty-year-old Christmas music.
oOo
A couple of weeks later, as they sat at Marie’s, waiting on their lunch order, holding hands across the table, Show cleared his throat. “I’m going down to Arkansas next weekend, try to see my girls.”
Shannon had been looking out the window. They’d had another snowstorm a few days ago, and the ground was again thick with it, but the roads were clear. The sky looked heavy again, and the forecast called for three to six inches overnight. It was going to be one of those winters. She turned back to him, her eyes wide. “Next weekend is Christmas.”
He shook his head. “No. Sunday is Christmas Eve. I’ll come back then—won’t ruin Holly’s birthday by being around. So I’ll be back with you for Christmas Day, and we can go to Isaac and Lilli’s—or we can just stay in. But I need to see my girls.” Shannon had been reluctant to go to Isaac and Lilli’s since the night they’d first had supper together there. The Horde Thanksgiving had been at the clubhouse, and it had been a great day. She’d enjoyed herself and been easy with everyone, including Isaac and Lilli. But she’d found reasons not to go back to their house again.