Her Christmas Hero

“Whoa.”

Strong arms grabbed her waist and set her on the porch. Breathless, she fought through the confusion and found herself pressed against Linc’s chest, her hands resting over his heart, which was beating rapidly. She inhaled his woodsy aftershave deep into her lungs. She looked up into his eyes and saw concern etched in the blue depths.

She told herself to pull away. But her body refused to obey her mind’s commands. She was too surprised. Not that she was in his arms—she could rationalize that—but what had her flummoxed was the realization that Linc Montgomery was warm and very human. She’d assumed being close to him would be similar to standing in front of an open refrigerator—cool and icy. Instead of wanting to pull away, she was oddly content to remain right where she was.

Horrified at the thought, she stepped back, putting a safe distance between herself and her landlord. “Sorry. I thought of something else I wanted to ask.”

“You okay?”

“Yes. But I need the key to the Christmas storage building. They said you would know where it is?” She cleared her throat, disgusted at the shaky tremor in her voice.

Linc flashed a smile that filled his blue eyes with amusement. Arrogant man. Now he’d think he had some effect on her. Which was ridiculous. She was too smart, too battle scarred to ever let that happen again.

“I’ll go look for it right now.”

“Okay, that would be, uh...” She stared at the paper in her hands. “Great. I’ll get it when I return the forms.”

Gemma hurried down the steps, careful to not trip. Blood roared in her ears; every nerve in her body was on fire. Of all the dumb clichés. Tripping and having the big strong man catch her. Ugh. She didn’t need a big strong guy. Least of all one who had an ego larger than the entire state of Mississippi.

Safely inside the cottage, Gemma sat at the table and began filling out the form. Gil Montgomery’s name was listed as coach, and she wished he was still here to fill that role. Though she had to admit Linc had suggested the team to Evan and followed through by making sure they got the paperwork. And she couldn’t forget how he’d brought the pie. He hadn’t wanted to come, but he had because he honored his mother. A commandment she herself struggled with.

Linc was challenging her assumptions about him. She’d got a glimpse of the man behind the stony facade and it wasn’t at all what she expected. Maybe he wasn’t all bad. Just mostly.

Her conscience twitched as she remembered her words to him on the porch. Little substance. While she might believe that, she shouldn’t have voiced her opinion. She’d meant her comments to be teasing, but some of her deep-seated bitterness had crept into her tone. Linc’s eyes had filled with a flash of hurt and surprise. She’d obviously pricked his ego with her statement. She shouldn’t waste too much time feeling remorse. He’d get over it.

What mattered now was getting this paperwork back to him so Evan could play ball this weekend. Her son was her life. She’d endure anything for his sake, including standing on the sidelines while Linc coached the team.

But for some reason she still felt bad about labeling him. Even if it were true.

* * *

Linc pivoted and strode back into the house, scolding himself for letting his tenant’s words get to him. Little substance. She obviously didn’t think much of him. But what disturbed him more was the reaction she’d unleashed when he’d pulled her into his arms to keep her from falling down the brick steps.

She’d been warm and soft cradled against him. Her scent had disrupted his senses and sent his thoughts pinballing in a dozen different directions. She felt right in his arms and he’d wanted to hold her forever. She’d felt it, too. The awareness. He’d seen it in her eyes. But he also knew she’d deny it. Maybe he could change her opinion of him.

“Linc!”

He recognized the shout. His sister Victoria was here. He met her in the hall. “Hey, sis. Everything okay?”

She glanced around the room, tears welling in her eyes. “No. Nothing is okay. I miss him so much.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Is there anything I can do?” Here was his chance to step up and fill in for Dad.

“No. I came to tell you that I’m going away for a while.”

Linc clenched his teeth and stepped away. Why was everyone leaving? “Tori, this is no time to be running away. We need to stick together. Mom will be home soon and she’ll need you here. She needs all of us more than ever now.”

His sister shook her head and brushed away tears. “I can’t handle being around the house without Dad here. I’m going to visit my friend Judy in California. It’ll give me time to sort things out.”

“Why can’t you do that here?”

Her eyes narrowed and she pressed her lips together. “I knew you’d say that. Why does it matter? Gil and Beth aren’t here, either.”

“Bethany is working, and Gil is fighting for custody of his daughter.”

“And I’m fighting for my sanity.” She shook her head, scowling. “I knew you wouldn’t understand. You’re not like the rest of us.”

He planted his hands on his hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t feel like we do. You’re not emotional.”

He winced. Gemma had said the same thing. Didn’t they understand he felt just as deeply as anyone else? He simply chose not to expose his emotions for the world to see.

Tori reached out and touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Linc. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I know you’re hurting, too. See how upset I am? I need to get away.”

“You mean run away. Like Mom.”

“It’s not running away, it’s stepping aside and trying to deal with the grief.” She slipped her arm around his waist. “It’s too fresh here, Linc, too raw. I need to get some perspective. That’s why Mom went to Aunt Mary’s. It’s too hard to sort through the pain when you’re surrounded by memories.”

“Some of us have to stay and deal with the realities.”

“You’re the big brother. You can handle anything.” Tori patted his cheek. “I already told Mom. I’ll keep in touch, promise.”

“What about the real estate office? I thought you were running it while she’s gone.”

“Mom said to close it down. Business is slow. Besides, she’ll be home in a few days.”

Linc walked his sister to the front porch. He’d never felt as helpless, like a catfish floundering on a dock. The harder he tried to keep the family together the faster they seemed to pull away. It didn’t make any sense.

Tori stopped on the porch and faced him. “I love you, big brother. We all depend on you. Now that Dad is... You’re our rock.” She wrapped him in a warm hug.

Did Tori have any idea the weight of that responsibility? “You’ll be home for Thanksgiving, won’t you?”

“I don’t think I could celebrate without Dad here. It will be too awful.” She glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

He looked around and saw Gemma standing at the edge of the sidewalk holding the registration forms. “Done already?”

“Evan is eager to be on the team.”

“Gemma, this is my baby sister, Victoria. Tori, this is Gemma Butler, she’s...”

“Taking over Mom’s job. I know.” She stepped forward and shook Gemma’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Mom thinks you’re very talented. I can’t wait to see all the changes you’ll make. It’s about time we expanded our Christmas events. It’s the happiest time of the year and we barely do anything.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Linc started to protest, but Tori said goodbye and hurried to her car. Even Tori knew about the new tenant. Gemma handed the paperwork to Linc. “Your sister seems very nice.”

“She’s leaving. She can’t handle being around memories of Dad.” He hadn’t meant to blurt that out.