Have Yourself a Naughty Little Santa (6 page)

“Stop doing that!” she groused, collecting herself. Kim shot the now clad and much too handsome Ricco Maza a glare and pushed past him. His spicy, evergreen-infused scent seriously messed with her head. When he followed her into the kitchen, she was painfully aware they were quite alone in the big house.

As she entered the kitchen, the warm scent of gingersnaps assailed her nostrils. Her smile was quickly followed by a sad mien. Gran used to make the best gingersnaps on the planet. Kim could still taste them. Warm and just a tad soft before they hardened. And the spices she’d used had been fresh and aromatic. No one made them like Gran. And though they were Kim’s favorite, she had not eaten one since Christmas day, thirty years ago.

Ricco pulled the red-and-green checkered cloth from the tray of cookies and snatched up a handful. He meandered to the fridge and poured himself a tall glass of milk. Like a little boy, he stood at the counter and happily munched. So engrossed was he in his snack that he forgot about her until she cleared her throat. He grinned and offered her the last cookie. “No, thank you,” she softly said and moved to the covered tray that Ezzy had left for her on the butcher block table.

Ricco popped the last cookie in his mouth and chugged down the last of his milk. He wiped his mouth on a napkin, then headed for the back kitchen door. “You gonna be all right here by yourself?”

Her head snapped back. “I’m not a two-year-old.”

He shook his head. “Lady, I don’t know what school you went to, but around here a simple ‘yes, thank you’ or ‘no, thank you’ goes a long way.” He turned the knob on the door and said over his shoulder, “You have fun with yourself.” Then he shut the door soundly behind him.

She sat down and pulled the cloth from the tray. While the fresh-baked biscuits and gravy, chicken, peas, and mashed potatoes should have made her belly happy, she only stared at the full plate. Picking up the fork, she picked at and pushed the peas around on the crowded plate. Gran used to chide her for her food art. Even as a child, Kim had never had much of an appetite. The good part was that she’d never had a weight problem, and even if she had, she was a gym rat. She whiled away hours in the gym.

She dropped the fork, and it clattered against the red-and-white delft plate. She didn’t want to do anything except go back up to her room, crawl between the comforter and soft flannels sheets, and sleep for a week. She shook her head. What the hell was wrong with her? It wasn’t like her to mope. She needed to get herself out of this funk.

She looked up from the concoction on her plate to the door Ricco had exited, and she caught her breath. He stood staring at her through the window. He shook his head again, and she stiffened. He opened the door and said, “Go get your jacket.”

“I—”

“Just do it, Kim, and for once don’t argue.”

She sat defiantly for a long moment, when he walked past her up the stairs and returned with her big camel sheerer jacket. He tossed it to her. “Come with me.”

Slowly she stood, knowing she’d regret it, but a prick of excitement tickled her belly. She shrugged on the jacket and followed him out the back door. “Aren’t you going to lock the door?” she asked him.

Ricco turned to look at her, his brows raised in surprise. “We’re in Evergreen, no one locks their doors here.”

“But—”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. “No buts.”

As they came around the front of the big inn, she noticed that all of the sidewalks were neatly cleared, the snow pushed to the sides. They worked fast. They had to. From the homework she’d done on the town, she knew they had a robust artisanal trade year-round but that the mainstay to the economy was tourism from the week of Thanksgiving to the day after the New Year. Evergreen was a quaint Christmas mecca renowned for its scenic tranquility. And for the annual Christmas parade. While many cities and towns across the country had pulled back from the original reason for the season, Evergreen prided itself on its nativity parade and live nativity scene in the center of town. It was one of the most photographed Christmas scenes in the country. But the last five years of bad weather during the holidays had put a crunch on the little town. They were feeling the pinch. And this year they had done the unthinkable—advertised on national television. It had cost them a pretty penny, too.

If it didn’t pay off? Kim grinned. If it didn’t pay off for them, then it would pay off for Land’s Edge. And she was counting on another deluge of snow to keep the tourists out.

Kim shivered, but it wasn’t from the chilly air—it was from anticipation, the rush, the excitement of the hunt, then the kill. She smiled, her mood suddenly lifted. That was what she did, and it was why she was here. To hunt and ultimately snare the town into submission.

She took a deep breath and ignored Ricco’s wary eye on her. The air was chilly, but there was no wind and nary a breeze. The moon was waxing and the stars twinkled in the clear sky. Ricco pulled her across the street, and Kim counted no fewer than three snowmen. Gay holiday wreaths and twinkling clear white lights illuminated the houses they passed. “Where are we going?”

“Someplace to eat. It’s loud and crowded, but the food is always good and the company the best.”

“But—”

“No buts.”

Two steps later he turned up a gaily decorated sidewalk to a smaller version of Esmeralda’s B&B. This house was built with fresh cedar logs. It had a green copper roof and green shutters. All of the light fixtures were brass, the glass beveled. It was warm and inviting. She could hear the shriek of children’s laughter halfway up the poinsettia-lined sidewalk. She balked.

Ricco turned on her, an angry frown marring his handsome face. “I’m starving here!”

She shook her head and stepped back. “I don’t do well around children. They, uh, they don’t like me, and I don’t care for them.”

He pulled her along, and she stumbled behind him. “These kids don’t bite.”

She knew she was making a huge mistake. When the door flew open from the inside and a female shrieked, followed by, “
Papi!
I’ve missed you so much!” Kim cringed. Great. She was meeting the mother. Ricco grabbed the tall, striking woman up into his arms and twirled her around, kissing her cheeks. “
Hola,
Mama!”

Kim watched the doorway fill with more women and watched as the children squeezed in between the grown-up bodies, their little heads popping out, their eyes wide, the smiles near face-splitting. Kim stiffened. Holy shit! Both Elle and Esmeralda were there, and so was another woman with a kid! Kim backed up. No way. This was too damn weird. And his mother was in on this?

Ricco set the smiling woman down and turned to Kim, his eyes bright, his smile wide. “Mama, this is Kim Michaels. I found her in a snowbank. She’s grumpy, doesn’t like kids, and says she’s here on vacation, which I don’t believe, but she’s hungry. Can you help her out?”

Kim scowled and tried to smile at the tall, gracious, auburn-haired lady, who now studied her with less than appreciative, deep, hazel-colored eyes. “Of course.”

Ricco turned to the doorway filled with kids and women and said, “Well? Come give your
tio
a hug!” A gangly boy of about twelve leapt forward and clung to Ricco’s neck like a noose, followed by an adorable (well, adorable if she was into kids) little girl with big dark eyes and thick golden curls. They were joined by another toddler boy and Krista, who squealed as she pressed against the horde that clung to Ricco’s legs, arms, and back.
Tio
Ricco.

Heat filled Kimberly’s cheeks, and she felt like a complete and utter idiot. These were his sisters, not his concubines. Kim stepped back, as if she’d somehow been intruding on a private moment. A hard knot tightened in her belly. The sisters, all laughing and speaking in soft, melodic Spanish, peeled the kids from their uncle—all except the oldest boy. His dark eyes narrowed her way as Ricco carried him into the house. The boy looked at Kim as if she’d been an unwanted intruder. She felt like one.

The chilled air whipped around her head, lifting her hair, and Kim shivered hard. A firm hand touched her elbow. She started and looked up to the wise eyes of Ricco’s mother. “My name is Leticia, but my friends call me Leti,” she said.

Kim forced a smile. “I’m Kimberly.”

“Welcome, Kimberly, but I warn you. The kids haven’t seen their uncle in a long time, and they are very selfish and quite aggressive with his time when he is here. I hope you don’t mind.”

Kim hurried to assure her it was not. “Not at all. It’s not like that between us.”

“Are you saying you aren’t involved with my son?”

Kim nearly choked. Heat rose in her cheeks. Leti patted her hand. “I don’t mean to be so blunt, but you are the first girl he’s brought home…er, ever…and as you can plainly see”—Leti pointed to her smiling son, who was laughing and playing with the children—“my boy has a way not only with the children but the ladies as well. It cannot be resisted.”

Kim removed Leti’s hand from her arm, then faced her. “Mrs. Maza. I am not romantically involved with your son. I’m here because—” She frowned. “I’m here to relax. And I can assure you there is nothing between us.”

Leti smiled, the fine lines around her knowing dark green eyes crinkling. “If you say so.”

Kimberly just shook her head. There was nothing between her and this woman’s son now, and there sure wasn’t going to be any in the future. And it didn’t matter what this woman thought. In a week she would be gone and the town a distant memory.

Though she didn’t want to be there, the minute Kim entered the abode,
casa
Maza assaulted every sense she possessed, with its warmth, fragrant scents, and laughter. The one sister she had not met, who resembled Ricco like a twin, introduced herself as Jasmine before she ducked back into the cavernous kitchen and continued to chatter with the other women. Ricco wrestled with the kids, the sisters bustled around, setting the long dining room table, happily chatting amongst themselves. A phone rang from a back room, and Leti’s animated voice answered. Kim was all but forgotten. And it was okay with her. It gave her the time to look around and absorb her surroundings without being observed herself.

The house, though smaller than the B&B by more than half the square footage, had an open, welcoming feeling to it. Cedar-paneled walls combined with painted drywall and thick woodwork gave the large, open family room an airy feeling. The large river rock fireplace that blazed in the corner drew her with its warmth. Krista screamed and waddled past her older cousin, who chased her on all fours, then she grabbed Kim’s leg, ducking behind her. The little hands digging into her calves startled her. Kim stiffened. She didn’t like to be touched.

Ricco laughed and came crawling across the thickly carpeted floor, making funny growling noises that sent Krista into a fit of giggles. Kim’s blood quickened as she watched this big, strapping man, a man who, with just his lips, had made her feel things she had never felt, play like a big kid. She wanted to scream and laugh and have him chase her, tickling her until she laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe. She wanted him to press her down into the thick carpet and kiss her and tell her how beautiful she was. She wanted…

“D
INNER’S ON THE TABLE
!” E
LLE ANNOUNCED
. R
ICCO
grabbed Krista up, rescuing Kim from the little girl’s clutches. The older boy stared at Kim so intently that she would have sworn he knew her secret. Ricco tousled the boy’s dark hair and said, “C’mon, ’Tonio, Grandma’s worked all day.”

The boy gave Kim a sideways look before he stalked off. She looked up to Ricco, who watched her watch ’Tonio. “I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Ricco smiled and shifted Krista in his arms. “’Tonio isn’t very happy with the world right now. It’s not you.”

“When was the last time his dad came around?” she asked. Ricco’s eyes narrowed. “Elle mentioned it at the clinic,” she hurried to explain.

“Ricco!” Elle called. He stepped aside and motioned for Kim to pass. He pulled out a chair for her near the end of the table and handed Krista off to her mother. After Kim sat down, Ricco sat in the empty chair at the end of the table next to her. His mother sat at the other end. The sisters and their children filled in the sides. It occurred to Kim that at that moment, he was the only dependable male in the family.

Once the kids were settled and the din of voices lowered, Leti said, “Antonio? Would you say grace, please?”

The boy looked as if he was about to defy his grandmother, when Ricco coughed. ’Tonio’s cheeks pinkened, and he dutifully put his head down and folded his hands. Kim bowed her head and folded her hands, feeling extremely self-conscious. She hadn’t said a prayer since she was eight, and then the only one she’d known had been the one Gran had taught her to say before going to sleep.

The table grew quiet; even the younger children remained silent as they waited for ’Tonio to speak. The boy cleared his throat and began, “Lord, thank you for bringing my uncle Ricky home, and please make him stay. Bring Uncle Ray home from Iraq, and Uncle Donny home from his new business. And keep my father far away from me! Amen.”

“Antonio!” Elle said. The boy shot his mother a glare, and Leti put her hand on her daughter’s arm. “It’s okay, Elena. It was a good prayer. Most of it, anyway.” She looked down the table and smiled at her son. “Maybe we could see more of you in the future?”

Ricco smiled. “Duty calls.”

Jasmine piped up, “Your family is your duty.”

And with that the floodgates opened, and Ricco was deluged by the females and the little people of his family to come home and stay put. Finally he raised his hand and said, “Can we please eat?”

Leti nodded, and the family dug in. More conversation erupted. “Ricco, are the roads cleared?” Leti asked.

He nodded as he scooped up a large mound of fluffy Spanish rice. He put half of it on Kim’s plate and the other half on his. “Clear as glass. Evergreen is open for business.”

“Let’s hope the regulars get the news and we get a rush of fresh faces,” Jasmine said. “Enrollment at the school is down thirty percent.”

“I have several guests coming in tomorrow and, God willing, a few walk-ins. I’m booked for the week of Christmas and through to the New Year,” Esmeralda contributed.

Leti nodded and passed a platter of yummy-looking chili
verde.
Ricco passed around the salad bowl, filled with sliced avocado, tomatillos, white onion, and cilantro mixed with fresh greens, corn salsa, and blue tortilla strips, tossed in what smelled like a lime and
pico de gallo
vinaigrette. Her nose followed the casserole of enchiladas. Then a bowl stacked high with tamales. The aromas were wonderful, and the conversation enlightening. Her appetite suddenly voracious, Kim dug in. But she never once forgot why she was there. “Has there been a problem with tourists?” she casually asked.

As one, all the adult eyes turned to her and stared as if remembering her presence. She didn’t mind; she’d grown used to it as a child. Elle nodded and answered, “We’ve been cursed with bad weather the last half of December for the last five years. The last few years have been the hardest. It’s caught up with us. Bad weather has kept the tourist trade away. The only way into and out of Evergreen is on 82. Regular snow is not a problem, but when it keeps coming down we can’t remove it fast enough, and when they close 80, it’s the kiss of death.”

“Is the town in trouble?”

Leti smiled, and it wasn’t a happy gesture. “We’ve had rough spots before and weathered those. We’ll weather this one as well.”

“Mama’s the town controller and a private CPA. She knows who owes what and to whom, and if she says Evergreen will pull out of this slump, then we will,” Esmeralda proudly said.

“The Martinez family finally put the marina up and pulled both of their kids out of St. Anne’s. Mother Justina is worried and is making cuts,” Jasmine said as she fed her little boy a piece of tamale.

“Is your job in jeopardy?” Ricco asked.

Jasmine nodded. “I’ve updated my resumé.”

“For what?” Ricco asked.

Jasmine set down the piece of tamale and looked at her brother. “For your information, little brother, I have a master’s in child development. I’m not your garden-variety teacher.”

“I know that, Jazz. What I meant was, what is there here for you in Evergreen other than teaching?”

She looked down at her plate, then looked back up to her brother. “Nothing. I’d commute to Reno or move to Sac.”

“No!” Elle and Esmeralda said in unison.

Jazz set her fork down and put her elbows on the table. She looked around at her family. “What am I supposed to do, then? Live off my family? Don is never home, and while he makes a decent living, we can’t survive on his salary. I need to work.”

“We let Dr. Newman go last week,” Elle said quietly. She looked at her mother. “I don’t know where Dr. Juarez is going to come up with that balloon payment. He can barely make payroll. He hasn’t drawn a check in months.”

“Dr. Juarez isn’t the only one,” Leti sighed. She seemed to have lost her appetite. She pushed her food around on her plate.

“What about investors?” Kim asked between bites of tender boiled pork.

Once again all adult eyes turned to her. Leti scowled. “We have an offer from a land developer in L.A. to buy Evergreen lock, stock, and barrel.”

“Oh,” Kim said, acting innocent. “Is it a good offer?”

“Any offer, good or bad, is not subject to consideration.”

“Oh,” Kim said, then couldn’t help adding, “why not?”

“Evergreen is unique. The people here trust one another. We can and do count on our neighbors, and we know all we have to do is look like we need a hand and it’s given without question. This town rescued me and my family over thirty years ago when no place else would. I’ve seen it happen over and over—families uprooted elsewhere and taken into the fold of this town. Our roots are deep and loyal. There is no other place any of us would rather be than right here. We’d rather commute into Reno or down to Sacramento then give up our homes here. Selling out is not an option.”

“But if the money—”

“Not an option.” Leti’s tone left no room for further discussion.

Ricco laughed. “Leticia Maza is the mama bear of the town. Cross any resident, and you cross her.”

Kim understood that on a business level: Fight for the deal. But she could not relate on a personal level; she had never fought for anyone, nor had her mother ever fought for her. She smiled up at Ricco, then to his sisters. “You’re fortunate to have a mama bear.”

“What about your folks, Kimberly?” Ezzy asked.

Kim shrugged. “They travel a lot.”

“Are they meeting you here for Christmas?”

Kim nearly choked on the rice she’d just swallowed. She grabbed her glass of tea and took a deep swig. She shook her head. “No.”

“What
are
they doing for Christmas?” Ricco asked.

Kim shrugged. “I have no idea, probably spending it in Europe, like they usually do.”

“Are you mad at your mom?” little Mari, Jasmine’s oldest child, asked.

Kim smiled, not sure how to answer the question. “Mari, that is none of your business,” her mother lightly chastised her.

Kim took the out. As the conversation moved from topic to topic, several things became crystal clear to Kim. One: Evergreen was in trouble. Two: Leticia Maza was the key to unlocking the financials of the town, the way for Kim to get a detailed road map to a buyout. And three: The Maza family was tight, and if you messed with one, you messed with them all.

“Tio?”
Little Mari softly said, tugging on Ricco’s sleeve. Ricco set his fork down and smiled at the child. Her big brown eyes looked up to him with the innocent wonder only a child could have. “I’m Jesus’ mama this year. I want you to watch me.”

Ricco smiled slowly, his entire face lighting up. Kim watched, transfixed. Pure love and joy marked every cell in him. Her insides did that weird jumpy thing again.

He smoothed her hair back from her little angelic face and rubbed noses with her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

She pursed her little lips and pointed a finger at him. “Promise.”

Ricco crossed his heart and made as if to poke his eye. “Cross my heart and hope to die. You know if I say I’m there, I am.”

“My daddy says that, but he’s gone.”

“Mari,” Jasmine shushed.

“It’s okay, Jazz,” Ricco said, smiling down at his niece. “Daddy works a lot, Mari. But he’s going to try very hard to be home to see you.”

The little girl smiled and reached up for a hug, and her uncle obliged. “I love you,” she whispered against his ear, squeezing her eyes shut. And Kim felt her heart constrict.

As the dinner was winding down, there was a knock on the door. ’Tonio jumped up to answer it. No one seemed to mind or think there could be a complete stranger on the other side—or, worse, a criminal. “Grandma! There’s a man here.”

Leti set her napkin on the table next to her plate and stood. As she walked toward the door, everyone at the table craned their necks to see who it was. You could have heard a pin drop when Leti’s stunned voice whispered as if she had seen a ghost, “Enrique.”

Ricco was up so fast that his chair flew backward and crashed onto the floor. All three sisters gasped and came to their feet. Krista whimpered, Mari shushed her, and little Donny blinked his big brown eyes like an owl. His little chin quivered, and he looked as if he was ready to belt out a scream. Kim braced herself. But more formidable than the little boy’s imminent eruption was the Maza siblings. As a unit, the four of them marched toward the door.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ricco angrily demanded. Kim stood and shushed the children, who stared at the door wide-eyed and frightened.

“Mijo—”
an old man’s voice beseeched.

“Don’t ‘
mijo
’ me! Get the hell out of here!”

“Ricco!” Leti said, her voice high and strained. “Do not speak to your father like that.”

Incredulous, Ricco looked at his mother. He pointed to the well-dressed man who leaned heavily on a wooden cane. “This man is no father of mine.”

Leti put her hand on her son’s arm, her eyes beseeching him to comply. Ricco’s eyes hardened to stone. His jaw tightened, and whatever words he wanted to say he held inside. His gaze shot past his mother to Kim. “Get your jacket, we’re leaving.”

Kim hurried to do just that. Quickly, she thanked Leti and the girls for dinner. She gave Ricco’s dad a quick glance and almost blanched. There was no way to deny that he’d fathered the tall, angry man waiting at the door for her. Enrique, a handsome man with an incredible aura of pride swirling around him, was Ricco in thirty years, but he wore the pall of a death mask. His aristocratic face was a series of sunken planes and angles. He was pale and drawn. He looked ill. No, Kim decided, he was past ill. This man was dying. Despite that, he was well dressed and held his head high with pride, even if his dark brown eyes held years of regret in them. He nodded to Kim and smiled. Ricco kissed his mother and sisters, then grabbed Kim by the hand and drew her past the man he refused to acknowledge, and out the door.

The door closed behind Ricco, and she heard shrill female voices erupt inside the house. Ricco did not hesitate in his step.