Home For Christmas (A Copper Mountain Christmas) (18 page)

Ty rolled his eyes. "Heaven help us, another plan."

"This is a good one."

"You always think so."

"I'm going to present the pros and cons of Rachel making Marietta her home vs. moving to another town in Montana."

Ty stepped closer to the laptop. Scowled. "Aw, bloody hell. Please tell me you're not making her a PowerPoint presentation."

"It'll get the job done."

He closed the laptop. "Stop. Don't treat her like one of your investments. Rachel's not looking for a business partner. She's looking for love."

"I care about your sister. More than I've cared about any other woman."

"Then stop with the venture capital mumbo jumbo crap. This is a decision she needs to make with her heart, not her head. Don't show Rachel slides full of useless statistics and pretty pictures about which place to call home. Show her."

Show her.

Nate let the two words sink in. He was good at telling people things. He'd made a successful career out of telling. Showing, not so much. He wasn't even sure what Ty meant or how to pull it off, but Nate knew in his heart a PowerPoint presentation wasn't going to get the job done.

Rachel needed to understand why staying in Marietta was the best thing for her. Not Ty. Definitely not Nate.

But he wanted her to know what she meant to him. She needed to know that, too, even if her knowing changed nothing.

But how?

How could he show Rachel where she belonged and how he felt and make her understand this was home?

On the morning of December twenty-fifth, Rachel stared out Ty's apartment window. Fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky. "Merry Christmas to me."

Bah humbug would match her mood better. Okay, not really. Her heavy heart wasn't ready to embrace an Ebenezer Scrooge attitude, but she wished…

Don't think about him.

She couldn't think about him. Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe someday.

Rachel tossed off the covers. No matter how much she felt like crying and moping, she wouldn't. Ty wanted this to be the best Christmas ever. She would make that happen. She'd prepared a Swedish Tea Ring last night. All she needed to do was stick the pan in the oven to bake.

She put on a robe, slipped her bare feet into fuzzy slippers then padded her way into the living room.

Stopped. Gasped.

She blinked then refocused. Still there.

Santa stood next to the tree in a full red suit, a leather belt with shiny gold buckle and boots, polished black boots. A fake beard hid his face and wire-rimmed glasses made seeing his eye color difficult. He tipped his red cowboy hat. "Ho-ho-ho."

The booming low voice didn't sound familiar. He was too far away for her to recognize. But she knew exactly who Santa's partner in crime was this white Christmas morning.

Ty, wearing an elf hat, stood next to the jolly fellow in red. He looked silly, embarrass-via-social-media-silly, but affection for her brother swelled. "Hey."

Not exactly Elvish, but at least understandable and recognizable. Which was more than she could say about the situation.

Rachel moved farther into the room. Each step brought her closer to Santa. She took a closer look. Her heart jammed up into her throat. Not Kris Kringle.

Nate.

She clutched the back of the recliner. Her fingers dug into the leather. "I don't understand."

Ty stepped forward, gave her a big hug, the kind that always made her feel better. Not this time. "Merry Christmas, kiddo."

"You, too." She searched her brother's face for an explanation. He knew how she felt. She couldn't understand why he'd brought Nate here on Christmas morning. "What's going on?"

"Ask Santa."

She faced Nate, her insides trembling. This was the man she loved, the man who had broken her trust. She wanted to feel indifferent to him and hated that she felt much more than that. "So…"

He removed his hat, and with a flourish, bowed. "I'm the Santa of What Could Be."

Heart racing, mind scrambling to make sense of his words. "Huh?"

"Dickens' A Christmas Carol," Nate said.

So sweet. Her heart jangled like jingle bells.

Nope. Not sweet. Manipulative.

To protect herself, she crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't let her heart start hoping, wishing. That would be too painful. Her emotions were too fragile. "Those were ghosts."

"Ghosts are dead," Nate explained. "I'm very much alive. Plus I didn't have access to a ghost costume so I thought Santa would do."

"I know this is confusing," Ty said to her. "But just go with it. For me."

Rachel would do anything for Ty. For Nate. Not so much. But her brother's pleading gaze convinced her. "Okay. So what kind of ghost…Santa…are you again?"

"I'm the Santa of What Could Be." Nate placed his hat on his head. "I want to show you what your life could be like if you lived in Marietta."

She gave Ty a look. "Did you put him up to this?"

He held up his hands, palms facing her. "I take no credit. This is one hundred percent his idea. I'm just his—"

"Elf," she offered.

"Better an elf than Mrs. Claus." Ty winked. "Hear him out, Rach. Please?"

She nodded. "So Santa, what do you want to show me?"

Nate pointed to the bedroom door. "You need to get dressed first."

"Scrooge got to wear his pajamas," she countered, relieved she'd put on her robe. Not that flannel long sleeved jammies showed anything, but it made her feel self-conscious.

"Hypothermia isn't a concern in novels and movies," he said.

Good point. She'd bought herself a special Christmas outfit, to celebrate her move and look cute for Nate. The last part no longer applied, but why let new clothes go to waste? "I'll go change."

Nate watched Rachel disappear into the bedroom, his heart sinking with each of her steps. "This was a stupid idea."

Ty played with the bell at the end of his hat. "I tried to tell you that."

"Thanks for your support."

"Come on. I'm here, dressed like an idiot, so you can try to get my sister back. I wouldn't be helping if I didn't believe you could make her happy. I realize you must love her if you're willing to go to so much effort."

Nate had been up all night figuring things out. "I love Rachel so much I'd leave the Bar V5 to you and follow her anywhere, even the desert."

"That's all I need to hear. I pray this works. Just don't be an idiot." Ty straightened his stupid-looking elf hat. "While you put on your show, I'll be a good elf and have everything ready at the Bar V5."

"
If
she comes back with me."

"She'll come back to the ranch if she knows I'm there."

He sighed. "That's not the reason I want to use to get her to the ranch."

"Joking." Ty shook his head. The bell at the tip of his hat jingled. "Man, I hope this works out or you are going to be one helluva pain in the ass."

"That's no way to talk to your partner."

"No, but if you actually pull this off and one day become my brother-in-law…"

"I have your permission?"

"Damn straight you do. But if you blow this—"

"I won't." He couldn't. Not now.

Rachel was all Nate wanted for Christmas. He would never ask for anything else. "You know what to do."

"Committed to memory." Ty tapped his forehead. "But I have a backup copy in my pocket in case I forget."

"Don't forget."

"Again. Joking."

"Sorry." Nate had no sense of humor this morning when his future happiness depended on the outcome.

"Let me know when you're on the way home," Ty said.

Nate nodded, feeling anything but confident.

Ty slapped his shoulder. "No worries. This will be the best Christmas ever. I promised Rachel, and I always keep my promises to her."

I want that job.

Nate wanted to be the guy who kept promises to Rachel. To earn her trust. To take care of her. And much, much more.

To do that, he needed to nail the most important, and most unusual presentation he'd ever given. But this wasn't for a job or an investment. This was for something much more important. His future, his life. Not to mention his heart.

Nate adjusted the belt on his Santa suit. "You do your part, and I'll do mine."

That was all he could do.

The rest would be up to Rachel.

Ten minutes later, Rachel walked out of the bedroom. She looked around the apartment. Things were missing, including her brother. "Where's Ty?"

"On his way to the Bar V5."

Yearning struck, a pang at her heart. She ignored the feeling. "Did he take the presents and stockings or did the Grinch stop by and clean us out while you had your head up the chimney?"

"Your brother has everything with him."

"We're spending Christmas here at the apartment, not the ranch."

Sweat beaded on Nate's forehead. She'd never seen him look so nervous.

"You can bring the presents back when we're finished," he said finally.

"Let's get this over with then." Rachel didn't care about the impatience in her tone. Nate might be dressed up like Santa in a red suit and a fake beard, but he was still capable of unleashing butterflies in her stomach. Getting over a guy like Nate would take a long time, but she couldn't be with a man she didn't trust. Her body would have to deal with it for however long this took.

He led her downstairs to the street. His horse, Arrow, was tied to a bike rack.

That was odd. She knew how much the animal meant to him. "You brought your horse to town."

"I don't have any magical powers or flying reindeer to wow you with, so I figured Arrow would have to do."

He'd gone to a lot of trouble. She didn't want to be touched, but she was. A little excited, too. Anticipation thrummed. She tamped it, not wanting to get carried away. "What are we going to do?"

"You're going to ride." Nate steadied Arrow with one hand and helped her up into the saddle with the other. "I'll lead you to our first stop to show you…"