CALLEN STOOD THERE, trying to rein in the rage. All that old shit came flying at him until he knew there’d be no reining today. He headed for the door, triggering the soon-to-be-dead tree to start singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
“Cancel my two o’clock,” he called out to Havana, and it sent his assistant running to the doorway of her own office. “And get rid of the damn tree.”
Along with some sounds of extreme disappointment—for the tree—she also added, “Are you, uh, okay?” That question was for the canceled appointment and his storming down the stairs.
Callen didn’t answer her because, no, he wasn’t okay. He was too pissed off to see straight. But he seriously doubted that was going to affect the fist that he wanted to shove in Avis Odell’s face.
He threw open the inn door, the cold air giving him a jolt while he braced himself to face Avis. But the man was nowhere in sight. Callen hurried to the inn parking lot. Not there. He shifted his gaze from one side of the street to the other. He saw plenty of people, most calling out some kind of holiday greeting, but no Avis.
Shit.
Callen stood there, trying to figure out where a snake would crawl. Maybe he’d just driven off. And was waiting to come back tomorrow. Callen would give him the same answer. No way in hell was he going to pay up. But in the meantime, Avis might make trouble.
He took out his phone to call Kace but reconsidered that. His brother had a full plate right now between his job as sheriff, running his own small ranch and helping out Buck. Besides, Kace or Judd might indeed take a swing at the man, and if they did, they could lose their badges.
That left Nico, and there was no way Callen would call him. Nico was the least likely of them to punch somebody, but Avis was right. Just the jolt of seeing him could be hell for Nico.
Since he wasn’t ready to go back in, Callen walked up the street to see if Avis had stepped into one of the shops. And he practically ran into someone else he didn’t want to see today.
Gavin.
“Get the hell out of my way,” Callen snapped. And if Gavin didn’t listen, he would catch the brunt of Callen’s temper.
“Sorry.” Gavin held up his hands. Strange hands. Or rather strange gloves. There were snowmen stitched on each of the fingertips. Girlie snowmen with puffy scarves and stuff. It took some of the fight out of Callen because he knew there was no way he could slug Gavin when he was wearing shit like that.
“Oh. A gift from my grandmother,” Gavin said when he followed Callen’s gaze. He lowered his hands. “I was just coming by to see you. I want to apologize.”
“Save it because I don’t want to hear it.” Callen might not have the option to slug Gavin, but that didn’t mean he had to be nice to him.
Gavin stepped in front of him when Callen started to walk away, and it had Callen rethinking his notion about slugging him. There was a lot of dangerous energy bubbling up inside him, and bashing in Gavin’s face might help with that.
“Accept the apology,” Gavin said. “Please.”
Callen hadn’t wanted the please to play into this. And it wouldn’t have, had it not been for Gavin’s sincere look that went along with it.
“I was wrong about a lot of things,” Gavin added. “I know what I say won’t have much weight with you right now, but it won’t happen again.” He held out his snowman hand for Callen to shake.
Callen debated whether to shake his hand or break it. But the cold had drained some of the hot temper. Besides, he didn’t want to continue having a pissing contest with Gavin because it might come back on Shelby.
And that was the reason Callen went for the shake, but he made it a hard one so that Gavin winced a little.
“Say, I know it’s none of my business, but it’s cold out here,” Gavin said, pulling back his hand and giving it a little wiggle. No doubt to get rid of some of the numbness. “Shouldn’t you be wearing a coat?”
Yeah. He should. But his temper hadn’t chilled nearly as much as his body, and Callen wasn’t ready to go back inside the inn just yet.
So, he started walking with no particular destination in mind. Then he stopped outside the window of Ted’s and glanced in at the display necklace and creepy Russian nesting dolls. The same ones that’d been there for at least seventeen years. It was probably his rotten mood, but it riled Callen that nothing had changed. Of course, pretty much anything was going to rile him at the moment, so he jerked open the door and went inside.
“I’ll buy the necklace and the dolls,” Callen snapped. His tone definitely wasn’t one of Christmas shopping merriment.
Ted Barlow was sitting behind the counter of a glass display case, and he blinked in surprise when he looked up from the book he was reading. His mouth fell open.
“I want to buy them,” Callen repeated. “Now, take them out of the window and put something else in there.”
A therapist would have had a field day with that, but with his mood, Callen might have punched the therapist, too.
Still wide-eyed with surprise, which might have been bordering on shock, Ted hurried to the window. Well, as much as a man in his eighties could hurry, and reaching into the display, he started scooping up the items to bring them to the counter next to the old-fashioned cash register.
“If you want these wrapped, it’ll cost extra,” Ted said.
Callen hadn’t actually considered what to do with them now that he was about to be the owner, but wrapping was a good option. “Yes, wrap them and have them taken over to my room at the inn.”
With the shock/surprise wearing off some, Ted smiled, and Callen could practically see the dollar signs in the man’s eyes. “Who’s this for so I know what name to put on the gift card?” Ted asked.
Another good question, but it didn’t take Callen long to come up with “Rosy.” She would appreciate the gold necklace, and he doubted the dolls would creep her out since she was a taxidermist.
Ted nodded with even more enthusiasm when he started ringing up the items. While he did that, Callen looked around, and his attention landed on a pocketknife in the display case. It wasn’t flashy, but it had a horse carved into the wood handle.
“That’s an antique,” Ted explained when he saw what Callen was studying. “It’s nice.”
Despite Ted’s weak sales pitch, Callen was sold. “I want that, too. Wrap it up for Buck.”
If Ted’s smile got any wider, he might risk dislocating his jaw. Callen figured he was taking the same risk with his scowl, but it was easing up a bit. Plus, he was actually doing some Christmas shopping, something that would please Havana.
And speaking of Havana, Callen spotted some silver and purple stone dangling earrings that looked as if they’d be gaudy and expensive enough for her taste.
“Those, too.” Callen motioned toward the earrings.
“Uh, those are a little pricey. Six hundred.”
Callen had no idea if that was a reasonable price to pay. Nor did he care. “Ring them up and wrap them,” he instructed Ted.
“You want Shelby’s name on the card for this one?” Ted asked. “Seems like a nice gift for your girl.”
Callen huffed, though he didn’t know why. Of course Ted knew about Shelby and him. Everyone did. “No, they’re for my assistant, Havana. Double wrap the box, though, because Havana will try to peek when the gifts are delivered.”
Of course, the earrings wouldn’t replace Havana’s usual Christmas bonus, but she might be surprised and pleased that he’d given her an actual present.
Since he was here and apparently on a roll, Callen went to another display case that was crammed full of jewelry, knickknacks and just plain weird stuff. Like pipes carved to look like snakes and a mechanical monkey holding a tambourine. Since the monkey had a switch that would likely turn on that clanging tambourine, Callen nixed buying it. No way did he want to have to listen to that.
However, he did spot something by the cash register.
Shelby’s business card. Horse Services: Training, Boarding and Sales.
Sales.
Callen recalled seeing a bay mare and a paint gelding at her place, and he could buy them for Mateo and Lucy. Of course, he’d need to arrange to keep them boarded at Shelby’s. But if the home worked out and the kids moved, it would give their new parents a reason to bring them back to Coldwater. That way, they could see Shelby, Rosy and Buck.
With those two names ticked off his list, Callen went to the next display case. Three bronze figures of cowboys. One on a horse, one slinging a lasso and the other hauling a saddle on his shoulder.
“You looking at those for your brothers?” Ted asked. “’Cause they’re kind of pricey since they’re signed by the artist and all. I can give you a good deal, though. Fifteen hundred for the lot.”
“I’ll take them,” Callen decided, and that left one person on his list. “Shelby,” he mumbled under his breath.
Ted beamed again. “I’ve got a few engagement rings.”
Callen scowled. “It’s not that kind of...” Relationship was the first word that came to Callen’s mind with the mental addition of “It’s just sex.” Since Ted was likely to repeat anything he said, Callen settled for saying, “Christmas.”
Of course, Ted would just assume that next Christmas would be the right timing for an engagement ring, and he would pass on his assumption as gospel to anyone who’d listen.
“Shelby’s not exactly the jewelry-wearing type,” Ted concluded. “Not much for antiques, either. You see anything else in here you could get her?”
Good question, and Callen was mindful that anything he picked for her in this shop would also make the gossip rounds, though Ted would likely hold off on that until after Christmas so as to not blow the surprise.
Callen looked at the mishmash of items on the shelf behind the cash register. “I’ll take all of those,” he said.
This time when Ted’s eyes widened, there was some concern in them. Probably because it was a strange mix. A pair of silver nunchucks, a body piercing kit complete with a navel ring, a gumball machine and two stuffed buck-toothed beavers poking their heads out from a stainless-steel barrel.
“For Shelby?” Ted asked. Clearly, the man was perplexed at the possibility.
But Callen just nodded. He’d donate them if he thought of something more suitable to give her. Which shouldn’t be hard. Anything else would be more suitable. Still, he was pressed for time, so this might be as good as it got.
“With all this stuff sold, this might be the tipping point for me,” Ted said as he rang up the items. “Might just go ahead and close the place.” He motioned toward the For Sale sign.
“You’d really sell?” Callen didn’t bother to take out the skepticism.
“Sure would. The wife’s nagging me to retire. So is my back. It’d be easier to just sit at home in my recliner, reading a good book.”
Yes, it would be, but it made Callen wonder if anyone would ever buy the place, and if they did, what kind of business would it become? Probably one that didn’t have Russian nesting dolls, bronze statues, knives and Shelby’s business card. Other than the dolls, Callen wasn’t sure if that would actually be progress or not.
Ted’s eyes lit up brighter than a Christmas tree when he saw the total. And with good reason. Those sales for Callen’s ten-minute shopping trip probably exceeded what Ted usually made all year.
“Just have everything wrapped and delivered to the inn,” Callen reminded him as he swiped his credit card, signed and headed for the door.
“If you change your mind about those engagement rings, just pop back over,” Ted called out to him.
Of course, the people passing by the shop heard him.
And one of those people was Shelby.
Callen figured it was both bad and good luck that she happened to be walking by at that exact second. His mood still sucked, and he hadn’t wanted her to be embarrassed, hopeful, disappointed or whatever the hell else she might feel at the possibility of getting an engagement ring—especially one from Ted’s.
However, there wasn’t a trace of embarrassment or anything close to it in her eyes or in the smile she gave him. “Ted’s doing some matchmaking, huh?” she remarked. “Be strong. Resist. That’s what I’m doing.” She added a chuckle, but the humor faded when she looked at his shirt. “Where’s your coat?”
“At the inn. I forgot it.”
Definitely no humor now. Concern. She hooked her arm through his and started leading him back toward the inn. “What’s wrong? Why were you in Ted’s, anyway?”
Callen didn’t welcome either question. He didn’t want to talk about Avis and didn’t especially want to get into the details of his attempt at retail therapy. But he was cold, and while it was nice to steal a little of Shelby’s body heat, he didn’t mind returning to the inn. Maybe if Shelby was with him, Havana wouldn’t pepper him with questions.
While he was hoping, Callen added that maybe he wouldn’t catch pneumonia.
“How’s Buck?” he asked.
She frowned a little because she knew he was dodging, but Shelby nodded. “He’s doing well. Minimal pain, and he’s sitting up and talking. I didn’t bring up what he’d said when he was in recovery.”
He knew all of that, of course, because he’d gone to see Buck earlier.
“I want to buy two of your horses,” Callen blurted out before Shelby could do some question peppering of her own. “As Christmas presents for Lucy and Mateo.”
Clearly still suspicious, she went inside when Callen opened the inn door and he followed. It didn’t seem manly to sigh with such relief, but the heat felt darn good.
The same good feeling didn’t apply to Shelby’s expression. Raised eyebrows and lips pressed flat.
“I’d pay to have them boarded at your place,” he added as they headed up the stairs. “That way, they can, well, have some ties here no matter where they end up living.”
She made a sound to indicate she was considering that, and while there was still a boatload of skepticism, she nodded. “It’s an expensive gift. I’m sure they’d be happy with something other than a large living creature.”
“I want to get the horses for them,” Callen insisted. “Just send me a bill, and, no, don’t give me a discount or anything. Charge me what you would anyone else.”
“A discount for sex.” Her smile returned for a moment. “Well, you are pretty amazing, so you probably do deserve a really deep discount.”
It felt so good to see that smile and hear that slight smoky hitch in her voice. Hell, it felt good just to see her, period, and Callen hadn’t realized how much he needed it until she touched her smiling mouth to his.
He spotted Havana peering out the doorway of her office, but Callen waved her off, pulled Shelby into his own office so he could give her more than a mouth touch. He kissed her, really kissed her, and the cold simply melted from his body, replaced by a nice buzz of heat.
The kiss lingered on until she eased back, met his gaze. “Now, will you tell me what’s wrong?”
Callen debated it. He hated to ruin this moment by even mentioning his prior visitor’s name.
“I have my ways of getting to the truth,” Shelby added. She shut the door and slid her hand over the front of his jeans.
He smiled in spite of that fierce debate going on in his head. And he grimaced a little, too, at the jolt of pleasure from that slick move of her hands. He wanted to let that jolt turn to full-blown sex against the wall, but there was something in Shelby’s eyes that told him they weren’t going to get that far—not until he’d told her what had put rocks in his belly.
“Avis Odell showed up,” he said.
With her gaze still nailed to his, she pulled back her hand, and for a moment he wondered if she even remembered who that was.
She did.
“What did that sonofabitch want?” she snapped, and that “something” in her eyes was now a hot ball of temper.
Callen didn’t especially want to feed that temper since he was still working on reining in his own, but he didn’t want to keep this from her. Especially since Avis could go to Shelby next. The thought of Avis doing that gave Callen another layer of temper that he didn’t need.
“He wanted money,” Callen said. “He said if I paid him he wouldn’t disrupt the wedding.”
She whipped away from him, throwing her hands in the air. “That shithead sonofabitch. I hope you told him you weren’t going to pay him a cent.”
“Yep, I did.”
“Good,” she spit out, her tone still tight and mean with anger. But then she stopped, swallowed hard. “Did you beat him up? I hope you didn’t beat him up,” she quickly added. “Because if you did, he’ll have you arrested.”
Callen shook his head. “I didn’t beat him up.” But he knew he likely wouldn’t be able to say that if Avis came back. “I’ll need to tell Kace and the others. I just wanted to calm down some first.”
She made a sound of agreement and glanced around as if trying to figure out what to do. What she did was lock the door. And in the same motion, she pulled him to her for a hard kiss.