A Christmas Affair. Jodi Thomas

me.” He still towered over her.

      He thought about touching her, maybe her cheek or covering her hand with his, but that might not be right. If he were another man he might ask her out, or kiss her cheek. Then he remembered what she’d come back for. It was time to settle the account. He needed to pay her.

      “Oh, I’m sorry. If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll write your check.” He sat down at his desk and opened his checkbook.

      She remained at his side.

      Dread settled like lead in his chest. She must have something to tell him, and if she closed the door it had to be bad. She was moving? Marrying? Selling out to the Franklin sisters?

      He placed her check on the corner of the desk without looking at her and waited.

      Swiveling in the chair, he started to stand. Maybe it would be all right to walk her out this time?

      She took a step and placed her hand on his shoulder again, holding him down with her feather touch.

      When he looked up at her, he saw her sunbeam smile just for him, and her fingers brushed his jaw.

      Then she did the strangest thing. She leaned down and touched her lips to his.

      He was so shocked, he didn’t move.

      Straightening, she frowned at him, then kissed him again. Harder this time.

      He reacted like a man waking up and finally kissed her back. A light kiss. An almost innocent kiss.

      Then she stepped away as if the tidal wave that had just rolled over him was simply receding back into place.

      “I’ll see you next week,” she said, as proper as ever.

      “Yes,” he answered. He stood and awkwardly opened the door for her. “Hope you get home before the cold front comes in.”

      She never turned back as she left the store, but quiet Maria Anne Davis had just changed his world.

      Wes stood in his cluttered office and wondered how people sleep with strangers they meet at closing time and have more lovers then they can count. He didn’t even know how to talk to women anymore, or ask Maria out. He had no idea what to say but he was pretty sure a weather report wasn’t right.

      But if she kissed him, she must like him.

      If he did figure it out, she probably wouldn’t know how to answer, or they wouldn’t have anything to talk about on the date. Neither knew much about communicating.

      He smiled. Maybe it didn’t matter. She’d kissed him. That was a start.

       CHAPTER THREE

      TRAVIS WALKED INTO the county offices, thinking, How bad could this new home be? The three great-uncles probably had no clue about how to raise a kid. He barely remembered his father mentioning them, and if they were kin to his dad, they were probably drunks. New town, new house, same old problem. He’d still be on his own.

      When the deputy motioned him into the sheriff’s office, Travis swallowed his gum apprehensively and stepped into his new life.

      The three old men lining one wall were worse than he’d feared. One’s face was so wrinkled that at first Travis thought it was a mask. One was tall, real tall, and skeleton-thin. And the third looked like he was wearing pajamas.

      The deputy smiled. “Travis, meet your nearest relatives.”

      Travis thought of bolting, but it was like looking at the freaks at the circus. He was afraid to blink.

      The wrinkled uncle grinned and removed his hat that said CAP. “Hello, son, I’m your Uncle Cap, Cap Fuller.”

      “Of course you are.” Travis took his offered hand, wondering what the other two would be named—probably Slim and Crazy.

      “We’re sorry about your folks,” Cap said, without letting go of Travis’s hand. “We’ll do the best we can for you while you’re here.”

      The bony one took a long step like he was crossing a line in the sand and committing himself to sudden death. He removed his cowboy hat and nodded. “I’m Dice, Dice Fuller. You’re a fine-looking boy. How old are you, son?”

      “Almost sixteen.”

      “I would have guessed older, maybe seventeen. You got old eyes.” Dice looked him up and down as if there would be a test later. Height, weight, hair color.

      Travis decided he liked the thin man—unless, of course, Dice was planning on frying him up for supper. He probably hadn’t had a meal in years.

      The third uncle was chubby and looked like he’d spent way too much time staring at the refrigerator light. He didn’t speak, but he smiled at Travis like the criminally insane might. The guy had too many teeth to be normal and his lips looked like rubber bands pulled tightly between fat cheeks.

      In fact, none of them seemed normal. That one point probably confirmed they were kin to him.

      About the time Travis had decided to run, a uniformed man stepped into the room. The deputy straightened slightly.

      The stranger, who had kind eyes, introduced himself as Sheriff Brigman. “I know this isn’t going to be easy on you, Travis, and I want you to remember that I’m right here if you need me.” He turned to the uncles. “You’ve all made changes to make this work.” He looked at Travis. “This won’t be like home, son, but if you give it a chance it won’t be so bad.”

      Travis lowered his head, not wanting to say anything. The last time he saw the trailer he called home, there was trash everywhere, broken furniture and blood. Even the uncles’ place probably wasn’t that bad.

      Cap shook the sheriff’s hand. “Thanks for your help, Dan. If you’ve no objection, we’d like to keep him out of school until the new year? Let him get used to the place and us. He’ll stay at Horace’s house with Dice at night, but they’ll drop him off at my place across the street on the days they’re working. Among the three of us, we’ll do our best to keep up with him.”

      “You guys work?” Travis was shocked. They all looked old enough to be drawing Social Security checks.

      Cap turned to him, talking slowly, as if there was a language barrier between them. “I retired from teaching several years ago, but I still help out at the retirement village. The manager needs my advice often. And as a former captain of the volunteer fire station, I’m called in to handle problems. I’ve even been known to work crowd control for the sheriff from time to time. It seems to be in my DNA to take charge in emergencies.”

      Typical teacher. Ask him the time and you get a lecture on how the watch works.

      “You ride, son?” skinny Dice Fuller asked.

      “Horses?” Travis thought of yelling that he wasn’t any of their sons, but he’d save that tantrum for later. Four-to-one odds didn’t look so good.

      “Yeah, horses. We don’t usually ride the cows.” Dice chuckled.

      “Nope. Never had the chance, but I’ll give it a try.”

      “I’ll teach you. A man oughta know how to ride.”

      “How about drive? That’s important, too. I’ll be old enough to get my license next year.” Travis saw the first ray of hope. If these old guys would teach him to drive he wouldn’t have to run away; he could drive. Then he could really go places, live in his car, much safer than the streets. If he didn’t like the place he landed, he’d just drive away.

      Dice leaned his head sideways, as if swashing water to brain cells he hadn’t bothered using for a while. “You learn to handle a horse and then we’ll take on a car. Fair enough.”

      Travis smiled. “Fair enough.” This prison wasn’t going to be so bad. In three, maybe six