A Christmas in Connecticut Page 6

  And when that day came, it was a miracle. Watching Snickers give birth to her puppies was truly amazing…nature at its best. We did our best to keep momma calm and comfortable while we aided the birth. As soon as the puppies arrived, we cleaned them up and then nudged them to nurse. I noticed one puppy had stopped breathing. I rolled him on his back while in the palm of my hand and gently, but firmly, stroked from the head down to the tail on both sides. After a few seconds, he began to breathe. I’m so grateful for this because losing him would have been a sad note to an otherwise beautiful experience. Oh…and don’t forget to identify the puppies by tying different color pieces of satin ribbon around their necks so that you can keep track of each pup. I’ve attached pictures from this very special day. FYI, little Jasper is doing just fine. He’s gaining weight and can hold his own with his littermates. A truly beautiful experience. I was grateful I could take part in Snicker’s special day.

  Follow the link below for step-by-step instructions for building the whelping box, and for the construction of the bedding. Hugs to the new momma.

  Claire sat in stunned silence after she’d finished reading the post. Her aggressive creativity was going to bite her in the you know what. She poured a bit more bourbon into her glass and sat back on the couch, a small fire keeping the room warm; she’d better watch some videos and prepare for puppy midwifery. Claire let out an enormous sigh and closed her eyes. It’ll be okay, Claire. You’ve got this! But she didn’t have it. She dreaded what was facing her.

  She called Emmy and told her the whole story. Emmy had laughed so hard she couldn’t stop. Claire could actually hear tears in her eyes…she laughed that hard. Claire had gotten moody about it and had said goodbye and hung up. Maybe it was funny. She sure wished she felt like laughing instead of how she really felt, like sobbing.

  At least she was spending time with Jack. The more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. He was solid in a quiet way. He was thoughtful, kind, funny, and sexy as hell. Her core felt like red hot lava when she was near him…him and his damn sexy flannel shirts. She was yearning for something more…anything more from him.

  Chapter 8

  Over the next few days, Jack and Claire worked side by side, going through all the boxes of Christmas things. They’d sorted out what they could use and re-boxed the remaining items. Claire was proud of herself; she’d replaced all the metal hooks on the ornaments with loops of red satin ribbon. It looked good and Beth had loved it.

  “Okay…I think we’re ready to get the trees.” Jack looked at Claire with a twinkle in his eyes. “It’s a bit of a drive, so we should get going.”

  “Sure, let me grab my things.”

  They climbed into Jack’s truck, first stopping at Jenny’s grabbing two black coffees to go. Claire felt thrilled to be spending time alone with Jack; the past few days they’d spent quite a bit of time together. She enjoyed being with him. He possessed a quality she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was something that made her feel comfortable and safe. She glanced over as he was driving. He looked sure of himself, confident. But where was all this leading to? There was no end game that ended in a relationship, at least not from Claire’s vantage point. In a few weeks, she would be back in LA and Jack would be here. He looked over at her and smiled.

  A few minutes passed in silence.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

  “Me? Oh, I was just thinking about Christmases past.” She felt a swell of emotions as she thought about her parents. She missed them a lot.

  He took one hand off the wheel and covered Claire’s hand. Just that one little gesture made her feel better. She wasn’t sure exactly why, but it did.

  “Did you usually cut your trees down? I mean, I know from your blog that you do now, but what about when you were a kid?”

  “Uh…no, we didn’t. For a few years we had an artificial tree.” She looked over at Jack and thought she saw a look of horror momentarily wash over his face. “It was easy. It opened like an umbrella. All we had to do was plug it in. My mom claimed it let off something toxic that was causing her headaches, so my dad eventually ditched it. After that, we usually picked one up at Vons.”

  “Vons? What’s that? A tree lot?” He glanced over at her.

  “It’s a supermarket.”

  “A supermarket? You got your Christmas tree at a supermarket? I’m not sure which is worse…that…or the fake one.”

  Claire made a face at him. “Well, not everyone lives out in the middle of nothing where you can just go cut one down.” She motioned to the many pine trees they were passing.

  “But you’re able to do that now…so it is doable, even if you live in L.A.”

  Claire and Emmy had done this exactly once for the blog and it had been a major pain in the ass. The drive to the tree farm took nearly two hours, it had been hot walking around looking for the perfect tree and then they’d driven no faster than 40 miles per hour on the freeway all the way back, worrying that the tree was going to snap from the top of Claire’s Honda. Angry L.A. drivers were roaring past them, leaning on their horns; some even giving them a middle finger salute.

  Claire fidgeted in her seat. “Yeah—it’s doable.”

  “Here, you're going to need these,” Jack said. He handed Claire a pair of work gloves.

  “What do I need these for?” she asked, turning the gloves over in her hands.

  “The trees are sticky and sharp…don’t you wear gloves when you get your own trees?” He looked at her quizzically.

  “Well, yeah, but they did the actual cutting…not us…we’re girls.” She gave him a tentative smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

  “Don’t tell me girls can’t cut a tree down, you just didn’t want to cut it down.” He laughed as he walked off. Claire followed hurriedly after him.

  “The point was to get a fresh tree…not to get a lumberjack workout in,” she snorted, following him as he walked through the tree farm. Dark green trees dotted the land for as far as you could see.

  Whenever he could, Jack took in the vision of Claire. She looked sexy in her figure-hugging jeans and pink flannel shirt. And she was wearing the boots he’d gotten her.

  “How are you liking those?” He nodded towards her feet.

  “They actually feel okay, thank you again, it was really sweet of you to think of me and my footwear.” She smiled at him; her big brown eyes looked inviting.

  “I’m happy to help. But remember, once the snow comes, you’ll want to tuck your pants inside them to keep dry.” At the mere mention of her pants, Jack imagined pulling those pants off her. Get your head out of the clouds, Jack. This…whatever this was, is going nowhere other than her going back to L.A.

  “Okay…how about this one…looks pretty good, right?” He was standing by a beautiful 7-foot tree. “Does she look straight?” he asked.

  Claire walked around the tree. “Yeah…looks good…I think you found a keeper.”

  “Great. Okay, I’ll need you to hold on to the tree while I cut.” He kneeled on the ground and sawed at the base of the tree.

  “So…are you spending the holidays with anyone special?” Claire asked him.

  Jack looked up from what he was doing. He couldn’t see Claire’s face, since it was obscured by the tree. “Special? Like my family?” But he knew exactly what she was asking. He just wanted to hear her say it.

  “No—you know…special special.”

  Jack smiled. “You mean do I have a girlfriend.” He said it as a statement, not a question.

  She didn’t respond.

  Jack let a few seconds pass before answering. “No, I’m not spending it with anyone special special,” he replied. He resumed sawing. “Remember the part where I told you it’s hard to meet anyone in a small town?”

  “But you haven't always been in a small town…what about college? What about during breaks from your tours in Afghanistan?”

  Jack was quiet for a moment. He pulled the felled tree to the pathway an
d began to trudge further along. “We need to find two more.”

  “You’re not answering my question.”

  He wasn’t sure he wanted to answer. It had been a long time ago. What good was it to dredge it up? He stopped in front of a tree and looked over at Claire. “How’s this one look?”

  Claire gave him a thumbs up and braced the tree while he began to cut.

  “Well?”

  “There was someone…in college…Tara.” He stopped sawing…looking up towards Claire.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “We’d been together for two years, when she found out I was planning to enlist, she decided she didn’t want any part of army life.” Jack still felt a small tug on his heart at the memory. He’d loved her…a lot. It had crushed him when she’d given him the ultimatum: the army or her. He’d learned something about her that day that he hadn’t previously known, and it was something that proved to be fatal to the relationship.

  “Why?”

  “You’d have to ask her. But I guess she had dreams of me being a big-time business exec and us living the good life in Boston or New York City, not on an army base. The thought of army life just wasn’t appealing to her.”

  “Wow. I’m sorry, Jack. That was kinda shallow of her.”

  “Maybe,” was all he said. He stood up and let the tree fall to the ground, coming face to face with Claire. There was a kindness in her eyes.

  “Thank you for your service,” she said. “I’m always amazed and thankful for the selfless-ness it takes to serve. You put your life aside…and risked it… to serve your country. It’s honorable. She was a fool.”

  Jack just nodded his head. Claire’s response warmed him. It had been the reaction he’d wanted from Tara. He brushed the dust from his gloves before looking up at her. “Okay, just one more.”

  “One more? Is Beth putting up three trees now? Oh my god she’s gone crazy.”

  “Nope,” Jack said, and then smiled. “One’s for you. You deserve to have some Christmas spirit at the cottage.” He continued to look at her, he felt a strong desire to embrace her. He imagined just how good that would feel.

  “Thank you, that would be nice” she replied. Jack noticed a small blush come across her face.

  They soon found a tree for Claire. Once again, she held firmly on to the tree while Jack sawed.

  “So, what about you?” he said.

  “What about me what?”

  “Anyone special special waiting for you back in L.A.?” He momentarily stopped what he was doing while he waited for her response.

  “Not anymore. We broke up about six months ago.” Her voice was soft.

  “What happened?” Jack resumed sawing. She’s single.

  “He couldn’t understand why I was so depressed over my parents. He didn’t understand. Kept telling me to get over it. He really flipped out when he’d heard I was seeing what he called a shrink.”

  Jack stood up and let the tree fall to the ground, once again coming face to face with Claire. He wanted just then to scoop her up into his arms and tell her it was okay to not get over it. He wanted to tell her she deserved love and support, even if she never got over it. He gave her a nod of understanding and quietly held her hand as they walked back to the truck.

  The ride home was quiet. Jack was thinking about what to do. He wanted to ask Claire out, but to what end? She was headed back to L.A. in just a few weeks…what was the point? But on the other hand, he wanted…no he needed to see more of her. Just do it.

  He pulled up in front of Claire’s place and pulled her tree from the back of the truck, along with a bucket. “I’m going to slice a bit from the bottom and place it in water. Let it sit overnight before bringing it in.”

  “Okay…I don’t have any lights…or a stand, or even ornaments.” She was biting her bottom lip. She looked sexy as hell.

  “I’ll grab some stuff from the store…we’ve got everything you’ll need.” He looked into her eyes. “I was wondering—whether I could take you out to dinner?”

  She stopped chewing on her lip…a bit of color flushed over her face. “You mean like a date?”

  “Yeah, like a date. There’s a great Italian restaurant nearby. I think you’d like it.” His heart pounded loudly as he waited for her reply.

  “Sounds good,” she said, a small smile on her face.

  “Great. Tomorrow night around 7?” Jack felt a soar of happiness go through him.

  She nodded her head. “Perfect.”

  Jack’s insides melted a bit when he saw Claire open the door. She looked sexy in slim black pants and a fuchsia cashmere sweater with a low neckline.

  “Hi,” she said. “Come on in, I’m almost ready.”

  Jack walked into the cottage and took a seat on the couch while he waited for her. Inside he felt nervous but wasn’t sure why. Sure, he’d been on many dates in the past, but had never felt as tingly and anxious as he did right now. He had been looking forward to this night since the second Claire agreed to go. He wasn’t sure where any of this would lead to, but for now, he was just going to allow it to happen.

  “Okay, ready,” Claire said brightly.

  She’d added some jewelry and a bit of lipstick. It made her lips look even more inviting. Jack cleared his throat and stood up. “You look beautiful.” He helped her with her coat and opened the front door.

  “Thank you.” She beamed at him. “You don’t look so bad yourself. I think this might be the first time I’ve seen you without a flannel shirt on.”

  Jack chuckled, holding the truck’s door open while she stepped in. “Just trying not to be predictable.” He closed the door and got in on the driver’s side next to her. Her fragrance had filled the truck with the soft scent of vanilla and citrus. “You smell good,” he said, turning the key and starting the engine. He smiled at Claire and noticed her blush in response.

  “Thanks.”

  The restaurant was a twenty-minute drive to the next town. La Fattoria was in a small red farmhouse. Inside, the interior was homey yet elegant. A stone fireplace in the corner had a nice blaze going. Tablecloth covered tables were lit with flickering votive candles at their centers.

  “This is adorable, and it smells so good,” Claire said. She gave Jack a big smile. They sat in a quiet corner. The restaurant was lightly filled with other patrons.

  “Their food is fantastic. It’s all fresh and locally sourced,” Jack said.

  After placing their orders, they enjoyed some wine.

  “To you, for agreeing to help me with Christmas,” Jack said. He held his glass up to hers.

  “You are so welcome. I just hope you’re not disappointed,” Claire responded before taking a sip.

  “How could I be disappointed? This is what you do and you’re great at it.” He saw something flash across her face but couldn’t decipher it. She’d mumbled something in response, but the server arrived just then, setting down a plate of mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil and served with warm focaccia.

  “Oh my god that looks amazing,” Claire said as she spread some of the cheese onto a piece of the bread. She closed her eyes as she took a bite. “It’s so good.” She opened her eyes and looked at Jack. They sat quietly as they consumed the tasty appetizer.

  Jack leaned back in his seat and looked at Claire. Her dark brown eyes looked back at him.

  “What do you like to do when you’re not working?” he asked.

  Claire was quiet for a moment before replying. “I love going to a Dodgers’ game whenever I can. Nothing better than a hot dog, an ice-cold beer, and a baseball game…especially Dodgers’ baseball.” She smiled at him.

  No Dodgers around here unless they’re playing Boston.

  “I also love to get in some golf whenever possible. I rarely have an entire day to play 18 holes, I mostly play just nine. There’s a good pitch ‘n putt course near me. My dad taught me how to play, it was something we did together.”

  No golf here six months out of the year, because of c
old weather.

  She continued. “I also love going to the beach. My house is within walking distance…I love going early in the morning to walk on the sand before many people are out. I also like to ride my bike along the path that borders the beach.”

  No beach here. It became crystal clear to Jack that all the things Claire loved to do mostly weren’t doable in River Falls. He took a sip of his wine. He was a bit surprised she hadn’t included cooking or crafting on her list, but maybe she considered that all work, he thought.

  The server walked up with their entrees and set them down on the table. Lasagna with mushrooms, sausage, and ricotta cheese for Jack, and a ribbon pasta topped with pancetta in a tomato cream sauce for Claire.

  “This looks fantastic,” Claire said as she wound some pasta onto her fork. “Oh my god, and it tastes amazing,” she said, closing her eyes as she chewed.

  “I told you it was good.”

  “So, you know about me now. What do you like to do with your free time?” Claire asked him, a soft smile on her face.

  “Me? I also like to go to baseball games. I try to go to Boston to watch the Sox a few times a year. There are also a few minor league teams within driving distance; those games are fun to go to.”

  “Not the Red Sox again.” Claire made a fake groan as she gave him a teasing wink. “That guy, Hank, is super serious about the Sox.”

  “He is,” Jack said and then chuckled. “If I ever so much as say one negative thing he’ll blast me…and I’m a Sox fan, he’s so not happy to hear anyone trash talk them.”

  “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Claire said, a twinkle in her eye.

  He took another bite of his food before continuing. “I also like to build things…lately I’ve been making birdhouses. I built that one at the cottage.”

  “The little yellow and white one?”

  Jack nodded his head as he chewed. He noticed her face light up.