Checking Holly Twice, page 15
“Just come right out and say that?” I asked.
“Yes. Shut down the speculation and gossip by telling the truth.”
“All right, if you think so, I’ll do it. I don’t want Forest and the kids dragged into this mess if I can help it. You know I would wreck their lives if I allowed it to become anything serious.”
“You wouldn’t wreck their lives.”
“Marge, they follow me everywhere. What if harm came to the children because of me?”
“I understand your concern, but you deserve to have a little fun. Don’t let your mother and the bloodsucking tabloids ruin your holiday.
“I’ll get with Roger and talk to him about getting something to your mother. If we threaten to sue, she’ll back off. She always does.”
“Thanks, Marge.”
Forest appeared from the shower in just a towel. “Um, I should go.”
“Hunkerson is there, isn’t he?” Marge asked.
“Yes.” I flushed from head to toe. Had he heard her? “I’ll do what you asked. Call me if anything comes up.”
She promised to do so and we hung up the phone. I set it aside to focus on the gorgeous man in the towel. “You’re right about everything. Let’s enjoy the rest of the week. I want to go sledding.”
He whooped and scooped me off my feet to toss me onto the bed.
“Make sure the door’s locked,” I said.
“Already done.”
A van was parked outside Forest’s gate when we drove out that morning. The kids were in the back dressed in their sledding clothes. Excited and rosy-cheeked, they had chattered all the way down the long driveway. I had on my cap, pulled down to just over my eyes. Oversize sunglasses covered most of my face. Still, they would know it was me.
“That’s them,” I said quietly to Forest.
“Good. Let’s get it over with.” He pressed a button to open the gate, and we drove through. “Should I flip them off?”
A burst of nervous laughter bubbled out of me. “No, let’s not give them further fodder. Even though that would be epic.”
“That would be naughty, Uncle Forest,” came the serious voice of Dane from the back seat. “Mrs. Knight wouldn’t like it.”
“You’re right. I should keep it classy,” Forest said. “I don’t need Mrs. Knight after me.”
A flash of a camera sparked inside the van. Another came from the back window. Two of them in one van? Great.
We were out on the road now. I watched from the side mirror as the gate shut. My heart seemed to beat a second too slow and between my ears as the gate slowly closed. “Do you think they can get in?”
“No, the fence is electric. All the way around,” Forest said. “My dad had it installed that way when we had cattle and horses. He didn’t want anyone to get out. I don’t usually turn it on, but I did it last night when I got home.”
“It used to be to keep animals in, now it’s keeping them out.” I breathed a sigh of relief as the gate finally latched. Forest tore onto the road with such velocity that the tires squealed. The van followed.
He reached over and squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. We’re going to have a great day regardless.”
I nodded, but a darkness had crept into my time here. We’d be followed wherever we went.
“I said not to worry,” Forest said.
“I’m not.”
“Liar.”
“I don’t want you all touched by my craziness. This isn’t your world. You didn’t ask for this.”
“Did you?” Forest asked.
“No, but it’s different. I get the reward of fame. You guys get nothing but grief.”
“Not true.” He lowered his voice. “I seem to recall a certain mortgage being paid, for example.” He winked at me before patting my knee. “Nothing’s free. That’s what my dad always said, anyway.”
We were all quiet as we entered the city limits. Lights strung across the street glowed in the dim December afternoon. I hadn’t been here long but I knew that the close, almost-white sky meant snow would come soon.
The van continued to follow us. I watched it nervously from the passenger-side mirror.
We passed through town and rambled down the highway for a few miles, then turned right down a gravel road. Soon, we came to a white farmhouse next to a large red barn. Two Clydesdale horses were hitched to a sled just outside the barn.
“The Steven’s family turned their old farm into a tourist trap,” Forest said. “Locals, for the most part, don’t like to come out here during the holiday weeks. A bunch of annoying Americans swarm the place.” He chuckled and brought my hand to his mouth for a kiss. “No offense.”
“None taken.” When he let go of my hand, I teasingly shoved his shoulder. “Are all Canadians grumpy or just you?”
“I’m getting less grumpy the longer you’re here.” He pulled into an empty spot in the snowy parking lot. Flakes began to fall from the sky. Behind us, the van pulled up and came to a stop in the row over from us.
“They’re going to follow us everywhere,” I said. “And ruin the day.”
“Nope, not on my watch.” Forest took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and typed into it.
“What’re you doing?” I watched as the two photographers got out of their vehicle. Wearing what looked like windbreakers over T-shirts and jeans, neither was dressed for the weather. One lit a cigarette and leaned against the side of the van. The other shivered and stomped his feet. Good, let them freeze.
Forest twisted around to speak to the kids. “Stay inside with Holly for a few minutes.”
The kids nodded but didn’t look too happy about staying in the truck when there was sledding to do.
“What are you doing?” I asked Forest.
“Getting some backup, and then I’m going to have a word with our two friends here.” He made a dismissive gesture with his fingers, as if the photographers were ants at a picnic. Like ants, these types of people always brought more of their insidious kind. Once the word was out, they would all swarm Garland Grove, making it miserable for everyone. I should get out of here and let Forest and the children have a peaceful holiday.
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a truck headed down the dirt road.
“Oh, good, that’s the boys,” Forest said.
The boys? Before I could ask any questions, “the boys” had pulled up next to us. Two men who appeared to be about Forest’s age jumped from each door. It was difficult to guess their ages exactly because their faces were obscured by knit caps pulled low, scarves tied around their necks, and long, thick beards. Their slightly bow-legged and lumbering gait made me think they were brothers. Either that or really close friends who had developed similar habits over the years.
“Former high school hockey players.” Forest raised a hand in their direction. He pushed open the truck door while simultaneously adjusting his knit hat to cover his ears. “Good buddies of mine.”
“Wait, what’s happening?” My question was futile. Forest was already out of his truck. He said a word or two to his lumberjack friends before they walked in tandem over to the guys standing near their van. They surrounded the photographers. Forest’s and his friends’ breath made bulbous clouds in the air as they leaned close to the uninvited guests. Were they breathing hard or was this the nature of large men? Big chests equaled big breaths?
The kids had unbuckled their seat belts and were now pressed together between my seat and the driver’s to get a better view.
“What’s he doing?” Ruby asked.
“He’s telling those guys to leave us alone,” Dane said.
He was right. Forest now had one of them by the collar. “Are they going to beat them up?” I asked, more out loud than to the children.
“Uncle Forest will probably give them a time-out,” Ruby said. “Why are they following us anyway?”
“Because Holly’s famous and on TV.” Dane said this with the edge of the world-weary, as if fatigued with answering his little sister’s questions.
“But why would they want to take your picture all the time?” Ruby asked.
“Some people like to look at pictures of famous people. Especially if things are not going their way,” I said.
“Are things not going your way?” Ruby asked, sounding hurt. “Aren’t you having fun with us?”
“I’m having so much fun.” I emphasized the word so by widening my eyes dramatically enough to be worthy of a Broadway stage. “Before I came here, I wasn’t doing well.”
“What happened to you?” Dane asked, with more interest in his voice than he’d had for his sister’s question.
“The man I was supposed to marry broke up with me. He found someone he liked better.” And then posted photographs across most of France. I kept the last part to myself. I’d already told the children more than they could probably understand.
“That stinks,” Dane said.
“I thought so,” I said. “Until I met you two and your Uncle Forest. Now I can see it was all for the best. I’ve had the most amazing holiday.”
“Do you have to go back? Uncle Forest said you do and not to get attached,” Ruby said.
“I have to go back for a job, but that doesn’t mean I can’t visit you another time soon.” Was I right to promise this? Would anyone even care once I’d gone? They’d probably forget me. Just as the world would if I stopped acting.
The idea of not acting again was like looking into a deep, dark well and contemplating jumping into the water. I loved working. Despite all the hassle, I still loved the feeling of being on set. The camaraderie, collaboration, and sense of curiosity never grew old. Perhaps, too, it was the sense of being part of something that I craved? Being part of a temporary family? Was I doing that here with Forest and the kids? Playing house for a week?
The activity outside the truck drew my attention. Forest and his two buddies had trapped the scrawny photographers against their van. They were both nodding in agreement to whatever Forest was saying. A few seconds later, the invaders jumped back into their van. Dane whooped as the van’s engine roared to life, sending exhaust into the cold air. Their van’s tires made new tracks in the snow as they sped out of the parking lot without bothering to drive on the carefully plowed lanes.
Forest’s friends waved to us before returning to their own vehicle and driving away.
Forest grinned as he loped back to us and yanked open his truck door. “Come on, let’s do some sledding.”
The kids scrambled out of the truck. Forest grabbed sleds from the back and came around to my side. He opened my door and leaned down to get a better look at me. “You ready for a fun day?”
“What did you say to them?” I couldn’t imagine how he and his friends had convinced them to leave us alone, but I wanted to know the secret for future use.
“A mere threat of bodily harm,” Forest said. “No big deal.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“I told them to leave town or they’d be sorry come morning.” He brushed my cheek with his gloved fingers. “You’ll have at least one more day of peace.”
I swallowed and fought tears that wanted to creep up the back of my throat. “I hope they’re really gone and that no one else comes, but I doubt it.”
“For now, we’re alone, and the kids are waiting.” He held out his hand. “May I escort you to the best sledding hill known to man?”
I laughed and reached for my cap, pulling it over my hair. “Is that documented somewhere?”
He tapped the side of his head. “Only right here, baby.”
Dane and Ruby had already run ahead and joined a group of their young friends.
“Do you and I have sleds?” I jumped to the ground, noticing the way the grasses had flattened under the snow.
“No, we’ll rent something. I don’t usually sled with them.”
“Why not?” I allowed him to take my gloved hand in his as we strode toward a shed where an older man was taking money for day tickets.
“I don’t know. I’m always tired.” He sighed, as if saying the words reminded him of his fatigue. “These have been some tough years. I figured I had to focus on whatever the next task was or everything would fall apart. Fun was for other people.”
“I know the feeling.” Work was my refuge too. I kept a pace that helped me resist the temptation to think too much. Had that been the problem with Rhett and me? Had I kept my distance and guard up, driving him away? I drew in a sharp breath.
“What is it?” Forest’s brows drew together in obvious concern.
“I’m fine.” I placed my hand on his arm. “I was thinking about Rhett—wondering if I drove him away because I was never truly present.”
He cocked his head to the side. His eyes filled with sympathy as he looked down at me. “You seem present to me. More so than almost anyone I know.”
I gestured toward the landscape. “This place makes me feel wide-open and alive. You and the kids bring it out in me, too. I feel like myself here. Free to just be.” I spread my fingers out to emphasize the word be.
“I think we both deserve a little fun, right? Even if we’re not perfect?”
I smiled up at him. “I guess so.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it? Trying to be what everyone expects and needs all the time?” He grimaced and glanced over at the kids. “I’ve missed a lot of moments while inside my own head. Worry does that to a man.”
“We’re more similar than I thought we were when we first met,” I said.
“In what way?”
I laughed at the expression of genuine befuddlement on his face and slipped my arm through his. “I mean we both have a lot of worries. Mrs. Knight told me that you and I are both trapped.” We were nearing where the children had gathered. “Is that true? Do you feel trapped?”
“Not trapped exactly. I’d do anything for these kids. But yeah, I put my own life on permanent hold.” Forest steered me over to stand in the line for tickets. “That’s what it means to be family. You have to put others before yourselves sometimes.”
“My mother never thinks of anyone but herself.”
“Your mother isn’t your family,” Forest said.
“True.”
When it was our turn to buy tickets, Forest plunked down a bunch of five-dollar bills. I caught the faint hint of beer. It struck me once again about the strength of this man. Serving beer through much of the night to keep food on the table without a complaint. Hollywood could make all the action movies they wanted with stars that gained their muscles at the gym, but this man was the real thing. A true hero. My chest ached. How could I ever leave him?
Ridiculous. I hadn’t even known him a week. Was I this much of a romantic?
The young helper ushered us over to a pile of inflated inner tubes. “Miss, you’ll want the small size,” he said, pointing at a stack. He gave Forest a scrutinizing stare as if he’d never seen him before, which couldn’t be true. Everyone knew Forest in Garland Grove. What was the country song about everyone being famous in a small town? “Forest, you better get the biggest one.”
Other than the day on the rink, no one had acknowledged recognizing me. I had a feeling word had spread that Forest was my protector and to stay clear. Strangely enough, I relished the idea of being sheltered from life’s many storms by this gorgeous man.
We took our tubes over to the top of the sledding hill. Dane and Ruby were already speeding down the hill on their red plastic sleds. When it was our turn, I hesitated. “I’ve never done this before.”
“Nothing to it. Plop your cute butt in there and head down the hill.” He demonstrated by falling into his tube with his legs dangling off the side. “In the summer we do the same thing in the lake. Same tubes even.”
I awkwardly climbed on top of the tube. Before I knew what was happening, I was spinning down the hill. I screamed, zigzagging between the embankments of snow. Thank God they’d made the run so that no one could veer off the path into the trees. No sooner had I had that thought than I hit a slight mogul and nearly bounced out of the tube.
By the time I reached the bottom, Dane, Ruby, and their gaggle of friends were all there waiting for me. Ruby came running up, her face glowing from the cold. “Isn’t it fun?” She bounced on the tips of her boots.
“It was. But I was a little scared.” I took in great gulps of air to calm my nervous stomach. “Going so fast made me a bit dizzy.” In fact, I thought I might heave right then and there.
Forest, as if he were driving a high-precision car, made a slight arch to land right next to me. “Not bad for your first time, but I might suggest steering.”
“Steering? Impossible.” I tapped the top of the rubber. “It’s possessed.”
The bevy of children laughed as if that were the funniest thing they’d ever heard. The noise seemed to pierce right through my brain. I covered my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, Dane was watching me, a surprisingly sympathetic gleam in his eyes.
“Are you going to be sick?” Dane asked me.
“I don’t think so,” I said weakly, and not at all sure.
“Uncle Forest, she needs your help,” Dane said.
“I’m on it.” Forest rose out of his tube, tossing it outside the embankment near a cluster of trees. He pushed me over to the clump of pines out of the way of oncoming sledders, then settled in his own tube next to me. “You all right, for real?” Forest asked.
“I think so. I wasn’t ready to slide so fast. The whole experience made me dizzy and scared but was also amazingly fun. It was all so unexpected.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Kind of how I feel about you.”
I stared at him. “You do?”
“How could I not? A beautiful, smart, and nurturing woman falls into my life and changes everything for the better? You make me dizzy, Holly Turner.”
“Like throwing up type of dizzy?”
He laughed softly. “Not exactly like that, no.” Forest reached over and yanked me onto his lap. The weight of both of us caused the tube to career over the flat snow to stop near one of the stone firepits. Lit with gas, the flames warmed my cold cheeks. I put my arms around his neck. “What are you doing? Trying to scare me again?”
