Chapter 11
11
B rent wandered around the Wintervale Resort, attempting to get some steps in. He considered taking the gondola up to the top of the mountain and do a few runs skiing, but going alone didn’t appeal to him. Especially when he knew Candace couldn’t do much of anything.
He wandered over to the front desk where a woman stood leaning against the back table, scrolling on her phone. When she saw him, she immediately set it down and stepped closer to the desk.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“Hi. I was just wondering if there are any events going on around town that would be easy to get to? I’m here with family, and a person in our group was injured on the mountain and is on crutches.”
She nodded. “Actually, the Wintervale Christmas Market is going on. It’s right across the street. The snow has been cleared from here to there, so she should be able to get there easily enough. Just be aware of ice.”
He glanced out the front doors and furrowed his eyebrows. The parking lot stretched in front of the building and along the side. It would be a decent distance to crutch, and he wasn’t sure Candace would be up for that.
“You guys wouldn’t have a wheelchair we could borrow, do you?”
She shook her head. “Unfortunately, we don’t.”
A man stepped out of a room behind the desk and smiled at the woman before meeting Brent’s eyes.
“We don’t what?” he asked her.
She gestured toward Brent. “Someone in their party was injured on the mountain and is on crutches. I recommended the market to them, and he was asking if we had a wheelchair they could borrow.”
The man furrowed his eyebrows. “That is a long way to crutch, and pretty dangerous with the ice.” He stepped closer to the desk and held a hand out to Brent. “I’m Jackson, by the way.”
“Brent.” They shook hands.
“I work on the resort grounds. We just finished clearing a path over there, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend crutching over that until the ice melt has had a chance to work.”
Brent sighed. “I knew it was a long-shot with the snow. We’re just feeling a little cooped up, and I was hoping to get her out of the hotel for a bit.”
“Give me just a minute. Let me see what I can do.”
Brent nodded as Jackson disappeared back through the doorway he had come from. The unmistakable sound of crutches clicking on the floor had Brent turning around to find Candace. She had just come off the elevator and was moving through the lobby.
He waved. She smiled and crutched over to him.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.
He tipped his head toward the front doors. “Seeing how I can get you out there.”
“What?”
“There’s a Christmas Market going on that I think would be fun to go to.”
She looked wistfully toward the door. “That sounds fun. But crutching through the snow doesn’t, so I think I’ll pass.”
He reached out and brushed her arm. “Just wait.”
Candace’s eyes bounced between his, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Jackson walked back into the lobby.
“Good news,” he said. He smiled brightly at Candace and held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Jackson.”
She propped a crutch under her arm and shook his hand. “Candace.”
Jackson held up a set of keys. “I have a golf cart that we typically don’t use in the winter, but I’m going to fire it up and get you both over to the market.”
Excitement flickered in Candace’s eyes as she looked over at Brent, and a smile spread across her face.
“Wow, man. Thank you. We really appreciate that.”
Candace nodded. “Thank you. That’s so kind of you.”
Jackson motioned at them. “Why don’t you two go get bundled up and I’ll get the golf cart ready. Meet back here in about ten minutes?”
“Perfect,” Brent said.
Jackson walked away, and Brent turned toward Candace with his arms outstretched. “I told you I’d get you out of here.”
She smiled brightly back at him. “I’m so excited. I better hurry and get back to my room to grab my coat.”
He lightly grabbed her elbow. “Give me your room key and take a seat. I’ll go get it.”
She only hesitated a moment before she gave him her key and told him where to find her coat and gloves. He went up to their rooms and got their items before getting back down to the lobby and helping Candace into her coat.
Only a few minutes later, Jackson walked into the lobby and motioned for them to follow him. They went outside to find a golf cart with clear tarps strewn over the sides to keep the wind and water out. He unzipped a flap and held it open as Brent helped Candace inside before sitting down himself.
Jackson zipped it back up before walking around and sliding into the driver’s side. Then he turned around to face them. “Everyone good?”
Brent and Candace nodded. Jackson drove the golf cart through the parking lot slowly before getting to the street. He looked both ways before maneuvering them across the street and down a makeshift road to a freshly plowed drive where several white tents were set up. Jackson pulled up in front of the first tent and several people waved at him. He waved back before hopping out and unzipping the flap to help them out of the golf cart.
He tipped his head toward the first tent filled with books, where a petite blonde woman smiled at him. “I’m going to hang out right here for you. When you’re done, come back over here and I’ll take you back.”
“Thank you,” Brent said.
“Of course. Take your time.”
Brent and Candace watched him walk into the tent and hug the woman.
“If we could see sparks…” Candace said.
Brent smiled. “Think there’s something going on between them?”
“The air is so thick you could cut it with a knife.”
Brent chuckled and threw one more glance at Jackson, who stared at the blonde like she was the best thing in the world.
Brent and Candace moved down the line of tents, and Brent kept a hand poised behind Candace to help her in case she needed it. But she crutched through there eagerly as if she had been on crutches before. And maybe she had. He didn’t know, but now he wanted to.
“Have you been on crutches before?”
She glanced up at him and shook her head. “No. Why?”
“You just get around well.”
“Is that surprising?”
“Not at all. I’m impressed.”
She smiled up at him before stopping in front of a tent. It read The Range Bar and Grill. A Christmas Market drink menu was posted in front.
“I could so use a drink right now.”
Brent chuckled. “Let’s get one.”
The list was adorably decorated with all drinks having Christmassy names. Brent skimmed over it and smiled at the man standing on the other side of the table.
“Could I get an Old Fashioned Christmas, please?”
“Of course.”
Candace pursed her lips, still looking over the menu, while the bartender made Brent’s drink.
“These look so good. I want them all.”
The bartender chuckled. “We have fun with the menu.”
“I can see that. How about a Clausmopolitan for me?”
“You’ve got it.”
He had the drinks whipped up in no time and passed them over. Brent pulled out his wallet and paid, generously tipping him, as well.
“Hey,” Candace protested. “You don’t need to buy mine.”
“You can get the next round if it would make you feel better.”
She laughed. “Deal.”
They both took sips of their drinks and nodded.
“Delicious,” Brent said. He took Candace’s drink and held it so she could crutch to the next tent.
A sign in front read, Dress Me Up. An array of scarves and winter-wear was on display. Candace tipped her head toward the tent.
“Do you mind if I go in?”
“Not at all. I’ll wait out here with the drinks.”
Candace took another sip of her drink before crutching into the booth and looking around at the items. She held up a pink scarf to herself as a woman inside the booth made suggestions. They laughed together, and Candace purchased the scarf, opting to wear it out rather than having it bagged. She thanked the woman and came back out to where Brent watched with a smile on his face.
“That looks nice on you.”
“Thanks,” Candace said. She downed the rest of her drink and handed it back to Brent, so they could move on. He discarded their empty cups into a nearby trashcan just as they approached the next tent.
Wintervale’s Country Store had various tourist items on display. Candace immediately went to the bags that had Wintervale, Montana, embroidered on the front, while Brent looked at the hats with the same logo. Each of them purchased souvenirs and thanked the man in the tent. Then Brent carried their bags.
Next, they approached a tent for a bakery called Petit Squared. Brent chuckled at the name, and they stepped forward, immediately drawn in by the smell of freshly baked cookies. They purchased cookies to go, and Brent added them to the bag of souvenirs.
They moved along a few more tents before stopping at one for the coffee shop, Brewbirds Coffeehouse.
“A hot drink sounds so good right now,” Candace said.
“Let’s get one.”
She looked over at where he was carrying their souvenirs. “I can’t carry my coffee, and you’re running low on hands.”
He glanced down and frowned. She had a point. The golf cart wasn’t too far of a walk. The Market was pretty small.
“I’ll run this back to the golf cart. Why don’t you just place us an order and I’ll be right back?”
“What would you like?” she asked.
“Maybe just a vanilla latte?”
“Got it.” He made sure she made it up to the counter at the tent before he hurried back toward the golf cart. Glancing inside the tent where Jackson had disappeared, he spotted him still chatting with the blonde woman. When Jackson saw him, he moved to stand up, but Brent shook his head no and mimed that he was just putting the bags inside.
The relief on Jackson’s face was obvious. There was clearly something going on there, and he wasn’t quite ready to walk away from her yet. Brent smiled as he deposited the bags inside the cart before making his way back toward Candace. By the time he got back, his drink was waiting for him on the edge of the counter. He thanked the baristas and took a sip of the hot drink, feeling it glide down his throat and warm his stomach. Candace took another sip of her drink before he took it from her and they moved back out onto the path.
Candace glanced down the row of tents. “It looks like we’ve almost made it through all of them. Should we head back?”
Brent shook his head. “Let’s take our time going through these last few. Jackson looks like he’s enjoying his time with his lady friend.”
Candace smiled. “I knew there must be something going on with them.”
They moved slowly to the last few tents and took their time looking around. The tents were filled with local goods made by local artists. Candace bought a pair of handmade earrings and tucked them into her coat pocket before joining Brent again. Then they strolled back.
“Thank you for this,” Candace said softly. She looked up at him. “I needed it, and it was kind of you to think of me.”
The smile on her face was all the thanks he needed. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her, careful not to spill the drinks in his hands, and lightly squeezed her to him.
“Anything for you.”
She looked up at him. Their faces were mere inches apart, and his eyes looked between hers. He dipped his head in a quick decision of now or never, and when their lips connected, he swore fireworks went off. A vibration traveled through his body, and he stepped closer.
She hummed against his lips, and it wasn’t until an older lady cleared her throat that they pulled back.
Candace’s face flamed, and she pressed her lips together. “Sorry.”
The lady shook her head, smiled, and walked away, but not before saying, “At least someone is getting some action in this town.”
Brent chuckled and Candace’s eyes widened before moving to Brent’s. Then she burst out laughing.