The Christmas Pickup Read online

  Chapter 8

  Mary

  I open my door and I’m about to hop out of his way, assuming the driver side door is still getting pelted by the wind, snow and ice. But then Bear grabs both my arms.

  I gasp as I’m suddenly in the air. He is once again lifting me, this time over his lap as he scoots himself out underneath me. He plops me down on the driver side, and I think I hear him mutter, “No way I’m letting my weather girl get snow and ice on her again.”

  My heart skips a beat at this bossy side of him. He’s done enough—pulled me out of the snowstorm, kept me warm, made me laugh, flirted with me in a way that isn’t even creepy at all—but his increasing protectiveness of me is feeling more and more erotic as the night wears on.

  I see him grab a large ice scraper with a metal edge before he hops out.

  “Let me know if I can be of any—“

  But before I can finish that sentence, he casts up a warning look. His wolfish eyes are telling me to stay put. Normally, I am not compelled to listen to anybody who’s so bossy with me. But with him, it works.

  It’s ridiculous that I’m listening to him. I’m a helpful person, almost to a fault.

  So, am I just going to let him keep me shut up in this cab?

  Yes. Yes, I am.

  I watch him move around through the blinding snow. There seems to be only one passenger, and she’s done a 180 in her Lincoln Continental right on the ice and can’t seem to get enough traction to get the tires moving in the right direction. When the wind lets up for half a second to reveal the night sky, the headlights shine on a road sign. My brain tracks to our location. We’re headed back into town. I finally accept that I’m not going to make it to any party, but I should at least let Jenna know what’s going on.

  I take out my phone and text her: Car stuck in snow. No damage. Did you see my vid? Rando tow truck driver picked me up. Funny story—he’s out here on the roads all night long helping stranded drivers, for FREE. What?! I know. He’s…pretty hot, IMO. Weird night.

  Jenna texts back shortly: OMG. I hope that’s not just a line to make you think he’s a nice guy. But I trust your instincts.

  I text her back to say I’ll let her know as soon as we end up where we’re going…wherever that might be.

  The person that piles into the back seat of the crew cab is not actually an old woman. I had only assumed this because I saw a blonde wig and the Lincoln. Now that I see this person up close, it’s actually a very famous local drag artist, Madam Violet Bick. She’s wearing a luxe purple overcoat and boots with heels as high as heaven. She buckles herself in and shouts, “It’s colder than a witch’s titty out there!”

  I turn in my seat and gape at her. “Madam Violet, Merry Christmas!”

  She returns my smile and extends a hand covered in a fur-lined leather glove. She apologizes for nothing; that leather and that fur is real. I squeeze her hand.

  “Enchanté. You can just call me Violet,” she says.

  “We've met before,” I say. “I did a live feed at your club after the tornadoes came through last year. You were doing a supply drive for people who had lost their homes.”

  Bear has hooked up the Lincoln to the tow line and has chipped away at the ice holding the driver side door closed. He’s cussing as he piles in, slamming the door against the rushing wind. He cranks the heat and pulls off his ice-covered gloves, blows on them.

  Violet’s glittered eyelids pop as recognition floods her face. “Oh my god, Chief Meteorologist Mary Reed from Channel 2!”

  I laugh as I give Bear an elbow. “Did you hear that? She knows my proper title!”

  Bear turns and nods to Violet politely and looks at me. “That’s all right by me. I’m the only one allowed to call you my weather girl.”

  I cluck my tongue at him. “It’s a little sexist, don’t you think?”

  Violet is checking the state of her wig in a compact mirror and picking out tiny chunks of snow. “Oh, you two are too young to be arguing like old marrieds. How long y’all been together?”

  My heart drops into my stomach and then lurches up into my throat. It’s like being on a rollercoaster. I look over at Bear and I laugh. “We’re not together,” I say.

  Bear mutters for only me to hear, “Not yet anyway.” His rough voice does things to me. Specifically, my nipples. They could chip away at ice all on their own when he mutters things about me under his breath. God, it’s been too long. Obviously my body does not care that my brain is tossing up warning flares left and right.

  “Well,” Violet says, waving off the awkwardness in the air. “You two are just too adorable not to be hitting that. Girl, you are gonna hit that, right?”

  I cover my mouth and feel heat crawling up my chest and neck. “I, uh…”

  Violet checks over her teeth for lipstick and does not seem at all fazed by my reaction. I glance at Bear and he doesn’t either.

  I search for words, but Bear fills in the space for me as he wheels the tow truck back on the road into town. “Where you headed, Violet?”

  Violet claps her compact closed and drops it into a sequined bag that I might be drooling over as much as I’m drooling over the tow truck driver. “Well, I just finished one show at the Soda Jerk,” she says, referring to the city’s most popular drag bar that used to be a candy store and apothecary back in the day, which she now owns. “And I’m supposed to be caroling at the nursing home with the rest of my sisters tonight.”

  My mouth falls open. “That’s amazing! I’ll be brutally honest, I’m impressed that those people of that generation would…you know…be welcoming to…”

  Violet cocks her head. “To a bunch of boys in drag singing about Christmas? Honey, you’d be surprised how people’s opinions change when they don’t get many visitors.”

  I turn to look at Bear. His eyes are fiercely glued to the road. His Adam’s apple just rolled like he’s swallowing something back and he’s chewing on his lip. I feel it too and I have to bite the inside of my cheek. I can’t have Violet see me cry.

  Violet announces that she’s going to make some calls to her fellow carolers. I tune out the sound of her voice with the guilty feelings in my head.

  This is all wrong. How can I be thinking about sex on a night like tonight? When there are homeless people, people in hospitals and nursing homes, who have real needs tonight?

  “My house is not far from the nursing home. If you want to drop me off,” I say, meekly, staring into my hands that rest on my lap.

  Bear looks over at me, and the hunger in his blazing warm eyes feel like he’s already got me on my back in his bed.

  “Nope,” he says.

  “Oh,” I breathe.

  I should not have any doubt what his intentions are at this point.

  But my mouth. My stupid mouth. It cannot stop talking. “Well, where do you want to take—“

  I generally do not enjoy being interrupted.

  Bear Bailey has the nicest way of interrupting.

  He closes in fast. His lips are a hair’s breadth away from mine. He’s so close I can feel his breath on me. I can feel the electricity sparking from his skin to mine. His nose has got to be smelling my skin at this proximity.

  I can smell him too. Chapstick, some kind of masculine, woodsy lotion. Strong, black coffee.

  I want to keep talking because I’m nervous, but if I move my lips, they’ll be touching his. And I don’t want to be the one to initiate any kissing. No reason other than on principle.

  And then he speaks. “I ain’t taking you home tonight, in case you haven’t figured it out yet.”

  My breath is shaky. “I had a feeling.”

  Somehow our lips are touching, but we’re not kissing yet. His eyes are on mine, and then on my cheeks, my hair, my neck, my chin. Like he can’t decide where to kiss me first.

  “I like you,” he says against my forehead. His breath ripples against the baby fine hairs along my hairline.

  “I know,” I say.

  “Us
ually, I go slow and do something like this first,” he says, picking up my hand that’s resting on my leg. Facing me, he laces the fingers of his left hand through my fingers. He pulls my hand up and kisses every one of my knuckles. My lips part at the sensation. His lips are so soft, and so are his whiskers against my skin.

  When he reaches my fifth knuckle, I’m pretty sure he's gonna kiss me.

  But then, his phone rings.

  He grits out, “Dammit.”

  He grabs it off the dash and answers it. “Yeah.”

  The voice on the other end sounds official. All I hear is something about a mother and a minivan. His brows knit together in concern. He looks up at me. All thought of kissing me is right out the window, something big is going on.

  Chapter 9

  Mary

  “I think I see the minivan up ahead,” Bear says. “They don’t look stuck though, maybe just broke down.”

  “That’s not good. She could be freezing in there if the engine isn’t working,” I agree.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” he replies.

  “You two do realize you are now on a mission together. This thing between you two is, like, happening. Mmkay?” Violet is finally off the phone with her friends and back to telling us what’s what.

  I look over, and Bear is trying to concentrate on pulling over safely but also smirking.

  “Would be a great story to tell our grandkids.”

  Violet hoots from the back seat.

  I can’t even respond. Anybody else saying that to me would send me packing.

  His words and that sweet sideways smile as he cocks his head after he says something daring… I just melt.

  It’s a little nuts. It’s way too fast.

  But I just…feel it.

  We pull ahead and come to a stop in front of the minivan.

  As we pass, I see that the interior lights of the vehicle are on. There is a man and a woman in the back seat. I can’t make out what is going on, but something inside me is telling me the woman is in trouble.

  “Stay put,” Bear says again. Though this time, he squeezes my knee and his voice is reassuring. My skin crackles where he touches my jeans.

  I watch him hop out like a damn superhero and I have to remind myself this is a rescue mission on Christmas Eve, not a sexy summer road trip. No matter how much heat I can feel between my legs.

  “Don’t think too hard about it, honey.”

  I turn in my seat to face Violet.

  “That’s all I do is think.”

  “You all just make sense. You all are good people and you need to get together and start making more nice, good, helpful people.”

  Damn if I don’t get a tear in the corner of my eye. Violet had a way of cutting through the bullshit. The conventions of how long Bear and I have known each other doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

  “He is a good man,” I say, my voice cracking.

  My head swings around as my door pops open. Bear looks worried. “Coats, blankets, and all hands on deck.”

  Violet and I don’t ask any questions. We haul ass out of the truck with all of our bags and emergency kits, with Bear’s help.

  We all pile into the minivan and see that the woman is indeed having a problem.

  “She’s having a baby right now!” I say.

  “Mr. Bear, we gotta get this lady to the hospital,” Violet says.

  “There’s no time,” says the woman, panting. She locks eyes with me. “Help me get ready?”

  I nod at her. “You and the baby are gonna be fine.”

  Even though I’ve never done this before.

  Even though I’m scared out of my mind.

  Something takes over. I’d like to imagine it’s my midwife great-great grandmother’s DNA taking over. Or just a natural instinct.

  Or just the need to keep her calm.

  I tell the man with her to lower the back of the bench seat into a bed, which he does.

  I help her remove her leggings and get as comfortable as possible.

  The man with her is holding her hand on one side. Violet has stationed herself at the woman’s other side and is holding her other hand.

  Bear is pulling all of the things out of my and Violet’s bags and emergency kits that might be of use.

  He hands me several blankets, scarves and sweaters.

  “I don’t know about breathing through a contraction, but I do know yoga breathing,” I say.

  The woman nods and shouts, “Here one comes!”

  I tell her, “Eyes on me, mama. Breathe in as slowly as you can, as deeply as you can.”

  She sobs and screams.

  “Come on, mama, you can do it.”

  I don’t think personally that I could do this if I were delivering my own baby in the back of a minivan during a snowstorm, but this is the kind of thing you say, right?

  She nods and sucks in a breath slowly.

  “Good, now just take two more sips of air. One. Two. Good. Now pretend you’re a leaky tire and blow it out slowly out of your mouth.”

  I can tell the contraction has subsided because her face relaxes.

  Suddenly her eyes pop wide at me. “Oh my god, you’re Chief Meteorologist Mary Reed! Jacob, Mary Reed is delivering our baby in a snowstorm!”

  But Jacob has no time to react because the woman’s hand is clamping down like a vise on his hand. Her face scrunches up in pain because another contraction is here.

  “Nice to meet you. And you are?”

  “Gah! Liz!”

  “Breathe in through your nose, Liz,” I say.

  A hand presses on my back. I look to my left and it’s Bear. “Sweetheart,” he says. His eyes are not on me but on the business between Liz’s legs.

  I follow his gaze and I see what he’s seeing. It’s the baby’s head.

  I put my hand on his and say, “Hand sanitizer. In my bag.”

  He’s got it to me in half a second and I do my best to get clean. “Liz, sweetie? Time to push.”

  Liz gives only three massive pushes and the baby is out and in my arms.

  “Oh my god, you have a baby girl!”

  I wrap the baby up as best I can and make sure her tiny air pathways are clear. She squeaks, and it’s just a precursor leading up to a huge squall. As quickly as possible I hand the baby off to Liz and Jacob. Bear hands a water bottle over to Violet and I do my best to ruin more of my things than any of Violet’s fabulous things as I’m dealing with the aftermath.

  I look up and Violet is sobbing, Liz is sobbing with happiness and Bear is shaking Jacob’s hand.

  “Congrats, man.”

  Chapter 10

  Bear

  Mercifully, the wind lets up briefly so we can move Liz, the baby and Jacob into the back seat of my truck. Violet joins us in the front seat and that means my weather girl has to squeeze in extra close to me.

  This being a manual transmission, the closeness gets real interesting.

  I have to reach between Mary’s knees to shift gears.

  “I can’t believe what just happened,” she says, looking so dazed that my hand between her knees doesn’t seem to register.

  “I can,” I say. “You delivered a baby. You’re amazing.”

  As I concentrate on the road I see her shaking her head. “I barely did anything.”

  Violet scoffs. “Girl, you were large and in charge, I ain’t buying this false modesty.”

  I hear her sniffle. “Liz did all the real work.”

  I think maybe she’s getting emotional and I want so bad to put my arms around her. Damn this gear shift.

  Day after Christmas I’m selling this hunk of junk and getting an automatic.

  “You were great. You all were great,” Liz says.

  I can hear the baby nursing at her mother’s breast and it makes my heart clench in my chest.

  This is what I want. Not to have a baby by the side of the road in a snowstorm, of course. A family. With Mary Reed. My weather girl.

  “I’m gonna
get us to the hospital, Liz,” I say.

  “Thank you,” says Jacob.

  That’s it. I can’t take it anymore. My heart is so full, I just can’t not kiss this woman. I let go of the gear shift and cup her face. I pull her close. I murmur in her ear, “I have a secret.”

  She breathes and waits.

  “You’re coming home with me,” I say.

  I feel her cheek heat up between my fingers. “Yes, I think we already figure out that I’m coming home with you tonight,” she whispers.

  “That’s not exactly what I meant. I mean every night.”

  “Oh,” she whispers. “Oh my god, look out!”

  I tap the brakes and just miss it.

  The four-legged creature is in the middle of the road.

  It’s covered in snow and it’s not moving.

  “Shit, what is that?” Violet says.

  “Somebody lose a camel?” I grunt huskily, cursing every interruption so far this evening.

  “It’s so small, it has gotta be missing its mother,” Mary says. “What’s it doing in the middle of town? We have to help it.”

  “I love you for wanting to help, but baby, we got a brand new infant in this truck. Animals wreak havoc. Germs and shit.”

  Liz speaks up from the back seat. “You get that baby camel in this truck right now or I’m walking baby Mary-Violet the rest of the way to the hospital.”

  My weather girl grips her heart. “You named her Mary-Violet?” Her voice is cracking. “That is so sweet!”

  “I may be sweet, but listen, I was raised on a farm and I spent most of my childhood in a barn with baby goats. We are not scared of baby camel germs,” Liz says.

  I look over at Mary. She’s pouting.

  How can I say no to a brand new mother who’s just given birth, or to my weather girl?

  “Guess you’re outnumbered,” Mary says with a shrug.

  “Shit,” I mutter. “I was outnumbered the second I put you in my truck.”

  She starts to pull on her coat. “It might get a little rough out there, so I’m gonna help you. Violet, you mind getting in the back so we can at least keep the camel away from the baby?”