The Christmas Girlfriend Read online

  His grandpa hollered, and his parents were laughing, but all Mike knew was that the show had gone out the window a long time ago for him.

  He pulled back. He could see the shimmer of tears in her eyes, but she nodded at him.

  “Whew. Young love.” Grandpa stood and nodded to the door. “How about you two come help me get this horse stall mucked out.”

  Mike frowned at him. “Grandpa, not now.”

  Grandpa went to the hooks by the door and pulled off two work coats. “What better time is there to help your grandpa?”

  Chapter 19

  Zoey didn’t know why Mike’s grandpa seemed so intense about them both coming out and helping, but she didn’t mind.

  They got to the horse barn, and Mike grabbed a pitchfork, not looking happy. “Zoey, you stay over there. I got this.”

  She stayed next to one of the stalls.

  Grandpa came into the barn, grinning. He winked at Zoey.

  “What is this about, Grandpa?” Mike asked, picking up crap and hefting it to the side.

  Grandpa didn’t look at Mike; instead, he focused on Zoey. “Why don’t you two tell me who this is? Because I sure as heck know this isn’t the Ann you dated in Boston.”

  Her heart raced, and she glanced at Mike, who dropped the pitchfork and moved to her side. “What are you talking about, Grandpa?”

  “Mike, pick up that pitchfork. Don’t just leave it around, because someone will get hurt. Put it away properly.”

  Mike wasn’t deterred. “Grandpa. Talk.”

  Grandpa wagged his finger at Zoey. “The Ann you dated in Boston was stuffy and boring, and I could tell because you never sounded happy.” He looked at Mike like he’d just solved a Hardy Boys mystery. “Now, you’re happy.”

  Zoey didn’t know what to say because, well, he was right about her not being Ann, and she was still reeling a bit from that kiss.

  Mike let out a breath. “Yes, she is Ann. She—”

  Grandpa put his laser-like focus on her. “Are you?”

  The question, coming from this man, felt so personal. She knew she had to tell the truth. Mike put up his hand and was about to say something, but she cut him off. “No.”

  Mike hesitated, looking caught.

  She decided to just give it to him straight. “My name is Zoey Harper. My parents died in a plane crash right after I graduated from high school. I just graduated from nursing school, and I don’t have a job.”

  Grandpa shook his head, a bit miffed. “So you and my idiot grandson lied to everyone.”

  His words stung, but they were true.

  “Grandpa,” Mike said. “Don’t do this.”

  Zoey put up her hand. “I was married. He died in Afghanistan. It’s been a little over a year.”

  Grandpa let out a breath. “I’m sorry.”

  She turned to Mike, feeling defensive. “Yes, we agreed that I would be his girlfriend. It was wrong, and I have felt so guilty. There’s no excuse.” She pressed a hand to her heart, and tears fell down her cheeks. “Mike didn’t want to face you all by himself. You guys are pretty intense.”

  Grandpa sighed. “And what do you want?”

  She wiped beneath her eyes. “I do want to go on The Voice. There’s this audition in Salt Lake, but I just lost my job waitressing, and my car broke down.” She wiped beneath her eyes. “I don’t know. It sounds stupid and wrong now that I’m telling you.”

  Mike raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Grandpa.”

  Grandpa just stared at her for a moment. Then he reached out, taking her hand. “C’mon, girl, cry on an old man’s shoulder.”

  She found herself in his arms. Her head settled on his shoulder, and more tears ran down her face.

  “Well, dang it,” Grandpa said, patting her back. “A widow and all alone.” He tsked his tongue. “No wonder Mikey wanted to bring you home to us. You need us.”

  The moment felt like more than comfort. It felt true.

  She pulled back, seeing compassion in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have done this. It was wrong, and I hate lying to his mom and dad.”

  Grandpa glared at Mike. Then he pointed to the barn wall. “Do you guys see that horseshoe?”

  Both of them turned to see where he was pointing. She nodded.

  “That horseshoe is my lucky horseshoe. I won’t tell you the whole story, but suffice it to say that anytime a person is down on their luck, that horseshoe makes up for it.” He plucked it off the wall and handed it to Zoey. “There. Now, it’s going to all work out.”

  Mike let out a loud laugh and bear-hugged his grandpa. “So you’re going to keep our secret?”

  Grandpa nodded. “I’ll help you keep it, but I warn you, the truth always has a way of coming loose. I don’t have to tell it.”

  Chapter 20

  Zoey stood at the tree-lighting ceremony later that night, and it felt like the whole town was out here. Mike’s parents had gone off, talking with people. Mike stayed next to her.

  After Grandpa’s, they’d gone back to the house and played games. Initially, she’d gone to Mike’s room, and he had gone to the guesthouse, but it hadn’t taken long for him to show back up and ask her if she was sleeping and if she wanted to play Monopoly with the family.

  So that’s what they’d done. While they’d played, they’d eaten nachos and hot chocolate, and they’d turned on the football game. Zoey could honestly say it was amazing.

  Mike got back from getting them hot chocolate and handed it to her. “The ten-second countdown is going to start any minute now.”

  Zoey took a sip and relished being here. Kids raced around, and there was light Christmas music playing. A couple of the guys from the wedding last night had come and chatted with them. Even Nellie had come over, and they’d exchanged pleasantries. This town, after being here for only two days, felt more like home than anywhere since her parents had passed. Unexpectedly, she found tears washing down her cheeks.

  “Hey.” Mike leaned into her. “What’s wrong?”

  Dang it. She didn’t want to get into this. She didn’t want to have all these feelings that had been so blocked off. She shook her head and tried to flutter away the tears. “Nothing.”

  True to Mike’s style, he didn’t take no for an answer. He took her hand and pulled her closer. “It’s because of Josh.”

  She let out a light laugh. “Actually, no.” Which amazed her, because she’d been consumed with Josh and his absence from her life for so long. “No, I was just thinking about how this feels like home. I haven’t had that since my parents died.”

  Putting his arm all the way around her, he whispered into her ear, “You’re okay, Zoey.”

  She remembered that when she’d first met this guy, she’d been annoyed at almost everything he’d done. But now, it made her sad to think she only had one more day with him. They would do the toy drive tomorrow and he would take her back. The thought of that made her feel so blank and lonely.

  That was the deal, though, right? No matter how much she was getting caught up in this little vision of “cute Snow Valley” family life, it wasn’t her life.

  The countdown started, and Mike’s parents joined them. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!” The lights came on, and the whole town cheered.

  Mike’s parents were kissing, and then Mike was tugging her in, but he stopped right before.

  She waited.

  He grinned. “I don’t want to do anything that you—”

  Zoey leaned up and in on her tiptoes. “Shut up and kiss me.”

  He did kiss her, and not just a peck, either. He pushed his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer, leaving warmth wherever his skin touched hers.

  “O Holy Night” blared, and people laughed. Even a dog was barking. Zoey only wanted one thing—to be right here, in Mike Hamilton’s arms, kissing him. She didn’t know how it’d happened, but she might really be falling.

  Chapter 21

  Mike had asked Zoey if she wanted to
go to the guesthouse with him and watch a Christmas movie. He knew his parents were exhausted from the wedding and Christmas. Strike that: he wanted to be alone with Zoey without being under the watchful eyes of his parents.

  “Star Trek?” Zoey asked when she joined him on the cozy living room couch. “I wouldn’t pick you for a sci-fi guy.”

  Mike grunted and opened up the blanket to share with her. “Captain Kirk all the way, baby!” To his delight, she settled into him, letting him hold her. Mike was amazed at how this felt more and more real. He didn’t want to overanalyze it, but he did want to talk about it. He just didn’t know how.

  She broke the silence, asking, “Why aren’t you following your dreams, Mike?”

  It surprised him, and he pulled back from her a bit. “What do you mean?”

  She leaned toward the couch, resting her head. “All you can do is talk about this town, and you clearly love taking pictures. I love the picture you gave me by the way. It could be in a gallery somewhere.”

  “Thank you.” Mike waved a hand through the air. “But it’s nothing.”

  “Mike.” She took his hand. “You’re good. You’re really good.”

  Mike let out a breath. “That won’t support a family. I mean, I’m at Harvard Business School.”

  “And you hate it,” she said, her voice rising.

  “What?”

  “You do. You didn’t say you were lonely, but after what Lacey said about all those pictures and you not wanting to talk about it …”

  “I had an adjustment period.”

  She pointed at him. “No, you dated Ann.”

  He glared at her. “What does that mean?”

  “You dated Ann, who liked fish and poetry and debating—and was clearly nothing at all like you.”

  “How do you know?” he threw back at her, sounding too defensive to his own ears.

  She grunted. “You said yourself you joined some dating website to get advice on dating because it felt like you couldn’t figure it out.”

  “Man, you have no trouble throwing things back in my face, do you?”

  “I’m just saying you’re back in Boston, at a school you don’t want to go to, hating it, and the truth is that you have all of this.”

  He frowned. “No, my parents have all of this.” Did she realize the kind of pressure he was under? “Do you think living in my father’s shadow is easy? Do you think living in Snow Valley under everything my parents have built together would be easy? It’s not just that I’m getting my MBA to prove myself. But do you think I could come back here and have no one? Do you see my parents in there? Their story is …” He broke off, standing. “Never mind.”

  “You’re afraid.” She let out a sigh.

  Neither of them said anything, but Mike stood and walked away from the couch.

  She followed him, taking his hand. “Mike, your parents do have an amazing love story. You don’t have to compare your story to theirs. I went around this last year thinking no one could ever be Josh, but being here has shown me there’s hope.”

  Mike’s heart raced. “It has?”

  She blinked and stared down at their hands. “I mean … yeah.” The side of her lip twitched up. “You actually proved to me that I might be able to move on.”

  He let out a breath and thought of living in Snow Valley. With her. What would he do?

  Zoey turned his hand over and casually ran her fingers over the palm, then each finger. “Being with a family for Christmas has been—” She blinked more, then shook her head. “—I never really had that. I mean, I did when my parents were alive, but both were from California, and we never saw my grandparents. At the funeral, my dad’s parents didn’t come. My mother’s side offered me money, but they didn’t offer to have me come be with them or anything.” She shrugged. “I’ve never had what you have.”

  “Never had a grumpy grandpa making you clean out the horse stalls.”

  She laughed. “I really love your grumpy grandpa.”

  Mike pulled her close to him, her head on his shoulder, and he just held her.

  “You sister said something when I was having hot chocolate with her and your mom. She said, ‘Dreams change.’”

  Mike grunted and let her go, moving back to the couch. “Listening to you makes me feel bad I didn’t want to come home.”

  “I love this town.” She sat next to him, smiling.

  “You’re right,” he admitted. He could tell Zoey anything. “I hate Harvard. And that makes me feel ungrateful. I don’t like Boston because I don’t fit in.” He sighed. “And that makes me feel like I’m some hick.”

  “Because you don’t like snails?”

  He grunted. “Or caviar or poetry.”

  She laughed and pushed his shoulder. “No kidding.”

  “But I like hearing you sing.”

  She blushed, then grinned. “Tell me what else you don’t like about Boston.”

  “I don’t know. It’s just everything. I don’t like being caged up in the city. Here, you get freedom and snowmobile riding. You get annoying Snow Valley weddings and Christmas tree lightings and people yacking my ear off and being in each other’s business.” Emotion gathered in his throat. “But I feel like if I don’t take this opportunity, if I leave, then I’ll disappoint everyone.”

  “That’s not true,” she said, gently touching his face. “You’re a pretty amazing person. I mean, you actually climbed on a building just because you saw me praying.”

  He laughed. “I can’t give up Harvard to take pictures. That’s not gonna happen.”

  “Why not? Can’t you use your business skills and figure out something to do with the photography?”

  “Like what?”

  She thought about it for a few moments, then snapped her fingers. “People always want cool pictures of landscapes. Get them in some galleries and start a website.”

  “Hmm.” He was unconvinced.

  She tapped his shoulder. “Do some graphic design with the landscapes for people’s websites, like you did for Lacey’s wedding.”

  Gingerly, he picked up his camera. He scrolled through today’s pics and paused on one that his mother had taken of him and Zoey. It was in the morning when their hair wasn’t perfect, and she was leaning into him. The tree was in the background. “Dang,” he mumbled. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Right. My hair’s a mess right now.”

  “I love your hair.” He turned to her and brushed his fingers through her silky strands.

  She nudged him. “Yeah, because you have some sick fascination with redheads.”

  “No, because I like you.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Would you ever settle down in a place like Snow Valley?”

  She didn’t speak for a moment. “Mike, this isn’t real. This is just a paid thing. When you drop me off in Billings and go back to Harvard, we’ll both go on living our own lives.”

  The thought of not having her in his life didn’t suit him at all. “Is that what you want, Zoey?”

  Zoey’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, is that what I want? That’s the deal.”

  Moving a piece of hair out of her face, he traced her face. “What if I don’t want that deal anymore?”

  Closing the distance between them, she stared into his eyes. “How come, at moments like these, I think it could be real?”

  “Is that what you want? I need to know what you really want.” He had to find out the difference between when she was acting and when these sad, unguarded eyes actually wanted him to kiss her.

  “I want more kissing.” She closed her eyes. “Is that enough?”

  He leaned in. “It’s enough for tonight.”

  Chapter 22

  Mike stood in the high school gym, riding high on holiday spirit. Half the town was here, bringing toys they were donating, and his mother had teams of people set up to organize the donations, putting them in the correct age bins. Truly, this toy drive was a well-oiled machine.

  He and his father were taking turns with so
me other guys, hauling the bins to the designated truck when they were full. People were standing around talking, sipping hot chocolate and eating cookies. Zoey was over helping his mother. It was a good day.

  Last night had cleared up so many things for him. Zoey could see herself with him, and he didn’t want to go back to Harvard, even though he didn’t know what to do about it.

  His father moved past him. “Seems like you and Ann are getting closer. I couldn’t believe how much your grandfather likes her.”

  Mike had to let out a light laugh. If his father only knew the truth. Grandpa only liked her since he knew she wasn’t the hoity-toity Ann. “Yeah.”

  His father dropped off the bin, letting the other guys pull it into the truck, and then moved close to put a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Son, I’m happy for you. Your mother and I were worried about you.”

  This was news to him. “Why?”

  “I just worried about you adjusting. But—” He looked in Zoey’s direction. “—that girl is amazing, and I’m so thankful you have someone out East with you.”

  Mike bit his tongue. He wanted to tell his father the truth.

  “I know you already know this, son, but your mom and I are so proud of how hard you worked to get to Harvard.” His father got misty-eyed. “Ya know, the only thing I’ve ever wanted for you and Lacey is to go out there and make your dreams come true, and look at you. You did it. You got the grades. You did the project and got selected for Harvard. That’s …” He let out a sigh. “That’s a lot, son, and every day I’m more proud of you.”

  Mike deflated, but he nodded to his father.

  “You guys sitting around jawing, or are you going to do something productive like help me fill those bins?” Grandpa held a toothpick in one hand.

  Both of them walked over to the bins and started helping his grandpa.

  “I can help,” Zoey said as she approached. She’d put her hair in a ponytail and wore jeans and an MSU sweatshirt. She looked amazing.