Unexpected Gifts

"So," she said, wiping at her eyes, "there you have it. I'm stuck here with no place to stay and no way to get home. I don't have a credit card to charge a plane ticket to, even if I could get a flight. The prices are probably astronomical and the flights are probably booked anyway. I was going to rent a car to drive to my sister's, and now I can't even do that."

Don couldn't help but think that the tears made her blue eyes shine in the light. He was going to help her, that much was certain. He didn't know quite how yet, but there was no way he was leaving her on her own. He'd drive her to her sister's if he had to. Spending more time with her, and only her, was the most appealing idea he'd had in a while.

"Come back with me," he said. "My cousin has a spare room." He didn't mention that he'd been using it until now. "They won't mind."

"I couldn't," she said, shaking her head. "They must be busy, and I'm a complete stranger..."

"They won't care," he said. "Please, Jeanette. I just can't leave you here." She was silent as she considered it. "Just for tonight," he continued. "Tomorrow we'll try again for a hotel, and you'll need to contact people about your credit cards. It'd be so much easier to do that from a house than...wherever you would be."

"Okay," she said.

"Good." He smiled and was glad when she smiled back. He nudged her soup bowl towards her. "Go on, eat up. Then we'll head back to my cousin's. You'll like him, and his wife." He drank some more coffee. "Do you like dogs?"

x-x-x-x

Jeanette couldn't believe how much better she felt. Don had driven back to town, and she'd met his cousin, Joel, and Joel's wife, Gloria. They—and their dog—had welcomed her like a old friend and her worries had dissipated almost immediately. In what seemed like a matter of minutes, they had her settled in a guest room, then invited her down to chat while they sat in front of the fire before bed.

She'd almost forgotten how she'd come to be there until Joel and Gloria had said good night and left her alone in the cozy room. Then everything came rushing back. She tried to force it away again, reminding herself that she was safe for the night, that she could deal with everything else in the morning, and that when she was tired every problem seemed ten times more difficult than it really was.

"Hey, there." She looked up at Don's voice, not realizing he'd come back. "You okay?" He sat on the floor next to her, leaning back against the couch and stretching his legs out in front of him. While she debated her answer, she noted that his legs were long and muscular; she wondered if he was a runner. In fact, she realized, his whole body looked quite strong and fit. She let herself imagine how it would feel if he pulled her back against him, then blushed and looked away.

"I'm all right," she said. "I'm just very tired."

She heard him shift and then jerked up when his legs slid around either side of her and she felt his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay," he murmured. "Just relax." He began to massage the tired muscles in her arms and back, and she did.

"Where do you live?" she asked, her eyes drooping.

"Farther north," he said. "I'm staying here for a bit to help Joel out while he's short-staffed." His body, she noted, was warm, like his hands had been. So was hers, and not from the fire. It was tempting to lean back against him, but for now she liked the feel of his hands on her shoulders so she stayed where she was.

"Where's your room?" She'd only seen the one spare.

"I'm giving it up to the stranger who came in from the cold," he teased. "I'll stay down here tonight."

"Oh." She turned to face him, biting her lip again. It was all Don could do not to kiss her and nibble that lip himself. "I didn't mean to put you out. I can stay here."

He shook his head. "It's fine. It's no problem. I've stayed on it before. It's pretty comfortable as couches go." She started to protest again, but he put a finger over her lips. Her eyes widened as a shock went through her at the touch. "Honestly, Jeanette. I don't mind."

She turned away and tried to think of something to say. "You're all being so kind. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," he said. He brushed her hair to one side and grinned to himself when he saw her shiver. Unable to resist, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the crook of her neck. Jeanette gasped but didn't move. "Sorry," he said softly, lips brushing her skin. "I've wanted to do that ever since I saw you at the train station."

"You...you did?" Her voice was slightly shaky. Unexpected things just seemed to keep happening to her today.

"Mm-hmm." He sat up and nudged her until she was turned enough to face him. "Then I wanted to do this."

Her neck hadn't been enough. Once he kissed her there, he knew how soft her skin was and how she smelled like apples and cinnamon. He had to kiss her lips, to taste her for himself, and so he did.

Jeanette didn't resist the kiss but was too startled to respond at first. Don didn't demand anything; he let his lips rest against hers, waiting for her reaction. For a moment, she just floated in the feelings raised by being in his arms and having him so close. Then he rubbed his lips against hers and her body woke up.

Her hands slid up his arms and wound around his neck as she kissed him back. He made a pleased sound when she did and moved one of his hands to run down her side. She gasped when he brushed a ticklish spot on her hip and he took advantage to slip his tongue between her lips. She let him, giving a small sigh of both surprise and pleasure. He tasted so good, she thought. Her hands instinctively went to his hair and he growled softly when she pulled her fingers through the dark curls.

"You feel good," he said, stopping for a moment to catch his breath. He held her tightly to him, loving the feel of her body against his. He knew he should stop; he hadn't even meant for things to go this far, but every thing she did made him desire her a little more.

"You...you feel good, too," Jeanette said. Her head was spinning. If it spun any more, she'd be offering him the spare room again, with her in it. She'd never been kissed like that before, never felt like that. She wanted to do it again.

We shouldn't, she thought, but made no move to leave. It felt too good, too right, to be in his arms. But she didn't know him, and he didn't know her. So much had happened and she knew she wasn't thinking clearly, no matter how loudly her body demanded more contact. It was hard to ignore that, though.

"Can I kiss you again?" Don asked.

"Yes." Did I mean to say that? she wondered, and then didn't care as his lips captured hers again.

x-x-x-x

I should stop. I can't stop. Don didn't realize he'd shifted to lean back on the floor until Jeanette gave a surprised gasp as she moved to keep her balance. She didn't try to push away, though, so he just wrapped an arm around her shoulder to keep her steady. He turned on his side and pulled her against him, cupping her face with his hand.

She felt so good. He stroked her face, then her hair, then raised himself up slightly on his arm so that he could kiss his way down her neck again. She shivered once more when he reached the curve of her shoulder and he flicked his tongue over it, smiling to himself when she jumped. As he ran a hand down he side, exploring the curves of her breast, her waist, her hips, he found himself wishing desperately they were in a room. He wanted so much more, but she deserved better than a stranger's hard floor.

With an effort, he pulled himself away reluctantly, groaning when her hand gripped his waist and tried to pull him back.

"Jeanette," he said, panting, "we need to stop. I want to do this, but not here."

"What?" She was breathing hard, too, and her eyes were glassy. His words penetrated and she blushed. "Oh. Oh, my God. I didn't..."

"Shhh." Don held her to him and hugged her tightly. "You didn't do anything wrong." He moved to look at her. "I hope I didn't, either."

"No." She shook her head. "You did everything right."

He couldn't help but smile. "That's good to know."

"I guess I'd better get to bed." She looked down, suddenly shy.

"Yes, you'd better." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I wish I could come with you."

She raised her eyes to his again, shyness gone. "I wish you could, too."

Don traced a finger over her cheek. "Good night, Jeanette."

x-x-x-x

Dec 22

Jeanette woke gradually, taking a few minutes to orient herself when she saw the unfamiliar room. She sighed when everything came back—the missing purse, the freezing wait for Ben who wasn't going to show, Don coming up to her. She smiled as more memories followed. The futile search for a hotel, the return to Joel's house, the unexpected but extremely welcome kisses in front of the fire...

She stretched as she remembered. Don had said he wanted more, but she would have been quite content to make love right there on the rug, warmed by the fire. Get a grip, she scolded herself and her cheeks flushed. What's wrong with you? When did you start day dreaming about sleeping with strange men on the floor?

Since I met him, she decided as she pushed the covers back and got out of bed. She heard voices and shuffling noises from elsewhere in the house and smiled. It was good to hear the sounds of family; she'd always loved to lay in bed on weekends and holidays when she was younger and listen to her parents chatting, her brother and sister arguing over the television, even the dog pleading for breakfast. Don was lucky to have family like this, she thought.

The guest room had its own bath, and she gratefully stepped into a shower. Her spirits were remarkably good, she thought, for someone who had to start calling credit card companies and pray that no one had used her cards. She wondered if she could have the cards sent somewhere so that she could pick them up, or at least get a number that she could use to secure plane tickets or a rental car.

That plan didn't have the same appeal as it had the previous day, and it was because of Don. She sighed as she dressed and towel-dried her hair. How could everything be so mixed up? Okay, just her—she was mixed up. No wonder, she supposed, after being dumped via text and left to her own devices in a strange place. Still, though...things didn't seem mixed up at all when she thought about Don.

Laughter and the smell of bacon drifted upstairs, making her stomach growl in response. Jeanette shook her head; one thing at a time, and the first thing was breakfast.

x-x-x-x

"Good morning," said Gloria with a smile. Their dog, Shep, barked a greeting and wagged his tail.

"Good morning," said Jeanette with a smile. "This smells great."

Gloria gestured at a stack of plates on the counter. "Help yourself. I cook but I don't serve."

Jeanette laughed. "Fair enough." She took two pancakes, an egg and two strips of bacon. Normally she ate a light breakfast, but she felt ravenous. Gloria set a cup of coffee in front of her and sat across the small table with her own plate.

"How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Wonderfully." Jeanette said with feeling. "Before Don suggested coming here, I was afraid I'd end up sleeping on a park bench. I really can't thank you enough."

Gloria waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Don's a sweetheart. I wouldn't have expected anything less from him."

"Is he gone already?" Jeanette asked, hoping she didn't sound as anxious as she felt.

"He'll be back soon. He said he wanted to check something before it got too late."

The women chatted about family and Christmas, and after they cleared their plates, Gloria led her to the den. "Use the phone in here," she said, "it's quieter." She gave Jeanette's arm a friendly squeeze. "I'm so sorry about all that. If you need anything, you let me know."

"Thanks."

A shout and some happy barks from the other room brought them both back out to the kitchen. Don was there, brushing the snow out of his hair. He looked up and Jeanette couldn't help the warm feeling in her stomach when he smiled at her.

"You haven't called anyone yet, have you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I was about to."

"Good. Here." He held out a bag. Jeanette gaped when she realized it was her pocketbook.

"What? How...?" She took it, handling it as though it might break. "Where did you find it?"

He shrugged. "I went back to the train station this morning, thought maybe you'd left it there. I was right; it was sitting under the bench."

"Under the bench?" She blinked. "But I looked...I thought I looked everywhere..."

"Well, I can go put it back, if you want," he joked.

"Don't you dare," Gloria admonished. Then she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "You're a sweetheart, Don." She went upstairs.

Jeanette stood there, hugging the purse to her as though afraid it would disappear. "You're amazing."

He shrugged, his cheeks a little pink. "Not really. Just had a hunch this morning and thought I'd follow up on it."

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate it," she said, wondering why she felt like crying. "You've just saved...my life."

Don laughed and came over, pulled her into a hug. "I doubt that. Saved you some inconvenience, I hope."

"Definitely." She let him pull her back to the kitchen where he got himself some juice.

She knew she had to check her purse to make sure nothing was missing, but she didn't want to. If she found everything, she'd be able to make arrangements to leave. Although that had been all she wanted twenty-four hours ago, now it was the last thing that appealed to her.

"Oh, I also listened to some news this morning," Don said, studying her face. "Looks like the weather isn't improving, so I wouldn't get your hopes up about catching a plane in the next day or so. I'd imagine the hotels will stay full, too, since it won't be easy to get out."

"Okay." Jeanette sat down and tried to process everything. Don's bad news was about the best thing she could have heard.

"You don't look too upset," he noted as he sat down. Dare he hope, he wondered, that she would agree to stay around for the next couple of days? Not that she had much choice, but he worried she'd need or want to leave. He'd be able to get back to work; that was never a problem, no matter the weather. He still had today and tomorrow and part of Christmas Eve before he needed to leave, though, and spending them with Jeanette was the best thing he could think of.

"I'm not," she admitted, then laughed as the tension left her with the admission. "I was just thinking that as much as I wanted to go yesterday, I want to stay now."

"You do?" He grinned. "So I didn't scare you off?"

She shook her head. "No, you certainly didn't scare me off." She looked him in the eye. "You did quite the opposite." Jeanette lowered her head and made a pretense of searching through her purse as she tried to think of what to say next. She sighed with relief when Joel came in and saved her the trouble.

"Morning, Jeanette. Morning, Don." Joel stomped the snow off his boots and shook out his scarf.

"Good morning," said Jeanette. "How bad is it out there?"

"Oh, not really so bad," said Joel as he dove for the coffee. "They've got the streets reasonably clear, but flights are delayed left and right." He gestured at Don with his cup. "I can probably handle everything myself, today. Most everything's been canceled since people either can't leave or won't get here."

Don smiled to himself; although he felt badly for the stresses on holiday travelers, he was glad to have his day suddenly free.

Joel downed his coffee and got another cup. "Excuse me, I need to go straighten out the logs and schedule. Jeanette, you're welcome to stay as long as you need to."

"Thanks, Joel." He waved a hand as he went to the den and through to a smaller room behind it that he used as an office.

"Well, since I don't have to work and you don't have to cancel credit cards, what do you say to going out and getting some Christmas cheer?" Don asked. "Need to buy any presents?"

Jeanette shook her head. "No, I bought everything early and shipped it to my sister so I wouldn't have to take things on the plane or drag them with me in the car. I'd like to go out, though."

Don stood up and put his cup in the sink, then held a hand out for her. She took it and squeaked a laugh when he pulled her into a hug. "Bundle up," he said with a kiss.

x-x-x-x

Dec 22

Jeanette snuggled against him as they walked along the sidewalk, enjoying his warmth and the kisses he dropped every so often on the top of her head. She wondered how it was possible to feel so good with someone she hardly knew, then decided to put it up to Christmas and forget about it. Whatever they had wouldn't last long—she knew she'd have to arrange to leave at some point—so she would enjoy it while she could.

They debated restaurants as they walked along, not sure what they were in the mood for. As they stopped outside one and studied the menu, she felt Don tense.

"What's wrong?" She turned and looked at him curiously.

"Ah, nothing. Just...just don't like the menu." His face looked green.

Puzzled, Jeanette turned back and studied the offerings, not seeing anything too out of the ordinary. There was a venison stew, which one didn't often see, but that was hardly very exotic, especially in a hunting state like Minnesota. She shrugged.

"That's fine, they look crowded anyway." She put a hand on his arm. "Don, you okay?"

"What? Yeah." He shook his head and took her hand as they resumed their walk. "Sorry. The venison caught me off guard." He shuddered and hoped she didn't notice.

Jeanette nodded in agreement and scrunched up her nose. He couldn't help but laugh. "I couldn't eat that, either," she said. "It would be like having Bambi for dinner." Don was glad when she spied a Japanese restaurant.

"Perfect," he said as he opened the door. "It wouldn't be Christmas without sushi."

They settled in and warmed up over tea and sake, making idle small talk for a bit, then going comfortably silent as they waited for the food. Don studied her, wondering what she was thinking, and wishing for the first time in a long time that he didn't have to work this year. Curiosity got the better of him.

"What are you thinking over there, blue eyes?"

She dropped her eyes and smiled shyly. "I was wondering if I could impose on you all and stay for Christmas." She sighed and looked up; the lights caught her eyes, made them sparkle, and Don knew he was in love. "I shouldn't, I know, but despite how it all started, this is the nicest time I've had in ages."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind." His stomach twisted with what he had to say next. "I won't be here for the day, though. I need to work."

She looked at him, startled. "Work? On Christmas?" Her heart sank at the news, then she ordered herself to get a grip. She had known this couldn't last, hadn't she? All she could do was enjoy it. She would consider this time as her own special Christmas present.

Don didn't notice her internal struggle since his took most of his attention. "Yes, I'm sorry. I was trying to find a way to tell you." He swallowed nervously. "I've been having the best time since I met you, Jeanette. I wish I didn't have to work, but I can't get out of it." He tried a smile. "The boss is great about letting us have some time off in advance, but we need to be there on the big day."

"What do you do?" she asked, nonplussed.

"I'm in the delivery business," he said.

"Delivery?" She blinked. "You deliver on holidays?"

"We...specialize, you could say." He touched her hand, wishing she knew how badly he didn't want to go. "I have tomorrow, though, and part of Christmas Eve. I'd like to spend that time with you."