Christmas Clash by Dana Volney Page A

for?
Whatever she sought, he wanted her to find the answers. He hadn’t forgotten about James—maybe she wanted to see if he was still mad. No, mad wasn’t the right word—he kept his frustration and hurt hidden.
    “It’s set up. We have the sleigh rides ready to go, food, coffee, and hot chocolate. The pictures of Casper are displayed in the bookstore for people to see, and Kaye is ready to do free yoga sessions every thirty minutes. The hair salon is offering henna tattoos and an old-fashioned shave for the men. You have the beer, obviously, and the live band is setting up under the tent. And I am giving away free bouquets.”
    “You’re not doing anything fun. I thought we were all supposed to have stations.”
    “That is my station. Sophie is in there. This way I can float and talk to people. Tell them what our cause is all about.” She looked at him and crossed her arms. “Don’t you like flowers?”
    “I like flowers just fine. Thought you were getting off easy is all.”
    “Easy? You think this will be easy?” She grunted. “By the time the sun sets today all I’m going to want is a hot bath and my soft bed. And silence. I like people, but this is going to put me on overload.”
    Bath. Naked.
He’d have to get through the day with that picture in mind as he figured out what to do about acknowledging Candace and her sexiness.
    “Settle down.” He moved his hands to set on her shoulders. “Everything looks great and everyone knows what to do. I’m sure you’ll get all the silence you’ll need later.” He returned his hands to his pockets but kept the same close proximity.
    “Ah, shoot. I promised Sophie I’d Christmas carol with her tomorrow night. Just acknowledge me with a nod from this point forward.”
    “Done. Although, I agreed to caroling tomorrow night, too. So, after that, nod. Check.” He walked away from her quizzical look—he had no answer as to why Sophie had asked and he’d said yes.
    The pub was in order. Drinks, mostly beer or soda, were being served and the block was starting to fill. He’d been a little nervous no one would show up and the event would be a total flop, but if this was any indication of how the day would go, then his nerves were unfounded. Soon David would help him fire up the grill outside and they’d serve hamburgers and hot dogs. On warm winter days, Wyomingites took advantage of the outdoors.
    This right here was why he was okay staying in Wyoming. Casper was one of the largest cities in the state, but compared to the rest of the country it was small. Hell, the whole population of Wyoming wouldn’t make up half of Denver. But today, with people from the community milling around, he really felt the camaraderie. Yeah, they had gathered people here—bribed them really—to get a message out, but it was still nice folks came and wanted to participate in local events.
    Candace had made an event, something he thought would take weeks to plan, come together in a matter of days and it was going flawlessly. Luke hadn’t really helped at all. And he knew the other business owners did as they were told, too. They didn’t push back, which he was thankful for; they all needed her plan to work. Still, since the city council hearing he knew his neighbors were all a little put off by Candace’s speech and banter with Jeffrey Dean. If this party didn’t work and they didn’t get the votes, they would forever blame her. The attack mode she’d been in the night of the council meeting was one he didn’t agree with himself. She had more experience with politics and business than he did, but he still couldn’t shake a feeling that her words would end up hurting seven businesses. As he started to operate the barbeque station, the reporter from Channel Five approached. Today Misty’s blond hair flowed behind her as she walked. The shade of her blue suit accentuated her high cheekbones and arched eyebrows. The cameraman followed behind.
    “Good morning, Misty,” he