Christmas Sweater Weather

by Jaqueline Snowe

Genres: Small Town & Rural; Women's Fiction; Holiday Romance

Synopsis

Christmas is both naughty and nice this year when a single dad and his best friend’s sister celebrate with some secret (steamy) romance and festive fun, perfect for fans of Maggie Knox and Lyssa Kay Adams.
 
Charlotte Calhoun has avoided Hayden Porter, her older brother’s sexy-as-sin best friend, ever since that mortifying night when he flat-out rejected her. She’s crushed on him forever, while he’s made it crystal clear he only sees her as a silly kid sister. Fine. Except this Christmas season, they’re thrown together at a snowy ski resort for her brother's bachelor party, complete with mistletoe, cozy fireplaces, and adjoining rooms. She can tell herself to get over Hayden, but holiday cheer is turning to holiday lust every time he is within ten feet of her.  
 
Between being a full-time single father and his high-pressure college coaching job, a romantic relationship is off the table for Hayden. But every time he gets near Charlotte-all-grown-up, his feelings are anything but casual. So far, they have managed to keep their sexy times under wraps so that they don’t cause conflict on her brother’s big day. But a secret weekend fling is one thing. It’s two long weeks until the wedding, and hiding their growing feelings is going to take a Christmas miracle.

Release date: October 8, 2024

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Print pages: 368

Sample

Midwestern weather was like a toddler who refused to nap or eat—out of control and untamable. Sixty degrees one day, twenty the next—it was like it was trying to win a competition of how many seasons can we fit within seventy hours. Well, you won, Illinois. Congrats. Hats off to you, you temperamental toddler.

My fingers ached from gripping the steering wheel so damn hard. My knuckles were white and my palms sweaty as I held on for dear life. Snow covered the road, secret patches of ice underneath it threatening to off me. My heart leaped into my throat as I skidded to the left, then right, and then straightened. Breathe. Focus. Remain calm.

Needing someone to blame for this, I gritted my teeth and cursed my brother. I would be at home, in sweats and preparing for my head coaching interview. This was my dream job, and even though the athletic director insisted I was too young, I was hell-bent on proving him wrong. But instead of preparing my pitch on how I would run the Prairie State High School girls’ softball team, I was driving to a ski resort for my brother and his stupid pre-wedding trip.

He refused to call it a bachelorette or bachelor party, but that’s what it was. We all knew it. Yes, I loved him and his fiancée. They were my best friends. Yes, this was a fun idea in theory. Yes, I’d probably have a good time once I got up there—if I made it alive. Everyone else had headed up yesterday while I finished up the workweek because my students had a huge project due this morning, so carpooling hadn’t been an option. Hence me driving alone in terrible weather, risking my life to go skiing. I also did it to appease the nagging feeling that my brother and his fiancée needed this trip.

Wedding planning was getting to them, and I worried that it was becoming too much. It wasn’t my place to speak up, but driving in this blizzard of death to support them was my way of helping. If they wanted this weekend of fun, then they’d have it.

Gah! A drift at least five feet tall crept closer and closer, and I yanked the wheel to the left hoping to avoid it, but there was a semitruck coming in hot behind me. I didn’t want to die. Not like this, on I-55 in the middle of nowhere. I had things I wanted to do! People to meet! Food to try! Wine to drink and ultimately regret! “Please, please stop,” I cried, panic flaring in my chest to the point it ached.

No one answered, not even the voice in the back of my head. I swore my soul left my body as the semi got closer in my rearview mirror. The drift grew closer ahead of me. The car couldn’t slow down. There wasn’t a way out. It was a snowdrift-semi sandwich with my car in the middle. I closed my eyes, praying it’d be quick, and oof.

My head jerked forward, smacking the wheel with the force of a tornado. Pain exploded throughout my forehead and neck. Something sputtered. A loud thud. Please let me pass out. The screeching of tires blurred while my own heart rate pounded in my ears. This was it. My parents would find me in a stained crewneck sweater and mismatched socks. They’d be so proud of me.

Wincing, I waited for darkness to take over, but after thirty seconds, nothing happened. Did I survive the sandwich? I blinked one eye open, and then the other. My face got to know my steering wheel very well, and I rubbed a finger over my nose. Sonofa. That hurt. Pain was good. That meant I was still among the living.

At least, for now. My car had wedged itself into the snowdrift so far that light only streamed from the back window. Did I live here now? In my Mazda Igloo?

Incoming call.

I jumped in my seat at the loud intrusion of my car stereo. The number danced across the dash, and my shoulders sagged in relief. My brother. My fingers trembled as I hit the answer button. “Christian, hi.”

“Where the hell are you? I want to ski but Penny insists on waiting for you.” Loud music blared in the background, and I squinted at the stereo. Eleven a.m. Only my party animal brother would be this energetic and probably intoxicated this early.

“Uh, no, go ahead without me.” I cleared my throat, my eyes welling up as the adrenaline gripped me from head to toe. I almost died. I didn’t. But almost. One didn’t just get over that in two minutes. I used my left hand to rub the back of my neck and willed myself to take a deep breath. Christian didn’t need to worry about me. He deserved fun. “Go skiing.”

“What’s wrong?” Just like that, his tone changed. “Turn that music off. Char, what’s going on?”

No more loud music, only my brother’s angry breathing.

“N-nothing, why?”

“You’re a shit liar, and your voice is off. Are you okay?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I got into a little accident.”

“Are you hurt? Where are you?”

“What happened? Oh my, is Char okay?” Penny’s voice carried over the phone, and I could picture her little pixie face and bright red hair. I loved my brother’s fiancée, almost more than him. She was about the only human on the planet capable of being with my brother forever, and God bless her for that.

Hearing her concern caused my tears to spill over. There was no way to avoid the truth now. I sniffled. “I’m fine. Just skidded into a drift.”

“You’re crying. You never cry.” Christian’s voice softened. “What mile marker are you at? We can come help you.”

Great question. I should’ve looked at my surroundings before becoming a permanent part of an igloo. Snow covered each door, and even though I knew what would happen, I tried opening my side. Nothing. Cool. I was stuck. “I don’t know.”

“Are you able to walk and look?”

I swallowed. “I can’t… get out of the car.”

He sucked in a breath, and I could almost hear his mind whirling. Christian might be a party boy, goofball, and general menace to society, but he was the most loyal and caring person I knew. We rarely fought and had remained close as we grew up, and now he was in full-blown fix-it mode. “Okay, you’re snowed in your car, somewhere on the highway, without a way out or to tell me your location. Shit, Charmander, this is bad.”

“I’m sorry.” My voice broke again. The use of my nickname made the tears come harder.

“What? No, I’m not mad at you. I just want you to be okay.”

Penny mumbled something in the background that I didn’t quite catch. “Hey, great idea, babe,” my brother said. “Send your location to Hayden.”

“Hayden?” I repeated, my face growing red despite no one being able to actually see me. “Hayden Porter?”

“You hit your head that hard? Yes, Hayden Porter. He couldn’t make it here last night because of Gwen, so he’s on his way up now. I’ll call him, give him a heads-up.”

“Wait, no!” I shouted, unable to produce a single, rational reason why this was a terrible idea. My brother’s best friend was my personal fantasy and single biggest regret combined into one broad-shouldered, giant, walking Greek God. Okay, maybe I did bump my head. I now pictured him as a Greek statue with his perfectly unperfect nose and dark gray eyes that paired with his suntanned skin from always being outdoors. He’d feed me grapes and flash that dangerous smile my way.

“Charlotte, send him a pin of your location now.”

My brother ended the call, bringing me back to reality. Breath in, out. Unless I wanted to be the mayor and only resident of this car igloo, I should text him my location. Even if it meant having Hayden find me this way. Would he drive me the rest of the way too? In his car? Us alone?

My heart raced for an entirely different reason. I’d done my best to never be alone with him after that night three years ago. His beautiful baby girl Gwen was always there, or my brother, or their friends they had somehow kept since high school. Honestly, how? Making friends as an adult is hard. Unless you work with them, you had to actually leave your house to see other people, and frankly, I didn’t want to do that most days.

Ever, okay? I never wanted to leave my house. Especially not in winter when the cold tried to eat my face. My phone pinged.

Christian: YOUR LOCATION. NOW.

Focus. Right. I sent my brother and Hayden a location pin and leaned back in my seat. I knew I’d have to see Hayden at the ski resort, but I had practiced my fake smile and pleasant talking points that would be needed around the group. Where five of us all sat around drinking and eating and skiing. Not… the two of us in a car alone. Not with him rescuing me from my igloo. Maybe I could live here forever? I had snacks and four pairs of socks. It’d be a short lifespan but filled with joy.

I rubbed my temples and wished I had brought pain meds. The throbbing at my skull had nothing to do with Hayden and our past, well, lack of a past, and more to do with the fact that my face became a steering wheel pancake five minutes ago.

Silver linings. I was that kinda person, always focusing on the bright side.

I was alive. That was great. I could still eat and drink to my heart’s delight.

My car still had power, which meant I had heat.

I could move my limbs. Again, another huge win.

Incoming call.

“I sent the dang location, Christian,” I answered, so annoyed that my irritation snuck out.

“Hello to you too.”

“Hayden.” I sucked in a breath and felt the color draining from my face. I must match the snow now. We were twinning in paleness. “Hello. Hi.”

Could I be more of a dork? Shame danced along my neck and down my spine. I shouldn’t care what he thought of me, not after that night, yet I still wanted him to view me as someone other than his best friend’s kid sister.

“Are you alright?” His voice was deep and low with concern. “Christian said you were in an accident and I needed to rescue you?”

“Of course he did.” I sighed.

“Were you not?”

“No, I’m stuck in a snowdrift, have no idea where I am, and can’t get out of my car.” Saying the situation aloud made me laugh. “This is a scene from a terrible movie. How is this my life? Why did I wear my knee-high orange and yellow socks today of all days?”

Hayden didn’t answer but I swore I could feel him annoyed. He had a habit of breathing heavier whenever I was around. Great for the ego, knowing he could keep his calm demeanor around everyone except me.

“How do you not know where you’re at?” he asked, his voice not kind.

“Because I didn’t pay attention to the street signs when all I saw was the snowdrift and semi wanting to make a sandwich out of me,” I snapped. A shiver cascaded down my body at the reminder. “It was terrifying. I thought…

I thought I was gonna die so I’m sorry for not—”

“Hey, whoa,” he said, his rough voice gentler than before. “Char, it’s okay. I’ll find you. I’ll get you out.”

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the steering wheel. Despite our history that I refused to think about, I felt safe with Hayden. Ever resourceful, reliable, and protective, he would do whatever it took to help me. He was an absolute teddy bear on the inside, total mush when it came to people he cared about. I’d seen how he treated my brother, his parents, his daughter, even me. Shame hit me hard, almost harder than the steering wheel to the face. Of course Hayden would make sure I was safe. He’d never let me remain hurt because he viewed me like a little sister, and if there was one thing Hayden cared most about? It was family.

“Okay. Okay,” I repeated, my too-tight muscles relaxing at the thought of him saving me.

“What time did you leave this morning?”

“An hour ago.”

“Perfect. I left forty-five minutes ago, so I shouldn’t be too far behind. Now, do you remember passing the tractor store?”

I blinked. “Yes, because it reminded me of the time I tried to steal a tractor as a prank but didn’t realize I couldn’t drive one. Too many clutches.”

“Ah, yes.” Hayden laughed. The bastard had a rich, joyful laugh that made angel wings double in size and rainbows shoot out of flowers. “That was a fun summer.”

It was also the summer I went from crushing on Hayden to falling head over heels, madly in love with him. I cleared my throat. That summer didn’t contain the best memories for me. “Right, uh, the tractor store.”

“I’m passing it now.”

Neither of us said anything, but his breathing carried through the phone. It was enough for me. The dark confines of the car had started to make me nervous, claustrophobia creeping into my mind. What if I never got out? I could joke about being mayor, but my sense of humor had limits. Especially when it came to potential death. I must’ve whimpered or something, because he sucked in a breath. “Charlotte, are you hurt?”

“Not really. Bruised my face, but that’s it. I’m… not loving the car right now. I don’t want to be mayor anymore.”

“Mayor?”

“Of the Mazda Igloo. I’m the only resident, so I’d be the de facto mayor,” I said. “Obviously.”

“Only you, Charlotte.”

He said my name all grumbly and soft, and once upon a time, I fantasized about him saying my name as he declared his love for me. Yes, Charlotte, I love you too and want a life with you and to be your best friend and have inside jokes and coach a team with you. But I learned all too well that would never happen. I tried. He rejected me. Not even a little no thank you rejection. It was a don’t touch me ever again rejection and a you’re like a sister to me rejection, which, on a list of the worst ways to have your heart broken, was in the top five.

That was three years ago, and it still stung.

Had we ever talked about it? No.

Would we? I’d rather die mayor of the Mazda Igloo.

But neither of those facts kept my imagination in line when he said my name that way. It brought back all the memories—and unrequited feelings—that dominated my early twenties. Where I swore his gaze lingered on me a few seconds too long or he’d always put his hand on my lower back. I misread every interaction we had, and that was on me. It just sucked my heart never got the memo that we were not in love with Hayden Porter, single dad to the cutest baby girl ever.

“Wait, I think I see something up ahead. Shit.”

“What?”

“There’s a semi off to the right side of the road and skid marks into… oh, honey.”

“Don’t oh, honey me. What do you see?” My heart raced at all the scenarios in my head. Did he somehow read my mind thinking about our kiss that night? Did he know I still thought about him even though he made his feelings very clear?

“I think… I think your clothes fell out of your trunk, and well, you have a red bra and panties hanging on your exhaust pipe.”

Charlotte Calhoun had a unique talent for making me smile while simultaneously making me lose my shit. She’d lived under my skin for years due to her quick wit and sense of humor. That was her dark green Mazda alright, jam-packed into a monster of a snowdrift. The trunk had popped open, and sure enough, Charlotte’s clothes were strewn about. She took what she needed and tossed them in the back like that was enough.

I’d seen her do that a hundred times before. Once when we went to the lake, once when we went to the beach with our families together, and hell, even on a road trip.

Maybe, after this trip, she’d learn her lesson and bring a fucking suitcase. There was no reason everyone had to see her red underwear in the wind. Especially with all the lace and strings…

Not her. Never her. I forced the blip of attraction away.

“I put it there! Yes. To be flagged down!” she said, her voice going an octave higher.

She almost made me laugh.

“Thought you were stuck and couldn’t open the door.” My lips curved up, but I was desperate not to smile. That was the thing with her. She was utterly ridiculous in the most charming way. The damn woman had no idea her personality pulled in people like a magnet. Even in high school, she never realized her charisma. It’s why she was a hell of a teacher; she made everyone feel special for being authentically themselves. Her confidence and genuine heart were hard to find. She was one of the best humans, and you knew it after being around her for even three minutes.

“I can’t. Couldn’t. I crawled through the back seat and put it there.”

“You found your way into the trunk, tied a pair of red panties and bra on the exhaust, and instead of waiting outside the car like a normal person, you crawled back inside?”

“Ew. Don’t say panties. That’s on my no list. But that’s what I did. Yup.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “We’re revisiting your no list later, but, Char, we both know you’re lying.”

“Fine. Fine!”

I shook my head, my damn grin stretching across my face. Life was never boring with Charlotte around. The woman got herself into the most bizarre situations, the present one included, and each time, she acted surprised, like she had no idea what happened. I put on my signal and pulled over, making sure not to be a hazard on the road before backing up toward her car. My truck would easily pull her out if I had enough traction.

And to think my parents convinced me to get four-wheel drive. They were right, this time. I’d be sure to tell them it happened once in all my years. When I was a teenager, they had installed a chalkboard in our living room with two columns. One tally for every time they were right, and one tally for every time I was, and it annoyed me to no end that they ended up right more than me. They said it kept me humble, but it only made me more competitive.

The momentary joy formed a rock in my gut. I’d have to erase that board, which was another harsh reminder that they were moving away. The constant pressure in my chest flared, the absolute sadness fighting with understanding. I loved my parents. They were my rock and helped me take care of Gwen. After playing in some crappy bar bands on and off for two years, the perfect opportunity showed up. They were offered to play together in a rock band and tour retirement homes in Arizona for one year, for a crazy amount of money. It was a dream for both of them to do something like this, and I couldn’t let Gwen be the reason they wouldn’t chase it. I’d always support them, but Gwen went to their house three times a week, saw them more than I did, and with their move… I had no idea what the hell I was gonna do. They were watching her for this damn pre-wedding trip, and it was their final weekend here. A goodbye weekend with Gwen. And finding a nanny or babysitter was becoming a nightmare.

I coughed into my fist, pushing the ache away. I’d worry about that after this weekend. Right now? I wanted to help Charlotte.

“I’m going to hook your car to my truck and try to tow you out,” I said, still on the phone.

“Am I safe… in here?”

My chest tightened at how small she sounded. Charlotte was bold with a big personality, and hearing her sound scared felt like someone reached inside my body and squeezed my heart. My circle of people was small, six people whom I’d do anything for, and she was one of them. She might not know that, which was how I intended it to remain, but I’d move mountains for her. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

I put on my gloves and hat, zipped up my coat, and grabbed the chains I kept under the driver’s seat. Gwen’s car seat was covered in Goldfish, and for the second time in minutes, my pulse raced. I missed my baby girl. I hated leaving her. Not seeing her face and knowing she was safe every second of the day caused me enormous amounts of stress. Becoming her father was singlehandedly the best thing ever to happen to me.

I thought baseball was my sole purpose to walk this earth, and it had been, until Gwen, and leaving her with my parents—people I trusted more than anyone in the world—still gutted me. Was Gwen worried I wouldn’t come back… like her mom? Or did she forget about me? Either option seemed worse than the other, and my jaw tensed. What was I gonna do without my parents to bail me out during emergencies? Shit.

I willed my emotions down and focused on getting Charlotte out safely. I connected the chain to the back of my trunk and then carried it to hers. Her damn clothes were everywhere.

Reds and pinks and yellows. Lace. Small. Silky. I swallowed, hard, and tried my best to not picture my best friend’s younger sister in these things. There was a time, once, for a moment, that I let myself cross that line, and I still hated myself for it. So much had changed since then. Some good, some bad, but the biggest thing was Gwen.

Christian and Penny, and Charlotte even, were the aunts and uncle by choice, not by blood. Christian helped me raise Gwen since Simone dropped her off at my door three years ago with a letter. Not a text or a call. A fucking letter saying she couldn’t be a mom and reverted all parental rights to me. Coaching baseball at a D1 college meant long nights, and who would take her whenever I needed? Christian or my parents.

Who helped me when I lost my mind? Christian or my parents. And when my parents were in another state?

Christian had always been my best friend, but he was also… my family. To even think about Charlotte in any sexual way would be a slap in the face to him. I’d seen him react to her dipshit boyfriends, and I damn well knew I wasn’t good enough for her either. I owed Christian the moon, and that was the only reason I agreed to drive up to a ski resort for two nights.

And why I was in this fun situation rescuing his sister, the woman who never quite left my mind.

“Damn, Charlotte.” I had to touch the garments and ensure they were tucked in a weird, oddly smelling sports bag? Thank the Lord I wore gloves. They gave me a layer of protection from touching her panties.

For one split second, my mind went back to that night in the bar. When Charlotte approached me with cherry-red lips and a sinful matching dress that nearly killed me. The music blared, and the drinks flowed, and her damn smile drew me to her and she tasted like… No.

We never speak of that night, and for good reason. It was locked and tucked deep, much like all the best memories I had of her.

“Put it in neutral and sit tight,” I commanded her. I hid my annoyance, but she got under my skin. So while I thought of Charlotte in the oh, she’s my best friend’s younger sister way from time to time, I realized we hadn’t been alone in… years.

Shit.

I hooked the chain to the rear of her car and jogged to my truck. It didn’t take much horsepower to pull her out of the drift, and once her entire car came into view, I put my truck in park. A flurry of anxiety nestled in my chest thinking about seeing her face-to-face. Not only was I concerned for her about the accident, but our past… it was messy. I always avoided being around her when it was just the two of us. Even when she helped out with Gwen, my mom or her brother would be there. It was like I didn’t trust myself alone with her, and now there were three years of awkwardness squished into my front seat, where it was gonna be the two of us for the rest of the drive.

I was two steps away from her door when she fell out of the car, headfirst.

“Oh hello, ground. I missed you.” She kissed the snow with her lips. “I’ll never take you for granted, you cold bastard.”

Charlotte plastered herself to the snow-covered grass and sighed long and contentedly. Her jeans hugged her ass, and sure enough, her long socks went to her knees and clashed with her fuzzy black boots. Her curly brown hair sat in a mess on top of her head, and damn. There was something about her that made me smile. Her unabashed joy. Her quiet confidence. Her goofy spirit that never seemed to break.

Well, that wasn’t true. I had seen her eyes dim and her face contort in shame after I pushed her away that night. Despite it happening years ago, guilt still ate at me. I had had to tell her no, no matter how much it killed me. I shook my head as I continued to watch her on the ground. Why the fuck d. . .