Merry Christmas, Liebchen

By Caenys Kerr

It's nearly Christmas in Whittaker Springs, Vermont, but there's trouble on the horizon. When Jolene Beath is forced to sell her aunt's precious antique car to a visiting auto-computer engineer, she doesn't expect to fall for him. After all, her only aim is to make enough money to pay for her beloved Aunt Ruby's medical bills and stave off foreclosure on their home.

But Karl Steckle has a secret and a past that can spell despair for Jolene. Is loving Karl and losing him the risk Jolene must take to keep her aunt safe, even at the cost of her own heartbreak?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Caenys Kerr
• Release date: Dec 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393558392

Book preview

Chapter One

Come on, Mavis! Just another half a mile. Jolene couldn’t help the whiny tone that came into her voice.  It was taking a lot of control not to lose her cool. She tried again. You know Jackson always loves to see you.

The old car jerked but kept rolling and finally eased up into the driveway and over the heavy duty, black rubber signal hose. It coughed and stopped.

Jolene sighed. It was getting harder and harder to rely on the classic Mercedes. Jackson kept telling her that all Mavis needed was a good engine overhaul and she’d be back to factory precision even though it was getting on towards sixty years since she had left that factory. But there was no money for that.

Jackson Rossiter, proprietor and mechanic of Jackson Rossiter’s Gas Station and Repair Center, lumbered out of the interior of the workshop in response to the summons of the driveway bell.

A smile lit his features when he saw the beige car with the red stripe. Karl! he called over his shoulder. Come and meet Mavis!

Hey Missy, Jackson said, turning back to Jolene. What’s Mavis up to today?

Jackson. Jolene laughed back at him. I don’t understand it. She’s coughing and shivering and if she were human, I’d reckon she had the flu!

The comment wrangled a smile out of the mechanic.  Mebbe that’s what it is ’n’ all. Snow’s comin’ and she’d rather be snuggled up in her garage.

A tall blond man came to stand beside him. He was about thirty years Jackson’s junior and was well over six feet. He had a square jaw and cobalt blue eyes. Jolene felt a two-step hammering in her chest when she looked towards him. She wasn’t sure whether that was because of the man’s towering figure or the magnetism that rolled off him. He was built! He could carry the world on his shoulders and not even notice.

Hey Karl. I’d like you to meet Mavis, Jackson invited.

Karl put out his hand towards Jolene with a smile tipping up one corner of his mouth, and lordy, what a smile it was.

Not her! Jackson interrupted, slapping Karl’s hand away. "That’s Jolene. This... is Mavis. Ain’t she a beauty?" His broad smile encompassed the vehicle.

Karl lifted an eyebrow in Jolene’s direction before turning to focus his attention on the car. Oh yes! he agreed. A true beauty with a lot of character. Jolene detected a faint accent.  Karl’s focus flipped back to her face and her heart skipped a beat again.

His right palm skimmed the pristine body work of the classic auto while his left index finger traced the vivid maroon strip that ran the length of the car.

His eyes flicked between the Merc and Jolene and Jolene could almost feel those hands skimming over her own body work. She shivered. When his palm cupped the front orange indicator light, she could swear she felt her nipples pucker.

Pop the hood, will you, Jolene. Jackson’s order intruded on Jolene’s fantasy and she startled a little as her head swung back towards the older man.

She leaned in through the driver’s door to pull on the small toggle beneath the dashboard. The hood rose smoothly at Jackson’s touch. Both he and the man called Karl peered in to assess the situation.

It’s very clean, the blond commented.

Jolene doesn’t know a lot about fixing cars, but she sure knows how to keep them looking good.  I taught her how to do it when she used to spend time mucking around the workshop with Lucas when they were kids. Turn her over, Missy, so we can see what we’ve got.

Jolene positioned herself behind the wheel and flipped the key to start the motor. It sprang to life immediately, then the engine coughed, shook and died.

Again!

After four failed attempts to start the car, Jackson’s head retreated from his inspection of the engine block. Well, he drawled, the old girl ain’t goin’ nowhere today. Karl, if you could bring over that winch hook, I’ll haul her into the spare bay. Missy, you’ll need to steer her up onto those ramps. Just put her into neutral and keep your foot off the brake until we get her inside.

Jackson started up the winch motor and the car edged forward. Jolene chewed the inside of her lip while she followed Jackson’s instructions for aligning the car with where he was pointing.

Good. Stop! Put her into gear and put on the hand brake.

Out of habit, Jolene retrieved the ignition key and handed it over to Jackson before leaning back into the car to gather up some papers, her briefcase and her handbag. She turned back to the mechanic.

What do you think is the problem, Jackson? Can you fix her?

Now, Jolene, you know I won’t be able to tell you that until I’ve had the chance to check her out and I won’t be able to manage that today.  So, you can just leave her with me and call back tomorrow. With the decision made, Jackson ambled back over to the far side of the workshop where an ultra-modern sedan commanded his attention.

Jolene was stuffing the extra papers into her briefcase when she sensed Karl beside her.

Do you need a lift anywhere?

She paused with her eyes still on her papers before she raised her face to him. Yes, please. Home’s not far but it will feel like five miles if that cloud decides to drop its full load of snow on me.

All right then. Jackson, I am taking Jolene home now.

The older man gave a wave without turning from what he was doing.

Karl took Jolene’s briefcase from her and directed her to a large black SUV, deployed a little step and helped her into the cab.

***

Karl thought he would have preferred to lift Jolene bodily into the vehicle. It would have given his hormones a little satisfaction to feel her curves under his hands. She was small but rounded in all the right places. The sight of her had his senses standing to attention ever since he walked onto the gas station forecourt and saw her standing there.

Her long chestnut hair framed an oval face with sad-doe brown eyes that gave her face a calm, serene appearance. But when she had smiled at Jackson, her face had been transformed. Her image shifted from serenity to cheeky mischief and that had excited him.

She was beautiful in a down to earth way and very different from the leggy blondes he dated at home in Germany, one leggy blonde in particular. With Mila in the background, he shouldn’t be feeling like this with any other woman, especially this petite bombshell of an American.

He moved around to the driver’s seat and pressed the starter button. Where to?

He followed her directions towards the older part of town. It wasn’t far, as she’d said, but there was one steep rise that would have been challenging at the end of a long day.

You’re Jolene? Do I have that right?

Yes.

What do you do, Jolene?

I teach grade three at the elementary school.

Do you enjoy that?

Yes.

You seem distracted. In fact, trying to start a conversation with her was like trying to pull teeth with your fingertips, but this question seemed to have pulled her back into his world.

"Oh yes. Oh sorry. I mean ... I want to visit my great-aunt in the hospital tonight and getting a cab later is going to be hard. If I can’t get one, I’ll ring the ward