Jingle All the Way Read online

  “I’m stronger than this,” she insisted. It felt as if everything had gone downhill with the speed of an Olympic skier since she’d left Chicago. “I refuse to let a little mosquito bring me down.” To prove her point, she raised her index finger to the ceiling and announced, “I. Have. Milked. Cows.”

  Asher gently squeezed her hand. “You’ll feel better soon,” he promised.

  “I’m not a weak person,” she repeated, finding it vital that he know she wasn’t a sniveling complainer. “Have you been chased by a hen who doesn’t want to give up her eggs?”

  “I can’t say that I have.”

  That seemed to satisfy her sense of righteousness. “Well, I have, and I’m here to tell you I’ve had to stand up for myself first with those hens and then in school and also in my business. There’s not a lot I can’t do when I put my mind to it. I am not about to let a tiny mosquito take me out.”

  “I believe you.” If he found her tirade amusing, he didn’t let on.

  “I think I can sleep now.” She lay back and closed her eyes as blissful slumber overtook her.

  * * *

  —

  When Everly woke, she saw that Asher had remained at her side. He had a cool cloth on her forehead and smiled down on her. “You’re awake.”

  “How long did I sleep?”

  “A couple of hours.”

  “You stayed with me all that time?”

  “Off and on,” he said. “You’re looking better. How do you feel?”

  Everly had to think about it before she nodded. “My head isn’t pounding as hard as earlier.”

  “I brought you in some soup. Try it and see how it rests in your stomach.”

  Sitting up in bed, Everly leaned forward as Asher adjusted her pillows. “So you’re a farm girl.”

  “I was raised on a farm. I live and work in the city now.”

  “That’s a big change.”

  “Yup, couldn’t get away from it fast enough. Don’t get me wrong. I love my family, they’re the best, but I much prefer life in the city.” She sipped the apple juice he’d brought her. “I miss them from time to time. You can’t imagine how crazy it gets when we’re all together.”

  “You come from a large family?”

  She nodded. “Rose and Lily are my sisters.”

  “And you’re Daisy.”

  “Mom and Dad had a theme going and they weren’t about to stop with me. My brothers are Jeff and John. They’re identical twins and work with my dad on the farm. One generation to the next.”

  “And your sisters?”

  “They’re both married, raising families.” Talking about her family made Everly yearn to be with them all again, and at the same time she felt the familiar anxiety about fitting in when she was vastly different from her siblings. She’d balked at taking the entire month off, but even a few days away from the office and her thinking was starting to change. Perhaps it was being sick and wanting her mother’s special soup.

  “What about you?”

  “There’s just my brother and me. Daniel is a heart surgeon in Chicago. He’s married and has a couple of kids. Mom and Dad both were in academia and have retired in Arizona.”

  “You’re not married?” Everly hoped she wasn’t being obvious.

  “No. I’ve been with the Explorer group for several years and it suits me. I’m something of an introvert, although when it comes to talking about nature, I’m not the least bit shy.” He scooted a chair closer to her bed. “As for dating and such, most of the passengers who book the Explorer cruises are retired, looking for a unique learning experience, so there isn’t much opportunity to meet women my age.”

  “Oh…I can understand that.” Everly’s one semiserious relationship since college had ended abruptly and painfully. “I’m so busy in my job that I haven’t had much time to date myself.”

  He cocked his eyebrows. “Why’s that? You’re an attractive woman; I’m sure the men of Chicago aren’t blind.”

  “Thanks,” she said and shrugged. “The thing is, after graduation, I worked with a start-up company. It was an intense, exciting time getting this online real estate company off the ground. I’ve had my head buried in work for so long I sort of abandoned my social life.” She didn’t mention how Jack had let her take over more and more of the business aspects because she was better suited in that area. He was the charmer, the schmoozer, and so likable it was hard to find fault with him.

  “And you enjoy that?” He made it sound as if he found her dedication to her work difficult to understand.

  “As much as you enjoy being a naturalist,” she returned.

  Asher grinned. “Touché. I’m not much of a big-city guy myself. All that traffic and noise. I was never one for crowds. I crave silence. Most people are so intent on getting where they’re going, they miss out on the best parts of life.”

  Everly mulled over his words and understood what he was saying. “I can see that, but at the same time, there’s an energy to the city, a rhythm, a beat that feeds my soul. I thrive on it.”

  They talked for a bit longer before Asher was scheduled to give another nature talk. She learned that his interest in nature started with an ant farm he got for Christmas when he was six years old. From that point forward he devoured everything he could find on the subject. Everly found it easy to talk to him.

  * * *

  —

  Everly didn’t see him again until late in the afternoon when he returned with a dinner plate. She was feeling slightly better, but the sight of food almost made her gag. It was back to broth and other liquids for a second day.

  “How are you doing?” he asked on day three.

  “A tad bit better.”

  He set the food tray down on her nightstand and she sat up, bracing her back against the pillows.

  When Asher started to leave, she stopped him. “Would you mind staying for a few minutes?” She hated to admit how bored she was, and how eager she was for his company.

  “Sure,” he said, “but I don’t want your dinner to grow cold.”

  “I’m not hungry. I’ll eat it later.”

  Asher scooted the chair closer to the bed. They’d talked a lot the last few days, but they never seemed to lack for conversation.

  “Do you want to play three questions?” he asked. This was a silly game they had made up, taking turns asking each other three questions.

  Everly had enjoyed getting to know him and found him good company. “I do,” she said, warming to the idea. She’d spent part of the afternoon formulating the questions.

  “You go first,” he said, gesturing to her.

  She snuggled against the pillows. “Who was your first kiss? And how old were you?”

  Asher grinned. “That’s two questions.”

  She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  “My first kiss was Mary Lou Chavez. I was thirteen and my best friend dared me to kiss her and so I did.”

  “Did you like her?”

  “You’re using up your turn mighty fast. Are you sure you want to squander your third question on something so trivial?” Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms, a smile at the edges of his mouth.

  “Maybe.”

  “Since you asked, I’ll tell you. I thought Mary Lou was cute, but our kiss was a disaster because our braces locked.”

  It hurt to laugh, but Everly couldn’t hold back. “You won the bet, though.”

  “I did, but my father was furious with me when Mary Lou’s father insisted I pay the dentist bill since the wires in her braces got twisted. My allowance couldn’t cover it, so Dad ended up having to pay it for me. I might have won the bet, but it took me three months of taking on odd jobs to reimburse my dad.”

  In sympathy, Everly patted his knee. “The course of true love is never smooth,�
� she said.

  “Truer words were never spoken. Okay, my turn.” He leaned forward and studied her for a moment. “What was the last book you read?”

  “It was a historical romance by one of my favorite authors.”

  His eyes widened as if surprised. “You read romance?”

  She laughed. “Are you sure you want to waste a second question?”

  “No, you’re right. Forget I asked that, but it surprises me.”

  “Why?”

  “You don’t seem the type to indulge in that genre, sharp business executive that you are.”

  “Really? And what type is that?”

  He looked uneasy, as if he’d said something he shouldn’t. “I don’t know. I’ve always thought of those books as sappy and unrealistic.”

  “Then you’d be wrong. They’re positive and uplifting and give me hope of finding my own handsome hero one day.”

  “Ah, that leads to my next question. What qualities do you look for in a hero?”

  Everly tilted her head to one side and mulled over her answer. “I know I mentioned handsome, but that isn’t really a quality, because beauty is only skin-deep. It’s superficial. What matters is the heart of a person. Their values and priorities. My perfect hero is a man who knows himself, who cares about the world and the environment, who is connected to family, and who loves God and will love me. He has to have a good sense of humor and be willing to laugh at himself.”

  Asher nodded as if he approved.

  “It might sound silly, but I’d like for him to be handy around the house, too. My dad is like that. I doubt there is anything my dad can’t fix. But he’s intelligent enough to know when he can’t and call in a professional.”

  “Sounds like a smart man.”

  “He is,” Everly agreed, realizing anew how much she appreciated her dad. When describing her perfect hero, she felt a gnawing ache in her heart, recognizing how far off-kilter her life had become. When she’d left for this cruise her head had been full of doubt that Easy Home would survive without her. Here she was, stuck on the Amazon with no way to connect with her team, and she survived. What was happening back in Chicago took on less and less importance. It’d taken these days in bed, when all she had to do was think, to realize how distorted her life had become. The need to be needed had led her down a path she never intended to take.

  “You have another question left,” she reminded him.

  He seemed deep in thought. “Do you think you’ll feel well enough to take a walk a little later?”

  That was his question? She’d expected something more along the line of the others. She wondered at his mood but didn’t question him.

  “Yes, I think so.” She’d been out of bed for brief periods of time out of necessity. The light-headedness had gotten better and she didn’t feel nearly as weak as she had the first couple days.

  “Then I’ll return later.”

  The mood had shifted and Everly wasn’t sure what had happened. They’d been teasing and joking, and all at once Asher had grown serious. What was that about?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Asher left Daisy and paused outside her stateroom, his thoughts whirling around in his head like a vortex. He hated that she’d had such a harsh reaction to the mosquito bite and was happy to be the one assigned to look after her.

  It was rare for him to have this amount of quality time with any one passenger. He found himself looking forward to mealtimes so he could spend a few extra minutes with Daisy. He still smiled over her comment that she’d milked cows and her insistence that she was strong and capable. After being with her, he didn’t doubt what she’d said was true.

  He wasn’t sure how they’d come up with the idea of this game of asking each other three questions. He found her easy company and was curious about her and her life. He’d learned a lot about her childhood on the farm and how hard she’d worked to get this online real estate company to be the success that it was. He admired her grit and her business savvy. She told him early on that she’d changed her name to Everly.

  Everly?

  He preferred Daisy. To him she would always be Daisy.

  Everything had gone well until he’d made the mistake of asking her to describe her perfect hero. Asher wasn’t sure what he’d expected. He assumed her opinion would be shaped by the romance novels she read, and half expected her to say the man of her dreams had to be tall, dark, and handsome.

  Instead, she’d unwittingly described him to a tee.

  Asher knew himself and he cared about the environment. He had a strong connection with his family and was a believer, having been raised in faith. He was an introvert, but he had a good sense of humor. And he didn’t have a problem laughing at himself. Plus, he was handy. Give him pliers and a roll of duct tape and he could jerry-rig just about anything. Daisy couldn’t possibly have known that.

  What shook him even more than her description of what she was looking for in a man was how perfectly she fit into his own version of the woman he would seek to share his life with. If circumstances were different, he could easily see himself falling for Daisy.

  Circumstances weren’t different, though.

  Daisy had spoken enthusiastically of her life in the city and how much she thrived there. Life on the farm had never suited her. Her older sisters had married young and never left, choosing instead to raise families in small-town America. From her early teens, Daisy had made the decision to get her college degree and work in the business world. Her drive had made Easy Home a huge success.

  An ambitious woman like Daisy would never be happy with the life that was most comfortable to him. They were from different worlds and never the twain shall meet.

  * * *

  —

  As promised, Asher collected Daisy to take a walk. He found her dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for him. A weak smile lit up her face when he entered her stateroom.

  “Are you sure you feel up to this?” he asked, noticing how pale she was. The last thing he wanted was for her to overdo it.

  “I’m tired of being trapped in this room. I’ll have you escort me back if it’s too much for me.”

  Now that he saw her, he wasn’t convinced this was the best idea. “I’m holding you to that.”

  Asher helped her stand, keeping an arm around her waist. It took a bit for her to get stable on her feet. “How dizzy are you?”

  “Only a little.”

  He wasn’t sure he believed her. “Remember, if it’s too much, you need to say something.”

  “I will.”

  They walked to the meeting area and then turned back before they entered the room. Asher didn’t think Daisy would appreciate anyone seeing her in this weakened condition.

  “How are you doing?” he asked, after going the entire length of the hallway. All the support she needed was for him to wrap his arm around her, but he enjoyed holding her this close and was reluctant to release her.

  “Okay, that’s enough for now. I’ll help you get back to bed.” He could see Daisy was exhausted and refused to admit it.

  “I’ll walk more tomorrow.”

  “Promise me you won’t get up and try this alone.”

  “Okay.” Even her voice was weak.

  Once inside her stateroom, Asher helped Daisy back into bed and made sure she was comfortable before he left. Sometime later he went to check to be sure she hadn’t overdone it. As he suspected, he found her sound asleep.

  As he gazed down on her, he drew in a shaky breath. Even sick and feverish, she was lovely. He’d felt drawn to her in ways he rarely had with any woman. It’d been a long time since he’d felt this strong an attraction. Understandable, seeing that his opportunities to meet women of an appropriate age were few and far between. He’d never been great with romantic relationships and he didn’t expect that to change
. Locking braces with Mary Lou Chavez was the first in a short list of romances gone bad.

  He had to remind himself that nothing could or should come of this attraction. In less than two weeks, Daisy would return to her busy life in Chicago, a life vastly different from his own. For his part, he’d greet the next passengers with the same enthusiasm with which he met every cruise. Life would continue as it had before, and within a month, possibly two, he would hardly remember her name.

  He admired that Daisy found the gumption to go with the flow and that she enjoyed all the social and cultural opportunities available in Chicago. Having worked in remote areas for all these years, it’d been a long time since he’d taken in things like a professional baseball game or a trip to the theater, both of which he enjoyed. His brother had done his best to persuade Asher to accept a teaching position at a major university in Chicago and give up his vagabond ways, without success. Asher knew himself well enough to recognize he would never be happy living in a big city. The noise. The congestion. He’d shrivel up and die within a few months if he didn’t have the space to roam in the outdoors.

  He frowned, feeling sad and depressed at his thoughts, wondering at the twisted path they had taken or why he was even thinking about such matters. Almost immediately, the unwelcome answer came to him. It was Daisy.

  Everly.

  All he had to do was remind himself that it was Daisy he was attracted to. He suspected Everly was someone else entirely.

  * * *

  —

  For a couple days Asher brought Daisy all her meals and meds. She looked forward to his visits. He often took time to chat with her, but not for nearly as long as he had earlier in her convalescence. She couldn’t fault him; he was always pleasant. Something had changed, though; she wasn’t sure what it was or what had happened. He seemed to be withdrawing from her in subtle ways. When she asked, he explained that he had to prepare for his lectures, although she was fairly certain they were the same ones he’d delivered a hundred times before.