“Poor Santa.” Leo shook his head. “I mean, the mayor, obviously, but this sounds bad.” He cocked his head to one side, his gaze seeming to unfocus before he jumped, scaring the hell out of everyone.
“Every time,” Joker grumbled. “Why do you have to scare the life out of us every time you get a bright idea?”
“Sorry. It’s just my brain and body coming to the same conclusion.” Leo turned to King. “We need to help Santa.”
King blinked at him. “Help Santa?”
“The mayor. And the town,” Leo replied. He motioned at everyone. “We’re kind of the best people equipped for the job. Jack can work on the electrical issues, and Lucky and Mason on the roof.”
“I can’t fix it without new panels,” Jack said. “Something that specialized will take longer to ship than we have time for.”
“Not to mention the town’s entire Christmas shipment is non-existent,” Fitz added.
Leo blinked at them, then turned to Colton. “You own a shipping company.”
Colton opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. Well damn. He did, didn’t he?
“It’s more of a shipping empire,” Leo corrected. “I mean, if anyone can get the town what they need in no time, it’s you. Right?”
Everyone stood there gaping at one another. Trust Leo to point out the obvious solution.
Clara shook her head. “As much as I appreciate the thought, our town simply doesn’t have the connections or the funds to take on a shipment of that magnitude.”
Colton turned to Ace, who smiled lovingly.
“Baby, if anyone can do it, you can.”
What good was all his wealth if he couldn’t help those who needed it? Filled with hope and determination, Colton turned to Clara. “Can you put together a list of everything you need for Winterhaven to have another successful Christmas season? From decor to food and supplies.”
“Mr. Connolly, I couldn’t possibly ask you to take on such a huge—”
Colton took her hand in his. “Clara, I promised my family the perfect Christmas. Will you help me give it to them?”
Clara looked from him to the rest of the group, her gaze landing on Leo, who smiled his sweet smile. Like most people who took one look at that smile, she melted.
“I would love to help you give your family the perfect Christmas.” She turned back to face Colton. “If it isn’t too much, I would love the help. I’m sure the mayor will be thrilled as well.”
“Wonderful! My family and I will return to our cabin, and as soon as we receive all the information, we’ll get started on a plan.”
“It all sounds too good to be true,” Clara said before throwing her arms around Colton and squeezing the air out of him. She was strong for such a petite lady.
They said their goodbyes and headed out.
“There’s going to bea lotto do,” Red said, his arm around Laz. “Lots of arrangements and phone calls to make.”
Ace snorted. “You forget, oh Jolly Red Giant, that this is what my snookums does for a living.”
“And I’ll be helping Colton make all the arrangements,” Gio said, patting Colton’s shoulder.
“Still,” Joker said worriedly. “We’re talking about an entire town. The volume of supplies they need to launch their usual Christmas season is probably astronomical.”
Colton waved a hand in dismissal. “I’m not worried about the cost.”
“Okay, Daddy Warbucks,” Joker snickered. “I was referring more to the time frame and workload, but sure, make it rain.”
Ace stopped beside the SUV and turned to Joker. “I’m sorry. Did you just referenceAnnie?”
Oh dear.
