Page 55 of This Christmas

Chapter Fourteen

Joe froze, every instinct in him snapping to high alert in an instant. The sound of Ted’s voice had cut through the festive background music like a blade.

The man stepped slowly into the glow of the Christmas lights that were strung from tree to tree. His face was red from either the cold or maybe from the booze that Joe could smell from even several feet away.

“Get away from my wife!” Ted shouted again, his eyes wild and glassy.

He noticed that the man hadn’t even glanced at Charlotte, who stood a few feet away, frozen in fear beside Olaf. Her little gloved hands were clutching the dog’s leash like a lifeline. The small dog’s low growl rumbled like thunder and his hackles raised. He stood between Charlotte and her father.

Joe instinctively moved in front of Ally, and his arm stretched back protectively.

“Ted, that’s enough,” he said evenly, keeping his voice calm and controlled. “You don’t want to do this here.” He motioned to the other families that were enjoying the festive lights.

“Oh, I think I do.” Ted laughed, a harsh and ugly sound, as he took a step forward, pointing an unsteady finger at him. “You think I don’t see what’s going on? You took the job just to get close to her, didn’t you? You couldn’t wait to slide in and take what’s mine.” He moved closer, and Joe could feel Ally tense behind him.

He felt his own pulse start to hammer. He could see that the man was unraveling.

“That’s not what happened,” Joe said firmly as he widened his stance slightly. He wasn’t about to let this guy get another inch closer to Ally or Charlotte. “You need to calm down before you make this any worse for yourself.”

“Don’t you tell me what to do!” Ted’s voice cracked with rage across the snow-covered grass. “You think you’re the hero? She ruined my life!” He jabbed a finger in Ally’s direction, his words slurring. “She’s a manipulative narcissist. She abused me. Physically, verbally, financially, and even”—he took a step closer—“sexually.” The man sneered, and Joe felt his stomach roll at the lengths the man would go to hurt her.

“That’s enough!” he barked, taking a step closer to her ex-husband. He knew that his tone had the edge of command, the kind that stopped most men in their tracks. “Not another word,” he warned. “Your daughter is watching.”

Ted faltered, blinking in surprise at the steel in Joe’s voice. Around them, the crowd had started to take notice and gather. The soft sound of music faded as a few townspeople stepped in closer.

“Is everything okay here?” Nate’s voice came from behind Ted. Joe could tell that he’d seen it all, and the way he positioned himself with his hands loose at his sides told him that he was already assessing the threat.

Faye appeared a moment later by Charlotte’s side, quietly ushering her a few steps back toward the Brew-Ha-Ha.

She kept a protective hand on the girl’s shoulder and took the dog’s leash in her own hands. Olaf didn’t move an inch and was still growling at Ted.

“Come on, Ted,” Nate said firmly. “Before you end up spending another night in a cell.”

Ted’s jaw worked. “You all think you can gang up on me? You’ll see. You’ll all see! You’ll all be hearing from my lawyers.” He laughed.

A few more locals had stepped out of the diner, murmuring about calling the sheriff. Just then, headlights swept across the snow-dusted street, and a patrol car turned the corner.

The sight of it must have spooked Ted because he cursed under his breath and stumbled backward a step.

Then, still glaring at Joe, he turned and staggered toward the dark alley at the edge of the square.

“He’s drunk,” he warned Nate, who nodded and then went to go talk to Tom, who was stepping out of the patrol car to see what was going on.

Once the man was gone, he exhaled, the tension leaving his body in one hard rush. Then he turned and gathered Ally, who was very pale, in his arms. He motioned toward Charlotte, who rushed over and hugged her mother’s leg.

“You’re okay,” he said softly into Ally’s hair. “He’s gone.”

She let out a small burst of laughter against his chest, but then gathered Charlotte up and held onto her daughter as she whispered. “He’s getting worse.”

His jaw tightened. “Yeah,” he agreed, glancing toward the patrol car as Tom got back in and circled around to the alley. “I’m not letting him get near you again.”

Ally looked up at him. “Thanks.”

He pulled them close as cold air rushed over his face. “You’re safe. I swear it.”

“What do you say we head back inside for hot chocolate and cookies?” Faye cheered. She walked over and took Charlotte from Ally’s arms. “My treat,” she said, bouncing Charlotte, who giggled and cheered.

Joe followed them inside the warmth of the coffee shop, the door shutting out the bite of the winter wind, which seemed to have picked up. The rich scent of cocoa and baked sugar wrapped around him like a glove, and the tension that had clung to him outside began to ease a little.