Operation Christmas (14 page)

“I think an angel was here,” she murmured.

“Shhh. You’re safe now.”

Madeleine’s teeth began to chatter. “I asked for help. He told me to talk. He...” She grabbed a quick breath and turned her head sideways to glance at the tin on the floor. “He sent you. She’s a he. He’s real.”

Jess pulled back to look her in the eye. “You’re upset, Madeleine.” The flashback hovered at the edges of his mind.
No
, angels did not exist. He refused to believe it no matter what he remembered or what he thought he saw in vivid detail. Memories that had tried to surface over the last few weeks in glimpses he dared not acknowledge.

Still, trauma did strange things to the mind. Madeleine had just stared down the receiving end of a gun and asked for help. Then thought she’d seen something, no different than his experience. It was just the mind playing some trick to displace the fear.

They broke apart when a police officer came over to ask questions.

“Oh no.” Madeleine put her hand over her mouth as Jess turned his head to where she stared. One of the refrigerated display cases and several cakes were blown to smithereens.

“Can you tell me what happened here, miss?” an Office Zander asked.

Jess welcomed her back into the shelter of his body as she slipped beneath his partial arm and grabbed hold of his flannel shirt sleeve below the stump. Did she realize? Apparently not. She touched his stump, patted it, wrung the empty shirt sleeve and told her story with a shaky voice, distracting the cop. Jess bit back a grin.

“I was about to lock up when he came in. Said he had a gun and to turn out the lights. He unplugged the OPEN sign. I was afraid he’d lock the door, but he didn’t. Then he pulled out the gun. Told me to put the register money in the duffle bag.” Jess glanced at the duffle in possession of a nearby cop and felt Madeleine pat his stump again. Hell, it was unnerving him now. They gazes held a second and he realized she wanted him to know it didn’t bother her.

“After you gave him the money, what happened?” Officer Zander asked.

“That’s the thing. I didn’t at first. Give him the money.” Her words came in rapid bursts. “I was stupid. For as long as I can remember, my parents have instructed those working in the store to hand over the cash no questions asked. No one ever thought we’d have a robbery, but they were always firm about it. I can be stubborn and was mad he’d steal from them, when I’d been so nice to him. They work so hard.”

“So you’ve seen him before?”

“Yes.” She drew in a big breath. Jess wiped a tear from her hot cheek with his thumb, her arm tightening around his waist. He listened to her give her account. Her bravery to stand her ground in what could have been a very bad situation astounded him. And scared the hell out of him. Why didn’t she just give over the money? Still, pride and love swelled in his heart along with some silly warm gratitude she would treat his arm with casual comfort not grossing her out.

“Then you know him?” Jess heard Officer Zander ask.

“No. Not really. He’s been in the store a couple of times over the last few days. He’s dressed different today, but it’s the same kid. We talked a little because he had questions about the store. I should have guessed something was off, but he seemed like a shy kid who liked donuts.” She shrugged more calm now. “He seemed so twitchy I worried he’d shoot me whether he had the money or not. Some voice told me to make him talk. Make him think. Throw him off balance. I know that sounds crazy, but I think it was an angel.” She said with such conviction the officer visibly flinched.

“An angel?” Officer Zander asked, wide eyed. “Your parents are right. You should have handed over the money without question.”

“Give her a break. She’s upset.” Jess scowled.

“I’m not upset.” She slid out from under Jess’s protective hold and spoke to him not the officer. “Okay...so maybe it wasn’t an audible voice. It was inside my head. But what if Danny watches over me and sent help? Sent you, Jess. I’ve heard of such things. And, and I saw a brilliant bar of white light on the dark floor near you. Over there.” She pointed to where he’d pinned the boy to the floor with his body. “There were no lights on in the main store and no way did it come from the back kitchen or outside. I felt something, too. What else could it be but an angel? Don’t tell me different or that I’m upset. I know what I saw, what I felt.” She set her jaw and tilted her chin up.

He grinned at the fire in her eyes. “Babe, you can bet I won’t be saying it again.”

“He fired two shots at you, Jess.
Two.
”

“Wild shots.”

“Do you really think he accidentally missed?” Madeleine’s slash of a dark eyebrow arched, her pretty eyes steady above rosy pink cheeks. Oh
God,
how he wanted to kiss the breath out of her in the heat of the moment. But it became obvious she wasn’t done. “I’m telling you. Something told me to
talk
when nothing but fear filled my head. I was so scared I had sawdust for brains.”

“Mule brains. My sister has them.”

“Oh, and you’re not stubborn? Why haven’t you called me?”

“Uh.”

“Because you’ve got mule brains, too.”

Officer Zander cleared his throat. “If I’ve other questions...”

Commotion at the entrance caught their attention. Grams Belmar pushed in front of Madeleine’s parents and into the bakery. “Where’s the robber. I want to see the little twerp with my own eyes.”

“Sorry, ma’am. They’ve taken him to the station,” Officer Zander said.

Janet beat a path across the bakery to wrap Madeleine in a crushing hug, crying. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“She’s fine,” Grams butted in and placed her hands on her hips. “I want to know what happened here.”

Madeleine recited every detail of the robbery minus the angel embellishments. Although Jess was certain she’d not forgotten the subject. As evidenced by her eyes finding his from time to time, during her account.

“And you’re not hurt,” Janet asked.

“No, thanks to Jess.”

Not in Jess’s mind. Madeleine had saved her own hide. He’d merely kept the teen from getting away with armed robbery. An argument for another time. Jess gave Madeleine a soft smile and left to help her dad clean up the shattered cake case. They also retrieved boards from the basement and secured the broken glass on the entry door, the lock thankfully in good working order.

Belmar Bakery would open tomorrow no matter the robbery attempt.

It would be Christmas Eve.

“We need to talk.” Madeleine stopped Jess and craned her neck to be sure her family in the kitchen, getting ready to leave. “But not tonight. Are you free for dinner tomorrow night? I know its Christmas Eve but we close at five.”

“Are you asking
me
to dinner?”

“I am.”

“For you, I’m available.”

“I’m not so sure about that, but I need to tell you about the—”

“You two coming?” her dad hollered.

“Give us a minute.”

“Don’t forget to set the alarm on your way out.”

“I won’t.” The back door shut and she finished her thought. “Angel.”

Jess groaned. “I’ve seen too much to believe anything other than my lurking outside trying to get the guts to see you happened here tonight.” He flinched as if jabbed.

“You’re wrong.” She twirled around to leave. “Come on. Dad will come back in if we hang around too long.”

Jess entered the dark hall that connected the bakery to the kitchen and came to a sudden stop. “What the...” He took a step back, brushing a large cobweb away from his face. Nothing could be found. He started through the hall again. This time hitting an invisible wall of cobwebs that brushed over his face. No. Feathers. The shimmering form of a battlefield angel made an unwelcome impression upon his mind. Shivers pebbled his skin and ran down his spine. Wonderings that began a couple of weeks ago, the smell of burnt feathers, thoughts of angels, all that hocus pocus drivel he’d become adept at pushing from his mind since Afghanistan for fear he was going insane. Suddenly, it seemed possible.

“What’s wrong?” Madeleine stared at him puzzled.

“Nothing.” He walked through the hall and stopped to stare at the short expanse he cleared without anything but air to pass through. “My car’s out front.”

“You can’t go out the broken door. I’ll drive you around. I’ve got my Mini back. You were right. It wasn’t the battery. It was the ignition. The mechanic thinks a corroded wire snapped in the cold.”

“You should have let my guys fix it,” he said distracted.

Madeleine noticed Jess rubbing his arm above the stump. Her smile faded as she stared at his hand. “He
bit
you? We need to get you to an ER.”

“Huh?” Jess glanced at the top of his swelling hand, the skin red and broken in three spots. “I’ll clean it at home. Let’s go.”

“You need a tetanus shot.”

“Madeleine, the military pumps enough stuff into soldiers I doubt I’ll ever need another shot of anything. Come on.”

Her dad stuck his head in the back door. “Let’s go.”

“Another minute, Dad.” Madeleine stopped next to a stainless steel worktable to face him. “Jess. How is it you were here? I’m thankful but I mean—”

“Your dad’s waiting. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Then at least tell me what happened in the hall?”

Jess put a finger under her chin and tilted up her face to press his lips against hers, soft and warm like he remembered. He broke the short kiss. “Thank God you weren’t hurt.”

“Thank God you showed up.”

He shook his head. “I showed up late. Good thing you kept the kid talking.”

“I don’t know why...”

Madeleine thought her bones would melt when Jess wrapped her in an embrace and kissed her hard. Damned up emotions burst. She fisted his coat in a tight grip. Fear and relief he’d not been shot poured into their rough kiss. She wanted to rip off his clothes and sooth every inch of his battered body. Kiss away the hurt. It felt so good, so right to open her heart and not deny herself the love of another human being. They broke apart breathless and stared into each other’s eyes somewhat startled.

Jess leaned his forehead against hers. “We’d better go. I think we’re over way over our minute.”

“It’s cold. Let me drive you to your truck.”

“I need the cold.”

Madeleine knew she’d appreciate the cold air as well and pressed five numbers on the alarm keypad. Jess soon disappeared around the corner and into the night.

Madeleine drove behind her folks, trying to sort through a barrage of thought.

Tonight, forces were at work that defied explanation. An unseen presence she felt. An impression as real as the unyielding metal of the cookie tin she’d grasped. She knew this in her heart as well as her mind. How sad it took a robbery to make her see she did Danny’s memory an injustice, denying herself love and companionship like a martyr.

No longer would she turn Jess away and hoped tonight for the beginning of a new and brighter tomorrow. Because never again would she take her life for granted and waste what was left in sorrow and self-pity.

The time had come to stop grieving and start living.

She couldn’t wait to see Jess at dinner tomorrow night. No matter his protests, something happened in the hall at the bakery. Had Jess felt the angel’s presence and was too macho to say? Was that why he swiped at thin air? Or had her adrenaline-charged imagination conjured up thoughts of an angel spurred on by the angel tin she held? If so, that didn’t explain the physical touch of soft billowy feathers.

Oh. My. God. I’ve been touched by an angel.

Chapter Eleven

Holiday spirit and activity teemed inside of Brickman’s. Seated in a booth, Jess studied the beautiful woman across the table from him in a festive holiday sweater. Her gentle brown eyes a shade lighter than her hair, long thick strands he itched to wind around his fingers. Crystal, a teen wise beyond her years, had it right. One hand was better than no hand or no life. His gaze momentarily rested on Madeleine’s ring finger minus the ever-present wedding band. Was she ready to give them a shot? “How’d it go at the bakery today?”

“It was business as usual. Most were shocked at what happened. I think it boosted sales on what’s one of our best days.”

“Did the front door hold up?”

“Consider that a Christmas miracle. The music studio next door updated their entrance a few years ago. They kept the old door in their basement and offered it when they found out what happened. Dad will have it painted next spring.”

She studied her menu. “I’m sorry I forgot about Crystal and this being Christmas Eve. You should have reminded me.”

“Don’t worry about Crystal. She’s with my aunt. I’ll join them later.”

“I forget other families make a big deal out of Christmas Eve. Ours is usually too pooped after the busy season. We do everything Christmas Day. Presents, morning church, dinner...then we crash and burn.”

“My aunt takes Crystal to midnight Christmas service.” Not that Jess attended. He quit going to church as a teen.