Christmas at Evergreen Inn by Donna Alward

Author:Donna Alward
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250086945
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Chapter Five

Todd skirted around the inn and went to the back, his hands clutched tightly around the waxy paper covering the poinsettia he’d bought. After witnessing the lack of Christmas cheer in Lainey’s cottage the other day, he’d realized that what she needed was a good old injection of holiday spirit. Today was his last day off until after Christmas, and he’d decided to spend it with her.

If she said yes, of course.

It was cold out, and had been since the storm front had cleared. The wind off the sea was bitter and harsh, and Todd’s breath made big puffs in the air as he paused in front of her door. Swallowing hard, he lifted his hand and knocked, then took a step back. Maybe if he took a deep breath he’d find his confidence again. The last thing he wanted was for Lainey to know how nervous he was. He still couldn’t believe how honest he’d been with her over breakfast the other day. But that was Lainey. She was kind and nurturing and easy to be with, and before you knew it you were sharing things.

She opened the door and his breath caught. She looked beautiful, in a simple pair of dark-wash jeans and a slouchy sweater that somehow made her seem feminine, comfortable, and still incredibly sexy.

“Todd,” she said, her breath forming a cloud in the air. “This is a surprise.”

“May I come in? I brought you something.” He held out his hands.

“A poinsettia?” She reached for it and stood back, making room for him to enter the cottage.

Right. Poinsettias. That’s what they were called. “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do. Thank you.” She took it to her small table and began peeling off the florist paper. Bright red blooms appeared, and she placed the pot in the center of the table.

“Are all your guests gone until after the holiday?” he asked. He hoped the answer was yes. She’d said that she was done with bookings on the twenty-third. That was today. Nerves threatened again, and he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets.

“The last one checked out about thirty minutes ago. A good thing, too. My pantry needs replenishing.” She folded the paper and fussed with it a bit, keeping her hands occupied. “Was there something you wanted?”

You, he thought, but he smiled instead. “Well, seeing as it’s almost Christmas, and there’s not a lick of holiday cheer around here, I came to kidnap you for a day of merrymaking.”

She frowned. Damn. Maybe that had been too much.

“Todd, about Christmas…”

Refusal tainted her voice, but he pushed forward. “Yeah, I know. What’s-his-name wrecked it for you. I’m here to help you get it back.”

“What if I don’t want it back?” She stood back, put her hands on her hips. A little wrinkle formed between her brows. It was adorable.

“Of course you want it back. No one really wants to feel grouchy and Scroogy. You just don’t know how to move past it.” He held out his hands.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.