First Kiss at Christmas by Lee Tobin McClain

Author:Lee Tobin McClain
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2021-08-31T12:42:54+00:00

* * *

TWO HOURS AFTER encountering Kayla at Goody’s, Tony listened to Jax crying in the back seat as he turned the car north. “Sorry to put you through this,” he said to Kayla, who was in the passenger seat beside him.

“I wanted a dog!” Jax wailed.

“I know you did, sweetie.” Kayla reached back to pat Jax. “You made the right call,” she said to Tony. “None of the therapy dogs they had were ready or right.”

“Which makes sense to adults, but not to a little boy.” Tony sighed. “If the rescue Dr. Liz told us about doesn’t have the right dog, we’re in for a long night.” He felt, rather than heard, Kayla stiffen, retraced what he’d said, and frowned. “I mean Jax and I. You don’t have to be involved. This is already a lot to ask.”

“It’s fine.” She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something else, and then closed it again and looked out the window.

Why did everything have to be so awkward with Kayla now?

But he knew why: because of that kiss on Saturday night. He hadn’t been able to get it out of his mind.

It had been a mistake to do it, but he didn’t regret it. The kiss was something to hold on to, that momentary feeling: swept away and excited, but also content. Holding Kayla had just felt right.

As a matter of fact, as soon as he and Kayla had started dancing, he’d caught a glimpse of what real love and a family life might be like. Looking around on the dance floor, he’d seen other couples sharing the same close embrace, the same look in their eyes. Married couples. Happy married couples.

He wanted it. Badly. With Kayla.

But he couldn’t have it, not when he was so flawed, not when he’d failed his sister so badly, and Jax, too. So the goal today was to get Kayla’s help with dog shopping and then gently, kindly, back away from her.

The thought of letting her go made him feel as desolate as the marshy area they were driving through, where dozens of tree trunks stuck up like bleak, bare posts. They’d lost their branches and died, killed by the salt water that was increasingly taking over the land.

Duck blinds and deer stands of various sizes stood in the distance. The Eastern Shore was mostly thought of as a vacation destination—he’d always thought of it that way himself—but parts of it were wild, cut off from mainstream civilization. Hunting was a popular pastime; in fact, Evan Stone had invited him to some local hunting event.

The place was complex, full of unexpected facets. Kind of like the woman riding beside him.

“Slow down!” Kayla said.

He braked. “What’s wrong?”

“Sika deer. Look.” She pointed at a couple of tiny deer standing by the side of the road.

He let the car glide closer and studied the small, spotted creatures. One lifted its head and looked at them, then went back to eating a patch of greenery that had survived the cold temperatures.

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