Ghosts of Christmas Past by Cricket Starr

Author:Cricket Starr [Starr, Cricket]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Romance, Erotic, Adult, Xmas naughty
ISBN: 9781419904691
Google: o-8z565aNeAC
Amazon: B0030N6DZ0
Barnesnoble: B0030N6DZ0
Goodreads: 7791808
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Published: 2007-09-30T11:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“Decorate?” Calla turned to face the evergreen tree she’d been attempting to ignore since last night. Old, familiar dread filled her and she backed several steps away.

Daniel acted as if he hadn’t noticed and went to where several plastic crates were stacked against the wall. He opened one up and pulled out a carefully wrapped bundle of lights. He tossed it to her and without thinking Calla caught it. She stared at the unlit lights while he pulled out two more bundles.

“First we have to test them.” He plugged the bundles into the wall, and smiled approvingly when they all lit up. “These are good. What about the one you have?”

Calla dropped it onto the couch. “I don’t think I can do this.”

Daniel caught her before she could run from the living room. “Time to banish that ghost, Calla. What it is about Christmas trees that upsets you?”

She shook her head, but he didn’t give up.

“Don’t tell me you’ve always hated Christmas. I haven’t met a little kid yet who didn’t love the holiday.”

Calla stilled and a rough sob slipped out. “Oh, when I was little, I loved it. I loved the lights, and the decorations.” She stared up at him and saw the sympathy in his eyes.

He really wanted to know what was wrong.

“I loved them so much, I’d beg my mother to take me to the stores so I could see them. We didn’t have anything at home…my mother always said we were too poor to waste money on stuff we didn’t need, but I would stare at the decorations when we went out. And so, one Christmas Eve she took me to see the best display in the biggest department store in the city. It took us three buses to get there, but I’d never seen anything so beautiful…” Her voice trailed off, remembering that night.

33

Cricket Starr

Daniel’s arm slipped around her shoulders and he hugged her to his chest. “What happened, Calla?”

For a moment she had trouble finding the words. “The tree looked like it was a hundred feet tall and there were huge presents and a sleigh underneath. It glowed with lights, glittery balls and shiny tinsel. I stared at it for what seemed like hours…and when I looked around, I realized my mother wasn’t there.”

Daniel went very still. “What do you mean she wasn’t there?”

“She’d left me. I looked for her everywhere, but she was gone.”

Daniel’s flash of anger felt like fire through their link. “Your mother abandoned you on Christmas Eve in a department store?”

“I was afraid but I thought she’d come back and be angry if I wasn’t there so I hid in the sleigh until everyone was gone. I was only about four…”

For the first time in years, Calla burst into tears. Daniel held her close and stroked her back, but said nothing and she sensed he was waiting for her to finish her story, which she told through her sobs.

“I waited but she didn’t come back…I spent the night under the Christmas tree with the lights still glowing.

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